alternet--2020-11-27--Our worst pre-existing condition: Big Pharma

Before COVID , the headlines you might read about the pharmaceutical industry tended towards corporate malfeasance — violations of the Foreign Practices Corruption Act , insider trading , abusive mass marketing of opioids or predatory pricing , that sort of thing .
Few think of such a notoriously manipulative industry as heralding medical breakthroughs .
But with a quarter of a million American deaths and another 12 million COVID cases , we are being told by the corporate news media these same companies are going to save life on the planet as we once knew it pre-pandemic .
Several months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including decimating personal tragedies and loss on a scale not seen since the beginning of the last century , has reduced us to a childlike state looking for our parents that may already be dead .
The mainstream news media agrees that Donald Trump 's attempts to derail the peaceful transition of power is reckless .
Yet they have failed to critically examine his decision to have our nation defer to the profit-driven pharma sector the efforts to beat COVID .
Indeed , the research to create a vaccine is almost entirely publicly-funded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the private sector with little oversight .
As Michael Hiltzik recently wrote in his Los Angeles Times op-ed entitled `` The Colossal Problem of Publicly Funded Vaccines in Private Hands , '' the Trump junta 's blank check is going to an industry that has long `` profited from billions of dollars in government scientific research without returning anything to taxpayers . ''
The U.S. Treasury 's largesse towards the multinational pharma profiteers includes not merely billions of dollars in taxpayer funded-research for them to profit off of , but also guaranteed orders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the government .
Hiltzik quotes Peter Maybarduk , director of the Access to Medicines Program at the non-profit Public Citizen , who suggests the US has `` considerably slowed the global timetable '' in the COVID fight `` by bestowing billions in grants to companies `` and asking them to develop manufacturing arrangements that are in their interest rather than pooling resources saying we 're going to teach the world how to make these vaccines and using all the available manufacturing capacity . ''
There 's a tragic irony that we are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's a pillar of our for-profit health care system — one that rations care and feeds off of scarcity and disease — to deliver us from a pandemic .
The multinational pharmaceutical industry is the foundation of the American health care system that rations medical care based on the ability to pay .
It has been its own kind of killer virus , and the industry permitted the proliferation of chronic diseases in the ranks of the poor and working classes — in turn serving as a form of race- and class-based social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ itself with each day 's new COVID body count .
As Reverend William Barber pointed out during the Democratic primary campaign of 2020 , there was , long before COVID , a raging pandemic that fed off of poverty playing out daily .
This pandemic lived below the corporate news media radar , and prematurely claimed the lives of 250,000 Americans every year .
Big pharma , and our winner-take-all economic system , is implicated in those deaths .
Back in 2018 , a report by the Harvard T.H .
Chan School of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Institute , and the London School of Economics found that the US paid twice as much as other high-income countries for health care only to get poorer population health outcomes .
`` The main drivers of higher health care spending in the U.S. are generally high prices — for salaries of physicians and nurses , pharmaceuticals , medical devices , and administration , '' the report 's researchers say .
It 's been the pharma companies , along with big tech firms like Amazon and Google , that have perfected the legal three-card-monte @ @ @ @ @ @ @ billions of dollars annually that starves public health care systems globally .
For decades , economists and public interest tax experts have flagged this accelerating `` race to the bottom , '' where multinationals and the holders of vast personal fortunes reduce or eliminate entirely their tax bill by pitting the nations of the world against each other .
This continued beggaring of local , state and national governments by the wealthiest , including pharma companies , comes as our public health sector crumbles under the weight of the resource scarcity that resulted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of profits often generated by taxpayer-funded research .
Last week , thanks to the research generated by the international Tax Justice Network ( TJN ) , we were able to quantify the scale of the impact of how pharmaceutical ( and other ) corporations have rigged tax codes to their advantage across the world .
TJN reports that even as the world 's `` pandemic-fatigued countries… struggle to cope with second and third waves of coronavirus , '' they have been losing `` over $ 427 billion in tax each year to international @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , costing countries altogether the equivalent of nearly 34 million nurses ' annual salaries every year – or one nurse 's annual salary every second . ''
`` Pharma companies like Pfizer , along with software and internet companies , have been the major players in global tax dodging and designing the new mechanisms since the later 1990s that move lots of profits to low tax jurisdictions in the form of untaxed royalties that they pay themselves to offshore companies that they own , '' explains James Henry , a New York based @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advisor to TJN .
There are surely tens of thousands of committed scientists and technicians working at `` warp speed '' to develop a safe and effective vaccine out of a sense of moral duty .
But we would be foolish to forget that big pharma itself is fueled by a maniacal pursuit of profits .
And as an industry , it has shown the same kind of contempt for the law as the current occupant of the White House .
Above and beyond the law Like Trump , Big Pharma are ruthless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the scale of the money involved in their crimes , our legal system actually shields them from personal criminal prosecution — as it did with the Wall Street banks in the Great Heist of 2008 .
As it turns out , the most important duty for our Department of Justice , no matter which party controls the White House , appears to be to twist the law to preserve capital and keep great fortunes intact , while feigning to prosecute the corporate shell in the public interest .
This is critical , because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all-too-often the farm team for tomorrow 's over-compensated captains of industry .
Take Purdue Pharma , whose predatory marketing of the highly addictive opioid Oxycontin helped set off double-digit percentage spikes in drug overdose deaths that have killed more than 400,000 Americans since 1999 .
In 2007 , Purdue Pharma entered into a Department of Justice deal that required they plead guilty to a felony and pay a $ 600 million dollar fine for misleading and defrauding the public , including physicians , about their signature drug OxyContin .
Yet , some members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of whom were heirs of the Purdue fortune , were allowed to transfer $ 10 billion out of their accounts between 2008 and 2018 , according to an audit that was released while Purdue sought bankruptcy protection in September .
Last month , serial offender Purdue Pharma agreed to plead guilty to three federal crimes including producing highly addictive drugs `` without legitimate medical purpose '' in a deal with the Trump/Barr Department of Justice that was denounced as a `` failure '' by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey .
`` DOJ failed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in this case requires exposing the perpetrators accountable , not rushing a settlement to beat an election .
I am not done with Purdue and the Sacklers , and I will never sell out the families who have been calling for justice for so long . ''
Even before COVID , 140 million Americans struggled week to week trying to make ends meet , which they often did by cutting health care corners .
For three years before COVID hit , America 's life expectancy was on the decline .
How many members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last time such a demographic event happened was in the years leading up to the First World War and the Spanish Flu epidemic , when 675,000 Americans , and 50 million people worldwide , died .
Currently , with more than 250,000 deaths here in the U.S. and 1.2 million globally , there seems to be something truly exceptional about America 's bout with the COVID scourge .
In the post-election interregnum , the prognosis is bleak .
The U.S Treasury is sending out billions to Big Pharma , while rushing to close @ @ @ @ @ @ @ small businesses and local governments .
Unemployment benefits for 12 million Americans sidelined by COVID are set to run out the day after Christmas .
Just as individuals may have preexisting conditions that make them more susceptible to COVID-19 , so does our economic system , which lets tens of millions of families teeter on the edge so as to provide the cheap labor on which billionaires ' fortunes rely .
There can be no honest critique of how we got here without noting `` the gross failure of the U.S. private , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ industries : doctors , drug and device makers , and medical insurance firms ) '' who `` decided not to prepare for a serious virus problem , '' writes economist Richard Wolff in his latest book `` The Sickness is the System . ''
Our only enduring remedy is radical change .

Before COVID, the headlines you might read about the pharmaceutical industry tended towards corporate malfeasance — violations of the Foreign Practices Corruption Act, insider trading, abusive mass marketing of opioids or predatory pricing, that sort of thing. Few think of such a notoriously manipulative industry as heralding medical breakthroughs.
But with a quarter of a million American deaths and another 12 million COVID cases, we are being told by the corporate news media these same companies are going to save life on the planet as we once knew it pre-pandemic.
Several months of worsening news about the pandemic, including decimating personal tragedies and loss on a scale not seen since the beginning of the last century, has reduced us to a childlike state looking for our parents that may already be dead.
Lost in transit
The mainstream news media agrees that Donald Trump's attempts to derail the peaceful transition of power is reckless. Yet they have failed to critically examine his decision to have our nation defer to the profit-driven pharma sector the efforts to beat COVID. Indeed, the research to create a vaccine is almost entirely publicly-funded, though the effort has entrusted to the private sector with little oversight.
As Michael Hiltzik recently wrote in his Los Angeles Times op-ed entitled "The Colossal Problem of Publicly Funded Vaccines in Private Hands," the Trump junta's blank check is going to an industry that has long "profited from billions of dollars in government scientific research without returning anything to taxpayers."
The U.S. Treasury's largesse towards the multinational pharma profiteers includes not merely billions of dollars in taxpayer funded-research for them to profit off of, but also guaranteed orders for the millions of doses of vaccine from the government.
Hiltzik quotes Peter Maybarduk, director of the Access to Medicines Program at the non-profit Public Citizen, who suggests the US has "considerably slowed the global timetable" in the COVID fight "by bestowing billions in grants to companies "and asking them to develop manufacturing arrangements that are in their interest rather than pooling resources saying we're going to teach the world how to make these vaccines and using all the available manufacturing capacity."
There's a tragic irony that we are relying so heavily on an industry that's a pillar of our for-profit health care system — one that rations care and feeds off of scarcity and disease — to deliver us from a pandemic.
The multinational pharmaceutical industry is the foundation of the American health care system that rations medical care based on the ability to pay. It has been its own kind of killer virus, and the industry permitted the proliferation of chronic diseases in the ranks of the poor and working classes — in turn serving as a form of race- and class-based social control, one that is increasingly revealing itself with each day's new COVID body count.
As Reverend William Barber pointed out during the Democratic primary campaign of 2020, there was, long before COVID, a raging pandemic that fed off of poverty playing out daily. This pandemic lived below the corporate news media radar, and prematurely claimed the lives of 250,000 Americans every year.
Big pharma, and our winner-take-all economic system, is implicated in those deaths. Back in 2018, a report by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the Harvard Global Health Institute, and the London School of Economics found that the US paid twice as much as other high-income countries for health care only to get poorer population health outcomes.
"The main drivers of higher health care spending in the U.S. are generally high prices — for salaries of physicians and nurses, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and administration," the report's researchers say.
Making a killing
It's been the pharma companies, along with big tech firms like Amazon and Google, that have perfected the legal three-card-monte of profit-shifting to offshore jurisdiction hundreds of billions of dollars annually that starves public health care systems globally.
For decades, economists and public interest tax experts have flagged this accelerating "race to the bottom," where multinationals and the holders of vast personal fortunes reduce or eliminate entirely their tax bill by pitting the nations of the world against each other.
This continued beggaring of local, state and national governments by the wealthiest, including pharma companies, comes as our public health sector crumbles under the weight of the resource scarcity that resulted from generations of this hoarding and hiding of profits often generated by taxpayer-funded research.
A nurse's pay a second
Last week, thanks to the research generated by the international Tax Justice Network (TJN), we were able to quantify the scale of the impact of how pharmaceutical (and other) corporations have rigged tax codes to their advantage across the world.
TJN reports that even as the world's "pandemic-fatigued countries… struggle to cope with second and third waves of coronavirus," they have been losing "over $427 billion in tax each year to international corporate tax abuse and private tax evasion, costing countries altogether the equivalent of nearly 34 million nurses' annual salaries every year – or one nurse's annual salary every second."
"Pharma companies like Pfizer, along with software and internet companies, have been the major players in global tax dodging and designing the new mechanisms since the later 1990s that move lots of profits to low tax jurisdictions in the form of untaxed royalties that they pay themselves to offshore companies that they own," explains James Henry, a New York based economist and lawyer who is a senior advisor to TJN.
There are surely tens of thousands of committed scientists and technicians working at "warp speed" to develop a safe and effective vaccine out of a sense of moral duty. But we would be foolish to forget that big pharma itself is fueled by a maniacal pursuit of profits. And as an industry, it has shown the same kind of contempt for the law as the current occupant of the White House.
Above and beyond the law
Like Trump, Big Pharma are ruthless and unrepentant. Yet, because of the scale of the money involved in their crimes, our legal system actually shields them from personal criminal prosecution — as it did with the Wall Street banks in the Great Heist of 2008.
As it turns out, the most important duty for our Department of Justice, no matter which party controls the White House, appears to be to twist the law to preserve capital and keep great fortunes intact, while feigning to prosecute the corporate shell in the public interest.
This is critical, because today's federal prosecutors and regulators are all-too-often the farm team for tomorrow's over-compensated captains of industry.
Take Purdue Pharma, whose predatory marketing of the highly addictive opioid Oxycontin helped set off double-digit percentage spikes in drug overdose deaths that have killed more than 400,000 Americans since 1999.
In 2007, Purdue Pharma entered into a Department of Justice deal that required they plead guilty to a felony and pay a $600 million dollar fine for misleading and defrauding the public, including physicians, about their signature drug OxyContin.
Yet, some members of the bulletproof Sackler family, some of whom were heirs of the Purdue fortune, were allowed to transfer $10 billion out of their accounts between 2008 and 2018, according to an audit that was released while Purdue sought bankruptcy protection in September.
Last month, serial offender Purdue Pharma agreed to plead guilty to three federal crimes including producing highly addictive drugs "without legitimate medical purpose" in a deal with the Trump/Barr Department of Justice that was denounced as a "failure" by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey.
"DOJ failed," tweeted Healey. "Justice in this case requires exposing the perpetrators accountable, not rushing a settlement to beat an election. I am not done with Purdue and the Sacklers, and I will never sell out the families who have been calling for justice for so long."
Walking wounded
Even before COVID, 140 million Americans struggled week to week trying to make ends meet, which they often did by cutting health care corners.
For three years before COVID hit, America's life expectancy was on the decline. How many members of Congress sounded the alarm? The last time such a demographic event happened was in the years leading up to the First World War and the Spanish Flu epidemic, when 675,000 Americans, and 50 million people worldwide, died.
Currently, with more than 250,000 deaths here in the U.S. and 1.2 million globally, there seems to be something truly exceptional about America's bout with the COVID scourge.
In the post-election interregnum, the prognosis is bleak. The U.S Treasury is sending out billions to Big Pharma, while rushing to close off access to Federal Reserve borrowing for small businesses and local governments. Unemployment benefits for 12 million Americans sidelined by COVID are set to run out the day after Christmas.
Just as individuals may have preexisting conditions that make them more susceptible to COVID-19, so does our economic system, which lets tens of millions of families teeter on the edge so as to provide the cheap labor on which billionaires' fortunes rely.
There can be no honest critique of how we got here without noting "the gross failure of the U.S. private, profit-driven, capitalist medical-industrial complex (four industries: doctors, drug and device makers, and medical insurance firms)" who "decided not to prepare for a serious virus problem," writes economist Richard Wolff in his latest book "The Sickness is the System."
Our only enduring remedy is radical change.


alternet--2020-11-27--Trump’s press briefing sounded like a ‘campaign TV commercial’ for 2024: CNN’s Michael Smerconish

President Donald Trump has n't made a lot of public appearances since the November 3 election , but he briefly reemerged this week and spoke to reporters in the White House without taking questions from them .
And according to conservative/libertarian CNN pundit Michael Smerconish , Trump 's statements sounded like a 2024 campaign commercial .
The Philadelphia-based Smerconish appeared on the CNN program `` Out Front , '' hosted by Erin Burnett — who noted that Trump 's public appearances `` are rare these days '' and that the president `` showed up at the press briefing room for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stock market .
When Burnett asked for Smerconish 's take on Trump 's briefing , he responded , `` That was a campaign TV commercial in the making .
Erin , as soon as I saw it — and he was only there , as you say , for 60 seconds — I said to myself , '30,000 ( in the stock market ) is a big milestone .
I give him credit for that because frankly , we 'd be blaming him for that if it tanked .
He does not want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moment .
So , he walked into that White House press room with ( Vice President ) Mike Pence at his side and recorded it for posterity , including potentially , for 2024 .
You could see that on a campaign reel in four years . ''
Although Smerconish is right-of-center politically , he has been quite critical of Trump at times and is not one to mindlessly echo the GOP party line .
Smerconish angered many people on the right when , during the 2008 presidential election , he announced that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obama rather than Republican nominee John McCain .
Trump has yet to concede to President-elect Joe Biden and continues to claim , without evidence , that he was the victim of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election .
But this week , Trump said that he will voluntarily leave the White House on January 20 if the Electoral College confirms Biden in December .

President Donald Trump hasn't made a lot of public appearances since the November 3 election, but he briefly reemerged this week and spoke to reporters in the White House without taking questions from them. And according to conservative/libertarian CNN pundit Michael Smerconish, Trump's statements sounded like a 2024 campaign commercial.
The Philadelphia-based Smerconish appeared on the CNN program "Out Front," hosted by Erin Burnett — who noted that Trump's public appearances "are rare these days" and that the president "showed up at the press briefing room for 64 seconds" and talked about the stock market. When Burnett asked for Smerconish's take on Trump's briefing, he responded, "That was a campaign TV commercial in the making. Erin, as soon as I saw it — and he was only there, as you say, for 60 seconds — I said to myself, '30,000 (in the stock market) is a big milestone. I give him credit for that because frankly, we'd be blaming him for that if it tanked. He does not want to trust the media to record that moment. So, he walked into that White House press room with (Vice President) Mike Pence at his side and recorded it for posterity, including potentially, for 2024. You could see that on a campaign reel in four years."
Although Smerconish is right-of-center politically, he has been quite critical of Trump at times and is not one to mindlessly echo the GOP party line. Smerconish angered many people on the right when, during the 2008 presidential election, he announced that he would be voting for Democratic nominee Barack Obama rather than Republican nominee John McCain.
Trump has yet to concede to President-elect Joe Biden and continues to claim, without evidence, that he was the victim of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. But this week, Trump said that he will voluntarily leave the White House on January 20 if the Electoral College confirms Biden in December.


alternet--2020-11-27--#DiaperDon goes on anti-Twitter tangent after users mock him for Thanksgiving temper tantrum at 'kid

#DiaperDon goes on anti-Twitter tangent after users mock him for Thanksgiving temper tantrum at 'kids table'

President Donald Trump 's delivered a Thanksgiving Day address from behind an incredibly tiny desk , which garnered an array of comical responses from Twitter users .
In typical Trump fashion , the president spent his Thanksgiving Day focused on lashing out at reporters and spewing more falsehoods about the election results .
However , viewers were more distracted by his tiny desk and how it made his temper tantrum appear reticent to the actions of a petulant child .
As photos of Trump 's tiny desk began circulating on social media , Twitter users wasted no time weighing in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` elementary school desk '' was the comic relief of Thanksgiving for many Twitter users .
One Twitter user wrote , `` Trump is at the kiddie table of life… where he 's always been and always will be .
Always pretending to play big powerful grownup , but now dad 's money is gone and he has n't learned to generate any on his own merit .
Trump 's life is a warning . ''
Although Trump made it appear as if he was working overtime for the holiday , other Twitter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have an ink pen in his possession .
Others offered Trump words of advice to ensure he wo n't be banished to `` the kids table '' in the future .
`` Maybe if you behave yourself , stop lying to undermine a fair election & start thinking of what 's good for the country instead of whining about how unfairly you are treated , you 'll be invited to sit at the big boy 's table .
# DiaperDon , '' actor Mark Hamill tweeted .
As the mocking continued , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact , the hashtag even caught the attention of the president who fired back as he claimed the Twitter was responsible for creating `` totally false trends '' On Thursday evening , Trump tweeted , `` Twitter is sending out totally false `` Trends '' that have absolutely nothing to do with what is really trending in the world .
They make it up , and only negative `` stuff '' .
Same thing will happen to Twitter as is happening to @ FoxNews daytime .
Also , big Conservative discrimination ! ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ left in the Trump presidency , his Thanksgiving address is likely the prelude to what Christmas will look like from the White House .

President Donald Trump's delivered a Thanksgiving Day address from behind an incredibly tiny desk, which garnered an array of comical responses from Twitter users.
In typical Trump fashion, the president spent his Thanksgiving Day focused on lashing out at reporters and spewing more falsehoods about the election results. However, viewers were more distracted by his tiny desk and how it made his temper tantrum appear reticent to the actions of a petulant child.
As photos of Trump's tiny desk began circulating on social media, Twitter users wasted no time weighing in and mocking the president. Trump's "elementary school desk" was the comic relief of Thanksgiving for many Twitter users.
One Twitter user wrote, "Trump is at the kiddie table of life… where he's always been and always will be. Always pretending to play big powerful grownup, but now dad's money is gone and he hasn't learned to generate any on his own merit. Trump's life is a warning."
Although Trump made it appear as if he was working overtime for the holiday, other Twitter users also noticed he did not even have an ink pen in his possession.
Others offered Trump words of advice to ensure he won't be banished to "the kids table" in the future. "Maybe if you behave yourself, stop lying to undermine a fair election & start thinking of what's good for the country instead of whining about how unfairly you are treated, you'll be invited to sit at the big boy's table. #DiaperDon," actor Mark Hamill tweeted.
As the mocking continued, the #DiaperDon hashtag began trending. In fact, the hashtag even caught the attention of the president who fired back as he claimed the Twitter was responsible for creating "totally false trends"
On Thursday evening, Trump tweeted, "Twitter is sending out totally false "Trends" that have absolutely nothing to do with what is really trending in the world. They make it up, and only negative "stuff". Same thing will happen to Twitter as is happening to @FoxNews daytime. Also, big Conservative discrimination!"
With a little less than two months left in the Trump presidency, his Thanksgiving address is likely the prelude to what Christmas will look like from the White House.


alternet--2020-11-27--Meet the new Sean Hannity on one right-wing cable network where Trump has not lost the election — ye

Meet the new Sean Hannity on one right-wing cable network where Trump has not lost the election — yet

On Nov. 17 , after nearly all of the major television networks , including Fox News , called the election for Biden , Newsmax host Greg Kelly said the conservative network had not called the election .
He also made his political stance very clear .
Instead of siding with the Republican Party , Kelly emphasized that he is `` pro-Trump . ''
`` I am pro-Trump , and I make that quite clear .
This is an opinion-based show , '' Kelly said .
`` I lean conservative , I like Donald Trump because of his policies , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his style .
Yup , I do .
I like the tweets . ''
He went on to criticize mainstream media 's use of the term `` president-elect '' despite the reference being used when Trump won in 2016 .
`` This is Newsmax , where we have not called the election , '' Kelly said , at the time .
`` Why would we ?
We do not know who has won .
This whole idea of a president-elect ?
It is a media fabrication . ''
Kelly said as an on-screen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ read : `` NewsmaxTV : It 's not over ( obviously ) . ''
Then , on Nov. 20 , Kelly falsely claimed that mainstream media is `` almost always '' wrong when it comes to Trump .
`` A good rule of thumb to remember : The mainstream media , they are almost always , always wrong about this guy , '' Kelly said .
Since the election , Newsmax 's has focused elevating Trump 's false claims of voter fraud and continues to insist there is a chance of a second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' President Trump has encouraged this exodus with tweets and retweets urging his fans to dump Fox News and turn to networks less encumbered by the facts .
Newsmax TV , which has made much of its refusal to accept Biden 's electoral victory , fits the bill . ''
Newsmax Media CEO Chris Ruddy has defended the network 's peddling of false information since it has seen a post-election surge in viewership .
`` At the end of the day , it 's great for news .
The news cycle is red-hot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people per minute , according to Nielsen , tuning into Newsmax TV .
I think it 's good . ''
Although Trump and the Newsmax network refuse to acknowledge the outcome of the election , the numbers do not lie .
Contested states have conducted recounts and multiple states have also began certifying election results for Biden .

On Nov. 17, after nearly all of the major television networks, including Fox News, called the election for Biden, Newsmax host Greg Kelly said the conservative network had not called the election. He also made his political stance very clear. Instead of siding with the Republican Party, Kelly emphasized that he is "pro-Trump."
"I am pro-Trump, and I make that quite clear. This is an opinion-based show," Kelly said. "I lean conservative, I like Donald Trump because of his policies, and I also like Donald Trump because of his style. Yup, I do. I like the tweets."
He went on to criticize mainstream media's use of the term "president-elect" despite the reference being used when Trump won in 2016.
"This is Newsmax, where we have not called the election," Kelly said, at the time. "Why would we? We do not know who has won. This whole idea of a president-elect? It is a media fabrication." Kelly said as an on-screen displayed at the bottom of the screen read: "NewsmaxTV: It's not over (obviously)."
Then, on Nov. 20, Kelly falsely claimed that mainstream media is "almost always" wrong when it comes to Trump. "A good rule of thumb to remember: The mainstream media, they are almost always, always wrong about this guy," Kelly said.
Since the election, Newsmax's has focused elevating Trump's false claims of voter fraud and continues to insist there is a chance of a second Trump term. As Slate reports:
"President Trump has encouraged this exodus with tweets and retweets urging his fans to dump Fox News and turn to networks less encumbered by the facts. Newsmax TV, which has made much of its refusal to accept Biden's electoral victory, fits the bill."
Newsmax Media CEO Chris Ruddy has defended the network's peddling of false information since it has seen a post-election surge in viewership.
"At the end of the day, it's great for news. The news cycle is red-hot, and Newsmax is getting one million people per minute, according to Nielsen, tuning into Newsmax TV. I think it's good."
Although Trump and the Newsmax network refuse to acknowledge the outcome of the election, the numbers do not lie. Contested states have conducted recounts and multiple states have also began certifying election results for Biden.


alternet--2020-11-27--Watch: Video captures profane Trump rant as he hits golf ball into a pond

Video obtained by TMZ shows President Donald Trump getting angry during his Thanksgiving golf game as he hit a ball into a pond on his golf course in Sterling , Virginia .
The video shows the president taking a few practice swings with his club before finally hitting the ball — which proceeds to drop right into the water .
`` Ah sh*t , '' Trump can be heard saying .
`` I hate this f*cking hole ! ''
`` Maybe Trump was off his game because he 's still so pissed off about the election , '' TMZ speculates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ storm , again claiming he won the election , saying , 'Just saw the vote tabulations .
There is NO WAY Biden got 80,000,000 votes !
!
!
This was a 100 % RIGGED ELECTION . '
'' Donald Trump Hits Golf Ball in the Water And Screams , ' I Hate This F***ing Hole !
!
! '
Donald Trump Hits Golf Ball in the Water And Screams , ' I Hate This F***ing Hole !
!
! '
Donald Trump got in a few holes before his Thanksgiving dinner , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election for him ... and he was VERY vocal about it .

Video obtained by TMZ shows President Donald Trump getting angry during his Thanksgiving golf game as he hit a ball into a pond on his golf course in Sterling, Virginia.
The video shows the president taking a few practice swings with his club before finally hitting the ball — which proceeds to drop right into the water.
"Ah sh*t," Trump can be heard saying. "I hate this f*cking hole!"
"Maybe Trump was off his game because he's still so pissed off about the election," TMZ speculates. "He was tweeting up a storm, again claiming he won the election, saying, 'Just saw the vote tabulations. There is NO WAY Biden got 80,000,000 votes!!! This was a 100% RIGGED ELECTION.'"
Watch the video below.
Donald Trump Hits Golf Ball in the Water And Screams, 'I Hate This F***ing Hole!!!'
Donald Trump Hits Golf Ball in the Water And Screams, 'I Hate This F***ing Hole!!!' www.tmz.com
Donald Trump got in a few holes before his Thanksgiving dinner, but it went about as well as the election for him ... and he was VERY vocal about it.


alternet--2020-11-27--Trump’s effort to suppress Black votes could be sued as a 15th Amendment violation: legal expert

It is no coincidence that many of the major cities where President Donald Trump 's campaign is making baseless claims of widespread voter fraud have large African-American communities , including Atlanta , Detroit , Philadelphia and Milwaukee .
Black voters , for the most part , favored President-elect Joe Biden over Trump .
Jay Weiser , an associate professor of law emeritus at Baruch College 's Zicklin School of Business in New York City , examines the racial implications of the 2020 Trump campaign 's election-related lawsuits in an article published on November 27 by the conservative website The Bulwark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 15th Amendment violations could be made .
`` Donald Trump has the right to contest election law violations in court .
He is likewise free to peddle whatever conspiracy theories he likes outside of court , '' Weiser explains .
`` But Trump and his team may be exposing themselves to liability for a different kind of conspiracy : one to suppress the counting of Black votes in violation of the 15th Amendment . ''
The 15th Amendment was added to the U.S. Constitution in 1870 .
`` After the Civil War , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ launched a campaign of terror to deny newly freed slaves the right to vote .
In response , the 15th Amendment barred discrimination against voting rights on the basis of race .
To enforce this , Congress passed the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 . ''
Section 1985 ( 3 ) of the 15th Amendment allows for lawsuits if the plaintiff can show that racially motivated voting rights violations took place .
According to Weiser , `` Trump 's post-election barrage of specious lawsuits — 32 losses in 34 cases , so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own to support a Section 1985 ( 3 ) claim .
But in addition to these lawsuits , the Trump campaign has ' ( hindered ) the constituted authorities ' of the states in order to disqualify presidential votes in disproportionately Black jurisdictions such as Philadelphia , 42.3 % Black ; Detroit , 78.6 % ; Atlanta , 51.8 % ; and Milwaukee , 38.8 % .
Black voters in these jurisdictions can bring lawsuits . ''
African-American votes heavily favored Biden over Trump in Atlanta , Detroit , Philadelphia and Milwaukee — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in battleground states where Trump 's campaign has been trying to overturn the election results .
In fact , attorneys for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund are alleging , in a lawsuit , that Trump and his legal team have committed racially motivated violations of the Voting Rights Act , noting how many Black voters there are in the counties and cities where Trump 's campaign has been trying to get ballots thrown out .
Weiser argues that unless the Trump campaign 's efforts to disenfranchise Black voters are aggressively challenged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attempts at racially motivated voter suppression in the future .
`` Donald Trump 's post-election strategy has created a roadmap for suppressing votes on the basis of race , '' Weiser warns .
`` So , if the Trump campaign faces no liability , future candidates will be held back by nothing but their sacred honor .
That 's not nothing , of course .
But it 's a thin reed on which to hang the future of our democracy . ''

It is no coincidence that many of the major cities where President Donald Trump's campaign is making baseless claims of widespread voter fraud have large African-American communities, including Atlanta, Detroit, Philadelphia and Milwaukee. Black voters, for the most part, favored President-elect Joe Biden over Trump. Jay Weiser, an associate professor of law emeritus at Baruch College's Zicklin School of Business in New York City, examines the racial implications of the 2020 Trump campaign's election-related lawsuits in an article published on November 27 by the conservative website The Bulwark — arguing that a strong case for 15th Amendment violations could be made.
"Donald Trump has the right to contest election law violations in court. He is likewise free to peddle whatever conspiracy theories he likes outside of court," Weiser explains. "But Trump and his team may be exposing themselves to liability for a different kind of conspiracy: one to suppress the counting of Black votes in violation of the 15th Amendment."
The 15th Amendment was added to the U.S. Constitution in 1870.
"After the Civil War," Weiser notes, "southern whites launched a campaign of terror to deny newly freed slaves the right to vote. In response, the 15th Amendment barred discrimination against voting rights on the basis of race. To enforce this, Congress passed the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871."
Section 1985(3) of the 15th Amendment allows for lawsuits if the plaintiff can show that racially motivated voting rights violations took place.
According to Weiser, "Trump's post-election barrage of specious lawsuits — 32 losses in 34 cases, so far — is not enough on its own to support a Section 1985(3) claim. But in addition to these lawsuits, the Trump campaign has '(hindered) the constituted authorities' of the states in order to disqualify presidential votes in disproportionately Black jurisdictions such as Philadelphia, 42.3% Black; Detroit, 78.6%; Atlanta, 51.8%; and Milwaukee, 38.8%. Black voters in these jurisdictions can bring lawsuits."
African-American votes heavily favored Biden over Trump in Atlanta, Detroit, Philadelphia and Milwaukee — all of which are the largest cities in battleground states where Trump's campaign has been trying to overturn the election results.
In fact, attorneys for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund are alleging, in a lawsuit, that Trump and his legal team have committed racially motivated violations of the Voting Rights Act, noting how many Black voters there are in the counties and cities where Trump's campaign has been trying to get ballots thrown out.
Weiser argues that unless the Trump campaign's efforts to disenfranchise Black voters are aggressively challenged in court, there will be more attempts at racially motivated voter suppression in the future.
"Donald Trump's post-election strategy has created a roadmap for suppressing votes on the basis of race," Weiser warns. "So, if the Trump campaign faces no liability, future candidates will be held back by nothing but their sacred honor. That's not nothing, of course. But it's a thin reed on which to hang the future of our democracy."


alternet--2020-11-28--Trump's attempt to shift the burden of proof to Biden further proves his legal battle is falling apa

Trump's attempt to shift the burden of proof to Biden further proves his legal battle is falling apart

President Donald Trump is now turning his attention toward a different post-election argument in an effort to justify his antics challenging the results of the election and he is being met with opposition from legal experts .
On Friday , Trump posted a tweet suggesting Biden needed to `` prove '' 80 million Americans legally voted for him before entering the White House although there is no law to enforce such an obligation , reports Law and Crime .
`` Biden can only enter the White House as President if he can prove that his ridiculous '80,000,000 votes ' were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump said on Twitter .
`` When you see what happened in Detroit , Atlanta , Philadelphia & Milwaukee , massive voter fraud , he 's got a big unsolvable problem ! ''
Almost immediately after Trump shared his post , legal experts and observers quickly fired back to correct the president about where the `` burden of proof '' lies .
Trump 's attempt to shift the responsibility of providing evidence of election fraud was not missed by legal experts .
In fact , many argued that it further proves Trump 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evidence to support their claims of widespread voter fraud .
Legal expert Joel Dolphin also reiterated that the `` burden of proof '' typically lies with the person accusing someone of committing a crime .
Unfortunately for Trump , it is not the other way around .
Alaska government investigator Joel Dolphin also chimed in saying , `` Nah , the burden of proof lies with the accuser .
President-elect Biden will enter the White House as President on January 20 , 2021 . ''
Trump 's tweet came as his legal team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voter fraud to support his argument to overturn the presidential election .
Out of more than 40 post-election lawsuits , at least 26 have been denied but state and local courts .
Multiple swing states have also certified election results moving closer toward sealing the deal on President-elect Joe Biden 's victory .

President Donald Trump is now turning his attention toward a different post-election argument in an effort to justify his antics challenging the results of the election and he is being met with opposition from legal experts.
On Friday, Trump posted a tweet suggesting Biden needed to "prove" 80 million Americans legally voted for him before entering the White House although there is no law to enforce such an obligation, reports Law and Crime.
"Biden can only enter the White House as President if he can prove that his ridiculous '80,000,000 votes' were not fraudulently or illegally obtained," Trump said on Twitter. "When you see what happened in Detroit, Atlanta, Philadelphia & Milwaukee, massive voter fraud, he's got a big unsolvable problem!"
Almost immediately after Trump shared his post, legal experts and observers quickly fired back to correct the president about where the "burden of proof" lies. Trump's attempt to shift the responsibility of providing evidence of election fraud was not missed by legal experts. In fact, many argued that it further proves Trump's campaign legal team does not have substantial evidence to support their claims of widespread voter fraud.
Legal expert Joel Dolphin also reiterated that the "burden of proof" typically lies with the person accusing someone of committing a crime. Unfortunately for Trump, it is not the other way around. Alaska government investigator Joel Dolphin also chimed in saying, "Nah, the burden of proof lies with the accuser. President-elect Biden will enter the White House as President on January 20, 2021."
Trump's tweet came as his legal team continues to struggle to provide evidence of voter fraud to support his argument to overturn the presidential election. Out of more than 40 post-election lawsuits, at least 26 have been denied but state and local courts. Multiple swing states have also certified election results moving closer toward sealing the deal on President-elect Joe Biden's victory.


alternet--2020-11-28--Critics say Trump can't be trusted with America's national secrets after leaving office -- here's wh

Critics say Trump can't be trusted with America's national secrets after leaving office -- here's why

Can a scorned President Donald Trump be trusted with the United States ' national secrets after leaving office next year ?
It 's a question floating around as the embattled president wages war on not only the Democratic Party but also certain aspects of his own party .
Former Central Intelligence Agency ( CIA ) officer David Priess and other former intelligence officials are warning President-elect Joe Biden to forego the country 's longstanding tradition of briefing the former president on international developments due to the potential threat he may pose after exiting the White House .
According to NBC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a senior U.S. Department of Justice official under the George W. Bush administration , expressed concern about Trump compared to past presidents who have left the office .
`` This is not something that one could have ever imagined with other presidents , but it 's easy to imagine with this one , '' said Goldsmith .
He went on to explain why Trump poses a threat based on his past behavior .
The president 's negotiation skills also raise questions about what he could do to potentially wreak havoc or promote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shown as president that he does n't take secret-keeping terribly seriously , '' Goldsmith said in an interview .
`` He has a known tendency to disrespect rules related to national security .
And he has a known tendency to like to sell things that are valuable to him . ''
With the possible criminal charges Trump could face after leaving office in addition to the ailing hotel industry due to pandemic-related challenges , there is speculation Trump could be faced with financial challenges which could make him more `` vulnerable to foreign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , `` The President 's Book of Secrets '' which discusses former presidents and government intelligence , Priess noted that Trump most certainly poses a risk .
`` Is that a risk ? ''
Priess wrote .
`` If it were someone applying for a security clearance , damn right it would be a risk . ''
While most presidents have made profits after leaving the White House , none have had international ties like Trump does which poses more of a risk .

Can a scorned President Donald Trump be trusted with the United States' national secrets after leaving office next year? It's a question floating around as the embattled president wages war on not only the Democratic Party but also certain aspects of his own party.
Former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer David Priess and other former intelligence officials are warning President-elect Joe Biden to forego the country's longstanding tradition of briefing the former president on international developments due to the potential threat he may pose after exiting the White House.
According to NBC News, Jack Goldsmith, who served as a senior U.S. Department of Justice official under the George W. Bush administration, expressed concern about Trump compared to past presidents who have left the office.
"This is not something that one could have ever imagined with other presidents, but it's easy to imagine with this one," said Goldsmith.
He went on to explain why Trump poses a threat based on his past behavior. The president's negotiation skills also raise questions about what he could do to potentially wreak havoc or promote his own agenda.
"He's shown as president that he doesn't take secret-keeping terribly seriously," Goldsmith said in an interview. "He has a known tendency to disrespect rules related to national security. And he has a known tendency to like to sell things that are valuable to him."
With the possible criminal charges Trump could face after leaving office in addition to the ailing hotel industry due to pandemic-related challenges, there is speculation Trump could be faced with financial challenges which could make him more "vulnerable to foreign influence."
In his book titled, "The President's Book of Secrets" which discusses former presidents and government intelligence, Priess noted that Trump most certainly poses a risk.
"Is that a risk?" Priess wrote. "If it were someone applying for a security clearance, damn right it would be a risk."
While most presidents have made profits after leaving the White House, none have had international ties like Trump does which poses more of a risk.


alternet--2020-11-28--Anti-vax advocacy groups online are helping to radicalize the QAnon movement

The alliance between anti-vaxxers and QAnon followers is rapidly increasing as they continue their plight to spread massive amounts of disturbing misinformation amid the pandemic .
One glaring example centers around one incident that occurred last week .
Facebook opted to nix a massive anti-vaccination propaganda group with more than 200,000 members last week .
However , the group was not shut down for the dangerous public health misinformation its members posted , but rather , the disturbing promotion of QAnon , reports Huffington Post .
On Monday , Larry Cook , the founder of the `` Stop Mandatory Vaccination @ @ @ @ @ @ @ final Facebook Live video before the group was removed to warn that vaccines were a plot `` to literally enslave every human on the planet , '' In the video , Cook also included the QAnon hashtag # WWG1WGA in the upper left corner and the QAnon logo in the upper right corner .
`` The purpose of vaccination is to literally slaughter the population and dumb everyone down and render them helpless , '' Cook said .
`` It is a global plan to literally enslave every human on the planet .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in from viewers who expressed gratitude for the `` truth '' and `` awakening '' he shared in his video .
Like Cook , other anti-vaxxers including David Wolfe along with Ty and Charlene Bollinger have all begun to expose their large followings to the QAnon rhetoric .
Laura Muhl , one of Instagram 's most popular anti-vax influencers has also shared relatively dangerous claim insisting the government `` engineered '' many of the problems currently plaguing the United States .
In a meme , she criticized the media with a comparison of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' to an attempt to cover up `` the truth about vaccines . ''
`` The virus is engineered .
The pandemic is engineered .
The second wave is engineered .
The need for a vaccine is engineered , '' said the mother of five .
Now , the anti-vaccination pushback and in misinformation rapidly circulating on social media has accelerated with groups joining forces with QAnon .
The result is accelerating the effort to discredit science and the integrity of public health .

The alliance between anti-vaxxers and QAnon followers is rapidly increasing as they continue their plight to spread massive amounts of disturbing misinformation amid the pandemic. One glaring example centers around one incident that occurred last week.
Facebook opted to nix a massive anti-vaccination propaganda group with more than 200,000 members last week. However, the group was not shut down for the dangerous public health misinformation its members posted, but rather, the disturbing promotion of QAnon, reports Huffington Post.
On Monday, Larry Cook, the founder of the "Stop Mandatory Vaccination" movement took to Facebook in his final Facebook Live video before the group was removed to warn that vaccines were a plot "to literally enslave every human on the planet," In the video, Cook also included the QAnon hashtag #WWG1WGA in the upper left corner and the QAnon logo in the upper right corner.
"The purpose of vaccination is to literally slaughter the population and dumb everyone down and render them helpless," Cook said. "It is a global plan to literally enslave every human on the planet."
As he spoke, comments poured in from viewers who expressed gratitude for the "truth" and "awakening" he shared in his video. Like Cook, other anti-vaxxers including David Wolfe along with Ty and Charlene Bollinger have all begun to expose their large followings to the QAnon rhetoric.
Laura Muhl, one of Instagram's most popular anti-vax influencers has also shared relatively dangerous claim insisting the government "engineered" many of the problems currently plaguing the United States. In a meme, she criticized the media with a comparison of covering up the so-called "rigged election" to an attempt to cover up "the truth about vaccines."
"The virus is engineered. The pandemic is engineered. The second wave is engineered. The need for a vaccine is engineered," said the mother of five.
Now, the anti-vaccination pushback and in misinformation rapidly circulating on social media has accelerated with groups joining forces with QAnon. The result is accelerating the effort to discredit science and the integrity of public health.


alternet--2020-11-28--Here's how anti-KKK laws could be an effective way to go after Trump

President Donald Trump 's campaign continues to come up short in its post-election legal battle , observers are mulling over ways to go after the president , his campaign , and Republican Party 's efforts to suppress votes .
In an editorial published by The Bulwark , Section 1985 ( 3 ) of the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 is being highlighted as a possible form of legal consequence for Trump 's actions .
The law , passed by Congress , aimed to enforce consequences for voter suppression and intimidation giving voters the right to sue those `` who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the purpose of preventing or hindering the constituted authorities of any State ... from giving ... to all persons within such State ... the equal protection of the laws ; or ... to prevent by force , intimidation , or threat , any citizen who is lawfully entitled to vote , from giving his support or advocacy ... in favor of the election of any lawfully qualified person as an elector for President . ''
While the publication specifies that Trump 's post-election legal challenges , alone , would not be enough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claims , actions taken by the Trump campaign `` ' [ hinder ] the constituted authorities ' of the states in order to disqualify presidential votes in disproportionately Black jurisdictions such as Philadelphia ( 42.3 percent Black ) , Detroit ( 78.6 percent ) , Atlanta ( 51.8 percent ) , and Milwaukee ( 38.8 percent ) .
Black voters in these jurisdictions can bring lawsuit . ''
The publication outlined the process of voter certification .
After all votes are counted and resolutions have been reached for court challenges , state and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Any form of interference , at this point , can likely be classified as a form of interference .
The state of Michigan was used an example of interference as it was noted that the Trump campaign has gone `` beyond 'hindering ' to 'intimidation ' and 'threat . '
'' A Republican member of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers initially advocated denying certification for Detroit ballots , but not those from whiter cities .
Both Republican members then voted against certification ( deadlocking the board ) , before later reversing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from President Trump , they sought to rescind their votes to certify .
Next , Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and Michigan GOP Chair Laura Cox asked to delay state certification for 14 days , which would bump up against the December 7 statutory certification deadline .
There have also been requests to disqualify huge numbers of Wisconsin ballots and do a second Georgia recount .
Defendants accused of violating Section 1985 ( 3 ) typically face `` joint and several liability for damages , '' which means Trump could , subsequently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the actions of his campaign .

President Donald Trump's campaign continues to come up short in its post-election legal battle, observers are mulling over ways to go after the president, his campaign, and Republican Party's efforts to suppress votes.
In an editorial published by The Bulwark, Section 1985(3) of the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 is being highlighted as a possible form of legal consequence for Trump's actions.
The law, passed by Congress, aimed to enforce consequences for voter suppression and intimidation giving voters the right to sue those "who, motivated by race, conspire...for the purpose of preventing or hindering the constituted authorities of any State...from giving... to all persons within such State... the equal protection of the laws; or... to prevent by force, intimidation, or threat, any citizen who is lawfully entitled to vote, from giving his support or advocacy... in favor of the election of any lawfully qualified person as an elector for President."
While the publication specifies that Trump's post-election legal challenges, alone, would not be enough to support Section 1985(3) claims, actions taken by the Trump campaign "'[hinder] the constituted authorities' of the states in order to disqualify presidential votes in disproportionately Black jurisdictions such as Philadelphia (42.3 percent Black), Detroit (78.6 percent), Atlanta (51.8 percent), and Milwaukee (38.8 percent). Black voters in these jurisdictions can bring lawsuit."
The publication outlined the process of voter certification. After all votes are counted and resolutions have been reached for court challenges, state and local officials are required to certify votes. Any form of interference, at this point, can likely be classified as a form of interference.
The state of Michigan was used an example of interference as it was noted that the Trump campaign has gone "beyond 'hindering' to 'intimidation' and 'threat.'"
A Republican member of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers initially advocated denying certification for Detroit ballots, but not those from whiter cities. Both Republican members then voted against certification (deadlocking the board), before later reversing themselves. Then, after a call from President Trump, they sought to rescind their votes to certify. Next, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and Michigan GOP Chair Laura Cox asked to delay state certification for 14 days, which would bump up against the December 7 statutory certification deadline. There have also been requests to disqualify huge numbers of Wisconsin ballots and do a second Georgia recount.
Defendants accused of violating Section 1985(3) typically face "joint and several liability for damages," which means Trump could, subsequently be held liable for his own actions and the actions of his campaign.


alternet--2020-11-28--Could Trump pardon himself? The latest bizarre turn is being debated

As President Donald Trump leaves office in January 2021 , he could be faced with a barrage of criminal investigations into his personal and business finances .
But could Trump avoid the possibility of jail time by using his presidential powers before leaving office ?
There are debates about how that could play out .
Although it would be a relatively bizarre occurrence , it is no secret that strange things have happened in the world of Trumpism .
According to Newsweek , there is growing speculation about Trump possibly pardoning himself before leaving office .
However , the seemingly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many are wondering if the president has the power to self-pardon .
Since no precedent exists , the possibility has become a fascinating legal discussion .
There are also questions about whether or not a self-pardon could be overturned .
Does it signal an admission of guilt ?
CNN political commentator S.E .
Cupp discussed the matter during a segment that aired on Thursday .
She suggested that maybe it is time to consider possible changes to the laws surrounding presidential pardoning powers .
She also mulled over how it would look if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If the president has designs on running again for president , this would certainly imperil that , and I would think encourage other justice departments to really look at what he had done while in office if he is tacitly admitting he needed to be pardoned for stuff , '' Cupp said .
`` I 'm not sure this is constitutional or legal , but it seems pretty clear it would be inadvisable for him to do that . ''
Asha Rangappa , a lawyer and senior lecturer at Yale University 's Jackson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a CNN commentator , also weighed in with a similar stance .
She noted how `` risky '' a self-pardon could be for Trump as she noted that the future Department of Justice should consider challenging that particular action if the outgoing president chooses to do so .
She said , `` I think that it would be incumbent on a future Department of Justice to try to challenge that , because you do n't want that to be the precedent , or at least you want the Supreme Court to clarify @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump has not alluded to making this decision yet , there was speculation he would pardon former national security advisor Michael Flynn—and , he did .

As President Donald Trump leaves office in January 2021, he could be faced with a barrage of criminal investigations into his personal and business finances. But could Trump avoid the possibility of jail time by using his presidential powers before leaving office? There are debates about how that could play out. Although it would be a relatively bizarre occurrence, it is no secret that strange things have happened in the world of Trumpism.
According to Newsweek, there is growing speculation about Trump possibly pardoning himself before leaving office. However, the seemingly rare occurrence has inspired many debates because many are wondering if the president has the power to self-pardon. Since no precedent exists, the possibility has become a fascinating legal discussion. There are also questions about whether or not a self-pardon could be overturned. Does it signal an admission of guilt?
CNN political commentator S.E. Cupp discussed the matter during a segment that aired on Thursday. She suggested that maybe it is time to consider possible changes to the laws surrounding presidential pardoning powers. She also mulled over how it would look if Trump were to pardon himself.
"If the president has designs on running again for president, this would certainly imperil that, and I would think encourage other justice departments to really look at what he had done while in office if he is tacitly admitting he needed to be pardoned for stuff," Cupp said.
"I'm not sure this is constitutional or legal, but it seems pretty clear it would be inadvisable for him to do that."
Asha Rangappa, a lawyer and senior lecturer at Yale University's Jackson Institute for Global Affairs who also serves as a CNN commentator, also weighed in with a similar stance. She noted how "risky" a self-pardon could be for Trump as she noted that the future Department of Justice should consider challenging that particular action if the outgoing president chooses to do so.
She said, "I think that it would be incumbent on a future Department of Justice to try to challenge that, because you don't want that to be the precedent, or at least you want the Supreme Court to clarify the bounds of this."
Although Trump has not alluded to making this decision yet, there was speculation he would pardon former national security advisor Michael Flynn—and, he did.


alternet--2020-11-28--America just dodged the Trump bullet -- but what did we really learn so that it doesn't happen again

America just dodged the Trump bullet -- but what did we really learn so that it doesn't happen again?

More than 80 million Americans helped the country dodge the bullet of a potential second Trump term , but has one Trump presidency been enough of a lesson for the American people ?
An editorial published by USA Today stresses the importance of remaining vigilant even during the post-Trump era .
He warned that the American people must never lose sight of their responsibility to learn how Trump 's behavior was allowed for an entire four years .
There should also be accountability for the administrative officials who waged war on America 's democracy .
The favorable outcome of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obligation to try to determine how we allowed the outrageousness of the past four years to take place — how we let our basic institutions of government and society itself to be shaken to a frightful degree .
Public accountability , the legislative power of the purse , judicial independence , the United States Department of Justice 's commitment to the law , a respect for a free press , three equal independent branches of government — all being challenged by an administration bent on creating chaos throwing aside democratic norms .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ultimately be viewed as a worst-case scenario in which Americans remember that they were taken to `` the very edge of the precipice '' and `` spent four years on that path should be a source of concern . ''
More disturbing , the fact that more than 70 million Americans actually did support Trump signals that the country is not out of the woods yet .
With the possibility of a looming 2024 presidential run for Trump , it is imperative that Americans heed the warnings that came with Trump 's presidency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ near future .
The author concluded with an explanation to support his warning : '' The basic need for structure and certainty in people 's lives during rapidly changing , tumultuous times is being satisfied for some by providing simple answers to complicated questions and plausible-sounding solutions for seemingly intractable problems , '' he said .
Never mind that the answers and solutions Donald Trump provided , though easily understood and uncomplicated , are wrong . ''

More than 80 million Americans helped the country dodge the bullet of a potential second Trump term, but has one Trump presidency been enough of a lesson for the American people?
An editorial published by USA Today stresses the importance of remaining vigilant even during the post-Trump era. He warned that the American people must never lose sight of their responsibility to learn how Trump's behavior was allowed for an entire four years. There should also be accountability for the administrative officials who waged war on America's democracy.
The favorable outcome of the election does not relieve us from the obligation to try to determine how we allowed the outrageousness of the past four years to take place — how we let our basic institutions of government and society itself to be shaken to a frightful degree. Public accountability, the legislative power of the purse, judicial independence, the United States Department of Justice's commitment to the law, a respect for a free press, three equal independent branches of government — all being challenged by an administration bent on creating chaos throwing aside democratic norms.
He also noted how Trump's influence should ultimately be viewed as a worst-case scenario in which Americans remember that they were taken to "the very edge of the precipice" and "spent four years on that path should be a source of concern." More disturbing, the fact that more than 70 million Americans actually did support Trump signals that the country is not out of the woods yet.
With the possibility of a looming 2024 presidential run for Trump, it is imperative that Americans heed the warnings that came with Trump's presidency to avoid repeating history in the very near future. The author concluded with an explanation to support his warning:
"The basic need for structure and certainty in people's lives during rapidly changing, tumultuous times is being satisfied for some by providing simple answers to complicated questions and plausible-sounding solutions for seemingly intractable problems," he said. Never mind that the answers and solutions Donald Trump provided, though easily understood and uncomplicated, are wrong."


alternet--2020-11-28--Viral video captures a disturbing look at Trump's ‘cozy’ history with white supremacists

A new viral video released by `` The Daily Show with Trevor Noah '' on Friday offers an in-depth look into President Donald Trump 's ongoing refusal to condemn white supremacy .
According to the three-minute YouTube video 's description , it aims to highlight Trump 's `` cozy relationship with supremacists . ''
The video , which garnered more than 700,000 views in less than 24 hours , notes Trump 's repeated attacks on nearly everyone under the sun .
Roy Wood Jr. , a correspondent for the Noah 's show , provided the commentary for the video .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump has often been `` famous for being quick with an insult , '' reports the Huffington Post .
From lawmakers , state , and local officials , to Democratic voters , Trump has so easily insulted tons of people—except white supremacists .
When Trump was elected , racists rejoiced .
White supremacists rallied around him holding rallies and blatantly making their racial bias known .
On multiple occasions , Trump has retweeted white genocide posts on social media and subtly defended the actions of white supremacists .
Wood also recalled what occurred @ @ @ @ @ @ @ racists and anti-racists as the president noted that there were `` very fine people '' on both sides .
During the first presidential debate when Trump was given the opportunity to denounce white supremacy , instead of doing so , he asked the Proud Boys to `` stand back and stand by '' which , subsequently , made things worse .
In fact , it further solidified Trump 's stance on white supremacy .
Although Wood argues that `` Of all Donald Trump 's scandals , supporting white supremacists should have been the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been one of the most difficult scandals for Trump to distance from due to his inability to denounce white supremacy .

A new viral video released by "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah" on Friday offers an in-depth look into President Donald Trump's ongoing refusal to condemn white supremacy.
According to the three-minute YouTube video's description, it aims to highlight Trump's "cozy relationship with supremacists." The video, which garnered more than 700,000 views in less than 24 hours, notes Trump's repeated attacks on nearly everyone under the sun.
Roy Wood Jr., a correspondent for the Noah's show, provided the commentary for the video. During the video, he noted that Trump has often been "famous for being quick with an insult," reports the Huffington Post. From lawmakers , state, and local officials, to Democratic voters, Trump has so easily insulted tons of people—except white supremacists.
When Trump was elected, racists rejoiced. White supremacists rallied around him holding rallies and blatantly making their racial bias known. On multiple occasions, Trump has retweeted white genocide posts on social media and subtly defended the actions of white supremacists.
Wood also recalled what occurred during the racially-charged battle in Charlottesville between racists and anti-racists as the president noted that there were "very fine people" on both sides.
Trump's History of Condoning White Supremacy | The Daily Social Distancing Show www.youtube.com
During the first presidential debate when Trump was given the opportunity to denounce white supremacy, instead of doing so, he asked the Proud Boys to "stand back and stand by" which, subsequently, made things worse. In fact, it further solidified Trump's stance on white supremacy.
Although Wood argues that "Of all Donald Trump's scandals, supporting white supremacists should have been the easiest to avoid," its actually been one of the most difficult scandals for Trump to distance from due to his inability to denounce white supremacy.


alternet--2020-11-28--There's nothing 'normal' about this: Even if Trump reluctantly leaves office, immense damage has bee

There's nothing 'normal' about this: Even if Trump reluctantly leaves office, immense damage has been done

Is Donald Trump still attempting a coup with the intention of remaining in power indefinitely ?
Yes .
`` I quit '' is a phrase that does not appear in the authoritarian 's handbook .
Trump has announced his coup in public , which is a major reason why most people are not taking it seriously .
The president has repeatedly stated that the 2020 presidential election is illegitimate , and should be disregarded because he is not the winner .
Given that he is a compulsive liar , on that one matter Trump has been remarkably consistent .
Moreover @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his intent to engage in a coup , and other extralegal or illegal efforts to subvert any election where he does not win .
Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump by more than 6 million votes , and has also received 306 votes to Trump 's 232 in the Electoral College .
Both outcomes are a mandate from the American people that the Age of Trump is over and its leader should be left on the ash-heap of history , a nightmare to be awakened from .
In response , Trump 's agents and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawsuits on Trump 's behalf claiming that he lost because of `` voter fraud , '' `` fake ballots '' and other conspiracies , They have threatened violence and an `` uprising '' against Biden and the Democrats .
Trump has not conceded defeat and under legal pressure is now only begrudgingly offering assistance in the transition of power .
He is creating an overall environment of political instability , putting his most stalwart loyalists in key national security positions .
As befits a political strongman and neofascist , Trump continues punishing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's economy and literally killing thousands of people each day through a campaign of negligence and sabotage in response to the coronavirus pandemic .
In a new essay at the New York Review of Books , Fintan O'Toole explains : In response to these events , the American mainstream news media and the commentariat , for the most part , are continuing with the same errors in analysis and narrative that helped to elect Trump in 2016 and then normalized his assaults on democracy and the rule of law for the next four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defeats in the courts and describing them as though they are sporting events with a running tally of wins and losses .
It is assumed to be a fait accompli that Biden is taking office in January .
Trump is said to be `` flailing '' and `` throwing tantrums '' ; and his behavior is `` pathetic '' and `` embarrassing . ''
Trump 's coup attempt is `` disorganized , '' as are his supporters with their supposed `` low morale . ''
The possibility that Trump and his agents could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ count and the assigned electors in key states such as Pennsylvania and Michigan is treated as an absurdity : `` The law '' and `` the courts '' would never allow such an outcome .
This is a form of political comfort food or sugar high , feeding a desperate hunger from the mainstream news media , the political class and the American people for a return to normalcy .
But on some basic level they must know that Trump 's attacks on democracy are abnormal and very dangerous .
Denial helped to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ denial means Trumpism will continue in America long after the man himself is gone .
In reality , Donald Trump , his Republican Party and their allies are playing a different game , one entirely outside of `` normal politics '' and the `` folk theories of democracy '' that the Fourth Estate and many other political elites worship like a religion .
Donald Trump and his movement 's real goal is to make invalid any future election where Republicans do not win .
The attacks on the 2020 election are also part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be successful in the extreme .
Republican voters are being conditioned to view the Biden administration as having no legal authority because Trump was `` betrayed . ''
The net effect will be to encourage political violence and other acts of resistance by Trump 's supporters and other Republican voters .
In a new essay for Medium , Indi Samarajiva reflects on his experience with the attempted coup in Sri Lanka in 2018 and issues a warning : American democracy is very sick .
The jubilance and celebration at Trump 's apparent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Biden 's victory was a drug that temporarily masked the pain of a democracy in critical condition .
The patient can live `` normally '' until the high of the drug wears off .
The crash will be extreme and horrible , almost beyond imagination , because the underlying disease has not been addressed .
The truth of what Trump and his neofascist movement have revealed about America 's failures and vulnerabilities must be confronted if that civic disease is to be purged from the country 's body politic .
The reckoning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ character and behavior of the tens of millions of Americans who voted for Trump and continue to support him .
On these questions of healing and what comes next after the Age of Trump , Ruth Ben-Ghiat , a leading historian of fascism , had this to say in a recent phone conversation : Ultimately , American neofascism as mainstreamed by Donald Trump and his followers is a slow-acting poison .
Trump 's coup attempt is one more sign that it is working .

Is Donald Trump still attempting a coup with the intention of remaining in power indefinitely? Yes. "I quit" is a phrase that does not appear in the authoritarian's handbook.
Trump has announced his coup in public, which is a major reason why most people are not taking it seriously.
The president has repeatedly stated that the 2020 presidential election is illegitimate, and should be disregarded because he is not the winner. Given that he is a compulsive liar, on that one matter Trump has been remarkably consistent. Moreover, he signaled as early as 2016 his intent to engage in a coup, and other extralegal or illegal efforts to subvert any election where he does not win.
Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump by more than 6 million votes, and has also received 306 votes to Trump's 232 in the Electoral College. Both outcomes are a mandate from the American people that the Age of Trump is over and its leader should be left on the ash-heap of history, a nightmare to be awakened from.
In response, Trump's agents and followers are staging public protests, filing lawsuits on Trump's behalf claiming that he lost because of "voter fraud," "fake ballots" and other conspiracies, They have threatened violence and an "uprising" against Biden and the Democrats. Trump has not conceded defeat and under legal pressure is now only begrudgingly offering assistance in the transition of power. He is creating an overall environment of political instability, putting his most stalwart loyalists in key national security positions. As befits a political strongman and neofascist, Trump continues punishing the American people by further damaging the nation's economy and literally killing thousands of people each day through a campaign of negligence and sabotage in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
In a new essay at the New York Review of Books, Fintan O'Toole explains:
It is impossible not to think, in this in-between moment, of Antonio Gramsci: "The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum a great variety of morbid symptoms appear." Something is dying, but we do not yet know what. Is it the basic idea of majority rule or is it the most coherent attempt to destroy that idea since the secession of the Confederacy? Something is trying to be born, but we cannot yet say what it is either. Is it an American version of the "managed democracy" or "electoral autocracy" that is the most rapidly expanding political form around the world? Or is it a radically renewed republic that can finally deal with the unfinished business of its history? The old is in a state of suspended animation; the new stands at a threshold it cannot yet cross. …
If Trump is eventually removed from the Oval Office, the study of revenge and immortal hate, not sober self-criticism, will be the response in Trumpworld. There will be no chastening, just a further injection of resentment and conspiracy-mongering.
This is zombie politics — the life-after-death of a former conservative party. And as Gothic stories tell us, it is very hard to kill the undead. One half of a two-party system has passed over into a post-democratic state.
In response to these events, the American mainstream news media and the commentariat, for the most part, are continuing with the same errors in analysis and narrative that helped to elect Trump in 2016 and then normalized his assaults on democracy and the rule of law for the next four years.
They are mocking Trump's defeats in the courts and describing them as though they are sporting events with a running tally of wins and losses. It is assumed to be a fait accompli that Biden is taking office in January. Trump is said to be "flailing" and "throwing tantrums"; and his behavior is "pathetic" and "embarrassing." Trump's coup attempt is "disorganized," as are his supporters with their supposed "low morale."
The possibility that Trump and his agents could find some way to alter the vote count and the assigned electors in key states such as Pennsylvania and Michigan is treated as an absurdity: "The law" and "the courts" would never allow such an outcome.
This is a form of political comfort food or sugar high, feeding a desperate hunger from the mainstream news media, the political class and the American people for a return to normalcy. But on some basic level they must know that Trump's attacks on democracy are abnormal and very dangerous.
Denial helped to birth Trumpism; failure to confront that denial means Trumpism will continue in America long after the man himself is gone.
In reality, Donald Trump, his Republican Party and their allies are playing a different game, one entirely outside of "normal politics" and the "folk theories of democracy" that the Fourth Estate and many other political elites worship like a religion.
Donald Trump and his movement's real goal is to make invalid any future election where Republicans do not win.
The attacks on the 2020 election are also part of a strategy which has shown itself to be successful in the extreme. Republican voters are being conditioned to view the Biden administration as having no legal authority because Trump was "betrayed." The net effect will be to encourage political violence and other acts of resistance by Trump's supporters and other Republican voters.
In a new essay for Medium, Indi Samarajiva reflects on his experience with the attempted coup in Sri Lanka in 2018 and issues a warning:
The tragic thing which you do not understand — which you cannot understand — is that you've already lost. You cannot know exactly what — that's the nature of chaos — but know this. You will lose more than you can bear.
We lost our children, playing at church. We lost our friends, sitting down to brunch. Muslims lost their dignity and rights. Your Republicans have set forces into play they cannot possibly understand and certainly cannot control. And they don't even want to. To them, chaos is a ladder. …
What I can tell you — what anyone who's experienced this can tell you — is that it's going to be bad. I didn't know that churches and hotels would blow up on Easter Sunday, but I know now. I'm trying to tell you in advance. You've opened up a Pandora's box of instability. All kinds of demons come out.
I have lived through a coup. It felt like what you're feeling now. Like watching something stupid and just waiting for it to go away. But it doesn't go away. You can forget about it, but it doesn't go away.
There's a ticking bomb at the heart of your democracy now. Your government, the very idea of governance is fatally wounded. Chaos has been planted at its heart. I don't know what this chaos will grow into, but I can promise you this. It won't be good.
American democracy is very sick. The jubilance and celebration at Trump's apparent defeat on Election Day were highly premature. Biden's victory was a drug that temporarily masked the pain of a democracy in critical condition. The patient can live "normally" until the high of the drug wears off. The crash will be extreme and horrible, almost beyond imagination, because the underlying disease has not been addressed.
The truth of what Trump and his neofascist movement have revealed about America's failures and vulnerabilities must be confronted if that civic disease is to be purged from the country's body politic. The reckoning must also include an assessment of the character and behavior of the tens of millions of Americans who voted for Trump and continue to support him.
On these questions of healing and what comes next after the Age of Trump, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a leading historian of fascism, had this to say in a recent phone conversation:
We are going to need a lot of grassroots education to help people understand what nefarious influence they were under with Trump. One of the saddest truths is that these men despise the people who love them. They disdain them for giving them their power. Many of us have been amazed that with the pandemic it's been very obvious he doesn't care if they die. He truly doesn't care if you live or die. Helping people to see that will be important to getting them back to the cause of good government, government that cares about public welfare. That's very different than building bridges to forgive people and saying, "OK, well we'll just put your racism behind us." That's not at all what I advocate.
Ultimately, American neofascism as mainstreamed by Donald Trump and his followers is a slow-acting poison. Trump's coup attempt is one more sign that it is working.


alternet--2020-11-28--Trump considering trolling Biden inauguration with 2024 campaign event: report

President Donald Trump may be leaving the White House in the very near future , but it does not look like he will be going away , as promised , anytime soon .
The lame duck president is already strategizing for a 2024 presidential run to regain control of the White House , according to The Daily Beast .
The publication reports that insiders close to the situation have revealed details about the president 's latest plot .
It appears Trump has no intention of moving on from the presidential election defeat .
While most former presidents move on with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , insiders suggest Trump is ultimately trying to stay in the spotlight .
The president 's assessment is reportedly based on television ratings as opposed to actual professional experience and the ability to effectively govern the country .
In fact , things may get far worse before they get better as the embattled outgoing president looks to maintain control of the Republican Party and make President-elect Joe Biden 's first term miserable .
In fact , he has not only discussed another presidential run but is also planning for another campaign launch in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inside sources have also revealed Trump is going a step further , mulling over the possibility of holding a 2024 campaign-related event the week of Biden 's inauguration if his post-election legal battle ultimately falls flat .
Trump and his campaign advisors are reportedly already seeking out major donors for his next presidential run .
Although some donors are not pleased with the president 's antics , and one has even filed a lawsuit against the Trump campaign demanding they return his post-election contribution , surprisingly , there are still many donors willing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In fact , some still believe the delusion that he still has a chance of a consecutive second term .
`` I 100 % believe Donald Trump will win this election in the end , '' said Mike Lindell , the MyPillow CEO and Minnesota co-chair for Trump 2020 .
`` But any day that we can have President Trump as our president is a blessing .
So if that would happen , yes , I would fully support any opportunity for him to serve the American people for as many terms @ @ @ @

President Donald Trump may be leaving the White House in the very near future, but it does not look like he will be going away, as promised, anytime soon.
The lame duck president is already strategizing for a 2024 presidential run to regain control of the White House, according to The Daily Beast. The publication reports that insiders close to the situation have revealed details about the president's latest plot.
It appears Trump has no intention of moving on from the presidential election defeat. While most former presidents move on with their lives after leaving the White House, insiders suggest Trump is ultimately trying to stay in the spotlight. The president's assessment is reportedly based on television ratings as opposed to actual professional experience and the ability to effectively govern the country.
In fact, things may get far worse before they get better as the embattled outgoing president looks to maintain control of the Republican Party and make President-elect Joe Biden's first term miserable. In fact, he has not only discussed another presidential run but is also planning for another campaign launch in the very near future.
Two knowledgeable inside sources have also revealed Trump is going a step further, mulling over the possibility of holding a 2024 campaign-related event the week of Biden's inauguration if his post-election legal battle ultimately falls flat.
Trump and his campaign advisors are reportedly already seeking out major donors for his next presidential run. Although some donors are not pleased with the president's antics, and one has even filed a lawsuit against the Trump campaign demanding they return his post-election contribution, surprisingly, there are still many donors willing to contribute to a new Trump run. In fact, some still believe the delusion that he still has a chance of a consecutive second term.
"I 100% believe Donald Trump will win this election in the end," said Mike Lindell, the MyPillow CEO and Minnesota co-chair for Trump 2020. "But any day that we can have President Trump as our president is a blessing. So if that would happen, yes, I would fully support any opportunity for him to serve the American people for as many terms as possible."