theguardian--2020-05-17--‘William Barr is not done’: experts raise concerns about attorney general’s legal reach

Legal experts and and alumnae of the US Department of Justice have begun sounding the alarm about Donald Trump ’ s attorney general , William Barr .
Recently Barr ’ s justice department withdrew charges against Michael Flynn , the former Trump administration national security adviser who pleaded guilty to lying to federal law enforcement officials about his dealings with Russia ’ s ambassador over sanctions , just before Trump took office .
Barr ’ s decision last week was a stunning reversal and spurred rare rebukes from a large swath of legal experts and former attorneys who worked at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican presidents .
And speaking at a fundraiser with thousands of former officials from his administration and previous campaigns , Barack Obama issued a strong warning that the move jeopardized the “ rule of law ” in the country .
Barr ’ s decision highlighted ongoing anxiety about the lasting impact the current attorney general will have on the position of attorney general and the department of justice overall .
On Monday , more than 1,900 former and current justice department officials reiterated their call for Barr to step down for having “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” .
The group that organized the letter collected more than 2,600 signatures for a similar letter in February after the justice department moved to reduce the sentence of Roger Stone , a former Trump administration aide who was convicted in cases that came out of special counsel Robert Mueller ’ s Trump-Russia investigation .
At the time , a number of prosecutors resigned in protest because of the proposed sentencing reductions .
“ Speaking as somebody who has spent 19 years at the department of justice , the way I have seen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very different to me than the way attorneys general have behaved in the past , ” said Barbara McQuade , a former United States attorney during the Obama administration .
She added : “ Their job is to be the attorney for the people , to be independent of the White House and instead William Barr has conducted himself in ways that make him seem more like he is a lawyer for Donald Trump.
” Trump recently said of Stone “ look at the horrible treatment he ’ s got .
He ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s going to be OK , ” which some federal prosecutors interpreted as a possible precursor to Barr doing more in Stone ’ s case .
The justice department has been a source of frustration for the president .
Trump first appointed then-senator Jeff Sessions to the post .
Sessions , a longtime US senator from Alabama , was the first member of his chamber to endorse Trump in the 2016 presidential election .
Trump often complained that Sessions was not doing enough to “ protect him ” .
Trump eventually became dissatisfied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recuse himself from Mueller ’ s Russia investigation , and replaced him briefly with Matthew Whitaker , a Trump loyalist , as acting attorney general .
Since Barr succeeded Whitaker in February 2019 , legal experts have pointed out the close alignment he ’ s had with Trump .
McQuade said Barr has often intervened in cases relating to Trump associates .
“ Now we ’ re seeing him interfere in cases that involve close associates of President Trump , ” McQuade said .
“ Certainly as the attorney general he has the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any case .
But he doesn ’ t .
He doesn ’ t meddle in every case , he ’ s only involved in these cases involving Trump ’ s associates.
” Former justice department officials and legal experts have suggested that Barr is acting more like Trump ’ s personal attorney rather than the top law enforcement official for the federal government .
And since the conclusion of Mueller ’ s Russia investigation and even since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic Trump has repeatedly ousted or sidelined critics within the federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a sense of confidence from Trump , could try and go after higher-profile political figures in the future .
Trump and his allies have vaguely been suggesting that Trump himself was the target of of a vague “ Obamagate ” scheme .
“ Just looking a little further down the road , one concern is that William Barr is not done , that not only is he protecting Trump ’ s friends , that he might use Trump ’ s justice department not only as a shield but as a sword to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ Joe ] Biden , Jim Comey , Obama , Hillary Clinton , ” McQuade said .
“ Could he use the justice department to go after them ?
” One former federal prosecutor , who requested anonymity in order to speak more candidly , worried that Barr had “ set a precedent ” where the “ next time DoJ could be used in the same political way ” .
Meanwhile Elkan Abromowitz , one of the former justice department officials who signed the most recent alumni letter , said that the upcoming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ role of the department .
If Trump wins , Abromowitz said , Barr will likely keep his role .
But if the former Vice President , Joe Biden , now the presumptive Democratic party nominee , wins , the attorney general and DoJ could undergo significant restructuring .
“ What I think is going to happen is if Trump loses the election , there ’ s probably going to be a major push to restructure the justice department out of the cabinet and make it like an independent agency like the Fed or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be given a 10-year term , pretty much like the FBI , ” Abromowitz said .
Abromowitz added , “ If Trump wins re-election ?
He ’ ll probably keep Barr around for as long as he can .
”

Legal experts and and alumnae of the US Department of Justice have begun sounding the alarm about Donald Trump’s attorney general, William Barr.
Recently Barr’s justice department withdrew charges against Michael Flynn, the former Trump administration national security adviser who pleaded guilty to lying to federal law enforcement officials about his dealings with Russia’s ambassador over sanctions, just before Trump took office.
Barr’s decision last week was a stunning reversal and spurred rare rebukes from a large swath of legal experts and former attorneys who worked at the justice department under both Democratic and Republican presidents. And speaking at a fundraiser with thousands of former officials from his administration and previous campaigns, Barack Obama issued a strong warning that the move jeopardized the “rule of law” in the country.
Barr’s decision highlighted ongoing anxiety about the lasting impact the current attorney general will have on the position of attorney general and the department of justice overall.
On Monday, more than 1,900 former and current justice department officials reiterated their call for Barr to step down for having “once again assaulted the rule of law”.
The group that organized the letter collected more than 2,600 signatures for a similar letter in February after the justice department moved to reduce the sentence of Roger Stone, a former Trump administration aide who was convicted in cases that came out of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Trump-Russia investigation. At the time, a number of prosecutors resigned in protest because of the proposed sentencing reductions.
“Speaking as somebody who has spent 19 years at the department of justice, the way I have seen William Barr serve as attorney general seems very different to me than the way attorneys general have behaved in the past,” said Barbara McQuade, a former United States attorney during the Obama administration.
She added: “Their job is to be the attorney for the people, to be independent of the White House and instead William Barr has conducted himself in ways that make him seem more like he is a lawyer for Donald Trump.”
Trump recently said of Stone “look at the horrible treatment he’s got. He’s going to be OK. He’s going to be OK,” which some federal prosecutors interpreted as a possible precursor to Barr doing more in Stone’s case.
The justice department has been a source of frustration for the president.
Trump first appointed then-senator Jeff Sessions to the post. Sessions, a longtime US senator from Alabama, was the first member of his chamber to endorse Trump in the 2016 presidential election.
Trump often complained that Sessions was not doing enough to “protect him”. Trump eventually became dissatisfied with Sessions, particularly his decision to recuse himself from Mueller’s Russia investigation, and replaced him briefly with Matthew Whitaker, a Trump loyalist, as acting attorney general.
Since Barr succeeded Whitaker in February 2019, legal experts have pointed out the close alignment he’s had with Trump. McQuade said Barr has often intervened in cases relating to Trump associates.
“Now we’re seeing him interfere in cases that involve close associates of President Trump,” McQuade said. “Certainly as the attorney general he has the authority to do anything he wants in any case. But he doesn’t. He doesn’t meddle in every case, he’s only involved in these cases involving Trump’s associates.”
Former justice department officials and legal experts have suggested that Barr is acting more like Trump’s personal attorney rather than the top law enforcement official for the federal government. And since the conclusion of Mueller’s Russia investigation and even since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic Trump has repeatedly ousted or sidelined critics within the federal government.
McQuade wondered if Barr, with a sense of confidence from Trump, could try and go after higher-profile political figures in the future. Trump and his allies have vaguely been suggesting that Trump himself was the target of of a vague “Obamagate” scheme.
“Just looking a little further down the road, one concern is that William Barr is not done, that not only is he protecting Trump’s friends, that he might use Trump’s justice department not only as a shield but as a sword to go after Trump’s enemies –[Joe] Biden, Jim Comey, Obama, Hillary Clinton,” McQuade said. “Could he use the justice department to go after them?”
One former federal prosecutor, who requested anonymity in order to speak more candidly, worried that Barr had “set a precedent” where the “next time DoJ could be used in the same political way”.
Meanwhile Elkan Abromowitz, one of the former justice department officials who signed the most recent alumni letter, said that the upcoming presidential election could strongly dictate the future role of the department.
If Trump wins, Abromowitz said, Barr will likely keep his role. But if the former Vice President, Joe Biden, now the presumptive Democratic party nominee, wins, the attorney general and DoJ could undergo significant restructuring.
“What I think is going to happen is if Trump loses the election, there’s probably going to be a major push to restructure the justice department out of the cabinet and make it like an independent agency like the Fed or the SEC where the attorney general would be given a 10-year term, pretty much like the FBI,” Abromowitz said.
Abromowitz added, “If Trump wins re-election? He’ll probably keep Barr around for as long as he can.”


theguardian--2020-05-17--Pelosi review: the speaker, her rise and how she came to rent space in Donald Trump's brain

Molly Ball ’ s biography of the most powerful woman in American history is worthy of its subject Pelosi review : the speaker , her rise and how she came to rent space in Donald Trump 's brain From her perch as speaker of the House , Nancy Pelosi has bested Donald Trump in budget battles , mocked him at the State of the Union and won an outsized place in his brain .
Now Molly Ball of Time magazine delivers a biography that does justice to the most powerful woman in American history : well-researched , a smooth read @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ball traces Pelosi ’ s rise from a childhood in Baltimore , the daughter of Thomas D ’ Alesandro Jr , a Democratic mayor and former congressman .
Pelosi ’ s politics were shaped by the New Deal , the Depression , the Catholic church and the city ’ s cacophonous tapestry .
Think ethnic reductionism leavened by transactionalism .
Good government was not an end in itself .
The young Pelosi was privy to the needs of her father ’ s constituents but also to the frustrations of Annunciata Lombardi D ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ball makes clear , her ambition was thwarted for the sake of family and her husband .
“ Big Tommy ’ s ” career came to a halt after a criminal investigation , an unsuccessful bid for the US Senate and a failed comeback at city hall .
When their mother died , Pelosi ’ s brother Tommy , like their father a former Baltimore mayor , called their mother the “ really true politician of the family ” .
While politics was part of Pelosi ’ s upbringing , her own entrance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ married Paul Pelosi , an aspiring banker .
Unlike other rich legislators such as Dianne Feinstein , Kelly Loeffller and Mitch McConnell , Pelosi ’ s money is seldom a source of headlines .
The pair moved to New York and then to San Francisco .
By the time Pelosi turned 30 , in 1970 , she was the mother of five children .
The speaker ’ s gavel was not on the horizon .
But within a decade , life would change .
As a young mother with a penchant for books @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a natural destination .
In Ball ’ s telling , one day Joseph Alioto , the mayor , called Pelosi and asked if she was “ ‘ making a big pot of pasta e fagioli ?
’ ” An obnoxious question , in Ball ’ s view , but dinner was not Alioto ’ s point .
He wanted to appoint Pelosi to the public library commission .
After Pelosi said she enjoyed volunteering , Alioto pushed back .
His take was simple : if “ you ’ re doing the work … @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” .
Later , Pelosi came to view the call as a feminist-minded assist from an unexpected source .
Pelosi emerged as a bridge between rival Democratic factions .
She also offered a roadmap to California governor Jerry Brown ’ s run for president in 1976 .
When Brown won the Maryland primary he thanked Pelosi as the “ architect ” of his campaign .
At that point , Pelosi “ was more than a housewife , more than a pocketbook , more than a hostess ” , in Ball ’ s words @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In 1981 , Pelosi became chair of the California Democratic party and embarked on a voter registration drive that added 700,000 to the electoral rolls .
She successfully pushed for San Francisco as the site of the 1984 Democratic convention , and along the way had a brush with Feinstein , then mayor of the City by Bay .
She thought the cost excessive .
Following the death of Representative Sala Burton , the wife of legendary congressman Phil Burton , Pelosi was elected to the US House in 1987 .
There , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ committees ” like appropriations and intelligence , the “ ones that did work traditionally seen as masculine : dollars and cents , war and peace ” .
Early on , Pelosi understood where actual power and influence resided .
As a congresswoman , Pelosi did her homework .
She raised money , collected chits and made friends in unexpected places .
The late John Murtha , a gruff congressman and ex-marine from Pennsylvania ’ s God and guns country , became an ally .
The two had sat on the appropriations committee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ W Bush ’ s “ mission accomplished ” moment degenerated into a mordant fiasco , Murtha became Pelosi ’ s point person in attacking the Iraq war .
To her credit , Pelosi was mindful of the potency of culture in politics , that her home district was not a mirror image of the US .
Murtha was a more effective attack dog than the left ’ s usual suspects .
Pelosi is an unabashed liberal .
But she is also an institutionalist , the ranking Democrat on the House intelligence committee until @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
These days , Adam Schiff , another Californian by choice , chairs the committee .
When it came to impeachment Pelosi moved slowly , and discounted the trigger-happy voices of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the “ Squad ” .
Instead , she pivoted on the issue when seven first-term “ security ” Democrats , who had served in the military or intelligence , penned a Washington Post op-ed calling for impeachment proceedings .
Four of the seven had refused to vote for Pelosi as speaker .
Swing-district America weighed on Pelosi ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there is unvarnished math .
Pelosi is by far a more adroit vote-counter than Paul Ryan or John Boehner , the past two Republican speakers .
She is better at it than her own whip team , as Kevin McCarthy , the House minority leader , can attest .
Pelosi ’ s weaknesses are delivering a set speech and the Sunday morning talkshows .
That doesn ’ t seem so serious next to Newt Gingrich , the speaker who led the impeachment charge against Bill Clinton and resigned in disgrace .
For that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ successor , eventually went to prison for covering-up hush money payments to former students he had sexually abused .
Pelosi is the one politician to repeatedly humble Trump in front of national audiences .
She exudes competence , avoids scandal and has earned the gratitude and loyalty of her caucus .
Her rise and return to the speakership were anything but inevitable .
That ’ s what makes her story worth telling , and Ball is definitely up to the task .

From her perch as speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi has bested Donald Trump in budget battles, mocked him at the State of the Union and won an outsized place in his brain. Now Molly Ball of Time magazine delivers a biography that does justice to the most powerful woman in American history: well-researched, a smooth read that goes back to the beginning.
Ball traces Pelosi’s rise from a childhood in Baltimore, the daughter of Thomas D’Alesandro Jr, a Democratic mayor and former congressman. Pelosi’s politics were shaped by the New Deal, the Depression, the Catholic church and the city’s cacophonous tapestry. Think ethnic reductionism leavened by transactionalism. Good government was not an end in itself.
The young Pelosi was privy to the needs of her father’s constituents but also to the frustrations of Annunciata Lombardi D’Alesandro, her immigrant mother. As Ball makes clear, her ambition was thwarted for the sake of family and her husband.
“Big Tommy’s” career came to a halt after a criminal investigation, an unsuccessful bid for the US Senate and a failed comeback at city hall. When their mother died, Pelosi’s brother Tommy, like their father a former Baltimore mayor, called their mother the “really true politician of the family”.
While politics was part of Pelosi’s upbringing, her own entrance came later. Soon after college she married Paul Pelosi, an aspiring banker. Unlike other rich legislators such as Dianne Feinstein, Kelly Loeffller and Mitch McConnell, Pelosi’s money is seldom a source of headlines.
Pelosi is an unabashed liberal. But she is also an institutionalist
The pair moved to New York and then to San Francisco. By the time Pelosi turned 30, in 1970, she was the mother of five children. The speaker’s gavel was not on the horizon. But within a decade, life would change.
As a young mother with a penchant for books, San Francisco’s libraries were a natural destination. In Ball’s telling, one day Joseph Alioto, the mayor, called Pelosi and asked if she was “‘making a big pot of pasta e fagioli?’” An obnoxious question, in Ball’s view, but dinner was not Alioto’s point. He wanted to appoint Pelosi to the public library commission.
After Pelosi said she enjoyed volunteering, Alioto pushed back. His take was simple: if “you’re doing the work … you should get official recognition for it”. Later, Pelosi came to view the call as a feminist-minded assist from an unexpected source.
Pelosi emerged as a bridge between rival Democratic factions. She also offered a roadmap to California governor Jerry Brown’s run for president in 1976. When Brown won the Maryland primary he thanked Pelosi as the “architect” of his campaign. At that point, Pelosi “was more than a housewife, more than a pocketbook, more than a hostess”, in Ball’s words. “She was a strategist.”
In 1981, Pelosi became chair of the California Democratic party and embarked on a voter registration drive that added 700,000 to the electoral rolls. She successfully pushed for San Francisco as the site of the 1984 Democratic convention, and along the way had a brush with Feinstein, then mayor of the City by Bay. She thought the cost excessive.
Following the death of Representative Sala Burton, the wife of legendary congressman Phil Burton, Pelosi was elected to the US House in 1987. There, she “gravitated toward the ‘hard’ committees” like appropriations and intelligence, the “ones that did work traditionally seen as masculine: dollars and cents, war and peace”. Early on, Pelosi understood where actual power and influence resided.
When it came to impeachment Pelosi moved slowly, and discounted the trigger-happy voices of AOC and the 'Squad'
As a congresswoman, Pelosi did her homework. She raised money, collected chits and made friends in unexpected places. The late John Murtha, a gruff congressman and ex-marine from Pennsylvania’s God and guns country, became an ally. The two had sat on the appropriations committee, which Murtha chaired.
When George W Bush’s “mission accomplished” moment degenerated into a mordant fiasco, Murtha became Pelosi’s point person in attacking the Iraq war. To her credit, Pelosi was mindful of the potency of culture in politics, that her home district was not a mirror image of the US. Murtha was a more effective attack dog than the left’s usual suspects.
Pelosi is an unabashed liberal. But she is also an institutionalist, the ranking Democrat on the House intelligence committee until she was elected minority leader in 2006. These days, Adam Schiff, another Californian by choice, chairs the committee.
Pelosi rips up Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, in February this year. Photograph: Mark Wilson/Getty Images
When it came to impeachment Pelosi moved slowly, and discounted the trigger-happy voices of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the “Squad”. Instead, she pivoted on the issue when seven first-term “security” Democrats, who had served in the military or intelligence, penned a Washington Post op-ed calling for impeachment proceedings.
Four of the seven had refused to vote for Pelosi as speaker. Swing-district America weighed on Pelosi’s calculus.
There are sentiments and then there is unvarnished math. Pelosi is by far a more adroit vote-counter than Paul Ryan or John Boehner, the past two Republican speakers. She is better at it than her own whip team, as Kevin McCarthy, the House minority leader, can attest.
Pelosi’s weaknesses are delivering a set speech and the Sunday morning talkshows. That doesn’t seem so serious next to Newt Gingrich, the speaker who led the impeachment charge against Bill Clinton and resigned in disgrace. For that matter Denny Hastert, Gingrich’s successor, eventually went to prison for covering-up hush money payments to former students he had sexually abused.
Pelosi is the one politician to repeatedly humble Trump in front of national audiences. She exudes competence, avoids scandal and has earned the gratitude and loyalty of her caucus. Her rise and return to the speakership were anything but inevitable. That’s what makes her story worth telling, and Ball is definitely up to the task.


theguardian--2020-05-17--Trump, Putin and Bolsonaro have been complacent. Now the pandemic has made them all vulnerable

If Boris Johnson is mishandling the pandemic , he is not alone .
Falsely claiming everything is under control , dodging responsibility , hiding from public view , exploiting the crisis for political gain , mounting artificial distractions and blaming the media : these are common behaviour patterns exhibited by some of the world ’ s most powerful – and shifty – leaders .
Will they pay a price for their lethal incompetence and cynicism ?
It ’ s possible some will , though it may take a while .
The pandemic is changing political calculations around the globe .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ so .
That in turn could shift the strategic calculus and alter the balance of power between countries in ways both unexpected and permanent .
Donald Trump ’ s performance is a lesson in how not to handle an emergency .
It may become a compulsory case study for future students of crisis management .
Trump minimised the threat early on , offered phoney assurances , and failed to make a plan .
He has since accused China of deliberately spreading “ plague ” while weaponising the crisis to smear his Democratic rival @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s myriad character flaws need no rehearsal here .
But it seems a desperate Trump will stop at nothing to re-boot his re-election prospects .
If that means fomenting a cold war with China , or stoking racial divisions and anti-migrant , anti-Muslim bias , he ’ s up for it .
And if all that fails , he may try to delay November ’ s election , a scenario not ruled out by his sycophantic son-in-law .
Coronavirus has made a sort of leper of Trump .
A lack of federal leadership @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lockdowns he never truly supported appears to be propelling a rise in Covid-19 cases in small midwest towns and rural communities from Iowa to Texas .
These are the heartlands of Trump ’ s America , where his most loyal voters live .
As a result , Republicans running for Congress are running away from Trump , fearful of infection from the miasma of lies and distrust enveloping the White House .
As jobs disappear by the tens of millions , Democrats ’ hopes of winning the Senate are rising .
Biden ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ widening , fuelled by economic meltdown and Trump ’ s gaffes .
Vladimir Putin is another leader in serious viral difficulty .
Only months ago , he looked invincible .
All the talk in Russia was of constitutional “ reforms ” that would effectively make him president for life .
Those plans are now on hold , perhaps permanently .
Putin ’ s decision to shield himself from harm , isolating away from Moscow , has badly dented his image as fearless tough-guy leader .
After weeks of complacency at the top , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rate of Covid-19 infections in the world .
Putin ’ s hand-picked prime minister , Mikhail Mishustin , is in hospital , as is the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov .
In video conferences held to discuss the crisis , Putin has looked more bored than concerned .
Empathy was never his strong suit .
The political implications are potentially far-ranging .
Anxious to avoid personal blame for twin health and economic disasters , Putin has shifted responsibility for managing the crisis to the regions , which have effectively been left to fend for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ oligarchs – have stepped into the breach .
In such ways does a leader ’ s power erode and slip away .
Other politicians are showing a degree of reckless insouciance that makes Boris Johnson look positively switched on by comparison .
Brazil ’ s president Jair Bolsonaro hit a new low for irresponsibility by ridiculing public protection measures .
Brazil has the highest Covid death rate in Latin America .
But Bolsonaro prefers barbecue parties to hospital visits .
He may yet pay with his job in a country where presidential impeachment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the virus has brought a great many pigeons home to roost .
A structurally fragile economy , a hollowed-out civil society and media , and a climate of fear created by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have not proved conducive to a unified national effort – leading analysts to suggest the sultan-president ’ s reign may be drawing to a close .
Majority Kurdish areas in eastern Turkey , for example , the scene of frequent conflict with the central government , have reportedly been hard hit .
Diyarbakir-based activist and author Nurcan Baysal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ afraid to go to work due to a lack of protective equipment .
But it ’ s a political problem , too .
“ Today , there are not enough tests , not enough doctors , no civil society , no mayors , and not enough measures to tackle the coronavirus in Kurdish cities , ” Baysal said – partly because many Kurdish doctors and nurses were sacked in Erdoğan ’ s purges .
A central actor in this global drama , China ’ s modern-day emperor Xi Jinping is not about to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sack .
Rather , an emboldened Xi risks over-playing his hand as he seeks to transform a calamity into a PR victory for Chinese soft power , strengthening Beijing ’ s clout at the expense of weakened western countries .
American fumbling , plus Russian and European debility , offer Xi a macabre opportunity to advance his vision of China as dominant global power .
But the aggressive , Boxer Rebellion-style provocations of his “ wolf warrior ” diplomats and party cadres are feeding an international backlash .
Pressure is growing to retaliate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And that , in turn , boosts Trump ’ s confrontational , self-exculpatory campaign narrative .
Trump claims China wants to deny him a second term .
Yet the opposite may be true .
Xi knows a useful idiot when he sees one – and this US president is easily outfoxed .
The thought that China ’ s oppositional tactics could help get Trump re-elected is enough to make anyone sick .

If Boris Johnson is mishandling the pandemic, he is not alone. Falsely claiming everything is under control, dodging responsibility, hiding from public view, exploiting the crisis for political gain, mounting artificial distractions and blaming the media: these are common behaviour patterns exhibited by some of the world’s most powerful – and shifty – leaders.
Will they pay a price for their lethal incompetence and cynicism? It’s possible some will, though it may take a while. The pandemic is changing political calculations around the globe. Leaders who looked invulnerable suddenly appear less so. That in turn could shift the strategic calculus and alter the balance of power between countries in ways both unexpected and permanent.
Donald Trump’s performance is a lesson in how not to handle an emergency. It may become a compulsory case study for future students of crisis management. Trump minimised the threat early on, offered phoney assurances, and failed to make a plan. He has since accused China of deliberately spreading “plague” while weaponising the crisis to smear his Democratic rival, Joe Biden.
The president’s myriad character flaws need no rehearsal here. But it seems a desperate Trump will stop at nothing to re-boot his re-election prospects. If that means fomenting a cold war with China, or stoking racial divisions and anti-migrant, anti-Muslim bias, he’s up for it. And if all that fails, he may try to delay November’s election, a scenario not ruled out by his sycophantic son-in-law.
Putin’s decision to shield himself from harm has badly dented his image as fearless tough-guy leader
Coronavirus has made a sort of leper of Trump. A lack of federal leadership and his support for prematurely ending state lockdowns he never truly supported appears to be propelling a rise in Covid-19 cases in small midwest towns and rural communities from Iowa to Texas. These are the heartlands of Trump’s America, where his most loyal voters live.
As a result, Republicans running for Congress are running away from Trump, fearful of infection from the miasma of lies and distrust enveloping the White House. As jobs disappear by the tens of millions, Democrats’ hopes of winning the Senate are rising. Biden’s lead in key battleground states is widening, fuelled by economic meltdown and Trump’s gaffes.
Vladimir Putin is another leader in serious viral difficulty. Only months ago, he looked invincible. All the talk in Russia was of constitutional “reforms” that would effectively make him president for life. Those plans are now on hold, perhaps permanently. Putin’s decision to shield himself from harm, isolating away from Moscow, has badly dented his image as fearless tough-guy leader.
After weeks of complacency at the top, Russia finds itself with the second fastest rate of Covid-19 infections in the world. Putin’s hand-picked prime minister, Mikhail Mishustin, is in hospital, as is the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. In video conferences held to discuss the crisis, Putin has looked more bored than concerned. Empathy was never his strong suit.
People wear face masks and gloves on the Moscow Metro. Russia now finds itself with the second fastest rate of Covid-19 infections in the world. Photograph: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP
The political implications are potentially far-ranging. Anxious to avoid personal blame for twin health and economic disasters, Putin has shifted responsibility for managing the crisis to the regions, which have effectively been left to fend for themselves. Wealthy businessmen – the so-called oligarchs – have stepped into the breach. In such ways does a leader’s power erode and slip away.
Other politicians are showing a degree of reckless insouciance that makes Boris Johnson look positively switched on by comparison. Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro hit a new low for irresponsibility by ridiculing public protection measures. Brazil has the highest Covid death rate in Latin America. But Bolsonaro prefers barbecue parties to hospital visits. He may yet pay with his job in a country where presidential impeachment actually works.
In Turkey, meanwhile, the virus has brought a great many pigeons home to roost. A structurally fragile economy, a hollowed-out civil society and media, and a climate of fear created by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have not proved conducive to a unified national effort – leading analysts to suggest the sultan-president’s reign may be drawing to a close.
Majority Kurdish areas in eastern Turkey, for example, the scene of frequent conflict with the central government, have reportedly been hard hit. Diyarbakir-based activist and author Nurcan Baysal tells a familiar tale of health workers afraid to go to work due to a lack of protective equipment. But it’s a political problem, too.
“Today, there are not enough tests, not enough doctors, no civil society, no mayors, and not enough measures to tackle the coronavirus in Kurdish cities,” Baysal said – partly because many Kurdish doctors and nurses were sacked in Erdoğan’s purges.
A central actor in this global drama, China’s modern-day emperor Xi Jinping is not about to fall – although he richly deserves the sack. Rather, an emboldened Xi risks over-playing his hand as he seeks to transform a calamity into a PR victory for Chinese soft power, strengthening Beijing’s clout at the expense of weakened western countries.
American fumbling, plus Russian and European debility, offer Xi a macabre opportunity to advance his vision of China as dominant global power. But the aggressive, Boxer Rebellion-style provocations of his “wolf warrior” diplomats and party cadres are feeding an international backlash.
Pressure is growing to retaliate by quarantining Beijing, politically and economically. And that, in turn, boosts Trump’s confrontational, self-exculpatory campaign narrative.
Trump claims China wants to deny him a second term. Yet the opposite may be true. Xi knows a useful idiot when he sees one – and this US president is easily outfoxed. The thought that China’s oppositional tactics could help get Trump re-elected is enough to make anyone sick.


theguardian--2020-05-17--Obama criticises Trump in virtual graduation speech – video

The former US president attacked the Trump administration ’ s response to the Covid-19 pandemic during a virtual commencement ceremony @ @ @ @ @ universities on Saturday .
Barack Obama told graduates : ‘ More than anything , this @ @ @ @ @ torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge @ @ @ @ @ doing .
A lot of them aren ’ t even pretending to be in charge @

The former US president attacked the Trump administration’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic during a virtual commencement ceremony for historically black colleges and universities on Saturday. Barack Obama told graduates: ‘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’


theguardian--2020-05-19--Trump claims to have been taking hydroxychloroquine despite FDA warnings – as it happened

Haircuts , in-person retail shopping , sporting events and religious services could be a reality again in some California counties in just the next few weeks , the state ’ s governor , Gavin Newsom , said Monday .
Newsom provided an optimistic outlook for the state in his daily briefing , where he modified the criteria that each of California ’ s 58 counties must meet to reopen and join the state in phase two of coronavirus containment .
“ We are looking forward in the next few weeks to a number of significant milestones , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rate of transmissions , we hold the positivity rate down and continue to do justice to the number of hospitalizations , that we will be making announcements statewide.
” Newsom had already allowed for local variance to phase two of the stay-at-home order – California , as a large state with diverse needs , had been hit by the virus unevenly , with some rural counties experiencing low rates of infection and others like Los Angeles county experiencing more than half the deaths in the entire state .
While statewide , all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pickup , counties could also apply for looser restrictions , such as the go-ahead to reopen some offices , schools and dine-in restaurants .
Those counties had to meet criteria such as no deaths in 14 days .
Now , under the modified criteria announced Monday , in which counties have to show a rate of 8 % positive tests over seven days and a hospitalization rate below 5 % , Newsom believes that 53 of the state ’ s 58 counties could move deeper into phase two if their public health officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the decision was up to each individual county .
“ Just because we are creating the capacity and the availability to move into phase two doesn ’ t mean every county is ready , ” he said .
“ LA county , as an example , I imagine , will be cautious in that respect.
” In California , there have been a total of 78,839 positive cases and 3,261 deaths .

Maanvi Singh in Oakland, Joan E Greve in Washington and Martin Pengelly in New York

19 May 2020 01.03 BST Summary Donald Trump said he’s been taking hydroxychloroquine, an antimalarial drug that he has repeatedly touted as a cure for coronavirus, despite a lack of evidence. The president said he has been taking the drug for a week and a half, as a prophylactic measure, going against the guidance of the FDA.
The president said he has been taking the drug for a week and a half, as a prophylactic measure, going against the guidance of the FDA. The coronavirus death toll passed 90,000 in the US, even as states begin easing distancing measures. All but one state are looking to loosen restrictions, but only 18 have shown a downward trend in cases.
All but one state are looking to loosen restrictions, but only 18 have shown a downward trend in cases. Lindsay Graham, the Republican leader of the Senate judiciary committee, announced a debate and vote on whether to subpoena documents and testimony related to what Donald Trump has been referring to as “Obamagate”. Republicans are seeking testimony from Obama-era officials on the FBI investigation into Russian election interference.
Republicans are seeking testimony from Obama-era officials on the FBI investigation into Russian election interference. Trump said the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, asked him to fire the state department inspector general, which will intensify concerns that Pompeo politically retaliated against Steve Linick for investigations into the state department leader.
which will intensify concerns that Pompeo politically retaliated against for investigations into the state department leader. Linick had been investigating Pompeo’s controversial decision to approve Saudi arms sales last year, according to the Democratic chair of the House foreign affairs committee. Reports had already emerged that Linick was investigating the secretary of state for allegedly making a department staffer run personal errands for him and his wife.
according to the Democratic chair of the House foreign affairs committee. Reports had already emerged that Linick was investigating the secretary of state for allegedly making a department staffer run personal errands for him and his wife. Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine showed promising results in its first human safety tests. The results sparked hope that the vaccine could be more widely distributed in the next several months, as several companies race to develop an effective vaccine.
The results sparked hope that the vaccine could be more widely distributed in the next several months, as several companies race to develop an effective vaccine. The attorney general, William Barr, said he does not expect the investigation of the Russia inquiry to lead to a criminal investigation of Barack Obama or Joe Biden. Barr’s comment comes as the president continues to push his baseless claim that the former president and former vice-president broke the law in connection to the Russia investigation.
Barr’s comment comes as the president continues to push his baseless claim that the former president and former vice-president broke the law in connection to the Russia investigation. Trump reportedly declined an invitation to address the World Health Organization, which he has criticized for its handling of the pandemic.
Updated at 01.14 BST
18 May 2020 00.27 BST Republican senator Lindsay Graham announced that the judiciary committee would debate and vote on whether to subpoena documents and testimony from Obama-era officials, related to the FBI’s investigation into Russian election interference. Graham would subpoena testimony from witnesses including James Comey, Andrew McCabe, James Clapper, John Brennan, and Sally Yates. The Senate judiciary committee would vote on authorizing the subpoenas on 4 June. The move is the latest in efforts by Trump and his allies to double down on the theory that Barack Obama and his administration concocted a hoax allegation that Trump colluded with Russia to win the 2016 election. Trump has been referring to the conspiracy theory as “Obamagate”.
Updated at 00.31 BST
18 May 2020 00.10 BST Judge tosses out stay-at-home restrictions in Oregon A judge in rural Oregon tossed out the state’s coronavirus restrictions, saying that the governor, Kate Brown, did not seek the legislature’s approval to extend the stay-at-home order. Brown is now seeking an emergency review of the decision by the state’s supreme court. “The science behind these executive orders hasn’t changed one bit. Ongoing physical distancing, staying home as much as possible and wearing face coverings will save lives across Oregon,” Brown, a Democrat, said. But the judge’s decision today, in response to a lawsuit by 10 churches who argued that the state’s social distancing protocols were unconstitutional, said, “the governor’s orders are not required for public safety when plaintiffs can continue to utilize social distancing and safety protocols at larger gatherings involving spiritual worship,” he wrote. Judges have struck down restrictions by other Democratic governors, in Wisconsin and North Carolina. Earlier this month, Brown extended the state’s social distancing mandate till 6 July, but most Oregon counties have already received the state’s approval to loosen restrictions.
Updated at 00.28 BST
18 May 2020 23.52 BST Death toll in US surpasses 90,000 The coronavirus death told in the US passed 90,000 Monday, and the number of cases climbed above 1.5m, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. The milestone came as more states seek to loosen restrictions and the president tweeted, “REOPEN OUR COUNTRY!” The president has questioned the death toll, suggesting that the numbers have been inflated. But researchers from the CDC who analyzed deaths in New York over the past two months concluded that the actual death toll is likely higher than the reported number. All the states, except Connecticut, have relaxed stay-at-home orders, to varying degrees. But only 18 states showed a downward trend of new cases according to data from Johns Hopkins.
Updated at 00.29 BST
18 May 2020 23.11 BST California counties could ease up more restrictions in coming weeks Vivian Ho reports: Haircuts, in-person retail shopping, sporting events and religious services could be a reality again in some California counties in just the next few weeks, the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, said Monday. Newsom provided an optimistic outlook for the state in his daily briefing, where he modified the criteria that each of California’s 58 counties must meet to reopen and join the state in phase two of coronavirus containment. “We are looking forward in the next few weeks to a number of significant milestones,” he said. “We expect if we hold the rate of transmissions, we hold the positivity rate down and continue to do justice to the number of hospitalizations, that we will be making announcements statewide.” Newsom had already allowed for local variance to phase two of the stay-at-home order – California, as a large state with diverse needs, had been hit by the virus unevenly, with some rural counties experiencing low rates of infection and others like Los Angeles county experiencing more than half the deaths in the entire state.
While statewide, all retailers were allowed to reopen for curbside pickup, counties could also apply for looser restrictions, such as the go-ahead to reopen some offices, schools and dine-in restaurants. Those counties had to meet criteria such as no deaths in 14 days. Now, under the modified criteria announced Monday, in which counties have to show a rate of 8% positive tests over seven days and a hospitalization rate below 5%, Newsom believes that 53 of the state’s 58 counties could move deeper into phase two if their public health officials so desired. He reiterated again that the decision was up to each individual county. “Just because we are creating the capacity and the availability to move into phase two doesn’t mean every county is ready,” he said. “LA county, as an example, I imagine, will be cautious in that respect.” In California, there have been a total of 78,839 positive cases and 3,261 deaths.
Updated at 00.32 BST
18 May 2020 23.06 BST During the event with restaurant executives, Trump also addressed the investigation into the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo. “Here’s a man that is supposed to be negotiating war and peace with major, major countries with weaponry like the world has never seen before,” Trump told reporters. “And the Democrats and the fake news media, they are interested in a man who is walking their dog.” Trump fired the state department’s inspector general, Steve Linick, on Friday. According to NBC, Linick has been investigating whether Pompeo and his wide made a staffer walk their dog, pick up dry cleaning and make them dinner reservations, as well as the circumstances of Pompeo’s sale of US weapons to Saudi Araba despite a congressional ban. “I would rather have [Pompeo] on the phone with some world leader than have him wash dishes because maybe his wife isn’t there or his kids aren’t,” Trump said. Of course, a third option would have been for the Pompeo family to hire dogwalkers and other helpers, rather than relying on state department employees to do their personal errands. President Trump on firing State Department Inspector General: "I don't know him at all. I never even heard of him. But, I was asked to by the State Department, by Mike...I have the absolute right as president to terminate."
Full video here: https://t.co/FWjHY8AWLb pic.twitter.com/avptfW0XIH — CSPAN (@cspan) May 18, 2020
Updated at 00.33 BST
18 May 2020 22.51 BST Trump’s use of hydroxychloroquine doesn’t appear to fit within the FDA’s emergency use authorization of the drug as a treatment for coronavirus. The president said he asked the White House doctor if he could take the antimalarial drug. “He said, well, if you’d like it.” The emergency use authorization is very specific. It “allows chloroquine phosphate and hydroxychloroquine sulfate donated to the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) and distributed to states to be used by licensed healthcare providers to treat adults and teens hospitalized with Covid-19 who weigh more than 50 kg (110 pounds)”, according to the FDA. It does not authorize the use of the drug as a preventative treatment.
Updated at 00.34 BST
18 May 2020 22.39 BST Even Fox News was taken aback by the president’s announcement that he’s taking hydroxychloroquine. Fox News's Neil Cavuto is stunned by Trump's announcement that he's taking hydroxychloroquine: "If you are in a risky population here, and you are taking this as a preventative treatment ... it will kill you. I cannot stress enough. This will kill you." pic.twitter.com/e6D5alfAgc — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 18, 2020
Updated at 22.44 BST
18 May 2020 22.23 BST Fact check: Trump on hydroxychloroquine Trump acknowledged research finding that US veterans treated with hydroxychloroquine didn’t seem to fare better than those who weren’t given the drug. The preliminary study found that those treated with hydroxychloroquine had a higher risk of death than those who were not. The pre-print of the study, which has been published online without peer review, comes with many caveats. None of those caveats include Trump’s analysis. Those behind the research “aren’t big Trump fans,” the president said as an explanation for why he’s taking the unproven drug. The research was a “a very unscientific report,” Trump said. The research was conducted by the VA and academic institutions including the University of Virginia School of Medicine. It analyzed the cases of 368 male coronavirus patients nationwide, 97 receiving hydroxychloroquine, 113 receiving hydroxychloroquine in combination with the antibiotic azithromycin, and 158 not receiving any hydroxychloroquine. This was not a randomized clinical trial, the gold standard of drug testing, which would randomly assign hydroxychloroquine treatment to some patients and not to others. Instead, researchers looked back on cases — and weren’t able to account for why doctors chose to treat some patients with the antimalarial drug and not others. It could be that those treated with hydroxychloroquine had a higher chance of death because doctors chose to give the most severely ill patients the unproven drug.
Updated at 22.43 BST
18 May 2020 21.59 BST Asked about the potential harsh side effects of taking the drug, Trump told reporters, “All I can tell you is, so far I seem to be OK.” Hydroxychloroquine is considered relatively safe for people without an underlying illness, but it’s unclear if it is safe for severely sick Covid-19 patients, who may have incurred organ damage due to the virus. The drug can have serious side effects, including serious heart rhythm problems.
So far, the evidence that it’s a cure for coronavirus is anecdotal and mixed. An initial French study that appeared to have launched the Trump administration’s obsession with the drug has since been discredited. The early results of trials and studies that have tricked in so far have not provided compelling evidence that hydroxychloriquine is a “miracle” drug, as Trump has claimed before. The surge in demand for the unproven hydroxychloroquine also risks shortages of the drug for those who need it most. It is used to help patients manage the chronic autoimmune disease lupus, but some are already complaining the drug is harder to come by.
Hydroxychloroquine and coronavirus: a guide to the scientific studies so far Read more
Updated at 22.30 BST
18 May 2020 21.49 BST If Trump is taking hydroxychloroquine, he is going against the advice of his own administration. The FDA has warned against using hydroxychloroquine or a related compound, chloroquine, for treating or preventing Covid-19 without medical supervision in a hospital, or as part of a clinical trial. “While clinical trials are ongoing to determine the safety and effectiveness of these drugs for Covid-19, there are known side effects of these medications that should be considered,” the FDA commissioner, Stephen M Hahn, said in a statement issued in late April. “The FDA will continue to monitor and investigate these potential risks and will communicate publicly when more information is available.”
Updated at 22.31 BST
18 May 2020 21.45 BST Here’s the clip of Trump saying he’s been taking hydroxychloroquine. President Trump: "I happen to be taking it. I'm taking it, hydroxychloroquine. A couple weeks ago I started taking it...I get a lot of positive calls about it...I take a pill every day."
Full video here: https://t.co/FWjHY8AWLb pic.twitter.com/cUPVQYenuo — CSPAN (@cspan) May 18, 2020 “I get a lot of positive calls about it,” Trump said of the antimalarial drug. So far, the scientific evidence that the drug works as a treatment has been thin. It has not been widely investigated as a prophylactic measure.
Updated at 22.10 BST
18 May 2020 21.37 BST Trump says he is taking controversial coronavirus treatment hydroxychloroquine Joanna Walters Extraordinary news emerging from the White House – the president has mentioned that he has been taking hydroxychloroquine. This is the dubious treatment for coronavirus that Trump had fiercely touted in the past but which was found to have a very mixed effect on patients. No studies so far have shown that it had a good effect on patients and regulators have advised it not be taken outside of a hospital or clinical trial setting. Trump said earlier at the White House that he was taking it, it is understood as a prophylactic. BREAKING: President Trump says he is taking hydroxychloriquine and has been doing so for weeks. @CBSNews #Covid_19 — Paula Reid (@PaulaReidCBS) May 18, 2020 The US Food and Drug Administration cautions against use of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine for Covid-19 outside of a hospital setting or a clinical trial due to risk of heart rhythm problems. Before recent results from larger trials showed the anti-viral medicine was not good for Covid and could be harmful, Trump was promoting it, including at White House briefings, as a possible miracle cure for coronavirus. Hydroxychloroquine: how an unproven drug became Trump’s coronavirus 'miracle cure' Read more
Updated at 22.33 BST


theguardian--2020-05-18--Trump says he’s taking hydroxychloroquine against Covid-19 despite FDA warnings

Donald Trump has told reporters at the White House that for “ a couple weeks ” he has been taking a malaria drug as a defense against Covid-19 – despite warnings from his administration that it is dangerous .
Trump said he was taking hydroxychloroquine – a drug approved to treat malaria , lupus and rheumatoid arthritis – in response to the coronavirus threat .
But the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) has been warning since April that the drug should not be used for that purpose because it could cause irregular heartbeats and other cardiac trauma .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ treatment for Covid-19 and Trump has not been diagnosed with the disease , to public knowledge .
Trump ’ s claim to be taking the drug was made as he attacked an administration whistleblower who went before Congress last week and described internal pressure to endorse the drug as an effective coronavirus treatment .
The whistleblower , Rick Bright , was the former director of a federal agency in charge of vaccines .
On Monday , Trump called Bright a hypocrite and then riffed on the supposed benefits of the drug , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shown to be safe and effective for treating or preventing Covid-19 ” .
“ You ’ d be surprised at how many people are taking it … The frontline workers many many are taking it , ” Trump said .
“ I happen to be taking it .
I happen to be taking it .
I ’ m taking it , hydroxychloroquine .
Right now , yeah .
A couple weeks ago I started taking it .
Because I think it ’ s good , I heard a lot of good stories… I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ P Conley , Trump ’ s physician , said in a memo that after “ numerous discussions ” with the president “ for and against the use of hydroxychloroquine , we concluded the potential benefit from treatment outweighed the relative risks ” .
Previously , Trump had endorsed the injection of disinfectants or light into the body to fight coronavirus – recommendations that were followed by a spike in calls to poison control centers .
But Trump had never before claimed to be trying one of the home remedies himself .
A string @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine do little to prevent or treat Covid-19 , and the FDA has cautioned against the use of either drug for Covid-19 outside of the hospital setting or a clinical trial “ due to risk of heart rhythm problems ” .
The drugs “ can cause abnormal heart rhythms such as QT interval prolongation and a dangerously rapid heart rate called ventricular tachycardia ” , the FDA said .
Dr Anthony Fauci , the country ’ s top infectious disease doctor and a member of the White House coronavirus taskforce @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no conclusive evidence to support using the drug .
The United States passed two grim milestones for coronavirus cases on Monday , surpassing 1.5m confirmed cases and 90,000 deaths , according to numbers recorded by Johns Hopkins University .
Trump touted hydroxychloroquine as a potential coronavirus treatment in March , a claim that was amplified for weeks on Fox News .
But alarming reports in April about the health risks tied to the drug silenced that talk until the Bright episode .
Bright , the former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he was removed from his post after resisting pressure by the administration to make “ potentially harmful drugs widely available ” , including chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine .
The FDA has issued repeated warnings about the dangers of the drugs in question .
“ While clinical trials are ongoing to determine the safety and effectiveness of these drugs for Covid-19 , there are known side effects of these medications that should be considered , ” the FDA commissioner , Stephen M Hahn , said in a statement issued in late April .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigate these potential risks and will communicate publicly when more information is available.
” Trump acknowledged research finding that US veterans treated with hydroxychloroquine didn ’ t seem to fare better than those who weren ’ t given the drug .
The preliminary study found that those treated with hydroxychloroquine had a higher risk of death than those who were not .
The pre-print of the study , which has been published online without peer review , comes with many caveats .
None of those caveats include Trump ’ s analysis .
Those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ big Trump fans ” , the president said as an explanation for why he ’ s taking the unproven drug .
The research was a “ a very unscientific report ” , Trump said .
The research was conducted by the VA and academic institutions including the University of Virginia School of Medicine .
It analyzed the cases of 368 male coronavirus patients nationwide , 97 receiving hydroxychloroquine , 113 receiving hydroxychloroquine in combination with the antibiotic azithromycin , and 158 not receiving any hydroxychloroquine .
This was not a randomized clinical trial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which would randomly assign hydroxychloroquine treatment to some patients and not to others .
Instead , researchers looked back on cases – and weren ’ t able to account for why doctors chose to treat some patients with the antimalarial drug and not others .
It could be that those treated with hydroxychloroquine had a higher chance of death because doctors chose to give the most severely ill patients the unproven drug .

Donald Trump has told reporters at the White House that for “a couple weeks” he has been taking a malaria drug as a defense against Covid-19 – despite warnings from his administration that it is dangerous.
Trump said he was taking hydroxychloroquine – a drug approved to treat malaria, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis – in response to the coronavirus threat.
But the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been warning since April that the drug should not be used for that purpose because it could cause irregular heartbeats and other cardiac trauma.
The drug is not approved as a treatment for Covid-19 and Trump has not been diagnosed with the disease, to public knowledge.
Trump’s claim to be taking the drug was made as he attacked an administration whistleblower who went before Congress last week and described internal pressure to endorse the drug as an effective coronavirus treatment.
The whistleblower, Rick Bright, was the former director of a federal agency in charge of vaccines.
On Monday, Trump called Bright a hypocrite and then riffed on the supposed benefits of the drug, which the FDA advised has “not been shown to be safe and effective for treating or preventing Covid-19”.
“You’d be surprised at how many people are taking it … The frontline workers many many are taking it,” Trump said.
“I happen to be taking it. I happen to be taking it. I’m taking it, hydroxychloroquine. Right now, yeah. A couple weeks ago I started taking it. Because I think it’s good, I heard a lot of good stories … I take a pill every day.”
Sean P Conley, Trump’s physician, said in a memo that after “numerous discussions” with the president “for and against the use of hydroxychloroquine, we concluded the potential benefit from treatment outweighed the relative risks”.
Previously, Trump had endorsed the injection of disinfectants or light into the body to fight coronavirus – recommendations that were followed by a spike in calls to poison control centers.
But Trump had never before claimed to be trying one of the home remedies himself.
A string of studies around the world have suggested that hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine do little to prevent or treat Covid-19, and the FDA has cautioned against the use of either drug for Covid-19 outside of the hospital setting or a clinical trial “due to risk of heart rhythm problems”.
The drugs “can cause abnormal heart rhythms such as QT interval prolongation and a dangerously rapid heart rate called ventricular tachycardia”, the FDA said.
Dr Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease doctor and a member of the White House coronavirus taskforce, has repeatedly warned that there is no conclusive evidence to support using the drug.
The United States passed two grim milestones for coronavirus cases on Monday, surpassing 1.5m confirmed cases and 90,000 deaths, according to numbers recorded by Johns Hopkins University.
Trump touted hydroxychloroquine as a potential coronavirus treatment in March, a claim that was amplified for weeks on Fox News. But alarming reports in April about the health risks tied to the drug silenced that talk until the Bright episode.
Bright, the former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, told Congress last week that he was removed from his post after resisting pressure by the administration to make “potentially harmful drugs widely available”, including chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine.
The FDA has issued repeated warnings about the dangers of the drugs in question.
“While clinical trials are ongoing to determine the safety and effectiveness of these drugs for Covid-19, there are known side effects of these medications that should be considered,” the FDA commissioner, Stephen M Hahn, said in a statement issued in late April. “The FDA will continue to monitor and investigate these potential risks and will communicate publicly when more information is available.”
Trump acknowledged research finding that US veterans treated with hydroxychloroquine didn’t seem to fare better than those who weren’t given the drug. The preliminary study found that those treated with hydroxychloroquine had a higher risk of death than those who were not. The pre-print of the study, which has been published online without peer review, comes with many caveats. None of those caveats include Trump’s analysis. Those behind the research “aren’t big Trump fans”, the president said as an explanation for why he’s taking the unproven drug. The research was a “a very unscientific report”, Trump said.
The research was conducted by the VA and academic institutions including the University of Virginia School of Medicine. It analyzed the cases of 368 male coronavirus patients nationwide, 97 receiving hydroxychloroquine, 113 receiving hydroxychloroquine in combination with the antibiotic azithromycin, and 158 not receiving any hydroxychloroquine. This was not a randomized clinical trial, the gold standard of drug testing, which would randomly assign hydroxychloroquine treatment to some patients and not to others. Instead, researchers looked back on cases – and weren’t able to account for why doctors chose to treat some patients with the antimalarial drug and not others. It could be that those treated with hydroxychloroquine had a higher chance of death because doctors chose to give the most severely ill patients the unproven drug.
Maanvi Singh contributed reporting


theguardian--2020-05-18--Republicans devote $20m and 50,000 people into efforts to restrict voting

Donald Trump ’ s campaign and national Republicans are pumping millions of dollars into efforts to restrict voting and aggressively fight Democratic efforts to make it easier to cast a ballot during the Covid-19 pandemic .
The Republican National Committee has allocated $ 20m so far to oppose Democratic lawsuits across the country seeking to expand voting .
Republicans are also seeking to recruit up to 50,000 people in 15 key states to serve as poll watchers and challenge the registration of voters they believe are ineligible , according to the New York Times .
The 2020 election will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that national Republicans will be involved in such a program .
After the RNC was sued over intimidating minority voters in New Jersey in the early 1980s , they agreed to a federal court order not to engage in “ ballot security ” efforts .
The order expired in 2018 .
Ronna McDaniel , the chair of the RNC , accused Democrats of trying to “ destroy ” the integrity of elections on a conference call with reporters on Monday .
Several studies , however , have shown that voter fraud is exceedingly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ latest in a high-stakes battle over voting laws that has shaped the last two decades in US politics .
Republicans have consistently supported voting restrictions citing voter fraud .
Democrats have pushed to make it easier to vote , saying the focus on voter fraud is just an excuse Republicans use to disenfranchise certain Americans , particularly students and minorities .
“ It is a sad commentary on the sorry state of the Republican party that , under Trump , its only hope for winning in November is to try to suppress the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an attorney who is representing Democrats in many of their suits across the country .
Amid Covid-19 , the partisan fight has reached a new level .
Republicans have fought Democratic efforts in Wisconsin and other states to make it easier to vote by mail .
Democrats have sued to overturn requirements they say will make it difficult to cast a ballot during a pandemic , such as requiring people to give a state-approved excuse for why they want to vote absentee or a witness for their ballots .
“ What we have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incredibly aggressive voter suppression tactics because their agenda is unpopular and part of their strategy is to make it harder for Americans to vote , ” said David Bergstein , a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee .
“ We ’ re very aware that part of the Republican playbook is voter suppression and we ’ re fighting back .
”

Donald Trump’s campaign and national Republicans are pumping millions of dollars into efforts to restrict voting and aggressively fight Democratic efforts to make it easier to cast a ballot during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Republican National Committee has allocated $20m so far to oppose Democratic lawsuits across the country seeking to expand voting. Republicans are also seeking to recruit up to 50,000 people in 15 key states to serve as poll watchers and challenge the registration of voters they believe are ineligible, according to the New York Times.
The 2020 election will be the first time in nearly three decades that national Republicans will be involved in such a program. After the RNC was sued over intimidating minority voters in New Jersey in the early 1980s, they agreed to a federal court order not to engage in “ballot security” efforts. The order expired in 2018.
Ronna McDaniel, the chair of the RNC, accused Democrats of trying to “destroy” the integrity of elections on a conference call with reporters on Monday. Several studies, however, have shown that voter fraud is exceedingly rare.
The new effort is the latest in a high-stakes battle over voting laws that has shaped the last two decades in US politics. Republicans have consistently supported voting restrictions citing voter fraud. Democrats have pushed to make it easier to vote, saying the focus on voter fraud is just an excuse Republicans use to disenfranchise certain Americans, particularly students and minorities.
“It is a sad commentary on the sorry state of the Republican party that, under Trump, its only hope for winning in November is to try to suppress the vote,” said Marc Elias, an attorney who is representing Democrats in many of their suits across the country.
Amid Covid-19, the partisan fight has reached a new level. Republicans have fought Democratic efforts in Wisconsin and other states to make it easier to vote by mail. Democrats have sued to overturn requirements they say will make it difficult to cast a ballot during a pandemic, such as requiring people to give a state-approved excuse for why they want to vote absentee or a witness for their ballots.
“What we have seen over decades is that Republicans pursue incredibly aggressive voter suppression tactics because their agenda is unpopular and part of their strategy is to make it harder for Americans to vote,” said David Bergstein, a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee. “We’re very aware that part of the Republican playbook is voter suppression and we’re fighting back.”


theguardian--2020-05-18--Watchdog was investigating Pompeo for arms deal and staff misuse before firing

The government watchdog who was fired last week had been investigating the secretary of state , Mike Pompeo , for sidestepping Congress to approve arms sales to the Gulf and using staffers for personal errands , according to congressional sources .
Donald Trump declared his intention to fire the state department inspector general , Steve Linick , in a letter sent to the House speaker , Nancy Pelosi , late on Friday night .
The White House said the decision was taken at Pompeo ’ s advice .
Congress has 30 days to investigate the decision , but the Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a string of dismissals of officials in watchdog roles , as Trump has steadily dismantled the machinery of government oversight .
According to Democratic congressional aides , Linick had nearly completed an investigation into a highly controversial decision by Trump and Pompeo last May to approve $ 8bn in arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates without consulting Congress , on the grounds that the regional threat posed by Iran constituted a national emergency .
Congress had sought to curb the weapons sales in the wake of the Saudi killing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jamal Khashoggi and high civilian casualties from Saudi bomb strikes in Yemen .
The congressional aides said Linick had also been looking into allegations that a political appointee at the state department was being employed to run menial errands for Pompeo and his wife , Susan .
The chores included walking the family dog , picking up dry cleaning and making dinner reservations .
The details of the errands were first published by NBC News and the investigation into the Saudi arms sales was first reported by the Washington Post on Monday .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ was investigating – at my request – Trump ’ s phony declaration of an emergency so he could send weapons to Saudi Arabia , ” Eliot Engel , the Democratic chair of the House foreign affairs committee said in a written statement .
“ We don ’ t have the full picture yet , but it ’ s troubling that Secretary Pompeo wanted Mr Linick pushed out before this work could be completed.
” Pompeo claimed he was unaware he was being investigated by the inspector general and insisted he called for Linick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ undermining ” the state department ’ s work .
“ I went to the president and made clear to him that Inspector General Linick wasn ’ t performing a function in a way that we had tried to get him to , that was additive for the state department , very consistent with what the statute says he ’ s supposed to be doing , ” Pompeo told the Washington Post .
“ The kinds of activities he ’ s supposed to undertake to make us better , to improve us.
” Pompeo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ department official , Brian Bulatao , said there had been a pattern of leaks of draft inspector general reports .
Pompeo ’ s claim to have no knowledge he was under investigation conflict with a report in Politico on Monday that he had refused to sit for an interview with the inspector general ’ s office about the Saudi arms sales .
In his letter on Friday , announcing Linick ’ s dismissal , Trump said he no longer had full confidence in him .
On Monday , he said he had never @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fire him .
“ I don ’ t know him .
Never heard of him , ” Trump said .
“ But they asked me to terminate him .
I have the absolute right as president to terminate .
I said who appointed him , and they say : President Obama .
I said : look I ’ ll terminate him.
” The president ridiculed the allegations against Pompeo as trivial , saying his secretary of state could have been too busy to do domestic chores himself .
“ Maybe he ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so that he said : ‘ Do you mind walking my dog – I ’ m talking to Kim Jong-un , ’ ” the president said , adding that he had been unaware of the investigations when he fired Linick .
“ I think this country has a long way to go .
The priorities are really screwed up.
” Engel and the lead Democrat on the Senate foreign relations committee , Bob Menendez , launched an investigation on Saturday into Linick ’ s firing .
“ Reports indicate that Secretary Pompeo personally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and it is our understanding that he did so because the inspector general had opened an investigation into wrongdoing by Secretary Pompeo himself , ” Engel and Menendez said in a joint statement .
“ Such an action , transparently designed to protect Secretary Pompeo from personal accountability , would undermine the foundation of our democratic institutions and may be an illegal act of retaliation.
” Engel called for all relevant state department records to be turned over to Congress by Friday .
Pompeo has been under scrutiny for his behaviour in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , congressional Democrats launched an inquiry into the use of diplomatic security agents to run family errands like collecting the family dog from the grooming salon and picking up Chinese food .
CNN reported the bodyguards were complaining of being treated like “ UberEats with guns ” .
The head of the diplomatic security service at the time denied the agents had been asked to do anything “ inconsistent with our professional obligation to protect the secretary 24 hours a day , seven days a week ” .
Congress eventually dropped the investigation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the Pompeo ’ s use of government housing normally assigned to senior military officers , on Potomac Hill opposite state department headquarters .
His predecessors , and traditionally almost all non-uniformed government employees , have been responsible for their own housing in Washington .
A state department spokeswoman at the time insisted that Pompeo was paying an ( unspecified ) fair market rent for the government house and that he was saving taxpayers money in security costs .
The role of Susan Pompeo has also drawn attention as she has accompanied the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and is reported to be drawing on state department resources like staffers ’ time and official cars while on those trips .
“ I have friends who have been at meetings called by Mrs Pompeo about trips , about plans and what she wants to have her agenda on the trip which is not supposed to happen , ” said Brett Bruen , a former diplomat and White House director of global engagement “ You ’ re not allowed as a non-government official to take government resources for your own agenda .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the state department is a mix of fear as well as self-serving policies where his wife is on the plane , and she is in charge of trips and meetings , ” Bruen said .

The government watchdog who was fired last week had been investigating the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, for sidestepping Congress to approve arms sales to the Gulf and using staffers for personal errands, according to congressional sources.
Donald Trump declared his intention to fire the state department inspector general, Steve Linick, in a letter sent to the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, late on Friday night. The White House said the decision was taken at Pompeo’s advice.
Congress has 30 days to investigate the decision, but the Senate has so far declined to intervene in a string of dismissals of officials in watchdog roles, as Trump has steadily dismantled the machinery of government oversight.
According to Democratic congressional aides, Linick had nearly completed an investigation into a highly controversial decision by Trump and Pompeo last May to approve $8bn in arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates without consulting Congress, on the grounds that the regional threat posed by Iran constituted a national emergency.
Congress had sought to curb the weapons sales in the wake of the Saudi killing of the Washington Post columnist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi and high civilian casualties from Saudi bomb strikes in Yemen.
The congressional aides said Linick had also been looking into allegations that a political appointee at the state department was being employed to run menial errands for Pompeo and his wife, Susan. The chores included walking the family dog, picking up dry cleaning and making dinner reservations.
The details of the errands were first published by NBC News and the investigation into the Saudi arms sales was first reported by the Washington Post on Monday.
“[Linick’s] office was investigating – at my request – Trump’s phony declaration of an emergency so he could send weapons to Saudi Arabia,” Eliot Engel, the Democratic chair of the House foreign affairs committee said in a written statement.
“We don’t have the full picture yet, but it’s troubling that Secretary Pompeo wanted Mr Linick pushed out before this work could be completed.”
Pompeo claimed he was unaware he was being investigated by the inspector general and insisted he called for Linick’s firing because he was “undermining” the state department’s work.
“I went to the president and made clear to him that Inspector General Linick wasn’t performing a function in a way that we had tried to get him to, that was additive for the state department, very consistent with what the statute says he’s supposed to be doing,” Pompeo told the Washington Post. “The kinds of activities he’s supposed to undertake to make us better, to improve us.”
Pompeo did not provide evidence but a state department official, Brian Bulatao, said there had been a pattern of leaks of draft inspector general reports.
Pompeo’s claim to have no knowledge he was under investigation conflict with a report in Politico on Monday that he had refused to sit for an interview with the inspector general’s office about the Saudi arms sales.
In his letter on Friday, announcing Linick’s dismissal, Trump said he no longer had full confidence in him. On Monday, he said he had never heard of Linick before being asked to fire him.
“I don’t know him. Never heard of him,” Trump said. “But they asked me to terminate him. I have the absolute right as president to terminate. I said who appointed him, and they say: President Obama. I said: look I’ll terminate him.”
The president ridiculed the allegations against Pompeo as trivial, saying his secretary of state could have been too busy to do domestic chores himself.
“Maybe he’s negotiating with Kim Jong-un about nuclear weapons so that he said: ‘Do you mind walking my dog – I’m talking to Kim Jong-un,’” the president said, adding that he had been unaware of the investigations when he fired Linick. “I think this country has a long way to go. The priorities are really screwed up.”
Engel and the lead Democrat on the Senate foreign relations committee, Bob Menendez, launched an investigation on Saturday into Linick’s firing.
“Reports indicate that Secretary Pompeo personally made the recommendation to fire Mr Linick, and it is our understanding that he did so because the inspector general had opened an investigation into wrongdoing by Secretary Pompeo himself,” Engel and Menendez said in a joint statement. “Such an action, transparently designed to protect Secretary Pompeo from personal accountability, would undermine the foundation of our democratic institutions and may be an illegal act of retaliation.”
Engel called for all relevant state department records to be turned over to Congress by Friday.
Pompeo has been under scrutiny for his behaviour in office for several months. Last July, congressional Democrats launched an inquiry into the use of diplomatic security agents to run family errands like collecting the family dog from the grooming salon and picking up Chinese food. CNN reported the bodyguards were complaining of being treated like “UberEats with guns”.
The head of the diplomatic security service at the time denied the agents had been asked to do anything “inconsistent with our professional obligation to protect the secretary 24 hours a day, seven days a week”. Congress eventually dropped the investigation.
Mike Pompeo and his wife Susan Pompeo arrive in Senegal in February. Photograph: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
There has also been longstanding controversy over the Pompeo’s use of government housing normally assigned to senior military officers, on Potomac Hill opposite state department headquarters. His predecessors, and traditionally almost all non-uniformed government employees, have been responsible for their own housing in Washington.
A state department spokeswoman at the time insisted that Pompeo was paying an (unspecified) fair market rent for the government house and that he was saving taxpayers money in security costs.
The role of Susan Pompeo has also drawn attention as she has accompanied the secretary of state on several foreign trips, and is reported to be drawing on state department resources like staffers’ time and official cars while on those trips.
“I have friends who have been at meetings called by Mrs Pompeo about trips, about plans and what she wants to have her agenda on the trip which is not supposed to happen,” said Brett Bruen, a former diplomat and White House director of global engagement
“You’re not allowed as a non-government official to take government resources for your own agenda.
“The culture that Pompeo has created at the state department is a mix of fear as well as self-serving policies where his wife is on the plane, and she is in charge of trips and meetings,” Bruen said.


theguardian--2020-05-18--Trump's attorney general dismisses possibility of 'Obamagate' investigations

As Donald Trump continued to propagate his “ Obamagate ” pseudo-scandal on Monday , the US attorney general , William Barr , said he did not expect a justice department review of the FBI ’ s handling of 2016 election interference to lead to the criminal investigation of Barack Obama or Joe Biden .
“ As to President Obama and Vice-President Biden , whatever their level of involvement , based on the information I have today , I don ’ t expect Mr Durham ’ s work will lead to a criminal investigation of either man , ” Barr said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ John Durham , who is reviewing the origins of the investigation of Russia ’ s 2016 election interference which expanded to include links between the Trump campaign and Moscow .
“ Not every abuse of power , no matter how outrageous , is necessarily a federal crime , ” Barr said .
With Biden the presumptive Democratic nominee for president in November , and leading in most polls , Trump has repeatedly referred to a supposed scandal he calls “ Obamagate ” , saying without evidence that his predecessor and his vice-president were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the biggest political crime in American history , by far !
” Without identifying who he was talking about , Barr said on Monday : “ Our concern over potential criminality is focused on others.
” Trump has not made clear what he is accusing Obama of doing , but the allegations supported by influential Fox News hosts focus on law enforcement actions taken at the end of Obama ’ s presidency which concerned Michael Flynn , Trump ’ s first national security adviser .
In routine transactions , Flynn was “ unmasked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who were under intelligence community surveillance .
Trump first pushed the allegations during a blitz of 120 tweets and retweets on 10 May .
His acting director of national intelligence , Richard Grenell , declassified unmasking requests made by Obama administration figures including Biden .
Opponents of the president accused Grenell of politicising intelligence , and selectively releasing it to aid the president .
He claimed to be acting out of concern for transparency .
Barr ’ s DoJ shocked the US with its move to drop its case against Flynn .
Flynn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , after being fired by Trump for lying to Mike Pence about conversations with the Russian ambassador .
Flynn cooperated with special counsel Robert Mueller in his investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election and links between Trump and Moscow .
Mueller did not establish a criminal conspiracy but did lay out extensive evidence of possible obstruction of justice by Trump .
Also on Monday , a retired judge who was appointed by the federal judge overseeing the Flynn case filed a request for oral argument concerning the attempt to drop it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fueled his jump from reality TV star to political figure by championing the false claim that Obama , the first black US president , had not been born in the US and thus should not be in the Oval Office .
Early in his presidency , Trump claimed without evidence that Obama had ordered the tapping of his phones in Trump Tower .

As Donald Trump continued to propagate his “Obamagate” pseudo-scandal on Monday, the US attorney general, William Barr, said he did not expect a justice department review of the FBI’s handling of 2016 election interference to lead to the criminal investigation of Barack Obama or Joe Biden.
“As to President Obama and vice-president Biden, whatever their level of involvement, based on the information I have today, I don’t expect Mr Durham’s work will lead to a criminal investigation of either man,” Barr said.
He was referring to federal prosecutor John Durham, who is reviewing the origins of the investigation of Russia’s 2016 election interference which expanded to include links between the Trump campaign and Moscow.
“Not every abuse of power, no matter how outrageous, is necessarily a federal crime,” Barr said.
With Biden the presumptive Democratic nominee for president in November, and leading in most polls, Trump has repeatedly referred to a supposed scandal he calls “Obamagate”, saying without evidence that his predecessor and his vice-president were tied to what he claims was “the biggest political crime in American history, by far!”
Without identifying who he was talking about, Barr said on Monday: “Our concern over potential criminality is focused on others.”
Trump has not made clear what he is accusing Obama of doing, but the allegations supported by influential Fox News hosts focus on law enforcement actions taken at the end of Obama’s presidency which concerned Michael Flynn, Trump’s first national security adviser.
In routine transactions, Flynn was “unmasked” as an American talking to foreigners who were under intelligence community surveillance.
Trump first pushed the allegations during a blitz of 120 tweets and retweets on 10 May. His acting director of national intelligence, Richard Grenell, declassified unmasking requests made by Obama administration figures including Biden.
Opponents of the president accused Grenell of politicising intelligence, and selectively releasing it to aid the president. He claimed to be acting out of concern for transparency.
Barr’s DoJ shocked the US with its move to drop its case against Flynn.
Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, after being fired by Trump for lying to Mike Pence about conversations with the Russian ambassador.
Flynn cooperated with special counsel Robert Mueller in his investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election and links between Trump and Moscow.
Mueller did not establish a criminal conspiracy but did lay out extensive evidence of possible obstruction of justice by Trump.
Also on Monday, a retired judge who was appointed by the federal judge overseeing the Flynn case filed a request for oral argument concerning the attempt to drop it.
Before the 2016 election, Trump fueled his jump from reality TV star to political figure by championing the false claim that Obama, the first black US president, had not been born in the US and thus should not be in the Oval Office.
Early in his presidency, Trump claimed without evidence that Obama had ordered the tapping of his phones in Trump Tower.
In a further efforts by Trump allies to double down on the “Obamagate” theory, Republican senator Lindsey Graham announced Monday that the Senate judiciary committee would debate and vote on whether to subpoena documents and testimony from Obama-era officials, related to the FBI’s investigation into Russian election interference.
Graham would subpoena testimony from witnesses including James Comey, Andrew McCabe, James Clapper, John Brennan, and Sally Yates. The Senate judiciary committee would vote on authorizing the subpoenas on 4 June.


theguardian--2020-05-18--Trump sons provoke outrage with baseless attacks on Biden and lockdown

Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump , the US president ’ s oldest sons , have attracted fierce criticism for attacking Joe Biden and Democrats in terms most observers considered beyond the pale even in America ’ s toxic political climate .
Trump Jr posted to Instagram a meme which baselessly insinuated that Biden , his father ’ s probable opponent at the polls in November , was a pedophile .
Eric Trump claimed Democrats were using the coronavirus pandemic , which has killed nearly 90,000 in America , for political gain .
Both claims were made on Saturday .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump Jr said he had been “ joking around ” .
But he also pursued the matter , accusing the former vice-president of “ unwanted touching ” and including in a tweet pictures taken from congressional swearing-in ceremonies and presented in misleading fashion .
In a statement , Biden ’ s spokesman , Andrew Bates , said : “ No repulsive , manipulative tactic will change the subject from how almost 90,000 Americans have paid for Donald Trump ’ s coronavirus negligence with their lives and how the booming economy he inherited from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ depression-level job losses.
” Biden has faced and acknowledged accusations of inappropriate touching from adult women .
He is accused of sexual assault by Tara Reade , a former Senate staffer .
The former vice-president flatly denies the claim .
Donald Trump has been accused of sexual misconduct or assault by multiple women .
Though he was recorded boasting about grabbing women by the genitals , he denies all such accusations .
In 2016 , five women who were contestants in the 1997 Miss Teen USA pageant told BuzzFeed that Trump , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rooms while they were changing and made no attempt to leave .
Trump ’ s campaign dismissed the claims .
Trump has admitted to such behaviour at adult pageants .
Earlier this year Trump Jr , 42 , told Axios his father sometimes tells him to tone down his attacks on Twitter .
His response , he said , was : “ I learned it by watching you.
” Eric Trump , 36 , spoke to the Fox News host Jeanine Pirro on Saturday night .
He accused Democrats of using the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ You watch , ” he said , “ they ’ ll milk it every single day between now and 3 November [ election day ] .
And guess what , after 3 November , coronavirus will magically , all of a sudden , go away and disappear and everybody will be able to reopen.
” Biden responded again , with his communications director , Kate Bedingfield , saying : “ We ’ re in the middle of the biggest public health emergency in a century , with almost 90,000 Americans dead , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ newly jobless .
“ So for Eric Trump to claim that the coronavirus is a political hoax that will ‘ magically ’ disappear is absolutely stunning and unbelievably reckless.
” Most public health experts expect the pandemic to remain a serious problem in the US for months to come , with serious danger of a deadly resurgence later in the year .
On Monday , the Associated Press reported on how the Trump campaign is revving up “ smokescreen ” efforts to distract voters from the pandemic and economic crisis as the election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as those pursued by Trump Jr are thereby part of a wide-ranging attempt to echo attacks on Hillary Clinton , Trump ’ s opponent in 2016 .
The AP reported that “ Biden ’ s team doesn ’ t believe a pervasive narrative like ‘ Hillary ’ s emails ’ will shadow this campaign ” .
Mike Donilon , a longtime Biden adviser , was quoted as saying : “ We have a president who doesn ’ t want to talk about the central issue in this campaign right now .
This isn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not like Trump started attacking the vice-president today or yesterday .
He ’ s been at him all year long.
” Donilon said “ people have a really good understanding of who Joe Biden is ” .
But Jason Miller , a former Trump campaign adviser , said accelerating , aggressive and unscrupulous attacks on Biden were “ a reminder that Trump is the outsider trying to take on those who were entrenched in power for decades ” .

Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump, the US president’s oldest sons, have attracted fierce criticism for attacking Joe Biden and Democrats in terms most observers considered beyond the pale even in America’s toxic political climate.
Trump Jr posted to Instagram a meme which baselessly insinuated that Biden, his father’s probable opponent at the polls in November, was a pedophile.
Eric Trump claimed Democrats were using the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed nearly 90,000 in America, for political gain.
Both claims were made on Saturday.
In the face of fierce opprobrium, Trump Jr said he had been “joking around”.
But he also pursued the matter, accusing the former vice-president of “unwanted touching” and including in a tweet pictures taken from congressional swearing-in ceremonies and presented in misleading fashion.
In a statement, Biden’s spokesman, Andrew Bates, said: “No repulsive, manipulative tactic will change the subject from how almost 90,000 Americans have paid for Donald Trump’s coronavirus negligence with their lives and how the booming economy he inherited from the Obama-Biden administration is now suffering from depression-level job losses.”
Biden has faced and acknowledged accusations of inappropriate touching from adult women. He is accused of sexual assault by Tara Reade, a former Senate staffer. The former vice-president flatly denies the claim.
Donald Trump has been accused of sexual misconduct or assault by multiple women. Though he was recorded boasting about grabbing women by the genitals, he denies all such accusations.
In 2016, five women who were contestants in the 1997 Miss Teen USA pageant told BuzzFeed that Trump, who owned the event, barged into dressing rooms while they were changing and made no attempt to leave. Trump’s campaign dismissed the claims. Trump has admitted to such behaviour at adult pageants.
Earlier this year Trump Jr, 42, told Axios his father sometimes tells him to tone down his attacks on Twitter. His response, he said, was: “I learned it by watching you.”
Eric Trump, 36, spoke to the Fox News host Jeanine Pirro on Saturday night. He accused Democrats of using the coronavirus outbreak for political and electoral gain.
“You watch,” he said, “they’ll milk it every single day between now and 3 November [election day]. And guess what, after 3 November, coronavirus will magically, all of a sudden, go away and disappear and everybody will be able to reopen.”
Biden responded again, with his communications director, Kate Bedingfield, saying: “We’re in the middle of the biggest public health emergency in a century, with almost 90,000 Americans dead, 1.5 million infected and 36 million workers newly jobless.
“So for Eric Trump to claim that the coronavirus is a political hoax that will ‘magically’ disappear is absolutely stunning and unbelievably reckless.”
Most public health experts expect the pandemic to remain a serious problem in the US for months to come, with serious danger of a deadly resurgence later in the year.
On Monday, the Associated Press reported on how the Trump campaign is revving up “smokescreen” efforts to distract voters from the pandemic and economic crisis as the election gathers pace.
Attacks on Biden such as those pursued by Trump Jr are thereby part of a wide-ranging attempt to echo attacks on Hillary Clinton, Trump’s opponent in 2016.
The AP reported that “Biden’s team doesn’t believe a pervasive narrative like ‘Hillary’s emails’ will shadow this campaign”.
Mike Donilon, a longtime Biden adviser, was quoted as saying: “We have a president who doesn’t want to talk about the central issue in this campaign right now. This isn’t new. It’s not like Trump started attacking the vice-president today or yesterday. He’s been at him all year long.”
Donilon said “people have a really good understanding of who Joe Biden is”.
But Jason Miller, a former Trump campaign adviser, said accelerating, aggressive and unscrupulous attacks on Biden were “a reminder that Trump is the outsider trying to take on those who were entrenched in power for decades”.