alternet--2020-10-12--Border officials separated an asylum-seeker and her newborn —  then called themselves heroes

A Honduran asylum-seeker who was separated from her hours-old U.S. citizen infant by border agents has been reunited with her child .
The Los Angeles Times had on Friday reported that Border Patrol had ripped the mother from her baby just hours after she 'd given birth in Texas .
The asylum-seeker , among the thousands forced by the Trump administration to wait for their immigration court dates in Mexico , had crossed in desperation when she gave birth alone in a field .
Molly O'Toole 's report said that while border officials at first transported the family to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and told the mother they were going to send her back to Mexico without her baby .
They 've since claimed the hospital 's COVID-19 policy required the separation , but that 's a lie .
`` That is definitely not the hospital policy , '' a University Hospital spokesperson told the LA Times .
`` We do not separate babies and parents . ''
Border officials had initially and in truly gross form used the rescue as a publicity stunt , tweeting a picture of a border agent holding the child and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # LawEnforcement to humanitarian aid , our agents adapt to any situation . ''
But what they did n't mention in the tweet is what happened after , when agents airlifted the baby to a neonatal ICU hours away while the mom was thrown into detention and forced to sleep on the floor .
Yup , truly heroes , these agents .
`` Unconscionable , '' tweeted humanitarian group Doctors for Camp Closure .
`` This is n't a 'rescue . '
Separating mothers from their critically ill infants immediately after birth is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one from Customs and Border Protection ( CBP ) gave her a comment prior to the report 's publication , but that soon changed after it went public .
`` Hours later , Austin Skero , chief patrol agent for the Del Rio sector , responded in a tweet to The Times , saying that agents had to separate the mother and baby due to the San Antonio hospital 's COVID-19 policy for the neonatal unit , which the hospital immediately disputed . ''
Spokesperson Leni Kirkman told O'Toole that the hospital has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their kids , even during the pandemic .
`` Babies need to be with their parents . ''
We wish Border Patrol thought the same .
Instead , agency chief Rodney Scott angrily claimed in a tweet he was `` sick and tired of our agents being villainized , '' while in the same statement dehumanizing the asylum-seeker as an `` illegal alien mother . ''
Asylum is legal immigration , guy .
What you also wo n't hear about in any of Border Patrol 's public relations tweets is that Scott was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facebook group where members mocked the death of a child in the agency 's custody .
But remember , we 're the bad ones for point out the bad things they do .
Nor will they mention how the Trump administration 's anti-asylum policies directly led to this inhumane separation .
The asylum-seeker had been waiting in Mexico with her 6-year-old child when they were kidnapped and held at gunpoint for two weeks .
After that , the mother sent the child into the U.S. alone to save the child 's life .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Human Services ( HHS ) custody , and has since been released to family members in California .
The mother , whose name has not been publicly released , then crossed several weeks later .
O'Toole reports that the mother was reunited with her infant at the hospital 's neonatal ICU over the weekend .
They 're now expected to join family in California once the baby is cleared for release , where 'll she 'll also reunite with her 6-year-old child .
How much of this pain and suffering could have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this family to safely seek asylum ?

A Honduran asylum-seeker who was separated from her hours-old U.S. citizen infant by border agents has been reunited with her child. The Los Angeles Times had on Friday reported that Border Patrol had ripped the mother from her baby just hours after she'd given birth in Texas. The asylum-seeker, among the thousands forced by the Trump administration to wait for their immigration court dates in Mexico, had crossed in desperation when she gave birth alone in a field.
Molly O'Toole's report said that while border officials at first transported the family to a hospital together, they then separated them and told the mother they were going to send her back to Mexico without her baby. They've since claimed the hospital's COVID-19 policy required the separation, but that's a lie. "That is definitely not the hospital policy," a University Hospital spokesperson told the LA Times. "We do not separate babies and parents."
Border officials had initially and in truly gross form used the rescue as a publicity stunt, tweeting a picture of a border agent holding the child and claiming that "[f]rom #LawEnforcement to humanitarian aid, our agents adapt to any situation." But what they didn't mention in the tweet is what happened after, when agents airlifted the baby to a neonatal ICU hours away while the mom was thrown into detention and forced to sleep on the floor. Yup, truly heroes, these agents.
"Unconscionable," tweeted humanitarian group Doctors for Camp Closure. "This isn't a 'rescue.' Separating mothers from their critically ill infants immediately after birth is inhumane." O'Toole reports that no one from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) gave her a comment prior to the report's publication, but that soon changed after it went public.
"Hours later, Austin Skero, chief patrol agent for the Del Rio sector, responded in a tweet to The Times, saying that agents had to separate the mother and baby due to the San Antonio hospital's COVID-19 policy for the neonatal unit, which the hospital immediately disputed." Spokesperson Leni Kirkman told O'Toole that the hospital has always safely allowed parents to be with their kids, even during the pandemic. "Babies need to be with their parents." We wish Border Patrol thought the same.
Instead, agency chief Rodney Scott angrily claimed in a tweet he was "sick and tired of our agents being villainized," while in the same statement dehumanizing the asylum-seeker as an "illegal alien mother." Asylum is legal immigration, guy. What you also won't hear about in any of Border Patrol's public relations tweets is that Scott was a member of the violent and racist Facebook group where members mocked the death of a child in the agency's custody. But remember, we're the bad ones for point out the bad things they do.
Nor will they mention how the Trump administration's anti-asylum policies directly led to this inhumane separation. The asylum-seeker had been waiting in Mexico with her 6-year-old child when they were kidnapped and held at gunpoint for two weeks. After that, the mother sent the child into the U.S. alone to save the child's life. That child was then taken into Health and Human Services
(HHS) custody, and has since been released to family members in California. The mother, whose name has not been publicly released, then crossed several weeks later.
O'Toole reports that the mother was reunited with her infant at the hospital's neonatal ICU over the weekend. They're now expected to join family in California once the baby is cleared for release, where'll she'll also reunite with her 6-year-old child. How much of this pain and suffering could have been avoided if administration had just allowed this family to safely seek asylum?


alternet--2020-10-12--Amy Klobuchar rains down fire on Barrett hearing — telling the judge the proceeding is a 'sham'

Sen. Amy Klobuchar , D-Minn. , called Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett 's confirmation hearing a `` sham '' on Monday as Democrats argued the hearing should not have been held at all .
Democrats repeatedly accused Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee of hypocrisy after they blocked former President Barack Obama 's nomination of Judge Merrick Garland for nearly a year before trying to confirm Barrett in time for the November election .
Klobuchar said during her remarks that the Senate should be working on coronavirus relief rather than trying to rush through Barrett 's nomination .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a sham .
I think it shows real messed-up priorities from the Republican Party , '' Klobuchar said .
Klobuchar also cited Barrett 's criticism of the Supreme Court decision upholding Obamacare , warning Americans that `` your health care is on the line . ''
But amid her criticism , Klobuchar acknowledged there was little Democrats could do to stop Barrett 's confirmation by the Republican-led Senate , urging voters to show Republicans that `` enough is enough '' at the ballot box .
`` This is n't Donald Trump 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It is yours . ''
Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-S.C. , defended himself against allegations of hypocrisy after he not only supported blocking Garland 's nomination but vowed to block any Supreme Court nomination by President Donald Trump in the final year of his term .
Graham argued that the Barrett nomination was different than Garland 's because Democrats did not hold the Senate during Obama 's second term .
He went on to quote late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to justify moving forward with the hearing . ''
The bottom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked about this several years ago , said that a President serves for four years , not three , '' he said .
`` There 's nothing unconstitutional about this process . ''
Graham did not mention that Ginsburg 's reported dying wish was that whoever wins the election choose her replacement .
Sen. Chuck Grassley , R-Iowa , who blocked Garland 's nomination as the Judiciary chairman under Obama , also said in 2018 that he would not consider a Supreme Court confirmation in Trump 's final year but on Monday claimed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was still the chairman of the committee .
Like Graham , Grassley also quoted Ginsburg to defend his turnaround .
`` Justice Ginsburg delivered a eulogy for her friend Justice Scalia .
Justice Ginsburg said , 'We were different , yes , in our interpretation of written text .
Yet one in our reverence for the courts , and its place in the U.S. System of governance , ' '' he said .
`` The Senate is now tasked with carrying out perhaps its most solemn duty under the Constitution .
As we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heed Justice Ginsburg 's words with a shared reverence for the Court and its place in our Constitutional system . ''
The Republicans defended their change of heart after polls showed that a majority of voters believe the election winner should pick late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg 's replacement .
Sen. Dianne Feinstein , D-Calif. , the top Democrat on the committee , said the Republicans `` should honor '' their past statements and `` let the American people be heard . ''
`` Simply put , we should not be moving forward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election has ended and the next president has taken office , '' she said .
`` Instead of rushing to jam another ideologically driven nominee onto the Supreme Court in the middle of an election when over nine million Americans have already voted ... let 's end this hypocritical , illegitimate hearing – return to the urgent work we have before us , '' argued Sen. Mazie Hirono , D-Hawaii .
Democrats sought to frame Barrett 's nomination as a political attack on Obamacare .
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the health care law a week after the election .
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse , D-R.I. , called out the Republicans ' `` screaming-tire 180 '' degree reversal on Supreme Court nominations in an election year and called Barrett a `` judicial torpedo '' aimed at Obamacare .
`` This Supreme Court nominee has signaled in the judicial equivalent of all caps that she believes the Affordable Care Act must go , and that the precedent protecting the ACA does n't matter , '' he said .
`` The big secret to influences behind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a judicial torpedo they are firing at the ACA . ''
Sen. Dick Durbin , D-Ill. , argued that because Republicans failed to repeal Obamacare in Congress `` they 've got to rely on the court to do their work . ''
`` In the midst of the pandemic , the Republicans want to strike down a law that 23 million Americans rely on , '' he said , calling the hearing a `` shameless , self-serving , venal reversal . ''
Democrats spoke while surrounded by photos of people they said would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
President Trump has promised over and over and over again that he would repeal the Affordable Care Act , '' said Sen. Chris Coons , D-Del .
`` To make good on that promise to achieve what they could not accomplish through the democratic processes , they 're looking to the courts , in fact , to the court ; they 're looking to this nominee . ''

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., called Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation hearing a "sham" on Monday as Democrats argued the hearing should not have been held at all.
Democrats repeatedly accused Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee of hypocrisy after they blocked former President Barack Obama's nomination of Judge Merrick Garland for nearly a year before trying to confirm Barrett in time for the November election. Klobuchar said during her remarks that the Senate should be working on coronavirus relief rather than trying to rush through Barrett's nomination.
"Yes Judge, I think this hearing is a sham. I think it shows real messed-up priorities from the Republican Party," Klobuchar said.
Klobuchar also cited Barrett's criticism of the Supreme Court decision upholding Obamacare, warning Americans that "your health care is on the line."
But amid her criticism, Klobuchar acknowledged there was little Democrats could do to stop Barrett's confirmation by the Republican-led Senate, urging voters to show Republicans that "enough is enough" at the ballot box.
"This isn't Donald Trump's country," she said. "It is yours."
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., defended himself against allegations of hypocrisy after he not only supported blocking Garland's nomination but vowed to block any Supreme Court nomination by President Donald Trump in the final year of his term.
Graham argued that the Barrett nomination was different than Garland's because Democrats did not hold the Senate during Obama's second term. He went on to quote late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to justify moving forward with the hearing."
The bottom line is that Justice Ginsburg, when asked about this several years ago, said that a President serves for four years, not three," he said. "There's nothing unconstitutional about this process."
Graham did not mention that Ginsburg's reported dying wish was that whoever wins the election choose her replacement.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who blocked Garland's nomination as the Judiciary chairman under Obama, also said in 2018 that he would not consider a Supreme Court confirmation in Trump's final year but on Monday claimed that he only meant that if he was still the chairman of the committee.
Like Graham, Grassley also quoted Ginsburg to defend his turnaround.
"Justice Ginsburg delivered a eulogy for her friend Justice Scalia. Justice Ginsburg said, 'We were different, yes, in our interpretation of written text. Yet one in our reverence for the courts, and its place in the U.S. System of governance,'" he said. "The Senate is now tasked with carrying out perhaps its most solemn duty under the Constitution. As we go through this process, we should heed Justice Ginsburg's words with a shared reverence for the Court and its place in our Constitutional system."
The Republicans defended their change of heart after polls showed that a majority of voters believe the election winner should pick late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's replacement.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the committee, said the Republicans "should honor" their past statements and "let the American people be heard."
"Simply put, we should not be moving forward on this nomination — not until the election has ended and the next president has taken office," she said.
"Instead of rushing to jam another ideologically driven nominee onto the Supreme Court in the middle of an election when over nine million Americans have already voted...let's end this hypocritical, illegitimate hearing – return to the urgent work we have before us," argued Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii.
Democrats sought to frame Barrett's nomination as a political attack on Obamacare. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a case that could decide the fate of the health care law a week after the election.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., called out the Republicans' "screaming-tire 180" degree reversal on Supreme Court nominations in an election year and called Barrett a "judicial torpedo" aimed at Obamacare.
"This Supreme Court nominee has signaled in the judicial equivalent of all caps that she believes the Affordable Care Act must go, and that the precedent protecting the ACA doesn't matter," he said. "The big secret to influences behind this unseemly rush see this nominee as a judicial torpedo they are firing at the ACA."
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., argued that because Republicans failed to repeal Obamacare in Congress "they've got to rely on the court to do their work."
"In the midst of the pandemic, the Republicans want to strike down a law that 23 million Americans rely on," he said, calling the hearing a "shameless, self-serving, venal reversal."
Democrats spoke while surrounded by photos of people they said would be impacted by the repeal of Obamacare."
President Trump has promised over and over and over again that he would repeal the Affordable Care Act," said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del. "To make good on that promise to achieve what they could not accomplish through the democratic processes, they're looking to the courts, in fact, to the court; they're looking to this nominee."


alternet--2020-10-12--Watch: Kamala Harris hammers Lindsey Graham for rushing court nominee instead of offering COVID-19 r

Watch: Kamala Harris hammers Lindsey Graham for rushing court nominee instead of offering COVID-19 relief

Sen. Kamala Harris ( D-CA ) took aim at Senate Republicans for holding Supreme Court nomination hearings in the midst of a coronavirus outbreak .
The California Democrat and vice presidential nominee ripped Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Lindsey Graham ( R-SC ) for scheduling the hearing for Amy Coney Barrett after multiple individuals tested positive after attending her White House announcement ceremony .
`` This hearing has brought together more than 50 people to sit inside of a closed-door room for hours while our nation is facing a deadly airborne virus , '' Harris said .
`` This committee has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safe including not requiring testing for all members , despite a coronavirus outbreak among senators of this very committee .
By contrast , in response to this recent Senate outbreak , the leaders of Senate Republicans , rightly , postponed business on the Senate floor this week to protect the health and safety of senators and staff . ''
`` Mr. Chairman , for the same reasons this hearing should have been postponed , '' she continued .
`` The decision to hold this hearing now is reckless and places facilities ' workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Capitol Police at risk , not to mention while tens of millions of Americans are struggling to pay their bills , the Senate should be prioritizing coronavirus relief and providing financial support to those families .
The American people need to have help , to make rent or their mortgage payment . ''
`` We should provide financial assistance to those who have lost their job and help parents put food on the table , '' Harris added .
`` Small businesses need help , as do the cities , towns and hospitals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brink .
A House bill would help families of small businesses get through this crisis , but Senate Republicans have not lifted a finger for 150 days , which is how long that bill has been here in the Senate to move the bill .
Yet this committee is determined to rush a Supreme Court confirmation hearing through in just 16 days .
Senate Republicans have made it crystal clear that rushing a supreme court nomination is more important than helping and supporting the American people who are suffering from a deadly pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ priorities are not the American people 's priorities , but for the moment , Senate Republicans hold the majority in the Senate and determine the schedule , so here we are . ''

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) took aim at Senate Republicans for holding Supreme Court nomination hearings in the midst of a coronavirus outbreak.
The California Democrat and vice presidential nominee ripped Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) for scheduling the hearing for Amy Coney Barrett after multiple individuals tested positive after attending her White House announcement ceremony.
"This hearing has brought together more than 50 people to sit inside of a closed-door room for hours while our nation is facing a deadly airborne virus," Harris said. "This committee has ignored common sense requests to keep people safe including not requiring testing for all members, despite a coronavirus outbreak among senators of this very committee. By contrast, in response to this recent Senate outbreak, the leaders of Senate Republicans, rightly, postponed business on the Senate floor this week to protect the health and safety of senators and staff."
"Mr. Chairman, for the same reasons this hearing should have been postponed," she continued. "The decision to hold this hearing now is reckless and places facilities' workers, janitorial staff, congressional aides and Capitol Police at risk, not to mention while tens of millions of Americans are struggling to pay their bills, the Senate should be prioritizing coronavirus relief and providing financial support to those families. The American people need to have help, to make rent or their mortgage payment."
"We should provide financial assistance to those who have lost their job and help parents put food on the table," Harris added. "Small businesses need help, as do the cities, towns and hospitals that this crisis has pushed to the brink. A House bill would help families of small businesses get through this crisis, but Senate Republicans have not lifted a finger for 150 days, which is how long that bill has been here in the Senate to move the bill. Yet this committee is determined to rush a Supreme Court confirmation hearing through in just 16 days. Senate Republicans have made it crystal clear that rushing a supreme court nomination is more important than helping and supporting the American people who are suffering from a deadly pandemic and a devastating economic crisis. Their priorities are not the American people's priorities, but for the moment, Senate Republicans hold the majority in the Senate and determine the schedule, so here we are."


alternet--2020-10-12--Secret Service spent $238k in taxpayer money renting rooms at Trump properties protect his children:

Secret Service spent $238k in taxpayer money renting rooms at Trump properties protect his children: report

The U.S. Secret Service is not only responsible for protecting President Donald Trump , but also , members of his family .
Washington Post reporters David A. Fahrenthold , Joshua Partlow and Carol D. Leonnig , in an article published this week , examine the Secret Service-related expenses that have been generated by Trump 's children during their travels — and how profitable those expenses have been for the Trump Organization .
The Post reporters note that Eric Trump has taken his Secret Service protectors to the Trump Organization 's golf resort in Scotland , while the Secret Service agents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Adviser Ivanka Trump accompanied her to the Trump Organization 's golf club in Bedminster , New Jersey .
`` On trips like these , Secret Service agents were there to protect Trump 's children , '' Fahrenthold , Partlow and Leonnig explain .
`` But for the Trump family business , their visits also brought a hidden side benefit : money .
That 's because when Trump 's adult children visited Trump properties , Trump 's company charged the Secret Service for agents to come along .
The president 's company billed the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for rooms agents used on each trip , as the agency sometimes booked multiple rooms or a multi-room rental cottage on the property . ''
The Post reporters note that according to Secret Service records the publication has obtained and examined , `` Trump 's adult children and their families have caused the U.S. government to spend at least $ 238,000 at Trump properties so far… .
The Trump Organization 's decision to charge for the agents ' rooms created a situation in which — just by traveling — Trump 's children could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ business .
That , ethics experts said , could create the appearance that Trump family members were exploiting their publicly funded protection for private financial gain . ''
Scott Amey of the watchdog group Project on Government Oversight told the Post , `` Morally speaking , do they want to profit ( from the fact ) that their father 's in the White House ?
They could very easily reimburse those expenses so the federal government and the taxpayer are not on the hook for that tab . ''
Fahrenthold , Partlow and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Organization and the Trump White House refuses to say `` how much the government has paid to Trump 's business in total since he took office , '' the Post `` has compiled its own accounting , one receipt a time , using public-records requests and a lawsuit . ''
`` After the release of new records last month , '' the Post journalists note , `` that total now stands at $ 1.2 million — most of which is related to Trump 's own travel , which includes more than 270 visits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Post tally .
Previously , records obtained by the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington showed that agents had accompanied members of the Trump family on thousands of trips since the president took office . ''
According to the Post journalists , the president 's youngest daughter , 26-year-old Tiffany Trump , does n't appear in those Secret Service records as often as her siblings .
`` Among Trump 's four adult children , the youngest — Tiffany Trump — appears just once in the Secret Service records obtained by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Leonnig explain .
`` She accompanied her older brothers to the grand opening of the Trump hotel in Vancouver in 2017 .
Their combined Secret Service details required 56 rooms , and the Trump hotel charged the government $ 14,900 . ''

The U.S. Secret Service is not only responsible for protecting President Donald Trump, but also, members of his family. Washington Post reporters David A. Fahrenthold, Joshua Partlow and Carol D. Leonnig, in an article published this week, examine the Secret Service-related expenses that have been generated by Trump's children during their travels — and how profitable those expenses have been for the Trump Organization.
The Post reporters note that Eric Trump has taken his Secret Service protectors to the Trump Organization's golf resort in Scotland, while the Secret Service agents in charge of protecting White House Senior Adviser Ivanka Trump accompanied her to the Trump Organization's golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
"On trips like these, Secret Service agents were there to protect Trump's children," Fahrenthold, Partlow and Leonnig explain. "But for the Trump family business, their visits also brought a hidden side benefit: money. That's because when Trump's adult children visited Trump properties, Trump's company charged the Secret Service for agents to come along. The president's company billed the U.S. government hundreds or thousands of dollars for rooms agents used on each trip, as the agency sometimes booked multiple rooms or a multi-room rental cottage on the property."
The Post reporters note that according to Secret Service records the publication has obtained and examined, "Trump's adult children and their families have caused the U.S. government to spend at least $238,000 at Trump properties so far…. The Trump Organization's decision to charge for the agents' rooms created a situation in which — just by traveling — Trump's children could bring taxpayer money to their family's business. That, ethics experts said, could create the appearance that Trump family members were exploiting their publicly funded protection for private financial gain."
Scott Amey of the watchdog group Project on Government Oversight told the Post, "Morally speaking, do they want to profit (from the fact) that their father's in the White House? They could very easily reimburse those expenses so the federal government and the taxpayer are not on the hook for that tab."
Fahrenthold, Partlow and Leonnig point out that because the Trump Organization and the Trump White House refuses to say "how much the government has paid to Trump's business in total since he took office," the Post "has compiled its own accounting, one receipt a time, using public-records requests and a lawsuit."
"After the release of new records last month," the Post journalists note, "that total now stands at $1.2 million — most of which is related to Trump's own travel, which includes more than 270 visits to his properties, according to the Post tally. Previously, records obtained by the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington showed that agents had accompanied members of the Trump family on thousands of trips since the president took office."
According to the Post journalists, the president's youngest daughter, 26-year-old Tiffany Trump, doesn't appear in those Secret Service records as often as her siblings.
"Among Trump's four adult children, the youngest — Tiffany Trump — appears just once in the Secret Service records obtained by the Post," Fahrenthold, Partlow and Leonnig explain. "She accompanied her older brothers to the grand opening of the Trump hotel in Vancouver in 2017. Their combined Secret Service details required 56 rooms, and the Trump hotel charged the government $14,900."


alternet--2020-10-12--How to bring down the curtain on the pimped-out, pseudo-Wagnerian theater of TrumpWorld

If it were n't for the human lives damaged or destroyed by Donald Trump 's presidency — the 215,000 or so killed by the coronavirus is only the beginning , of course — the whole insane experience could be understood as a brilliant , confrontational work of performance art .
It 's a vulgar and moronic performance , to be sure , and one that pushes the audience 's willingness to suspend disbelief to its outer limits .
But it 's also a work of indisputable genius , one that has hypnotized media and public around the world for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through the dark lens of a fully nihilistic or totalitarian aesthetics , where the work of art transcends all ordinary morality — and if Donald Trump had a theory of aesthetics , that would be it — even the cruelty and recklessness of his performance is an aspect of its brilliance .
From the beginning , Trump told us that he could commit murder in public without alienating his supporters .
Many of us understood that as a figure of speech .
His greatest and most malicious accomplishment in public life ( so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a grand scale , that it was literally true .
To cite another example , there is no viable argument that the partnership between Trump and Stephen Miller , his most notably sadistic adviser , has been politically successful .
Almost all of their vindictive anti-immigrant agenda has been wildly unpopular , and much of it has been abandoned or thrown out by the courts .
But as a theatrical display of faux-macho dominance , fueled by shared bitterness and unconcealed racial resentment , the Trump-Miller act has been immensely satisfying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump is fundamentally a salesman , a con man and a performer is certainly nothing new .
He has been shaped by the worlds of New York real estate , tabloid publicity , professional wrestling and reality TV , where bullshit is everything and even the physical reality of land , buildings and human bodies is a disputable afterthought .
But some people seem to get stuck on an imaginary dichotomy or contradiction between Trump as showman and Trump as wannabe tyrant , as if his oft-expressed desire to seize full power and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aspect of the performance .
With the apparent implosion of Trump 's re-election campaign amid his preposterous attempt to turn a major coronavirus cluster in and around the White House — including his own infection , and the possibility that he infected many other people — into a great symbolic victory , the distinction between Fascist Trump and Showman Trump has collapsed entirely .
I 'm not suggesting that Trump did n't or does n't want to `` win '' again and is consciously sabotaging himself , or that he does n't enjoy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no doubt supplied by Miller or Bill Barr or other factotums with a better grasp of logistics — in which he overturns the Constitution and is declared president for life .
As New York Times critic James Poniewozik recently noted in an interview with Salon , Trump can not conceive of any version of reality where he is n't a `` winner , '' universally proclaimed as one of the great men of history .
( He wo n't come right out and say the very greatest — but , you know , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump appears to possess no interior life worth talking about — I envision it as resembling an anthill , perennially under attack by a small boy with a stick — and clearly is n't capable of the kind of subtle introspection that might lead to deliberate self-destruction .
But he only wants to be installed as Führer of a New Trumpian Reich if that too is a performance and other people do the real work .
We can all agree that Trump has shown no aptitude for governance , but despite the liberal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election , he 's no good at politics either : His vaunted `` movement '' consists entirely of red hats and vile rhetoric .
He has never demanded any sacrifices from his followers , let alone that they actually do anything .
He cheers on their dipshit outbreaks of violence and farcical terrorist plots — remove yourself from the proximate sense of alarm , and the scheme to kidnap Michigan Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer sounds like a future season of the FX series `` Fargo '' — but , honestly , you can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I do n't mean that he feels any sense of compassion or responsibility , only that he 's reluctant to endorse anything that pulls the spotlight away from him .
In the inner circles of TrumpWorld , whose denizens have sustained themselves by blending crime-family omertà with a shared delusion of historical destiny , the cognitive dissonance must now be off the charts .
Faced with the prospect of a sweeping , landscape-shifting defeat just weeks from now , more cynical Republicans like Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Sen. John @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face unexpectedly tight re-election battles — have begun to subtly edge themselves away from Trump and rehearse the speeches they may need to make four or five days into November .
But that cognitive dissonance is far less of a problem for Donald Trump personally than for the people around him .
I think Poniewozik is on the right track in suggesting that Trump can turn whatever happens into a grand narrative of heroism and martyrdom , with himself in the starring role .
We 've told ourselves all along that Trump is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about other people , and sees them only as reflections of himself .
( The temperament , in other words , of a diva . )
He slanders and demonizes his critics and opponents , betrays his so-called friends without a moment 's hesitation , feels only contempt for his worshipful supporters , and denies the existence of any objective reality .
That was all true enough , but as things now appear , it was only the beginning .
If the chaos and ugliness Trump has channeled into American political life will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — and is just one part of a worldwide crisis of democracy with no clear resolution in sight — he himself is about to transcend all that .
Like any great performer , Trump is following his instincts rather than plotting out a rational course , and the culminating act of his public performance will synthesize and outstrip everything that has before .
Rather than yield to any external force — political , legal , medical or scientific — Trump stands ready to destroy his own political career , and the political party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It 's a bit of a cliché at this point , not to mention overly flattering , to compare Donald Trump to John Milton 's antiheroic Satan .
But if Trump were capable of reading and understanding such things , he 'd no doubt enjoy the comparison : Given the pimped-out , pseudo-Wagnerian theater of TrumpWorld , a spectacular auto-da-fé is the only remotely adequate way to bring down the curtain .
He will of course proclaim this self-immolation to be a great victory , and as seen in the rearview mirror of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Like Satan , Trump has shown us how far we have fallen and how easily we are corrupted .
To see him as the villain of the story is missing the point .

If it weren't for the human lives damaged or destroyed by Donald Trump's presidency — the 215,000 or so killed by the coronavirus is only the beginning, of course — the whole insane experience could be understood as a brilliant, confrontational work of performance art. It's a vulgar and moronic performance, to be sure, and one that pushes the audience's willingness to suspend disbelief to its outer limits. But it's also a work of indisputable genius, one that has hypnotized media and public around the world for the better part of five years.
Viewed through the dark lens of a fully nihilistic or totalitarian aesthetics, where the work of art transcends all ordinary morality — and if Donald Trump had a theory of aesthetics, that would be it — even the cruelty and recklessness of his performance is an aspect of its brilliance. From the beginning, Trump told us that he could commit murder in public without alienating his supporters. Many of us understood that as a figure of speech. His greatest and most malicious accomplishment in public life (so far) has been to prove, on a grand scale, that it was literally true.
To cite another example, there is no viable argument that the partnership between Trump and Stephen Miller, his most notably sadistic adviser, has been politically successful. Almost all of their vindictive anti-immigrant agenda has been wildly unpopular, and much of it has been abandoned or thrown out by the courts. But as a theatrical display of faux-macho dominance, fueled by shared bitterness and unconcealed racial resentment, the Trump-Miller act has been immensely satisfying to its intended audience.
To suggest that Trump is fundamentally a salesman, a con man and a performer is certainly nothing new. He has been shaped by the worlds of New York real estate, tabloid publicity, professional wrestling and reality TV, where bullshit is everything and even the physical reality of land, buildings and human bodies is a disputable afterthought. But some people seem to get stuck on an imaginary dichotomy or contradiction between Trump as showman and Trump as wannabe tyrant, as if his oft-expressed desire to seize full power and rule forever were not in itself an aspect of the performance.
With the apparent implosion of Trump's re-election campaign amid his preposterous attempt to turn a major coronavirus cluster in and around the White House — including his own infection, and the possibility that he infected many other people — into a great symbolic victory, the distinction between Fascist Trump and Showman Trump has collapsed entirely.
I'm not suggesting that Trump didn't or doesn't want to "win" again and is consciously sabotaging himself, or that he doesn't enjoy the dimly-sketched fantasy world — its details no doubt supplied by Miller or Bill Barr or other factotums with a better grasp of logistics — in which he overturns the Constitution and is declared president for life. As New York Times critic James Poniewozik recently noted in an interview with Salon, Trump cannot conceive of any version of reality where he isn't a "winner," universally proclaimed as one of the great men of history. (He won't come right out and say the very greatest — but, you know, some people are saying that!)
Trump appears to possess no interior life worth talking about — I envision it as resembling an anthill, perennially under attack by a small boy with a stick — and clearly isn't capable of the kind of subtle introspection that might lead to deliberate self-destruction. But he only wants to be installed as Führer of a New Trumpian Reich if that too is a performance and other people do the real work.
We can all agree that Trump has shown no aptitude for governance, but despite the liberal paranoid trauma left over from the 2016 election, he's no good at politics either: His vaunted "movement" consists entirely of red hats and vile rhetoric. He has never demanded any sacrifices from his followers, let alone that they actually do anything. He cheers on their dipshit outbreaks of violence and farcical terrorist plots — remove yourself from the proximate sense of alarm, and the scheme to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer sounds like a future season of the FX series "Fargo" — but, honestly, you can tell his heart isn't in it. I don't mean that he feels any sense of compassion or responsibility, only that he's reluctant to endorse anything that pulls the spotlight away from him.
In the inner circles of TrumpWorld, whose denizens have sustained themselves by blending crime-family omertà with a shared delusion of historical destiny, the cognitive dissonance must now be off the charts. Faced with the prospect of a sweeping, landscape-shifting defeat just weeks from now, more cynical Republicans like Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Sen. John Cornyn of Texas — both of whom face unexpectedly tight re-election battles — have begun to subtly edge themselves away from Trump and rehearse the speeches they may need to make four or five days into November.
(Of course I'm aware of the nightmare scenarios that keep #Resistance liberals up all night: Millions of mail ballots thrown out, a reverse-engineered Electoral College, Trump re-elected in a state-by-state vote in the House of Representatives. It would be foolish to claim those things are impossible, or that Bill Barr hasn't considered all of them. But honestly: Is that the way the wind is blowing? At the moment, a Democratic landslide in which Trump is conclusively defeated and Republicans lose six or seven Senate seats is a far more likely scenario.)
But that cognitive dissonance is far less of a problem for Donald Trump personally than for the people around him. I think Poniewozik is on the right track in suggesting that Trump can turn whatever happens into a grand narrative of heroism and martyrdom, with himself in the starring role.
We've told ourselves all along that Trump is a pathological narcissist who doesn't care about other people, and sees them only as reflections of himself. (The temperament, in other words, of a diva.) He slanders and demonizes his critics and opponents, betrays his so-called friends without a moment's hesitation, feels only contempt for his worshipful supporters, and denies the existence of any objective reality. That was all true enough, but as things now appear, it was only the beginning.
If the chaos and ugliness Trump has channeled into American political life will be with us for decades to come — and is just one part of a worldwide crisis of democracy with no clear resolution in sight — he himself is about to transcend all that. Like any great performer, Trump is following his instincts rather than plotting out a rational course, and the culminating act of his public performance will synthesize and outstrip everything that has before. Rather than yield to any external force — political, legal, medical or scientific — Trump stands ready to destroy his own political career, and the political party he adopted, invaded and conquered.
It's a bit of a cliché at this point, not to mention overly flattering, to compare Donald Trump to John Milton's antiheroic Satan. But if Trump were capable of reading and understanding such things, he'd no doubt enjoy the comparison:
What though the field be lost?
All is not lost; the unconquerable Will,
And study of revenge, immortal hate,
And courage never to submit or yield:
And what is else not to be overcome?
Given the pimped-out, pseudo-Wagnerian theater of TrumpWorld, a spectacular auto-da-fé is the only remotely adequate way to bring down the curtain. He will of course proclaim this self-immolation to be a great victory, and as seen in the rearview mirror of history, he may have a point. Like Satan, Trump has shown us how far we have fallen and how easily we are corrupted. To see him as the villain of the story is missing the point.


alternet--2020-10-12--AP reporter says Republicans already ‘finger-pointing’ over looming election debacle: ‘Sense of desp

AP reporter says Republicans already ‘finger-pointing’ over looming election debacle: ‘Sense of desperation’

White House reporter Jonathan Lemire says Republicans are increasingly worried that President Donald Trump has endangered their Senate majority .
The Associated Press reporter told MSNBC 's `` Morning Joe '' that Trump 's coronavirus infection had upended his own campaign and hurt embattled GOP senators in theirs .
`` A sense of desperation and , really , alarm set in among Republicans both in and outside of the White House of the state of this campaign , which is why the president is going to be , he 's suddenly back in public life , '' Lemire said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and resumes campaigning tonight in Florida . ''
`` As we reported just now , there 's growing panic in the Republican Party , '' he added .
`` The one-two punch of his widely panned debate performance and the COVID-19 diagnosis , a lot of finger-pointing on how they handled pulling out of the debate , the blowing up of the COVID relief talks .
They 're trying to set up excuses as to why he lost , and there 's great concern . ''
That has caused some Republicans to distance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Lemire said .
`` There 's growing alarm not only in the states we have been talking about , about losing Senate seats in Colorado or North Carolina , but also deep red states like Kansas and South Carolina , '' he said .
`` Where Lindsey Graham 's challenger put up a record amount of fund-raising in the last month .
There 's a fear that the White House is slipping away and he 's pulling the rest of the party with him .
There 's a chance now that some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not just that Joe Biden might post a decisive victory on the election night , and the recount and the court challenges , but a sense , indeed , that the Democrats could sweep to power here and fully repudiate where the president has taken the Republican Party . ''
`` There 's still three weeks to go , of course things can change , '' Lemire said .
`` But right now , with time running out , there 's grave alarm among the Republicans about the fate of the White House @ @ @ @ @

White House reporter Jonathan Lemire says Republicans are increasingly worried that President Donald Trump has endangered their Senate majority.
The Associated Press reporter told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that Trump's coronavirus infection had upended his own campaign and hurt embattled GOP senators in theirs.
"A sense of desperation and, really, alarm set in among Republicans both in and outside of the White House of the state of this campaign, which is why the president is going to be, he's suddenly back in public life," Lemire said. "He had that event on Saturday and resumes campaigning tonight in Florida."
"As we reported just now, there's growing panic in the Republican Party," he added. "The one-two punch of his widely panned debate performance and the COVID-19 diagnosis, a lot of finger-pointing on how they handled pulling out of the debate, the blowing up of the COVID relief talks. They're trying to set up excuses as to why he lost, and there's great concern."
That has caused some Republicans to distance themselves from the president since his diagnosis, Lemire said.
"There's growing alarm not only in the states we have been talking about, about losing Senate seats in Colorado or North Carolina, but also deep red states like Kansas and South Carolina," he said. "Where Lindsey Graham's challenger put up a record amount of fund-raising in the last month. There's a fear that the White House is slipping away and he's pulling the rest of the party with him. There's a chance now that some in the party believe that it's not just that Joe Biden might post a decisive victory on the election night, and the recount and the court challenges, but a sense, indeed, that the Democrats could sweep to power here and fully repudiate where the president has taken the Republican Party."
"There's still three weeks to go, of course things can change," Lemire said. "But right now, with time running out, there's grave alarm among the Republicans about the fate of the White House and the Senate."


alternet--2020-10-12--‘Absurd’: Video of huge line of Georgia voters waiting to cast ballots goes viral

The difficulty of voting in Georgia is vividly illustrated by a video showing an insanely long line of people waiting to vote in Suwanee ( an Atlanta suburb ) in Gwinnett County this week .
The phrase `` they were lined up down the block '' would n't begin to describe the video showing early voting in Suwanee .
Voters , in the video , are seen waiting in a line that goes on for blocks and blocks .
And Twitter users have been weighing in on that long line , which could have been avoided if Georgia had more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kemp 's watch .
The Cook Political Report 's Dave Wasserman , who is also a contributing pundit for NBC News , tweeted , `` With few exceptions , anything touching Gwinnett Co. , GA might be cursed for Rs this year . ''
Austrian Twitter user @ Roland898 , seeing the video of the long line in Subwanee , posted , `` Absurd .
People should not stand in line for more than 5 minutes .
Create more early voting locations . ''
And @ Roland898 also tweeted , `` Pretty crazy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organization .
I also never waited more than a minute to cast my ballot here in Austria . ''
Polls have been showing that the presidential race is quite close in Georgia .
Some polls have shown President Donald Trump with a slight lead , while others have shown former Vice President Joe Biden with a slight lead .
The heaviest concentration of Democratic voters in Georgia is in Atlanta and its suburbs , which are trending more Democratic .
Twitter user and Georgia resident @ ByeDolly posted , `` Cobb County ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blue in 2016 and 2018 .
Gives me hope my state is trending blue much more quickly than I had expected . ''

The difficulty of voting in Georgia is vividly illustrated by a video showing an insanely long line of people waiting to vote in Suwanee (an Atlanta suburb) in Gwinnett County this week.
The phrase "they were lined up down the block" wouldn't begin to describe the video showing early voting in Suwanee. Voters, in the video, are seen waiting in a line that goes on for blocks and blocks. And Twitter users have been weighing in on that long line, which could have been avoided if Georgia had more early voting locations under Gov. Brian Kemp's watch.
The Cook Political Report's Dave Wasserman, who is also a contributing pundit for NBC News, tweeted, "With few exceptions, anything touching Gwinnett Co., GA might be cursed for Rs this year."
Austrian Twitter user @Roland898, seeing the video of the long line in Subwanee, posted, "Absurd. People should not stand in line for more than 5 minutes. Create more early voting locations." And @Roland898 also tweeted, "Pretty crazy that Americans have such a crappy election organization. I also never waited more than a minute to cast my ballot here in Austria."
Polls have been showing that the presidential race is quite close in Georgia. Some polls have shown President Donald Trump with a slight lead, while others have shown former Vice President Joe Biden with a slight lead. The heaviest concentration of Democratic voters in Georgia is in Atlanta and its suburbs, which are trending more Democratic. Twitter user and Georgia resident @ByeDolly posted, "Cobb County (neighboring county to Fulton County) went blue in 2016 and 2018. Gives me hope my state is trending blue much more quickly than I had expected."


alternet--2020-10-12--Michigan senator shares family's abortion story: ‘The mental anguish someone goes through is intense

Michigan senator shares family's abortion story: ‘The mental anguish someone goes through is intense’

If Judge Amy Coney Barrett , a far-right social conservative , is confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court by the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate , it is entirely possible that the Roe v. Wade ruling will be overturned .
Roe , in 1973 , legalized abortion nationwide in the United States — and if the High Court rules that Roe was wrongly decided 47 years ago , abortion 's legality could once again be determined on a state-by-state basis .
Sen. Gary Peters , a centrist Democrat who is running for reelection in Michigan , has shared his own personal experience @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bassett — and according to Peters , an abortion might have saved his wife 's life .
Peters told Bassett that having an abortion back in the late 1980s is n't something that his wife , Heidi Peters , planned on .
`` In the late 1980s in Detroit , Peters and his then wife , Heidi , were pregnant with their second child , a baby they very much wanted , '' Bassett explains .
`` Heidi was four months along when her water broke , leaving the fetus without amniotic fluid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ survive .
The doctor told the Peters to go home and wait for a miscarriage to happen naturally . ''
But the miscarriage did n't happen at home , and Heidi Peters was readmitted to the hospital .
Because the fetus had no chance of survival and her health was in a danger , a doctor recommended an abortion .
Heidi Peters was in danger of losing her uterus and losing her life if a uterine infection became septic , but the hospital did n't allow abortions .
`` The mental anguish someone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a miscarriage for a child that was wanted , '' Sen. Peters told Bassett .
The senator recalled that his wife 's doctor tried to get the hospital 's board to make an exception to its anti-abortion policy since her life was in danger , but the board would n't budge .
Sen. Peters told Bassett , `` I still vividly remember he left a message on the answering machine saying , 'They refused to give me permission , not based on good medical practice , simply based on politics .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can do this procedure quickly . '
'' Thankfully , Heidi Peters was able to get into another hospital right away because the couple was friends with its chief administrator , and an abortion was performed that saved her from losing her uterus and possibly prevented her death .
Heidi Peters told Bassett , `` If it were n't for urgent and critical medical care , I could have lost my life . ''
Sen. Peters explained why he was willing to publicly discuss his wife 's experiences after all these years .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ understand that these things happen to folks every day , '' Sen. Peters told Bassett .
`` I 've always considered myself pro-choice and believe women should be able to make these decisions themselves , but when you live it in real life , you realize the significant impact it can have on a family . ''
If Roe v. Wade is overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court , it would n't automatically mean the end of legal abortion in the United States .
But it would mean that abortion would become illegal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others .
Abortion might remain legal in New Mexico , for example , but become illegal across the state line in Texas .
And with the Senate confirmation hearings for Barrett set to begin on Monday , October 12 , Peters is hoping that others will come forward and discuss their personal experiences with abortion .
`` It 's important for folks who are willing to tell these stories to tell them , especially now , '' Peters told Bassett .
`` The new Supreme Court nominee could make a decision that will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women for decades to come .
This is a pivotal moment for reproductive freedom . ''

If Judge Amy Coney Barrett, a far-right social conservative, is confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court by the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate, it is entirely possible that the Roe v. Wade ruling will be overturned. Roe, in 1973, legalized abortion nationwide in the United States — and if the High Court rules that Roe was wrongly decided 47 years ago, abortion's legality could once again be determined on a state-by-state basis. Sen. Gary Peters, a centrist Democrat who is running for reelection in Michigan, has shared his own personal experience with abortion with Elle Magazine's Laura Bassett — and according to Peters, an abortion might have saved his wife's life.
Peters told Bassett that having an abortion back in the late 1980s isn't something that his wife, Heidi Peters, planned on.
"In the late 1980s in Detroit, Peters and his then wife, Heidi, were pregnant with their second child, a baby they very much wanted," Bassett explains. "Heidi was four months along when her water broke, leaving the fetus without amniotic fluid — a condition it could not possibly survive. The doctor told the Peters to go home and wait for a miscarriage to happen naturally."
But the miscarriage didn't happen at home, and Heidi Peters was readmitted to the hospital. Because the fetus had no chance of survival and her health was in a danger, a doctor recommended an abortion. Heidi Peters was in danger of losing her uterus and losing her life if a uterine infection became septic, but the hospital didn't allow abortions.
"The mental anguish someone goes through is intense, trying to have a miscarriage for a child that was wanted," Sen. Peters told Bassett.
The senator recalled that his wife's doctor tried to get the hospital's board to make an exception to its anti-abortion policy since her life was in danger, but the board wouldn't budge.
Sen. Peters told Bassett, "I still vividly remember he left a message on the answering machine saying, 'They refused to give me permission, not based on good medical practice, simply based on politics. I recommend you immediately find another physician who can do this procedure quickly.'"
Thankfully, Heidi Peters was able to get into another hospital right away because the couple was friends with its chief administrator, and an abortion was performed that saved her from losing her uterus and possibly prevented her death. Heidi Peters told Bassett, "If it weren't for urgent and critical medical care, I could have lost my life."
Sen. Peters explained why he was willing to publicly discuss his wife's experiences after all these years.
"It's important for folks to understand that these things happen to folks every day," Sen. Peters told Bassett. "I've always considered myself pro-choice and believe women should be able to make these decisions themselves, but when you live it in real life, you realize the significant impact it can have on a family."
If Roe v. Wade is overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, it wouldn't automatically mean the end of legal abortion in the United States. But it would mean that abortion would become illegal in some states while remaining legal in others. Abortion might remain legal in New Mexico, for example, but become illegal across the state line in Texas. And with the Senate confirmation hearings for Barrett set to begin on Monday, October 12, Peters is hoping that others will come forward and discuss their personal experiences with abortion.
"It's important for folks who are willing to tell these stories to tell them, especially now," Peters told Bassett. "The new Supreme Court nominee could make a decision that will have major ramifications for reproductive health for women for decades to come. This is a pivotal moment for reproductive freedom."


alternet--2020-10-12--Florida business owner rips Trump's planned rally in the state: 'No person in their right mind would

Florida business owner rips Trump's planned rally in the state: 'No person in their right mind would do this'

After Donald Trump pulled out of the planned Thursday night town hall-style debate , refusing to do a remote debate because moderators can `` cut you off whenever they want , '' Joe Biden scheduled a town hall event with ABC News .
Now Trump is talking about a town hall on NBC News Thursday night as well , though it 's not yet confirmed .
What is confirmed is Trump 's strong desire to resume campaigning in person , despite concerns about campaigning by someone who may well still be contagious with COVID-19 .
Trump 's doctor tried to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infectious on Saturday , but experts say there 's serious doubt about that based on the scant information provided .
On Sunday , Twitter flagged a Trump tweet for containing `` misleading and potentially harmful misinformation '' —namely , that `` I ca n't get it ( immune ) , and ca n't give it . ''
Most of all , Trump just wants to return to his ego-stroking campaign tour .
He wants to be on the road every day , Axios reports , leading one adviser to fret , `` He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump is starting on Monday in Sanford , Florida , with a rally some locals worry will compromise public health .
`` I 'm worried about anybody that has had COVID or tested positive being out in the community in less than two weeks , '' a city commissioner told The Daily Beast .
`` It could be the president , it could be my worst enemy .
I do n't care who it is .
They should n't be out in public . ''
`` No person in their right mind would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' a local business owner said .
Biden , who has consistently tested negative for coronavirus , will be campaigning in Ohio on Monday and in Florida on Tuesday—in a safer way than the Trump signature rally , with its superspreader risks .
His wife , Dr. Jill Biden , will be campaigning in Georgia on Monday and Texas on Tuesday , with polls tight in the traditionally deep red state .
Donald Trump Jr. will also be in Georgia on Monday , highlighting that this is another traditionally red state that @ @ @ @

After Donald Trump pulled out of the planned Thursday night town hall-style debate, refusing to do a remote debate because moderators can "cut you off whenever they want," Joe Biden scheduled a town hall event with ABC News. Now Trump is talking about a town hall on NBC News Thursday night as well, though it's not yet confirmed.
What is confirmed is Trump's strong desire to resume campaigning in person, despite concerns about campaigning by someone who may well still be contagious with COVID-19. Trump's doctor tried to give him the official sign-off as not infectious on Saturday, but experts say there's serious doubt about that based on the scant information provided. On Sunday, Twitter flagged a Trump tweet for containing "misleading and potentially harmful misinformation"—namely, that "I can't get it (immune), and can't give it."
Most of all, Trump just wants to return to his ego-stroking campaign tour. He wants to be on the road every day, Axios reports, leading one adviser to fret, "He's going to kill himself." Trump is starting on Monday in Sanford, Florida, with a rally some locals worry will compromise public health.
"I'm worried about anybody that has had COVID or tested positive being out in the community in less than two weeks," a city commissioner told The Daily Beast. "It could be the president, it could be my worst enemy. I don't care who it is. They shouldn't be out in public."
"No person in their right mind would do this and risk so many people," a local business owner said.
Biden, who has consistently tested negative for coronavirus, will be campaigning in Ohio on Monday and in Florida on Tuesday—in a safer way than the Trump signature rally, with its superspreader risks. His wife, Dr. Jill Biden, will be campaigning in Georgia on Monday and Texas on Tuesday, with polls tight in the traditionally deep red state. Donald Trump Jr. will also be in Georgia on Monday, highlighting that this is another traditionally red state that is in play.


alternet--2020-10-12--The most egregious test of Trump’s 5th Ave principle is still to come — when he tries to kill off US

The most egregious test of Trump’s 5th Ave principle is still to come — when he tries to kill off US democracy

`` I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I would n't lose voters , '' Trump boasted in 2016 .
Trump 's 5th Avenue principle is being tested as never before .
So far , more than 214,000 Americans have died from Covid-19 , one of the world 's highest death rates – due in part to Trump initially downplaying its dangers , then refusing responsibility for it , promoting quack remedies for it , muzzling government experts on it , pushing states to reopen despite it , and discouraging people from wearing masks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have stuck by him nonetheless .
They 've remained loyal even after he turned the White House into a hotspot for the virus , even after he caught it himself , and even after asserting just days ago that it 's less lethal than the flu .
A recent nonpartisan study concluded that Trump 's blatant disinformation has been the largest driver of COVID misinformation in the world .
They 've stuck by him even as more than 11 million Americans have lost their jobs , 40 million risk eviction from their homes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and almost one out of five Americans with kids at home can not afford to adequately feed their children .
They 've stuck by him even though more Americans have sought unemployment benefits this year than voted for him in 2016 , even after Trump cut off talks on economic relief , even though he 's pushing the Supreme Court to repeal the Affordable Care Act , causing 20 million more to lose health insurance .
Trump is in effect standing in the middle of 5th Avenue , killing Americans .
Yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks before the election , and his supporters still have n't budged .
The latest polls show him with 40 % to 43 % of voters , while Joe Biden has a bare majority .
The most egregious test of Trump 's 5th Avenue principle is still to come , when he tries to kill off American democracy .
He 's counting on his supporters to keep him in power even after he loses the popular vote .
He 's ready to claim that mail-in ballots , made necessary by the pandemic , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 've never seen , '' as he asserted during his debate with Biden – although it 's been shown that Americans are more likely to be struck by lightning than commit voter fraud .
He 'll likely allege fraudulent election results in any Republican-led state which he loses by a small margin – such as Arizona , Florida , Michigan , North Carolina , Pennsylvania , or Wisconsin .
Then he 'll rely on the House of Representatives to put him over the top .
`` We are going to be counting ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump warned at a recent Pennsylvania rally , noting `` we have the advantage if we go back to Congress .
I think it 's 26 to 22 or something because it 's counted one vote per state . ''
He was referring to the 12th Amendment to the Constitution , which provides that if state electors deadlock or ca n't agree on a president , the decision goes to the House .
There , each of the nation 's 50 states get one vote .
That means small Republican-dominated states like Alaska @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Wyoming ( each with one House member , who 's a Republican ) would have the same clout as large Democratic states like California ( with 52 House members , 44 of whom are Democrats ) .
Trump does have the advantage right now : 26 state congressional delegations in the House are now controlled by Republicans , and 22 by Democrats .
Two — Pennsylvania and Michigan — are essentially tied .
But he wo n't necessarily retain that advantage .
The decision would be made by lawmakers elected in November @ @ @ @ @ @ @ January 3 – three days before they 'll convene to decide the winner of the election .
Which is why House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is focusing on races that could tip the balance of state delegations – not just in Pennsylvania and Michigan but any others within reach .
`` It 's sad we have to have to plan this way , '' she wrote in a letter to her colleagues last week , `` but it 's what we must do to ensure the election is not stolen . ''
Trump 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ power despite deprivation and death that would have doomed the presidencies of anyone else .
But as a former New Yorker he should know that 5th Avenue ends at the Harlem River at 142nd Street , and the end is near .

"I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose voters," Trump boasted in 2016.
Trump's 5th Avenue principle is being tested as never before. So far, more than 214,000 Americans have died from Covid-19, one of the world's highest death rates – due in part to Trump initially downplaying its dangers, then refusing responsibility for it, promoting quack remedies for it, muzzling government experts on it, pushing states to reopen despite it, and discouraging people from wearing masks.
Yet some 40 percent of Americans have stuck by him nonetheless. They've remained loyal even after he turned the White House into a hotspot for the virus, even after he caught it himself, and even after asserting just days ago that it's less lethal than the flu. A recent nonpartisan study concluded that Trump's blatant disinformation has been the largest driver of COVID misinformation in the world.
They've stuck by him even as more than 11 million Americans have lost their jobs, 40 million risk eviction from their homes, 14 million have lost health insurance, and almost one out of five Americans with kids at home cannot afford to adequately feed their children.
They've stuck by him even though more Americans have sought unemployment benefits this year than voted for him in 2016, even after Trump cut off talks on economic relief, even though he's pushing the Supreme Court to repeal the Affordable Care Act, causing 20 million more to lose health insurance.
Trump is in effect standing in the middle of 5th Avenue, killing Americans.
Yet here we are, just a few weeks before the election, and his supporters still haven't budged. The latest polls show him with 40% to 43% of voters, while Joe Biden has a bare majority.
The most egregious test of Trump's 5th Avenue principle is still to come, when he tries to kill off American democracy. He's counting on his supporters to keep him in power even after he loses the popular vote.
He's ready to claim that mail-in ballots, made necessary by the pandemic, are rife with "fraud like you've never seen," as he asserted during his debate with Biden – although it's been shown that Americans are more likely to be struck by lightning than commit voter fraud.
He'll likely allege fraudulent election results in any Republican-led state which he loses by a small margin – such as Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, or Wisconsin.
Then he'll rely on the House of Representatives to put him over the top.
"We are going to be counting ballots for the next two years," Trump warned at a recent Pennsylvania rally, noting "we have the advantage if we go back to Congress. I think it's 26 to 22 or something because it's counted one vote per state."
He was referring to the 12th Amendment to the Constitution, which provides that if state electors deadlock or can't agree on a president, the decision goes to the House. There, each of the nation's 50 states get one vote.
That means small Republican-dominated states like Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming (each with one House member, who's a Republican) would have the same clout as large Democratic states like California (with 52 House members, 44 of whom are Democrats).
Trump does have the advantage right now: 26 state congressional delegations in the House are now controlled by Republicans, and 22 by Democrats. Two — Pennsylvania and Michigan — are essentially tied.
But he won't necessarily retain that advantage. The decision would be made by lawmakers elected in November, who will be sworn in on January 3 – three days before they'll convene to decide the winner of the election.
Which is why House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is focusing on races that could tip the balance of state delegations – not just in Pennsylvania and Michigan but any others within reach.
"It's sad we have to have to plan this way," she wrote in a letter to her colleagues last week, "but it's what we must do to ensure the election is not stolen."
Trump's 5th Avenue principle has kept him in power despite deprivation and death that would have doomed the presidencies of anyone else. But as a former New Yorker he should know that 5th Avenue ends at the Harlem River at 142nd Street, and the end is near.