shareblue--2020-05-29--The Trump administration keeps targeting LBGTQ people in the middle of a pandemic

The Trump administration is quietly advancing a number of rules that will ultimately harm LGBTQ people , even in the middle of a pandemic .
The administration has specifically finalized or is continuing to move forward with agency rules that enable discrimination against the LGBTQ community in health care , labor , and housing , among other things .
Overall , GLAAD has recorded a total of 136 attacks on LGBTQ rights by the administration since Trump took office .
Under the new rules , proposed from spring last year to as recently as January , transgender homeless people would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shelters , health care providers would be able to discriminate against LGBTQ people more broadly , and LGBTQ kids in the foster care system would undoubtedly experience more disruption in their lives .
Some of the rules have been finalized during the pandemic and others are likely to go into effect soon .
The administration has moved to reverse Obama-era requirements across nine separate federal agencies for religious organizations that receive taxpayer funds .
In January , it announced that the Office of Management and Budget would roll back guidelines that require religious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to let beneficiaries know of alternative social services and where to find those services nearby .
Jason Lemieux , director of government affairs at the Center for Inquiry , an organization that advocates for strict church-state separation and opposes religion in government affairs , explained in a phone interview that , under the Obama-era rules , `` grant money [ had to ] be used to implement the program in a secular way . ''
`` You can identify yourself as a Christian organization , but that service you provide needs to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provide for any organization , so you ca n't use the money to fund religious programming or inherently religious activities , '' he said .
In reality , that meant , for example , that a Christian organization running a soup kitchen using federal grant money could n't require someone to go to a church service after dinner .
`` Now that is being stripped away , where they ’ ll be able to say 'No , if you want dinner tonight you will attend our Mass service and you will recite this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` You [ could n't ] discriminate '' under the Obama administration 's rule , he added .
`` You have to provide services to beneficiaries on the basis of their eligibility under federal requirements and you ca n't require that people be members of your religion or turn away people based on your religious conscience , which we see happen with LGBTQ people .
That is now being eliminated just completely . ''
Under the Justice Department , this could mean that an organization that receives federal grant money from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people who are at risk of educational failure and dropping out of school , could say that serving LGBTQ youth is a violation of their conscience or could refuse to serve LGBTQ youth in a way that affirms their gender or sexuality , Lemieux said .
He said that the policy change was part of a larger effort by Christian nationalists and the religious right to redefine religious liberty and discrimination in a more general way `` without any regard done to any third party . ''
Candace Bond-Theriault , senior policy counsel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that she is particularly concerned about how housing entities would operate because many LGBTQ people experience homelessness .
Forty-two percent of black transgender people have experienced homelessness at least once during their lives and 30 % of all transgender people said they have , according to a 2015 report from the National Center for Transgender Equality .
Up to 40 % of all unaccompanied homeless youth are LGBTQ .
For comparison , LGBTQ youth make up 5 to 10 % of the overall youth population .
`` Housing and shelters and homelessness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be most affected because [ LGBTQ people ] are part of that population of folks who experience homelessness , especially people of color and trans and gender non-conforming folks , '' she said .
`` These are life and death services . ''
The Trump administration is also actively interfering to make the most marginalized children 's lives more difficult .
Last fall , the Department of Health and Human Services proposed a rule that would remove Obama-era language ensuring that groups participating in federal grant programs could n't discriminate against LGBTQ people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and adoption programs .
With that language removed , faith-based adoption and foster care agencies would be able to receive taxpayer funding even if LGBTQ families were excluded due to the agencies ' religious beliefs .
HHS Secretary Alex Azar claimed that the rule was justified because the previous nondiscrimination language was unconstitutional and violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 .
The administration is also disrupting the collection of data on LGBTQ children in the foster care system .
A finalized rule change , set to go into effect in July @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Analysis and Reporting System regulations by removing Obama-era requirements to collect data on the sexual orientation of youth or parents in foster care and the adoption system .
Experts say that without proper data collection , it is much more difficult to address mistreatment of LGBTQ youths in the foster care system .
Joey Hernández , policy and mobilization manager at the Los Angeles LGBT Center , said 30 % of the LGBTQ young people who come to the Los Angeles LGBT Center 's drop-in center who experience homelessness have had an open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % of them had over 10 placements in their lives .
If this data were collected , it would help stabilize those young people 's lives , they said .
`` You have to imagine a young person having all of their stuff thrown into a black garbage bag and taken to to another home , and in six to 12 months , that same exact situation happening all over again , '' Hernández said .
There really is n't an ability for them to create strong relationships with the resource families , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is being interrupted on a regular basis and they are experiencing these traumatic events on a regular basis . ''
They added , `` We 're implicitly thinking about putting young people into homes without knowing whether those households are going to be affirming of their identities or not . ''
Although HHS has argued that it is not possible to gather the data or to keep information confidential , Hernández was doubtful .
`` It is not impossible to do this .
It is the morally correct thing to do , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be able to do is create an environment that is safe and confidential for the young person and the information only needs to be distributed at an as-needed basis for the well-being of the young person . ''
They added , `` This is just a political game of bigots in the federal administration not wanting to pay attention to needs of some of the most vulnerable in the country .
We are talking about black and brown , queer and trans children who are being neglected and are being abused in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Department of Housing and Urban Development proposed a new rule that essentially eliminated nondiscrimination protections for transgender people at shelters receiving , managing , or operating HUD grants .
Under the rule , these shelter providers would be given a lot of flexibility on how to decide to house transgender people , which LGBTQ advocacy groups say would enable discrimination .
In 2012 , HUD enacted its Equal Access Rule , ensuring that its programs were open to everyone , including LGBTQ people .
And in 2016 , the department issued a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' nondiscrimination meant trans people should have equal access to sex-segregated shelters .
According to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey , 30 % of transgender people have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives and 12 % have said they have experienced homelessness in the last year because they are transgender .
The new Trump administration proposal , however , undoes the 2012 and 2016 policies .
HUD said at the time the new rule was proposed that shelter providers that permit single-sex or sex-segregated facilities can `` establish a policy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for determining sex for admission into a shelter and asks providers to consider a range of factors when they decide on that person 's accommodation .
Some of these factors include `` religious beliefs , '' `` the individual 's sex as reflected in official government documents , '' and `` gender a person identifies with . ''
As long as shelters say their actions are consistent with their overall policy and local and state law , in other words , trans people may have to make the choice to sleep on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does not recognize their gender .
`` The programs impacted by this rule are life-saving for transgender people , particularly youth rejected by their families ... lack of stable housing fuels the violence and abuse that takes the lives of many transgender people of color across the country , '' Mara Keisling , the head of the National Center for Transgender Equality ( NCTE ) , stated when the rule was first proposed .
LGBTQ workers are also at risk under new regulations proposed by the Trump administration .
The Labor Department proposed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to hundreds of thousands of contractors and subcontractors .
It allows broad religious exemptions for businesses that have federal contracts , which could harm the LGBTQ people they employ .
According to Politico , the proposal states that `` government contractors may make employment decisions that align with their religious beliefs '' but that `` contractors may not discriminate on the basis of race , sex or other protected statuses . ''
As the outlet noted , the rule is still likely to be perceived as `` tacit permission to discriminate against LGBTQ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration regulations , the Labor Department rule cites concerns about `` religious freedom '' to justify the proposed policy .
LGBTQ groups and civil rights experts say the proposal facilitates discrimination against LGBTQ people at companies contracting with the federal government .
When the Labor Department announced the rule , a senior department official told reporters that `` conscience and religious freedom rights have been given second-class treatment for too long . ''
`` This fulfills the president 's promise to promote and protect our fundamental and inalienable rights of conscience and religious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Bill of Rights in the First Amendment itself , '' the official said .
`` Given the conservative religious affiliations of many large institutional employers that seek federal contracts , we know the most vulnerable workers will be LGBTQ people , as well as Muslims , Jews and other religious minorities , '' Jennifer C. Pizer , director of law and policy at Lambda Legal , stated in reaction to the rule when it was proposed last year .
`` For more than half a century , the federal purse has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in this country .
And once again , appallingly , this administration is betraying our nation ’ s core commitment to liberty and justice for all — in service of an extreme , discriminatory religious agenda . ''
As the pandemic continues , Trump has also targeted LGBTQ people 's health care .
Last year , the Trump administration attempted to reverse the Affordable Care Act 's ban on sex discrimination .
The protections have been halted since 2017 due to an ongoing lawsuit by a Catholic hospital system and medical group , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states .
This Department of Health and Human Services is specifically trying to remove Obama-era language that defines sex discrimination as including `` gender identity , '' defined as a person 's `` internal sense of gender , which may be male , female , neither , or a combination of male and female , and which may be different from an individual 's sex assigned at birth . ''
The proposed rule change would get rid of transgender people 's health insurance coverage protections and cuts a provision blocking health insurers from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and those with HIV .
The Trump administration rule could be finalized soon , according to Politico .
Bond-Theriault of the National LGBTQ Task Force said the proposed rule is `` incredibly harmful for our community , '' particularly as the pandemic continues .
According to a 2016 Center for American Progress survey , 23.5 % of transgender respondents and 10.3 % of LGBTQ people of color avoided doctors ' offices in the past year for fear of being discriminated against or having a negative experience .
The survey also revealed that `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being discriminated against by a health care providers '' in 2010 , and more than 25 % of transgender people surveyed said they had been `` refused medical care outright . ''
`` ... We 're in a pandemic so any kind of discrimination the Trump administration is trying to add on to the hardships we 're already facing as a global community is definitely going to impact queer and transgender folks even more , '' Bond-Theriault explained .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

The Trump administration is quietly advancing a number of rules that will ultimately harm LGBTQ people, even in the middle of a pandemic.
The administration has specifically finalized or is continuing to move forward with agency rules that enable discrimination against the LGBTQ community in health care, labor, and housing, among other things.
Overall, GLAAD has recorded a total of 136 attacks on LGBTQ rights by the administration since Trump took office.
Under the new rules, proposed from spring last year to as recently as January, transgender homeless people would be asked to accept transphobic conditions in shelters, health care providers would be able to discriminate against LGBTQ people more broadly, and LGBTQ kids in the foster care system would undoubtedly experience more disruption in their lives.
Some of the rules have been finalized during the pandemic and others are likely to go into effect soon.
‘Religious freedom’ spreads to nine agencies
The administration has moved to reverse Obama-era requirements across nine separate federal agencies for religious organizations that receive taxpayer funds.
In January, it announced that the Office of Management and Budget would roll back guidelines that require religious social service providers using federal grant money to let beneficiaries know of alternative social services and where to find those services nearby.
Jason Lemieux, director of government affairs at the Center for Inquiry, an organization that advocates for strict church-state separation and opposes religion in government affairs, explained in a phone interview that, under the Obama-era rules, “grant money [had to] be used to implement the program in a secular way.”
“You can identify yourself as a Christian organization, but that service you provide needs to be a government service just like you’d provide for any organization, so you can’t use the money to fund religious programming or inherently religious activities,” he said.
In reality, that meant, for example, that a Christian organization running a soup kitchen using federal grant money couldn’t require someone to go to a church service after dinner.
“Now that is being stripped away, where they’ll be able to say ‘No, if you want dinner tonight you will attend our Mass service and you will recite this Christian creed,'” Lemieux said.
“You [couldn’t] discriminate” under the Obama administration’s rule, he added. “You have to provide services to beneficiaries on the basis of their eligibility under federal requirements and you can’t require that people be members of your religion or turn away people based on your religious conscience, which we see happen with LGBTQ people. That is now being eliminated just completely.”
Under the Justice Department, this could mean that an organization that receives federal grant money from the Juvenile Mentoring Program, which assists young people who are at risk of educational failure and dropping out of school, could say that serving LGBTQ youth is a violation of their conscience or could refuse to serve LGBTQ youth in a way that affirms their gender or sexuality, Lemieux said.
He said that the policy change was part of a larger effort by Christian nationalists and the religious right to redefine religious liberty and discrimination in a more general way “without any regard done to any third party.”
Candace Bond-Theriault, senior policy counsel for the National LGBTQ Task Force, said that she is particularly concerned about how housing entities would operate because many LGBTQ people experience homelessness.
Forty-two percent of black transgender people have experienced homelessness at least once during their lives and 30% of all transgender people said they have, according to a 2015 report from the National Center for Transgender Equality.
Up to 40% of all unaccompanied homeless youth are LGBTQ. For comparison, LGBTQ youth make up 5 to 10% of the overall youth population.
“Housing and shelters and homelessness is where LGBTQ folks are going to be most affected because [LGBTQ people] are part of that population of folks who experience homelessness, especially people of color and trans and gender non-conforming folks,” she said. “These are life and death services.”
Disrupting LGBTQ children’s lives
The Trump administration is also actively interfering to make the most marginalized children’s lives more difficult.
Last fall, the Department of Health and Human Services proposed a rule that would remove Obama-era language ensuring that groups participating in federal grant programs couldn’t discriminate against LGBTQ people. These grant programs include foster care and adoption programs.
With that language removed, faith-based adoption and foster care agencies would be able to receive taxpayer funding even if LGBTQ families were excluded due to the agencies’ religious beliefs.
HHS Secretary Alex Azar claimed that the rule was justified because the previous nondiscrimination language was unconstitutional and violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993.
The administration is also disrupting the collection of data on LGBTQ children in the foster care system.
A finalized rule change, set to go into effect in July, will change Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System regulations by removing Obama-era requirements to collect data on the sexual orientation of youth or parents in foster care and the adoption system.
Experts say that without proper data collection, it is much more difficult to address mistreatment of LGBTQ youths in the foster care system.
Joey Hernández, policy and mobilization manager at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, said 30% of the LGBTQ young people who come to the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s drop-in center who experience homelessness have had an open welfare case with LA County and 5% of them had over 10 placements in their lives. If this data were collected, it would help stabilize those young people’s lives, they said.
“You have to imagine a young person having all of their stuff thrown into a black garbage bag and taken to to another home, and in six to 12 months, that same exact situation happening all over again,” Hernández said. There really isn’t an ability for them to create strong relationships with the resource families, their parents or guardians because their life is being interrupted on a regular basis and they are experiencing these traumatic events on a regular basis.”
They added, “We’re implicitly thinking about putting young people into homes without knowing whether those households are going to be affirming of their identities or not.”
Although HHS has argued that it is not possible to gather the data or to keep information confidential, Hernández was doubtful.
“It is not impossible to do this. It is the morally correct thing to do,” they said. “All you have to be able to do is create an environment that is safe and confidential for the young person and the information only needs to be distributed at an as-needed basis for the well-being of the young person.”
They added, “This is just a political game of bigots in the federal administration not wanting to pay attention to needs of some of the most vulnerable in the country. We are talking about black and brown, queer and trans children who are being neglected and are being abused in this system.”
Forcing transgender homeless people to make impossible decisions
Last May, the Department of Housing and Urban Development proposed a new rule that essentially eliminated nondiscrimination protections for transgender people at shelters receiving, managing, or operating HUD grants. Under the rule, these shelter providers would be given a lot of flexibility on how to decide to house transgender people, which LGBTQ advocacy groups say would enable discrimination.
In 2012, HUD enacted its Equal Access Rule, ensuring that its programs were open to everyone, including LGBTQ people. And in 2016, the department issued a second rule clarifying that “gender identity” nondiscrimination meant trans people should have equal access to sex-segregated shelters.
According to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, 30% of transgender people have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives and 12% have said they have experienced homelessness in the last year because they are transgender.
The new Trump administration proposal, however, undoes the 2012 and 2016 policies.
HUD said at the time the new rule was proposed that shelter providers that permit single-sex or sex-segregated facilities can “establish a policy, consistent with state and local law” for determining sex for admission into a shelter and asks providers to consider a range of factors when they decide on that person’s accommodation. Some of these factors include “religious beliefs,” “the individual’s sex as reflected in official government documents,” and “gender a person identifies with.”
As long as shelters say their actions are consistent with their overall policy and local and state law, in other words, trans people may have to make the choice to sleep on the street or stay in a shelter that does not recognize their gender.
“The programs impacted by this rule are life-saving for transgender people, particularly youth rejected by their families … lack of stable housing fuels the violence and abuse that takes the lives of many transgender people of color across the country,” Mara Keisling, the head of the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), stated when the rule was first proposed.
Federal government contractors get a pass to discriminate
LGBTQ workers are also at risk under new regulations proposed by the Trump administration.
The Labor Department proposed a rule in August that could apply to hundreds of thousands of contractors and subcontractors. It allows broad religious exemptions for businesses that have federal contracts, which could harm the LGBTQ people they employ.
According to Politico, the proposal states that “government contractors may make employment decisions that align with their religious beliefs” but that ” contractors may not discriminate on the basis of race, sex or other protected statuses.”
As the outlet noted, the rule is still likely to be perceived as “tacit permission to discriminate against LGBTQ employees.”
As with many Trump administration regulations, the Labor Department rule cites concerns about “religious freedom” to justify the proposed policy.
LGBTQ groups and civil rights experts say the proposal facilitates discrimination against LGBTQ people at companies contracting with the federal government.
When the Labor Department announced the rule, a senior department official told reporters that “conscience and religious freedom rights have been given second-class treatment for too long.”
“This fulfills the president’s promise to promote and protect our fundamental and inalienable rights of conscience and religious liberty, the first freedom protected in the Bill of Rights in the First Amendment itself,” the official said.
LGBTQ legal advocacy groups disagree.
“Given the conservative religious affiliations of many large institutional employers that seek federal contracts, we know the most vulnerable workers will be LGBTQ people, as well as Muslims, Jews and other religious minorities,” Jennifer C. Pizer, director of law and policy at Lambda Legal, stated in reaction to the rule when it was proposed last year.
“For more than half a century, the federal purse has been a transformative driver of equal workplace opportunity in this country. And once again, appallingly, this administration is betraying our nation’s core commitment to liberty and justice for all — in service of an extreme, discriminatory religious agenda.”
Allowing discrimination against LGBTQ people in health care
As the pandemic continues, Trump has also targeted LGBTQ people’s health care.
Last year, the Trump administration attempted to reverse the Affordable Care Act’s ban on sex discrimination. The protections have been halted since 2017 due to an ongoing lawsuit by a Catholic hospital system and medical group, a Christian medical association, and five states.
This Department of Health and Human Services is specifically trying to remove Obama-era language that defines sex discrimination as including “gender identity,” defined as a person’s “internal sense of gender, which may be male, female, neither, or a combination of male and female, and which may be different from an individual’s sex assigned at birth.”
The proposed rule change would get rid of transgender people’s health insurance coverage protections and cuts a provision blocking health insurers from varying benefits to discriminate against LGBTQ people and those with HIV.
The Trump administration rule could be finalized soon, according to Politico.
Bond-Theriault of the National LGBTQ Task Force said the proposed rule is “incredibly harmful for our community,” particularly as the pandemic continues.
According to a 2016 Center for American Progress survey, 23.5% of transgender respondents and 10.3% of LGBTQ people of color avoided doctors’ offices in the past year for fear of being discriminated against or having a negative experience. The survey also revealed that “more than half of LGBT people reported being discriminated against by a health care providers” in 2010, and more than 25% of transgender people surveyed said they had been “refused medical care outright.”
“…We’re in a pandemic so any kind of discrimination the Trump administration is trying to add on to the hardships we’re already facing as a global community is definitely going to impact queer and transgender folks even more,” Bond-Theriault explained.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-05-29--Trump's been 'glorifying violence' for years — and he's gotten away with it

Twitter flagged a tweet by Donald Trump early Friday morning , noting its call for violence against protesters in Minneapolis this week violated company rules .
The social media platform has not , however , taken similar steps when Trump has promoted violence on the platform in the past — something he has done on numerous occasions .
Twitter communications officials posted a message early Friday morning stating that Trump 's tweet , in which he called the protesters `` thugs '' and said that `` when the looting starts , the shooting starts , '' violated its rules against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they had left the tweet up after determining `` that it may be in the public 's interest '' to be able to access it .
The decision to flag Trump 's tweet came hours after he announced an executive order aimed at punishing social media companies for not letting him lie unchecked .
The order would specifically allow the Federal Trade Commission to investigate complaints of political bias on those platforms and would reprimand them by removing protections that guard them against lawsuits over defamatory or damaging content posted by their users @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threaten his enemies and promote violence , even before his 2016 presidential campaign .
In 2013 , he urged people to shoot others supposedly trying to hit them .
`` If you are lucky enough to catch a knockout assaulter before getting slugged , and you carry a gun , shoot the bastard ( teach them a lesson ) ! ''
he tweeted that November .
Earlier that year he had also cheered on a family who shot a burglar , calling the incident `` great ! ''
In July 2017 , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a person with the CNN logo over their face , escalating his war with the media further .
And in September 2017 , he used his official account to threaten to obliterate a foreign country .
`` Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N .
If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man , they wo n't be around much longer ! ''
he wrote .
In January 2018 , Trump once again threatened to launch a nuclear attack on North Korea .
`` North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on his desk at all times , ' '' he tweeted .
`` Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button , but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his , and my Button works ! ''
Last October , Trump quoted a Fox News contributor to defend a service member accused of war crimes .
`` We train our boys to be killing machines , then prosecute them when they kill ! ''
he complained .
Just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attack Iran .
`` I have instructed the United States Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea . ''
As recently as Wednesday , Trump retweeted a video featuring a supporter opining that `` the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat . ''
Twitter did not immediately respond to an inquiry about whether these previous posts also violated the company 's rules about glorifying violence .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Twitter flagged a tweet by Donald Trump early Friday morning, noting its call for violence against protesters in Minneapolis this week violated company rules.
The social media platform has not, however, taken similar steps when Trump has promoted violence on the platform in the past — something he has done on numerous occasions.
Twitter communications officials posted a message early Friday morning stating that Trump’s tweet, in which he called the protesters “thugs” and said that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” violated its rules against “glorifying violence.”
Officials said they had left the tweet up after determining “that it may be in the public’s interest” to be able to access it.
The decision to flag Trump’s tweet came hours after he announced an executive order aimed at punishing social media companies for not letting him lie unchecked.
The order would specifically allow the Federal Trade Commission to investigate complaints of political bias on those platforms and would reprimand them by removing protections that guard them against lawsuits over defamatory or damaging content posted by their users.
Trump has long used Twitter to threaten his enemies and promote violence, even before his 2016 presidential campaign.
In 2013, he urged people to shoot others supposedly trying to hit them. “If you are lucky enough to catch a knockout assaulter before getting slugged, and you carry a gun, shoot the bastard (teach them a lesson)!” he tweeted that November.
Earlier that year he had also cheered on a family who shot a burglar, calling the incident “great!”
In July 2017, he tweeted a fake video of himself punching a person with the CNN logo over their face, escalating his war with the media further.
And in September 2017, he used his official account to threaten to obliterate a foreign country. “Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won’t be around much longer!” he wrote.
In January 2018, Trump once again threatened to launch a nuclear attack on North Korea.
“North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the ‘Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times,'” he tweeted. “Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!”
Last October, Trump quoted a Fox News contributor to defend a service member accused of war crimes. “We train our boys to be killing machines, then prosecute them when they kill!” he complained.
Just last month, he also threatened to attack Iran. “I have instructed the United States Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea.”
As recently as Wednesday, Trump retweeted a video featuring a supporter opining that “the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat.”
Twitter did not immediately respond to an inquiry about whether these previous posts also violated the company’s rules about glorifying violence.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-05-29--Matt Gaetz claims fact-checking Trump is 'interfering with an election'

On Wednesday , Donald Trump had tweets marked with a fact check by Twitter for promoting false information about voting by mail .
From the May 28 edition of Fox News ' `` Tucker Carlson Tonight '' : REP. MATT GAETZ ( R-FL ) : If we just wait around , Big Tech will steal this election from Donald Trump and from the American people .
In 2016 , we won three Rust Belt states by a point each , and that was when nobody thought Donald Trump could win .
In 2020 , we 've lost the element of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be as aggressive as they are .
That means bills like Senator [ Josh ] Hawley and I have filed to change section 230 so as to out these entities as publishers and not the unbiased platforms they are .
It means an executive order like the president has issued .
But it also means getting the other elements of government to enforce existing law .
The Federal Election Commission needs to get off their duff .
Twitter is interfering with an election .
I heard Democrats say for three years that Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a hoax .
GAETZ : We have domestic election interference going on right now .
I 'll be filing a complaint with the Federal Election Commission tomorrow because of what they have done to President Trump , and as a voter I have the standing to do it .
And President Trump should call for a decision on the Federal Election Commission questions that are before them so that these tech companies get flushed out of the bushes .

On Wednesday, Donald Trump had tweets marked with a fact check by Twitter for promoting false information about voting by mail.
From the May 28 edition of Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight”:
REP. MATT GAETZ (R-FL): If we just wait around, Big Tech will steal this election from Donald Trump and from the American people.
In 2016, we won three Rust Belt states by a point each, and that was when nobody thought Donald Trump could win. In 2020, we’ve lost the element of surprise, and so we have to be as aggressive as they are.
That means bills like Senator [Josh] Hawley and I have filed to change section 230 so as to out these entities as publishers and not the unbiased platforms they are. It means an executive order like the president has issued.
But it also means getting the other elements of government to enforce existing law. The Federal Election Commission needs to get off their duff. Twitter is interfering with an election. I heard Democrats say for three years that Russia was interfering with an election. That was a hoax.
TUCKER CARLSON: Exactly.
GAETZ: We have domestic election interference going on right now. I’ll be filing a complaint with the Federal Election Commission tomorrow because of what they have done to President Trump, and as a voter I have the standing to do it.
And President Trump should call for a decision on the Federal Election Commission questions that are before them so that these tech companies get flushed out of the bushes.


shareblue--2020-05-29--Trump calls black protesters 'thugs' but armed white rioters 'very good people'

Donald Trump on Friday called protesters in Minneapolis `` thugs '' as they demanded justice for a black man killed after being manhandled by a police officer , and threatened to shoot the protesters who were rioting in the streets .
`` These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd , and I wo n't let that happen .
Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way .
Any difficulty and we will assume control but , when the looting starts , the shooting starts .
Thank you !
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Friday morning .
Twitter deemed the comment to violate its policy against glorifying violence , and limited access to the tweet .
Trump 's comments are a far cry from how he has described white protesters who carried dangerous weapons , yelled in the face of law enforcement and journalists , and even chanted anti-Semitic statements .
On May 1 , Trump praised a group of protesters in Michigan who were armed with assault rifles and carrying signs with violent and anti-Semitic rhetoric .
`` The Governor of Michigan should give a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Trump tweeted of the protesters , who were demanding a reopening of the state economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic .
`` These are very good people , but they are angry .
They want their lives back again , safely !
See them , talk to them , make a deal . ''
The rhetoric from those protesters was so violent that Facebook removed a group organizing a similar protest , as they were calling for violence against Michigan 's Democratic Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer , including calls to `` hang @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' her , according to the MetroTimes , a Detroit news outlet .
In fact , Trump has egged on similar protests calling on governors to reopen the government in the wake of the coronavirus , even though those protests have gotten increasingly violent and ugly .
At a protest on Long Island on May 14 , protesters held a sign that read , `` Hang Fauci .
Hang Gates .
Open all our states . ''
Trump also seemed to condone a protester who got in the face of a journalist who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ retweeting a video of the incident with the comment , `` people ca n't get enough of this .
Great people ! ''
Trump also infamously praised the white supremacist protesters in Charlottesville , Virginia , in 2017 , who were protesting the removal of Confederate monuments .
He said there were `` very fine people '' among the crowd of white supremacists , who chanted `` blood and soil '' and `` you will not replace us '' — which are white supremacist and anti-Semitic statements .
One of the protesters even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peaceful , anti-racism counter-protesters , killing one woman .
In 2019 , Trump defended his comments , which were widely condemned by people on all sides of the political spectrum .
`` If you look at what I said , you will see that that question was answered perfectly , '' Trump said in April 2019 of his `` very fine people '' comment .
`` And I was talking about people that went because they felt very strongly about the monument to Robert E. Lee , a great general . ''
Published @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Donald Trump on Friday called protesters in Minneapolis “thugs” as they demanded justice for a black man killed after being manhandled by a police officer, and threatened to shoot the protesters who were rioting in the streets.
“These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!” Trump tweeted in the early hours of Friday morning. Twitter deemed the comment to violate its policy against glorifying violence, and limited access to the tweet.
Trump’s comments are a far cry from how he has described white protesters who carried dangerous weapons, yelled in the face of law enforcement and journalists, and even chanted anti-Semitic statements.
On May 1, Trump praised a group of protesters in Michigan who were armed with assault rifles and carrying signs with violent and anti-Semitic rhetoric.
“The Governor of Michigan should give a little, and put out the fire,” Trump tweeted of the protesters, who were demanding a reopening of the state economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “These are very good people, but they are angry. They want their lives back again, safely! See them, talk to them, make a deal.”
The rhetoric from those protesters was so violent that Facebook removed a group organizing a similar protest, as they were calling for violence against Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, including calls to “hang, behead, shoot, and beat” her, according to the MetroTimes, a Detroit news outlet.
In fact, Trump has egged on similar protests calling on governors to reopen the government in the wake of the coronavirus, even though those protests have gotten increasingly violent and ugly.
At a protest on Long Island on May 14, protesters held a sign that read, “Hang Fauci. Hang Gates. Open all our states.”
Trump also seemed to condone a protester who got in the face of a journalist who was simply reporting on the protest, retweeting a video of the incident with the comment, “people can’t get enough of this. Great people!”
Trump also infamously praised the white supremacist protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, who were protesting the removal of Confederate monuments.
He said there were “very fine people” among the crowd of white supremacists, who chanted “blood and soil” and “you will not replace us” — which are white supremacist and anti-Semitic statements.
One of the protesters even drove his car through a crowd of peaceful, anti-racism counter-protesters, killing one woman.
In 2019, Trump defended his comments, which were widely condemned by people on all sides of the political spectrum.
“If you look at what I said, you will see that that question was answered perfectly,” Trump said in April 2019 of his “very fine people” comment. “And I was talking about people that went because they felt very strongly about the monument to Robert E. Lee, a great general.”
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-05-30--Fact check: Trump lies about Obama making prescription drug prices worse

Donald Trump tangled the facts when he asserted Tuesday at a White House Rose Garden event that `` Obamacare '' raised prescription drug costs for older people — the opposite is true .
Trump also misfired by taunting Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden for supposedly being soft on drug prices .
Biden supports Medicare negotiations to lower prices , similar to what Trump called for as a Republican candidate in 2016 but later set aside .
Trump was announcing a $ 35 monthly limit on insulin copays under Medicare .
A look at the claims : TRUMP : `` In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from competing to offer lower costs for seniors .
There was no competition , there was no anything , and they ran away with what took place , and the seniors were horribly hurt . ''
THE FACTS : The Affordable Care Act actually reduced out-of-pocket prescription costs for seniors .
It did not prevent insurers from competing to offer lower costs .
President Barack Obama 's law reduced what seniors had to pay back then by gradually closing the `` doughnut hole , '' a notorious coverage gap in Medicare 's popular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A 50 % discount that Obamacare secured from drug makers on brand-name medicines yielded an average savings of $ 581 in 2011 for seniors with high drug costs , according to an analysis at the time by Medicare 's nonpartisan Office of the Actuary for the Associated Press .
On top of that , the ACA directed Medicare to pick up more of the cost of generic drugs , saving an additional $ 22 .
By tackling the coverage gap , Obama 's law helped Medicare recipients with high drug costs generally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take insulin to manage their diabetes .
On Tuesday , Trump announced that next year most seniors would have access to prescription plans that limit monthly copays for insulin to $ 35 , for an average savings of $ 446 annually .
On the claim that Obamacare stifled insurer competition , there 's no evidence that was the case .
`` Given the large number of Medicare prescription drug plans available to seniors , it is not clear how the Obama administration prevented insurers from competing with each other , '' said Tricia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation .
Neuman cited statistics for 2012 , midway through the Obama years , when the average number of Medicare Part D drug plans ranged across regions from a low of 25 to a high of 36 — more than enough to facilitate healthy competition .
TRUMP : `` So we 're getting it down — $ 35 per month ...
So it 's a massive cut — I guess , 60 , 70 % .
Nobody has seen anything like this for a long time .
Sleepy Joe ca @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can tell you . ''
THE FACTS : Actually , Biden wants to do much more .
The Democratic presidential candidate supports allowing Medicare to negotiate prices with drug makers , restricting price increases to the inflation rate and limiting launch prices for new drugs that face no competition .
As a 2016 candidate , Trump had backed Medicare negotiations .
But he has not pursued that idea , although the Congressional Budget Office estimated it could result in significant savings for taxpayers and consumers .
Congress is at an impasse over legislation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bipartisan Senate bill backed by Trump that would act to limit price increases for medicines already on the market .
But it would not authorize Medicare to negotiate prices .

Donald Trump tangled the facts when he asserted Tuesday at a White House Rose Garden event that “Obamacare” raised prescription drug costs for older people — the opposite is true.
Trump also misfired by taunting Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden for supposedly being soft on drug prices. Biden supports Medicare negotiations to lower prices, similar to what Trump called for as a Republican candidate in 2016 but later set aside.
Trump was announcing a $35 monthly limit on insulin copays under Medicare.
A look at the claims:
TRUMP: “In the past, Obamacare prevented insurance providers from competing to offer lower costs for seniors. There was no competition, there was no anything, and they ran away with what took place, and the seniors were horribly hurt.”
THE FACTS: The Affordable Care Act actually reduced out-of-pocket prescription costs for seniors. It did not prevent insurers from competing to offer lower costs.
President Barack Obama’s law reduced what seniors had to pay back then by gradually closing the “doughnut hole,” a notorious coverage gap in Medicare’s popular “Part D” prescription drug plan.
A 50% discount that Obamacare secured from drug makers on brand-name medicines yielded an average savings of $581 in 2011 for seniors with high drug costs, according to an analysis at the time by Medicare’s nonpartisan Office of the Actuary for the Associated Press.
On top of that, the ACA directed Medicare to pick up more of the cost of generic drugs, saving an additional $22.
By tackling the coverage gap, Obama’s law helped Medicare recipients with high drug costs generally, not only those patients who must take insulin to manage their diabetes.
On Tuesday, Trump announced that next year most seniors would have access to prescription plans that limit monthly copays for insulin to $35, for an average savings of $446 annually.
On the claim that Obamacare stifled insurer competition, there’s no evidence that was the case.
“Given the large number of Medicare prescription drug plans available to seniors, it is not clear how the Obama administration prevented insurers from competing with each other,” said Tricia Neuman, a Medicare expert with the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation.
Neuman cited statistics for 2012, midway through the Obama years, when the average number of Medicare Part D drug plans ranged across regions from a low of 25 to a high of 36 — more than enough to facilitate healthy competition.
___
TRUMP: “So we’re getting it down — $35 per month … So it’s a massive cut — I guess, 60, 70%. Nobody has seen anything like this for a long time. Sleepy Joe can’t do this — that, I can tell you.”
THE FACTS: Actually, Biden wants to do much more. The Democratic presidential candidate supports allowing Medicare to negotiate prices with drug makers, restricting price increases to the inflation rate and limiting launch prices for new drugs that face no competition.
As a 2016 candidate, Trump had backed Medicare negotiations. But he has not pursued that idea, although the Congressional Budget Office estimated it could result in significant savings for taxpayers and consumers.
Congress is at an impasse over legislation to reduce drug costs, including a bipartisan Senate bill backed by Trump that would act to limit price increases for medicines already on the market. But it would not authorize Medicare to negotiate prices.


shareblue--2020-05-30--Trump keeps trying to use powers he doesn't have

Threatening to shut down Twitter for flagging false content .
Claiming he can `` override '' governors who dare to keep churches closed to congregants .
Asserting the `` absolute authority '' to force states to reopen , even when local leaders say it 's too soon .
As he battles the coronavirus pandemic , Donald Trump has been claiming extraordinarily sweeping powers that legal scholars say the president simply does n't have .
And he has repeatedly refused to spell out the legal basis for those powers .
`` It 's not that the president does n't have a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a public health crisis .
It 's that these are not the powers he has , '' said Stephen Vladeck , a University of Texas School of Law professor who specializes in constitutional and national security law .
First it was Trump 's assertion that he could force governors to reopen their economies before they felt ready .
`` When somebody 's the president of the United States , the authority is total , '' he claimed .
Trump soon dropped the threat , saying he would instead leave such decisions to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ idea in recent days as he has tried to pressure governors to allow churches and other places of worship to hold in-person services , even where stay-at-home orders and other limits on large gatherings remain in effect .
Asked Tuesday what authority he had to enforce such a mandate , Trump was cagey .
`` I can absolutely do it if I want to , '' he said .
`` We have many different ways where I can override them and if I have to , I 'll do that . ''
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ specific statute , but White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement that `` every decision the president has made throughout this pandemic has been to protect the health and safety of the American people . ''
`` Getting the nation back to work , back to sporting events , back to churches , back to restaurants , and doing so safely and responsibly is the president 's shared goal with governors and the private sector , but the cure can not be worse than the disease , '' Deere said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ power under any reasonable reading of the Constitution or federalism to order places of worship to open , '' said Matthew Dallek , a historian at George Washington University 's Graduate School of Political Management who specializes in the use of presidential power .
But Dallek said that just because Trump does n't have the authority to do most of the things he 's threatened , does n't mean he wo n't , for instance , sign executive orders taking such action anyway — even if they are later struck down by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ previously ?
Not very much .
So I think he will do whatever seems to be in his best interest at any particular moment , '' Dallek said .
Trump , he said , also could try to abuse his powers to leverage other instruments of government , from the Department of Justice to the IRS , to push for investigations or launch regulatory crackdowns to punish states , cities , or companies .
Trump also has showed he 's willing to exercise powers that modern presidents have largely avoided , including his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president declared the pandemic a national emergency back in March , he activated more than 100 different statutory authorities .
Yet Trump , said Vladeck , has failed to exercise many of them .
`` I think one of the real ironies of this entire moment is that the president actually has a remarkable array of powers that he has n't brought to bear .
All the while he continues to claim stunning powers that he does n't have , '' he said .
That includes the Defense Production Act , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to force companies to mass produce supplies including masks and ventilators .
Instead , he used it in more limited ways .
And while the Justice Department has threatened to join lawsuits against states that move too slowly , a statement of interest filed by the department in Illinois last week did n't raise any federal constitutional claims .
Even if he does n't follow through on threats , Trump 's statements still can have consequences as he uses his bully pulpit .
`` He 's still trying to wield his often outrageous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to bludgeon others , '' said Joshua Geltzer , founding executive director of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown University Law Center .
Trump is now on a tear against Twitter after the social media platform , which he uses to speak directly to his more than 80 million followers , slapped fact-check alerts on two of his tweets claiming that mail-in voting is fraudulent .
On Thursday , he signed an executive order aimed at curbing liability protections for social media companies .
`` Twitter is completely stifling FREE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , will not allow it to happen ! ''
he tweeted Tuesday .
A day later Trump added : `` Republicans feel that Social Media Platforms totally silence conservatives voices .
We will strongly regulate , or close them down , before we can ever allow this to happen . ''
While Congress could pass legislation further regulating social media platforms , Trump `` has no such authority , '' said former federal Judge Michael McConnell , who now directs Stanford Law School 's Constitutional Law Center .
`` He is just venting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ First Amendment issue with Twitter adding a label to the president 's tweets , '' added Jameel Jaffer , executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University , who won the case that prevents Trump from banning his critics from his Twitter feed .
`` The only First Amendment issue here arises from the president 's threat to punish Twitter in some way for fact-checking his statements . ''
But Jack Balkin , a Yale University law professor and First Amendment expert , said that 's not Trump 's point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president to , as we used to say in basketball , work the refs , '' he said .
`` He 's threatening and cajoling with the idea that these folks in their corporate board rooms will think twice about what they 're doing , so they wo n't touch him . ''
For Rutgers University media professor John Pavlik , who studies online misinformation , Trump is simply trying to fire up his political base .
`` For Trump , '' he said , `` this is about politics . ''

Threatening to shut down Twitter for flagging false content. Claiming he can “override” governors who dare to keep churches closed to congregants. Asserting the “absolute authority” to force states to reopen, even when local leaders say it’s too soon.
As he battles the coronavirus pandemic, Donald Trump has been claiming extraordinarily sweeping powers that legal scholars say the president simply doesn’t have. And he has repeatedly refused to spell out the legal basis for those powers.
“It’s not that the president doesn’t have a remarkable amount of power to respond to a public health crisis. It’s that these are not the powers he has,” said Stephen Vladeck, a University of Texas School of Law professor who specializes in constitutional and national security law.
First it was Trump’s assertion that he could force governors to reopen their economies before they felt ready. “When somebody’s the president of the United States, the authority is total,” he claimed.
Trump soon dropped the threat, saying he would instead leave such decisions to the states. But he has revived the idea in recent days as he has tried to pressure governors to allow churches and other places of worship to hold in-person services, even where stay-at-home orders and other limits on large gatherings remain in effect.
Asked Tuesday what authority he had to enforce such a mandate, Trump was cagey.
“I can absolutely do it if I want to,” he said. “We have many different ways where I can override them and if I have to, I’ll do that.”
The White House declined to spell out any specific statute, but White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement that “every decision the president has made throughout this pandemic has been to protect the health and safety of the American people.”
“Getting the nation back to work, back to sporting events, back to churches, back to restaurants, and doing so safely and responsibly is the president’s shared goal with governors and the private sector, but the cure cannot be worse than the disease,” Deere said.
Trump “certainly does not have the power under any reasonable reading of the Constitution or federalism to order places of worship to open,” said Matthew Dallek, a historian at George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management who specializes in the use of presidential power.
But Dallek said that just because Trump doesn’t have the authority to do most of the things he’s threatened, doesn’t mean he won’t, for instance, sign executive orders taking such action anyway — even if they are later struck down by the courts.
“What has limited Trump previously? Not very much. So I think he will do whatever seems to be in his best interest at any particular moment,” Dallek said.
Trump, he said, also could try to abuse his powers to leverage other instruments of government, from the Department of Justice to the IRS, to push for investigations or launch regulatory crackdowns to punish states, cities, or companies. Trump also has showed he’s willing to exercise powers that modern presidents have largely avoided, including his recent purging of inspectors general.
When the president declared the pandemic a national emergency back in March, he activated more than 100 different statutory authorities. Yet Trump, said Vladeck, has failed to exercise many of them.
“I think one of the real ironies of this entire moment is that the president actually has a remarkable array of powers that he hasn’t brought to bear. All the while he continues to claim stunning powers that he doesn’t have,” he said.
That includes the Defense Production Act, which Trump could have used far more aggressively to force companies to mass produce supplies including masks and ventilators. Instead, he used it in more limited ways. And while the Justice Department has threatened to join lawsuits against states that move too slowly, a statement of interest filed by the department in Illinois last week didn’t raise any federal constitutional claims.
Even if he doesn’t follow through on threats, Trump’s statements still can have consequences as he uses his bully pulpit.
“He’s still trying to wield his often outrageous interpretations of the law as a cudgel to bludgeon others,” said Joshua Geltzer, founding executive director of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown University Law Center.
Trump is now on a tear against Twitter after the social media platform, which he uses to speak directly to his more than 80 million followers, slapped fact-check alerts on two of his tweets claiming that mail-in voting is fraudulent.
On Thursday, he signed an executive order aimed at curbing liability protections for social media companies.
“Twitter is completely stifling FREE SPEECH, and I, as President, will not allow it to happen!” he tweeted Tuesday. A day later Trump added: “Republicans feel that Social Media Platforms totally silence conservatives voices. We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen.”
While Congress could pass legislation further regulating social media platforms, Trump “has no such authority,” said former federal Judge Michael McConnell, who now directs Stanford Law School’s Constitutional Law Center. “He is just venting.”
“There is absolutely no First Amendment issue with Twitter adding a label to the president’s tweets,” added Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, who won the case that prevents Trump from banning his critics from his Twitter feed. “The only First Amendment issue here arises from the president’s threat to punish Twitter in some way for fact-checking his statements.”
But Jack Balkin, a Yale University law professor and First Amendment expert, said that’s not Trump’s point.
“This is an attempt by the president to, as we used to say in basketball, work the refs,” he said. “He’s threatening and cajoling with the idea that these folks in their corporate board rooms will think twice about what they’re doing, so they won’t touch him.”
For Rutgers University media professor John Pavlik, who studies online misinformation, Trump is simply trying to fire up his political base.
“For Trump,” he said, “this is about politics.”


shareblue--2020-05-31--VA says it'll stop giving vets drug that studies show may lead to more deaths

Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie said Thursday that his department has all but stopped use of an unproven malaria drug on veterans with COVID-19 .
At a House hearing , he defended initial use of hydroxychloroquine on coronavirus patients as justified `` to give them hope , '' given few treatment options at the time .
But Wilkie said that government-run VA hospitals have `` ratcheted it down '' — to just three prescriptions in the last week — as studies pointed to possible dangers and other possible treatments were brought online .
`` I expect that trend to continue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Donald Trump has heavily pitched the drug — even saying in recent days he had been taking it to prevent coronavirus infection — without scientific evidence of its effectiveness .
`` We are all learning as we go in this crisis , '' Wilkie told a House appropriations subcommittee .
`` Our mission is to preserve and protect life . ''
The department , which is the nation 's largest hospital system , has recently been turning to remdesivir .
Preliminary results from a major study found reduced recovery time , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the VA 's website , 13,657 veterans have been infected with the coronavirus , and 1,200 have died .
Major veterans organizations had called on the VA to explain its use of hydroxychloroquine after an analysis of VA hospital data was published last month showing hundreds of veterans who took the drug saw no benefit for COVID-19 .
About 28 % of veterans who were given hydroxychloroquine plus usual care died , versus 11 % of those getting routine care alone .
VA data provided Thursday to Congress show that weekly prescriptions for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a peak of 404 about two weeks later as Trump began promoting its use .
They remained at higher levels before tapering off in late April amid backlash over results of the VA hospital analysis and as remdesivir emerged as a form of treatment .
In all , 1,370 veterans were prescribed hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 .
Wilkie said Thursday that he expected the VA to continue using the drug in limited forms such as clinical trials , based in part on the guidance of Dr. Anthony Fauci , the nation 's top @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House coronavirus task force .
That answer drew a rebuke from Rep. Nita Lowey ( D-NY ) , chair of the appropriations committee , who said the VA should have been listening to Fauci 's counsel urging caution on the drug from the start .
`` I hope VA will respond to the science that is clearly coming from Dr. Fauci , rather than some wishful thinking coming from the president , '' Lowey said .
No large , rigorous studies have found hydroxychloroquine safe or effective for COVID-19 , and it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ serious side effects .
The Food and Drug Administration has warned against the drug and said hydroxychloroquine should only be used for the coronavirus in formal studies .
The VA has said it prescribed the drug only when medically appropriate , after full discussion between doctor and patient about the risks .

Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie said Thursday that his department has all but stopped use of an unproven malaria drug on veterans with COVID-19.
At a House hearing, he defended initial use of hydroxychloroquine on coronavirus patients as justified “to give them hope,” given few treatment options at the time. But Wilkie said that government-run VA hospitals have “ratcheted it down” — to just three prescriptions in the last week — as studies pointed to possible dangers and other possible treatments were brought online. “I expect that trend to continue in the future,” he added.
Donald Trump has heavily pitched the drug — even saying in recent days he had been taking it to prevent coronavirus infection — without scientific evidence of its effectiveness.
“We are all learning as we go in this crisis,” Wilkie told a House appropriations subcommittee. “Our mission is to preserve and protect life.”
The department, which is the nation’s largest hospital system, has recently been turning to remdesivir. Preliminary results from a major study found reduced recovery time, as well as convalescent plasma.
According to the VA’s website, 13,657 veterans have been infected with the coronavirus, and 1,200 have died.
Major veterans organizations had called on the VA to explain its use of hydroxychloroquine after an analysis of VA hospital data was published last month showing hundreds of veterans who took the drug saw no benefit for COVID-19. About 28% of veterans who were given hydroxychloroquine plus usual care died, versus 11% of those getting routine care alone.
VA data provided Thursday to Congress show that weekly prescriptions for hydroxychloroquine surged from about two in mid-March to a peak of 404 about two weeks later as Trump began promoting its use. They remained at higher levels before tapering off in late April amid backlash over results of the VA hospital analysis and as remdesivir emerged as a form of treatment. In all, 1,370 veterans were prescribed hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19.
Wilkie said Thursday that he expected the VA to continue using the drug in limited forms such as clinical trials, based in part on the guidance of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-diseases expert and a member of the White House coronavirus task force.
That answer drew a rebuke from Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY), chair of the appropriations committee, who said the VA should have been listening to Fauci’s counsel urging caution on the drug from the start.
“I hope VA will respond to the science that is clearly coming from Dr. Fauci, rather than some wishful thinking coming from the president,” Lowey said.
No large, rigorous studies have found hydroxychloroquine safe or effective for COVID-19, and it can cause heart rhythm problems and other serious side effects. The Food and Drug Administration has warned against the drug and said hydroxychloroquine should only be used for the coronavirus in formal studies.
The VA has said it prescribed the drug only when medically appropriate, after full discussion between doctor and patient about the risks.


shareblue--2020-05-31--World leaders set bad examples on coronavirus safety

`` Do as I say , but not as I do '' was the message many British saw in the behavior of Prime Minister Boris Johnson 's key aide , who traveled hundreds of miles with coronavirus symptoms during the country 's lockdown .
While Dominic Cummings has faced calls for his firing but support from his boss over his journey from London to the northern city of Durham in March , few countries seem immune to the perception that politicians and top officials are bending the rules that their own governments wrote during the pandemic .
From Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ global decision-makers have frequently set bad examples , whether it 's refusing to wear masks or breaking confinement rules aimed at protecting their citizens from COVID-19 .
Some are punished when they 're caught , others publicly repent , while a few just shrug off the violations during a pandemic that has claimed more than 350,000 lives worldwide .
Here are some notable examples : NEW ZEALAND HEALTH MINISTER CALLS HIMSELF AN `` IDIOT '' In April , New Zealand 's health minister was stripped of some of his responsibilities after defying the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Clark drove 12 miles to the beach to take a walk with his family as the government was asking people to make historic sacrifices by staying at home .
`` I 've been an idiot , and I understand why people will be angry with me , '' Clark said .
He also earlier acknowledged driving to a park near his home to go mountain biking .
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said normally she would fire Clark but that the country could n't afford massive disruption in its health sector while it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stripped Clark of his role as associate finance minister and demoted him to the bottom of the Cabinet rankings .
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said it pained him not to embrace supporters during tours because of health risks , but he made a remarkable exception in March , shaking hands with the elderly mother of imprisoned drug kingpin Joaquin `` El Chapo '' Guzmán .
Asked about shaking her hand when the government was urging citizens to practice social distancing , López Obrador said it would have been disrespectful not to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' he said .
`` I 'm not a robot . ''
The decision to wear a mask in public is becoming a political statement in the U.S .
It 's been stoked by Trump — who did n't wear a mask during an appearance at a facility making them — and some other Republicans , who have questioned the value of masks .
This month , pandemic politics shadowed Trump 's trip to Michigan as he toured a factory making lifesaving medical devices .
He did not publicly wear a face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's top law enforcement officer that refusing to do so might lead to a ban on his return .
Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden , meanwhile , wore a mask along with his wife , Jill , as they laid a wreath Monday at a Delaware veterans ' memorial — his first public appearance since mid-March .
Trump later retweeted Fox News analyst Brit Hume 's criticism of Biden for wearing a mask in public .
Vice President Mike Pence was criticized for not wearing a mask while on a visit to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Israel was instructed not to gather with their extended families for the traditional Passover seder in April , Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin hosted their adult children for the festive holiday meal , drawing fierce criticism on social media .
Israeli television showed a photo of Avner Netanyahu , the premier 's younger son , attending the seder at his father 's official residence .
Benjamin Netanyahu later apologized in a televised address , saying he should have adhered more closely to the regulations .
French President Emmanuel Macron also has been inconsistent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confused .
Although Macron has sometimes appeared in a mask for visits at hospitals and schools , it 's a different story in the Élysée presidential palace and for speeches .
During a visit to a Paris hospital on May 15 , Macron initially wore a mask to chat with doctors but then removed it to talk with union workers .
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner also faced criticism this month for huddling with dozens of mask-makers in a factory for a photo where everyone removed their masks .
The only time Russian President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was on March 24 , when he visited a top coronavirus hospital in Moscow .
Before donning a hazmat suit , Putin shook hands with Dr. Denis Protsenko , the head of the hospital .
Neither wore masks or gloves , and a week later , Protsenko tested positive for the virus .
That raised questions about Putin 's health , but the Kremlin said he was fine .
Putin has since held at least seven face-to-face meetings , according to the Kremlin website .
He and others did n't wear masks during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't cover his face for events marking Nazi Germany 's defeat in World War II .
When asked why Putin does n't wear a mask during public appearances , spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin has a different approach to protecting the president 's health .
`` When it comes to public events , we ask medical workers to test all the participants in advance , '' Peskov told reporters .
Puerto Rico Gov .
Wanda Vázquez was criticized for not always wearing a mask despite holding new conferences ordering people to cover @ @ @ @ @ @ @ businesses .
A member of the opposition Popular Democratic Party also filed a police complaint last week against members of Vázquez 's New Progressive Party , alleging they violated a curfew by gathering to inaugurate the party 's new headquarters .
Police are investigating the incident , which angered many Puerto Ricans .
Scotland 's chief medical officer , Dr. Catherine Calderwood , broke her own rules and traveled to her second home during lockdown in April .
She faced blowback after photos emerged of her and her family visiting Earlsferry in Fife @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's drive from her main home in Edinburgh .
She apologized and resigned .
`` I did not follow the advice I 'm giving to others , '' Calderwood said .
`` I am truly sorry for that .
I 've seen a lot of the comments from … people calling me a hypocrite . ''
A top Japanese prosecutor was reprimanded and later resigned this month after defying a stay-at-home recommendation in a gambling scandal .
Hiromu Kurokawa , the country 's No .
2 prosecutor who headed the Tokyo High Prosecutors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't social distancing when he played mahjong for money at a newspaper reporter 's home twice in May .
Japan did n't enforce a stay-at-home recommendation , but his case outraged the public because many were following social distancing measures .
At a March news conference to open a COVID-19 field hospital in Milan 's old convention center , photographers and video journalists were pushed into corners that did not allow proper spacing .
Only text reporters were given seating in line with regulations .
The Codacons consumer protection group announced it would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` What should have been a moment of great happiness and pride for Lombardy and Italy was transformed into a surreal event , where in violation of the anti-gathering rules , groups of crowds formed , '' Codacons said .
In April , Communications Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams was placed on special leave for two months and forced to apologize by President Cyril Ramaphosa after she violated stay-at-home regulations .
Ramaphosa directed police to investigate after a photo emerged on social media of Ndabeni-Abrahams and several others having a meal at the home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mduduzi Manana .
Madrid 's regional and city officials sparked controversy when they gathered on May 1 for a ceremony shuttering a massive field hospital at a convention center .
Eager to appear in the final photo of a facility credited with treating nearly 4,000 mild COVID-19 patients , dozens of officials did n't follow social distancing rules .
Spain 's restrictions banned more than 10 people at events like the one that honored nurses and doctors .
The central government opened an investigation , and Madrid regional chief Isabel Díaz Ayuso apologized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away by the uniqueness of the moment . ''
Former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy also defied strict stay-at-home orders , with a television station filming him power walking around in northern Madrid .
The Spanish prosecutor 's office is investigating whether Rajoy , who was premier from 2011 to 2018 , should be fined .
In India , a top leader of Prime Minister Narendra Modi 's Bharatiya Janata Party drew flak last weekend after playing a game of cricket .
Manoj Tiwari , also a member of India 's parliament , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ game .
Videos circulating on social media showed Tiwari without a mask .
He was also seen taking selfies with people .
Some leaders are setting a good example , including Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa .
Media jokingly called him the most relaxed politician in the world after he was photographed queuing at a supermarket this month , wearing a mask and following social distancing measures .
The photo was widely shared on social media .
Another rule-follower is Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte , who did not visit his ill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the last eight weeks of her life because of coronavirus restrictions .
He only came to her bedside during her final hours this month .
`` The prime minister has respected all guidelines , '' according to a statement read by a spokesman .
`` The guidelines allow for family to say goodbye to dying family members in the final stage .
And as such the prime minister was with her during her last night . ''

“Do as I say, but not as I do” was the message many British saw in the behavior of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s key aide, who traveled hundreds of miles with coronavirus symptoms during the country’s lockdown.
While Dominic Cummings has faced calls for his firing but support from his boss over his journey from London to the northern city of Durham in March, few countries seem immune to the perception that politicians and top officials are bending the rules that their own governments wrote during the pandemic.
From Donald Trump to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, global decision-makers have frequently set bad examples, whether it’s refusing to wear masks or breaking confinement rules aimed at protecting their citizens from COVID-19.
Some are punished when they’re caught, others publicly repent, while a few just shrug off the violations during a pandemic that has claimed more than 350,000 lives worldwide.
Here are some notable examples:
NEW ZEALAND HEALTH MINISTER CALLS HIMSELF AN “IDIOT”
In April, New Zealand’s health minister was stripped of some of his responsibilities after defying the country’s strict lockdown measures. David Clark drove 12 miles to the beach to take a walk with his family as the government was asking people to make historic sacrifices by staying at home.
“I’ve been an idiot, and I understand why people will be angry with me,” Clark said. He also earlier acknowledged driving to a park near his home to go mountain biking.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said normally she would fire Clark but that the country couldn’t afford massive disruption in its health sector while it was fighting the virus. Instead, she stripped Clark of his role as associate finance minister and demoted him to the bottom of the Cabinet rankings.
MEXICO’S LEADER SHAKES HANDS
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said it pained him not to embrace supporters during tours because of health risks, but he made a remarkable exception in March, shaking hands with the elderly mother of imprisoned drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán. Asked about shaking her hand when the government was urging citizens to practice social distancing, López Obrador said it would have been disrespectful not to.
“It’s very difficult humanly,” he said. “I’m not a robot.”
AMERICA’S PANDEMIC POLITICS
The decision to wear a mask in public is becoming a political statement in the U.S. It’s been stoked by Trump — who didn’t wear a mask during an appearance at a facility making them — and some other Republicans, who have questioned the value of masks. This month, pandemic politics shadowed Trump’s trip to Michigan as he toured a factory making lifesaving medical devices. He did not publicly wear a face covering despite a warning from the state’s top law enforcement officer that refusing to do so might lead to a ban on his return.
Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden, meanwhile, wore a mask along with his wife, Jill, as they laid a wreath Monday at a Delaware veterans’ memorial — his first public appearance since mid-March. Trump later retweeted Fox News analyst Brit Hume’s criticism of Biden for wearing a mask in public.
Vice President Mike Pence was criticized for not wearing a mask while on a visit to the Mayo Clinic.
NETANYAHU’S PASSOVER HOLIDAY
While the rest of Israel was instructed not to gather with their extended families for the traditional Passover seder in April, Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin hosted their adult children for the festive holiday meal, drawing fierce criticism on social media. Israeli television showed a photo of Avner Netanyahu, the premier’s younger son, attending the seder at his father’s official residence.
Benjamin Netanyahu later apologized in a televised address, saying he should have adhered more closely to the regulations.
THE FRENCH EXCEPTION
French President Emmanuel Macron also has been inconsistent with masks, leaving the French public confused. Although Macron has sometimes appeared in a mask for visits at hospitals and schools, it’s a different story in the Élysée presidential palace and for speeches. During a visit to a Paris hospital on May 15, Macron initially wore a mask to chat with doctors but then removed it to talk with union workers.
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner also faced criticism this month for huddling with dozens of mask-makers in a factory for a photo where everyone removed their masks.
PUTIN’S DIFFERENT APPROACH
The only time Russian President Vladimir Putin wore protective gear in public was on March 24, when he visited a top coronavirus hospital in Moscow. Before donning a hazmat suit, Putin shook hands with Dr. Denis Protsenko, the head of the hospital. Neither wore masks or gloves, and a week later, Protsenko tested positive for the virus. That raised questions about Putin’s health, but the Kremlin said he was fine.
Putin has since held at least seven face-to-face meetings, according to the Kremlin website. He and others didn’t wear masks during those meetings, and Putin also didn’t cover his face for events marking Nazi Germany’s defeat in World War II.
When asked why Putin doesn’t wear a mask during public appearances, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin has a different approach to protecting the president’s health.
“When it comes to public events, we ask medical workers to test all the participants in advance,” Peskov told reporters.
PUERTO RICO OFFICIAL’S INCONSISTENT MESSAGE
Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez was criticized for not always wearing a mask despite holding new conferences ordering people to cover their faces outside their homes and inside businesses. A member of the opposition Popular Democratic Party also filed a police complaint last week against members of Vázquez’s New Progressive Party, alleging they violated a curfew by gathering to inaugurate the party’s new headquarters. Police are investigating the incident, which angered many Puerto Ricans.
SCOTTISH MEDICAL OFFICIAL TAKES THE LOW ROAD
Scotland’s chief medical officer, Dr. Catherine Calderwood, broke her own rules and traveled to her second home during lockdown in April. She faced blowback after photos emerged of her and her family visiting Earlsferry in Fife, which is more than an hour’s drive from her main home in Edinburgh. She apologized and resigned.
“I did not follow the advice I’m giving to others,” Calderwood said. “I am truly sorry for that. I’ve seen a lot of the comments from … people calling me a hypocrite.”
JAPAN’S GAMBLING SCANDAL
A top Japanese prosecutor was reprimanded and later resigned this month after defying a stay-at-home recommendation in a gambling scandal.
Hiromu Kurokawa, the country’s No. 2 prosecutor who headed the Tokyo High Prosecutors’ Office, acknowledged that he wasn’t social distancing when he played mahjong for money at a newspaper reporter’s home twice in May. Japan didn’t enforce a stay-at-home recommendation, but his case outraged the public because many were following social distancing measures.
ITALIAN PRESS CONFERENCE CRITICISM
At a March news conference to open a COVID-19 field hospital in Milan’s old convention center, photographers and video journalists were pushed into corners that did not allow proper spacing. Only text reporters were given seating in line with regulations. The Codacons consumer protection group announced it would file a complaint with prosecutors in Milan.
“What should have been a moment of great happiness and pride for Lombardy and Italy was transformed into a surreal event, where in violation of the anti-gathering rules, groups of crowds formed,” Codacons said.
SOUTH AFRICA’S RULE-BREAKING DINNER
In April, Communications Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams was placed on special leave for two months and forced to apologize by President Cyril Ramaphosa after she violated stay-at-home regulations. Ramaphosa directed police to investigate after a photo emerged on social media of Ndabeni-Abrahams and several others having a meal at the home of former deputy minister of higher education Mduduzi Manana.
SPANISH HOSPITAL CEREMONY INVESTIGATED
Madrid’s regional and city officials sparked controversy when they gathered on May 1 for a ceremony shuttering a massive field hospital at a convention center. Eager to appear in the final photo of a facility credited with treating nearly 4,000 mild COVID-19 patients, dozens of officials didn’t follow social distancing rules. Spain’s restrictions banned more than 10 people at events like the one that honored nurses and doctors. The central government opened an investigation, and Madrid regional chief Isabel Díaz Ayuso apologized. She said officials “got carried away by the uniqueness of the moment.”
Former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy also defied strict stay-at-home orders, with a television station filming him power walking around in northern Madrid. The Spanish prosecutor’s office is investigating whether Rajoy, who was premier from 2011 to 2018, should be fined.
INDIAN CRICKET GAME CRITICIZED
In India, a top leader of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party drew flak last weekend after playing a game of cricket. Manoj Tiwari, also a member of India’s parliament, said he followed social distancing rules during the game. Videos circulating on social media showed Tiwari without a mask. He was also seen taking selfies with people.
LEADERS WHO FOLLOW THE RULES
Some leaders are setting a good example, including Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. Media jokingly called him the most relaxed politician in the world after he was photographed queuing at a supermarket this month, wearing a mask and following social distancing measures. The photo was widely shared on social media.
Another rule-follower is Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who did not visit his ill 96-year-old mother in a nursing home during the last eight weeks of her life because of coronavirus restrictions. He only came to her bedside during her final hours this month.
“The prime minister has respected all guidelines,” according to a statement read by a spokesman. “The guidelines allow for family to say goodbye to dying family members in the final stage. And as such the prime minister was with her during her last night.”


shareblue--2020-06-01--Military police fire tear gas at protesters so Trump can stage church photo-op

On Monday , after a week of nationwide protests against police violence , Donald Trump finally addressed the nation .
He spoke in the Rose Garden , calling himself an `` ally of all peaceful protesters , '' as military police repeatedly fired tear gas and flash bangs at protesters who had gathered at Lafayette Park , across the street from the White House .
Protesters kneeled and chanted `` George Floyd '' — the name of the black man who died in Minneapolis after a white police officer kneeled on Floyd 's neck for several minutes while Floyd was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ breathe .
The officer , Derek Chauvin , was arrested and charged with murder on Friday , after several days of protests in Minneapolis .
`` I am your president of law and order , and an ally of all peaceful protesters , '' Trump said as the shots of tear gas could be heard across the street .
`` But in recent days , our nation has been gripped by professional anarchists , violent mobs , arsonists , looters , criminals , rioters , antifa and others . ''
Trump said he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , civilian and military , to stop the rioting and looting , to end the destruction and arson and protect the rights of law-abiding Americans , including your Second Amendment rights . ''
Trump has repeatedly sought to dismiss people protesting police violence and systemic racism as nothing more than `` thugs '' and leftist mobs .
It 's a very different tone from the one he has used to talk about armed white rioters who stormed the Michigan Capitol last month , demanding Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer lift stay-home orders to stop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ praised those rioters as `` very good people '' and demanded the governor `` give a little '' and `` make a deal . ''
After Trump concluded his Rose Garden address , he walked to St. John 's Episcopal Church nearby where he posed for a photo-op while holding up a Bible with Attorney General William Barr , White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany , and Trump 's new chief of staff , Mark Meadows .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

On Monday, after a week of nationwide protests against police violence, Donald Trump finally addressed the nation.
He spoke in the Rose Garden, calling himself an “ally of all peaceful protesters,” as military police repeatedly fired tear gas and flash bangs at protesters who had gathered at Lafayette Park, across the street from the White House.
Protesters kneeled and chanted “George Floyd” — the name of the black man who died in Minneapolis after a white police officer kneeled on Floyd’s neck for several minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and repeatedly said he could not breathe.
The officer, Derek Chauvin, was arrested and charged with murder on Friday, after several days of protests in Minneapolis.
“I am your president of law and order, and an ally of all peaceful protesters,” Trump said as the shots of tear gas could be heard across the street. “But in recent days, our nation has been gripped by professional anarchists, violent mobs, arsonists, looters, criminals, rioters, antifa and others.”
Trump said he is “mobilizing all available federal resources, civilian and military, to stop the rioting and looting, to end the destruction and arson and protect the rights of law-abiding Americans, including your Second Amendment rights.”
Trump has repeatedly sought to dismiss people protesting police violence and systemic racism as nothing more than “thugs” and leftist mobs. It’s a very different tone from the one he has used to talk about armed white rioters who stormed the Michigan Capitol last month, demanding Gov. Gretchen Whitmer lift stay-home orders to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Trump praised those rioters as “very good people” and demanded the governor “give a little” and “make a deal.”
After Trump concluded his Rose Garden address, he walked to St. John’s Episcopal Church nearby where he posed for a photo-op while holding up a Bible with Attorney General William Barr, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, and Trump’s new chief of staff, Mark Meadows.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.