theguardian--2020-05-31--Is Donald Trump's love-hate relationship with Twitter on the rocks?

It has been one of the greatest love affairs in American politics .
Since joining Twitter more than a decade ago , Donald Trump has delivered 52,000 tweets or retweets and accumulated 80 million followers .
He uses the platform to threaten war , hire and fire staff , goad perceived foes and stoke partisan divisions .
Twitter , which did not exist 15 years ago , has become one of the most famous companies in the world , the new first draft of presidential history .
But now the relationship is on the rocks .
For the first time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tag to two of Trump ’ s tweets when he made unsubstantiated claims of fraud in mail-in voting .
The president struck back on Thursday with an executive order threatening social media companies with new free speech regulations .
Asked if he had considered deleting his account , Trump replied : “ If we had a fair press in this country , I would do that in a heartbeat .
There ’ s nothing I ’ d rather do than get rid of my whole Twitter account.
” A day later , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Trump behind a warning accusing him of breaking its rules by “ glorifying violence ” in a message that said looters at protests in Minneapolis would be shot .
The president lashed out again in – naturally – a tweet , complaining : “ Twitter is doing nothing about all of the lies & propaganda being put out by China or the Radical Left Democrat Party .
They have targeted Republicans , Conservatives & the President of the United States.
” Facebook did not remove Trump ’ s same post from its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Zuckerberg , putting clear daylight between his approach , which exempts politicians from a third-party factchecking program , and that of his Twitter counterpart , Jack Dorsey .
As for the president , whose election owed much to social media , he now appears to be biting the hand that feeds him .
“ I think the last thing Trump wants is to shut down Facebook , YouTube and Twitter , ” said Roger McNamee , author of Zucked : Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe .
“ He ’ s completely dependent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they on him .
The symbiosis is complete .
“ Now , I think what Twitter did today relative to the looters and shooters tweet is actually very brave .
It ’ s also incredibly obvious and something they should ’ ve done years ago and something Facebook should do , because if you look at the public safety aspect of the terms of service , that tweet is an obvious violation and , coming from the president , it has enormous risk of causing public safety harm.
” McNamee , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Partners and an early investor in Facebook , Google and Amazon , added : “ The fact that Facebook left it up speaks volumes about the different approaches of the two companies because how big do you think Twitter is without Trump ?
Is it half its current size ?
Is it less than that ?
This is a very brave thing for them to do.
” Trump ’ s use of Twitter offers a real-time window on his consciousness at all hours of day and night .
Some of his posts are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the Fox News network .
Others hurl insults at political foes and the media or traffic in incendiary racism .
In the past month they have reached a crescendo of abuse , demagoguery and conspiracy theories , including a baseless accusation of murder levelled at a TV host .
Charlie Sykes , a conservative author and broadcaster , said : “ His Twitter account has been central to his presidency and he ’ s obviously obsessed with it .
That ’ s what makes this so strange : if he were to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deprive himself of a platform .
If he succeeds in having the law changed , it would backfire on him because it would then make the social media platforms liable for his lies and his slanders.
” Like a much-hyped executive order in April that threatened to ban immigration , but turned out to have numerous exceptions , the bark of Thursday ’ s executive order is likely to be worse than its bite .
It attacks legal protections that shield social media companies from liability for users ’ content , but a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ act of Congress .
Observers detected a blatant attempt to deflect attention from Trump ’ s handling of the coronavirus pandemic , which this week claimed its 100,000th life in America , and an outbreak of violence after the police killing of a black man in Minneapolis .
Sykes , founder and editor-at-large of the Bulwark website , added : “ To be attacking a private company because it factchecked him is a disturbing look , even for Trump .
The willingness to use the full weight of federal government to go in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of his tweets .
Twitter did not censor his tweet .
It answered his tweet with a factcheck .
In other words , it answered speech with more speech , which is the way the first amendment is supposed to work.
” Trump expressed anger last year after Facebook banned seven users including the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones , rightwing media stars Milo Yiannopoulos and Laura Loomer , and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan , notorious for using antisemitic language .
He and fellow conservatives have long claimed without evidence that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them .
Twitter first announced in early 2018 that it would not block world leaders or remove their controversial tweets , though it subsequently announced that it could apply warning labels and obscure the tweets of world leaders if they used their accounts to threaten or abuse others .
Despite this week ’ s skirmishes , the prospect of the US president being banned still seems remote .
Sykes commented : “ I think that ’ s unlikely to happen .
Banning Trump allows him to play the victim card and say , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and they won ’ t let me speak ’ .
So it makes him a martyr .
It ’ s probably better to factcheck him .
On the other hand , that ’ s going to be extremely difficult .
Are they going to factcheck every one of his tweets ?
” “ Does that mean they ’ re going to be under tremendous pressure to factcheck everyone else ?
There ’ s a danger for Twitter that he will drag them down the rabbit hole , that he will make their factchecking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Trump has put Twitter front and centre in public life but he is not its most followed personality .
To his probable chagrin , number one spot is held by Obama with 118 million , according to Brandwatch , ahead of singers Justin Bieber , Katy Perry , Rihanna , Taylor Swift , footballer Cristiano Ronaldo , singer Lady Gaga and TV personality Ellen DeGeneres .
Then comes Trump in ninth place .
Rick Tyler , a political analyst , said : “ He needs Twitter because it ’ s his vehicle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ follow him .
I ’ m not sure Twitter needs him and , if it does need him , then it ’ s a flawed business model because Trump one day won ’ t be with us .
He ’ s an old man and so if Twitter ’ s business model depends on Donald Trump , it ’ s a very short-lived business model.
” The president ’ s threat to terminate his love-hate relationship with social media rings somewhat hollow .
Biographer Michael D ’ Antonio describes him as “ a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York tabloids to similar effect before Twitter and Facebook came along .
He said of the current feud : “ I think it ’ s about Twitter being his drug and Jack Dorsey threatening to limit his supply .
“ It has the effect of a drug on him , so the pleasure that he gets from tweeting and from the response to his tweet probably gives him a rush and I think even the thought of it being constrained is painful , probably physically painful in his own body .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who can hold him responsible and , as he makes clear , he ’ s never responsible for anything , and that is enraging .
It ’ s like the kid who ’ s been let loose in a candy store and suddenly an adult says , ‘ Well , that ’ s all done now , it ’ s time for you to leave , ’ and he doesn ’ t want to leave so he ’ s having a tantrum .
”

It has been one of the greatest love affairs in American politics.
Since joining Twitter more than a decade ago, Donald Trump has delivered 52,000 tweets or retweets and accumulated 80 million followers. He uses the platform to threaten war, hire and fire staff, goad perceived foes and stoke partisan divisions. Twitter, which did not exist 15 years ago, has become one of the most famous companies in the world, the new first draft of presidential history.
But now the relationship is on the rocks.
For the first time, Twitter this week added a factchecking tag to two of Trump’s tweets when he made unsubstantiated claims of fraud in mail-in voting. The president struck back on Thursday with an executive order threatening social media companies with new free speech regulations.
Asked if he had considered deleting his account, Trump replied: “If we had a fair press in this country, I would do that in a heartbeat. There’s nothing I’d rather do than get rid of my whole Twitter account.”
A day later, in another first, Twitter hid a tweet by Trump behind a warning accusing him of breaking its rules by “glorifying violence” in a message that said looters at protests in Minneapolis would be shot. The president lashed out again in – naturally – a tweet, complaining: “Twitter is doing nothing about all of the lies and propaganda being put out by China or the Radical Left Democrat Party. They have targeted Republicans, Conservatives & the President of the United States.”
Twitter’s chief executive, Jack Dorsey. Photograph: François Mori/AP
Facebook did not remove Trump’s same post from its site, with its chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, putting clear daylight between his approach, which exempts politicians from a third-party factchecking program, and that of his Twitter counterpart, Jack Dorsey. As for Trump, whose election owed much to social media, he now appears to be biting the hand that feeds him.
“I think the last thing Trump wants is to shut down Facebook, YouTube and Twitter,” said Roger McNamee, author of Zucked: Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe. “He’s completely dependent on them and, by the way, they on him. The symbiosis is complete.
“Now, I think what Twitter did relative to the looters and shooters tweet is actually very brave. It’s also incredibly obvious and something they should’ve done years ago, and something Facebook should do, because if you look at the public safety aspect of the terms of service, that tweet is an obvious violation and, coming from the president, it has enormous risk of causing public safety harm.”
McNamee, a co-founder of the private equity firm Elevation Partners and an early investor in Facebook, Google and Amazon, added: “The fact that Facebook left it up speaks volumes about the different approaches of the two companies because how big do you think Twitter is without Trump? Is it half its current size? Is it less than that? This is a very brave thing for them to do.”
Trump’s use of Twitter offers a real-time window on his consciousness at all hours of day and night. Some of his posts are vivid reactions to items he has seen on the Fox News network. Others hurl insults at political foes and the media or traffic in incendiary racism. In the past month they have reached a crescendo of abuse, demagoguery and conspiracy theories, including a baseless accusation of murder levelled at a TV host.
Charlie Sykes, a conservative author and broadcaster, said: “His Twitter account has been central to his presidency and he’s obviously obsessed with it. That’s what makes this so strange: if he were to shut down Twitter, he obviously would deprive himself of a platform. If he succeeds in having the law changed, it would backfire on him because it would then make the social media platforms liable for his lies and his slanders.”
Like a much-hyped executive order in April that threatened to ban immigration, but turned out to have numerous exceptions, the bark of Thursday’s executive order is likely to be worse than its bite.
Donald Trump used the New York tabloids to similar trolling effect before Twitter and Facebook came along. Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock
It attacks legal protections that shield social media companies from liability for users’ content, but a change in the law would require an act of Congress. Observers detected a blatant attempt to deflect attention from Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which this week claimed its 100,000th life in America, and an outbreak of violence after the police killing of a black man in Minneapolis.
Sykes, THE founder and editor-at-large of the Bulwark website, added: “To be attacking a private company because it factchecked him is a disturbing look, even for Trump. The willingness to use the full weight of federal government to go in and punish a private company for factchecking one of his tweets.
“Twitter did not censor his tweet. It answered his tweet with a factcheck. In other words, it answered speech with more speech, which is the way the first amendment is supposed to work.”
Trump expressed anger last year after Facebook banned seven users including the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, rightwing media stars Milo Yiannopoulos and Laura Loomer, and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, notorious for using antisemitic language. He and fellow conservatives have long claimed without evidence that Silicon Valley tech companies are biased against them.
Twitter first announced in early 2018 that it would not block world leaders or remove their controversial tweets, though it subsequently announced that it could apply warning labels and obscure the tweets of world leaders if they used their accounts to threaten or abuse others. Despite this week’s skirmishes, the prospect of the US president being banned still seems remote.
Sykes commented: “I think that’s unlikely to happen. Banning Trump allows him to play the victim card and say, ‘Look, I am the president and they won’t let me speak’. So it makes him a martyr. It’s probably better to factcheck him. On the other hand, that’s going to be extremely difficult. Are they going to factcheck every one of his tweets?”
Donald Trump’s Twitter page is displayed on a mobile phone on Thursday. Photograph: Olivier Douliery/AFP/Getty Images
“Does that mean they’re going to be under tremendous pressure to factcheck everyone else? There’s a danger for Twitter that he will drag them down the rabbit hole, that he will make their factchecking of him into another massive distraction issue.”
Trump has put Twitter front and centre in public life but he is not its most followed personality. To his probable chagrin, THE No 1 spot is held by Obama with 118 million, according to Brandwatch, ahead of singers Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, singer Lady Gaga and TV personality Ellen DeGeneres. Then comes Trump in ninth place.
Rick Tyler, a political analyst, said: “He [Trump] needs Twitter because it’s his vehicle to communicate with millions of people who follow him. I’m not sure Twitter needs him and, if it does need him, then it’s a flawed business model because Trump one day won’t be with us. He’s an old man and so if Twitter’s business model depends on Donald Trump, it’s a very short-lived business model.”
The president’s threat to terminate his love-hate relationship with social media rings somewhat hollow. Biographer Michael D’Antonio describes him as “a troll at heart” who used the New York tabloids to similar effect before Twitter and Facebook came along. He said of the current feud: “I think it’s about Twitter being his drug and Jack Dorsey threatening to limit his supply.
“It has the effect of a drug on him, so the pleasure that he gets from tweeting and from the response to his tweet probably gives him a rush and I think even the thought of it being constrained is painful, probably physically painful in his own body.
“It’s also him encountering someone who can hold him responsible and, as he makes clear, he’s never responsible for anything, and that is enraging. It’s like the kid who’s been let loose in a candy store and suddenly an adult says, ‘Well, that’s all done now, it’s time for you to leave,’ and he doesn’t want to leave so he’s having a tantrum.”


theguardian--2020-05-31--The Inevitability of Tragedy review: a life of Henry Kissinger for our Trumpian times

As US-China relations deteriorate , Barry Gewen offers an unsparing biography of a man still at the center of events Only two of America ’ s secretaries of state are foreign-born , and their presence in Foggy Bottom is owed to the downfall of the Weimar Republic .
As the Third Reich rose , a teenage Henry Kissinger fled Germany for upper Manhattan .
Ten years later , Madeleine Albright arrived in the US .
Her father , Josef Korbel , was a Czech diplomat who spent the war years in London .
Same endpoint , different stories .
During @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Clinton and intoned that “ there ’ s a special place in hell for women who don ’ t help each other ” .
In late 2017 , Kissinger met in the Oval Office with Donald Trump .
He has also acted as a go-between for the administration in its dealings with China .
Albright ’ s latest book is titled Fascism : A Warning .
For Kissinger , ideological virtue signaling takes a back seat .
His legacy is realpolitik .
Under the subtitle Henry Kissinger and His World , Barry Gewen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 97-year-old diplomat .
A longtime editor at the New York Times Book Review , Gewen looks to Leo Strauss , Hannah Arendt and Hans Morgenthau , all German-Jewish émigrés and intellectuals , as prisms through which to refract Kissinger , a one-time Harvard professor .
Strauss , Arendt and Morgenthau appear in names of chapters .
The Inevitability of Tragedy treats Weimar ’ s collapse as the formative event in Kissinger ’ s life .
The book ’ s central premises are that democracies do not necessarily hold and that nations may be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only rancid dishes .
From the author ’ s perspective , unyielding moral codes may end up as burdensome ballast that leaves decision makers frozen .
Or worse .
Gewen ’ s prose is mellifluous even if his judgment of Kissinger remains debatable .
The reader is drawn into the book ’ s telling , regardless of possible disagreement .
More often than not , the author gives Kissinger the benefit of the doubt – even as the bodies pile up .
Against the backdrop of the the formulation and execution of Richard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overthrow and assassination of Salvador Allende in Chile , genocide in Bangladesh and East Timor and a coup and invasion in Cyprus , Kissinger was tagged as a “ war criminal ” .
On college campuses , he was even compared to Charles Manson , the convicted mass murderer .
Although America elected Nixon to end the war , more than 20,000 US troops died on his watch .
Sustaining American honor was a bloody undertaking that all involved knew couldn ’ t be won .
Daniel Ellsberg , leaker of the Pentagon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the truth .
Practically speaking , Nixon ended the draft in 1972 and inaugurated the volunteer army a year later .
Gewen asks , “ What choices did Washington have when confronted ” by Allende ’ s win at the ballot box ?
He poses the question of “ how to extricate ” the US from the “ morass of Vietnam in a way that did the least damage to American interests ” .
He does not regard the answers as self-evident .
Quoting Morgenthau , one of the founding fathers of realism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the “ the very act of acting destroys our moral integrity ” .
He continues : “ Whoever wants to retain his moral innocence must forsake action altogether.
” To be sure , for senior government officials , inaction is almost an alien concept .
Significantly , Morgenthau was an early critic of the Vietnam war .
In 1965 , Lyndon Johnson dismissed him as a state department adviser .
On Vietnam , Morgenthau and Kissinger did not see eye-to-eye .
Realpolitik does not necessarily lead to identical conclusions .
Ping-pong diplomacy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actually led to criticism of Kissinger .
In 1974 , Nixon resigned and by the time of the 1976 New Hampshire primary , Kissinger had emerged as a punching bag for Ronald Reagan and the right of the Republican party .
The Manchester Union Leader , the storied New Hampshire daily , labeled Gerald Ford , the president , as “ the jerk ” and Kissinger , his secretary of state , as “ the kike ” .
The Union Leader wasn ’ t alone .
The late Phyllis Schlafly , the leading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ ‘ warrior queen of social conservatism ” , dangled Kissinger ’ s otherness as catnip for opposition to Ford .
In Kissinger on the Couch , Schlafly and co-author Chester Ward opined that he failed to understand “ typical American values ” and alleged that his loyalty rested with a “ supranational ” order , not the US government .
George Soros was the only thing missing from the equation .
Kissinger was eternally grateful for the refuge the US afforded .
But he remained ill at ease with his adopted country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t his thing .
According to Gewen , the 1964 Republican convention “ reminded Kissinger of the Nazi rallies he had witnessed as a boy in Germany ” .
There , in San Francisco , Nelson Rockefeller , Kissinger ’ s patron and New York ’ s governor , vied unsuccessfully with Senator Barry Goldwater for the presidential nomination .
Rockefeller would become Ford ’ s vice-president .
Kissinger credits Reagan for the downfall of the Soviet Union , and saw him as possessing a greater grasp of the cold war than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that George HW Bush and Kissinger were not close .
While Kissinger was secretly pursuing upgraded US-Sino relations , Bush was defending Taiwan at the United Nations .
During the 1980 convention , Kissinger was involved in a failed effort to shoehorn Ford on to the Reagan ticket , instead of Bush .
In other words , Kissinger was by no means error-proof .
He supported the Iraq war , although not driven by the desire to bring democracy to the Gulf states .
By contrast , Brent Scowcroft , Kissinger ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ later a business partner , predicted the pitfalls of a US invasion .
Scowcroft ’ s op-ed in the Wall Street Journal , Don ’ t Attack Saddam , came to be viewed as the vehicle by which the elder Bush communicated his disapproval of the war to his son , the president .
Whether it actually was is a different story .
As the US and China head toward another cold war , Kissinger ’ s “ brand of realism ” may be needed as a brake .
Weimar wasn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with grays .
Desperate times birth excesses .
“ We dismiss or ignore him at our peril , ” writes Gewen .
Perhaps .

Only two of America’s secretaries of state are foreign-born, and their presence in Foggy Bottom is owed to the downfall of the Weimar Republic. As the Third Reich rose, a teenage Henry Kissinger fled Germany for upper Manhattan. Ten years later, Madeleine Albright arrived in the US. Her father, Josef Korbel, was a Czech diplomat who spent the war years in London.
Same endpoint, different stories. During the 2016 election, Albright endorsed Hillary Clinton and intoned that “there’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help each other”. In late 2017, Kissinger met in the Oval Office with Donald Trump. He has also acted as a go-between for the administration in its dealings with China. Albright’s latest book is titled Fascism: A Warning. For Kissinger, ideological virtue signaling takes a back seat. His legacy is realpolitik.
Under the subtitle Henry Kissinger and His World, Barry Gewen delivers a highly readable biography of the 97-year-old diplomat. A longtime editor at the New York Times Book Review, Gewen looks to Leo Strauss, Hannah Arendt and Hans Morgenthau, all German-Jewish émigrés and intellectuals, as prisms through which to refract Kissinger, a one-time Harvard professor. Strauss, Arendt and Morgenthau appear in names of chapters.
The Inevitability of Tragedy treats Weimar’s collapse as the formative event in Kissinger’s life. The book’s central premises are that democracies do not necessarily hold and that nations may be forced to choose from menus that offer only rancid dishes. From the author’s perspective, unyielding moral codes may end up as burdensome ballast that leaves decision makers frozen. Or worse.
More often than not, the author gives Kissinger the benefit of the doubt – even as the bodies pile up
Gewen’s prose is mellifluous even if his judgment of Kissinger remains debatable. The reader is drawn into the book’s telling, regardless of possible disagreement. More often than not, the author gives Kissinger the benefit of the doubt – even as the bodies pile up.
Against the backdrop of the the formulation and execution of Richard Nixon’s Vietnam policy, the overthrow and assassination of Salvador Allende in Chile, genocide in Bangladesh and East Timor and a coup and invasion in Cyprus, Kissinger was tagged as a “war criminal”. On college campuses, he was even compared to Charles Manson, the convicted mass murderer.
Although America elected Nixon to end the war, more than 20,000 US troops died on his watch. Sustaining American honor was a bloody undertaking that all involved knew couldn’t be won. Daniel Ellsberg, leaker of the Pentagon Papers and occasional Guardian contributor, told the truth. Practically speaking, Nixon ended the draft in 1972 and inaugurated the volunteer army a year later.
Gewen asks, “What choices did Washington have when confronted” by Allende’s win at the ballot box? He poses the question of “how to extricate” the US from the “morass of Vietnam in a way that did the least damage to American interests”. He does not regard the answers as self-evident.
Quoting Morgenthau, one of the founding fathers of realism and a Kissinger friend, Gewen writes that the “the very act of acting destroys our moral integrity”. He continues: “Whoever wants to retain his moral innocence must forsake action altogether.” To be sure, for senior government officials, inaction is almost an alien concept.
Significantly, Morgenthau was an early critic of the Vietnam war. In 1965, Lyndon Johnson dismissed him as a state department adviser. On Vietnam, Morgenthau and Kissinger did not see eye-to-eye. Realpolitik does not necessarily lead to identical conclusions.
Ping-pong diplomacy and the prospect of detente with Russia actually led to criticism of Kissinger. In 1974, Nixon resigned and by the time of the 1976 New Hampshire primary, Kissinger had emerged as a punching bag for Ronald Reagan and the right of the Republican party. The Manchester Union Leader, the storied New Hampshire daily, labeled Gerald Ford, the president, as “the jerk” and Kissinger, his secretary of state, as “the kike”.
The Union Leader wasn’t alone. The late Phyllis Schlafly, the leading opponent of the equal rights amendment and “‘warrior queen of social conservatism”, dangled Kissinger’s otherness as catnip for opposition to Ford. In Kissinger on the Couch, Schlafly and co-author Chester Ward opined that he failed to understand “typical American values” and alleged that his loyalty rested with a “supranational” order, not the US government. George Soros was the only thing missing from the equation.
Kissinger was eternally grateful for the refuge the US afforded. But he remained ill at ease with his adopted country’s Jacksonian populism. Parades weren’t his thing.
According to Gewen, the 1964 Republican convention “reminded Kissinger of the Nazi rallies he had witnessed as a boy in Germany”. There, in San Francisco, Nelson Rockefeller, Kissinger’s patron and New York’s governor, vied unsuccessfully with Senator Barry Goldwater for the presidential nomination. Rockefeller would become Ford’s vice-president.
Kissinger, newly appointed secretary of state, sits with Richard Nixon in the Oval Office in September 1973. Photograph: AP
Kissinger credits Reagan for the downfall of the Soviet Union, and saw him as possessing a greater grasp of the cold war than his advisers. Gewen also makes clear that George HW Bush and Kissinger were not close.
While Kissinger was secretly pursuing upgraded US-Sino relations, Bush was defending Taiwan at the United Nations. During the 1980 convention, Kissinger was involved in a failed effort to shoehorn Ford on to the Reagan ticket, instead of Bush.
In other words, Kissinger was by no means error-proof. He supported the Iraq war, although not driven by the desire to bring democracy to the Gulf states. By contrast, Brent Scowcroft, Kissinger’s successor at the national security council and later a business partner, predicted the pitfalls of a US invasion. Scowcroft’s op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Don’t Attack Saddam, came to be viewed as the vehicle by which the elder Bush communicated his disapproval of the war to his son, the president. Whether it actually was is a different story.
As the US and China head toward another cold war, Kissinger’s “brand of realism” may be needed as a brake. Weimar wasn’t so long ago. Life is filled with grays. Desperate times birth excesses.
“We dismiss or ignore him at our peril,” writes Gewen. Perhaps.


theguardian--2020-05-31--In a polarised world, even checking facts on Twitter becomes politicised | Kenan Malik

Like many Twitter debates , the war of words that broke out last week between Donald Trump and the social media company may seem inconsequential , even infantile .
However , the spat raises important questions about the relationship between the public , technology companies and the state , especially in a polarised America .
On Tuesday , Twitter attached a health warning to two tweets by Donald Trump about postal ballots , urging users to “ get the facts ” .
Two days later , a furious Trump retaliated with an executive order threatening to curtail legal protections for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the stakes by labelling a later Trump tweet about the Minneapolis riots as “ glorifying violence ” .
At first sight , the issues are straightforward .
Twitter did not censor Trump ’ s tweets , but merely alerted readers to factual or ethical problems .
Trump ’ s executive order , on the other hand , menaced free speech , threatening legal sanctions as retribution .
Free speech for Trump seems to mean the right not to be criticised .
Behind all this , however , lie deeper questions about the regulation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ society .
Trump ’ s executive order targets section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act .
It ’ s an obscure piece of US law that is , as the campaigning group Electronic Frontier Foundation observes , “ one of the most valuable tools for protecting freedom of expression and innovation on the Internet ” .
Section 230 excludes online platforms from most liabilities for content published by others , while allowing them to provide “ good faith ” moderation of users ’ comments .
Both are crucial not just for Silicon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and any online site with which users interact or on which they can post comments .
Twitter and Facebook are private companies but also , as the US supreme court has observed , serve as “ the modern public square ” .
This makes them ideal tools for governments to , in the words of Daphne Keller , of Stanford University ’ s cyber policy centre , “ launder state action ” – that is , use them to enforce regulation usually in the state ’ s domain .
European nations are very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voluntarily self-regulate ” , for instance by censoring speech deemed offensive or controversial .
Protections in other countries including in Europe are not as robust as in America .
That ’ s why Section 230 has long been a target for US politicians , both liberal and conservative .
The Democrats ’ Joe Biden has gone even further than Trump , calling for section 230 “ immediately [ to ] be revoked ” .
Trump ’ s threat to Twitter is blatant and serves his narrow political ends .
But many US politicians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nations , more easily able to use tech companies as proxies for the state .
The result will not be to tame Silicon Valley but to disempower the public and constrain its use of the online public square .
Trump ’ s feud with Twitter also raises questions about how to deal with misinformation .
Facebook ’ s Mark Zuckerberg distanced himself from Twitter by suggesting private companies should not be “ arbiters of truth ” .
Except that Facebook already is .
It boasts of “ fighting the spread of false news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact-checkers to be “ false ” is sanctioned .
However , Facebook excludes politicians from its fact checking .
The idea that the little people should be scrutinised , but not politicians , leaves a bad taste in the mouth .
And yet , Zuckerberg has a point .
In a polarised world , fact-checking itself can become a politicised process .
As Covid-19 debates reveal , judgments about what is true and whom to trust are not straightforward , even in scientific and medical spheres .
Twitter ’ s fact checking of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the tech magazine Wired observed , misleading .
Fact-checkers , Wired pungently noted , “ are often just as full of shit as the politicians they ’ re debunking ” .
It ’ s not that lies should not be challenged , nor that there is no such thing as truth , nor yet that we should accept Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway ’ s insistence that lies are just “ alternative facts ” .
It is rather that what people accept as “ truth ” depends partly on whose authority they are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ climate in which trust is fractured , so , inevitably , are conceptions of truth and falsity .
Debunking lies , and holding politicians to account for their statements , is vital .
The challenge we face , however , is primarily political , not factual or technological .
That ’ s why the problem of misinformation seems so difficult to solve – there are no simple technological or factual fixes to deep-set political conundrums .

Like many Twitter debates, the war of words that broke out last week between Donald Trump and the social media company may seem inconsequential, even infantile. However, the spat raises important questions about the relationship between the public, technology companies and the state, especially in a polarised America.
On Tuesday, Twitter attached a health warning to two tweets by Donald Trump about postal ballots, urging users to “get the facts”. Two days later, a furious Trump retaliated with an executive order threatening to curtail legal protections for social media companies. Twitter then upped the stakes by labelling a later Trump tweet about the Minneapolis riots as “glorifying violence”.
At first sight, the issues are straightforward. Twitter did not censor Trump’s tweets, but merely alerted readers to factual or ethical problems. Trump’s executive order, on the other hand, menaced free speech, threatening legal sanctions as retribution. Free speech for Trump seems to mean the right not to be criticised.
Behind all this, however, lie deeper questions about the regulation of social media and its role in society. Trump’s executive order targets section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act. It’s an obscure piece of US law that is, as the campaigning group Electronic Frontier Foundation observes, “one of the most valuable tools for protecting freedom of expression and innovation on the Internet”.
Free speech for Trump seems to mean the right not to be criticised
Section 230 excludes online platforms from most liabilities for content published by others, while allowing them to provide “good faith” moderation of users’ comments. Both are crucial not just for Silicon Valley behemoths but for newspapers and bloggers and any online site with which users interact or on which they can post comments.
Twitter and Facebook are private companies but also, as the US supreme court has observed, serve as “the modern public square”. This makes them ideal tools for governments to, in the words of Daphne Keller, of Stanford University’s cyber policy centre, “launder state action” – that is, use them to enforce regulation usually in the state’s domain. European nations are very good at pressing tech giants to “voluntarily self-regulate”, for instance by censoring speech deemed offensive or controversial.
Protections in other countries including in Europe are not as robust as in America. That’s why Section 230 has long been a target for US politicians, both liberal and conservative. The Democrats’ Joe Biden has gone even further than Trump, calling for section 230 “immediately [to] be revoked”.
Trump’s threat to Twitter is blatant and serves his narrow political ends. But many US politicians want America to be more like European nations, more easily able to use tech companies as proxies for the state. The result will not be to tame Silicon Valley but to disempower the public and constrain its use of the online public square.
The idea that the little people should be scrutinised, but not politicians, leaves a bad taste in the mouth
Trump’s feud with Twitter also raises questions about how to deal with misinformation. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg distanced himself from Twitter by suggesting private companies should not be “arbiters of truth”. Except that Facebook already is. It boasts of “fighting the spread of false news” and ensuring that content declared by fact-checkers to be “false” is sanctioned. However, Facebook excludes politicians from its fact checking. The idea that the little people should be scrutinised, but not politicians, leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
And yet, Zuckerberg has a point. In a polarised world, fact-checking itself can become a politicised process. As Covid-19 debates reveal, judgments about what is true and whom to trust are not straightforward, even in scientific and medical spheres. Twitter’s fact checking of Trump’s tweet was itself, as the tech magazine Wired observed, misleading. Fact-checkers, Wired pungently noted, “are often just as full of shit as the politicians they’re debunking”.
It’s not that lies should not be challenged, nor that there is no such thing as truth, nor yet that we should accept Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway’s insistence that lies are just “alternative facts”. It is rather that what people accept as “truth” depends partly on whose authority they are willing to trust. In a political climate in which trust is fractured, so, inevitably, are conceptions of truth and falsity.
Debunking lies, and holding politicians to account for their statements, is vital. The challenge we face, however, is primarily political, not factual or technological. That’s why the problem of misinformation seems so difficult to solve – there are no simple technological or factual fixes to deep-set political conundrums.


theguardian--2020-05-31--Fire, pestilence and a country at war with itself: the Trump presidency is over | Robert Reich

You ’ d be forgiven if you hadn ’ t noticed .
His verbal bombshells are louder than ever , but Donald J Trump is no longer president of the United States .
By having no constructive response to any of the monumental crises now convulsing America , Trump has abdicated his office .
He is not governing .
He ’ s golfing , watching cable TV and tweeting .
How has Trump responded to the widespread unrest following the murder in Minneapolis of George Floyd , a black man who died after a white police officer knelt on his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the ground ?
Trump called the protesters “ thugs ” and threatened to have them shot .
“ When the looting starts , the shooting starts , ” he tweeted , parroting a former Miami police chief whose words spurred race riots in the late 1960s .
On Saturday , he gloated about “ the most vicious dogs , and most ominous weapons ” awaiting protesters outside the White House , should they ever break through Secret Service lines .
Trump ’ s response to the last three ghastly months of mounting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heedless .
Since claiming Covid-19 was a “ Democratic hoax ” and muzzling public health officials , he has punted management of the coronavirus to the states .
Governors have had to find ventilators to keep patients alive and protective equipment for hospital and other essential workers who lack it , often bidding against each other .
They have had to decide how , when and where to reopen their economies .
Trump has claimed “ no responsibility at all ” for testing and contact-tracing – the keys to containing the virus .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on states to do their own testing and contact-tracing .
Trump is also awol in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression .
More than 41 million Americans are jobless .
In the coming weeks temporary eviction moratoriums are set to end in half of the states .
One-fifth of Americans missed rent payments this month .
Extra unemployment benefits are set to expire at the end of July .
What is Trump ’ s response ?
Like Herbert Hoover , who in 1930 said “ the worst is behind us ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economy will improve and does nothing about the growing hardship .
The Democratic-led House passed a $ 3tn relief package on 15 May .
Mitch McConnell has recessed the Senate without taking action and Trump calls the bill dead on arrival .
What about other pressing issues a real president would be addressing ?
The House has passed nearly 400 bills this term , including measures to reduce climate change , enhance election security , require background checks on gun sales , reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act and reform campaign finance .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ inbox .
Trump doesn ’ t seem to be aware of any of them .
There is nothing inherently wrong with golfing , watching television and tweeting .
But if that ’ s pretty much all that a president does when the nation is engulfed in crises , he is not a president .
Trump ’ s tweets are no substitute for governing .
They are mostly about getting even .
When he ’ s not fomenting violence against black protesters , he ’ s accusing a media personality of committing murder , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s weight and the House speaker ’ s looks , conjuring up conspiracies against himself supposedly organized by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama , and encouraging his followers to “ liberate ” their states from lockdown restrictions .
He tweets bogus threats that he has no power to carry out – withholding funds from states that expand absentee voting , “ overruling ” governors who don ’ t allow places of worship to reopen “ right away ” , and punishing Twitter for factchecking him .
In reality , Donald Trump doesn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States .
He doesn ’ t manage anything .
He doesn ’ t organize anyone .
He doesn ’ t administer or oversee or supervise .
He doesn ’ t read memos .
He hates meetings .
He has no patience for briefings .
His White House is in perpetual chaos .
Since moving into the Oval Office in January 2017 , Trump hasn ’ t shown an ounce of interest in governing .
He obsesses only about himself .
But it has taken the present set of crises to reveal the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ utter contempt for his job , his total repudiation of his office .
Trump ’ s nonfeasance goes far beyond an absence of leadership or inattention to traditional norms and roles .
In a time of national trauma , he has relinquished the core duties and responsibilities of the presidency .
He is no longer president .
The sooner we stop treating him as if he were , the better .
• None Robert Reich , a former US secretary of labor , is professor of public policy at the University of California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Capitalism : For the Many , Not the Few and The Common Good .
His new book , The System : Who Rigged It , How We Fix It , is out now .
He is a columnist for Guardian US

You’d be forgiven if you hadn’t noticed. His verbal bombshells are louder than ever, but Donald J Trump is no longer president of the United States.
By having no constructive response to any of the monumental crises now convulsing America, Trump has abdicated his office.
He is not governing. He’s golfing, watching cable TV and tweeting.
How has Trump responded to the widespread unrest following the murder in Minneapolis of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for minutes as he was handcuffed on the ground?
Trump called the protesters “thugs” and threatened to have them shot. “When the looting starts, the shooting starts,” he tweeted, parroting a former Miami police chief whose words spurred race riots in the late 1960s.
On Saturday, he gloated about “the most vicious dogs, and most ominous weapons” awaiting protesters outside the White House, should they ever break through Secret Service lines.
In reality, Donald Trump doesn’t run the government of the United States. He doesn’t manage anything
Trump’s response to the last three ghastly months of mounting disease and death has been just as heedless. Since claiming Covid-19 was a “Democratic hoax” and muzzling public health officials, he has punted management of the coronavirus to the states.
Governors have had to find ventilators to keep patients alive and protective equipment for hospital and other essential workers who lack it, often bidding against each other. They have had to decide how, when and where to reopen their economies.
Trump has claimed “no responsibility at all” for testing and contact-tracing – the keys to containing the virus. His new “plan” places responsibility on states to do their own testing and contact-tracing.
Trump is also awol in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
More than 41 million Americans are jobless. In the coming weeks temporary eviction moratoriums are set to end in half of the states. One-fifth of Americans missed rent payments this month. Extra unemployment benefits are set to expire at the end of July.
01:22 Protests spread across US in response to George Floyd killing – video
What is Trump’s response? Like Herbert Hoover, who in 1930 said “the worst is behind us” as thousands starved, Trump says the economy will improve and does nothing about the growing hardship. The Democratic-led House passed a $3tn relief package on 15 May. Mitch McConnell has recessed the Senate without taking action and Trump calls the bill dead on arrival.
What about other pressing issues a real president would be addressing? The House has passed nearly 400 bills this term, including measures to reduce climate change, enhance election security, require background checks on gun sales, reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act and reform campaign finance. All are languishing in McConnell’s inbox. Trump doesn’t seem to be aware of any of them.
There is nothing inherently wrong with golfing, watching television and tweeting. But if that’s pretty much all that a president does when the nation is engulfed in crises, he is not a president.
Trump’s tweets are no substitute for governing. They are mostly about getting even.
When he’s not fomenting violence against black protesters, he’s accusing a media personality of committing murder, retweeting slurs about a black female politician’s weight and the House speaker’s looks, conjuring up conspiracies against himself supposedly organized by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and encouraging his followers to “liberate” their states from lockdown restrictions.
He tweets bogus threats that he has no power to carry out – withholding funds from states that expand absentee voting, “overruling” governors who don’t allow places of worship to reopen “right away”, and punishing Twitter for factchecking him.
And he lies incessantly.
In reality, Donald Trump doesn’t run the government of the United States. He doesn’t manage anything. He doesn’t organize anyone. He doesn’t administer or oversee or supervise. He doesn’t read memos. He hates meetings. He has no patience for briefings. His White House is in perpetual chaos.
His advisers aren’t truth-tellers. They’re toadies, lackeys, sycophants and relatives.
Since moving into the Oval Office in January 2017, Trump hasn’t shown an ounce of interest in governing. He obsesses only about himself.
But it has taken the present set of crises to reveal the depths of his self-absorbed abdication – his utter contempt for his job, his total repudiation of his office.
Trump’s nonfeasance goes far beyond an absence of leadership or inattention to traditional norms and roles. In a time of national trauma, he has relinquished the core duties and responsibilities of the presidency.
He is no longer president. The sooner we stop treating him as if he were, the better.


theguardian--2020-06-01--George Floyd: crowds defy evening curfews as George Floyd protests rage on – live

In Oakland , a ‘ car caravan ’ protest more than four miles long Cars stretched more than four miles down the streets of Oakland on Sunday , as protestors participated in a peaceful caravan to demand justice for George Floyd , Breonna Taylor , and other victims of police violence .
The caravan marked the third day of protests in Oakland , sparked by the killing of Floyd by a police officer in Minnesota last week .
Demonstrators invoked the names of many killed by police violence , including Floyd and Taylor , a black woman killed by police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Louisville , Kentucky .
Demonstrations got heated in Oakland on Friday and Saturday after police used tear gas on protestors and stores were vandalized .
But protestors in the caravan on Sunday stressed the peaceful nature of their protest , which was organized by local non-profit the Anti-Police Terror Project .
“ We are here to make a peaceful statement and let it be known that this can not go on , ” said Ayana , a protestor holding a sign that said ‘ silence = death ’ and who declined to use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been dealing with these injustices for years and years , ” she added .
“ It ’ s so easy to sit behind a screen or say things on our phone , but we want to be on the forefront of change , even if it ’ s just holding up a sign , justice must be served.
” Organizers encouraged attendees to stay inside their cars or stand six feet apart from each other to stop the spread of coronavirus .
Participants could tune into local radio station 88.1 or a Facebook @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instructions throughout the event , which went on for more than three hours .
The caravan traveled through West Oakland into Middle Harbor Shoreline Park , located near the harbor of Oakland , where cars turned around .
Cars were covered in posters with slogans like “ Black Lives Matter ” and the names of people killed by police in recent years .
Ayana and her sister Nadja drove to Oakland from Vallejo , about 20 miles away , to participate in the car caravan .
They got out of their cars to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ line of cars for quite a while , said Nadja .
“ We don ’ t want to be looting , we don ’ t want to be tearing up things , we want to make this as peaceful as possible , ” she said .
“ That ’ s why we are walking and showing our message right now.
” The caravan wrapped through the bay-side park , turning around before continuing through Oakland several miles to the freeway entrance , where some protestors on foot faced off with California Highway Patrol @ @ @

Lois Beckett (now) and Tom Lutz and Martin Pengelly (earlier) in New York

1 Jun 2020 12.05 BST California to close all state buildings in downtown areas California’s Department of Human Resources has just issued a directive that all state buildings “with offices in downtown city areas” must be closed on Monday, a sweeping order that covers everything from Department of Motor Vehicles offices to those that license workers and provide health care, the Associated Press reports. “After consultation with the California Highway Patrol and Office of Emergency Services, the decision was made this evening to advise all state departments with offices in downtown city areas to close tomorrow, and to notify staff of the decision,” said Amy Palmer, a spokeswoman for the state Government Operations Agency. The directive was sent Sunday evening and it was left up to officials at individual agencies to determine which buildings should be closed. A state Department of Justice memo sent to employees said the attorney general’s offices in Sacramento, Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego would be closed, though employees who can work from home should do so. “Staff assigned to these offices should not report to work for any reason. Staff who are able to telework should continue to do so despite the office closures,” the memo said.
1 Jun 2020 11.59 BST Here’s footage of the moment last night when some of the White House’s exterior lights were shut off, providing symbolism some have found hard to resist. Remember when Donald Trump thought wearing a mask would make him look weak? #BunkerBoy pic.twitter.com/2Xlows8SIk — Hop von Squätch (@Hop_Squatch) June 1, 2020 The news that Donald Trump spent part of Friday evening in the presidential bunker, as protesters massed near to the White House, is getting a lot of traction online. #BunkerBoy is the leading trend on Twitter in the United States and in the top five in Australia.
1 Jun 2020 11.04 BST We’ve already reported how China’s state media is using these protests as an opportunity to goad Donald Trump and deflect from its own government’s treatment of Hong Kong and protesters in the city. Iran is also getting in on the act. Its foreign ministry spokesman has just given this press conference that observers are saying is the first he’s ever given in English, in which he directly addresses American protesters with messages of support. #Iran's Foreign Ministry spox to American people: The world has heard your outcry over the State oppression. The world is standing with you...The American regime is perusing violence & bullying at home & abroad...Stop violence against your people & let them breathe.#GeorgeFloyd pic.twitter.com/nsXEIo1FrF — Abas Aslani (@AbasAslani) June 1, 2020 His government doesn’t deem Iranians worthy of the same support, if last November’s nationwide protests are any indication. Security forces used teargas, live ammunition and other repressive measures to crush those demonstrations, which also involved riots and destruction of banks and state buildings. Estimates of how many were killed range from 304, according to Amnesty International, to about 1,500 according to Reuters. The Iranian government has not released its own figure.
1 Jun 2020 10.54 BST George Floyd’s killing has led to a global pouring of outrage and solidarity with protesters in the US. That has included four solidarity rallies in New Zealand, a large demonstration in London’s Trafalgar Square and protests in Berlin and Copenhagen. Demands for justice also featured in this weekend’s Bundesliga, the German football championship. Floyd’s visage also now features on a part of the former Berlin Wall, along with some of his last words, “I can’t breathe”. A portrait of George Floyd on a wall at Gedenkstatte Berliner Mauer in Berlin, Germany. Photograph: China News Service/Getty Images We’ve pulled those threads together into this story, just published: George Floyd: protests take place in cities around the world Read more
Updated at 10.56 BST
1 Jun 2020 08.30 BST A striking detail from tonight’s coverage has been reports that as protesters surged towards the White House on Friday night, US president Donald Trump, his wife Melania and son Barron briefly retreated to the Presidential Emergency Operations Centre – a fortified bunker-like structure beneath the residence. The last time a US head of state was publicly known to have used the bunker was on 11 September, 2001, where senior members of the George W Bush administration spent that day after their west wing offices were evacuated. There are no other public reports of presidents needing to use the area since - the New York Times, which first reported this detail, says “it has not been used much, if at all” since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. But it notes the area has since been strengthened to withstand the impact of a passenger jet. The White House has declined to comment on the reports. Trump fled to bunker as protests over George Floyd raged outside White House Read more
1 Jun 2020 08.16 BST My colleague Julian Borger in Washington DC has just filed this update on a tense evening the capital. Multiple fires broke out near the White House late on Sunday evening, as angry protesters gathered in Washington DC for the third night in a row following the death of George Floyd. Sunday evening’s protests in front of the White House started relatively cheerfully, with a crowd of a few thousand in Lafayette park. Earlier in the day, demonstrators had marched through the city’s downtown, chanting “George Floyd! Say his name!” and “No Justice! No Peace!” But as the 11 pm curfew approached, tensions between protesters and police mounted. Demonstrators faced off against a line of a few hundred police supported by national guardsmen. The lights illuminating the north side of the White House, which had provided the backdrop to the face off between protesters and police, were turned off. In normal times, they are only ever turned off when a president dies. Inside it was reported that Donald Trump, his wife, Melania and son Barron, had been taken down to the White House bunker at the height of the protests and then brought back up as the crowds dispersed. When 11pm came, the police line in front of the White House advanced with tear gas rounds across Lafayette park clearing out the protesters, with intermittent sprints. Read the full story here: Fires light up Washington DC on third night of George Floyd protests Read more
1 Jun 2020 08.11 BST Michael Safi Hello, it’s just past 3am on the east coast and midnight on the west coast and the US is reeling from the sixth successive night of protests and riots following the killing of George Floyd. I’ll be steering you through the next hours of our coverage. Those just checking in might have missed this frightening scene from a Minneapolis freeway earlier today, where a tanker truck appeared to charge at full speed into a throng of protesters. Nobody was injured but the driver did seek medical assistance, according to local authorities. BREAKING- Truck moves at full speed into a crowd of thousands of demonstrators #GeorgeFloyd #Minnesota @KSTP pic.twitter.com/pUscK8JgFB — Brett Hoffland (@BrettHoffland) May 31, 2020 Police in the city have now named the driver as Bogdan Vechirko, and he’s been arrested.
1 Jun 2020 07.25 BST Many of the reporters on the ground are heading for some rest as the unrest quietens down for now. Just drove a couple big laps around the Capitol and through Cap Hill. Saw a couple dumpster fires but otherwise pretty quiet. I didn’t see many protesters. There are still cops everywhere. And “cops” doesn’t really do it justice — SWAT trucks, tons of them. Debris all over. — Alex Burness (@alex_burness) June 1, 2020 The show of force from police over the last hour in Denver has been way above and beyond anything else I’ve seen since all this started four days ago. In fact it’s beyond anything I’ve seen from police in my life. — Alex Burness (@alex_burness) June 1, 2020 I just got hit by a rubber bullet near the bottom of my throat. I had just interviewed a man with my phone at 3rd and Pine and a police officer aimed and shot me in the throat, I saw the bullet bounce onto the street @LAist @kpcc OK, that’s one way to stop me, for a while pic.twitter.com/9C2u5KmscG — Adolfo Guzman-Lopez (@AGuzmanLopez) June 1, 2020
1 Jun 2020 07.11 BST It’s the middle of the night in the US, where cities continue to reel under protest and violence and where Black Lives Matter leaders say president Donald Trump, has failed his country. This report from David Smith in Washington:
For three years, the first president elected without political or military experience rode his luck and skirted past disaster. In the fourth year, the fates demanded payback. Not even Trump’s harshest critics can blame him for a virus believed to have come from a market in the Chinese city of Wuhan, nor for an attendant economic collapse, nor for four centuries of slavery, segregation, police brutality and racial injustice. But they can, and do, point to how he made a bad situation so much worse. The story of Trump’s presidency was arguably always leading to this moment, with its toxic mix of weak moral leadership, racial divisiveness, crass and vulgar rhetoric and an erosion of norms, institutions and trust in traditional information sources. Taken together, these ingredients created a tinderbox poised to explode when crises came. Read Smith’s full report here. 'He is a destroyer': how the George Floyd protests left Donald Trump exposed Read more
Updated at 10.56 BST
1 Jun 2020 06.45 BST Today so far Cities across the US saw further unrest on Sunday as protests against police brutality and the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis raged on. On the sixth day of demonstrations since Floyd’s death, many throughout the nation defied curfews amid rising anger and frustration at the repeated failure of America’s policing system. More than 4,000 protestors have been
On the sixth day of demonstrations since Floyd’s death, many throughout the nation defied curfews amid rising anger and frustration at the repeated failure of America’s policing system. More than 4,000 protestors have been Fires burned in Washington DC, including near the White House. As the 11pm curfew passed, an area of a few blocks around the White House was thick with smoke.
As the 11pm curfew passed, an area of a few blocks around the White House was thick with smoke. Donald Trump was taken into a special secure bunker as protests sparked by the death of George Floyd raged outside the White House on Friday night, according to reports. Despite days of peaceful protests and violent clashes with police in some of America’s major cities, Trump has not addressed the nation and has repeatedly sent inflammatory messages over Twitter.
as protests sparked by the death of George Floyd raged outside the White House on Friday night, according to reports. Despite days of peaceful protests and violent clashes with police in some of America’s major cities, Trump has not addressed the nation and has repeatedly sent inflammatory messages over Twitter. Few defied the curfew in Minneapolis, where the main gathering place remained the street where Floyd was arrested and killed on Monday, now a memorial filled with flowers. Police had cleared protesters from the site with force last night.
Police had cleared protesters from the site with force last night. In the Twin Cities, thousands of people who had gathered on the Interstate 35 west bridge were forced off a semi-truck drove into the crowd. No protestors appear to have been injured by the “disturbing” incident, officials said.
No protestors appear to have been injured by the “disturbing” incident, officials said. New York descended into chaos once again, as t housands of demonstrators spread throughout the city, and at one point briefly shut down the Manhattan bridge. Protestors thew trash at the police and officers responded by beating crowds back with batons and making arrests.
Protestors thew trash at the police and officers responded by beating crowds back with batons and making arrests. New York Mayor’s Bill de Blasio’s 25-year-old daughter was one of the demonstrators who was arrested this weekend. As outlets reported the news, a New York City police union tweeted personal information about Chiara de Blasio’s arrest.
As outlets reported the news, a New York City police union tweeted personal information about Chiara de Blasio’s arrest. Throughout the country, police responded use tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets and batons against demonstrators and press. Officers fired “beanbag rounds” at protestors in Austin, and in Denver police reportedly hit a Denver Post reporter with multiple nonlethal rounds despite him screaming “press”.
Officers fired “beanbag rounds” at protestors in Austin, and in Denver police reportedly hit a Denver Post reporter with multiple nonlethal rounds despite him screaming “press”. Los Angeles county, the largest county in the US, has announced a regional curfew to go from 6pm to 6am, as a number of protests continue across southern California. Business owners and residents spent Sunday morning cleaning up after Saturday night’s explosive demonstration, with many merchants putting up “minority-owned” and “Black Lives Matter” signs on the boarded-up storefronts
Business owners and residents spent Sunday morning cleaning up after Saturday night’s explosive demonstration, with many merchants putting up “minority-owned” and “Black Lives Matter” signs on the boarded-up storefronts Trump tweeted that “The United States of America will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization.” The president has blamed the violence during this week’s protests on Antifa and leftwing organizations despite the fact that it is unclear who is responsible for the looting. The Guardian’s team in London will continue live coverage of the protests. George Floyd: curfews fail to deter a new wave of protests across US Read more
Updated at 06.46 BST
1 Jun 2020 06.34 BST Report: New York police union 'doxes' mayor's daughter As news outlets reported that New York City mayor Bill de Blasio’s 25-year-old daughter had been arrested at a protest last night, a New York city police union tweeted personal information about Chiara de Blasio’s arrest. Gizmodo reporter Dell Cameron reported on the tweet from the Sergeant’s Benevolent Association, calling it a “doxing.” “How can the NYPD protect the city from rioting anarchist [sic] when the mayors object throwing daughter is one of them. Now we know why he is forbidding Mounted Units to be mobilized and keeping the NYPD from doing their jobs,” the tweet read. Deleted my tweet about NYPD doxing Mayor de Blasio's daughter.
I redacted all the personal information I saw. It's pretty blurry. Someone DM'd to say you could still read another piece of personal info on the screen.
Better safe than sorry. pic.twitter.com/tfdhBlXWOq — Dell Cameron BLM (@dellcam) June 1, 2020 Okay, for clarification, I'm told: The address they provided was Gracie Mansion, the mayor's residence. (They used the wrong zip code). It did include an apartment number (?) The address was also not the only personally identifiable information (PII) included. — Dell Cameron BLM (@dellcam) June 1, 2020 It appears that Twitter subsequently removed the tweet, Cameron and other reporters noted, although comment from Twitter was not immediately available. Twitter has deleted this tweet by the NYPD's sergeants union, in which they unilaterally revealed arrest info about @NYCMayor's daughter. pic.twitter.com/T4hPPdm9Ud — 𝙅𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙋𝙖𝙜𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙧𝙮 (@Jose_Pagliery) June 1, 2020
1 Jun 2020 06.20 BST Maanvi Singh A fourth night of chaotic protests in New York City New York descended into chaos once again today, as the fourth night of demonstrations raged on. The demonstrations have been characterized by turbulent confrontations between police and protestors, with officers arresting hundreds though the weekend. Mayor Bill deBlasio’s daughter Chiara deBlasio, 25, was among the those arrested on Saturday night, news outlets reported on Sunday night, as the New York police union tweeted personal information about the mayor’s daughter’s arrest. In Union Square, flames rose two stories high, according to reporters at the scene. In Lower Manhattan, shops including a Duane Reade drugstore were looted. Thousands of demonstrators spread throughout the city, and at one point briefly shut down the Manhattan bridge. Protestors thew trash at the police, and officers responded by beating crowds back with batons and making more arrests. NYPD officers have been widely criticized for using excessive force in response to protestors throughout the weekend. Earlier in the day, the protests began with people kneeling at various spots across the city. Demonstrators held moments of silence in honor of George Floyd and even filmed a few officers joining in.
1 Jun 2020 05.44 BST Austin, Texas: Police firing ‘beanbag rounds’ at protesters ProPublica reporter Jessica Huseman is covering protests in Austin tonight. She tweeted that she can see an officer firing beanbag rounds at protesters, and that he is “smiling.” Police are firing beanbag rounds in Austin. There was no warning, it has made the situation much worse. pic.twitter.com/0cCZ3qTmjU — Jessica Huseman (@JessicaHuseman) June 1, 2020 The cop shooting beanbags, im not kidding, is smiling. I can see his face. — Jessica Huseman (@JessicaHuseman) June 1, 2020 None of the officers near him will tell me who he is and none will say why he started firing. — Jessica Huseman (@JessicaHuseman) June 1, 2020 Earlier today, the Austin Police Association tweeted about why the city’s police were using beanbag rounds against protesters: Q: Why is APD using bean bag rounds?
A: Bean bag rounds are used to stop protestors from throwing rocks, bottles, paint, and other dangerous items at @Austin_Police officers or other people nearby. The debris all over IH35 yesterday were items thrown at officers.#QandAwiththeAPA pic.twitter.com/FHp5cWq2k5 — Austin Police Association (@ATXPOA) May 31, 2020


theguardian--2020-05-31--Democrats to interview state department watchdog fired by Trump

Members of three House and Senate committees will on Wednesday interview Steve Linick , the state department inspector general who was fired abruptly by Donald Trump .
According to two congressional aides working on the investigation who requested anonymity to discuss the closed-door meeting , Linick will speak to members of the House foreign affairs and oversight committees and the Senate foreign relations committee .
Democrats announced on Friday that they are expanding their investigation into Linick ’ s firing , as part of a larger effort by Democrats and some Republicans to find out more about Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Democrats plan to interview officials in the administration who may have more information about Linick ’ s dismissal on 15 May , including whether secretary of state Mike Pompeo recommended the firing for retaliatory reasons .
Pompeo has denied Linick ’ s firing was retaliatory but has not given specific reasons for his dismissal .
The investigation is being led by House foreign affairs chair Eliot Engel , oversight chair Carolyn Maloney and New Jersey senator Bob Menendez , the top Democrat on the Senate foreign relations panel .
Republicans on those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and other witnesses .
“ If Secretary Pompeo pushed for Mr Linick ’ s dismissal to cover up his own misconduct , that would constitute an egregious abuse of power and a clear attempt to avoid accountability , ” the Democrats said in a joint statement on Friday .
The committees said they would release transcripts shortly after each interview .
It ’ s unclear whether Linick will come to Capitol Hill in person .
The House will be out of session as lawmakers work from home during the coronavirus pandemic .
Several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sit for interviews , Pompeo allies among them .
Democrats and some Republicans have pushed the administration for more answers about the firings but the White House has provided few , simply stating the dismissals were well within Trump ’ s authority .
Pompeo said he had been concerned about Linick ’ s work for some time and regretted not calling for his dismissal earlier .
He said he recommended to Trump that Linick be fired .
Pompeo told reporters that he was unaware of any investigation into allegations that he may have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ personal errands for him and his wife , such as walking his dog and picking up dry cleaning and takeout food .
Thus , Pompeo said , the move could not have been retaliatory .
Pompeo did acknowledge that he was aware of an investigation into his decision last year to bypass congressional objections to approve a multibillion-dollar arms sale to Saudi Arabia , because he had answered written questions posed by Linick ’ s office .
He maintained he did not know the scope or scale of the investigation .
Engel and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the state department and Pompeo for months on subjects far beyond Linick ’ s dismissal .
They earlier demanded that administration officials preserve and turn over all records related to Linick ’ s dismissal .
They said they have received no information so far .
Linick is one of several inspectors general whom Trump has removed , sparking outrage among Democrats .
Linick was an Obama appointee whose office was critical of what it saw as political bias in current management but had also taken issue with Democratic appointees .
He played @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impeachment .
In October , Linick turned over documents to House investigators he received from a close Pompeo associate that contained information from conspiracy theories about Ukraine ’ s role in the 2016 US election .
Democrats were investigating Trump ’ s pressure on Ukraine to investigate Democrats .
Michael Atkinson , inspector general for the intelligence community , triggered the investigation when he alerted Congress about a whistleblower complaint that described a call between Trump and Ukraine ’ s president .
Trump fired Atkinson in April .
Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ required to provide more answers about the firings and gave Trump a deadline to give them .
But in a letter to the Republican this week , the administration offered no new details .
White House counsel Pat Cipollone said Trump has the authority to remove inspectors general , appropriately alerted Congress and selected qualified replacements .
The president also moved to replace the chief watchdog at the Department of Health and Human Services , Christi Grimm , who testified that her office was moving ahead with reports and audits on the response @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s public criticism of her .
Trump demoted acting defense inspector general Glenn Fine , removing him as head of a special board to oversee auditing of coronavirus economic relief .
Fine resigned .

Members of three House and Senate committees will on Wednesday interview Steve Linick, the state department inspector general who was fired abruptly by Donald Trump.
According to two congressional aides working on the investigation who requested anonymity to discuss the closed-door meeting, Linick will speak to members of the House foreign affairs and oversight committees and the Senate foreign relations committee.
Democrats announced on Friday that they are expanding their investigation into Linick’s firing, as part of a larger effort by Democrats and some Republicans to find out more about Trump’s moves to sideline several independent watchdogs.
The Democrats plan to interview officials in the administration who may have more information about Linick’s dismissal on 15 May, including whether secretary of state Mike Pompeo recommended the firing for retaliatory reasons.
Pompeo has denied Linick’s firing was retaliatory but has not given specific reasons for his dismissal.
The investigation is being led by House foreign affairs chair Eliot Engel, oversight chair Carolyn Maloney and New Jersey senator Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate foreign relations panel. Republicans on those panels will be invited to question Linick and other witnesses.
“If Secretary Pompeo pushed for Mr Linick’s dismissal to cover up his own misconduct, that would constitute an egregious abuse of power and a clear attempt to avoid accountability,” the Democrats said in a joint statement on Friday.
The committees said they would release transcripts shortly after each interview.
It’s unclear whether Linick will come to Capitol Hill in person. The House will be out of session as lawmakers work from home during the coronavirus pandemic.
Several other state officials have been asked to sit for interviews, Pompeo allies among them. Democrats and some Republicans have pushed the administration for more answers about the firings but the White House has provided few, simply stating the dismissals were well within Trump’s authority.
Pompeo said he had been concerned about Linick’s work for some time and regretted not calling for his dismissal earlier. He said he recommended to Trump that Linick be fired.
Pompeo told reporters that he was unaware of any investigation into allegations that he may have mistreated staffers by instructing them to run personal errands for him and his wife, such as walking his dog and picking up dry cleaning and takeout food. Thus, Pompeo said, the move could not have been retaliatory.
Pompeo did acknowledge that he was aware of an investigation into his decision last year to bypass congressional objections to approve a multibillion-dollar arms sale to Saudi Arabia, because he had answered written questions posed by Linick’s office. He maintained he did not know the scope or scale of the investigation.
Engel and Menendez have been demanding answers and documents from the state department and Pompeo for months on subjects far beyond Linick’s dismissal. They earlier demanded that administration officials preserve and turn over all records related to Linick’s dismissal. They said they have received no information so far.
Linick is one of several inspectors general whom Trump has removed, sparking outrage among Democrats. Linick was an Obama appointee whose office was critical of what it saw as political bias in current management but had also taken issue with Democratic appointees.
He played a small role in Trump’s impeachment. In October, Linick turned over documents to House investigators he received from a close Pompeo associate that contained information from conspiracy theories about Ukraine’s role in the 2016 US election.
Democrats were investigating Trump’s pressure on Ukraine to investigate Democrats. Michael Atkinson, inspector general for the intelligence community, triggered the investigation when he alerted Congress about a whistleblower complaint that described a call between Trump and Ukraine’s president. Trump fired Atkinson in April.
Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa has said the White House is legally required to provide more answers about the firings and gave Trump a deadline to give them. But in a letter to the Republican this week, the administration offered no new details.
White House counsel Pat Cipollone said Trump has the authority to remove inspectors general, appropriately alerted Congress and selected qualified replacements.
The president also moved to replace the chief watchdog at the Department of Health and Human Services, Christi Grimm, who testified that her office was moving ahead with reports and audits on the response to the coronavirus pandemic despite Trump’s public criticism of her.
Trump demoted acting defense inspector general Glenn Fine, removing him as head of a special board to oversee auditing of coronavirus economic relief. Fine resigned.


theguardian--2020-05-31--George Floyd: Donald Trump under fire as violence flares across America

The chaos and crisis engulfing America came to the president ’ s doorstep on Saturday night , as protesters chanting “ I can ’ t breathe ” and “ Fuck Donald Trump !
” clashed with the Secret Service and police outside the White House .
It was a visceral warning that after three years of relative peace and prosperity , Trump is in danger of being overwhelmed by cascading disasters : the coronavirus pandemic , which has taken more than 100,000 lives , an economic slump that has cost 40m jobs , and rising social unrest .
“ If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leadership in the White House , it is now , to help heal our nation , ” Democratic congresswoman Val Demings told NBC ’ s Meet the Press on Sunday .
“ But I don ’ t know why I would expect this president to do something that he has never done before and we have never seen before.
” The capital was no exception to nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd , a 46-year-old African American man who was killed on Monday after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outside the White House on Friday night and returned on Saturday , facing a barricade formed by the Secret Service , parks and city police and their vehicles .
The executive mansion resembled a fortress .
Protesters knocked over steel barriers and threw fireworks and bottles .
Officers used batons , riot shields and pepper spray .
After hours of relative calm and a peaceful march through the city , the situation deteriorated around midnight , as demonstrators were driven back by tear gas .
Breaking into small groups , some set cars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rocks and looted shops downtown .
At the front of the Oval Room , a ritzy restaurant where guests have included former presidents George HW Bush and Bill Clinton , a protester sprayed red paint : “ The rich aren ’ t safe anymore !
” From Atlanta to Chicago to Salt Lake City to Los Angeles , there were similar scenes as peaceful daytime protests were followed at night by fires and looting , police firing rubber bullets and tear gas .
There was a demand for courageous moral leadership , to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by offering unifying grace notes .
But Trump , who forged his political identity in racist conspiracy theories about Barack Obama ’ s birthplace , has proved unable to articulate the accumulated pain of black Americans over 400 years of slavery , segregation and police brutality , now exacerbated by a pandemic that has taken a disproportionate toll on communities of colour .
Instead he has resorted to a series of tweets that critics found divisive , inflammatory and self-serving .
On Friday he branded the protesters “ thugs ” and warned : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shooting starts ” , a historically loaded phrase that Twitter hid behind a warning , accusing him of glorifying violence .
On Saturday he claimed the Secret Service had been ready to deploy “ the most vicious dogs , and most ominous weapons , I have ever seen ” on crowds outside the White House .
He has also blamed the media , Democrats including Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis and an anti-fascist movement known as Antifa .
On Sunday afternoon Trump tweeted : “ Congratulations to our National Guard for the great @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minneapolis , Minnesota , last night .
The Antifa-led anarchists , among others , were shut down quickly .
Should have been done by mayor on first night and there would have been no trouble !
” He added : “ The United States of America will be designating Antifa as a Terrorist Organization ” – a tweet for which the legal basis was not immediately clear .
With an election less than six months away there are fears that Trump , who ran on the slogan “ Make America great again ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what plays to his support base , encouraging him to pour fuel on the fire of racial division with a law-and-order crackdown .
Robert Reich , a former labour secretary now a Guardian columnist , tweeted : “ More than 100,000 Americans dead , the highest unemployment since the Depression , America in flames , the national guard deployed .
Make America Great Again was a sick hoax.
” In such a dark hour , an American president might be expected to address the nation .
Trump had no such plans on Sunday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for George W Bush , told CNN : “ Well , that ’ s good , this president ’ s shouldn ’ t speak because what could he possibly say ?
“ He ’ s already spoken .
He ’ s already conjured up the image of dogs attacking protesters , one of the most powerful anti-civil rights images this country has .
That ’ s what ’ s on his mind .
He ’ s identifying with the people who unleash dogs on protesters.
” Frum added : “ Donald Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He still has the power of the presidency but none of the moral authority.
” Trump has a long history of racially divisive rhetoric , including his response to deadly clashes in Charlottesville , Virginia in 2017 , when he drew moral equivalence between white nationalists and anti-fascist protesters .
As on that occasion , few members of his own Republican party have spoken out to condemn him .
Democrats complained of a leadership vacuum .
Keisha Lance Bottoms , the mayor of Atlanta , told CNN ’ s State of the Union @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This is like Charlottesville all over again .
He speaks , and he makes it worse .
There are times when you should just be quiet .
And I wish that he would just be quiet .
“ Or if he can ’ t be silent , if there is somebody of good sense and good conscience in the White House , put him in front of a teleprompter and pray that he reads it and at least says the right things , because he is making it worse.
” Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by impeachment and his handling of the pandemic .
A new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows Democrat Joe Biden leading Trump to 53 % to 43 % nationally .
Biden said in a statement : “ Protesting such brutality is right and necessary .
But burning down communities and needless destruction is not .
We are a nation in pain , but we must not allow this pain to destroy us .
”

The chaos and crisis engulfing America came to the president’s doorstep on Saturday night, as protesters chanting “I can’t breathe” and “Fuck Donald Trump!” clashed with the Secret Service and police outside the White House.
It was a visceral warning that after three years of relative peace and prosperity, Trump is in danger of being overwhelmed by cascading disasters: the coronavirus pandemic, which has taken more than 100,000 lives, an economic slump that has cost 40m jobs, and rising social unrest.
“If there was ever a time we need leadership in the White House, it is now, to help heal our nation,” Democratic congresswoman Val Demings told NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday. “But I don’t know why I would expect this president to do something that he has never done before and we have never seen before.”
The capital was no exception to nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man who was killed on Monday after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on his neck.
People gathered outside the White House on Friday night and returned on Saturday, facing a barricade formed by the Secret Service, parks and city police and their vehicles. The executive mansion resembled a fortress.
Protesters knocked over steel barriers and threw fireworks and bottles. Officers used batons, riot shields and pepper spray. After hours of relative calm and a peaceful march through the city, the situation deteriorated around midnight, as demonstrators were driven back by tear gas.
Members of the US Secret Service hold a perimeter near the White House as demonstrators gather to protest the killing of George Floyd on Saturday in Washington DC. Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty Images
Breaking into small groups, some set cars ablaze, smashed windows with bats and rocks and looted shops downtown. At the front of the Oval Room, a ritzy restaurant where guests have included former presidents George HW Bush and Bill Clinton, a protester sprayed red paint: “The rich aren’t safe anymore!”
From Atlanta to Chicago to Salt Lake City to Los Angeles, there were similar scenes as peaceful daytime protests were followed at night by fires and looting, police firing rubber bullets and tear gas. There was a demand for courageous moral leadership, to find a way out of the malaise by offering unifying grace notes.
But Trump, who forged his political identity in racist conspiracy theories about Barack Obama’s birthplace, has proved unable to articulate the accumulated pain of black Americans over 400 years of slavery, segregation and police brutality, now exacerbated by a pandemic that has taken a disproportionate toll on communities of colour. Instead he has resorted to a series of tweets that critics found divisive, inflammatory and self-serving.
01:22 Protests spread across US in response to George Floyd killing – video
On Friday he branded the protesters “thugs” and warned: “When the looting starts, the shooting starts”, a historically loaded phrase that Twitter hid behind a warning, accusing him of glorifying violence. On Saturday he claimed the Secret Service had been ready to deploy “the most vicious dogs, and most ominous weapons, I have ever seen” on crowds outside the White House.
He has also blamed the media, Democrats including Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis and an anti-fascist movement known as Antifa. On Sunday afternoon Trump tweeted: “Congratulations to our National Guard for the great job they did immediately upon arriving in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last night. The Antifa-led anarchists, among others, were shut down quickly. Should have been done by mayor on first night and there would have been no trouble!”
Spray paint that reads ‘Do Black Vets Count?’ seen World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, on Sunday. Photograph: Carolyn Kaster/AP
He added: “The United States of America will be designating Antifa as a Terrorist Organization” – a tweet for which the legal basis was not immediately clear.
With an election less than six months away there are fears that Trump, who ran on the slogan “Make America great again”, is motivated more than ever by what plays to his support base, encouraging him to pour fuel on the fire of racial division with a law-and-order crackdown.
Robert Reich, a former labour secretary now a Guardian columnist, tweeted: “More than 100,000 Americans dead, the highest unemployment since the Depression, America in flames, the national guard deployed. Make America Great Again was a sick hoax.”
In such a dark hour, an American president might be expected to address the nation. Trump had no such plans on Sunday. David Frum, a former speechwriter for George W Bush, told CNN: “Well, that’s good, this president’s shouldn’t speak because what could he possibly say?
“He’s already spoken. He’s already conjured up the image of dogs attacking protesters, one of the most powerful anti-civil rights images this country has. That’s what’s on his mind. He’s identifying with the people who unleash dogs on protesters.”
Frum added: “Donald Trump’s authority is slowly draining away. He still has the power of the presidency but none of the moral authority.”
Trump has a long history of racially divisive rhetoric, including his response to deadly clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017, when he drew moral equivalence between white nationalists and anti-fascist protesters. As on that occasion, few members of his own Republican party have spoken out to condemn him.
Democrats complained of a leadership vacuum. Keisha Lance Bottoms, the mayor of Atlanta, told CNN’s State of the Union: “He should just stop talking. This is like Charlottesville all over again. He speaks, and he makes it worse. There are times when you should just be quiet. And I wish that he would just be quiet.
“Or if he can’t be silent, if there is somebody of good sense and good conscience in the White House, put him in front of a teleprompter and pray that he reads it and at least says the right things, because he is making it worse.”
Trump’s re-election hopes had already been damaged by impeachment and his handling of the pandemic. A new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows Democrat Joe Biden leading Trump to 53% to 43% nationally.
Biden said in a statement: “Protesting such brutality is right and necessary. But burning down communities and needless destruction is not. We are a nation in pain, but we must not allow this pain to destroy us.”