alternet--2020-09-27--How a mask mandate might hurt the re-election chances of Indiana's Republican governor

The Associated Press recently reported that Indiana conservatives who are furious with Republican Gov .
Eric Holcomb over his statewide mask mandate are cottoning to Libertarian Donald Rainwater as an alternative , which could make this fall 's otherwise snoozy race for governor unexpectedly competitive .
Normally , we 'd be skeptical of a largely anecdotal report like this one , but a few pieces of evidence are tugging us the other way .
One is a poll earlier this month from Change Research on behalf of the local news site Indy Politics that found Holcomb leading Democrat Woody Myers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % .
That 's an almost impossibly high figure for a third-party candidate , so the numbers should be viewed with great caution , but it does suggest that there could be a real outflow of support to Rainwater .
More concretely , the AP says that Rainwater has enjoyed unexpectedly strong fundraising and will start advertising on cable and radio this week—something Indiana Libertarians have n't done in `` many years , '' according to his campaign manager .
Rainwater had just $ 6,000 in hand as of Aug. 5 , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the last few days , capped off by a $ 100,000 check from hedge fund manager and poker player Bill Perkins .
( Perkins ' father , also named Bill , was a Democratic assemblyman in New Jersey in the 1970s , though the younger Perkins has mostly given to Libertarian causes . )
Holcomb also seems to be reacting to this rebellion on his right flank , in the worst possible way : Even though coronavirus case counts in the state remain near record highs , the governor just announced the suspension @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic , including allowing restaurants , bars , and gyms to operate at full capacity .
Public health experts , unsurprisingly , expressed deep concern over the move .
Holcomb did , however , renew his mask order , which is likely to perpetuate right-wing furor .
As Paul Krugman recently put it , opposition to masks has become `` a declaration of political allegiance '' to Donald Trump , and if there 's one thing we know hardcore Republican voters wo n't tolerate , it 's disloyalty to Trump .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from other outfits before concluding there 's real movement in the Hoosier State , but this race bears watching .

The Associated Press recently reported that Indiana conservatives who are furious with Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb over his statewide mask mandate are cottoning to Libertarian Donald Rainwater as an alternative, which could make this fall's otherwise snoozy race for governor unexpectedly competitive.
Normally, we'd be skeptical of a largely anecdotal report like this one, but a few pieces of evidence are tugging us the other way. One is a poll earlier this month from Change Research on behalf of the local news site Indy Politics that found Holcomb leading Democrat Woody Myers just 36-30, with Rainwater taking 24%. That's an almost impossibly high figure for a third-party candidate, so the numbers should be viewed with great caution, but it does suggest that there could be a real outflow of support to Rainwater.
More concretely, the AP says that Rainwater has enjoyed unexpectedly strong fundraising and will start advertising on cable and radio this week—something Indiana Libertarians haven't done in "many years," according to his campaign manager. Rainwater had just $6,000 in hand as of Aug. 5, but he's reported some major donations in the last few days, capped off by a $100,000 check from hedge fund manager and poker player Bill Perkins. (Perkins' father, also named Bill, was a Democratic assemblyman in New Jersey in the 1970s, though the younger Perkins has mostly given to Libertarian causes.)
Holcomb also seems to be reacting to this rebellion on his right flank, in the worst possible way: Even though coronavirus case counts in the state remain near record highs, the governor just announced the suspension of nearly all restrictions aimed at stemming the pandemic, including allowing restaurants, bars, and gyms to operate at full capacity. Public health experts, unsurprisingly, expressed deep concern over the move.
Holcomb did, however, renew his mask order, which is likely to perpetuate right-wing furor. As Paul Krugman recently put it, opposition to masks has become "a declaration of political allegiance" to Donald Trump, and if there's one thing we know hardcore Republican voters won't tolerate, it's disloyalty to Trump. We'll still want to see further polling from other outfits before concluding there's real movement in the Hoosier State, but this race bears watching.


alternet--2020-09-27--Mysterious benefactor for NC voting rights groups raises suspicion of GOP sting operation

According to The Daily Beast , voting rights groups in North Carolina were approached by a strange benefactor calling himself `` James Fortune '' — and his behavior aroused suspicions that he might be part of a Republican sting operation to discredit laws expanding access to the vote .
`` Fortune , who claimed to be the operator of a progressive-minded North Carolina gym called 'Equality Gym , ' donated a few thousand dollars to the groups .
Then he started asking whether they could illegally register undocumented immigrants to vote , '' reported Will Sommer .
`` As the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaving behind only a blurry picture of himself , no proof that his gym actually existed , and suspicions that he was using an alias . ''
Indeed , the only evidence that Equality Gym exists is a Twitter account created in June , that provides no link to a website or information about a company .
Its location is set to `` New York '' and its entire feed consists of random retweets of Democrats and sports news .
Democratic groups suspect that the whole thing could be the work of James @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Project Veritas , sets up sting operations to try to trick Democrats into supporting illegal activity and then posting videos of it .
There is no evidence that O'Keefe specifically is involved , although he did launch a similar operation in Wisconsin , setting up a fake documentary team called `` Zeitgeist Pictures '' to interview progressive organizations .
Whether or not O'Keefe is behind the North Carolina affair , though , there is a clear Republican footprint .
`` Whoever he really is , Fortune appears to have been working on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That $ 1,500 payment to Fortaleza , according to Echeverria and reporting from the News & Observer , traced back to a mysterious Georgia business called Blue Sky Med Labs , '' reported Sommer .
`` Blue Sky Med Labs is registered to Jason Boles , a Georgia Republican operative who also registered the campaign organization for Marjorie Taylor Greene , a QAnon believer and Georgia House candidate almost certain to win a congressional seat in November . ''
You can read more here .

According to The Daily Beast, voting rights groups in North Carolina were approached by a strange benefactor calling himself "James Fortune" — and his behavior aroused suspicions that he might be part of a Republican sting operation to discredit laws expanding access to the vote.
"Fortune, who claimed to be the operator of a progressive-minded North Carolina gym called 'Equality Gym,' donated a few thousand dollars to the groups. Then he started asking whether they could illegally register undocumented immigrants to vote," reported Will Sommer. "As the groups became suspicious, Fortune vanished — leaving behind only a blurry picture of himself, no proof that his gym actually existed, and suspicions that he was using an alias."
Indeed, the only evidence that Equality Gym exists is a Twitter account created in June, that provides no link to a website or information about a company. Its location is set to "New York" and its entire feed consists of random retweets of Democrats and sports news.
Democratic groups suspect that the whole thing could be the work of James O'Keefe, a right-wing activist whose group, Project Veritas, sets up sting operations to try to trick Democrats into supporting illegal activity and then posting videos of it. There is no evidence that O'Keefe specifically is involved, although he did launch a similar operation in Wisconsin, setting up a fake documentary team called "Zeitgeist Pictures" to interview progressive organizations.
Whether or not O'Keefe is behind the North Carolina affair, though, there is a clear Republican footprint.
"Whoever he really is, Fortune appears to have been working on behalf of at least one Republican operative. That $1,500 payment to Fortaleza, according to Echeverria and reporting from the News & Observer, traced back to a mysterious Georgia business called Blue Sky Med Labs," reported Sommer. "Blue Sky Med Labs is registered to Jason Boles, a Georgia Republican operative who also registered the campaign organization for Marjorie Taylor Greene, a QAnon believer and Georgia House candidate almost certain to win a congressional seat in November."
You can read more here.


alternet--2020-09-28--Here's why there was no mention of Russia or Michael Cohen in NYT tax bombshell: Trump biographer

Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter David Cay Johnston has literally written the book on President Donald Trump and his finances .
Trump 's supporters have already gone after the report saying that it vindicated the president because there was no mention of Michael Cohen or Russia anywhere in the New York Times bombshell report .
Breitbart editor-at-large Joel Pollak celebrated the news and claimed , without evidence , that the taxes must have come illegally from the IRS .
The personal tax returns did show , however , that Trump made an absurdly large amount of money from handling the Miss @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Johnston explained , those things would n't be on Trump 's personal taxes ; it would fall under the Trump Organization .
`` This is a stunningly detailed report that goes into essentially everything that you would know from the tax returns that is n't what you 'd know about his business .
For example , nothing in here about Russia and whether the money he 's gotten we know he 's gotten from Russia , because that would be business records , not tax records , '' he explained .
He went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ details revealed in this report are that Trump is a fraud and the worst businessman in America .
`` Think about this : in just the years , 2008 and 2009 , Trump took $ 1.4 billion of losses , '' Cay Johnston explained .
`` $ 1.4 billion in those two years .
Now from the years just before that , 2005 , the year to which I got his tax return mailed to me at my home , and I believe by Donald himself , and 2006 and 2008 , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an alternative minimum tax .
As a real estate developer , that 's a tax he gets back essentially it makes you loan the money to the government at zero interest , and you take it back .
So , he paid $ 70 million of that , and more than half was from the year 2005 and not really a tax bill .
It 's a temporary tax bill . ''
He explained that something like that proves there must be a law in place that demand all presidential candidates and vice-presidential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understand their finances , and I agree with John Harwood I think pointing out that this suggests Donald Trump needs the presidency right now because bills he has coming to including more than $ 300 million of loans he personally guaranteed .
The very issue that caused him to have a financial collapse in 1990 when I was covering him , only then he had $ 3 billion in personally guaranteed loans he could not pay back , '' he explained .
In a separate interview with MSNBC , Cay Johnston also noted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is that Trump paid more in taxes to other countries like India , the Philippines , Panama , and other locations than the United States .
`` What this illustrates is why Donald Trump does n't want you to see his tax returns , '' he explained .
`` And he has good reason to try and argue falsely that he ca n't release his return because he 's under audit .
Once you sign your return , nothing changes by releasing it .
There is no legitimate reason for Donald Trump to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entirely something he 's trying to do to protect his image . ''

Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter David Cay Johnston has literally written the book on President Donald Trump and his finances. Trump's supporters have already gone after the report saying that it vindicated the president because there was no mention of Michael Cohen or Russia anywhere in the New York Times bombshell report.
Breitbart editor-at-large Joel Pollak celebrated the news and claimed, without evidence, that the taxes must have come illegally from the IRS. The personal tax returns did show, however, that Trump made an absurdly large amount of money from handling the Miss Universe pageant in Moscow.
As Cay Johnston explained, those things wouldn't be on Trump's personal taxes; it would fall under the Trump Organization.
"This is a stunningly detailed report that goes into essentially everything that you would know from the tax returns that isn't what you'd know about his business. For example, nothing in here about Russia and whether the money he's gotten we know he's gotten from Russia, because that would be business records, not tax records," he explained.
He went on to note that the most important details revealed in this report are that Trump is a fraud and the worst businessman in America.
"Think about this: in just the years, 2008 and 2009, Trump took $1.4 billion of losses," Cay Johnston explained. "$1.4 billion in those two years. Now from the years just before that, 2005, the year to which I got his tax return mailed to me at my home, and I believe by Donald himself, and 2006 and 2008, he paid $70 million or something called an alternative minimum tax. As a real estate developer, that's a tax he gets back essentially it makes you loan the money to the government at zero interest, and you take it back. So, he paid $70 million of that, and more than half was from the year 2005 and not really a tax bill. It's a temporary tax bill."
He explained that something like that proves there must be a law in place that demand all presidential candidates and vice-presidential candidates disclose their taxes."We understand their finances, and I agree with John Harwood I think pointing out that this suggests Donald Trump needs the presidency right now because bills he has coming to including more than $300 million of loans he personally guaranteed. The very issue that caused him to have a financial collapse in 1990 when I was covering him, only then he had $3 billion in personally guaranteed loans he could not pay back," he explained.
In a separate interview with MSNBC, Cay Johnston also noted that one of the report's toplines is that Trump paid more in taxes to other countries like India, the Philippines, Panama, and other locations than the United States.
"What this illustrates is why Donald Trump doesn't want you to see his tax returns," he explained. "And he has good reason to try and argue falsely that he can't release his return because he's under audit. Once you sign your return, nothing changes by releasing it. There is no legitimate reason for Donald Trump to withhold his tax returns. This is entirely something he's trying to do to protect his image."
Watch the interviews below:
CNN:


alternet--2020-09-28--Mike Pompeo doesn't care if you know he's corrupt

Prior to ex-House Republican Mike Pompeo becoming Trump 's secretary of state , it was generally understood that U.S. secretaries of state were not allowed to use the tools of their office for rank partisan politicking .
Using government resources to campaign is illegal ; turning the top diplomatic job in the country into a tool of partisanship damages U.S. credibility abroad by signaling , to world counterparts , that the U.S. diplomat is In This For Themselves .
All of that is gone now because Donald Trump simply chose to ignore those constraints , and Republicans—with the singular exception @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adopted the same merging of party and state as the new way things are done .
This was helped along immensely by Trump 's surrounding of himself with hard-right ex-House Republicans contemptuous of the rules from the outset .
Mike Pompeo is a poster child for this .
He continues to assist Trump in the cover-up of a criminal Ukrainian extortion scheme—one timed to allow Russian incursions into that country to proceed and be solidified while much needed U.S. aid was used to pressure for Trump reelection favors .
He continues to abet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policy infrastructure .
And , of course , Pompeo is using his State Department role to campaign aggressively for Trump and Republicans throughout the country .
The premise is that key Trump-supporting demographics and swing states just happen to need conservative foreign policy priorities explained to them by , literally , the top U.S. diplomat—one who admittedly has little else to do since all such policy decisions have been stripped from him and his government agency in favor of the new policy , Whatever Trump Last Said .
The reality is that Pompeo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to , as the AP reports , a white evangelical church in Plano , Texas ; the hard-right Value Voters Summit ; and other appearances in Wisconsin , Florida , Tennessee , Kentucky , and of course his home state of Kansas .
Pompeo has famously been eyeing higher office himself—a plan that briefly looked scuttled when Pompeo was implicated in impeachable crimes , but one Pompeo appears to be inching back to with hopes that voters no longer remember or resent him for that now that the Trump administration has delivered at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clusterfucks for them to chew on instead .
The important thing to remember here is that Pompeo is crooked .
He is crooked in the William Barr way , and fairly precisely : He has been caught directly assisting in Trump 's impeached-for acts ; he has been caught in a campaign to cover up those acts and his involvement for Trump 's benefit and his own ; he has done each of these things in service of elevating Republican power , regardless of legality or institutional norms ; and he makes no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his office as explicitly partisan , to be used for shoring up allies and punishing enemies .
While Barr pressures his underlings into producing documents meant to portray Trump 's detractors and investigators as the `` true '' criminals of Russian election hacking while undermining further investigations into Trump and all allies , Pompeo weaves through the country on a heavy campaign schedule to tell conservative audiences that they should `` go to the polling place and express your preference '' for his hard-right claims and declarations , as AP quoted him telling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it : Again , Mike Pompeo using his government perch to address the Republican National Convention—from Israel , no less—was such a grotesque insult to supposed diplomatic nonpartisanship that it would have likely ended with Pompeo 's removal from his post during any of the last half-century 's worth of presidencies .
Republican lawmakers , however , are embracing Pompeo 's acts as they are Trump 's , and Barr 's .
There is no Republican caucus demanding Trump adhere to the rule of law , or the Hatch Act , or basic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immunizing Trump during impeachment was to enable further corruption .
It was the expected outcome .
It clearly worked , as Trump 's rapid gutting of oversight offices and inspectors showed .
We are now at a point where Trump and Barr are openly crafting plans to eliminate votes if the November elections do not go his way , and continue eliminating votes for as long as it takes until the Republican Party can claim a crooked victory .
The reasons are not just to retain power , though ; Trump 's team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for more personal reasons .
There has been a mountain of criminal acts , cover-ups , ethical violations , and rank corruption from Barr , from Pompeo , from Trump himself , and other Trump cabinet members past and present .
The moment they lose power , there is a danger that the remaining shards of true , neutral law enforcement will come for them—and those ex-officials will no longer have means to block those investigations .
Every investigation currently being blocked and corrupted can only be blocked or corrupted so long as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like Pompeo , still identified as having played a role in international extortion whether his Republican Senate allies are supportive or are not , has no time to worry about laws or norms as he scurries around the country to protect himself from the consequences of his own corruption .

Prior to ex-House Republican Mike Pompeo becoming Trump's secretary of state, it was generally understood that U.S. secretaries of state were not allowed to use the tools of their office for rank partisan politicking. Using government resources to campaign is illegal; turning the top diplomatic job in the country into a tool of partisanship damages U.S. credibility abroad by signaling, to world counterparts, that the U.S. diplomat is In This For Themselves.
All of that is gone now because Donald Trump simply chose to ignore those constraints, and Republicans—with the singular exception of one Mitt Romney, exactly once—wholeheartedly adopted the same merging of party and state as the new way things are done. This was helped along immensely by Trump's surrounding of himself with hard-right ex-House Republicans contemptuous of the rules from the outset. Mike Pompeo is a poster child for this. He continues to assist Trump in the cover-up of a criminal Ukrainian extortion scheme—one timed to allow Russian incursions into that country to proceed and be solidified while much needed U.S. aid was used to pressure for Trump reelection favors. He continues to abet Trump's incompetent dismantling of U.S. foreign policy infrastructure.
And, of course, Pompeo is using his State Department role to campaign aggressively for Trump and Republicans throughout the country. The premise is that key Trump-supporting demographics and swing states just happen to need conservative foreign policy priorities explained to them by, literally, the top U.S. diplomat—one who admittedly has little else to do since all such policy decisions have been stripped from him and his government agency in favor of the new policy, Whatever Trump Last Said. The reality is that Pompeo is touring the country giving campaign speeches to, as the AP reports, a white evangelical church in Plano, Texas; the hard-right Value Voters Summit; and other appearances in Wisconsin, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, and of course his home state of Kansas. Pompeo has famously been eyeing higher office himself—a plan that briefly looked scuttled when Pompeo was implicated in impeachable crimes, but one Pompeo appears to be inching back to with hopes that voters no longer remember or resent him for that now that the Trump administration has delivered at least a half-dozen other scandals and death-dealing clusterfucks for them to chew on instead.
The important thing to remember here is that Pompeo is crooked. He is crooked in the William Barr way, and fairly precisely: He has been caught directly assisting in Trump's impeached-for acts; he has been caught in a campaign to cover up those acts and his involvement for Trump's benefit and his own; he has done each of these things in service of elevating Republican power, regardless of legality or institutional norms; and he makes no particular effort to hide the use of his office as explicitly partisan, to be used for shoring up allies and punishing enemies.
While Barr pressures his underlings into producing documents meant to portray Trump's detractors and investigators as the "true" criminals of Russian election hacking while undermining further investigations into Trump and all allies, Pompeo weaves through the country on a heavy campaign schedule to tell conservative audiences that they should "go to the polling place and express your preference" for his hard-right claims and declarations, as AP quoted him telling his Texas audience.
Without dwelling on it: Again, Mike Pompeo using his government perch to address the Republican National Convention—from Israel, no less—was such a grotesque insult to supposed diplomatic nonpartisanship that it would have likely ended with Pompeo's removal from his post during any of the last half-century's worth of presidencies. Republican lawmakers, however, are embracing Pompeo's acts as they are Trump's, and Barr's. There is no Republican caucus demanding Trump adhere to the rule of law, or the Hatch Act, or basic expected decencies.
The whole point of immunizing Trump during impeachment was to enable further corruption. It was the expected outcome. It clearly worked, as Trump's rapid gutting of oversight offices and inspectors showed. We are now at a point where Trump and Barr are openly crafting plans to eliminate votes if the November elections do not go his way, and continue eliminating votes for as long as it takes until the Republican Party can claim a crooked victory.
The reasons are not just to retain power, though; Trump's team and Trump's allies need a victory for more personal reasons. There has been a mountain of criminal acts, cover-ups, ethical violations, and rank corruption from Barr, from Pompeo, from Trump himself, and other Trump cabinet members past and present. The moment they lose power, there is a danger that the remaining shards of true, neutral law enforcement will come for them—and those ex-officials will no longer have means to block those investigations.
Every investigation currently being blocked and corrupted can only be blocked or corrupted so long as the corrupters remain in power. Republicans like Pompeo, still identified as having played a role in international extortion whether his Republican Senate allies are supportive or are not, has no time to worry about laws or norms as he scurries around the country to protect himself from the consequences of his own corruption.


alternet--2020-09-28--Trump's former campaign manager hospitalized after threatening to harm himself

Reports are coming out of Florida that former Trump campaign manager , Brad Parscale , was taken from his Fort Lauderdale home after suffering some kind of health crisis .
According to Local 10 News , officers went to visit after calls were made to 911 saying there was a man threatening to harm himself .
The Fort Lauderdale police said that they contacted the wife of the man who then told them that the man was armed and `` had access to multiple firearms inside the house and was threatening to harm himself . ''
The property is owned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporting that Parscale was the man having the crisis , and has been hospitalized under Florida 's Baker Act , which allows law enforcement to detain someone who may be a threat to himself or others .
Parscale was fired by Donald Trump after his campaign spent a reported $ 800 million , with little to show for it … in the campaign sense .
Of course , lots of people hanging on and around Trump seemed to be making tons of money off of the Trump campaign .
One of those people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with money laundering in relation to the We Build the Wall scam .
Trump 's pick to replace Parscale was the guy who helped orchestrate the then New Jersey Gov .
Chris Christie `` Bridgegate '' debacle , Bill Stepien .
So being corrupt does n't seem to be the reason Parscale was let go .
The last guy that worked as campaign manager for Trump was Paul Manafort .
So having scruples is n't a criteria .
The news that Parscale is having a serious crisis comes just hours after The New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump is a complete fraud .
There is no gloating here .
Being willing to harm oneself is a terrible place for any person to be .
But there does seem to be some kind of criteria to become Trump 's campaign manager .
Maybe he 's just being considered for the part of fall guy ?
It is hard to say .
Hopefully he gets the help he needs .

Reports are coming out of Florida that former Trump campaign manager, Brad Parscale, was taken from his Fort Lauderdale home after suffering some kind of health crisis. According to Local 10 News, officers went to visit after calls were made to 911 saying there was a man threatening to harm himself.
The Fort Lauderdale police said that they contacted the wife of the man who then told them that the man was armed and "had access to multiple firearms inside the house and was threatening to harm himself." The property is owned by Parscale. The Sun Sentinel is reporting that Parscale was the man having the crisis, and has been hospitalized under Florida's Baker Act, which allows law enforcement to detain someone who may be a threat to himself or others.
Parscale was fired by Donald Trump after his campaign spent a reported $800 million, with little to show for it … in the campaign sense. Of course, lots of people hanging on and around Trump seemed to be making tons of money off of the Trump campaign. One of those people is Steve Bannon who is currently charged with money laundering in relation to the We Build the Wall scam.
Trump's pick to replace Parscale was the guy who helped orchestrate the then New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie "Bridgegate" debacle, Bill Stepien. So being corrupt doesn't seem to be the reason Parscale was let go. The last guy that worked as campaign manager for Trump was Paul Manafort. So having scruples isn't a criteria. The news that Parscale is having a serious crisis comes just hours after TheNew York Timesbroke the story that Donald Trump is a complete fraud.
There is no gloating here. Being willing to harm oneself is a terrible place for any person to be. But there does seem to be some kind of criteria to become Trump's campaign manager. Maybe he's just being considered for the part of fall guy? It is hard to say. Hopefully he gets the help he needs.


alternet--2020-09-28--Ocasio-Cortez: Trump is a 'walking scam'

Financial records that President Donald Trump has persistently fought to keep hidden from the American public show that the billionaire real estate mogul did n't pay a dollar in federal income taxes in 10 of the 15 years prior to his White House victory and paid just $ 750 in both 2016 and 2017 , revelations that further expose the extent to which the U.S. tax code imposes greater burdens on the working class than the ultra-wealthy .
`` In 2016 and '17 , I paid thousands of dollars a year in taxes as a bartender .
Trump paid $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ D-N.Y. ) tweeted late Sunday in response to the bombshell New York Times report on the president 's tax records .
`` He contributed less to funding our communities than waitresses and undocumented immigrants .
Donald Trump has never cared for our country more than he cares for himself .
A walking scam . ''
According to the Times , which obtained long-sought tax returns spanning two decades , the records provide new insights into how Trump has utilized massive losses accumulated in the world of business to avoid paying federal income taxes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surrounding a decade-long , behind-the-scenes fight between Trump and the IRS over a $ 72.9 million income tax refund the billionaire claimed and received in 2010 thanks to a `` little-noticed provision in a bill [ former President Barack Obama ] signed as part of the Great Recession recovery effort . ''
Under the provision , the Times explained , `` business owners could request full refunds of taxes paid in the prior four years , and 50 % of those from the year before that . ''
`` Mr. Trump had paid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the change meant that when he filed his taxes for 2009 , he could seek a refund of not just the $ 13.3 million he had paid in 2007 , but also the combined $ 56.9 million paid in 2005 and 2006 , when 'The Apprentice ' created what was likely the biggest income tax bite of his life . ''
The enormous refund is the subject of an ongoing IRS audit that the president has repeatedly cited as a justification for his refusal to release his tax returns , breaking with decades @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` the dispute may center on a single claim that jumps off the page of Mr. Trump 's 2009 tax return : a declaration of more than $ 700 million in business losses that he had not been allowed to use in prior years .
Unleashing that giant tax-avoidance coupon enabled him to receive some or all of his refund . ''
In a statement late Sunday , Stand Up America spokesperson Ryan Thomas said that `` a man who uses dubious tax schemes to avoid paying taxes or lies to the public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Oval Office . ''
`` Four years ago , Donald Trump broke decades of precedent when he refused to release his tax returns to the public .
At each turn since , he 's attempted to shield his financial records from the public—even as congressional and criminal investigators look into how he 's profited off the presidency and his decades of fraudulent tax schemes , '' said Thomas .
`` We 've demanded Trump 's tax returns for years because the American people deserve to know what he 's paying—and the answer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On top of laying bare Trump 's long-running efforts to dodge federal income taxes , observers noted that the records also offer a window into a world of tax avoidance by the wealthiest Americans that 's far broader than the president 's personal exploits .
`` There 's so much in these tax returns that are not just about Trump , but about how the rich have different rules , '' tweeted Michael Linden , executive director of the Groundwork Collective .
`` A worker earning an hourly wage ca n't deduct 'business @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teacher ca n't carry over losses for a decade . ''

Financial records that President Donald Trump has persistently fought to keep hidden from the American public show that the billionaire real estate mogul didn't pay a dollar in federal income taxes in 10 of the 15 years prior to his White House victory and paid just $750 in both 2016 and 2017, revelations that further expose the extent to which the U.S. tax code imposes greater burdens on the working class than the ultra-wealthy.
"In 2016 and '17, I paid thousands of dollars a year in taxes as a bartender. Trump paid $750," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) tweeted late Sunday in response to the bombshell New York Times report on the president's tax records. "He contributed less to funding our communities than waitresses and undocumented immigrants. Donald Trump has never cared for our country more than he cares for himself. A walking scam."
According to the Times, which obtained long-sought tax returns spanning two decades, the records provide new insights into how Trump has utilized massive losses accumulated in the world of business to avoid paying federal income taxes:
Mr. Trump's net income from his fame—his 50% share of "The Apprentice," together with the riches showered upon him by the scores of suitors paying to use his name—totaled $427.4 million through 2018. A further $176.5 million in profit came to him through his investment in two highly successful office buildings.
So how did he escape nearly all taxes on that fortune? Even the effective tax rate paid by the wealthiest one percent of Americans could have caused him to pay more than $100 million.
The answer rests in a third category of Mr. Trump's endeavors: businesses that he owns and runs himself. The collective and persistent losses he reported from them largely absolved him from paying federal income taxes on the $600 million from "The Apprentice," branding deals and investments.
The records also offer new details surrounding a decade-long, behind-the-scenes fight between Trump and the IRS over a $72.9 million income tax refund the billionaire claimed and received in 2010 thanks to a "little-noticed provision in a bill [former President Barack Obama] signed as part of the Great Recession recovery effort."
Under the provision, the Times explained, "business owners could request full refunds of taxes paid in the prior four years, and 50% of those from the year before that."
"Mr. Trump had paid no income taxes in 2008. But the change meant that when he filed his taxes for 2009, he could seek a refund of not just the $13.3 million he had paid in 2007, but also the combined $56.9 million paid in 2005 and 2006, when 'The Apprentice' created what was likely the biggest income tax bite of his life."
The enormous refund is the subject of an ongoing IRS audit that the president has repeatedly cited as a justification for his refusal to release his tax returns, breaking with decades of precedent.
The Times reported that "the dispute may center on a single claim that jumps off the page of Mr. Trump's 2009 tax return: a declaration of more than $700 million in business losses that he had not been allowed to use in prior years. Unleashing that giant tax-avoidance coupon enabled him to receive some or all of his refund."
In a statement late Sunday, Stand Up America spokesperson Ryan Thomas said that "a man who uses dubious tax schemes to avoid paying taxes or lies to the public about his finances has no place in the Oval Office." "Four years ago, Donald Trump broke decades of precedent when he refused to release his tax returns to the public. At each turn since, he's attempted to shield his financial records from the public—even as congressional and criminal investigators look into how he's profited off the presidency and his decades of fraudulent tax schemes," said Thomas. "We've demanded Trump's tax returns for years because the American people deserve to know what he's paying—and the answer appears to be very little."
On top of laying bare Trump's long-running efforts to dodge federal income taxes, observers noted that the records also offer a window into a world of tax avoidance by the wealthiest Americans that's far broader than the president's personal exploits.
"There's so much in these tax returns that are not just about Trump, but about how the rich have different rules," tweeted Michael Linden, executive director of the Groundwork Collective. "A worker earning an hourly wage can't deduct 'business expenses' from their income. A teacher can't carry over losses for a decade."


alternet--2020-09-28--Former Army prosecutor: Trump will ‘get laughed out of court’ if he tries to steal the election

Democrats are still panicking about the plots that President Donald Trump and the Republican Party seem to be cooking up to circumvent the people 's vote in November .
Last week 's shocking piece in The Atlantic detailed how electors in Pennsylvania could be manipulated to deliver Trump the vote despite ballots to the contrary .
After President George W. Bush 's campaign convincing the Supreme Court to stop Florida from counting the 2000 election ballots , there is a fear that Trump too could manipulate the courts to get his Supreme Court justices to deliver him a win .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Glenn Kirschner released a video Sunday explaining that there 's no chance Trump will be successful .
He said that voters still have to get out `` in numbers too big to rig — in numbers too real to steal , '' but if things go well for Democrats , Trump will likely launch lawsuits in critical parts of battleground states to try and save himself .
`` Donald Trump is going to get laughed out of court , '' said Kirschner .
`` How can I say that ?
Well , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I appeared before in my 30 years as a prosecutor .
It 's probably around 200 , give or take .
And those are both military judges in military trials and military appellate courts .
Those are civilian judges in civilian trial courts and in appellate courts… I 've been in front of a lot of judges .
I 've argued a lot of cases .
And what I can tell you is a litigant ca n't walk into court with unclean hands .
A litigant ca n't create a problem and then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I am a victim of the problem I created !
And judge I demand relief . '
'' He went on to explain the `` clean hands doctrine '' or the `` doctrine of wrongdoing '' which he says will ultimately be Trump 's undoing .
See the video below : Here 's Why Trump Will Lose ALL Court Battles Contesting the Election .

Democrats are still panicking about the plots that President Donald Trump and the Republican Party seem to be cooking up to circumvent the people's vote in November.
Last week's shocking piece in The Atlanticdetailed how electors in Pennsylvania could be manipulated to deliver Trump the vote despite ballots to the contrary. After President George W. Bush's campaign convincing the Supreme Court to stop Florida from counting the 2000 election ballots, there is a fear that Trump too could manipulate the courts to get his Supreme Court justices to deliver him a win.
Former Army prosecutor and MSNBC legal analyst Glenn Kirschner released a video Sunday explaining that there's no chance Trump will be successful.
He said that voters still have to get out "in numbers too big to rig — in numbers too real to steal," but if things go well for Democrats, Trump will likely launch lawsuits in critical parts of battleground states to try and save himself.
"Donald Trump is going to get laughed out of court," said Kirschner. "How can I say that? Well, I tried to count out how many judges I appeared before in my 30 years as a prosecutor. It's probably around 200, give or take. And those are both military judges in military trials and military appellate courts. Those are civilian judges in civilian trial courts and in appellate courts… I've been in front of a lot of judges. I've argued a lot of cases. And what I can tell you is a litigant can't walk into court with unclean hands. A litigant can't create a problem and then walk into court and say, 'I am a victim of the problem I created! And judge I demand relief.'"
He went on to explain the "clean hands doctrine" or the "doctrine of wrongdoing" which he says will ultimately be Trump's undoing.
See the video below:


alternet--2020-09-29--Biden faces a major strategic choice as he debates Trump 1-on-1

It 's officially the home stretch : Early voting has already started and on Tuesday night , Donald Trump and Joe Biden will debate for the first time in what 's generally agreed to be Trump 's best chance to change the dynamics of a race he 's currently losing , badly .
Precedent is not with him .
Despite Adam Nagourney 's best effort to paint Trump as a debate champion , polls showed that viewers thought Hillary Clinton beat Trump in 2016 's debates .
But we also know that Trump will go down in the ugliest possible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to question whether anyone is seriously looking forward to this .
Ninety minutes of Trump lying and whining and bullying and undermining U.S. democracy , with Fox News host Chris Wallace serving as the guardrails .
Trump 's repeated attempts to focus attention on the idea of drug testing Biden shows what must be a significant sense of doom on his part .
But again , Trump will make this as ugly and dangerous as he possibly can .
Biden has to be prepared for the onslaught of lies and attacks , coming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how to parry without being dragged into the mud .
He did well in his 2008 and 2012 vice presidential debates , using very different strategies to take on very different opponents , and found his footing in his single one-on-one primary debate in 2020 , opposite Sen. Bernie Sanders .
But Trump is … Trump .
It 's `` not like preparing for a normal debate , '' as former Obama strategist David Axelrod put it .
`` How do you deal with serial lying ? ''
Axelrod asked .
`` How @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He can be exasperating .
How much do you want to tangle with him on every point ?
How do you keep from going down rabbit holes that do n't really lead anywhere ? ''
Those are big strategic decisions on which you have to figure Biden 's debate preparation has focused .
One decision the campaign has hinted at is for Biden to refuse to try to counter Trump 's blizzard of lies one by one .
`` If you take on that role , you seem small , '' said former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adviser Jay Carney .
But there also has to be a way to signal a big fat nope on the lies .
In his interview with Trump over the summer , Wallace did n't let him off too easily , but the stakes are different now .
Wallace is still a Fox News personality , and he 's going to have to decide whether that outweighs his desire to be seen as a serious news guy .
One thing we do know : Fact-checkers will have a lot to do late Tuesday night @ @ @

It's officially the home stretch: Early voting has already started and on Tuesday night, Donald Trump and Joe Biden will debate for the first time in what's generally agreed to be Trump's best chance to change the dynamics of a race he's currently losing, badly. Precedent is not with him. Despite Adam Nagourney's best effort to paint Trump as a debate champion, polls showed that viewers thought Hillary Clinton beat Trump in 2016's debates.
But we also know that Trump will go down in the ugliest possible fashion, which is why you have to question whether anyone is seriously looking forward to this. Ninety minutes of Trump lying and whining and bullying and undermining U.S. democracy, with Fox News host Chris Wallace serving as the guardrails. Trump's repeated attempts to focus attention on the idea of drug testing Biden shows what must be a significant sense of doom on his part. But again, Trump will make this as ugly and dangerous as he possibly can.
Biden has to be prepared for the onslaught of lies and attacks, coming to the debate with a strategy for how to parry without being dragged into the mud. He did well in his 2008 and 2012 vice presidential debates, using very different strategies to take on very different opponents, and found his footing in his single one-on-one primary debate in 2020, opposite Sen. Bernie Sanders. But Trump is … Trump. It's "not like preparing for a normal debate," as former Obama strategist David Axelrod put it.
"How do you deal with serial lying?" Axelrod asked. "How do you deal with the provocations. He can be exasperating. How much do you want to tangle with him on every point? How do you keep from going down rabbit holes that don't really lead anywhere?"
Those are big strategic decisions on which you have to figure Biden's debate preparation has focused. One decision the campaign has hinted at is for Biden to refuse to try to counter Trump's blizzard of lies one by one. "If you take on that role, you seem small," said former White House press secretary and former Biden adviser Jay Carney. But there also has to be a way to signal a big fat nope on the lies.
In his interview with Trump over the summer, Wallace didn't let him off too easily, but the stakes are different now. Wallace is still a Fox News personality, and he's going to have to decide whether that outweighs his desire to be seen as a serious news guy.
One thing we do know: Fact-checkers will have a lot to do late Tuesday night into Wednesday.


alternet--2020-09-28--Scientists believe they have found a system of briny underground lakes on Mars

Two years after planetary scientists claimed they had discovered a large saltwater lake on Mars — a finding that , if accurate , significantly increases the possibility of life existing on that planet — a group of researchers now claims to have discovered yet more underground bodies of liquid saltwater , all of them beneath the ice of the Martian south pole .
In a study published in the journal Nature Astronomy , a group of scientists from Italy , Australia and Germany have found evidence of three saltwater lakes near the Martian south pole in addition to the one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They arrived at this conclusion by using an instrument called MARSIS — an acronym for Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding — which is onboard the European Mars Express , a spacecraft that orbits the planet .
MARSIS created 134 radar profiles from 2010 to 2019 of the Martian region known as Ultimi Scopuli , which researchers analyzed .
They concluded that an entire system of buried lakes might exist on the planet , rather than only one . ''
Our results strengthen the claim of the detection of a liquid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the presence of other wet areas nearby , '' the scientists write .
Although the presence of water could suggest the existence of life akin to the organisms that exist in subglacial lakes in Antarctica , the Martian lakes are believed to be `` hypersaline '' — that is , unusually salty .
This would make it more difficult for Earth-like life to exist there .
`` There 's not much active life in these briny pools in Antarctica , '' John Priscu , an environmental scientist at Montana State University , told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just pickled .
And that might be the case [ on Mars ] . ''
Scientists are also not in agreement that the data shows definitively that these are underground lakes .
`` Something interesting is happening here , but there 's a really high bar for proof when it comes to talking about liquid water on Mars , '' Cassie Stuurman , a planetary scientist and radar expert with the European Space Agency ( and who is not involved in the recent study ) , told Gizmodo by email .
`` To @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to see this corroborated by other lines of data and evidence . ''
Ali Bramson , a planetary scientist at Purdue University , expressed a similar view to Science News , arguing that `` something funky is going on at this location '' but adding that `` there are some limitations to the instrument and the data… .
I do n't know if it 's totally a slam dunk yet . ''
The news comes on the heels of the revelation that Earth 's other neighbor , Venus , Earth 's , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Two weeks ago , a group of scientists published a Nature Astronomy paper in which they revealed that phosphine has been discovered in the atmosphere of Venus .
`` The only known processes that produce phosphine on Earth in similar quantities are biological in origin , '' Helen J. Fraser , a co-author of the Venus paper , told Salon earlier this month .

Two years after planetary scientists claimed they had discovered a large saltwater lake on Mars — a finding that, if accurate, significantly increases the possibility of life existing on that planet — a group of researchers now claims to have discovered yet more underground bodies of liquid saltwater, all of them beneath the ice of the Martian south pole.
In a study published in the journal Nature Astronomy, a group of scientists from Italy, Australia and Germany have found evidence of three saltwater lakes near the Martian south pole in addition to the one they believe they found in 2018. They arrived at this conclusion by using an instrument called MARSIS — an acronym for Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding — which is onboard the European Mars Express, a spacecraft that orbits the planet. MARSIS created 134 radar profiles from 2010 to 2019 of the Martian region known as Ultimi Scopuli, which researchers analyzed. They concluded that an entire system of buried lakes might exist on the planet, rather than only one."
Our results strengthen the claim of the detection of a liquid water body at Ultimi Scopuli and indicate the presence of other wet areas nearby," the scientists write.
Although the presence of water could suggest the existence of life akin to the organisms that exist in subglacial lakes in Antarctica, the Martian lakes are believed to be "hypersaline" — that is, unusually salty. This would make it more difficult for Earth-like life to exist there.
"There's not much active life in these briny pools in Antarctica," John Priscu, an environmental scientist at Montana State University, told the journal Nature. "They're just pickled. And that might be the case [on Mars]."
Scientists are also not in agreement that the data shows definitively that these are underground lakes.
"Something interesting is happening here, but there's a really high bar for proof when it comes to talking about liquid water on Mars," Cassie Stuurman, a planetary scientist and radar expert with the European Space Agency (and who is not involved in the recent study), told Gizmodo by email. "To be really convincing, most scientists would want to see this corroborated by other lines of data and evidence."
Ali Bramson, a planetary scientist at Purdue University, expressed a similar view to Science News, arguing that "something funky is going on at this location" but adding that "there are some limitations to the instrument and the data…. I don't know if it's totally a slam dunk yet."
The news comes on the heels of the revelation that Earth's other neighbor, Venus, Earth's, may harbor airborne life in its atmosphere. Two weeks ago, a group of scientists published a Nature Astronomy paper in which they revealed that phosphine has been discovered in the atmosphere of Venus. "The only known processes that produce phosphine on Earth in similar quantities are biological in origin," Helen J. Fraser, a co-author of the Venus paper, told Salon earlier this month.


alternet--2020-09-28--‘The View’ hosts corner Ted Cruz over lame attempt to blame Democrats for COVID-19 deaths

Under President Donald Trump 's leadership , the United States has the highest COVID-19 death count in the world — and states with Republican governors , including Florida and Texas , had some of the worst coronavirus surges over the summer .
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas tried to defend the GOP response to the COVID-19 pandemic during a Monday , September 28 appearance on ABC 's `` The View '' — and it did n't go well for the GOP senator .
Grilling Cruz forcefully , liberal co-host Joy Behar noted that Republican Florida Gov .
Ron DeSantis `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allowing bars and restaurants to operate at full capacity without a mask mandate .
He said they wo n't be closing anything going forward . ''
Behar asked Cruz if Texas should do the same thing , and he responded by trying to blame Democrats for coronavirus deaths — especially New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo .
Cruz claimed that the death rates have been `` much , much lower '' in Florida than in states with Democratic governors , failing to mention how quickly Cuomo enacted a stay-at-home policy .
Behar , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was `` hit early '' by the pandemic .
And when Cruz would n't say anything about DeSantis ' policies , Behar told the senator , `` You are deflecting , sir .
You are deflecting the question . ''
Whoopi Goldberg , another co-host , jumped in , reminding Cruz how disastrous Trump 's response to the pandemic has been at the federal level .
`` Had the man who is running the country right now given us this information in January when he had it — when we could have maybe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might have worked differently , '' Goldberg told Cruz .
`` I just wanted to point that out .
It 's not about whose people died more .
People died , and they did n't have to . ''

Under President Donald Trump's leadership, the United States has the highest COVID-19 death count in the world — and states with Republican governors, including Florida and Texas, had some of the worst coronavirus surges over the summer. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas tried to defend the GOP response to the COVID-19 pandemic during a Monday, September 28 appearance on ABC's "The View" — and it didn't go well for the GOP senator.
Grilling Cruz forcefully, liberal co-host Joy Behar noted that Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis "recently lifted all restrictions on businesses, allowing bars and restaurants to operate at full capacity without a mask mandate. He said they won't be closing anything going forward." Behar asked Cruz if Texas should do the same thing, and he responded by trying to blame Democrats for coronavirus deaths — especially New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Cruz claimed that the death rates have been "much, much lower" in Florida than in states with Democratic governors, failing to mention how quickly Cuomo enacted a stay-at-home policy.
Behar, however, reminded Cruz that New York was "hit early" by the pandemic. And when Cruz wouldn't say anything about DeSantis' policies, Behar told the senator, "You are deflecting, sir. You are deflecting the question."
Whoopi Goldberg, another co-host, jumped in, reminding Cruz how disastrous Trump's response to the pandemic has been at the federal level.
"Had the man who is running the country right now given us this information in January when he had it — when we could have maybe done something a little differently — it might have worked differently," Goldberg told Cruz. "I just wanted to point that out. It's not about whose people died more. People died, and they didn't have to."
Watch the video below:


alternet--2020-09-28--DeJoy and Trump lose a third time in federal court as Postal Service works to undo sabotage

For the third time in a matter of weeks , a federal court has warned that the sabotage at the U.S .
Postal Service ( USPS ) at the hands of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is politically motivated and aimed at crippling the USPS ' work in helping secure a free and fair election .
U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan of Washington , D.C. , ordered DeJoy to halt implementing the changes that have resulted in mail delivery delays nationwide .
His is the third such ruling .
A fourth case was heard last week in Pennsylvania .
At @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continuing his `` trucks on time '' delivery restrictions that have upended the system , leaving mail behind for days and sometimes weeks and resulting in empty trucks leaving distribution centers when they could n't be loaded according to schedule .
He has been ordered to stop removing mail sorting machines and collection boxes now by three courts , and by all accounts has halted these operational changes .
This is as clear a demonstration of why the independent courts are so vital to the nation as you 're going to get , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called out the blatant politicization of the institution by Trump and DeJoy .
`` It is clearly in the public interest to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 , to ensure safe alternatives to in-person voting , and to require that the USPS comply with the law , '' Sullivan wrote .
That follows a ruling in New York last week in which a federal judge blasted DeJoy , Postal Service leadership , and Donald Trump .
`` They have not provided trusted assurance and comfort that citizens will be able to cast ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be timely collected and counted , '' Judge Victor Marrero wrote .
`` The right to vote is too vital a value in our democracy to be left in a state of suspense in the minds of voters weeks before a presidential election , raising doubts as to whether their votes will ultimately be counted , '' Marrero said in his opinion .
Judge Stanley Bastian in Washington State was even more pointed .
DeJoy and Trump , he wrote , are `` involved in a politically motivated attack on the efficiency of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this attack on the Postal Service is likely to irreparably harm the states ' ability to administer the 2020 general election . ''
In his injunction , Bastian wrote `` at the heart of DeJoy 's and the Postal Service 's actions is voter disenfranchisement , '' citing Trump 's statements about withholding funds from the USPS and `` the actual impact of the changes on primary elections that resulted in uncounted ballots . ''
He continued that it appeared the changes were `` an intentional effort on the part of the current @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of upcoming local , state and federal elections . ''
The various orders have stopped DeJoy from pushing his leave-mail-behind policy , from decommissioning machines , and required that he preapprove overtime and extra trips for the two weeks around the election as necessary to get all ballots delivered .
Election mail also has to be prioritized as first-class .
The Postal Service and 19 states are in settlement talks to resolve all the cases from Washington State , New York , and Pennsylvania .
The judges in the Washington State and New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , D.C. , have handed down injunctions halting DeJoy from acting further .
Judge Gerald A. McHugh Jr. of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has n't yet ruled on a separate case brought by Pennsylvania Attorney General Joshua Shapiro .
This settlement will bind the USPS to an agreement and `` act as a firewall against challenges from President Trump on the legitimacy of mail-in votes by recognizing the states ' authority to preside over elections and how ballots are processed , '' sources involved in the negotiations told The Washington Post .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Justice Department , which is representing the USPS , had agreed to most of the elements of the injunctions , including ending enforcement of DeJoy 's transportation schedule and the decommissioning of machines .
According to the Post , they had not agreed to an overtime policy as of Friday and were still discussing the issue .
Sullivan 's decision and injunction could help bring more weight to the state 's side on this point as well .
In filings from the USPS , however , before Sullivan 's Sunday ruling , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had told managers not to reduce overtime , cut retail hours , close processing facilities , or remove equipment .
The USPS has also said that it will treat all election mail as first-class priority whether or not it 's paid as first-class , and that it will make sure that any extra processes , delivery schedules , and collection trips necessary to get election mail in on time are allowed .
There 's a matter of oversight and enforcement to consider , but since their work is so public and has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obvious if they 're not fulfilling these obligations .
Clearly , the courts are ready to do what 's necessary to make the Postal Service operate .
Make it four out of four—Pennsylvania Judge Gerald McHugh joined his colleagues in stopping the USPS 's changes , writing `` irreparable harm will result '' in the election , and to the agency in general if they are not halted .

For the third time in a matter of weeks, a federal court has warned that the sabotage at the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) at the hands of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is politically motivated and aimed at crippling the USPS' work in helping secure a free and fair election. U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan of Washington, D.C., ordered DeJoy to halt implementing the changes that have resulted in mail delivery delays nationwide. His is the third such ruling. A fourth case was heard last week in Pennsylvania.
At this point, DeJoy is enjoined from continuing his "trucks on time" delivery restrictions that have upended the system, leaving mail behind for days and sometimes weeks and resulting in empty trucks leaving distribution centers when they couldn't be loaded according to schedule. He has been ordered to stop removing mail sorting machines and collection boxes now by three courts, and by all accounts has halted these operational changes. This is as clear a demonstration of why the independent courts are so vital to the nation as you're going to get, because every judge who has intervened has called out the blatant politicization of the institution by Trump and DeJoy. "It is clearly in the public interest to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, to ensure safe alternatives to in-person voting, and to require that the USPS comply with the law," Sullivan wrote.
That follows a ruling in New York last week in which a federal judge blasted DeJoy, Postal Service leadership, and Donald Trump. "They have not provided trusted assurance and comfort that citizens will be able to cast ballots with full confidence that their votes would be timely collected and counted," Judge Victor Marrero wrote. "The right to vote is too vital a value in our democracy to be left in a state of suspense in the minds of voters weeks before a presidential election, raising doubts as to whether their votes will ultimately be counted," Marrero said in his opinion.
Judge Stanley Bastian in Washington State was even more pointed. DeJoy and Trump, he wrote, are "involved in a politically motivated attack on the efficiency of the Postal Service" and said "this attack on the Postal Service is likely to irreparably harm the states' ability to administer the 2020 general election." In his injunction, Bastian wrote "at the heart of DeJoy's and the Postal Service's actions is voter disenfranchisement," citing Trump's statements about withholding funds from the USPS and "the actual impact of the changes on primary elections that resulted in uncounted ballots." He continued that it appeared the changes were "an intentional effort on the part of the current administration to disrupt and challenge the legitimacy of upcoming local, state and federal elections."
The various orders have stopped DeJoy from pushing his leave-mail-behind policy, from decommissioning machines, and required that he preapprove overtime and extra trips for the two weeks around the election as necessary to get all ballots delivered. Election mail also has to be prioritized as first-class. The Postal Service and 19 states are in settlement talks to resolve all the cases from Washington State, New York, and Pennsylvania.
The judges in the Washington State and New York cases, and now in Washington, D.C., have handed down injunctions halting DeJoy from acting further. Judge Gerald A. McHugh Jr. of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania hasn't yet ruled on a separate case brought by Pennsylvania Attorney General Joshua Shapiro. This settlement will bind the USPS to an agreement and "act as a firewall against challenges from President Trump on the legitimacy of mail-in votes by recognizing the states' authority to preside over elections and how ballots are processed," sources involved in the negotiations told TheWashington Post.
As of Friday, the states and the Justice Department, which is representing the USPS, had agreed to most of the elements of the injunctions, including ending enforcement of DeJoy's transportation schedule and the decommissioning of machines. According to the Post, they had not agreed to an overtime policy as of Friday and were still discussing the issue. Sullivan's decision and injunction could help bring more weight to the state's side on this point as well. In filings from the USPS, however, before Sullivan's Sunday ruling, the Justice Department said that the agency had told managers not to reduce overtime, cut retail hours, close processing facilities, or remove equipment.
The USPS has also said that it will treat all election mail as first-class priority whether or not it's paid as first-class, and that it will make sure that any extra processes, delivery schedules, and collection trips necessary to get election mail in on time are allowed. There's a matter of oversight and enforcement to consider, but since their work is so public and has been under such scrutiny, it will be obvious if they're not fulfilling these obligations. Clearly, the courts are ready to do what's necessary to make the Postal Service operate.
Make it four out of four—Pennsylvania Judge Gerald McHugh joined his colleagues in stopping the USPS's changes, writing "irreparable harm will result" in the election, and to the agency in general if they are not halted.


alternet--2020-09-28--CNN’s Avlon slams Trump as a pseudo-populist ‘fraud’ for paying less in taxes than ‘the average scho

CNN’s Avlon slams Trump as a pseudo-populist ‘fraud’ for paying less in taxes than ‘the average school teacher'

Next to President Donald Trump formally announcing that he had chosen Judge Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the U.S. Supreme Court , the biggest political bombshell of the weekend was the New York Times ' damning report on Trump 's tax returns .
And CNN 's John Avlon analyzed that bombshell during a Reality Check segment aired on the morning show , `` New Day , '' on Monday , September 28 — stressing that Trump is hardly the populist he pretends to be .
`` Question : who pays @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ?
, '' Avlon told CNN viewers .
`` Basically , every American who works hard and plays by the rules . ''
Avlon noted that according to the Times , Trump `` paid no federal income taxes ten out of 15 years starting in 2000 '' — adding , `` And get this : during his campaign ( and ) in the first year of his presidency , the Times says Trump paid only $ 750 . ''
The fact that Trump paid so little in federal income taxes considering how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is `` evidence of a broken system . ''
`` Donald Trump , with a tower on 5th Avenue and an estate in Palm Beach , paid less in taxes than the average household in America — which makes just shy of $ 69,000 a year , '' Avlon noted .
`` In fact , Trump paid less in federal income taxes than the average single grade school teacher , nurse , cop , farmer , firefighter and truck driver . ''
Avlon added , `` And that 's not all .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is less than the monthly average rent families pay in Pennsylvania , Florida , Michigan or Wisconsin , according to a 2017 survey .
This is real man-of the-people stuff here….. And he and his companies paid more in taxes to Panama , India and the Philippines than to his own country . ''
Trump , Avlon noted , `` kept living a lavish lifestyle while losing millions and parlayed it into becoming president , in part , by assuring Americans he was a successful businessman . ''
Avlon wrapped up his Reality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York real estate magnate '' : the late Leona Helmsley , who went to prison for tax evasion .
Helmsley , Avlon recalled , infamously said , `` We do n't pay taxes .
Only the little people pay taxes '' — and Avlon added , `` Only this time , the contempt for hard-working men and women who pay their taxes comes straight from the president of the United States . ''

Next to President Donald Trump formally announcing that he had chosen Judge Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the U.S. Supreme Court, the biggest political bombshell of the weekend was the New York Times' damning report on Trump's tax returns. And CNN's John Avlon analyzed that bombshell during a Reality Check segment aired on the morning show, "New Day," on Monday, September 28 — stressing that Trump is hardly the populist he pretends to be.
"Question: who pays more in federal income taxes than President Trump?," Avlon told CNN viewers. "Basically, every American who works hard and plays by the rules."
Avlon noted that according to the Times, Trump "paid no federal income taxes ten out of 15 years starting in 2000" — adding, "And get this: during his campaign (and) in the first year of his presidency, the Times says Trump paid only $750."
The fact that Trump paid so little in federal income taxes considering how wealthy he is, Avlon argued, is "evidence of a broken system."
"Donald Trump, with a tower on 5th Avenue and an estate in Palm Beach, paid less in taxes than the average household in America — which makes just shy of $69,000 a year," Avlon noted. "In fact, Trump paid less in federal income taxes than the average single grade school teacher, nurse, cop, farmer, firefighter and truck driver."
Avlon added, "And that's not all. Trump's $750 in federal income taxes is less than the monthly average rent families pay in Pennsylvania, Florida, Michigan or Wisconsin, according to a 2017 survey. This is real man-of the-people stuff here….. And he and his companies paid more in taxes to Panama, India and the Philippines than to his own country."
Trump, Avlon noted, "kept living a lavish lifestyle while losing millions and parlayed it into becoming president, in part, by assuring Americans he was a successful businessman."
Avlon wrapped up his Reality Check segment by quoting "another infamous New York real estate magnate": the late Leona Helmsley, who went to prison for tax evasion. Helmsley, Avlon recalled, infamously said, "We don't pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes" — and Avlon added, "Only this time, the contempt for hard-working men and women who pay their taxes comes straight from the president of the United States."
Watch:


alternet--2020-09-28--Trump wanted to tap daughter Ivanka as his running mate in 2016: Rick Gates

During his 2016 presidential campaign , President Donald Trump showed the Christian Right how badly he wanted their votes when he picked then-Indiana Gov .
Mike Pence , a far-right social conservative , as his running mate .
But in a new book , Rick Gates — who served as a deputy campaign manager for Trump in 2016 — reveals that before he picked Pence , Trump was seriously considering someone else : his daughter Ivanka Trump , now a White House senior adviser .
Rosalind S. Helderman and Tom Hamburger of the Washington Post report that according to Gates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allies , `` I think it should be Ivanka .
What about Ivanka as my VP ?
... .
She 's bright , she 's smart , she 's beautiful , and the people would love her . ''
Trump 's suggestion , Helderman and Hamburger note , was not a `` passing fancy , '' but an idea that he brought up `` repeatedly over the following weeks , trying to sell his campaign staff on the idea — insisting she would be embraced by the Republican base . ''
It was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who dissuaded her father .
Helderman and Hamburger explain , `` Trump was so taken with the concept of his eldest daughter as his vice president — and so cool to other options , including his eventual selection , then-Indiana Gov .
Mike Pence — that his team polled the idea twice , according to Gates .
It was Ivanka Trump who finally ended the conversation , Gates writes , going to her father to tell him it was n't a good idea .
Trump eventually came around and selected Pence .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ as his running mate , she would have been just barely old enough .
Ivanka Trump , born in New York City on October 30 , 1981 , was 34 when her father was considering her for his running mate and turned 35 — the minimum age to be president or vice president — on October 30 , 2016 .
A presidential candidate 's running mate , under the U.S. Constitution , can be 34 but has to be 35 by Inauguration Day .
Gates ' book , `` Wicked Game : An @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Mueller Failed , and America Lost , '' is due out on October 13 .
Helderman and Hamburger note that unlike other Trump-related books released in 2020 , `` Wicked Game '' is not a tell-all book but rather , a `` defense of the president and how he and others helped elect him . ''

During his 2016 presidential campaign, President Donald Trump showed the Christian Right how badly he wanted their votes when he picked then-Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, a far-right social conservative, as his running mate. But in a new book, Rick Gates — who served as a deputy campaign manager for Trump in 2016 — reveals that before he picked Pence, Trump was seriously considering someone else: his daughter Ivanka Trump, now a White House senior adviser.
Rosalind S. Helderman and Tom Hamburger of the Washington Post report that according to Gates, Donald Trump told a group of allies, "I think it should be Ivanka. What about Ivanka as my VP?.... She's bright, she's smart, she's beautiful, and the people would love her."
Trump's suggestion, Helderman and Hamburger note, was not a "passing fancy," but an idea that he brought up "repeatedly over the following weeks, trying to sell his campaign staff on the idea — insisting she would be embraced by the Republican base."
It was Ivanka Trump herself, according to Gates, who dissuaded her father.
Helderman and Hamburger explain, "Trump was so taken with the concept of his eldest daughter as his vice president — and so cool to other options, including his eventual selection, then-Indiana Gov. Mike Pence — that his team polled the idea twice, according to Gates. It was Ivanka Trump who finally ended the conversation, Gates writes, going to her father to tell him it wasn't a good idea. Trump eventually came around and selected Pence."
Had Donald Trump chosen his daughter as his running mate, she would have been just barely old enough. Ivanka Trump, born in New York City on October 30, 1981, was 34 when her father was considering her for his running mate and turned 35 — the minimum age to be president or vice president — on October 30, 2016. A presidential candidate's running mate, under the U.S. Constitution, can be 34 but has to be 35 by Inauguration Day.
Gates' book, "Wicked Game: An Insider's Story on How Trump Won, Mueller Failed, and America Lost," is due out on October 13. Helderman and Hamburger note that unlike other Trump-related books released in 2020, "Wicked Game" is not a tell-all book but rather, a "defense of the president and how he and others helped elect him."


alternet--2020-09-28--Taxpayers looking at their monthly bills have a lot of thoughts about Trump's $750 tax bill

The $ 750 in federal income taxes that Donald Trump paid in 2016 and 2017 is an attention-grabbing number—in large part because $ 750 is a number that a lot of people can wrap their heads around .
It 's not on the massive scale of federal budget numbers or even of only-for-billionaires expenditures .
For people making minimum wage or just above , it may in fact be their annual tax bill .
`` We 're talking about someone who works at a McDonald 's , and not someone who is managing it , '' Joseph Bankman , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , told The Washington Post .
`` This is an hourly worker at a fast-food restaurant . ''
But lots of people have something to compare that number to : monthly insulin costs for some diabetics .
A DACA renewal .
Rent , rent , rent .
An emergency room visit .
A family 's monthly grocery budget .
And , of course , while the Trumps are only paying $ 750 in income tax , you can look at their lifestyle and make plenty of comparisons of a different kind .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Secret Service 's golf cart rental contract at Trump 's New Jersey golf club … for summer 2020 .
There 's Ivanka 's $ 750 shoes .
Melania 's $ 795 shoes—or her $ 51,500 coat or estimated $ 114,000 in Hermès Birkin bags .
$ 750 was a little less than two nights at Trump 's Washington , D.C. , hotel in August—except for the nights right around the Republican National Convention , when $ 750 was only slightly more than one night there .
It 's also a little less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ritual '' and `` contour and lift '' facial at that hotel 's day spa .
A table of four could very easily spend $ 750 at one meal at the steak restaurant in that hotel .
It 's less than 1 % of the $ 77,000 in taxpayer money for Don Jr. to get Secret Service protection on a hunting trip to Mongolia to kill a threatened argali sheep .
We do n't have enough information to speculate about the relationship of $ 750 to Junior 's bleary-eyed , sweaty appearances of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ little less than the daily cost of detaining an immigrant child in some facilities .
It 's an infinitesimal fraction of a percentage of the cost of a quarter inch of Trump 's border wall .
It 's about 7 % of what some people have been charged for COVID-19 tests .

The $750 in federal income taxes that Donald Trump paid in 2016 and 2017 is an attention-grabbing number—in large part because $750 is a number that a lot of people can wrap their heads around. It's not on the massive scale of federal budget numbers or even of only-for-billionaires expenditures. For people making minimum wage or just above, it may in fact be their annual tax bill. "We're talking about someone who works at a McDonald's, and not someone who is managing it," Joseph Bankman, a tax law expert at Stanford Law School, told The Washington Post. "This is an hourly worker at a fast-food restaurant."
But lots of people have something to compare that number to: monthly insulin costs for some diabetics. A DACA renewal. Rent, rent, rent. An emergency room visit. A family's monthly grocery budget. And, of course, while the Trumps are only paying $750 in income tax, you can look at their lifestyle and make plenty of comparisons of a different kind.
It's about half of 1% of the Secret Service's golf cart rental contract at Trump's New Jersey golf club … for summer 2020.
There's Ivanka's $750 shoes. Melania's $795 shoes—or her $51,500 coat or estimated $114,000 in Hermès Birkin bags.
$750 was a little less than two nights at Trump's Washington, D.C., hotel in August—except for the nights right around the Republican National Convention, when $750 was only slightly more than one night there. It's also a little less than getting the "restore and revive ritual" and "contour and lift" facial at that hotel's day spa.
A table of four could very easily spend $750 at one meal at the steak restaurant in that hotel.
It's less than 1% of the $77,000 in taxpayer money for Don Jr. to get Secret Service protection on a hunting trip to Mongolia to kill a threatened argali sheep. We don't have enough information to speculate about the relationship of $750 to Junior's bleary-eyed, sweaty appearances of late.
$750 is also a little less than the daily cost of detaining an immigrant child in some facilities. It's an infinitesimal fraction of a percentage of the cost of a quarter inch of Trump's border wall. It's about 7% of what some people have been charged for COVID-19 tests.


alternet--2020-09-28--Ex-Florida Supreme Court chief justice: Trump is ‘attacking the very foundation of our electoral sys

Ex-Florida Supreme Court chief justice: Trump is ‘attacking the very foundation of our electoral system’

Charles T. Wells , former chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court , made the national headlines during the Bush v. Gore case and the turbulent aftermath of the 2000 presidential election .
As chaotic as that election was , the 2020 election is shaping up to be much more chaotic — and Wells , during a September 28 appearance on MSNBC 's `` Morning Joe , '' was vehemently critical of President Donald Trump for saying that he might not accept the election results if former Vice President Joe Biden wins in November .
Explaining why he believes that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wells told `` Morning Joe '' hosts Joe Scarborough ( a former Republican congressman who served in the U.S. House of Representatives via Florida during Bush v. Gore ) and Mika Brzezinski , `` Coming out of my experience in 2000….. it is important that our citizens have confidence in our electoral system . ''
For over a month in 2000 , the U.S. was unsure if Republican Texas Gov .
George W. Bush or Democratic Vice President Al Gore won Florida 's electoral votes .
But finally , on December 13 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and congratulated Bush on his victory — even though some Democrats were urging him to keep fighting over Florida .
Former Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell , who was head of the Democratic National Committee in 2000 and later became a two-term governor of Pennsylvania , was among the prominent Democrats who was urging Gore to concede — and Gore took Rendell 's advice .
Trump , Wells complained , is `` attacking the very foundation of our electoral system '' and is forgetting that in the U.S. , `` power is only temporarily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back on the post-election chaos of 2000 , Wells added that as testy as things became 20 years ago , there was never any doubt in his mind that Bush and Gore were `` acting in good faith '' and that one of them would concede sooner or later .
Sure enough , Gore conceded on December 13 , 2000 even though there was debate among Democrats about whether he should or should n't keep fighting over Florida .

Charles T. Wells, former chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court, made the national headlines during the Bush v. Gore case and the turbulent aftermath of the 2000 presidential election. As chaotic as that election was, the 2020 election is shaping up to be much more chaotic — and Wells, during a September 28 appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," was vehemently critical of President Donald Trump for saying that he might not accept the election results if former Vice President Joe Biden wins in November.
Explaining why he believes that Trump's actions are so egregious, Wells told "Morning Joe" hosts Joe Scarborough (a former Republican congressman who served in the U.S. House of Representatives via Florida during Bush v. Gore) and Mika Brzezinski, "Coming out of my experience in 2000….. it is important that our citizens have confidence in our electoral system."
For over a month in 2000, the U.S. was unsure if Republican Texas Gov. George W. Bush or Democratic Vice President Al Gore won Florida's electoral votes. But finally, on December 13, 2000, Gore made a concession speech and congratulated Bush on his victory — even though some Democrats were urging him to keep fighting over Florida. Former Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell, who was head of the Democratic National Committee in 2000 and later became a two-term governor of Pennsylvania, was among the prominent Democrats who was urging Gore to concede — and Gore took Rendell's advice.
Trump, Wells complained, is "attacking the very foundation of our electoral system" and is forgetting that in the U.S., "power is only temporarily bestowed upon a leader."
Looking back on the post-election chaos of 2000, Wells added that as testy as things became 20 years ago, there was never any doubt in his mind that Bush and Gore were "acting in good faith" and that one of them would concede sooner or later. Sure enough, Gore conceded on December 13, 2000 even though there was debate among Democrats about whether he should or shouldn't keep fighting over Florida.


alternet--2020-09-28--Trump can't escape his Covid-19 disaster with a polarizing Supreme Court fight to

Donald Trump faced two grim milestones in the past weeks : the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on September 18 , followed closely by America 's 200,000th death from the novel coronavirus pandemic on September 24 .
Trump may hope to use the sudden Supreme Court vacancy as catnip to unify his wavering conservative base , but he will find it much more challenging to outrun his administration 's mishandling of COVID-19 .
Nowhere was that mismanagement clearer than when Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin sat before the House Financial Services Committee last Tuesday to face questions about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic assistance tools like the Paycheck Protection Program and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance .
Mnuchin managed to frustrate Democrats and Republicans alike with his lack of details on how over $ 600 billion in CARES Act money is being managed by the Treasury .
GOP Congressman Ted Budd asked what more could be done to improve delivery of PPP support to struggling small businesses .
When Florida Democratic Rep. Al Lawson Jr. asked Mnuchin what the White House is doing to save America 's $ 4.4 trillion commercial real estate market , Mnuchin threw @ @ @ @ @ @ @ structural problems , '' Mnuchin said .
`` It 's an issue .
We do n't have a solution , we wish we did . ''
Now would be a good time for the White House to huddle up .
Global financial markets have been reeling as news spread that Europe may enter a deadly second wave of coronavirus infections , potentially triggering another sweeping lockdown just as countries like the United Kingdom were beginning to emerge from six months of quarantine .
A second wave brings more than just renewed lockdowns : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Metrics and Evaluation predicts a worst-case second wave could mean over 400,000 more deaths in the US between now and year 's end .
You wo n't find any press conferences about the White House 's second wave crisis plan .
There is no sober analysis of the risks from Dr. Fauci or even the now-sidelined Dr. Deborah Birx .
What you will find , still live on the White House website , is an article by Vice President Mike Pence flatly stating , `` there is n't a coronavirus second wave .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ are why 2 in 3 Americans now disapprove of how the Trump administration is handling the pandemic .
Only a third of independent voters think Trump has control of the crisis .
Meanwhile a Harvard CAPS-Harris poll found nearly 60 percent of Americans preferred Joe Biden to lead the nation out of the pandemic .
`` We 've done a phenomenal job , '' Trump told the state media bobbleheads over at Fox News earlier this month .
`` Not just a good job , a phenomenal job . ''
When asked how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump graded himself an `` A+ , '' saying only that he could have done better with public relations around a pandemic that has infected nearly 7 million people and killed three times as many Americans as the Vietnam War .
Voters are n't buying Trump 's wishful thinking .
Neither , it seems , are his own medical experts .
Just days after Trump again promised a COVID-19 vaccine with mass availability before November 3 , the Food and Drug Administration announced its stringent new standards for testing and approving a coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump 's supercharged timeline impossible , but you wo n't hear the president admit he was wrong .
Every time Trump 's enablers allow him to retreat into comfortable fantasy instead of facing the tough reality of this pandemic , they further imperil the president 's already struggling re-election efforts .
Biden 's commanding lead on coronavirus is n't just a threat to Trump 's ambitions—it also puts at-risk GOP senators like Arizona 's Martha McSally in immediate danger .
A recent New York Times/Siena College poll found Biden leading Trump in Arizona @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GOP Senators -- in part because voters now see a president hopelessly overwhelmed by a public health crisis he ca n't spin away .
That political poison is eroding voter support for the GOP brand across the board .
Trump 's disastrous mishandling of COVID-19 has become a time bomb for Republicans from the state house to the White House , and the president 's team is desperate for an opportunity to change the subject .
No wonder Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell leapt at the opportunity to polarize Justice Ginsburg 's death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ battle .
Biden 's team is n't taking the bait .
When Biden visited the Jerry Alander Carpenter Training Center in Wisconsin on Monday , he focused his remarks not on the Supreme Court fight brewing in Washington but on the real-world impact of Trump 's COVID-19 mismanagement .
`` I worry we risk becoming numb to the toll it 's taken on us and our country and communities like this , '' Biden told voters in Manitowoc .
`` The virus was too big for [ Trump ] . ''
If Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into the Democratic column , he should keep COVID-19 front-and-center in his messaging .
Contrary to Trump 's portrayal of coronavirus as a `` blue state '' disease , small towns across the country account for a growing number of deaths and COVID-related job losses .
Many of those communities are in former Trump strongholds like Texas , North Carolina , Georgia and Iowa .
With major media outlets turning their attention to the unfolding drama on Capitol Hill , Biden 's campaign has a rare opportunity to keep attention on the men @ @ @ @ @ @ @ summer of death and economic turmoil .
By keeping the focus on our ongoing fight against the coronavirus , Biden offers a megaphone to the Americans forgotten by a White House hopelessly out of its element .
After a bold 2016 pledge to fight for the `` forgotten men and women '' of America , Donald Trump has retooled his entire campaign to make the concerns of regular Americans invisible .
With the first presidential debate looming ahead , Biden is playing offense on COVID-19 while Trump refuses to take the field at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stood with them in their most difficult hour .

Donald Trump faced two grim milestones in the past weeks: the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on September 18, followed closely by America's 200,000th death from the novel coronavirus pandemic on September 24. Trump may hope to use the sudden Supreme Court vacancy as catnip to unify his wavering conservative base, but he will find it much more challenging to outrun his administration's mishandling of COVID-19.
Nowhere was that mismanagement clearer than when Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin sat before the House Financial Services Committee last Tuesday to face questions about Treasury's lack of transparency around crucial pandemic assistance tools like the Paycheck Protection Program and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance.
Mnuchin managed to frustrate Democrats and Republicans alike with his lack of details on how over $600 billion in CARES Act money is being managed by the Treasury. GOP Congressman Ted Budd asked what more could be done to improve delivery of PPP support to struggling small businesses. When Florida Democratic Rep. Al Lawson Jr. asked Mnuchin what the White House is doing to save America's $4.4 trillion commercial real estate market, Mnuchin threw up his hands.
"There are structural problems," Mnuchin said. "It's an issue. We don't have a solution, we wish we did."
Now would be a good time for the White House to huddle up. Global financial markets have been reeling as news spread that Europe may enter a deadly second wave of coronavirus infections, potentially triggering another sweeping lockdown just as countries like the United Kingdom were beginning to emerge from six months of quarantine.
A second wave brings more than just renewed lockdowns: the University of Washington Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation predicts a worst-case second wave could mean over 400,000 more deaths in the US between now and year's end.
You won't find any press conferences about the White House's second wave crisis plan. There is no sober analysis of the risks from Dr. Fauci or even the now-sidelined Dr. Deborah Birx. What you will find, still live on the White House website, is an article by Vice President Mike Pence flatly stating, "there isn't a coronavirus second wave."
Blatant disinformation campaigns like Pence's are why 2 in 3 Americans now disapprove of how the Trump administration is handling the pandemic. Only a third of independent voters think Trump has control of the crisis. Meanwhile a Harvard CAPS-Harris poll found nearly 60 percent of Americans preferred Joe Biden to lead the nation out of the pandemic.
"We've done a phenomenal job," Trump told the state media bobbleheads over at Fox News earlier this month. "Not just a good job, a phenomenal job." When asked how he'd rate his own performance, Trump graded himself an "A+," saying only that he could have done better with public relations around a pandemic that has infected nearly 7 million people and killed three times as many Americans as the Vietnam War.
Voters aren't buying Trump's wishful thinking. Neither, it seems, are his own medical experts.
Just days after Trump again promised a COVID-19 vaccine with mass availability before November 3, the Food and Drug Administration announced its stringent new standards for testing and approving a coronavirus vaccine. The FDA's safeguards make Trump's supercharged timeline impossible, but you won't hear the president admit he was wrong. Every time Trump's enablers allow him to retreat into comfortable fantasy instead of facing the tough reality of this pandemic, they further imperil the president's already struggling re-election efforts.
Biden's commanding lead on coronavirus isn't just a threat to Trump's ambitions—it also puts at-risk GOP senators like Arizona's Martha McSally in immediate danger. A recent New York Times/Siena College poll found Biden leading Trump in Arizona and Maine--two states with vulnerable GOP Senators--in part because voters now see a president hopelessly overwhelmed by a public health crisis he can't spin away. That political poison is eroding voter support for the GOP brand across the board.
Trump's disastrous mishandling of COVID-19 has become a time bomb for Republicans from the state house to the White House, and the president's team is desperate for an opportunity to change the subject. No wonder Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell leapt at the opportunity to polarize Justice Ginsburg's death by ensuring an election-year Supreme Court nomination battle.
Biden's team isn't taking the bait. When Biden visited the Jerry Alander Carpenter Training Center in Wisconsin on Monday, he focused his remarks not on the Supreme Court fight brewing in Washington but on the real-world impact of Trump's COVID-19 mismanagement.
"I worry we risk becoming numb to the toll it's taken on us and our country and communities like this," Biden told voters in Manitowoc. "The virus was too big for [Trump]."
If Biden wants to flip states like Wisconsin back into the Democratic column, he should keep COVID-19 front-and-center in his messaging. Contrary to Trump's portrayal of coronavirus as a "blue state" disease, small towns across the country account for a growing number of deaths and COVID-related job losses. Many of those communities are in former Trump strongholds like Texas, North Carolina, Georgia and Iowa.
With major media outlets turning their attention to the unfolding drama on Capitol Hill, Biden's campaign has a rare opportunity to keep attention on the men and women struggling to recover from a summer of death and economic turmoil. By keeping the focus on our ongoing fight against the coronavirus, Biden offers a megaphone to the Americans forgotten by a White House hopelessly out of its element.
After a bold 2016 pledge to fight for the "forgotten men and women" of America, Donald Trump has retooled his entire campaign to make the concerns of regular Americans invisible. With the first presidential debate looming ahead, Biden is playing offense on COVID-19 while Trump refuses to take the field at all. Voters won't forget who stood with them in their most difficult hour.