alternet--2020-10-30--The psychedelic revolution Is coming to the ballot box

The psychedelic renaissance that has been emerging in recent years will finally get a chance to be ratified by voters on November 3 .
On one side of the country , Oregon will be voting on an initiative to legalize the strictly regulated therapeutic use of psilocybin , while on the other side of the country , Washington , D.C. , will be voting on an initiative that essentially ( but not formally ) decriminalizes a whole range of plant or fungi-based psychoactive substances , from ayahuasca to peyote and magic mushrooms .
These measures build on nascent efforts to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ psychedelics , moves that have so far seen success in Denver , which in 2019 made possession of psilocybin mushrooms the lowest law enforcement priority , and Oakland , Santa Cruz , and Ann Arbor , which have followed this year .
Most—but not all—of this activity is taking place under the rubric of Decriminalize Nature ( DN ) , which states that its mission is `` to improve human health and well-being by decriminalizing and expanding access to entheogenic plants and fungi through political and community organizing , education and advocacy .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , however , is n't part of this effort .
Also known as the Psilocybin Services Act , it would create a program to allow the administration of psilocybin products , such as magic mushrooms , to adults 21 and over for therapeutic purposes .
People would be allowed to buy , possess , and consume psilocybin at a psilocybin service center , but only after undergoing a preparation session and under the supervision of a psilocybin service facilitator .
The measure would direct the Oregon Health Authority ( OHA ) to develop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ within two years .
The OHA , while acting on the recommendations of an Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board , would also be responsible for determining who could be licensed as a facilitator and what qualifications and training they would need , as well as creating a code of professional conduct for facilitators .
And the OHA would also set dosage standards and come up with rules for labeling and packaging .
The measure also bars the establishment of psilocybin service centers inside the city or town limits and gives local governments the ability @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their jurisdictions .
The initiative is the brainchild of Portland psychotherapists Tom and Sheri Eckert , who formed the Oregon Psilocybin Society in 2016 and are the co-chief petitioners for the measure .
Unlike the broader psychedelic reform movement , their goal is strictly limited to therapeutic ends .
`` We see psilocybin therapy as an end in itself .
We see the measure as a template and we plan to help organize the new profession and spread the template in the years to come , '' Tom Eckert said in an email @ @ @ @ @ @ @ research suggests that 'psilocybin'—a natural compound found in many species of mushrooms—can , as part of therapy , help relieve a variety of mental health issues , including depression , existential anxiety , addictions , and the lingering effects of trauma , '' Eckert explained .
`` Psilocybin therapy demonstrates an excellent safety record and often achieves lasting results after just one or two psilocybin sessions . ''
While the campaign has an impressive list of endorsers , including Representative Earl Blumenauer ( D-OR ) , the state Democratic Party , four state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and national social justice , civil rights , and drug reform groups , it is also catching flak from some in the DN movement .
In a Facebook post , DN Portland lambasted Measure 109 : `` This initiative would create one more medical model which serves the privileged members in society and makes it harder for the most vulnerable people to heal .
The cost and hard-to-access system being created by M109 would make it very difficult for lower income people , indigenous communities , immigrants , undocumented people , people who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ non-English speaking populations to gain entry into the closed and privileged system being created by this measure .
We are concerned about the implications of an elite group of beneficiaries putting a free medicine that grows naturally out of the ground behind a paywall , '' Zave Forster from DN Portland said .
`` The greatest danger of M109 is that it would create a special class of permit-holders who would be motivated to lobby to prevent progressive measures such as those passed in Denver , Oakland , Santa Cruz and Ann Arbor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the most vulnerable people by enabling them to grow , gather , gift , and share their own entheogenic plants and fungi , '' the group further argued .
When asked how the campaign responds to critiques like that from Decriminalize Nature Portland , Eckert was terse and blunt : `` We do n't , '' he said .
Instead , the Measure 109 campaign is relying on a big budget , support from medical figures , and a lack of organized opposition to find a path to victory .
The campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than $ 3.3 million of that coming from the New Approach PAC , which supports marijuana and drug reform efforts around the country .
One of the major donors to New Approach PAC is David Bronner of Dr. Bronner 's Magic Soaps .
`` We are extremely appreciative of the support extended by the whole Bronner family , '' Eckert said .
`` David is intimately involved as part of our executive committee and is a great friend .
Dr. Bronner 's is a towering example of a conscious company and [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
Will Measure 109 win in November ?
The only known poll on the issue , from DHM Research in January 2019 , had it in a dead heat , with 47 percent in favor and 46 percent opposed to the initiative .
Eckert said the campaign has done internal polling but did n't reveal any results .
`` What I can tell you is that it 's close , '' he said .
`` Back in 2015 , when we first took aim at 2020 , this was basically 'mission impossible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and historic opportunity and we 're excited to finish the job . ''
Back on the East Coast , residents of the nation 's capital will be voting on Initiative 81 , or the Entheogenic Plant and Fungi Policy Act of 2020 .
That measure would have police treat the non-commercial cultivation , distribution , possession , and use of natural plant medicines ( entheogens ) as their lowest law enforcement priority .
The measure also asks the city 's top prosecutor and its U.S. attorney to not prosecute such cases .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been endorsed by the D.C. Democratic Party , and according to a September FM3 Research poll , after reading the ballot language , 60 percent of likely voters supported it .
That figure jumped to 64 percent when respondents were given a plain-language explanation of the measure .
The initiative is also well-financed , with the New Approach PAC kicking in more than half a million dollars .
There are no registered opposition campaign committees .
For Initiative 81 's chief petitioner and Decriminalize Nature D.C. spokesperson Melissa Lavasani , the measure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ story .
`` How I got here was that I healed myself from postpartum depression with psychedelics , '' she said .
`` I had no mental health issues like that before , nor did I have any experience with psychedelics .
I had an image of psychedelics shaped by propaganda .
But then I listened to [ podcast host ] Joe Rogan when he had [ mushroom maestro ] Paul Stamets on .
My husband grew up in the South and he said it was common to pick mushrooms and eat them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lot of sense .
So we decided to give it a try , '' she related .
`` I was insistent on not taking pharmaceutical antidepressants because I saw one friend take his life [ after he overdosed ] on them and saw others have their personalities changed .
I was a career woman and [ was ] growing my family .
I had a lot to lose , but I tried microdosing , and within a few days I was shocked at how quickly it worked .
I was interacting differently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ profound , '' Lavasani continued .
`` At the same time , I was watching the Denver magic mushroom campaign—and Oakland and Santa Cruz quickly followed—and got inspired .
My husband worked for a city council member , and D.C. was at the forefront of marijuana reform , so why not be a leader on psychedelic reform ?
`` I never thought I would be doing this , but this issue is extremely important .
How many people in my demographic are on medications ?
When you [ look ] into the research @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effective , so I asked why are n't we acting on this .
Our health care system does n't address these serious mental health issues . ''
Lavasani acknowledged that passage of the measure would chip only a few flakes from the façade of drug prohibition , but said you have to start somewhere .
`` Our measure is a very small step , it 's just asking for the Metro police to make it the lowest law enforcement priority so that someone cultivating psilocybin or other substances at home is provided a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the police wo n't come after them .
I lived in fear and secrecy because I was in possession of a controlled substance .
I do n't want others to have to do that , '' she said .
`` We are limited in the District because of congressional oversight , '' Lavasani explained .
`` We 've been talking to allies in Congress while campaigning , and if we win , and the Democrats take the majority in the Senate , we can get restrictive riders removed , and then we can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a good start , but there 's a lot more work to do , '' she said .
`` We 're okay with it being the first step .
When we start talking about psychedelics , the first thing the Black community thinks of is PCP [ Phencyclidine ] .
We have to undo a lot of that , so we 're out in the community talking to people about plant medicines and talking about what kind of infrastructure we need to stay safe . ''
The measure 's endorsement by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ changing , and quickly , Lavasani said .
`` This was a safe yes for the D.C. Democrats , '' she noted .
`` They learned a lesson from cannabis reform—when it happened it happened very quickly .
Police reform is on the top of everyone 's list right now , and this is the only thing on the ballot that touches on that .
The majority of the party understood that the small step we 're taking is a positive step toward ending the war on drugs .
It 's a no-brainer—we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's time for us to make a change . ''
For David Bronner , both the Oregon and the D.C. initiatives are part of a broader push for psychedelic liberation—and not just natural plant psychedelics .
`` In my book , it 's strategic because LSD has the most baggage and is the end game , but it 's my favorite psychedelic , '' said Bronner .
`` Plant medicines that you can grow naturally resonate with voters , and key stakeholders in the DN movement definitely favor natural plant medicines versus synthetic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all of them and have experienced the incredible healing and spiritual power of both .
It 's important to note that the incredible clinical research with synthetic psilocybin at Johns Hopkins [ Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research ] for end of life , anxiety , depression , and addiction [ lends support to ] the DN movement , '' he added .
And this year 's psychedelic initiatives are just the beginning , Bronner said .
`` Our hope in future election cycles is to combine broad-based treatment not jail and decriminalization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Decriminalize Nature ethos where the cutoffs for plant medicines are much higher or eliminated , and that also has a therapeutic psychedelic program like Measure 109 in Oregon , basically combining all three approaches into single statewide ballot measures in Washington and maybe Colorado in 2022 , '' Bronner added .
But first , the movement needs to rack up a couple of victories this November 3 .
Phillip Smith is a writing fellow and the editor and chief correspondent of Drug Reporter , a project of the Independent Media Institute .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the past two decades .
He is the longtime author of the Drug War Chronicle , the online publication of the non-profit StopTheDrugWar.org , and has been the editor of AlterNet 's Drug Reporter since 2015 .
He was awarded the Drug Policy Alliance 's Edwin M. Brecher Award for Excellence in Media in 2013 .
This article was produced by Drug Reporter , a project of the Independent Media Institute .

The psychedelic renaissance that has been emerging in recent years will finally get a chance to be ratified by voters on November 3. On one side of the country, Oregon will be voting on an initiative to legalize the strictly regulated therapeutic use of psilocybin, while on the other side of the country, Washington, D.C., will be voting on an initiative that essentially (but not formally) decriminalizes a whole range of plant or fungi-based psychoactive substances, from ayahuasca to peyote and magic mushrooms.
These measures build on nascent efforts to get city governments to ease access to psychedelics, moves that have so far seen success in Denver, which in 2019 made possession of psilocybin mushrooms the lowest law enforcement priority, and Oakland, Santa Cruz, and Ann Arbor, which have followed this year. Most—but not all—of this activity is taking place under the rubric of Decriminalize Nature (DN), which states that its mission is "to improve human health and well-being by decriminalizing and expanding access to entheogenic plants and fungi through political and community organizing, education and advocacy."
The Oregon initiative, Measure 109, however, isn't part of this effort. Also known as the Psilocybin Services Act, it would create a program to allow the administration of psilocybin products, such as magic mushrooms, to adults 21 and over for therapeutic purposes. People would be allowed to buy, possess, and consume psilocybin at a psilocybin service center, but only after undergoing a preparation session and under the supervision of a psilocybin service facilitator.
The measure would direct the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to develop a program and create regulations for it within two years. The OHA, while acting on the recommendations of an Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board, would also be responsible for determining who could be licensed as a facilitator and what qualifications and training they would need, as well as creating a code of professional conduct for facilitators. And the OHA would also set dosage standards and come up with rules for labeling and packaging.
The measure also bars the establishment of psilocybin service centers inside residential areas within city or town limits and gives local governments the ability to ban them in unincorporated areas within their jurisdictions.
The initiative is the brainchild of Portland psychotherapists Tom and Sheri Eckert, who formed the Oregon Psilocybin Society in 2016 and are the co-chief petitioners for the measure. Unlike the broader psychedelic reform movement, their goal is strictly limited to therapeutic ends.
"We see psilocybin therapy as an end in itself. We see the measure as a template and we plan to help organize the new profession and spread the template in the years to come," Tom Eckert said in an email interview.
"A growing body of research suggests that 'psilocybin'—a natural compound found in many species of mushrooms—can, as part of therapy, help relieve a variety of mental health issues, including depression, existential anxiety, addictions, and the lingering effects of trauma," Eckert explained. "Psilocybin therapy demonstrates an excellent safety record and often achieves lasting results after just one or two psilocybin sessions."
While the campaign has an impressive list of endorsers, including Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), the state Democratic Party, four state senators, and a raft of state and national social justice, civil rights, and drug reform groups, it is also catching flak from some in the DN movement.
In a Facebook post, DN Portland lambasted Measure 109: "This initiative would create one more medical model which serves the privileged members in society and makes it harder for the most vulnerable people to heal. The cost and hard-to-access system being created by M109 would make it very difficult for lower income people, indigenous communities, immigrants, undocumented people, people who cannot afford an ID, and non-English speaking populations to gain entry into the closed and privileged system being created by this measure. We are concerned about the implications of an elite group of beneficiaries putting a free medicine that grows naturally out of the ground behind a paywall," Zave Forster from DN Portland said.
"The greatest danger of M109 is that it would create a special class of permit-holders who would be motivated to lobby to prevent progressive measures such as those passed in Denver, Oakland, Santa Cruz and Ann Arbor, which are designed to enable access to the most vulnerable people by enabling them to grow, gather, gift, and share their own entheogenic plants and fungi," the group further argued.
When asked how the campaign responds to critiques like that from Decriminalize Nature Portland, Eckert was terse and blunt: "We don't," he said.
(It should be noted that at the same time Oregonians are voting on the psilocybin initiative, they are also voting on Measure 110, which would decriminalize the personal possession and use of small amounts of all drugs. If Measure 110 wins, then everybody will be able to use and possess all psychedelics for whatever purpose they desire, free from the threat of criminal prosecution.)
Instead, the Measure 109 campaign is relying on a big budget, support from medical figures, and a lack of organized opposition to find a path to victory. The campaign has raised $4.5 million, with more than $3.3 million of that coming from the New Approach PAC, which supports marijuana and drug reform efforts around the country.
One of the major donors to New Approach PAC is David Bronner of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps. "We are extremely appreciative of the support extended by the whole Bronner family," Eckert said. "David is intimately involved as part of our executive committee and is a great friend. Dr. Bronner's is a towering example of a conscious company and [is a] steward of the Earth."
Will Measure 109 win in November? The only known poll on the issue, from DHM Research in January 2019, had it in a dead heat, with 47 percent in favor and 46 percent opposed to the initiative. Eckert said the campaign has done internal polling but didn't reveal any results. "What I can tell you is that it's close," he said. "Back in 2015, when we first took aim at 2020, this was basically 'mission impossible.' Now we have a real and historic opportunity and we're excited to finish the job."
Back on the East Coast, residents of the nation's capital will be voting on Initiative 81, or the Entheogenic Plant and Fungi Policy Act of 2020. That measure would have police treat the non-commercial cultivation, distribution, possession, and use of natural plant medicines (entheogens) as their lowest law enforcement priority. The measure also asks the city's top prosecutor and its U.S. attorney to not prosecute such cases.
It looks likely to win. The measure has been endorsed by the D.C. Democratic Party, and according to a September FM3 Research poll, after reading the ballot language, 60 percent of likely voters supported it. That figure jumped to 64 percent when respondents were given a plain-language explanation of the measure.
The initiative is also well-financed, with the New Approach PAC kicking in more than half a million dollars. There are no registered opposition campaign committees.
For Initiative 81's chief petitioner and Decriminalize Nature D.C. spokesperson Melissa Lavasani, the measure is an outgrowth of her own personal story.
"How I got here was that I healed myself from postpartum depression with psychedelics," she said. "I had no mental health issues like that before, nor did I have any experience with psychedelics. I had an image of psychedelics shaped by propaganda. But then I listened to [podcast host] Joe Rogan when he had [mushroom maestro] Paul Stamets on. My husband grew up in the South and he said it was common to pick mushrooms and eat them, and he said the podcast made a lot of sense. So we decided to give it a try," she related.
"I was insistent on not taking pharmaceutical antidepressants because I saw one friend take his life [after he overdosed] on them and saw others have their personalities changed. I was a career woman and [was] growing my family. I had a lot to lose, but I tried microdosing, and within a few days I was shocked at how quickly it worked. I was interacting differently with people and the change was so profound," Lavasani continued.
"At the same time, I was watching the Denver magic mushroom campaign—and Oakland and Santa Cruz quickly followed—and got inspired. My husband worked for a city council member, and D.C. was at the forefront of marijuana reform, so why not be a leader on psychedelic reform?
"I never thought I would be doing this, but this issue is extremely important. How many people in my demographic are on medications? When you [look] into the research, you see these therapies are extremely effective, so I asked why aren't we acting on this. Our health care system doesn't address these serious mental health issues."
Lavasani acknowledged that passage of the measure would chip only a few flakes from the façade of drug prohibition, but said you have to start somewhere.
"Our measure is a very small step, it's just asking for the Metro police to make it the lowest law enforcement priority so that someone cultivating psilocybin or other substances at home is provided a layer of protection knowing [that] the police won't come after them. I lived in fear and secrecy because I was in possession of a controlled substance. I don't want others to have to do that," she said.
"We are limited in the District because of congressional oversight," Lavasani explained. "We've been talking to allies in Congress while campaigning, and if we win, and the Democrats take the majority in the Senate, we can get restrictive riders removed, and then we can take it further.
"This campaign is a good start, but there's a lot more work to do," she said. "We're okay with it being the first step. When we start talking about psychedelics, the first thing the Black community thinks of is PCP [Phencyclidine]. We have to undo a lot of that, so we're out in the community talking to people about plant medicines and talking about what kind of infrastructure we need to stay safe."
The measure's endorsement by the D.C. Democratic Party showed how attitudes are changing, and quickly, Lavasani said.
"This was a safe yes for the D.C. Democrats," she noted. "They learned a lesson from cannabis reform—when it happened it happened very quickly. Police reform is on the top of everyone's list right now, and this is the only thing on the ballot that touches on that. The majority of the party understood that the small step we're taking is a positive step toward ending the war on drugs. It's a no-brainer—we all know why it exists and it's time for us to make a change."
For David Bronner, both the Oregon and the D.C. initiatives are part of a broader push for psychedelic liberation—and not just natural plant psychedelics.
"In my book, it's strategic because LSD has the most baggage and is the end game, but it's my favorite psychedelic," said Bronner. "Plant medicines that you can grow naturally resonate with voters, and key stakeholders in the DN movement definitely favor natural plant medicines versus synthetic psychedelics. I'm a fan of all of them and have experienced the incredible healing and spiritual power of both. It's important to note that the incredible clinical research with synthetic psilocybin at Johns Hopkins [Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research] for end of life, anxiety, depression, and addiction [lends support to] the DN movement," he added.
And this year's psychedelic initiatives are just the beginning, Bronner said.
"Our hope in future election cycles is to combine broad-based treatment not jail and decriminalization (Measure 110 in Oregon) with the Decriminalize Nature ethos where the cutoffs for plant medicines are much higher or eliminated, and that also has a therapeutic psychedelic program like Measure 109 in Oregon, basically combining all three approaches into single statewide ballot measures in Washington and maybe Colorado in 2022," Bronner added.
But first, the movement needs to rack up a couple of victories this November 3.
Phillip Smith is a writing fellow and the editor and chief correspondent of Drug Reporter, a project of the Independent Media Institute. He has been a drug policy journalist for the past two decades. He is the longtime author of the Drug War Chronicle, the online publication of the non-profit StopTheDrugWar.org, and has been the editor of AlterNet's Drug Reporter since 2015. He was awarded the Drug Policy Alliance's Edwin M. Brecher Award for Excellence in Media in 2013.
This article was produced by Drug Reporter, a project of the Independent Media Institute.


alternet--2020-10-30--The coronavirus surge is a live threat to Trump's already-weak campaign

Many medical experts are voicing concerns that as winter draws closer , the coronavirus pandemic will continue to worsen in the United States and other countries .
Surges in the number of infections are occurring in many different parts of the U.S. , and Vox 's Julia Belluz — the week before the presidential election — is reporting that according to polls , President Donald Trump 's reelection campaign is hurting the most in places where COVID-19 is rising the most .
`` The third — and largest — coronavirus wave is hitting the U.S. just in time for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ midwestern swing states , '' Belluz observes .
`` Numerous polls suggest voters may be taking their pandemic pain and panic with them to the ballot boxes in these places : President Donald Trump is n't just down in national polls — he 's faring especially poorly in battlegrounds where infection rates are spiking . ''
Belluz cites Wisconsin and Michigan as two states where Trump is n't doing well in recent polls and where coronavirus infections have been surging .
`` According to a pair of Washington Post-ABC News polls , likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Trump 51 % to 44 % , while a Financial Times analysis of RealClearPolitics polling data gives ( former Vice President Joe ) Biden a 7.9-point lead , '' Belluz notes .
`` In Wisconsin , the Post-ABC polls favor Biden by a stunning 17 points , and again , the FT finding was more modest — a 6.8-point edge for Biden .
Registered voters also favor Biden in both states , according to the Post-ABC , which found the Democrat is more trusted when it comes to the pandemic response than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In states that border Wisconsin , including Iowa and Minnesota , Biden is also polling well , according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis .
In Iowa , a RABA Research poll has Biden at 50 % and Trump at 46 % ; a Gravis Marketing survey has Biden carrying Minnesota by 14 points . ''
Mike Greenfield , CEO of Change Research , told Vox that Biden `` is doing well everywhere — but his leads are even more solid in places where the coronavirus is hitting the hardest… .
We suspect that Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the result of people seeing the ineffectiveness of Trump 's policies in that state . ''
Vox also interviewed Amesh A. Adalja , a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in Baltimore .
Adalja told Vox , `` ( People in ) places that were hit hard or are currently being hit hard are going to be looking to some solutions for their day-to-day problems….. ( They ) may be looking to find a solution in the other candidate . ''

Many medical experts are voicing concerns that as winter draws closer, the coronavirus pandemic will continue to worsen in the United States and other countries. Surges in the number of infections are occurring in many different parts of the U.S., and Vox's Julia Belluz — the week before the presidential election — is reporting that according to polls, President Donald Trump's reelection campaign is hurting the most in places where COVID-19 is rising the most.
"The third — and largest — coronavirus wave is hitting the U.S. just in time for the presidential election, with surges in key midwestern swing states," Belluz observes. "Numerous polls suggest voters may be taking their pandemic pain and panic with them to the ballot boxes in these places: President Donald Trump isn't just down in national polls — he's faring especially poorly in battlegrounds where infection rates are spiking."
Belluz cites Wisconsin and Michigan as two states where Trump isn't doing well in recent polls and where coronavirus infections have been surging.
"According to a pair of Washington Post-ABC News polls, likely voters in Michigan have put Biden ahead of Trump 51% to 44%, while a Financial Times analysis of RealClearPolitics polling data gives (former Vice President Joe) Biden a 7.9-point lead," Belluz notes. "In Wisconsin, the Post-ABC polls favor Biden by a stunning 17 points, and again, the FT finding was more modest — a 6.8-point edge for Biden. Registered voters also favor Biden in both states, according to the Post-ABC, which found the Democrat is more trusted when it comes to the pandemic response than Trump."
Belluz adds, "In states that border Wisconsin, including Iowa and Minnesota, Biden is also polling well, according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis. In Iowa, a RABA Research poll has Biden at 50% and Trump at 46%; a Gravis Marketing survey has Biden carrying Minnesota by 14 points."
Mike Greenfield, CEO of Change Research, told Vox that Biden "is doing well everywhere — but his leads are even more solid in places where the coronavirus is hitting the hardest…. We suspect that Biden's especially strong lead in Wisconsin is the result of people seeing the ineffectiveness of Trump's policies in that state."
Vox also interviewed Amesh A. Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in Baltimore. Adalja told Vox, "(People in) places that were hit hard or are currently being hit hard are going to be looking to some solutions for their day-to-day problems….. (They) may be looking to find a solution in the other candidate."


alternet--2020-10-30--Why Noam Chomsky is declaring Trump the 'worst criminal in human history'

Over his decades in public life , Noam Chomsky has often been highly critical of centrist Democrats — slamming them on everything from foreign policy to economics .
But in this year 's presidential election , the progressive author , now 91 , is passionately advocating for former Vice President Joe Biden to win .
And in an interview with The New Yorker 's Isaac Chotiner , Chomsky lays out some of the many reasons why he considers President Donald Trump so dangerous and is hoping fervently that Biden wins .
Chotiner explains , `` When I called Chomsky , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a long-scheduled interview , I had meant to discuss his career and life , and his latest book , 'Climate Crisis and the Global Green New Deal , ' written with Robert Pollin and C. J. Polychroniou .
But he spent most of the hour-long session railing against the Trump Administration with a vehemence that slightly surprised me .
Chomsky has always been extremely pragmatic in his political analysis , diverging from some other leftists in his belief in the necessity of voting for mainstream Democrats against Republicans . ''
According to Chomsky @ @ @ @ @ @ @ major revolution , but the last four years are very much out of line with the history of western democracies altogether .
By now , it 's becoming almost outlandish .
In the 350 years of parliamentary democracy , there 's been nothing like what we 're seeing now in Washington ... a president who has said if he does n't like the outcome of an election , he 'll simply not leave office . ''
Born on December 7 , 1928 , Chomsky has been alive since Republican Calvin Coolidge was president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that Trump is by far the most dangerously authoritarian president he has seen in his lifetime .
Chomsky told Chotiner that during the Trump era , he is troubled by everything from `` the strategies that Republican leadership is thinking of to try and undermine the election '' to Trump 's fondness for authoritarian leaders like Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán .
`` The executive has been almost totally purged of any critical independent voices — nothing left but sycophants , '' Chomsky told Chotiner .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the master , fire them and get someone else .
A striking example recently was the firing of the inspectors general when they started looking into the incredible swamp Trump created in Washington .
This kind of thing goes on and on . ''
Another major criticism that Chomsky has of Trump is his climate change denial and terrible environmental record .
When Chomsky described Trump as `` the worst criminal in human history , '' Chotiner pushed back — mentioning brutal dictators like Germany 's Adolf Hitler , the Soviet Union 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tung .
And Chomsky responded , `` Stalin was a monster .
Was he trying to destroy organized human life on Earth ?
... .
( Stalin ) was trying to destroy lots of lives , but not organized human life on Earth .
Nor was Adolf Hitler .
He was an utter monster , but not dedicating his efforts perfectly consciously to destroying the prospect for human life on Earth . ''
Chomsky went on to say , `` I 'm not talking about Trump the human being .
I could n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ talking about the policies .
The policies are clear ; the understanding is clear .
There is nobody that 's not living under a rock that ca n't comprehend that maximizing the use of fossil fuels and eliminating the restrictions is going to lead to disaster . ''

Over his decades in public life, Noam Chomsky has often been highly critical of centrist Democrats — slamming them on everything from foreign policy to economics. But in this year's presidential election, the progressive author, now 91, is passionately advocating for former Vice President Joe Biden to win. And in an interview with The New Yorker's Isaac Chotiner, Chomsky lays out some of the many reasons why he considers President Donald Trump so dangerous and is hoping fervently that Biden wins.
Chotiner explains, "When I called Chomsky, who is 91, last month for a long-scheduled interview, I had meant to discuss his career and life, and his latest book, 'Climate Crisis and the Global Green New Deal,' written with Robert Pollin and C. J. Polychroniou. But he spent most of the hour-long session railing against the Trump Administration with a vehemence that slightly surprised me. Chomsky has always been extremely pragmatic in his political analysis, diverging from some other leftists in his belief in the necessity of voting for mainstream Democrats against Republicans."
According to Chomsky, "We haven't undergone a major revolution, but the last four years are very much out of line with the history of western democracies altogether. By now, it's becoming almost outlandish. In the 350 years of parliamentary democracy, there's been nothing like what we're seeing now in Washington ... a president who has said if he doesn't like the outcome of an election, he'll simply not leave office."
Born on December 7, 1928, Chomsky has been alive since Republican Calvin Coolidge was president — and he argues, without hesitation, that Trump is by far the most dangerously authoritarian president he has seen in his lifetime. Chomsky told Chotiner that during the Trump era, he is troubled by everything from "the strategies that Republican leadership is thinking of to try and undermine the election" to Trump's fondness for authoritarian leaders like Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
"The executive has been almost totally purged of any critical independent voices — nothing left but sycophants," Chomsky told Chotiner. "If they're not sufficiently loyal to the master, fire them and get someone else. A striking example recently was the firing of the inspectors general when they started looking into the incredible swamp Trump created in Washington. This kind of thing goes on and on."
Another major criticism that Chomsky has of Trump is his climate change denial and terrible environmental record. When Chomsky described Trump as "the worst criminal in human history," Chotiner pushed back — mentioning brutal dictators like Germany's Adolf Hitler, the Soviet Union's Josef Stalin and China's Mao Tse Tung. And Chomsky responded, "Stalin was a monster. Was he trying to destroy organized human life on Earth?.... (Stalin) was trying to destroy lots of lives, but not organized human life on Earth. Nor was Adolf Hitler. He was an utter monster, but not dedicating his efforts perfectly consciously to destroying the prospect for human life on Earth."
Chomsky went on to say, "I'm not talking about Trump the human being. I couldn't care less about him. I'm talking about the policies. The policies are clear; the understanding is clear. There is nobody that's not living under a rock that can't comprehend that maximizing the use of fossil fuels and eliminating the restrictions is going to lead to disaster."


alternet--2020-10-30--'The world is watching': Why people across the globe are on edge waiting for Nov. 3

Americans are n't the only ones who will be anxiously awaiting the results of the United States ' 2020 presidential election this Tuesday , November 3 .
People all over the world , from Germany to Chile to Australia to Japan , will be checking the vote count in Florida and Pennsylvania to see whether President Donald Trump or former Vice President Joe Biden is ahead .
And as journalist David Ignatius stresses in his Washington Post column , many countries realize that they also have a major stake in the election 's outcome .
`` Talking with foreign officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ struck by the intensity of their interest in what happens on November 3 , '' Ignatius writes .
`` They have studied up on the Electoral College , the quirks of mail-in voting , the prospect of post-election violence in the streets and disputes in the courts .
To say the world is watching does not begin to describe the global focus on the United States . ''
What happens in the U.S. on Election Day , Ignatius notes , will affect countries around the world .
`` Among America 's traditional allies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Japan , Australia — there 's a yearning for renewed collaboration and coordinated policy , '' Ignatius observes .
`` Foreign leaders miss U.S. leadership , despite our occasional past arrogance and mistakes .
Diplomats tell me the prospect of a second Trump term is as puzzling and unsettling to them as it is to many Americans . ''
One foreign leader who is obviously hoping that Trump wins a second term is Russian President Vladimir Putin — not because he believes that a second Trump term would be beneficial for the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the U.S. benefits Russia .
`` Nobody made a bigger bet on Trump in 2016 than Russian President Vladimir Putin , '' Ignatius argues .
`` Trump , for whatever mysterious reasons , has let Putin run full throttle .
He does n't challenge Putin 's election interference , his reported bounties on American troops in Afghanistan , or even what U.S. and foreign officials tell me is Russia 's willingness to attack its enemies anywhere — even on U.S. soil , much as intelligence defector Sergei Skripal was poisoned in Britain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the way out , how does Putin consolidate the gains he 's made during the Trump years ? ''
Another authoritarian who stands to benefit from Trump winning a second term , according to Ignatius , is Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman .
`` When it comes to mutual back-scratching , '' Ignatius explains , `` Trump 's relationship with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman may top the list .
Trump boasted that after the murder of Post contributing columnist Jamal Khashoggi , ' I saved his ass ' by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to Bob Woodward 's book , 'Rage . '
Supporters of MBS , as the Saudi leader is known , have recently spun a fanciful theory that Democrats plotted a coup against him ; perhaps they wanted to mobilize Saudis against pressure from a Biden Administration . ''
While authoritarians like Putin and MBC have had a very friendly relationship with Trump , countless officials in liberal democracies are hoping and praying for a Biden victory .
`` As Election Day approaches , there 's a reckoning ahead for countries that placed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on President Trump , '' Ignatius writes .
`` For foreign leaders who stroked Trump and prospered during his presidency , there 's potential danger if he loses to former Vice President Joe Biden .
For those who defied Trump , there 's opportunity . ''

Americans aren't the only ones who will be anxiously awaiting the results of the United States' 2020 presidential election this Tuesday, November 3. People all over the world, from Germany to Chile to Australia to Japan, will be checking the vote count in Florida and Pennsylvania to see whether President Donald Trump or former Vice President Joe Biden is ahead. And as journalist David Ignatius stresses in his Washington Post column, many countries realize that they also have a major stake in the election's outcome.
"Talking with foreign officials in recent weeks, I've been struck by the intensity of their interest in what happens on November 3," Ignatius writes. "They have studied up on the Electoral College, the quirks of mail-in voting, the prospect of post-election violence in the streets and disputes in the courts. To say the world is watching does not begin to describe the global focus on the United States."
What happens in the U.S. on Election Day, Ignatius notes, will affect countries around the world.
"Among America's traditional allies — Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Australia — there's a yearning for renewed collaboration and coordinated policy," Ignatius observes. "Foreign leaders miss U.S. leadership, despite our occasional past arrogance and mistakes. Diplomats tell me the prospect of a second Trump term is as puzzling and unsettling to them as it is to many Americans."
One foreign leader who is obviously hoping that Trump wins a second term is Russian President Vladimir Putin — not because he believes that a second Trump term would be beneficial for the U.S., but because he believes that chaos in the U.S. benefits Russia.
"Nobody made a bigger bet on Trump in 2016 than Russian President Vladimir Putin," Ignatius argues. "Trump, for whatever mysterious reasons, has let Putin run full throttle. He doesn't challenge Putin's election interference, his reported bounties on American troops in Afghanistan, or even what U.S. and foreign officials tell me is Russia's willingness to attack its enemies anywhere — even on U.S. soil, much as intelligence defector Sergei Skripal was poisoned in Britain in March 2018…. If Trump is on the way out, how does Putin consolidate the gains he's made during the Trump years?"
Another authoritarian who stands to benefit from Trump winning a second term, according to Ignatius, is Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
"When it comes to mutual back-scratching," Ignatius explains, "Trump's relationship with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman may top the list. Trump boasted that after the murder of Post contributing columnist Jamal Khashoggi, 'I saved his ass' by maintaining congressional support for the kingdom, according to Bob Woodward's book, 'Rage.' Supporters of MBS, as the Saudi leader is known, have recently spun a fanciful theory that Democrats plotted a coup against him; perhaps they wanted to mobilize Saudis against pressure from a Biden Administration."
While authoritarians like Putin and MBC have had a very friendly relationship with Trump, countless officials in liberal democracies are hoping and praying for a Biden victory.
"As Election Day approaches, there's a reckoning ahead for countries that placed big bets, pro and con, on President Trump," Ignatius writes. "For foreign leaders who stroked Trump and prospered during his presidency, there's potential danger if he loses to former Vice President Joe Biden. For those who defied Trump, there's opportunity."


alternet--2020-10-30--Stephen Miller details the horrifying second-term agenda for Trump's immigration policy

President Donald Trump 's senior adviser Stephen Miller has revealed the Trump administration 's plan to impose stricter immigration policies if the president is re-elected for a second term .
During an interview with NBC News , Miller outlined the plans Trump has to aggressively overhaul immigration as he stressed that he was speaking from the context of the Trump campaign and not from the perspective of a White House employee .
He made it clear that one of the Trump administration 's top priorities centers around `` building on and expanding the framework that we 've created with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the standard for screening and vetting for admission to the United States . ''
`` That 's going to be a major priority , '' Miller said .
`` It 's going to require a whole government effort .
It 's going to require building a very elaborate and very complex screening mechanism . ''
The expansion would likely make it far more difficult for applicants to qualify for VISAs .
The enhanced protocols and increases in the complexity of screening measures may include `` enhanced screening methods , changes to the interview @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agencies and vetting the `` ideological sympathies or leanings '' of those applying for visas , '' according to Newsweek .
He also said the administration would want to further crack down on `` sanctuary cities '' — those jurisdictions which have decided not to cooperate with federal immigration authorities to various degrees .
Often , local governments determine that having deportation as a persistent threat in dealing with the authorities can make communities reluctant to report crimes or otherwise engage with important municipal services .
But Trump and his allies despise these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that adopt them .
Miller , an outed white nationalist , even went a step further as he insisted the president 's ultimate goal would be to expand his immigration policy , globally .
`` The president would like to expand that to include the rest of the world , '' Miller revealed .
`` And so if you create safe third partners in other continents and other countries and regions , then you have the ability to share the burden of asylum-seekers on a global basis . ''
Although some of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Miller is confident the Trump administration would be able to take the necessary actions to bring the policy into law .
`` In many cases , fixing these problems and restoring some semblance of sanity to our immigration programs does involve regulatory reform , '' he said .
`` Congress has delegated a lot of authority .
[ ... ] And that underscores the depth of the choice facing the American people . ''

President Donald Trump's senior adviser Stephen Miller has revealed the Trump administration's plan to impose stricter immigration policies if the president is re-elected for a second term.
During an interview with NBC News, Miller outlined the plans Trump has to aggressively overhaul immigration as he stressed that he was speaking from the context of the Trump campaign and not from the perspective of a White House employee.
He made it clear that one of the Trump administration's top priorities centers around "building on and expanding the framework that we've created with the travel ban, in terms of raising the standard for screening and vetting for admission to the United States."
"That's going to be a major priority," Miller said. "It's going to require a whole government effort. It's going to require building a very elaborate and very complex screening mechanism."
The expansion would likely make it far more difficult for applicants to qualify for VISAs. The enhanced protocols and increases in the complexity of screening measures may include "enhanced screening methods, changes to the interview process, more information sharing among government agencies and vetting the "ideological sympathies or leanings" of those applying for visas," according to Newsweek.
He also said the administration would want to further crack down on "sanctuary cities" — those jurisdictions which have decided not to cooperate with federal immigration authorities to various degrees. Often, local governments determine that having deportation as a persistent threat in dealing with the authorities can make communities reluctant to report crimes or otherwise engage with important municipal services. But Trump and his allies despise these policies and want to punish the communities that adopt them.
Miller, an outed white nationalist, even went a step further as he insisted the president's ultimate goal would be to expand his immigration policy, globally.
"The president would like to expand that to include the rest of the world," Miller revealed. "And so if you create safe third partners in other continents and other countries and regions, then you have the ability to share the burden of asylum-seekers on a global basis."
Although some of the changes Miller discussed would require legislation changes, Miller is confident the Trump administration would be able to take the necessary actions to bring the policy into law.
"In many cases, fixing these problems and restoring some semblance of sanity to our immigration programs does involve regulatory reform," he said. "Congress has delegated a lot of authority. [...] And that underscores the depth of the choice facing the American people."


alternet--2020-10-30--Trump's campaign is in tatters — but his administration is trying to pick up the pieces

The Trump campaign , facing a cash crunch , has gone off the air in a number of swing states in the final weeks of the election .
They 're playing defense in states they did n't expect to have to defend , like Texas and Georgia , and are spread thin .
And they 're competing against a Democratic challenger who has raised a record amount of campaign cash this cycle and entered the home stretch with an $ 118 million advantage over the incumbent .
Trump has compensated by using taxpayer dollars to supplement his campaign 's efforts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 300 million advertising blitz by the Department of Health and Human Services ( HHS ) to `` defeat despair '' about Covid-19 .
According to Politico , the hyper-partisan political appointee responsible for the campaign , Michael Caputo , pitched it internally with the theme , `` Helping the President will Help the Country . ''
That campaign appears to have fallen apart -- or at least been pushed past the election -- after Caputo suffered a high-profile meltdown and then took a leave of absence , and internal resistance from within the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ HHS was n't the only agency pushing Trump 's message .
In the closing weeks of the campaign , the Department of Homeland Security ( DHS ) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) have launched an unprecedented , coordinated campaign to advance Trump 's demagoguery of immigrants and refugees `` in key battleground states where President Donald Trump is trailing his opponent Joe Biden in the polls , '' according to Time Magazine .
Even more blatant are the billboards .
CNN reports : Buzzfeed News reported that `` current ICE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not authorized to speak publicly , said they were also concerned at the effort and what it meant for their agency and its reputation .
One ICE employee said the billboards were clearly an attempt to 'pander ' to Trump 's base : 'It 's appalling , but so much about immigration enforcement under this administration has been for that purpose alone . '
'' This follows an ICE enforcement campaign this month targeting `` sanctuary cities , '' a frequent target of Trump 's mendacious attacks .
The Washington Post reported in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of plans for the sanctuary op described it as more of a political messaging campaign than a major ICE operation , noting that the agency already concentrates on immigration violators with criminal records and routinely arrests them without much fanfare . ''
Absent some internal memo or emails emerging in which officials explicitly say that this effort is designed to help re-elect Trump , this is probably all technically legal .
The Hatch Act , which bars federal employees from participating in campaign activities -- and the use of public resources for partisan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does n't cover acts that indirectly help a campaign advance its messaging .
But it is hard to imagine a more brazen violation of the spirit of that law .
If Democrats win unified control next week , one hopes that they 'll remember that these authoritarian agencies that have embraced Trump 's xenophobic worldview like no others went all-in for his re-election .

The Trump campaign, facing a cash crunch, has gone off the air in a number of swing states in the final weeks of the election. They're playing defense in states they didn't expect to have to defend, like Texas and Georgia, and are spread thin. And they're competing against a Democratic challenger who has raised a record amount of campaign cash this cycle and entered the home stretch with an $118 million advantage over the incumbent.
Trump has compensated by using taxpayer dollars to supplement his campaign's efforts, most prominently with a planned $300 million advertising blitz by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to "defeat despair" about Covid-19. According to Politico, the hyper-partisan political appointee responsible for the campaign, Michael Caputo, pitched it internally with the theme, "Helping the President will Help the Country."
That campaign appears to have fallen apart--or at least been pushed past the election--after Caputo suffered a high-profile meltdown and then took a leave of absence, and internal resistance from within the agency spilled into the press.
But HHS wasn't the only agency pushing Trump's message. In the closing weeks of the campaign, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have launched an unprecedented, coordinated campaign to advance Trump's demagoguery of immigrants and refugees "in key battleground states where President Donald Trump is trailing his opponent Joe Biden in the polls," according to Time Magazine.
As part of this push, top DHS and ICE leaders have traveled across the country to hold at least four press conferences this month in Pennsylvania, Arizona and Minnesota, shadowing the path of Trump's rallies as he makes a last-minute appeal to voters there. These public announcements by senior leaders ahead of the election, which former officials tell TIME are abnormal, if not unprecedented, have been held to publicize mostly routine immigration enforcement operations that would usually have been revealed with little fanfare.
Instead, DHS and ICE officials have used them as a platform to aggressively make the case for the president's immigration policies, often taking on a markedly Trumpian tone and echoing parts of his stump speech. At multiple events, Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf and his deputy Ken Cuccinelli have talked about immigrants taking American jobs, blasted Democrat-run sanctuary cities, touted "America First" and warned of "evil people who seek to travel to the United States with the intent of harming and killing Americans."
Even more blatant are the billboards. CNN reports:
When the idea of erecting billboards of immigration violators initially came up at least a year ago, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials didn't think much of it. The proposal was considered to be a low priority, according to two sources familiar with the discussions.
But just weeks from the presidential election, billboards picturing immigrants who were previously arrested or convicted of crimes are up in six locations in Pennsylvania, a critical swing state.
Buzzfeed News reported that "current ICE employees, speaking anonymously because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said they were also concerned at the effort and what it meant for their agency and its reputation. One ICE employee said the billboards were clearly an attempt to 'pander' to Trump's base: 'It's appalling, but so much about immigration enforcement under this administration has been for that purpose alone.'"
This follows an ICE enforcement campaign this month targeting "sanctuary cities," a frequent target of Trump's mendacious attacks. The Washington Postreported in September that "two officials with knowledge of plans for the sanctuary op described it as more of a political messaging campaign than a major ICE operation, noting that the agency already concentrates on immigration violators with criminal records and routinely arrests them without much fanfare."
Absent some internal memo or emails emerging in which officials explicitly say that this effort is designed to help re-elect Trump, this is probably all technically legal. The Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from participating in campaign activities--and the use of public resources for partisan activities--is about explicit electioneering and doesn't cover acts that indirectly help a campaign advance its messaging. But it is hard to imagine a more brazen violation of the spirit of that law.
If Democrats win unified control next week, one hopes that they'll remember that these authoritarian agencies that have embraced Trump's xenophobic worldview like no others went all-in for his re-election.


alternet--2020-10-30--'Someone's reading our texts': Tucker Carlson, UPS and the non-stolen Joe Biden documents

Fox News personality Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson is being widely mocked after regaling viewers of his top-rated cable news program on Wednesday with a bizarre , evidence-free tale of deep state-style espionage directed against him by unknown forces who allegedly stole a sheaf of top-secret documents with `` damning '' information about the Biden family , as it was in transit to him via UPS .
Carlson can now rest assured : On Thursday morning a UPS spokesperson reported that the company had found the missing contents .
`` After an extensive search , we have found the contents of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ return , '' the spokesperson said by email .
`` UPS will always focus first on our customers , and will never stop working to solve issues and make things right .
We work hard to ensure every package is delivered , including essential goods , precious family belongings and critical healthcare . ''
Carlson , however , immediately denied the claim in a text message to me as `` not true . ''
I sent him a screenshot of the email and followed up , but he has not replied .
Carlson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in New York had received the documents Monday from an unnamed source , and overnighted them to Los Angeles with a popular commercial shipper , later revealed to be UPS .
But Carlson said that UPS informed them Tuesday morning that `` the package had been opened and the contents were missing — the documents had disappeared . ''
UPS did not offer any details about what had happened to the package .
Carlson , however , had implied that the snafu had been a plot to steal the Biden documents before he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Though the host was widely mocked for claiming to have lost history-shaping documents without having them copied first , he actually never said that .
When I asked him about that in a text later that night , he told me that `` of course '' he had made other copies .
`` Hi , Tucker , it 's Roger , '' I wrote .
`` Did you make copies of those documents ?
Or did anyone take photos ? ''
`` Of course , '' Carlson replied .
`` The point is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' he said , suggesting that the package was intercepted because his communications were being monitored .
This struck me as a wild claim .
Carlson and I have no rapport ; I have his phone number because he called me once in July about a story I was doing .
We have spoken only that one time .
When I then asked if he would be willing to share the copies of the documents with me , he replied , `` Which Roger is this ? ''
Notorious GOP trickster Roger Stone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while his relationship with Carlson goes back 30 years , he had played no role thus far in the Hunter Biden smear fiasco .
Stone did acknowledge to Salon that he had sent Carlson a `` congratulatory text '' following Carlson 's Monday night interview with Tony Bobulinski , a former Hunter Biden associate who claims to have damaging information about the family .
In July , President Trump commuted Stone 's sentence on seven felony counts .
Republican operatives and Trump allies have spent nearly two years trying to make corruption allegations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the American public .
They appear to have failed in that regard : A recent poll shows that Americans find Biden more honest than Trump by a margin of 54 % to 37 % .
In fact , probably the most tangible result of the effort so far has been its spectacular , history-making backfire last year , when the plot led directly to Trump 's impeachment by the House of Representatives .
The second wave of attacks this year does not appear much more successful .
Trump 's supposed personal attorney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distributed contents to journalists of what he claims are the contents of Hunter Biden 's old laptop .
The FBI has reportedly now opened an investigation into those contents as being part of a possible Russian intelligence operation designed to influence the 2020 election .
Both writers credited the New York Post 's original article about the Hunter Biden laptop had previously worked at Fox News , Carlson 's network , which rejected Giuliani 's pitch on the laptop , citing credibility issues .
One of those writers , a former associate producer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hannity , had posted Instagram photos of herself with former Trum campaign CEO and White House strategist Steve Bannon , who shared a middleman role with Giuliani in the laptop 's origin story .
That same writer has also posed for photos with Roger Stone .
Watch the `` Tucker Carlson Tonight '' clip about the UPS saga here .

Fox News personality Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson is being widely mocked after regaling viewers of his top-rated cable news program on Wednesday with a bizarre, evidence-free tale of deep state-style espionage directed against him by unknown forces who allegedly stole a sheaf of top-secret documents with "damning" information about the Biden family, as it was in transit to him via UPS.
Carlson can now rest assured: On Thursday morning a UPS spokesperson reported that the company had found the missing contents.
"After an extensive search, we have found the contents of the package and are arranging for its return," the spokesperson said by email. "UPS will always focus first on our customers, and will never stop working to solve issues and make things right. We work hard to ensure every package is delivered, including essential goods, precious family belongings and critical healthcare."
Carlson, however, immediately denied the claim in a text message to me as "not true." I sent him a screenshot of the email and followed up, but he has not replied.
Carlson told his audience Wednesday that a producer in New York had received the documents Monday from an unnamed source, and overnighted them to Los Angeles with a popular commercial shipper, later revealed to be UPS. But Carlson said that UPS informed them Tuesday morning that "the package had been opened and the contents were missing — the documents had disappeared."
UPS did not offer any details about what had happened to the package.
Carlson, however, had implied that the snafu had been a plot to steal the Biden documents before he could broadcast them to the world. Though the host was widely mocked for claiming to have lost history-shaping documents without having them copied first, he actually never said that.
When I asked him about that in a text later that night, he told me that "of course" he had made other copies.
"Hi, Tucker, it's Roger," I wrote. "Did you make copies of those documents? Or did anyone take photos?"
"Of course," Carlson replied. "The point is, someone's reading our texts," he said, suggesting that the package was intercepted because his communications were being monitored.
This struck me as a wild claim. Carlson and I have no rapport; I have his phone number because he called me once in July about a story I was doing. We have spoken only that one time. When I then asked if he would be willing to share the copies of the documents with me, he replied, "Which Roger is this?"
Notorious GOP trickster Roger Stone later said in a text that, while his relationship with Carlson goes back 30 years, he had played no role thus far in the Hunter Biden smear fiasco.
Stone did acknowledge to Salon that he had sent Carlson a "congratulatory text" following Carlson's Monday night interview with Tony Bobulinski, a former Hunter Biden associate who claims to have damaging information about the family. In July, President Trump commuted Stone's sentence on seven felony counts.
Republican operatives and Trump allies have spent nearly two years trying to make corruption allegations against Hunter Biden and his father stick with the American public. They appear to have failed in that regard: A recent poll shows that Americans find Biden more honest than Trump by a margin of 54% to 37%.
In fact, probably the most tangible result of the effort so far has been its spectacular, history-making backfire last year, when the plot led directly to Trump's impeachment by the House of Representatives.
The second wave of attacks this year does not appear much more successful. Trump's supposed personal attorney, former LifeLock spokesperson Rudy Giuliani, distributed contents to journalists of what he claims are the contents of Hunter Biden's old laptop. The FBI has reportedly now opened an investigation into those contents as being part of a possible Russian intelligence operation designed to influence the 2020 election.
Both writers credited the New York Post's original article about the Hunter Biden laptop had previously worked at Fox News, Carlson's network, which rejected Giuliani's pitch on the laptop, citing credibility issues. One of those writers, a former associate producer for Trump "pillow-talk" confidant Sean Hannity, had posted Instagram photos of herself with former Trum campaign CEO and White House strategist Steve Bannon, who shared a middleman role with Giuliani in the laptop's origin story.
That same writer has also posed for photos with Roger Stone.
Watch the "Tucker Carlson Tonight" clip about the UPS saga here.


alternet--2020-10-30--Court order segregating Minnesota ballots that arrive late could signal more trouble on Election Day

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit 's decision to separate late-arriving ballots casts doubt on whether or not late-arriving ballots will even be counted and signals the revival of Minnesota 's Election Day deadline unraveling the seven-day extension that the state agreed to uphold in a separate state court case .
For the 2020 election , Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon initially agreed to a deal with two voter groups in state court .
Under that deal , they were ballots were supposed to be accepted up to seven days after the November 3 election date @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to that date .
Republicans , subsequently , challenged that rule , according to KARE9 .
`` However well-intentioned and appropriate from a policy perspective in the context of a pandemic during a presidential election , it is not the province of a state executive official to re-write the state 's election code , at least as it pertains to selection of presidential electors , '' the order reads .
The publication goes on to break down the meaning of the latest abrupt change : '' This would mean if you have a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off at your designated location or you can vote in-person through early voting or vote in-person on Election Day .
If you are returning a mail-in ballot in-person on Election Day it must be dropped off no later than 3 p.m. '' Simon also released a statement admitting the order is a `` tremendous and unnecessary disruption to Minnesota 's election . ''
Now , he is hoping to make sure voters are aware of the changes , which could greatly impact the outcome of the state 's election results .
In the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaders are urging voters refrain from mailing in ballots at this late date because there is no guarantee they will arrive on time with just four days until the election .
On Thursday , Sen. Amy Klobuchar ( D-Minn. ) took to Twitter with a warning for the residents in her state .
She tweeted , `` Because of LAST MINUTE ruling , Minnesota DO NOT put ballots in mail any more .
Klobuchar added , `` In the middle of a pandemic , the Republican Party is doing everything to make it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up for YOUR rights : Vote in-person or take mail-in ballot directly to ballot box . ''
It is now recommended that Minnesota voters mail-in ballots in-person by 8:00p.m .
on Tuesday , November 3 , 2020 .
All ballots received after that time will be separated .

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit's decision to separate late-arriving ballots casts doubt on whether or not late-arriving ballots will even be counted and signals the revival of Minnesota's Election Day deadline unraveling the seven-day extension that the state agreed to uphold in a separate state court case.
For the 2020 election, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon initially agreed to a deal with two voter groups in state court. Under that deal, they were ballots were supposed to be accepted up to seven days after the November 3 election date as long as they were postmarked prior to that date. Republicans, subsequently, challenged that rule, according to KARE9.
"However well-intentioned and appropriate from a policy perspective in the context of a pandemic during a presidential election, it is not the province of a state executive official to re-write the state's election code, at least as it pertains to selection of presidential electors," the order reads.
The publication goes on to break down the meaning of the latest abrupt change:
"This would mean if you have a mail-in ballot, you must drop it off at your designated location or you can vote in-person through early voting or vote in-person on Election Day. If you are returning a mail-in ballot in-person on Election Day it must be dropped off no later than 3 p.m."
Simon also released a statement admitting the order is a "tremendous and unnecessary disruption to Minnesota's election." Now, he is hoping to make sure voters are aware of the changes, which could greatly impact the outcome of the state's election results.
In the wake of the latest order, Democratic leaders are urging voters refrain from mailing in ballots at this late date because there is no guarantee they will arrive on time with just four days until the election.
On Thursday, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) took to Twitter with a warning for the residents in her state. She tweeted, "Because of LAST MINUTE ruling, Minnesota DO NOT put ballots in mail any more.
Klobuchar added, "In the middle of a pandemic, the Republican Party is doing everything to make it hard for you to vote. Stand up for YOUR rights: Vote in-person or take mail-in ballot directly to ballot box."
It is now recommended that Minnesota voters mail-in ballots in-person by 8:00p.m. on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. All ballots received after that time will be separated.


alternet--2020-10-30--'The last stand of a demagogue’ — Rowdy MAGA rallies are Trump’s ‘last best hope of clinging to the

'The last stand of a demagogue’ — Rowdy MAGA rallies are Trump’s ‘last best hope of clinging to the presidency’: journalist

The week before the 2020 election — with the number of coronavirus infectious surging in many states — President Donald Trump has drawn a great deal of criticism from medical experts for holding a series of large MAGA rallies in which social distancing was nowhere to be found and protective face masks were few and far between .
Terms like `` superspreader events '' and `` Petri dish rallies '' have been used by more than a few Trump critics .
But MAGA rallies , as journalist David Smith explains in an article published in The Guardian on October 30 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's reelection strategy .
And Smith argues that the rallies are Trump 's `` last best hope of clinging to the presidency . ''
`` Opinion polls suggest that Trump could be a dead man walking , hurtling towards a psychologically crushing defeat like one-term President Jimmy Carter against Ronald Reagan in 1980 , '' Smith observes .
`` Yet on the trail , he continues to project the image of a happy warrior cruising to reelection — regaling big crowds with selective poll numbers , bogus conspiracy theories and his own brand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loyal to the end with cheers , merriment and chants of 'Four more years !
, ' 'Lock him up ! '
and 'Build that wall ! '
'' Smith adds , `` If Trump does lose next week — and the polls have been wrong before ; so , that remains a big 'if ' — he will go down with all guns blazing . ''
Trump , Smith argues , enjoys MAGA rallies more than he enjoys governing .
According to Smith , `` Trump has always been in his element @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to hold rallies even after winning the 2016 election , throwing out populist red meat and feeding off the energy of fervent crowds .
Whereas Washington is difficult and messy , these public events offer simple affirmation .
Free from the constraints of the White House , its protocols and its officials , he uses the rallies to indulge in free association riffs and play to the gallery . ''
Charlie Gerow , a GOP strategist in Pennsylvania , told The Guardian , `` The rallies are not the be-all , end-all by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ important show of strength to rally the base and increase the intensity of those people .
Folks who attend a rally go home , talk to friends , talk to neighbors , talk to their family about what happened… .
Trump has thousands of little ambassadors going to their little corners of America , and the Biden campaign does n't have that . ''
But Tara Setmayer , a senior adviser to the anti-Trump conservative group The Lincoln Project , has nothing good to say about Trump 's MAGA events .
And Smith @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Trump 's rallies are `` not so much a vaudeville act as the last stand of a demagogue . ''
Setmayer told The Guardian , `` Donald Trump is a salesman .
He 's been a pitchman con artist his entire life , selling things that are not real , that are not authentic — and convincing people that they are .
This is exactly what he 's doing with his campaign . ''

The week before the 2020 election — with the number of coronavirus infectious surging in many states — President Donald Trump has drawn a great deal of criticism from medical experts for holding a series of large MAGA rallies in which social distancing was nowhere to be found and protective face masks were few and far between. Terms like "superspreader events" and "Petri dish rallies" have been used by more than a few Trump critics. But MAGA rallies, as journalist David Smith explains in an article published in The Guardian on October 30, are a crucial part of Trump's reelection strategy. And Smith argues that the rallies are Trump's "last best hope of clinging to the presidency."
"Opinion polls suggest that Trump could be a dead man walking, hurtling towards a psychologically crushing defeat like one-term President Jimmy Carter against Ronald Reagan in 1980," Smith observes. "Yet on the trail, he continues to project the image of a happy warrior cruising to reelection — regaling big crowds with selective poll numbers, bogus conspiracy theories and his own brand of humor. And his base remains loyal to the end with cheers, merriment and chants of 'Four more years!,' 'Lock him up!' and 'Build that wall!'"
Smith adds, "If Trump does lose next week — and the polls have been wrong before; so, that remains a big 'if' — he will go down with all guns blazing."
Trump, Smith argues, enjoys MAGA rallies more than he enjoys governing.
According to Smith, "Trump has always been in his element campaigning rather than governing. He continued to hold rallies even after winning the 2016 election, throwing out populist red meat and feeding off the energy of fervent crowds. Whereas Washington is difficult and messy, these public events offer simple affirmation. Free from the constraints of the White House, its protocols and its officials, he uses the rallies to indulge in free association riffs and play to the gallery."
Charlie Gerow, a GOP strategist in Pennsylvania, told The Guardian, "The rallies are not the be-all, end-all by any stretch. But they are an important show of strength to rally the base and increase the intensity of those people. Folks who attend a rally go home, talk to friends, talk to neighbors, talk to their family about what happened…. Trump has thousands of little ambassadors going to their little corners of America, and the Biden campaign doesn't have that."
But Tara Setmayer, a senior adviser to the anti-Trump conservative group The Lincoln Project, has nothing good to say about Trump's MAGA events. And Smith notes that to Trump critics like Setmayer, Trump's rallies are "not so much a vaudeville act as the last stand of a demagogue."
Setmayer told The Guardian, "Donald Trump is a salesman. He's been a pitchman con artist his entire life, selling things that are not real, that are not authentic — and convincing people that they are. This is exactly what he's doing with his campaign."


alternet--2020-10-30--First combined flu and COVID-19 cases emerge in United States

As the United States faces the beginning of flu season , combined cases of influenza and coronavirus are being reported in multiple states .
It has been reported that combined cases of both respiratory illnesses have been reported in California and Texas , reports the Sac Bee .
According to the San Francisco Chronicle , Solano County health officer Dr. Bela Matyas has shared details about the combined diagnosis of a California patient suffering from both illnesses .
Matyas has revealed that the patient is a 65-year-old healthcare professional with no underlying conditions .
She also explained how the combined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person 's immune system and , subsequently , make patients more vulnerable to other diseases .
`` We now have flu in our community at the same time we have COVID , '' said Matyas .
`` Contracting either disease may weaken your immune system and make you more susceptible to the other disease . ''
Matyas added , `` Symptoms of the flu can be like early symptoms of COVID-19 , meaning people with flu symptoms may require a COVID-19 test and need to stay home from work and isolate while awaiting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a patient at Maury Regional Medical Center has also been diagnosed with a combination of the two illnesses .
Dr. Martin Chaney , a chief medical officer at the hospital , explained the respiratory illness .
`` When you get influenza , which is a respiratory illness and you get COVID , which also impacts the respiratory tract , it only makes sense that those individuals are going to have a serious respiratory component with shortness of breath , potential for respiratory failure is very high in co-infection , '' Chaney explained .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the severity of blistering flu season but they are also urging Americans to take the flu vaccine as they stress the importance of doing it now more than ever .
Dr. Mia Taormina , an infectious disease specialist with DuPage Medical Group , issued a warning to the public , according to The Chicago Tribune .
`` If you have ever received a flu vaccine in your life , this is the year to do it , '' Taormina said .
`` We are very concerned about the possibility of co-infection with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Friday , October 30 , the United States has surpassed 9 million coronavirus cases .
This week , the country reported its highest number of cases reported in a single day topping more than 90,000 confirmed cases .

As the United States faces the beginning of flu season, combined cases of influenza and coronavirus are being reported in multiple states.
It has been reported that combined cases of both respiratory illnesses have been reported in California and Texas, reports the Sac Bee.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Solano County health officer Dr. Bela Matyas has shared details about the combined diagnosis of a California patient suffering from both illnesses. Matyas has revealed that the patient is a 65-year-old healthcare professional with no underlying conditions. She also explained how the combined illness could have long-term impacts on a person's immune system and, subsequently, make patients more vulnerable to other diseases.
"We now have flu in our community at the same time we have COVID," said Matyas. "Contracting either disease may weaken your immune system and make you more susceptible to the other disease."
Matyas added, "Symptoms of the flu can be like early symptoms of COVID-19, meaning people with flu symptoms may require a COVID-19 test and need to stay home from work and isolate while awaiting their results."
In Tennessee, a patient at Maury Regional Medical Center has also been diagnosed with a combination of the two illnesses. Dr. Martin Chaney, a chief medical officer at the hospital, explained the respiratory illness.
"When you get influenza, which is a respiratory illness and you get COVID, which also impacts the respiratory tract, it only makes sense that those individuals are going to have a serious respiratory component with shortness of breath, potential for respiratory failure is very high in co-infection," Chaney explained.
Not only are medical experts expressing concern about the severity of blistering flu season but they are also urging Americans to take the flu vaccine as they stress the importance of doing it now more than ever. Dr. Mia Taormina, an infectious disease specialist with DuPage Medical Group, issued a warning to the public, according to The Chicago Tribune.
"If you have ever received a flu vaccine in your life, this is the year to do it," Taormina said. "We are very concerned about the possibility of co-infection with influenza and COVID."
As of Friday, October 30, the United States has surpassed 9 million coronavirus cases. This week, the country reported its highest number of cases reported in a single day topping more than 90,000 confirmed cases.


alternet--2020-10-30--We may be entering the ‘most turbulent decade for America since the 1850s’ -- no matter what happens

We may be entering the ‘most turbulent decade for America since the 1850s’ -- no matter what happens next week

With Election Day 2020 only four days away , millions of American voters are wondering whether former Vice President Joe Biden will become the next president of the United States or President Donald Trump — despite trailing Biden in so many polls — will manage to pull off a reelection victory in the Electoral College .
Whatever the outcome on Tuesday , November 3 , journalist Ronald Brownstein is warning that the political tensions in the U.S. will not be going away anytime soon .
And Brownstein , in an article published in The Atlantic on October 30 , lays @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020s could be as `` turbulent '' for the country as the 1850s .
`` If Joe Biden beats Donald Trump decisively next week , '' Brownstein explains , `` this election may be remembered as a hinge point in American history : the moment when a clear majority of voters acknowledged that there 's no turning back from America 's transformation into a nation of kaleidoscopic diversity , a future that does n't rely on a backward-facing promise to make America great again .
But that does n't mean the voters who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lasting victory over those who feel threatened by it . ''
Brownstein goes on to argue that in 2020 , Republicans and Democrats are n't divided by `` class or region '' as much as they are divided by `` attitudes toward the propulsive demographic , cultural and economic shifts remaking 21st-Century America . ''
`` Republicans have grown more reliant on support from mostly White and Christian constituencies and the exurban , small-town and rural communities that have been the least touched and most unnerved by cultural and economic transitions : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sexual orientation ; evolving roles for women ; and the move from an industrial economy to one grounded in the Information Age , '' Brownstein notes .
`` Democrats have become the party of the people and places most immersed in , and welcoming of , those shifts : people of color , Millennials and members of Generation Z , secular adults who do n't identify with any religious tradition , and college-educated White professionals — all of them clustered in the nation 's largest metropolitan centers . ''
Trump 's critics — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right-wing Never Trump conservatives — will breathe a huge sigh of relief if Biden defeats Trump on Election Night .
But Brownstein cautions that even if November 3 brings a `` decisive Democratic win , '' Republicans have `` erected a series of defenses '' against the `` coming demographic wave '' — and the 2020s could become `` the most turbulent decade for America since the 1850s , when a very similar dynamic unfolded . ''
Brownstein notes , `` Even in the unlikely , but not inconceivable , event that Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it seems almost certain that Biden will win the national popular vote .
If he does , Democrats will have won the most votes in seven of the past eight presidential elections .
No party has managed that since the formation of the modern party system in 1828 . ''
The journalist stresses , however , that even if Democrats become the majority in the executive and legislative branches of the federal government , Republicans could have a right-wing Supreme Court majority for decades to come .
`` With the oldest members of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 70s , this conservative Court majority could easily persist through the entire decade of the 2020s , '' Brownstein points out .
`` Unless Democrats pursue legislation to change the Court 's structure , the oldest Millennials might turn 50 before the current conservative majority is dislodged .
These same flammable ingredients were present in the 1850s , when a rising majority found it impossible to impose its agenda because of all the structural obstacles laid down by the retreating minority . ''
The divisions in the U.S. were so bitter in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a civil war .
Becoming more of a minority party , Brownstein argues , could make the GOP of the 2020s become even more `` reactionary '' — and in an `` 1850s scenario , '' he says , `` the Republican coalition remains centered on culturally conservative White Americans who grow more embittered and radical as evidence mounts that they can not stop the emerging majority from instituting its agenda . ''
Brownstein concludes his article by stressing that the United States ' political divisions wo n't end on Election Night 2020 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 election has been among the most vitriolic and divisive America has ever experienced , with the prospect of further disruption and even violence still lingering in its aftermath , '' Brownstein writes .
`` But all of that may be just the opening bell for a decade that tests the nation 's cohesion like few others ever have . ''

With Election Day 2020 only four days away, millions of American voters are wondering whether former Vice President Joe Biden will become the next president of the United States or President Donald Trump — despite trailing Biden in so many polls — will manage to pull off a reelection victory in the Electoral College. Whatever the outcome on Tuesday, November 3, journalist Ronald Brownstein is warning that the political tensions in the U.S. will not be going away anytime soon. And Brownstein, in an article published in The Atlantic on October 30, lays out some reasons why he believes the 2020s could be as "turbulent" for the country as the 1850s.
"If Joe Biden beats Donald Trump decisively next week," Brownstein explains, "this election may be remembered as a hinge point in American history: the moment when a clear majority of voters acknowledged that there's no turning back from America's transformation into a nation of kaleidoscopic diversity, a future that doesn't rely on a backward-facing promise to make America great again. But that doesn't mean the voters who embody the nation's future are guaranteed a lasting victory over those who feel threatened by it."
Brownstein goes on to argue that in 2020, Republicans and Democrats aren't divided by "class or region" as much as they are divided by "attitudes toward the propulsive demographic, cultural and economic shifts remaking 21st-Century America."
"Republicans have grown more reliant on support from mostly White and Christian constituencies and the exurban, small-town and rural communities that have been the least touched and most unnerved by cultural and economic transitions: growing diversity in race, religion and sexual orientation; evolving roles for women; and the move from an industrial economy to one grounded in the Information Age," Brownstein notes. "Democrats have become the party of the people and places most immersed in, and welcoming of, those shifts: people of color, Millennials and members of Generation Z, secular adults who don't identify with any religious tradition, and college-educated White professionals — all of them clustered in the nation's largest metropolitan centers."
Trump's critics — from liberals, progressives and centrists to right-wing Never Trump conservatives — will breathe a huge sigh of relief if Biden defeats Trump on Election Night. But Brownstein cautions that even if November 3 brings a "decisive Democratic win," Republicans have "erected a series of defenses" against the "coming demographic wave" — and the 2020s could become "the most turbulent decade for America since the 1850s, when a very similar dynamic unfolded."
Brownstein notes, "Even in the unlikely, but not inconceivable, event that Trump squeezes out another Electoral College victory, it seems almost certain that Biden will win the national popular vote. If he does, Democrats will have won the most votes in seven of the past eight presidential elections. No party has managed that since the formation of the modern party system in 1828."
The journalist stresses, however, that even if Democrats become the majority in the executive and legislative branches of the federal government, Republicans could have a right-wing Supreme Court majority for decades to come.
"With the oldest members of that Republican bloc only in their early 70s, this conservative Court majority could easily persist through the entire decade of the 2020s," Brownstein points out. "Unless Democrats pursue legislation to change the Court's structure, the oldest Millennials might turn 50 before the current conservative majority is dislodged. These same flammable ingredients were present in the 1850s, when a rising majority found it impossible to impose its agenda because of all the structural obstacles laid down by the retreating minority."
The divisions in the U.S. were so bitter in the 1850s that the country ended up in a civil war.
Becoming more of a minority party, Brownstein argues, could make the GOP of the 2020s become even more "reactionary" — and in an "1850s scenario," he says, "the Republican coalition remains centered on culturally conservative White Americans who grow more embittered and radical as evidence mounts that they cannot stop the emerging majority from instituting its agenda."
Brownstein concludes his article by stressing that the United States' political divisions won't end on Election Night 2020, whatever the outcome.
"The 2020 election has been among the most vitriolic and divisive America has ever experienced, with the prospect of further disruption and even violence still lingering in its aftermath," Brownstein writes. "But all of that may be just the opening bell for a decade that tests the nation's cohesion like few others ever have."