shareblue--2020-09-11--Pence hits campaign trail with anti-abortion extremist to try to rally the base

Looking to shore up the evangelical vote , Mike Pence is currently on `` tour '' with anti-abortion extremist Marjorie Dannenfelser , president of the Susan B. Anthony List , an organization with a mission `` to end abortion by electing national leaders . ''
As Trump 's overall support with women erodes , it 's critical that he fully capture the evangelical vote .
From the start of his 2016 campaign , Trump has promised evangelicals that `` Christianity will have power . ''
He said that if he won , `` you 're going to have plenty of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ else .
You 're going to have somebody representing you very , very well . ''
Trump has delivered on that promise .
His judicial picks have been a who 's who of anti-abortion lawyers .
Of course , Pence has taken a very active role in making sure anti-abortion voters stay with Trump .
One of his most consequential moments was near the start of Trump 's term , when the Senate was deadlocked 50-50 on rewriting the parameters of Title X to exclude Planned Parenthood from receiving funding .
Pence cast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for anti-choice extremists .
Pence even bragged about it while talking with Dannenfelser on Wednesday in Pennsylvania , reminiscing about how he had introduced a bill to defund Planned Parenthood while he was in Congress .
He called it `` evidence of God 's grace '' that he got to cast the tie-breaking vote to defund .
A hallmark of Trump 's campaign for his second term is his claim that he is `` the most pro-life president in our nation 's history . ''
Looking forward , he 's promised to work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anti-choice judges and to pass three laws that conservative lawmakers have tried to push for years : The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act , the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act , and the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act .
Of course , none of those things are possible unless the GOP also retakes the House of Representatives , which would also have to pass these bills , but that 's beside the point here .
Rather , it 's to shore up his credentials with his hardcore evangelical supporters .
Last week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visit a crisis pregnancy center .
These centers pass themselves off as health clinics , but what they really do is work to delay or deny access to abortion .
The North Carolina crisis pregnancy center , Gateway Women 's Care , pushes lies about abortion on its website , where it says that abortion can lead to breast cancer .
That 's a persistent lie that has long been debunked .
While at Gateway , Pence boasted that `` hundreds of thousands of women '' have gone to crisis pregnancy centers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ victory for life straight from the heart . ''
However , the truth is that these centers are not medically regulated , lie to people about how far along they are in their pregnancy in an effort to stop them from being able to obtain an abortion , and say that complications from abortions are common .
Many people still end up having abortions , albeit later in pregnancy when they are more expensive and more difficult to obtain , because the obstructionism of the crisis pregnancy centers blocks them from getting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This past Wednesday , the Pence and Dannenfelser went to Pennsylvania to visit a conservative church and did what they called a `` fireside chat , '' presumably to invoke Franklin Delano Roosevelt 's speeches of the same name .
But where FDR sought to calm a nation during a time of crisis , Pence and Dannenfelser sought to inflame their supporters and deliver the election to Trump .
Their `` fireside chat '' featured nearly every anti-abortion talking point you can think of .
Pence also engaged in falsehoods about Vice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's platform , saying they `` stand with a party that supports abortion on demand right up to the moment of birth . ''
You can expect this to continue to be a key talking point during Trump and Pence 's 2020 campaign .
Indeed , they have a lot of money at their disposal to do it .
The SBA List is funded by millions of dollars of dark money and they 've promised to spend a staggering $ 52 million in 2020 to help Trump .
Trump needs the evangelical vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so expect to see more events with Pence touting the administration 's anti-choice bona fides .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Looking to shore up the evangelical vote, Mike Pence is currently on “tour” with anti-abortion extremist Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, an organization with a mission “to end abortion by electing national leaders.”
As Trump’s overall support with women erodes, it’s critical that he fully capture the evangelical vote. From the start of his 2016 campaign, Trump has promised evangelicals that “Christianity will have power.”
He said that if he won, “you’re going to have plenty of power, you don’t need anybody else. You’re going to have somebody representing you very, very well.”
Trump has delivered on that promise. His judicial picks have been a who’s who of anti-abortion lawyers.
Of course, Pence has taken a very active role in making sure anti-abortion voters stay with Trump. One of his most consequential moments was near the start of Trump’s term, when the Senate was deadlocked 50-50 on rewriting the parameters of Title X to exclude Planned Parenthood from receiving funding. Pence cast the tie-breaking vote, delivering a victory for anti-choice extremists.
Pence even bragged about it while talking with Dannenfelser on Wednesday in Pennsylvania, reminiscing about how he had introduced a bill to defund Planned Parenthood while he was in Congress. He called it “evidence of God’s grace” that he got to cast the tie-breaking vote to defund.
A hallmark of Trump’s campaign for his second term is his claim that he is “the most pro-life president in our nation’s history.” Looking forward, he’s promised to work to continue to transform the judiciary with anti-choice judges and to pass three laws that conservative lawmakers have tried to push for years: The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, and the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act.
Of course, none of those things are possible unless the GOP also retakes the House of Representatives, which would also have to pass these bills, but that’s beside the point here. Rather, it’s to shore up his credentials with his hardcore evangelical supporters.
Last week, they went to North Carolina to visit a crisis pregnancy center. These centers pass themselves off as health clinics, but what they really do is work to delay or deny access to abortion.
The North Carolina crisis pregnancy center, Gateway Women’s Care, pushes lies about abortion on its website, where it says that abortion can lead to breast cancer. That’s a persistent lie that has long been debunked.
While at Gateway, Pence boasted that “hundreds of thousands of women” have gone to crisis pregnancy centers and that those centers are “driving a victory for life straight from the heart.”
However, the truth is that these centers are not medically regulated, lie to people about how far along they are in their pregnancy in an effort to stop them from being able to obtain an abortion, and say that complications from abortions are common.
Many people still end up having abortions, albeit later in pregnancy when they are more expensive and more difficult to obtain, because the obstructionism of the crisis pregnancy centers blocks them from getting the care they need until later in pregnancy.
This past Wednesday, the Pence and Dannenfelser went to Pennsylvania to visit a conservative church and did what they called a “fireside chat,” presumably to invoke Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s speeches of the same name. But where FDR sought to calm a nation during a time of crisis, Pence and Dannenfelser sought to inflame their supporters and deliver the election to Trump.
Their “fireside chat” featured nearly every anti-abortion talking point you can think of. Pence also engaged in falsehoods about Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris’s platform, saying they “stand with a party that supports abortion on demand right up to the moment of birth.”
You can expect this to continue to be a key talking point during Trump and Pence’s 2020 campaign. Indeed, they have a lot of money at their disposal to do it. The SBA List is funded by millions of dollars of dark money and they’ve promised to spend a staggering $52 million in 2020 to help Trump.
Trump needs the evangelical vote and he also needs evangelical money, so expect to see more events with Pence touting the administration’s anti-choice bona fides.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-09-11--The White House really wants you to think Trump is just like Winston Churchill

Donald Trump on Thursday night sought to defend his public downplaying of the coronavirus threat by comparing his response to former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill .
`` As the British government advised the British people in the face of World War II , 'Keep calm and carry on . '
That 's what I did , '' Trump said at a rally in Michigan , where images showed the majority of rallygoers did not wear masks , nor adhere to social-distancing guidelines mandated in the state .
Trump added , `` When Hitler was bombing London , Churchill , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a roof in London and speak .
And he always spoke with calmness .
He said we have to show calmness .
No , we did it the right way .
We 've done a job like nobody . ''
Churchill did not hide information from the British people as his country was being bombed in World War II .
Rather , Churchill was blunt about the threat .
In his first speech as prime minister , as the war against fascism raged in Europe , Churchill said : We have before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kind .
We have before us many , many long months of struggle and of suffering .
You ask , what is our policy ?
I can say : It is to wage war , by sea , land and air , with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us ; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny , never surpassed in the dark , lamentable catalogue of human crime .
That is our policy .
Trump 's inaccurate Churchill comparison Thursday night is part of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as his aides and surrogates — invoking Churchill .
Earlier Thursday , Mike Pence also compared Trump 's downplaying of the virus despite knowing its perils to Churchill .
`` There 's that old saying from World War II in Great Britain , 'Keep calm .
Carry on . '
That was the presidential leadership that I saw , '' Pence said in an interview on Fox News .
Back in June , after Trump tear-gassed peaceful protesters so he could stage a photo-op at a church across from the White House , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Churchill .
`` And I would note that throughout all of time , we 've seen presidents and leaders across the world who 've had leadership moments and very powerful symbols that were important for a nation to see at any given time to show a message of resilience and determination like Churchill , we saw him inspecting the bombing damage , '' McEnany said , adding that Trump 's photo-op resembled Churchill 's actions because it was `` powerful and important to send a message that the rioters , the looters , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
Trump himself has also invoked Churchill a handful of times in the past .
Back in June 2019 , after a Democratic debate in which now vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris attacked her now-running-mate , Joe Biden , Trump said Biden did n't handle it as well as Churchill would .
`` I think she was given far too much credit for what she did .
That was so out of the can what she said .
That thing was right out of a box .
And I thought that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would n't say it was — this was not Winston Churchill we 're dealing with , okay ?
But it was n't — it was n't , I do n't think , nearly as bad as they portended it to be , '' Trump said .
Back in June , as Trump raged about calls for removing monuments to Confederate generals across the country , he wondered aloud whether opponents of honoring traitors would also call for removals of Churchill statues .
`` We believe that the beloved heroes of American history should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but held up as an example to the world , '' Trump said , listing off statues of former presidents who were slave owners and whether statues of them should come down .
`` How about Gandhi ?
How about Churchill ?
You know , Churchill — because this is going outside of our country now , '' Trump said .
In a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference on Feb. 29 , Trump brought up a Biden slip-up on the campaign trail , and complained that he is n't afforded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s got a bad habit .
`` Ladies and gentlemen of Ohio , it 's great to be with you . ''
`` Joe .
Joe , you 're an Iowa . ''
That was seven times he 's done that .
I have n't done it once .
And if I did , you know what I ’ d do ?
I 'd walk off the stage because there 's nothing you can do to come back from that .
You can be — you can be Winston Churchill ; he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Winston Churchill was pretty good , right ?
You could be Winston Churchill for the rest of the speech .
And the press does n't kill him .
Trump made almost an identical comment on Aug. 6 .
At what was supposed to be an official White House event at a Whirlpool plant in Ohio , Trump attacked Biden in a way he would at a campaign rally .
And , by the way , as I was leaving for the great state of Ohio — did you ever watch Biden , where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
`` It 's great to be in Florida .
Florida . ''
`` No , it 's Ohio . ''
I 've never seen a guy — I haven ’ t done that one yet ; that 's a disaster .
I always say — Jim Jordan — if you do that , it 's over , right ?
You can be Winston Churchill .
The speeches is over ; you just walk off the stage .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Donald Trump on Thursday night sought to defend his public downplaying of the coronavirus threat by comparing his response to former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
“As the British government advised the British people in the face of World War II, ‘Keep calm and carry on.’ That’s what I did,” Trump said at a rally in Michigan, where images showed the majority of rallygoers did not wear masks, nor adhere to social-distancing guidelines mandated in the state.
Trump added, “When Hitler was bombing London, Churchill, a great leader, would oftentimes go to a roof in London and speak. And he always spoke with calmness. He said we have to show calmness. No, we did it the right way. We’ve done a job like nobody.”
The comparison is historically inaccurate.
Churchill did not hide information from the British people as his country was being bombed in World War II. Rather, Churchill was blunt about the threat.
In his first speech as prime minister, as the war against fascism raged in Europe, Churchill said:
We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy.
Trump’s inaccurate Churchill comparison Thursday night is part of a long history of Trump — as well as his aides and surrogates — invoking Churchill.
Earlier Thursday, Mike Pence also compared Trump’s downplaying of the virus despite knowing its perils to Churchill.
“There’s that old saying from World War II in Great Britain, ‘Keep calm. Carry on.’ That was the presidential leadership that I saw,” Pence said in an interview on Fox News.
Back in June, after Trump tear-gassed peaceful protesters so he could stage a photo-op at a church across from the White House, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany compared Trump to Churchill.
“And I would note that throughout all of time, we’ve seen presidents and leaders across the world who’ve had leadership moments and very powerful symbols that were important for a nation to see at any given time to show a message of resilience and determination like Churchill, we saw him inspecting the bombing damage,” McEnany said, adding that Trump’s photo-op resembled Churchill’s actions because it was “powerful and important to send a message that the rioters, the looters, the anarchists, they will not prevail.”
Trump himself has also invoked Churchill a handful of times in the past.
Back in June 2019, after a Democratic debate in which now vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris attacked her now-running-mate, Joe Biden, Trump said Biden didn’t handle it as well as Churchill would.
“I think she was given far too much credit for what she did. That was so out of the can what she said. That thing was right out of a box. And I thought that he didn’t respond great. I wouldn’t say it was — this was not Winston Churchill we’re dealing with, okay? But it wasn’t — it wasn’t, I don’t think, nearly as bad as they portended it to be,” Trump said.
Back in June, as Trump raged about calls for removing monuments to Confederate generals across the country, he wondered aloud whether opponents of honoring traitors would also call for removals of Churchill statues.
“We believe that the beloved heroes of American history should not be torn down by militant mobs, but held up as an example to the world,” Trump said, listing off statues of former presidents who were slave owners and whether statues of them should come down.
“How about Gandhi? How about Churchill? You know, Churchill — because this is going outside of our country now,” Trump said.
In a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference on Feb. 29, Trump brought up a Biden slip-up on the campaign trail, and complained that he isn’t afforded any grace to make mistakes.
Trump said:
He’s got a bad habit. “Ladies and gentlemen of Ohio, it’s great to be with you.” “Joe. Joe, you’re an Iowa.” That was seven times he’s done that. I haven’t done it once. And if I did, you know what I’d do? I’d walk off the stage because there’s nothing you can do to come back from that. You can be — you can be Winston Churchill; he was a great, great speaker. Winston Churchill was pretty good, right? You could be Winston Churchill for the rest of the speech. And the press doesn’t kill him.
Trump made almost an identical comment on Aug. 6. At what was supposed to be an official White House event at a Whirlpool plant in Ohio, Trump attacked Biden in a way he would at a campaign rally.
Trump said:
And, by the way, as I was leaving for the great state of Ohio — did you ever watch Biden, where he’s always saying the wrong state? “It’s great to be in Florida. Florida.” “No, it’s Ohio.” I’ve never seen a guy — I haven’t done that one yet; that’s a disaster. I always say — Jim Jordan — if you do that, it’s over, right? You can be Winston Churchill. The speeches is over; you just walk off the stage.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-09-11--Trump's new list of Supreme Court picks is filled with anti-LGBTQ radicals

Donald Trump on Wednesday announced additions to his short list of potential nominees to an open seat on the United States Supreme Court .
LGBTQ groups are concerned that many of the 20 new people added to the list would put queer and trans people 's rights at serious risk if they were placed on the court .
The potential nominees , who include Republican Sens .
Ted Cruz , Tom Cotton , and Josh Hawley , have histories of virulent opposition to LGBTQ equality .
Alphonso David , president of the Human Rights Campaign , said of the additions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he may once again nominate people who would deny legal protections for LGBTQ people ... and fail to value the lives , needs , and constitutional rights of the LGBTQ community . ''
Kylee Reynolds , a fair courts project fellow with Lambda Legal , an organization focused on the legal rights of the LGBTQ community , said this sort of clear bias from judges can deter people from seeking justice in the courts and `` imperils civil rights . ''
`` Their careers had been built in many ways opposing any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their families , '' Reynolds said .
Sens .
Cruz and Cotton have clear records of opposition to LGBTQ rights .
In 2015 , Texas Republican Cruz said a potential U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of marriage equality would be `` naked and lawless judicial activism tearing down marriage laws adopted pursuant to the Constitution . ''
In April of that year , Cruz introduced a draft constitutional amendment that would have protected states that define marriage as only between a man and a woman from legal action .
Once the Supreme @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he supported Kim Davis , the Kentucky county clerk who refused to follow the law and issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples .
Last year , Cruz called a Texas parent 's support for his transgender child `` nothing less than child abuse . ''
In 2015 , Arkansas Republican Cotton said on CNN that people who did n't like the Religious Freedom Restoration Act , a bill passed in Indiana and signed into law by its then-Gov .
Mike Pence , needed to `` get perspective . ''
LGBTQ advocates said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against them , but Cotton suggested the community should be grateful for their treatment : `` In Iran they hang you for the crime of being gay . ''
Cruz and Cotton both have scores of zero on the Human Rights Campaign 's Congressional Scorecard .
Another of Trump 's choices , James Ho , a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit , wrote a majority opinion and a second opinion concurring with the majority in the case of a discrimination claim brought by a transgender worker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opinion , Ho wrote about issues that were n't directly relevant to the case , such as transgender people 's bathroom use .
In the concurrence , Ho railed against consideration of transgender people facing discrimination based on sex in Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act , saying , `` As a matter of ordinary usage , the term 'sex , ' of course , does not mean 'sexual orientation ' or 'transgender status . '
In common , ordinary usage in 1964—and now , for that matter—the word 'sex ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Supreme Court ruled in June that the Title VII prohibition on discrimination `` on the basis of sex '' does include transgender workers as well as lesbian , gay , and bisexual workers .
Missouri Republican Hawley said the June ruling on Title VII `` represents the end of the conservative legal movement . ''
Gregory Katsas , a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit , once served as White House deputy counsel under Trump .
Katsas has opposed LGBTQ equality throughout his career @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Defense of Marriage Act , which defined marriage as only between a man and a woman ; has been critical of the court 's 2015 marriage equality decision ; and said it is clear that children are best raised by both of their biological parents .
Katsas has worked on Trump administration policies that are discriminatory against transgender people , including the transgender military ban .
Noel Francisco , who left his position as solicitor general of the United States in June , has been at the forefront of anti-LGBTQ legal actions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Francisco argued before the Supreme Court in a case involving discrimination against LGBTQ workers : `` Sex and gender identity , like sex and sexual orientation , are different traits .
This is an issue better left to Congress ...
I think it is important to allow the democratic process to resolve these issues . ''
Stuart Kyle Duncan , a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit , has spent much of his career arguing against LGBTQ rights .
He formerly worked as the general counsel for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for which he defended Louisiana 's ban on marriage equality .
This year , Duncan refused to use the correct pronouns for a transgender litigant , Kathrine Nicole Jett , and defended his decision by saying that if he chose to refer to her accurately , another judge might end up having to use pronouns such as `` xe '' or `` hir . ''
Paul Clement , a partner with Kirkland & Ellis and solicitor general of the United States under George W. Bush , has also argued in favor of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a common theme among Trump 's picks for the Supreme Court .
In 2013 , Clement filed a brief in United States v. Windsor that argued LGBTQ people were already so powerful that they did not need legal protections .
`` In short , gays and lesbians are one of the most influential , best-connected , best-funded , and best-organized interest groups in modern politics , and have attained more legislative victories , political power , and popular favor in less time than virtually any other group in American history , '' Clement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is absolutely no reason to think that gays and lesbians are shut out of the political process to a degree that would justify judicial intervention on an issue as divisive and fast moving as same-sex marriage . ''
Bridget Bade , a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit , dissented in a case involving a trans woman with gender dysphoria and her ability to get gender-affirming surgery in prison .
Bade and other dissenting judges argued that a decision in favor of the trans woman inmate , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ constitutional right to state-funded sex reassignment surgery . ''
Allison Jones Rushing , a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit , interned with the Alliance Defending Freedom , which has been called an anti-LGBTQ hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center .
The group has ferociously fought against LGBTQ rights in the courts .
Rushing also reportedly defended the Defense of Marriage Act and backed justices ' dissent in the 2015 marriage equality decision .
In 2018 , the National Center for Transgender Equality opposed Rushing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noting : `` In 2013 , Rushing gave a talk defending the Bush administration ’ s efforts to ban same-sex marriage nationwide , arguing that Congress and states should be able to adopt discriminatory laws solely because they believe LGBT people are immoral . ''
Hawley too has connections to the Alliance Defending Freedom .
In 2013 he was flown to Phoenix on the ADF 's so-called Blackstone Legal Fellowship , receiving thousands of dollars apparently for a one-hour speech that was required to use language endorsing the group 's views on LGBTQ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , an anti-LGBTQ group , supported the appointment of Barbara Lagoa , now a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit , to the Florida Supreme Court last year .
Lagoa is included in Trump 's list of potential Supreme Court picks .
What people on Trump 's short list do n't say is also significant .
An American Bar Association letter in response to the nomination of Lawrence VanDyke to the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit noted that VanDyke would not affirm that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that he was `` arrogant , lazy , an ideologue , and lacking in knowledge . ''
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Donald Trump on Wednesday announced additions to his short list of potential nominees to an open seat on the United States Supreme Court.
LGBTQ groups are concerned that many of the 20 new people added to the list would put queer and trans people’s rights at serious risk if they were placed on the court.
The potential nominees, who include Republican Sens. Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton, and Josh Hawley, have histories of virulent opposition to LGBTQ equality.
Alphonso David, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said of the additions: “If the past is prologue, he may once again nominate people who would deny legal protections for LGBTQ people … and fail to value the lives, needs, and constitutional rights of the LGBTQ community.”
Kylee Reynolds, a fair courts project fellow with Lambda Legal, an organization focused on the legal rights of the LGBTQ community, said this sort of clear bias from judges can deter people from seeking justice in the courts and “imperils civil rights.”
“Their careers had been built in many ways opposing any kind of equality for LGBT people and their families,” Reynolds said.
Taking anti-LGBTQ stands
Sens. Cruz and Cotton have clear records of opposition to LGBTQ rights.
In 2015, Texas Republican Cruz said a potential U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of marriage equality would be “naked and lawless judicial activism tearing down marriage laws adopted pursuant to the Constitution.”
In April of that year, Cruz introduced a draft constitutional amendment that would have protected states that define marriage as only between a man and a woman from legal action. Once the Supreme Court ruled in favor of marriage equality, he supported Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who refused to follow the law and issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
Last year, Cruz called a Texas parent’s support for his transgender child “nothing less than child abuse.”
In 2015, Arkansas Republican Cotton said on CNN that people who didn’t like the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a bill passed in Indiana and signed into law by its then-Gov. Mike Pence, needed to “get perspective.” LGBTQ advocates said the law would allow businesses to discriminate against them, but Cotton suggested the community should be grateful for their treatment: “In Iran they hang you for the crime of being gay.”
Cruz and Cotton both have scores of zero on the Human Rights Campaign’s Congressional Scorecard.
Another of Trump’s choices, James Ho, a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, wrote a majority opinion and a second opinion concurring with the majority in the case of a discrimination claim brought by a transgender worker, Nicole Wittmer. In the second opinion, Ho wrote about issues that weren’t directly relevant to the case, such as transgender people’s bathroom use.
In the concurrence, Ho railed against consideration of transgender people facing discrimination based on sex in Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, saying, “As a matter of ordinary usage, the term ‘sex,’ of course, does not mean ‘sexual orientation’ or ‘transgender status.’ In common, ordinary usage in 1964—and now, for that matter—the word ‘sex’ means biologically male or female.”
The Supreme Court ruled in June that the Title VII prohibition on discrimination “on the basis of sex” does include transgender workers as well as lesbian, gay, and bisexual workers.
Missouri Republican Hawley said the June ruling on Title VII “represents the end of the conservative legal movement.”
Arguing against LGBTQ rights
Gregory Katsas, a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, once served as White House deputy counsel under Trump. Katsas has opposed LGBTQ equality throughout his career.
Katsas has argued in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as only between a man and a woman; has been critical of the court’s 2015 marriage equality decision; and said it is clear that children are best raised by both of their biological parents. Katsas has worked on Trump administration policies that are discriminatory against transgender people, including the transgender military ban.
Noel Francisco, who left his position as solicitor general of the United States in June, has been at the forefront of anti-LGBTQ legal actions during the Trump administration.
Last year Francisco argued before the Supreme Court in a case involving discrimination against LGBTQ workers: “Sex and gender identity, like sex and sexual orientation, are different traits. This is an issue better left to Congress … I think it is important to allow the democratic process to resolve these issues.”
Stuart Kyle Duncan, a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, has spent much of his career arguing against LGBTQ rights. He formerly worked as the general counsel for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, for which he defended Louisiana’s ban on marriage equality. This year, Duncan refused to use the correct pronouns for a transgender litigant, Kathrine Nicole Jett, and defended his decision by saying that if he chose to refer to her accurately, another judge might end up having to use pronouns such as “xe” or “hir.”
Paul Clement, a partner with Kirkland & Ellis and solicitor general of the United States under George W. Bush, has also argued in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act, which is a common theme among Trump’s picks for the Supreme Court. In 2013, Clement filed a brief in United States v. Windsor that argued LGBTQ people were already so powerful that they did not need legal protections.
“In short, gays and lesbians are one of the most influential, best-connected, best-funded, and best-organized interest groups in modern politics, and have attained more legislative victories, political power, and popular favor in less time than virtually any other group in American history,” Clement wrote.
He added, “There is absolutely no reason to think that gays and lesbians are shut out of the political process to a degree that would justify judicial intervention on an issue as divisive and fast moving as same-sex marriage.”
Bridget Bade, a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, dissented in a case involving a trans woman with gender dysphoria and her ability to get gender-affirming surgery in prison. Bade and other dissenting judges argued that a decision in favor of the trans woman inmate, Adree Edmo, would “invent a constitutional right to state-funded sex reassignment surgery.”
Ties to anti-LGBTQ groups
Allison Jones Rushing, a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, interned with the Alliance Defending Freedom, which has been called an anti-LGBTQ hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The group has ferociously fought against LGBTQ rights in the courts. Rushing also reportedly defended the Defense of Marriage Act and backed justices’ dissent in the 2015 marriage equality decision.
In 2018, the National Center for Transgender Equality opposed Rushing’s appointment to court of appeals, noting: “In 2013, Rushing gave a talk defending the Bush administration’s efforts to ban same-sex marriage nationwide, arguing that Congress and states should be able to adopt discriminatory laws solely because they believe LGBT people are immoral.”
Hawley too has connections to the Alliance Defending Freedom. In 2013 he was flown to Phoenix on the ADF’s so-called Blackstone Legal Fellowship, receiving thousands of dollars apparently for a one-hour speech that was required to use language endorsing the group’s views on LGBTQ issues.
The Florida Family Policy Council, an anti-LGBTQ group, supported the appointment of Barbara Lagoa, now a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, to the Florida Supreme Court last year. Lagoa is included in Trump’s list of potential Supreme Court picks.
What people on Trump’s short list don’t say is also significant. An American Bar Association letter in response to the nomination of Lawrence VanDyke to the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit noted that VanDyke would not affirm that he would treat LGBTQ litigants fairly and said that he was “arrogant, lazy, an ideologue, and lacking in knowledge.”
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-09-11--Trump can't figure out how to attack Joe Biden so he's targeting Kamala Harris instead

Donald Trump barely mentioned Tim Kaine when he was the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2016 .
But four years later , the president has plenty to say about Kamala Harris .
Trump said this week that `` nobody likes '' Harris , feeding into a standard of likability that is applied to women in leadership far more often than men .
He told voters in North Carolina it would be `` an insult to our country '' if Harris became the first female president .
And Trump and his allies repeatedly mispronounce Harris ' first name , a pattern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effort to portray the daughter of immigrants as someone who does not belong at the top ranks of politics .
Trump is focusing on Harris as he has sometimes struggled to land on a consistent , coherent attack against Biden , who has built a reputation as a bipartisan deal maker rather than a progressive ideologue .
And the racism and sexism underlying Trump 's critique of the first Black woman and person of Asian descent on a major party ticket are part of an aggressive strategy to appeal to white suburban voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that as not somehow tied to what you view as 'our country , ' '' said Kelly Dittmar , director of research and scholar at the Center for American Women and Politics at the Eagleton Institute of Politics .
For her part , Harris has been sharp in her criticism of Trump , but has largely limited her comments to the president 's job performance .
Campaigning in Miami on Thursday , she called Trump `` reckless '' for downplaying the potential toll of the coronavirus while privately describing it as `` deadly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ director for the Trump campaign , made clear that Biden , not Harris , would remain their main focus .
But he leaned into the argument that Harris was one of the radical forces now steering the nominee .
`` Kamala Harris and her voting record helps make the case against Joe Biden , '' Murtaugh said .
The strategy could be risky for Trump .
Black voters already overwhelmingly support Biden and sustained criticism of Harris could fuel their enthusiasm to show up in November , potentially swaying the election in states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pennsylvania , and Michigan .
A Harris spokeswoman declined to comment on Trump 's latest attacks .
It 's also unusual for an incumbent president to attack their opponent 's running mate .
Doing so would typically be seen as punching down .
More fundamentally , the effort to characterize Harris as a radical liberal does n't fit her record .
Harris has never been embraced by some elements of the progressive left due to her background as a California prosecutor and attorney general .
When she joined the ticket in August , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trying to hide her crime-fighting past and someone who was soft on crime .
Like Biden , Harris has staked out relatively moderate stances over the course of her career on issues such as health care and law enforcement .
She co-sponsored Sen. Bernie Sanders ' Medicare for All proposal in the Senate , which the Trump campaign points to as evidence of her liberal voting record , but moderated her stance during her own presidential bid .
And without a clear message , Trump has reverted to his usual playbook , resorting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You know who 's further left than Crazy Bernie ?
Kamala .
Kamala .
Kamala , '' Trump said , mispronouncing and stretching out each syllable of her name each time he said it in North Carolina .
The repeated mispronunciation of Harris ' first name , which several Trump allies have mimicked , seemed deliberately racist and akin to the president 's former habit of referring to his predecessor as `` Barack Hussein Obama '' and recalling Trump 's false claim that Obama was ineligible to serve office .
Trump has long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , particularly women of color , demeaning them , questioning their patriotism or calling them `` nasty '' or `` angry . ''
In an excerpt released Wednesday from Bob Woodward 's new book , Trump , while reviewing coverage of his State of the Union address , pointed to calm or otherwise expressionless shots of Harris and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez during his speech , reportedly exclaiming : `` Hate !
See the hate !
See the hate ! ''
He 's also called Harris `` nasty '' for her questioning of Supreme @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hearings .
Though Harris is n't at the top of the ticket , running mates can help shape how voters perceive the presidential candidate , said Christopher Devine , an assistant professor of political science at the University of Dayton ( Ohio ) , who has written a book on presidential running mates .
By elevating and trying to define Harris , the Trump campaign is trying to change how voters view Biden .
`` Clearly ( Trump ) does n't feel like he can demonize Joe Biden very effectively , '' Devine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ making this argument that he 's going to be a Trojan horse , a vehicle for elements of the far left to take over and so they 're trying to fit Kamala Harris into this slot . ''

Donald Trump barely mentioned Tim Kaine when he was the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2016. But four years later, the president has plenty to say about Kamala Harris.
Trump said this week that “nobody likes” Harris, feeding into a standard of likability that is applied to women in leadership far more often than men. He told voters in North Carolina it would be “an insult to our country” if Harris became the first female president. And Trump and his allies repeatedly mispronounce Harris’ first name, a pattern her supporters say amounts to a deliberate effort to portray the daughter of immigrants as someone who does not belong at the top ranks of politics.
Trump is focusing on Harris as he has sometimes struggled to land on a consistent, coherent attack against Biden, who has built a reputation as a bipartisan deal maker rather than a progressive ideologue. And the racism and sexism underlying Trump’s critique of the first Black woman and person of Asian descent on a major party ticket are part of an aggressive strategy to appeal to white suburban voters.
“It’s hard to see that as not somehow tied to what you view as ‘our country,'” said Kelly Dittmar, director of research and scholar at the Center for American Women and Politics at the Eagleton Institute of Politics.
For her part, Harris has been sharp in her criticism of Trump, but has largely limited her comments to the president’s job performance. Campaigning in Miami on Thursday, she called Trump “reckless” for downplaying the potential toll of the coronavirus while privately describing it as “deadly stuff.”
Tim Murtaugh, communications director for the Trump campaign, made clear that Biden, not Harris, would remain their main focus. But he leaned into the argument that Harris was one of the radical forces now steering the nominee.
“Kamala Harris and her voting record helps make the case against Joe Biden,” Murtaugh said.
The strategy could be risky for Trump. Black voters already overwhelmingly support Biden and sustained criticism of Harris could fuel their enthusiasm to show up in November, potentially swaying the election in states such as North Carolina, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. A Harris spokeswoman declined to comment on Trump’s latest attacks.
It’s also unusual for an incumbent president to attack their opponent’s running mate. Doing so would typically be seen as punching down.
More fundamentally, the effort to characterize Harris as a radical liberal doesn’t fit her record.
Harris has never been embraced by some elements of the progressive left due to her background as a California prosecutor and attorney general. When she joined the ticket in August, Republicans called her both an overzealous prosecutor trying to hide her crime-fighting past and someone who was soft on crime.
Like Biden, Harris has staked out relatively moderate stances over the course of her career on issues such as health care and law enforcement. She co-sponsored Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Medicare for All proposal in the Senate, which the Trump campaign points to as evidence of her liberal voting record, but moderated her stance during her own presidential bid.
And without a clear message, Trump has reverted to his usual playbook, resorting to sexist and racist attacks.
“You know who’s further left than Crazy Bernie? Kamala. Kamala. Kamala,” Trump said, mispronouncing and stretching out each syllable of her name each time he said it in North Carolina.
The repeated mispronunciation of Harris’ first name, which several Trump allies have mimicked, seemed deliberately racist and akin to the president’s former habit of referring to his predecessor as “Barack Hussein Obama” and recalling Trump’s false claim that Obama was ineligible to serve office.
Trump has long relied on similar smears against female foes, particularly women of color, demeaning them, questioning their patriotism or calling them “nasty” or “angry.”
In an excerpt released Wednesday from Bob Woodward’s new book, Trump, while reviewing coverage of his State of the Union address, pointed to calm or otherwise expressionless shots of Harris and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez during his speech, reportedly exclaiming: “Hate! See the hate! See the hate!”
He’s also called Harris “nasty” for her questioning of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearings.
Though Harris isn’t at the top of the ticket, running mates can help shape how voters perceive the presidential candidate, said Christopher Devine, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Dayton (Ohio), who has written a book on presidential running mates. By elevating and trying to define Harris, the Trump campaign is trying to change how voters view Biden.
“Clearly (Trump) doesn’t feel like he can demonize Joe Biden very effectively,” Devine said. “So they’ve been making this argument that he’s going to be a Trojan horse, a vehicle for elements of the far left to take over and so they’re trying to fit Kamala Harris into this slot.”


shareblue--2020-09-11--Wisconsin Supreme Court halts mailing of absentee ballots 2 months before election

The conservative-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a halt in the mailing of absentee ballots until it gives the go-ahead or makes any future ruling about who should be on the ballot in the critical battleground state .
The order injects confusion into voting in Wisconsin a week before the state 's deadline for absentee ballots to be mailed to those with requests on file and less than two months before the Nov. 3 presidential election .
Polls show a tight race in the state between Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden .
Local election clerks sounded the alarm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the process would mean .
`` This is potentially a huge disaster , '' said Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell .
`` Just the delay of a decision is deeply irresponsible and jeopardizes the integrity of our election . ''
In Madison alone , there were 100,000 requests for absentee ballots on file , and election staff planned to work all weekend on mailing them out , he said .
If the court ordered changes to the ballot , Dane County would have to print , package , sort , and deliver 500,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lawsuit by Green Party presidential candidate Howie Hawkins , who asked the state 's highest court to take up his challenge of a Wisconsin Elections Commission decision keeping him off the ballot .
The commission deadlocked in August on whether Hawkins had submitted the proper paperwork .
Rapper Kanye West , in a separate case , is also trying to get on the ballot after the commission voted 5-1 that his nomination papers were too late .
West argues that his papers , which were accepted minutes after the 5 p.m. deadline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the ballot .
A Brown County judge said he hoped to rule within days on West 's lawsuit , which could cause further delays in the mailing of ballots .
Whether West and Hawkins are allowed on the ballot could have a significant impact in razor-close Wisconsin .
The Green Party 's 2016 presidential candidate , Jill Stein , won 31,006 votes in the state , which was more than Trump 's 22,177-vote margin over Hillary Clinton .
The state Supreme Court , in a 4-3 decision split along ideological lines , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now .
Municipal election clerks face a Sept. 17 deadline to mail absentee ballots to anyone who had requested one .
There is also a Sept. 19 federal deadline to mail ballots to voters overseas and in the military .
As of Thursday , nearly 1 million absentee ballots had been requested in Wisconsin .
While Sept. 17 is the deadline for clerks to mail absentee ballots to those who already have a request on file , anyone who makes a request later will still be mailed a ballot .
Oct. 29 is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a ballot by mail .
Returned ballots must be received by the time polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day .
Wisconsin Elections Commissioner Meagan Wolfe said Thursday , just prior to the court 's order , that some clerks may have already mailed ballots without West 's and Hawkins ' names on them .
If West or Hawkins ends up getting on the ballot , the clerks would likely send voters a new ballot , Wolfe said .
Voters would also likely receive instructions telling them that their first ballot would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ second one , she said .
That scenario is `` incredibly problematic , '' Wolfe said .
The high court asked the elections commission to provide detailed information by 5 p.m. Thursday on who had requested an absentee ballot , whether any had been sent , to whom they were mailed , when they were mailed , and to what address .
Wolfe 's filing at the deadline showed local clerks have marked about 380,000 ballots as sent .
She said she could n't personally vouch that the information was accurate , however @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the city of Madison marked about 77,000 ballots as sent .
City Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl said the city has everything ready to go but froze things after the court ruling , and has n't yet put anything in the mail .
Commission spokesman Reid Magney said the city marked that many ballots as sent in the statewide voter registration system and the commission ca n't differentiate between what 's marked sent and what actually goes out .
He said Madison officials may have decided to mark a ballot as sent on the date @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the commission got responses from 63 of 72 counties , but only 25 municipalities .
She gave the court the names and addresses of about 100 voters who had requested ballots .
The court 's three liberal justices dissented , saying that `` given the breadth of the information requested and the minimal time allotted to obtain it ( the court ) is asking the impossible of our approximately 1,850 municipal clerks throughout the state . ''
Gillian Drummond , a spokeswoman for the state Department of Justice , which was representing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Hawkins ' attorney did not immediately return a message .
Elections officials have been urging voters to return their ballots as soon as possible because of concerns with slower mail delivery and the expected unprecedented number of absentee ballots .
State elections officials have estimated that more than 2 million of the state 's roughly 3 million eligible voters will cast absentee ballots , largely due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic .
There are more than 170 lawsuits nationally over election procedures , often filed by the two major parties or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new level of uncertainty into a contest already disrupted by the pandemic .
There has also been litigation over attempts by third parties like the Greens or candidates like West to get on the ballot in other states such as Arizona , Pennsylvania , and Virginia .

The conservative-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a halt in the mailing of absentee ballots until it gives the go-ahead or makes any future ruling about who should be on the ballot in the critical battleground state.
The order injects confusion into voting in Wisconsin a week before the state’s deadline for absentee ballots to be mailed to those with requests on file and less than two months before the Nov. 3 presidential election. Polls show a tight race in the state between Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden.
Local election clerks sounded the alarm about what even a temporary delay in the process would mean.
“This is potentially a huge disaster,” said Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell. “Just the delay of a decision is deeply irresponsible and jeopardizes the integrity of our election.”
In Madison alone, there were 100,000 requests for absentee ballots on file, and election staff planned to work all weekend on mailing them out, he said. If the court ordered changes to the ballot, Dane County would have to print, package, sort, and deliver 500,000 new ballots.
The ruling came in a lawsuit by Green Party presidential candidate Howie Hawkins, who asked the state’s highest court to take up his challenge of a Wisconsin Elections Commission decision keeping him off the ballot. The commission deadlocked in August on whether Hawkins had submitted the proper paperwork.
Rapper Kanye West, in a separate case, is also trying to get on the ballot after the commission voted 5-1 that his nomination papers were too late. West argues that his papers, which were accepted minutes after the 5 p.m. deadline, meet the requirements to put him on the ballot. A Brown County judge said he hoped to rule within days on West’s lawsuit, which could cause further delays in the mailing of ballots.
Whether West and Hawkins are allowed on the ballot could have a significant impact in razor-close Wisconsin. The Green Party’s 2016 presidential candidate, Jill Stein, won 31,006 votes in the state, which was more than Trump’s 22,177-vote margin over Hillary Clinton.
The state Supreme Court, in a 4-3 decision split along ideological lines, said no ballots can be sent for now. Municipal election clerks face a Sept. 17 deadline to mail absentee ballots to anyone who had requested one. There is also a Sept. 19 federal deadline to mail ballots to voters overseas and in the military. As of Thursday, nearly 1 million absentee ballots had been requested in Wisconsin.
While Sept. 17 is the deadline for clerks to mail absentee ballots to those who already have a request on file, anyone who makes a request later will still be mailed a ballot. Oct. 29 is the deadline for most voters to request a ballot by mail. Returned ballots must be received by the time polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Wisconsin Elections Commissioner Meagan Wolfe said Thursday, just prior to the court’s order, that some clerks may have already mailed ballots without West’s and Hawkins’ names on them. If West or Hawkins ends up getting on the ballot, the clerks would likely send voters a new ballot, Wolfe said. Voters would also likely receive instructions telling them that their first ballot would still count unless they mailed in the second one, she said.
That scenario is “incredibly problematic,” Wolfe said.
The high court asked the elections commission to provide detailed information by 5 p.m. Thursday on who had requested an absentee ballot, whether any had been sent, to whom they were mailed, when they were mailed, and to what address.
Wolfe’s filing at the deadline showed local clerks have marked about 380,000 ballots as sent. She said she couldn’t personally vouch that the information was accurate, however.
For example, the spreadsheet shows the city of Madison marked about 77,000 ballots as sent. City Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl said the city has everything ready to go but froze things after the court ruling, and hasn’t yet put anything in the mail.
Commission spokesman Reid Magney said the city marked that many ballots as sent in the statewide voter registration system and the commission can’t differentiate between what’s marked sent and what actually goes out. He said Madison officials may have decided to mark a ballot as sent on the date they generated the mailing labels.
Wolfe said the commission got responses from 63 of 72 counties, but only 25 municipalities. She gave the court the names and addresses of about 100 voters who had requested ballots.
The court’s three liberal justices dissented, saying that “given the breadth of the information requested and the minimal time allotted to obtain it (the court) is asking the impossible of our approximately 1,850 municipal clerks throughout the state.”
Gillian Drummond, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Justice, which was representing the elections commission, declined to comment. Hawkins’ attorney did not immediately return a message.
Elections officials have been urging voters to return their ballots as soon as possible because of concerns with slower mail delivery and the expected unprecedented number of absentee ballots. State elections officials have estimated that more than 2 million of the state’s roughly 3 million eligible voters will cast absentee ballots, largely due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.
There are more than 170 lawsuits nationally over election procedures, often filed by the two major parties or their allies, that have injected a new level of uncertainty into a contest already disrupted by the pandemic. There has also been litigation over attempts by third parties like the Greens or candidates like West to get on the ballot in other states such as Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.


shareblue--2020-09-11--As Trump marks 9/11, report finds he's withheld millions from sick first responders

On the 19th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington , D.C. on Sept. 11 , 2001 , the New York Daily News is reporting that the Trump administration has withheld roughly $ 4 million in funds allocated to cover health care costs for firefighters and other first responders who got sick after responding to the attacks .
`` Here we have sick World Trade Center-exposed firefighters and EMS workers , at a time when the city is having difficult financial circumstances due to COVID-19 , and we 're not getting the money we need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Dr. David Prezant , the FDNY ’ s chief medical officer and director of the FDNY World Trade Center Health Program , said .
The report comes as Donald Trump and Mike Pence mark the anniversary of the attacks , which killed 2,977 people at three different sites : the World Trade Center in New York ; the Pentagon outside of Washington , D.C. ; and a field in Shanksville , Pennsylvania , after passengers on a hijacked plane prevented it from being used as a missile against its original target .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ has a checkered past when it comes to his response to 9/11 .
Hours after the Twin Towers fell , Trump called in to a local television station to brag that he now had the tallest tower in lower Manhattan — a tone-deaf claim that was inaccurate .
Trump also claimed to have personally spent `` a lot of time '' at Ground Zero helping in clean-up efforts , and that he , as well as `` a couple hundred people '' he sent , helped with recovery .
However , Politifact could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of those things .
Politifact interviewed Richard Alles , a NYFD battalion chief on 9/11 , who questioned Trump 's account , saying that if Trump had sent workers `` there would be a record of it . ''
`` I was there for several months — I have no knowledge of his being down there , '' Alles said .
Trump also claimed that he got $ 150,000 in relief funds for helping with 9/11 recovery work .
The Daily News reported that his company requested the money for `` rent loss @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` repair , '' and called his claim , `` just a huge lie . ''
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

On the 19th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. on Sept. 11, 2001, the New York Daily News is reporting that the Trump administration has withheld roughly $4 million in funds allocated to cover health care costs for firefighters and other first responders who got sick after responding to the attacks.
“Here we have sick World Trade Center-exposed firefighters and EMS workers, at a time when the city is having difficult financial circumstances due to COVID-19, and we’re not getting the money we need to be able to treat these heroes,” Dr. David Prezant, the FDNY’s chief medical officer and director of the FDNY World Trade Center Health Program, said.
The report comes as Donald Trump and Mike Pence mark the anniversary of the attacks, which killed 2,977 people at three different sites: the World Trade Center in New York; the Pentagon outside of Washington, D.C.; and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers on a hijacked plane prevented it from being used as a missile against its original target.
Trump, for his part, already has a checkered past when it comes to his response to 9/11.
Hours after the Twin Towers fell, Trump called in to a local television station to brag that he now had the tallest tower in lower Manhattan — a tone-deaf claim that was inaccurate.
Trump also claimed to have personally spent “a lot of time” at Ground Zero helping in clean-up efforts, and that he, as well as “a couple hundred people” he sent, helped with recovery.
However, Politifact could not find evidence that Trump did any of those things.
Politifact interviewed Richard Alles, a NYFD battalion chief on 9/11, who questioned Trump’s account, saying that if Trump had sent workers “there would be a record of it.”
“I was there for several months — I have no knowledge of his being down there,” Alles said.
Trump also claimed that he got $150,000 in relief funds for helping with 9/11 recovery work. The Daily News reported that his company requested the money for “rent loss,” “cleanup,” and “repair,” and called his claim, “just a huge lie.”
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-09-11--Trump brags about creating auto factories in Michigan that don't exist

Donald Trump told Michigan voters on Thursday that they 'd `` better vote for him '' because of all the new automobile manufacturing facilities he has brought the state .
In reality , that number is quite small .
`` I got you so many damn car plants , '' Trump told a rally in Freeland .
`` I got you a lot of plants !
Is that right ?
Have you seen what we 're doing here ?
All the plants that have been built , are being built , and what about the plants that are being expanded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you credit for that .
They 're just expanding . ''
But according to the Detroit Free Press , just one new major assembly factory has been announced in Michigan since Trump took office .
Over that time , the paper noted , General Motors has announced several plants will become idle .
On Thursday , the Washington Post fact-checked previous recent claims by Trump that he has created `` many plants '' in Michigan , Ohio , South Carolina , North Carolina , and other places and they have expanded `` at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before . ''
The claim received a `` Four Pinocchios '' rating , based on a de minimis number of new plants in those states and a decline in automobile manufacturing investment , compared to the later Obama-Biden years .
`` In total , there were over $ 64.2 billion in automaker manufacturing investment announcements in the United States between 2013-2016 ( previous three-year period ) vs. $ 40.0B between 2017-2020 , '' Kristin Dziczek , vice president of the Center for Automotive Research , told the paper .
Trump also claimed in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after the last administration nearly killed the U.S. auto industry , '' he had `` saved '' it .
The Obama-Biden administration famously helped save Michigan 's auto industry with a bailout of the sector .
Trump 's 2012 endorsed candidate , Mitt Romney , opposed the bailout , instead proposing to `` Let Detroit Go Bankrupt . ''
In recent months , Trump has frequently claimed to have restored `` our nation 's manufacturing , '' falsely suggesting a massive renaissance .
But according to CNN , the growth has mostly been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Silicon Valley 's technology sector — while factory jobs in states like Michigan , Ohio , Pennsylvania , and Wisconsin were on the decline , even before the coronavirus pandemic .
Overall , Trump created fewer jobs in each of his first three years than the Obama-Biden administration crated in any of their final three years .
Forbes noted in February that Obama added more than 3 million new jobs in 2014 , 2.72 million in 2015 , and more than 2.34 million in 2016 , for a net eight-year total of about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ best year — 2018 — saw only about 2.31 million jobs created .
With massive layoffs from the pandemic , Trump has actually lost a net 4.7 million jobs since taking office .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Donald Trump told Michigan voters on Thursday that they’d “better vote for him” because of all the new automobile manufacturing facilities he has brought the state. In reality, that number is quite small.
“I got you so many damn car plants,” Trump told a rally in Freeland. “I got you a lot of plants! Is that right? Have you seen what we’re doing here? All the plants that have been built, are being built, and what about the plants that are being expanded? They don’t want to give you credit for that. They’re just expanding.”
But according to the Detroit Free Press, just one new major assembly factory has been announced in Michigan since Trump took office. Over that time, the paper noted, General Motors has announced several plants will become idle.
On Thursday, the Washington Post fact-checked previous recent claims by Trump that he has created “many plants” in Michigan, Ohio, South Carolina, North Carolina, and other places and they have expanded “at a level that we’ve never seen before.” The claim received a “Four Pinocchios” rating, based on a de minimis number of new plants in those states and a decline in automobile manufacturing investment, compared to the later Obama-Biden years.
“In total, there were over $64.2 billion in automaker manufacturing investment announcements in the United States between 2013-2016 (previous three-year period) vs. $40.0B between 2017-2020,” Kristin Dziczek, vice president of the Center for Automotive Research, told the paper.
Trump also claimed in the same speech on Thursday that “after the last administration nearly killed the U.S. auto industry,” he had “saved” it. The Obama-Biden administration famously helped save Michigan’s auto industry with a bailout of the sector. Trump’s 2012 endorsed candidate, Mitt Romney, opposed the bailout, instead proposing to “Let Detroit Go Bankrupt.”
In recent months, Trump has frequently claimed to have restored “our nation’s manufacturing,” falsely suggesting a massive renaissance. But according to CNN, the growth has mostly been confined to a few industries like — Silicon Valley’s technology sector — while factory jobs in states like Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin were on the decline, even before the coronavirus pandemic.
Overall, Trump created fewer jobs in each of his first three years than the Obama-Biden administration crated in any of their final three years. Forbes noted in February that Obama added more than 3 million new jobs in 2014, 2.72 million in 2015, and more than 2.34 million in 2016, for a net eight-year total of about 11.6 million jobs gained. Trump’s best year — 2018 — saw only about 2.31 million jobs created.
With massive layoffs from the pandemic, Trump has actually lost a net 4.7 million jobs since taking office.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-09-12--Kansas City Chiefs finally heed call to ban racist symbols at games

The roughly 17,000 fans of the Kansas City Chiefs who filed into Arrowhead Stadium for a masked and socially distanced start to the NFL season Thursday found themselves thrust into the middle of the nationwide discussion about social injustice .
The Super Bowl champions had already prohibited fans from wearing headdresses or war paint amid a push for more cultural sensitivity .
And along with the NFL , the Chiefs had planned a series of videos and other on-field demonstrations in the lead-up to the NFL season that were designed to highlight systemic racism and social injustice .
But it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the national anthem that lit up social media as the game played out .
The Houston Texans remained in the locker room during the anthem , and fans booed them when they emerged from the tunnel at its conclusion .
The booing continued as the two teams walked to midfield and shook hands , their interlocked arms stretched from one end zone to the other during what was supposed to be a moment of silence .
`` The moment of unity I personally thought was good .
The booing was unfortunate in that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Watt said after the Chiefs emerged with a 34-20 victory .
`` I do n't fully understand that .
There was no flag involved , there was nothing involved with that besides two teams coming together to show unity . ''
Nationwide calls to address racial issues have become more prevalent since George Floyd died May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into the handcuffed Black man 's neck for nearly eight minutes during an arrest .
Four officers were fired and have been charged in Floyd 's death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the nation .
Players from both teams discussed how they would handle pregame in the weeks leading up to the opener .
The Chiefs chose to stay on the field for the national anthem , while the Texans decided to remain in the locker room .
`` We had a few player meetings and let everybody know that we had their back , '' Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce said .
`` You know , you can go ahead and whatever you feel is the right decision in your heart , you have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have your brother 's support on this team .
We made sure everybody was comfortable in that area . ''
Still , the booing by some fans became the dominant story line on social media as the game played out .
`` I did n't really hear the booing .
I did n't notice that , '' Texans coach Bill O'Brien said .
`` I just I thought that that was a nice thing to do .
So I 'm not sure why they would do that .
Maybe they were just booing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the field as the visiting team .
But yeah , I thought that that was a very nice gesture . ''
Meanwhile , the move to rein in Native American imagery by the Chiefs has been seen as a good first step , but it also has frustrated some of the franchise 's longtime fans , including some who were in the stands as the team became the first to take the field in front of a crowd — albeit a smaller than normal one — during the coronavirus pandemic .
`` I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but I mean , we 've got to listen to the rules , '' said Kory Noe , who owns a car lot in Stafford , Missouri .
`` I 'm a big fan of the tomahawk chop .
It 's just been the Chiefs ' signature song since they started and it 's going to be hard not to do it if they take it away . ''
In fact , the Chiefs are pushing a subtle change to the tomahawk chop celebration amid complaints that it 's racist .
The plan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fist instead of an open palm to signal the beating of a drum .
The team typically has a celebrity or other guest of honor beat a large drum before the start of the game .
`` We 've started to work and started some discussions about trying again to educate and make people aware of the sacred position of the drum in the American Indian culture , but also that it 's seen as sort of the heartbeat of that culture , '' Chiefs president Mark Donovan said `` It 's easy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'OK , it 's kind of the heartbeat of the stadium , too . '
'' The changes in Kansas City came after several professional franchises , including the Cleveland Indians in Major League Baseball , have been pushed to drop racist imagery .
The biggest victory for supporters of Native Americans may have come before the start of the football season , when the Washington franchise dropped Redskins as its nickname .
`` I see where the problem is with having ( a headdress ) and doing the face paint and everything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their culture , '' said Jackson Allen , a 24-year-old sales rep from Springfield , Missouri .
`` It 's offensive .
I can see the problem . ''
The Chiefs have worked with tribes for the past six years to distance themselves from imagery that could be considered racist .
Each season , a game is dedicated to Native American heritage .
Students at nearby Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence , Kansas , were among those who demanded changes .
`` Using this mascot and having this fan base of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ headdresses and doing the tomahawk chop , and it energizes them and gives them this sense of power , and then thinking there is nothing wrong with doing that is just mind-boggling to me , '' said William Wilkinson , a 22-year-old business major from Madison , Wisconsin , who is Navajo , Cherokee , Mandan , Hidatsa , and Arikara .
Wilkinson also said the Chiefs should change their nickname , although the franchise has maintained for years that it is named in honor of H. Roe Bartle .
The philanthropist and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was `` Chief , '' was instrumental in helping to relocate the team from Dallas .
Ty Rowton , a self-described superfan who goes to games as the X-Factor , often attends with a foam Arrowhead on his head , beads , and a cape signed by players .
But he has made one change to his costume : Instead of face paint , Rowton affixed duct tape with Bible verses to his face .
He thinks the team 's changes are an overreaction and that the Chiefs should keep the tomahawk chop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us riled up together and that we do as one .
It has never been meant to be disrespectful . ''
Gaylene Crouser , executive director of the Kansas City Indian Center , said it 's wrong to use `` a race of people as a mascot . ''
`` It has always been swept under the rug , '' she said , `` but because the Washington team was leaned on so hard that they made the change , now some of the other ones are starting to feel the heat .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the end of this acceptable racism . ''

The roughly 17,000 fans of the Kansas City Chiefs who filed into Arrowhead Stadium for a masked and socially distanced start to the NFL season Thursday found themselves thrust into the middle of the nationwide discussion about social injustice.
The Super Bowl champions had already prohibited fans from wearing headdresses or war paint amid a push for more cultural sensitivity. And along with the NFL, the Chiefs had planned a series of videos and other on-field demonstrations in the lead-up to the NFL season that were designed to highlight systemic racism and social injustice.
But it was the response by some fans during the national anthem that lit up social media as the game played out.
The Houston Texans remained in the locker room during the anthem, and fans booed them when they emerged from the tunnel at its conclusion. The booing continued as the two teams walked to midfield and shook hands, their interlocked arms stretched from one end zone to the other during what was supposed to be a moment of silence.
“The moment of unity I personally thought was good. The booing was unfortunate in that moment,” Texans defensive end J.J. Watt said after the Chiefs emerged with a 34-20 victory. “I don’t fully understand that. There was no flag involved, there was nothing involved with that besides two teams coming together to show unity.”
Nationwide calls to address racial issues have become more prevalent since George Floyd died May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into the handcuffed Black man’s neck for nearly eight minutes during an arrest. Four officers were fired and have been charged in Floyd’s death, and protests have continued to grip the nation.
Players from both teams discussed how they would handle pregame in the weeks leading up to the opener. The Chiefs chose to stay on the field for the national anthem, while the Texans decided to remain in the locker room.
“We had a few player meetings and let everybody know that we had their back,” Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce said. “You know, you can go ahead and whatever you feel is the right decision in your heart, you have your brother’s back, and you have your brother’s support on this team. We made sure everybody was comfortable in that area.”
Still, the booing by some fans became the dominant story line on social media as the game played out.
“I didn’t really hear the booing. I didn’t notice that,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said. “I just I thought that that was a nice thing to do. So I’m not sure why they would do that. Maybe they were just booing us because we had just come on the field as the visiting team. But yeah, I thought that that was a very nice gesture.”
Meanwhile, the move to rein in Native American imagery by the Chiefs has been seen as a good first step, but it also has frustrated some of the franchise’s longtime fans, including some who were in the stands as the team became the first to take the field in front of a crowd — albeit a smaller than normal one — during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I think it’s a little overboard, but I mean, we’ve got to listen to the rules,” said Kory Noe, who owns a car lot in Stafford, Missouri. “I’m a big fan of the tomahawk chop. It’s just been the Chiefs’ signature song since they started and it’s going to be hard not to do it if they take it away.”
In fact, the Chiefs are pushing a subtle change to the tomahawk chop celebration amid complaints that it’s racist. The plan is for cheerleaders to use a closed fist instead of an open palm to signal the beating of a drum. The team typically has a celebrity or other guest of honor beat a large drum before the start of the game.
“We’ve started to work and started some discussions about trying again to educate and make people aware of the sacred position of the drum in the American Indian culture, but also that it’s seen as sort of the heartbeat of that culture,” Chiefs president Mark Donovan said “It’s easy to latch onto that, say, ‘OK, it’s kind of the heartbeat of the stadium, too.'”
The changes in Kansas City came after several professional franchises, including the Cleveland Indians in Major League Baseball, have been pushed to drop racist imagery. The biggest victory for supporters of Native Americans may have come before the start of the football season, when the Washington franchise dropped Redskins as its nickname.
“I see where the problem is with having (a headdress) and doing the face paint and everything, because you’re not a part of their culture,” said Jackson Allen, a 24-year-old sales rep from Springfield, Missouri. “It’s offensive. I can see the problem.”
The Chiefs have worked with tribes for the past six years to distance themselves from imagery that could be considered racist. Each season, a game is dedicated to Native American heritage.
Students at nearby Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas, were among those who demanded changes.
“Using this mascot and having this fan base of predominantly white people wearing face paint and headdresses and doing the tomahawk chop, and it energizes them and gives them this sense of power, and then thinking there is nothing wrong with doing that is just mind-boggling to me,” said William Wilkinson, a 22-year-old business major from Madison, Wisconsin, who is Navajo, Cherokee, Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara.
Wilkinson also said the Chiefs should change their nickname, although the franchise has maintained for years that it is named in honor of H. Roe Bartle. The philanthropist and two-term Kansas City mayor, whose nickname was “Chief,” was instrumental in helping to relocate the team from Dallas.
Ty Rowton, a self-described superfan who goes to games as the X-Factor, often attends with a foam Arrowhead on his head, beads, and a cape signed by players. But he has made one change to his costume: Instead of face paint, Rowton affixed duct tape with Bible verses to his face.
He thinks the team’s changes are an overreaction and that the Chiefs should keep the tomahawk chop, calling it “something that gets us riled up together and that we do as one. It has never been meant to be disrespectful.”
Gaylene Crouser, executive director of the Kansas City Indian Center, said it’s wrong to use “a race of people as a mascot.”
“It has always been swept under the rug,” she said, “but because the Washington team was leaned on so hard that they made the change, now some of the other ones are starting to feel the heat. I hope this is the beginning of the end of this acceptable racism.”


shareblue--2020-09-12--Fact check: Trump lies about lowering prescription drug prices

Donald Trump exaggerated his administration 's efforts to lower prescription drug prices this week .
A look at one of his claims in the 2020 campaign Wednesday and how it stacks up with the facts : TRUMP : `` We will be substantially LOWERING Medicare Premiums and Prescription Drug Prices , bringing them down to levels that were not thought possible ! ''
— tweet .
THE FACTS : To be clear , no massive , across-the-board cuts are in the offing for drug prices .
Efforts announced in July by Trump — such as allowing importation of medicines from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time to roll out .
It remains to be seen how much they 'll move the needle on prices .
Drug importation , for example , requires regulatory actions to be taken and supply chains to be established , a tall order when the election is just two months away .
Trump has taken actions to reduce patient costs for some drugs , such as insulin , but the steps have been less ambitious than those in a bill from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that the House passed last year .
Her proposal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expensive medications and use savings from lower drug costs to establish Medicare coverage for dental care , hearing , and vision .
She would cap Medicare recipients ' out-of-pocket costs for medicines at $ 2,000 a year .
No limit exists on those annual costs now .
The vast majority of Medicare recipients have low drug costs , but the Kaiser Family Foundation estimated that in 2017 , about 1 million Medicare recipients paid much more , averaging $ 3,200 in a year .
White House actions , while not insignificant , do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brags about .
One major initiative would give people on Medicare the option of limiting their out-of-pocket costs for insulin to $ 35 a month starting next year , by picking an `` enhanced '' prescription drug plan for a slightly higher premium .
Democratic attacks on Republicans efforts on the issue of health care proved successful in the 2018 midterms , when Democrats won back control of the House .

Donald Trump exaggerated his administration’s efforts to lower prescription drug prices this week.
A look at one of his claims in the 2020 campaign Wednesday and how it stacks up with the facts:
HEALTH CARE
TRUMP: “We will be substantially LOWERING Medicare Premiums and Prescription Drug Prices, bringing them down to levels that were not thought possible!” — tweet.
THE FACTS: To be clear, no massive, across-the-board cuts are in the offing for drug prices.
Efforts announced in July by Trump — such as allowing importation of medicines from countries where prices are lower — take time to roll out. It remains to be seen how much they’ll move the needle on prices.
Drug importation, for example, requires regulatory actions to be taken and supply chains to be established, a tall order when the election is just two months away.
Trump has taken actions to reduce patient costs for some drugs, such as insulin, but the steps have been less ambitious than those in a bill from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that the House passed last year. Her proposal would authorize Medicare to negotiate prices for expensive medications and use savings from lower drug costs to establish Medicare coverage for dental care, hearing, and vision.
She would cap Medicare recipients’ out-of-pocket costs for medicines at $2,000 a year. No limit exists on those annual costs now. The vast majority of Medicare recipients have low drug costs, but the Kaiser Family Foundation estimated that in 2017, about 1 million Medicare recipients paid much more, averaging $3,200 in a year.
White House actions, while not insignificant, don’t amount to the massive changes Trump brags about. One major initiative would give people on Medicare the option of limiting their out-of-pocket costs for insulin to $35 a month starting next year, by picking an “enhanced” prescription drug plan for a slightly higher premium.
Democratic attacks on Republicans efforts on the issue of health care proved successful in the 2018 midterms, when Democrats won back control of the House.


shareblue--2020-09-13--Experts expect disasters to get even worse after 2020 due to climate change

A record amount of California is burning , spurred by a nearly 20-year mega-drought .
To the north , parts of Oregon that do n't usually catch fire are in flames .
Meanwhile , the Atlantic 's 16th and 17th named tropical storms are swirling , a record number for this time of year .
Powerful Typhoon Haishen lashed Japan and the Korean Peninsula this week .
Last month it hit 130 degrees in Death Valley , the hottest Earth has been in nearly a century .
Phoenix keeps setting triple-digit heat records , while Colorado went through a weather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week .
Siberia , famous for its icy climate , hit 100 degrees earlier this year , accompanied by wildfires .
Before that Australia and the Amazon were in flames .
Amid all that , Iowa 's derecho — bizarre straight-line winds that got as powerful as a major hurricane , causing billions of dollars in damages — barely went noticed .
Freak natural disasters — most with what scientists say likely have a climate change connection — seem to be everywhere in the crazy year 2020 .
But experts say we 'll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the good old days , when disasters were n't so wild .
`` It 's going to get A LOT worse , '' Georgia Tech climate scientist Kim Cobb said Wednesday .
`` I say that with emphasis because it does challenge the imagination .
And that 's the scary thing to know as a climate scientist in 2020 . ''
Colorado University environmental sciences chief Waleed Abdalati , NASA 's former chief scientist , said the trajectory of worsening disasters and climate change from the burning of coal , oil , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` I strongly believe we 're going to look back in 10 years , certainly 20 and definitely 50 , and say , 'Wow , 2020 was a crazy year , but I miss it , ' '' Abdalati said .
That 's because what 's happening now is just the type of crazy climate scientists anticipated 10 or 20 years ago .
`` It seems like this is what we always were talking about a decade ago , '' said North Carolina State climatologist Kathie Dello .
Even so , Cobb @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happening now was hard to fathom back then .
Just as the future of climate disasters is hard to fathom now .
`` A year like 2020 could have been the subject of a marvelous science fiction film in 2000 , '' Cobb said .
`` Now we have to watch and digest real-time disaster after disaster after disaster , on top of a pandemic .
The outlook could not be any more grim .
It 's just a horrifying prospect . ''
`` The 2030s are going to be noticeably worse than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ University of Michigan environment dean Jonathan Overpeck , a climate scientist , said that in 30 years , because of the climate change already baked into the atmosphere , `` we 're pretty much guaranteed that we 'll have double what we have now . ''
Expect stronger winds , more drought , more heavy downpours , and floods , Abdalati said .
`` The kind of things we 're seeing are no surprise to the ( scientific ) community that understands the rules and the laws of physics , '' Abdalati said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to blame it on 2020 , but 2020 did n't do this , '' Dello said .
`` We know the behavior that caused climate change . ''
Consider the world 's environment like an engine : `` We have injected more energy into the system because we have trapped more heat into the atmosphere , '' said World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Petteri Taalas .
That means more energy for tropical storms as well as changes to rainfall patterns that bring drought to some places and heavy rainfall to others , Taalas said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2.3 million acres have burned , the fires are spurred by climate change drying plants and trees that then go up in flames , said University of Colorado fire scientist Jennifer Balch .
California is in the midst of a nearly 20-year mega-drought , the first of its kind in the United States since Europeans arrived , Overpeck said .
Scientists also make direct connections between heat waves and climate change .
Some disasters at the moment ca n't be directly linked to man-made warming , such as the derecho , Overpeck said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over time shows the problem , and it 's one that comes down to the basic physics of trapped heat energy .
`` I am not an alarmist .
I do n't want to scare people , '' Abdalati said .
`` It 's a problem with tremendous consequences and it 's too important not to get right . ''
And so even though the climate will likely get worse , Overpeck is also optimistic about what future generations will think when they look back at the wild and dangerous weather of 2020 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back and we 'll see a whole bunch of increasingly crazy years , '' Overpeck said .
`` And that this year , in 2020 , I hope we look back and say it got crazy enough that it motivated us to act on climate change in the United States . ''

A record amount of California is burning, spurred by a nearly 20-year mega-drought. To the north, parts of Oregon that don’t usually catch fire are in flames.
Meanwhile, the Atlantic’s 16th and 17th named tropical storms are swirling, a record number for this time of year. Powerful Typhoon Haishen lashed Japan and the Korean Peninsula this week. Last month it hit 130 degrees in Death Valley, the hottest Earth has been in nearly a century.
Phoenix keeps setting triple-digit heat records, while Colorado went through a weather whiplash of 90-degree heat to snow this week. Siberia, famous for its icy climate, hit 100 degrees earlier this year, accompanied by wildfires. Before that Australia and the Amazon were in flames.
Amid all that, Iowa’s derecho — bizarre straight-line winds that got as powerful as a major hurricane, causing billions of dollars in damages — barely went noticed.
Freak natural disasters — most with what scientists say likely have a climate change connection — seem to be everywhere in the crazy year 2020. But experts say we’ll probably look back and say those were the good old days, when disasters weren’t so wild.
“It’s going to get A LOT worse,” Georgia Tech climate scientist Kim Cobb said Wednesday. “I say that with emphasis because it does challenge the imagination. And that’s the scary thing to know as a climate scientist in 2020.”
Colorado University environmental sciences chief Waleed Abdalati, NASA’s former chief scientist, said the trajectory of worsening disasters and climate change from the burning of coal, oil, and gas is clear, and basic physics.
“I strongly believe we’re going to look back in 10 years, certainly 20 and definitely 50, and say, ‘Wow, 2020 was a crazy year, but I miss it,'” Abdalati said.
That’s because what’s happening now is just the type of crazy climate scientists anticipated 10 or 20 years ago.
“It seems like this is what we always were talking about a decade ago,” said North Carolina State climatologist Kathie Dello.
Even so, Cobb said the sheer magnitude of what’s happening now was hard to fathom back then. Just as the future of climate disasters is hard to fathom now.
“A year like 2020 could have been the subject of a marvelous science fiction film in 2000,” Cobb said. “Now we have to watch and digest real-time disaster after disaster after disaster, on top of a pandemic. The outlook could not be any more grim. It’s just a horrifying prospect.”
“The 2030s are going to be noticeably worse than the 2020s,” she said.
University of Michigan environment dean Jonathan Overpeck, a climate scientist, said that in 30 years, because of the climate change already baked into the atmosphere, “we’re pretty much guaranteed that we’ll have double what we have now.”
Expect stronger winds, more drought, more heavy downpours, and floods, Abdalati said.
“The kind of things we’re seeing are no surprise to the (scientific) community that understands the rules and the laws of physics,” Abdalati said.
“A lot of people want to blame it on 2020, but 2020 didn’t do this,” Dello said. “We know the behavior that caused climate change.”
Consider the world’s environment like an engine: “We have injected more energy into the system because we have trapped more heat into the atmosphere,” said World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.
That means more energy for tropical storms as well as changes to rainfall patterns that bring drought to some places and heavy rainfall to others, Taalas said.
In California, where more than 2.3 million acres have burned, the fires are spurred by climate change drying plants and trees that then go up in flames, said University of Colorado fire scientist Jennifer Balch. California is in the midst of a nearly 20-year mega-drought, the first of its kind in the United States since Europeans arrived, Overpeck said.
Scientists also make direct connections between heat waves and climate change.
Some disasters at the moment can’t be directly linked to man-made warming, such as the derecho, Overpeck said. But looking at the big picture over time shows the problem, and it’s one that comes down to the basic physics of trapped heat energy.
“I am not an alarmist. I don’t want to scare people,” Abdalati said. “It’s a problem with tremendous consequences and it’s too important not to get right.”
And so even though the climate will likely get worse, Overpeck is also optimistic about what future generations will think when they look back at the wild and dangerous weather of 2020.
“I think we’ll look back and we’ll see a whole bunch of increasingly crazy years,” Overpeck said. “And that this year, in 2020, I hope we look back and say it got crazy enough that it motivated us to act on climate change in the United States.”