alternet--2020-10-14--All the ways Trump let the coronavirus win

Over the last four years , Donald Trump 's administration has kept fact checkers and truth-seekers several levels occupied .
Those who are n't actively correcting his statements busily dig for precedent or corroborating evidence to prove their take on reality is n't simply yanked out of thin air , that it is accurately represented .
Such a task should n't be difficult .
But `` Totally Under Control '' shows how needlessly tough it is under an administration that has pitted science against politics and the economy , and for experts with extensive backgrounds on pandemic response against Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president 's good graces than to curb the spread of a pandemic he 'd rather would simply disappear , like magic .
`` Totally Under Control '' is a 123-minute indictment of the Trump administration 's disastrous mishandling of this pandemic , which is exactly what a person expects from an Alex Gibney documentary .
No fan of this administration , Gibney has had an especially prolific 365 days thanks to this administration 's bungling ; this is his third Trump-related documentary released since last November , after `` Citizen K , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
Understandably , Gibney could direct this project alone , especially given that he decided it needed to be made in April , `` in the middle of the New York sh*tshow , '' according to the film 's press notes .
Demonstrating this are the recurring instances of perspective shots taken from behind the interview subjects , showing them speaking to a small screen surrounded by extensive plastic sheeting , behind which a camera operator is lurking .
There 's a touch of levity in those glimpses ; more than this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the obscenity of this new normal .
Works born in the midst of crises and times of high anxiety risk becoming victims of the creator 's frustrations , but Gibney and his co-directors Suzanne Hillinger and Ophelia Harutyunyan sidestep those pitfalls .
By carefully walking the viewer through the pandemic 's timeline from the emergence of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 to the most recent headline-grabbing developments , it reconstructs recent history to remind us of how recently and quickly this pandemic changed life as we know it .
Simultaneously , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials could have seized that may have altered the course we 're on , and the inexcusable idiocy behind decisions such as contradicting expert recommendations that people wear masks in public .
Somehow ignoring scientific advice became an act of patriotism , the film observes .
That misguided fervor will take more than a regime change to undo .
`` Totally Under Control '' moves with a variation of the anxious urgency that drives `` Agents of Chaos '' owing to its connection to the here and now .
Just as that film @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elections and was released weeks before the 2020 edition , the final frame of `` Totally Under Control '' confirms how close to release the three filmmakers had to update the production .
It simply a text card that reads , `` One day after the completion of this film , President Donald Trump revealed that he had tested positive for COVID-19 . ''
In light of the two hours ' prosecution that spells out this administration 's spectacular bungling of its response to this pandemic , those word should have an air @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they do n't because we 're still living with the effects of that failure .
`` Totally Under Control '' simply adds the doleful confirmation that all this could have been avoided if not for Trump 's narcissism and ego , his and his cronies ' zealous belief in the myth of American exceptionalism and his administration 's purposeful dismantling of any plans or structures informed by expertise .
Mind you , despite their even-keeled strategy in taking on this story , `` Totally Under Control '' is far from a dispassionate film @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who agreed to sit for an interview has at least one point in their testimony where they are at the very least at a loss for words .
Rick Bright , who was removed from his position with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority ( BARDA ) after going to the press with what he knew about this administration 's intentional misleading the public regarding hydroxychloroquine , nearly breaks down in tears as he 's retracing the steps that led to his decision to effectively garrote his government career for the sake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's not easy to come forward in this administration , OK ? ''
he says , adding , `` It was a very hard process to lay our careers on the line to push back '' against the Food and Drug Administration 's insistence upon rushing the treatment to consumers at the White House 's insistence and despite any evidence of its effectiveness .
But this is an appropriate response when placed in context of the documentary 's central question : Why did the United States fail to reckon with a danger for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prepared ?
The answers are exasperating – and to the credit of Gibney , Harutyunyan and Hillinger ( who worked on the FX docuseries `` The Weekly '' ) the blame does n't entirely fall on this administration .
Just most of it .
`` Totally Under Control '' explains why the federal stockpiles of protective medical equipment should have been adequately supplied under Barack Obama 's administration but , unfortunately , were not .
As with all past presidencies , military spending was prioritized over preventative allocations for other departments , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with any film of this sort , much of `` Totally Under Control '' is in effect a replay of the news that 's come before that takes time to highlight aspects of the pandemic narrative that likely escaped our attention or might have been underreported .
One alarming testimonial comes from Max Kennedy , the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy who volunteered to assist the White House COVID-19 Supply-Chain team headed up by Jared Kushner .
Kennedy assumed he would be providing auxiliary support to a team of experts , only to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 10-person crew of 20-year-old volunteers `` all just with private laptops , nobody with any industry relationships , no experience working in supply chain '' Googling mask manufacturers online and contacting them through their personal email accounts .
He left in mid-April , as the pandemic was ravaging Manhattan and state governors were bidding against each other – and the federal government itself – to secure PPE for its own state medical facilities and frontline workers .
`` My takeaway was really that I still feel that I have n't worked for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We were so far outside of it .
I mean , we were .
.
.
every single person that we reported to up the chain of command was a political appointee .
The number of FEMA employees I met , I could count on one hand , and they were fleeting interactions .
It taught me about how this administration works , and it seemed to work in this case outside of the government . ''
This makes `` Totally Under Control '' a case study of how this administration works against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the enrichment of corporate entities and the personal financial portfolios of everyone involved .
And if the professionals here ca n't hide their aggravation or befuddlement at the administration 's criminal inability to refrain from politicizing a deadly virus , no sane and feeling viewer can blame them .
We 've reached a point in this presidency 's lifespan at which the public surely must be numb to so many accounts of willful negligence and mishandling of issues that impact the entirety of the American population – the economy , the environment , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's health .
Within the last four years , Trump has inspired more than 1,200 books about his life and his governing methods , positive and negative .
A count of every special report , hour-long news special and documentary such as this would eclipse that number by a wide margin .
`` Totally Under Control '' serves as a record of Trump 's dereliction of his duty to protect the American people that 's also a testament to the efforts of the respected and accredited medical professionals who have done their best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left .
`` There 's a misconception that public health failed .
The truth is that political leaders failed to follow public health guidance , and that 's what caused avoidable disease , death and economic destruction , '' said Dr. Tom Frieden , the former director of the CDC .
Frieden and other medical professionals are n't sharing such opinions out of vindictiveness but rather , dismay , anger and sorrow .
For people like Dr. Taison Bell , the COVID-19 ICU Director at UVA Medical Center who sounded the alarm regarding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ communities of color , testifying is n't merely a matter of satisfying one 's conscience .
He 's doing it , he says , because in every case he sees his own family and the risks they face .
When he reads names of people who fell sick or died of COVID-related illnesses , he says he sees `` smiles and hugs and tears and barbecues .
They 're not numbers on a paper . ''
`` Totally Under Control '' is currently available on demand and premieres on Hulu on Tuesday , @ @ @

Over the last four years, Donald Trump's administration has kept fact checkers and truth-seekers several levels occupied. Those who aren't actively correcting his statements busily dig for precedent or corroborating evidence to prove their take on reality isn't simply yanked out of thin air, that it is accurately represented.
Such a task shouldn't be difficult. But "Totally Under Control" shows how needlessly tough it is under an administration that has pitted science against politics and the economy, and for experts with extensive backgrounds on pandemic response against Trump loyalists more eager to remain in the president's good graces than to curb the spread of a pandemic he'd rather would simply disappear, like magic.
"Totally Under Control" is a 123-minute indictment of the Trump administration's disastrous mishandling of this pandemic, which is exactly what a person expects from an Alex Gibney documentary. No fan of this administration, Gibney has had an especially prolific 365 days thanks to this administration's bungling; this is his third Trump-related documentary released since last November, after "Citizen K," and HBO's "Agents of Chaos."
Understandably, Gibney could direct this project alone, especially given that he decided it needed to be made in April, "in the middle of the New York sh*tshow," according to the film's press notes. Demonstrating this are the recurring instances of perspective shots taken from behind the interview subjects, showing them speaking to a small screen surrounded by extensive plastic sheeting, behind which a camera operator is lurking.
There's a touch of levity in those glimpses; more than this, however, it calls attention to the obscenity of this new normal.
Works born in the midst of crises and times of high anxiety risk becoming victims of the creator's frustrations, but Gibney and his co-directors Suzanne Hillinger and Ophelia Harutyunyan sidestep those pitfalls.
By carefully walking the viewer through the pandemic's timeline from the emergence of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 to the most recent headline-grabbing developments, it reconstructs recent history to remind us of how recently and quickly this pandemic changed life as we know it. Simultaneously, it calls attention to the many missed opportunities officials could have seized that may have altered the course we're on, and the inexcusable idiocy behind decisions such as contradicting expert recommendations that people wear masks in public.
Somehow ignoring scientific advice became an act of patriotism, the film observes. That misguided fervor will take more than a regime change to undo.
"Totally Under Control" moves with a variation of the anxious urgency that drives "Agents of Chaos" owing to its connection to the here and now. Just as that film dives into Russian interference with the 2016 elections and was released weeks before the 2020 edition, the final frame of "Totally Under Control" confirms how close to release the three filmmakers had to update the production.
It simply a text card that reads, "One day after the completion of this film, President Donald Trump revealed that he had tested positive for COVID-19."
In light of the two hours' prosecution that spells out this administration's spectacular bungling of its response to this pandemic, those word should have an air of poetic justice to them. But they don't because we're still living with the effects of that failure. "Totally Under Control" simply adds the doleful confirmation that all this could have been avoided if not for Trump's narcissism and ego, his and his cronies' zealous belief in the myth of American exceptionalism and his administration's purposeful dismantling of any plans or structures informed by expertise.
Mind you, despite their even-keeled strategy in taking on this story, "Totally Under Control" is far from a dispassionate film. Nearly every scientific or medical expert who agreed to sit for an interview has at least one point in their testimony where they are at the very least at a loss for words.
Rick Bright, who was removed from his position with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) after going to the press with what he knew about this administration's intentional misleading the public regarding hydroxychloroquine, nearly breaks down in tears as he's retracing the steps that led to his decision to effectively garrote his government career for the sake of protecting the public.
"It's not easy to come forward in this administration, OK?" he says, adding, "It was a very hard process to lay our careers on the line to push back" against the Food and Drug Administration's insistence upon rushing the treatment to consumers at the White House's insistence and despite any evidence of its effectiveness.
But this is an appropriate response when placed in context of the documentary's central question: Why did the United States fail to reckon with a danger for which it should have been so well prepared?
The answers are exasperating – and to the credit of Gibney, Harutyunyan and Hillinger ( who worked on the FX docuseries "The Weekly") the blame doesn't entirely fall on this administration. Just most of it.
"Totally Under Control" explains why the federal stockpiles of protective medical equipment should have been adequately supplied under Barack Obama's administration but, unfortunately, were not. As with all past presidencies, military spending was prioritized over preventative allocations for other departments, including those tasked with pandemic preparedness.
As with any film of this sort, much of "Totally Under Control" is in effect a replay of the news that's come before that takes time to highlight aspects of the pandemic narrative that likely escaped our attention or might have been underreported.
One alarming testimonial comes from Max Kennedy, the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy who volunteered to assist the White House COVID-19 Supply-Chain team headed up by Jared Kushner. Kennedy assumed he would be providing auxiliary support to a team of experts, only to discover that he was part of a 10-person crew of 20-year-old volunteers "all just with private laptops, nobody with any industry relationships, no experience working in supply chain" Googling mask manufacturers online and contacting them through their personal email accounts.
He left in mid-April, as the pandemic was ravaging Manhattan and state governors were bidding against each other – and the federal government itself – to secure PPE for its own state medical facilities and frontline workers.
"My takeaway was really that I still feel that I haven't worked for the government," Kennedy says. "We were so far outside of it. I mean, we were . . . every single person that we reported to up the chain of command was a political appointee. The number of FEMA employees I met, I could count on one hand, and they were fleeting interactions. It taught me about how this administration works, and it seemed to work in this case outside of the government."
This makes "Totally Under Control" a case study of how this administration works against the interests of the public and for the enrichment of corporate entities and the personal financial portfolios of everyone involved. And if the professionals here can't hide their aggravation or befuddlement at the administration's criminal inability to refrain from politicizing a deadly virus, no sane and feeling viewer can blame them.
We've reached a point in this presidency's lifespan at which the public surely must be numb to so many accounts of willful negligence and mishandling of issues that impact the entirety of the American population – the economy, the environment, systemic injustice and now, the public's health.
Within the last four years, Trump has inspired more than 1,200 books about his life and his governing methods, positive and negative. A count of every special report, hour-long news special and documentary such as this would eclipse that number by a wide margin.
"Totally Under Control" serves as a record of Trump's dereliction of his duty to protect the American people that's also a testament to the efforts of the respected and accredited medical professionals who have done their best to step into the void he's left.
"There's a misconception that public health failed. The truth is that political leaders failed to follow public health guidance, and that's what caused avoidable disease, death and economic destruction," said Dr. Tom Frieden, the former director of the CDC.
Frieden and other medical professionals aren't sharing such opinions out of vindictiveness but rather, dismay, anger and sorrow. For people like Dr. Taison Bell, the COVID-19 ICU Director at UVA Medical Center who sounded the alarm regarding the pandemic's disproportionately heavy toll on communities of color, testifying isn't merely a matter of satisfying one's conscience. He's doing it, he says, because in every case he sees his own family and the risks they face.
When he reads names of people who fell sick or died of COVID-related illnesses, he says he sees "smiles and hugs and tears and barbecues. They're not numbers on a paper."
"Totally Under Control" is currently available on demand and premieres on Hulu on Tuesday, Oct. 20.


alternet--2020-10-15--There’s a fraud at the heart of Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation process

When nominees come before the U.S. Senate hoping to join the Supreme Court , the proceedings are filled with bizarre rituals of posturing , platitudes and obfuscation .
Much of this process has become ridiculous and regrettable — nominees pretend that they should n't be expected to divulge their opinions on crucial matters over which they 'll essentially have final say in a lifetime appointment , and senators decide how much transparency they expect from the nominee based on the party of the president that nominated them .
But as Judge Amy Coney Barrett 's nomination proceeds this week , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on than the odd political dance that has traditionally developed around such events .
There 's a fraud being carried out .
The only remaining question is : Who is being defrauded ?
Who is the mark ?
The existence of the fraud , however , is evident .
There 's a clear disconnect between how Barrett claims to view her nomination and how President Donald Trump views her nomination .
Since his presidential campaign , Trump has been clearer than any other modern Republican president about how he views the courts .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a vehicle for enacting the views of his right-wing supporters , particularly evangelical Christians and opponents of abortion .
( His audience , too , includes corporations and the wealthy who look to the courts to curtail any effort to rein in their economic and societal power , though he is less explicit about that ) On abortion , he was clear in 2016 that his judicial appointments would be designed to tear down protections for women 's right to choose .
He said of his nominees : `` They will be pro-life @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overturning . ''
`` I will appoint judges that will be pro-life , yes , '' he said , promising to `` protect the sanctity of life '' and adding , `` I will protect it , and the biggest way you can protect it is through the Supreme Court and putting people in the court . ''
With these nominees , he said , overturning Roe v. Wade — the ruling that established a right to get an abortion — will happen `` automatically . ''
Chief Justice Roberts disappointed conservatives when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Act in 2012 , ruling that its controversial individual mandate was permissible under Congress 's taxing authority .
Now , a similar case has come before the Supreme Court to be heard shortly after the election , likely after Barrett will be confirmed .
Barrett has previously criticized Roberts ' 2012 ruling , and if she joined the court , she could plausibly join a 5-seat majority that could strike down the entire law .
Clearly , that 's what Trump wanted , and he has recently said it would be `` a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made clear that he expects the nominee he picked to protect him from the `` hoax '' of mail-in ballots in any potential legal dispute over the upcoming election .
`` We need nine justices .
You need that , '' Trump told reporters on Sept. 23 .
`` With the unsolicited millions of ballots that they 're sending , it 's a scam ; it 's a hoax .
Everybody knows that .
And the Democrats know it better than anybody else .
So you 're going to need nine justices up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be very important .
Because what they 're doing is a hoax , with the ballots . ''
It 's clear , then , that Trump picked Barrett as his nominee with very specific reasons in mind — indeed , he picked her , at least in part , to fulfill promises to his right-wing voters .
And given right-wing media 's enthusiasm for Barrett , it seems they believe he is fulfilling his promise .
But according to Barrett , Trump has n't fulfilled his promise .
Under repeated questioning from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come to the court with any specific agenda .
`` I have no mission and no agenda , '' she said .
`` Judges do n't have campaign promises . ''
Asked specifically about Trump 's tweet on Obamacare by Sen. Amy Klobuchar ( D-MN ) , Barrett swatted away the question .
`` I ca n't really speak to what the president has said on Twitter , '' she said .
`` He has n't said any of that to me . ''
She also claimed : `` I am 100 percent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
So what is going on here ?
Trump told voters repeatedly that his justices would rule a certain way .
These promises almost certainly were crucial to consolidating Republican support in the run-up to the 2016 election .
But Barrett said that she is not committed to ruling any particular way in future cases , and the president has no influence on her decisions .
There are three plausible options I can see .
First , Trump defrauded his voters .
He pretended to want to appoint judges that would act @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did n't or could n't fulfill that promise .
Second , Barrett could have defrauded Trump .
Did she let him believe she would act as a justice in the way he hoped , while in fact she had no plans to carry out his agenda ?
Or third , Barrett is defrauding all of us .
She is committed to the right-wing agenda touted by Trump , but she does n't want us or the U.S. Senate to know it .
One might object that there 's another possibility .
Perhaps Barrett @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agenda , but her perspective and jurisprudential approach — which she calls `` originalism '' — will just happen to lead her to to take steps in line with Trump 's vision .
This view strains credibility on its face , and it 's also undermined by Barrett 's own words .
`` If I 'm confirmed , you would not be getting Justice Scalia , you would be getting Justice Barrett , '' she said .
`` And that 's so because originalists do n't always agree , and neither do textualists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` originalism '' were an independent , non-agenda driven philosophy , the president could n't and should n't be persuaded that she 'll act the way he wants on the bench .
We must then accept the conclusion , then , that there 's a fraud at the heart of Barrett 's nomination .
It 's a disturbing thought , and one she should be willing to address .

When nominees come before the U.S. Senate hoping to join the Supreme Court, the proceedings are filled with bizarre rituals of posturing, platitudes and obfuscation. Much of this process has become ridiculous and regrettable — nominees pretend that they shouldn't be expected to divulge their opinions on crucial matters over which they'll essentially have final say in a lifetime appointment, and senators decide how much transparency they expect from the nominee based on the party of the president that nominated them.
But as Judge Amy Coney Barrett's nomination proceeds this week, there was something clearly much darker going on than the odd political dance that has traditionally developed around such events. There's a fraud being carried out.
The only remaining question is: Who is being defrauded? Who is the mark?
The existence of the fraud, however, is evident. There's a clear disconnect between how Barrett claims to view her nomination and how President Donald Trump views her nomination.
Since his presidential campaign, Trump has been clearer than any other modern Republican president about how he views the courts. They are, without a doubt, a vehicle for enacting the views of his right-wing supporters, particularly evangelical Christians and opponents of abortion. (His audience, too, includes corporations and the wealthy who look to the courts to curtail any effort to rein in their economic and societal power, though he is less explicit about that)
On abortion, he was clear in 2016 that his judicial appointments would be designed to tear down protections for women's right to choose. He said of his nominees: "They will be pro-life, and we will see what about overturning."
"I will appoint judges that will be pro-life, yes," he said, promising to "protect the sanctity of life" and adding, "I will protect it, and the biggest way you can protect it is through the Supreme Court and putting people in the court." With these nominees, he said, overturning Roe v. Wade — the ruling that established a right to get an abortion — will happen "automatically."
On Obamacare, Trump tweeted in 2015:
Chief Justice Roberts disappointed conservatives when he upheld most of the Affordable Care Act in 2012, ruling that its controversial individual mandate was permissible under Congress's taxing authority. Now, a similar case has come before the Supreme Court to be heard shortly after the election, likely after Barrett will be confirmed. Barrett has previously criticized Roberts' 2012 ruling, and if she joined the court, she could plausibly join a 5-seat majority that could strike down the entire law. Clearly, that's what Trump wanted, and he has recently said it would be "a big win."
Trump has also made clear that he expects the nominee he picked to protect him from the "hoax" of mail-in ballots in any potential legal dispute over the upcoming election.
"We need nine justices. You need that," Trump told reporters on Sept. 23. "With the unsolicited millions of ballots that they're sending, it's a scam; it's a hoax. Everybody knows that. And the Democrats know it better than anybody else. So you're going to need nine justices up there. I think it's going to be very important. Because what they're doing is a hoax, with the ballots."
It's clear, then, that Trump picked Barrett as his nominee with very specific reasons in mind — indeed, he picked her, at least in part, to fulfill promises to his right-wing voters. And given right-wing media's enthusiasm for Barrett, it seems they believe he is fulfilling his promise.
But according to Barrett, Trump hasn't fulfilled his promise. Under repeated questioning from senators, she denied that she would come to the court with any specific agenda.
"I have no mission and no agenda," she said. "Judges don't have campaign promises."
Asked specifically about Trump's tweet on Obamacare by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Barrett swatted away the question.
"I can't really speak to what the president has said on Twitter," she said. "He hasn't said any of that to me."
She also claimed: "I am 100 percent committed to judicial independence from political pressure."
So what is going on here? Trump told voters repeatedly that his justices would rule a certain way. These promises almost certainly were crucial to consolidating Republican support in the run-up to the 2016 election. But Barrett said that she is not committed to ruling any particular way in future cases, and the president has no influence on her decisions.
There are three plausible options I can see. First, Trump defrauded his voters. He pretended to want to appoint judges that would act in a certain way, but he didn't or couldn't fulfill that promise. Second, Barrett could have defrauded Trump. Did she let him believe she would act as a justice in the way he hoped, while in fact she had no plans to carry out his agenda? Or third, Barrett is defrauding all of us. She is committed to the right-wing agenda touted by Trump, but she doesn't want us or the U.S. Senate to know it.
One might object that there's another possibility. Perhaps Barrett isn't committed to the president's agenda, but her perspective and jurisprudential approach — which she calls "originalism" — will just happen to lead her to to take steps in line with Trump's vision.
This view strains credibility on its face, and it's also undermined by Barrett's own words.
"If I'm confirmed, you would not be getting Justice Scalia, you would be getting Justice Barrett," she said. "And that's so because originalists don't always agree, and neither do textualists."
So even if Barrett's "originalism" were an independent, non-agenda driven philosophy, the president couldn't and shouldn't be persuaded that she'll act the way he wants on the bench.
We must then accept the conclusion, then, that there's a fraud at the heart of Barrett's nomination. It's a disturbing thought, and one she should be willing to address.


alternet--2020-10-14--CDC director warns 'small gatherings' like Thanksgiving could spread coronavirus

The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) warned America 's governors on Tuesday that `` small household gatherings '' have been proved to spread the novel coronavirus , a fact that he urged the state executives to keep in mind as their citizens prepare for Thanksgiving .
`` In the public square , we 're seeing a higher degree of vigilance and mitigation steps in many jurisdictions , '' Dr. Robert Redfield told America 's governors during a Tuesday call , the audio of which was obtained and initially published by CNN .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increasing threat right now is actually acquisition of infection through small household gatherings .
Particularly with Thanksgiving coming up , we think it 's really important to stress the vigilance of these continued mitigation steps in the household setting. ''
Dr .
Deborah Birx , the White House coronavirus task force coordinator , made similar remarks last week , telling reporters at a media briefing in Massachusetts that `` it 's important for all of us to not let our guard down during Thanksgiving .
We see that from the High Holy Days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ together . ''
The health experts ' concern has new urgency now , as Johns Hopkins University reported that America 's 7-day average for new daily cases rose above 50,000 for the first time in more than two months on Tuesday .
It is now 51,000 .
The 7-day new case average hovered around 35,000 as recently as one month ago .
Medical experts agree that when people are gathered they should practice social distancing , wear masks and make sure rooms are properly ventilated .
All of these steps help to keep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ influenza and other respiratory diseases .
`` Biologically , both influenza and the common cold are respiratory viruses that share the same airborne modes of transmission as SARS-CoV-2 , '' Dr. Russell Medford , chairman of the Center for Global Health Innovation and Global Health Crisis Coordination Center , told Salon last month .
`` The use of face masks , for example , would be expected to not only protect against the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 by infected persons but also influenza and the common cold .
Equally important is the growing evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protect the healthy wearer from acquiring respiratory infections such as SARS-CoV2 , influenza and the common cold . ''
Indeed , while it is widely understood that coughing and sneezing can spread the novel coronavirus , a May study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggested that even normal speaking can also infect people with the virus that causes the disease COVID-19 .
`` There is a substantial probability that normal speaking causes airborne virus transmission in confined environments , '' explained the study 's co-authors .

The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned America's governors on Tuesday that "small household gatherings" have been proved to spread the novel coronavirus, a fact that he urged the state executives to keep in mind as their citizens prepare for Thanksgiving.
"In the public square, we're seeing a higher degree of vigilance and mitigation steps in many jurisdictions," Dr. Robert Redfield told America's governors during a Tuesday call, the audio of which was obtained and initially published by CNN. "But what we're seeing as the increasing threat right now is actually acquisition of infection through small household gatherings. Particularly with Thanksgiving coming up, we think it's really important to stress the vigilance of these continued mitigation steps in the household setting."Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus task force coordinator, made similar remarks last week, telling reporters at a media briefing in Massachusetts that "it's important for all of us to not let our guard down during Thanksgiving. We see that from the High Holy Days, people are just yearning to be together."
The health experts' concern has new urgency now, as Johns Hopkins University reported that America's 7-day average for new daily cases rose above 50,000 for the first time in more than two months on Tuesday. It is now 51,000. The 7-day new case average hovered around 35,000 as recently as one month ago.
Medical experts agree that when people are gathered they should practice social distancing, wear masks and make sure rooms are properly ventilated. All of these steps help to keep people safe from the novel coronavirus, influenza and other respiratory diseases.
"Biologically, both influenza and the common cold are respiratory viruses that share the same airborne modes of transmission as SARS-CoV-2," Dr. Russell Medford, chairman of the Center for Global Health Innovation and Global Health Crisis Coordination Center, told Salon last month. "The use of face masks, for example, would be expected to not only protect against the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 by infected persons but also influenza and the common cold. Equally important is the growing evidence that supports the use of face-masks to protect the healthy wearer from acquiring respiratory infections such as SARS-CoV2, influenza and the common cold."
Indeed, while it is widely understood that coughing and sneezing can spread the novel coronavirus, a May study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggested that even normal speaking can also infect people with the virus that causes the disease COVID-19.
"There is a substantial probability that normal speaking causes airborne virus transmission in confined environments," explained the study's co-authors.


alternet--2020-10-14--'We've broken the climate system': Earth just broke another disturbing record in September

As the climate crisis fuels devastating wildfires across the western United States and melts Arctic sea ice at an alarming rate , the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Wednesday that Earth just experienced the hottest September on record and that 2020 is on pace to be one of the three hottest years on the books .
According to NOAA , `` the 10 warmest Septembers have all occurred since 2005 , with the seven warmest Septembers occurring in the last seven years . ''
`` We 've broken the climate system , '' tweeted meteorologist Eric Holthaus .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' NOAA found that 2020 has a 65 % chance of beating out 2016 as the warmest year on record , a 35 % chance of being the second-warmest ever , and will almost certainly rank in the top three .
Climate scientists emphasized that this year 's record-setting temperatures have been accompanied by an unprecedented wave of extreme weather events .
A report published Tuesday by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction examined the `` staggering '' increase in climate-related disasters , which doubled from 3,656 between 1980 and 1999 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Common Dreams reported .
Researchers at Yale found that eight weather-related disasters causing $ 1 billion or more in damage occurred across the world in September alone , bringing the annual total thus far to 35 .
There were 40 such events in both 2018 and 2019 .
With 16 extreme weather events so far in 2020 , the U.S. has already tied its record for most billion-dollar weather disasters in a single year .
NOAA 's findings echo a European Union study published one week ago .
As Common Dreams reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who contributed to the analysis noted that the planet `` will carry on warming if greenhouse gas emissions continue at the rate they are at the moment . ''
`` It is baffling that we willingly and knowingly continue to sow the seeds of our own destruction , '' the U.N. report stated , `` despite the science and evidence that we are turning our only home into an uninhabitable hell for millions of people . ''

As the climate crisis fuels devastating wildfires across the western United States and melts Arctic sea ice at an alarming rate, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Wednesday that Earth just experienced the hottest September on record and that 2020 is on pace to be one of the three hottest years on the books.
According to NOAA, "the 10 warmest Septembers have all occurred since 2005, with the seven warmest Septembers occurring in the last seven years."
"We've broken the climate system," tweeted meteorologist Eric Holthaus. "We are in a climate emergency."
NOAA found that 2020 has a 65% chance of beating out 2016 as the warmest year on record, a 35% chance of being the second-warmest ever, and will almost certainly rank in the top three.
Climate scientists emphasized that this year's record-setting temperatures have been accompanied by an unprecedented wave of extreme weather events. A report published Tuesday by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction examined the "staggering" increase in climate-related disasters, which doubled from 3,656 between 1980 and 1999 to 6,681 between 2000 and 2019, as Common Dreamsreported.
Researchers at Yale found that eight weather-related disasters causing $1 billion or more in damage occurred across the world in September alone, bringing the annual total thus far to 35. There were 40 such events in both 2018 and 2019.
With 16 extreme weather events so far in 2020, the U.S. has already tied its record for most billion-dollar weather disasters in a single year.
NOAA's findings echo a European Union study published one week ago. As Common Dreamsreported, one of the EU climate scientists who contributed to the analysis noted that the planet "will carry on warming if greenhouse gas emissions continue at the rate they are at the moment."
"It is baffling that we willingly and knowingly continue to sow the seeds of our own destruction," the U.N. report stated, "despite the science and evidence that we are turning our only home into an uninhabitable hell for millions of people."


alternet--2020-10-14--Trump urges California GOP to continue using 'illegal' ballot drop boxes

President Donald Trump urged California Republicans to defy a state order to remove fake `` official '' ballot drop boxes after numerous top officials called them `` illegal . ''
State Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Secretary of State Alex Padilla on Monday issued an order to the California GOP and three county chapters requiring the removal of unofficial ballot drop boxes erected in front of locations like gyms , gun stores and churches that were falsely marked `` official . ''
Trump , however , urged the party to fight the order in court .
`` You mean only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But have n't the Dems been doing this for years ? ''
the president tweeted , drawing a dubious comparison between the boxes and the legal `` ballot harvesting '' efforts by Democrats that have drawn his ire .
`` See you in court .
Fight hard Republicans ! ''
Trump 's call came after Becerra , Padilla and Gov .
Gavin Newsom , all Democrats , labeled the Republican effort `` illegal . ''
`` Nothing reeks of desperation quite like the Republican Party organization these days -- willing to lie , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the sake of gaining power , '' Newsom tweeted .
`` These unofficial drop boxes are n't just misleading , they are illegal . ''
Trump 's comments also came after the California Republican Party already vowed to defy Monday 's order .
`` Screw you ! ''
Rep. Devin Nunes , R-Calif. , said in response to Newsom 's tweet , according to Politico .
`` You created the law , we 're going to ballot harvest . ''
Fresno County Republican Chairman Fred Vanderhoof , who installed a dozen collection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an `` Authorized Secure Ballot Drop , '' claimed to GVWire that a 2016 ballot harvesting law passed by Democrats allowed the party to install drop boxes falsely marked as `` official . ''
`` We are doing nothing illegal , '' he insisted .
`` The whole ballot harvesting law is purposely designed very loosely so the Democrats can cheat , which they are doing in large numbers .
They can do ballot harvesting , but we ca n't .
That 's what they 're saying , so they 're hypocritical .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ falsely-marked collection boxes were allowed under the law permitting ballot harvesting , which permits a third-party to submit ballots on voters ' behalf .
The offices of the attorney general and secretary of state said in a cease-and-desist order to the GOP that the law required `` persons to whom a voter entrusts their ballot to return to county election officials provide their name , signature and relationship to the voter . ''
Becerra and Padilla also argued during a Monday conference call that the boxes were `` illegal , '' because they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be `` official . ''
The boxes lack the security requirements mandated for official collection boxes installed by election officials , they added .
`` We hope that the message goes out loud and clear to anyone who is trying to improperly solicit , obtain and manage a citizen 's vote that they are subject to prosecution , '' Becerra said .
`` I 'm trying to be careful with how I say this , but the reports we are hearing are disturbing . ''
Some voters were stunned when they discovered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unofficial collection box marked an `` Official Ballot Drop Box . ''
California GOP spokesman Hector Barajas told The New York Times that Republicans would continue to operate the boxes and not label them to make it clear that they were set up by the party rather than `` official '' drop boxes set up by the state .
Becerra and Padilla said they would consider legal action if the party fails to comply by their Oct. 15 deadline .
`` Anyone who knowingly engages with the tampering or misuse of the vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
`` If they refuse to comply , '' Padilla added , `` we 'll of course entertain all of our legal options . ''

President Donald Trump urged California Republicans to defy a state order to remove fake "official" ballot drop boxes after numerous top officials called them "illegal."
State Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Secretary of State Alex Padilla on Monday issued an order to the California GOP and three county chapters requiring the removal of unofficial ballot drop boxes erected in front of locations like gyms, gun stores and churches that were falsely marked "official."
Trump, however, urged the party to fight the order in court.
"You mean only Democrats are allowed to do this? But haven't the Dems been doing this for years?" the president tweeted, drawing a dubious comparison between the boxes and the legal "ballot harvesting" efforts by Democrats that have drawn his ire. "See you in court. Fight hard Republicans!"
Trump's call came after Becerra, Padilla and Gov. Gavin Newsom, all Democrats, labeled the Republican effort "illegal."
"Nothing reeks of desperation quite like the Republican Party organization these days -- willing to lie, cheat, and threaten our democracy all for the sake of gaining power," Newsom tweeted. "These unofficial drop boxes aren't just misleading, they are illegal."
Trump's comments also came after the California Republican Party already vowed to defy Monday's order.
"Screw you!" Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., said in response to Newsom's tweet, according to Politico. "You created the law, we're going to ballot harvest."
Fresno County Republican Chairman Fred Vanderhoof, who installed a dozen collection boxes, including one which was labeled an "Authorized Secure Ballot Drop," claimed to GVWire that a 2016 ballot harvesting law passed by Democrats allowed the party to install drop boxes falsely marked as "official."
"We are doing nothing illegal," he insisted. "The whole ballot harvesting law is purposely designed very loosely so the Democrats can cheat, which they are doing in large numbers. They can do ballot harvesting, but we can't. That's what they're saying, so they're hypocritical."
State officials rejected Republican claims that falsely-marked collection boxes were allowed under the law permitting ballot harvesting, which permits a third-party to submit ballots on voters' behalf.
The offices of the attorney general and secretary of state said in a cease-and-desist order to the GOP that the law required "persons to whom a voter entrusts their ballot to return to county election officials provide their name, signature and relationship to the voter."
Becerra and Padilla also argued during a Monday conference call that the boxes were "illegal," because they were designed to trick voters by claiming to be "official." The boxes lack the security requirements mandated for official collection boxes installed by election officials, they added.
"We hope that the message goes out loud and clear to anyone who is trying to improperly solicit, obtain and manage a citizen's vote that they are subject to prosecution," Becerra said. "I'm trying to be careful with how I say this, but the reports we are hearing are disturbing."
Some voters were stunned when they discovered they had tossed their ballots into an unofficial collection box marked an "Official Ballot Drop Box."
California GOP spokesman Hector Barajas told The New York Times that Republicans would continue to operate the boxes and not label them to make it clear that they were set up by the party rather than "official" drop boxes set up by the state.
Becerra and Padilla said they would consider legal action if the party fails to comply by their Oct. 15 deadline.
"Anyone who knowingly engages with the tampering or misuse of the vote is subject to prosecution," Becerra said.
"If they refuse to comply," Padilla added, "we'll of course entertain all of our legal options."


alternet--2020-10-14--Trump-supporting Navy SEAL fumes after the president pushes fake news about Osama bin Laden killing

The world 's most infamous terrorist , al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden , was killed on May 2 , 2011 when a team of U.S. Navy SEALs — on orders from President Barack Obama — raided a compound in Pakistan .
A baseless far-right conspiracy theory claims that bin Laden was n't really killed that day , and a former Navy SEAL who was part of that team and witnessed bin Laden 's death first hand , Robert O'Neill , is calling out President Donald Trump for promoting that claim .
On Tuesday , Trump retweeted a QAnon-linked post claiming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that day and that the al-Qaeda terrorist is still alive nine years later .
O'Neill , in response to that post , tweeted , `` Very brave men said goodby to their kids to go kill Osama bin Laden .
We were given the order by President Obama .
It was not a body double .
Thank you Mr .
President . ''
The QAnon-linked Twitter account , according to Politico reporter Connor O'Brien , has been suspended .
O'Brien notes that although O'Brien disagreed with Trump 's retweet , he is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ subsequent tweet on Tuesday night , O'Neill sarcastically posted , `` Shit .
I just found out that I killed Osama bin Johnson .
Drinks are on me , I guess . ''
This year 's Democratic presidential nominee , Joe Biden , was serving as Obama 's vice president during the raid that ended bin Laden 's life .
On September 17 , Trump tweeted that Biden `` opposed the mission to take out Osama bin Laden '' and claimed that `` if it were up to Joe… .
bin Laden would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Trump is retweeting nonsense claims that bin Laden was n't really killed in the first place .

The world's most infamous terrorist, al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, was killed on May 2, 2011 when a team of U.S. Navy SEALs — on orders from President Barack Obama — raided a compound in Pakistan. A baseless far-right conspiracy theory claims that bin Laden wasn't really killed that day, and a former Navy SEAL who was part of that team and witnessed bin Laden's death first hand, Robert O'Neill, is calling out President Donald Trump for promoting that claim.
On Tuesday, Trump retweeted a QAnon-linked post claiming that a bin Laden double was killed that day and that the al-Qaeda terrorist is still alive nine years later. O'Neill, in response to that post, tweeted, "Very brave men said goodby to their kids to go kill Osama bin Laden. We were given the order by President Obama. It was not a body double. Thank you Mr. President."
The QAnon-linked Twitter account, according to Politico reporter Connor O'Brien, has been suspended. O'Brien notes that although O'Brien disagreed with Trump's retweet, he is a supporter of the president.
In a subsequent tweet on Tuesday night, O'Neill sarcastically posted, "Shit. I just found out that I killed Osama bin Johnson. Drinks are on me, I guess."
This year's Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, was serving as Obama's vice president during the raid that ended bin Laden's life. On September 17, Trump tweeted that Biden "opposed the mission to take out Osama bin Laden" and claimed that "if it were up to Joe…. bin Laden would still be alive." But now, Trump is retweeting nonsense claims that bin Laden wasn't really killed in the first place.


alternet--2020-10-14--Why the 25th Amendment is no match for a madman and his party of sycophants

Should the 25th Amendment be invoked to remove Donald Trump from office ?
In a press conference on October 9 , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Congressman Jamie Raskin unveiled legislation based on the amendment that would establish a bipartisan commission that could answer the question and determine if Trump has the capacity to discharge the powers and duties of his office .
The commission would have 16 members , selected in equal numbers by Democratic and Republican congressional leaders , and would include four physicians and four psychiatrists .
The remaining members would consist of eight retired statespersons ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cabinet secretaries , or surgeons general ) .
The appointed members would then select a 17th panelist to act as chair of the commission .
Once the commission is formed , Congress could pass a concurrent resolution , directing it to conduct an examination of the president .
Formally enrolled as H.R .
8548 , the measure is modeled on a nearly identical bill Raskin introduced in 2017 .
The new legislation has 38 co-sponsors , all liberal Democrats , and has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee for further review .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ makes perfect sense , offering a badly needed mechanism to rescue the nation from a chief executive who is patently unfit to sit behind the Resolute Desk for a single day , much less another four years .
Under the terms of the bill , as Pelosi and Raskin stressed , the commission would become a permanent body , and could be summoned into action to deal with future presidents beyond Trump in the event they , too , become incapacitated .
Unfortunately , the legislation does n't have a prayer of being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the legislative session for any action to be taken .
Even assuming the bill could be rushed to passage in the House , it would inevitably die in the sycophantic GOP-controlled Senate .
And even assuming it somehow moved out of the upper chamber at unheard-of warp speed , it would never be signed into law by the very president whose competency has been called into question .
Still , as an expression of constitutional principle and good-government impulses , H.R .
8548 deserves serious debate and consideration .
Long before he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a sick man unprepared and unable to serve the American people in any position of leadership .
Physically , according to some notable independent physicians who have reviewed information released by Trump 's doctors , the 74-year-old president suffers from worrisome comorbidities , including heart disease and obesity .
Mentally , in the view of some of the country 's top mental health professionals who have studied the president 's behavior and rhetoric , Trump suffers from malignant narcissism , a toxic mix of narcissistic personality disorder , sociopathy , paranoia and sadism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worsened .
Since his release from the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center , where he spent three nights receiving a potent therapeutic cocktail of remdesivir ( an antiviral drug ) , an experimental monoclonal antibody treatment from Regeneron , and dexamethasone ( a powerful corticosteroid ) , the leader of the free world has been in a full febrile meltdown , engaging in unhinged rants and ravings that for the good of the nation can not be ignored or dismissed as political theater or spirited electioneering .
Among other signs of deterioration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quickly cured of the virus , called his infection `` a blessing from God , '' and declared that he feels better than he has in 20 years .
In addition , without the slightest semblance of logic or coherence , he has flip-flopped erratically on the need for another COVID stimulus package , threatened Iran with annihilation , renewed his criticism of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in the wake of a foiled right-wing terrorist plot to kidnap her , and lambasted Attorney General Bill Barr for failing to indict Joe Biden and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 presidential campaign .
Never known as a beacon of stability , Trump seemingly has entered what Pelosi has dubbed an `` altered state . ''
Some observers are asking if the drugs he has taken are in some way responsible .
Although remdesivir and Regeneron 's antibody treatment are not known to cause serious side effects , the same can not be said of dexamethasone .
As Newsweek deputy science editor Kashmira Gander explained in a recent column , the steroid has been associated with adverse reactions such as aggression , agitation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thinking , and in rare instances , grandiose delusions , psychosis , delirium and hallucinations .
Whether what we 're witnessing from Trump is truly a form of steroid rage or a combination of the dexamethasone and his baseline proclivities—not to mention his rational fear of criminal prosecution should he lose the election—the president has never been as dangerous as he is now .
But there is no quick legal fix , either under the 25th Amendment or by means of legislation like H.R .
8548 , for removing Trump , or any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down .
If anything , removing an incompetent president by means of the 25th Amendment is more difficult than removing a corrupt president by means of impeachment .
Ratified in 1967 , the 25th Amendment was crafted in the aftermath of the assassination of John F. Kennedy to clear up ambiguities and fill gaps in the Constitution 's original provisions on presidential succession .
The Constitution , as it emerged from the founding convention of 1787 , addressed the issue of succession in Article II , Section 1 , which stipulates : The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 12th Amendment , which dealt primarily with the Electoral College and was ratified in 1804 .
The 20th Amendment , ratified in 1933 , offered more clarification , stating that if the president-elect dies before being sworn into office , the vice president would be sworn in instead .
However , not until 1947 , with the passage of the Presidential Succession Act , did the current line of succession take shape , extending from the vice president through the speaker of the House , the president pro tempore of the Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then to other Cabinet officials .
Still , questions about succession remained—among them , how to define a president 's inability to serve , particularly when the inability is mental or emotional in nature .
Who gets to make the determination that such an inability exists ?
And can the president resist efforts to have himself declared unable to serve ?
Section 4 of the 25th Amendment addresses these issues .
The section consists of two densely worded paragraphs , the first of which provides : The second and final paragraph of Section @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that the president can attempt to override a declaration of incapacity by notifying the Senate and House leadership in a counter-declaration that no such inability exists .
Thereafter , the vice president , with the support of a majority of the Cabinet , or the `` other body '' referred to in the first paragraph , can contest the president 's override .
To resolve the conflict and place the vice president in charge , a two-thirds vote of both houses of Congress is required to confirm that the president is , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the powers and duties of his office . ''
The procedures outlined in Section 4 have never been invoked , and it is implausible that they would be used against Trump , even if he drags the nation to the brink of absolute ruin in the time remaining before the election or in the lame-duck session afterward .
The amendment simply contains too many moving parts and depends on too many external contingencies to make it a viable option .
First and foremost , only the most cockeyed optimists could believe that Vice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inveterate liar in his own right , would sign a declaration of incapacity against Trump .
Second , as noted above , it is exceedingly doubtful that the current Congress would seize the initiative and pass legislation creating the `` other body '' in the form of the commission envisioned by H.R .
8548 .
And even if such a commission were formed , a declaration of incapacity in the end would still have to be endorsed by the vice president to have any force and effect .
Third , and finally , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both the House and Senate to override the president 's counter-declaration of fitness .
The only way to rid the American body politic of the pestilence of Donald Trump is to vote against him in overwhelming numbers on November 3 , and then , if necessary , to drag him kicking and screaming , tweeting and whimpering , from the White House .
Bill Blum is a retired judge and a lawyer in Los Angeles .
He is a lecturer at the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication .
He writes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the author of three widely acclaimed legal thrillers : Prejudicial Error , The Last Appeal , and The Face of Justice .
This article was produced by the Independent Media Institute

Should the 25th Amendment be invoked to remove Donald Trump from office? In a press conference on October 9, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Congressman Jamie Raskin unveiled legislation based on the amendment that would establish a bipartisan commission that could answer the question and determine if Trump has the capacity to discharge the powers and duties of his office.
The commission would have 16 members, selected in equal numbers by Democratic and Republican congressional leaders, and would include four physicians and four psychiatrists. The remaining members would consist of eight retired statespersons (either former presidents, vice presidents, Cabinet secretaries, or surgeons general). The appointed members would then select a 17th panelist to act as chair of the commission. Once the commission is formed, Congress could pass a concurrent resolution, directing it to conduct an examination of the president.
Formally enrolled as H.R. 8548, the measure is modeled on a nearly identical bill Raskin introduced in 2017. The new legislation has 38 co-sponsors, all liberal Democrats, and has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee for further review.
On the surface, H.R. 8548 makes perfect sense, offering a badly needed mechanism to rescue the nation from a chief executive who is patently unfit to sit behind the Resolute Desk for a single day, much less another four years. Under the terms of the bill, as Pelosi and Raskin stressed, the commission would become a permanent body, and could be summoned into action to deal with future presidents beyond Trump in the event they, too, become incapacitated.
Unfortunately, the legislation doesn't have a prayer of being enacted. It is far too late in the legislative session for any action to be taken.
Even assuming the bill could be rushed to passage in the House, it would inevitably die in the sycophantic GOP-controlled Senate. And even assuming it somehow moved out of the upper chamber at unheard-of warp speed, it would never be signed into law by the very president whose competency has been called into question.
Still, as an expression of constitutional principle and good-government impulses, H.R. 8548 deserves serious debate and consideration.
Long before he was infected with COVID-19, Trump was a sick man unprepared and unable to serve the American people in any position of leadership. Physically, according to some notable independent physicians who have reviewed information released by Trump's doctors, the 74-year-old president suffers from worrisome comorbidities, including heart disease and obesity. Mentally, in the view of some of the country's top mental health professionals who have studied the president's behavior and rhetoric, Trump suffers from malignant narcissism, a toxic mix of narcissistic personality disorder, sociopathy, paranoia and sadism.
Post-COVID, Trump's condition has worsened. Since his release from the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he spent three nights receiving a potent therapeutic cocktail of remdesivir (an antiviral drug), an experimental monoclonal antibody treatment from Regeneron, and dexamethasone (a powerful corticosteroid), the leader of the free world has been in a full febrile meltdown, engaging in unhinged rants and ravings that for the good of the nation cannot be ignored or dismissed as political theater or spirited electioneering.
Among other signs of deterioration, Trump has bragged that he was quickly cured of the virus, called his infection "a blessing from God," and declared that he feels better than he has in 20 years. In addition, without the slightest semblance of logic or coherence, he has flip-flopped erratically on the need for another COVID stimulus package, threatened Iran with annihilation, renewed his criticism of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in the wake of a foiled right-wing terrorist plot to kidnap her, and lambasted Attorney General Bill Barr for failing to indict Joe Biden and Barack Obama for allegedly spying on his 2016 presidential campaign.
Never known as a beacon of stability, Trump seemingly has entered what Pelosi has dubbed an "altered state." Some observers are asking if the drugs he has taken are in some way responsible.
Although remdesivir and Regeneron's antibody treatment are not known to cause serious side effects, the same cannot be said of dexamethasone. As Newsweek deputy science editor Kashmira Gander explained in a recent column, the steroid has been associated with adverse reactions such as aggression, agitation, anxiety, mood swings, trouble thinking, and in rare instances, grandiose delusions, psychosis, delirium and hallucinations.
Whether what we're witnessing from Trump is truly a form of steroid rage or a combination of the dexamethasone and his baseline proclivities—not to mention his rational fear of criminal prosecution should he lose the election—the president has never been as dangerous as he is now.
But there is no quick legal fix, either under the 25th Amendment or by means of legislation like H.R. 8548, for removing Trump, or any other unfit president who refuses to step down. If anything, removing an incompetent president by means of the 25th Amendment is more difficult than removing a corrupt president by means of impeachment.
Ratified in 1967, the 25th Amendment was crafted in the aftermath of the assassination of John F. Kennedy to clear up ambiguities and fill gaps in the Constitution's original provisions on presidential succession.
The Constitution, as it emerged from the founding convention of 1787, addressed the issue of succession in Article II, Section 1, which stipulates:
"In case of the removal of the President from office, or of his death, resignation, or inability to discharge the powers and duties of the said office, the same shall devolve on the Vice President, and the Congress may by law provide for the case of removal, death, resignation or inability, both of the President and Vice President, declaring what officer shall then act as President, and such officer shall act accordingly, until the disability be removed, or a President shall be elected."
The rule of vice-presidential succession was restated by the 12th Amendment, which dealt primarily with the Electoral College and was ratified in 1804. The 20th Amendment, ratified in 1933, offered more clarification, stating that if the president-elect dies before being sworn into office, the vice president would be sworn in instead.
However, not until 1947, with the passage of the Presidential Succession Act, did the current line of succession take shape, extending from the vice president through the speaker of the House, the president pro tempore of the Senate, the secretary of state, and then to other Cabinet officials.
Still, questions about succession remained—among them, how to define a president's inability to serve, particularly when the inability is mental or emotional in nature. Who gets to make the determination that such an inability exists? And can the president resist efforts to have himself declared unable to serve?
Section 4 of the 25th Amendment addresses these issues. The section consists of two densely worded paragraphs, the first of which provides:
"Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments [the Cabinet] or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President." [Emphasis added]
The second and final paragraph of Section 4 instructs, in so many words, that the president can attempt to override a declaration of incapacity by notifying the Senate and House leadership in a counter-declaration that no such inability exists. Thereafter, the vice president, with the support of a majority of the Cabinet, or the "other body" referred to in the first paragraph, can contest the president's override. To resolve the conflict and place the vice president in charge, a two-thirds vote of both houses of Congress is required to confirm that the president is, in fact, "unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office."
The procedures outlined in Section 4 have never been invoked, and it is implausible that they would be used against Trump, even if he drags the nation to the brink of absolute ruin in the time remaining before the election or in the lame-duck session afterward. The amendment simply contains too many moving parts and depends on too many external contingencies to make it a viable option.
First and foremost, only the most cockeyed optimists could believe that Vice President Mike Pence, a corrupt and inveterate liar in his own right, would sign a declaration of incapacity against Trump.
Second, as noted above, it is exceedingly doubtful that the current Congress would seize the initiative and pass legislation creating the "other body" in the form of the commission envisioned by H.R. 8548. And even if such a commission were formed, a declaration of incapacity in the end would still have to be endorsed by the vice president to have any force and effect.
Third, and finally, it would take a two-thirds vote of both the House and Senate to override the president's counter-declaration of fitness.
Check and checkmate.
The only way to rid the American body politic of the pestilence of Donald Trump is to vote against him in overwhelming numbers on November 3, and then, if necessary, to drag him kicking and screaming, tweeting and whimpering, from the White House.
Bill Blum is a retired judge and a lawyer in Los Angeles. He is a lecturer at the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication. He writes regularly on law and politics and is the author of three widely acclaimed legal thrillers: Prejudicial Error, The Last Appeal, and The Face of Justice.


alternet--2020-10-14--Trump campaign ad used image of the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman ‘without his consent’: report

This week , President Donald Trump is coming under fire not only for a misleading campaign ad that takes Dr. Anthony Fauci 's statements out of context — he is also drawing criticism for an ad that , according to Politico , uses an image of Gen. Mark A. Milley without his consent .
The ad shows a photo of Milley , chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , with Trump , Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper in the White House Situation Room on October 29 , 2019 while watching a raid on ISIS @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reads , `` President Trump wants you to request your ballot .
Paid for by Donald J. Trump for President , Inc. '' and has a link to a voter sign-up page .
According to a U.S. Defense Department official who spoke to Politico on condition of anonymity , `` This photo , like many others , was not used with ( Milley 's ) knowledge or consent . ''
The U.S. military , Politico 's Lara Seligman notes , `` has strict rules against uniformed service members participating in political campaigns .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ website , `` As a matter of long-standing policy , military service members and federal employees acting in their official capacity may not engage in activities that associate the DOD with any partisan political campaign or elections , candidate , cause or issue .
The limitations of participation can be found in DOD Directive 1344.10 , Political Activities by Members of the Armed Forces , and the Hatch Act . ''
The Independent 's Matt Mathers notes that the Trump ad featuring Milley follows the ad that Fauci , an expert immunologist who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ task force , objected to .
In that ad , Fauci is quoted as saying , `` I ca n't imagine that anybody could be doing more '' — and the ad implies that Fauci was specifically praising Trump 's handling of the coronavirus pandemic .
But Fauci was actually talking about federal health officials , not Trump in particular .
On Sunday , Fauci criticized the ad and told CNN , `` In my nearly five decades of public service , I have never publicly endorsed any political candidate .
The comments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the GOP campaign ad were taken out of context from a broad statement I made months ago about the efforts of federal public health officials . ''

This week, President Donald Trump is coming under fire not only for a misleading campaign ad that takes Dr. Anthony Fauci's statements out of context — he is also drawing criticism for an ad that, according to Politico, uses an image of Gen. Mark A. Milley without his consent.
The ad shows a photo of Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, with Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper in the White House Situation Room on October 29, 2019 while watching a raid on ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The ad reads, "President Trump wants you to request your ballot. Paid for by Donald J. Trump for President, Inc." and has a link to a voter sign-up page.
According to a U.S. Defense Department official who spoke to Politico on condition of anonymity, "This photo, like many others, was not used with (Milley's) knowledge or consent."
The U.S. military, Politico's Lara Seligman notes, "has strict rules against uniformed service members participating in political campaigns." According to the Defense Department's website, "As a matter of long-standing policy, military service members and federal employees acting in their official capacity may not engage in activities that associate the DOD with any partisan political campaign or elections, candidate, cause or issue. The limitations of participation can be found in DOD Directive 1344.10, Political Activities by Members of the Armed Forces, and the Hatch Act."
The Independent's Matt Mathers notes that the Trump ad featuring Milley follows the ad that Fauci, an expert immunologist who is part of the president's coronavirus task force, objected to. In that ad, Fauci is quoted as saying, "I can't imagine that anybody could be doing more" — and the ad implies that Fauci was specifically praising Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. But Fauci was actually talking about federal health officials, not Trump in particular.
On Sunday, Fauci criticized the ad and told CNN, "In my nearly five decades of public service, I have never publicly endorsed any political candidate. The comments attributed to me without my permission in the GOP campaign ad were taken out of context from a broad statement I made months ago about the efforts of federal public health officials."


alternet--2020-10-14--Trump's latest harebrained election scheme goes up in smoke

Despite days of a seemingly steroid-addled Donald Trump raving about alleged conspiracies against him on Twitter and to any right wing pundit who would listen , it appears Attorney General Bill Barr — usually so indulgent of Trump 's various crimes and corrupt schemes — has decided not to arrest a slate of Trump 's political opponents on falsified charges .
`` 'Unmasking ' probe commissioned by Barr concludes without charges or any public report , '' blares the headline at the Washington Post .
With that , another of Trump 's hopes that he could abuse his powers to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ save his re-election goes up in smoke .
At this point , it 's tempting to offer an explainer about what the supposed `` unmasking '' scandal is all about , but the problem here is that the whole thing is equal parts opaque and confusing , even for those who are fully immersed in the Fox News Cinematic Universe .
It 's a bunch of gobbledygook accusations against Obama White House staff , including former Vice President Joe Biden , that amount to nothing but have been sold at length with great @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News .
The whole thing is confusing by design .
These falsified scandals concocted by Republicans to smear Democrats — Clinton 's emails , Benghazi , Whitewater , whatever the hell Trump and Rudy Giuliani have been trying to imply about Biden and Ukraine — are deliberately dense and confusing , so that no one , not even the most avid Fox News fan , can ever fully understand what they 're supposed to be outraged by .
The hope is that viewers will tune out the details ( because they are indecipherable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of sinister ( or foreign-sounding ! )
buzzwords — `` Benghazi , '' `` emails , '' `` unmasking , '' `` Burisma '' — and assume that something bad must have happened , even if they do n't understand what .
It 's a strategy that 's been pretty successful for Republicans in the past .
To this day , no one can explain what was supposedly so bad about Hillary Clinton 's emails , but enough Americans assumed that all the smoke must mean fire that they held the fake scandal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Barr quite clearly opened the `` investigation '' into this non-scandal in order to pile on more confusing news reports and bolster the illusion that something bad must have happened .
Barr likely understood that this phony investigation , like others , would amount to nothing substantive .
And it was n't really meant to .
The whole point is to drag out the Potemkin investigation until the election , creating a fake and confusing `` scandal '' that wannabe Trump voters could cling to in order to rationalize voting again for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Office .
But Trump , who does n't understand the art of subtlety on a good day , got greedy .
Trump has been in an obvious downward spiral , brought on by both his humiliating COVID-19 hospitalization and the likely side effects of the powerful drugs he was given to battle it .
Unsurprisingly then he 's given a number of incoherent and aggrieved interviews to right wing outlets while also venting regularly on Twitter .
In the process , he began screeching demands that Barr arrest a whole slew of Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over-the-top language that frankly removed all plausible deniability that there was anything substantive about the investigation .
`` DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS , THE BIGGEST OF ALL POLITICAL SCANDALS ( IN HISTORY ) !
!
!
BIDEN , OBAMA AND CROOKED HILLARY LED THIS TREASONOUS PLOT !
!
!
BIDEN SHOULD N'T BE ALLOWED TO RUN - GOT CAUGHT !
!
! ''
Trump tweeted in what looks quite a bit like a 'roid rage spiral last Wednesday .
The next morning , he appeared on Fox Business to rant at Maria Bartiromo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the greatest political crime in the history of our country '' and demanded that Barr arrest and indict Obama , Biden and Hillary Clinton .
Concocting a fake scandal to smear Democrats requires some amount of restraint .
Republican officials ca n't just arrest Democrats willy-nilly on false charges that will get thrown out immediately in court .
That 's likely to blow back in their faces , as the scandal becomes about abuse of power and turns the innocent people arrested — all of whom are very famous !
— into martyrs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has worked really well !
— has been to use federal resources to run a bunch of phony `` investigations '' that create the illusion of scandal , all without crossing the line into illegal activity that could result in actual consequences for corrupt Republicans .
But Trump , especially when he 's hyped up on steroids and humiliation , could n't help himself .
He 's the same guy who bragged that he likes to commit sexual assault because `` when you 're a star , they let you do it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ test boundaries .
He 's also hobbled by impulsive and short-term thinking , and could n't see past how powerful he would feel by arresting these people to see how an abuse of power scandal would only damage him .
Trump gave the game away .
Any effort to pretend this `` unmasking '' investigation was legitimate was now pointless in the face of the angry old psychopath raving about how people who oppose him politically should be arrested .
It 's impossible to read Barr 's mind and conclusively determine if he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — and allow a bunch of Trump-damaging headlines about it — because of Trump 's downward spiral and very public demands that Barr cross the line into blatantly illegal behavior .
But it 's hard to deny the timing here .
This is just the latest in the long list of schemes by Trump to abuse his federal powers to cheat in the 2020 election .
Last week , Greg Sargent of the Washington Post listed all the failed conspiracies , from Trump trying to fake a Biden-Ukraine scandal to Trump tear-gassing innocent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 vaccine for October to this new effort to levy fake `` unmasking '' accusations against Democrats .
Trump has definitely spent more time abusing his office to cheat in the 2020 election than he has on governing in the past four years .
But he 's about as good at conducting corrupt conspiracies as he was at running his business , which is to say , not at all .
All that said , it would be unwise for anyone to relax just yet .
Trump has made his intentions to steal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he may be incompetent , he does have plenty of competent people working for him .
The conspiracy to steal the election by attacking the mail-in voting system is still up and running .
It is still critical that everyone do their part to keep Trump from monkeying with vote-counting in an attempt to steal the election .
Still , watching Trump 's latest scheme implode is a good sign .
He 's very bad at rat-f*cking and keeps getting in the way of the people who actually know how to pull such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ criminal mastermind so many people have convinced themselves he must be , but an incompetent fool who got really lucky in 2016 .
He can be defeated — as long as people do n't get complacent .

Despite days of a seemingly steroid-addled Donald Trump raving about alleged conspiracies against him on Twitter and to any right wing pundit who would listen, it appears Attorney General Bill Barr — usually so indulgent of Trump's various crimes and corrupt schemes — has decided not to arrest a slate of Trump's political opponents on falsified charges.
"'Unmasking' probe commissioned by Barr concludes without charges or any public report," blares the headline at the Washington Post. With that, another of Trump's hopes that he could abuse his powers to manufacture an "October surprise" to save his re-election goes up in smoke.
At this point, it's tempting to offer an explainer about what the supposed "unmasking" scandal is all about, but the problem here is that the whole thing is equal parts opaque and confusing, even for those who are fully immersed in the Fox News Cinematic Universe. It's a bunch of gobbledygook accusations against Obama White House staff, including former Vice President Joe Biden, that amount to nothing but have been sold at length with great umbrage by the over-acting crowd at Fox News.
The whole thing is confusing by design. These falsified scandals concocted by Republicans to smear Democrats — Clinton's emails, Benghazi, Whitewater, whatever the hell Trump and Rudy Giuliani have been trying to imply about Biden and Ukraine — are deliberately dense and confusing, so that no one, not even the most avid Fox News fan, can ever fully understand what they're supposed to be outraged by.
The hope is that viewers will tune out the details (because they are indecipherable) and instead simply hear a series of sinister (or foreign-sounding!) buzzwords — "Benghazi," "emails," "unmasking," "Burisma" — and assume that something bad must have happened, even if they don't understand what. It's a strategy that's been pretty successful for Republicans in the past. To this day, no one can explain what was supposedly so bad about Hillary Clinton's emails, but enough Americans assumed that all the smoke must mean fire that they held the fake scandal against her at the polls in 2016.
Barr quite clearly opened the "investigation" into this non-scandal in order to pile on more confusing news reports and bolster the illusion that something bad must have happened. Barr likely understood that this phony investigation, like others, would amount to nothing substantive.
And it wasn't really meant to. The whole point is to drag out the Potemkin investigation until the election, creating a fake and confusing "scandal" that wannabe Trump voters could cling to in order to rationalize voting again for the racist disease vector polluting the Oval Office.
But Trump, who doesn't understand the art of subtlety on a good day, got greedy. Trump has been in an obvious downward spiral, brought on by both his humiliating COVID-19 hospitalization and the likely side effects of the powerful drugs he was given to battle it. Unsurprisingly then he's given a number of incoherent and aggrieved interviews to right wing outlets while also venting regularly on Twitter. In the process, he began screeching demands that Barr arrest a whole slew of Democratic figures on false charges in wild, over-the-top language that frankly removed all plausible deniability that there was anything substantive about the investigation.
"DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS, THE BIGGEST OF ALL POLITICAL SCANDALS (IN HISTORY)!!! BIDEN, OBAMA AND CROOKED HILLARY LED THIS TREASONOUS PLOT!!! BIDEN SHOULDN'T BE ALLOWED TO RUN - GOT CAUGHT!!!" Trump tweeted in what looks quite a bit like a 'roid rage spiral last Wednesday.
The next morning, he appeared on Fox Business to rant at Maria Bartiromo about how this fake scandal is "the greatest political crime in the history of our country" and demanded that Barr arrest and indict Obama, Biden and Hillary Clinton.
Concocting a fake scandal to smear Democrats requires some amount of restraint. Republican officials can't just arrest Democrats willy-nilly on false charges that will get thrown out immediately in court. That's likely to blow back in their faces, as the scandal becomes about abuse of power and turns the innocent people arrested — all of whom are very famous! — into martyrs.
No, the strategy — which has worked really well! — has been to use federal resources to run a bunch of phony "investigations" that create the illusion of scandal, all without crossing the line into illegal activity that could result in actual consequences for corrupt Republicans.
But Trump, especially when he's hyped up on steroids and humiliation, couldn't help himself. He's the same guy who bragged that he likes to commit sexual assault because "when you're a star, they let you do it." He lives to cross lines and test boundaries. He's also hobbled by impulsive and short-term thinking, and couldn't see past how powerful he would feel by arresting these people to see how an abuse of power scandal would only damage him.
Trump gave the game away. Any effort to pretend this "unmasking" investigation was legitimate was now pointless in the face of the angry old psychopath raving about how people who oppose him politically should be arrested.
It's impossible to read Barr's mind and conclusively determine if he decided to wrap up this phony investigation — and allow a bunch of Trump-damaging headlines about it — because of Trump's downward spiral and very public demands that Barr cross the line into blatantly illegal behavior. But it's hard to deny the timing here.
This is just the latest in the long list of schemes by Trump to abuse his federal powers to cheat in the 2020 election. Last week, Greg Sargent of the Washington Post listed all the failed conspiracies, from Trump trying to fake a Biden-Ukraine scandal to Trump tear-gassing innocent protesters to Trump trying to rush a COVID-19 vaccine for October to this new effort to levy fake "unmasking" accusations against Democrats. Trump has definitely spent more time abusing his office to cheat in the 2020 election than he has on governing in the past four years. But he's about as good at conducting corrupt conspiracies as he was at running his business, which is to say, not at all.
All that said, it would be unwise for anyone to relax just yet. Trump has made his intentions to steal the election quite clear, and while he may be incompetent, he does have plenty of competent people working for him. The conspiracy to steal the election by attacking the mail-in voting system is still up and running. It is still critical that everyone do their part to keep Trump from monkeying with vote-counting in an attempt to steal the election.
Still, watching Trump's latest scheme implode is a good sign. He's very bad at rat-f*cking and keeps getting in the way of the people who actually know how to pull such shenanigans off. He is not the criminal mastermind so many people have convinced themselves he must be, but an incompetent fool who got really lucky in 2016. He can be defeated — as long as people don't get complacent.


alternet--2020-10-14--Yet another Republican tested positive for COVID-19 — right before plans to meet with Pence

Yet another Republican has tested positive for COVID-19 .
Rep. Bill Huizenga of Michigan , Wednesday afternoon on Twitter , @ @ @ @ @ day , he `` was expected to appear with '' Vice President Mike Pence but @ @ @ @ @ part in offsite testing protocols , I took a rapid test that came back positive @ @ @ @ @ GOP congressman noted , `` I am awaiting the results of a PCR test , @ @ @ @ @ I have confirmed results . ''
The 51-year-old Huizenga , who served in the Michigan @ @ @ @ @ , was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010 and is now @ @ @ @ @ Financial Services Committee .
Huizenga 's announcement follows the recent hospitalization of President Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ list of Republicans who have also tested positive for the novel coronavirus recently ranges from @ @ @ @ @ to Republican National Committee Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel to Bill Stepien , Trump 's campaign @ @

Yet another Republican has tested positive for COVID-19. Rep. Bill Huizenga of Michigan, Wednesday afternoon on Twitter, posted that earlier in the day, he "was expected to appear with" Vice President Mike Pence but added: "While taking part in offsite testing protocols, I took a rapid test that came back positive for COVID-19."
The GOP congressman noted, "I am awaiting the results of a PCR test, and I am self-isolating until I have confirmed results."
The 51-year-old Huizenga, who served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2003-2009, was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010 and is now a member of the House Financial Services Committee.
Huizenga's announcement follows the recent hospitalization of President Donald Trump for COVID-19. The long list of Republicans who have also tested positive for the novel coronavirus recently ranges from long-time Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway to Republican National Committee Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel to Bill Stepien, Trump's campaign manager.


alternet--2020-10-14--Leaked footage exposes Trump allies boasting about ballot harvesting

Leaked footage from a right-wing organization reportedly shows multiple allies of President Donald Trump advocating for ballot harvesting despite the president constantly accusing Democratic voters of doing so .
With less than 25 days to Election Day , Republican activist Charlie Kirk spoke during a closed-door gathering of Conservatives hosted by the Council for National Policy ( CNP ) where he appeared to praise the impact coronavirus will have on the election .
According to Kirk , COVID may prohibit many liberal college students from voting in the upcoming election .
`` So , please keep the campuses closed , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will suppress the vote .
`` Like , it 's a great thing . ''
Many of the videos highlight discussions that took place between February and August .
In one of the videos , Bill Walton , the executive committee president for CNP , even attempted to offer a dangerous comparison of the election to spiritual warfare as a matter of `` good versus evil . ''
`` This is a spiritual battle we are in .
This is good versus evil , '' Walton said to an audience that attended an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Aug. 21 , adding , `` We have to do everything we can to win . ''
Ralph Reed , chairman of the nonprofit Faith & Freedom Coalition , also weighed in with a blatant commitment to ballot harvesting .
Reed encouraged other evangelical leaders to do the same .
`` Our organization is going to be harvesting ballots in churches , '' Reed said .
`` We 're going to be specifically going in not only to White evangelical churches , but into Hispanic and Asian churches , and collecting those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the non-profit Conservative organization the Judicial Watch , also challenged the audience to come up with ways to suppress votes and `` stop ballots from going out .
`` We need to stop those ballots from going out , and I want the lawyers here to tell us what to do , '' Fitton said , adding , `` But this is a crisis that we 're not prepared for .
I mean , our side is not prepared for . ''
The leaked footage follows Trump 's repeated claim that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the president has waged war on mail-in ballots while filing lawsuits in multiple Democratic-run states .
Trump has repeatedly condemned mail-in voting despite casting his own ballot by mail and encouraging Florida , Michigan , and North Carolina voters to vote by mail .
Its also important to note that Florida and North Carolina are typically red states while Michigan is a swing state , all of which could greatly impact the outcome of the election .

Leaked footage from a right-wing organization reportedly shows multiple allies of President Donald Trump advocating for ballot harvesting despite the president constantly accusing Democratic voters of doing so.
With less than 25 days to Election Day, Republican activist Charlie Kirk spoke during a closed-door gathering of Conservatives hosted by the Council for National Policy (CNP) where he appeared to praise the impact coronavirus will have on the election. According to Kirk, COVID may prohibit many liberal college students from voting in the upcoming election.
"So, please keep the campuses closed," Kirk said in hopes that closures will suppress the vote. "Like, it's a great thing."
Many of the videos highlight discussions that took place between February and August. In one of the videos, Bill Walton, the executive committee president for CNP, even attempted to offer a dangerous comparison of the election to spiritual warfare as a matter of "good versus evil."
"This is a spiritual battle we are in. This is good versus evil," Walton said to an audience that attended an event at the Ritz-Carlton in Pentagon City on Aug. 21, adding, "We have to do everything we can to win."
Ralph Reed, chairman of the nonprofit Faith & Freedom Coalition, also weighed in with a blatant commitment to ballot harvesting. Reed encouraged other evangelical leaders to do the same.
"Our organization is going to be harvesting ballots in churches," Reed said. "We're going to be specifically going in not only to White evangelical churches, but into Hispanic and Asian churches, and collecting those ballots."
Tom Fitton, president of the non-profit Conservative organization the Judicial Watch, also challenged the audience to come up with ways to suppress votes and "stop ballots from going out.
"We need to stop those ballots from going out, and I want the lawyers here to tell us what to do," Fitton said, adding, "But this is a crisis that we're not prepared for. I mean, our side is not prepared for."
The leaked footage follows Trump's repeated claim that the election will be rigged. For months, the president has waged war on mail-in ballots while filing lawsuits in multiple Democratic-run states. Trump has repeatedly condemned mail-in voting despite casting his own ballot by mail and encouraging Florida, Michigan, and North Carolina voters to vote by mail. Its also important to note that Florida and North Carolina are typically red states while Michigan is a swing state, all of which could greatly impact the outcome of the election.


alternet--2020-10-14--Amy Coney Barrett can't name the 5 freedoms in the First Amendment: ‘What am I missing?’

Wednesday marked the third day in the Senate confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett , President Donald Trump 's far-right nominee to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the U.S. Supreme Court .
One of the Republicans who questioned Barrett was Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse , who asked Barrett to discuss the specifics of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution — and she was unable to fully answer his question .
The Nebraska Republican , one of the few GOP senators who has n't been afraid to criticize Trump at times , asked Barrett , `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Amendment ?
`` —to which Barrett responded , `` Speech , religion , press , assembly . ''
But she could n't remember a fifth one , telling Sasse , `` I do n't know .
What am I missing ? ''
Sasse helped Barrett out and named `` redress or protest . ''
And Sasse asked Barrett , `` Why is there one amendment that has these five freedoms clustered ?
Why do they hang together ? ''
Barrett 's response , `` Um , I do n't know what you 're @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her to reflect on the `` glories of the First Amendment . ''
Amy Coney Barrett ca n't name five freedoms in the First Amendment

Wednesday marked the third day in the Senate confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Donald Trump's far-right nominee to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the U.S. Supreme Court. One of the Republicans who questioned Barrett was Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, who asked Barrett to discuss the specifics of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution — and she was unable to fully answer his question.
The Nebraska Republican, one of the few GOP senators who hasn't been afraid to criticize Trump at times, asked Barrett, "What the five freedoms of the First Amendment?"—to which Barrett responded, "Speech, religion, press, assembly." But she couldn't remember a fifth one, telling Sasse, "I don't know. What am I missing?"
Sasse helped Barrett out and named "redress or protest." And Sasse asked Barrett, "Why is there one amendment that has these five freedoms clustered? Why do they hang together?" Barrett's response, "Um, I don't know what you're getting at," and he asked her to reflect on the "glories of the First Amendment."
Watch the video below: