theguardian--2020-10-10--‘A surreal reality show’: Trump’s terrible week after his Covid diagnosis

It was the week the men in white coats finally came for Donald Trump .
Seven doctors in face masks emerged from Walter Reed military hospital outside Washington attempting to assure a skeptical world that its most famous patient was beating the coronavirus .
They had rushed the US president on to experimental antiviral drugs and prescribed an aggressive course of steroids not available to the average patient .
But they could not cure what many critics regard as Trump ’ s chief pathology : chronic narcissism .
He took a triumphant helicopter flight back to a White House ravaged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Mussolini moment ” on its balcony and unleashed a blitzkrieg of tweets so erratic that they shocked even battle-hardened Trump watchers .
Doctors said his physical vital signs were improving ; pollsters said his political vital signs were flatlining , with his rival , Joe Biden , leading by 16 percentage points in a CNN survey less than a month before the presidential election .
Some said that , if Trump was deliberately trying to sabotage his own campaign , he could hardly do a better job than the past week .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ own political suicide into a surreal reality show , ” tweeted David Axelrod , a former chief strategist for Barack Obama .
Trump , 74 and clinically obese , woke up last Saturday in the presidential suite at the Walter Reed medical center in Bethesda , Maryland , with his diehard flag-waving supporters massing outside .
He had flown there the previous evening after testing positive for Covid-19 , a virus he spent months downplaying in both words and actions even as it killed more than 210,000 Americans .
With global speculation at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emerged on the hospital steps to insist their star patient was improving .
But as spin doctors , they were less practised .
Sean Conley , the White House physician , repeatedly declined to say when the president received his last negative test ( the White House still refuses to disclose this ) .
He also made excruciating efforts to avoid directly answering whether Trump had received supplemental oxygen .
Twenty-four hours later , standing at the same spot , he admitted that Trump had .
“ I didn ’ t want to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ course of illness in another direction , ” Conley haltingly explained .
“ And in doing so , you know , it came off that we ’ re trying to hide something , which wasn ’ t necessarily true.
” The president ’ s other treatments consisted of an experimental antibody cocktail , the antiviral drug remdesivir and , after his blood oxygen level twice dropped suddenly , dexamethasone – a steroid typically only recommended for the very sick .
On Sunday evening Trump , a former reality TV star , sprang another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outside the hospital and waving to supporters .
Experts warned that he was endangering his Secret Service detail in the airtight vehicle .
An attending physician at Walter Reed called the stunt “ insanity ” .
To further consternation , Trump announced via Twitter on Monday that he would be returning to the White House and the medical team said they backed the decision .
Just in time for the evening news , the president flew across Washington to the White House , climbed a staircase to the balcony , gave a double @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mask off .
He went on to tweet videos of his sunset return accompanied by heroic music and remarks in which , breathing more deeply than usual , he claimed : “ Nobody that is a leader would not do what I did .
And I know there ’ s a risk , there ’ s a danger , but that ’ s OK. And now I ’ m better .
Maybe I ’ m immune !
I don ’ t know .
But don ’ t let it dominate your lives .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ We have the best medicines in the world.
” It was the opposite of what any science or public health official would advise as the US continues to report more than 44,000 new Covid-19 infections each day .
Indeed , Trump walked into a building very different from when he left it .
The White House complex was described as a “ ghost town ” with more than a dozen staff , including the senior adviser Stephen Miller and the press secretary , Kayleigh McEnany , having tested positive .
Rich Galen , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The notion of the White House being the world ’ s epicentre hot zone is just beyond belief .
As far as Trump is concerned , we know this about him : you can say , how many people have died of coronavirus ?
Well , if none of their names are Donald J Trump , then the answer is none.
” Morale in the cramped West Wing , where for months health guidelines were scorned and those who wore masks were ridiculed , was said to be desperate , with particular frustration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Meadows , over his failures to rein Trump in or communicate with staff about their personal safety .
Chris Whipple , author of The Gatekeepers : How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency and The Spymasters : How the CIA Directors Shape History and the Future , said : “ This is the culmination of a White House chief of staff who has been awol since day one .
It ’ s been a dysfunctional , broken White House from the beginning and now we can see that there ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s so much worse than we ever thought and , frankly , it ’ s almost unbelievable to watch a White House chief of staff conspire with the president in a wholesale denial of basic science .
Meadows has abdicated his responsibility from day one to tell the president hard truths.
” Whipple added : “ He failed to have any protocols at the White House with the result that the staff is now dropping like flies .
No competent White House chief of staff would ever have permitted that tinhorn Mussolini event @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that preceded it that possibly jeopardised the lives of his Secret Service agents .
So it ’ s been an unmitigated disaster on Meadows ’ s watch , I think.
” On Tuesday Trump again dashed hopes that he had learned his lesson , comparing Covid-19 to the seasonal flu , just as he did at the start of the pandemic .
He also stunned members of his own Republican party by abruptly calling off negotiations with Congress for a fresh round of stimulus for the ailing economy until after the election .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , sowing even more confusion .
On Wednesday , Conley said Trump had been fever-free for more than four days and had no symptoms for the more than 24 hours .
But medical experts wondered aloud if his steroid treatment could be causing mood swings .
The president returned to work in the Oval Office , breaking his own administration ’ s rules on isolation , and let rip with another fusillade of tweets and retweets – outlandish , self-contradictory , unhinged .
In another video , he claimed his infection with coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The following morning , Trump gave his first interview since hospitalization for a frenzied hour on the Fox Business channel .
“ I ’ m feeling good , ” he said insouciantly .
“ Really good .
I think perfect .
I think I ’ m better to the point where I ’ d love to do a rally tonight.
” He added that he is a “ perfect physical specimen ” and “ extremely young ” and no longer “ contagious at all ” .
He also made clear that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virtual debate with Biden on 15 October , though aides are reportedly trying to change his mind , warning that he is running out of time as polls show the former vice-president could win by a landslide on 3 November .
Congressional Republicans up for re-election also fear meltdown .
Democrats , meanwhile , announced plans to set up a panel to review Trump ’ s health and fitness for office – raising the spectre of his potential removal before inauguration day .
It was another indication that , while Trump has always @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a constant stream of shock and outrage , this time feels different .
Elaine Kamarck , a senior policy adviser in the White House in the 1990s , said : “ It ’ s more of the same but it ’ s getting worse .
I don ’ t know if it ’ s the illness , the medication or the reality that day by day he ’ s getting farther behind in this race , but he ’ s erratic .
“ Look what he did , all of a sudden out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re not going to negotiate on a stimulus package .
Then , by the evening , obviously people had said to him , hey , this is crazy , so OK , well , we ’ ll do individual bills , which is not on the cards.
” Kamarck , a senior fellow in the governance studies program at the Brookings Institution thinktank in Washington , added : “ He ’ s deteriorating .
His irrationality is more extreme .
His arrogance : he just said he is a perfect physical specimen .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ physical specimen ?
Give me a break .
“ He ’ s a mess .
He ’ s in a mess .
I don ’ t see how he gets out of it .
”

It was the week the men in white coats finally came for Donald Trump.
Seven doctors in face masks emerged from Walter Reed military hospital outside Washington attempting to assure a skeptical world that its most famous patient was beating the coronavirus.
They had rushed the US president on to experimental antiviral drugs and prescribed an aggressive course of steroids not available to the average patient.
But they could not cure what many critics regard as Trump’s chief pathology: chronic narcissism. He took a triumphant helicopter flight back to a White House ravaged by Covid-19, staged a tough guy “Mussolini moment” on its balcony and unleashed a blitzkrieg of tweets so erratic that they shocked even battle-hardened Trump watchers.
Doctors said his physical vital signs were improving; pollsters said his political vital signs were flatlining, with his rival, Joe Biden, leading by 16 percentage points in a CNN survey less than a month before the presidential election. Some said that, if Trump was deliberately trying to sabotage his own campaign, he could hardly do a better job than the past week.
“This @POTUS has turned his own political suicide into a surreal reality show,” tweeted David Axelrod, a former chief strategist for Barack Obama.
Trump, 74 and clinically obese, woke up last Saturday in the presidential suite at the Walter Reed medical center in Bethesda, Maryland, with his diehard flag-waving supporters massing outside. He had flown there the previous evening after testing positive for Covid-19, a virus he spent months downplaying in both words and actions even as it killed more than 210,000 Americans.
01:18 ‘Don't be afraid of it’: Trump removes mask as he returns to White House – video
With global speculation at fever pitch, his team of doctors emerged on the hospital steps to insist their star patient was improving. But as spin doctors, they were less practised. Sean Conley, the White House physician, repeatedly declined to say when the president received his last negative test (the White House still refuses to disclose this).
He also made excruciating efforts to avoid directly answering whether Trump had received supplemental oxygen. Twenty-four hours later, standing at the same spot, he admitted that Trump had. “I didn’t want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction,” Conley haltingly explained. “And in doing so, you know, it came off that we’re trying to hide something, which wasn’t necessarily true.”
The president’s other treatments consisted of an experimental antibody cocktail, the antiviral drug remdesivir and, after his blood oxygen level twice dropped suddenly, dexamethasone – a steroid typically only recommended for the very sick.
On Sunday evening Trump, a former reality TV star, sprang another surprise, riding in an armored limousine outside the hospital and waving to supporters. Experts warned that he was endangering his Secret Service detail in the airtight vehicle. An attending physician at Walter Reed called the stunt “insanity”.
Donald Trump travels in a vehicle with masked Secret Service members in Bethesda, Maryland, on 2 October. Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
To further consternation, Trump announced via Twitter on Monday that he would be returning to the White House and the medical team said they backed the decision. Just in time for the evening news, the president flew across Washington to the White House, climbed a staircase to the balcony, gave a double thumbs up – and promptly peeled his mask off.
He went on to tweet videos of his sunset return accompanied by heroic music and remarks in which, breathing more deeply than usual, he claimed: “Nobody that is a leader would not do what I did. And I know there’s a risk, there’s a danger, but that’s OK. And now I’m better. Maybe I’m immune! I don’t know. But don’t let it dominate your lives. Get out there. Be careful. We have the best medicines in the world.”
It was the opposite of what any science or public health official would advise as the US continues to report more than 44,000 new Covid-19 infections each day.
01:47 Donald Trump says catching Covid-19 was 'like a blessing from God' – video
Indeed, Trump walked into a building very different from when he left it. The White House complex was described as a “ghost town” with more than a dozen staff, including the senior adviser Stephen Miller and the press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, having tested positive.
Rich Galen, a Republican strategist, said: “The notion of the White House being the world’s epicentre hot zone is just beyond belief. As far as Trump is concerned, we know this about him: you can say, how many people have died of coronavirus? Well, if none of their names are Donald J Trump, then the answer is none.”
Morale in the cramped West Wing, where for months health guidelines were scorned and those who wore masks were ridiculed, was said to be desperate, with particular frustration at the chief of staff, Mark Meadows, over his failures to rein Trump in or communicate with staff about their personal safety.
Chris Whipple, author of The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency and The Spymasters: How the CIA Directors Shape History and the Future, said: “This is the culmination of a White House chief of staff who has been awol since day one. It’s been a dysfunctional, broken White House from the beginning and now we can see that there’s no bottom.
It’s been a dysfunctional, broken White House from the beginning and now we can see that there’s no bottom Chris Whipple
“It’s so much worse than we ever thought and, frankly, it’s almost unbelievable to watch a White House chief of staff conspire with the president in a wholesale denial of basic science. Meadows has abdicated his responsibility from day one to tell the president hard truths.”
Whipple added: “He failed to have any protocols at the White House with the result that the staff is now dropping like flies. No competent White House chief of staff would ever have permitted that tinhorn Mussolini event on the Truman balcony or the joyride that preceded it that possibly jeopardised the lives of his Secret Service agents. So it’s been an unmitigated disaster on Meadows’s watch, I think.”
On Tuesday Trump again dashed hopes that he had learned his lesson, comparing Covid-19 to the seasonal flu, just as he did at the start of the pandemic. He also stunned members of his own Republican party by abruptly calling off negotiations with Congress for a fresh round of stimulus for the ailing economy until after the election. Within hours he partly reversed the decision, sowing even more confusion.
On Wednesday, Conley said Trump had been fever-free for more than four days and had no symptoms for the more than 24 hours. But medical experts wondered aloud if his steroid treatment could be causing mood swings.
Donald Trump leaves Walter Reed medical center in Bethesda, Maryland, on 5 October. Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
The president returned to work in the Oval Office, breaking his own administration’s rules on isolation, and let rip with another fusillade of tweets and retweets – outlandish, self-contradictory, unhinged. In another video, he claimed his infection with coronavirus was “a blessing from God”.
The following morning, Trump gave his first interview since hospitalization for a frenzied hour on the Fox Business channel. “I’m feeling good,” he said insouciantly. “Really good. I think perfect. I think I’m better to the point where I’d love to do a rally tonight.” He added that he is a “perfect physical specimen” and “extremely young” and no longer “contagious at all”.
He also made clear that he would refuse to take part in a virtual debate with Biden on 15 October, though aides are reportedly trying to change his mind, warning that he is running out of time as polls show the former vice-president could win by a landslide on 3 November. Congressional Republicans up for re-election also fear meltdown.
Democrats, meanwhile, announced plans to set up a panel to review Trump’s health and fitness for office – raising the spectre of his potential removal before inauguration day. It was another indication that, while Trump has always been a disrupter who revels in provoking a constant stream of shock and outrage, this time feels different.
Elaine Kamarck, a senior policy adviser in the White House in the 1990s, said: “It’s more of the same but it’s getting worse. I don’t know if it’s the illness, the medication or the reality that day by day he’s getting farther behind in this race, but he’s erratic.
“Look what he did, all of a sudden out of the blue, saying we’re not going to negotiate on a stimulus package. Then, by the evening, obviously people had said to him, hey, this is crazy, so OK, well, we’ll do individual bills, which is not on the cards.”
Kamarck, a senior fellow in the governance studies program at the Brookings Institution thinktank in Washington, added: “He’s deteriorating. His irrationality is more extreme. His arrogance: he just said he is a perfect physical specimen. What 74-year-old fat man is a perfect physical specimen? Give me a break.
“He’s a mess. He’s in a mess. I don’t see how he gets out of it.”


theguardian--2020-10-10--What Were We Thinking review: Carlos Lozada on why Trump books matter

A long time ago , 10 years or more , I worked nights on the Guardian sports desk .
The shift started at 11pm and by 4am there was no more to do .
But there was a lasting high from the 2am espresso and there was also YouTube , which I surfed for two kinds of video .
Sarah Palin being terrifyingly rightwing , and naturalists turning over logs in the Amazon , looking for poisonous spiders .
I am both politically liberal and horribly arachnophobic .
To liberal readers Donald Trump and his presidency resemble footage of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ horror , an object of terrible fascination , a shifting dark mass from which one can not tear one ’ s gaze .
Traffic figures to news websites say so .
So do publishers ’ profits .
Since 2016 , Trump books have poured on to shelves , then flown from them .
Carlos Lozada , literary critic for the Washington Post , has read more than 150 .
The result as the election looms is an elegant yet lacerating volume , A Brief Intellectual History of the Trump Era .
Lozada ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and more nuanced too .
Introducing a chapter on what he calls The Chaos Chronicles , volumes written by embittered former aides or well-sourced White House reporters which I , a gleeful media cynic , think of as the true Trump books , he writes : “ I blame Michael Wolff.
” He might as well blame the Guardian .
After all , we broke news of Fire and Fury in January 2018 , detonating a news cycle which never stopped exploding .
Either way , he has a point : Wolff ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well as sensational , selling millions but deserving the tough treatment Lozada metes out .
To Wolff , Lozada is what the enormous huntsman was to the great Clive James : a fearsome predator “ whose idea of a big thrill was to suck a wasp ” .
Lozada is capable of waspishness himself .
By design , this is a brief survey ; his need to use just a few lines to sink any given book comes to seem unavoidable , even perhaps unfair .
It ’ s sharp to point out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wilson ridicules Trump for being fixated on sex while churning out knob gags himself .
But I think Wilson deserves lengthier consideration as a comic talent , a brutal polemicist .
The knob gags get baroque .
To repurpose Adam Serwer ’ s famous phrase in the Atlantic , the cruelty to Trump is the point .
And after all , Wilson did pick a title which rings more true with each new low : Everything Trump Touches Dies .
On the other hand , it ’ s gratifying when Lozada ensnares and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not see eye to eye .
Considering The Fourth Way , a 2017 book by Hugh Hewitt , Lozada notes that the conservative radio host said Trump was “ not likely to casually tempt the impeachment gods ” and would “ self-regulate ” , thereby governing “ inclusively , energetically , joyously ” , ushering in a “ booming , generous , open-handed Republic of Virtue ” .
Of course , as the mere existence of Lozada ’ s book demonstrates , there is much more to Trump books and what they say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the satire of Wilson or the rank absurdity of Hewitt .
Lozada says two books , The Unmaking of the Presidency by Benjamin Wittes and Susan Hennessy and The Fifth Risk , by Michael Lewis , “ put the other Chaos Chronicles in proper context ; they get at the meaning and the consequences of the disorder the others detail.
” Lozada is all about the meaning and the consequences of Trump ’ s rise to power , which is why he then pivots to a book published before Trump took office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kamarck , who lectures on public policy at Harvard and is a Brookings fellow in Washington .
We ’ re not all in the gutter , laughing as authors land punches , making Trump see stars .
In a low period for American democracy , Lozada aims high .
In doing so , he rightly considers a host of books which are very much not Chaos Chronicles – which , on the face of it , are not actually about Trump at all .
Such works are examined in chapters on books about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the resistance ; on immigration ; on conservative thought ; on the nature of truth itself .
In chapters on race and feminism , Lozada singles out Know My Name , by Chanel Miller , and When They Call You A Terrorist , by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Asha Bandele .
Miller writes of surviving sexual assault by a star college athlete , the travesty of a trial which followed and the horrible blaze of publicity , a central saga of the # MeToo era .
Writing in the year of George Floyd and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ calls Khan-Cullors ’ Black Lives Matter memoir “ an unforgettable distillation of her life and project ” .
Neither book is a Trump book , but neither could assume quite so much power were he not lurking in the Oval Office , in his web , under his log , haunting hopes and dreams of progress .
If we can not tear our gaze away , Lozada shows us how best to look .

A long time ago, 10 years or more, I worked nights on the Guardian sports desk. The shift started at 11pm and by 4am there was no more to do. But there was a lasting high from the 2am espresso and there was also YouTube, which I surfed for two kinds of video. Sarah Palin being terrifyingly rightwing, and naturalists turning over logs in the Amazon, looking for poisonous spiders.
I am both politically liberal and horribly arachnophobic. To liberal readers Donald Trump and his presidency resemble footage of a Goliath birdeater. A crawling, creeping horror, an object of terrible fascination, a shifting dark mass from which one cannot tear one’s gaze. Traffic figures to news websites say so. So do publishers’ profits.
Since 2016, Trump books have poured on to shelves, then flown from them. Carlos Lozada, literary critic for the Washington Post, has read more than 150. The result as the election looms is an elegant yet lacerating volume, A Brief Intellectual History of the Trump Era.
Lozada’s vision is grander than mine – and more nuanced too. Introducing a chapter on what he calls The Chaos Chronicles, volumes written by embittered former aides or well-sourced White House reporters which I, a gleeful media cynic, think of as the true Trump books, he writes: “I blame Michael Wolff.”
There is much more to Trump books and what they say about America than the scandal of Michael Wolff
He might as well blame the Guardian. After all, we broke news of Fire and Fury in January 2018, detonating a news cycle which never stopped exploding. Either way, he has a point: Wolff’s first Trump book was slapdash as well as sensational, selling millions but deserving the tough treatment Lozada metes out. To Wolff, Lozada is what the enormous huntsman was to the great Clive James: a fearsome predator “whose idea of a big thrill was to suck a wasp”.
Lozada is capable of waspishness himself. By design, this is a brief survey; his need to use just a few lines to sink any given book comes to seem unavoidable, even perhaps unfair. It’s sharp to point out that the former Republican consultant and Rick Wilson ridicules Trump for being fixated on sex while churning out knob gags himself. But I think Wilson deserves lengthier consideration as a comic talent, a brutal polemicist. The knob gags get baroque. To repurpose Adam Serwer’s famous phrase in the Atlantic, the cruelty to Trump is the point. And after all, Wilson did pick a title which rings more true with each new low: Everything Trump Touches Dies.
On the other hand, it’s gratifying when Lozada ensnares and punctures a writer with whom one does not see eye to eye. Considering The Fourth Way, a 2017 book by Hugh Hewitt, Lozada notes that the conservative radio host said Trump was “not likely to casually tempt the impeachment gods” and would “self-regulate”, thereby governing “inclusively, energetically, joyously”, ushering in a “booming, generous, open-handed Republic of Virtue”.
Uh-huh.
Of course, as the mere existence of Lozada’s book demonstrates, there is much more to Trump books and what they say about America than the scandal of Wolff, the satire of Wilson or the rank absurdity of Hewitt. Lozada says two books, The Unmaking of the Presidency by Benjamin Wittes and Susan Hennessy and The Fifth Risk, by Michael Lewis, “put the other Chaos Chronicles in proper context; they get at the meaning and the consequences of the disorder the others detail.”
Lozada is all about the meaning and the consequences of Trump’s rise to power, which is why he then pivots to a book published before Trump took office. Why Presidents Fail is by Elaine Kamarck, who lectures on public policy at Harvard and is a Brookings fellow in Washington. We’re not all in the gutter, laughing as authors land punches, making Trump see stars. In a low period for American democracy, Lozada aims high.
Chanel Miller attends a Time 100 Next gala in New York, in November 2019. Photograph: Eduardo Muñoz/Reuters
In doing so, he rightly considers a host of books which are very much not Chaos Chronicles – which, on the face of it, are not actually about Trump at all. Such works are examined in chapters on books about Trump voters in the heartlands; on the resistance; on immigration; on conservative thought; on the nature of truth itself.
In chapters on race and feminism, Lozada singles out Know My Name, by Chanel Miller, and When They Call You A Terrorist, by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Asha Bandele.
Miller writes of surviving sexual assault by a star college athlete, the travesty of a trial which followed and the horrible blaze of publicity, a central saga of the #MeToo era. Writing in the year of George Floyd and national protests for racial equality, Lozada calls Khan-Cullors’ Black Lives Matter memoir “an unforgettable distillation of her life and project”.
Neither book is a Trump book, but neither could assume quite so much power were he not lurking in the Oval Office, in his web, under his log, haunting hopes and dreams of progress. If we cannot tear our gaze away, Lozada shows us how best to look.


theguardian--2020-10-09--How the domestic terror plot to kidnap Michigan's governor unravelled

“ Snatch and grab , man , ” Adam Fox told an FBI informant in July .
“ Grab the fuckin ’ governor .
Just grab the bitch .
Because at that point , we do that , dude – it ’ s over.
” Fox , from Michigan , is now facing a potential life sentence , along with five other men , for an elaborate plan to kidnap the state ’ s Democratic governor , Gretchen Whitmer , and put her on trial for “ treason ” , according to the FBI .
The chilling plot , revealed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , was a months-long effort that also saw members of a rightwing militia consider forgoing the kidnapping and instead executing Whitmer on her doorstep .
The news sent shockwaves through the country , as the US faces one the most divisive and viciously fought elections in its history in less that four weeks .
The vote has already been marred by accusations of voter suppression , civil unrest linked to police brutality and sometimes violent incidents by heavily armed rightwingers .
The FBI document showed just how far along the men got in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threat became against Whitmer , who had been considered for the role of Joe Biden ’ s running mate .
In recent months , Whitmer has become a focal point of anti-government sentiment and anger over coronavirus lockdown measures .
According to the affidavit , plotters twice surveilled the governor ’ s vacation home and discussed blowing up a bridge leading to the house and using a boat to flee with the captured Whitmer .
The plot continued to gather pace into October , before the FBI arrested Fox , Barry Croft , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Harris and Brandon Caserta in a series of raids on Wednesday night .
“ When I put my hand on the Bible and took the oath of office 22 months ago , I knew this job would be hard , ” Whitmer said on Thursday .
“ But I ’ ll be honest , I never could have imagined anything like this.
” Fox , Croft , Garbin , Franks , Harris and Caserta face federal charges over conspiring to kidnap Whitmer , while a further seven men , each linked to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , face state charges relating to Michigan ’ s anti-terrorism act .
The FBI affidavit provides a detailed look into how the plot to kidnap Whitmer developed through June , July , August and September , and also shows how the men were doomed throughout – as an informant reported back to the FBI at every turn .
The FBI had begun to monitor a “ group of individuals ” in early 2020 , the agency said , after it became aware of discussions about “ the violent overthrow of certain government and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were among those involved , after they became convinced that Michigan was one of several states violating the US constitution .
Whitmer had become a hate figure among the rightwing through spring , when she was among a number of state governors to issue stay-at-home orders in an attempt to stop the spread of coronavirus .
In April , thousands of protesters , many armed , besieged the Michigan state capitol , in Lansing , to demonstrate against Whitmer ’ s order .
The protesters chanted : “ Lock her up ” , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ towards Hillary Clinton in 2016 , and Donald Trump seemingly offered his support , tweeting : “ LIBERATE MICHIGAN !
” on April 17 .
It was against this backdrop that the FBI picked up on plans to attack the Michigan state capitol .
At a meeting on 6 June , Croft , Fox and more than a dozen people from several states discussed creating “ a society that followed the U.S. Bill of Rights and where they could be self-sufficient ” , according to the FBI .
Croft and Fox decided they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contacted a militia group led by Garbin .
From there , plans to attack the capitol began to escalate .
Fox asked to join forces with Garbin , and at a meeting in Dublin , Ohio , Fox said he needed to recruit “ 200 men ” to storm the capitol building and take hostages , including Whitmer .
If successful , the group would have tried Whitmer for treason , according to the FBI affidavit .
They intended to carry this out before the elections on 3 November .
The plan was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On 20 June , Fox held a clandestine meeting at his business in Grand Rapids to plan the attack , the FBI said .
Attendees , who included Grabin , were required to hand over their cellphones and used a hidden trapdoor to reach a basement .
At the meeting Fox and others discussed how they would assault the state capitol and counter police .
They planned to use “ Molotov cocktails ” , according to the FBI , to destroy police vehicles .
At the end of the meeting , recorded by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recording device , the conspirators agreed to conduct firearms and tactical training over a weekend in July .
That event saw the plan develop further .
In Cambria , Wisconsin , Fox , Croft , Garbin , Franks and Caserta took part in “ combat drills ” , according to the FBI .
Over the weekend the militia group attempted to construct two explosive devices , using balloons , a fuse and ball bearings , although neither device detonated .
By mid-July , the plans were shifting away from an assault on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in on Whitmer ’ s vacation home and the governor ’ s official summer residence .
“ We about to be busy ladies and gentlemen , ” Fox posted to a private Facebook page .
“ This is where the Patriot shows up .
Sacrifices his time , money , blood sweat and tears… it starts now so get fucking prepared !
!
” On 27 July , Fox discussed his plan to “ snatch ” Whitmer with the FBI informant , and in August , one of the planners suggested taking the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person go to her house , ” Harris wrote in an encrypted group chat .
“ Knock on the door and when she answers it just cap her.
” “ Ok sounds good I ’ m in for anything as long as it ’ s well planned.
” The execution plan seems to have been set aside , as the group instead discussed how to map out Whitmer ’ s vacation home , and how they would recruit people who could read blueprints to help refine the attack .
Some of those arrested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explosive devices , and proposed hiring a “ demo guy ” for the heist .
At the end of August , some of the conspirators conducted surveillance on the Whitmer ’ s vacation home , taking photos and video footage as they discussed how many people would be needed for the kidnapping .
A plan to escape from the property by boat – with Whitmer hostage onboard – was also discussed .
Croft , Fox , Garbin , Franks and others travelled to the house again on 12 September , according to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to conduct a final training exercise in late October – an exercise which now will not take place .
Speaking on Thursday , Whitmer thanked law enforcement and said she hoped the criminal charges would “ lead to convictions , bringing these sick and depraved men to justice ” .
She said the pandemic ought to be a time for unity – saying “ we are not one another ’ s enemy , the virus is our enemy ” – but she accused Trump of stoking division instead of bringing the American people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rallying ” groups such as the ones that plotted her kidnap .
“ Hate groups heard the president ’ s words not as a rebuke but as a rallying cry , as a call to action , ” she said .

“Snatch and grab, man,” Adam Fox told an FBI informant in July. “Grab the fuckin’ governor. Just grab the bitch. Because at that point, we do that, dude – it’s over.”
Fox, from Michigan, is now facing a potential life sentence, along with five other men, for an elaborate plan to kidnap the state’s Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer, and put her on trial for “treason”, according to the FBI.
The chilling plot, revealed in an FBI affidavit released on Thursday, was a months-long effort that also saw members of a rightwing militia consider forgoing the kidnapping and instead executing Whitmer on her doorstep.
The news sent shockwaves through the country, as the US faces one the most divisive and viciously fought elections in its history in less that four weeks. The vote has already been marred by accusations of voter suppression, civil unrest linked to police brutality and sometimes violent incidents by heavily armed rightwingers.
The FBI document showed just how far along the men got in their planning, and how credible the threat became against Whitmer, who had been considered for the role of Joe Biden’s running mate. In recent months, Whitmer has become a focal point of anti-government sentiment and anger over coronavirus lockdown measures.
According to the affidavit, plotters twice surveilled the governor’s vacation home and discussed blowing up a bridge leading to the house and using a boat to flee with the captured Whitmer.
The plot continued to gather pace into October, before the FBI arrested Fox, Barry Croft, Ty Garbin, Kaleb Franks, Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta in a series of raids on Wednesday night.
“When I put my hand on the Bible and took the oath of office 22 months ago, I knew this job would be hard,” Whitmer said on Thursday. “But I’ll be honest, I never could have imagined anything like this.”
Fox, Croft, Garbin, Franks, Harris and Caserta face federal charges over conspiring to kidnap Whitmer, while a further seven men, each linked to a militia group called “Wolverine Watchmen”, face state charges relating to Michigan’s anti-terrorism act.
The FBI affidavit provides a detailed look into how the plot to kidnap Whitmer developed through June, July, August and September, and also shows how the men were doomed throughout – as an informant reported back to the FBI at every turn.
The FBI had begun to monitor a “group of individuals” in early 2020, the agency said, after it became aware of discussions about “the violent overthrow of certain government and law-enforcement components”.
Croft and Fox were among those involved, after they became convinced that Michigan was one of several states violating the US constitution.
Whitmer had become a hate figure among the rightwing through spring, when she was among a number of state governors to issue stay-at-home orders in an attempt to stop the spread of coronavirus.
In April, thousands of protesters, many armed, besieged the Michigan state capitol, in Lansing, to demonstrate against Whitmer’s order.
People protest Michigan’s stay-at-home order at the state Capitol in April. Photograph: Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images
The protesters chanted: “Lock her up”, a common refrain used by Trump supporters towards Hillary Clinton in 2016, and Donald Trump seemingly offered his support, tweeting: “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” on April 17.
It was against this backdrop that the FBI picked up on plans to attack the Michigan state capitol.
At a meeting on 6 June, Croft, Fox and more than a dozen people from several states discussed creating “a society that followed the U.S. Bill of Rights and where they could be self-sufficient”, according to the FBI.
Croft and Fox decided they needed to increase their numbers, and contacted a militia group led by Garbin. From there, plans to attack the capitol began to escalate.
Fox asked to join forces with Garbin, and at a meeting in Dublin, Ohio, Fox said he needed to recruit “200 men” to storm the capitol building and take hostages, including Whitmer.
If successful, the group would have tried Whitmer for treason, according to the FBI affidavit. They intended to carry this out before the elections on 3 November.
The plan was more than just a pipe dream.
On 20 June, Fox held a clandestine meeting at his business in Grand Rapids to plan the attack, the FBI said.
Attendees, who included Grabin, were required to hand over their cellphones and used a hidden trapdoor to reach a basement.
02:39 Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer slams Trump in response to kidnapping plot – video
At the meeting Fox and others discussed how they would assault the state capitol and counter police. They planned to use “Molotov cocktails”, according to the FBI, to destroy police vehicles.
At the end of the meeting, recorded by an FBI informant who was wearing a recording device, the conspirators agreed to conduct firearms and tactical training over a weekend in July.
That event saw the plan develop further.
In Cambria, Wisconsin, Fox, Croft, Garbin, Franks and Caserta took part in “combat drills”, according to the FBI.
Over the weekend the militia group attempted to construct two explosive devices, using balloons, a fuse and ball bearings, although neither device detonated.
By mid-July, the plans were shifting away from an assault on the Michigan capitol, as the group homed in on Whitmer’s vacation home and the governor’s official summer residence.
“We about to be busy ladies and gentlemen,” Fox posted to a private Facebook page.
Adam Fox is shown in a booking photo. Photograph: AP
“This is where the Patriot shows up. Sacrifices his time, money, blood sweat and tears… it starts now so get fucking prepared!!”
On 27 July, Fox discussed his plan to “snatch” Whitmer with the FBI informant, and in August, one of the planners suggested taking the kidnapping plan further.
“Have one person go to her house,” Harris wrote in an encrypted group chat.
“Knock on the door and when she answers it just cap her.”
In a follow up chat Franks wrote:
“Ok sounds good I’m in for anything as long as it’s well planned.”
The execution plan seems to have been set aside, as the group instead discussed how to map out Whitmer’s vacation home, and how they would recruit people who could read blueprints to help refine the attack.
Some of those arrested by the FBI continued to experiment with explosive devices, and proposed hiring a “demo guy” for the heist.
At the end of August, some of the conspirators conducted surveillance on the Whitmer’s vacation home, taking photos and video footage as they discussed how many people would be needed for the kidnapping.
A plan to escape from the property by boat – with Whitmer hostage onboard – was also discussed.
Croft, Fox, Garbin, Franks and others travelled to the house again on 12 September, according to the FBI.
The next day they agreed to conduct a final training exercise in late October – an exercise which now will not take place.
Speaking on Thursday, Whitmer thanked law enforcement and said she hoped the criminal charges would “lead to convictions, bringing these sick and depraved men to justice”.
She said the pandemic ought to be a time for unity – saying “we are not one another’s enemy, the virus is our enemy” – but she accused Trump of stoking division instead of bringing the American people together and said the president was “rallying” groups such as the ones that plotted her kidnap.
“Hate groups heard the president’s words not as a rebuke but as a rallying cry, as a call to action,” she said.


theguardian--2020-10-10--Some attendees skip masks as Trump speaks at White House event – as it happened

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden continued to frame the November election as a choice between the interests of Scranton and Park Avenue in a speech on Saturday night at the Plumbers Local Union No 27 training center in Erie , Pennsylvania .
“ Anyone who actually does an honest day ’ s work sees him and his promises for what they are , ” Biden told a masked , socially distanced crowd at a training facility for plumbers and other tradespeople in Pennsylvania ’ s fourth-largest city .
Donald Trump ’ s victory in 2016 – by fewer than 2,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the key battleground state and the presidency , even as he lost the popular vote .
He became the first Republican presidential nominee to carry the longtime Democratic bastion since Ronald Reagan ’ s landslide reelection in 1984 and the first to win Pennsylvania since George HW Bush ’ s election in 1988 .
Erie County rebounded strongly to Democrats in the 2018 midterms .
“ The president can only see the world from Park Avenue .
I see it from Scranton and Claymont .
Y ’ all see it from Erie , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , referring to his childhood hometowns in Pennsylvania and Delaware .

Bryan Armen Graham (now) and Tom Lutz (earlier) in New York

10 Oct 2020 23.29 BST Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden continued to frame the November election as a choice between the interests of Scranton and Park Avenue in a speech on Saturday night at the Plumbers Local Union No 27 training center in Erie, Pennsylvania. “Anyone who actually does an honest day’s work sees him and his promises for what they are,” Biden told a masked, socially distanced crowd at a training facility for plumbers and other tradespeople in Pennsylvania’s fourth-largest city. Donald Trump’s victory in 2016 – by fewer than 2,000 votes in Erie – helped deliver him the key battleground state and the presidency, even as he lost the popular vote. He became the first Republican presidential nominee to carry the longtime Democratic bastion since Ronald Reagan’s landslide reelection in 1984 and the first to win Pennsylvania since George HW Bush’s election in 1988. Erie County rebounded strongly to Democrats in the 2018 midterms. “The president can only see the world from Park Avenue. I see it from Scranton and Claymont. Y’all see it from Erie,” Biden told union officers and members, referring to his childhood hometowns in Pennsylvania and Delaware. Democratic presidential candidate former vice-president Joe Biden speaks at the Plumbers Local Union No 27 training center on Saturday in Erie, Pennsylvania. Photograph: Carolyn Kaster/AP
10 Oct 2020 23.02 BST A federal judge in Pennsylvania has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Donald Trump’s campaign that was seeking to block the use of drop boxes as receptacles for mail ballots, require ballot signatures to match voter registration records and allow nonresident poll watchers at polling places in all-important battleground state.
The Associated Press reports: The ruling by U.S. District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan who was appointed by Trump in Pittsburgh also poured cold water on Trump’s claims that Pennsylvania is fertile ground for election fraud. Trump’s campaign said it would appeal at least one element of the decision, with barely three weeks to go until Election Day in a state hotly contested by Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. The lawsuit was opposed by the administration of Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, the state Democratic Party, the League of Women Voters, the NAACP’s Pennsylvania office and other allied groups. “The ruling is a complete rejection of the continued misinformation about voter fraud and corruption, and those who seek to sow chaos and discord ahead of the upcoming election,” Wolf’s office said in a statement. The state’s attorney general, Josh Shapiro, a Democrat whose office fought the Trump campaign’s claims, called the lawsuit a political stunt designed to sow doubt in the state’s election. “We told the Trump campaign and the president, ‘put up or shut up’ to his claims of voter fraud in Pennsylvania,” Shapiro told the Associated Press. “It’s important to note they didn’t even need to prove actual voter fraud, just that it was likely or impending, and they couldn’t even do that.” Trump’s campaign said in a statement that it looked forward to a quick decision from the appeals court “that will further protect Pennsylvania voters from the Democrats’ radical voting system.” Ranjan’s opinion made a point of noting the lack of evidence of fraud put forth by the campaign. “While Plaintiffs may not need to prove actual voter fraud, they must at least prove that such fraud is ‘certainly impending,’” Ranjan wrote. “They haven’t met that burden. At most, they have pieced together a sequence of uncertain assumptions.”
Updated at 23.02 BST
10 Oct 2020 22.23 BST Six US states saw record single-day increases in coronavirus cases on Friday, according to NBC News. The record highs in Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma and West Virginia come at a time when nationwide numbers are on the climb and a seventh state, Wisconsin, has set up a field hospital to cope with the influx of patients. “We have to get back to the basics in fighting this virus,” Wisconsin’s Democratic governor, Tony Evers, said on Twitter this week, as the state posted another record day of Covid-19 infections. Members of the Wisconsin national guard test residents for the coronavirus Covid-19 at a temporary test facility set up in the parking lot of the UMOS corporate headquarters. Wisconsin currently has one of the highest positivity rates for COVID-19 in the nation. Photograph: Scott Olson/Getty Images Wisconsin set up a field hospital near state fairgrounds to treat what could be an overflow of patients with Covid-19. More than 8,000 people in the state are hospitalized. “We are on the verge of a crisis in Green Bay and our surrounding counties,” Dr Paul Casey, emergency department head at Bellin health systems in Green Bay, Wisconsin, told CNBC. More than 211,000 people have died of Covid-19 in the US. US Covid cases climb as midwestern states report steep increases Read more
10 Oct 2020 21.50 BST South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham said African Americans and immigrants can “go anywhere” in his home state but they “just need to be conservative” during a televised candidates’ forum on Friday night. Graham, who finds himself in a tooth-and-nail reelection battle with Democratic challenger Jamie Harrison in a once-safe conservative district, made the remark in the context of political careers and said his opponent would lose because he is a Democrat, not because he is Black. “Do I believe our cops are systemically racist? No,” Graham said. “Do I believe South Carolina is a racist state? No. Let me tell you why. To young people out there, young people of color, young immigrants, this is a great state, but one thing I can say without any doubt, you can be an African American and go to the Senate but you just have to share our values.” He went on to say: “If you’re a young, African American or an immigrant, you can go anywhere in this state, you just need to be conservative, not liberal”. Listen to Lindsey Graham declare what Black people can and can’t do.
This is textbook white supremacy.
pic.twitter.com/IRJfSEWWVt — Simran Jeet Singh (@SikhProf) October 10, 2020 The comment was in response to a question about civil unrest, and as America reckons with its long history of racism and ongoing police brutality, including the national revulsion following the killing of Black man George Floyd by a white Minneapolis police officer.
Lindsey Graham says Black people can 'go anywhere' in South Carolina if conservative Read more
10 Oct 2020 21.09 BST Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden was asked whether Donald Trump should be resuming rallies on Saturday in Delaware before departing for a scheduled a campaign event in Erie, Pennsylvania. “I think it’s important the president makes sure of two things,” Biden told reporters. “One, that he is clear, he is not a spreader like his, like Dr Fauci said the super spreader event he had for the Supreme Court announcement. “And secondly, I think it’s important that he make it clear to all the people that they should be socially distanced, they can be on the lawn, that’s fine. But in fact, they should be socially distanced and wearing masks. That’s the only responsible thing to do. And I don’t know what’s going on at the moment now, but I hope he does that.” Biden, who last week said he would be screened more frequently for Covid-19 and committed to release the results of all future tests, told reporters he tested negative on Saturday morning.
Updated at 21.36 BST
10 Oct 2020 21.04 BST Donald Trump’s reelection bid was officially endorsed by the Taliban on Saturday, the latest improbably headline in a campaign season with no shortage of them.
According to CBS News: Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told CBS News in a phone interview: “We hope he will win the election and wind up U.S. military presence in Afghanistan.” The militant group expressed some concern about Mr. Trump’s bout with the coronavirus. “When we heard about Trump being COVID-19 positive, we got worried for his health, but seems he is getting better,” another Taliban senior leader told CBS News. The announcement came on the same day Trump’s opponent in the November election, Democratic candidate Joe Biden, was endorsed by climate crisis activist Greta Thunberg. Tim Murtaugh, the Trump campaign’s communications director, told CBS News that it rejects the Taliban’s support.
10 Oct 2020 20.21 BST Close-ups of Donald Trump’s right hand during today’s remarks from the White House balcony show a couple of flesh-colored bandages, presumably where he received intravenous injection. His remarks were also significantly shorter in duration than anticipated: Trump spoke for 17 minutes after White House officials said he would be at the podium for a half hour. Questions about the US president’s health continue to loom amid the refusal of doctors or aides to reveal when Trump last tested negative for coronavirus. He insisted he was “medication-free” during a Friday night appearance on Tucker Carlson’s prime-time opinion show that was pitched as a “medical evaluation”. “We pretty much finished, and now we’ll see how things go. But pretty much nothing,” Trump said when Fox medical analyst Dr Marc Siegel asked the president what medications he was still taking. Donald Trump takes off his face mask as he prepares to speak to supporters gathered on the South Lawn for a campaign rally that the White House is calling a ‘peaceful protest’. Photograph: Tom Brenner/Reuters
Updated at 21.25 BST
10 Oct 2020 20.06 BST House speaker Nancy Pelosi on Saturday said a new $1.8tn economic stimulus proposal from the Trump administration “amounted to one step forward, two steps back” and would need changes to get support from congressional Democrats. The California lawmaker said in her weekly letter to Democratic colleagues the Trump administration’s proposal lacked a “strategic plan to crush the virus” and gave US president too much discretion to decide how funds were allocated. “At this point, we still have disagreement on many priorities, and Democrats are awaiting language from the Administration on several provisions as the negotiations on the overall funding amount continue,” Pelosi’s letter said. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell said on Friday he doubted lawmakers would pass a package before the general election on 3 November. “The proximity to the election and the differences of opinion over what is needed at this particular juncture are pretty vast,” McConnell told a news conference in his home state of Kentucky.


theguardian--2020-10-10--Lindsey Graham says Black people can 'go anywhere' in South Carolina if conservative

In a televised campaign event US senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said African Americans and immigrants can “ go anywhere ” in his home state but they “ just need to be conservative ” .
Graham made the comment in a televised “ conversation ” with his political rival , former South Carolina Democratic party chair Jaime Harrison , the first African American to serve in the role .
He made the remark in the context of political careers , and said Harrison would lose because he is a Democrat , not because he is Black .
“ Do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
No .
Do I believe South Carolina is a racist state ?
No .
Let me tell you why .
To young people out there , young people of color , young immigrants , this is a great state , but one thing I can say without any doubt , you can be an African American and go to the Senate but you just have to share our values.
” He went on to say : “ If you ’ re a young , African American or an immigrant , you can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just need to be conservative , not liberal ” .
The comment was in response to a question about civil unrest , and as America reckons with its long history of racism and ongoing police brutality , including the national revulsion following the killing of Black man George Floyd by a white Minneapolis police officer .
South Carolina was a Confederate state during the civil war , and later institutionalized racism during the Jim Crow era , enforcing the second-class status of African Americans .
Graham , a longtime senator , is tied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The conversation was originally planned as a debate , but was changed at the last moment because Graham refused to take a Covid-19 test , despite a major outbreak in the Trump White House which has infected two of Graham ’ s Republican Senate colleagues .
That speculation and Graham ’ s remarks – which sparked a deluge of online fury – prompted Democratic congressman Eric Swalwell to tweet : “ Is that the fever talking , or the steroids ?
” Charlie Sykes , editor the Bulwark , was even more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1954 wants its talking point back .
”

In a televised campaign event, US senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said African Americans and immigrants can “go anywhere” in his home state but they “just need to be conservative”.
Graham made the comment in a televised “conversation” with his political rival, former South Carolina Democratic party chair Jaime Harrison, the first African American to serve in the role.
He made the remark in the context of political careers, and said Harrison would lose because he is a Democrat, not because he is Black.
“Do I believe our cops are systemically racist? No. Do I believe South Carolina is a racist state? No. Let me tell you why. To young people out there, young people of color, young immigrants, this is a great state, but one thing I can say without any doubt, you can be an African American and go to the Senate but you just have to share our values.”
He went on to say: “If you’re a young, African American or an immigrant, you can go anywhere in this state, you just need to be conservative, not liberal.”
The comment was in response to a question about civil unrest, and as America reckons with its long history of racism and ongoing police brutality, including the national revulsion following the killing of Black man George Floyd by a white Minneapolis police officer.
South Carolina was a Confederate state during the civil war, and later institutionalized racism during the Jim Crow era, enforcing the second-class status of African Americans.
Graham, a longtime senator, is tied with Harrison in a highly competitive race.
The conversation was originally planned as a debate, but was changed at the last moment because Graham refused to take a Covid-19 test, despite a major outbreak in the Trump White House which has infected two of Graham’s Republican Senate colleagues.
That speculation and Graham’s remarks – which sparked a deluge of online fury – prompted Democratic congressman Eric Swalwell to tweet: “Is that the fever talking, or the steroids?”
Charlie Sykes, editor the Bulwark, was even more blunt, saying: “Lindsey, 1954 wants its talking point back.”


theguardian--2020-10-10--Trump returns to public events with 'law and order' speech at White House

Defiant in the face of slipping opinion polls , and determined to justify his implausible claim of a swift and full recovery from his encounter with Covid-19 , Donald Trump returned to public events on Saturday with a brief “ law and order ” speech from a White House balcony .
In a closely-watched first public appearance at a live event just six days after he left Walter Reed medical center following a three-night stay , the president delivered an 18-minute scripted address to a crowd on the South Lawn .
It had been billed as “ 2,000 invited guests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about 500 mostly young flag-waving supporters , some of whom appeared to be not properly wearing masks .
Trump was maskless during the speech , during which he appeared to show no lingering signs of coronavirus .
But questions about the president ’ s health are still swirling following the refusal of doctors or aides to reveal when he last tested negative for coronavirus .
Today ’ s lunchtime in-person event also appeared to counter his government ’ s own health guidelines over large gatherings and social distancing as the attendees clustered together @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cheered loudly at his remarks .
The campaign-style rally came after another tumultuous week in which Trump lost further ground to his Democratic challenger , Joe Biden , and with the 3 November general election little more than three weeks away .
Biden , in a campaign appearance in Las Vegas on Friday , had attacked Trump ’ s hosting of the White House event while he could still be contagious as “ unconscionable ” .
“ The longer Donald Trump is president , the more reckless he gets , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his speech , attacking Democrats for an agenda he said was “ beyond socialism ” and promising again that the battle against Covid-19 , which has claimed more than 210,000 American lives , was being won .
He also touted , with little evidence , “ the fastest economic recovery in history ” , and heaped praise on Black and Hispanic voters in an apparent attempt to shore up support from demographic groups that polls suggest he has been making inroads with recently .
“ We ’ re starting very , very big @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because we can not allow our country to become a socialist nation , ” he said .
As for coronavirus : “ It ’ s going to disappear , it is disappearing , ” he added , pledging that a vaccine was coming in “ record time ” , and contradicting growing evidence of a new autumn surge of the virus in many states .
Twice he referred to Covid-19 as “ the China virus ” , resurrecting a racist theming of a pandemic that has affected almost every country in the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and repeated again his unfounded assertions of “ crooked ballots and a rigged election ” .
“ I think we ’ re going to swamp them , it ’ s not going to matter .
We ’ re going to have law enforcement watching , ” he said without further explanation .
He made no mention of his health other than to offer at the beginning of the speech that “ I ’ m feeling great ” .
As he removed his mask to begin his remarks , Trump revealed a flesh-colored bandage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ site of an intravenous drip at Walter Reed .
He also did not refer to a coronavirus test that he said on Friday he had taken .
In a Friday night interview on Fox News , Trump , who was given a cocktail of antiviral drugs and strong steroids during his hospital stay , insisted he was “ medication-free ” .
“ We pretty much finished , and now we ’ ll see how things go .
But pretty much nothing , ” Trump said when Fox medical analyst Dr Marc Siegel asked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taking .
In the Friday interview , Trump said he had been tested , but gave a vague answer about it .
“ I haven ’ t even found out numbers or anything yet , ” he said .
“ But I ’ ve been retested and I know I ’ m at either the bottom of the scale or free.
” Biden spokesperson Mike Gwin criticized Trump ’ s decision to hold the event as “ stunningly reckless and irresponsible ” .
“ Donald Trump seems to be living in an alternate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and contagious with Covid-19 and where he didn ’ t just hold what [ national infectious diseases expert Dr Anthony ] Fauci himself described as a super-spreader event at the White House that likely infected dozens more , ” he said in a statement .
Gwin was referring to Trump ’ s unveiling of his supreme court pick , Amy Coney Barrett , in the Rose Garden two weeks ago , when few wore masks or distanced from each other , and at which several presidential aides and key Republicans are believed to @ @ @ @ @

Defiant in the face of slipping opinion polls, and determined to justify his implausible claim of a swift and full recovery from his encounter with Covid-19, Donald Trump returned to public events on Saturday with a brief “law and order” speech from a White House balcony.
In a closely watched first public appearance at a live event just six days after he left Walter Reed medical center following a three-night stay, the president delivered an 18-minute scripted address to a crowd on the South Lawn. It had been billed as “2,000 invited guests” but in reality a gathering of about 500 mostly young flag-waving supporters, some of whom appeared to be not properly wearing masks.
Trump was maskless during the speech, during which he appeared to show no lingering signs of coronavirus. Hours after the address, the White House released a memo from Trump’s doctor saying the president was no longer at risk of transmitting the coronavirus, but not whether he had tested negative for it.
In the memo, Dr Sean Conley said Trump met the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for safely discontinuing isolation and that by “currently recognised standards” he was no longer considered a transmission risk.
The memo also said that a test on Saturday had showed there was no longer evidence “of actively replicating virus”.
But questions about the president’s health are still swirling following the refusal of doctors or aides to reveal when he last tested negative for coronavirus. Today’s lunchtime in-person event also appeared to counter his government’s own health guidelines over large gatherings and social distancing as the attendees clustered together tightly in front of the balcony and cheered loudly at his remarks.
The campaign-style rally came after another tumultuous week in which Trump lost further ground to his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, and with the 3 November general election little more than three weeks away.
Supporters cheer on Donald Trump during his White House event on 10 October. Photograph: Tom Brenner/Reuters
Biden, in a campaign appearance in Las Vegas on Friday, had attacked Trump’s hosting of the White House event while he could still be contagious as “unconscionable”.
“The longer Donald Trump is president, the more reckless he gets,” he said.
Trump explored several familiar themes in his speech, attacking Democrats for an agenda he said was “beyond socialism” and promising again that the battle against Covid-19, which has claimed more than 210,000 American lives, was being won.
He also touted, with little evidence, “the fastest economic recovery in history”, and heaped praise on Black and Hispanic voters in an apparent attempt to shore up support from demographic groups that polls suggest he has been making inroads with recently.
“We’re starting very, very big with our rallies and with our everything because we cannot allow our country to become a socialist nation,” he said.
As for coronavirus: “It’s going to disappear, it is disappearing,” he added, pledging that a vaccine was coming in “record time”, and contradicting growing evidence of a new autumn surge of the virus in many states. Twice he referred to Covid-19 as “the China virus”, resurrecting a racist theming of a pandemic that has affected almost every country in the world.
Trump also praised law enforcement, and repeated again his unfounded assertions of “crooked ballots and a rigged election”.
“I think we’re going to swamp them, it’s not going to matter. We’re going to have law enforcement watching,” he said without further explanation.
He made no mention of his health other than to offer at the beginning of the speech that “I’m feeling great”. As he removed his mask to begin his remarks, Trump revealed a flesh-colored bandage on his right hand, presumably the site of an intravenous drip at Walter Reed.
A bandage is seen on Donald Trump’s hand as he removes his face mask on 10 October. Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP
He also did not refer to a coronavirus test that he said on Friday he had taken.
In a Friday night interview on Fox News, Trump, who was given a cocktail of antiviral drugs and strong steroids during his hospital stay, insisted he was “medication-free”.
“We pretty much finished, and now we’ll see how things go. But pretty much nothing,” Trump said when Fox medical analyst Dr Marc Siegel asked the president what medications he was still taking.
In the Friday interview, Trump said he had been tested, but gave a vague answer about it. “I haven’t even found out numbers or anything yet,” he said. “But I’ve been retested and I know I’m at either the bottom of the scale or free.”
Biden spokesperson Mike Gwin criticized Trump’s decision to hold the event as “stunningly reckless and irresponsible”.
“Donald Trump seems to be living in an alternate reality where he isn’t sick and contagious with Covid-19 and where he didn’t just hold what [national infectious diseases expert Dr Anthony] Fauci himself described as a super-spreader event at the White House that likely infected dozens more,” he said in a statement.
Gwin was referring to Trump’s unveiling of his supreme court pick, Amy Coney Barrett, in the Rose Garden two weeks ago, when few wore masks or distanced from each other, and at which several presidential aides and key Republicans are believed to have contracted the virus.


theguardian--2020-10-10--Republicans express fears Trump will lose presidential election

Ted Cruz fears an election “ bloodbath ” .
His fellow top Republican senator Thom Tillis is talking in terms of a Joe Biden presidency .
And even Mitch McConnell , the fiercely loyal Senate majority leader , won ’ t go near the White House over Donald Trump ’ s handling of coronavirus protocols .
Individually , they could arguably be seen as off-the-cuff comments from Trump ’ s allies attempting to rally support for the US president just days ahead of a general election that opinion polls increasingly show him losing .
But collectively , along with pronouncements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ themselves from Trump , his administration and its policies , it reflects growing concern inside the Republican party ’ s top tier that 3 November could be a blowout win for Joe Biden and the Democrats .
“ I think it could be a terrible election .
I think we could lose the White House and both houses of Congress , that it could be a bloodbath of Watergate proportions , ” Cruz , the junior senator for Texas and former vocal critic of Trump , said in an interview on CNBC ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I am worried .
It ’ s volatile , it ’ s highly volatile , ” he added , although he did say he also saw the possibility of Trump re-elected “ with a big margin ” .
Tillis , one of several Trump associates who contracted Covid-19 apparently at a super-spreader White House event two weeks ago , faces a tough fight for re-election as senator for North Carolina , and raised the prospect of a Trump defeat during a debate against Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham .
“ The best check on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a majority in the senate , ” he said , inadvertently suggesting he thought a Democratic victory next month could be a done deal .
“ Checks and balances does resonate with North Carolina voters , ” he added .
Elsewhere , Republican displeasure at Trump is becoming increasingly evident , especially among candidates locked in tight election races of their own .
Martha McSally , the Arizona senator trailing the former Nasa astronaut Mark Kelly by a significant margin , attacked Trump for his repeated attacks on her predecessor , John @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pisses me off when he does it , ” she said in a debate this week .
The Texas senator John Cornyn slammed Trump this week for “ creating confusion ” over coronavirus and “ letting his guard down ” as the pandemic spread across the nation .
McConnell ’ s comments , meanwhile , about why he has not been to the White House for at least two months could be seen in a different context , given he is 78 and in the same at-risk demographic as the already infected president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ approach to how to handle this is different from mine and what I suggested that we do in the Senate , which is to wear a mask and practice social distancing , ” he said .
But dissent from the staunch Trump ally has been almost unheard of through the four years of the presidency .
McConnell ’ s words seem to reflect the threat that a nationwide backlash to Trump ’ s pandemic handling poses to the Republican senate majority .

Ted Cruz fears an election “bloodbath”. His fellow top Republican senator Thom Tillis is talking in terms of a Joe Biden presidency. And even Mitch McConnell, the fiercely loyal Senate majority leader, won’t go near the White House over Donald Trump’s handling of coronavirus protocols.
Individually, they could arguably be seen as off-the-cuff comments from Trump’s allies attempting to rally support for the US president just days ahead of a general election that opinion polls increasingly show him losing.
But collectively, along with pronouncements from several other Republicans appearing to distance themselves from Trump, his administration and its policies, it reflects growing concern inside the Republican party’s top tier that 3 November could be a blowout win for Joe Biden and the Democrats.
“I think it could be a terrible election. I think we could lose the White House and both houses of Congress, that it could be a bloodbath of Watergate proportions,” Cruz, the junior senator for Texas and former vocal critic of Trump, said in an interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box on Friday.
“I am worried. It’s volatile, it’s highly volatile,” he added, although he did say he also saw the possibility of Trump re-elected “with a big margin”.
Tillis, one of several Trump associates who contracted Covid-19 apparently at a super-spreader White House event two weeks ago, faces a tough fight for re-election as senator for North Carolina, and raised the prospect of a Trump defeat during a debate against Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham.
“The best check on a Biden presidency is for Republicans to have a majority in the senate,” he said, inadvertently suggesting he thought a Democratic victory next month could be a done deal. “Checks and balances does resonate with North Carolina voters,” he added.
Elsewhere, Republican displeasure at Trump is becoming increasingly evident, especially among candidates locked in tight election races of their own.
Martha McSally, the Arizona senator trailing the former Nasa astronaut Mark Kelly by a significant margin, attacked Trump for his repeated attacks on her predecessor, John McCain. “Quite frankly, it pisses me off when he does it,” she said in a debate this week.
The Texas senator John Cornyn slammed Trump this week for “creating confusion” over coronavirus and “letting his guard down” as the pandemic spread across the nation.
McConnell’s comments, meanwhile, about why he has not been to the White House for at least two months could be seen in a different context, given he is 78 and in the same at-risk demographic as the already infected president.
“My impression was that their approach to how to handle this is different from mine and what I suggested that we do in the Senate, which is to wear a mask and practice social distancing,” he said.
But dissent from the staunch Trump ally has been almost unheard of through the four years of the presidency. McConnell’s words seem to reflect the threat that a nationwide backlash to Trump’s pandemic handling poses to the Republican senate majority.


theguardian--2020-10-10--Federal judge blocks Texas governor's order to shut down ballot drop-off sites

On Friday evening , US federal judge Robert Pitman blocked Texas governor Greg Abbott ’ s order to shut down mail-in ballot drop-off sites across the state as the election is currently under way .
Last week , Abbott issued a proclamation limiting each county to only one ballot drop-off site , regardless of size or population .
This decision would have led to the closure of drop-off sites across the state , including 11 in Harris county and three in Travis county .
A lawsuit was immediately filed by civil right organizations .
Critics argued Abbott ’ s order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ larger , more diverse counties and hit communities of color , making it more difficult for them to vote .
Harris county has more than 4.7 million residents and is the most populous county in the nation and home to the city of Houston .
Travis county is home to Texas ’ s capital city , Austin .
By comparison , smaller counties like Brewster county in west Texas , which has a population of just under 10,000 , would remain unaffected by the ruling as it has always only had one drop-off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Texas are higher than previous elections due to the coronavirus pandemic , but concerns of mail slowdowns presented a need for drop-off locations .
The ruling by Pitman blocking Abbott ’ s move is a victory for those deemed eligible to vote by mail in the state , including the elderly and disabled who would have had to travel farther distances to drop off their ballot and risk exposure to Covid-19 .
In a statement , the Harris county clerk , Chris Hollins , said : “ Tonight ’ s injunction reinstating Harris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballots at 12 county offices is a victory for voting rights .
The governor ’ s suppressive tactics should not be tolerated , and tonight ’ s ruling shows that the law is on the side of Texas voters .
”

On Friday evening, US federal judge Robert Pitman blocked Texas governor Greg Abbott’s order to shut down mail-in ballot drop-off sites across the state as the election is currently under way.
Last week, Abbott issued a proclamation limiting each county to only one ballot drop-off site, regardless of size or population. This decision would have led to the closure of drop-off sites across the state, including 11 in Harris county and three in Travis county. A lawsuit was immediately filed by civil right organizations.
Critics argued Abbott’s order to close drop-off sites would disproportionately affect larger, more diverse counties and hit communities of color, making it more difficult for them to vote. Harris county has more than 4.7 million residents and is the third most populous county in the nation and home to the city of Houston. Travis county is home to Texas’s capital city, Austin. By comparison, smaller counties like Brewster county in west Texas, which has a population of just under 10,000, would remain unaffected by the ruling as it has always only had one drop-off site.
Requests for absentee ballots in Texas are higher than previous elections due to the coronavirus pandemic, but concerns of mail slowdowns presented a need for drop-off locations. The ruling by Pitman blocking Abbott’s move is a victory for those deemed eligible to vote by mail in the state, including the elderly and disabled who would have had to travel farther distances to drop off their ballot and risk exposure to Covid-19.
Statement from Harris County Clerk @CGHollins:
Tonight’s injunction reinstating Harris County voters' ability to hand-deliver their ballots at 12 county offices is a victory for voting rights. (1/3) https://t.co/t5v4Zb9g6h — Harris County Clerk (@HarrisVotes) October 10, 2020
In a statement, the Harris county clerk, Chris Hollins, said: “Tonight’s injunction reinstating Harris county voters’ ability to hand-deliver their ballots at 12 county offices is a victory for voting rights. The governor’s suppressive tactics should not be tolerated, and tonight’s ruling shows that the law is on the side of Texas voters.”