alternet--2020-10-02--Trump's positive COVID-19 results send Twitter into a frenzy

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump testing positive for COVID-19 has sent Twitter into a frenzy with an overwhelming number of users insisting the president 's carelessness greatly contributed to his diagnosis .
Almost immediately after the president 's test results were made public , Twitter users began flooding the social network with their reactions .
Multiple hashtags focused on Trump 's COVID status are now trending as the American public weighs in on the latest development .
Many have recalled Trump 's mocking of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden during the first presidential debate on Tuesday evening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president a visit .
From the American public to various public figures , and celebrities there are tons of reactions and many of the mocking tweets have been relentless due to the president 's continued efforts to downplay the severity of the coronavirus .
Anti-Trump political groups have also begun releasing video ads highlighting the president 's hypocrisy in the wake of his positive test results .
Trump has also been criticized for his decision to travel yesterday and continue campaigning despite having knowledge of his White House advisor Hope Hicks testing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on his previous response to the staggering number of COVID-19 deaths : `` It is what it is , '' Trump said , at the time .
However , others have raised questions about the questionable timing of Trump 's test results .
Ironically , the president 's positive test result was confirmed on October 1 which happens to be National China Day .
If the president ends up being asymptomatic , there is a possibility he could further attempt to downplay the severity of the virus by weaponizing his own personal experience @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one day after Hicks quietly tested positive for coronavirus .
According to NY Mag , White House officials initially hoped to keep Hicks test results private in an effort to avoid speculation and scrutiny about the president , but to no avail .
While it has been reported that Hicks is symptomatic , it is still unclear whether or not Trump and the first lady have symptoms .

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump testing positive for COVID-19 has sent Twitter into a frenzy with an overwhelming number of users insisting the president's carelessness greatly contributed to his diagnosis.
Almost immediately after the president's test results were made public, Twitter users began flooding the social network with their reactions. Multiple hashtags focused on Trump's COVID status are now trending as the American public weighs in on the latest development.
Many have recalled Trump's mocking of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden during the first presidential debate on Tuesday evening as they insisted karma could be paying the president a visit. From the American public to various public figures, and celebrities there are tons of reactions and many of the mocking tweets have been relentless due to the president's continued efforts to downplay the severity of the coronavirus.
Anti-Trump political groups have also begun releasing video ads highlighting the president's hypocrisy in the wake of his positive test results.
Trump has also been criticized for his decision to travel yesterday and continue campaigning despite having knowledge of his White House advisor Hope Hicks testing positive for the virus.
Others focused on his previous response to the staggering number of COVID-19 deaths: "It is what it is," Trump said, at the time.
However, others have raised questions about the questionable timing of Trump's test results. Ironically, the president's positive test result was confirmed on October 1 which happens to be National China Day. If the president ends up being asymptomatic, there is a possibility he could further attempt to downplay the severity of the virus by weaponizing his own personal experience.
Trump's positive test results came one day after Hicks quietly tested positive for coronavirus. According to NY Mag, White House officials initially hoped to keep Hicks test results private in an effort to avoid speculation and scrutiny about the president, but to no avail.
While it has been reported that Hicks is symptomatic, it is still unclear whether or not Trump and the first lady have symptoms.


alternet--2020-10-02--Kingdom of Silence: 2 years after Khashoggi murder, new film explores deadly US-Saudi Alliance

Two years ago , in a story that shocked the world , Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi Consulate @ @ @ @ @ and was never seen again .
It was later revealed that Khashoggi — a Saudi @ @ @ @ @ Post columnist — was murdered and dismembered by a team of Saudi agents at the @ @ @ @ @ Mohammed bin Salman .
We speak with a friend of Khashoggi and with the director @ @ @ @ @ `` Kingdom of Silence , '' that tracks not only Khashoggi 's brutal murder and @ @ @ @ @ but also the decades-long alliance between the United States and Saudi Arabia .
`` What @ @ @ @ @ is Jamal was one of our own , '' says director Rick Rowley .
`` @ @ @ @ @ is killed , it falls on all of us as journalists to try to do @ @ @ @ @ their story from the forces that would impose silence on it . ''

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alternet--2020-10-03--Naomi Klein: I fear Trump will exploit his COVID infection to further destabilize the election

How will President Trump 's revelation that he tested positive for COVID-19 affect the presidential race ?
Acclaimed journalist , author and activist Naomi Klein warns that the Trump campaign is likely to exploit the news .
`` We need to be prepared for the president using the fact that he 's having to cancel campaign events for two weeks to try to further delegitimize elections , '' she says .
This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
The Quarantine Report .
I 'm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ look at this breaking news , President Trump and the first lady testing positive for COVID-19 , announcing they 'll be quarantined for the next 14 days , canceling his campaign events .
We end today 's show looking at how the development will impact the presidential race .
We 're going to start with Naomi Klein , senior correspondent at The Intercept , a professor at Rutgers University , executive producer of new short video titled A Message from the Future II : The Years of Repair .
Her latest book , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : The ( Burning ) Case for a Green New Deal .
Naomi , I assume you went to sleep not knowing this news , and you wake up , looking down from British Columbia , and you see what has taken place .
You cover leaders around the world .
We know that President Bolsonaro tested positive for COVID-19 — at least he announced something like three times .
And then you have Boris Johnson , the prime minister of Britain , who said — both of them , like Trump , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , risking not clear how many lives .
Boris Johnson , the prime minister , said he was going to work through this .
He ended up in the intensive care unit .
Naomi , if you can talk about this link of the denial of the pandemic to authoritarian leaders ?
NAOMI KLEIN : Sure .
Well , Amy , it 's good to be with you .
Absolutely .
And when you look at these figures — Trump , Bolsonaro , Johnson — these are the figures who believe that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believe they can bully science in all kinds of ways .
But , of course , the pandemic does n't bend to their will .
And so they 've all been under this sort of reality avalanche .
I mean , Trump is a reality television star .
He 's used to being able to cut and paste reality to his liking .
And ever since this pandemic began and his denials made it so much worse and his bullying of scientists made it so much worse , he has finally confronted some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the same way that he , frankly , bullies the stock market — and has a lot of success bullying reality , but there 's some reality that does n't confirm — does n't conform .
You know , as you know , Amy , I also have spent a lot of my writing career researching moments of shock and how they are exploited by the powerful .
That 's the thesis behind The Shock Doctrine .
And so I find myself thinking a lot about that this morning , because , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doubt that Trump is meeting with his advisers , and has been since they knew about this , since they knew about Hope Hicks , trying to figure out how to exploit this , including , I 'm afraid , using it as an excuse to do what they have been trying to do relentlessly , which is discredit elections that Trump is terrified he is going to lose .
So , as we think about what this means , we need to be prepared for the president using the fact that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two weeks to try to further delegitimize elections that he very likely will lose .
I think we need to remember that this president has been campaigning for reelection since the day after he was inaugurated and since he started circulating false photographs of the rallies that supposedly greeted him .
He has had plenty of time to campaign .
He has done nothing but campaign for reelection since he became president .
So , I think that , you know , we 're seeing a lot of Democrats sending thoughts and prayers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really think we should see Trump getting COVID as the epidemiological equivalent of a mass shooting , where the shooter opens fire on the crowd and then turns the gun on himself .
This is not a tragic accident .
It is a crime scene and should be treated as such .
Coming back to those leaders you mentioned , you know , I think that Trump — the reckless endangering of the country , but also himself — right ?
— is a result of the fact that he truly believes — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in white supremacy , to be honest with you .
Ilhan Omar tweeted yesterday that the president is a white supremacist .
I think she 's right .
He talks about his good genes all the time , in this kind of coded language .
I believe he actually has such faith in his own genetic supremacy that he has engaged in this reckless behavior despite all of the health risks that we have heard from your medical experts earlier in the show , because he believes himself to be supreme .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He is fallible .
He is mortal .
The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License .
Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org .
Some of the work ( s ) that this program incorporates , however , may be separately licensed .
For further information or additional permissions , contact us .

How will President Trump's revelation that he tested positive for COVID-19 affect the presidential race? Acclaimed journalist, author and activist Naomi Klein warns that the Trump campaign is likely to exploit the news. "We need to be prepared for the president using the fact that he's having to cancel campaign events for two weeks to try to further delegitimize elections," she says.
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! The Quarantine Report. I'm Amy Goodman, as we continue to look at this breaking news, President Trump and the first lady testing positive for COVID-19, announcing they'll be quarantined for the next 14 days, canceling his campaign events. We end today's show looking at how the development will impact the presidential race.
We're going to start with Naomi Klein, senior correspondent at The Intercept, a professor at Rutgers University, executive producer of new short video titled A Message from the Future II: The Years of Repair. Her latest book, out now in paperback, On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal.
Naomi, I assume you went to sleep not knowing this news, and you wake up, looking down from British Columbia, and you see what has taken place. You cover leaders around the world. We know that President Bolsonaro tested positive for COVID-19 — at least he announced something like three times. And then you have Boris Johnson, the prime minister of Britain, who said — both of them, like Trump, who have so seriously downplayed the pandemic, risking not clear how many lives. Boris Johnson, the prime minister, said he was going to work through this. He ended up in the intensive care unit. Naomi, if you can talk about this link of the denial of the pandemic to authoritarian leaders?
NAOMI KLEIN: Sure. Well, Amy, it's good to be with you. Absolutely. And when you look at these figures — Trump, Bolsonaro, Johnson — these are the figures who believe that they can bully this virus, and they believe they can bully science in all kinds of ways. But, of course, the pandemic doesn't bend to their will. And so they've all been under this sort of reality avalanche. I mean, Trump is a reality television star. He's used to being able to cut and paste reality to his liking. And ever since this pandemic began and his denials made it so much worse and his bullying of scientists made it so much worse, he has finally confronted some physical reality that he can't bully in the same way that he, frankly, bullies the stock market — and has a lot of success bullying reality, but there's some reality that doesn't confirm — doesn't conform.
You know, as you know, Amy, I also have spent a lot of my writing career researching moments of shock and how they are exploited by the powerful. That's the thesis behind The Shock Doctrine. And so I find myself thinking a lot about that this morning, because, as we speak, there is no doubt that Trump is meeting with his advisers, and has been since they knew about this, since they knew about Hope Hicks, trying to figure out how to exploit this, including, I'm afraid, using it as an excuse to do what they have been trying to do relentlessly, which is discredit elections that Trump is terrified he is going to lose. So, as we think about what this means, we need to be prepared for the president using the fact that he's having to cancel campaign events for two weeks to try to further delegitimize elections that he very likely will lose.
I think we need to remember that this president has been campaigning for reelection since the day after he was inaugurated and since he started circulating false photographs of the rallies that supposedly greeted him. He has had plenty of time to campaign. He has done nothing but campaign for reelection since he became president.
So, I think that, you know, we're seeing a lot of Democrats sending thoughts and prayers this morning. You know, I really think we should see Trump getting COVID as the epidemiological equivalent of a mass shooting, where the shooter opens fire on the crowd and then turns the gun on himself. This is not a tragic accident. It is a crime scene and should be treated as such.
Coming back to those leaders you mentioned, you know, I think that Trump — the reckless endangering of the country, but also himself — right? — is a result of the fact that he truly believes — you know, I think he believes in white supremacy, to be honest with you. Ilhan Omar tweeted yesterday that the president is a white supremacist. I think she's right. He talks about his good genes all the time, in this kind of coded language. I believe he actually has such faith in his own genetic supremacy that he has engaged in this reckless behavior despite all of the health risks that we have heard from your medical experts earlier in the show, because he believes himself to be supreme. And, you know, he is not. He is fallible. He is mortal.
The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.


alternet--2020-10-03--Trump arrived too late to be tested before debate -- so host relied on 'honor system': report

President Donald Trump was not tested for coronavirus before entering the facility where he spent approximately two hours , including the 90-minute debate with former vice president Joe Biden .
Fox News anchors Bill Hemmer and Chris Wallace revealed an extraordinary breakdown in security , potentially putting Joe Biden and everyone else at risk .
`` The clinic had a rule you wear a mask inside , '' Hemmer explained , according to a trranscript posted by The Daily Beast 's Andrew Kirell .
`` That was stated clearly .
If you look at the statement today , I 'll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with both candidates including the candidates themselves had been tested and tested negative by their respective campaigns . '
They were n't tested by the Clinic based on the statement , Chris , and to me that sounds like an honor system . ''
`` Well , they could n't be tested by the Clinic , '' Wallace replied , referring to the Cleveland Clinic , which hosted the debate .
`` You were tested .
I was tested , '' said Hemmer .
`` I understand that , Bill , but the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you arrived on Monday .
They did n't arrive until Tuesday afternoon .
So for them to get tested , there would n't have been enough time to have the test , and have the debate at nine o'clock that night , '' Wallace continued .
`` They did n't show up until 3:00 , 4:00 , 5:00 in the afternoon .
Yeah , there was an honor system when it came to the people that came into the hall from the two campaigns . ''
Inside the debate hall all attendees except @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the debate .
Everyone on the Biden side did , almost everyone on the Trump side did not .
The Cleveland Clinic reportedly asked but the Trump camp ignored the requests .

President Donald Trump was not tested for coronavirus before entering the facility where he spent approximately two hours, including the 90-minute debate with former vice president Joe Biden.
Fox News anchors Bill Hemmer and Chris Wallace revealed an extraordinary breakdown in security, potentially putting Joe Biden and everyone else at risk.
"The clinic had a rule you wear a mask inside," Hemmer explained, according to a trranscript posted by The Daily Beast's Andrew Kirell. "That was stated clearly. If you look at the statement today, I'll read a key line: 'Individuals traveling with both candidates including the candidates themselves had been tested and tested negative by their respective campaigns.' They weren't tested by the Clinic based on the statement, Chris, and to me that sounds like an honor system."
"Well, they couldn't be tested by the Clinic," Wallace replied, referring to the Cleveland Clinic, which hosted the debate.
"You were tested. I was tested," said Hemmer.
"I understand that, Bill, but the difference was I arrived on Sunday, you arrived on Monday. They didn't arrive until Tuesday afternoon. So for them to get tested, there wouldn't have been enough time to have the test, and have the debate at nine o'clock that night," Wallace continued.
"They didn't show up until 3:00, 4:00, 5:00 in the afternoon. Yeah, there was an honor system when it came to the people that came into the hall from the two campaigns."
Chris Wallace says Trump showed up too late to the debate to be tested as planned so they had to abide by the "honor system" pic.twitter.com/SonuY7kKD1
— MeidasTouch.com (@MeidasTouch) October 2, 2020
Inside the debate hall all attendees except participants were required to wear masks throughout the debate. Everyone on the Biden side did, almost everyone on the Trump side did not. The Cleveland Clinic reportedly asked but the Trump camp ignored the requests.


alternet--2020-10-03--A vote for the apocalypse

A vote for the apocalypse

It was August 2017 and Donald Trump had not yet warmed up to Kim Jong-un , North Korea 's portly dictator .
In fact , in typical Trumpian fashion , he was pissed at the Korean leader and , no less typically , he lashed out verbally , threatening that country with a literal hell on Earth .
As he put it , `` They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen . ''
And then , just to make his point more personally , he complained about Kim himself , `` He has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
Only a year and a half later , our asteroidal president would , of course , say of that same man , `` We fell in love . ''
Still , that threat by an American leader to — it was obvious — launch a nuclear strike for the first time since Hiroshima and Nagasaki were nearly obliterated in August 1945 was memorable .
The phrase would , in fact , become the title of a 2018 bestselling book , `` Fire and Fury : Inside the Trump White House , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years later , amid so many other threatening phrases from this president , `` fire and fury '' has , however , been left in history 's dustbin , largely forgotten by the world .
`` This is not an act of God '' Too bad , since it seems so much more relevant now that California , Oregon , and Washington , not to speak of a Southwest already officially in a `` megadrought , '' have experienced the sort of apocalyptic fire and fury ( and heat and smoke ) that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ orange ( or yellow or even purple , claims a friend of mine living in the San Francisco Bay Area ) .
We 're talking about a fire and fury that 's forced cars to put on their headlights at noon ; destroyed towns ( leaving only armed right-wing militants behind amid the flames to await imagined Antifa looters ) ; burned millions of acres of land , putting hundreds of thousands of Americans under evacuation orders ; turned startling numbers of citizens into refugees under pandemic conditions ; and crept toward suburbs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we 've known it .
In the wake of the hottest summer on record in the Northern Hemisphere , we are , in other words , talking about the sort of apocalyptic conditions that the president undoubtedly had in mind for North Korea back in 2017 , but not even faintly for the U. S. of A ; we 're talking , that is , about a burning season the likes of which no one in the West has ever seen before , a torching linked to the overheating of this planet thanks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in ever greater quantities .
In fact , as Washington Governor Jay Inslee pointed out recently , we should n't even be talking about `` wildfires '' anymore , but about `` climate fires '' whose intensity has already outpaced by years the predictions of most climate scientists .
( Or , as Inslee put it , `` This is not an act of God .
This has happened because we have changed the climate of the state of Washington in dramatic ways . ''
) Significant hunks of the American West have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of furnaces , with fires even reaching the suburban edges of Portland , Oregon ( which , for days , had the worst air quality of any major urban area on the planet ) , and promising a future in which cities will undoubtedly be swept up in such conflagrations , too .
Admittedly , Donald Trump did n't threaten to launch `` fire and fury like the world has never seen '' against Portland ( though he did send federal agents there to snatch peaceful protesters off its streets and continues to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) .
If anything , as the fires scorched those states to a crisp , he did his best to avoid the subject of the burning West , as in these years more generally he 's largely treated climate change ( that `` hoax '' ) like ... well , a pandemic that should be ignored while America stayed `` open . ''
And it 's not a subject he 's been grilled on much either , not until recently when Western governors began laying into him over his stance on climate change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as far as I can tell , Bob Woodward , the Washington Post editor and court chroniclerof presidents who , for months , had unparalleled access to Trump and grilled him on so many subjects , never bothered to ask him about the most important , most dystopian , most apocalyptic future Americans face .
And mainstream Democrats did n't do much better on the subject while those fires were building to a crescendo until Joe Biden finally called the president a `` climate arsonist . ''
He added , aptly enough , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four more years in the White House , why would anyone be surprised if we have more of America ablaze ? ''
There 's no question that , at the beck and call of the fossil-fuel industry , Donald Trump and his demonic crew have worked without qualms or remorse to ensure that this would be a fiery and furious America .
Freeing that industry of restrictions of every sort , withdrawing from the Paris climate accord , openingup yet more areas for oil drilling , wiping out environmental safeguards , and even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ West was burning ) appointing a climate-science denier to a top position at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , the president and his crew proved themselves to be pyromaniacs of the first order .
Of course , the heating of this planet has been intensifying for decades now .
( Do n't forget , for instance , that Barack Obama presided over a U.S. fracking boom that left people referring to us as `` Saudi America . ''
) Still , this president and his top officials have put remarkable energy ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere .
And here 's the strange thing : they made it deep into the present apocalyptic moment in the West without — Greta Thunberg and climate change protesters aside — being held faintly accountable for their urge to fuel the greatest danger humanity faces other than nuclear weapons .
In fact , as is increasingly obvious from the torching of the West , what we 're beginning to experience is a slow-motion version of the nuclear apocalypse that Trump once threatened to loose on North @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Donald is indeed proving to be history 's `` fire and fury '' president .
And do n't for a moment think that there was no warning about the over-the-top burning now underway in this country .
After all , in 2019 , parts of Australia were singed to a crisp in a way never before seen , killing at least 25 humans and possibly more than a billion animals .
And that country , too , was headed by a climate-change denier , a man who once brought a piece of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while soothingly telling other legislators , `` Do n't be afraid , do n't be scared . ''
In addition , in recent years , the Arctic ( of all places ) has been smoking and burning in an unprecedented fashion , heating its permafrost and releasingstaggering amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere .
Oh , and this June , the temperature in a small town in Siberia crossed the 100-degree mark for the first time .
By the way , Russia , too , is run by a leader who until @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mean , what is it about the urge of so many of us in such a crisis to support those dedicated to quite literally destroying this planet as a livable place for ... well , us ?
( Hey there , Jair Bolsonaro ! )
Our very own firenado An almost unimaginable near-half-century ago on a different planet , I lived in San Francisco .
I can still remember the fog rolling in daily , even during summer in one of the coolest , breeziest cities around .
Not this year , though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the temperature there broke 100 degrees , `` crushing '' the previous record for that day .
In Berkeley , across the Bay , where I also once lived long , long ago , it hit 110 .
As a heat wave swept the state ( and the West ) , temperatures near Los Angeles soared to a record-breaking 121 degrees ( almost challenging overheated Baghdad , Iraq , this year ) , while reaching 130 degrees in the aptly named Death Valley — and that 's just to start down a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the Canadian to the Mexican borders .
As those fires filled the skies with smoke and ash , turning day into the eeriest of nights , a smoke cloud the likes of which had never before been seen appeared over the coastal West .
Meanwhile , firenadoes were spotted and the ash-filled air threatened terrible things for health .
As has been true for the last 46 years , I 'm thousands of miles away from my old Bay Area haunts .
Still , I regularly check in with friends and TomDispatch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like me and locked in their homes lest the smoke and ash , the air from hell , do them in .
Meanwhile , their cars are packed to go , their evacuation checklists ready .
My heart goes out to them and , really , to all of us ( and , above all , to those to whom we oldsters will be leaving such a blazing , tumultuous world ) .
Sadly , among the endless scandals and horrors of the Trump era , the greatest one by far scandalized all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those who officially matter on this beleaguered planet of ours .
Even in 2016 , it should have been obvious enough that a vote for Donald Trump was a vote for the apocalypse .
Give him credit , though .
He made no secret of that fact or that his presidency would be a fossil-fueled nightmare .
It was obvious even then that he , not climate change , was the `` hoax '' and that this planet would suffer in unique ways from his ( ad ) ministrations .
And in every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ promised .
He 's been uniquely fiery and furious .
In his own fashion , he 's also been a man of his word .
He 's already brought `` fire and fury '' to this country in so many ways and , if he has anything to say about it , he 's just gotten started .
Do n't doubt for a second that , should he be losing on November 3rd ( or beyond , given the mail-in vote to come ) , he 'll declare electoral fraud and balk at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doubt for a second that he 'd be happy to torch that very building and whatever , at this point , is left of the American system with it before he saw himself `` lose . ''
Since he is , in his own fashion , a parody of everything : a politician , a Republican , an autocrat , even a human being , he sums up in some extreme ( if eerily satiric ) fashion human efforts to destroy our way of life in these years .
In truth , fiery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ historic cloud of smoke and ash over us all .
By his very nature , to use those 2017 nuclear words of his , he is `` threatening beyond a normal state . ''
Think of him as the president from hell and here I mean a literal hell .
Four more years of him , his crew , and the fossil-fuelized criminals running the major oil , gas , and coal companies who are riding his coattails into profit heaven and planetary misery are the cast of a play , both comedy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should have to sit through .
He 's our very own firenado and — it 's not complicated — four more years of him will consign us to a hell on Earth of a sort still only faintly imaginable today .
To stay on top of important articles like these , sign up to receive the latest updates from TomDispatch.com here .
Tom Engelhardt is a co-founder of the American Empire Project and the author of a history of the Cold War , The End of Victory Culture .
He is a fellow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
His sixth and latest book is A Nation Unmade by War ( Dispatch Books ) .

It was August 2017 and Donald Trump had not yet warmed up to Kim Jong-un, North Korea's portly dictator. In fact, in typical Trumpian fashion, he was pissed at the Korean leader and, no less typically, he lashed out verbally, threatening that country with a literal hell on Earth. As he put it, "They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen." And then, just to make his point more personally, he complained about Kim himself, "He has been very threatening beyond a normal state."
Only a year and a half later, our asteroidal president would, of course, say of that same man, "We fell in love." Still, that threat by an American leader to — it was obvious — launch a nuclear strike for the first time since Hiroshima and Nagasaki were nearly obliterated in August 1945 was memorable. The phrase would, in fact, become the title of a 2018 bestselling book, "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House," by journalist Michael Wolff. Two years later, amid so many other threatening phrases from this president, "fire and fury" has, however, been left in history's dustbin, largely forgotten by the world.
"This is not an act of God"
Too bad, since it seems so much more relevant now that California, Oregon, and Washington, not to speak of a Southwest already officially in a "megadrought," have experienced the sort of apocalyptic fire and fury (and heat and smoke) that has turned daytime skies an eerie nighttime orange (or yellow or even purple, claims a friend of mine living in the San Francisco Bay Area). We're talking about a fire and fury that's forced cars to put on their headlights at noon; destroyed towns (leaving only armed right-wing militants behind amid the flames to await imagined Antifa looters); burned millions of acres of land, putting hundreds of thousands of Americans under evacuation orders; turned startling numbers of citizens into refugees under pandemic conditions; and crept toward suburbs and cities, imperiling the world as we've known it.
In the wake of the hottest summer on record in the Northern Hemisphere, we are, in other words, talking about the sort of apocalyptic conditions that the president undoubtedly had in mind for North Korea back in 2017, but not even faintly for the U. S. of A; we're talking, that is, about a burning season the likes of which no one in the West has ever seen before, a torching linked to the overheating of this planet thanks to the release of fossil-fuel-produced greenhouse gasses in ever greater quantities. In fact, as Washington Governor Jay Inslee pointed out recently, we shouldn't even be talking about "wildfires" anymore, but about "climate fires" whose intensity has already outpaced by years the predictions of most climate scientists. (Or, as Inslee put it, "This is not an act of God. This has happened because we have changed the climate of the state of Washington in dramatic ways.")
Significant hunks of the American West have now been transformed into the natural equivalent of furnaces, with fires even reaching the suburban edges of Portland, Oregon (which, for days, had the worst air quality of any major urban area on the planet), and promising a future in which cities will undoubtedly be swept up in such conflagrations, too. Admittedly, Donald Trump didn't threaten to launch "fire and fury like the world has never seen" against Portland (though he did send federal agents there to snatch peaceful protesters off its streets and continues to insult and threatenthat city's mayor). If anything, as the fires scorched those states to a crisp, he did his best to avoid the subject of the burning West, as in these years more generally he's largely treated climate change (that "hoax") like... well, a pandemic that should be ignored while America stayed "open."
And it's not a subject he's been grilled on much either, not until recently when Western governors began laying into him over his stance on climate change. To offer just one example, as far as I can tell, Bob Woodward, the Washington Post editor and court chroniclerof presidents who, for months, had unparalleled access to Trump and grilled him on so many subjects, never bothered to ask him about the most important, most dystopian, most apocalyptic future Americans face. And mainstream Democrats didn't do much better on the subject while those fires were building to a crescendo until Joe Biden finally called the president a "climate arsonist." He added, aptly enough, "If you give a climate arsonist four more years in the White House, why would anyone be surprised if we have more of America ablaze?"
There's no question that, at the beck and call of the fossil-fuel industry, Donald Trump and his demonic crew have worked without qualms or remorse to ensure that this would be a fiery and furious America. Freeing that industry of restrictions of every sort, withdrawing from the Paris climate accord, openingup yet more areas for oil drilling, wiping out environmental safeguards, and even (at the very moment when the West was burning) appointing a climate-science denier to a top position at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the president and his crew proved themselves to be pyromaniacs of the first order.
Of course, the heating of this planet has been intensifying for decades now. (Don't forget, for instance, that Barack Obama presided over a U.S. fracking boom that left people referring to us as "Saudi America.") Still, this president and his top officials have put remarkable energy (so to speak) into releasing yet more carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere. And here's the strange thing: they made it deep into the present apocalyptic moment in the West without — Greta Thunberg and climate change protesters aside — being held faintly accountable for their urge to fuel the greatest danger humanity faces other than nuclear weapons. In fact, as is increasingly obvious from the torching of the West, what we're beginning to experience is a slow-motion version of the nuclear apocalypse that Trump once threatened to loose on North Korea.
In an all-too-literal fashion, The Donald is indeed proving to be history's "fire and fury" president.
And don't for a moment think that there was no warning about the over-the-top burning now underway in this country. After all, in 2019, parts of Australia were singed to a crisp in a way never before seen, killing at least 25 humans and possibly more than a billion animals. And that country, too, was headed by a climate-change denier, a man who once brought a piece of coal to parliament and handed it around while soothingly telling other legislators, "Don't be afraid, don't be scared." In addition, in recent years, the Arctic (of all places) has been smoking and burning in an unprecedented fashion, heating its permafrost and releasingstaggering amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Oh, and this June, the temperature in a small town in Siberia crossed the 100-degree mark for the first time.
By the way, Russia, too, is run by a leader who until recently was a climate denier. I mean, what is it about the urge of so many of us in such a crisis to support those dedicated to quite literally destroying this planet as a livable place for... well, us? (Hey there, Jair Bolsonaro!)
Our very own firenado
An almost unimaginable near-half-century ago on a different planet, I lived in San Francisco. I can still remember the fog rolling in daily, even during summer in one of the coolest, breeziest cities around. Not this year, though. On September 6th, for instance, the temperature there broke 100 degrees, "crushing" the previous record for that day. In Berkeley, across the Bay, where I also once lived long, long ago, it hit 110. As a heat wave swept the state (and the West), temperatures near Los Angeles soared to a record-breaking 121 degrees (almost challenging overheated Baghdad, Iraq, this year), while reaching 130 degrees in the aptly named Death Valley — and that's just to start down a list of soaring temperatures across the West from the Canadian to the Mexican borders.
As those fires filled the skies with smoke and ash, turning day into the eeriest of nights, a smoke cloud the likes of which had never before been seen appeared over the coastal West. Meanwhile, firenadoes were spotted and the ash-filled air threatened terrible things for health. As has been true for the last 46 years, I'm thousands of miles away from my old Bay Area haunts. Still, I regularly check in with friends and TomDispatch authors on that coast, some aged like me and locked in their homes lest the smoke and ash, the air from hell, do them in. Meanwhile, their cars are packed to go, their evacuation checklists ready.
My heart goes out to them and, really, to all of us (and, above all, to those to whom we oldsters will be leaving such a blazing, tumultuous world).
Sadly, among the endless scandals and horrors of the Trump era, the greatest one by far scandalized all too few for all too long among those who officially matter on this beleaguered planet of ours. Even in 2016, it should have been obvious enough that a vote for Donald Trump was a vote for the apocalypse. Give him credit, though. He made no secret of that fact or that his presidency would be a fossil-fueled nightmare. It was obvious even then that he, not climate change, was the "hoax" and that this planet would suffer in unique ways from his (ad)ministrations.
And in every way imaginable, Donald Trump delivered as promised. He's been uniquely fiery and furious. In his own fashion, he's also been a man of his word. He's already brought "fire and fury" to this country in so many ways and, if he has anything to say about it, he's just gotten started.
Don't doubt for a second that, should he be losing on November 3rd (or beyond, given the mail-in vote to come), he'll declare electoral fraud and balk at leaving the White House. Don't doubt for a second that he'd be happy to torch that very building and whatever, at this point, is left of the American system with it before he saw himself "lose."
Since he is, in his own fashion, a parody of everything: a politician, a Republican, an autocrat, even a human being, he sums up in some extreme (if eerily satiric) fashion human efforts to destroy our way of life in these years. In truth, fiery and furiously fueled, he's a historic cloud of smoke and ash over us all.
By his very nature, to use those 2017 nuclear words of his, he is "threatening beyond a normal state." Think of him as the president from hell and here I mean a literal hell. Four more years of him, his crew, and the fossil-fuelized criminals running the major oil, gas, and coal companies who are riding his coattails into profit heaven and planetary misery are the cast of a play, both comedy and tragedy, that none of us should have to sit through. He's our very own firenado and — it's not complicated — four more years of him will consign us to a hell on Earth of a sort still only faintly imaginable today.
Copyright 2020 Tom Engelhardt
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Tom Engelhardt
Tom Engelhardt is a co-founder of the American Empire Project and the author of a history of the Cold War, The End of Victory Culture. He is a fellow of the Nation Institute and runs TomDispatch.com. His sixth and latest book is A Nation Unmade by War (Dispatch Books).


alternet--2020-10-03--Expert: Uber-funded ballot measure in California would create 'permanent underclass of workers'

Those who took high school civics may recall that our democracies lives on fractions .
A majority vote — one-half plus one — is what it takes to pass a bill in most legislative bodies .
The constitution requires a `` supermajority , '' meaning two-thirds of a governing body , for only the most important and crucial matters : to override a presidential veto , or remove an officer via impeachment , say .
If two-thirds seems like a high threshold for a congressional body , what about seven-eighths ?
That 's the super-duper-majority that would be required to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lyft-funded ballot measure that will appear on California ballots this November — should it pass this fall .
You read that right : the astroturf ballot measure written by some of Silicon Valley 's biggest corporations , which is written to keep these companies ' contractors from achieving benefits or a stable , salaried job , would require a seven-eighths majority of state legislators in both state chambers in order to be overturned — such a difficult threshold to meet that experts say it would be effectively permanent .
It all goes back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which went into effect on January 1 , 2020 .
The impetus for AB5 was to make gig economy work into more stable and reliable work , and reduce worker exploitation ; currently , driver-contractors like those who work for Uber or Lyft are not guaranteed health care of any other benefits if they work more than 40 hours a week , as they are legally contractors rather than employees .
Likewise , such drivers and deliverypersons often make less than minimum wage after their own expenses are accounted for .
AB5 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' to determine whether someone is a contractor or employee , was designed to lift these kinds of workers out of poverty .
Yet since AB5 passed through California 's state legislature , Uber and Lyft have refused to comply ; instead , they chose to pour over $ 180 million into the astroturf campaign for Proposition 22 .
Similar gig worker-reliant companies have chipped into the campaign , too .
DoorDash has donated $ 47.5 million ; Instacart has donated $ 27.5 million , and Postmates has contributed a little over $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Proposition 22 is the most expensive ballot measure contest in California , and the United States — and if it passes , it will set an example for the corporations that funded it that they could use as a model in other states .
Indeed , the companies are funneling so much money into this campaign because there 's a lot at stake .
For example , Los Angeles and San Francisco are two of the five largest markets for Uber , which has stated in financial disclosures that new regulations in major @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Many of their workers have criticized these companies for pouring so much money into a campaign as they struggle to receive basic support , like personal protective equipment and hand sanitizer , from their employers during the pandemic .
Proposition 22 is more than just a determination of classification , though .
Labor experts fear it will be a major setback for labor rights , the community at large , and that it will send the wrong signal to other states who have been exploring ways to regulate these companies .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law does not apply to them , '' Ken Jacobs , the chair of the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education , told Salon .
`` And I think that signals to other states around the country , 'Do n't try to enforce your laws because we have the political power and resources to defeat you if you do . '
'' We spoke to experts about the fine print of Proposition 22 , and how it will affect Uber and Lyft drivers in the state of California if passed .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ qualify for health insurance benefits Uber and Lyft have positioned Proposition 22 as a `` third way '' solution to provide more benefits to drivers .
The campaign states on its website that voting `` yes '' on Proposition 22 will provide drivers with `` new benefits and protections in these tough economic times including a minimum earnings guarantee , access to health care benefits and insurance against illnesses and injuries acquired on the job . ''
Yet this depends on a driver 's `` engaged time , '' according to the proposition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ride and completing the ride .
This does n't factor the time a driver is waiting in between drives .
For drivers who average 25 hour per week of engaged time during a calendar quarter , Uber and Lyft will provide `` subsidies equal to 82 % the average California Covered ( CC ) premium for each month . ''
For those who average between 15 and 25 hours of `` engaged time '' each quarter , the companies will provide healthcare subsidies equal to 41 percent the average CC premium for each @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a healthcare reimbursement piece here , but it 's very weak and very few drivers would qualify , or at least qualify for the larger amount of it , '' Jacobs said .
Rey Fuentes , Skadden Fellow at the Partnership for Working Families , told Salon that drivers would essentially have to drive 40 hours a week to get that 25 hours of engaged time to qualify for the best offer .
In a report Fuentes co-authored , he notes a second way in which drivers will be essentially cheated of quality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ definitions section to ensure that the maximum benefit is actually 82 percent of an average premium payment for the lowest-cost healthcare plan on the Covered California insurance exchange , not a worker 's actual premium expenses , '' the report states .
Under the current California state and federal law , app-based workers are required to have a minimum of eight weeks of paid family leave , and three days of paid leave for illness or care of a family member .
None of this is part of Proposition 22 .
In the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this omission `` glaring , '' especially in the pandemic , in which many rideshare and delivery drivers are considered to be `` essential workers . ''
`` Although some app-based companies have created limited sick leave benefits to respond to this crisis , these plans are voluntary and temporary , and can not be added to this initiative before voters can weigh in on the ballot measure , '' the authors write .
Fuentes says there are many drivers who drive to make money to help support a sick family member .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 're caring for individuals who have illnesses and families , or they have an illness themselves that they ca n't have traditional employment because your work arrangements are precarious , '' Fuentes said .
`` That 's why it 's actually more important that those workers get things like paid sick leave or paid family leave . ''
Since drivers have to work at least 40 hours a week to reach 25 hours of `` engaged time , '' taking a vacation will likely affect whether they qualify for healthcare benefits .
3 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unionize This year , more drivers have been organizing to protest unfair labor practices and the lack of protections during the pandemic .
However , if Proposition 22 passes , drivers wo n't be able to unionize and leverage the power of collective bargaining .
Under federal law , according to the National Labor Relations Board ( NLRB ) , app-based drivers are said to lack benefits of collective bargaining because they 're more like `` entrepreneurs , '' legally speaking .
While the legality of this is disputed by various labor organizations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for states to `` establish a separate organizing statute that gives workers the lawful ability to form a union under state law . ''
`` The ballot initiative , however , would prevent the state legislature from ever considering a collective bargaining regime unless it gets a 7/8ths vote of the state legislature , which is an impossible threshold , '' Fuentes said .
`` From a driver 's perspective this is actually one of the things we think is so harmful about the ballot initiatives , '' Fuentes said .
`` California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the job , and that benefit is covered through what is called no-fault coverage . ''
Even if they are at fault for the accident or contributed to it , all workers in California are covered by the workers compensation statute .
Fuentes said Proposition 22 `` reverses that . ''
`` This suggests to us very clearly that workers could be denied coverage if they 're even partially at fault , which is not something that should ever happen with a workers compensation scheme , '' Fuentes said .
`` And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are seriously injured and partially disabled or permanently disabled , you can access that up to a lifetime benefit through California 's Workers Compensations Temporary Disability Program , but the ballot initiative capped at two years . ''
5 .
These reversals and precedents will be most likely permanent Most astonishing is that Proposition 22 , if passed , will be very difficult to amend , since that would require a seven-eighths ( 87.5 % ) vote in each chamber of the California State Legislature .
Fuentes said this will `` lock in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
`` All the historic workplace safety protections that California has enacted to protect workers , all of those things are still vitally necessary and even more so now during COVID-19 , '' Fuentes said .
`` From an abstract perspective , the idea that some of the richest companies in the world are passing a ballot initiative that would exempt their workers from basic labor protections is just , I think beyond the pale . ''

Those who took high school civics may recall that our democracies lives on fractions. A majority vote — one-half plus one — is what it takes to pass a bill in most legislative bodies. The constitution requires a "supermajority," meaning two-thirds of a governing body, for only the most important and crucial matters: to override a presidential veto, or remove an officer via impeachment, say.
If two-thirds seems like a high threshold for a congressional body, what about seven-eighths? That's the super-duper-majority that would be required to overturn Proposition 22 — the Uber- and Lyft-funded ballot measure that will appear on California ballots this November — should it pass this fall.
You read that right: the astroturf ballot measure written by some of Silicon Valley's biggest corporations, which is written to keep these companies' contractors from achieving benefits or a stable, salaried job, would require a seven-eighths majority of state legislators in both state chambers in order to be overturned — such a difficult threshold to meet that experts say it would be effectively permanent.
The origin of Proposition 22
It all goes back to California's Assembly Bill 5, which went into effect on January 1, 2020. The impetus for AB5 was to make gig economy work into more stable and reliable work, and reduce worker exploitation; currently, driver-contractors like those who work for Uber or Lyft are not guaranteed health care of any other benefits if they work more than 40 hours a week, as they are legally contractors rather than employees.
Likewise, such drivers and deliverypersons often make less than minimum wage after their own expenses are accounted for. AB5, which put into place a "test" to determine whether someone is a contractor or employee, was designed to lift these kinds of workers out of poverty.
Yet since AB5 passed through California's state legislature, Uber and Lyft have refused to comply; instead, they chose to pour over $180 million into the astroturf campaign for Proposition 22. Similar gig worker-reliant companies have chipped into the campaign, too. DoorDash has donated $47.5 million; Instacart has donated $27.5 million, and Postmates has contributed a little over $10 million.
According to Ballotpedia, Proposition 22 is the most expensive ballot measure contest in California, and the United States — and if it passes, it will set an example for the corporations that funded it that they could use as a model in other states. Indeed, the companies are funneling so much money into this campaign because there's a lot at stake. For example, Los Angeles and San Francisco are two of the five largest markets for Uber, which has stated in financial disclosures that new regulations in major metro areas could negatively affect their financials. Many of their workers have criticized these companies for pouring so much money into a campaign as they struggle to receive basic support, like personal protective equipment and hand sanitizer, from their employers during the pandemic.
Proposition 22 is more than just a determination of classification, though. Labor experts fear it will be a major setback for labor rights, the community at large, and that it will send the wrong signal to other states who have been exploring ways to regulate these companies.
"They have basically operated as though the law does not apply to them," Ken Jacobs, the chair of the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education, told Salon. "And I think that signals to other states around the country, 'Don't try to enforce your laws because we have the political power and resources to defeat you if you do.'"
We spoke to experts about the fine print of Proposition 22, and how it will affect Uber and Lyft drivers in the state of California if passed.
1. Very few drivers will actually qualify for health insurance benefits
Uber and Lyft have positioned Proposition 22 as a "third way" solution to provide more benefits to drivers. The campaign states on its website that voting "yes" on Proposition 22 will provide drivers with "new benefits and protections in these tough economic times including a minimum earnings guarantee, access to health care benefits and insurance against illnesses and injuries acquired on the job."
Yet this depends on a driver's "engaged time," according to the proposition, meaning the time between accepting a ride and completing the ride. This doesn't factor the time a driver is waiting in between drives. For drivers who average 25 hour per week of engaged time during a calendar quarter, Uber and Lyft will provide "subsidies equal to 82% the average California Covered (CC) premium for each month." For those who average between 15 and 25 hours of "engaged time" each quarter, the companies will provide healthcare subsidies equal to 41 percent the average CC premium for each month.
"They purport to have a healthcare reimbursement piece here, but it's very weak and very few drivers would qualify, or at least qualify for the larger amount of it," Jacobs said.
Rey Fuentes, Skadden Fellow at the Partnership for Working Families, told Salon that drivers would essentially have to drive 40 hours a week to get that 25 hours of engaged time to qualify for the best offer. In a report Fuentes co-authored, he notes a second way in which drivers will be essentially cheated of quality healthcare options. "By using the definitions section to ensure that the maximum benefit is actually 82 percent of an average premium payment for the lowest-cost healthcare plan on the Covered California insurance exchange, not a worker's actual premium expenses," the report states.
2. Drivers won't be guaranteed paid leave or paid sick days
Under the current California state and federal law, app-based workers are required to have a minimum of eight weeks of paid family leave, and three days of paid leave for illness or care of a family member. None of this is part of Proposition 22. In the report Fuentes co-authored, the researchers call this omission "glaring," especially in the pandemic, in which many rideshare and delivery drivers are considered to be "essential workers."
"Although some app-based companies have created limited sick leave benefits to respond to this crisis, these plans are voluntary and temporary, and cannot be added to this initiative before voters can weigh in on the ballot measure," the authors write.
Fuentes says there are many drivers who drive to make money to help support a sick family member.
"They're doing it because they're caring for individuals who have illnesses and families, or they have an illness themselves that they can't have traditional employment because your work arrangements are precarious," Fuentes said. "That's why it's actually more important that those workers get things like paid sick leave or paid family leave."
Since drivers have to work at least 40 hours a week to reach 25 hours of "engaged time," taking a vacation will likely affect whether they qualify for healthcare benefits.
3. Drivers won't be able to unionize
This year, more drivers have been organizing to protest unfair labor practices and the lack of protections during the pandemic. However, if Proposition 22 passes, drivers won't be able to unionize and leverage the power of collective bargaining. Under federal law, according to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), app-based drivers are said to lack benefits of collective bargaining because they're more like "entrepreneurs," legally speaking. While the legality of this is disputed by various labor organizations, Fuentes said this leaves an opening for states to "establish a separate organizing statute that gives workers the lawful ability to form a union under state law."
"The ballot initiative, however, would prevent the state legislature from ever considering a collective bargaining regime unless it gets a 7/8ths vote of the state legislature, which is an impossible threshold," Fuentes said.
4. Proposition 22 reverses key worker benefit if there's a car accident
"From a driver's perspective this is actually one of the things we think is so harmful about the ballot initiatives," Fuentes said. "California provides workers compensation protection to drivers injured on the job, and that benefit is covered through what is called no-fault coverage."
Even if they are at fault for the accident or contributed to it, all workers in California are covered by the workers compensation statute. Fuentes said Proposition 22 "reverses that."
"This suggests to us very clearly that workers could be denied coverage if they're even partially at fault, which is not something that should ever happen with a workers compensation scheme," Fuentes said. "And the broader part is that workers who are seriously injured and partially disabled or permanently disabled, you can access that up to a lifetime benefit through California's Workers Compensations Temporary Disability Program, but the ballot initiative capped at two years."
5. These reversals and precedents will be most likely permanent
Most astonishing is that Proposition 22, if passed, will be very difficult to amend, since that would require a seven-eighths (87.5%) vote in each chamber of the California State Legislature. Fuentes said this will "lock in" a "permanent underclass of workers."
"All the historic workplace safety protections that California has enacted to protect workers, all of those things are still vitally necessary and even more so now during COVID-19," Fuentes said. "From an abstract perspective, the idea that some of the richest companies in the world are passing a ballot initiative that would exempt their workers from basic labor protections is just, I think beyond the pale."


alternet--2020-10-03--Heck of an October Surprise -- or is this just the first of many distractions?

This evening , I talked to a woman who said she can not read the news any more .
It 's all just too much .
If you feel this way , please understand that it is fine to look away when you need to .
We are already exhausted , and we are entering a period that is going to be chaotic .
Even a normal campaign year is crazy , but this year , the extraordinary chaos feeds the needs of this president to destabilize the country and emerge as a savior .
The current chaos is designed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so that you give up .
To combat that , look away and recharge your batteries .
Focus on the things that ground you : family , friends , pets , gardening , movies , books , biking , church… whatever works .
Just come back when you can… and remember to vote .
It 's going to be nuts from here on out .
In the first draft of this October 1 letter , I wrote that presidential adviser Hope Hicks has tested positive for coronavirus .
Trump tweeted that he and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quarantine process ! ''
CNN 's White House correspondent John Harwood noted at 11:30 pm : `` curious that neither Trump nor WH have disclosed any test results for him more than 3 hours after news broke that Hope Hicks tested positive .
Trump 's typical approach is boasting that he does n't worry because he gets tested so much .
He told Hannity he does n't know if he has it . ''
MSNBC justice and security analyst Matthew Miller tweeted `` Thank god the White House has a history of being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It would be awful if we could n't trust them right now . ''
At about 1:30 am on October 2 , the White House announced that Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have tested positive for coronavirus .
This will be the first time I break my midnight rule—in the past , I have always cut the news off at midnight , no matter what happens at 12:01—but this has such huge implications for national security , the economy , and , of course , the election that it has pushed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and I can not justify leaving it for a day .
Stock futures plunged more than 400 points immediately after the news broke , but right now that 's the only result of this news that we can measure .
The story has been coming clearer in the last three hours since the story broke .
Apparently , Hicks tested negative on Wednesday before she boarded Air Force 1 with the president and most of his closest advisers , but developed symptoms during the day .
A second test on Thursday morning was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his aides and advisers flew to New Jersey on Thursday , where he attended a fundraiser , gave a speech , and attended a roundtable with supporters , all without a mask .
It was only the leaking of the Hicks story that shook loose the information that the Trumps are infected .
According to CNBC , those on Air Force 1 on Wednesday were White House chief of staff Mark Meadows ; national security advisor Robert O'Brien ; Trump 's lawyer Rudy Giuliani ; White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany ; Ivanka @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Eric ; Donald Jr 's girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle ; Eric 's wife Lara ; Tiffany ; campaign manager Bill Stepien ; campaign official Jason Miller ; White House social media director Dan Scavino ; White House counselor Derek Lyons ; political advisor Stephen Miller ; Representative Jim Jordan , ( R-Ohio ) , [ and ] Alice Marie Johnson , the criminal justice reform advocate Trump pardoned .
Trump also stood inside near Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for an hour and a half on Tuesday , yelling and spitting—the very conditions that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
At the debate , his entourage , which included Hicks , Jordan , and the four older Trump children , refused to wear masks despite the mandate that they do so .
This story proves how crucial it is to have a White House we trust .
Immediately , Twitter users noted that someone had suggested this very scenario back in September as a way for Trump to steal headlines away from Biden , emerge victorious over the virus , and claim credit for a new treatment that had cured him .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Surprise '' to move voters in the last few weeks of the election when it is too late for the other side to challenge that surprise move .
And while this news certainly looks genuine—the White House doctor issued a statement after Trump announced the test results—there is plenty that the Trump campaign would like to distract us from .
On October 1 , alone , we learned that a study of more than 38 million articles about the coronavirus pandemic between January 1 and May 26 published in English shows that Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Covid-19 misinformation . ''
The Cornell University study found that 37.9 % of misinformation mentioned Trump .
Trump 's former national security adviser , retired Lt. General H.R .
McMaster , told MSNBC that Trump is `` aiding and abetting Putin 's efforts '' to disrupt the November election .
Trump 's refusal to acknowledge that Putin is engaged in a `` sustained campaign of disruption , disinformation and denial '' helps the Russian leader .
It turns out that Trump 's pick for the Supreme Court , Amy Coney Barrett , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life ad '' near another ad from the same organization that called for putting `` an end to the barbaric legacy of Roe v. Wade and restor [ ing ] laws that protect the lives of unborn children . ''
While such a stance will thrill anti-abortion voters , in fact a majority of Americans do not support ending Roe v. Wade , and senators up for reelection have been saying that Barrett would not interfere with the law .
A former senior adviser to Melania Trump today released tapes of the First @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her lack of involvement with the children held at the border and for having to decorate the White House for Christmas .
`` I 'm working … my a** off on the Christmas stuff , that you know , who gives a f*** about the Christmas stuff and decorations ?
But I need to do it , right ?
… OK , and then I do it and I say that I 'm working on Christmas and planning for the Christmas and they said , 'Oh , what about the children that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ f****** break .
Where they were saying anything when Obama did that ?
I can not go , I was trying get the kid reunited with the mom .
I did n't have a chance — needs to go through the process and through the law . ''
( Under President Barack Obama , children were separated from their parents or someone who presented as a guardian only when officials were concerned for their safety .
Under Trump , such separations were routine until a judge stopped the practice . )
Don Jr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a co-host of a Fox News Channel show , was also in the news today .
It turns out that she left FNC abruptly after an employee complained of sexual harassment .
According to a story by Jane Mayer in the New Yorker , Guilfoyle required her former assistant to work at her apartment , where Guilfoyle would sometimes be naked , and would share with the assistant inappropriate pictures of men , discussing her sexual activities with some of them .
Guilfoyle denies any workplace misconduct , but the story grabbed headlines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for $ 4 million .
Tonight the House of Representatives , controlled by Democrats , passed a $ 2.2 trillion coronavirus relief measure .
No Republicans voted for it .
Right-wing conspiracy theorists Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman have been charged with four felonies in Michigan for intimidating voters , conspiring to violate election laws , and using a computer to commit a crime .
The two allegedly sent robocalls to voters in five states to discourage mail-in voting .
The calls falsely said that personal information of those people who vote by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ credit card companies , and the CDC , which would then require vaccinations .
Finally , a story from Texas shows just how concerned the Trump campaign is about the upcoming election .
Today Texas Governor Greg Abbott limited the number of locations for dropping off mail in ballots to one site per county .
This hits Democratic Harris County the hardest .
It is huge , and has the state 's largest population count .
Currently , it has 12 drop off locations .
Democratic Travis County , which includes Austin , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , more reliably Republican , only had one .
Abbott argued that this measure would prevent voter fraud , but Democrats pointed out this is a `` blatant voter suppression tactic . ''
It should indeed reduce Democratic ballots in the state… and , mind you , this is Texas !
That the Republican governor feels the need to suppress Democratic votes in Texas shows just which way the wind is blowing .
As I say , the next few weeks are going to be wild .
But do n't let it knock @ @ @ @

This evening, I talked to a woman who said she cannot read the news any more. It's all just too much. If you feel this way, please understand that it is fine to look away when you need to. We are already exhausted, and we are entering a period that is going to be chaotic. Even a normal campaign year is crazy, but this year, the extraordinary chaos feeds the needs of this president to destabilize the country and emerge as a savior. The current chaos is designed to make you hopeless about creating change so that you give up. To combat that, look away and recharge your batteries. Focus on the things that ground you: family, friends, pets, gardening, movies, books, biking, church… whatever works. Just come back when you can… and remember to vote.
It's going to be nuts from here on out.
In the first draft of this October 1 letter, I wrote that presidential adviser Hope Hicks has tested positive for coronavirus. Trump tweeted that he and the First Lady "will begin our quarantine process!" CNN's White House correspondent John Harwood noted at 11:30 pm: "curious that neither Trump nor WH have disclosed any test results for him more than 3 hours after news broke that Hope Hicks tested positive. Trump's typical approach is boasting that he doesn't worry because he gets tested so much. He told Hannity he doesn't know if he has it." MSNBC justice and security analyst Matthew Miller tweeted "Thank god the White House has a history of being completely honest about the president's health. It would be awful if we couldn't trust them right now."
At about 1:30 am on October 2, the White House announced that Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have tested positive for coronavirus. This will be the first time I break my midnight rule—in the past, I have always cut the news off at midnight, no matter what happens at 12:01—but this has such huge implications for national security, the economy, and, of course, the election that it has pushed everything else off the media radar screen and I cannot justify leaving it for a day.
Stock futures plunged more than 400 points immediately after the news broke, but right now that's the only result of this news that we can measure.
The story has been coming clearer in the last three hours since the story broke. Apparently, Hicks tested negative on Wednesday before she boarded Air Force 1 with the president and most of his closest advisers, but developed symptoms during the day. A second test on Thursday morning was positive. Nonetheless, the president and his aides and advisers flew to New Jersey on Thursday, where he attended a fundraiser, gave a speech, and attended a roundtable with supporters, all without a mask. It was only the leaking of the Hicks story that shook loose the information that the Trumps are infected.
According to CNBC, those on Air Force 1 on Wednesday were White House chief of staff Mark Meadows; national security advisor Robert O'Brien; Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani; White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany; Ivanka; Jared Kushner; Donald Jr.; Eric; Donald Jr's girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle; Eric's wife Lara; Tiffany; campaign manager Bill Stepien; campaign official Jason Miller; White House social media director Dan Scavino; White House counselor Derek Lyons; political advisor Stephen Miller; Representative Jim Jordan, (R-Ohio), [and] Alice Marie Johnson, the criminal justice reform advocate Trump pardoned.
Trump also stood inside near Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for an hour and a half on Tuesday, yelling and spitting—the very conditions that are most likely to spread the disease. At the debate, his entourage, which included Hicks, Jordan, and the four older Trump children, refused to wear masks despite the mandate that they do so.
This story proves how crucial it is to have a White House we trust. Immediately, Twitter users noted that someone had suggested this very scenario back in September as a way for Trump to steal headlines away from Biden, emerge victorious over the virus, and claim credit for a new treatment that had cured him. Elections almost always feature an "October Surprise" to move voters in the last few weeks of the election when it is too late for the other side to challenge that surprise move. And while this news certainly looks genuine—the White House doctor issued a statement after Trump announced the test results—there is plenty that the Trump campaign would like to distract us from.
On October 1, alone, we learned that a study of more than 38 million articles about the coronavirus pandemic between January 1 and May 26 published in English shows that Trump was "likely the largest driver of… Covid-19 misinformation." The Cornell University study found that 37.9% of misinformation mentioned Trump.
Trump's former national security adviser, retired Lt. General H.R. McMaster, told MSNBC that Trump is "aiding and abetting Putin's efforts" to disrupt the November election. Trump's refusal to acknowledge that Putin is engaged in a "sustained campaign of disruption, disinformation and denial" helps the Russian leader.
It turns out that Trump's pick for the Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett, in 2006 signed an anti-abortion "right to life ad" near another ad from the same organization that called for putting "an end to the barbaric legacy of Roe v. Wade and restor[ing] laws that protect the lives of unborn children." While such a stance will thrill anti-abortion voters, in fact a majority of Americans do not support ending Roe v. Wade, and senators up for reelection have been saying that Barrett would not interfere with the law.
A former senior adviser to Melania Trump today released tapes of the First Lady complaining both about being criticized for her lack of involvement with the children held at the border and for having to decorate the White House for Christmas. "I'm working … my a** off on the Christmas stuff, that you know, who gives a f*** about the Christmas stuff and decorations? But I need to do it, right?… OK, and then I do it and I say that I'm working on Christmas and planning for the Christmas and they said, 'Oh, what about the children that they were separated?' Give me a f****** break. Where they were saying anything when Obama did that? I cannot go, I was trying get the kid reunited with the mom. I didn't have a chance — needs to go through the process and through the law." (Under President Barack Obama, children were separated from their parents or someone who presented as a guardian only when officials were concerned for their safety. Under Trump, such separations were routine until a judge stopped the practice.)
Don Jr.'s girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle, who was a co-host of a Fox News Channel show, was also in the news today. It turns out that she left FNC abruptly after an employee complained of sexual harassment. According to a story by Jane Mayer in the New Yorker, Guilfoyle required her former assistant to work at her apartment, where Guilfoyle would sometimes be naked, and would share with the assistant inappropriate pictures of men, discussing her sexual activities with some of them. Guilfoyle denies any workplace misconduct, but the story grabbed headlines. FNC settled the case against her for $4 million.
Tonight the House of Representatives, controlled by Democrats, passed a $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief measure. No Republicans voted for it.
Right-wing conspiracy theorists Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman have been charged with four felonies in Michigan for intimidating voters, conspiring to violate election laws, and using a computer to commit a crime. The two allegedly sent robocalls to voters in five states to discourage mail-in voting. The calls falsely said that personal information of those people who vote by mail would be shared with police, credit card companies, and the CDC, which would then require vaccinations.
Finally, a story from Texas shows just how concerned the Trump campaign is about the upcoming election. Today Texas Governor Greg Abbott limited the number of locations for dropping off mail in ballots to one site per county. This hits Democratic Harris County the hardest. It is huge, and has the state's largest population count. Currently, it has 12 drop off locations. Democratic Travis County, which includes Austin, currently has four. Other large counties, more reliably Republican, only had one. Abbott argued that this measure would prevent voter fraud, but Democrats pointed out this is a "blatant voter suppression tactic." It should indeed reduce Democratic ballots in the state… and, mind you, this is Texas! That the Republican governor feels the need to suppress Democratic votes in Texas shows just which way the wind is blowing.
As I say, the next few weeks are going to be wild. But don't let it knock you off course.


alternet--2020-10-03--Trump is having trouble breathing: Jim Acosta reports White House advisor is admitting 'this is seri

Trump is having trouble breathing: Jim Acosta reports White House advisor is admitting 'this is serious'

President Donald Trump was airlifted from the White House to Walter Reed Hospital on Friday after testing positive for COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ downplayed Trump 's condition , with White House Dr. Sean Conley saying , `` the @ @ @ @ @ good spirits . ''
But that is not what CNN chief White House correspondent Jim @ @ @ @ @ reported that White House officials , `` have serious concerns about Trump 's condition tonight @ @ @ @ @ than those of the First Lady at this point , according to our sources .
@ @ @ @ @ sources , a Trump advisor , was directly quoted .
`` This is serious , @ @ @ @ @ The source described Trump as being `` very tired , very fatigued , and having @ @ @ @ @

President Donald Trump was airlifted from the White House to Walter Reed Hospital on Friday after testing positive for COVID-19.
The White House has downplayed Trump's condition, with White House Dr. Sean Conley saying, "the president remains fatigued but in good spirits."
But that is not what CNN chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta is hearing.
Acosta reported that White House officials, "have serious concerns about Trump's condition tonight and his symptoms are worse than those of the First Lady at this point, according to our sources."
One of Acosta's sources, a Trump advisor, was directly quoted.
"This is serious," the source said.
The source described Trump as being "very tired, very fatigued, and having some trouble breathing."
https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1312183105881423873


alternet--2020-10-03--WATCH: Doc corrects Maddow and says Trump has a ‘substantial risk of dying in the next few weeks’

The host of `` The Rachel Maddow Show '' was corrected on Friday evening by a medical expert brought on to analyze President Donald Trump being hospitalized at Walter Reed Medical Center after contracting COVID-19 .
Maddow interviewed Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel , who advised the Barack Obama administration on health care policy .
The interview started 18 minutes into the show .
In that intro , the host had downplayed the risks of Trump dying from coronavirus .
As she usually does , Maddow began her interview by asking her guest if there was anything in her intro that needed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I laid out there is wrong or I am putting wrong emphasis in terms of people understanding the severity of what we are up against here , '' Maddow said .
`` I would say two things , '' Dr. Emanuel replied .
`` First of all , to have the most powerful man in the world , the leader of the free world , our president , with somewhere between a 5 % and 11 % [ or ] 12 % of dying , I do n't think that 's so trivial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dying in the next few weeks , '' he explained .
`` And that , I think , is a national security threat .
It is something to take every , very seriously , '' Dr. Emanuel advised .

The host of "The Rachel Maddow Show" was corrected on Friday evening by a medical expert brought on to analyze President Donald Trump being hospitalized at Walter Reed Medical Center after contracting COVID-19.
Maddow interviewed Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, who advised the Barack Obama administration on health care policy.
The interview started 18 minutes into the show. In that intro, the host had downplayed the risks of Trump dying from coronavirus. As she usually does, Maddow began her interview by asking her guest if there was anything in her intro that needed clarification.
"Correct me if anything I laid out there is wrong or I am putting wrong emphasis in terms of people understanding the severity of what we are up against here," Maddow said.
"I would say two things," Dr. Emanuel replied.
"First of all, to have the most powerful man in the world, the leader of the free world, our president, with somewhere between a 5% and 11% [or] 12% of dying, I don't think that's so trivial -- that's pretty substantial risk of dying in the next few weeks," he explained.
"And that, I think, is a national security threat. It is something to take every, very seriously," Dr. Emanuel advised.
Watch:


alternet--2020-10-03--Trump's base stands firm on COVID-19 being a hoax: 'There's no pandemic'

President Donald Trump is hospitalized after testing positive for coronavirus but his base still refuses to accept that the reality of the situation : coronavirus is real .
Many of Trump 's supporters are already circulating conspiracy theories to downplay the spread of the virus .
Others are attempting to justify how the president may have contracted the virus insisting someone may have `` planted it , '' according to The Guardian .
A 56-year-old truck driver was briefly interviewed while standing outside of an early voting facility in St Joseph , Missouri .
Despite Trump , himself , testing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ response to the pandemic , the trucker still casted his vote for the president .
In fact , he still insists the coronavirus is a hoax and the pandemic is non-existent .
As he quoted the president 's words , the trucker also attempted to compare the coronavirus to the flu .
`` It 's a hoax .
There 's no pandemic .
As Trump said , how many millions die of flu ? ''
He also shared details about a theory that suggests Trump may have become infected with the virus when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's sick , then they planted it when they tested him .
It 's what they did to me when I went to hospital for my heart beating too fast .
Two weeks later I got a cold , '' he said .
`` It 's political .
I do n't trust the US government at all .
Who are they to mandate personal safety ?
I listen to Trump . ''
Other Trump supporters are continuing to blindly trust the president while parroting his rhetoric and blatant attacks on Democratic presidential nominee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for him again , '' said Karen White , a long-time supporter of Trump who voted for him in 2016 .
`` I still think he 's better for the country .
If Biden becomes president he will be under the control of the socialists . ''
The latest remarks come just one day after Trump tested positive for coronavirus .
The president 's diagnosis sparked a media firestorm as multiple developments occurred in a matter of hours .
He went from reportedly having `` mild symptoms '' to being airlifted to Walter @ @ @ @

President Donald Trump is hospitalized after testing positive for coronavirus but his base still refuses to accept that the reality of the situation: coronavirus is real.
Many of Trump's supporters are already circulating conspiracy theories to downplay the spread of the virus. Others are attempting to justify how the president may have contracted the virus insisting someone may have "planted it," according to The Guardian.
A 56-year-old truck driver was briefly interviewed while standing outside of an early voting facility in St Joseph, Missouri. Despite Trump, himself, testing positive for COVID-19 amid his highly criticized response to the pandemic, the trucker still casted his vote for the president.
In fact, he still insists the coronavirus is a hoax and the pandemic is non-existent. As he quoted the president's words, the trucker also attempted to compare the coronavirus to the flu.
"It's a hoax. There's no pandemic. As Trump said, how many millions die of flu?"
He also shared details about a theory that suggests Trump may have become infected with the virus when he was tested.
"If he's sick, then they planted it when they tested him. It's what they did to me when I went to hospital for my heart beating too fast. Two weeks later I got a cold," he said. "It's political. I don't trust the US government at all. Who are they to mandate personal safety? I listen to Trump."
Other Trump supporters are continuing to blindly trust the president while parroting his rhetoric and blatant attacks on Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
"I will vote for him again," said Karen White, a long-time supporter of Trump who voted for him in 2016. "I still think he's better for the country. If Biden becomes president he will be under the control of the socialists."
The latest remarks come just one day after Trump tested positive for coronavirus. The president's diagnosis sparked a media firestorm as multiple developments occurred in a matter of hours. He went from reportedly having "mild symptoms" to being airlifted to Walter Reed Medical Center.


alternet--2020-10-03--White House doctor sparks confusion with questionable timeline of Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis

White House physician Dr. Sean Conley just provoked mass confusion with his timeline detailing President Donald Trump 's coronavirus diagnosis .
During a press conference outside of Walter Reed Medical Center , Conley noted that they are `` just 72 hours '' into the president 's COVID-19 diagnosis .
He also claimed the president had been fever-free for `` over 24 hours . ''
The doctor 's misstep was not missed .
Almost immediately after making the statement , reporters quickly questioned Conley 's timeline since the president just announced his positive test results around 1:00 a.m. on Friday morning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the president may have tested positive sometime Wednesday .
Footage of the press conference is already going viral on social media as Twitter users are doing the math and noting that the questionable timeline does not add up .
The main question is : When exactly did the president test positive for coronavirus ?
Many people are also noting what Conley 's timeline suggests : Trump traveled for days and interacted with hundreds of people as he dismissed masks and social distancing — all while being well aware that he was COVID @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the debacle has only made things more speculative .
In an attempt to offer clarity about Conley 's remarks , a White House official appears to confirm what the doctor said .
The tweet reads , `` A White House official clears up timeline from Walter Reed newser : Conley meant to say it 's 'Day 3 ' of the diagnosis , NOT 72 hours .
Trump 's diagnosis was Thursday night .
Regeneron was administered two days ago , not 48 hours ago . ''
Despite the White House official 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that doctors typically reference time in hours , not days .
The president has also been lambasted by one of his donors for moving forward with the fundraiser at his golf club in Bedminster , N.J. , on Thursday evening .
During a phone interview , Dan Eberhart , chief executive officer of Canary Drilling Services who donated $ 100,000 to Trump 's re-election campaign in June , criticized the president 's actions as he described him as `` reckless . ''
Although Eberhart did not attend Thursday 's fundraiser , he slammed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knowing Hicks had tested positive .
Trump 's announcement about his test results came one day after White House Advisor Hope Hicks ' test results revealed .
Bloomberg broke the story about Hicks ' diagnosis which raises questions about whether or not the White House would have disclosed the information .
As a result of Conley 's latest remarks , the White House is being scrutinized yet again for its lack of transparency .

White House physician Dr. Sean Conley just provoked mass confusion with his timeline detailing President Donald Trump's coronavirus diagnosis.
During a press conference outside of Walter Reed Medical Center, Conley noted that they are "just 72 hours" into the president's COVID-19 diagnosis. He also claimed the president had been fever-free for "over 24 hours."
The doctor's misstep was not missed. Almost immediately after making the statement, reporters quickly questioned Conley's timeline since the president just announced his positive test results around 1:00 a.m. on Friday morning. Based on Conley's suggested timeline, the president may have tested positive sometime Wednesday. Footage of the press conference is already going viral on social media as Twitter users are doing the math and noting that the questionable timeline does not add up.
The main question is: When exactly did the president test positive for coronavirus?
Many people are also noting what Conley's timeline suggests: Trump traveled for days and interacted with hundreds of people as he dismissed masks and social distancing — all while being well aware that he was COVID positive.
The White House's response to the debacle has only made things more speculative. In an attempt to offer clarity about Conley's remarks, a White House official appears to confirm what the doctor said.
The tweet reads, "A White House official clears up timeline from Walter Reed newser: Conley meant to say it's 'Day 3' of the diagnosis, NOT 72 hours. Trump's diagnosis was Thursday night. Regeneron was administered two days ago, not 48 hours ago."
Despite the White House official's claim, it is important to note that doctors typically reference time in hours, not days.
The president has also been lambasted by one of his donors for moving forward with the fundraiser at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., on Thursday evening.
During a phone interview, Dan Eberhart, chief executive officer of Canary Drilling Services who donated $100,000 to Trump's re-election campaign in June, criticized the president's actions as he described him as "reckless." Although Eberhart did not attend Thursday's fundraiser, he slammed Trump for still attending the event just knowing Hicks had tested positive.
Trump's announcement about his test results came one day after White House Advisor Hope Hicks' test results revealed. Bloomberg broke the story about Hicks' diagnosis which raises questions about whether or not the White House would have disclosed the information.
As a result of Conley's latest remarks, the White House is being scrutinized yet again for its lack of transparency.


alternet--2020-10-03--'She endangered their lives': 'Superspreader' hashtag targets SCOTUS nominee's recklessness amid pan

'She endangered their lives': 'Superspreader' hashtag targets SCOTUS nominee's recklessness amid pandemic

As more White House staffers and Republican lawmakers test positive for COVID-19 , there is speculation that several people may have contracted coronavirus while attending President Donald Trump 's Rose Garden event last Saturday announcing the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett .
Now , Twitter users are highlighting Trump and Barrett 's recklessness at the event under the hashtag , `` SuperSpreader , '' which appears to describe the nature of the event .
In addition to Trump being blamed for his own battle with COVID-19 , photos from the Rose Garden event are now being used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proves she is not fit to serve on the Supreme Court .
With the latest developments , more Rose Garden photos are circulating and Twitter users are expressing concern about Barrett bringing her seven children to the even without masks .
As the children sat on the front row at the event , they were surrounded by others who also opted not to wear masks despite the ongoing pandemic .
Amid concerns about Barrett possibly being exposed to the virus , she admitted that she was diagnosed with coronavirus over the summer later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more criticism .
Having contracted the virus herself , many are puzzled by Barrett 's presumed lack of regard for the virus as they 've described her as an irresponsible parent .
Others have noted that the latest superspreader event could have possibly been avoided if Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-Ky. ) had n't rushed to nominate Barrett almost immediately after the death of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg , this coronavirus outbreak may not have occurred .
`` Ironically , if Trump & McConnell had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Trump , 3 GOP senators ( Ron Johnson , Mike Lee , Thom Tillis ) , Kellyanne Conway , etc.
, would n't have all gotten COVID this week , endangering their lives & the nomination itself , '' one person tweeted .
The president , First Lady Melania Trump , and several others who attended the event have tested positive for coronavirus .
As of Saturday morning , Trump appears to be the only attendee who has been hospitalized due to complications of coronavirus .
He is currently being treated at @ @ @ @ @

As more White House staffers and Republican lawmakers test positive for COVID-19, there is speculation that several people may have contracted coronavirus while attending President Donald Trump's Rose Garden event last Saturday announcing the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett.
Now, Twitter users are highlighting Trump and Barrett's recklessness at the event under the hashtag, "SuperSpreader," which appears to describe the nature of the event. In addition to Trump being blamed for his own battle with COVID-19, photos from the Rose Garden event are now being used to argue that Barrett's alleged irresponsibility proves she is not fit to serve on the Supreme Court.
With the latest developments, more Rose Garden photos are circulating and Twitter users are expressing concern about Barrett bringing her seven children to the even without masks.
As the children sat on the front row at the event, they were surrounded by others who also opted not to wear masks despite the ongoing pandemic. Amid concerns about Barrett possibly being exposed to the virus, she admitted that she was diagnosed with coronavirus over the summer later recovered. Her admission has only drawn more criticism. Having contracted the virus herself, many are puzzled by Barrett's presumed lack of regard for the virus as they've described her as an irresponsible parent.
Others have noted that the latest superspreader event could have possibly been avoided if Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) hadn't rushed to nominate Barrett almost immediately after the death of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, this coronavirus outbreak may not have occurred.
"Ironically, if Trump & McConnell hadn't insisted on fast-tracking their SCOTUS hijacking, Trump, 3 GOP senators (Ron Johnson, Mike Lee, Thom Tillis), Kellyanne Conway, etc., wouldn't have all gotten COVID this week, endangering their lives & the nomination itself," one person tweeted.
The @GOP really need to do better with their vetting process. SMH#SuperSpreaderpic.twitter.com/0AD8j10PJf
— CoachDD2 (@Rayedan1) October 3, 2020
The president, First Lady Melania Trump, and several others who attended the event have tested positive for coronavirus. As of Saturday morning, Trump appears to be the only attendee who has been hospitalized due to complications of coronavirus. He is currently being treated at Walter Reed Medical Center.