alternet--2020-11-11--'A shocking legacy’: Malcolm Turnbull slams News Corp reporter to his face for aiding Murdoch's 'eno

'A shocking legacy’: Malcolm Turnbull slams News Corp reporter to his face for aiding Murdoch's 'enormous damage to western democracy'

Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull , during a panel discussion on climate change , slammed Australian journalist and News Corps employee Paul Kelly for refusing to stand up to Rupert Murdoch 's climate change denial .
Turnbull argued , `` The company that you work for and its friends in politics like ( President Donald ) Trump and others , have turned this issue of physics into an issue of values or identity .
Now , saying you believe or disbelieve in global warming is like saying you believe or disbelieve in gravity .
You 've turned something that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economics into undiluted ideology and idiocy — and we are paying the price in delayed action to address global warming .
And your employer , Paul , has got a huge share of the blame for this .
It is a shocking legacy . ''
Kelly responded , `` I think you exaggerate the impact that we have '' — to which Turnbull responded , `` that 's what Rupert always used to say to me : 'Oh , we do n't have that big an audience — we 're not that influential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . '
Look , I 've heard all of that flannel for years .
The reality is : News Corps and Murdoch have done enormous damage to western democracy and in particular , to the United States and Australia — and in particular , on the subject of global warming . ''
In addition to Fox News and Fox Business , Rupert Murdoch 's News Corps owns many other media outlets in the United States and Australia .
Turnbull , during the panel discussion , went on to describe the devastating wildfires that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slamming Murdoch and News Corps for attributing the wildfires to arsonists rather than climate change .
`` James Murdoch was so disgusted that he disassociated himself from the family business , '' Turnbull told Kelly .
`` Now , what does that tell you ?
How offensive , how biased , how destructive does it have to be , Paul , before you will say — one of our greatest writers and journalists — 'It is enough , I 'm out of it ? '
'' Kelly grew angry , telling the former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you tell me what I should do in terms of my career . ''
And Turnbull stressed , `` I dare to do it .
And I 'm saying to you , Paul : It is about time that people who work for the Murdoch organization speak up and say publicly what they say privately .
Speak up and do what James Murdoch had the courage to do . ''
Q+A : Malcolm Turnbull attacks 'shocking legacy ' of Murdoch and News Corp on climate crisis

Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, during a panel discussion on climate change, slammed Australian journalist and News Corps employee Paul Kelly for refusing to stand up to Rupert Murdoch's climate change denial.
Turnbull argued, "The company that you work for and its friends in politics like (President Donald) Trump and others, have turned this issue of physics into an issue of values or identity. Now, saying you believe or disbelieve in global warming is like saying you believe or disbelieve in gravity. You've turned something that should be a question of engineering and economics into undiluted ideology and idiocy — and we are paying the price in delayed action to address global warming. And your employer, Paul, has got a huge share of the blame for this. It is a shocking legacy."
Kelly responded, "I think you exaggerate the impact that we have" — to which Turnbull responded, "that's what Rupert always used to say to me: 'Oh, we don't have that big an audience — we're not that influential. Talk to Lachlan (Murdoch).' Look, I've heard all of that flannel for years. The reality is: News Corps and Murdoch have done enormous damage to western democracy and in particular, to the United States and Australia — and in particular, on the subject of global warming."
In addition to Fox News and Fox Business, Rupert Murdoch's News Corps owns many other media outlets in the United States and Australia.
Turnbull, during the panel discussion, went on to describe the devastating wildfires that ravaged Australia during its last summer, slamming Murdoch and News Corps for attributing the wildfires to arsonists rather than climate change.
"James Murdoch was so disgusted that he disassociated himself from the family business," Turnbull told Kelly. "Now, what does that tell you? How offensive, how biased, how destructive does it have to be, Paul, before you will say — one of our greatest writers and journalists — 'It is enough, I'm out of it?'"
Kelly grew angry, telling the former Australian prime minister, "how dare you tell me what I should do in terms of my career." And Turnbull stressed, "I dare to do it. And I'm saying to you, Paul: It is about time that people who work for the Murdoch organization speak up and say publicly what they say privately. Speak up and do what James Murdoch had the courage to do."
Watch the video below:


alternet--2020-11-11--Delusional Trump supporters have booked all of the rooms at organization's DC hotel for 'his inaugur

Delusional Trump supporters have booked all of the rooms at organization's DC hotel for 'his inauguration'

President Donald Trump has lost the 2020 election but it does not look like his Make America Great Again ( MAGA ) supporters have gotten the memo .
The Trump International Hotel in Washington , D.C. is completely booked for the days surrounding the upcoming inauguration , according to The Daily Beast .
Despite losing the election , Trump continues push dangerous claims of voter fraud , prompting his supporters to deny the reality that Trump will no longer be president on January 20 .
The Daily Beast confirms that the rooms , which average a cost of approximately $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inauguration week in January .
`` Still reserved for inauguration week at the hotel as of Monday were the standard rooms for $ 716 a night , along with upper-scale lodgings such as the 860-square-foot Ivanka Study for $ 1,545 a night and the 1,600-square-foot Postmaster Suite for $ 5,565 a night , as well as the 2,000-square-foot Franklin Suite for $ 10,565 a night . ''
For the presidential suite , the hotel 's website indicates that it will only respond to `` written inquiries '' for pricing and availability of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` The former offices of the U.S. Postmaster General have been transformed into our exquisite 4,000 sq .
ft. Presidential Suite , maintaining the carved emblems of the U.S .
Postal Service in the window cornices of the master bedroom and living room , marble framed fireplace remains , and expansive windows that flood the suite with natural light , '' the hotel 's website states .

President Donald Trump has lost the 2020 election but it does not look like his Make America Great Again (MAGA) supporters have gotten the memo.
The Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. is completely booked for the days surrounding the upcoming inauguration, according to The Daily Beast.
Despite losing the election, Trump continues push dangerous claims of voter fraud, prompting his supporters to deny the reality that Trump will no longer be president on January 20. The Daily Beast confirms that the rooms, which average a cost of approximately $716/night, are still booked solid for inauguration week in January.
"Still reserved for inauguration week at the hotel as of Monday were the standard rooms for $716 a night, along with upper-scale lodgings such as the 860-square-foot Ivanka Study for $1,545 a night and the 1,600-square-foot Postmaster Suite for $5,565 a night, as well as the 2,000-square-foot Franklin Suite for $10,565 a night."
For the presidential suite, the hotel's website indicates that it will only respond to "written inquiries" for pricing and availability of the sprawling 4,000 sq. ft. suite.
"The former offices of the U.S. Postmaster General have been transformed into our exquisite 4,000 sq. ft. Presidential Suite, maintaining the carved emblems of the U.S. Postal Service in the window cornices of the master bedroom and living room, marble framed fireplace remains, and expansive windows that flood the suite with natural light," the hotel's website states.


alternet--2020-11-11--Latest James O'Keefe 'election fraud' claim crumbles — but not before Barr used it cast doubt on ele

Latest James O'Keefe 'election fraud' claim crumbles — but not before Barr used it cast doubt on election

Fraudster and felon James O'Keefe took advantage of the chaos at the U.S .
Postal Service to do his usual thing : commit fraud in order to prove that voter fraud is real .
In this case , he conned a postal worker into claiming postal workers in Erie , Pennsylvania were instructed to backdate ballots mailed after Election Day .
The postal worker , Richard Hopkins , has recanted , telling postal workers that he made it all up .
But not after Trump 's little BFF Sen. Lindsey Graham used the allegations to ask the Justice Department for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ General William Barr then opened .
When shit got real and it came to lying to investigators from the U.S .
Postal Service 's Office of Inspector General , Hopkins got cold feet .
Officials told both The Washington Post and the House Oversight Committee that he recanted in a signed affidavit , saying that he had lied .
And then in a video tweeted out by O'Keefe , Hopkins recanted his recanting .
Which probably had more to do with trying to preserve the $ 136,000 he 'd raised on a GoFundMe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it was in vain .
GoFundMe 's Bobby Whitmore told the Post the money raised on the site was `` not disbursed and Hopkins never had access to the funds . ''
O'Keefe is undaunted , as usual , and says that he 's got recordings of the investigators coercing Hopkins and pressuring him to sign a document he did n't understand .
Which seems pretty farfetched—the guy had to understand what `` I lied before '' means .
That Graham and Barr are using O'Keefe to call the results into question @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disgusting .
And completely predictable .
When it comes down to whether there was any actual fraud in Pennsylvania , though , and when lawyers are facing a judge , in court , the fraud claims melt .
When it comes to real legal jeopardy of lying about voter fraud—interfering in an election , which is a crime—these people fold .
There 's another bit of fraud by the Trump campaign , though , that could be happening .
Remember how the Trump campaign in Wisconsin was recruiting volunteers to call Pennsylvania Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after the election ?
Illegally ?
Well , thousands of ballots were received in post offices Monday , which `` included hundreds meant for closely fought contests in Pennsylvania , Michigan , and Arizona . ''
More than 400 were received in Pennsylvania .
None of them will count .
Pennsylvania is the only state among the aforementioned ones that had an extended deadline for receiving ballots , but the deadline was this past Friday .
Whether that actually was part of the Trump campaign 's fraudulent call for voter fraud or just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work is unknown .
But knowing how Republicans love to commit voter fraud , you 've got to wonder .

Fraudster and felon James O'Keefe took advantage of the chaos at the U.S. Postal Service to do his usual thing: commit fraud in order to prove that voter fraud is real. In this case, he conned a postal worker into claiming postal workers in Erie, Pennsylvania were instructed to backdate ballots mailed after Election Day. The postal worker, Richard Hopkins, has recanted, telling postal workers that he made it all up. But not after Trump's little BFF Sen. Lindsey Graham used the allegations to ask the Justice Department for a federal investigation. Which Trump-owned Attorney General William Barr then opened.
When shit got real and it came to lying to investigators from the U.S. Postal Service's Office of Inspector General, Hopkins got cold feet. Officials told both The Washington Post and the House Oversight Committee that he recanted in a signed affidavit, saying that he had lied. And then in a video tweeted out by O'Keefe, Hopkins recanted his recanting. Which probably had more to do with trying to preserve the $136,000 he'd raised on a GoFundMe page by Tuesday evening. If so, it was in vain. GoFundMe's Bobby Whitmore told the Post the money raised on the site was "not disbursed and Hopkins never had access to the funds." O'Keefe is undaunted, as usual, and says that he's got recordings of the investigators coercing Hopkins and pressuring him to sign a document he didn't understand. Which seems pretty farfetched—the guy had to understand what "I lied before" means.
That Graham and Barr are using O'Keefe to call the results into question in Pennsylvania is so Trumpy it's disgusting. And completely predictable. When it comes down to whether there was any actual fraud in Pennsylvania, though, and when lawyers are facing a judge, in court, the fraud claims melt. When it comes to real legal jeopardy of lying about voter fraud—interfering in an election, which is a crime—these people fold.
There's another bit of fraud by the Trump campaign, though, that could be happening. Remember how the Trump campaign in Wisconsin was recruiting volunteers to call Pennsylvania Republicans to get them to send in ballots after the election? Illegally? Well, thousands of ballots were received in post offices Monday, which "included hundreds meant for closely fought contests in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Arizona." More than 400 were received in Pennsylvania. None of them will count. Pennsylvania is the only state among the aforementioned ones that had an extended deadline for receiving ballots, but the deadline was this past Friday.
Whether that actually was part of the Trump campaign's fraudulent call for voter fraud or just people who don't understand how elections work is unknown. But knowing how Republicans love to commit voter fraud, you've got to wonder.


alternet--2020-11-11--Watch Boris Johnson's response when a Labour MP asks about 'best friend' Trump's 'embarrassing' refu

Watch Boris Johnson's response when a Labour MP asks about 'best friend' Trump's 'embarrassing' refusal to accept election results

Leaders of major European democracies , including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson , have wasted no time congratulating President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their victory over President Donald Trump — and it is clear that Johnson , the leader of the Conservative Party , does n't buy into Trump 's claims that the election was stolen because of voter fraud .
An enthusiastic Johnson , on November 11 , told fellow British officials , `` one of the many merits of the excellent conversation that I had yesterday with President-elect Joe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the need , once again , for the United States and the United Kingdom to stand together , to stick up for our values around the world — to stick up for human rights , to stick up for global free trade , to stick up for NATO… .
And to work together in the fight against climate change…..
It was refreshing , I must say , to have that conversation .
I look forward to many more . ''
Angela Eagle , a member of Parliament and Labour Party politician , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for an incoming Biden Administration — telling Johnson and others , `` The prime minister spoke for many of us when he took a call yesterday to congratulate President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris on their emphatic win in the U.S. presidential election . ''
Eagle went on to ask Johnson if he `` had any advice '' for Trump , whose `` continuing refusal to accept the result is both embarrassing for him and dangerous for American democracy . ''
And the Conservative British prime minster responded , `` I had and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president… .
But I am delighted to find the many areas in which the incoming Biden/Harris Administration is able to make common cause with us . ''

Leaders of major European democracies, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, have wasted no time congratulating President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their victory over President Donald Trump — and it is clear that Johnson, the leader of the Conservative Party, doesn't buy into Trump's claims that the election was stolen because of voter fraud.
An enthusiastic Johnson, on November 11, told fellow British officials, "one of the many merits of the excellent conversation that I had yesterday with President-elect Joe Biden was that we were strongly agreed on the need, once again, for the United States and the United Kingdom to stand together, to stick up for our values around the world — to stick up for human rights, to stick up for global free trade, to stick up for NATO…. And to work together in the fight against climate change….. It was refreshing, I must say, to have that conversation. I look forward to many more."
Angela Eagle, a member of Parliament and Labour Party politician, stressed that she shares Johnson's enthusiasm for an incoming Biden Administration — telling Johnson and others, "The prime minister spoke for many of us when he took a call yesterday to congratulate President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris on their emphatic win in the U.S. presidential election."
Eagle went on to ask Johnson if he "had any advice" for Trump, whose "continuing refusal to accept the result is both embarrassing for him and dangerous for American democracy." And the Conservative British prime minster responded, "I had and have a good relationship with the previous president…. But I am delighted to find the many areas in which the incoming Biden/Harris Administration is able to make common cause with us."


alternet--2020-11-12--Trump won Florida after running this false ad tying Biden to Venezuelan socialists

ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom .
Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox .
In Florida , where President Donald Trump gained crucial support among Latino voters , his campaign ran a YouTube ad in Spanish making the explosive — and false — claim that Venezuela 's ruling clique was backing Democratic nominee Joe Biden .
YouTube showed the ad more than 100,000 times in Florida in the eight days leading up to the election , even after The Associated Press published a fact-check debunking the Trump campaign 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Maduro expressed opposition to both presidential candidates .
The video was part of a broader Trump campaign strategy in heavily Latino South Florida that sought to tie Biden to Socialist leaders like Maduro and the late Cuban President Fidel Castro .
Trump won Florida by about 375,000 votes , the largest margin in a presidential election there since 1988 .
He carried about 55 % of the Cuban American vote , according to exit polls by NBC News .
“ Latinos who live here in the U.S. have left socialist or communist regimes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Venezuelan American lawyer , former city councilor in Caracas and co-founder of the pro-Biden group Venezolanos Con Biden .
“ There is of course a big impact or fear or scarring in the Latino community in the U.S. from communism .
Trump with his false accusations and false information was fearmongering and playing on the pain to promote his agenda . ''
The ad illustrates gaps in the policing of misinformation by Google , which owns YouTube .
While Google nominally prohibits all false claims in advertising , it rarely takes down political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its transparency tools make it harder for watchdogs and fact-checkers to scrutinize ads .
Google 's political ad rules are “ trying to have it both ways '' with respect to fact-checking , said Bridget Barrett , a political communication researcher at the University of North Carolina .
“ In reality , basically everything stands . ''
Google sees claims like the one about Maduro as being “ within the public arena that should be contested by Biden 's campaign or fact-checked by journalists , '' Barrett added .
YouTube approves ads by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policies prohibit any advertiser from making “ a false claim — whether it 's a claim about the price of a chair or a claim that you can vote by text message , that election day is postponed , or that a candidate has died . ''
Charlotte Smith , a company spokeswoman , told ProPublica in an email that “ we do n't make any special exceptions for politicians . ''
Nevertheless , YouTube takes down only a “ very limited '' number of political ads making “ demonstrably false claims that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ electoral processes , '' she said .
The Trump campaign ad “ does n't meet that bar , '' she said .
“ This video does not violate our policies .
...
Political ads are known for being hyperbolic , and we 're not going to attempt to adjudicate every claim or counterclaim . ''
Other platforms are at least somewhat more restrictive .
While Facebook does n't fact-check campaign ads , it banned new ones within a week of the election .
( The Trump ad does not appear to have run @ @ @ @ @ @ @ library .
If it had , the ban may not have applied to it , because it began running on YouTube on Oct. 26 , eight days before the Nov. 3 election . )
Facebook 's fact-checking partners do vet ads by political action committees and other third-party groups , some of which get removed .
Twitter banned all political advertising .
Although broadcast television stations are n't allowed to choose candidate ads by content , cable networks can , and sometimes do , reject ads .
The Trump ad did n't appear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , an ad-tracking firm .
The Trump campaign saw YouTube as a key to its strategy , according to a Politico report in September .
It ran more than 18,000 video ads on YouTube this year .
The campaign spent $ 106 million , including $ 37.2 million in the last month of the campaign , on Google 's platform , including both YouTube ads and Google search ads .
The questionable video begins by describing Biden as “ the candidate of Chavismo , '' referring to the brand of socialism associated with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Venezuela , and Maduro 's government .
It then shows Diosdado Cabello , a Maduro ally and Venezuela 's second-most powerful politician , saying on his television program that the “ brisa Bolivariana , '' or the “ Bolivarian breeze '' of Latin American socialism , “ is blowing , blowing , blowing , blowing .
... Let 's see what happens .
Maybe the Bolivarian breeze will reach the United States .
In how much time ?
In 13 days until the elections . ''
The term “ Bolivarian '' is an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revolutionary , claimed as an inspiration for many Latin American socialist movements .
Then the text on the screen reiterates that “ the Chavistas '' — the political party that controls Venezuela — “ want Joe Biden to win . ''
The video concludes with a statement that it was paid by the Trump campaign and Trump saying that he approved the message .
There 's little doubt that the relationship between the Trump administration and the Maduro government is tense .
Trump has imposed sanctions on Venezuela and on Maduro and Cabello @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Maduro and Cabello on narco-terrorism and drug trafficking charges in March .
Venezuelan state-run television has struck a “ completely anti-Trump '' tone , said Daniel Acosta-Ramos , an investigative researcher at First Draft , a nonprofit that tracks misinformation and an Electionland partner .
Yet Maduro said in late September that he did n't care who was elected .
“ If Trump wins the elections , we will confront him and defeat him , and if Biden wins , we 'll confront him and defeat him too , '' he said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ resembles the one in the Trump campaign ad concluded that neither Biden nor Maduro “ has declared that there is any kind of affinity between them or between their national projects . ''
In the television segment from which Cabello 's “ Bolivarian breeze '' remark was clipped , he did n't explicitly mention Trump , Biden or the Democratic or Republican parties .
While the remark could be interpreted as hoping that Biden would be elected and promote the agenda of his party 's progressive wing , Cabello has a reputation for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on purpose , according to Acosta-Ramos .
“ That ambiguity creates an environment ripe for misinfo , '' he said .
The ad , Acosta-Ramos said , was “ micro-targeted for people who know what the 'brisa Bolivariana ' means .
Not just Venezuelans , but also Cubans and Colombians . ''
Other YouTube ads from the Trump campaign reinforced the false message .
They showed clips of Maduro referring to Biden as “ Comrade Biden '' in a 2015 speech .
Although it was only a passing reference , and Maduro accused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him , Donald Trump Jr. framed it as evidence that Biden was weak on socialism .
The Trump campaign 's official bilingual Twitter account also claimed that Maduro 's regime supported Biden .
A tweet from President Trump called Biden a “ PUPPET of CASTRO-CHAVISTAS . ''
Trump ads on Facebook called Biden a “ socialist '' and pictured him with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders , both of whom refer to themselves as democratic socialists .
“ There was a concerted effort by the Trump campaign and their allies to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they knew they could n't win on Trump 's disastrous record , '' a Biden campaign official told ProPublica .
Florida 's Venezuelan population has grown to about 200,000 , of whom an estimated 50,000 are registered to vote .
In Doral , a city in Miami-Dade County that 's home to many Americans of Venezuelan , Cuban and Colombian descent , Trump pulled in roughly 49 % of voters in 2020 , up from 29 % in 2016 .
Overall , in Miami-Dade , Trump garnered nearly 200,000 more votes than he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ margin from 29 % to 7 % .
The Trump campaign , the White House and the Venezuelan Embassy did not respond to requests for comment .
The Trump ad may have attracted relatively little notice during the campaign because of inadequacies in the political ad report that Google established in 2018 to improve transparency .
Unlike Facebook 's political ad archive , Google 's does n't group identical ads together if , for instance , they were shown over different time periods .
Google 's transparency tools showed three different copies of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ giving separate data for each .
Google also does n't make videos searchable or any ad content downloadable in bulk .
The design does n't allow opponents , journalists or watchdogs to meaningfully analyze the 263,000 political video ads ( and 361,000 other ads ) that Google sold in 2020 , Barrett said .
“ You 're just drowning in content and overwhelmed by these individual pieces of advertising content , and really many of them are the same , you 're stuck trying to swim through this overwhelming sea of ads , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disappear into the depths of the ad library . ''
Google has said that it only allows advertisers to target political ads by users ' location , age and gender , and that it discloses these targeting choices on its transparency website .
The three copies of the “ Bolivarian breeze '' ad were targeted by location to Florida users .
Although it 's not disclosed in Google 's transparency tools , YouTube ads also may be targeted by language , for example to Spanish speakers , Smith said .
It 's unclear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the ad and how many times it was shown .
Google 's data show that the Trump campaign spent between $ 1,000 and $ 5,000 on one copy of the ad ; between $ 100 and $ 1,000 on another ; and less than $ 100 on the third .
Two of the copies were shown fewer than 10,000 times , and the third was shown between 100,000 and 1 million times .
Facebook publishes more precise information .
Trump supporters amplified the campaign 's message , professing to connect Biden and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a term linking Venezuelan socialism to Cuba 's .
False posts on social media , of undetermined origin , purported to show Jill Biden , Joe 's wife , standing next to Fidel Castro .
It was actually Jacqueline Beer , the wife of a Norwegian explorer .
“ We saw a huge number of WhatsApp messages being shared in Venezuelan , Cuban groups , saying the governments of these countries that we escaped , [ they ] want Biden — so we should vote Trump , '' Acosta-Ramos said .
What a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ information put the Democrat 's campaign on the defensive .
The Biden campaign mounted its own fact-checking effort to push back against the claims about Biden and socialism .
It invested heavily in outreach to Florida Latinos , including six-figure media buys in the last two weeks of the campaign targeting the community , a staffer said .
At an early October rally in Miami , Biden said , “ Maduro , who I 've met , is a dictator , plain and simple , and he 's causing incredible suffering among the @ @ @ @

ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.
In Florida, where President Donald Trump gained crucial support among Latino voters, his campaign ran a YouTube ad in Spanish making the explosive — and false — claim that Venezuela's ruling clique was backing Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
YouTube showed the ad more than 100,000 times in Florida in the eight days leading up to the election, even after The Associated Press published a fact-check debunking the Trump campaign's claim. Actually, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro expressed opposition to both presidential candidates.
The video was part of a broader Trump campaign strategy in heavily Latino South Florida that sought to tie Biden to Socialist leaders like Maduro and the late Cuban President Fidel Castro. Trump won Florida by about 375,000 votes, the largest margin in a presidential election there since 1988. He carried about 55% of the Cuban American vote, according to exit polls by NBC News.
“Latinos who live here in the U.S. have left socialist or communist regimes," said Diego Scharifker, a Venezuelan American lawyer, former city councilor in Caracas and co-founder of the pro-Biden group Venezolanos Con Biden. “There is of course a big impact or fear or scarring in the Latino community in the U.S. from communism. Trump with his false accusations and false information was fearmongering and playing on the pain to promote his agenda."
The ad illustrates gaps in the policing of misinformation by Google, which owns YouTube. While Google nominally prohibits all false claims in advertising, it rarely takes down political ads. In addition, shortcomings in its transparency tools make it harder for watchdogs and fact-checkers to scrutinize ads.
Google's political ad rules are “trying to have it both ways" with respect to fact-checking, said Bridget Barrett, a political communication researcher at the University of North Carolina. “In reality, basically everything stands." Google sees claims like the one about Maduro as being “within the public arena that should be contested by Biden's campaign or fact-checked by journalists," Barrett added.
YouTube approves ads by both human and machine review. Its policies prohibit any advertiser from making “a false claim — whether it's a claim about the price of a chair or a claim that you can vote by text message, that election day is postponed, or that a candidate has died."
Charlotte Smith, a company spokeswoman, told ProPublica in an email that “we don't make any special exceptions for politicians." Nevertheless, YouTube takes down only a “very limited" number of political ads making “demonstrably false claims that could significantly undermine trust in democratic or electoral processes," she said.
The Trump campaign ad “doesn't meet that bar," she said. “This video does not violate our policies. ... Political ads are known for being hyperbolic, and we're not going to attempt to adjudicate every claim or counterclaim."
Other platforms are at least somewhat more restrictive. While Facebook doesn't fact-check campaign ads, it banned new ones within a week of the election. (The Trump ad does not appear to have run on Facebook, according to its ad library. If it had, the ban may not have applied to it, because it began running on YouTube on Oct. 26, eight days before the Nov. 3 election.) Facebook's fact-checking partners do vet ads by political action committees and other third-party groups, some of which get removed. Twitter banned all political advertising. Although broadcast television stations aren't allowed to choose candidate ads by content, cable networks can, and sometimes do, reject ads. The Trump ad didn't appear on TV, according to Advertising Analytics, an ad-tracking firm.
The Trump campaign saw YouTube as a key to its strategy, according to a Politico report in September. It ran more than 18,000 video ads on YouTube this year. The campaign spent $106 million, including $37.2 million in the last month of the campaign, on Google's platform, including both YouTube ads and Google search ads.
The questionable video begins by describing Biden as “the candidate of Chavismo," referring to the brand of socialism associated with Hugo Chávez, the late leader of Venezuela, and Maduro's government. It then shows Diosdado Cabello, a Maduro ally and Venezuela's second-most powerful politician, saying on his television program that the “brisa Bolivariana," or the “Bolivarian breeze" of Latin American socialism, “is blowing, blowing, blowing, blowing. ... Let's see what happens. Maybe the Bolivarian breeze will reach the United States. In how much time? In 13 days until the elections." The term “Bolivarian" is an allusion to Simón Bolívar, the 19th-century revolutionary, claimed as an inspiration for many Latin American socialist movements.
Then the text on the screen reiterates that “the Chavistas" — the political party that controls Venezuela — “want Joe Biden to win." The video concludes with a statement that it was paid by the Trump campaign and Trump saying that he approved the message.
There's little doubt that the relationship between the Trump administration and the Maduro government is tense. Trump has imposed sanctions on Venezuela and on Maduro and Cabello personally. The U.S. government indicted both Maduro and Cabello on narco-terrorism and drug trafficking charges in March. Venezuelan state-run television has struck a “completely anti-Trump" tone, said Daniel Acosta-Ramos, an investigative researcher at First Draft, a nonprofit that tracks misinformation and an Electionland partner.
Yet Maduro said in late September that he didn't care who was elected. “If Trump wins the elections, we will confront him and defeat him, and if Biden wins, we'll confront him and defeat him too," he said. An AP fact-check of a video that resembles the one in the Trump campaign ad concluded that neither Biden nor Maduro “has declared that there is any kind of affinity between them or between their national projects."
In the television segment from which Cabello's “Bolivarian breeze" remark was clipped, he didn't explicitly mention Trump, Biden or the Democratic or Republican parties. While the remark could be interpreted as hoping that Biden would be elected and promote the agenda of his party's progressive wing, Cabello has a reputation for being a provocateur and saying unclear things on purpose, according to Acosta-Ramos. “That ambiguity creates an environment ripe for misinfo," he said.
The ad, Acosta-Ramos said, was “micro-targeted for people who know what the 'brisa Bolivariana' means. Not just Venezuelans, but also Cubans and Colombians."
Other YouTube ads from the Trump campaign reinforced the false message. They showed clips of Maduro referring to Biden as “Comrade Biden" in a 2015 speech. Although it was only a passing reference, and Maduro accused Biden shortly afterward of plotting to overthrow him, Donald Trump Jr. framed it as evidence that Biden was weak on socialism.
The Trump campaign's official bilingual Twitter account also claimed that Maduro's regime supported Biden. A tweet from President Trump called Biden a “PUPPET of CASTRO-CHAVISTAS." Trump ads on Facebook called Biden a “socialist" and pictured him with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders, both of whom refer to themselves as democratic socialists.
“There was a concerted effort by the Trump campaign and their allies to misrepresent Joe Biden and his values because they knew they couldn't win on Trump's disastrous record," a Biden campaign official told ProPublica.
Florida's Venezuelan population has grown to about 200,000, of whom an estimated 50,000 are registered to vote. In Doral, a city in Miami-Dade County that's home to many Americans of Venezuelan, Cuban and Colombian descent, Trump pulled in roughly 49% of voters in 2020, up from 29% in 2016. Overall, in Miami-Dade, Trump garnered nearly 200,000 more votes than he had in 2016, shaving the Democratic margin from 29% to 7%.
The Trump campaign, the White House and the Venezuelan Embassy did not respond to requests for comment.
The Trump ad may have attracted relatively little notice during the campaign because of inadequacies in the political ad report that Google established in 2018 to improve transparency. Unlike Facebook's political ad archive, Google's doesn't group identical ads together if, for instance, they were shown over different time periods. Google's transparency tools showed three different copies of the “brisa Bolivariana" ad, giving separate data for each. Google also doesn't make videos searchable or any ad content downloadable in bulk.
The design doesn't allow opponents, journalists or watchdogs to meaningfully analyze the 263,000 political video ads (and 361,000 other ads) that Google sold in 2020, Barrett said.
“You're just drowning in content and overwhelmed by these individual pieces of advertising content, and really many of them are the same, you're stuck trying to swim through this overwhelming sea of ads," Barrett said. Ads “can disappear into the depths of the ad library."
Google has said that it only allows advertisers to target political ads by users' location, age and gender, and that it discloses these targeting choices on its transparency website. The three copies of the “Bolivarian breeze" ad were targeted by location to Florida users.
Although it's not disclosed in Google's transparency tools, YouTube ads also may be targeted by language, for example to Spanish speakers, Smith said.
It's unclear exactly how much the Trump campaign spent on the ad and how many times it was shown. Google's data show that the Trump campaign spent between $1,000 and $5,000 on one copy of the ad; between $100 and $1,000 on another; and less than $100 on the third. Two of the copies were shown fewer than 10,000 times, and the third was shown between 100,000 and 1 million times. Facebook publishes more precise information.
Trump supporters amplified the campaign's message, professing to connect Biden and other Democrats to “Castro-Chavismo," a term linking Venezuelan socialism to Cuba's. False posts on social media, of undetermined origin, purported to show Jill Biden, Joe's wife, standing next to Fidel Castro. It was actually Jacqueline Beer, the wife of a Norwegian explorer.
“We saw a huge number of WhatsApp messages being shared in Venezuelan, Cuban groups, saying the governments of these countries that we escaped, [they] want Biden — so we should vote Trump," Acosta-Ramos said.
What a Biden staffer described as a flood of information put the Democrat's campaign on the defensive. The Biden campaign mounted its own fact-checking effort to push back against the claims about Biden and socialism. It invested heavily in outreach to Florida Latinos, including six-figure media buys in the last two weeks of the campaign targeting the community, a staffer said. At an early October rally in Miami, Biden said, “Maduro, who I've met, is a dictator, plain and simple, and he's causing incredible suffering among the Venezuelan people."
Ronny Rojas of Telemundo, Derek Willis and Ivette Leyva contributed reporting.


alternet--2020-11-12--Why this Retired General says Trump loyalists want to stage a coup: ‘Crazy thing going on inside tha

Why this Retired General says Trump loyalists want to stage a coup: ‘Crazy thing going on inside that White House'

A four-star United States retired general is sounding the alarm on key national security concerns after President Donald J. Trump shakes up the Pentagon staff less than one week after losing the election to President-elect Joe Biden .
`` I have been shot at a lot and nearly killed a bunch of times , '' said Gen. Barry Richard McCaffrey ( ret. )
.
`` I 'm not an alarmist .
I stay cool under pressure .
Mark me down as alarmed .
I just listened to Sen. Tim Kaine ( D-VA ) — wonderful , experienced , mature guy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ Mark ] Esper not being a loyalist .
I do n't believe it .
We 're watching a setup of some people who are unqualified for office to be in control of the 2.1 million men and women of the armed forces . ''
McCaffrey said , `` And I remind our viewers , the only one who can give orders to the armed forces is the president and the secretary of defense .
This acting secretary Chris Miller is a perfectly good , experienced combat soldier .
He is unqualified for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of them , a retired one-star , is a dangerous man .
That team moving in , no one in his right mind would have accepted an appointment for 90 days .
These people are in there to control a coercive institution of U.S. democracy .
Watch out . ''
Host Ari Melber asked McCaffrey , `` What specifically are you warning against , general ?
Do you feel based on your knowledge of these individuals and the situation that you have a credible reason or evidence to think that there could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in something unlawful ? ''
`` The federal government tools could be used in an oppressive manner , start with the attorney general of the United States , the Department of Homeland Security , and federal law enforcement agencies , who — unless they get an order that is patently illegal — will carry out their instructions .
So the end of the story is , you know , I do n't believe in any way this should be minimized or this is just a tantrum of a president trying to accommodate himself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is some crazy thinking going on inside that White House . ''
McCaffrey added , `` If I was a CIA officer trying to understand what was going on in a third-world country and I saw this pattern of behavior , I would say the stronghand 's trying to take over the government and defy an election — and I think they 're playing with that idea inside the White House .
I ca n't imagine that Sen .
Rob Portman ( R-OH ) and even [ Sen. Mitch ] McConnell ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to disregard the Constitution , but I think that 's the thinking that 's going on in the White House right now and we ought to be worried about it .
And the Republicans in Congress ought to speak up and push back . ''
General sounds the alarm on how other nations are viewing American unrest

A four-star United States retired general is sounding the alarm on key national security concerns after President Donald J. Trump shakes up the Pentagon staff less than one week after losing the election to President-elect Joe Biden.
"I have been shot at a lot and nearly killed a bunch of times," said Gen. Barry Richard McCaffrey (ret.). "I'm not an alarmist. I stay cool under pressure. Mark me down as alarmed. I just listened to Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) — wonderful, experienced, mature guy — say this is just payback to [Mark] Esper not being a loyalist. I don't believe it. We're watching a setup of some people who are unqualified for office to be in control of the 2.1 million men and women of the armed forces."
McCaffrey said, "And I remind our viewers, the only one who can give orders to the armed forces is the president and the secretary of defense. This acting secretary Chris Miller is a perfectly good, experienced combat soldier. He is unqualified for this office. The other three, one of them, a retired one-star, is a dangerous man. That team moving in, no one in his right mind would have accepted an appointment for 90 days. These people are in there to control a coercive institution of U.S. democracy. Watch out."
Host Ari Melber asked McCaffrey, "What specifically are you warning against, general? Do you feel based on your knowledge of these individuals and the situation that you have a credible reason or evidence to think that there could be an effort to enlist the military in something unlawful?"
"The federal government tools could be used in an oppressive manner, start with the attorney general of the United States, the Department of Homeland Security, and federal law enforcement agencies, who — unless they get an order that is patently illegal — will carry out their instructions. So the end of the story is, you know, I don't believe in any way this should be minimized or this is just a tantrum of a president trying to accommodate himself to the outcome of the elections. This is some crazy thinking going on inside that White House."
McCaffrey added, "If I was a CIA officer trying to understand what was going on in a third-world country and I saw this pattern of behavior, I would say the stronghand's trying to take over the government and defy an election — and I think they're playing with that idea inside the White House. I can't imagine that Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) and even [Sen. Mitch] McConnell (R-KY) and people like this are going to disregard the Constitution, but I think that's the thinking that's going on in the White House right now and we ought to be worried about it. And the Republicans in Congress ought to speak up and push back."
Watch the video below.


alternet--2020-11-12--Trump's bogus voter-fraud claims could blow GOP's chances of holding Senate

Mitch McConnell never acted as if Barack Obama were a legitimate president .
More than a decade later , the Senate majority leader has decided to the best use of Republican resources is to humor Donald Trump 's delusion that he won an election he clearly lost .
McConnell 's desperate play appears to be a grift meant to fire up Republican voters ahead of a pair of critical Senate runoff races in Georgia .
But what if that plan backfires ?
Trump 's attacks on America 's electoral system could just as easily depress GOP turnout .
Joe Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ College votes , the same number Trump received when he was elected four years ago .
As Salon 's Roger Sollenberger has , none of the half-dozen or so lawsuits filed by the Trump campaign in states like Pennsylvania , Nevada , Michigan and Georgia since Election Day have presented any evidence of systemic irregularities , or any information that could even hypothetically reverse Trump 's electoral defeat .
So while our tax dollars are at work defending against meritless lawsuits by an outgoing president , the Republican civil war has suddenly reignited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recrimination .
McConnell took to the Senate floor on Monday to argue that `` President Trump is 100 % within his rights to look into allegations of irregularities and weigh his legal options . ''
While several reports suggest that McConnell 's anti-democratic strategy is meant to appease Trump and fire up his base , there is already evidence that points to a real risk of depressing Republican voters .
Trump 's campaign has seized on news that fewer than 400 ballots had not been scanned over the weekend in Atlanta to stir @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reaction , Georgia 's two Republican senators , both facing Jan. 5 runoffs against Democratic challengers , have demanded the resignation of Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger , a fellow Republican .
Raffensperger has dared to deny allegations of voter fraud and pointed out some simple arithmetic : Biden leads by 11,595 votes in Georgia , and that 's highly unlikely to change in Trump 's favor with a recount .
Georgia 's voter suppression tactics already mean that elections are heavily rigged in Republicans ' favor , so the Democratic turnout @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` There have been too many failures in Georgia elections this year and the most recent election has shined a national light on the problems , '' Sens .
Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue said in the statement , which did not list a single example of any such problems .
`` The Secretary of State has failed to deliver honest and transparent elections . ''
All reports and indications suggest , however , that the Georgia election was clean and clear , with no major irregularities.Republicans are essentially calling the voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ corrupt in pathetic attempts to align themselves with a president who refuses to accept their own votes .
McConnell and the majority of the Republican Party are egging Trump on at the expense of their own voters .
They are at once getting Republican voters ' hopes up for some miracle — and also convincing them their votes do n't count .
Deflating the GOP base while riling up the Democratic base with Trump 's refusal to concede seems an ill-conceived strategy going into a crucial runoff race .
Trump 's showing last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only come out to support him , not the GOP as a whole .
While plenty of loyal Republicans will still come out in Georgia with control of the Senate on the line , I suspect a good number wo n't bother now that the president GOP voters adore has said that America 's elections are rigged .
Democrats , meanwhile , sense an unusual opportunity to turn out even more voters , including those who may not have voted on Nov. 3 because they assumed Georgia would remain red no matter what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to reshape power in Washington .
Take , for instance , the message from former Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann , who to social media where she appealed to God to `` SMASH the clay jar of deceit in America .
SMASH the clay jar of delusion in the United States of America .
SMASH the delusion , Father , that Joe Biden is our president .
He is not . ''
Extremist rhetoric like that is likely why 70 % of Republicans now say they do n't believe the 2020 election was free @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % who held similar beliefs before the election .
On the other side of the coin , Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia , easily the most conservative Democrat in the Senate , has done multiple Fox News interviews to calm the fears of moderate voters who are reluctant to see Democrats control that body , promising to block any progressive agenda presented by Biden .
As usual , Democrats and Republicans are simply not playing the same game .
Trump , meanwhile , is simply playing aggrieved and trying to fleece the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ holds office , telling his worshipers that the system is out to get him .
It 's a distinctly odd thing for the president of the United States to say , but he continues to schedule rallies and raise funds — same grift , different day .
All this will work just about as well as his `` big , beautiful wall '' on the Mexican border , his long-promised replacement for the Affordable Care Act and all the promises to throw agents of the `` deep state '' in prison .
the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and all the deep state lockups .
But even if Republicans lose in the short term , they 're setting the stage for new restrictions on voting in states they control by pointing to Trump 's false claims of fraud .
Much the same thing happened after 2016 , paving the way for the new voting rules that helped create the confusion of 2020 .

Mitch McConnell never acted as if Barack Obama were a legitimate president . More than a decade later, the Senate majority leader has decided to the best use of Republican resources is to humor Donald Trump's delusion that he won an election he clearly lost. McConnell's desperate play appears to be a grift meant to fire up Republican voters ahead of a pair of critical Senate runoff races in Georgia. But what if that plan backfires? Trump's attacks on America's electoral system could just as easily depress GOP turnout.
Joe Biden is on track to win 306 Electoral College votes, the same number Trump received when he was elected four years ago. As Salon's Roger Sollenberger has reported , none of the half-dozen or so lawsuits filed by the Trump campaign in states like Pennsylvania, Nevada, Michigan and Georgia since Election Day have presented any evidence of systemic irregularities, or any information that could even hypothetically reverse Trump's electoral defeat. So while our tax dollars are at work defending against meritless lawsuits by an outgoing president, the Republican civil war has suddenly reignited with a new round of finger-pointing and recrimination.
McConnell took to the Senate floor on Monday to argue that "President Trump is 100% within his rights to look into allegations of irregularities and weigh his legal options." While several reports suggest that McConnell's anti-democratic strategy is meant to appease Trump and fire up his base, there is already evidence that points to a real risk of depressing Republican voters.
Trump's campaign has seized on news that fewer than 400 ballots had not been scanned over the weekend in Atlanta to stir up cries of voter fraud. In reaction, Georgia's two Republican senators, both facing Jan. 5 runoffs against Democratic challengers, have demanded the resignation of Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a fellow Republican. Raffensperger has dared to deny allegations of voter fraud and pointed out some simple arithmetic: Biden leads by 11,595 votes in Georgia, and that's highly unlikely to change in Trump's favor with a recount. Georgia's voter suppression tactics already mean that elections are heavily rigged in Republicans' favor, so the Democratic turnout this year is all the more notable.
"There have been too many failures in Georgia elections this year and the most recent election has shined a national light on the problems," Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue said in the statement, which did not list a single example of any such problems. "The Secretary of State has failed to deliver honest and transparent elections." All reports and indications suggest, however, that the Georgia election was clean and clear, with no major irregularities.Republicans are essentially calling the voters of Georgia cheaters and their fellow Republicans corrupt in pathetic attempts to align themselves with a president who refuses to accept their own votes. McConnell and the majority of the Republican Party are egging Trump on at the expense of their own voters. They are at once getting Republican voters' hopes up for some miracle — and also convincing them their votes don't count. Deflating the GOP base while riling up the Democratic base with Trump's refusal to concede seems an ill-conceived strategy going into a crucial runoff race.
Trump's showing last Tuesday shows that many of his voters only come out to support him, not the GOP as a whole. While plenty of loyal Republicans will still come out in Georgia with control of the Senate on the line, I suspect a good number won't bother now that the president GOP voters adore has said that America's elections are rigged. Democrats, meanwhile, sense an unusual opportunity to turn out even more voters, including those who may not have voted on Nov. 3 because they assumed Georgia would remain red no matter what — and now they have an opportunity to reshape power in Washington.
Take, for instance, the message from former Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann, who posted a video to social media where she appealed to God to "SMASH the clay jar of deceit in America. SMASH the clay jar of delusion in the United States of America. SMASH the delusion, Father, that Joe Biden is our president. He is not." Extremist rhetoric like that is likely why 70% of Republicans now say they don't believe the 2020 election was free and fair , compared to the 35% who held similar beliefs before the election.
On the other side of the coin, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, easily the most conservative Democrat in the Senate, has done multiple Fox News interviews to calm the fears of moderate voters who are reluctant to see Democrats control that body, promising to block any progressive agenda presented by Biden. As usual, Democrats and Republicans are simply not playing the same game.
Trump, meanwhile, is simply playing aggrieved and trying to fleece the rubes one more time while he still holds office, telling his worshipers that the system is out to get him. It's a distinctly odd thing for the president of the United States to say, but he continues to schedule rallies and raise funds — same grift, different day. All this will work just about as well as his "big, beautiful wall" on the Mexican border, his long-promised replacement for the Affordable Care Act and all the promises to throw agents of the "deep state" in prison. the Great Mexican Wall, the ACA replacement and all the deep state lockups. But even if Republicans lose in the short term, they're setting the stage for new restrictions on voting in states they control by pointing to Trump's false claims of fraud. Much the same thing happened after 2016, paving the way for the new voting rules that helped create the confusion of 2020.


alternet--2020-11-12--Biden’s stance against fossil fuels didn’t turn away voters in Pennsylvania

The United States ' election results have been a nail-biter that many polls did not predict .
After days of uncertainty , the votes have tipped in favour of Joe Biden , and the U.S. president-elect has since kicked off his transition team to tackle , among other things , climate change .
During campaigning , Pennsylvania received a lot of attention from both presidential candidates .
The state sits atop the Marcellus shale , a major source of natural gas ; it is the second-largest producer of natural gas in the U.S. , after Texas .
The industry employs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clean energy is among the fastest growing sectors in the state .
Some speculated that Biden 's stance on fossil fuel divestment , especially his comments during the final presidential debate on moving away from fossil fuels , might have turned away voters worried about their job security in these key states .
Yet , the election results have shown the opposite .
During the final presidential debate , Biden argued that he would “ transition [ away ] from the oil industry … because it has to be replaced by renewable energy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he proposed was to stop federal subsidies to the oil and gas industry .
After the debate , Biden 's team clarified that his proposal means a gradual phase-out of fossil fuels and he would not impose bans on the oil and gas industry .
In short , Biden has been strategically ambiguous about the timeline of decarbonizing the U.S. economy .
He supports the idea of achieving net-zero emissions in the U.S. by 2050 , yet serious questions remain whether his budget-saving and market-oriented approach to fighting climate change would effectively discourage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In June , Fatih Birol , executive director of the International Energy Agency , issued a stern warning that “ the world only has six months to avert climate crisis '' — a post-lockdown rebound in global greenhouse gas emissions would substantially derail the global targets set by the Paris climate agreement signed in 2016 .
( The U.S. officially left the agreement on Nov. 5 , but has Biden promised that it will rejoin . )
In light of such policy recommendations , Biden 's reliance on market mechanisms to slowly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a moderate approach to decarbonization .
Biden 's stance on fracking further reveals his hesitance to take radical measures on the U.S. fossil fuel addiction .
During the final presidential debate , Biden repeatedly emphasized that he did not oppose fracking and would prefer to explore technical solutions to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas industry .
There are few readily available solutions for reducing the methane pollution associated with the fracking process .
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas — 84 times more powerful than carbon dioxide in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Averting a looming climate catastrophe demands an immediate ban on fracking .
Biden is by no means an environmental radical , but the GOP 's portrayal of his support for fossil fuel divestment had the potential to damage his election performance in Texas and Pennsylvania .
Previous research has addressed the pros and cons of fossil fuel divestment as a climate action tactic , the strong support it receives within higher education and its implications for climate justice .
But there is no in-depth information available on undecided and conservative voters ' perceptions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this election , climate change was a peripheral concern during presidential campaigns and debates .
Scientific American highlighted that climate change received more attention during the first Trump versus Biden debate than in any other presidential debate in history .
Comparing this year 's election results with the final polling average and previous election results , two divergent trends emerge .
In Colorado , which produces the most shale oil and gas in the U.S. , voters remain supportive of Biden .
Despite being defeated in Texas , the Democratic share of popular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this year from 43.2 per cent in 2016 .
The results suggest one of two things : Either Biden 's talk of fossil fuel divestment did not substantially change voters ' minds , or it led to larger voter turnouts of progressive young voters .
The results in Ohio and Pennsylvania followed the same trend .
Although Biden 's performance in both states has been worse than the national polling average numbers , he gained a larger share of votes than Hillary Clinton in 2016 .
In Pennsylvania , Biden has managed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which is a solid performance considering Trump 's strong pro-fracking push in Pennsylvania days before the election .
At the county level , the dynamics become more complicated .
In the southwest and northeast corners of the state where fracking activities concentrate , Trump held a decisive lead .
In Bradford County , one of the most fracked places on the planet , Trump received over 70 per cent of the votes .
Although election results suggest that fossil fuel divestment did not negatively impact Biden 's overall election performance , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many states , and could be a challenge for future progressive contenders .
Does such a political dilemma mean little political actions against the fracking industry and its lobbyists in the near future ?
We have to patiently wait for the next administration 's climate policies .
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license .
Read the original article .

by Sibo Chen, Ryerson University
The United States' election results have been a nail-biter that many polls did not predict. After days of uncertainty, the votes have tipped in favour of Joe Biden, and the U.S. president-elect has since kicked off his transition team to tackle, among other things, climate change.
During campaigning, Pennsylvania received a lot of attention from both presidential candidates. The state sits atop the Marcellus shale, a major source of natural gas; it is the second-largest producer of natural gas in the U.S., after Texas. The industry employs about 32,000 people in Pennsylvania, but clean energy is among the fastest growing sectors in the state.
Some speculated that Biden's stance on fossil fuel divestment, especially his comments during the final presidential debate on moving away from fossil fuels, might have turned away voters worried about their job security in these key states. Yet, the election results have shown the opposite.
Biden's climate platform is not radical
During the final presidential debate, Biden argued that he would “transition [away] from the oil industry … because it has to be replaced by renewable energy over time." The principal policy he proposed was to stop federal subsidies to the oil and gas industry. After the debate, Biden's team clarified that his proposal means a gradual phase-out of fossil fuels and he would not impose bans on the oil and gas industry.
In short, Biden has been strategically ambiguous about the timeline of decarbonizing the U.S. economy. He supports the idea of achieving net-zero emissions in the U.S. by 2050, yet serious questions remain whether his budget-saving and market-oriented approach to fighting climate change would effectively discourage a carbon rebound after the COVID-19 pandemic.
In June, Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, issued a stern warning that “the world only has six months to avert climate crisis" — a post-lockdown rebound in global greenhouse gas emissions would substantially derail the global targets set by the Paris climate agreement signed in 2016. (The U.S. officially left the agreement on Nov. 5, but has Biden promised that it will rejoin.) In light of such policy recommendations, Biden's reliance on market mechanisms to slowly phase-out fossil fuels presents, at best, a moderate approach to decarbonization.
Biden's stance on fracking further reveals his hesitance to take radical measures on the U.S. fossil fuel addiction. During the final presidential debate, Biden repeatedly emphasized that he did not oppose fracking and would prefer to explore technical solutions to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas industry.
There are few readily available solutions for reducing the methane pollution associated with the fracking process. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas — 84 times more powerful than carbon dioxide in the first two decades after its release. Averting a looming climate catastrophe demands an immediate ban on fracking.
Fossil fuel divestment and voter preferences
Biden is by no means an environmental radical, but the GOP's portrayal of his support for fossil fuel divestment had the potential to damage his election performance in Texas and Pennsylvania.
Previous research has addressed the pros and cons of fossil fuel divestment as a climate action tactic, the strong support it receives within higher education and its implications for climate justice. But there is no in-depth information available on undecided and conservative voters' perceptions on fossil fuel divestment.
Prior to this election, climate change was a peripheral concern during presidential campaigns and debates. Scientific American highlighted that climate change received more attention during the first Trump versus Biden debate than in any other presidential debate in history.
Comparing this year's election results with the final polling average and previous election results, two divergent trends emerge. In Colorado, which produces the most shale oil and gas in the U.S., voters remain supportive of Biden. Despite being defeated in Texas, the Democratic share of popular votes there increased to 46.4 per cent this year from 43.2 per cent in 2016. The results suggest one of two things: Either Biden's talk of fossil fuel divestment did not substantially change voters' minds, or it led to larger voter turnouts of progressive young voters.
The results in Ohio and Pennsylvania followed the same trend. Although Biden's performance in both states has been worse than the national polling average numbers, he gained a larger share of votes than Hillary Clinton in 2016.
In Pennsylvania, Biden has managed to win 49.8 per cent of the votes, which is a solid performance considering Trump's strong pro-fracking push in Pennsylvania days before the election.
At the county level, the dynamics become more complicated. In the southwest and northeast corners of the state where fracking activities concentrate, Trump held a decisive lead. In Bradford County, one of the most fracked places on the planet, Trump received over 70 per cent of the votes.
Although election results suggest that fossil fuel divestment did not negatively impact Biden's overall election performance, it remains a pivotal and polarizing topic for many states, and could be a challenge for future progressive contenders.
Does such a political dilemma mean little political actions against the fracking industry and its lobbyists in the near future? We have to patiently wait for the next administration's climate policies.
Sibo Chen, Assistant Professor, School of Professional Communication, Ryerson University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.


alternet--2020-11-12--Los Angeles coroner announces independent inquiry into killing of 18-year-old by police

The Los Angeles County coroner 's office announced on Tuesday that it will conduct a nearly unprecedented inquest into the police killing of 18-year-old Andrés Guardado , who was shot five times in the back by an LA County Sheriff 's deputy this past summer .
The independent inquest , which the coroner 's office said will be overseen by a former court of appeals justice , is the first such investigation in more than three decades .
`` The Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner is committed to transparency and providing the residents of Los Angeles County an independent assessment of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Los Angeles County Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner Jonathan Lucas said .
`` An inquest ensures that our residents will have an independent review of all the evidence and findings of our office and of the cause and manner of death of Mr .
Guardado . ''
The statement from the Los Angeles County coroner 's office said the inquest gives officials power to `` subpoena relevant witnesses to testify and documents to present at the inquest , '' after which retired Justice Candace Cooper `` will make findings related to the cause and manner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then forward her decision and recommendation to the Medical Examiner-Coroner , '' the coroner 's office continued .
News of the inquest is welcome news for Guardado 's family and advocates , who have slammed the secrecy and lack of transparency from the sheriff 's department following his killing in June .
In just one instance , Sheriff Alex Villanueva placed a hold on Guardado 's case , which blocked his autopsy report from release .
But in another `` unusual move '' from the coroner 's office , CNN reported , `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hold and make Guardado 's autopsy results public in July . ''
Both the independent autopsy performed at the request of Guardado 's family and the coroner 's office autopsy found that the 18-year-old was shot five times in the back by the sheriff 's department .
`` These findings confirm what we have known all along , '' his family said according to LAist , `` which is that Andrés was unjustifiably killed by a Los Angeles County Sheriff 's deputy . ''
That officer , Miguel Vega , has faced previous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ false statements in an investigation , '' the Los Angeles Times previously reported .
Further damning information against the sheriff 's department is court testimony from a sheriff 's deputy identifying Vega and Chris Hernandez , the deputy with him when he shot and killed Guardado , as potential recruits for a racist and violent law enforcement gang .
When it comes to Villanueva , his `` handling of the shooting and attempts to block information from being made public are among a laundry list of criticisms he has faced in recent months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , `` leading the county Board of Supervisors to narrowly approve a motion Tuesday to explore options that could lead to his removal from office . ''
A decision to criminally charge Vega and possibly Hernandez will be in the hands of new district attorney George Gascón , who has met with relatives of people killed by police and `` promised to reopen a number of controversial shooting cases involving law enforcement officers that [ outgoing district attorney Jackie ] Lacey declined to prosecute , '' LA Times continued .
Guardado 's family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against the county , the sheriff 's department , Vega , and Hernandez , alleging they `` not only used unreasonable and excessive force in fatally shooting the young man but were possibly acting in connection and in agreement with members of one or more LASD gangs of which they may be affiliated , '' a release said .
`` The complaint , filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on behalf of Elisa and Cristobal Guardado , seeks to hold the defendants accountable for violating various civil rights as well as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ execution of 18-year-old decedent , Andres Guardado . ''

The Los Angeles County coroner's office announced on Tuesday that it will conduct a nearly unprecedented inquest into the police killing of 18-year-old Andrés Guardado, who was shot five times in the back by an LA County Sheriff's deputy this past summer. The independent inquest, which the coroner's office said will be overseen by a former court of appeals justice, is the first such investigation in more than three decades.
"The Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner is committed to transparency and providing the residents of Los Angeles County an independent assessment of its findings in this case," Los Angeles County Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner Jonathan Lucas said. "An inquest ensures that our residents will have an independent review of all the evidence and findings of our office and of the cause and manner of death of Mr. Guardado."
The statement from the Los Angeles County coroner's office said the inquest gives officials power to "subpoena relevant witnesses to testify and documents to present at the inquest," after which retired Justice Candace Cooper "will make findings related to the cause and manner of death." Cooper "will then forward her decision and recommendation to the Medical Examiner-Coroner," the coroner's office continued.
News of the inquest is welcome news for Guardado's family and advocates, who have slammed the secrecy and lack of transparency from the sheriff's department following his killing in June. In just one instance, Sheriff Alex Villanueva placed a hold on Guardado's case, which blocked his autopsy report from release. But in another "unusual move" from the coroner's office, CNN reported, "Dr. Lucas opted to remove the security hold and make Guardado's autopsy results public in July."
Both the independent autopsy performed at the request of Guardado's family and the coroner's office autopsy found that the 18-year-old was shot five times in the back by the sheriff's department. "These findings confirm what we have known all along," his family said according to LAist, "which is that Andrés was unjustifiably killed by a Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy."
That officer, Miguel Vega, has faced previous accusations of misconduct, including "making false statements in an investigation," the Los Angeles Timespreviously reported. Further damning information against the sheriff's department is court testimony from a sheriff's deputy identifying Vega and Chris Hernandez, the deputy with him when he shot and killed Guardado, as potential recruits for a racist and violent law enforcement gang.
When it comes to Villanueva, his "handling of the shooting and attempts to block information from being made public are among a laundry list of criticisms he has faced in recent months," the Los Angeles Timesreports, "leading the county Board of Supervisors to narrowly approve a motion Tuesday to explore options that could lead to his removal from office."
A decision to criminally charge Vega and possibly Hernandez will be in the hands of new district attorney George Gascón, who has met with relatives of people killed by police and "promised to reopen a number of controversial shooting cases involving law enforcement officers that [outgoing district attorney Jackie] Lacey declined to prosecute," LA Times continued.
Guardado's family in June filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the county, the sheriff's department, Vega, and Hernandez, alleging they "not only used unreasonable and excessive force in fatally shooting the young man but were possibly acting in connection and in agreement with members of one or more LASD gangs of which they may be affiliated," a release said. "The complaint, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on behalf of Elisa and Cristobal Guardado, seeks to hold the defendants accountable for violating various civil rights as well as the California Bane Act that resulted in the execution of 18-year-old decedent, Andres Guardado."


alternet--2020-11-12--Trump’s narcissism is more than a character flaw — it's a clarion call for an authoritarian state

The United States presidential election was a great spectacle .
It was also a battle over the nation 's history and its future .
As historians will tell you , how we characterize the past has direct bearing on how we imagine possible futures .
What is the vision for a post-Trump America ?
In both the lead-up to Nov. 3 and its aftermath , history loomed large .
More than 200 scholars of authoritarianism , fascism and populism signed an Open Letter of Concern about the imminent threat to democratic processes and institutions , drawing on histories of past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ freedoms in moments of instability and unrest .
Fascism historians Ruth Ben-Ghiat and Federico Finchelstein warned that Donald Trump 's narcissism is more than just a character flaw ; it is a clarion call to build an authoritarian state .
Even in defeat , they argued , strongmen and their followers often continue to undermine institutions — just as Trump appears to be doing following the election with his refusal to accept the results .
The answer ?
See through the rhetoric , exercise caution and remain vigilant .
For others , fascism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but the shock of the 2016 election was not undone by the 2020 results .
If anything , the strong showing of the Republican party , despite a platform of xenophobia and hatred , exposed the chasms that divide Americans by race and class .
Trump is reminiscent of far-away strongmen like Hungary 's Viktor Orbán and Turkey 's Recep Tayyip Erdogan .
A good portion of the electorate likes what he 's selling anyway .
That 's a bitter pill for a country that came of age on pledges of allegiance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tooze put it in the Guardian immediately after the election , Trump supporters love “ his aggression , and his gleeful slaughter of liberal sacred cows . ''
Will the defeat of a single politician silence his millions of supporters and change a system rife with inequality and abuse ?
Even in defeat , Trump has already changed the playing field .
His linguistic disobedience , alternative facts , lies and media manipulation have given false claims some legitimacy , paving the way for others to carry the baton forward in a politics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ truth .
Without serious social and electoral reform , the next authoritarian to make a play to lead the U.S. may be much more capable .
Trump may have been stopped from his “ autocratic attempt , '' but the party he transformed has yet to renounce his politics .
Trump lost , but Trumpism is alive and well , along with the conditions that propelled him to power in the first place .
At best , the post-election future might be one of regrouping and rebuilding ; at worst , there will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ truths by the outgoing president and the Republican Party .
Biden supporters , meanwhile , have tapped into other American pasts .
While they acknowledge Trump 's brutalism has been concerning , they saw Americans rising to the challenge , “ taking back the conversation '' and placing renewed faith in institutions .
They saw glimmers of hope in the record-breaking voter turnout , and in efforts to replace Confederate emblems from state flags and remove racist language from state constitutions .
They revelled in America 's diversity , praising the herculean efforts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters for defeating Trump .
But they did so often without recognizing that these same groups had the most to lose from a Republican victory during a global pandemic that hit their communities particularly hard .
Some saw this election as an extension of Civil Rights movement struggles , going so far as to compare Kamala Harris , the vice-president-elect , to Ruby Bridges , the girl who desegregated her Louisiana elementary school .
This is a broken democracy , the argument goes , not a defeated one .
Yet American democracy was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidency .
It has never adequately accounted for minority experiences in the first place .
Trump 's everyday racism is not an aberration .
Although it may be extreme , it 's at the core of America 's history .
Tiffany Florvil , a scholar of transnational Black activism , put a fine point on it when she echoed the words of historian Thomas Holt : In the United States , “ race lives because it is part and parcel of the means of living . ''
Racism is woven into the very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a feature of American democracy , not any authoritarian aberration .
What this means is the Civil Rights movement is not a thing of the past .
It is an ongoing , unfinished project .
Scholars of African American history and law have been saying this for a long time .
America 's institutions , economy and media are all built upon a history of what UCLA historian Robin D.G .
Kelley has called racial capitalism — a system of exploitation with repercussions into the current day .
As Kimberlé Crenshaw put it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's directive to all federal agencies to stop anti-bias training to address white privilege : America 's past — borne of stolen land , slavery , head taxes and segregation — is evident in the dog whistles of Trump 's rigged election speech , citing Detroit and Philadelphia as notoriously corrupt , and the chatter on the far right about the need to turn the election result into a justification for another civil war .
But it also surfaces when Democrats too quickly forget the struggles racialized populations endure to safeguard a democracy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ All of these facets of America 's past and future are circulating right now as Americans ponder Trump 's exit and whether he will go peacefully .
But the lessons drawn from history should not be solely focused on patterns that repeat themselves ; they should also guide us in shaping policy and law .
Only an honest engagement with the full scope of American history , including the crushing role racial inequality has played for generations , will help its citizens imagine an alternative future in which freedom and equality might indeed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license .
Read the original article .

by Jennifer Evans, Carleton University
The United States presidential election was a great spectacle. It was also a battle over the nation's history and its future.
As historians will tell you, how we characterize the past has direct bearing on how we imagine possible futures. What is the vision for a post-Trump America?
In both the lead-up to Nov. 3 and its aftermath, history loomed large. More than 200 scholars of authoritarianism, fascism and populism signed an Open Letter of Concern about the imminent threat to democratic processes and institutions, drawing on histories of past regimes that have curtailed democratic rights and freedoms in moments of instability and unrest.
Fascism historians Ruth Ben-Ghiat and Federico Finchelstein warned that Donald Trump's narcissism is more than just a character flaw; it is a clarion call to build an authoritarian state. Even in defeat, they argued, strongmen and their followers often continue to undermine institutions — just as Trump appears to be doing following the election with his refusal to accept the results. The answer? See through the rhetoric, exercise caution and remain vigilant.
For others, fascism may not be knocking at the door, but the shock of the 2016 election was not undone by the 2020 results. If anything, the strong showing of the Republican party, despite a platform of xenophobia and hatred, exposed the chasms that divide Americans by race and class.
Trump is reminiscent of far-away strongmen like Hungary's Viktor Orbán and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A good portion of the electorate likes what he's selling anyway. That's a bitter pill for a country that came of age on pledges of allegiance to fundamental freedoms.
As historian Adam Tooze put it in the Guardian immediately after the election, Trump supporters love “his aggression, and his gleeful slaughter of liberal sacred cows." Will the defeat of a single politician silence his millions of supporters and change a system rife with inequality and abuse?
Changed the playing field
Even in defeat, Trump has already changed the playing field. His linguistic disobedience, alternative facts, lies and media manipulation have given false claims some legitimacy, paving the way for others to carry the baton forward in a politics of hate, recriminations and denial of truth.
Without serious social and electoral reform, the next authoritarian to make a play to lead the U.S. may be much more capable. Trump may have been stopped from his “autocratic attempt," but the party he transformed has yet to renounce his politics. Trump lost, but Trumpism is alive and well, along with the conditions that propelled him to power in the first place.
At best, the post-election future might be one of regrouping and rebuilding; at worst, there will be more challenges to legal norms and truths by the outgoing president and the Republican Party.
Americans rose to the challenge?
Biden supporters, meanwhile, have tapped into other American pasts. While they acknowledge Trump's brutalism has been concerning, they saw Americans rising to the challenge, “taking back the conversation" and placing renewed faith in institutions.
They saw glimmers of hope in the record-breaking voter turnout, and in efforts to replace Confederate emblems from state flags and remove racist language from state constitutions.
They revelled in America's diversity, praising the herculean efforts of African American and Indigenous activists and voters for defeating Trump. But they did so often without recognizing that these same groups had the most to lose from a Republican victory during a global pandemic that hit their communities particularly hard.
Some saw this election as an extension of Civil Rights movement struggles, going so far as to compare Kamala Harris, the vice-president-elect, to Ruby Bridges, the girl who desegregated her Louisiana elementary school. This is a broken democracy, the argument goes, not a defeated one.
Yet American democracy wasn't under attack simply by the Trump presidency. It has never adequately accounted for minority experiences in the first place.
Trump's everyday racism is not an aberration. Although it may be extreme, it's at the core of America's history.
Tiffany Florvil, a scholar of transnational Black activism, put a fine point on it when she echoed the words of historian Thomas Holt: In the United States, “race lives because it is part and parcel of the means of living." Racism is woven into the very fabric of American life. It is a feature of American democracy, not any authoritarian aberration.
What this means is the Civil Rights movement is not a thing of the past. It is an ongoing, unfinished project.
Scholars of African American history and law have been saying this for a long time. America's institutions, economy and media are all built upon a history of what UCLA historian Robin D.G. Kelley has called racial capitalism — a system of exploitation with repercussions into the current day.
As Kimberlé Crenshaw put it in Time magazine, referring to Trump's directive to all federal agencies to stop anti-bias training to address white privilege:
“It's an approach to grappling with a history of white supremacy that rejects the belief that what's in the past is in the past, and that the laws and systems that grow from that past are detached from it."
America's past — borne of stolen land, slavery, head taxes and segregation — is evident in the dog whistles of Trump's rigged election speech, citing Detroit and Philadelphia as notoriously corrupt, and the chatter on the far right about the need to turn the election result into a justification for another civil war.
But it also surfaces when Democrats too quickly forget the struggles racialized populations endure to safeguard a democracy that has not always protected them.
All of these facets of America's past and future are circulating right now as Americans ponder Trump's exit and whether he will go peacefully.
But the lessons drawn from history should not be solely focused on patterns that repeat themselves; they should also guide us in shaping policy and law.
Only an honest engagement with the full scope of American history, including the crushing role racial inequality has played for generations, will help its citizens imagine an alternative future in which freedom and equality might indeed be possible.
Jennifer Evans, Professor of Modern European History, Carleton University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.