shareblue--2020-06-23--21 times Trump baselessly accused people he doesn't like of a crime

Donald Trump has repeatedly accused his critics and political opponents of committing crimes since taking office , at times even threatening to have them prosecuted , arrested , or even suggesting they should be executed .
On Friday , he threatened to brutalize peaceful protesters on the eve of his first campaign event in months , a rally in Tulsa , Oklahoma .
`` Any protesters , anarchists , agitators , looters or lowlifes who are going to Oklahoma please understand , you will not be treated like you have been in New York , Seattle , or Minneapolis , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be a much different scene ! ''
Trump was referring to recent incidents of law enforcement violence against peaceful crowds protesting racism and police brutality .
Despite video evidence of those incidents , Trump and his allies have insisted the protesters and anti-fascist groups are to blame for any violence .
Friday 's tweet marked at least the 21st time Trump has threatened a political opponent or accused them of a crime .
Here 's who else he 's targeted in the past .
Trump recently demanded administration officials prosecute anyone who leaked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to use the White House bunker during recent protests over racism and police brutality , the New York Times reported on Wednesday .
`` Mr. Trump has ... become consumed , once again , with leaks from the White House , demanding that officials find and prosecute those responsible for information getting out about his trip to the bunker beneath the White House , '' the outlet reported .
Trump initially claimed he went to the bunker to inspect it , but Attorney General Bill Barr later contradicted that statement , saying the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go down to the bunker . ''
Trump suggested his own former national security adviser , John Bolton , face criminal charges after Bolton published a book critical of Trump , which also details Trump ’ s efforts to withhold military aid to Ukraine , in order to pressure the country to investigate his political rivals .
Trump was impeached over those actions in December , but was ultimately acquitted following a Senate trial earlier this year .
`` I will consider every conversation with me as president highly classified , '' Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the book gets out , he 's broken the law .
And I would think that he would have criminal problems . ''
Trump has repeatedly accused President Barack Obama of unspecified crimes since taking office , most recently accusing him of a false conspiracy theory known as `` Obamagate . ''
`` Obamagate : It 's been going on for a long time .
It ’ s been going on from before I even got elected .
And it 's a disgrace that it happened , '' Trump said during a May @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a reporter to explain what crime Obama had committed , Trump replied , `` You know what the crime is , '' later adding that it was `` very obvious to everybody . ''
Obama has never been charged with any crimes .
Trump suggested Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer be arrested or impeached back in March for allegedly threatening members of the Supreme Court when he said Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch would `` pay the price '' if they restricted abortion rights .
`` This is a direct & dangerous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Schumer , '' Trump tweeted on March 4 .
`` If a Republican did this , he or she would be arrested , or impeached .
Serious action MUST be taken NOW ! ''
Schumer said he had not threatened any members of the court but admitted his words `` did not come out the way '' he intended , adding that he was referring to a `` political price '' GOP senators would pay for supporting Kavanaugh and Gorsuch , both of whom were nominated by Trump .
Trump , meanwhile , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's liberal justices in the past , suggesting both Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor may fall victim to certain health conditions , allowing him to replace them , and that the two should recuse themselves from any cases involving his administration because they were biased against him .
In February 2020 , Trump accused both former Secretary of State John Kerry and Sen. Chris Murphy ( D-CT ) of violating the Logan Act for separate conversations the two men had with Iranian officials .
`` Kerry & Murphy illegally violated the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Feb. 19 .
`` This is why Iran is not making a deal .
Must be dealt with strongly ! ''
The Logan Act , a 1799 law , makes it illegal to negotiate with a foreign government without permission from the federal government .
Neither men were charged with crimes .
Trump accused Speaker Nancy Pelosi of criminal activity in February after Pelosi ripped up a copy of Trump 's 2020 State of the Union address following his speech .
`` First of all , it 's an official document .
You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what she did .
She broke the law , '' Trump said on Feb. 7 .
According to Politifact , Pelosi did not break the law .
The law to which Trump appeared to be referring `` is meant to prevent people from destroying records in official government repositories such as the National Archives , '' Politifact noted at the time .
`` Pelosi ripped up her own copy of Trump ’ s address , not the official version sent to the National Archives under the separate Presidential Records Act , '' the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump suggested that the whistleblower who first alerted officials to Trump 's July phone call with the Ukrainian president was a traitor who should be executed .
`` Basically , that person never saw the report , never saw the call , he never saw the call — heard something and decided that he or she or whoever the hell they saw — they 're almost a spy , '' Trump said during a closed-door event , according to a recording obtained by the Los Angeles Times .
`` I want to know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the person who gave the whistleblower the information ?
Because that 's close to a spy , '' he said .
`` You know what we used to do in the old days when we were smart ?
Right ?
The spies and treason , we used to handle it a little differently than we do now . ''
In November 2019 , Trump also threatened to sue Mark Zaid , the whistleblower 's attorney , over tweets Zaid wrote in 2017 that were critical of Trump .
Trump also said Zaid should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whistleblower is a disgrace to our country , '' Trump said .
`` And his lawyer , who said the worst thing possible two years ago — he should be sued .
And maybe for treason .
Maybe for treason .
But he should be sued . ''
In 2017 , Zaid had tweeted about `` a coup '' within the administration , and later defended the comment , saying it `` referred to those working inside the Administration who were already , just a week into office , already standing up to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
Trump suggested Rep. Adam Schiff ( D-CA ) , chair of the House Intelligence Committee , be arrested for treason back in September 2019 over Schiff 's decision to dramatically paraphrase Trump 's July conversation with the Ukrainian president .
`` Rep. Adam Schiff illegally made up a FAKE & terrible statement , pretended it to be mine as the most important part of my call to the Ukrainian President , and read it aloud to Congress and the American people , '' Trump tweeted on Sept. 30 .
`` It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the call .
Arrest for Treason ? ''
In July 2019 , Trump said that his administration would look into treason charges against Google after Peter Thiel , a wealthy tech investor and Trump supporter , suggested on Fox News that Google was illegally working with the Chinese government .
`` 'Billionaire Tech Investor Peter Thiel believes Google should be investigated for treason .
He accuses Google of working with the Chinese Government . '
@ foxandfriends A great and brilliant guy who knows this subject better than anyone !
The Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump tweeted .
Trump also accused the New York Times of treason in June 2019 after the outlet ran a story about the administration ramping up cyber attacks on Russia 's power grid .
`` Do you believe that the Failing New York Times just did a story stating that the United States is substantially increasing Cyber Attacks on Russia , '' Trump tweeted .
`` This is a virtual act of Treason by a once great paper so desperate for a story , any story , even if bad for our Country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was not true and claimed journalists at the Times were cowards and the enemy of the people .
Trump famously claimed that the FBI and other government agencies spied on his 2016 campaign because they had investigated his campaign 's various ties to Russia .
In May 2019 , Trump said such activities amounted to treason .
`` My Campaign for President was conclusively spied on , '' Trump tweeted .
`` Nothing like this has ever happened in American Politics .
A really bad situation .
TREASON means long jail sentences , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has claimed former FBI Director James Comey committed treason for his role investigating links between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign , something for which Trump ultimately ousted him .
At a White House press conference on May 19 , 2019 , a reporter noted that Trump had recently accused several of his critics and opponents of `` treason . ''
`` Who specifically are you accusing of treason ? ''
the reporter asked .
`` I think a number of people .
And I think what you look is that they have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person , '' Trump replied .
`` If you look at Comey , if you look at [ former FBI Deputy Director Andrew ] McCabe , if you look at people probably higher than that . ''
Trump repeatedly accused Peter Strzok and Lisa Page , two career FBI officials , of treason after a series of texts between the two showed they supported Hillary Clinton for president in 2016 .
Strzok and Page `` talked about the insurance policy just in case Crooked Hillary loses , '' Trump said during a May @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conference , referring to a message in which the two discussed whether it was even worth investigating links between Trump 's campaign and Russia , as they believed it unlikely he would be elected president and pushing the subject might compromise critical sources .
`` And that did n't work out too well for them , '' Trump said during that press conference , insisting the `` insurance policy '' was in fact the entire Russia investigation , which he claimed was launched to undermine his presidency .
`` ... That 's treason @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t win the election and that 's what happened . ''
Trump claimed members of Robert Mueller 's investigation team were liars who may have committed treason after a redacted version of Mueller 's final report was released in April 2019 .
The report established a number of links between the Trump campaign and Russia , and detailed at least 10 instances of possible obstruction by Trump .
`` Statements are made about me by certain people in the Crazy Mueller Report , in itself written by 18 Angry Democrat Trump Haters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Trump tweeted .
`` It is now finally time to turn the tables and bring justice to some very sick and dangerous people who have committed very serious crimes , perhaps even spying or treason . ''
Trump accused Democrats of treason , a crime punishable by death , twice in the span of a few months in 2019 .
On April 10 that year , Trump said that Democratic opposition to a wall along the U.S-Mexico border amounted to treason .
`` I think what the Democrats are doing with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tweeted .
`` Their Open Border mindset is putting our Country at risk .
Will not let this happen ! ''
Several days before that tweet , Democrats had sued the administration over Trump 's decision to declare a national emergency at the southern border as a means to take federal funds allocated to the military and use it for the wall .
Later that year , after House Democrats opened an impeachment inquiry into him , Trump accused House Democrats of committing treason again .
`` You don ’ t impeach Presidents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) job , '' Trump tweeted on Sept. 13 .
`` No Obstruction , No Collusion , only treasonous crimes committed by the other side , and led by the Democrats .
Sad ! ''
Trump has frequently referred to the press as the `` enemy of the people , '' suggesting that by reporting on his administration they are committing a crime .
Trump , for instance , was unhappy with media coverage of his 2018 meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and claimed the media committed treason for not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` First of all , we came to a wonderful agreement , '' Trump told former Arkansas Gov .
Mike Huckabee in an interview on the Trinity Broadcasting Network in June 2018 .
`` It 's a shame the fake news covers it the way they do .
It 's really , it 's almost treasonous , you want to know the truth . ''
According to Bolton 's book , `` The Room Where It Happened , '' Trump said on another occasion that journalists should be jailed or killed if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` These people should be executed .
They are scumbags , '' Trump said in the summer of 2019 , according to the Washington Post , which received an advance copy of Bolton 's book .
In a June 2019 White House interview with Time , Trump threatened to jail a photographer after they attempted to take a photo of a letter from North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un .
And in 2018 , a memo from Comey showed that Trump had once suggested journalists who wrote about leaks from the administration should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
Trump suggested former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe committed treason for his role in the investigation into the Trump campaign 's various ties to Russia .
In a February 2019 tweet , Trump quoted Fox News host Sean Hannity , claiming McCabe had `` admitted to plotting a coup ( government overthrow ) when he was serving in the FBI , before he was fired for lying & leaking . ''
After quoting Hannity , Trump added , `` Treason ! ''
Trump accused an anonymous administration official of treason for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the New York Times that was critical of Trump and claimed `` many of the senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations . ''
In an interview on Sept. 7 that year , Trump said the Times `` should never have [ published ] that , because what they have done is virtually… .
It ’ s treason .
You can call it a lot of things . ''
During a March 2016 campaign rally , Trump asked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` file whatever charges you want . ''
`` I hope they arrest these people because they 're really violating all of us , '' Trump said at a rally in Kansas City , Missouri .
`` They deserve to be arrested . ''
During the 2016 election , Trump repeatedly claimed his opponent , former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton , had committed crimes for which she deserved to go to prison .
At rallies , he led crowds or stood by as his supporters chanted `` lock her up . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for using a private server during her time as secretary to conduct government business .
In August 2016 , Trump appeared to call for Clinton to be murdered if she won the election .
`` If she gets to pick her judges , nothing you can do , folks , '' Trump said at a North Carolina campaign rally .
`` Although the Second Amendment people — maybe there is , I don ’ t know . ''
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Donald Trump has repeatedly accused his critics and political opponents of committing crimes since taking office, at times even threatening to have them prosecuted, arrested, or even suggesting they should be executed.
On Friday, he threatened to brutalize peaceful protesters on the eve of his first campaign event in months, a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
“Any protesters, anarchists, agitators, looters or lowlifes who are going to Oklahoma please understand, you will not be treated like you have been in New York, Seattle, or Minneapolis,” he tweeted. “It will be a much different scene!”
Trump was referring to recent incidents of law enforcement violence against peaceful crowds protesting racism and police brutality. Despite video evidence of those incidents, Trump and his allies have insisted the protesters and anti-fascist groups are to blame for any violence.
Friday’s tweet marked at least the 21st time Trump has threatened a political opponent or accused them of a crime.
Here’s who else he’s targeted in the past.
White House leakers
Trump recently demanded administration officials prosecute anyone who leaked information to the media about his decision to use the White House bunker during recent protests over racism and police brutality, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.
“Mr. Trump has…become consumed, once again, with leaks from the White House, demanding that officials find and prosecute those responsible for information getting out about his trip to the bunker beneath the White House,” the outlet reported.
Trump initially claimed he went to the bunker to inspect it, but Attorney General Bill Barr later contradicted that statement, saying the Secret Service had “recommended the president go down to the bunker.”
John Bolton
Trump suggested his own former national security adviser, John Bolton, face criminal charges after Bolton published a book critical of Trump, which also details Trump’s efforts to withhold military aid to Ukraine, in order to pressure the country to investigate his political rivals.
Trump was impeached over those actions in December, but was ultimately acquitted following a Senate trial earlier this year.
“I will consider every conversation with me as president highly classified,” Trump said on June 15. “If the book gets out, he’s broken the law. And I would think that he would have criminal problems.”
President Barack Obama
Trump has repeatedly accused President Barack Obama of unspecified crimes since taking office, most recently accusing him of a false conspiracy theory known as “Obamagate.”
“Obamagate: It’s been going on for a long time. It’s been going on from before I even got elected. And it’s a disgrace that it happened,” Trump said during a May 11 press conference.
When asked by a reporter to explain what crime Obama had committed, Trump replied, “You know what the crime is,” later adding that it was “very obvious to everybody.”
Obama has never been charged with any crimes.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer
Trump suggested Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer be arrested or impeached back in March for allegedly threatening members of the Supreme Court when he said Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch would “pay the price” if they restricted abortion rights.
“This is a direct & dangerous threat to the U.S. Supreme Court by Schumer,” Trump tweeted on March 4. “If a Republican did this, he or she would be arrested, or impeached. Serious action MUST be taken NOW!”
Schumer said he had not threatened any members of the court but admitted his words “did not come out the way” he intended, adding that he was referring to a “political price” GOP senators would pay for supporting Kavanaugh and Gorsuch, both of whom were nominated by Trump.
Trump, meanwhile, has notably targeted several of the Court’s liberal justices in the past, suggesting both Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor may fall victim to certain health conditions, allowing him to replace them, and that the two should recuse themselves from any cases involving his administration because they were biased against him.
Secretary of State John Kerry and Sen. Chris Murphy
In February 2020, Trump accused both former Secretary of State John Kerry and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) of violating the Logan Act for separate conversations the two men had with Iranian officials.
“Kerry & Murphy illegally violated the Logan Act,” Trump tweeted on Feb. 19. “This is why Iran is not making a deal. Must be dealt with strongly!”
The Logan Act, a 1799 law, makes it illegal to negotiate with a foreign government without permission from the federal government. Neither men were charged with crimes.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Trump accused Speaker Nancy Pelosi of criminal activity in February after Pelosi ripped up a copy of Trump’s 2020 State of the Union address following his speech.
“First of all, it’s an official document. You’re not allowed. It’s illegal what she did. She broke the law,” Trump said on Feb. 7.
According to Politifact, Pelosi did not break the law.
The law to which Trump appeared to be referring “is meant to prevent people from destroying records in official government repositories such as the National Archives,” Politifact noted at the time.
“Pelosi ripped up her own copy of Trump’s address, not the official version sent to the National Archives under the separate Presidential Records Act,” the outlet wrote.
Impeachment whistleblower and whistleblower’s lawyer
In September 2019, Trump suggested that the whistleblower who first alerted officials to Trump’s July phone call with the Ukrainian president was a traitor who should be executed.
“Basically, that person never saw the report, never saw the call, he never saw the call — heard something and decided that he or she or whoever the hell they saw — they’re almost a spy,” Trump said during a closed-door event, according to a recording obtained by the Los Angeles Times.
“I want to know who’s the person, who’s the person who gave the whistleblower the information? Because that’s close to a spy,” he said. “You know what we used to do in the old days when we were smart? Right? The spies and treason, we used to handle it a little differently than we do now.”
Treason is a crime punishable by death.
In November 2019, Trump also threatened to sue Mark Zaid, the whistleblower’s attorney, over tweets Zaid wrote in 2017 that were critical of Trump. Trump also said Zaid should be arrested for treason.
“The whistleblower is a disgrace to our country,” Trump said. “And his lawyer, who said the worst thing possible two years ago — he should be sued. And maybe for treason. Maybe for treason. But he should be sued.”
In 2017, Zaid had tweeted about “a coup” within the administration, and later defended the comment, saying it “referred to those working inside the Administration who were already, just a week into office, already standing up to him to enforce recognized rules of law.”
Rep. Adam Schiff
Trump suggested Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), chair of the House Intelligence Committee, be arrested for treason back in September 2019 over Schiff’s decision to dramatically paraphrase Trump’s July conversation with the Ukrainian president.
“Rep. Adam Schiff illegally made up a FAKE & terrible statement, pretended it to be mine as the most important part of my call to the Ukrainian President, and read it aloud to Congress and the American people,” Trump tweeted on Sept. 30. “It bore NO relationship to what I said on the call. Arrest for Treason?”
Google
In July 2019, Trump said that his administration would look into treason charges against Google after Peter Thiel, a wealthy tech investor and Trump supporter, suggested on Fox News that Google was illegally working with the Chinese government.
“‘Billionaire Tech Investor Peter Thiel believes Google should be investigated for treason. He accuses Google of working with the Chinese Government.’ @foxandfriends A great and brilliant guy who knows this subject better than anyone! The Trump Administration will take a look!” Trump tweeted.
The New York Times
Trump also accused the New York Times of treason in June 2019 after the outlet ran a story about the administration ramping up cyber attacks on Russia’s power grid.
“Do you believe that the Failing New York Times just did a story stating that the United States is substantially increasing Cyber Attacks on Russia,” Trump tweeted. “This is a virtual act of Treason by a once great paper so desperate for a story, any story, even if bad for our Country.”
Trump added that the story was not true and claimed journalists at the Times were cowards and the enemy of the people.
The FBI
Trump famously claimed that the FBI and other government agencies spied on his 2016 campaign because they had investigated his campaign’s various ties to Russia. In May 2019, Trump said such activities amounted to treason.
“My Campaign for President was conclusively spied on,” Trump tweeted. “Nothing like this has ever happened in American Politics. A really bad situation. TREASON means long jail sentences, and this was TREASON!”
James Comey
Trump has claimed former FBI Director James Comey committed treason for his role investigating links between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign, something for which Trump ultimately ousted him.
At a White House press conference on May 19, 2019, a reporter noted that Trump had recently accused several of his critics and opponents of “treason.”
“Who specifically are you accusing of treason?” the reporter asked.
“I think a number of people. And I think what you look is that they have unsuccessfully tried to take down the wrong person,” Trump replied. “If you look at Comey, if you look at [former FBI Deputy Director Andrew] McCabe, if you look at people probably higher than that.”
Peter Strzok and Lisa Page
Trump repeatedly accused Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, two career FBI officials, of treason after a series of texts between the two showed they supported Hillary Clinton for president in 2016.
Strzok and Page “talked about the insurance policy just in case Crooked Hillary loses,” Trump said during a May 16, 2019, White House press conference, referring to a message in which the two discussed whether it was even worth investigating links between Trump’s campaign and Russia, as they believed it unlikely he would be elected president and pushing the subject might compromise critical sources.
“And that didn’t work out too well for them,” Trump said during that press conference, insisting the “insurance policy” was in fact the entire Russia investigation, which he claimed was launched to undermine his presidency. “…That’s treason. That’s treason. They couldn’t win the election and that’s what happened.”
The Mueller investigation team
Trump claimed members of Robert Mueller’s investigation team were liars who may have committed treason after a redacted version of Mueller’s final report was released in April 2019. The report established a number of links between the Trump campaign and Russia, and detailed at least 10 instances of possible obstruction by Trump.
“Statements are made about me by certain people in the Crazy Mueller Report, in itself written by 18 Angry Democrat Trump Haters, which are fabricated & totally untrue,” Trump tweeted. “It is now finally time to turn the tables and bring justice to some very sick and dangerous people who have committed very serious crimes, perhaps even spying or treason.”
House Democrats
Trump accused Democrats of treason, a crime punishable by death, twice in the span of a few months in 2019.
On April 10 that year, Trump said that Democratic opposition to a wall along the U.S-Mexico border amounted to treason.
“I think what the Democrats are doing with the Border is TREASONOUS,” Trump tweeted. “Their Open Border mindset is putting our Country at risk. Will not let this happen!”
Several days before that tweet, Democrats had sued the administration over Trump’s decision to declare a national emergency at the southern border as a means to take federal funds allocated to the military and use it for the wall.
Later that year, after House Democrats opened an impeachment inquiry into him, Trump accused House Democrats of committing treason again.
“You don’t impeach Presidents for doing a good (great!) job,” Trump tweeted on Sept. 13. “No Obstruction, No Collusion, only treasonous crimes committed by the other side, and led by the Democrats. Sad!”
Journalists
Trump has frequently referred to the press as the “enemy of the people,” suggesting that by reporting on his administration they are committing a crime.
Trump, for instance, was unhappy with media coverage of his 2018 meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and claimed the media committed treason for not portraying the meeting in a better light.
“First of all, we came to a wonderful agreement,” Trump told former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in an interview on the Trinity Broadcasting Network in June 2018. “It’s a shame the fake news covers it the way they do. It’s really, it’s almost treasonous, you want to know the truth.”
According to Bolton’s book, “The Room Where It Happened,” Trump said on another occasion that journalists should be jailed or killed if they do not reveal their sources.
“These people should be executed. They are scumbags,” Trump said in the summer of 2019, according to the Washington Post, which received an advance copy of Bolton’s book.
In a June 2019 White House interview with Time, Trump threatened to jail a photographer after they attempted to take a photo of a letter from North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
And in 2018, a memo from Comey showed that Trump had once suggested journalists who wrote about leaks from the administration should spend “a couple days in jail.”
Andrew McCabe
Trump suggested former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe committed treason for his role in the investigation into the Trump campaign’s various ties to Russia.
In a February 2019 tweet, Trump quoted Fox News host Sean Hannity, claiming McCabe had “admitted to plotting a coup (government overthrow) when he was serving in the FBI, before he was fired for lying & leaking.” After quoting Hannity, Trump added, “Treason!”
Anonymous administration op-ed author
Trump accused an anonymous administration official of treason for a Sept. 5, 2018, op-ed in the New York Times that was critical of Trump and claimed “many of the senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations.”
In an interview on Sept. 7 that year, Trump said the Times “should never have [published] that, because what they have done is virtually…. It’s treason. You can call it a lot of things.”
Protesters
During a March 2016 campaign rally, Trump asked law enforcement officials to arrest protesters and “file whatever charges you want.”
“I hope they arrest these people because they’re really violating all of us,” Trump said at a rally in Kansas City, Missouri. “They deserve to be arrested.”
Hillary Clinton
During the 2016 election, Trump repeatedly claimed his opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, had committed crimes for which she deserved to go to prison. At rallies, he led crowds or stood by as his supporters chanted “lock her up.”
Trump specifically claimed Clinton deserved jail time for using a private server during her time as secretary to conduct government business.
Clinton was repeatedly cleared of criminal activity.
In August 2016, Trump appeared to call for Clinton to be murdered if she won the election.
“If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks,” Trump said at a North Carolina campaign rally. “Although the Second Amendment people — maybe there is, I don’t know.”
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-06-23--5 differences between Democratic and Republican bills on police reform

As congressional lawmakers work toward one of the most ambitious policing overhauls in decades , there is increasing division between Republicans and Democrats about how to accomplish a common goal .
Top Democratic leaders in the Senate said Tuesday that a Republican policing proposal is `` not salvageable '' and demanded new negotiations on a bipartisan legislative package after protests over racial inequality and the death of George Floyd and others at the hands of police .
They want something similar to a far-reaching proposal from House Democrats – the Justice in Policing Act – that would create a national @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protections for police and ban police chokeholds .
The bill is expected to pass the House later this week .
The Republican proposal in the Senate calls for an enhanced use-of-force database , restrictions on chokeholds and new commissions to study law enforcement and race .
Senate Republicans say it would limit the federal government 's role while still making significant changes in policing .
It remains to be seen whether the parties can bridge their differences .
Here 's a look at the two competing proposals : Many officers who wind up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of misconduct , including Derek Chauvin , the Minneapolis officer charged with murder in Floyd 's death .
He had at least a dozen complaints made against him , according to records .
But those records are often not made public , making it difficult to know if officers have such a record .
Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this month requiring the attorney general to create a database tracking terminations , criminal convictions and civil judgments against law enforcement officers for excessive use of force .
It encourages participation by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that submit the required information .
— Democrats ' bill : Calls for a national registry including complaints , disciplinary records and termination records .
It also would require states to report to the Justice Department any incident in which force is used against a civilian or law enforcement officer .
The proposal would require the agencies to report the reason force was used and the national origin , sex , race , ethnicity , age , disability , English language proficiency , and housing status of each civilian against whom a law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ' bill : Would require state and local governments to report all use-of-force incidents that result in serious injuries or death to the FBI on an annual basis .
Municipalities that fail to comply could see a reduction in federal funding .
There 's a notable difference .
The Democrats ' bill would specifically ban the use of chokeholds and carotid holds at the federal level , while the Republican bill incentivizes police departments to ban the practice through grant funding .
Trump 's executive order also encourages such bans through financial incentives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ban chokeholds and carotid holds and would condition law enforcement funding for state and local law enforcement agencies on establishing a law to prohibit the use of chokeholds and carotid holds .
— Republicans ' bill : Would condition certain Justice Department funds on a police department having specific policies restricting the use of chokeholds , except in situations in which deadly force is authorized .
There has been a growing call to ban no-knock warrants since 26-year-old Breonna Taylor was killed in her Louisville , Kentucky , home by officers in March @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the practice , typically executed in some of the most dangerous investigations conducted by police departments .
A no-knock warrant , as its name implies , is an order from a judge that allows police to enter a home without ringing a doorbell or banging on the door .
Critics have said the use has increased dramatically , and some departments use them routinely in cases that do n't merit such an exception .
— Democrats ' bill : Would specifically ban no-knock warrants for all federal drug cases and would require local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their use to qualify for some federal funding .
Oregon and Florida are the only states that have outlawed such warrants .
— Republicans ' bill : GOP senators argue there is no conclusive data on how , why and how often no-knock search warrants are used and have proposed requiring state and local law enforcement agencies to report specific data to the Department of Justice each year .
The department would then be required to make a public report .
— Democrats ' bill : Would amend the federal civil rights law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ require prosecutors to prove that an officer 's actions were willful , a high burden of proof .
The law would allow an officer to be charged for acting with reckless disregard for someone 's life , causing that person 's death .
— Republicans ' bill : Would not amend that section of the law .
Police officers are generally not held personally liable for anything that happens on the job , including when someone dies .
The concept of qualified immunity has long been a way to protect police from unnecessary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to police without fear of unnecessary retribution .
— Democrats ' bill : Would amend federal misconduct statutes to make it easier for courts to find officers personally liable for the violation of civil rights .
Officers might think twice before abusing their power , but it could make it more difficult to recruit police nationwide .
It could also potentially lead to officers being held financially liable .
— Republicans ' bill : They say this is a step too far .
As an alternative , the lead senator on the bill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has suggested a `` decertification '' process for officers involved in misconduct .
Trump 's executive order instructs the Justice Department to push local police departments to be certified .
Under the order , Justice would ensure a department could only be credentialed if its use-of-force policies adhered to federal , state , and local laws .
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany has said the qualified immunity provision in the House Democrats ' bill `` is a total and complete nonstarter . ''

As congressional lawmakers work toward one of the most ambitious policing overhauls in decades, there is increasing division between Republicans and Democrats about how to accomplish a common goal.
Top Democratic leaders in the Senate said Tuesday that a Republican policing proposal is “not salvageable” and demanded new negotiations on a bipartisan legislative package after protests over racial inequality and the death of George Floyd and others at the hands of police.
They want something similar to a far-reaching proposal from House Democrats – the Justice in Policing Act – that would create a national database of excessive-force encounters, limit legal protections for police and ban police chokeholds. The bill is expected to pass the House later this week.
The Republican proposal in the Senate calls for an enhanced use-of-force database, restrictions on chokeholds and new commissions to study law enforcement and race. Senate Republicans say it would limit the federal government’s role while still making significant changes in policing.
It remains to be seen whether the parties can bridge their differences.
Here’s a look at the two competing proposals:
POLICE MISCONDUCT & USE-OF-FORCE DATABASES
Many officers who wind up involved in fatal incidents have a history of misconduct, including Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis officer charged with murder in Floyd’s death. He had at least a dozen complaints made against him, according to records.
But those records are often not made public, making it difficult to know if officers have such a record.
Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this month requiring the attorney general to create a database tracking terminations, criminal convictions and civil judgments against law enforcement officers for excessive use of force. It encourages participation by providing certain grants only to those agencies that submit the required information.
— Democrats’ bill: Calls for a national registry including complaints, disciplinary records and termination records. It also would require states to report to the Justice Department any incident in which force is used against a civilian or law enforcement officer. The proposal would require the agencies to report the reason force was used and the national origin, sex, race, ethnicity, age, disability, English language proficiency, and housing status of each civilian against whom a law enforcement officer used force.
— Republicans’ bill: Would require state and local governments to report all use-of-force incidents that result in serious injuries or death to the FBI on an annual basis. Municipalities that fail to comply could see a reduction in federal funding.
CHOKEHOLDS
There’s a notable difference. The Democrats’ bill would specifically ban the use of chokeholds and carotid holds at the federal level, while the Republican bill incentivizes police departments to ban the practice through grant funding. Trump’s executive order also encourages such bans through financial incentives.
— Democrats’ bill: Would ban chokeholds and carotid holds and would condition law enforcement funding for state and local law enforcement agencies on establishing a law to prohibit the use of chokeholds and carotid holds.
— Republicans’ bill: Would condition certain Justice Department funds on a police department having specific policies restricting the use of chokeholds, except in situations in which deadly force is authorized.
NO-KNOCK WARRANTS
There has been a growing call to ban no-knock warrants since 26-year-old Breonna Taylor was killed in her Louisville, Kentucky, home by officers in March. Democrats have proposed a ban on the practice, typically executed in some of the most dangerous investigations conducted by police departments. A no-knock warrant, as its name implies, is an order from a judge that allows police to enter a home without ringing a doorbell or banging on the door. Critics have said the use has increased dramatically, and some departments use them routinely in cases that don’t merit such an exception.
— Democrats’ bill: Would specifically ban no-knock warrants for all federal drug cases and would require local and state law enforcement agencies to prohibit their use to qualify for some federal funding. Oregon and Florida are the only states that have outlawed such warrants.
— Republicans’ bill: GOP senators argue there is no conclusive data on how, why and how often no-knock search warrants are used and have proposed requiring state and local law enforcement agencies to report specific data to the Department of Justice each year. The department would then be required to make a public report.
FEDERAL CIVIL RIGHTS LAW
— Democrats’ bill: Would amend the federal civil rights law that governs police misconduct to no longer require prosecutors to prove that an officer’s actions were willful, a high burden of proof. The law would allow an officer to be charged for acting with reckless disregard for someone’s life, causing that person’s death.
— Republicans’ bill: Would not amend that section of the law.
QUALIFIED IMMUNITY
Police officers are generally not held personally liable for anything that happens on the job, including when someone dies. The concept of qualified immunity has long been a way to protect police from unnecessary lawsuits and to give them the freedom to police without fear of unnecessary retribution.
— Democrats’ bill: Would amend federal misconduct statutes to make it easier for courts to find officers personally liable for the violation of civil rights. Officers might think twice before abusing their power, but it could make it more difficult to recruit police nationwide. It could also potentially lead to officers being held financially liable.
— Republicans’ bill: They say this is a step too far. As an alternative, the lead senator on the bill, Tim Scott of South Carolina, has suggested a “decertification” process for officers involved in misconduct.
Trump’s executive order instructs the Justice Department to push local police departments to be certified. Under the order, Justice would ensure a department could only be credentialed if its use-of-force policies adhered to federal, state, and local laws.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany has said the qualified immunity provision in the House Democrats’ bill “is a total and complete nonstarter.”


shareblue--2020-06-23--GOP congressman says Black Lives Matter movement is 'at war' with Western culture

A Minnesota congressman claimed Tuesday that those protesting racism and police brutality are `` at war '' with America , its beliefs , and `` western culture . ''
`` The Democrat 'Black Lives Matter ' Party , along with armies of rioters , are at war with our country , our beliefs and western culture , '' Rep. Jim Hagedorn ( R-MN ) wrote in a Facebook post .
`` Their radical movement is orchestrated and growing .
We must never let them take power .
We must stand up and defend our county , our nation 's identity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way of life . ''
Hagedorn was upset about a tweet by activist Shaun King — who has not actually been a Democrat since 2016 — suggesting that statues depicting Jesus as a white European are `` a form of white supremacy '' and should come down .
The first-term lawmaker 's framing of the entire Black Lives Matter movement and Democratic Party as a threat to `` western culture '' is a dog whistle term for white nationalists .
The term is frequently used by racist hate groups as a stand-in for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ district is south of the city of Minneapolis , has made it clear previously that he does not support the people protesting against police violence and racial injustice in the wake of George Floyd 's death .
`` Democrat policies are on full display , destroying lives , businesses and society in the Twin Cities , '' he complained in a May 29 Facebook post .
`` Every political authority figure in the chain , from Governor , U.S .
Senators , U.S. Congresswoman , the Mayors on down to dog catcher are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of protecting people and property , they spent days wringing their hands and effectively patting rioters on the back . ''
Before being elected to Congress in November 2018 , Hagedorn had a long history of sexist , homophobic , racist , ableist , ageist , and classist writings , including a now-deleted `` Mr. Conservative '' blog .
The list includes a 2002 recommendation that California Republicans nominate `` good looking female actresses with nice boobs , '' a 2002 attack on then-North Carolina Republican Senate nominee Elizabeth Dole as `` Bob @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2004 essay defending anti-LGBTQ sodomy bans as a prohibition of `` two-way traffic in tunnels constructed by God and marked by nature as 'exit only . '
'' After a then-Republican congressman called on police to interrogate anyone with a `` diaper on his head '' back in 2001 , Hagedorn praised the Islamophobic comment as `` commonsense diplomacy . ''
He mocked then-Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Mitt Romney in 2002 for his membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , saying the Republican would likely win despite his `` failure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ children to Massachusetts . ''
Hagedorn also approvingly misquoted John Wayne that same year to bash Native Americans , saying `` the only good Indian [ is ] a dead Indian . ''
His slurs also include calling a triple-amputee war hero a `` half-soldier , '' dismissing an 78-year-old senator as a `` cadaver , '' and mocking rural Alabamians by claiming 98 % of them are not part of the state 's `` intellectual and upper classes ( 10th grade education/outright ownership of mobile home ) . ''
Hagedorn once even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added to Mount Rushmore , writing that `` room exists if we flatten Lincoln 's image . ''
Hagedorn 's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this article .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

A Minnesota congressman claimed Tuesday that those protesting racism and police brutality are “at war” with America, its beliefs, and “western culture.”
“The Democrat ‘Black Lives Matter’ Party, along with armies of rioters, are at war with our country, our beliefs and western culture,” Rep. Jim Hagedorn (R-MN) wrote in a Facebook post. “Their radical movement is orchestrated and growing. We must never let them take power. We must stand up and defend our county, our nation’s identity, our Judeo-Christian values and our American way of life.”
Hagedorn was upset about a tweet by activist Shaun King — who has not actually been a Democrat since 2016 — suggesting that statues depicting Jesus as a white European are “a form of white supremacy” and should come down.
The first-term lawmaker’s framing of the entire Black Lives Matter movement and Democratic Party as a threat to “western culture” is a dog whistle term for white nationalists. The term is frequently used by racist hate groups as a stand-in for “white.”
Hagedorn, whose district is south of the city of Minneapolis, has made it clear previously that he does not support the people protesting against police violence and racial injustice in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
“Democrat policies are on full display, destroying lives, businesses and society in the Twin Cities,” he complained in a May 29 Facebook post. “Every political authority figure in the chain, from Governor, U.S. Senators, U.S. Congresswoman, the Mayors on down to dog catcher are [Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party] politicians. Instead of protecting people and property, they spent days wringing their hands and effectively patting rioters on the back.”
Before being elected to Congress in November 2018, Hagedorn had a long history of sexist, homophobic, racist, ableist, ageist, and classist writings, including a now-deleted “Mr. Conservative” blog.
The list includes a 2002 recommendation that California Republicans nominate “good looking female actresses with nice boobs,” a 2002 attack on then-North Carolina Republican Senate nominee Elizabeth Dole as “Bob Dole in drag,” and a 2004 essay defending anti-LGBTQ sodomy bans as a prohibition of “two-way traffic in tunnels constructed by God and marked by nature as ‘exit only.'”
After a then-Republican congressman called on police to interrogate anyone with a “diaper on his head” back in 2001, Hagedorn praised the Islamophobic comment as “commonsense diplomacy.”
He mocked then-Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Mitt Romney in 2002 for his membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, saying the Republican would likely win despite his “failure to move all of his wives and children to Massachusetts.”
Hagedorn also approvingly misquoted John Wayne that same year to bash Native Americans, saying “the only good Indian [is] a dead Indian.”
His slurs also include calling a triple-amputee war hero a “half-soldier,” dismissing an 78-year-old senator as a “cadaver,” and mocking rural Alabamians by claiming 98% of them are not part of the state’s “intellectual and upper classes (10th grade education/outright ownership of mobile home).”
Hagedorn once even urged that Ronald Reagan’s face be added to Mount Rushmore, writing that “room exists if we flatten Lincoln’s image.”
Hagedorn’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this article.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-06-24--Mississippi faces growing pressure to remove racist symbol from state flag

Two of Mississippi 's top elected Republicans proposed Wednesday that the Confederate battle emblem be replaced on the state flag with the words `` In God We Trust , '' seeking a path toward unity in their state amid the backdrop of national protests over racial injustice .
Mississippi has the only state flag that includes the Confederate battle emblem — a red field topped by a blue X with 13 white stars .
White supremacists in the Legislature chose the design in 1894 as backlash for the political power African Americans gained during Reconstruction after the Civil War .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a 2001 statewide election , but the design has remained contentious .
Elsewhere in the country , debate has sharpened as Confederate monuments and statues recalling past slavery have been toppled by protesters or deliberately removed by authorities amid a groundswell against racial inequities .
Lt. Gov .
Delbert Hosemann and Attorney General Lynn Fitch issued separate statements Wednesday about the flag .
Hosemann said a new flag would help future generations .
`` In my mind , our flag should bear the Seal of the Great State of Mississippi and state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hosemann said .
`` I am open to bringing all citizens together to determine a banner for our future . ''
Fitch said Wednesday that adding `` In God We Trust '' to the state flag would `` reflect the love , compassion and conviction of our people '' and would be `` the perfect way to demonstrate who we are to all . ''
Separately , Mississippi Republican Gov .
Tate Reeves has said that if the flag is going to be redesigned , any changes should follow from the will of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Legislative Black Caucus members say lawmakers should remove the Confederate emblem because another statewide flag vote would be bitter .
`` The emotional distress that the current flag perpetuates on people of color extends throughout the United States , casting us and having people to claim that we are backwater and retrograde , '' said the caucus chairwoman , Democratic Sen. Angela Turner Ford of West Point .
Another Republican statewide elected official , auditor Shad White , said Mississippi needs a flag `` that is more unifying than the one we have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a vote to remove the Confederate imagery from our flag , I would vote to remove it , '' White said Wednesday .
Republican state Sen. Chris McDaniel of Ellisville is among those saying Mississippi should keep its flag and people should resist efforts to remove historical monuments .
`` Whether you acknowledge it or not , the American Left is waging war against us , '' McDaniel said Tuesday on Facebook .
`` They consider the founding to be illegitimate , our history to be tainted , and our republic as inherently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' In a newspaper ad funded by the state chamber of commerce , dozens of business executives said Wednesday that the Confederate battle emblem needs to be removed from Mississippi 's flag because it `` perpetuates negative stereotypes of our state . ''
The chamber , called the Mississippi Economic Council , said for years that Mississippi should change its flag .
The group said a new flag without Confederate images would boost economic opportunities and improve the quality of life .
`` The current flag is harmful to Mississippi 's image and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is hurtful to many Mississippians , '' the group said in the ad published in the Clarion Ledger .
Walmart announced Tuesday that it would stop displaying the Mississippi flag because of the Confederate emblem .
Also Tuesday , the large and influential Mississippi Baptist Convention said lawmakers have a moral obligation to remove the Confederate image from the state flag because many people are `` hurt and shamed '' by it .
At a Black Lives Matter rally June 6 in Jackson , thousands of people cheered when an organizer said Mississippi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Legislators are in the final days of their annual session , and some are trying to build a bipartisan coalition to change the flag .
But they face a tough challenge this late in the session after deadlines for key legislation have passed , requiring a two-thirds majority of the House and Senate .
Some lawmakers want to keep the flag as it has been since 1894 .
Some say the issue should be decided in a statewide election .
All of Mississippi 's public universities stopped flying the state flag years ago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cities and counties have also removed it from public property , some long ago and some recently .

Two of Mississippi’s top elected Republicans proposed Wednesday that the Confederate battle emblem be replaced on the state flag with the words “In God We Trust,” seeking a path toward unity in their state amid the backdrop of national protests over racial injustice.
Mississippi has the only state flag that includes the Confederate battle emblem — a red field topped by a blue X with 13 white stars. White supremacists in the Legislature chose the design in 1894 as backlash for the political power African Americans gained during Reconstruction after the Civil War.
Mississippi voters chose to keep the flag in a 2001 statewide election, but the design has remained contentious. Elsewhere in the country, debate has sharpened as Confederate monuments and statues recalling past slavery have been toppled by protesters or deliberately removed by authorities amid a groundswell against racial inequities.
Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and Attorney General Lynn Fitch issued separate statements Wednesday about the flag. Hosemann said a new flag would help future generations.
“In my mind, our flag should bear the Seal of the Great State of Mississippi and state ‘In God We Trust,'” Hosemann said. “I am open to bringing all citizens together to determine a banner for our future.”
Fitch said Wednesday that adding “In God We Trust” to the state flag would “reflect the love, compassion and conviction of our people” and would be “the perfect way to demonstrate who we are to all.”
Separately, Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves has said that if the flag is going to be redesigned, any changes should follow from the will of the people in a statewide election.
Legislative Black Caucus members say lawmakers should remove the Confederate emblem because another statewide flag vote would be bitter.
“The emotional distress that the current flag perpetuates on people of color extends throughout the United States, casting us and having people to claim that we are backwater and retrograde,” said the caucus chairwoman, Democratic Sen. Angela Turner Ford of West Point.
Another Republican statewide elected official, auditor Shad White, said Mississippi needs a flag “that is more unifying than the one we have now.”
“If there were a vote to remove the Confederate imagery from our flag, I would vote to remove it,” White said Wednesday.
Republican state Sen. Chris McDaniel of Ellisville is among those saying Mississippi should keep its flag and people should resist efforts to remove historical monuments.
“Whether you acknowledge it or not, the American Left is waging war against us,” McDaniel said Tuesday on Facebook. “They consider the founding to be illegitimate, our history to be tainted, and our republic as inherently evil. They will not stop.”
In a newspaper ad funded by the state chamber of commerce, dozens of business executives said Wednesday that the Confederate battle emblem needs to be removed from Mississippi’s flag because it “perpetuates negative stereotypes of our state.”
The chamber, called the Mississippi Economic Council, said for years that Mississippi should change its flag. The group said a new flag without Confederate images would boost economic opportunities and improve the quality of life.
“The current flag is harmful to Mississippi’s image and reputation for those outside our state and is hurtful to many Mississippians,” the group said in the ad published in the Clarion Ledger.
Walmart announced Tuesday that it would stop displaying the Mississippi flag because of the Confederate emblem. Also Tuesday, the large and influential Mississippi Baptist Convention said lawmakers have a moral obligation to remove the Confederate image from the state flag because many people are “hurt and shamed” by it.
At a Black Lives Matter rally June 6 in Jackson, thousands of people cheered when an organizer said Mississippi should get rid of Confederate images.
Legislators are in the final days of their annual session, and some are trying to build a bipartisan coalition to change the flag. But they face a tough challenge this late in the session after deadlines for key legislation have passed, requiring a two-thirds majority of the House and Senate.
Some lawmakers want to keep the flag as it has been since 1894. Some say the issue should be decided in a statewide election.
All of Mississippi’s public universities stopped flying the state flag years ago because of the Confederate symbol. Several cities and counties have also removed it from public property, some long ago and some recently.


shareblue--2020-06-24--The IRS is seizing virus relief checks it sent to US inmates

Hundreds of thousands of dollars in coronavirus relief payments have been sent to people behind bars across the United States , and now the IRS is asking state officials to help claw back the cash that the federal tax agency says was mistakenly sent .
The legislation authorizing the payments during the pandemic does n't specifically exclude jail or prison inmates , and the IRS has refused to say exactly what legal authority it has to retrieve the money .
On its website , it points to the unrelated Social Security Act , which bars incarcerated people from receiving some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ payments .
`` I ca n't give you the legal basis .
All I can tell you is this is the language the Treasury and ourselves have been using , '' IRS spokesman Eric Smith said .
`` It 's just the same list as in the Social Security Act . ''
Tax attorney Kelly Erb , who 's written about the issue on her website , says there 's no legal basis for asking for the checks back .
`` I think it 's really disingenuous of the IRS , '' Erb @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a rule just because the IRS puts it on the website .
In fact , the IRS actually says that stuff on its website is n't legal authority .
So there 's no actual rule — it 's just guidance — and that guidance can change at any time . ''
After Congress passed the $ 2.2 trillion coronavirus rescue package in March , checks of up to $ 1,200 were automatically sent in most cases to people who filed income tax returns for 2018 or 2019 , including some who are incarcerated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the IRS directed state correction departments to intercept payments to prisoners and return them .
The IRS does n't yet have numbers on how many payments went to prisoners , Smith said .
But initial data from some states suggest the numbers are huge : The Kansas Department of Correction alone intercepted more than $ 200,000 in checks by early June .
Idaho and Montana combined had seized over $ 90,000 .
Washington state , meanwhile , had only intercepted about $ 23,000 by early June .
Some states , like Nevada , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ citing an IRS request for confidentiality .
While the IRS says checks sent to jail inmates also should be returned , the sheer number of jails and detention centers across the U.S. makes it difficult to tell if many are following those instructions .
The IRS seems to have decided by itself to pull back the payments approved by Congress , said Wanda Bertram , a spokeswoman for the Prison Policy Initiative , a think tank focusing on the harm of mass incarceration .
She says prison officials are accustomed to intercepting tax @ @ @ @ @ @ @ priming them to follow this request .
`` It appears that the IRS is just making this up , '' Bertram said .
Inmates and their families need the money , she said , especially as prisons try to reduce the spread of the virus by instituting lockdown conditions or releasing thousands of inmates who are then trying to get back on their feet .
Lockdowns can increase expenses for inmates because they are often given lower-quality food or fewer meals and need to supplement by buying food from prison commissaries .
Family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those costs , and many have lost jobs during the economic downturn , Bertram said .
`` Loved ones right now are also under a squeeze because of the pandemic and being out of a job , so when you send a stimulus check for someone , the person in prison is not the only one who benefits from that , '' Bertram said .
Intercepting relief checks may also have a disproportionate impact on Black and Hispanic inmates , who are incarcerated at a higher rate than white Americans .
Black people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Hispanic residents , and more than five times the rate of whites as of last year , according to the U.S. Department of Justice 's Bureau of Justice Statistics .
Prison officials nationwide have been trying to intercept the checks , with varying results .
Officials in Vermont , Mississippi , Pennsylvania , Arizona , and California estimated that they each had intercepted fewer than a dozen checks as of early June .
Oregon prison officials had seized 25 payments , with 21 returned to the IRS and four others given to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kaitlin Felsted , a spokeswoman for the Utah prison system , said the state had intercepted 28 checks so far but noted that any relief money sent to an inmate 's home address would n't be touched by prison officials .
Some states , like Alaska and Wyoming , are n't tracking the number of payments they intercept .
It 's not clear if inmates have any recourse , said Erb , the tax attorney .
Those who are released before year 's end and who did n't get a relief check can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a credit on their 2021 tax returns , but it 's not clear if the IRS will honor such claims , Erb said .
Other inmates may be out of luck .
`` I think somebody has to sue , and you have to have the resources to be able to do that , '' she said .
`` I do n't know that there 's anything most people can do besides complain and see if they can attract some attention .
You have to have somebody who will step up and be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ population . ''

Hundreds of thousands of dollars in coronavirus relief payments have been sent to people behind bars across the United States, and now the IRS is asking state officials to help claw back the cash that the federal tax agency says was mistakenly sent.
The legislation authorizing the payments during the pandemic doesn’t specifically exclude jail or prison inmates, and the IRS has refused to say exactly what legal authority it has to retrieve the money. On its website, it points to the unrelated Social Security Act, which bars incarcerated people from receiving some types of old-age and survivor insurance benefit payments.
“I can’t give you the legal basis. All I can tell you is this is the language the Treasury and ourselves have been using,” IRS spokesman Eric Smith said. “It’s just the same list as in the Social Security Act.”
Tax attorney Kelly Erb, who’s written about the issue on her website, says there’s no legal basis for asking for the checks back.
“I think it’s really disingenuous of the IRS,” Erb said Tuesday. “It’s not a rule just because the IRS puts it on the website. In fact, the IRS actually says that stuff on its website isn’t legal authority. So there’s no actual rule — it’s just guidance — and that guidance can change at any time.”
After Congress passed the $2.2 trillion coronavirus rescue package in March, checks of up to $1,200 were automatically sent in most cases to people who filed income tax returns for 2018 or 2019, including some who are incarcerated. A couple of weeks later, the IRS directed state correction departments to intercept payments to prisoners and return them.
The IRS doesn’t yet have numbers on how many payments went to prisoners, Smith said. But initial data from some states suggest the numbers are huge: The Kansas Department of Correction alone intercepted more than $200,000 in checks by early June. Idaho and Montana combined had seized over $90,000.
Washington state, meanwhile, had only intercepted about $23,000 by early June. Some states, like Nevada, have refused to release the numbers, citing an IRS request for confidentiality.
While the IRS says checks sent to jail inmates also should be returned, the sheer number of jails and detention centers across the U.S. makes it difficult to tell if many are following those instructions.
The IRS seems to have decided by itself to pull back the payments approved by Congress, said Wanda Bertram, a spokeswoman for the Prison Policy Initiative, a think tank focusing on the harm of mass incarceration. She says prison officials are accustomed to intercepting tax documents to screen for potential scams, priming them to follow this request.
“It appears that the IRS is just making this up,” Bertram said.
Inmates and their families need the money, she said, especially as prisons try to reduce the spread of the virus by instituting lockdown conditions or releasing thousands of inmates who are then trying to get back on their feet.
Lockdowns can increase expenses for inmates because they are often given lower-quality food or fewer meals and need to supplement by buying food from prison commissaries. Family and friends on the outside often cover those costs, and many have lost jobs during the economic downturn, Bertram said.
“Loved ones right now are also under a squeeze because of the pandemic and being out of a job, so when you send a stimulus check for someone, the person in prison is not the only one who benefits from that,” Bertram said.
Intercepting relief checks may also have a disproportionate impact on Black and Hispanic inmates, who are incarcerated at a higher rate than white Americans. Black people are imprisoned at roughly twice the rate of Hispanic residents, and more than five times the rate of whites as of last year, according to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Prison officials nationwide have been trying to intercept the checks, with varying results. Officials in Vermont, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and California estimated that they each had intercepted fewer than a dozen checks as of early June. Oregon prison officials had seized 25 payments, with 21 returned to the IRS and four others given to relatives or other joint tax filers.
Kaitlin Felsted, a spokeswoman for the Utah prison system, said the state had intercepted 28 checks so far but noted that any relief money sent to an inmate’s home address wouldn’t be touched by prison officials.
Some states, like Alaska and Wyoming, aren’t tracking the number of payments they intercept.
It’s not clear if inmates have any recourse, said Erb, the tax attorney.
Those who are released before year’s end and who didn’t get a relief check can try to claim the missing money as a credit on their 2021 tax returns, but it’s not clear if the IRS will honor such claims, Erb said. Other inmates may be out of luck.
“I think somebody has to sue, and you have to have the resources to be able to do that,” she said. “I don’t know that there’s anything most people can do besides complain and see if they can attract some attention. You have to have somebody who will step up and be an advocate for that segment of the population.”


shareblue--2020-06-24--Democrats aim to expand health care law as Trump fights to eliminate it

House Democrats introduced legislation on Wednesday to expand access to health care and lower the cost of prescription drugs .
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act was unveiled just days before the Trump administration is scheduled to file a brief with the Supreme Court arguing to eliminate the Affordable Care Act .
The House legislation would lower the cost of health insurance by expanding access to subsidies , allowing more Americans to purchase health insurance from the ACA exchange , an Energy and Commerce committee fact sheet stated .
A family of four earning $ 40,000 per year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the proposal .
To address the rising cost of prescription drugs , the bill would empower Medicare to negotiate drug prices and then allow Americans on private insurance to share in the savings .
The bill also provides incentives to expand Medicaid for states that have not done so .
According to the sponsors of the bill , more than 2 million uninsured Americans could get health insurance through Medicaid if every state embraced the expansion allowed under the ACA .
The legislation would also reverse efforts by the Trump administration to expand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plans that are not required to protect people with preexisting conditions .
The bill was introduced by Reps. Frank Pallone , Jr. , chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee ; Richard Neal , chair of the Ways and Means Committee ; and Bobby Scott , chair of the Education and Labor Committee .
`` It is telling that in the middle of a public health emergency , House Democrats are proposing to strengthen and enhance the Affordable Care Act , while the Trump Administration is asking the Supreme Court to rip health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Scott said in a press release this week .
Scott was referring to the Trump administration ’ s support of a lawsuit filed by 18 Republican state attorneys general and two GOP governors to eliminate the landmark 2010 health care law .
Trump reiterated his desire to get rid of the law earlier this year , telling reporters on May 6 , `` We want to terminate health care under Obamacare . ''
The administration is expected to file a legal brief to the Supreme Court on Friday , laying out its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York Times reported on Monday .
If Trump and Republicans are successful , more than 23 million Americans would lose access to health insurance , according to analysis released Wednesday by the Center for American Progress , a liberal think tank .
A victory for Trump would mean protections for those with preexisting conditions would be eliminated .
The ACA prevents health insurance companies from denying insurance to people with preexisting conditions and prevents companies from charging people with preexisting conditions more for their coverage .
The ACA provision that allows young @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health insurance until age 26 would also be eliminated .
Democrats have tried multiple times to expand health care access since taking back the House in January 2019 , including passing bills to lower the cost of prescription drugs and protect people with preexisting conditions .
Those bills are now stalled in the GOP-controlled Senate .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

House Democrats introduced legislation on Wednesday to expand access to health care and lower the cost of prescription drugs.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act was unveiled just days before the Trump administration is scheduled to file a brief with the Supreme Court arguing to eliminate the Affordable Care Act.
The House legislation would lower the cost of health insurance by expanding access to subsidies, allowing more Americans to purchase health insurance from the ACA exchange, an Energy and Commerce committee fact sheet stated. A family of four earning $40,000 per year would save more than $1,500 under the proposal.
To address the rising cost of prescription drugs, the bill would empower Medicare to negotiate drug prices and then allow Americans on private insurance to share in the savings.
The bill also provides incentives to expand Medicaid for states that have not done so. According to the sponsors of the bill, more than 2 million uninsured Americans could get health insurance through Medicaid if every state embraced the expansion allowed under the ACA.
The legislation would also reverse efforts by the Trump administration to expand access to so-called “junk insurance” plans that are not required to protect people with preexisting conditions.
The bill was introduced by Reps. Frank Pallone, Jr., chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee; Richard Neal, chair of the Ways and Means Committee; and Bobby Scott, chair of the Education and Labor Committee.
“It is telling that in the middle of a public health emergency, House Democrats are proposing to strengthen and enhance the Affordable Care Act, while the Trump Administration is asking the Supreme Court to rip health coverage away from millions of Americans,” Scott said in a press release this week.
Scott was referring to the Trump administration’s support of a lawsuit filed by 18 Republican state attorneys general and two GOP governors to eliminate the landmark 2010 health care law.
Trump reiterated his desire to get rid of the law earlier this year, telling reporters on May 6, “We want to terminate health care under Obamacare.”
The administration is expected to file a legal brief to the Supreme Court on Friday, laying out its argument to overturn the law, the New York Times reported on Monday.
If Trump and Republicans are successful, more than 23 million Americans would lose access to health insurance, according to analysis released Wednesday by the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank.
A victory for Trump would mean protections for those with preexisting conditions would be eliminated. The ACA prevents health insurance companies from denying insurance to people with preexisting conditions and prevents companies from charging people with preexisting conditions more for their coverage.
The ACA provision that allows young people to remain on their parents’ health insurance until age 26 would also be eliminated.
Democrats have tried multiple times to expand health care access since taking back the House in January 2019, including passing bills to lower the cost of prescription drugs and protect people with preexisting conditions.
Those bills are now stalled in the GOP-controlled Senate.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-06-24--Congressman: GOP should 'fight back' and refuse to do any police reform

Rep. Andy Biggs ( R-AZ ) is rejecting calls for any congressional action on police brutality .
In an op-ed published by the Washington Times on Tuesday , he accused members of his own party of following the `` radical left '' toward `` Marxist , totalitarian rule '' by considering even modest police reform proposals .
Biggs rejected the very idea that police violence against Black Americans is a real problem .
`` When Democrats claim that there is institutional racism in our police agencies , Republicans do n't cite the reduction in police on African-American shootings by more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years , '' Biggs wrote .
`` Republicans do n't point out the 8,000 murders of African-Americans last year and only 10 police on black shootings ( six of whom were attacking officers ) . ''
Fact-checkers have debunked this argument before : Police reportedly shot and killed at least 13 unarmed Black men last year .
And that number ignores many more Black Americans killed by law enforcement in other ways .
George Floyd , whose death sparked much of the current movement , was killed after a police officer knelt on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biggs wrote that Republicans `` accept the premise of violent leftists .
We acquiesce to their demands to nationalize local police tactics , and effectively insert the national government into local policing . ''
Instead , he wrote , they should `` fight back , instead of acquiescing to the premises of the hard left . ''
`` Legislatively dancing with the Democrats is akin to fiddling while Rome burns . ''
Several members of Biggs ' own party have urged at least some action to address police violence and racism .
South @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Act , which would use grant funding as an incentive for localities to restrict the use of chokeholds and collect data on use of force by police .
Scott , the lone Black Republican in the Senate , noted in 2018 that in one year , he was pulled over by police seven separate times .
Democrats have pushed for more direct federal intervention .
They opposed Scott 's bill as `` inadequate . ''
A motion to advance the bill failed to garner the 60 votes needed to pass on Wednesday .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ colleagues say some action is necessary .
`` I 'm continuing to fight for real & meaningful police reform .
We owe it to the memory of George Floyd , as well as good police officers who risk their lives to protect us , to work together & make positive change , '' tweeted North Carolina Rep. Richard Hudson on Monday .
`` The killing of George Floyd has sparked a reform movement that must be answered at the federal , state and local levels , '' tweeted Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ departments get away with being reinstated ? ''
asked Georgia Rep. Jody Hice .
`` They 're protected by unions .
It 's beyond time for serious reform . ''
Biggs has frequently presented himself as a defender of local law enforcement , but voted last month against a massive funding bill to help cash-strapped local governments survive the COVID-19 pandemic .
Though the Major Cities Chiefs Association asked Congress for emergency funds such as those mandated in the HEROES Act , warning that otherwise `` police activities will be affected by a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support the legislation .
In a video explaining his position , he said , `` We should n't be spending another penny at this point '' to address the crisis .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) is rejecting calls for any congressional action on police brutality. In an op-ed published by the Washington Times on Tuesday, he accused members of his own party of following the “radical left” toward “Marxist, totalitarian rule” by considering even modest police reform proposals.
Biggs rejected the very idea that police violence against Black Americans is a real problem.
“When Democrats claim that there is institutional racism in our police agencies, Republicans don’t cite the reduction in police on African-American shootings by more than 300% over the past five years,” Biggs wrote. “Republicans don’t point out the 8,000 murders of African-Americans last year and only 10 police on black shootings (six of whom were attacking officers).”
Fact-checkers have debunked this argument before: Police reportedly shot and killed at least 13 unarmed Black men last year. And that number ignores many more Black Americans killed by law enforcement in other ways. George Floyd, whose death sparked much of the current movement, was killed after a police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes.
Biggs wrote that Republicans “accept the premise of violent leftists. We acquiesce to their demands to nationalize local police tactics, and effectively insert the national government into local policing.” Instead, he wrote, they should “fight back, instead of acquiescing to the premises of the hard left.”
“Legislatively dancing with the Democrats is akin to fiddling while Rome burns.”
Several members of Biggs’ own party have urged at least some action to address police violence and racism.
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott introduced the JUSTICE Act, which would use grant funding as an incentive for localities to restrict the use of chokeholds and collect data on use of force by police.
Scott, the lone Black Republican in the Senate, noted in 2018 that in one year, he was pulled over by police seven separate times.
Democrats have pushed for more direct federal intervention. They opposed Scott’s bill as “inadequate.”
A motion to advance the bill failed to garner the 60 votes needed to pass on Wednesday.
Even some of Biggs’ Republican House colleagues say some action is necessary.
“I’m continuing to fight for real & meaningful police reform. We owe it to the memory of George Floyd, as well as good police officers who risk their lives to protect us, to work together & make positive change,” tweeted North Carolina Rep. Richard Hudson on Monday.
“The killing of George Floyd has sparked a reform movement that must be answered at the federal, state and local levels,” tweeted Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan.
“How do bad actors in police departments get away with being reinstated?” asked Georgia Rep. Jody Hice. “They’re protected by unions. It’s beyond time for serious reform.”
Biggs has frequently presented himself as a defender of local law enforcement, but voted last month against a massive funding bill to help cash-strapped local governments survive the COVID-19 pandemic.
Though the Major Cities Chiefs Association asked Congress for emergency funds such as those mandated in the HEROES Act, warning that otherwise “police activities will be affected by a revenue shortfall,” Biggs refused to support the legislation.
In a video explaining his position, he said, “We shouldn’t be spending another penny at this point” to address the crisis.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-06-24--GOP congressman mocks whistleblower for testifying remotely to protect newborn

House Republicans sought to quash damning testimony against Attorney General William Barr on Wednesday by claiming that a witness could not testify remotely .
Aaron Zelinsky , an assistant U.S. attorney in Maryland , was set to testify about Barr 's interference in the prosecution of Roger Stone at a House Judiciary Committee hearing about the politicization of the Department of Justice .
Zelinsky wanted to testify remotely because he has a newborn at home , and the pediatrician recommended he not risk exposing the infant to the virus .
Cases of the virus are currently spiking across the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expert advice , with more than 121,000 people dying from the virus to date .
But Rep. Mike Johnson ( R-LA ) tried to block Zelinsky from testifying remotely , falsely claiming it 's not allowed in the House rules .
Johnson also mocked Zelinsky , saying he 's `` phoning it in '' by testifying remotely .
`` What provision of the Democrats new House rules allows for a duly subpoenaed witness to appear and provide testimony by video ? ''
Johnson asked House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler ( D-NY ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that allows for video testimony , denying Johnson 's attempt to block Zelinsky 's damning testimony .
The COVID-19 pandemic has led Congress to make multiple changes to procedure .
The House , for example , passed an emergency measure allowing members to vote and hold committee hearings remotely .
And since the pandemic began , multiple witnesses have testified remotely for congressional hearings .
That includes members of Donald Trump 's coronavirus task force such as Dr. Anthony Fauci and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield .
But Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , demanding Congress stay in Washington , D.C. , even though the virus tore through Capitol Hill in the early days of the pandemic .
Johnson was among those members , demanding in late February — right as the pandemic was beginning to take hold in the United States — that Speaker Nancy Pelosi keep the House in session .
Johnson was n't the only member to try to disrupt the hearing on Wednesday .
Rep. Louie Gohmert ( R-TX ) kept banging on the dais in the hearing room as a witness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , leading Democratic lawmakers to call for Gohmert 's removal from the room .
Despite the interruptions and attempts to block testimony , the hearing continued , with one witness accusing Barr of `` using the DOJ to support the president 's campaign . ''
`` The most serious problem here that I 'm concerned about is his accelerating recitation of this narrative about , I do n't know what you call it , Obamagate , or deep state conspiracy or whatever it is ... he is using the fact that he has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ basis for supposed facts to assert that these things are true , '' Donald Ayer , a former deputy attorney general under former President George H.W .
Bush , testified .
`` No .
1 , I do n't believe they 're true , but more importantly that 's a totally improper misuse of the Department of Justice . ''
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

House Republicans sought to quash damning testimony against Attorney General William Barr on Wednesday by claiming that a witness could not testify remotely.
Aaron Zelinsky, an assistant U.S. attorney in Maryland, was set to testify about Barr’s interference in the prosecution of Roger Stone at a House Judiciary Committee hearing about the politicization of the Department of Justice.
Zelinsky wanted to testify remotely because he has a newborn at home, and the pediatrician recommended he not risk exposing the infant to the virus. Cases of the virus are currently spiking across the country after certain states reopened their economies against expert advice, with more than 121,000 people dying from the virus to date.
But Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) tried to block Zelinsky from testifying remotely, falsely claiming it’s not allowed in the House rules.
Johnson also mocked Zelinsky, saying he’s “phoning it in” by testifying remotely.
“What provision of the Democrats new House rules allows for a duly subpoenaed witness to appear and provide testimony by video?” Johnson asked House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler (D-NY).
Nadler pointed to the rule provision that allows for video testimony, denying Johnson’s attempt to block Zelinsky’s damning testimony.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led Congress to make multiple changes to procedure. The House, for example, passed an emergency measure allowing members to vote and hold committee hearings remotely.
And since the pandemic began, multiple witnesses have testified remotely for congressional hearings. That includes members of Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force such as Dr. Anthony Fauci and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield.
But Republicans have pushed back against those safety measures, demanding Congress stay in Washington, D.C., even though the virus tore through Capitol Hill in the early days of the pandemic.
Johnson was among those members, demanding in late February — right as the pandemic was beginning to take hold in the United States — that Speaker Nancy Pelosi keep the House in session.
Johnson wasn’t the only member to try to disrupt the hearing on Wednesday.
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) kept banging on the dais in the hearing room as a witness testified to try to distract and interrupt, leading Democratic lawmakers to call for Gohmert’s removal from the room.
Despite the interruptions and attempts to block testimony, the hearing continued, with one witness accusing Barr of “using the DOJ to support the president’s campaign.”
“The most serious problem here that I’m concerned about is his accelerating recitation of this narrative about, I don’t know what you call it, Obamagate, or deep state conspiracy or whatever it is … he is using the fact that he has his own investigation going on as a basis for supposed facts to assert that these things are true,” Donald Ayer, a former deputy attorney general under former President George H.W. Bush, testified. “No. 1, I don’t believe they’re true, but more importantly that’s a totally improper misuse of the Department of Justice.”
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-06-24--Coronavirus cases hit record highs in half a dozen states

Coronavirus hospitalizations and caseloads hit new highs in over a half-dozen states as signs of the virus 's resurgence mounted , with newly confirmed infections nationwide back near their peak level of two months ago .
After trending downward for six weeks , the U.S. caseload has been growing again for over a week , particularly in the South and West .
Some 34,700 new cases were reported nationwide Tuesday , according to the count kept by Johns Hopkins University .
The number was higher than any other day except April 9 and the record-setting date of April 24 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new cases have been declining steadily in early U.S. hot spots such as New York and New Jersey , several other states set single-day case records Tuesday , including Arizona , California , Mississippi , Nevada , and Texas .
Some of them also broke hospitalization records , such as North Carolina and South Carolina .
`` The question of how we 're doing as a nation is : We 're not doing so well .
How are we doing as a state ?
Not doing so well , '' said Dr. Jeffrey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Clara County , California , home to Silicon Valley .
Nearly 5,600 people have died of the virus in California , the most populous state .
Cases are also surging in some other parts of the world .
India reported a record daily increase of nearly 16,000 new cases .
Mexico , where testing rates have been low , also set a record with more than 6,200 new cases .
But China appears to have tamed a new outbreak in Beijing , once again demonstrating its ability to quickly mobilize its vast resources @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 11 days .
In the U.S. , the nation 's top infectious disease expert , Dr. Anthony Fauci , told Congress that the next few weeks are critical to tamping down the surge and that people should avoid crowds or at least wear masks in them .
Hours later , Donald Trump rallied hundreds of young conservatives in a megachurch in Arizona as the state reported a record 3,600 new infections .
Ahead of the event , the Democratic mayor of Phoenix , Kate Gallego , made clear that she did not believe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her city , and she urged the president to wear a face mask .
He did not .
Trump has refused to wear a mask in public , turning it into a conservative-versus-liberal issue .
In China , an outbreak that has infected more than 200 people in the capital this month appeared to be waning .
China on Wednesday reported 12 cases , down from 22 the day before .
Beijing reported seven new cases , down from 13 .
Officials in Beijing said they tested more than 2.4 million people between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's more than 10 % of the capital 's population of about 20 million .
Authorities began testing people in and around food markets , then expanded the initiative to restaurant staff and the city 's 100,000 delivery workers .
China also said it used data to find people who had been near markets for testing .
It did not elaborate .
South Korea , which tamed its first wave of infections , is seeing another rise — this time in the Seoul region , where most South Koreans live .
Authorities reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported 40 to 50 new cases a day over the past two weeks .
In India , with a population of more than 1.3 billion , the capital city of New Delhi is a rising concern , with the government criticizing its poor contact tracing and a lack of hospital beds .
India has reported more than 450,000 cases of the virus , including more than 14,000 deaths .
Mexico reported nearly 800 new deaths on Wednesday .
The country has recorded more than 190,000 cases and over 23,000 deaths , though officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ low testing rates .
Mexico has performed about half a million tests , or one for every 250 inhabitants .
In Europe , countries are both easing and increasing restrictions as the outbreaks evolve .
Slovenia reintroduced mandatory use of face masks in public transportation and other enclosed public spaces after cases spiked in recent days , while Belgium said theaters and swimming pools could reopen next month .
Infections there have nosedived over the past two months .
In Africa , African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chief John Nkengasong said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very quickly , '' with a steep increase in cases and deaths as more countries loosen lockdowns .
Africa has seen nearly 325,000 cases and over 8,600 deaths .
Worldwide , more than 9.2 million people have been confirmed infected , and close to a half-million have died , by Johns Hopkins ' count .

Coronavirus hospitalizations and caseloads hit new highs in over a half-dozen states as signs of the virus’s resurgence mounted, with newly confirmed infections nationwide back near their peak level of two months ago.
After trending downward for six weeks, the U.S. caseload has been growing again for over a week, particularly in the South and West. Some 34,700 new cases were reported nationwide Tuesday, according to the count kept by Johns Hopkins University. The number was higher than any other day except April 9 and the record-setting date of April 24, when 36,400 cases were logged.
While new cases have been declining steadily in early U.S. hot spots such as New York and New Jersey, several other states set single-day case records Tuesday, including Arizona, California, Mississippi, Nevada, and Texas. Some of them also broke hospitalization records, such as North Carolina and South Carolina.
“The question of how we’re doing as a nation is: We’re not doing so well. How are we doing as a state? Not doing so well,” said Dr. Jeffrey Smith, the county executive in Santa Clara County, California, home to Silicon Valley. Nearly 5,600 people have died of the virus in California, the most populous state.
Cases are also surging in some other parts of the world. India reported a record daily increase of nearly 16,000 new cases. Mexico, where testing rates have been low, also set a record with more than 6,200 new cases.
But China appears to have tamed a new outbreak in Beijing, once again demonstrating its ability to quickly mobilize its vast resources by testing nearly 2.5 million people in 11 days.
In the U.S., the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, told Congress that the next few weeks are critical to tamping down the surge and that people should avoid crowds or at least wear masks in them.
Hours later, Donald Trump rallied hundreds of young conservatives in a megachurch in Arizona as the state reported a record 3,600 new infections.
Ahead of the event, the Democratic mayor of Phoenix, Kate Gallego, made clear that she did not believe the speech could be safely held in her city, and she urged the president to wear a face mask. He did not. Trump has refused to wear a mask in public, turning it into a conservative-versus-liberal issue.
In China, an outbreak that has infected more than 200 people in the capital this month appeared to be waning. China on Wednesday reported 12 cases, down from 22 the day before. Beijing reported seven new cases, down from 13.
Officials in Beijing said they tested more than 2.4 million people between June 12 and June 22. That’s more than 10% of the capital’s population of about 20 million.
Authorities began testing people in and around food markets, then expanded the initiative to restaurant staff and the city’s 100,000 delivery workers. China also said it used data to find people who had been near markets for testing. It did not elaborate.
South Korea, which tamed its first wave of infections, is seeing another rise — this time in the Seoul region, where most South Koreans live. Authorities reported 51 cases Wednesday. The country has reported 40 to 50 new cases a day over the past two weeks.
In India, with a population of more than 1.3 billion, the capital city of New Delhi is a rising concern, with the government criticizing its poor contact tracing and a lack of hospital beds. India has reported more than 450,000 cases of the virus, including more than 14,000 deaths.
Mexico reported nearly 800 new deaths on Wednesday. The country has recorded more than 190,000 cases and over 23,000 deaths, though officials acknowledge both are undercounts because of extremely low testing rates. Mexico has performed about half a million tests, or one for every 250 inhabitants.
In Europe, countries are both easing and increasing restrictions as the outbreaks evolve. Slovenia reintroduced mandatory use of face masks in public transportation and other enclosed public spaces after cases spiked in recent days, while Belgium said theaters and swimming pools could reopen next month. Infections there have nosedived over the past two months.
In Africa, African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chief John Nkengasong said the outbreak is “picking up speed very quickly,” with a steep increase in cases and deaths as more countries loosen lockdowns. Africa has seen nearly 325,000 cases and over 8,600 deaths.
Worldwide, more than 9.2 million people have been confirmed infected, and close to a half-million have died, by Johns Hopkins’ count.