alternet--2020-10-08--Pelosi: 'We're going to be talking about the 25th Amendment'

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-CA ) hinted at the possibility of a push for the invocation of the 25th Amendment in the wake of President Donald Trump 's illness .
At her weekly press conference , the California lawmaker revealed she and her Democratic colleagues will be discussing the 25th Amendment on Friday amid growing concerns about the president 's condition .
`` Tomorrow , by the way , tomorrow , come here tomorrow .
We 're going to be talking about the 25th Amendment .
But not to take attention away from the subject we have now , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also discussed another key question she and other Democratic lawmakers have raised .
Although Trump tested positive more than a week ago , the White House has yet to reveal when the president 's last negative COVID test was — a critical piece of information needed for contact tracing .
Pelosi also expressed concern about the Trump administration 's lack of transparency regarding the president 's illness and the coronavirus outbreak at the White House .
`` I 'm not talking about it today except to tell you , if you want to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you tomorrow , '' she said .
`` But you take me back to my point , Mr. President , when was the last time you had a negative test before you tested positive ?
Why is the White House not telling the country that important fact about how this made a hotspot of the White House ? ''
Although Pelosi was asked for more details about Democrats ' forthcoming discussions , she indicated that more information would be announced tomorrow .
Pelosi 's remarks come amid Trump 's questionable behavior and impulsive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of government .
On Tuesday afternoon , the stock market crashed due to Trump abruptly ending stimulus negotiations .
More than 30 White House officials have also tested positive for COVID-19 this week .
But despite the outbreak , Trump continues to push for business as usual .
Still positive , the president has returned to the White House .
While hospitalized at Walter Reed Medical Center for what is believed to have been a severe case of coronavirus , Trump made it clear there would be no transfer of power to Vice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president is reportedly still making decisions while taking medications .
After Trump 's announcement to end negotiations , Pelosi also expressed concern about his ability to make sound decisions while medicated .
Trump insists he feels `` great '' now but he is still confined to the White House .

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) hinted at the possibility of a push for the invocation of the 25th Amendment in the wake of President Donald Trump's illness.
At her weekly press conference, the California lawmaker revealed she and her Democratic colleagues will be discussing the 25th Amendment on Friday amid growing concerns about the president's condition.
"Tomorrow, by the way, tomorrow, come here tomorrow. We're going to be talking about the 25th Amendment. But not to take attention away from the subject we have now," she said.
The top-ranking Democrat also discussed another key question she and other Democratic lawmakers have raised. Although Trump tested positive more than a week ago, the White House has yet to reveal when the president's last negative COVID test was — a critical piece of information needed for contact tracing. Pelosi also expressed concern about the Trump administration's lack of transparency regarding the president's illness and the coronavirus outbreak at the White House.
"I'm not talking about it today except to tell you, if you want to talk about that, we'll see you tomorrow," she said. "But you take me back to my point, Mr. President, when was the last time you had a negative test before you tested positive? Why is the White House not telling the country that important fact about how this made a hotspot of the White House?"
Although Pelosi was asked for more details about Democrats' forthcoming discussions, she indicated that more information would be announced tomorrow. Pelosi's remarks come amid Trump's questionable behavior and impulsive actions which have greatly impacted multiple areas of government.
On Tuesday afternoon, the stock market crashed due to Trump abruptly ending stimulus negotiations. More than 30 White House officials have also tested positive for COVID-19 this week. But despite the outbreak, Trump continues to push for business as usual. Still positive, the president has returned to the White House.
While hospitalized at Walter Reed Medical Center for what is believed to have been a severe case of coronavirus, Trump made it clear there would be no transfer of power to Vice President Mike Pence. Even now, the president is reportedly still making decisions while taking medications. After Trump's announcement to end negotiations, Pelosi also expressed concern about his ability to make sound decisions while medicated.
Trump insists he feels "great" now but he is still confined to the White House.


alternet--2020-10-08--Here's how Trump's 'court-packing' attack on Biden could blow up in his face

Given how brazenly Republicans blocked Barack Obama 's judicial nominees on an unprecedented scale and then packed the federal courts with young , conservative judicial activists , it was disappointing to see Joe Biden and Kamala Harris both dodge the question of whether they would expand the Courts if they win and Senate Republicans confirm Amy Coney Barrett in a shambolic process .
The question is a layup that they should have been able to convert into a slam dunk .
Evading it made them seem defensive when public opinion is clearly on their side .
Here 's how they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are on the table One of Trump 's favorite responses to questions that he does n't want to answer is , `` we 'll see what happens . ''
Sometimes he adds that he does n't want to reveal his hand prematurely .
Democrats should follow suit .
`` We will be watching closely to see what happens .
If Republicans go against the will of the American people , who clearly think the winner of the election should fill that seat , and rush through a nomination process without properly vetting a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court , then all options are on the table .
`` We do n't know who will hold the White House and Senate next year , so there 's no point in discussing a hypothetical .
What I will say now is that we are not going to allow a partisan Supreme Court to strip health coverage from 20 million Americans , remove protections for people who have pre-existing conditions , take away a woman 's right to choose or limit citizens ' right to vote .
We 'll keep all of our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should also broaden the conversation beyond expansion .
`` And when I say 'all options , ' I mean all options .
If they go through with this charade of a confirmation , we 'll look at rebalancing the Court , but we 'll also look at term limits and perhaps rotating justices from the lower courts to the Supreme Court .
Right now , the GOP 's reckless disregard for the will of the people makes it clear that the stakes for seating a justice have just become too high .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about lowering the temperature a bit and making the process less polarizing .
Again , our priority is protecting Americans from a Court stacked with Trump 's judicial activists . ''
Keeping their options on the table shifts the focus to what might factor into a decision to rebalance the Court .
And that 's an opportunity to talk about Republicans desperately rushing through a nominee with limited hearings while two members of the Judiciary Committee are unable to participate in hearings after testing positive for Covid-19 .
`` Look , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time to get a nominee through the process is 2.2 months .
But those confirmations did n't take place in the middle of an election season with Congress in recess because of the pandemic .
There just is n't enough time on the Senate calendar to do this right .
There is n't enough time for the American people to learn what they need to about Amy Coney Barrett and her judicial philosophy .
There 's a reason we hold bipartisan hearings and thoroughly vet nominees before giving them a lifetime appointment on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mockery of this process and that 's why we 're going to keep our options open . ''
In 1992 , then-Senator Joe Biden said in a floor speech that a Supreme Court nomination should n't be considered during a presidential election .
It was June , and there was n't a vacancy on the Court at the time .
He was essentially arguing against the Senate doing precisely what Mitch McConnell is attempting to do right now .
But in 2016 , McConnell and Senate Republicans distorted those comments to claim that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nomination despite the fact that Barack Obama nominated Garland in mid-March , almost 8 months before that year 's election .
The `` Biden Rule , '' as they have called it ever since , was ( and is ) a complete lie .
Shortly after his election in 2015 , Arizona Governor Doug Ducey added two seats to his state 's Supreme Court and filled them with conservatives whose views aligned with his agenda .
It was n't an exact parallel with Democrats rebalancing the Court if they win next month -- @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the court and Arizona 's Governor has to pick from a list of judges submitted by a commission filled with allies -- but the Ducey Rule would be a lot more honest than the Biden Rule was .
Democrats should invent the Ducey Rule and use it to reframe the question more broadly and make it about what response to the GOP 's relentless efforts to control the federal judiciary might be appropriate .
`` Look what you made us do '' has long been a common justification for Republican norm-breaking .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats do n't want to mess with the Court .
If we do end up rebalancing the Court or instituting other reforms -- if we do apply the Ducey Rule on the federal level -- it will only be because Republicans have been packing the Courts for a decade .
We 've never seen anything like Mitch McConnell 's blockade of Obama 's nominees .
That left so many open seats that the federal judiciary was barely able to function .
Cases stacked up .
And then Trump , who lost the popular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never given a mandate by the American people , filled those vacancies with justices that supported his agenda to kill the Affordable Care Act and limit Americans ' civil rights .
Many of them were rated `` unqualified '' by the American Bar Association .
That 's the only reason why anyone 's even talking about expanding or rebalancing the Court .
`` Again , we will do whatever it takes to protect the American people . ''

Given how brazenly Republicans blocked Barack Obama's judicial nominees on an unprecedented scale and then packed the federal courts with young, conservative judicial activists, it was disappointing to see Joe Biden and Kamala Harris both dodge the question of whether they would expand the Courts if they win and Senate Republicans confirm Amy Coney Barrett in a shambolic process. The question is a layup that they should have been able to convert into a slam dunk. Evading it made them seem defensive when public opinion is clearly on their side.
Here's how they should handle such questions:
All options are on the table
One of Trump's favorite responses to questions that he doesn't want to answer is, "we'll see what happens." Sometimes he adds that he doesn't want to reveal his hand prematurely. Democrats should follow suit.
"We will be watching closely to see what happens. If Republicans go against the will of the American people, who clearly think the winner of the election should fill that seat, and rush through a nomination process without properly vetting a nominee for a lifetime position on the Court, then all options are on the table.
"We don't know who will hold the White House and Senate next year, so there's no point in discussing a hypothetical. What I will say now is that we are not going to allow a partisan Supreme Court to strip health coverage from 20 million Americans, remove protections for people who have pre-existing conditions, take away a woman's right to choose or limit citizens' right to vote. We'll keep all of our options on the table."
They should also broaden the conversation beyond expansion.
"And when I say 'all options,' I mean all options. If they go through with this charade of a confirmation, we'll look at rebalancing the Court, but we'll also look at term limits and perhaps rotating justices from the lower courts to the Supreme Court. Right now, the GOP's reckless disregard for the will of the people makes it clear that the stakes for seating a justice have just become too high. But there are different ways we can go about lowering the temperature a bit and making the process less polarizing. Again, our priority is protecting Americans from a Court stacked with Trump's judicial activists."
Focus on the corrupt process
Keeping their options on the table shifts the focus to what might factor into a decision to rebalance the Court. And that's an opportunity to talk about Republicans desperately rushing through a nominee with limited hearings while two members of the Judiciary Committee are unable to participate in hearings after testing positive for Covid-19.
"Look, according to The Congressional Research Service, the average time to get a nominee through the process is 2.2 months. But those confirmations didn't take place in the middle of an election season with Congress in recess because of the pandemic. There just isn't enough time on the Senate calendar to do this right. There isn't enough time for the American people to learn what they need to about Amy Coney Barrett and her judicial philosophy. There's a reason we hold bipartisan hearings and thoroughly vet nominees before giving them a lifetime appointment on the bench. They're making a mockery of this process and that's why we're going to keep our options open."
Invoke the Ducey Rule
In 1992, then-Senator Joe Biden said in a floor speech that a Supreme Court nomination shouldn't be considered during a presidential election. It was June, and there wasn't a vacancy on the Court at the time. He was essentially arguing against the Senate doing precisely what Mitch McConnell is attempting to do right now. But in 2016, McConnell and Senate Republicans distorted those comments to claim that they applied to blocking Merrick Garland's nomination despite the fact that Barack Obama nominated Garland in mid-March, almost 8 months before that year's election. The "Biden Rule," as they have called it ever since, was (and is) a complete lie.
Shortly after his election in 2015, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey added two seats to his state's Supreme Court and filled them with conservatives whose views aligned with his agenda. It wasn't an exact parallel with Democrats rebalancing the Court if they win next month--Ducey already had a conservative majority on the court and Arizona's Governor has to pick from a list of judges submitted by a commission filled with allies--but the Ducey Rule would be a lot more honest than the Biden Rule was. (Georgia Governor Nathan Deal also expanded his state's Supreme Court by 2 seats that year.)
Democrats should invent the Ducey Rule (or the Deal Rule) and use it to reframe the question more broadly and make it about what response to the GOP's relentless efforts to control the federal judiciary might be appropriate. "Look what you made us do" has long been a common justification for Republican norm-breaking.
"Let's get one thing straight: Democrats don't want to mess with the Court. If we do end up rebalancing the Court or instituting other reforms--if we do apply the Ducey Rule on the federal level--it will only be because Republicans have been packing the Courts for a decade. We've never seen anything like Mitch McConnell's blockade of Obama's nominees. That left so many open seats that the federal judiciary was barely able to function. Cases stacked up. And then Trump, who lost the popular vote by almost 3 million and was never given a mandate by the American people, filled those vacancies with justices that supported his agenda to kill the Affordable Care Act and limit Americans' civil rights. Many of them were rated "unqualified" by the American Bar Association. That's the only reason why anyone's even talking about expanding or rebalancing the Court.
"Again, we will do whatever it takes to protect the American people."


alternet--2020-10-08--Trump officials admit diverting 9/11 treatment funds was wrong, but stall returning $4M

WASHINGTON — Top officials in the Trump administration responsible for withholding nearly $ 4 million from the New York Fire @ @ @ @ @ program now say it was “ unacceptable ” — but still haven ’ t figured @ @ @ @ @ money siphoned away from ailing EMTs and firefighters.The money was taken in bits and pieces @ @ @ @ @ 2016 to pay down a still-unexplained Medicare debt purportedly owed by the city that has @ @ @ @ @ Fire Department.New York lawmakers have pointed out that federal law gives Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin @ @ @ @

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alternet--2020-10-08--Watch: Pete Buttigieg dropped by a Fox News pre-debate segment and absolutely leveled the hosts

Before the vice presidential debate got underway in Salt Lake City on Wednesday , Pete Buttigieg dropped by a Fox @ @ @ @ @ leveled the place .
This is precisely how you slice and dice a Fox News @ @ @ @ @ dispatched Pete Buttigieg again this morning for a Fox News appearance and oops !
He @ @ @ @ @ the Presidential Debate Commission announced the next debate would be virtual because of the COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ on Fox News to say he would not participate .
That debate is slated to @ @ @ @ @ where the candidates take questions from audience members .
Once again , Buttigieg proved himself @ @ @ @ @ surrogate for the Biden campaign , hitting Donald Trump 's cowardice and noting most American @ @ @ @ @ to virtual learning for their children , working from home , etc .
and Donald @ @ @ @ @ kind of sacrifice the rest of us make every single day

Before the vice presidential debate got underway in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Pete Buttigieg dropped by a Fox News pre-debate segment and absolutely leveled the place. This is precisely how you slice and dice a Fox News talking point.
WATCH:
Thursday, Oct 8, 2020 · 11:23:08 AM Eastern Daylight Time · Jen Hayden
Team Biden dispatched Pete Buttigieg again this morning for a Fox News appearance and oops! He did it again. After the Presidential Debate Commission announced the next debate would be virtual because of the COVID-19 risk, Donald Trump appeared on Fox News to say he would not participate. That debate is slated to be a town hall-style debate where the candidates take questions from audience members.
Once again, Buttigieg proved himself to be an extremely effective surrogate for the Biden campaign, hitting Donald Trump's cowardice and noting most American families have had to adjust to virtual learning for their children, working from home, etc. and Donald Trump seems incapable of the kind of sacrifice the rest of us make every single day


alternet--2020-10-08--Feds charge 6 men in plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and overthrow Michigan's government

The Federal Bureau of Investigations ( FBI ) thwarted a planned operation to kidnap Michigan Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer and now , six men are facing charges for their involvement in the alleged conspiracy .
On Thursday , the FBI released details about the affidavit which reveals how FBI agents infiltrated a Michigan militia .
According to the FBI 's court filing , the conspirators involved conducted surveillance on Whitmer 's vacation home twice , per The Detroit News .
The men facing charges have been identified as : Adam Fox , Ty Garbin , Kaleb Franks , Daniel Harris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ man , Barry Croft , reports NBC News .
However , court documents reportedly indicate that there are several other men who engaged in conversations with the men being charged .
It has been reported that their intent was to kidnap Whitmer from the vacation home in the western district of Michigan .
They reportedly planned to transport the Democratic governor to a remote location in Wisconsin .
There , the group of conspirators intended to conduct a `` trial '' based on their allegations of Whitmer having committed treason .
`` Several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'taking ' a sitting governor , '' an FBI agent wrote in the affidavit .
`` The group decided they needed to increase their numbers and encouraged each other to talk to their neighbors and spread their message . ''
In the affidavit , an FBI agent also indicated that Fox and the other men had planned to carry out the kidnapping before Election Day on November 3 .
`` On several occasions , Fox has expressed his intention and desire to kidnap Governor Whitmer before November , 3 , 2020 , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the FBI agent wrote .
Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey , ( R-Clarklake ) has also taken to Twitter with an announcement about the planned plot .
`` A threat against our Governor is a threat against us all , '' Shirkey tweeted .
`` We condemn those who plotted against her and our government .
They are not patriots .
There is no honor in their actions .
They are criminals and traitors , and they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law . ''
The completed affidavit came @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home in Hartland Township , MI.
, on Wednesday .
Now , as reports are circulating about the FBI 's affidavit , it is being reported that a standoff is underway in Munith , MI .
involving State Police , Federal Law enforcement , and the Jackson County Sheriff 's department , according to Raw Story .

The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) thwarted a planned operation to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and now, six men are facing charges for their involvement in the alleged conspiracy.
On Thursday, the FBI released details about the affidavit which reveals how FBI agents infiltrated a Michigan militia. According to the FBI's court filing, the conspirators involved conducted surveillance on Whitmer's vacation home twice, per The Detroit News.
The men facing charges have been identified as: Adam Fox, Ty Garbin, Kaleb Franks, Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta, and a Delaware man, Barry Croft, reports NBC News. However, court documents reportedly indicate that there are several other men who engaged in conversations with the men being charged.
It has been reported that their intent was to kidnap Whitmer from the vacation home in the western district of Michigan. They reportedly planned to transport the Democratic governor to a remote location in Wisconsin. There, the group of conspirators intended to conduct a "trial" based on their allegations of Whitmer having committed treason.
"Several members talked about murdering 'tyrants' or 'taking' a sitting governor," an FBI agent wrote in the affidavit. "The group decided they needed to increase their numbers and encouraged each other to talk to their neighbors and spread their message."
In the affidavit, an FBI agent also indicated that Fox and the other men had planned to carry out the kidnapping before Election Day on November 3.
"On several occasions, Fox has expressed his intention and desire to kidnap Governor Whitmer before November, 3, 2020, the date of the national election," the FBI agent wrote.
Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, (R-Clarklake) has also taken to Twitter with an announcement about the planned plot.
"A threat against our Governor is a threat against us all," Shirkey tweeted. "We condemn those who plotted against her and our government. They are not patriots. There is no honor in their actions. They are criminals and traitors, and they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
The completed affidavit came just hours after the FBI raided a home in Hartland Township, MI., on Wednesday. Now, as reports are circulating about the FBI's affidavit, it is being reported that a standoff is underway in Munith, MI. involving State Police, Federal Law enforcement, and the Jackson County Sheriff's department, according to Raw Story.


alternet--2020-10-08--Mark Meadows held a 70-person wedding in May that blatantly violated Georgia’s coronavirus restricti

Mark Meadows held a 70-person wedding in May that blatantly violated Georgia’s coronavirus restrictions

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic , President Donald Trump and his Republican allies have publicly downplayed the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and failed to acknowledge the value of social distancing measures .
One such Republican is White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows , who — according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution — hosted a `` lavish wedding '' in Atlanta in May that violated the city and state 's social distancing guidelines .
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms , a Democrat , has been an aggressive supporter of social distancing in her city and has had some major disagreements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brian Kemp , over the coronavirus pandemic — which , according to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore , has killed more than 1 million people worldwide and over 212,000 people in the United States .
Back in May , under Bottoms ' stay-at-home order , gatherings of more than ten people were prohibited in Atlanta — and Georgia had a statewide social distancing order as well at the time .
But according to Atlanta Journal Constitution reporters Patricia Murphy and Greg Bluestein , the wedding that Meadows hosted for his daughter had about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The wedding took place May 31 at the Biltmore Ballrooms in Midtown Atlanta , '' Murphy and Bluestein report .
`` The 70 or so guests , including U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio , donned tuxedos and ball gowns for the indoor affair , but no masks , as Meadows walked his daughter , Haley , down the aisle through a path of soft white flower petals .
With crystal chandeliers , marble floors and a frame of soaring Roman arches , the lush scene could have come from any wedding magazine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the height of a global pandemic . ''
During the summer months , Kemp was criticized by many Democrats , including Bottoms , for being too quick to ease Georgia 's coronavirus restrictions .
But according to Murphy and Bluestein , Kemp 's statewide coronavirus restrictions were still in place when Meadows hosted that wedding .
`` Although the state of Georgia had loosened some restrictions by the end of May , '' Murphy and Bluestein explain , `` Gov .
Brian Kemp 's orders at the time expressly banned gatherings of more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in effect — which Kemp signed on May 12 — restricted gatherings of more than 10 people so long as they 're not 'transitory or incidental , ' or spread out across different locations . ''
The reporters note that `` pictures of the wedding reviewed by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution show groups of people clustered closely together in the same room throughout the evening .
Under that emergency order , law enforcement could have potentially written citations to the venue for exceeding the gathering size . ''
Five months later , Murphy and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` intense criticism '' for his leadership during the outbreak of COVID-19 infections plaguing the White House — and for a September 26 ceremony for Judge Amy Coney Barrett , President Donald Trump 's U.S. Supreme Court nominee to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg , which took place in the White House Rose Garden .
`` Photographs of the ( September 26 ) event and a private indoor reception show few of the 200 guests wearing face masks or practicing social distancing , which public health experts have long stressed as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Murphy and Bluestein note .
President Trump is back in the White House after being hospitalized with COVID-19 , and other Trump allies who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus range from First Lady Melania Trump to White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany to Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway to Senior Adviser Stephen Miller to Republican National Committee Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel .

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, President Donald Trump and his Republican allies have publicly downplayed the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and failed to acknowledge the value of social distancing measures. One such Republican is White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who — according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution — hosted a "lavish wedding" in Atlanta in May that violated the city and state's social distancing guidelines.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, a Democrat, has been an aggressive supporter of social distancing in her city and has had some major disagreements with Georgia's far-right Republican governor, Brian Kemp, over the coronavirus pandemic — which, according to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, has killed more than 1 million people worldwide and over 212,000 people in the United States. Back in May, under Bottoms' stay-at-home order, gatherings of more than ten people were prohibited in Atlanta — and Georgia had a statewide social distancing order as well at the time. But according to Atlanta Journal Constitution reporters Patricia Murphy and Greg Bluestein, the wedding that Meadows hosted for his daughter had about seven times as many people.
"The wedding took place May 31 at the Biltmore Ballrooms in Midtown Atlanta," Murphy and Bluestein report. "The 70 or so guests, including U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, donned tuxedos and ball gowns for the indoor affair, but no masks, as Meadows walked his daughter, Haley, down the aisle through a path of soft white flower petals. With crystal chandeliers, marble floors and a frame of soaring Roman arches, the lush scene could have come from any wedding magazine — were it not taking place at the height of a global pandemic."
During the summer months, Kemp was criticized by many Democrats, including Bottoms, for being too quick to ease Georgia's coronavirus restrictions. But according to Murphy and Bluestein, Kemp's statewide coronavirus restrictions were still in place when Meadows hosted that wedding.
"Although the state of Georgia had loosened some restrictions by the end of May," Murphy and Bluestein explain, "Gov. Brian Kemp's orders at the time expressly banned gatherings of more than 10 people. The statewide order in effect — which Kemp signed on May 12 — restricted gatherings of more than 10 people so long as they're not 'transitory or incidental,' or spread out across different locations."
The reporters note that "pictures of the wedding reviewed by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution show groups of people clustered closely together in the same room throughout the evening. Under that emergency order, law enforcement could have potentially written citations to the venue for exceeding the gathering size."
Five months later, Murphy and Bluestein point out, Meadows is facing "intense criticism" for his leadership during the outbreak of COVID-19 infections plaguing the White House — and for a September 26 ceremony for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Donald Trump's U.S. Supreme Court nominee to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, which took place in the White House Rose Garden.
"Photographs of the (September 26) event and a private indoor reception show few of the 200 guests wearing face masks or practicing social distancing, which public health experts have long stressed as essential safeguards to contain the illness," Murphy and Bluestein note.
President Trump is back in the White House after being hospitalized with COVID-19, and other Trump allies who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus range from First Lady Melania Trump to White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany to Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway to Senior Adviser Stephen Miller to Republican National Committee Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel.


alternet--2020-10-08--Schadenfreude: Feeling guilty about wishing Trump ill? Therapists say it's 'normal'

When President Donald Trump tweeted that he tested positive for COVID-19 last week , the internet reacted with a mix of sympathy , shock , and other less savory emotions .
The New York Times wished Trump well in the name of American unity .
Presidential candidate Joe Biden said he was praying for the `` health and safety '' of Trump and his family .
Many others struggled to feel sorry for Trump .
As my Midwestern aunt said : `` The Christian in me is struggling ; I find it very hard to have sympathy for him .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ was affected by Trump 's unresponsiveness towards the pandemic and its victims : after months of downplaying the coronavirus — which has taken over 200,000 Americans ' lives , ruined the economy , and left millions of people out of work with minimal federal government relief — the news about Trump 's health , to my aunt and millions of others , appeared to be karmic retribution ; or poetic justice ; or maybe just what happens when you do n't listen to scientists .
That schadenfreude was , it seems , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also , a rancorous reaction that plagued many with guilt , and sparked discussions over decorum .
`` There 's something downright poetic about the possibility that — after years of being forced to watch Trump 's every move on TV — we might be getting to watch him die , '' Carlos Maza opined on Twitter .
Meanwhile , many right-wing pundits and news sites , including Breitbart and the Washington Times , scolded prominent figures who had wished death upon Trump .
Twitter itself said it would take down any tweets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ qualified that they do n't wish Trump ill ; they merely want him to go away , or suffer the consequences of his actions for once .
`` I do n't want Donald Trump to die .
I want him to go to jail .
Get better soon , '' wrote author Emma Kennedy .
Various religious texts , including the Bible , promote forgiveness as a pillar of a healthy human existence .
Western culture , which draws heavily on Christian notions of morality , is deeply influenced by this notion of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ find it hard to forgive those who have deeply wronged or hurt us , whether physically or psychologically .
That 's led to complicated public emotions as we watch Trump grapple with a deadly virus while infecting other people around him .
Hence , many are torn between figuring out the `` right '' or `` wrong way '' to respond .
Yet therapists tell Salon this could be an opportunity for society to have a bigger conversation around emotional health .
`` When we talk about emotions we can have multiple emotions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ true , '' therapist Amalia Miralrío , LCSW , LMSW , M.Ed , told Salon .
`` So we can be really happy that he 's sick , and we can also hold this value that we do n't like to wish ill on people — both parts can be true . ''
Mel Schwartz , a psychotherapist and author of `` The Possibility Principle , '' told Salon that `` either/or thinking '' — meaning when we believe something is either right or wrong , or good or bad and there 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be harmful .
`` In Western culture , our minds have been trained to think reality exists in these two separate compartments , '' Schwartz said , adding that in therapy he often encourages his clients to reach a point of `` authenticity '' which involves `` complexity . ''
`` Authenticity should n't be confused with the truth , but authenticity is more about my truth , and my truth should be open to reconsideration and reevaluation , and that 's the process I take my clients through . ''
Schwartz said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with their responses to Trump getting sick , to which he self-disclosed his own process around the situation .
`` My first instinct was 'Ah there is a God , how just , ' '' Schwartz said about when he first learned Trump had the coronavirus .
`` As heinous as I find [ Trump ] , he was a victim of his father 's emotional and psychological tyranny ... .
then I tried to get in touch with a higher level of compassion and try to find an underbelly here . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ person could communicate that they are struggling with having sympathy for Trump , and acknowledging the truth of their emotions .
`` A part of me feels good and affirmed that he fell prey to this virus , but do I wish him harm ?
It 's a tough question , I struggle with that , I 'd like to say I wish him a recovery because I 'd know it would be the right thing or the virtuous thing to do , '' Schwartz said .
He noted that , from politicians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these straightforward `` right '' responses .
`` We 're not genuine in our communication , which requires complexity , '' he added .
As many experts have pointed out , Trump 's leadership behavior mimics that of an emotional abuser — from gaslighting to name-calling to blame-shifting and lying .
In a way , there are parallels between the public grappling with complicated emotions around feeling sorry or not feeling sorry ( or feeling both ) for Trump , and what survivors of abuse can face .
Miralrío said that a reaction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ diagnosis could be a way for some to reclaim power in an otherwise powerless relationship dynamic .
`` It 's a way of reclaiming that sense of power , a way of feeling like someone who has exerted abuse of power and control over you and when that person suddenly loses some of that , you feel that you are gaining a greater sense of equality in the dynamic , '' Miralrío said .
`` It 's normal to have this emotional response when you are feeling really disempowered in a relationship and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ harm you . ''
Finally , David Grammer , a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist said that he does n't believe people are responsible for their immediate reactions .
`` We have our animal instincts that are like 'Take him down , ' '' Grammer said , adding he was n't pleased with his own initial response to learning about Trump 's diagnosis .
`` It 's more about how we overcome those responses .
For me it brought up some work around 'How can I let go of some of my own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ? '
Because beyond voting , I ca n't do anything to change his choices and how he 's handled things , so it 's a bit of letting go of what we ca n't control . ''

When President Donald Trump tweeted that he tested positive for COVID-19 last week, the internet reacted with a mix of sympathy, shock, and other less savory emotions. The New York Times wished Trump well in the name of American unity. Presidential candidate Joe Biden said he was praying for the "health and safety" of Trump and his family.
Many others struggled to feel sorry for Trump.
As my Midwestern aunt said: "The Christian in me is struggling; I find it very hard to have sympathy for him." She said the calculus of sympathy was affected by Trump's unresponsiveness towards the pandemic and its victims: after months of downplaying the coronavirus — which has taken over 200,000 Americans' lives, ruined the economy, and left millions of people out of work with minimal federal government relief — the news about Trump's health, to my aunt and millions of others, appeared to be karmic retribution; or poetic justice; or maybe just what happens when you don't listen to scientists.
That schadenfreude was, it seems, a common emotion among the public — and also, a rancorous reaction that plagued many with guilt, and sparked discussions over decorum. "There's something downright poetic about the possibility that — after years of being forced to watch Trump's every move on TV — we might be getting to watch him die," Carlos Maza opined on Twitter. Meanwhile, many right-wing pundits and news sites, including Breitbart and the Washington Times, scolded prominent figures who had wished death upon Trump. Twitter itself said it would take down any tweets wishing him death.
Some on Twitter qualified that they don't wish Trump ill; they merely want him to go away, or suffer the consequences of his actions for once. "I don't want Donald Trump to die. I want him to go to jail. Get better soon," wrote author Emma Kennedy.
Various religious texts, including the Bible, promote forgiveness as a pillar of a healthy human existence. Western culture, which draws heavily on Christian notions of morality, is deeply influenced by this notion of forgiveness. Yet many, clearly, find it hard to forgive those who have deeply wronged or hurt us, whether physically or psychologically. That's led to complicated public emotions as we watch Trump grapple with a deadly virus while infecting other people around him.
Hence, many are torn between figuring out the "right" or "wrong way" to respond. Yet therapists tell Salon this could be an opportunity for society to have a bigger conversation around emotional health.
"When we talk about emotions we can have multiple emotions at once and all parts can be true," therapist Amalia Miralrío, LCSW, LMSW, M.Ed, told Salon. "So we can be really happy that he's sick, and we can also hold this value that we don't like to wish ill on people — both parts can be true."
Mel Schwartz, a psychotherapist and author of "The Possibility Principle," told Salon that "either/or thinking" — meaning when we believe something is either right or wrong, or good or bad and there's no nuance in between it — can be harmful.
"In Western culture, our minds have been trained to think reality exists in these two separate compartments," Schwartz said, adding that in therapy he often encourages his clients to reach a point of "authenticity" which involves "complexity." "Authenticity shouldn't be confused with the truth, but authenticity is more about my truth, and my truth should be open to reconsideration and reevaluation, and that's the process I take my clients through."
Schwartz said he's had clients who have struggled with their responses to Trump getting sick, to which he self-disclosed his own process around the situation.
"My first instinct was 'Ah there is a God, how just,'" Schwartz said about when he first learned Trump had the coronavirus. "As heinous as I find [Trump], he was a victim of his father's emotional and psychological tyranny.... then I tried to get in touch with a higher level of compassion and try to find an underbelly here."
Schwartz provided an example of how a person could communicate that they are struggling with having sympathy for Trump, and acknowledging the truth of their emotions.
"A part of me feels good and affirmed that he fell prey to this virus, but do I wish him harm? It's a tough question, I struggle with that, I'd like to say I wish him a recovery because I'd know it would be the right thing or the virtuous thing to do," Schwartz said. He noted that, from politicians on both sides, we only hear these straightforward "right" responses. "We're not genuine in our communication, which requires complexity," he added.
As many experts have pointed out, Trump's leadership behavior mimics that of an emotional abuser — from gaslighting to name-calling to blame-shifting and lying. In a way, there are parallels between the public grappling with complicated emotions around feeling sorry or not feeling sorry (or feeling both) for Trump, and what survivors of abuse can face.
Miralrío said that a reaction of joyful schadenfreude to Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis could be a way for some to reclaim power in an otherwise powerless relationship dynamic.
"It's a way of reclaiming that sense of power, a way of feeling like someone who has exerted abuse of power and control over you and when that person suddenly loses some of that, you feel that you are gaining a greater sense of equality in the dynamic," Miralrío said. "It's normal to have this emotional response when you are feeling really disempowered in a relationship and feeling that someone is actually trying to harm you."
Finally, David Grammer, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist said that he doesn't believe people are responsible for their immediate reactions.
"We have our animal instincts that are like 'Take him down,'" Grammer said, adding he wasn't pleased with his own initial response to learning about Trump's diagnosis. "It's more about how we overcome those responses. For me it brought up some work around 'How can I let go of some of my own personal feelings about what he's done?' Because beyond voting, I can't do anything to change his choices and how he's handled things, so it's a bit of letting go of what we can't control."


alternet--2020-10-08--Vulnerable GOP senators are distancing themselves from Trump

Vulnerable Republican senators up for re-election are putting distance between themselves and President Donald Trump as he continues to downplay the coronavirus and create more complications for lawmakers .
As Election Day draws near , more and more conservatives are becoming uncomfortable with the level of uncertainty that looms as a result of Trump 's impulsive actions and erratic behavior .
In a matter of seven days , poll results signaled a plummet in Republicans ' support following Trumps ' disastrous first presidential debate against Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden .
According to presidential historical Douglas Brinkley , the series @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the beginning of an unraveling Republican Party as the president continues to veer further away from traditional politics , reports The Washington Post .
`` It 's a Republican Party unraveling , '' presidential historian Douglas Brinkley said .
`` They 're seeking to rid themselves of Trump at this juncture but realize they ca n't quite yet .
But they know his name is no longer kinetic on the campaign trail . ''
Republican consultant and Trump detractor , Rick Tyler , also weighed in with his observation of the Republican Party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and fissures all over the ice . ''
`` There are cracks and fissures all over the ice , '' Tyler said .
`` The president spent months ignoring the virus and talking about the economy coming back .
But when the president catches the virus and the economy does n't come back , what do you do ?
You try to survive . ''
The latest remarks come just days after Trump caused the stock market to crash after he abruptly ended stimulus negotiations .
On Tuesday , the president impulsively took @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be ending stimulus negotiations until after the election .
`` I have instructed my representatives to stop negotiating until after the election when , immediately after I win , we will pass a major Stimulus Bill that focuses on hardworking Americans and Small Business , '' Trump tweeted .
Last week , an avalanche of setbacks also contributed to sharp declines for the president and Republican lawmakers .
In a matter of just one week , Trump faced backlash for his erratic debate behavior , his passivity regarding white supremacy , his refusal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ power , his xenophobic attack on Rep. Ilhan Omar ( D-Minn. ) , and a number of other issues .
Then , he sparked a media firestorm when he tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday .
The weekend also led to more scrutiny as his medical team remained mum about his condition and treatment .
On Sunday , Trump also faced backlash for endangering his own secret servicemen for the sake of a publicity stunt .
Despite being COVID-positive , he had secret servicemen drive him around the perimeter of the hospital so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of supporters who were gathered outside of the hospital .
On Monday , the president was discharged from the hospital .
Despite having been hospitalized for the virus , Trump reverted back to downplaying the virus .
He has spent his entire week behind closed doors engaging in hostile tweet storms attacking various Democratic leaders .
Since last week , more than 30 White House officials and staffers who work in close proximity with the president have tested positive for coronavirus .
Based on the timeline of events , there is speculation many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rose Garden event for Trump 's Supreme Court nominee .
Most attendees did not wear masks or practice social distance .
Everything that has transpired continues to impact Republicans ' approval ratings further placing Senate seats in jeopardy .

Vulnerable Republican senators up for re-election are putting distance between themselves and President Donald Trump as he continues to downplay the coronavirus and create more complications for lawmakers.
As Election Day draws near, more and more conservatives are becoming uncomfortable with the level of uncertainty that looms as a result of Trump's impulsive actions and erratic behavior. In a matter of seven days, poll results signaled a plummet in Republicans' support following Trumps' disastrous first presidential debate against Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
According to presidential historical Douglas Brinkley, the series of events that have transpired could be the beginning of an unraveling Republican Party as the president continues to veer further away from traditional politics, reports The Washington Post.
"It's a Republican Party unraveling," presidential historian Douglas Brinkley said. "They're seeking to rid themselves of Trump at this juncture but realize they can't quite yet. But they know his name is no longer kinetic on the campaign trail."
Republican consultant and Trump detractor, Rick Tyler, also weighed in with his observation of the Republican Party describing their current problems as "cracks and fissures all over the ice."
"There are cracks and fissures all over the ice," Tyler said. "The president spent months ignoring the virus and talking about the economy coming back. But when the president catches the virus and the economy doesn't come back, what do you do? You try to survive."
The latest remarks come just days after Trump caused the stock market to crash after he abruptly ended stimulus negotiations. On Tuesday, the president impulsively took to Twitter announcing that would he would be ending stimulus negotiations until after the election.
"I have instructed my representatives to stop negotiating until after the election when, immediately after I win, we will pass a major Stimulus Bill that focuses on hardworking Americans and Small Business," Trump tweeted.
Last week, an avalanche of setbacks also contributed to sharp declines for the president and Republican lawmakers. In a matter of just one week, Trump faced backlash for his erratic debate behavior, his passivity regarding white supremacy, his refusal to commit to a peaceful transfer of power, his xenophobic attack on Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and a number of other issues.
Then, he sparked a media firestorm when he tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday. The weekend also led to more scrutiny as his medical team remained mum about his condition and treatment.
On Sunday, Trump also faced backlash for endangering his own secret servicemen for the sake of a publicity stunt. Despite being COVID-positive, he had secret servicemen drive him around the perimeter of the hospital so he could wave to a small group of supporters who were gathered outside of the hospital. On Monday, the president was discharged from the hospital. Despite having been hospitalized for the virus, Trump reverted back to downplaying the virus. He has spent his entire week behind closed doors engaging in hostile tweet storms attacking various Democratic leaders.
Since last week, more than 30 White House officials and staffers who work in close proximity with the president have tested positive for coronavirus. Based on the timeline of events, there is speculation many may have tested positive after attending the Rose Garden event for Trump's Supreme Court nominee. Most attendees did not wear masks or practice social distance. Everything that has transpired continues to impact Republicans' approval ratings further placing Senate seats in jeopardy.


alternet--2020-10-08--Christian conservative senator slammed for anti-democracy ‘fascism’ tweet

U.S .
Senator Mike Lee ( R-UT ) , a far right wing religious extremist , is under fire after posting tweets attacking democracy .
Lee , who recently announced he has contracted COVID-19 , posted several tweets during the vice presidential debate Wednesday night , declaring , `` We 're not a democracy , '' and `` Democracy is n't the objective . ''
He also suggested there are other political systems better at achieving his goals of `` liberty , peace , and prospefity [ sic ] . ''
Lee , a 49-year old Tea Party Republican is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ constitutional scholar .
He is on President Donald Trump 's short list of nominees to be Supreme Court justices .
A Justice Mike Lee would `` make conservatives really happy , '' said religious right pundit Erick Erickson in 2018 .
Trump went as far as interviewing Lee for the job that year , but went with Brett Kavanaugh .
Now Senator Lee is under fire .
Some are calling his remarks pro-fascism , some note their origins in the racism and slavery of the Founders , and some `` praise '' him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In response to Lee 's anti-democracy tweets , Bloomberg opinion columnist Jonathan Bernstein today wrote , `` my question to Lee and anyone else who trots out this idea would be : If we 're not to have rule of the people , who exactly should rule ?
Throughout American history , from the Framers up to the present , the answer has always been the same : the people . ''
New York magazine 's Jonathan Chait wrote Lee says he `` hates democracy . ''
New York Times opinion columnist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ writing , `` something can be 'constitutional ' while being plainly anti-democratic and it 's imho the mike lee 's of the republican party are laying the groundwork to defend exactly that . ''
Freelance journalist and investigative researcher Olga Lautman , who monitors Russia and Ukraine , weighs in on Lee 's remarks , writing , `` Democracy not being the objective is the official Kremlin line . ''
And over at Twitter , Senator Lee is a trending topic .
New York Times opinion columnist Nicholas Kristof , who focuses on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world , likens Lee 's remarks to those of the Chinese Communist Party : Heather McGhee , Board Co-Chair at Color of Change , NBC News contributor , and and a former president of the think tank Demos : Seth Cotlar , who teaches American History at Willamette University , apso points to the racist undertones and origins of Lee 's remarks .
Georgia Southern University associate professor Jared Yates Sexton : `` What the Republican Party is doing right now is trying to destroy all democratic institutions in order to maintain power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ small minority of the country…It 's fascism .
A rewinding of the clock . ''
New York Times contributing writer , and founder of ReCode , Kara Swisher : Former U.S. Attorney , national security prosecutor Barb McQuad , now a University of Michigan Law professor and NBC News , MSNBC legal analyst :

U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), a far right wing religious extremist, is under fire after posting tweets attacking democracy. Lee, who recently announced he has contracted COVID-19, posted several tweets during the vice presidential debate Wednesday night, declaring, "We're not a democracy," and "Democracy isn't the objective."
He also suggested there are other political systems better at achieving his goals of "liberty, peace, and prospefity [sic]."
Lee, a 49-year old Tea Party Republican is seen by the Republican Party as a constitutional scholar. He is on President Donald Trump's short list of nominees to be Supreme Court justices. A Justice Mike Lee would "make conservatives really happy," said religious right pundit Erick Erickson in 2018. Trump went as far as interviewing Lee for the job that year, but went with Brett Kavanaugh.
Now Senator Lee is under fire. Some are calling his remarks pro-fascism, some note their origins in the racism and slavery of the Founders, and some "praise" him for revealing the GOP's hidden goals.
In response to Lee's anti-democracy tweets, Bloomberg opinion columnist Jonathan Bernstein today wrote, "my question to Lee and anyone else who trots out this idea would be: If we're not to have rule of the people, who exactly should rule? Throughout American history, from the Framers up to the present, the answer has always been the same: the people."
New York magazine's Jonathan Chait wrote Lee says he "hates democracy."
New York Times opinion columnist Jamelle Bouie delivers a dire warning, writing, "something can be 'constitutional' while being plainly anti-democratic and it's imho the mike lee's of the republican party are laying the groundwork to defend exactly that."
Freelance journalist and investigative researcher Olga Lautman, who monitors Russia and Ukraine, weighs in on Lee's remarks, writing, "Democracy not being the objective is the official Kremlin line."
And over at Twitter, Senator Lee is a trending topic.
New York Times opinion columnist Nicholas Kristof, who focuses on human rights and social injustices around the world, likens Lee's remarks to those of the Chinese Communist Party:
Heather McGhee, Board Co-Chair at Color of Change, NBC News contributor, and and a former president of the think tank Demos:
Seth Cotlar, who teaches American History at Willamette University, apso points to the racist undertones and origins of Lee's remarks.
Georgia Southern University associate professor Jared Yates Sexton: "What the Republican Party is doing right now is trying to destroy all democratic institutions in order to maintain power even as they are becoming a very small minority of the country…It's fascism. A rewinding of the clock."
NBC News national security contributor, former FBI Assistant Director Frank Figluzzi:
Actress, singer, activist Audra McDonald:
Journalist Jamison Foser notes the racism in Lee's remarks:
New York Times contributing writer, and founder of ReCode, Kara Swisher:
Journalist, SiriusXM host Dean Obeidallah:
Former U.S. Attorney, national security prosecutor Barb McQuad, now a University of Michigan Law professor and NBC News, MSNBC legal analyst:


alternet--2020-10-08--Martha McSally’s ‘obnoxious’ debate performance blew her last chance to save an ailing campaign: con

Martha McSally’s ‘obnoxious’ debate performance blew her last chance to save an ailing campaign: conservative

On Tuesday night , October 6 , incumbent Republican Sen. Martha McSally debated her Democratic challenger , centrist Mark Kelly , in Arizona .
McSally 's supporters were hoping that the debate would give McSally a chance to save her ailing campaign , but journalist Shay Khatiri — in an article published on the conservative website The Bulwark — argues that the debate was a total flop for McSally .
Poll after poll has shown McSally losing to Kelly , a former astronaut , in Arizona 's 2020 U.S. Senate race .
During the debate , McSally tried to paint @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the same thing she did in 2018 with another centrist Democrat , Kyrsten Sinema , who defeated her and now holds the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by Republican Jeff Flake .
During the debate , Khatiri explains , `` McSally 's broader strategy was to depict Kelly as a far-left candidate in bed with Senate Democratic ( Minority ) Leader Chuck Schumer , which is funny since Schumer , despite his countless flaws , is n't a far-left politician himself .
She kept mentioning Kelly 's support for The Squad , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley .
And one wonders whether this has anything to do with the fact that Arabic names are scarier to Arizona voters . ''
Khatiri notes that McSally was n't always as extreme as she is now .
`` McSally used to be a rising star and a McCain Republican : pragmatic , hawkish , pro-immigration and moderate , '' Khatiri explains .
`` Once the GOP became Trumpy , though , McSally — as Tim Miller has put it — maneuvered toward Trump . ''
McSally presently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for many years , was held by Sen. Barry Goldwater and later , Sen. John McCain — who Sinema has praised more than once .
And if Kelly defeats McSally in November , the once-red Arizona could end up with two Democratic U.S. senators .
Trumpism , Khatiri argues , has not served McSally well .
`` During her failed Senate campaign in 2018 , '' Khatiri writes , `` McSally attacked her opponent 's flamboyance by dubbing her 'Hollywood Sinema . '
It did n't work .
And she 's doubling down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mark Kelly is 'Counterfeit Kelly , ' a phrase she used at least nine times during the debate .
Counterfeit of what ?
Who knows !
Perhaps his identical twin ? ''
According to Khatiri , `` The problem with depicting Kelly as a far-left candidate is that he just is n't one .
In fact , the far left was trying to recruit Rep. Ruben Gallego to run in the primary against Kelly . ''
Polls released in October have found McSally losing to Kelly by 11 % ( New York Times/Siena @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , 8 % ( CNBC/Change Research ) or 9 % ( USA Today/Suffolk ) .
And Khatiri stresses that McSally 's debate performance only made things worse for her .
`` Kelly 's only bad moment came in the beginning , when he refused to pick a side on getting rid of the filibuster , '' Khatiri writes .
`` Overall , he came off as personable , calm , and articulate — in a word , he was senatorial .
McSally , by contrast , was obnoxious and spoke too fast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facts by her opponent and a moderator .
The polls suggest that November is going to bring an unfortunate end to her once-promising political career . ''

On Tuesday night, October 6, incumbent Republican Sen. Martha McSally debated her Democratic challenger, centrist Mark Kelly, in Arizona. McSally's supporters were hoping that the debate would give McSally a chance to save her ailing campaign, but journalist Shay Khatiri — in an article published on the conservative website The Bulwark — argues that the debate was a total flop for McSally.
Poll after poll has shown McSally losing to Kelly, a former astronaut, in Arizona's 2020 U.S. Senate race. During the debate, McSally tried to paint the centrist Kelly as far-left — which is the same thing she did in 2018 with another centrist Democrat, Kyrsten Sinema, who defeated her and now holds the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by Republican Jeff Flake.
During the debate, Khatiri explains, "McSally's broader strategy was to depict Kelly as a far-left candidate in bed with Senate Democratic (Minority) Leader Chuck Schumer, which is funny since Schumer, despite his countless flaws, isn't a far-left politician himself. She kept mentioning Kelly's support for The Squad, naming Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib but not Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley. And one wonders whether this has anything to do with the fact that Arabic names are scarier to Arizona voters."
Khatiri notes that McSally wasn't always as extreme as she is now.
"McSally used to be a rising star and a McCain Republican: pragmatic, hawkish, pro-immigration and moderate," Khatiri explains. "Once the GOP became Trumpy, though, McSally — as Tim Miller has put it — maneuvered toward Trump."
McSally presently holds the U.S. Senate seat that, for many years, was held by Sen. Barry Goldwater and later, Sen. John McCain — who Sinema has praised more than once. And if Kelly defeats McSally in November, the once-red Arizona could end up with two Democratic U.S. senators.
Trumpism, Khatiri argues, has not served McSally well.
"During her failed Senate campaign in 2018," Khatiri writes, "McSally attacked her opponent's flamboyance by dubbing her 'Hollywood Sinema.' It didn't work. And she's doubling down on the Trumpy name-calling this year: Mark Kelly is 'Counterfeit Kelly,' a phrase she used at least nine times during the debate. Counterfeit of what? Who knows! Perhaps his identical twin?"
According to Khatiri, "The problem with depicting Kelly as a far-left candidate is that he just isn't one. In fact, the far left was trying to recruit Rep. Ruben Gallego to run in the primary against Kelly."
Polls released in October have found McSally losing to Kelly by 11% (New York Times/Siena College), 10% (Reuters/Ipsos), 8% (CNBC/Change Research) or 9% (USA Today/Suffolk). And Khatiri stresses that McSally's debate performance only made things worse for her.
"Kelly's only bad moment came in the beginning, when he refused to pick a side on getting rid of the filibuster," Khatiri writes. "Overall, he came off as personable, calm, and articulate — in a word, he was senatorial. McSally, by contrast, was obnoxious and spoke too fast. She had to be corrected on facts by her opponent and a moderator. The polls suggest that November is going to bring an unfortunate end to her once-promising political career."


alternet--2020-10-08--Trump's strange request during surprise 2019 trip to Walter Reed explains why his COVID treatment is

Trump's strange request during surprise 2019 trip to Walter Reed explains why his COVID treatment is shrouded in secrecy

Donald Trump 's obsession with nondisclosure agreements is well known , but this is next level .
During Trump 's mysterious trip to Walter Reed in November 2019 , he demanded his doctors sign NDAs—and two doctors who refused to sign were n't allowed to treat him .
That 's important context for interpreting the information his doctors are giving out now about his status with COVID-19 .
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act , or HIPAA , already offers patients legal privacy protections , so why did Trump think an extra layer of gag was necessary ?
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Walter Reed unexpectedly , without the staff there having been warned he was coming , for what the White House later claimed was part of a routine physical ( except that nothing about it was routine , including the fact that physicals are n't usually done in multiple parts ) .
But NDAs were required .
This is all especially relevant now that Trump has COVID-19 and his doctors are offering conflicting timelines of when he got sick and when he started which medications .
They 're refusing to say when he last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 're telling the public Trump is doing great even as they are prescribing him medications intended for seriously ill people .
Trump 's doctors are not telling the public information we need to have not about Donald Trump the individual but about how well the president of the United States is or is n't functioning .
Can he breathe ?
When was he potentially exposing other people to a deadly virus , and did he know he was doing so ?
Is his personality being affected by steroids ?
But his policy is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obvious , and , we now learn , to only allow himself to be treated by doctors who will sign nondisclosure agreements .
We ca n't trust anything we 're being told about Trump 's health .
He 's telling us that himself , again and again .

Donald Trump's obsession with nondisclosure agreements is well known, but this is next level. During Trump's mysterious trip to Walter Reed in November 2019, he demanded his doctors sign NDAs—and two doctors who refused to sign weren't allowed to treat him. That's important context for interpreting the information his doctors are giving out now about his status with COVID-19.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, already offers patients legal privacy protections, so why did Trump think an extra layer of gag was necessary? And in November 2019, Trump was at Walter Reed unexpectedly, without the staff there having been warned he was coming, for what the White House later claimed was part of a routine physical (except that nothing about it was routine, including the fact that physicals aren't usually done in multiple parts). But NDAs were required.
This is all especially relevant now that Trump has COVID-19 and his doctors are offering conflicting timelines of when he got sick and when he started which medications. They're refusing to say when he last tested negative for the virus. They're telling the public Trump is doing great even as they are prescribing him medications intended for seriously ill people.
Trump's doctors are not telling the public information we need to have not about Donald Trump the individual but about how well the president of the United States is or isn't functioning. Can he breathe? When was he potentially exposing other people to a deadly virus, and did he know he was doing so? Is his personality being affected by steroids?
But his policy is to lie, even when it's obvious, and, we now learn, to only allow himself to be treated by doctors who will sign nondisclosure agreements. We can't trust anything we're being told about Trump's health. He's telling us that himself, again and again.


alternet--2020-10-08--Meet the college senior who built a White House COVID tracker after CDC blocked from tracing Trump’s

Meet the college senior who built a White House COVID tracker after CDC blocked from tracing Trump’s contacts

As the number of people in President Trump 's orbit who test positive for COVID-19 continues to grow , we meet a student journalist who is doing what the White House does n't want the CDC to do : tracing the contacts of people who may have infected or been infected by President Trump .
Benjy Renton , a Middlebury College senior , helped develop a real-time tracking tool to monitor the growing number of people in President Trump 's circle who were exposed or infected with COVID-19 .
The site is called COVID-19 at the White House and lists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , so far .
It uses `` publicly available information to ensure the American public have access and have the transparency that they deserve , '' says Renton .
Meet the College Senior Who Built a COVID Tracker After CDC Blocked from Tracing Trump ’ s Contacts As the number of people in President Trump ’ s orbit who test positive for COVID-19 continues to grow , we meet a student journalist who is doing what the White House doesn ’ t want the CDC to do : tracing the contacts of people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by President Trump .
Benjy Renton , a Middlebury College senior , helped develop a real-time tracking tool to monitor the growing number of people in President Trump ’ s circle who were exposed or infected with COVID-19 .
The site is called COVID-19 at the White House and lists over 270 contacts and 25 positive cases , so far .
It uses “ publicly available information to ensure the American public have access and have the transparency that they deserve , ” says Renton .
As the number of people in President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for COVID-19 continues to grow , we meet a student journalist who is doing what the White House doesn ’ t want the CDC to do : tracing the contacts of people who may have infected or been infected by President Trump .
Benjy Renton , a Middlebury College senior , helped develop a real-time tracking tool to monitor the growing number of people in President Trump ’ s circle who were exposed or infected with COVID-19 .
The site is called COVID-19 at the White House and lists over 270 contacts and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It uses “ publicly available information to ensure the American public have access and have the transparency that they deserve , ” says Renton .
This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
The Quarantine Report .
I 'm Amy Goodman , with Juan González .
As the number of people in President Trump 's orbit who test positive for COVID-19 continues to grow , we 're joined now by a student journalist who 's doing what the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Disease Control to do : tracing the contacts of people who may have infected or been infected by President Trump .
Benjy Renton is a Middlebury College senior who helped develop a real-time tracking tool called COVID-19 at the White House .
Benjy is also the digital director for Middlebury College 's school newspaper .
Benjy , we welcome you to Democracy Now !
Your website now shows 277 contacts , with 25 positive cases and a list of people you know to have come in contact with Donald Trump and others @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's on the list , how you were able to come up with this , with a group of people ?
BENJY RENTON : Yeah .
Amy , thank you so much for having me .
So , we 've been able to essentially track the contacts of anyone who 's come in contact with the president or Hope Hicks or any of the individuals who have tested positive .
As you said , we 've had 277 contacts that we 've been able to track so far , 25 of those who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ manager Bill Stepien , White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany , two of her assistant press secretaries , first lady Melania Trump , Notre Dame president John Jenkins .
So , we 're still trying to understand the scope of the spread of this outbreak and sort of what events really led to the viral transmission .
But we 've determined that the spread is particularly alarming in and around the White House .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And you 've included in your contact tracking map a variety of events : the Rose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court nominee was officially announced , on Saturday , September 26th ; the presidential debate last Tuesday ; the president 's rally in Duluth , Minnesota , on Wednesday ; and his fundraiser at his golf club in Bedminster on Thursday evening .
Talk about the map , how you put it together , and how you 're getting this information .
BENJY RENTON : Sure .
So , we were able to essentially use public reports , pictures , flight manifests , as well as we have our own tip line where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tips or results that they want us to investigate .
And so , we 've looked essentially at any events or any settings that the president may have come in contact with .
And that goes , as you said , to the Supreme Court nominee event in the Rose Garden , which also there was also an indoor event that was just before the ceremony , which potentially contributed to viral spread , and that was a smaller-scale event but indoors with a larger risk of transmission ; the debate on that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Minnesota fundraiser .
We just received an article this morning that we are adding a couple of individuals who were at the restaurant that was helping prepare the food for the fundraiser , who are now quarantined .
So , there 's truly a national scope of this outbreak , and we 're really trying to cast as wide of a net as possible , using publicly available information , to ensure that the American public have access and have the transparency that they deserve .
AMY GOODMAN : Which also really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I mean , you have Michael Shear of The New York Times , who 's COVID-positive , one of three reporters , White House reporters , who have tested positive since last weekend .
He has not been contacted by the White House , he says .
And so , the real question , if any contact tracing is being done .
And why , Benjy , is this contact tracing so important , when people find out if they have been near any of the people ?
I mean , Chris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New Jersey , who did debate prep and was at the Supreme Court ceremony , he is hospitalized with COVID .
BENJY RENTON : Yeah .
And so , as you said , Michael Shear and a couple of individuals , including Chris Christie himself , really only found out that they were in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 via the media or any sort of news reports that they consumed , because there was no official contact tracing effort , that we know of , at the White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a New York Times report that the event at the Supreme — the Supreme Court nomination event Saturday will not be contact traced .
And so , while this is a not an official contact tracing investigation — we 're not conducting a medical investigation — we really believe and we hope that this tracker can enact change and essentially help people understand the scope , as well as , hopefully , if those who are contacts of the president or those who are contacts of those who tested positive , really urging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of this virus , as we 've seen second-order contacts , which are essentially people who were not at the events that the president attended or not at the White House events , but were contacts with somebody else , and they tested positive .
So , this is truly kind of a ripple effect when we talk about spread here .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : Can you talk about some of the people you 've identified as possible second-level contacts ?
BENJY RENTON : Yeah .
So , Claudia Conway , who is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president Kellyanne Conway , had posted on TikTok that she had tested positive for COVID-19 .
And she was not at any of the initial events or anything .
She had contact , obviously , with her mother , Kellyanne .
And so , we know that COVID-19 spreads oftentimes in home settings or in family settings , because those are areas where individuals are in close contact with each other without masks .
So , that 's one of them .
We 've also started to really kind of draw back the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go earlier than that Saturday Supreme Court event .
We learned yesterday , according to The New York Times 's Maggie Haberman , that two White House resident staff have tested positive .
We read a CNN report a couple days ago that showed , even as far back as two or so weeks ago , there was a White House staffer that tested positive .
And we want to reiterate that we really do protect individuals ' privacy , and so this is all publicly available information .
And that often means @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as `` White House staffer '' or `` journalist one '' or `` journalist two , '' `` journalist three . ''
But we really want to get as accurate and as timely of a data set as possible , without sacrificing privacy or accuracy .
AMY GOODMAN : And if people want to get this information , where can they go ?
We have five seconds .
BENJY RENTON : Yeah , so they can go to WHCOVIDTracker.com , and there 's a tip line there that we encourage anybody to submit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are contacts .
AMY GOODMAN : Well , with all the controversies going around college education right now , Benjy , I can see that your time is well spent .
Benjy Renton , senior at Middlebury College in Vermont , one of the creators of the White House COVID-19 outbreak tracker website .
I 'm Amy Goodman , with Juan González .
The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License .
Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that this program incorporates , however , may be separately licensed .
For further information or additional permissions , contact us .

As the number of people in President Trump's orbit who test positive for COVID-19 continues to grow, we meet a student journalist who is doing what the White House doesn't want the CDC to do: tracing the contacts of people who may have infected or been infected by President Trump. Benjy Renton, a Middlebury College senior, helped develop a real-time tracking tool to monitor the growing number of people in President Trump's circle who were exposed or infected with COVID-19. The site is called COVID-19 at the White House and lists over 270 contacts and 25 positive cases, so far. It uses "publicly available information to ensure the American public have access and have the transparency that they deserve," says Renton.
Meet the College Senior Who Built a COVID Tracker After CDC Blocked from Tracing Trump’s Contacts
As the number of people in President Trump’s orbit who test positive for COVID-19 continues to grow, we meet a student journalist who is doing what the White House doesn’t want the CDC to do: tracing the contacts of people who may have infected or been infected by President Trump. Benjy Renton, a Middlebury College senior, helped develop a real-time tracking tool to monitor the growing number of people in President Trump’s circle who were exposed or infected with COVID-19. The site is called COVID-19 at the White House and lists over 270 contacts and 25 positive cases, so far. It uses “publicly available information to ensure the American public have access and have the transparency that they deserve,” says Renton.
As the number of people in President Trump’s orbit who test positive for COVID-19 continues to grow, we meet a student journalist who is doing what the White House doesn’t want the CDC to do: tracing the contacts of people who may have infected or been infected by President Trump. Benjy Renton, a Middlebury College senior, helped develop a real-time tracking tool to monitor the growing number of people in President Trump’s circle who were exposed or infected with COVID-19. The site is called COVID-19 at the White House and lists over 270 contacts and 25 positive cases, so far. It uses “publicly available information to ensure the American public have access and have the transparency that they deserve,” says Renton.
Transcript
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! The Quarantine Report. I'm Amy Goodman, with Juan González.
As the number of people in President Trump's orbit who test positive for COVID-19 continues to grow, we're joined now by a student journalist who's doing what the White House does not want the Centers for Disease Control to do: tracing the contacts of people who may have infected or been infected by President Trump. Benjy Renton is a Middlebury College senior who helped develop a real-time tracking tool called COVID-19 at the White House. Benjy is also the digital director for Middlebury College's school newspaper.
Benjy, we welcome you to Democracy Now! Your website now shows 277 contacts, with 25 positive cases and a list of people you know to have come in contact with Donald Trump and others through him. Can you explain who's on the list, how you were able to come up with this, with a group of people?
BENJY RENTON: Yeah. Amy, thank you so much for having me.
So, we've been able to essentially track the contacts of anyone who's come in contact with the president or Hope Hicks or any of the individuals who have tested positive. As you said, we've had 277 contacts that we've been able to track so far, 25 of those who are positive, including Trump's campaign manager Bill Stepien, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, two of her assistant press secretaries, first lady Melania Trump, Notre Dame president John Jenkins.
So, we're still trying to understand the scope of the spread of this outbreak and sort of what events really led to the viral transmission. But we've determined that the spread is particularly alarming in and around the White House.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And you've included in your contact tracking map a variety of events: the Rose Garden event, where Trump's Supreme Court nominee was officially announced, on Saturday, September 26th; the presidential debate last Tuesday; the president's rally in Duluth, Minnesota, on Wednesday; and his fundraiser at his golf club in Bedminster on Thursday evening. Talk about the map, how you put it together, and how you're getting this information.
BENJY RENTON: Sure. So, we were able to essentially use public reports, pictures, flight manifests, as well as we have our own tip line where individuals can fill out any sort of tips or results that they want us to investigate.
And so, we've looked essentially at any events or any settings that the president may have come in contact with. And that goes, as you said, to the Supreme Court nominee event in the Rose Garden, which also there was also an indoor event that was just before the ceremony, which potentially contributed to viral spread, and that was a smaller-scale event but indoors with a larger risk of transmission; the debate on that Tuesday, the debate prep beforehand; the Minnesota fundraiser. We just received an article this morning that we are adding a couple of individuals who were at the restaurant that was helping prepare the food for the fundraiser, who are now quarantined.
So, there's truly a national scope of this outbreak, and we're really trying to cast as wide of a net as possible, using publicly available information, to ensure that the American public have access and have the transparency that they deserve.
AMY GOODMAN: Which also really shows us how important public information is. I mean, you have Michael Shear of The New York Times, who's COVID-positive, one of three reporters, White House reporters, who have tested positive since last weekend. He has not been contacted by the White House, he says. And so, the real question, if any contact tracing is being done. And why, Benjy, is this contact tracing so important, when people find out if they have been near any of the people? I mean, Chris Christie now, the former governor of New Jersey, who did debate prep and was at the Supreme Court ceremony, he is hospitalized with COVID.
BENJY RENTON: Yeah. And so, as you said, Michael Shear and a couple of individuals, including Chris Christie himself, really only found out that they were in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 via the media or any sort of news reports that they consumed, because there was no official contact tracing effort, that we know of, at the White House. And we received notification yesterday in a New York Times report that the event at the Supreme — the Supreme Court nomination event Saturday will not be contact traced.
And so, while this is a not an official contact tracing investigation — we're not conducting a medical investigation — we really believe and we hope that this tracker can enact change and essentially help people understand the scope, as well as, hopefully, if those who are contacts of the president or those who are contacts of those who tested positive, really urging them to quarantine and prevent further spread of this virus, as we've seen second-order contacts, which are essentially people who were not at the events that the president attended or not at the White House events, but were contacts with somebody else, and they tested positive. So, this is truly kind of a ripple effect when we talk about spread here.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Can you talk about some of the people you've identified as possible second-level contacts?
BENJY RENTON: Yeah. So, Claudia Conway, who is the daughter of former counsel to the president Kellyanne Conway, had posted on TikTok that she had tested positive for COVID-19. And she was not at any of the initial events or anything. She had contact, obviously, with her mother, Kellyanne. And so, we know that COVID-19 spreads oftentimes in home settings or in family settings, because those are areas where individuals are in close contact with each other without masks. So, that's one of them.
We've also started to really kind of draw back the scope of this, and maybe even go earlier than that Saturday Supreme Court event. We learned yesterday, according to The New York Times's Maggie Haberman, that two White House resident staff have tested positive. We read a CNN report a couple days ago that showed, even as far back as two or so weeks ago, there was a White House staffer that tested positive.
And we want to reiterate that we really do protect individuals' privacy, and so this is all publicly available information. And that often means that we may need to name someone as "White House staffer" or "journalist one" or "journalist two," "journalist three." But we really want to get as accurate and as timely of a data set as possible, without sacrificing privacy or accuracy.
AMY GOODMAN: And if people want to get this information, where can they go? We have five seconds.
BENJY RENTON: Yeah, so they can go to WHCOVIDTracker.com, and there's a tip line there that we encourage anybody to submit tips or even results, if they are contacts.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, with all the controversies going around college education right now, Benjy, I can see that your time is well spent. Benjy Renton, senior at Middlebury College in Vermont, one of the creators of the White House COVID-19 outbreak tracker website. I'm Amy Goodman, with Juan González.
The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License . Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.


alternet--2020-10-08--Trump pulls out of debate after organizers switch to virtual: 'I'm not going to waste my time'

President Donald Trump is pulling out of the second debate .
The Commission on Presidential Debates announced Thursday morning next @ @ @ @ @ virtual because the president has COVID-19 .
`` I 'm not going to do a @ @ @ @ @ a phone interview Trump '' I 'm not going to waste my time on a @ @ @ @ @ added .

President Donald Trump is pulling out of the second debate. The Commission on Presidential Debates announced Thursday morning next week's event would be virtual because the president has COVID-19.
"I'm not going to do a virtual debate," In a phone interview Trump
"I'm not going to waste my time on a virtual debate," he added.
Listen:


alternet--2020-10-09--Americans need relief — and Trump is standing in the way

How else could we explain his abrupt decision to stop the Democrats from helping him lift the economy and distribute millions of dollars to desperate voters and small businesses just before election day ?
When Trump called off negotiations on a new COVID-19 relief package , the Dow dropped sharply—and so did the hopes of millions of out-of-work Americans and families .
His stated reason was that he wants the Senate to focus on ramming through his Supreme Court nominee , Amy Coney Barrett .
But three-quarters of Americans , and a strong majority of small business owners , want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moving onto the court .
When Trump called off negotiations on a new COVID-19 relief package , the Dow dropped sharply—and so did the hopes of millions of out-of-work Americans and families .
That very day , Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell had warned of a `` weak recovery , '' `` unnecessary hardship , '' and an altogether `` tragic '' scenario if Congress fails to pass relief measures .
The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives has already passed two relief bills aimed at continuing the now-expired assistance provided by the March CARES @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to take up either version of the new legislation , slowing what was already a `` K-shaped '' recovery favoring only the already wealthy .
Before Trump 's announcement , Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin had been in close negotiations about some sort of deal .
A weak jobs report at the end of September highlights a stalled recovery , with nearly 11 million workers who lost their jobs due to COVID-19 still unemployed .
Nearly half of all Americans report COVID-related financial hardship , and one in three children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or sufficient means to pay the rent .
Racial and gender wealth gaps , already huge in this country , have widened to an almost unbreachable chasm as the virus disproportionately affects the health and jobs of Black and brown people , along with mothers and transgender people .
Workers in several sectors face a full-blown crisis .
According to White House economics reporter Jeff Stein , 40 percent of all restaurants face closure in the next six months .
Some 50,000 airline workers face layoffs .
And the Economic Policy Institute 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 20 million jobless workers face an income reduction of more than 60 percent on average .
With a relief package , there will also be no aid for cash-strapped state and local governments to retain teachers and first responders , government workers , and state health care and education programs .
There will be no more money for coronavirus testing and tracking .
There will be no more money for Medicaid , even as at least 12 million people have lost their employer-based health coverage along with their jobs .
After the stock @ @ @ @ @ @ @ order , Trump erratically tweeted that he 'd support a standalone airline bailout , or another round of stimulus checks for voters ( no doubt with his name on them ) .
These conflicting messages are mucking up the process to say the least .
Standing in the way of relief for the 140 million poor and low-income people in this country in the middle of a pandemic is as callous as telling them not to be afraid of the coronavirus .
The president , always one to put his own aggrandizement over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home and abroad , appears to have taken this disregard for human life to even greater heights .
Trump declares his physical health is improving .
Without a doubt , he 's benefited from lifesaving , taxpayer-funded measures .
He has no business standing in the way of Americans getting the same .
Karen Dolan is a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and directs the Criminalization of Poverty project there .
She is author of `` The Poor Get Prison : The Alarming Spread of the Criminalization of Poverty . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @

by Karen Dolan
Is Donald Trump's medication making him delirious?
How else could we explain his abrupt decision to stop the Democrats from helping him lift the economy and distribute millions of dollars to desperate voters and small businesses just before election day?
When Trump called off negotiations on a new COVID-19 relief package, the Dow dropped sharply—and so did the hopes of millions of out-of-work Americans and families.
His stated reason was that he wants the Senate to focus on ramming through his Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett. But three-quarters of Americans, and a strong majority of small business owners, want the Senate to focus on relief before moving onto the court.
When Trump called off negotiations on a new COVID-19 relief package, the Dow dropped sharply—and so did the hopes of millions of out-of-work Americans and families. That very day, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell had warned of a "weak recovery," "unnecessary hardship," and an altogether "tragic" scenario if Congress fails to pass relief measures.
The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives has already passed two relief bills aimed at continuing the now-expired assistance provided by the March CARES Act. The Republican-led Senate has declined to take up either version of the new legislation, slowing what was already a "K-shaped" recovery favoring only the already wealthy.
Before Trump's announcement, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin had been in close negotiations about some sort of deal.
The stakes are high.
A weak jobs report at the end of September highlights a stalled recovery, with nearly 11 million workers who lost their jobs due to COVID-19 still unemployed. Nearly half of all Americans report COVID-related financial hardship, and one in three children now live in households without enough food or sufficient means to pay the rent.
Racial and gender wealth gaps, already huge in this country, have widened to an almost unbreachable chasm as the virus disproportionately affects the health and jobs of Black and brown people, along with mothers and transgender people.
Workers in several sectors face a full-blown crisis. According to White House economics reporter Jeff Stein, 40 percent of all restaurants face closure in the next six months. Some 50,000 airline workers face layoffs. And the Economic Policy Institute's Heidi Shierholz told me that more than 20 million jobless workers face an income reduction of more than 60 percent on average.
With a relief package, there will also be no aid for cash-strapped state and local governments to retain teachers and first responders, government workers, and state health care and education programs. There will be no more money for coronavirus testing and tracking. There will be no more money for Medicaid, even as at least 12 million people have lost their employer-based health coverage along with their jobs.
After the stock market took a dive following his irresponsible order, Trump erratically tweeted that he'd support a standalone airline bailout, or another round of stimulus checks for voters (no doubt with his name on them). These conflicting messages are mucking up the process to say the least.
Standing in the way of relief for the 140 million poor and low-income people in this country in the middle of a pandemic is as callous as telling them not to be afraid of the coronavirus. The president, always one to put his own aggrandizement over the health and security of people at home and abroad, appears to have taken this disregard for human life to even greater heights.
Trump declares his physical health is improving. Without a doubt, he's benefited from lifesaving, taxpayer-funded measures. He has no business standing in the way of Americans getting the same.
Karen Dolan is a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and directs the Criminalization of Poverty project there. She is author of "The Poor Get Prison: The Alarming Spread of the Criminalization of Poverty." Follow her on Twitter: @karendolan