alternet--2020-10-16--Judges used to stay out of elections — now they may decide the presidency

Throughout American history judges have generally tried to avoid getting involved in political questions , including litigation about elections .
They followed Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter 's famous advice to avoid “ embroilment '' in “ the political thicket '' of “ party contests and party interests . ''
This tradition began to erode in the 1960s , when courts took up cases involving legislative redistricting and gerrymandering .
And since the Supreme Court 's 2000 Bush v. Gore decision , which effectively decided that year 's presidential election , political parties have increasingly turned to the courts in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2000 , an average of 96 election law cases were brought every year in state and federal courts .
By 2004 , that average jumped to 254 , most of them filed at the state level .
This year , the Stanford-MIT Healthy Elections Project reports that as of Oct. 15 , 365 such cases have been filed in 44 states .
Many of those cases arise from state efforts to respond to the difficulties of campaigning and voting during the COVID-19 pandemic .
Democrats generally have supported efforts to making voting easier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they were successful in getting the courts to extend the period during which late-arriving mail ballots could be legally counted .
Republicans generally have opposed those efforts .
When the voting happens This year 's election-related litigation began to emerge in the spring as states tried to cope with the pandemic 's first wave during the political primary season .
Those cases fell into two major categories .
Some were filed to try to change the date when people voted in presidential primaries .
Others focused on how people voted in those primaries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ changed the dates of their primaries , and most did so without resorting to litigation .
Nonetheless , some states faced lawsuits over the timing of presidential primaries , filed by political candidates and public officials , including in New York and Wisconsin .
In April , Andrew Yang , then a Democratic presidential candidate , sued the New York State Board of Elections after it effectively canceled the Democratic presidential primary .
He argued that doing so was illegal since he already had met the requirements for having his name to appear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the suit was filed , a judge agreed with Yang and ordered the state to proceed with its presidential primary .
Wisconsin proved to be a particularly fertile ground for litigation over its April primary .
In one case , the Wisconsin legislature prevailed in challenging the governor 's executive order postponing in-person voting .
In another Wisconsin case , the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the Republican National Committee and the state party when it blocked a plan to extend the period to return absentee ballots in the primary election .
How @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ways people could vote , Democrats in Kansas sued to force Secretary of State Scott Schwab to implement a law permitting voters to cast ballots from any polling station within their home county .
Schwab argued that the complexity of developing necessary administrative regulations prevented him from doing do so in time for this year 's election .
A state court judge dismissed the suit but said that county officials could , if they wished , implement the Kansas Vote Anywhere Act on their own without waiting for the state to act .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ dismissed an American Civil Liberties Union suit seeking to extend the deadline for absentee voting for the state 's presidential primary and move from in-person to universal mail balloting .
The plaintiffs claimed that the state 's inefficient absentee-voting system would disenfranchise people through no fault of their own unless the deadline was changed and that in-person voting during the pandemic would pose a health risk .
Many of this year 's election-related cases have focused specifically on mail-in ballots .
This is not surprising given President Donald Trump 's well-publicized but baseless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of this litigation has been brought to expand opportunities to cast that kind of ballot or to ease the requirements for doing so .
Other cases have been filed by groups opposing such changes and raising concerns about voter fraud .
Recent rulings in some of those cases have made voting by mail more difficult ; others have made it easier .
In the first category , the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Oct. 5 that South Carolina could require people voting by mail to have another person sign their ballot as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Justices Samuel Alito , Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas , the court declined to invalidate the more than 20,000 ballots that had been cast prior to its ruling .
Three days later , in a victory for Wisconsin 's Republican Party , a federal appeals court upheld that state 's requirement that in order to be counted , mail-in ballots must be in the hands of election officials by 8 p.m. on Election Day .
But , also on October 8 , Justice Elena Kagan turned down a request from Montana Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballots to voters starting the next day .
In another victory for supporters of mail balloting , a federal judge in Pennsylvania dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Trump campaign seeking , among other things , to block the use of drop boxes as receptacles for mail ballots .
November 3 is unlikely to end litigation to resolve election-related disputes .
In fact , both the Biden and Trump campaigns have assembled armies of lawyers who will be ready to bring lawsuits in the election 's aftermath .
President Trump already has indicated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again resolve a contested presidential election .
For someone who studies the complex intersections of politics and law , the use of litigation to resolve electoral disputes that we are seeing this year is a reminder of what the famous French aristocrat and author Alexis de Tocqueville observed early in the 19th century : namely , that “ Scarcely any political question arises in the United States that is not resolved , sooner or later , into a judicial question . ''
Nonetheless , when courts and judges take sides in cases that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election , they open themselves up , as Frankfurter warned , to charges that they are making purely partisan decisions rather than strictly following the law .
That is why public confidence in the Supreme Court took a hit in the aftermath of its Bush v. Gore decision .
[ Deep knowledge , daily .
Sign up for The Conversation 's newsletter . ]
Whatever decisions judges make this year , the rush to the courthouse to shape the 2020 election will pose real challenges for their legitimacy , which ultimately depends on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not simply political actors .
And if the Supreme Court again decides who becomes president , it may further weaken its already diminished standing with the American public and deepen the divide in an already dangerously polarized nation .
Austin Sarat , Associate Provost and Associate Dean of the Faculty and Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science , Amherst College This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license .
Read the original article .

by Austin Sarat, Amherst College
Throughout American history judges have generally tried to avoid getting involved in political questions, including litigation about elections. They followed Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter's famous advice to avoid “embroilment" in “the political thicket" of “party contests and party interests."
This tradition began to erode in the 1960s, when courts took up cases involving legislative redistricting and gerrymandering. And since the Supreme Court's 2000 Bush v. Gore decision, which effectively decided that year's presidential election, political parties have increasingly turned to the courts in search of electoral advantage.
Prior to 2000, an average of 96 election law cases were brought every year in state and federal courts. By 2004, that average jumped to 254, most of them filed at the state level.
This year, the Stanford-MIT Healthy Elections Project reports that as of Oct. 15, 365 such cases have been filed in 44 states.
Many of those cases arise from state efforts to respond to the difficulties of campaigning and voting during the COVID-19 pandemic. Democrats generally have supported efforts to making voting easier, such as in Michigan, where they were successful in getting the courts to extend the period during which late-arriving mail ballots could be legally counted. Republicans generally have opposed those efforts.
When the voting happens
This year's election-related litigation began to emerge in the spring as states tried to cope with the pandemic's first wave during the political primary season.
Those cases fell into two major categories. Some were filed to try to change the date when people voted in presidential primaries. Others focused on how people voted in those primaries and the general election.
Sixteen states changed the dates of their primaries, and most did so without resorting to litigation.
Nonetheless, some states faced lawsuits over the timing of presidential primaries, filed by political candidates and public officials, including in New York and Wisconsin.
In April, Andrew Yang, then a Democratic presidential candidate, sued the New York State Board of Elections after it effectively canceled the Democratic presidential primary. He argued that doing so was illegal since he already had met the requirements for having his name to appear on the ballot. One month after the suit was filed, a judge agreed with Yang and ordered the state to proceed with its presidential primary.
Wisconsin proved to be a particularly fertile ground for litigation over its April primary. In one case, the Wisconsin legislature prevailed in challenging the governor's executive order postponing in-person voting.
In another Wisconsin case, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the Republican National Committee and the state party when it blocked a plan to extend the period to return absentee ballots in the primary election.
How the voting happens
In cases concerning the ways people could vote, Democrats in Kansas sued to force Secretary of State Scott Schwab to implement a law permitting voters to cast ballots from any polling station within their home county. Schwab argued that the complexity of developing necessary administrative regulations prevented him from doing do so in time for this year's election.
A state court judge dismissed the suit but said that county officials could, if they wished, implement the Kansas Vote Anywhere Act on their own without waiting for the state to act.
In Ohio, a federal judge also dismissed an American Civil Liberties Union suit seeking to extend the deadline for absentee voting for the state's presidential primary and move from in-person to universal mail balloting. The plaintiffs claimed that the state's inefficient absentee-voting system would disenfranchise people through no fault of their own unless the deadline was changed and that in-person voting during the pandemic would pose a health risk.
Focus on mail-in ballots
Many of this year's election-related cases have focused specifically on mail-in ballots. This is not surprising given President Donald Trump's well-publicized but baselessattacks on voting by mail.
Some of this litigation has been brought to expand opportunities to cast that kind of ballot or to ease the requirements for doing so. Other cases have been filed by groups opposing such changes and raising concerns about voter fraud.
Recent rulings in some of those cases have made voting by mail more difficult; others have made it easier.
In the first category, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Oct. 5 that South Carolina could require people voting by mail to have another person sign their ballot as a witness. However, over the objection of Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas, the court declined to invalidate the more than 20,000 ballots that had been cast prior to its ruling.
Three days later, in a victory for Wisconsin's Republican Party, a federal appeals court upheld that state's requirement that in order to be counted, mail-in ballots must be in the hands of election officials by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
But, also on October 8, Justice Elena Kagan turned down a request from Montana Republicans to block some counties from proactively mailing ballots to voters starting the next day.
In another victory for supporters of mail balloting, a federal judge in Pennsylvania dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Trump campaign seeking, among other things, to block the use of drop boxes as receptacles for mail ballots.
Full employment for election lawyers
November 3 is unlikely to end litigation to resolve election-related disputes. In fact, both the Biden and Trump campaigns have assembled armies of lawyers who will be ready to bring lawsuits in the election's aftermath.
President Trump already has indicated that he expects the Supreme Court to again resolve a contested presidential election.
For someone who studies the complex intersections of politics and law, the use of litigation to resolve electoral disputes that we are seeing this year is a reminder of what the famous French aristocrat and author Alexis de Tocqueville observed early in the 19th century: namely, that “Scarcely any political question arises in the United States that is not resolved, sooner or later, into a judicial question."
Nonetheless, when courts and judges take sides in cases that shape the outcome of a hotly contested election, they open themselves up, as Frankfurter warned, to charges that they are making purely partisan decisions rather than strictly following the law. That is why public confidence in the Supreme Court took a hit in the aftermath of its Bush v. Gore decision.
[Deep knowledge, daily.Sign up for The Conversation's newsletter.]
Whatever decisions judges make this year, the rush to the courthouse to shape the 2020 election will pose real challenges for their legitimacy, which ultimately depends on the public's belief that they are not simply political actors.
And if the Supreme Court again decides who becomes president, it may further weaken its already diminished standing with the American public and deepen the divide in an already dangerously polarized nation.
Austin Sarat, Associate Provost and Associate Dean of the Faculty and Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.


alternet--2020-10-16--Senate Republicans are sending signals they think Trump is going down

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , R-Ky. , torpedoed a possible compromise deal on the stimulus between House Democrats and the White House on Thursday .
Millions of people have fallen into poverty since aid dried up months ago , and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has pleaded for Congress to provide more relief , because there is little risk of `` overdoing '' it .
But McConnell on Wednesday said a deal worth between $ 1.8 trillion and $ 2.2 trillion was about four times more than Republicans would agree to — even though it is a far cry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by House Democrats in May .
`` I do n't think so , '' McConnell told reporters when asked if he would agree to a deal in that range .
`` That 's where the administration is willing to go .
My members think half a trillion dollars , highly targeted , is the best way to go . ''
McConnell acknowledged that Trump had been eager to increase the price tag , but the bill being negotiated between Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif. , and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to put on the floor . ''
McConnell previously announced that he would force a vote on a $ 500 billion bill next week after House Democrats approved a $ 2.2 trillion compromise last month .
The majority leader 's reluctance comes as studies show that roughly 8 million people have fallen into poverty after their stimulus payments ran out and enhanced federal unemployment benefits expired in July .
One study found that 6 million people have fallen into poverty in just the last three months , with Black and Latinx people and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier this month that failing to pass another large stimulus package would `` lead to a weak recovery , creating unnecessary hardship for households and businesses . ''
`` A long period of unnecessarily slow progress could continue to exacerbate existing disparities in our economy , '' he said .
`` That would be tragic , especially in light of our country 's progress on these issues in the years leading up to the pandemic . ''
Trump , who faces a steep climb in the polls with less than three weeks before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would also like to see a larger bill after failing to gain leverage by claiming to end all talks and urging the House to pass piecemeal bills , which have been blocked by his own party .
`` Absolutely , I would .
I would pay more .
I would go higher , '' Trump told Fox Business on Thursday .
`` Go big , or go home .
I said it yesterday , 'Go big , or go home . '
'' But Republicans forcefully pushed back on the White House negotiations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a perilous election season where the party has a strong chance of losing its Senate majority .
Republicans on a call with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows last week called the White House 's $ 1.8 trillion proposal a `` betrayal '' and `` the death knell for our majority '' as senators took turns blasting the bill , according to Politico .
Mnuchin , who is still negotiating a possible deal with Pelosi , acknowledged earlier this week that `` getting something done before the election and executing on that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are . ''
Further , Democrats doubt that Trump will still have much appetite for a large deal after the election if he loses .
`` My fear is that if Trump loses the election , we 're done until February because he 's not going to be in any mood to help or cooperate with anybody , '' Rep. Tom Malinowski , D-N.J. , told The Washington Post .
The biggest sticking points in the deal have been Democrats ' demands to include much-needed aid for hard-hit cities and states and child @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well as the Republican demand to include lawsuit protections for companies in the bill .
Ian Shepherdson , the chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics , predicted that McConnell had been so reluctant to go up on the price of the bill because he expects the president to lose the election .
`` I think McConnell expects Trump to lose , and therefore for him to spend political capital to support Trump by forcing through a bill which would put his leadership position at risk after the election , to me , does n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Business Insider .
`` It 's always wise to do things from McConnell 's personal perspective , because that 's how things operate in the Senate .
He has enormous personal power , and he wants to be leader again — even if he has to be a leader in the minority . ''

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., torpedoed a possible compromise deal on the stimulus between House Democrats and the White House on Thursday.
Millions of people have fallen into poverty since aid dried up months ago, and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has pleaded for Congress to provide more relief, because there is little risk of "overdoing" it. But McConnell on Wednesday said a deal worth between $1.8 trillion and $2.2 trillion was about four times more than Republicans would agree to — even though it is a far cry from the $3.4 trillion bill passed by House Democrats in May.
"I don't think so," McConnell told reporters when asked if he would agree to a deal in that range. "That's where the administration is willing to go. My members think half a trillion dollars, highly targeted, is the best way to go."
McConnell acknowledged that Trump had been eager to increase the price tag, but the bill being negotiated between Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was "not what I'm going to put on the floor."
McConnell previously announced that he would force a vote on a $500 billion bill next week after House Democrats approved a $2.2 trillion compromise last month.
The majority leader's reluctance comes as studies show that roughly 8 million people have fallen into poverty after their stimulus payments ran out and enhanced federal unemployment benefits expired in July. One study found that 6 million people have fallen into poverty in just the last three months, with Black and Latinx people and children disproportionately impacted.
Powell warned Congress earlier this month that failing to pass another large stimulus package would "lead to a weak recovery, creating unnecessary hardship for households and businesses."
"A long period of unnecessarily slow progress could continue to exacerbate existing disparities in our economy," he said. "That would be tragic, especially in light of our country's progress on these issues in the years leading up to the pandemic."
Trump, who faces a steep climb in the polls with less than three weeks before the election, has signaled that he would also like to see a larger bill after failing to gain leverage by claiming to end all talks and urging the House to pass piecemeal bills, which have been blocked by his own party.
"Absolutely, I would. I would pay more. I would go higher," Trump told Fox Business on Thursday. "Go big, or go home. I said it yesterday, 'Go big, or go home.'"
But Republicans forcefully pushed back on the White House negotiations, even as the GOP heads into a perilous election season where the party has a strong chance of losing its Senate majority.
Republicans on a call with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows last week called the White House's $1.8 trillion proposal a "betrayal" and "the death knell for our majority" as senators took turns blasting the bill, according to Politico.
Mnuchin, who is still negotiating a possible deal with Pelosi, acknowledged earlier this week that "getting something done before the election and executing on that would be difficult just given where we are." Further, Democrats doubt that Trump will still have much appetite for a large deal after the election if he loses.
"My fear is that if Trump loses the election, we're done until February because he's not going to be in any mood to help or cooperate with anybody," Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-N.J., told The Washington Post.
The biggest sticking points in the deal have been Democrats' demands to include much-needed aid for hard-hit cities and states and child tax credits for working parents, as well as the Republican demand to include lawsuit protections for companies in the bill.
Ian Shepherdson, the chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, predicted that McConnell had been so reluctant to go up on the price of the bill because he expects the president to lose the election.
"I think McConnell expects Trump to lose, and therefore for him to spend political capital to support Trump by forcing through a bill which would put his leadership position at risk after the election, to me, doesn't make any sense," he told Business Insider. "It's always wise to do things from McConnell's personal perspective, because that's how things operate in the Senate. He has enormous personal power, and he wants to be leader again — even if he has to be a leader in the minority."


alternet--2020-10-16--The Texas Senate race is suddenly getting very interesting

The race for U.S. Senate in Texas has gotten a lot hotter than incumbent GOP Sen. John Cornyn ever imagined at the outset of this cycle .
Due to Cornyn and his Republican senate colleagues building Donald Trump into the monster that escaped from lab , Cornyn 's Democratic challenger MJ Hegar is breathing down his neck in her bid to unseat him .
In fact , a Public Policy Polling survey released Friday put Hegar just a few points down .
`` MJ Hegar trails John Cornyn just 49-46 , making up for the Republican lean of the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters , '' writes PPP .
The polling outfit also noted the race was surprisingly close given that Cornyn has a 15-point advantage in name recognition .
In other words , if Hegar managed to up her name recognition in these closing weeks , she certainly stands a chance of closing that 3-point gap .
Senate Democrats ' top super PAC liked those odds .
The day before PPP 's survey was released , Senate Majority PAC announced it was directing $ 8.6 million toward the race for both English and Spanish-language ads @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Election Day .
The first ad focuses on Cornyn 's numerous votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act .
`` Three weeks out , and John Cornyn has a weaker standing than Ted Cruz ever did , '' J.B. Poersch , President of Senate Majority PAC , said in a statement .
Of course , Cruz only edged out Democrat Beto O'Rourke by about 2.5 points in 2018 .
Hegar also raised almost double what Cornyn did in the third quarter , bringing in nearly $ 14 million to his $ 7.2 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ senator 's cash advantage .
From June through September , Cornyn spent more than twice as much as Hegar , $ 13.7 million to $ 6.4 million , according to the Dallas Morning News .
But between Hegar 's increased fundraising and some help from Senate Majority PAC , Hegar is poised to make a real run at Cornyn in these final weeks .
Since 2016 , the state has added more than 1.5 million voters to its rolls .
On the first day of early voting Tuesday , both Harris and Dallas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in what are two of the bluest counties in the state .

The race for U.S. Senate in Texas has gotten a lot hotter than incumbent GOP Sen. John Cornyn ever imagined at the outset of this cycle. Due to Cornyn and his Republican senate colleagues building Donald Trump into the monster that escaped from lab, Cornyn's Democratic challenger MJ Hegar is breathing down his neck in her bid to unseat him.
In fact, a Public Policy Polling survey released Friday put Hegar just a few points down. "MJ Hegar trails John Cornyn just 49-46, making up for the Republican lean of the state thanks to a 55-34 advantage with independent voters," writes PPP. The polling outfit also noted the race was surprisingly close given that Cornyn has a 15-point advantage in name recognition.
76% of voters have an opinion about him with 39% rating him favorably and 37% unfavorably. 61% of voters have an opinion about Hegar with 32% rating her favorably and 29% unfavorably.
In other words, if Hegar managed to up her name recognition in these closing weeks, she certainly stands a chance of closing that 3-point gap.
Senate Democrats' top super PAC liked those odds. The day before PPP's survey was released, Senate Majority PAC announced it was directing $8.6 million toward the race for both English and Spanish-language ads that begin airing Friday and run through Election Day. The first ad focuses on Cornyn's numerous votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
"Three weeks out, and John Cornyn has a weaker standing than Ted Cruz ever did," J.B. Poersch, President of Senate Majority PAC, said in a statement. Of course, Cruz only edged out Democrat Beto O'Rourke by about 2.5 points in 2018.
Hegar also raised almost double what Cornyn did in the third quarter, bringing in nearly $14 million to his $7.2 million. That haul basically erased the GOP senator's cash advantage. From June through September, Cornyn spent more than twice as much as Hegar, $13.7 million to $6.4 million, according to the Dallas Morning News.
But between Hegar's increased fundraising and some help from Senate Majority PAC, Hegar is poised to make a real run at Cornyn in these final weeks.
Since 2016, the state has added more than 1.5 million voters to its rolls. On the first day of early voting Tuesday, both Harris and Dallas Counties shattered their previous first-day turnout records in what are two of the bluest counties in the state.


alternet--2020-10-16--Melania Trump lashes out at the friend who turned against her

Melania Trump is attacking her former friend and senior advisor Stephanie Winston Wolkoff , who wrote a book and secretly recorded some of their conversations after the Trumps threw her under the bus .
The first lady recently wrote on the White House website that Barron , the Trump 's youngest son , had tested positive for coronavirus , noting that she and Barron are both now negative .
But on Friday the first lady used the White House website for more nefarious purposes .
She penned the attack on Wolkoff but attempted to hide it in a `` Be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Our Next Generation , '' as The Daily Beast reports .
`` Over the last couple of weeks , '' the first lady begins , `` I have had time to reflect on many things personal to me .
One of the most honorable and important roles I have ever undertaken has been serving you , the American people , as the First Lady of this country .
`` When I thought about where I wanted to put my time and efforts , there was no hesitation .
BE BEST has one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to provide the tools children need to prepare them for their futures . ''
But then came the slam , which was not subtle , and not very `` Be Best '' at all .
`` We all know that more often than not , information that could be helpful to children is lost in the noise made by self-serving adults .
I have most recently found this to be the case as major news outlets eagerly covered salacious claims made by a former contractor who advised my office , '' she writes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her former friend , Stephanie Winston Wolkoff , instead calling her a `` contractor '' even though Wolkoff worked unpaid while at the White House .
Later she referred to her as an `` opportunist , '' not even acknowledging their once long snd strong friendship .
`` A person who said she 'made me ' even though she hardly knew me , and someone who clung to me after my husband won the Presidency , '' Melania Trump added .
`` This is a woman who secretly recorded our phone calls , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of context , then wrote a book of idle gossip trying to distort my character .
Her 'memoir ' included blaming me for her ailing health from an accident she had long ago , and for bad news coverage that she brought upon herself and others .
Never once looking within at her own dishonest behavior and all in an attempt to be relevant .
These kinds of people only care about their personal agenda—not about helping others , '' Melania writes , apparently in an attempt to offer advice to Americans seeking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` As a country , we can not continue to get lost in the noise of negativity and encourage ambition by those who seek only to promote themselves , '' the first lady adds , seemingly unaware of who her husband is .

Melania Trump is attacking her former friend and senior advisor Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, who wrote a book and secretly recorded some of their conversations after the Trumps threw her under the bus.
The first lady recently wrote on the White House website that Barron, the Trump's youngest son, had tested positive for coronavirus, noting that she and Barron are both now negative.
But on Friday the first lady used the White House website for more nefarious purposes. She penned the attack on Wolkoff but attempted to hide it in a "Be Best" missive titled "Give Focus to Our Next Generation," as The Daily Beast reports.
"Over the last couple of weeks," the first lady begins, "I have had time to reflect on many things personal to me. One of the most honorable and important roles I have ever undertaken has been serving you, the American people, as the First Lady of this country.
"When I thought about where I wanted to put my time and efforts, there was no hesitation. BE BEST has one simple purpose—to help children. It serves to provide the tools children need to prepare them for their futures."
But then came the slam, which was not subtle, and not very "Be Best" at all.
"We all know that more often than not, information that could be helpful to children is lost in the noise made by self-serving adults. I have most recently found this to be the case as major news outlets eagerly covered salacious claims made by a former contractor who advised my office," she writes, refusing to say the name of her former friend, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, instead calling her a "contractor" even though Wolkoff worked unpaid while at the White House. Later she referred to her as an "opportunist," not even acknowledging their once long snd strong friendship.
"A person who said she 'made me' even though she hardly knew me, and someone who clung to me after my husband won the Presidency," Melania Trump added.
"This is a woman who secretly recorded our phone calls, releasing portions from me that were out of context, then wrote a book of idle gossip trying to distort my character. Her 'memoir' included blaming me for her ailing health from an accident she had long ago, and for bad news coverage that she brought upon herself and others. Never once looking within at her own dishonest behavior and all in an attempt to be relevant. These kinds of people only care about their personal agenda—not about helping others," Melania writes, apparently in an attempt to offer advice to Americans seeking her "Be Best" wisdom.
"As a country, we cannot continue to get lost in the noise of negativity and encourage ambition by those who seek only to promote themselves," the first lady adds, seemingly unaware of who her husband is.


alternet--2020-10-16--Why fact-checking may be futile against Trump's black hole of lies

Donald Trump has publicly lied at least 20,000 times since taking office , according to the Washington Post .
He does this in part because he has shown himself to be mentally unwell , if not a sociopath .
But he also lies because he is a fascist authoritarian .
For such leaders , lies are a way of assaulting reality and truth as a means of achieving unlimited power .
These explanations are not discrete .
They overlap with one another .
In a season of massive death , Donald Trump and his regime 's lies about the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which has killed at least 216,000 people in the United States .
Donald Trump and his regime 's lies have also severely damaged America 's prestige , alliances and global power .
The country 's enemies have also been emboldened by the Trump regime 's lies and overall lack of consistency in foreign policy and principles .
Most important , Trump and his regime 's policy of lying ( in conjunction with wanton cruelty and other evil ) has undermined American democracy .
A common understanding of reality is the foundation of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lies and those of its agents are rotting that foundation .
In `` The Death of Truth , '' Michiko Kakutani explains that the damage Trump has done to the country 's institutions and foreign policy will take `` years to repair . ''
`` And to the degree that his election was a reflection of larger dynamics in society—from the growing partisanship in politics , to the profusion of fake stories on social media , to our isolation in filter bubbles—his departure from the scene will not restore truth to health and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Kakutani writes .
Why is Donald Trump such a powerful and effective liar ?
Why has the mainstream American news media largely surrendered to his lies , and by doing so normalized them ?
Would more aggressive fact-checking have blunted Donald Trump and his regime 's strategy of lying ?
What explains why the mainstream American news media as a whole refused — and for the most part , continues to refuse — to describe Donald Trump and his regime accurately as being fascist and authoritarian ?
In an effort answer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Eric Alterman , a columnist at The Nation and the author of more than 10 books , including the bestseller `` What Liberal Media ?
The Truth About Bias and the News . ''
His latest book is `` Lying in State : Why Presidents Lie and Why Trump is Worse . ''
Why are there now so many more voices in the mainstream American news media who , several weeks from Election Day , are finally using language such as `` fascism '' and `` authoritarianism '' to describe Trump and his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ago .
Why the delay ?
What were they waiting for ?
There are many disincentives to tell the truth about Donald Trump .
The most obvious one is that he 's the President of the United States and people consider it disrespectful to use certain words about the president , like `` liar '' and `` racist '' and `` conman '' and `` conspiracy nut , '' even when they 're true .
It is worse in Washington D.C. to call someone a liar than for them to actually be a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is part of how a person makes a living .
Therefore , people in the news media have to show respect for the office of the presidency .
The second reason is that the ideology of `` journalistic objectivity '' does not have a framework for determining what the truth is .
It has no bias for truth .
`` Journalistic objectivity '' says on the one hand , so-and-so said this ; on the other hand , his opposition said that , and you , the reader , you , the viewer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is up to you to decide what 's true .
Donald Trump is an idiot in many ways , but he is a genius when it comes to media manipulation .
The Washington Post has now documented at least 25,000 or so lies by Donald Trump — and nothing has changed in his behavior .
If anything , he has become more brazen .
I do not find fact-checking as done in that way to be very helpful , because Donald Trump is not being fact-checked as he says the lies .
If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they will learn what Trump said is not true .
Trump 's lie still has power because it is repeated by the president and circulated .
Again , Donald Trump has been winning this battle against the mainstream news media every day and they still have not really caught up to his strategy .
The New York Times still does not really know what to do about Donald Trump in this regard and others .
Is the reluctance , if not fear , of calling Donald Trump a liar a function of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media ?
Are reporters and journalists afraid of being punished in terms of their careers if they tell the unpolished truth about Donald Trump ?
I have a different idea of lying than most of the country 's journalistic institutions do because they will almost never use the words `` lie '' or `` liar '' when it comes to the president or most politicians .
Instead most in the mainstream news media will say , `` We ca n't know his intent .
We ca n't know what 's in his heart @ @ @ @ @ @ @ politician may believe the nonsense that they are saying .
My position is if a politician should know what is true and he does not , then he is lying .
I do not care what the excuse is .
I do n't care if Trump or some other politician thinks God is talking to him .
I do n't care if Trump is too disengaged from reality .
I do n't care if Trump is so much of a narcissist that he makes up stuff and he believes it .
If it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something and he misinforms the country , then he 's lying .
Worry about his motivation some other time .
There has never been a historical moment in this country where a president , in this case Donald Trump , could be ignored because everyone knows he 's so full of lies and nonsense .
Donald Trump might get reelected and destroy our democracy because so many in the mainstream news media are treating Donald Trump 's lies and delusions as though it is all somehow normal .
Why has the White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Trump 's lies ?
He also uses them as props for his fascist performances .
Why do the members of the White House press corps not just walk about of the briefings or stand up and turn their backs to him ?
They do not know how to do their job any other way .
Their job is defined as getting whatever information is available at the White House .
So even if it 's lies , even if it 's daily humiliation , the press corps has to go back the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be on good terms with the people who are giving out the information — even if they 're not giving out real or otherwise substantive information .
It would be nice if the job of the White House press corps was to actually go out and find news , but that 's not what they 're there for .
They 're there as conduits for the White House .
There are few public voices who have been consistently warning the American people and the world about the realities of Trumpism and the threat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have the American people , largely , been in so much denial about the horrible reality that is the Age of Trump and what it means for the present and future of the country ?
There 's about a third of the country that lives inside this bubble where the truth never reaches them .
They watch Fox News , they listen to conservative talk radio , they read Breitbart and Daily Caller and so forth , and they are lied to , and the lies that they are told make them feel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people , mostly Black and brown people and Muslims and immigrants and so forth , sometimes Jews , for the problems in their lives , and it works for them .
Such people are unreachable .
You can not get through to them .
There is a battle over the rest of the American people .
Trump and his spokespeople and others who are doing all the lying on the right have a gravitational effect on the entire public discourse .
It began initially with Ronald Reagan and then went into warp drive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reagan , and especially before Gingrich , both parties pretty much had an idea where the goalposts were on what you could get away with in terms of not telling the truth .
There were a lot of problems .
Nixon was a big problem , Lyndon Johnson was a big problem , but still people understood what was all right and what was n't all right , and then Reagan and Gingrich just started making stuff up all the time .
They did this with no consideration for the truth — and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ call them on it .
The American right-wing learned that the American people did not care enough .
As long as the news media was attacked as having a `` liberal bias '' it did away with the problem of them being called on their lies .
This dynamic expanded and grew until Donald Trump could run for president with his claims that Barack Obama was an illegitimate president because he was born in Kenya .
There were 30 or 40 % of Trump voters believing that Hillary Clinton ran a pedophile ring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They actually believed that .
Now the country is facing QAnon nuttiness with millions of people believing such nonsense because as a country we have just completely lost track of the truth in our political discourse .
As Hannah Arendt warned , `` This is how you create a dictatorship .
You destroy the idea of truth . ''
Why this obsessive narrative and all these expeditions out to Trumplandia to talk with `` white working class '' and other Trump followers by the mainstream American news media ?
What is there left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump 's voters are driven by racism , white supremacy , misogyny and authoritarianism , if not outright fascism and in some cases Nazism .
They just have to be defeated .
Enough is enough .
We have to beat them into the ground as hard as we can and let them start over .
For example , the Lincoln Project is seeking to destroy every single Republican senator because they believe that the Republican Party can not be saved .
It 's been taken over by crazy people , by corrupt people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gang , and they just have to be beaten .
There is no sense in trying to talk sense into them anymore .
Fox News really is sports talk radio for conservatives .
What are the implications of how American politics is now treated like some type of sport by the right wing ?
I recall an observation that Noam Chomsky made when I was writing my first book .
He said , `` What we need in this country is a politics where people care as much about sports as they do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to people on sports radio , they 're very knowledgeable in a way that people did not have the same passion about the Democratic and Republican candidates . ''
And then there was the rise of talk radio and the internet and it brought in all this passion — but it seems to only exist on one side .
The conservative side is driven like mad to care about every little thing .
By comparison liberals do not feel that way .
Liberals would let the people who are in charge do the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to let them be the experts .
Almost every single-issue group is a conservative group .
They win .
90 % of the country wants stronger gun control , but we 're not getting it because the 5-10 % that does n't want it has a stronger voice than the 90 % because they 're so dedicated .
They vote only on this issue , and you ca n't say that about really any issue for liberals .
We see this on Fox News and on right-wing talk radio .
When Trumpists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and `` Trump is no worse than Obama , '' and the news media is being `` mean '' and `` unfair '' to Donald Trump , how do you respond ?
The New York Times tried to answer that question about Obama .
Trump followers say that , `` Why all the fuss about Donald Trump lying ?
Why do n't you explain that Obama lied too ? ''
The New York Times looked at the entire eight-year record of Obama 's presidency and they found 12 false claims over eight years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all of which he then corrected when he found out that what he had said was not true .
Trump can tell 12 falsehoods in 10 minutes .
He does it all the time .
There is no comparison between Trump and Obama .
Some presidents lied a lot .
Trump is in his own category .
Trump lies about absolutely everything , and he gives his cabinet and his advisors permission in doing so to lie about everything as well .
Are our expectations of the American public too high or too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ politics , generally , and capacity to intervene against and reject Trump 's lies , specifically ?
Too many Americans have had a full meal of bullshit and now they have no way to judge good and bad , right and wrong .
I 'm very angry at the people who support Donald Trump because they are destroying my country .
They are responsible for putting people in cages and separating families .
A lot of Trump 's supporters do not know any better .
Some of them are just terrible people .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ think what they think anymore , I just want to beat them .
Trump 's supporters are on the wrong side .
Does Donald Trump believe his lies ?
Or is this all some type of performance ?
All that Donald Trump cares about is winning the next five minutes — and he only really cares about the next minute or so .
Trump is always doing the wrong thing .
Trump is a toddler and he just wants to have his belly stroked every minute or so and then he forgets that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hope in this moment ?
What is your greatest fear ?
My hope is that we turn this ocean liner around in the 2020 election .
I hope that the Republicans are defeated , that Trump is defeated , that the Supreme Court is made rational , and we start moving the country back in the direction of sanity and decency .
My fear is that the upcoming election is the last time we actually have a chance to save the United States from an American form of fascism .
I 'm only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ historian , and I do n't think things have ever been this bad since the Civil War .
I wish there was more of a sense of alarm among the institutions that really matter to this country 's democracy .

Donald Trump has publicly lied at least 20,000 times since taking office, according to the Washington Post. He does this in part because he has shown himself to be mentally unwell, if not a sociopath. But he also lies because he is a fascist authoritarian. For such leaders, lies are a way of assaulting reality and truth as a means of achieving unlimited power. These explanations are not discrete. They overlap with one another.
In a season of massive death, Donald Trump and his regime's lies about the coronavirus are a public health emergency – one which has killed at least 216,000 people in the United States.
Donald Trump and his regime's lies have also severely damaged America's prestige, alliances and global power. The country's enemies have also been emboldened by the Trump regime's lies and overall lack of consistency in foreign policy and principles.
Most important, Trump and his regime's policy of lying (in conjunction with wanton cruelty and other evil) has undermined American democracy. A common understanding of reality is the foundation of a health democracy. The Trump regime's lies and those of its agents are rotting that foundation.
In "The Death of Truth," Michiko Kakutani explains that the damage Trump has done to the country's institutions and foreign policy will take "years to repair."
"And to the degree that his election was a reflection of larger dynamics in society—from the growing partisanship in politics, to the profusion of fake stories on social media, to our isolation in filter bubbles—his departure from the scene will not restore truth to health and well-being, at least not right away," Kakutani writes.
Why is Donald Trump such a powerful and effective liar? Why has the mainstream American news media largely surrendered to his lies, and by doing so normalized them? Would more aggressive fact-checking have blunted Donald Trump and his regime's strategy of lying? What explains why the mainstream American news media as a whole refused — and for the most part, continues to refuse — to describe Donald Trump and his regime accurately as being fascist and authoritarian?
In an effort answer these questions, I recently spoke with Eric Alterman, a columnist at The Nation and the author of more than 10 books, including the bestseller "What Liberal Media? The Truth About Bias and the News." His latest book is "Lying in State: Why Presidents Lie and Why Trump is Worse."
Why are there now so many more voices in the mainstream American news media who, several weeks from Election Day, are finally using language such as "fascism" and "authoritarianism" to describe Trump and his regime? This was obvious several years ago. Why the delay? What were they waiting for?
There are many disincentives to tell the truth about Donald Trump. The most obvious one is that he's the President of the United States and people consider it disrespectful to use certain words about the president, like "liar" and "racist" and "conman" and "conspiracy nut," even when they're true. It is worse in Washington D.C. to call someone a liar than for them to actually be a liar.
In Washington, that rule is part of how a person makes a living. Therefore, people in the news media have to show respect for the office of the presidency. The second reason is that the ideology of "journalistic objectivity" does not have a framework for determining what the truth is. It has no bias for truth. "Journalistic objectivity" says on the one hand, so-and-so said this; on the other hand, his opposition said that, and you, the reader, you, the viewer, you, the listener, it is up to you to decide what's true.
Donald Trump is an idiot in many ways, but he is a genius when it comes to media manipulation.
The Washington Post has now documented at least 25,000 or so lies by Donald Trump — and nothing has changed in his behavior. If anything, he has become more brazen.
I do not find fact-checking as done in that way to be very helpful, because Donald Trump is not being fact-checked as he says the lies. If a person reads the fact-checking article, they will learn what Trump said is not true. Trump's lie still has power because it is repeated by the president and circulated. Again, Donald Trump has been winning this battle against the mainstream news media every day and they still have not really caught up to his strategy. The New York Times still does not really know what to do about Donald Trump in this regard and others.
Is the reluctance, if not fear, of calling Donald Trump a liar a function of the corporate culture of American's mainstream news media? Are reporters and journalists afraid of being punished in terms of their careers if they tell the unpolished truth about Donald Trump?
I have a different idea of lying than most of the country's journalistic institutions do because they will almost never use the words "lie" or "liar" when it comes to the president or most politicians. Instead most in the mainstream news media will say, "We can't know his intent. We can't know what's in his heart." They assume that a lying politician may believe the nonsense that they are saying. My position is if a politician should know what is true and he does not, then he is lying.
I do not care what the excuse is. I don't care if Trump or some other politician thinks God is talking to him. I don't care if Trump is too disengaged from reality. I don't care if Trump is so much of a narcissist that he makes up stuff and he believes it. If it's the president's job to know something and he misinforms the country, then he's lying. Worry about his motivation some other time.
There has never been a historical moment in this country where a president, in this case Donald Trump, could be ignored because everyone knows he's so full of lies and nonsense.
Donald Trump might get reelected and destroy our democracy because so many in the mainstream news media are treating Donald Trump's lies and delusions as though it is all somehow normal.
Why has the White House press corps been so accommodating and enabling of Trump's lies? He also uses them as props for his fascist performances. Why do the members of the White House press corps not just walk about of the briefings or stand up and turn their backs to him?
They do not know how to do their job any other way. Their job is defined as getting whatever information is available at the White House. So even if it's lies, even if it's daily humiliation, the press corps has to go back the next day. Those reporters need to be on good terms with the people who are giving out the information — even if they're not giving out real or otherwise substantive information. It would be nice if the job of the White House press corps was to actually go out and find news, but that's not what they're there for. They're there as conduits for the White House.
There are few public voices who have been consistently warning the American people and the world about the realities of Trumpism and the threat Trump represents to the country. Why have the American people, largely, been in so much denial about the horrible reality that is the Age of Trump and what it means for the present and future of the country?
There's about a third of the country that lives inside this bubble where the truth never reaches them. They watch Fox News, they listen to conservative talk radio, they read Breitbart and Daily Caller and so forth, and they are lied to, and the lies that they are told make them feel good about themselves. They blame other people, mostly Black and brown people and Muslims and immigrants and so forth, sometimes Jews, for the problems in their lives, and it works for them. Such people are unreachable. You cannot get through to them.
There is a battle over the rest of the American people. Trump and his spokespeople and others who are doing all the lying on the right have a gravitational effect on the entire public discourse.
It began initially with Ronald Reagan and then went into warp drive with Newt Gingrich. But before Ronald Reagan, and especially before Gingrich, both parties pretty much had an idea where the goalposts were on what you could get away with in terms of not telling the truth. There were a lot of problems. Nixon was a big problem, Lyndon Johnson was a big problem, but still people understood what was all right and what wasn't all right, and then Reagan and Gingrich just started making stuff up all the time. They did this with no consideration for the truth — and they discovered that the media wouldn't call them on it.
The American right-wing learned that the American people did not care enough. As long as the news media was attacked as having a "liberal bias" it did away with the problem of them being called on their lies. This dynamic expanded and grew until Donald Trump could run for president with his claims that Barack Obama was an illegitimate president because he was born in Kenya. There were 30 or 40% of Trump voters believing that Hillary Clinton ran a pedophile ring inside a pizza parlor in Washington. They actually believed that.
Now the country is facing QAnon nuttiness with millions of people believing such nonsense because as a country we have just completely lost track of the truth in our political discourse. As Hannah Arendt warned, "This is how you create a dictatorship. You destroy the idea of truth."
Why this obsessive narrative and all these expeditions out to Trumplandia to talk with "white working class" and other Trump followers by the mainstream American news media? What is there left to learn? The research shows that Trump's voters are driven by racism, white supremacy, misogyny and authoritarianism, if not outright fascism and in some cases Nazism.
They just have to be defeated. Enough is enough. We have to beat them into the ground as hard as we can and let them start over. For example, the Lincoln Project is seeking to destroy every single Republican senator because they believe that the Republican Party cannot be saved. It's been taken over by crazy people, by corrupt people, by the equivalent of a mafia gang, and they just have to be beaten. There is no sense in trying to talk sense into them anymore.
Fox News really is sports talk radio for conservatives. What are the implications of how American politics is now treated like some type of sport by the right wing?
I recall an observation that Noam Chomsky made when I was writing my first book. He said, "What we need in this country is a politics where people care as much about sports as they do about politics, because if you listen to people on sports radio, they're very knowledgeable in a way that people did not have the same passion about the Democratic and Republican candidates." And then there was the rise of talk radio and the internet and it brought in all this passion — but it seems to only exist on one side. The conservative side is driven like mad to care about every little thing. By comparison liberals do not feel that way. Liberals would let the people who are in charge do the right thing.
Liberals trust scientists and want to let them be the experts. Almost every single-issue group is a conservative group. They win. 90% of the country wants stronger gun control, but we're not getting it because the 5-10% that doesn't want it has a stronger voice than the 90% because they're so dedicated. They vote only on this issue, and you can't say that about really any issue for liberals. We see this on Fox News and on right-wing talk radio.
When Trumpists say that "all politicians lie" and "Trump is no worse than Obama," and the news media is being "mean" and "unfair" to Donald Trump, how do you respond?
The New York Times tried to answer that question about Obama. Trump followers say that, "Why all the fuss about Donald Trump lying? Why don't you explain that Obama lied too?" The New York Times looked at the entire eight-year record of Obama's presidency and they found 12 false claims over eight years, none of which he repeated, all of which he then corrected when he found out that what he had said was not true. Trump can tell 12 falsehoods in 10 minutes. He does it all the time. There is no comparison between Trump and Obama. Some presidents lied a lot. Trump is in his own category. Trump lies about absolutely everything, and he gives his cabinet and his advisors permission in doing so to lie about everything as well.
Are our expectations of the American public too high or too low in terms of their understanding of politics, generally, and capacity to intervene against and reject Trump's lies, specifically?
Too many Americans have had a full meal of bullshit and now they have no way to judge good and bad, right and wrong. I'm very angry at the people who support Donald Trump because they are destroying my country. They are responsible for putting people in cages and separating families. A lot of Trump's supporters do not know any better. Some of them are just terrible people. I do not really care why people think what they think anymore, I just want to beat them. Trump's supporters are on the wrong side.
Does Donald Trump believe his lies? Or is this all some type of performance?
All that Donald Trump cares about is winning the next five minutes — and he only really cares about the next minute or so. Trump is always doing the wrong thing. Trump is a toddler and he just wants to have his belly stroked every minute or so and then he forgets that it happened.
What is your greatest hope in this moment? What is your greatest fear?
My hope is that we turn this ocean liner around in the 2020 election. I hope that the Republicans are defeated, that Trump is defeated, that the Supreme Court is made rational, and we start moving the country back in the direction of sanity and decency. My fear is that the upcoming election is the last time we actually have a chance to save the United States from an American form of fascism. I'm only 60, but I'm an American historian, and I don't think things have ever been this bad since the Civil War. I wish there was more of a sense of alarm among the institutions that really matter to this country's democracy.


alternet--2020-10-16--VoteVets and the Lincoln Project collaborate on one of the most devastating Trump videos yet

While the Lincoln Project continues to line its organizers ' pockets , the silver-lining of the PAC is that they have been very prodigious in their video output .
More specifically , their videos are attacks on Donald Trump and his record and how awful he is .
This relentless barrage of fact has allowed Vice President Joe Biden the opportunity to run a campaign that does not rely on what the traditional media would likely call `` negative ads . ''
I say that with a pinch of salt because Donald Trump 's entire existence is negative , from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are the facts .
The newest video put out in collaboration with VoteVets.org tells the very simple story of retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman and the bullying and threats he and his family received for bravely testifying about Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani 's involvement in trying to coerce a foreign power to create the illusion of criminal impropriety in political rival Joe Biden 's record .
The video shows Rachel Vindman , Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman 's wife , and their family talking about their experience on the righteous end of an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vindman 's wife speaks for most the video , calmly explaining that she has already gotten a phone call no military spouse ever wants to get : the one when her husband Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman was injured in action .
Very quickly , they show footage of Lt. Col. Vindman bravely testifying , not sitting on a book advance like galactic-level piece of shit John Bolton .
You might remember this part of Vindman 's testimony , where he addressed his own father , telling him `` Do not worry , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
Rachel then says that , `` The first time I felt threatened was just after Alex 's testimony . ''
From here we cut to Trump and his press secretary 's attacks and dismissive statements regarding the Lt. Col. Mrs. Vindman goes on , `` The most powerful man in the world came after our family .
But what happened to us can happen to anyone . ''
She goes on to say that her family received `` thousands of letters of support .
America is so much better than Donald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ true and to the point .
Finally , Lt. Col. Vindman himself speaks , saying `` This is America.This is the country I 've served and defended .
Here , right matters . ''

While the Lincoln Project continues to line its organizers' pockets, the silver-lining of the PAC is that they have been very prodigious in their video output. More specifically, their videos are attacks on Donald Trump and his record and how awful he is. This relentless barrage of fact has allowed Vice President Joe Biden the opportunity to run a campaign that does not rely on what the traditional media would likely call "negative ads." I say that with a pinch of salt because Donald Trump's entire existence is negative, from start to finish, and the facts are the facts.
The newest video put out in collaboration with VoteVets.org tells the very simple story of retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman and the bullying and threats he and his family received for bravely testifying about Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani's involvement in trying to coerce a foreign power to create the illusion of criminal impropriety in political rival Joe Biden's record. The video shows Rachel Vindman, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman's wife, and their family talking about their experience on the righteous end of an authoritarian and corrupt president's anger.
Vindman's wife speaks for most the video, calmly explaining that she has already gotten a phone call no military spouse ever wants to get: the one when her husband Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman was injured in action. Very quickly, they show footage of Lt. Col. Vindman bravely testifying, not sitting on a book advance like galactic-level piece of shit John Bolton.
You might remember this part of Vindman's testimony, where he addressed his own father, telling him "Do not worry, I will be fine for telling the truth."
Rachel then says that, "The first time I felt threatened was just after Alex's testimony." From here we cut to Trump and his press secretary's attacks and dismissive statements regarding the Lt. Col. Mrs. Vindman goes on, "The most powerful man in the world came after our family. But what happened to us can happen to anyone."
She goes on to say that her family received "thousands of letters of support. America is so much better than Donald Trump." It's simple and true and to the point. Finally, Lt. Col. Vindman himself speaks, saying "This is America.This is the country I've served and defended. Here, right matters."


alternet--2020-10-16--Trump's millionaire adviser celebrates 'creative destruction' as millions lose their livelihoods

With millions of Americans out of work , struggling to afford food for themselves and their children , and facing the possibility of losing their homes , President Donald Trump 's top economic adviser on Friday celebrated what he described as the `` gales of creative destruction '' supposedly unleashed by the U.S. economic system in the midst of the pandemic-induced recession .
`` The talk is that a lot of folks who became unemployed , alright , most regrettably—but , they 're sticking with it and they 're going out and starting new businesses , '' Larry Kudlow , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said in an appearance on Fox Business .
`` They 're going to be small businesses . ''
`` But that 's the great part of American capitalism , gales of creative destruction , '' Kudlow continued , deploying a phrase popularized in the 1940s by economist Joseph Schumpeter .
`` I just love that new business start-up story . ''
Critics immediately noted that the millions of people across the U.S. who are teetering on the brink of complete financial ruin are likely not impressed by the so-called `` creative destruction '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complained that the $ 600-per-week federal unemployment insurance boost many jobless workers were receiving at the time was excessive .
`` Wonder how the 14 % of households with kids who reported that they did n't get enough food to eat in the last seven days or the 32 % of adults who are having trouble paying for usual household expenses feel about the 'gales of creative destruction , ' '' tweeted Washington Post reporter Jacqueline Alemany , pointing to data from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities .
Kudlow 's comments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported that an additional 1.3 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits , yet another indication that the strong economic recovery Kudlow has repeatedly predicted in recent weeks is not materializing .
`` As American capitalism becomes even crueler , the rhetoric of its apologists will only grow more explicit , '' Jacobin 's Luke Savage tweeted in response to Kudlow 's remarks .
On top of being cold comfort for Americans struggling to get by as the prospect of another federal relief package before the November election remains uncertain , Kudlow 's rosy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Covid-19 pandemic spurred a major new wave of entrepreneurship was also likely factually dubious .
`` Self-employment is absolutely helping us to adapt to the pandemic , '' Adam Ozimek , chief economist at freelancing platform Upwork , told the Post 's Jeff Stein .
`` But it 's really nowhere near enough to make up for the massive shortfall in overall employment that we still have .
Not even close . ''

With millions of Americans out of work, struggling to afford food for themselves and their children, and facing the possibility of losing their homes, President Donald Trump's top economic adviser on Friday celebrated what he described as the "gales of creative destruction" supposedly unleashed by the U.S. economic system in the midst of the pandemic-induced recession.
"The talk is that a lot of folks who became unemployed, alright, most regrettably—but, they're sticking with it and they're going out and starting new businesses," Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council, said in an appearance on Fox Business. "They're going to be small businesses."
"But that's the great part of American capitalism, gales of creative destruction," Kudlow continued, deploying a phrase popularized in the 1940s by economist Joseph Schumpeter. "I just love that new business start-up story."
Watch:
Critics immediately noted that the millions of people across the U.S. who are teetering on the brink of complete financial ruin are likely not impressed by the so-called "creative destruction" praised by Kudlow, who in June complained that the $600-per-week federal unemployment insurance boost many jobless workers were receiving at the time was excessive.
"Wonder how the 14% of households with kids who reported that they didn't get enough food to eat in the last seven days or the 32% of adults who are having trouble paying for usual household expenses feel about the 'gales of creative destruction,'" tweetedWashington Post reporter Jacqueline Alemany, pointing to data from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Kudlow's comments came a day after the Labor Department reported that an additional 1.3 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits, yet another indication that the strong economic recovery Kudlow has repeatedly predicted in recent weeks is not materializing.
"As American capitalism becomes even crueler, the rhetoric of its apologists will only grow more explicit," Jacobin's Luke Savage tweeted in response to Kudlow's remarks.
On top of being cold comfort for Americans struggling to get by as the prospect of another federal relief package before the November election remains uncertain , Kudlow's rosy insistence that the economic turmoil caused by the Covid-19 pandemic spurred a major new wave of entrepreneurship was also likely factually dubious.
"Self-employment is absolutely helping us to adapt to the pandemic," Adam Ozimek, chief economist at freelancing platform Upwork, told the Post's Jeff Stein. "But it's really nowhere near enough to make up for the massive shortfall in overall employment that we still have. Not even close."


alternet--2020-10-16--Polling expert pinpoints the key indicator that could tell us Trump's fate in the election

With the election less than three weeks away , thousands of Americans have taken advantage of early voting in states ranging from Georgia to Texas to North Carolina .
David Wasserman , house editor for the Cook Political Report , discussed this abundance of early voting with NBC News ' Andrea Mitchell on Friday — and Wasserman pointed to Sumter County , Florida as a possible way to gauge how the election will ultimately turn out .
`` It 's true that we 're both seeing historic early voting , and it 's a drop in the bucket because we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 160 million votes cast this year — which would be record-shattering , '' Wasserman told Mitchell .
Sumpter County , Wasserman stressed to Mitchell , is an important place to keep an eye on because it is full of retirees and 65-and-old voters — who could play an important role in determining whether President Donald Trump or former Vice President Joe Biden wins Florida 's 29 electoral votes .
`` It 's going to be difficult , this Election Night , to figure out what 's going on in a lot of states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states are going to need probably days or perhaps even weeks to be able to count all of those mail-in ballots that lean D , '' Wasserman explained .
`` But one thing I 'll be watching early on Election Night is Florida .
And in Florida , counties are permitted to begin counting ballots 22 days before Election Day , and I 'll be watching Sumter County — which is where the bulk of The Villages is . ''
The Villages , Wasserman noted , is `` the largest retirement community in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` The median age there is 68.9 years old , and the Trump campaign has placed so much importance on The Villages that ( Vice President Mike ) Pence visited last weekend .
Trump is holding a rally tonight in Ocala , which is right next door .
And Democrats took delight in these images , last weekend , of a flotilla of 500 golf carts with Biden flags that were on their way to drop off mail-in ballots .
That 's anecdotal , but what we know from the polls is that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seniors — particularly in the last couple of weeks . ''
The Cook Political house editor added that Biden is `` ahead , on average , among seniors , 53-44 % .
Compare that to the final polls in 2016 , which had Trump up among seniors 49-44 over Clinton .
And so , if there is this gray revolt , it should be apparent early on Election Night because , keep in mind : Sumter , in 2016 , 84 % of the vote there was cast early .
And they reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shortly after the polls closed .
We could know by 7:15 PM whether Trump has a massive problem with seniors .
And if he ca n't win Florida , then he ca n't win a second term . ''

With the election less than three weeks away, thousands of Americans have taken advantage of early voting in states ranging from Georgia to Texas to North Carolina. David Wasserman, house editor for the Cook Political Report, discussed this abundance of early voting with NBC News' Andrea Mitchell on Friday — and Wasserman pointed to Sumter County, Florida as a possible way to gauge how the election will ultimately turn out.
"It's true that we're both seeing historic early voting, and it's a drop in the bucket because we're headed for likely 150 million to 160 million votes cast this year — which would be record-shattering," Wasserman told Mitchell.
Sumpter County, Wasserman stressed to Mitchell, is an important place to keep an eye on because it is full of retirees and 65-and-old voters — who could play an important role in determining whether President Donald Trump or former Vice President Joe Biden wins Florida's 29 electoral votes.
"It's going to be difficult, this Election Night, to figure out what's going on in a lot of states because a lot of the upper midwestern states are going to need probably days or perhaps even weeks to be able to count all of those mail-in ballots that lean D," Wasserman explained. "But one thing I'll be watching early on Election Night is Florida. And in Florida, counties are permitted to begin counting ballots 22 days before Election Day, and I'll be watching Sumter County — which is where the bulk of The Villages is."
The Villages, Wasserman noted, is "the largest retirement community in Florida."
Wasserman told Mitchell, "The median age there is 68.9 years old, and the Trump campaign has placed so much importance on The Villages that (Vice President Mike) Pence visited last weekend. Trump is holding a rally tonight in Ocala, which is right next door. And Democrats took delight in these images, last weekend, of a flotilla of 500 golf carts with Biden flags that were on their way to drop off mail-in ballots. That's anecdotal, but what we know from the polls is that Biden has really made inroads with white seniors — particularly in the last couple of weeks."
The Cook Political house editor added that Biden is "ahead, on average, among seniors, 53-44%. Compare that to the final polls in 2016, which had Trump up among seniors 49-44 over Clinton. And so, if there is this gray revolt, it should be apparent early on Election Night because, keep in mind: Sumter, in 2016, 84% of the vote there was cast early. And they reported their entire batch of early votes pretty shortly after the polls closed. We could know by 7:15 PM whether Trump has a massive problem with seniors. And if he can't win Florida, then he can't win a second term."
Watch the clip below:


alternet--2020-10-16--Rudy Giuliani's daughter comes out against her father and Trump in brutal essay

Caroline Rose Giuliani , the daughter of former LifeLock spokesperson and Trump personal Rudy Giuliani , called for Americans to vote for the Biden-Harris Democratic ticket in a scathing rebuke of the `` toxic '' Republican administration .
`` My father is Rudy Giuliani , '' Giuliani wrote in an essay published Thursday in Vanity Fair .
`` We are multiverses apart , politically and otherwise .
I 've spent a lifetime forging an identity in the arts separate from my last name , so publicly declaring myself as a 'Giuliani ' feels counterintuitive .
But I 've come to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be silent right now . ''
Giuliani , a 31-year-old Los Angeles-based LGBTQ+ filmmaker , `` shunned her famous last name '' while at Harvard .
Instead , she used the last name of her other famous parent : `` Law & Order '' actor Donna Hannover .
In her essay , Giuliani maintained that `` being the daughter of a polarizing mayor who became the president 's personal bulldog '' is `` a difficult confession — something I usually save for at least the second date . ''
`` To anyone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election , there is nothing I relate to more than desperation to escape corrosive political discourse , '' she wrote .
`` As a child , I saw firsthand the kind of cruel , selfish politics that Donald Trump has now inflicted on our country .
It made me want to run as far away from them as possible .
But trust me when I tell you : Running away does not solve the problem .
We have to stand and fight .
The only way to end this nightmare is to vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but we 'll only grasp it if we elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris . ''
Giuliani , who endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016 , first announced her endorsement of former Vice President Joe Biden in August when she tweeted a photo of herself with his running mate , Kamala Harris .
Giuliani recalled getting into debates about politics with her father , a former assistant U.S. attorney , when she was 12 , or `` probably before I was emotionally equipped to handle such carnage . ''
`` It was disheartening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to change his mind , no matter how logical and above-my-pay-grade my arguments were , '' she wrote of their disputes .
Even though those arguments crackled with `` an occasional flash of connection , '' Giuliani added that she was never able to change her father 's perspective .
That painful `` chasm '' has grown since Trump 's rise .
`` I imagine many Americans can relate to the helpless feeling this confrontation cycle created in me , but we are not helpless , '' Giuliani wrote .
`` I may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's mind , but together , we can vote this toxic administration out of office . ''
In the weeks leading up to the release of her essay , Giuliani stepped up her social media presence , at times targeting her father 's own work on behalf of Trump .
`` Trump is the one lying about Hunter Biden , '' Giuliani tweeted last month , directly replying to a tweet from her father about what he dubbed the `` Biden Crime Family , '' adding : `` And I , for one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about a politician 's child .
Just sayin ... '' Senior intelligence officials warned the White House twice last year that Rudy Giuliani 's efforts to dig up dirt on Biden in Ukraine had been compromised by Russian intelligence , The Washington Post reported on Thursday .
While Caroline Giuliani acknowledges that Biden was not her first choice — she hints that she had initially wanted a more progressive candidate , such as Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren — she appeals to fellow progressives to not cast a protest vote , pointing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump administration , including civil rights and the resurgent coronavirus pandemic .
`` We are hanging by a single , slipping finger on a cliff 's edge , and the fall will be fatal , '' she writes .
`` If I , after decades of despair over politics , can engage in our democracy to meet this critical moment , I know you can , too . ''

Caroline Rose Giuliani, the daughter of former LifeLock spokesperson and Trump personal Rudy Giuliani, called for Americans to vote for the Biden-Harris Democratic ticket in a scathing rebuke of the "toxic" Republican administration.
"My father is Rudy Giuliani," Giuliani wrote in an essay published Thursday in Vanity Fair. "We are multiverses apart, politically and otherwise. I've spent a lifetime forging an identity in the arts separate from my last name, so publicly declaring myself as a 'Giuliani' feels counterintuitive. But I've come to realize that none of us can afford to be silent right now."
Giuliani, a 31-year-old Los Angeles-based LGBTQ+ filmmaker, "shunned her famous last name" while at Harvard. Instead, she used the last name of her other famous parent: "Law & Order" actor Donna Hannover. In her essay, Giuliani maintained that "being the daughter of a polarizing mayor who became the president's personal bulldog" is "a difficult confession — something I usually save for at least the second date."
"To anyone who feels overwhelmed or apathetic about this election, there is nothing I relate to more than desperation to escape corrosive political discourse," she wrote. "As a child, I saw firsthand the kind of cruel, selfish politics that Donald Trump has now inflicted on our country. It made me want to run as far away from them as possible. But trust me when I tell you: Running away does not solve the problem. We have to stand and fight. The only way to end this nightmare is to vote. There is hope on the horizon, but we'll only grasp it if we elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris."
Giuliani, who endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016, first announced her endorsement of former Vice President Joe Biden in August when she tweeted a photo of herself with his running mate, Kamala Harris.
Giuliani recalled getting into debates about politics with her father, a former assistant U.S. attorney, when she was 12, or "probably before I was emotionally equipped to handle such carnage."
"It was disheartening to feel how little power I had to change his mind, no matter how logical and above-my-pay-grade my arguments were," she wrote of their disputes.
Even though those arguments crackled with "an occasional flash of connection," Giuliani added that she was never able to change her father's perspective. That painful "chasm" has grown since Trump's rise.
"I imagine many Americans can relate to the helpless feeling this confrontation cycle created in me, but we are not helpless," Giuliani wrote. "I may not be able to change my father's mind, but together, we can vote this toxic administration out of office."
In the weeks leading up to the release of her essay, Giuliani stepped up her social media presence, at times targeting her father's own work on behalf of Trump.
"Trump is the one lying about Hunter Biden," Giuliani tweeted last month, directly replying to a tweet from her father about what he dubbed the "Biden Crime Family," adding: "And I, for one, do not support spreading false gossip about a politician's child. Just sayin..."
Senior intelligence officials warned the White House twice last year that Rudy Giuliani's efforts to dig up dirt on Biden in Ukraine had been compromised by Russian intelligence , The Washington Post reported on Thursday.
While Caroline Giuliani acknowledges that Biden was not her first choice — she hints that she had initially wanted a more progressive candidate, such as Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren — she appeals to fellow progressives to not cast a protest vote, pointing to a range of threats from a second Trump administration, including civil rights and the resurgent coronavirus pandemic.
"We are hanging by a single, slipping finger on a cliff's edge, and the fall will be fatal," she writes. "If I, after decades of despair over politics, can engage in our democracy to meet this critical moment, I know you can, too."


alternet--2020-10-16--COVID-19 deaths predicted to spike 80% in U.S. by February as White House leans into doomed strategy

As the Trump administration ignores the pleas of its own health experts and embraces a `` herd immunity '' strategy that scientists have condemned as fringe and dangerous , researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine are predicting an 80 % spike in U.S. coronavirus deaths by February as cases continue to rise across the nation .
A model designed by experts at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation forecasts that the U.S. coronavirus death toll will soar from around 217,000 at present to 389,087 fatalities by February 1 .
Under the model 's best-case scenario—in which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death toll is predicted to rise to 314,000 by the beginning of February .
If mask-wearing requirements are eased , the model predicts total U.S. deaths from the pandemic could rise to 477,000 .
`` We expect deaths to stop declining and begin increasing in the next one to two weeks , '' the institute 's researchers told CNN .
`` The winter surge appears to have begun somewhat later than the surge in Europe .
Daily deaths will reach over 2,000 a day in January even with many states reimposing mandates before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The alarming projection—which runs directly counter to President Donald Trump 's repeated insistence that the pandemic is fading away—came as the U.S. reported more than 64,000 new coronavirus infections on Thursday , the highest single-day total since late July .
As the Washington Post reported Thursday , `` In 44 states and the District of Columbia , caseloads are higher than they were one month ago , and many of the new infections are being reported in rural areas with limited hospital capacity . ''
The upward trend of new infections is `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Peter Hotez , professor and dean of tropical medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine , told CNN .
`` This is the time when we could be entering one of the worst periods of our epidemic and one of our worst periods in modern American public health .
I 'm very worried for the nation . ''
Despite rising cases and the advice of public health officials , Trump—who was diagnosed and hospitalized with Covid-19 just two weeks ago—has resumed holding large in-person rallies across the nation ahead of next month 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's campaign is sanctioning `` superspreader '' events that could endanger both those in attendance and entire communities .
`` Wisconsin has had over 10,000 Covid cases in three days , '' Rep. Mark Pocan ( D-Wis. ) , co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus , tweeted Friday .
`` Donald Trump , why are you still holding a superspreader rally here tomorrow ? ''
Just ahead of Trump 's rally in Sanford , Florida on Monday—where many attendees did not adhere to mask or social distancing guidelines—Dr .
Anthony Fauci said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by holding massive in-person events .
`` We 've seen that when you have situations of congregate settings where there are a lot of people without masks , the data speak for themselves , '' said Fauci , the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases .
`` It happens .
And now is even more so a worse time to do that , because when you look at what 's going on in the United States , it 's really very troublesome . ''
As Common Dreams reported earlier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ embraced a declaration by a right-wing think tank calling for a `` herd immunity '' approach to the coronavirus pandemic—a strategy that experts have warned would result in millions of additional deaths if implemented without a widely available and effective vaccine .
In an interview with CNBC Thursday , Fauci denounced the so-called herd immunity approach as `` nonsense '' and `` dangerous . ''
`` By the time you get to herd immunity , '' Fauci said , `` you will have killed a lot of people that would 've been avoidable @ @

As the Trump administration ignores the pleas of its own health experts and embraces a "herd immunity" strategy that scientists have condemned as fringe and dangerous, researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine are predicting an 80% spike in U.S. coronavirus deaths by February as cases continue to rise across the nation.
A model designed by experts at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation forecasts that the U.S. coronavirus death toll will soar from around 217,000 at present to 389,087 fatalities by February 1.
Under the model's best-case scenario—in which all Americans adhere to mask guidelines—the U.S. death toll is predicted to rise to 314,000 by the beginning of February. If mask-wearing requirements are eased, the model predicts total U.S. deaths from the pandemic could rise to 477,000.
"We expect deaths to stop declining and begin increasing in the next one to two weeks," the institute's researchers told CNN. "The winter surge appears to have begun somewhat later than the surge in Europe. Daily deaths will reach over 2,000 a day in January even with many states reimposing mandates before the end of the year."
The alarming projection—which runs directly counter to President Donald Trump's repeated insistence that the pandemic is fading away—came as the U.S. reported more than 64,000 new coronavirus infections on Thursday, the highest single-day total since late July.
As the Washington Postreported Thursday, "In 44 states and the District of Columbia, caseloads are higher than they were one month ago, and many of the new infections are being reported in rural areas with limited hospital capacity."
The upward trend of new infections is "a very ominous sign," Dr. Peter Hotez, professor and dean of tropical medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine, told CNN. "This is the time when we could be entering one of the worst periods of our epidemic and one of our worst periods in modern American public health. I'm very worried for the nation."
Despite rising cases and the advice of public health officials, Trump—who was diagnosed and hospitalized with Covid-19 just two weeks ago—has resumed holding large in-person rallies across the nation ahead of next month's election, prompting concerns that the president's campaign is sanctioning "superspreader" events that could endanger both those in attendance and entire communities.
"Wisconsin has had over 10,000 Covid cases in three days," Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, tweeted Friday. "Donald Trump, why are you still holding a superspreader rally here tomorrow?"
Just ahead of Trump's rally in Sanford, Florida on Monday—where many attendees did not adhere to mask or social distancing guidelines—Dr. Anthony Fauci said the president is "asking for trouble" by holding massive in-person events.
"We've seen that when you have situations of congregate settings where there are a lot of people without masks, the data speak for themselves," said Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. "It happens. And now is even more so a worse time to do that, because when you look at what's going on in the United States, it's really very troublesome."
As Common Dreamsreported earlier this week, the White House has embraced a declaration by a right-wing think tank calling for a "herd immunity" approach to the coronavirus pandemic—a strategy that experts have warned would result in millions of additional deaths if implemented without a widely available and effective vaccine.
In an interview with CNBC Thursday, Fauci denounced the so-called herd immunity approach as "nonsense" and "dangerous."
"By the time you get to herd immunity," Fauci said, "you will have killed a lot of people that would've been avoidable."


alternet--2020-10-16--Ex-Trump insider is aghast the president finally followed through on his dangerous political threat

President Donald Trump 's Democratic critics have often accused of him being indifferent to the needs of blue states .
In yet more evidence for this view , the president 's administration has rejected California 's request for a disaster declaration in response to a series of destructive wildfires , CNN reported this week .
Miles Taylor , a conservative and former Department of Homeland Security official who is supporting former Vice President Joe Biden , is expressing shock that Trump made good on his threat to reject California 's request for disaster assistance .
But as he explained , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do this .
On Friday , Taylor tweeted , `` Wow — just like the last time @ realDonaldTrump told us to cut off disaster aid $ to California for political purposes .
Only then , we told him NO . ''
Taylor served in DHS from 2017-2019 and was chief of staff for former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and later , Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf .
Although Taylor is a right-wing Republican , he has come out strongly against Trump and in favor of Biden .
In August , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ad from the group Republican Voters Against Trump .
Elizabeth Neumann , a conservative who formerly served as assistant secretary for threat prevention in DHS , has also appeared in an anti-Trump ad for RVAT and is endorsing Biden .
He had explained in one ad that Trump had suggested cutting off aid to California because the state did n't support him , an idea that DHS reportedly rejected at the time .
Although California , with its warm and arid climate , has long been vulnerable to wildfires , this year has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gov .
Gavin Newsom requested financial aid for his state in a letter sent to Trump 's administration on September 28 .
Newsom , in his letter , estimated that infrastructure damage in California would exceed $ 229 million and warned , `` The longer it takes for California and its communities to recover , the more severe , devastating and irreversible the economic impacts will be . ''
Brian Ferguson , a spokesman for the Governor 's Office of Emergency Services in California , confirmed to CNN that Newsom 's request had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ request for a major presidential disaster declaration for early September fires has been denied by the federal administration . ''

President Donald Trump's Democratic critics have often accused of him being indifferent to the needs of blue states. In yet more evidence for this view, the president's administration has rejected California's request for a disaster declaration in response to a series of destructive wildfires, CNN reported this week.
Miles Taylor, a conservative and former Department of Homeland Security official who is supporting former Vice President Joe Biden, is expressing shock that Trump made good on his threat to reject California's request for disaster assistance. But as he explained, he already warned that Trump sought to do this.
On Friday, Taylor tweeted, "Wow — just like the last time @realDonaldTrump told us to cut off disaster aid $ to California for political purposes. Only then, we told him NO."
Taylor served in DHS from 2017-2019 and was chief of staff for former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and later, Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf. Although Taylor is a right-wing Republican, he has come out strongly against Trump and in favor of Biden. In August, Taylor was featured in a scathing anti-Trump ad from the group Republican Voters Against Trump. Elizabeth Neumann, a conservative who formerly served as assistant secretary for threat prevention in DHS, has also appeared in an anti-Trump ad for RVAT and is endorsing Biden. He had explained in one ad that Trump had suggested cutting off aid to California because the state didn't support him, an idea that DHS reportedly rejected at the time.
Although California, with its warm and arid climate, has long been vulnerable to wildfires, this year has been especially bad. And Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom requested financial aid for his state in a letter sent to Trump's administration on September 28. Newsom, in his letter, estimated that infrastructure damage in California would exceed $229 million and warned, "The longer it takes for California and its communities to recover, the more severe, devastating and irreversible the economic impacts will be."
Brian Ferguson, a spokesman for the Governor's Office of Emergency Services in California, confirmed to CNN that Newsom's request had been rejected, saying, "The request for a major presidential disaster declaration for early September fires has been denied by the federal administration."