alternet--2020-10-21--Trump forced Republicans into the dumbest corner

Republicans are stuck on the wrong side of public opinion on Covid-19 , and that 's probably the biggest reason why they 've struggled to make up any ground against their Democratic opponents .
Back in March , I noticed a trend that was unusual in our polarized times : GOP voters were telling pollsters that they believed Donald Trump 's various claims about the origins of the pandemic and bought that the media and Democrats were exaggerating its danger , but when asked about how they themselves were responding to the outbreak , majorities made it clear that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concerned about its impact on their families and communities , were taking precautions to avoid contracting the virus and supported most if not all public health measures to contain it .
That disconnect has persisted throughout the course of the campaign .
Trump and others have mocked Joe Biden for `` hiding in his basement '' and wearing a mask when out on the campaign trail , but a survey released earlier this month found that , `` despite noisy no-mask protests , 92 percent of 2,200 Americans polled say they wear a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with 74 percent saying they 'always ' do . ''
Another survey released this week found that voters favored a national mask mandate by a 20-point margin .
While Trump assures Americans that the coronavirus is nothing to fear , another recent poll found that two-thirds of respondents `` say they are worried that someone in their family will be exposed to the virus . ''
Any minimally competent campaign strategist would tell you that it has always been imperative for Trump to project a seriousness about Covid-19 to the American public and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to more friendly ground .
But he and his party seem intent on doing the opposite .
They 've created a steady stream of news stories about their own carelessness -- from the Rose Garden reception for Trump Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett turning into a super-spreader event to picking fights with Anthony Fauci to multiple elected officials violating airline mask mandates .
Conflicting reports about Trump 's health status , that goofy ride around Walter Reed Medical Center and now Trump touring the country holding rallies , many in Coronavirus hotspots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the regime 's reckless and anti-scientific responses to it would remain the media 's primary focus in the final stretch of the campaign .
And even as numerous prominent Republicans and White House staffers tested positive for the disease , the conservative media continued to relentlessly downplay the severity of this historic public health crisis and openly mock those who take it seriously .
It 's hard to overstate how wide the divide between the movement and a significant majority of the public -- voters Trump needs to win over -- has become @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hailed for its messaging prowess , it is confounding .
But it makes sense in context .
Trump set the course for his party to navigate the pandemic months ago , and he simply does not have a plan B .
Way back in March , when Trump was calling warning about the severity of the pandemic a `` hoax , '' I wrote that his `` [ Covid ] strategy is clear . ''
When I wrote that , 602 Americans had died , and while I thought the strategy was doomed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least a modicum of sense at the time .
If the outbreak did turn out to be less widespread than the experts were saying it would be , Trump might have been able to shift responsibility for the economic downturn to Democratic governors and the media , and run on his stewardship of the economy prior to the pandemic hitting .
That he has n't made a course correction as the death toll rose through the thousands to the tens of thousands and ultimately to over 210,000 , is no doubt related to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same conservative media bubble that has defended and protected him since he won the Republican nomination in 2016 .
He believes in his mythical political skills , and knows better than any advisors and pollsters who tell him he 's making serious strategic errors , if any of them do .
But a simpler explanation would be that Trump just does n't have another strategy to which he can pivot .
He has always been a bullshit artist whose carefully cultivated image obscures a lack of substance .
The coronavirus crisis was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away but PR is really all he knows .
It has seemed from the start that he 's thoroughly overwhelmed by circumstances and has frozen up like a deer in the headlights .
And having settled on a remarkably self-destructive strategy early on , Trump has taken virtually the entire Republican Party -- and the broader conservative movement -- with him .
They 've persistently downplayed the pandemic , cheered all of Trump 's claims about miracle cures and portrayed those popular public health measures as acts of tyranny .
It 's an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump throughout his time in office , but it 's important to keep in mind that is n't only a result of their instincts .
They are feckless in large part because Trump has wielded the most effective tools of quelling dissent within his own party of any president in modern history .
Not only can a tweet storm from him lead to elected Republicans being ousted in primaries , but it also unleashes a torrent of abuse from his belligerent hardcore base .
The enduring irony of this bizarre election cycle is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic away in order to prop up the markets and maintain his positive ratings on handling the economy , and if he 'd taken it seriously would probably be in a much stronger position today .
It is n't the only reason that he 's running a historically awful campaign , but it 's a big one .

Republicans are stuck on the wrong side of public opinion on Covid-19, and that's probably the biggest reason why they've struggled to make up any ground against their Democratic opponents. Back in March, I noticed a trend that was unusual in our polarized times: GOP voters were telling pollsters that they believed Donald Trump's various claims about the origins of the pandemic and bought that the media and Democrats were exaggerating its danger, but when asked about how they themselves were responding to the outbreak, majorities made it clear that they took it very seriously. They were concerned about its impact on their families and communities, were taking precautions to avoid contracting the virus and supported most if not all public health measures to contain it.
That disconnect has persisted throughout the course of the campaign. Trump and others have mocked Joe Biden for "hiding in his basement" and wearing a mask when out on the campaign trail, but a survey released earlier this month found that, "despite noisy no-mask protests, 92 percent of 2,200 Americans polled say they wear a face mask when leaving their home, with 74 percent saying they 'always' do." Another survey released this week found that voters favored a national mask mandate by a 20-point margin. While Trump assures Americans that the coronavirus is nothing to fear, another recent poll found that two-thirds of respondents "say they are worried that someone in their family will be exposed to the virus."
Any minimally competent campaign strategist would tell you that it has always been imperative for Trump to project a seriousness about Covid-19 to the American public and, if possible, shift the conversation to more friendly ground. But he and his party seem intent on doing the opposite. They've created a steady stream of news stories about their own carelessness--from the Rose Garden reception for Trump Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett turning into a super-spreader event to picking fights with Anthony Fauci to multiple elected officialsviolating airline mask mandates. Conflicting reports about Trump's health status, that goofy ride around Walter Reed Medical Center and now Trump touring the country holding rallies, many in Coronavirus hotspots, have all assured that Covid and the regime's reckless and anti-scientific responses to it would remain the media's primary focus in the final stretch of the campaign.
And even as numerous prominent Republicans and White House staffers tested positive for the disease, the conservative media continued to relentlessly downplay the severity of this historic public health crisis and openly mock those who take it seriously. It's hard to overstate how wide the divide between the movement and a significant majority of the public--voters Trump needs to win over--has become.
For a party that was once hailed for its messaging prowess, it is confounding. But it makes sense in context. Trump set the course for his party to navigate the pandemic months ago, and he simply does not have a plan B.
Way back in March, when Trump was calling warning about the severity of the pandemic a "hoax," I wrote that his "[Covid] strategy is clear."
He's incapable of even considering any political approach other than firing up his base, and he hopes to deepen the existing partisan divide on the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, and then blame the media and Democratic governors for the economic tsunami that's about to break over our shores... This is all about laying the groundwork to claim that he desperately tried to keep the economy humming but was thwarted by others.
When I wrote that, 602 Americans had died, and while I thought the strategy was doomed from the start, it made at least a modicum of sense at the time. If the outbreak did turn out to be less widespread than the experts were saying it would be, Trump might have been able to shift responsibility for the economic downturn to Democratic governors and the media, and run on his stewardship of the economy prior to the pandemic hitting.
That he hasn't made a course correction as the death toll rose through the thousands to the tens of thousands and ultimately to over 210,000, is no doubt related to the fact that Trump is ensconced in the same conservative media bubble that has defended and protected him since he won the Republican nomination in 2016. He believes in his mythical political skills, and knows better than any advisors and pollsters who tell him he's making serious strategic errors, if any of them do.
But a simpler explanation would be that Trump just doesn't have another strategy to which he can pivot. He has always been a bullshit artist whose carefully cultivated image obscures a lack of substance. The coronavirus crisis was a test that he couldn't spin away but PR is really all he knows. It has seemed from the start that he's thoroughly overwhelmed by circumstances and has frozen up like a deer in the headlights.
And having settled on a remarkably self-destructive strategy early on, Trump has taken virtually the entire Republican Party--and the broader conservative movement--with him. They've persistently downplayed the pandemic, cheered all of Trump's claims about miracle cures and portrayed those popular public health measures as acts of tyranny. It's an example of the deference they've given Trump throughout his time in office, but it's important to keep in mind that isn't only a result of their instincts. They are feckless in large part because Trump has wielded the most effective tools of quelling dissent within his own party of any president in modern history. Not only can a tweet storm from him lead to elected Republicans being ousted in primaries, but it also unleashes a torrent of abuse from his belligerent hardcore base.
The enduring irony of this bizarre election cycle is that Trump decided early on to wish the pandemic away in order to prop up the markets and maintain his positive ratings on handling the economy, and if he'd taken it seriously would probably be in a much stronger position today. It isn't the only reason that he's running a historically awful campaign, but it's a big one.


alternet--2020-10-21--Why Trump's judges are the worst of the worst

As the Senate moves closer to confirming Judge Amy Coney Barrett , Americans are reminded that voting is crucial and elections have consequences .
Trump , with the help of Senator Mitch McConnell , has appointed more than 200 judges with racist , sexist , homophobic , and nationalist views .
The worst part is that these judges were given lifetime appointments .
They will make crucial decisions about access to health care , voting rights , women 's reproductive rights , LGBTQ rights , gun safety , the environment , immigration and executive power for decades to come .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Trump 's Judges : The Worst of the Worst '' from Brave New Films Action Fund , we are introduced to some of these judges whose decisions will affect each and every one of us .
How has Trump had so many vacancies to fill ?
Republicans blocked Obama 's judicial nominations for two years .
So for the past four years , Mitch McConnell has 'packed the courts . '
As he says in the film , `` My motto is leave no vacancy behind ! ''
We ca n't afford @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's let everyone know what 's at stake in this election and remind them to vote .
Trump 's Judges : The Worst of the Worst - BRAVE NEW FILMS ACTION FUND ( BNF )

As the Senate moves closer to confirming Judge Amy Coney Barrett, Americans are reminded that voting is crucial and elections have consequences. Trump, with the help of Senator Mitch McConnell, has appointed more than 200 judges with racist, sexist, homophobic, and nationalist views. The worst part is that these judges were given lifetime appointments. They will make crucial decisions about access to health care, voting rights, women's reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, gun safety, the environment, immigration and executive power for decades to come.
In the timely new short film, "Trump's Judges: The Worst of the Worst" from Brave New Films Action Fund, we are introduced to some of these judges whose decisions will affect each and every one of us.
How has Trump had so many vacancies to fill? Republicans blocked Obama's judicial nominations for two years. So for the past four years, Mitch McConnell has 'packed the courts.' As he says in the film, "My motto is leave no vacancy behind!" We can't afford another four years of this. Let's let everyone know what's at stake in this election and remind them to vote.


alternet--2020-10-21--Why Donald Trump Jr. could crush Republican senators — and take over the GOP from his father

When Donald Trump first announced , in 2015 , that he was seeking the Republican presidential nomination , no one in the GOP gave much thought to his son , Donald Trump , Jr .
But the younger Trump has since become a prominent figure in the Trumpian version of the Republican Party .
Journalist David Smith discusses the rise of Trump , Jr. in an article published in The Guardian this week , explaining why he has become so popular with a certain type of Republican voter — even though some conservatives view him as a glaring example of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , snarky , belligerent and mean-spirited , Trump , Jr. has a lot more in common with his father than he does with his sister , White House Senior Adviser Ivanka Trump — who fancies herself as more of a conservative intellectual even though her critics view her as low-information .
Ivanka Trump at least pretends to have a thoughtful tone when she is giving a speech or writing a Twitter post , whereas Trump , Jr. openly disdains intellectuals .
And even though Trump , Jr. is a millionaire , MAGA voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his anti-elitist schtick .
`` When Don Jr. and his father bash Barack Obama , Hillary Clinton and ( former Vice President Joe ) Biden at campaign rallies , they generate louder reactions from the crowd than when they set out agenda items or achievements , '' Smith explains .
`` Don Jr. 's Twitter feed offers his 5.8 million followers little by way of policy but a torrent of Democrat-baiting and conspiracy theories . ''
Trump , Jr. , Smith stresses , is `` adept at throwing red meat to '' his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eat it up when he is giving a speech at a rally .
But Trump , Jr. , now 42 , has his share of critics on the right , including conservative activist/author Rick Wilson — a former Republican Party strategist who is supporting former Vice President Joe Biden in this year 's presidential election and was a co-founder of The Lincoln Project , a right-wing anti-Trump group .
Interviewed by The Guardian , Wilson slammed Trump , Jr. as a perfect example of the modern-day GOP 's intellectual bankruptcy but stressed that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's base because he `` speaks fluent MAGA . ''
The 56-year-old Wilson explained , `` Trumpism replaced conservatism as the ideological underpinning of the Republican Party , and because of that , they do n't really fight about issues anymore .
They fight about effect and whether or not they 're winning these ephemeral social media battles — and in that world , the highest order goal is the 'owning of the libs . '
It is a throwaway phrase substituting the validity or strength of an argument with a sort of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some way towards liberals or progressives . ''
The Never Trumper continued , `` Donald Trump , Jr. is a master of that .
He is a post-Republican Republican .
He is there only to engage in that performative dickery that is lib-owning in the Trump world .
It is a political performance art to show your contempt for norms , institutions and education . ''
But even though Wilson has a very low opinion of the president 's son , he predicts that Trump , Jr. will run for president in 2024 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ low enough to give him the nomination .
Wilson told The Guardian , `` What I tell all these Republicans who think they 're going to run in '24 for president — Ben Sasse and Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz — is they 're not going anywhere .
They should stop right now .
They 're wasting their time and everyone else 's , because the nominee in 2024 is going to be Donald Trump , Jr .
He will come in , he will have his father 's endorsement , and he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''

When Donald Trump first announced, in 2015, that he was seeking the Republican presidential nomination, no one in the GOP gave much thought to his son, Donald Trump, Jr. But the younger Trump has since become a prominent figure in the Trumpian version of the Republican Party. Journalist David Smith discusses the rise of Trump, Jr. in an article published in The Guardian this week, explaining why he has become so popular with a certain type of Republican voter — even though some conservatives view him as a glaring example of the GOP's intellectual decline.
Combative, snarky, belligerent and mean-spirited, Trump, Jr. has a lot more in common with his father than he does with his sister, White House Senior Adviser Ivanka Trump — who fancies herself as more of a conservative intellectual even though her critics view her as low-information. Ivanka Trump at least pretends to have a thoughtful tone when she is giving a speech or writing a Twitter post, whereas Trump, Jr. openly disdains intellectuals. And even though Trump, Jr. is a millionaire, MAGA voters with a fraction of his income adore his anti-elitist schtick.
"When Don Jr. and his father bash Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and (former Vice President Joe) Biden at campaign rallies, they generate louder reactions from the crowd than when they set out agenda items or achievements," Smith explains. "Don Jr.'s Twitter feed offers his 5.8 million followers little by way of policy but a torrent of Democrat-baiting and conspiracy theories."
Trump, Jr., Smith stresses, is "adept at throwing red meat to" his father's MAGA base, and Trumpians eat it up when he is giving a speech at a rally.
But Trump, Jr., now 42, has his share of critics on the right, including conservative activist/author Rick Wilson — a former Republican Party strategist who is supporting former Vice President Joe Biden in this year's presidential election and was a co-founder of The Lincoln Project, a right-wing anti-Trump group. Interviewed by The Guardian, Wilson slammed Trump, Jr. as a perfect example of the modern-day GOP's intellectual bankruptcy but stressed that he knows how to rally his father's base because he "speaks fluent MAGA."
The 56-year-old Wilson explained, "Trumpism replaced conservatism as the ideological underpinning of the Republican Party, and because of that, they don't really fight about issues anymore. They fight about effect and whether or not they're winning these ephemeral social media battles — and in that world, the highest order goal is the 'owning of the libs.' It is a throwaway phrase substituting the validity or strength of an argument with a sort of self-satisfaction that you have been transgressive in some way towards liberals or progressives."
The Never Trumper continued, "Donald Trump, Jr. is a master of that. He is a post-Republican Republican. He is there only to engage in that performative dickery that is lib-owning in the Trump world. It is a political performance art to show your contempt for norms, institutions and education."
But even though Wilson has a very low opinion of the president's son, he predicts that Trump, Jr. will run for president in 2024 and believes that the GOP has sunk low enough to give him the nomination.
Wilson told The Guardian, "What I tell all these Republicans who think they're going to run in '24 for president — Ben Sasse and Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz — is they're not going anywhere. They should stop right now. They're wasting their time and everyone else's, because the nominee in 2024 is going to be Donald Trump, Jr. He will come in, he will have his father's endorsement, and he will promise great feats of lib ownership."


alternet--2020-10-21--McConnell admits he's blocking COVID relief — while the media blames Pelosi

For months , Congress has failed to pass a coronavirus relief bill , despite the widespread economic devastation and the fact that , under Donald Trump 's malicious mismanagement , the pandemic has spiraled out of control , infecting 8.25 million people and killing more than 220,000 , as of Wednesday morning .
The mainstream media has firmly decided who they blame for the lack of a bill : Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats who control the lower house of Congress .
Blaming Democrats has been the dominant press narrative , even though it 's been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't want more relief legislation .
Now we have concrete proof that Republicans are to blame : Late Tuesday , the Washington Post reported that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell `` has warned the White House not to strike an agreement , '' on the grounds that any new deal struck with Pelosi and the Democrats and `` could disrupt the Senate 's plans to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court next week . ''
To anyone unburdened by the delusion that `` balance '' is a more important journalistic principle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Republicans were the reason no coronavirus bill was getting passed .
For one thing , House Democrats already passed a robust relief bill in May , which Senate Republicans have basically ignored while avoiding any substantive efforts at negotiating a bill that can pass both houses .
For another thing , there are obvious ideological differences between Democrats , where even the party 's `` moderate '' wing supports increased social spending , and Republicans , whose only real goal is moving as much wealth as possible from the hands of working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ common sense aside , there 's plenty of concrete evidence that McConnell had no intention of passing a bill to stimulate the economy and control the pandemic .
When he was asked in July if such a bill was going to pass , he laughed contemptuously .
Facing down an August deadline when unemployment benefits from previous coronavirus relief legislation were set to expire , McConnell chose to adjourn the Senate instead of working on a replacement bill .
When Trump started getting sweaty and worried this month , believing he needed such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re-election , McConnell torpedoed the idea yet again .
McConnell 's behavior is not mysterious .
For one thing , he 's an ideologue who actively opposes any government spending that might reduce the vast wealth inequalities that plague our nation .
Indeed , McConnell 's main goal these days is installing Barrett on the Supreme Court — where she will arguably be the most reliably right-wing vote , or second only to Justice Clarence Thomas — in time for her to strike down the Affordable Care Act .
Moreover , Trump 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and then desperately tweeting his longing for one hours later — strongly suggests that the president is torn between his hopes that such a bill can save his fading hopes of re-election and pressure from Republican senators not to pass one .
Nor does McConnell seem worried about the electoral consequences to Republicans of a collapsing economy .
For one thing , he likely thinks that Trump will lose in November , and that he can do nothing to save the president from his downward spiral .
So he 's setting up a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ refusing economic relief now .
For another thing , McConnell 's multi-year strategy of capturing the courts , voter suppression and gerrymandering is paying off .
He has good reason to believe that Republican control of government will not be seriously imperiled by democratic accountability , even if Democrats win both the Senate and the White House this time around .
Despite all this , mainstream media has been desperate to blame the Democrats for a lack of a bill .
As Media Matters has documented , CNN 's coverage has been tilted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ones blocking new relief legislation .
Shows like `` Meet the Press '' on NBC and `` This Week '' on ABC have uncritically advanced the narrative that Democrats are deliberately tanking the relief bill to damage Trump , even though Democrats are the ones who are actively negotiating with the White House while Senate Republicans twiddle their thumbs .
Things came to a head last week when Pelosi lashed out at CNN 's Wolf Blitzer after Blitzer said that Americans were `` waiting in food lines '' and proceeded to blame @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lack of a bill .
Pelosi responded by saying , `` I do n't know if you 're always an apologist — and many of your colleagues — for the Republican position '' and followed up by telling Blitzer , `` You really do n't know what you 're talking about . ''
That response set off a predictable round of sexist finger-wagging for Pelosi 's supposedly out-of-control behavior — the male-dominated media really hates it when women talk back — but whoops , it turns out she was right .
Blitzer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to do nothing , while pretending the entire situation is Democrats ' fault .
McConnell is eagerly monkey-wrenching any effort to pass a new bill , and doing so while actively trying to seat a Supreme Court justice he hopes will destroy the Affordable Care Act , further plunging the American economy into chaos and causing the pandemic to get even worse .
Why on earth is the media so devoted to blaming Democrats , when Republicans are clearly the problem here ?
Part of it , as the response to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pelosi is the lone female leader in Capitol Hill , and despite some # MeToo purges , there are still a lot of sexist men in control of the media and eager to find excuses to pin the blame for any and all problems on women .
But mostly , the issue is the plain old `` both sides '' fallacy , the one that leads reporters to believe that in the interest of `` balance '' they must pretend that Democrats are just as bad as Republicans , even if the facts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year , Republicans have been especially repulsive , covering for Trump 's crimes that led to his impeachment and making excuses for his refusal to deal with a pandemic that 's laying waste to the country .
Far too many journalists are bending over backward to find some terrible thing they can say about Democrats in the name of `` balance , '' and they 've landed on these empty accusations about a stimulus bill .
Moreover , deliberately destroying the economy in order to undermine a sitting president of the opposition party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do — and indeed have done .
Under the false but stalwart media belief that `` both sides '' are equally bad , therefore , the assumption has reigned that Democrats are doing the same that , even though there 's no real evidence for that .
On the contrary , it 's much likelier story that McConnell knows Biden is likely to be president soon , so he 's pre-emptively undermining the economy to damage his administration in advance .
The reveal that it was Republicans who were the bad guys all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's insistence on covering national politics through a `` both sides '' lens .
The fear of getting angry tweets from conservatives about `` bias '' will apparently never stop mattering more than the actual truth .
But it 's just possible this report will make it a little harder for the Wolf Blitzers of the world to wax sentimental about the millions of Americans thrust into poverty while pretending that this is somehow Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats ' fault .

For months, Congress has failed to pass a coronavirus relief bill, despite the widespread economic devastation and the fact that, under Donald Trump's malicious mismanagement, the pandemic has spiraled out of control, infecting 8.25 million people and killing more than 220,000, as of Wednesday morning.
The mainstream media has firmly decided who they blame for the lack of a bill: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats who control the lower house of Congress. Blaming Democrats has been the dominant press narrative, even though it's been obvious from the get-go that Republicans don't want more relief legislation.
Now we have concrete proof that Republicans are to blame: Late Tuesday, the Washington Post reported that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell "has warned the White House not to strike an agreement," on the grounds that any new deal struck with Pelosi and the Democrats and "could disrupt the Senate's plans to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court next week."
To anyone unburdened by the delusion that "balance" is a more important journalistic principle than truth, it was always obvious that Republicans were the reason no coronavirus bill was getting passed. For one thing, House Democrats already passed a robust relief bill in May, which Senate Republicans have basically ignored while avoiding any substantive efforts at negotiating a bill that can pass both houses. For another thing, there are obvious ideological differences between Democrats, where even the party's "moderate" wing supports increased social spending, and Republicans, whose only real goal is moving as much wealth as possible from the hands of working people to the rich.
Even setting common sense aside, there's plenty of concrete evidence that McConnell had no intention of passing a bill to stimulate the economy and control the pandemic. When he was asked in July if such a bill was going to pass, he laughed contemptuously. Facing down an August deadline when unemployment benefits from previous coronavirus relief legislation were set to expire, McConnell chose to adjourn the Senate instead of working on a replacement bill. When Trump started getting sweaty and worried this month, believing he needed such a bill to have a chance at re-election, McConnell torpedoed the idea yet again.
McConnell's behavior is not mysterious. For one thing, he's an ideologue who actively opposes any government spending that might reduce the vast wealth inequalities that plague our nation. Indeed, McConnell's main goal these days is installing Barrett on the Supreme Court — where she will arguably be the most reliably right-wing vote, or second only to Justice Clarence Thomas — in time for her to strike down the Affordable Care Act. Moreover, Trump's erratic behavior — angrily rejecting a bill and then desperately tweeting his longing for one hours later — strongly suggests that the president is torn between his hopes that such a bill can save his fading hopes of re-election and pressure from Republican senators not to pass one.
Nor does McConnell seem worried about the electoral consequences to Republicans of a collapsing economy. For one thing, he likely thinks that Trump will lose in November, and that he can do nothing to save the president from his downward spiral. So he's setting up a potential Joe Biden presidency to fail by refusing economic relief now. For another thing, McConnell's multi-year strategy of capturing the courts, voter suppression and gerrymandering is paying off. He has good reason to believe that Republican control of government will not be seriously imperiled by democratic accountability, even if Democrats win both the Senate and the White House this time around.
Despite all this, mainstream media has been desperate to blame the Democrats for a lack of a bill. As Media Matters has documented, CNN's coverage has been tilted for months toward suggestions that Democrats are the ones blocking new relief legislation. Shows like "Meet the Press" on NBC and "This Week" on ABC have uncritically advanced the narrative that Democrats are deliberately tanking the relief bill to damage Trump, even though Democrats are the ones who are actively negotiating with the White House while Senate Republicans twiddle their thumbs.
Things came to a head last week when Pelosi lashed out at CNN's Wolf Blitzer after Blitzer said that Americans were "waiting in food lines" and proceeded to blame Pelosi, rather than Republicans, for the lack of a bill.
Pelosi responded by saying, "I don't know if you're always an apologist — and many of your colleagues — for the Republican position" and followed up by telling Blitzer, "You really don't know what you're talking about."
That response set off a predictable round of sexist finger-wagging for Pelosi's supposedly out-of-control behavior — the male-dominated media really hates it when women talk back — but whoops, it turns out she was right. Blitzer was carrying water for sleazy Republicans who want to do nothing, while pretending the entire situation is Democrats' fault. McConnell is eagerly monkey-wrenching any effort to pass a new bill, and doing so while actively trying to seat a Supreme Court justice he hopes will destroy the Affordable Care Act, further plunging the American economy into chaos and causing the pandemic to get even worse.
Why on earth is the media so devoted to blaming Democrats, when Republicans are clearly the problem here? Part of it, as the response to the Blitzer/Pelosi exchange shows, is sexism. Pelosi is the lone female leader in Capitol Hill, and despite some #MeToo purges, there are still a lot of sexist men in control of the media and eager to find excuses to pin the blame for any and all problems on women.
But mostly, the issue is the plain old "both sides" fallacy, the one that leads reporters to believe that in the interest of "balance" they must pretend that Democrats are just as bad as Republicans, even if the facts show the opposite.
Over the past year, Republicans have been especially repulsive, covering for Trump's crimes that led to his impeachment and making excuses for his refusal to deal with a pandemic that's laying waste to the country. Far too many journalists are bending over backward to find some terrible thing they can say about Democrats in the name of "balance," and they've landed on these empty accusations about a stimulus bill.
Moreover, deliberately destroying the economy in order to undermine a sitting president of the opposition party is the sort of thing Republicans would do — and indeed have done. Under the false but stalwart media belief that "both sides" are equally bad, therefore, the assumption has reigned that Democrats are doing the same that, even though there's no real evidence for that. On the contrary, it's much likelier story that McConnell knows Biden is likely to be president soon, so he's pre-emptively undermining the economy to damage his administration in advance.
The reveal that it was Republicans who were the bad guys all along is unlikely to change the media's insistence on covering national politics through a "both sides" lens. The fear of getting angry tweets from conservatives about "bias" will apparently never stop mattering more than the actual truth. But it's just possible this report will make it a little harder for the Wolf Blitzers of the world to wax sentimental about the millions of Americans thrust into poverty while pretending that this is somehow Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats' fault.


alternet--2020-10-21--‘A relativist dressed in originalist drag’: Catholic paper urges Senate to ‘reject’ Barrett in scath

‘A relativist dressed in originalist drag’: Catholic paper urges Senate to ‘reject’ Barrett in scathing op-ed

Republican supporters of Judge Amy Coney Barrett have been citing her Catholicism as one of the reasons why the U.S. Senate should confirm her nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court as soon as possible .
But Barrett is by no means universally loved among Catholics .
And the National Catholic Reporter has slammed Barrett this week in a blistering staff editorial , asking the U.S. Senate to `` reject '' her nomination .
In the editorial , the Reporter 's editorial board argues , `` We believed it was wrong for the Senate to consider this nomination in the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ago when Justice Antonin Scalia died in February ( 2016 ) , nine months before the election .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to even hold hearings on the nomination of Judge Merrick Garland , saying repeatedly that the American people should have a say in the matter .
This year , when the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg created a vacancy less than nine weeks before Election Day , McConnell has seen fit to ram through the nomination . ''
The editorial complains that `` hypocrisy is rank '' with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to see how `` rushing this nomination will be good for our democracy . ''
Although the National Catholic Reporter says that Barrett is n't responsible for McConnell 's actions , she has let herself be used as a `` vehicle for his agenda and that of President Donald Trump . ''
The Reporter stresses , `` She could have phoned the White House and asked not to be considered for the nomination .
Barrett is only 48 years old , and there will be other vacancies . ''
The publication also takes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when answering questions from Sen. Amy Klobuchar and others during her confirmation hearings .
`` It is her bad faith in discussing the law that warrants disqualifying her , '' the editorial stresses .
`` About the evils of climate change , access to health care and voter intimidation , Americans deserve better than a relativist dressed in originalist drag . ''

Republican supporters of Judge Amy Coney Barrett have been citing her Catholicism as one of the reasons why the U.S. Senate should confirm her nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court as soon as possible. But Barrett is by no means universally loved among Catholics. And the National Catholic Reporter has slammed Barrett this week in a blistering staff editorial, asking the U.S. Senate to "reject" her nomination.
In the editorial, the Reporter's editorial board argues, "We believed it was wrong for the Senate to consider this nomination in the first place given the precedent set four years ago when Justice Antonin Scalia died in February (2016), nine months before the election. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to even hold hearings on the nomination of Judge Merrick Garland, saying repeatedly that the American people should have a say in the matter. This year, when the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg created a vacancy less than nine weeks before Election Day, McConnell has seen fit to ram through the nomination."
The editorial complains that "hypocrisy is rank" with the nomination and that it is impossible to see how "rushing this nomination will be good for our democracy."
Although the National Catholic Reporter says that Barrett isn't responsible for McConnell's actions, she has let herself be used as a "vehicle for his agenda and that of President Donald Trump."
The Reporter stresses, "She could have phoned the White House and asked not to be considered for the nomination. Barrett is only 48 years old, and there will be other vacancies."
The publication also takes Barrett to task for being so evasive when answering questions from Sen. Amy Klobuchar and others during her confirmation hearings.
"It is her bad faith in discussing the law that warrants disqualifying her," the editorial stresses. "About the evils of climate change, access to health care and voter intimidation, Americans deserve better than a relativist dressed in originalist drag."


alternet--2020-10-21--Trump officials weighing deep funding cuts to essential healthcare services in Dem-led cities: HHS d

Trump officials weighing deep funding cuts to essential healthcare services in Dem-led cities: HHS documents

Documents obtained by Politico reveal that the Trump White House is weighing millions of dollars in federal funding cuts to Covid-19 relief , newborn screenings , and other crucial healthcare programs in Democrat-led cities , a move critics decried as politically motivated `` retribution '' that could have a devastating impact on poor and sick Americans amid the ongoing pandemic .
Politico reported late Tuesday that the Department of Health and Human Services ( HHS ) has `` identified federal grants covering ... nearly 200 health programs that could be in line for cuts as part of a sweeping government-wide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ final weeks of the presidential campaign and amid an intensifying pandemic Trump has downplayed . ''
`` Vote these monsters out , '' progressive strategist Murshed Zaheed tweeted in response to the new reporting .
The administration 's decision to target funding for life-saving health programs stems from a September 2 memorandum in which President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies to review `` funding to state and local government recipients '' that the White House has condemned for not quashing racial justice protests .
Last month , as Common Dreams reported , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Seattle , and Portland , Oregon as `` anarchist jurisdictions '' that could lose federal grant money amid a pandemic that has taken an enormous toll on state and local budgets .
Chrissie Juliano , executive director of the Big Cities Health Coalition , an organization that represents major city health departments , warned that `` there 's no extra money lying around '' to help local governments make up for potential federal funding cuts .
`` This is not a time to be playing politics with people 's health , '' @ @ @ @

Documents obtained by Politico reveal that the Trump White House is weighing millions of dollars in federal funding cuts to Covid-19 relief, newborn screenings, and other crucial healthcare programs in Democrat-led cities, a move critics decried as politically motivated "retribution" that could have a devastating impact on poor and sick Americans amid the ongoing pandemic.
Politicoreported late Tuesday that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has "identified federal grants covering... nearly 200 health programs that could be in line for cuts as part of a sweeping government-wide directive the administration is advancing during the final weeks of the presidential campaign and amid an intensifying pandemic Trump has downplayed."
"Vote these monsters out," progressive strategist Murshed Zaheed tweeted in response to the new reporting.
According to Politico:
HHS compiled the list with input from at least 12 agencies it oversees. The list includes 185 programs that touch on everything from Trump's own initiative to end HIV transmission by the end of the decade to the opioid crisis and research into lung diseases. The list also includes funding for other programs, like $423,000 for universal hearing screenings for newborns in the District of Columbia, housing for people in addiction recovery in Seattle, and services providing nutrition and mental health counseling to elderly New Yorkers.
The administration's decision to target funding for life-saving health programs stems from a September 2 memorandum in which President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies to review "funding to state and local government recipients" that the White House has condemned for not quashing racial justice protests.
Last month, as Common Dreamsreported, the Department of Justice designated New York City, Seattle, and Portland, Oregon as "anarchist jurisdictions" that could lose federal grant money amid a pandemic that has taken an enormous toll on state and local budgets.
Chrissie Juliano, executive director of the Big Cities Health Coalition, an organization that represents major city health departments, warned that "there's no extra money lying around" to help local governments make up for potential federal funding cuts.
"This is not a time to be playing politics with people's health," Juliano told Politico.


alternet--2020-10-21--USPS still hasn't reversed election mail slowdown despite multiple court orders: attorneys general

The U.S .
Postal Service ( USPS ) is still not processing election mail at the rate it did prior to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy 's controversial changes , reigniting concerns that mail-in ballots in certain states may not arrive before voting deadlines , according to states who sued the agency over a reported mail slowdown .
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro , who is leading a multi-state coalition in a lawsuit challenging the USPS ' `` illegal '' changes , claimed in a Monday federal court filing that the agency 's performance was down more than 5 % since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continued `` to be lower than at any point in 2020 , '' according to Bloomberg News .
Multiple federal courts issued orders blocking DeJoy 's changes in response to lawsuits from Shapiro and other attorneys general , but the filing alleged that some USPS divisions had not complied with the orders .
One division has a compliance rate as low as 85 % , and others have not reported performance metrics , the filing said .
The USPS has still barely increased late and extra trips as required by the orders , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to multiple injunctions , defendants have not improved their service performance , '' Shapiro said , asking the court to appoint an independent monitor to ensure the agency complies with the courts .
Though DeJoy , a top donor to President Donald Trump and the Republican Party , has disputed Democrats who criticized him for instituting changes like limiting overtime and removing high-speed mail sorting machines , a new USPS inspector general report faulted the changes ordered by the new postmaster general for reduced performance .
`` No analysis of the service impacts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and documentation and guidance to the field for these strategies was very limited and almost exclusively oral , '' the report says .
`` The resulting confusion and inconsistency in operations at postal facilities compounded the significant negative service impacts across the country . ''
The report added that the changes `` individually may not have been significant , '' but `` launching all of these efforts at once , in addition to the changes instituted by the postmaster general , had a significant impact on the Postal Service . ''
The USPS @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arguing that the changes were not disruptive and `` similar to efforts that the Postal Service pursued over the last several years . ''
Rep. Carolyn Maloney , D-N.Y. , who chairs the House Oversight and Reform Committee , and Committee of Oversight and Reform , said in a statement that the IG report confirmed that `` Postmaster General Louis DeJoy 's sweeping changes — which were hastily implemented without analyzing their potential impact — caused serious delays across the country . ''
Maloney added that the report undermined DeJoy 's testimony to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the changes , `` calling into question whether the postmaster general is continuing to mislead Congress and the American people to this day . ''
USPS data shows that mail disruptions have been particularly pronounced in key swing states , according to The Washington Post .
In 17 postal districts across 10 swing states , on-time first-class mail arrival rates are just 83.9 % , or about 7.8 % lower than in January and 2 % lower than the national average since the changes were implemented .
More than 15 % of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than the USPS ' one- to three-day delivery window .
This has sparked alarm in states like Georgia , Michigan and Wisconsin , where ballots will be rejected if they arrive after Election Day .
In Detroit , for example , only 71 % of mail arrived on time in October versus 92.2 % in January .
Some major cities in North Carolina have also experienced 10 % drops in on-time arrival rates , while `` timeliness also varied widely in postal districts in Pennsylvania and Florida , '' according to the report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outlet that the agency had maintained its performance levels despite mail levels surging amid an unprecedented rise in mail voting .
`` The Postal Service is fully committed and actively working to handle the increase in election mail volume across the country over the next two weeks , '' he said , adding that workers had been told to use `` extraordinary measures '' to speed up deliveries like special pickups , extra trips and Sunday deliveries .
But some postal workers told the outlet that the `` ballot-handling directives from higher-ups have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claimed that they were instructed to focus on package delivery over mail ballot collection .
Workers in Pennsylvania plan to handstamp ballot envelopes to avoid them getting caught up in overwhelmed processing plants .
`` In the current state of the world , there is nothing a voter could do to work around problems in the post office , '' J. Remy Green , an attorney representing a group of voters who sued the USPS , told The Post .
`` I think , at the end of the day , the damage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's not just service performance and quantifiable damage .
It is a kind of psychic damage to the confidence of voters and confidence in the vote . ''
Lawmakers who tried to gain access to see how the USPS is handling mail at large facilities have been blocked by the agency , according to the Wall Street Journal .
Rep. Bill Pascrell , D-N.J. , said he and two other lawmakers were blocked from entering a large mail processing facility in his state despite previously touring the facility `` without incident or objection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told he could not enter nonpublic areas of the facility within 45 days of the election over concerns that doing so would violate the Hatch Act , which bars federal employees like postal workers from engaging in political activity .
Rep. Jared Huffman , D-Calif. , said he was blocked due to Hatch Act concerns , as well .
`` These are phony-baloney excuses , '' Pascrell told the outlet .
`` It 's not like I 'm trying to get into Area 51 or something . ''
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from touring a facility in Florida prior to the 45-day window in early September .
Schultz said she was told that the agency would require her to take a `` bogus training course '' to gain access .
The agency also faces a lawsuit from a union representing postal police officers after the agency issued an order ending daily patrols aimed at preventing robbery of mail collection boxes and vehicles , according to the Journal .
Officers say the move has `` left letter carriers without escorts on unsafe routes '' and raised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to the report .
The union filed a lawsuit asking a federal court to block the order to `` ensure the integrity of the mail '' but the litigation is still pending .
`` If I was going to undermine public trust in the mail , one of the first things I would do is pull postal police off the street , '' Frank Albergo , the president of the Postal Police Officers Association , told The Journal .
If the USPS did not intend to undermine election mail security , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the election to neuter the postal police ? ''
Jim Bjork , a business agent for the union , asked .

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is still not processing election mail at the rate it did prior to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's controversial changes, reigniting concerns that mail-in ballots in certain states may not arrive before voting deadlines, according to states who sued the agency over a reported mail slowdown.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who is leading a multi-state coalition in a lawsuit challenging the USPS' "illegal" changes, claimed in a Monday federal court filing that the agency's performance was down more than 5% since DeJoy implemented the changes in July and continued "to be lower than at any point in 2020," according to Bloomberg News.
Multiple federal courts issued orders blocking DeJoy's changes in response to lawsuits from Shapiro and other attorneys general, but the filing alleged that some USPS divisions had not complied with the orders. One division has a compliance rate as low as 85%, and others have not reported performance metrics, the filing said. The USPS has still barely increased late and extra trips as required by the orders, it added.
"Despite being subject to multiple injunctions, defendants have not improved their service performance," Shapiro said, asking the court to appoint an independent monitor to ensure the agency complies with the courts.
Though DeJoy, a top donor to President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, has disputed Democrats who criticized him for instituting changes like limiting overtime and removing high-speed mail sorting machines, a new USPS inspector general report faulted the changes ordered by the new postmaster general for reduced performance.
"No analysis of the service impacts of these various changes was conducted, and documentation and guidance to the field for these strategies was very limited and almost exclusively oral," the report says. "The resulting confusion and inconsistency in operations at postal facilities compounded the significant negative service impacts across the country."
The report added that the changes "individually may not have been significant," but "launching all of these efforts at once, in addition to the changes instituted by the postmaster general, had a significant impact on the Postal Service."
The USPS Board of Governors disputed the report, arguing that the changes were not disruptive and "similar to efforts that the Postal Service pursued over the last several years."
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., who chairs the House Oversight and Reform Committee, and Committee of Oversight and Reform, said in a statement that the IG report confirmed that "Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's sweeping changes — which were hastily implemented without analyzing their potential impact — caused serious delays across the country."
Maloney added that the report undermined DeJoy's testimony to the committee denying that he was aware of the changes, "calling into question whether the postmaster general is continuing to mislead Congress and the American people to this day."
USPS data shows that mail disruptions have been particularly pronounced in key swing states, according to The Washington Post. In 17 postal districts across 10 swing states, on-time first-class mail arrival rates are just 83.9%, or about 7.8% lower than in January and 2% lower than the national average since the changes were implemented. More than 15% of first-class mail in those districts arrives later than the USPS' one- to three-day delivery window.
This has sparked alarm in states like Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin, where ballots will be rejected if they arrive after Election Day. In Detroit, for example, only 71% of mail arrived on time in October versus 92.2% in January.
Some major cities in North Carolina have also experienced 10% drops in on-time arrival rates, while "timeliness also varied widely in postal districts in Pennsylvania and Florida," according to the report.
USPS spokesman David Partenheimer told the outlet that the agency had maintained its performance levels despite mail levels surging amid an unprecedented rise in mail voting.
"The Postal Service is fully committed and actively working to handle the increase in election mail volume across the country over the next two weeks," he said, adding that workers had been told to use "extraordinary measures" to speed up deliveries like special pickups, extra trips and Sunday deliveries.
But some postal workers told the outlet that the "ballot-handling directives from higher-ups have been chaotic." Workers in Michigan claimed that they were instructed to focus on package delivery over mail ballot collection. Workers in Pennsylvania plan to handstamp ballot envelopes to avoid them getting caught up in overwhelmed processing plants.
"In the current state of the world, there is nothing a voter could do to work around problems in the post office," J. Remy Green, an attorney representing a group of voters who sued the USPS, told The Post. "I think, at the end of the day, the damage that has been done here — it's not just service performance and quantifiable damage. It is a kind of psychic damage to the confidence of voters and confidence in the vote."
Lawmakers who tried to gain access to see how the USPS is handling mail at large facilities have been blocked by the agency, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., said he and two other lawmakers were blocked from entering a large mail processing facility in his state despite previously touring the facility "without incident or objection." He added that he was told he could not enter nonpublic areas of the facility within 45 days of the election over concerns that doing so would violate the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees like postal workers from engaging in political activity. Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., said he was blocked due to Hatch Act concerns, as well.
"These are phony-baloney excuses," Pascrell told the outlet. "It's not like I'm trying to get into Area 51 or something."
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., said she was also blocked from touring a facility in Florida prior to the 45-day window in early September. Schultz said she was told that the agency would require her to take a "bogus training course" to gain access.
The agency also faces a lawsuit from a union representing postal police officers after the agency issued an order ending daily patrols aimed at preventing robbery of mail collection boxes and vehicles, according to the Journal.
Officers say the move has "left letter carriers without escorts on unsafe routes" and raised concerns that thieves may target mail ballots, according to the report.
The union filed a lawsuit asking a federal court to block the order to "ensure the integrity of the mail" but the litigation is still pending.
"If I was going to undermine public trust in the mail, one of the first things I would do is pull postal police off the street," Frank Albergo, the president of the Postal Police Officers Association, told The Journal.
If the USPS did not intend to undermine election mail security, "then why not wait until after the election to neuter the postal police?" Jim Bjork, a business agent for the union, asked.


alternet--2020-10-21--Ousted German cybersecurity consultant with alleged ties to Moscow met with Trump officials in DC

An ousted cybersecurity consultant who faced accusations from German counterintelligence officials for his alleged affiliation to a Russian influence operation traveled to the United States last year to conduct meetings with several U.S. cybersecurity officials from the Department of Homeland Security ( DHS ) , public utility companies , and executives from some of the country 's biggest corporations including Amazon and Microsoft .
The Daily Beast has released a report about Hans-Wilhelm Dünn , the former president of the Berlin-based non-government Cyber-Security Council ( CSRD ) , and his trip to Washington D.C. , on Nov. 11 , 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ highlights from his trip via Twitter .
In one photo , he is seen with Deputy Assistant Secretary Richard Driggers along with several other DHS officials .
Photos from his first nights in the U.S. captured him dining with Michael Chertoff , former DHS secretary and now the Chertoff Group CEO .
He also snapped photos with other prominent figures in Washington .
One night , he even posted photos of the White House and Washington Monument .
While Dünn 's posts looked like nothing more than highlights from distinguished events and glimpses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the months before his arrival suggests there is more to the story .
Before traveling to the U.S. Dünn was publicly outed by German news outlets as `` having numerous links to Russian intelligence and influence operations , including one financed by the U.S.-sanctioned oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin , '' according to the publication .
Berlin raised concerns about Dünn due to a memorandum of understanding held by the Dünn 's CSRD and Vladislav Sherstyuk , president of the Moscow-based National Association of International Information Security ( NAIIS ) organization .
That 2018 agreement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ promote the implementation of the state policy of the Russian Federation in the field of international information security . ''
Dünn and Sherstyuk , a Russian described as `` a spymaster , determined to exploit communications to steal U.S. secrets and protect Russia against espionage of the same kind , '' raised eyebrows due to their agreement although it was signed by two non-government agencies .
`` This looks very much like Russian influence , like a Russian influence strategy , '' Gerhard Schindler , former head of Germany 's Federal Intelligence Service @ @ @ @ @ @ @ questionable agreement .
Dünn 's social media posts signal that his interactions with Western security experts and government officials seems to align with his previous work for a string of Kremlin-connected operations .
Although the agreement was terminated in October of 2019 , there are still reservations about Dünn 's ties to Russia .

An ousted cybersecurity consultant who faced accusations from German counterintelligence officials for his alleged affiliation to a Russian influence operation traveled to the United States last year to conduct meetings with several U.S. cybersecurity officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), public utility companies, and executives from some of the country's biggest corporations including Amazon and Microsoft.
The Daily Beast has released a report about Hans-Wilhelm Dünn, the former president of the Berlin-based non-government Cyber-Security Council (CSRD), and his trip to Washington D.C., on Nov. 11, 2019.
At the time, Dünn shared highlights from his trip via Twitter. In one photo, he is seen with Deputy Assistant Secretary Richard Driggers along with several other DHS officials. Photos from his first nights in the U.S. captured him dining with Michael Chertoff, former DHS secretary and now the Chertoff Group CEO.
He also snapped photos with other prominent figures in Washington. One night, he even posted photos of the White House and Washington Monument.
While Dünn's posts looked like nothing more than highlights from distinguished events and glimpses of his sightseeing experiences in D.C., the months before his arrival suggests there is more to the story.
Before traveling to the U.S. Dünn was publicly outed by German news outlets as "having numerous links to Russian intelligence and influence operations, including one financed by the U.S.-sanctioned oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin," according to the publication.
Berlin raised concerns about Dünn due to a memorandum of understanding held by the Dünn's CSRD and Vladislav Sherstyuk, president of the Moscow-based National Association of International Information Security (NAIIS) organization. That 2018 agreement was reportedly put in place to "promote the implementation of the state policy of the Russian Federation in the field of international information security."
Dünn and Sherstyuk, a Russian described as "a spymaster, determined to exploit communications to steal U.S. secrets and protect Russia against espionage of the same kind," raised eyebrows due to their agreement although it was signed by two non-government agencies.
"This looks very much like Russian influence, like a Russian influence strategy," Gerhard Schindler, former head of Germany's Federal Intelligence Service, said of Dünn and Sherstyuk's questionable agreement.
Dünn's social media posts signal that his interactions with Western security experts and government officials seems to align with his previous work for a string of Kremlin-connected operations.
Although the agreement was terminated in October of 2019, there are still reservations about Dünn's ties to Russia.


alternet--2020-10-21--Rudy Giuliani tricked by Sasha Baron Cohen into having ‘indiscreet encounter’ with young actress

Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani was reportedly tricked by comedian Sasha Baron Cohen into having an `` indiscreet encounter '' with a young actress who was playing as a far-right journalist in his new `` Borat '' movie .
The Guardian , which has seen footage from Cohen 's upcoming movie , reports that `` the former New York mayor and current personal attorney to Donald Trump is seen reaching into his trousers and apparently touching his genitals while reclining on a bed in the presence of the actor playing Borat 's daughter . ''
The actress in question , 24-year-old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a right-wing journalist interested in interviewing Giuliani to ask him about his work for President Donald Trump .
According to The Guardian , Bakalova after the interview asks Giuliani to come to her hotel room for a drink .
Little does the New York mayor know , however , that Bakalova 's room has been rigged with cameras — and as soon as Giuliani starts apparently playing with himself , Cohen 's character bursts into the room and tells him that she 's only 15 years old and thus `` too old for @ @ @

Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani was reportedly tricked by comedian Sasha Baron Cohen into having an "indiscreet encounter" with a young actress who was playing as a far-right journalist in his new "Borat" movie.
The Guardian, which has seen footage from Cohen's upcoming movie, reports that "the former New York mayor and current personal attorney to Donald Trump is seen reaching into his trousers and apparently touching his genitals while reclining on a bed in the presence of the actor playing Borat's daughter."
The actress in question, 24-year-old Bulgarian native Maria Bakalova, posted as a right-wing journalist interested in interviewing Giuliani to ask him about his work for President Donald Trump.
According to The Guardian, Bakalova after the interview asks Giuliani to come to her hotel room for a drink.
Little does the New York mayor know, however, that Bakalova's room has been rigged with cameras — and as soon as Giuliani starts apparently playing with himself, Cohen's character bursts into the room and tells him that she's only 15 years old and thus "too old for you."


alternet--2020-10-21--Right-wing 'witchcraft' could result in thousands of legitimate ballots being thrown out: voting exp

Right-wing 'witchcraft' could result in thousands of legitimate ballots being thrown out: voting expert

Republicans , frustrated over all the polls that show former Vice President Joe Biden ahead of President Trump in the 2020 election , have been engaging in a variety of voter suppression tactics — from reducing the number of polling places in heavily Democratic areas to undermining the U.S .
Postal Service at a time when millions of Americans are voting by mail because of the coronavirus pandemic .
And even if one votes , Republicans can find underhanded ways to throw out their votes .
One of them is signature matching — which , journalist David A. Graham warns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , could result in thousands of perfectly legitimate ballots being thrown out .
Graham cites Ohio resident George Mangeni , an immigrant from Kenya , as a glaring example of someone whose ballot was rejected earlier this year because his `` signature on the ballot did n't match the one he used when he registered to vote . ''
And Mangeni is now a plaintiff in an ACLU lawsuit .
Graham explains , `` Ohio , like 30 other states , uses signature matching as a fraud-prevention measure .
Mangeni sometimes uses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recall which one he used to register .
Under Ohio law , election officials are supposed to mail a notice to any voter whose ballot is rejected , giving them a chance to correct an error .
But Mangeni said he never received a notification . ''
Mangeni told The Atlantic that in light of his ballot being wrongly rejected earlier this year , he plans to vote in person in November 's election .
According to Graham , a political scientist at Carroll College who is helping the ACLU in its lawsuit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that 97 % of ballots that are rejected because of signatures are , in fact , valid .
And a voting expert Graham interviewed described the process of comparing signatures as `` witchcraft . ''
`` Even in normal election cycles , signature-matching requirements result in many ballots being rejected , '' Graham observes .
`` Hundreds of thousands of such ballots were disqualified this way in 2016 — almost all , presumably , cast by voters who had done everything right .
Rejections disproportionately hit certain demographic groups — including elderly voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — that are expected to heavily favor ( former ) Vice President Joe Biden this fall . ''
In 2018 in Gwinnett County , Georgia , according to Graham , officials `` rejected more than 7 % of mail-in ballots — a staggering figure compared with the national total of 1.4 % in 2018 .
But only about 3 % of ballots from White voters were rejected , compared with 5.1 % from Hispanic voters , 10.3 % from Black voters , and 13.9 % from Asian-American voters .
Gwinnett accounted for nearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Georgia in 2018 . ''
Gwinnett County , which is part of the Atlanta suburbs , is roughly 30 % African-American .
Hannah Fried , national campaign director of the group All Voting Is Local , told The Atlantic , `` Everybody 's vote should count .
If you 're an eligible voter and you voted , your ballot should not be rejected for a highly technical reason out of your control — because the signature was sloppy , or you can not write in the same way you used to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fundamentally unfair about it . ''
Kristen Clarke , president of the Lawyers ' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law , is also highly critical of signature matching .
Clarke told The Atlantic , `` At the end of the day , officials are not trained in how to conduct signature-match verification .
They use procedures that would not stand up in a court of law . ''

Republicans, frustrated over all the polls that show former Vice President Joe Biden ahead of President Trump in the 2020 election, have been engaging in a variety of voter suppression tactics — from reducing the number of polling places in heavily Democratic areas to undermining the U.S. Postal Service at a time when millions of Americans are voting by mail because of the coronavirus pandemic. And even if one votes, Republicans can find underhanded ways to throw out their votes. One of them is signature matching — which, journalist David A. Graham warns in an article for The Atlantic this week, could result in thousands of perfectly legitimate ballots being thrown out.
Graham cites Ohio resident George Mangeni, an immigrant from Kenya, as a glaring example of someone whose ballot was rejected earlier this year because his "signature on the ballot didn't match the one he used when he registered to vote." And Mangeni is now a plaintiff in an ACLU lawsuit.
Graham explains, "Ohio, like 30 other states, uses signature matching as a fraud-prevention measure. Mangeni sometimes uses different signatures, and he didn't recall which one he used to register. Under Ohio law, election officials are supposed to mail a notice to any voter whose ballot is rejected, giving them a chance to correct an error. But Mangeni said he never received a notification."
Mangeni told The Atlantic that in light of his ballot being wrongly rejected earlier this year, he plans to vote in person in November's election.
According to Graham, a political scientist at Carroll College who is helping the ACLU in its lawsuit against Ohio's matching signatures law found that 97% of ballots that are rejected because of signatures are, in fact, valid. And a voting expert Graham interviewed described the process of comparing signatures as "witchcraft."
"Even in normal election cycles, signature-matching requirements result in many ballots being rejected," Graham observes. "Hundreds of thousands of such ballots were disqualified this way in 2016 — almost all, presumably, cast by voters who had done everything right. Rejections disproportionately hit certain demographic groups — including elderly voters, young voters and voters of color — that are expected to heavily favor (former) Vice President Joe Biden this fall."
In 2018 in Gwinnett County, Georgia, according to Graham, officials "rejected more than 7% of mail-in ballots — a staggering figure compared with the national total of 1.4% in 2018. But only about 3% of ballots from White voters were rejected, compared with 5.1% from Hispanic voters, 10.3% from Black voters, and 13.9% from Asian-American voters. Gwinnett accounted for nearly 40% of all the ballots rejected in Georgia in 2018." Gwinnett County, which is part of the Atlanta suburbs, is roughly 30% African-American.
Hannah Fried, national campaign director of the group All Voting Is Local, told The Atlantic, "Everybody's vote should count. If you're an eligible voter and you voted, your ballot should not be rejected for a highly technical reason out of your control — because the signature was sloppy, or you cannot write in the same way you used to be able to write. There's something fundamentally unfair about it."
Kristen Clarke, president of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, is also highly critical of signature matching.
Clarke told The Atlantic, "At the end of the day, officials are not trained in how to conduct signature-match verification. They use procedures that would not stand up in a court of law."


alternet--2020-10-21--'Pathetic' Trump called out for declaring there’s 'not much' he could have done differently on COVID

President Donald Trump is now saying there 's `` not much '' he could have done differently in responding to the COVID-19 crisis , despite having more than 225,000 deaths and over 8.5 million cases on his record .
By almost every metric President Trump 's handling of the coronavirus pandemic is the worst of any large nation .
The United States has by far the most COVID-19 cases .
In second place is India , with a population four times that of the U.S. President Donald Trump is now saying there 's `` not much '' he could have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crisis , despite having more than 225,000 deaths and over 8.5 million cases on his record .
By almost every metric President Trump 's handling of the coronavirus pandemic is the worst of any large nation .
The United States has by far the most COVID-19 cases .
In second place is India , with a population four times that of the U.S. America has had the most coronavirus deaths .
On a per-capita basis for number of deaths the U.S. comes in at number 12 out of 217 countries and other politically-recognized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nations that have done a better job than the U.S. under President Donald Trump .
`` With COVID , '' Sinclair Broadcasting 's Eric Bolling asked Trump in a Rose Garden interview that will air this week , `` is there anything that you think you could have done differently , if you had a mulligan or a do-over on one aspect of the way you handled it , what would it be ? ''
In other words , he thinks he did a great job .
`` Look , it 's all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lot of great leaders , a lot of smart people , it 's all over the world .
I came out of China , they should have stopped it . ''
The President is being excoriated for his laissez faire attitude toward the deadly disease .

President Donald Trump is now saying there's "not much" he could have done differently in responding to the COVID-19 crisis, despite having more than 225,000 deaths and over 8.5 million cases on his record.
By almost every metric President Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic is the worst of any large nation. The United States has by far the most COVID-19 cases. In second place is India, with a population four times that of the U.S.
President Donald Trump is now saying there's "not much" he could have done differently in responding to the COVID-19 crisis, despite having more than 225,000 deaths and over 8.5 million cases on his record.
By almost every metric President Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic is the worst of any large nation. The United States has by far the most COVID-19 cases. In second place is India, with a population four times that of the U.S.
America has had the most coronavirus deaths. On a per-capita basis for number of deaths the U.S. comes in at number 12 out of 217 countries and other politically-recognized areas. That means there are 205 nations that have done a better job than the U.S. under President Donald Trump.
"With COVID," Sinclair Broadcasting's Eric Bolling asked Trump in a Rose Garden interview that will air this week, "is there anything that you think you could have done differently, if you had a mulligan or a do-over on one aspect of the way you handled it, what would it be?"
Trump's reply?
"Not much."
In other words, he thinks he did a great job.
"Look, it's all over the world, you have a lot of great leaders, a lot of smart people, it's all over the world. I came out of China, they should have stopped it."
The President is being excoriated for his laissez faire attitude toward the deadly disease.


alternet--2020-10-21--Trump slammed as 'mass murderer' after White House docs show he lied about recent COVID surge

President Donald Trump has known for over a month that new coronavirus infections have been soaring even as the White House has lied about the seriousness of the surge , documents released Tuesday by a leading Democratic lawmaker show .
HuffPost reports Rep. Jim Clyburn ( D-S.C. ) , chair of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis , published six weekly White House Coronavirus Task Force reports ( pdf ) —dated August 16 , August 23 , August 30 , September 6 , September 13 , and September 20—proving the administration has known since early September that Covid-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instead of being forthcoming with the American people and the world , Trump opted to hide the reports while spuriously claiming that the virus `` affects virtually nobody '' — even as it caused record infections and deaths in numerous states in September .
Not only did the administration fail to honestly inform the nation , Trump held several so-called superspreader rallies and other events in September , including in states hit hard by surging Covid-19 infections , such as Minnesota , North Carolina , and Wisconsin .
On October 1 , Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic is in sight . ''
The following day , he announced that he and First Lady Melania Trump had tested positive for coronavirus .
The reports also show that the White House was fully aware that the number of states in the so-called `` red zone '' —where new coronavirus cases rose above 100 per 100,000 people and where more than 10 % of test results were positive—soared from 18 on September 13 to 31 on October 18 .
On October 19 , Trump told campaign staffers on a phone call that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ People are saying , 'Whatever .
Just leave us alone . '
They 're tired of it .
People are tired of hearing Fauci and all these idiots , '' a reference to National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci .
Clyburn released a statement on Tuesday calling the reports proof that `` Trump 's contempt for science and refusal to lead during this crisis have allowed the coronavirus to surge . ''
`` Contrary to his empty claims that the country is 'rounding the turn , ' more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ' than ever before , '' Clyburn said .
`` It is long past time that the administration implement a national plan to contain this crisis , which is still killing hundreds of Americans each day and could get even worse in the months ahead . ''
Indeed , according to prominent University of Minnesota epidemiologist Dr. Michael Osterholm , `` the darkest part of the pandemic [ will occur ] over the course of the next 12 weeks . ''
'Darkest part of the pandemic ' is approaching , says public health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there have been more than 8.2 million confirmed Covid-19 cases and nearly 221,000 deaths in the United States , representing just under 20 % of the global death toll of 1.12 million people .

President Donald Trump has known for over a month that new coronavirus infections have been soaring even as the White House has lied about the seriousness of the surge, documents released Tuesday by a leading Democratic lawmaker show.
HuffPostreports Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), chair of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, published six weekly White House Coronavirus Task Force reports (pdf)—dated August 16, August 23, August 30, September 6, September 13, and September 20—proving the administration has known since early September that Covid-19 infections were rising rapidly.
However, instead of being forthcoming with the American people and the world, Trump opted to hide the reports while spuriously claiming that the virus "affects virtually nobody"— even as it caused record infections and deaths in numerous states in September.
Not only did the administration fail to honestly inform the nation, Trump held several so-called superspreader rallies and other events in September, including in states hit hard by surging Covid-19 infections, such as Minnesota, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.
On October 1, Trump declared that "the end of the pandemic is in sight." The following day, he announced that he and First Lady Melania Trump had tested positive for coronavirus.
The reports also show that the White House was fully aware that the number of states in the so-called "red zone"—where new coronavirus cases rose above 100 per 100,000 people and where more than 10% of test results were positive—soared from 18 on September 13 to 31 on October 18.
On October 19, Trump told campaign staffers on a phone call that "people are tired of Covid... People are saying, 'Whatever. Just leave us alone.' They're tired of it. People are tired of hearing Fauci and all these idiots," a reference to National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Clyburn released a statement on Tuesday calling the reports proof that "Trump's contempt for science and refusal to lead during this crisis have allowed the coronavirus to surge."
"Contrary to his empty claims that the country is 'rounding the turn,' more states are now in the 'red zone' than ever before," Clyburn said. "It is long past time that the administration implement a national plan to contain this crisis, which is still killing hundreds of Americans each day and could get even worse in the months ahead."
Indeed, according to prominent University of Minnesota epidemiologist Dr. Michael Osterholm, "the darkest part of the pandemic [will occur] over the course of the next 12 weeks."
'Darkest part of the pandemic' is approaching, says public health expert youtu.be
According to Johns Hopkins University, there have been more than 8.2 million confirmed Covid-19 cases and nearly 221,000 deaths in the United States, representing just under 20% of the global death toll of 1.12 million people.


alternet--2020-10-21--Watch: Comedy legend Mel Brooks releases his first-ever political video to endorse Joe Biden

Mel Brooks , the legendary writer and director behind comedy classics such as `` The Producers , '' `` Blazing @ @ @ @ @ Young Frankenstein , '' endorsed Joe Biden for president .
In a video posted by @ @ @ @ @ Max Brooks , Mel explained to viewers why he was making his first-ever video political @ @ @ @ @ with the 94-year-old Brooks pointing to his son and grandson standing behind him behind a @ @ @ @ @ ca n't be with me , '' he explained .
`` Why ?
Because of @ @ @ @ @ Trump 's not doing a damn thing about it . ''
He then said that @ @ @ @ @ a better job of containing the virus and would help America get back to normal @ @ @ @ @ .
`` Joe likes facts ! ''
he said .
`` Joe likes science !
@ @ @ @ @ — vote for Joe ! ''

Mel Brooks, the legendary writer and director behind comedy classics such as "The Producers," "Blazing Saddles," and "Young Frankenstein," endorsed Joe Biden for president.
In a video posted by his son, bestselling author Max Brooks, Mel explained to viewers why he was making his first-ever video political endorsement.
The video starts with the 94-year-old Brooks pointing to his son and grandson standing behind him behind a glass door.
"They can't be with me," he explained. "Why? Because of this coronavirus! And Donald Trump's not doing a damn thing about it."
He then said that he believed Biden would do a better job of containing the virus and would help America get back to normal sooner than the current president.
"Joe likes facts!" he said. "Joe likes science! Take a tip from me — vote for Joe!"
Watch the video below.


alternet--2020-10-21--House GOP vows to investigate Biden for campaigning on Amtrak

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden earlier this month took an Amtrak train ride to campaign in key Rust Belt states — and Republicans are vowing to get to the bottom of it .
Republican members of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on Wednesday sent a letter to Amtrak CEO William Flynn asking him for information on Biden 's train trips , which they implied without evidence caused delays in the delivery of needed medical equipment during the novel coronavirus pandemic .
`` We are concerned that the Biden campaign 's use of Amtrak 's charter train redirected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of record losses , employee layoffs , and service cuts during the COVID-19 pandemic , '' the Republicans wrote .
`` We question whether the Biden campaign 's use of Amtrak caused delays of freight trains at a time when supplies are crucial . ''
The Republicans then requested that Flynn provide the total cost to Amtrak of hosting the Biden campaign , and also `` whether the Biden campaign 's charter train delayed any Amtrak trains or disrupted any Amtrak services . ''
The GOP lawmakers also requested `` a written response @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remained in compliance with Amtrak guidance and procedures on COVID-19 . ''
Read the whole letter here ( PDF ) .

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden earlier this month took an Amtrak train ride to campaign in key Rust Belt states — and Republicans are vowing to get to the bottom of it.
Republican members of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on Wednesday sent a letter to Amtrak CEO William Flynn asking him for information on Biden's train trips, which they implied without evidence caused delays in the delivery of needed medical equipment during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
"We are concerned that the Biden campaign's use of Amtrak's charter train redirected Amtrak's scarce resources during a time of record losses, employee layoffs, and service cuts during the COVID-19 pandemic," the Republicans wrote. "We question whether the Biden campaign's use of Amtrak caused delays of freight trains at a time when supplies are crucial."
The Republicans then requested that Flynn provide the total cost to Amtrak of hosting the Biden campaign, and also "whether the Biden campaign's charter train delayed any Amtrak trains or disrupted any Amtrak services."
The GOP lawmakers also requested "a written response on how the Biden campaign charter train remained in compliance with Amtrak guidance and procedures on COVID-19."
Read the whole letter here (PDF).


alternet--2020-10-21--Pope Francis says same-sex couples should be ‘legally’ protected by civil unions

Pope Francis is calling for same-sex couples to be `` legally '' protected by civil union laws .
`` Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family , '' the Pope says in a new documentary , Catholic News Agency reports .
`` They 're children of God and have a right to a family .
Nobody should be thrown out , or be made miserable because of it . ''
Later , Pope Francis defended his remarks in the film , saying , `` What we have to create is a civil union law .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` I stood up for that , '' he added .
The Pope said nothing about the morality of same-sex relationships , which the Catholic Church still vehemently opposes .
The Vatican leader 's remarks , while a step forward , show the Roman Catholic Church continues to treat LGBTQ people unequally .
Some are calling the Pope 's remarks a `` major shift , '' and a `` long overdue moment . ''
Others have noted to Catholics in countries where same-sex relationships or marriages are banned it is a welcome sign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for same-sex couples .
He has a lengthy record of vacillating between making compassionate statements about same-sex couples and gay people , while denouncing in the strongest possible terms affording them the same rights and responsibilities as those in different-sex marriages .
In 2014 , for example , Pope Francis called same-sex marriage `` anthropological regression . ''
One year later he said same-sex marriage threatened to `` disfigure God 's plan . ''
He later called marriages of same-sex couples `` disfigured . ''
Also in 2015 he announced support for constitutional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ couples .
The following year Francis said the Catholic Church and Christians `` must ask forgiveness '' and `` apologize '' to gay people .
In 2018 the Pope reportedly told a gay man , `` God made you like this .
God loves you like this .
The Pope loves you like this and you should love yourself and not worry about what people say . ''

Pope Francis is calling for same-sex couples to be "legally" protected by civil union laws.
"Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family," the Pope says in a new documentary, Catholic News Agency reports. "They're children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out, or be made miserable because of it."
Later, Pope Francis defended his remarks in the film, saying, "What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered."
"I stood up for that," he added.
The Pope said nothing about the morality of same-sex relationships, which the Catholic Church still vehemently opposes.
The Vatican leader's remarks, while a step forward, show the Roman Catholic Church continues to treat LGBTQ people unequally.
Some are calling the Pope's remarks a "major shift," and a "long overdue moment." Others have noted to Catholics in countries where same-sex relationships or marriages are banned it is a welcome sign.
Pope Francis continues to oppose marriage for same-sex couples. He has a lengthy record of vacillating between making compassionate statements about same-sex couples and gay people, while denouncing in the strongest possible terms affording them the same rights and responsibilities as those in different-sex marriages.
In 2014, for example, Pope Francis called same-sex marriage "anthropological regression."
One year later he said same-sex marriage threatened to "disfigure God's plan." He later called marriages of same-sex couples "disfigured." Also in 2015 he announced support for constitutional bans on marriage and adoption by same-sex couples.
The following year Francis said the Catholic Church and Christians "must ask forgiveness" and "apologize" to gay people. In 2018 the Pope reportedly told a gay man, "God made you like this. God loves you like this. The Pope loves you like this and you should love yourself and not worry about what people say."