shareblue--2020-06-18--Trump campaign falsely claims Nazi symbol it ran in ads comes from 'antifa'

Donald Trump 's reelection campaign began running Facebook ads on Wednesday that contained a symbol that Nazis used to identify political prisoners at concentration camps .
The ads asked Trump supporters to come together to fight against `` far-left mobs '' and `` antifa , '' the loosely organized movement of anti-fascists who Trump and other Republicans claim without evidence were behind violence and looting at some anti-racism protests across the country .
The Trump campaign claimed the red upside-down triangle , used by Nazis as part of their badge system for identifying categories of prisoners at concentration camps , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the ads by the Washington Post , Facebook deactivated them , stating , `` We removed these posts and ads for violating our policy against organized hate .
Our policy prohibits using a banned hate group 's symbol to identify political prisoners without the context that condemns or discusses the symbol . ''
`` This is an emoji , '' the `` Trump War Room '' Twitter account tweeted .
`` It 's also a symbol widely used by Antifa .
It was used in an ad about Antifa .
It is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Database . ''
The solid red symbol , however , is not widely used by antifa .
A common antifa symbol is a pair of flags , one black and one red , inside a circle .
There is little concrete evidence that antifa was behind the violence and property destruction at the protests , and ample evidence that right-wing `` boogaloo '' extremists , who call for an uprising against the U.S. government , have caused some of the chaos as part of their determination to set off a civil war .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nazi imagery .
`` The President of the United States is campaigning for reelection using a Nazi concentration camp symbol .
Nazis used the red triangle to mark political prisoners and people who rescued Jews .
Trump & the RNC are using it to smear millions of protestors , '' Bend the Arc , a progressive Jewish organization , tweeted .
`` Their masks are off . ''
Holocaust scholar Deborah E. Lipstadt said she found the use of the symbol `` shocking . ''
`` It 's an insensitivity , and likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when these decisions are being made , '' Lipstadt told the Washington Post .
This is not the first time the Trump campaign has come under fire for using symbols that evoke Nazism .
In 2016 , Trump tweeted an image of Hillary Clinton superimposed over $ 100 bills and a Star of David , a well-recognized symbol of Judaism , calling her corrupt .
Trump deleted the image and claimed the Star of David had actually been a sheriff 's badge .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Donald Trump’s reelection campaign began running Facebook ads on Wednesday that contained a symbol that Nazis used to identify political prisoners at concentration camps.
The ads asked Trump supporters to come together to fight against “far-left mobs” and “antifa,” the loosely organized movement of anti-fascists who Trump and other Republicans claim without evidence were behind violence and looting at some anti-racism protests across the country.
The Trump campaign claimed the red upside-down triangle, used by Nazis as part of their badge system for identifying categories of prisoners at concentration camps, was actually an antifa symbol.
Alerted to the ads by the Washington Post, Facebook deactivated them, stating, “We removed these posts and ads for violating our policy against organized hate. Our policy prohibits using a banned hate group’s symbol to identify political prisoners without the context that condemns or discusses the symbol.”
“This is an emoji,” the “Trump War Room” Twitter account tweeted. “It’s also a symbol widely used by Antifa. It was used in an ad about Antifa. It is not in the ADL’s Hate Symbols Database.”
The solid red symbol, however, is not widely used by antifa. A common antifa symbol is a pair of flags, one black and one red, inside a circle.
There is little concrete evidence that antifa was behind the violence and property destruction at the protests, and ample evidence that right-wing “boogaloo” extremists, who call for an uprising against the U.S. government, have caused some of the chaos as part of their determination to set off a civil war.
The Trump campaign was criticized for using Nazi imagery.
“The President of the United States is campaigning for reelection using a Nazi concentration camp symbol. Nazis used the red triangle to mark political prisoners and people who rescued Jews. Trump & the RNC are using it to smear millions of protestors,” Bend the Arc, a progressive Jewish organization, tweeted. “Their masks are off.”
Holocaust scholar Deborah E. Lipstadt said she found the use of the symbol “shocking.”
“It’s an insensitivity, and likely indicative of who’s around the table when these decisions are being made,” Lipstadt told the Washington Post.
This is not the first time the Trump campaign has come under fire for using symbols that evoke Nazism.
In 2016, Trump tweeted an image of Hillary Clinton superimposed over $100 bills and a Star of David, a well-recognized symbol of Judaism, calling her corrupt. Trump deleted the image and claimed the Star of David had actually been a sheriff’s badge.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-06-18--Fact check: Pence lies about decrease in virus cases ahead of Trump rally

On Monday , Mike Pence mischaracterized the state of the pandemic in Oklahoma as Donald Trump gears up for a weekend rally in Tulsa , his first such event in months .
MIKE PENCE : `` Oklahoma has really been in the forefront of our efforts to slow the spread .
And in a very real sense , they 've flattened the curve .
...
The number of cases in Oklahoma — it 's declined precipitously . ''
-- remarks Monday .
THE FACTS : The curve has actually been spiking higher since late May , not flattening .
Oklahoma @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on May 28 , a relative low compared with early April .
But infections have since increased .
Over the weekend , the state posted sharply higher numbers and set a daily record of new cases on Tuesday , at 228 .
Oklahoma is among the nearly half of the states that have seen coronavirus infections rise since May when governors began loosening social distancing orders .
In Tulsa , where a Trump rally is scheduled for Saturday , the infection rate is also rising steadily after remaining moderate for months .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the city has doubled from the previous peak in April .
The city 's own health department director , Dr. Bruce Dart , has said he hopes the rally will be postponed , noting that large indoor gatherings are partially to blame for the recent spread .
Oklahoma Gov .
Kevin Stitt , a Republican , said he 's asked the Trump campaign to consider a larger , outdoor venue to help accommodate a bigger crowd .

On Monday, Mike Pence mischaracterized the state of the pandemic in Oklahoma as Donald Trump gears up for a weekend rally in Tulsa, his first such event in months.
A look at Pence’s statement:
MIKE PENCE: “Oklahoma has really been in the forefront of our efforts to slow the spread. And in a very real sense, they’ve flattened the curve. … The number of cases in Oklahoma — it’s declined precipitously.” — remarks Monday.
THE FACTS: The curve has actually been spiking higher since late May, not flattening.
Oklahoma did report just 41 new coronavirus cases on May 28, a relative low compared with early April. But infections have since increased. Over the weekend, the state posted sharply higher numbers and set a daily record of new cases on Tuesday, at 228.
Oklahoma is among the nearly half of the states that have seen coronavirus infections rise since May when governors began loosening social distancing orders.
In Tulsa, where a Trump rally is scheduled for Saturday, the infection rate is also rising steadily after remaining moderate for months. The four-day average number of new cases in the city has doubled from the previous peak in April. The city’s own health department director, Dr. Bruce Dart, has said he hopes the rally will be postponed, noting that large indoor gatherings are partially to blame for the recent spread.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, said he’s asked the Trump campaign to consider a larger, outdoor venue to help accommodate a bigger crowd.


shareblue--2020-06-18--Trump just undermined his own legal argument against Bolton

By claiming John Bolton 's upcoming book is all false , Donald Trump has undermined his legal argument against its publication .
The Department of Justice is suing to block publication of the book by Trump 's former national security adviser , `` The Room Where It Happened , '' claiming it contains classified information the release of which would harm national security .
But on Thursday , Trump suggested that the unflattering book was completely untrue .
`` Wacko John Bolton 's 'exceedingly tedious ' ( New York Times ) book is made up of lies & fake stories @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's book , which is getting terrible reviews , is a compilation of lies and made up stories , all intended to make me look bad , '' he added a few hours later .
`` Many of the ridiculous statements he attributes to me were never made , pure fiction .
Just trying to get even for firing him like the sick puppy he is ! ''
As the Associated Press noted on Thursday , `` inaccurate information could not be classified . ''
But Trump 's Department of Justice filed a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ divulges classified information , and Trump has repeatedly suggested his administration might also pursue criminal charges against Bolton .
Trump appears to suggest that the information in Bolton 's book is both classified and false .
`` I will consider every conversation with me as president highly classified , '' he told reporters on Monday .
`` So that would mean that , if he wrote a book and if the book gets out , he 's broken the law , and I would think that he would have criminal problems .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in January that Bolton would not be able to recount conversations because `` nothing was ever said to John Bolton . ''
In its suit seeking to stop the book 's publication , the Justice Department alleges that the National Security Council `` has determined that the manuscript in its present form contains certain passages—some up to several paragraphs in length—that contain classified national security information .
`` In fact , the NSC has determined that information in the manuscript is classified at the Confidential , Secret , and Top Secret levels , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the publication and release of 'The Room Where It Happened ' would cause irreparable harm , because the disclosure of instances of classified information in the manuscript could be expected to cause serious damage , or exceptionally grave damage , to the national security of the United States . ''
Trump told Fox News that Bolton acted illegally in writing about his time in the White House .
`` So , the terrible , terrible thing that he did .
But he broke the law , very simple , I mean , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be broken , '' he said .
`` This is highly classified .
That 's the highest stage .
It 's highly classified information .
And he did not have approval .
That 's come out now very loud and very strong . ''
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal , however , Trump called Bolton `` a liar . ''
`` Everybody in the White House hated John Bolton , '' Trump said .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

By claiming John Bolton’s upcoming book is all false, Donald Trump has undermined his legal argument against its publication.
The Department of Justice is suing to block publication of the book by Trump’s former national security adviser, “The Room Where It Happened,” claiming it contains classified information the release of which would harm national security. But on Thursday, Trump suggested that the unflattering book was completely untrue.
“Wacko John Bolton’s ‘exceedingly tedious'(New York Times) book is made up of lies & fake stories,” Trump tweeted.
“Bolton’s book, which is getting terrible reviews, is a compilation of lies and made up stories, all intended to make me look bad,” he added a few hours later. “Many of the ridiculous statements he attributes to me were never made, pure fiction. Just trying to get even for firing him like the sick puppy he is!”
As the Associated Press noted on Thursday, “inaccurate information could not be classified.” But Trump’s Department of Justice filed a lawsuit on Tuesday alleging that the book divulges classified information, and Trump has repeatedly suggested his administration might also pursue criminal charges against Bolton.
Trump appears to suggest that the information in Bolton’s book is both classified and false.
“I will consider every conversation with me as president highly classified,” he told reporters on Monday. “So that would mean that, if he wrote a book and if the book gets out, he’s broken the law, and I would think that he would have criminal problems. I hope so.”
Trump had claimed in January that Bolton would not be able to recount conversations because “nothing was ever said to John Bolton.”
In its suit seeking to stop the book’s publication, the Justice Department alleges that the National Security Council “has determined that the manuscript in its present form contains certain passages—some up to several paragraphs in length—that contain classified national security information.
“In fact, the NSC has determined that information in the manuscript is classified at the Confidential, Secret, and Top Secret levels,” the document reads. “Accordingly, the publication and release of ‘The Room Where It Happened’ would cause irreparable harm, because the disclosure of instances of classified information in the manuscript could be expected to cause serious damage, or exceptionally grave damage, to the national security of the United States.”
Trump told Fox News that Bolton acted illegally in writing about his time in the White House. “So, the terrible, terrible thing that he did. But he broke the law, very simple, I mean, as much as it’s going to be broken,” he said. “This is highly classified. That’s the highest stage. It’s highly classified information. And he did not have approval. That’s come out now very loud and very strong.”
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, however, Trump called Bolton “a liar.”
“Everybody in the White House hated John Bolton,” Trump said.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-06-18--George Floyd's brother asks UN to call out racism in the US

The brother of George Floyd made a heartfelt plea on Wednesday to the United Nation 's top human rights body , urging it to launch intense international scrutiny of systemic racism , the killing of black people by police , and violence against peaceful protesters in the United States .
Philonese Floyd , in a video message to the Human Rights Council , backed a call by dozens of African countries hoping to create a Commission of Inquiry — the council 's most powerful tool of scrutiny — to report on racism and violence against protesters by police in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ train a potentially uncomfortable spotlight on the United States , which calls itself the world 's `` leading advocate '' for human rights , comes as it has no voice in the room : The Trump administration pulled out of the 47-member body two years ago .
Floyd joined the U.N. human rights chief , the council 's independent rapporteur on racism , and many diplomats at an `` urgent debate '' championed by the Africa Group in the wake of his brother 's death .
George Floyd , a black man , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pressed a knee into his neck for several minutes as he pleaded for air and eventually stopped moving .
`` I am my brother 's keeper .
You in the United Nations are your brothers and sisters ' keepers in America — and you have the power to help us get justice for my brother George Floyd , '' Philonese Floyd said .
`` I am asking you to help him .
I am asking you to help me .
I am asking you to help us — black people in America .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ brutality and racial profiling in the United States , and they were major themes during its last turn five years ago for a regular review of its human rights record that all countries go through at the council .
But never before has the United States ' record in those areas led to an `` urgent debate '' on its record in those areas — and some rivals pounced .
Russia 's envoy accused the United States of ignoring racism for decades and derided a `` calamitous state of human rights '' in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said his country was `` saddened and shocked '' by Floyd 's death , saying it was n't an isolated case but one that exposed `` chronic and deep-rooted racial discrimination '' in the United States .
The U.S. ambassador in Geneva , Andrew Bremberg — in a statement ahead of the debate — acknowledged `` shortcomings '' in the United States including racial discrimination and insisted the government was `` transparent '' about dealing with it .
`` The United States recognizes and is committed to addressing its shortcomings , including racial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such discrimination , that persist in our society , '' said Bremberg .
`` Every democracy faces challenges — the difference is how we deal with them . ''
The U.N.-backed council , which counts 47 member states , was also discussing a draft resolution floated by the Africa Group that singles out the United States .
The text calls for a commission of inquiry to examine and report on `` systemic racism '' and abuses against `` Africans and of people of African descent '' in the United States and beyond .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a view to bringing perpetrators to justice , '' the text states .
Calling the U.S. the world 's `` leading advocate '' for human rights , Bremberg said : `` We are not above scrutiny ; however , any HRC ( Human Rights Council ) resolution on this topic that calls out countries by name should be inclusive , noting the many countries where racism is a problem . ''
`` We call upon all governments to demonstrate the same level of transparency and accountability that the U.S. and our democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ making veiled references to Iran and China over their alleged shortcomings when it comes to human rights too .
He alluded to recent accusations of `` concentration camps directed at an ethnic minority '' and a policy of `` systemic racial discrimination against African nationals during the COVID-19 crisis '' — a reference to detention centers for China 's Uighur minority and allegations of racial discrimination against black people in China during the coronavirus outbreak .
Bremberg pointed to how `` another member state brutally murders more than 1,500 peaceful protesters , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anti-government protesters in Iran in November .
That figure is far in excess of the 304 people that Amnesty International estimated were killed .
The United States has not participated in any of the thrice-yearly council sessions since the Trump administration pulled out in June 2018 , citing an alleged anti-Israel bias and acceptance of rights-abusing autocratic states as members .
The United States has a right to respond as a `` concerned country '' in the debate but was not expected to use it — at least not in person .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , when a vote on the African resolution could come up .
The council this week resumed the last week of its scheduled March session that was suspended due to the COVID-19 outbreak .
Many countries , including other Western countries like the United States , appealed for greater time to discuss the Africa Group resolution but expressed overwhelming support for efforts to fight racism .
Defenders of the resolution say such abuses in the United States are too common despite a working judicial system , and now is the time to act @ @ @ @ @

The brother of George Floyd made a heartfelt plea on Wednesday to the United Nation’s top human rights body, urging it to launch intense international scrutiny of systemic racism, the killing of black people by police, and violence against peaceful protesters in the United States.
Philonese Floyd, in a video message to the Human Rights Council, backed a call by dozens of African countries hoping to create a Commission of Inquiry — the council’s most powerful tool of scrutiny — to report on racism and violence against protesters by police in the United States.
The unprecedented effort to train a potentially uncomfortable spotlight on the United States, which calls itself the world’s “leading advocate” for human rights, comes as it has no voice in the room: The Trump administration pulled out of the 47-member body two years ago.
Floyd joined the U.N. human rights chief, the council’s independent rapporteur on racism, and many diplomats at an “urgent debate” championed by the Africa Group in the wake of his brother’s death. George Floyd, a black man, died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee into his neck for several minutes as he pleaded for air and eventually stopped moving.
“I am my brother’s keeper. You in the United Nations are your brothers and sisters’ keepers in America — and you have the power to help us get justice for my brother George Floyd,” Philonese Floyd said. “I am asking you to help him. I am asking you to help me. I am asking you to help us — black people in America.”
The council has regularly addressed police brutality and racial profiling in the United States, and they were major themes during its last turn five years ago for a regular review of its human rights record that all countries go through at the council.
But never before has the United States’ record in those areas led to an “urgent debate” on its record in those areas — and some rivals pounced.
Russia’s envoy accused the United States of ignoring racism for decades and derided a “calamitous state of human rights” in the United States. China’s representative said his country was “saddened and shocked” by Floyd’s death, saying it wasn’t an isolated case but one that exposed “chronic and deep-rooted racial discrimination” in the United States.
The U.S. ambassador in Geneva, Andrew Bremberg — in a statement ahead of the debate — acknowledged “shortcomings” in the United States including racial discrimination and insisted the government was “transparent” about dealing with it.
“The United States recognizes and is committed to addressing its shortcomings, including racial discrimination, and injustices that stem from such discrimination, that persist in our society,” said Bremberg. “Every democracy faces challenges — the difference is how we deal with them.”
The U.N.-backed council, which counts 47 member states, was also discussing a draft resolution floated by the Africa Group that singles out the United States. The text calls for a commission of inquiry to examine and report on “systemic racism” and abuses against “Africans and of people of African descent” in the United States and beyond.
Such work would be carried out “with a view to bringing perpetrators to justice,” the text states.
Calling the U.S. the world’s “leading advocate” for human rights, Bremberg said: “We are not above scrutiny; however, any HRC (Human Rights Council) resolution on this topic that calls out countries by name should be inclusive, noting the many countries where racism is a problem.”
“We call upon all governments to demonstrate the same level of transparency and accountability that the U.S. and our democratic partners practice,” Bremberg said, making veiled references to Iran and China over their alleged shortcomings when it comes to human rights too.
He alluded to recent accusations of “concentration camps directed at an ethnic minority” and a policy of “systemic racial discrimination against African nationals during the COVID-19 crisis” — a reference to detention centers for China’s Uighur minority and allegations of racial discrimination against black people in China during the coronavirus outbreak.
Bremberg pointed to how “another member state brutally murders more than 1,500 peaceful protesters,” in a reference to a crackdown against anti-government protesters in Iran in November. That figure is far in excess of the 304 people that Amnesty International estimated were killed.
The United States has not participated in any of the thrice-yearly council sessions since the Trump administration pulled out in June 2018, citing an alleged anti-Israel bias and acceptance of rights-abusing autocratic states as members. The United States has a right to respond as a “concerned country” in the debate but was not expected to use it — at least not in person.
The debate was expected to continue on Thursday, when a vote on the African resolution could come up. The council this week resumed the last week of its scheduled March session that was suspended due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Many countries, including other Western countries like the United States, appealed for greater time to discuss the Africa Group resolution but expressed overwhelming support for efforts to fight racism.
Defenders of the resolution say such abuses in the United States are too common despite a working judicial system, and now is the time to act — through intensified scrutiny.


shareblue--2020-06-18--8 damning allegations about Trump that Bolton refused to tell Congress

Anecdotes from former national security adviser John Bolton 's forthcoming book began leaking on Wednesday , as reporters obtained early copies of the tell-all from the former top Donald Trump aide .
The revelations are damning , confirming the criticism from Democrats and other Trump detractors that Trump is an uninformed , dictator-loving , self-serving leader who does n't listen to experts and flouts the rules to get what he wants .
Bolton infamously refused to testify to Congress about any of this during the impeachment investigation .
He first demanded Congress subpoena him , before saying through a lawyer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was issued .
Then , after the House concluded its investigation and passed articles of impeachment against Trump , Bolton said he 'd testify if the GOP-led Senate subpoenaed him — which never happened because Republicans took the unprecedented step of blocking witnesses from being heard .
Bolton then stayed quiet about his knowledge of Trump 's actions until now , just before the book is released to the public .
He has even agreed to an interview with ABC News `` with no question off limits , '' according to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Here are the eight most damning tidbits that have leaked so far from Bolton 's book : He confirmed the Ukraine scheme that led to Trump 's impeachment Although he refused to testify during the impeachment investigation , Bolton confirmed in his book that charges brought by the House against Trump were true , according to the Wall Street Journal .
Bolton said Trump did withhold military aid to Ukraine in order to force an investigation of now-presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden — which House impeachment managers said was an abuse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bolton also wrote that for Trump , `` obstruction of justice '' is `` a way of life , '' and that high-level administration officials like Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper all knew Trump 's conduct was wrong .
`` We could have confronted Trump directly , trying to refute the Giuliani theories and arguing that it was impermissible to leverage U.S. government authorities for personal political gain , '' Bolton wrote in the book , according to the Journal .
`` We almost certainly would have failed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threatened the livelihood of American farmers , Trump flat-out asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to buy agricultural products from the United States to help him win in 2020 .
`` Trump came close , unilaterally offering that U.S. tariffs would remain at 10 % rather than rise to 25 % , as he had previously threatened , '' Bolton wrote of one trade negotiation , according to an excerpt from the book published in the Journal .
`` In exchange , Trump asked merely for some increases in Chinese farm-product purchases , to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If that could be agreed , all the U.S. tariffs would be reduced .
It was breathtaking , '' Bolton said .
Bolton said Trump once asked him why the United States would sanction China for its treatment of Uighur Muslims .
`` At the opening dinner of the Osaka G-20 meeting in June 2019 , with only interpreters present , Xi had explained to Trump why he was basically building concentration camps [ for the Uighurs ] in Xinjiang , '' Bolton wrote in the excerpt published by the Journal .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Xi should go ahead with building the camps , which Trump thought was exactly the right thing to do . ''
Trump wanted to execute journalists and prosecute his enemies Bolton said Trump tried to emulate authoritarian leaders , according to the New York Times , which also obtained a copy of the yet-to-be-released tell-all .
According to the Times ' report , Bolton wrote that Trump once called for journalists to be `` executed , '' describing them as `` scumbags . ''
Bolton also wrote that Trump wanted Attorney General @ @ @ @ @ @ @ State John Kerry for speaking to Iran .
The Washington Post reported that Bolton accused Trump of offering corrupt favors to authoritarian leaders like Turkey 's Recep Tayyip Erdogan .
Bolton wrote that in May 2018 Trump told Erdogan that he 'd intervene in a U.S. investigation against a Turkish firm that was accused of violating Iranian sanctions .
Trump asked if Finland was part of Russia According to the Times , Bolton wrote that Trump was woefully unaware of basic geography and remedial world affairs .
For example , he did n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( it 's not ) , and whether the United Kingdom was a nuclear power ( it is ) .
Mike Pompeo said Trump is `` full of shit '' Bolton said Pompeo passed him a note that disparaged Trump as `` so full of shit '' during Trump 's meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un in 2018 , according to the Times ' report .
An anonymous source told Politico 's Jake Sherman that the accusation is false , as Pompeo is `` not a note passer . ''
However @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reuters photographer showing that Pompeo does appear to pass notes .
Trump was obsessed with giving an Elton John CD to Kim Jong Un Bolton wrote that Trump was obsessed with ensuring that Kim Jong Un received a signed CD of Elton John 's `` Rocket Man , '' a nod to Trump 's nickname for the oppressive and violent dictator , according to the Post .
According to Bolton 's book , Trump gave Pompeo of a copy the CD to give to Kim ahead of a trip Pompeo was making to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ North Korean autocrat .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Anecdotes from former national security adviser John Bolton’s forthcoming book began leaking on Wednesday, as reporters obtained early copies of the tell-all from the former top Donald Trump aide.
The revelations are damning, confirming the criticism from Democrats and other Trump detractors that Trump is an uninformed, dictator-loving, self-serving leader who doesn’t listen to experts and flouts the rules to get what he wants.
Bolton infamously refused to testify to Congress about any of this during the impeachment investigation.
He first demanded Congress subpoena him, before saying through a lawyer that he’d fight a subpoena if it was issued. Then, after the House concluded its investigation and passed articles of impeachment against Trump, Bolton said he’d testify if the GOP-led Senate subpoenaed him — which never happened because Republicans took the unprecedented step of blocking witnesses from being heard.
Bolton then stayed quiet about his knowledge of Trump’s actions until now, just before the book is released to the public. He has even agreed to an interview with ABC News “with no question off limits,” according to the network.
Bolton’s anecdotes are revealing. Here are the eight most damning tidbits that have leaked so far from Bolton’s book:
He confirmed the Ukraine scheme that led to Trump’s impeachment
Although he refused to testify during the impeachment investigation, Bolton confirmed in his book that charges brought by the House against Trump were true, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Bolton said Trump did withhold military aid to Ukraine in order to force an investigation of now-presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden — which House impeachment managers said was an abuse of the office of the presidency.
Bolton also wrote that for Trump, “obstruction of justice” is “a way of life,” and that high-level administration officials like Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper all knew Trump’s conduct was wrong.
“We could have confronted Trump directly, trying to refute the Giuliani theories and arguing that it was impermissible to leverage U.S. government authorities for personal political gain,” Bolton wrote in the book, according to the Journal. “We almost certainly would have failed.”
Trump asked China for reelection help
As Trump’s trade war threatened the livelihood of American farmers, Trump flat-out asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to buy agricultural products from the United States to help him win in 2020.
“Trump came close, unilaterally offering that U.S. tariffs would remain at 10% rather than rise to 25%, as he had previously threatened,” Bolton wrote of one trade negotiation, according to an excerpt from the book published in the Journal.
“In exchange, Trump asked merely for some increases in Chinese farm-product purchases, to help with the crucial farm-state vote. If that could be agreed, all the U.S. tariffs would be reduced. It was breathtaking,” Bolton said.
Trump condoned Chinese concentration camps
Bolton said Trump once asked him why the United States would sanction China for its treatment of Uighur Muslims.
“At the opening dinner of the Osaka G-20 meeting in June 2019, with only interpreters present, Xi had explained to Trump why he was basically building concentration camps [for the Uighurs] in Xinjiang,” Bolton wrote in the excerpt published by the Journal. “According to our interpreter, Trump said that Xi should go ahead with building the camps, which Trump thought was exactly the right thing to do.”
Trump wanted to execute journalists and prosecute his enemies
Bolton said Trump tried to emulate authoritarian leaders, according to the New York Times, which also obtained a copy of the yet-to-be-released tell-all.
According to the Times’ report, Bolton wrote that Trump once called for journalists to be “executed,” describing them as “scumbags.”
Bolton also wrote that Trump wanted Attorney General William Barr to prosecute former Secretary of State John Kerry for speaking to Iran.
Trump offered favors to authoritarians
The Washington Post reported that Bolton accused Trump of offering corrupt favors to authoritarian leaders like Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Bolton wrote that in May 2018 Trump told Erdogan that he’d intervene in a U.S. investigation against a Turkish firm that was accused of violating Iranian sanctions.
“Trump then told Erdogan he would take care of things, explaining that the Southern District prosecutors were not his people, but were Obama people, a problem that would be fixed when they were replaced by his people,” Bolton wrote in the book, according to the Post.
Trump asked if Finland was part of Russia
According to the Times, Bolton wrote that Trump was woefully unaware of basic geography and remedial world affairs.
For example, he didn’t know if Finland was part of Russia (it’s not), and whether the United Kingdom was a nuclear power (it is).
Mike Pompeo said Trump is “full of shit”
Bolton said Pompeo passed him a note that disparaged Trump as “so full of shit” during Trump’s meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un in 2018, according to the Times’ report.
An anonymous source told Politico’s Jake Sherman that the accusation is false, as Pompeo is “not a note passer.” However, there is an image from a Reuters photographer showing that Pompeo does appear to pass notes.
Trump was obsessed with giving an Elton John CD to Kim Jong Un
Bolton wrote that Trump was obsessed with ensuring that Kim Jong Un received a signed CD of Elton John’s “Rocket Man,” a nod to Trump’s nickname for the oppressive and violent dictator, according to the Post.
According to Bolton’s book, Trump gave Pompeo of a copy the CD to give to Kim ahead of a trip Pompeo was making to negotiate a meeting between Trump and the North Korean autocrat.
“Getting this CD to Kim remained a high priority for several months,” Bolton wrote in the book.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-06-18--Supreme Court rejects Trump's bid to end protections for young immigrants

The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected Donald Trump ’ s effort to end legal protections for 650,000 young immigrants , a stunning rebuke to the president in the midst of his reelection campaign .
For now , those immigrants retain their protection from deportation and their authorization to work in the United States .
The outcome seems certain to elevate the issue in Trump 's campaign , given the anti-immigrant rhetoric of his first presidential run in 2016 and immigration restrictions his administration has imposed since then .
It was the second big liberal victory at the court this week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's illegal to fire people because they 're gay or transgender .
The justices rejected administration arguments that the 8-year-old Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program is illegal and that courts have no role to play in reviewing the decision to end DACA .
Chief Justice John Roberts , joined by his four liberal colleagues , wrote for the court that the administration did not pursue the end of the program properly .
“ We do not decide whether DACA or its rescission are sound policies , '' Roberts wrote .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the procedural requirement that it provide a reasoned explanation for its action .
Here the agency failed to consider the conspicuous issues of whether to retain forbearance and what if anything to do about the hardship to DACA recipients.
” The Department of Homeland Security can try again , he wrote .
The court ’ s four conservative justices dissented .
Justice Clarence Thomas , in a dissent joined by Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch , wrote that DACA was illegal from the moment it was created under the Obama administration in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a separate dissent that he was satisfied that the administration acted appropriately in trying to end the program .
DACA recipents were elated by the ruling .
“ We ’ ll keep living our lives in the meantime , ” said Cesar Espinosa , a DACA recipient who leads the Houston immigration advocacy group FIEL .
“ We ’ re going to continue to work , continue to advocate.
” Espinosa said he got little sleep overnight in anticipation of a possible decision Thursday .
In the minutes since the decision was posted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ flooded with calls with Dreamers , happy , with that hope that they ’ re going to at least be in this country for a while longer.
” From the Senate floor , the Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said of the DACA decision , “ I cried tears of joy.
” “ Wow , ” he went on , choking up .
“ These kids , these families , I feel for them , and I think all of America does .
DACA covers people who have been in the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country illegally .
In some cases , they have no memory of any home other than the United States .
The program grew out of an impasse over a comprehensive immigration bill between Congress and the Obama administration in 2012 .
President Barack Obama decided to formally protect people from deportation while also allowing them to work legally in the U.S .
But Trump made tough talk on immigration a central part of his campaign and less than eight months after taking office , he announced in September 2017 that he would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups , universities and Democratic-led states quickly sued , and courts put the administration ’ s plan on hold .
The Department of Homeland Security has continued to process two-year DACA renewals so that hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients have protections stretching beyond the election and even into 2022 .
The Supreme Court fight over DACA played out in a kind of legal slow motion .
The administration first wanted the justices to hear and decide the case by June 2018 .
The justices said no .
The Justice Department returned to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the justices did nothing for more than seven months before agreeing a year ago to hear arguments .
Those took place in November and more than seven months elapsed before the court ’ s decision .
Thursday 's ruling was the second time in two years that Roberts and the liberal justices faulted the administration for the way it went about a policy change .
Last year , the court forced the administration to back off a citizenship question on the 2020 census .
This article was updated with additional quotes and information @ @ @ @ @ @

The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected Donald Trump’s effort to end legal protections for 650,000 young immigrants, a stunning rebuke to the president in the midst of his reelection campaign.
For now, those immigrants retain their protection from deportation and their authorization to work in the United States.
The outcome seems certain to elevate the issue in Trump’s campaign, given the anti-immigrant rhetoric of his first presidential run in 2016 and immigration restrictions his administration has imposed since then. It was the second big liberal victory at the court this week, following Monday’s ruling that it’s illegal to fire people because they’re gay or transgender.
The justices rejected administration arguments that the 8-year-old Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program is illegal and that courts have no role to play in reviewing the decision to end DACA.
Chief Justice John Roberts, joined by his four liberal colleagues, wrote for the court that the administration did not pursue the end of the program properly.
“We do not decide whether DACA or its rescission are sound policies,” Roberts wrote. “We address only whether the agency complied with the procedural requirement that it provide a reasoned explanation for its action. Here the agency failed to consider the conspicuous issues of whether to retain forbearance and what if anything to do about the hardship to DACA recipients.”
The Department of Homeland Security can try again, he wrote.
The court’s four conservative justices dissented. Justice Clarence Thomas, in a dissent joined by Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch, wrote that DACA was illegal from the moment it was created under the Obama administration in 2012.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in a separate dissent that he was satisfied that the administration acted appropriately in trying to end the program.
DACA recipents were elated by the ruling.
“We’ll keep living our lives in the meantime,” said Cesar Espinosa, a DACA recipient who leads the Houston immigration advocacy group FIEL. “We’re going to continue to work, continue to advocate.”
Espinosa said he got little sleep overnight in anticipation of a possible decision Thursday. In the minutes since the decision was posted, he said his group has been “flooded with calls with Dreamers, happy, with that hope that they’re going to at least be in this country for a while longer.”
From the Senate floor, the Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said of the DACA decision, “I cried tears of joy.”
“Wow,” he went on, choking up. “These kids, these families, I feel for them, and I think all of America does.
DACA covers people who have been in the United States since they were children and are in the country illegally. In some cases, they have no memory of any home other than the United States.
The program grew out of an impasse over a comprehensive immigration bill between Congress and the Obama administration in 2012. President Barack Obama decided to formally protect people from deportation while also allowing them to work legally in the U.S.
But Trump made tough talk on immigration a central part of his campaign and less than eight months after taking office, he announced in September 2017 that he would end DACA.
Immigrants, civil rights groups, universities and Democratic-led states quickly sued, and courts put the administration’s plan on hold.
The Department of Homeland Security has continued to process two-year DACA renewals so that hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients have protections stretching beyond the election and even into 2022.
The Supreme Court fight over DACA played out in a kind of legal slow motion. The administration first wanted the justices to hear and decide the case by June 2018. The justices said no. The Justice Department returned to the court later in 2018, but the justices did nothing for more than seven months before agreeing a year ago to hear arguments. Those took place in November and more than seven months elapsed before the court’s decision.
Thursday’s ruling was the second time in two years that Roberts and the liberal justices faulted the administration for the way it went about a policy change. Last year, the court forced the administration to back off a citizenship question on the 2020 census.
This article was updated with additional quotes and information on the Supreme Court decision.


shareblue--2020-06-18--Biden slams Trump on coronavirus: He 'surrendered the fight'

Joe Biden unleashed a stinging critique Wednesday of Donald Trump 's response to the coronavirus , calling on Trump to `` wake up '' to the havoc caused by the pandemic and do more to prevent further harm .
`` Donald Trump wants to style himself as a wartime president , '' the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee said at a recreation center in the Philadelphia suburbs .
`` Unlike any other wartime leader , he takes no responsibility , he exercises no leadership .
Now he has just flat surrendered the fight . ''
Biden has steadily stepped up his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks .
But his remarks Wednesday were especially sharp , trying to counter the populism Trump hopes to ride to reelection with stern warnings about how dangerous such an approach would be .
At times pounding his lectern for emphasis , Biden said Trump wants to declare the pandemic over even as the outbreak continues to kill Americans and disrupt the economy .
`` We may lose some of the progress we 've begun to make , all because he 's lost interest , '' Biden said .
The U.S. has topped 2 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states are reporting increases in cases after reopening their economies .
A surge has been reported this week in Florida and Arizona , likely political battlegrounds in the November election .
Still , Trump is eager for the country to return to normalcy .
He 's hoping that the reopening of businesses and other aspects of life will revive the economy — and his reelection prospects .
Trump will be in Tulsa , Oklahoma , on Saturday for his first major campaign rally in months despite concerns from local health officials .
Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He 's spent much of his time inside his Delaware home to prevent the spread of the virus .
Most campaign activities , including fundraisers , have moved online , a strategy that probably will continue in the coming weeks .
Biden has announced a virtual fundraiser next week with former President Barack Obama , the first time the two have appeared together in months .
When Biden does make public appearances , they usually are limited to locations in Delaware or nearby Pennsylvania .
Those events have included strict rules for wearing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has n't taken questions from reporters since April 2 .
Beyond Pennsylvania , Biden has n't visited any of the premier battleground states such as Michigan and Wisconsin since the pandemic struck .
Biden 's toned-down campaign style was on display before his Wednesday remarks when he appeared at a nearby soul food restaurant and bar to participate in a socially distanced listening session to hear how the pandemic has affected small businesses .
Sitting 6 feet from one another around tables outdoors , local business owners expressed concerns over a lack of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Scott Richardson , the owner of Occasionally Yours Cafe and catering company in Swarthmore , Pennsylvania , said he cut his workforce from 12 employees to four .
He told Biden that he voted for Trump in 2016 , but now he says Trump is more interested `` in day trading '' than long-range planning to combat the coronavirus .
Biden told the group that `` no one '' in the Trump administration `` is taking responsibility '' during the outbreak .
Biden 's campaign has pledged to resume a normal campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country , but not before authorities and health officials deem it safe .
Trump officials have argued that Biden is using the pandemic as an excuse for holding heavily controlled events .
Neither Trump nor Biden engages in many unscripted moments with voters .
But Tim Murtaugh , a spokesman for Trump 's reelection campaign , slammed Biden for preferring `` campaigning from the comfort of his basement '' rather than `` traveling the country meeting voters and making the case for his candidacy . ''
`` These events have been either tightly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pool arrangement , '' Murtaugh wrote of the former vice president 's recent stops .
`` At what point will Biden subject himself to the scrutiny American voters deserve when considering the next President of the United States ? ''

Joe Biden unleashed a stinging critique Wednesday of Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus, calling on Trump to “wake up” to the havoc caused by the pandemic and do more to prevent further harm.
“Donald Trump wants to style himself as a wartime president,” the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee said at a recreation center in the Philadelphia suburbs. “Unlike any other wartime leader, he takes no responsibility, he exercises no leadership. Now he has just flat surrendered the fight.”
Biden has steadily stepped up his attacks on Trump’s leadership in recent weeks. But his remarks Wednesday were especially sharp, trying to counter the populism Trump hopes to ride to reelection with stern warnings about how dangerous such an approach would be.
At times pounding his lectern for emphasis, Biden said Trump wants to declare the pandemic over even as the outbreak continues to kill Americans and disrupt the economy.
“We may lose some of the progress we’ve begun to make, all because he’s lost interest,” Biden said.
The U.S. has topped 2 million confirmed coronavirus infections, and some states are reporting increases in cases after reopening their economies. A surge has been reported this week in Florida and Arizona, likely political battlegrounds in the November election.
Still, Trump is eager for the country to return to normalcy. He’s hoping that the reopening of businesses and other aspects of life will revive the economy — and his reelection prospects. Trump will be in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Saturday for his first major campaign rally in months despite concerns from local health officials.
Biden is taking a much different course. He’s spent much of his time inside his Delaware home to prevent the spread of the virus. Most campaign activities, including fundraisers, have moved online, a strategy that probably will continue in the coming weeks.
Biden has announced a virtual fundraiser next week with former President Barack Obama, the first time the two have appeared together in months.
When Biden does make public appearances, they usually are limited to locations in Delaware or nearby Pennsylvania. Those events have included strict rules for wearing masks and practicing social distancing.
He hasn’t taken questions from reporters since April 2. Beyond Pennsylvania, Biden hasn’t visited any of the premier battleground states such as Michigan and Wisconsin since the pandemic struck.
Biden’s toned-down campaign style was on display before his Wednesday remarks when he appeared at a nearby soul food restaurant and bar to participate in a socially distanced listening session to hear how the pandemic has affected small businesses.
Sitting 6 feet from one another around tables outdoors, local business owners expressed concerns over a lack of guidance from the federal government on reopening.
Scott Richardson, the owner of Occasionally Yours Cafe and catering company in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, said he cut his workforce from 12 employees to four. He told Biden that he voted for Trump in 2016, but now he says Trump is more interested “in day trading” than long-range planning to combat the coronavirus.
Biden told the group that “no one” in the Trump administration “is taking responsibility” during the outbreak.
Biden’s campaign has pledged to resume a normal campaign schedule that will take him around the country, but not before authorities and health officials deem it safe. Trump officials have argued that Biden is using the pandemic as an excuse for holding heavily controlled events.
Neither Trump nor Biden engages in many unscripted moments with voters. But Tim Murtaugh, a spokesman for Trump’s reelection campaign, slammed Biden for preferring “campaigning from the comfort of his basement” rather than “traveling the country meeting voters and making the case for his candidacy.”
“These events have been either tightly controlled or covered by press in a pool arrangement,” Murtaugh wrote of the former vice president’s recent stops. “At what point will Biden subject himself to the scrutiny American voters deserve when considering the next President of the United States?”


shareblue--2020-06-19--News you might have missed: Minnesota voters score double victory

This week began with good news out of the Supreme Court — that LGBTQ Americans can not be fired simply because of who they are — but beyond the historic decision , there were even more positive developments taking place across the country .
Read on to see what else you might have missed this week .
Voters in Minnesota were handed a double victory this week after two policies were overturned .
The first was a ballot-order provision that would have listed Democratic candidates last on all ballots .
Studies have shown that ballot order can impact vote share @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arbitrarily forcing Democratic candidates to be listed last on ballots was unfair .
The second policy was a rule on mail-in ballots , which have gained popularity in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic , as voters fear risking their health by casting in-person ballots .
The Minnesota rule required mail-in ballots to be witnessed by a registered Minnesota voter or a notary public and required mail-in ballots to be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day .
Those steps could have hampered voters ' ability to cast such a ballot or have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reached an agreement with the Minnesota secretary of state to stop enforcing that rule for the upcoming Aug. 11 primary for all offices other than the presidency .
( Minnesota held its presidential primary on March 3 . )
A study by scientists at the University of Oxford has found that the common steroid dexamethasone may help reduce deaths in patients with severe cases of COVID-19 .
According to the study , the inexpensive steroid reduced the number of deaths in severely-ill patients who were put on ventilators by one third , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the study concluded that if the drug was being used from the start of the pandemic , as many as 5,000 deaths in the U.K. could have been prevented .
`` Assuming that when it goes through peer review it stands — and these are well-established researchers — it ’ s a huge breakthrough , a major breakthrough , '' Dr. Sam Parnia , an associate professor of medicine at the Grossman School of Medicine at New York University , told the New York Times .
`` I can not emphasize how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and New York move to make Juneteenth a paid holiday The Democratic governors of Virginia and New York both announced this week that state employees will be given a paid holiday to observe Juneteenth , a holiday that celebrates the end of slavery in the United States .
Virginia Gov .
Ralph Northam announced his decision on Tuesday .
New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order on Wednesday giving all state employees the day off to observe Juneteenth .
Both governors are also moving to introduce legislation to make Juneteenth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ All but four states — Hawaii , North Dakota , South Dakota , and Montana — now recognize Juneteenth as an official holiday .
California state legislators have announced that a statue of Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella in the Capitol rotunda will be removed , Politico reported Tuesday .
The statues were first installed back in 1883 .
Protesters across the country have been pushing for the removal of statues of racist figures from America 's past , including Confederate generals and soldiers who fought to keep slavery .
Columbus is among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ celebrated due to his violence against and enslavement of indigenous people on his voyages across the globe .
Iowa governor to restore voting rights for those with felony convictions Iowa Gov .
Kim Reynolds ( R ) is set to sign an executive order restoring voting rights to those with felony convictions who have been paroled , the New York Times reported this week .
According to the Times , Iowa is the last state in the country that continues to prevent people with felony convictions from voting .
Back in 2005 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , restored voting rights to those who had completed their sentences .
But former Gov .
Terry Branstad , a Republican , later reversed Vilsak 's order in 2011 , once again permanently banning those convicted of felonies from voting .
Reynolds has not yet released all the details of her executive order .
Leaders of the Black LGBTQ community in Los Angeles organized an `` All Black Lives Matter '' march in Los Angeles on Sunday , during which thousands of protesters peacefully gathered to call for the end of systemic racism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Boulevard , which was painted with a colorful mural that read `` All Black Lives Matter '' — a play on the Black Lives Matter message painted on a street near the White House .
The mural — which includes the colors of the transgender pride and LGBTQ Pride flags — was originally set to be removed , but Los Angeles City Councilman Mitch O ’ Farrell ultimately ordered that it be left in place .

This week began with good news out of the Supreme Court — that LGBTQ Americans cannot be fired simply because of who they are — but beyond the historic decision, there were even more positive developments taking place across the country.
Read on to see what else you might have missed this week.
Voters in Minnesota were handed a double victory this week after two policies were overturned.
The first was a ballot-order provision that would have listed Democratic candidates last on all ballots. Studies have shown that ballot order can impact vote share, and a federal judge agreed that arbitrarily forcing Democratic candidates to be listed last on ballots was unfair.
The second policy was a rule on mail-in ballots, which have gained popularity in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, as voters fear risking their health by casting in-person ballots.
The Minnesota rule required mail-in ballots to be witnessed by a registered Minnesota voter or a notary public and required mail-in ballots to be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Those steps could have hampered voters’ ability to cast such a ballot or have that ballot counted.
Voting rights advocates reached an agreement with the Minnesota secretary of state to stop enforcing that rule for the upcoming Aug. 11 primary for all offices other than the presidency. (Minnesota held its presidential primary on March 3.)
A study by scientists at the University of Oxford has found that the common steroid dexamethasone may help reduce deaths in patients with severe cases of COVID-19.
According to the study, the inexpensive steroid reduced the number of deaths in severely-ill patients who were put on ventilators by one third, the New York Times reported.
The authors of the study concluded that if the drug was being used from the start of the pandemic, as many as 5,000 deaths in the U.K. could have been prevented.
“Assuming that when it goes through peer review it stands — and these are well-established researchers — it’s a huge breakthrough, a major breakthrough,” Dr. Sam Parnia, an associate professor of medicine at the Grossman School of Medicine at New York University, told the New York Times. “I cannot emphasize how important this could be.”
The Democratic governors of Virginia and New York both announced this week that state employees will be given a paid holiday to observe Juneteenth, a holiday that celebrates the end of slavery in the United States.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced his decision on Tuesday. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order on Wednesday giving all state employees the day off to observe Juneteenth.
Both governors are also moving to introduce legislation to make Juneteenth an official state holiday next year.
All but four states — Hawaii, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana — now recognize Juneteenth as an official holiday.
California state legislators have announced that a statue of Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella in the Capitol rotunda will be removed, Politico reported Tuesday. The statues were first installed back in 1883.
Protesters across the country have been pushing for the removal of statues of racist figures from America’s past, including Confederate generals and soldiers who fought to keep slavery.
Columbus is among those figures protesters say should not be celebrated due to his violence against and enslavement of indigenous people on his voyages across the globe.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) is set to sign an executive order restoring voting rights to those with felony convictions who have been paroled, the New York Times reported this week.
According to the Times, Iowa is the last state in the country that continues to prevent people with felony convictions from voting.
Back in 2005, then-Gov. Tom Vilsak, a Democrat, restored voting rights to those who had completed their sentences. But former Gov. Terry Branstad, a Republican, later reversed Vilsak’s order in 2011, once again permanently banning those convicted of felonies from voting.
Reynolds has not yet released all the details of her executive order.
Leaders of the Black LGBTQ community in Los Angeles organized an “All Black Lives Matter” march in Los Angeles on Sunday, during which thousands of protesters peacefully gathered to call for the end of systemic racism.
Demonstrators marched down the famed Hollywood Boulevard, which was painted with a colorful mural that read “All Black Lives Matter” — a play on the Black Lives Matter message painted on a street near the White House.
The mural — which includes the colors of the transgender pride and LGBTQ Pride flags — was originally set to be removed, but Los Angeles City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell ultimately ordered that it be left in place.


shareblue--2020-06-19--Americans don't believe the White House's claims on coronavirus

Vice President Mike Pence says the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic is `` a cause for celebration , '' but a new poll finds more than half of Americans calling it fair or poor .
The Gallup and West Health survey out Thursday found that 57 % of U.S. adults rated the national response to COVID-19 as fair or poor , particularly in light of the fact that America has the world 's most expensive health care system .
The numbers amount to a flashing warning for Donald Trump and his White House team , eager to change the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of U.S. pandemic deaths to a story of American resilience and economic revitalization that reinforces his reelection bid .
In a Wall Street Journal opinion article published Wednesday , Pence castigated the news media for focusing on rising COVID-19 cases in states like Texas and Arizona .
`` We 've slowed the spread , we 've cared for the most vulnerable , we 've saved lives , and we 've created a solid foundation for whatever challenges we may face in the future , '' wrote Pence , who leads the White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's a cause for celebration , not the media 's fear mongering . ''
The poll found that only 23 % of adults rated the national response as excellent or very good , while an additional 20 % rated it as good .
`` We always assumed that we have the best — how could the U.S. not have enough masks , and gloves , and gowns ? ''
asked Dr. Georges Benjamin , head of the nonprofit American Public Health Association .
`` The answer is that we have always made the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ properly planning , '' added Benjamin , who reviewed the results of the poll .
The survey comes at a time of uncertainty about the future of the pandemic in the United States .
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington is now projecting about 200,000 deaths by Oct. 1 , a sizable upward revision from an organization whose modeling has gotten favorable reviews from White House experts .
Several states that embraced reopening are seeing increases in coronavirus cases , and there 's concern that massive demonstrations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also accelerate the spread .
`` I think what we observed in terms of the COVID response is a divided and distracted leadership , and what these numbers reflect is that America woke up to that , '' said Tim Lash , president of the West Health Policy Center , which focuses on lowering health care costs .
Gallup survey director Dan Witters said the lackluster reviews of the coronavirus effort are pronounced among people with higher levels of education .
Sixty-five percent of college graduates rated it fair or poor , compared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high school diploma or less .
`` As you move into the more educated stratum of the population ... the response becomes significantly more negative , '' Witters said .
Among people with a postgraduate degree , 72 % said the COVID-19 effort was fair or poor .
Throughout the pandemic , Trump has been at odds with many scientists , at first downplaying the potential impact of the virus and later promoting treatments that turned out to be risky and ineffective .
The poll also indicated a split by race and ethnicity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minorities were significantly more likely to give the national response low marks ( 66 % ) compared to white people ( 51 % ) .
African Americans have experienced a disproportionate share of deaths and serious complications from the virus .
The survey reinforces public perceptions of a partisan divide over COVID-19 , with 44 % of Republicans calling the government 's response excellent or very good , compared to only 6 % of Democrats .
Among political independents , 57 % rated the response as fair or poor , while 20 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There was widespread agreement , however , on one point : By 88 % to 11 % , Americans want the government to negotiate the prices of coronavirus treatments with the pharmaceutical industry .
That sentiment cuts across party lines .
The Gallup and West Health survey is based on telephone interviews from May 11 to 22 with a random sample of 1,016 adults ages 18 and older in all 50 states and Washington , D.C. For results based on the entire sample , the maximum margin of sampling error is plus @ @ @ @ @ @

Vice President Mike Pence says the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic is “a cause for celebration,” but a new poll finds more than half of Americans calling it fair or poor.
The Gallup and West Health survey out Thursday found that 57% of U.S. adults rated the national response to COVID-19 as fair or poor, particularly in light of the fact that America has the world’s most expensive health care system.
The numbers amount to a flashing warning for Donald Trump and his White House team, eager to change the narrative from projections that show a growing number of U.S. pandemic deaths to a story of American resilience and economic revitalization that reinforces his reelection bid.
In a Wall Street Journal opinion article published Wednesday, Pence castigated the news media for focusing on rising COVID-19 cases in states like Texas and Arizona.
“We’ve slowed the spread, we’ve cared for the most vulnerable, we’ve saved lives, and we’ve created a solid foundation for whatever challenges we may face in the future,” wrote Pence, who leads the White House coronavirus task force. “That’s a cause for celebration, not the media’s fear mongering.”
The poll found that only 23% of adults rated the national response as excellent or very good, while an additional 20% rated it as good.
“We always assumed that we have the best — how could the U.S. not have enough masks, and gloves, and gowns?” asked Dr. Georges Benjamin, head of the nonprofit American Public Health Association.
“The answer is that we have always made the assumption we had all that stuff without properly planning,” added Benjamin, who reviewed the results of the poll.
The survey comes at a time of uncertainty about the future of the pandemic in the United States.
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington is now projecting about 200,000 deaths by Oct. 1, a sizable upward revision from an organization whose modeling has gotten favorable reviews from White House experts. Several states that embraced reopening are seeing increases in coronavirus cases, and there’s concern that massive demonstrations over police killings of African Americans may also accelerate the spread.
“I think what we observed in terms of the COVID response is a divided and distracted leadership, and what these numbers reflect is that America woke up to that,” said Tim Lash, president of the West Health Policy Center, which focuses on lowering health care costs.
Gallup survey director Dan Witters said the lackluster reviews of the coronavirus effort are pronounced among people with higher levels of education. Sixty-five percent of college graduates rated it fair or poor, compared with 49% of people with a high school diploma or less.
“As you move into the more educated stratum of the population … the response becomes significantly more negative,” Witters said. Among people with a postgraduate degree, 72% said the COVID-19 effort was fair or poor.
Throughout the pandemic, Trump has been at odds with many scientists, at first downplaying the potential impact of the virus and later promoting treatments that turned out to be risky and ineffective.
The poll also indicated a split by race and ethnicity. Witters said Black people and other minorities were significantly more likely to give the national response low marks (66%) compared to white people (51%). African Americans have experienced a disproportionate share of deaths and serious complications from the virus.
The survey reinforces public perceptions of a partisan divide over COVID-19, with 44% of Republicans calling the government’s response excellent or very good, compared to only 6% of Democrats. Among political independents, 57% rated the response as fair or poor, while 20% said it was excellent or very good.
There was widespread agreement, however, on one point: By 88% to 11%, Americans want the government to negotiate the prices of coronavirus treatments with the pharmaceutical industry. That sentiment cuts across party lines.
The Gallup and West Health survey is based on telephone interviews from May 11 to 22 with a random sample of 1,016 adults ages 18 and older in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. For results based on the entire sample, the maximum margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.


shareblue--2020-06-19--White destruction of Black Tulsa takes spotlight ahead of Trump rally

In the real world , 74-year-old Donald Shaw is walking on the empty , parched grass slope by Tulsa 's noisy crosstown expressway .
He 's on the other side of the city 's historical white-Black dividing line from where Donald Trump will hold a rally Saturday with his overwhelmingly white supporters .
But Shaw can conjure stories and images of so much more — the once-thriving Black community that stood on this same ground , destroyed nearly a century ago by white violence and ensuing decades of repression .
`` Just imagine , in your mind , all these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this week , describing the Black-built , Black-owned houses and churches that once covered dozens of blocks where he 's walking , the site of Tulsa 's 1921 race massacre .
`` Just picture that . ''
`` Hotels , movie theater , roller rink , '' said Shaw , a retired man who spends his mornings sitting in the shade of an engraved stone memorial to the Home Style Café , A.S. Newkirk photography studio , and literally hundreds of other African American-owned bakeries , barber shops , attorney offices , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bricks and a fragment of a church basement are about all that survive today of the more than 30-block historically Black district .
On May 31 and June 1 in 1921 , white residents and civil society leaders looted and burned Tulsa 's Black Greenwood district to the ground , and used planes to drop projectiles on it .
The attackers killed up to 300 Black Tulsans , and forced survivors for a time to internment camps overseen by National Guard members .
Historians say the trouble began after a Tulsa newspaper drummed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who allegedly stepped on a white girl 's foot .
When Black Tulsans showed up with guns to prevent the man 's lynching , white Tulsa responded with overwhelming force .
A grand jury investigation at the time concluded , without evidence , that unidentified agitators had given Tulsa 's African Americans both their firearms and what was described as their mistaken belief `` in equal rights , social equality and their ability to demand the same . ''
`` Everything they had downtown , '' Shaw said of the white-owned business district @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had here . ''
Trump 's choice to resume his giant rallies in Oklahoma , a loyal Republican state , and in Tulsa , an oil center , has brought a surge of national interest in the Greenwood district once called Tulsa 's `` Negro Wall Street . ''
His rally at the 19,000-seat BOK Center will be Trump 's first since the coronavirus pandemic shut down much of the U.S. by late March .
Trump 's initial plan to hold the rally on Friday — Juneteenth — also sparked interest in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ later pushed back the rally date to Saturday .
So has a spring of nationwide street protests over police killings of George Floyd and other Black Americans .
Despite the Oklahoma heat , visitors of all races drive up to the site of the destroyed Black community .
They take photos of themselves in front of the inscribed memorials to what 's now called Black Wall Street .
They raise a defiant fist in the air for other photos in front of a mural to Black Wall Street painted on the side of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a barber from the Washington , D.C. , area and one of those visiting the Tulsa massacre memorials , the proof that cellphone videos provide of killings of African Americans today somehow make the killings of the past , like Tulsa 's , more real as well .
For Black Americans , the cellphone videos `` show what they have already known , '' Stackhouse said .
`` It gives more confidence '' to speak up about all the killings , past and present , he said .
The Tulsa rampage was part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black communities — from Washington , D.C. , to Chicago to the Pacific Northwest — at the time , said Scott Ellsworth , a historian who has worked for decades to bring the Tulsa massacre to light .
The Ku Klux Klan was surging as well , putting many of its members in public office and other influential positions .
In 1915 , President Woodrow Wilson gave a White House screening and praise to `` The Birth of a Nation , '' a tremendously influential and viciously racist film on the South .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and actions embolden white supremacist sentiment in the country .
That includes Trump 's opposition to renaming military bases named after Confederate Civil War figures , and his emphasis on a tough `` law and order '' response to recent protests .
Trump denies any racism , and said his administration has been beneficial to African American citizens .
Asked Monday about any concerns that Trump 's rally may fan racial tensions in Tulsa , Oklahoma Republican Party chairman David McLain said , `` I would like to invite all nationalities into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ party of great opportunity for anybody , race , creed , or color . ''
Black community groups are organizing a Juneteenth ceremony and justice rally for Friday on the grounds of the memorial district .
The Rev .
Al Sharpton will speak alongside family members of Terence Crutcher , a Black motorist killed by Tulsa police in 2016 while unarmed , Sharpton 's publicists said .
Tulsa 's Republican mayor , G.T .
Bynum , has formed a commission to mark the 100th anniversary of the massacre next year .
Although expressing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's African Americans , Bynum has supported the search for unmarked burials of victims of the massacre .
Next month , experts plan painstaking examination and excavations of an existing Tulsa cemetery to look for such unmarked graves , said Ellsworth , who teaches African American history at the University of Michigan .
After generations of determined public silence on the massacre — long referred to by white Tulsans dismissively as a race `` riot '' — Black and white Tulsans increasingly are trying to tell the story of Black Wall Street , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Teaching about the massacre is being added to state and city school standards , so that this fall third-graders will learn about it .
Even preschoolers in some districts are being told about Black Wall Street — not about how it ended , but what it was , said Danielle Neves , deputy chief of academics for Tulsa public schools .
`` Four-year-olds can understand that people like them once owned movie theaters and hotels and ... had a thriving community , '' Neves said .
At the area 's Greenwood Leadership Academy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dreamland movie theater and other Black businesses that white Tulsans burned down , said Kristi Williams , operation manager at the school .
Williams ' great-aunt fled with her date from one theater when the armed whites came to destroy the Black part of town in 1921 .
Williams , whose family descended from African Americans enslaved by the Oklahoma-based Muscogee ( Creek ) Indian nation , emphasizes to pupils the joint power and financial resources that communities like Tulsa 's Black Wall Street once embodied .
`` I just always imagine — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ massacre never happened ?
We had an economy within an economy , '' says Williams .
`` What could have happened ?
What would we be ? ''

In the real world, 74-year-old Donald Shaw is walking on the empty, parched grass slope by Tulsa’s noisy crosstown expressway. He’s on the other side of the city’s historical white-Black dividing line from where Donald Trump will hold a rally Saturday with his overwhelmingly white supporters.
But Shaw can conjure stories and images of so much more — the once-thriving Black community that stood on this same ground, destroyed nearly a century ago by white violence and ensuing decades of repression.
“Just imagine, in your mind, all these homes,” Shaw said one morning this week, describing the Black-built, Black-owned houses and churches that once covered dozens of blocks where he’s walking, the site of Tulsa’s 1921 race massacre. “Just picture that.”
“Hotels, movie theater, roller rink,” said Shaw, a retired man who spends his mornings sitting in the shade of an engraved stone memorial to the Home Style Café, A.S. Newkirk photography studio, and literally hundreds of other African American-owned bakeries, barber shops, attorney offices, and businesses razed in the massacre.
Burned bricks and a fragment of a church basement are about all that survive today of the more than 30-block historically Black district. On May 31 and June 1 in 1921, white residents and civil society leaders looted and burned Tulsa’s Black Greenwood district to the ground, and used planes to drop projectiles on it.
The attackers killed up to 300 Black Tulsans, and forced survivors for a time to internment camps overseen by National Guard members.
Historians say the trouble began after a Tulsa newspaper drummed up a furor over a Black man who allegedly stepped on a white girl’s foot. When Black Tulsans showed up with guns to prevent the man’s lynching, white Tulsa responded with overwhelming force. A grand jury investigation at the time concluded, without evidence, that unidentified agitators had given Tulsa’s African Americans both their firearms and what was described as their mistaken belief “in equal rights, social equality and their ability to demand the same.”
“Everything they had downtown,” Shaw said of the white-owned business district where Trump will rally, “we had here.”
Trump’s choice to resume his giant rallies in Oklahoma, a loyal Republican state, and in Tulsa, an oil center, has brought a surge of national interest in the Greenwood district once called Tulsa’s “Negro Wall Street.” His rally at the 19,000-seat BOK Center will be Trump’s first since the coronavirus pandemic shut down much of the U.S. by late March.
Trump’s initial plan to hold the rally on Friday — Juneteenth — also sparked interest in the turbulent racial legacy here, although he later pushed back the rally date to Saturday. So has a spring of nationwide street protests over police killings of George Floyd and other Black Americans.
Despite the Oklahoma heat, visitors of all races drive up to the site of the destroyed Black community. They take photos of themselves in front of the inscribed memorials to what’s now called Black Wall Street. They raise a defiant fist in the air for other photos in front of a mural to Black Wall Street painted on the side of the overpass.
For Shawn-Du Stackhouse, a barber from the Washington, D.C., area and one of those visiting the Tulsa massacre memorials, the proof that cellphone videos provide of killings of African Americans today somehow make the killings of the past, like Tulsa’s, more real as well.
For Black Americans, the cellphone videos “show what they have already known,” Stackhouse said. “It gives more confidence” to speak up about all the killings, past and present, he said.
The Tulsa rampage was part of a surge of white attacks on Black communities — from Washington, D.C., to Chicago to the Pacific Northwest — at the time, said Scott Ellsworth, a historian who has worked for decades to bring the Tulsa massacre to light. The Ku Klux Klan was surging as well, putting many of its members in public office and other influential positions.
In 1915, President Woodrow Wilson gave a White House screening and praise to “The Birth of a Nation,” a tremendously influential and viciously racist film on the South.
Today, opponents say Trump’s statements and actions embolden white supremacist sentiment in the country. That includes Trump’s opposition to renaming military bases named after Confederate Civil War figures, and his emphasis on a tough “law and order” response to recent protests. Trump denies any racism, and said his administration has been beneficial to African American citizens.
Asked Monday about any concerns that Trump’s rally may fan racial tensions in Tulsa, Oklahoma Republican Party chairman David McLain said, “I would like to invite all nationalities into the Republican Party. … We are a party of great opportunity for anybody, race, creed, or color.”
Black community groups are organizing a Juneteenth ceremony and justice rally for Friday on the grounds of the memorial district. The Rev. Al Sharpton will speak alongside family members of Terence Crutcher, a Black motorist killed by Tulsa police in 2016 while unarmed, Sharpton’s publicists said.
Tulsa’s Republican mayor, G.T. Bynum, has formed a commission to mark the 100th anniversary of the massacre next year. Although expressing doubts about calls for reparations to Tulsa’s African Americans, Bynum has supported the search for unmarked burials of victims of the massacre.
Next month, experts plan painstaking examination and excavations of an existing Tulsa cemetery to look for such unmarked graves, said Ellsworth, who teaches African American history at the University of Michigan.
After generations of determined public silence on the massacre — long referred to by white Tulsans dismissively as a race “riot” — Black and white Tulsans increasingly are trying to tell the story of Black Wall Street, including its fiery, deadly end.
Teaching about the massacre is being added to state and city school standards, so that this fall third-graders will learn about it. Even preschoolers in some districts are being told about Black Wall Street — not about how it ended, but what it was, said Danielle Neves, deputy chief of academics for Tulsa public schools.
“Four-year-olds can understand that people like them once owned movie theaters and hotels and … had a thriving community,” Neves said.
At the area’s Greenwood Leadership Academy school, classrooms are named after the Dreamland movie theater and other Black businesses that white Tulsans burned down, said Kristi Williams, operation manager at the school. Williams’ great-aunt fled with her date from one theater when the armed whites came to destroy the Black part of town in 1921.
Williams, whose family descended from African Americans enslaved by the Oklahoma-based Muscogee (Creek) Indian nation, emphasizes to pupils the joint power and financial resources that communities like Tulsa’s Black Wall Street once embodied.
“I just always imagine — what would Greenwood look like if the massacre never happened? We had an economy within an economy,” says Williams. “What could have happened? What would we be?”


Cartoon: Classified Lies

Clay Jones is a nationally syndicated political cartoonist .
He has worked for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and The Free Lance-Star @ @ @ @ @ draws a weekly cartoon for CNN Opinion .
He lives in the Washington suburbs of @ @ @

A decade after Sandy Hook, grief remains but hope grows
December, the anniversary of the worst grade school mass shooting in the U.S. is a difficult month for many in Newton. But in the face of heartbreak and grief, some survivors and families of victims feel hope for a brighter future.
By Associated Press - December 22, 2022


shareblue--2020-06-19--Fact check: Trump lies about Obama's record on police

Donald Trump on Tuesday accused the previous administration of making no effort to stop abusive policing , ignoring a conspicuous drive by President Barack Obama to do just that .
Trump addressed policing and the pandemic in remarks at the White House for the signing of an executive order encouraging better law enforcement practices .
A look at his statement : TRUMP , on police practices : `` President Obama and Vice President Biden never even tried to fix this during their eight-year period .
The reason they did n't try is because they had no idea how to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House .
THE FACTS : That is false .
Under the Obama administration , the Justice Department opened 25 wide-ranging civil rights investigations into local law enforcement agencies across the country , including police departments in Chicago , Baltimore , and Ferguson , Missouri .
Those investigations were aimed at overhauling troubled departments with patterns of civil rights abuses and generally resulted in court-enforceable consent decrees requiring the agencies to commit to a series of fundamental changes with regard to the use of force , stops , searches , and more .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ established a task force to come up with best policing practices and to recommend ways to improve community trust while also reducing crime .
That task force released its report in 2015 .
That year , Obama barred the government from supplying certain types of military equipment to local police departments , a policy Trump reversed two years later .
Public pressure may be more intense on Congress now to pass sweeping laws on policing , after nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis .
But the limited steps Trump @ @ @ @ @ @

Donald Trump on Tuesday accused the previous administration of making no effort to stop abusive policing, ignoring a conspicuous drive by President Barack Obama to do just that.
Trump addressed policing and the pandemic in remarks at the White House for the signing of an executive order encouraging better law enforcement practices.
A look at his statement:
TRUMP, on police practices: “President Obama and Vice President Biden never even tried to fix this during their eight-year period. The reason they didn’t try is because they had no idea how to do it.” — Tuesday at the White House.
THE FACTS: That is false.
Under the Obama administration, the Justice Department opened 25 wide-ranging civil rights investigations into local law enforcement agencies across the country, including police departments in Chicago, Baltimore, and Ferguson, Missouri.
Those investigations were aimed at overhauling troubled departments with patterns of civil rights abuses and generally resulted in court-enforceable consent decrees requiring the agencies to commit to a series of fundamental changes with regard to the use of force, stops, searches, and more.
Besides that, the Obama White House established a task force to come up with best policing practices and to recommend ways to improve community trust while also reducing crime. That task force released its report in 2015.
That year, Obama barred the government from supplying certain types of military equipment to local police departments, a policy Trump reversed two years later.
Public pressure may be more intense on Congress now to pass sweeping laws on policing, after nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. But the limited steps Trump took Tuesday steered around Congress.


shareblue--2020-06-20--EPA stops regulating chemical that harms babies' brains

The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday ended an Obama-era drive to regulate a widespread contaminant in drinking water linked to brain damage in infants .
The agency rejected warnings that the move will mean lower IQs for an unknown number of American newborns .
Administrator Andrew Wheeler 's announcement was the latest in a series of Trump administration rollbacks or eliminations of existing or pending public health and environmental protections , targeting Obama administration initiatives in particular .
The Trump administration says the regulations are burdensome to business and are unnecessary .
In a statement , Wheeler said the decision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for perchlorate , a component of rocket fuel , ammunition , and explosives , `` fulfills President Trump 's promise to pare back burdensome 'one-size-fits-all ' overregulation for the American people . ''
Perchlorate from runoff contaminates the drinking water of as many as 16 million Americans , the Obama administration said in 2011 when it announced the EPA would act to set maximum limits for perchlorate for the first time .
Perchlorate can damage the development of fetuses and children and cause measurable drops in IQ in newborns , the American Academy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the `` strongest possible '' federal limits .
Studies cited by the doctors ' group included one showing that 9 out of 13 breastfeeding infants were ingesting significant levels of the chemical .
Erik Olson of the Natural Resources Defense Council advocacy group said the EPA 's decision Thursday was `` illegal , unscientific , and unconscionable . ''
The EPA was ordered by a court in 2018 to come up with a regulation by this month .
The agency said last year it was looking at four options , including a limit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than those that California , Massachusetts and other states are currently adopting .
The EPA said another option was dropping the proposal to regulate perchlorate entirely , based on the contention that `` perchlorate does not occur in public water systems with a frequency , and at a level of public health concern . ''
Wheeler made that position final on Thursday .
He said that partly because of the steps that some states and public drinking water systems have taken to reduce perchlorate contamination , federal regulation was not warranted .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in drinking water only from 2001 to 2005 , making it impossible to determine how severe a problem remains nationally , Olson said .
The Trump EPA looked at some of the limited local testing done for perchlorate , including 15 water systems in a total of 12 states , and said the monitoring found lower levels of the rocket fuel chemical in some of them .

The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday ended an Obama-era drive to regulate a widespread contaminant in drinking water linked to brain damage in infants. The agency rejected warnings that the move will mean lower IQs for an unknown number of American newborns.
Administrator Andrew Wheeler’s announcement was the latest in a series of Trump administration rollbacks or eliminations of existing or pending public health and environmental protections, targeting Obama administration initiatives in particular. The Trump administration says the regulations are burdensome to business and are unnecessary.
In a statement, Wheeler said the decision to drop the introduction of federal limits for perchlorate, a component of rocket fuel, ammunition, and explosives, “fulfills President Trump’s promise to pare back burdensome ‘one-size-fits-all’ overregulation for the American people.”
Perchlorate from runoff contaminates the drinking water of as many as 16 million Americans, the Obama administration said in 2011 when it announced the EPA would act to set maximum limits for perchlorate for the first time.
Perchlorate can damage the development of fetuses and children and cause measurable drops in IQ in newborns, the American Academy of Pediatrics said last August in urging the “strongest possible” federal limits. Studies cited by the doctors’ group included one showing that 9 out of 13 breastfeeding infants were ingesting significant levels of the chemical.
Erik Olson of the Natural Resources Defense Council advocacy group said the EPA’s decision Thursday was “illegal, unscientific, and unconscionable.”
The EPA was ordered by a court in 2018 to come up with a regulation by this month. The agency said last year it was looking at four options, including a limit for perchlorate in drinking water far higher than those that California, Massachusetts and other states are currently adopting. The EPA said another option was dropping the proposal to regulate perchlorate entirely, based on the contention that “perchlorate does not occur in public water systems with a frequency, and at a level of public health concern.”
Wheeler made that position final on Thursday. He said that partly because of the steps that some states and public drinking water systems have taken to reduce perchlorate contamination, federal regulation was not warranted.
The EPA required some nationwide testing for perchlorate in drinking water only from 2001 to 2005, making it impossible to determine how severe a problem remains nationally, Olson said.
The Trump EPA looked at some of the limited local testing done for perchlorate, including 15 water systems in a total of 12 states, and said the monitoring found lower levels of the rocket fuel chemical in some of them.