truthout--2020-09-04--Trump’s “Law and Order” Is Feeding Racist Violence and Chaos

As President Trump openly embraces the far-right conspiracy theory QAnon and promotes “ law and order ” while refusing to condemn armed followers of his who target antiracist protesters , we speak with Jason Stanley , Yale philosopher and scholar of propaganda , author of How Fascism Works : The Politics of Us and Them .
Stanley says Trump built a cult of personality within the Republican Party , as evident during the Republican National Convention , and has moved the United States steadily into authoritarianism during his term .
“ Fascism is a cult of the leader who promises @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threats by leftist radicals , minorities and immigrants .
He promises only he can save us , ” Stanley says .
“ In the RNC , what we saw is we saw a cult of the leader.
” This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
, democracynow.org , The Quarantine Report .
I ’ m Amy Goodman .
AMY GOODMAN : “ Twelve more years.
” That was how Donald Trump kicked off the Republican National Convention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he flew for the roll call vote .
The convention came amidst a nationwide uprising against police brutality , just days after the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha , Wisconsin , and while people continued to demand justice for Breonna Taylor and George Floyd in the streets .
But Vice President Mike Pence did not say their names when he addressed the RNC ; instead , he focused on the killing of federal security officer David Patrick Underwood in Oakland , California .
AMY GOODMAN : But Vice President Pence left out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The man charged with Underwood ’ s death was not a Black Lives Matter activist , but a man with ties to the far-right “ boogaloo ” movement , which has used protests against police brutality as a cover to carry out violence .
Pence did not mention Kyle Rittenhouse , the 17-year-old white vigilante who killed two protesters in the streets of Kenosha last week .
On Monday , President Trump refused to condemn Rittenhouse , saying the gunman probably would have been killed had he not attacked the protesters .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the far-right conspiracy theory QAnon , describing them as “ people that love our country.
” Last month , he refused to question the central plank of the conspiracy theory when questioned by a reporter .
AMY GOODMAN : Earlier this week , in an apparent reference to the QAnon conspiracy theory , Trump claimed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is being secretly controlled by people in the , quote , “ dark shadows.
” He made the comment during an interview with Laura Ingraham of Fox News .
AMY GOODMAN : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up his claim about thugs on planes .
He initially claimed the plane was headed to the Republican National Convention .
On Tuesday , he told reporters the plane was going from Washington to , quote , “ wherever.
” NBC reports Trump ’ s claim is very similar to a conspiracy theory started in June by a man in Idaho that went viral within far-right circles on social media .
Well , to connect these dots , from the Republican National Convention to white supremacists in the streets of U.S. cities to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conspiracy theories , we ’ re joined now by Yale professor Jason Stanley .
He ’ s a renowned philosopher and scholar of propaganda who wrote the book How Fascism Works : The Politics of Us and Them ) .
Professor Stanley is the child of refugees of World War II .
He ’ s a professor of philosophy at Yale University , joining us from New Haven , Connecticut .
Welcome back to Democracy Now !
, Professor Stanley .
You were on when the book was first published two years ago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump presidency .
And now either we ’ re nearing its end or he will be reelected again .
But talk about what you just listened to , and why you feel your book , How Fascism Works , is more relevant than ever .
JASON STANLEY : So , fascism is a cult of the leader who promises national restoration in the face of supposed threats by leftist radicals , minorities and immigrants .
He promises only he can save us .
In the RNC , what we saw is we saw @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans didn ’ t even bother to provide a platform .
They just said , “ Whatever Trump wants.
” We saw four of the six long speeches given by Trumps .
So , Hannah Arendt , in Origins of Totalitarianism , warns that the first step towards authoritarianism is when a political party starts to value party over parties , meaning one political party treats other political parties not as legitimate opposition but as traitors to the country .
The next step is when that political party , that engages in this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over by a social and political movement devoted to one leader .
And that , I fear , is what we ’ re seeing .
When I published my book two years ago , people accused me of hysteria , of exaggeration , and they listed reasons why we shouldn ’ t be afraid of fascism in America , despite its deep roots in this country .
And the reasons they ’ ve given , I ’ m afraid , have fallen to the wayside .
They ’ ve given reasons like , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Justice Department remains independent .
They ’ ve given reasons like there are no right-wing militias tacitly endorsed by the administration .
So , Arendt calls our attention to the fact that the Nazi government refused to condemn the violence of right-wing — right-wing , far-right violent people on the streets attacking Jews .
They refused to condemn them .
They didn ’ t endorse them ; they just refused to condemn them .
And Arendt said that was giving them permission .
So , you know , we ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and yet we ’ re being told that this is law and order .
So , we ’ re seeing militias on the street endorsed by the president .
We ’ re seeing the administration echo a conspiracy theory that looks , really , a great deal like The Protocols of the Elders of Zion , which is the early 20th century conspiracy that Judeo-Bolsheviks were behind liberalism and controlled the media , controlled the cultural institutions , where bankers were in cahoots with media and the art world to bring about world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ RNC .
Senator Tim Scott talked about Manhattan elites and Hollywood moguls supposedly trying to bring socialism to the United States .
This mixture of a wealthy elite and communists is reminiscent of some of the worst conspiracy theories of the 20th century .
So I ’ m very concerned here .
We ’ re seeing — people said , “ It ’ s not fascism , because they ’ re not attacking democracy.
” Well , what are the attacks on the elections about , if not attacks on democracy ?
So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump himself has a vision , has some kind of grand vision , as the fascists of yore has , as Timothy Snyder has called it , this is “ not-even fascism.
” I think we ’ re seeing a structure emerge , with figures like Stephen Miller , with all the sort of white supremacist ideologues in this administration , that could bring about , definitely , a turn to authoritarianism .
It ’ s definitely an attack on democracy that the RNC represented .
AMY GOODMAN : I want to go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to President Trump formally accepting the nomination before a crowd of about 1,500 people crowded onto the South Lawn of the White House .
During his acceptance speech , Trump made no reference to the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha , Wisconsin , or the killing of the two protesters that had just happened in Kenosha by a 17-year-old white Trump-supporting vigilante .
AMY GOODMAN : So , Professor Stanley , as you have a white officer shooting at point-blank range seven times in the back Jacob Blake just days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Matter activists shot dead in the streets of Kenosha by a Trump-supporting gunman , no mention of them , but talking about mob rule in the streets somewhere of cities that are run by Democrats .
JASON STANLEY : OK .
So , there ’ s two chapters in my book — my book is a 10-part characterization of fascist tactics .
There ’ s two parts in my — two chapters in my book that are deeply relevant for what is happening now : obviously , chapter seven , “ Law and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Sodom and Gomorrah.
” What is meant by “ Sodom and Gomorrah ” ?
Chapter two of Hitler ’ s book Mein Kampf is called “ My Study and Struggles in Vienna , ” and he talks about his time in Vienna , a city , the capital of Austria , filled with foreigners , dirty , diseased , all sorts of different languages , filled with immigrants , and then the hated minority group , which for him were Jews .
So , what we see is a repetition of this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hypocritical , of course — Trump is from Queens .
But what Trump is doing is trying to represent cities as filled with foreigners , minorities and disease .
Earlier , he described New York City as filled with — as disease-ridden .
And I think yesterday or , I think , in the last 24 hours , he said he blamed the COVID deaths on New York City .
So , the idea is an attack on — you know , cities are dens of iniquity and foreignness .
Real Americans live @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And the cities are where you have mobs out of control , immigrants .
There ’ s sanctuary cities .
This is a classic tactic of this kind of far-right fascist politics .
And then law and order .
What ’ s meant by “ law and order ” here ?
Not when — you know , Kyle Rittenhouse is not a violation of law and order .
Kyle Rittenhouse , who murdered two people , who killed two people , is — he ’ s a radicalized 17-year-old .
He ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , because white Trump supporters are law-abiding by their nature .
The Trump rally we saw in Portland , shooting paintballs , aggressive against the counterprotesters , that was law-abiding .
They were peaceful protesters , because on this notion of law and order , young Black men are , in and of themselves , violators of law and order .
Leftist protesters against Trump can be doing nothing but rioting and looting .
Now , any protest — almost any protest is going to have elements with bad apples that become violent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Hong Kong became much more violent than anything we ’ ve seen here .
Nevertheless , the Republicans did not denounce the Hong Kong protests as riots .
Do you know who denounced the Hong Kong protests as riots ?
The Chinese government .
What we ’ re seeing here is our government behave like the Chinese government , representing largely peaceful protests , with some bad elements that grow violent and should be condemned , as riots .
And that ’ s a counterinsurgency , authoritarian tactic .
“ Law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law and order .
Does this feel like law and order ?
Do the last four years feel like law and order ?
That very speech that we witnessed at the RNC was a violation of law and order , because it was given from White House grounds in violation of the Hatch Act , so , you know — and proudly so , because this administration revels in its violation of law and order , because , in fascism , “ law and order ” means whatever the leader says , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is , and “ lawless ” means the men of the minority group and leftists and radicals , supposed leftist radicals .
AMY GOODMAN : President Trump has said New Jersey ’ s first African American U.S. senator , Cory Booker , will help Joe Biden destroy peaceful suburbs by bringing low-income housing and crime .
This is Trump speaking to Fox News Monday night .
JASON STANLEY : So , there ’ s no evidence at all that Cory Booker , a senator , an African American senator from New Jersey , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ program .
He throws his name in .
He mentions women .
Why does he mention women ?
Well , this harkens back to what Langston Hughes called “ our native fascisms.
” This harkens back to the worst moments in American history , the history of lynching .
Ida B .
Wells , in Southern Horrors , the great Ida B .
Wells , the great anti-lynching activist and intellectual and journalist , said , “ Look , racism and sexism go together.
” They ’ re treating white women as victims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black men by a strong leader , by — you know , by white militias , the KKK .
Trump is directly harkening back to that horrific time in American history , which is this sort of lynching in the late 19th , early 20th century to mid-20th century .
This is something that Du Bois , in Black Reconstruction , calls fascism , so American fascism .
This is the aspect of America that influences Hitler , that influences the Jim Crow laws , the racial subordination .
Here , so I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Sexual Anxiety.
” You know , in Germany , the idea behind both Nazi Germany — Nazi German ideology and the Ku Klux Klan , often called the first fascist organization , was that Jews , Marxist Jews , were trying to promote a race war to get Black Americans to — to get Blacks and immigrants to overthrow the white Christianity .
And the idea , you know , Hitler fomented this , as I document in my book .
It ’ s also the case that you had this propaganda @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that we need to protect our women and children from these predators , pedophile rings .
But this echoes the classic American , supposed and completely fictional Black male rapist fiction , fictional narrative , that underlay lynching .
And the random evocation of Cory Booker is a case in point .
Ida B .
Wells is , sadly , more relevant than ever .
AMY GOODMAN : During the Republican convention , speakers used apocalyptic language to describe the dangers of a Biden presidency .
This is Charlie Kirk , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Point .
AMY GOODMAN : Charlie Kirk , the founder of the right-wing student group Turning Point .
Professor Stanley , respond to this and also people raising their eyebrows and saying , “ Oh , come on , Nazi Germany , you ’ re comparing this to ?
” JASON STANLEY : That speech is highly evocative of a speech that Goebbels , Joseph Goebbels , the Nazi propaganda minister , gave in 1935 called “ Communism with Its Mask Off.
” In Goebbels ’ speeches , including that speech , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he regularly represents the threat as being a threat to Western civilization .
He says the Nazi Party is going to protect social conservatives , Christians from the Armageddon of communism , which seeks to destroy civilization as such .
Goebbels says the communists are in cahoots with the international underworld .
So , that ’ s that link between communism and crime and supposed lawless crime .
So you have the same idea here .
There ’ s Trump , on the one hand , protecting Christianity , protecting Western civilization , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawless mob in cahoots with communists seeking to destroy civilization itself .
And this is the friend-enemy distinction that is so antithetical to democracy .
AMY GOODMAN : What about science ?
How does the denial of science , all over , that Trump is doing , from pushing hydroxychloroquine , despite all the studies , to now , apparently , with warp speed , as the operation might well be accurately named , pushing a vaccine just in time for the election , when scientists all over this country are saying this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s belief in science ?
JASON STANLEY : So , I had to get the preface for the paperback of my book in by March 14th , and it was very unclear which countries would do worst with COVID .
But you started off this program by listing the countries that have done worst : Brazil , the United States and India , and Russia , as well .
So , I listed those countries .
I predicted those countries would do worst , even though some said , “ What ?
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Well , I predicted they would be worst because these leaders reject science .
They reject science as , you know , the attitude — I ’ m not comparing here these leaders to Hitler .
Hitler did have a grand genocidal vision that these leaders lack .
But these are hypernationalist leaders that see the world in friend-enemy distinctions .
And as Hitler says in Mein Kampf , science is just a tool for national glory .
So , the only way such leaders are going to drag scientists up to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ men for the leaders , praise the leaders , because that ’ s all this kind of politics is : You ’ re either with us or against us .
And science , by its nature , facts , by their nature , do not have a side .
They do not pick a side .
So , science is incompatible with these leaders .
These leaders are going to pick scientists that just praise the leaders and tell the leaders what they want to hear .
And what we have underlying this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Well , let the weak and old die .
That is an ideology that is very clear in Bolsonaro in Brazil ’ s response to COVID-19 .
And finally , we have the weaponization of everything , like there is no America , or this is no — there ’ s just us and them .
And as we ’ ve seen , the Trump administration backed off from really focusing on COVID-19 when they came to believe that it was largely a disease of essential workers — that is , largely Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was relegated mostly to Democrat-run cities .
So , you know , this kind of thinking , there ’ s just friend and enemy .
And when there ’ s just friend and enemy , well , science has no role .
It is really just a tool of national glory .
AMY GOODMAN : Jason Stanley , I want to thank you for being with us , professor of philosophy at Yale University , author of five books , most recently , How Fascism Works : The Politics of Us and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ago today , Salvador Allende was elected president of Chile .
We ’ ll speak with his former adviser , Ariel Dorfman , who at the time was dancing in the streets of Santiago .
Stay with us .

As President Trump openly embraces the far-right conspiracy theory QAnon and promotes “law and order” while refusing to condemn armed followers of his who target antiracist protesters, we speak with Jason Stanley, Yale philosopher and scholar of propaganda, author of How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them. Stanley says Trump built a cult of personality within the Republican Party, as evident during the Republican National Convention, and has moved the United States steadily into authoritarianism during his term. “Fascism is a cult of the leader who promises national restoration in the face of supposed threats by leftist radicals, minorities and immigrants. He promises only he can save us,” Stanley says. “In the RNC, what we saw is we saw a cult of the leader.”
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The Quarantine Report. I’m Amy Goodman.
AMY GOODMAN: “Twelve more years.” That was how Donald Trump kicked off the Republican National Convention from North Carolina last week, where he flew for the roll call vote. The convention came amidst a nationwide uprising against police brutality, just days after the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and while people continued to demand justice for Breonna Taylor and George Floyd in the streets. But Vice President Mike Pence did not say their names when he addressed the RNC; instead, he focused on the killing of federal security officer David Patrick Underwood in Oakland, California.
VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE: We will have law and order on the streets of this country for every American of every race and creed and color. … President Trump and I know that the men and women that put on the uniform of law enforcement are the best of us. Every day, when they walk out that door, they consider our lives more important than their own — people like Dave Patrick Underwood, an officer in the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Protective Service, who was shot and killed during the riots in Oakland, California. Dave’s heroism is emblematic of the heroes that serve in blue every day. And we’re privileged tonight to be joined by his sister Angela. Angela, we say to you, we grieve with your family, and America will never forget or fail to honor officer Dave Patrick Underwood.
AMY GOODMAN: But Vice President Pence left out a key part of the story. The man charged with Underwood’s death was not a Black Lives Matter activist, but a man with ties to the far-right “boogaloo” movement, which has used protests against police brutality as a cover to carry out violence.
Pence did not mention Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old white vigilante who killed two protesters in the streets of Kenosha last week. On Monday, President Trump refused to condemn Rittenhouse, saying the gunman probably would have been killed had he not attacked the protesters.
This comes as Trump has openly embraced supporters of the far-right conspiracy theory QAnon, describing them as “people that love our country.” Last month, he refused to question the central plank of the conspiracy theory when questioned by a reporter.
REPORTER: At the crux of the theory is this belief that you are secretly saving the world from this satanic cult of pedophiles and cannibals. Does that sound like something you are behind? PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, I haven’t — I haven’t heard that, but is that supposed to be a bad thing or a good thing? I mean, you know, if I can help save the world from problems, I’m willing to do it.
AMY GOODMAN: Earlier this week, in an apparent reference to the QAnon conspiracy theory, Trump claimed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is being secretly controlled by people in the, quote, “dark shadows.” He made the comment during an interview with Laura Ingraham of Fox News.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I don’t even like to mention Biden, because he’s not controlling anything. They control him. LAURA INGRAHAM: Who do you think is pulling Biden’s strings? Is it former Obama officials? PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: People that you’ve never heard of. People that are in the dark shadows. People that are — LAURA INGRAHAM: What does that mean? That sounds like conspiracy theory: “dark shadows.” What is that? PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: No, people that you haven’t heard of. There are people that are on the streets. There are people that are controlling the streets. We had somebody get on a plane from a certain city this weekend, and in the plane, it was almost completely loaded with — with thugs wearing these dark uniforms, black uniforms, with gear and this and that. They’re on a plane. LAURA INGRAHAM: Where was this? PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I’ll tell you sometime, but it’s under investigation.
AMY GOODMAN: President Trump provided no evidence to back up his claim about thugs on planes. He initially claimed the plane was headed to the Republican National Convention. On Tuesday, he told reporters the plane was going from Washington to, quote, “wherever.” NBC reports Trump’s claim is very similar to a conspiracy theory started in June by a man in Idaho that went viral within far-right circles on social media.
Well, to connect these dots, from the Republican National Convention to white supremacists in the streets of U.S. cities to the president’s embrace of fringe conspiracy theories, we’re joined now by Yale professor Jason Stanley. He’s a renowned philosopher and scholar of propaganda who wrote the book How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them). Professor Stanley is the child of refugees of World War II. He’s a professor of philosophy at Yale University, joining us from New Haven, Connecticut.
Welcome back to Democracy Now!, Professor Stanley. You were on when the book was first published two years ago, right in the middle of the Trump presidency. And now either we’re nearing its end or he will be reelected again. But talk about what you just listened to, and why you feel your book, How Fascism Works, is more relevant than ever.
JASON STANLEY: So, fascism is a cult of the leader who promises national restoration in the face of supposed threats by leftist radicals, minorities and immigrants. He promises only he can save us. In the RNC, what we saw is we saw a cult of the leader. The Republicans didn’t even bother to provide a platform. They just said, “Whatever Trump wants.” We saw four of the six long speeches given by Trumps.
So, Hannah Arendt, in Origins of Totalitarianism, warns that the first step towards authoritarianism is when a political party starts to value party over parties, meaning one political party treats other political parties not as legitimate opposition but as traitors to the country. The next step is when that political party, that engages in this kind of behavior, just becomes taken over by a social and political movement devoted to one leader. And that, I fear, is what we’re seeing.
When I published my book two years ago, people accused me of hysteria, of exaggeration, and they listed reasons why we shouldn’t be afraid of fascism in America, despite its deep roots in this country. And the reasons they’ve given, I’m afraid, have fallen to the wayside. They’ve given reasons like, you know, the institutions remain independent, the Justice Department remains independent. They’ve given reasons like there are no right-wing militias tacitly endorsed by the administration. So, Arendt calls our attention to the fact that the Nazi government refused to condemn the violence of right-wing — right-wing, far-right violent people on the streets attacking Jews. They refused to condemn them. They didn’t endorse them; they just refused to condemn them. And Arendt said that was giving them permission.
So, you know, we’ve seen four years of chaos here, and yet we’re being told that this is law and order. So, we’re seeing militias on the street endorsed by the president. We’re seeing the administration echo a conspiracy theory that looks, really, a great deal like The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, which is the early 20th century conspiracy that Judeo-Bolsheviks were behind liberalism and controlled the media, controlled the cultural institutions, where bankers were in cahoots with media and the art world to bring about world communism. We saw that at the RNC. Senator Tim Scott talked about Manhattan elites and Hollywood moguls supposedly trying to bring socialism to the United States. This mixture of a wealthy elite and communists is reminiscent of some of the worst conspiracy theories of the 20th century. So I’m very concerned here.
We’re seeing — people said, “It’s not fascism, because they’re not attacking democracy.” Well, what are the attacks on the elections about, if not attacks on democracy? So, while I don’t think Trump himself has a vision, has some kind of grand vision, as the fascists of yore has, as Timothy Snyder has called it, this is “not-even fascism.” I think we’re seeing a structure emerge, with figures like Stephen Miller, with all the sort of white supremacist ideologues in this administration, that could bring about, definitely, a turn to authoritarianism. It’s definitely an attack on democracy that the RNC represented.
AMY GOODMAN: I want to go to — back to the Republican convention, to President Trump formally accepting the nomination before a crowd of about 1,500 people crowded onto the South Lawn of the White House. During his acceptance speech, Trump made no reference to the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, or the killing of the two protesters that had just happened in Kenosha by a 17-year-old white Trump-supporting vigilante.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: When there is police misconduct, the justice system must hold wrongdoers fully and completely accountable. And it will. But when we can never have a situation where things are going on, as they are today, we must never allow mob rule. We can never allow mob rule. In the strongest possible terms, the Republican Party condemns the rioting, looting, arson and violence we have seen in Democrat-run cities all, like Kenosha, Minneapolis, Portland, Chicago and New York and many others. Democrat-run. There is violence and danger in the streets of many Democrat-run cities throughout America.
AMY GOODMAN: So, Professor Stanley, as you have a white officer shooting at point-blank range seven times in the back Jacob Blake just days before, and then two Black Lives Matter activists shot dead in the streets of Kenosha by a Trump-supporting gunman, no mention of them, but talking about mob rule in the streets somewhere of cities that are run by Democrats.
JASON STANLEY: OK. So, there’s two chapters in my book — my book is a 10-part characterization of fascist tactics. There’s two parts in my — two chapters in my book that are deeply relevant for what is happening now: obviously, chapter seven, “Law and Order,” and chapter nine, “Sodom and Gomorrah.”
What is meant by “Sodom and Gomorrah”? Chapter two of Hitler’s book Mein Kampf is called “My Study and Struggles in Vienna,” and he talks about his time in Vienna, a city, the capital of Austria, filled with foreigners, dirty, diseased, all sorts of different languages, filled with immigrants, and then the hated minority group, which for him were Jews. So, what we see is a repetition of this tactic: an attack on cities. Hypocritical, of course — Trump is from Queens. But what Trump is doing is trying to represent cities as filled with foreigners, minorities and disease. Earlier, he described New York City as filled with — as disease-ridden. And I think yesterday or, I think, in the last 24 hours, he said he blamed the COVID deaths on New York City. So, the idea is an attack on — you know, cities are dens of iniquity and foreignness. Real Americans live in rural areas outside the cities. And the cities are where you have mobs out of control, immigrants. There’s sanctuary cities. This is a classic tactic of this kind of far-right fascist politics.
And then law and order. What’s meant by “law and order” here? Not when — you know, Kyle Rittenhouse is not a violation of law and order. Kyle Rittenhouse, who murdered two people, who killed two people, is — he’s a radicalized 17-year-old. He’s not a violation of law and order, because white Trump supporters are law-abiding by their nature. The Trump rally we saw in Portland, shooting paintballs, aggressive against the counterprotesters, that was law-abiding. They were peaceful protesters, because on this notion of law and order, young Black men are, in and of themselves, violators of law and order. Leftist protesters against Trump can be doing nothing but rioting and looting.
Now, any protest — almost any protest is going to have elements with bad apples that become violent. Look at the Hong Kong protests. The Hong Kong became much more violent than anything we’ve seen here. Nevertheless, the Republicans did not denounce the Hong Kong protests as riots. Do you know who denounced the Hong Kong protests as riots? The Chinese government. What we’re seeing here is our government behave like the Chinese government, representing largely peaceful protests, with some bad elements that grow violent and should be condemned, as riots. And that’s a counterinsurgency, authoritarian tactic.
“Law and order” here does not mean law and order. Does this feel like law and order? Do the last four years feel like law and order? That very speech that we witnessed at the RNC was a violation of law and order, because it was given from White House grounds in violation of the Hatch Act, so, you know — and proudly so, because this administration revels in its violation of law and order, because, in fascism, “law and order” means whatever the leader says, and “law-abiding” means whoever the leader is, and “lawless” means the men of the minority group and leftists and radicals, supposed leftist radicals.
AMY GOODMAN: President Trump has said New Jersey’s first African American U.S. senator, Cory Booker, will help Joe Biden destroy peaceful suburbs by bringing low-income housing and crime. This is Trump speaking to Fox News Monday night.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: You have this beautiful community in the suburbs, including women, right? Women. They want security. I ended where they build low-income housing project right in the middle of your neighborhood. I ended it. If Biden gets in, he already said it’s going to go at a much higher rate than ever before. And you know who’s going to be in charge of it? Cory Booker. That’s going to be nice. OK?
AMY GOODMAN: Cory Booker, the president says. Professor Stanley?
JASON STANLEY: So, there’s no evidence at all that Cory Booker, a senator, an African American senator from New Jersey, is going to be running any such program. He throws his name in.
He mentions women. Why does he mention women? Well, this harkens back to what Langston Hughes called “our native fascisms.” This harkens back to the worst moments in American history, the history of lynching. Ida B. Wells, in Southern Horrors, the great Ida B. Wells, the great anti-lynching activist and intellectual and journalist, said, “Look, racism and sexism go together.” They’re treating white women as victims who need to be protected from marauding Black men by a strong leader, by — you know, by white militias, the KKK.
Trump is directly harkening back to that horrific time in American history, which is this sort of lynching in the late 19th, early 20th century to mid-20th century. This is something that Du Bois, in Black Reconstruction, calls fascism, so American fascism. This is the aspect of America that influences Hitler, that influences the Jim Crow laws, the racial subordination.
Here, so I have a chapter in my book called “Sexual Anxiety.” You know, in Germany, the idea behind both Nazi Germany — Nazi German ideology and the Ku Klux Klan, often called the first fascist organization, was that Jews, Marxist Jews, were trying to promote a race war to get Black Americans to — to get Blacks and immigrants to overthrow the white Christianity. And the idea, you know, Hitler fomented this, as I document in my book. It’s also the case that you had this propaganda, that overlaps between here and QAnon, that we need to protect our women and children from these predators, pedophile rings.
But this echoes the classic American, supposed and completely fictional Black male rapist fiction, fictional narrative, that underlay lynching. And the random evocation of Cory Booker is a case in point. Ida B. Wells is, sadly, more relevant than ever.
AMY GOODMAN: During the Republican convention, speakers used apocalyptic language to describe the dangers of a Biden presidency. This is Charlie Kirk, the founder of the right-wing student group Turning Point.
CHARLIE KIRK: We may not have realized it at the time, but Trump is the bodyguard of Western civilization. Trump was elected to protect our families from the vengeful mob that seeks to destroy our way of life, our neighborhoods, schools, churches and values. President Trump was elected to defend the American way of life.
AMY GOODMAN: Charlie Kirk, the founder of the right-wing student group Turning Point. Professor Stanley, respond to this and also people raising their eyebrows and saying, “Oh, come on, Nazi Germany, you’re comparing this to?”
JASON STANLEY: That speech is highly evocative of a speech that Goebbels, Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda minister, gave in 1935 called “Communism with Its Mask Off.” In Goebbels’ speeches, including that speech, which I encourage people to look up, he regularly represents the threat as being a threat to Western civilization. He says the Nazi Party is going to protect social conservatives, Christians from the Armageddon of communism, which seeks to destroy civilization as such. Goebbels says the communists are in cahoots with the international underworld. So, that’s that link between communism and crime and supposed lawless crime.
So you have the same idea here. There’s Trump, on the one hand, protecting Christianity, protecting Western civilization, and anyone opposed to Trump is a lawless mob in cahoots with communists seeking to destroy civilization itself. And this is the friend-enemy distinction that is so antithetical to democracy.
AMY GOODMAN: What about science? How does the denial of science, all over, that Trump is doing, from pushing hydroxychloroquine, despite all the studies, to now, apparently, with warp speed, as the operation might well be accurately named, pushing a vaccine just in time for the election, when scientists all over this country are saying this is dangerous and is undermining people’s belief in science?
JASON STANLEY: So, I had to get the preface for the paperback of my book in by March 14th, and it was very unclear which countries would do worst with COVID. But you started off this program by listing the countries that have done worst: Brazil, the United States and India, and Russia, as well. So, I listed those countries. I predicted those countries would do worst, even though some said,
“What? They have strong — supposedly strong leaders.”
Well, I predicted they would be worst because these leaders reject science. They reject science as, you know, the attitude — I’m not comparing here these leaders to Hitler. Hitler did have a grand genocidal vision that these leaders lack. But these are hypernationalist leaders that see the world in friend-enemy distinctions. And as Hitler says in Mein Kampf, science is just a tool for national glory. So, the only way such leaders are going to drag scientists up to the podium is if these scientists are yes men for the leaders, praise the leaders, because that’s all this kind of politics is: You’re either with us or against us. And science, by its nature, facts, by their nature, do not have a side. They do not pick a side. So, science is incompatible with these leaders. These leaders are going to pick scientists that just praise the leaders and tell the leaders what they want to hear. And what we have underlying this is an ideology of social Darwinism: Well, let the weak and old die. That is an ideology that is very clear in Bolsonaro in Brazil’s response to COVID-19.
And finally, we have the weaponization of everything, like there is no America, or this is no — there’s just us and them. And as we’ve seen, the Trump administration backed off from really focusing on COVID-19 when they came to believe that it was largely a disease of essential workers — that is, largely Black and Hispanic Americans — and they believed it was relegated mostly to Democrat-run cities. So, you know, this kind of thinking, there’s just friend and enemy. And when there’s just friend and enemy, well, science has no role. It is really just a tool of national glory.
AMY GOODMAN: Jason Stanley, I want to thank you for being with us, professor of philosophy at Yale University, author of five books, most recently, How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them.
Next up, 50 years ago today, Salvador Allende was elected president of Chile. We’ll speak with his former adviser, Ariel Dorfman, who at the time was dancing in the streets of Santiago. Stay with us.


truthout--2020-09-04--Less Than Half of Jobs Lost at Start of Pandemic Have Been Recovered

The August employment report showed the economy again adding back jobs at a strong rate .
The reported gain of 1,371,000 somewhat overstates underlying strength since it includes the addition of 238,000 temporary Census jobs .
However , even without these jobs , the gain would still be over 1.1 million .
The unemployment rate dropped 1.8 percentage point to 8.4 percent , while the employment-to-population ratio ( EPOP ) rose 1.4 percentage point to 56.5 percent .
( The Bureau of Labor Statistics warns that due to misclassification , the unemployment rate may actually be 0.7 percentage points higher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ error is considerably lower than in April or May , but comparable to its July level . )
The hit from the pandemic continues to skew to the more disadvantaged groups in the labor market .
The unemployment rate for whites fell by 1.9 percentage points to 7.3 percent , while for Blacks it dropped 1.6 percentage points to 13.0 percent .
Hispanics fared somewhat better with a drop of 2.4 percentage points to 10.5 percent .
Since the April peak , white unemployment is down 6.9 percentage points , while Black unemployment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a peak in May .
Hispanic unemployment has fallen 8.4 percentage points from its peak .
Asian unemployment is extraordinarily high at 10.7 percent , down by just 4.3 percentage points from the May peak .
The unemployment rate for Asians is typically comparable to or lower than whites .
By education , the unemployment rate for college grads stands at 5.3 percent , compared to 9.8 percent for those with just a high school degree .
That compares with year-ago rates of 2.1 percent and 3.6 percent , respectively .
For those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
One disturbing part of this picture is a sharp drop in the share of the unemployed who report being on temporary layoff from 56.4 percent to 45.5 percent .
This is partly due to these workers getting their jobs back , but also due to many layoffs becoming permanent .
Still , it is encouraging that close to half of the unemployed expect to be returning to their former jobs .
In this respect , it is striking that the number of people who report being self-employed is actually up from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of unincorporated self-employed is down slightly from 9,681,000 to 9,603,000 , the number of incorporated self-employed , who are generally viewed as more established , rose by 178,000 to 6,327,000 .
On the less encouraging side , the share of long-term unemployed ( more than 26 weeks ) rose from 9.2 percent to 12.0 percent .
Historically , the long-term unemployed have had far more difficulty finding new employment .
The biggest job gainers by industry were ones that had been hit hard by the shutdowns .
Retail added 248,900 jobs , accounting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sector job growth .
Employment in the sector is now 655,400 ( 4.2 percent ) below the February level .
Restaurants added 133,600 jobs , but industry employment is still down by almost 2.5 million ( 20.2 percent ) from the pre-pandemic level .
Employment services added 126,300 jobs , but that still left employment down by more than 550,000 ( 15.1 percent ) from the February level .
Health care added 75,300 jobs , leaving employment down by more than 700,000 ( 4.3 percent ) from February levels .
Private educational services @ @ @ @ @ @ @ efforts to cope with remote learning .
There was surprisingly weak job growth in some areas .
Hotels added just 15,400 jobs , leaving employment more than 780,000 ( 37.3 percent ) below the February level .
Job growth in construction and manufacturing was also surprisingly weak , adding 16,000 and 29,000 jobs , respectively .
Compared to February , construction employment is down by 425,000 ( 5.6 percent ) , while manufacturing employment is down by 720,000 ( 5.6 percent ) .
The airline industry added back just 7,500 jobs in August @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( 21.1 percent ) from February .
The movie industry added 13,900 jobs , but employment is still down by almost 230,000 ( 50.0 percent ) from February ’ s level .
Personal and laundry services added 13,900 jobs , leaving employment down by 288,000 ( 18.7 percent ) from February .
State government employment fell by 2,000 , while local government employment rose 95,000 .
Employment in these sectors is down , respectively , by 218,000 ( 4.2 percent ) and 909,000 ( 6.2 percent ) .
Since much government employment is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it is difficult to make too much of the monthly changes at the end of the summer , but it is virtually certain we will see more layoffs if additional federal money is not forthcoming .
On the whole , this is a positive report , with the addition of more than 1 million private sector jobs , but we are still down 10.7 million from the February level , having recovered less than half the April job loss .
With momentum clearly slowing and large public sector layoffs looming , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @

The August employment report showed the economy again adding back jobs at a strong rate. The reported gain of 1,371,000 somewhat overstates underlying strength since it includes the addition of 238,000 temporary Census jobs. However, even without these jobs, the gain would still be over 1.1 million. The unemployment rate dropped 1.8 percentage point to 8.4 percent, while the employment-to-population ratio (EPOP) rose 1.4 percentage point to 56.5 percent. (The Bureau of Labor Statistics warns that due to misclassification, the unemployment rate may actually be 0.7 percentage points higher than reported. The size of this error is considerably lower than in April or May, but comparable to its July level.)
The hit from the pandemic continues to skew to the more disadvantaged groups in the labor market. The unemployment rate for whites fell by 1.9 percentage points to 7.3 percent, while for Blacks it dropped 1.6 percentage points to 13.0 percent. Hispanics fared somewhat better with a drop of 2.4 percentage points to 10.5 percent. Since the April peak, white unemployment is down 6.9 percentage points, while Black unemployment is down by 3.8 percentage points from a peak in May. Hispanic unemployment has fallen 8.4 percentage points from its peak. Asian unemployment is extraordinarily high at 10.7 percent, down by just 4.3 percentage points from the May peak. The unemployment rate for Asians is typically comparable to or lower than whites.
By education, the unemployment rate for college grads stands at 5.3 percent, compared to 9.8 percent for those with just a high school degree. That compares with year-ago rates of 2.1 percent and 3.6 percent, respectively. For those with some college it is 8.0 percent.
One disturbing part of this picture is a sharp drop in the share of the unemployed who report being on temporary layoff from 56.4 percent to 45.5 percent. This is partly due to these workers getting their jobs back, but also due to many layoffs becoming permanent. Still, it is encouraging that close to half of the unemployed expect to be returning to their former jobs.
In this respect, it is striking that the number of people who report being self-employed is actually up from the year ago level. While the number of unincorporated self-employed is down slightly from 9,681,000 to 9,603,000, the number of incorporated self-employed, who are generally viewed as more established, rose by 178,000 to 6,327,000.
On the less encouraging side, the share of long-term unemployed (more than 26 weeks) rose from 9.2 percent to 12.0 percent. Historically, the long-term unemployed have had far more difficulty finding new employment.
The biggest job gainers by industry were ones that had been hit hard by the shutdowns. Retail added 248,900 jobs, accounting for almost a quarter of the private sector job growth. Employment in the sector is now 655,400 (4.2 percent) below the February level. Restaurants added 133,600 jobs, but industry employment is still down by almost 2.5 million (20.2 percent) from the pre-pandemic level.
Employment services added 126,300 jobs, but that still left employment down by more than 550,000 (15.1 percent) from the February level. Health care added 75,300 jobs, leaving employment down by more than 700,000 (4.3 percent) from February levels. Private educational services added 56,900 jobs, possibly due to efforts to cope with remote learning.
There was surprisingly weak job growth in some areas. Hotels added just 15,400 jobs, leaving employment more than 780,000 (37.3 percent) below the February level. Job growth in construction and manufacturing was also surprisingly weak, adding 16,000 and 29,000 jobs, respectively. Compared to February, construction employment is down by 425,000 (5.6 percent), while manufacturing employment is down by 720,000 (5.6 percent).
The airline industry added back just 7,500 jobs in August, leaving employment down more than 100,000 (21.1 percent) from February. The movie industry added 13,900 jobs, but employment is still down by almost 230,000 (50.0 percent) from February’s level. Personal and laundry services added 13,900 jobs, leaving employment down by 288,000 (18.7 percent) from February.
State government employment fell by 2,000, while local government employment rose 95,000. Employment in these sectors is down, respectively, by 218,000 (4.2 percent) and 909,000 (6.2 percent). Since much government employment is in education, and therefore highly seasonal, it is difficult to make too much of the monthly changes at the end of the summer, but it is virtually certain we will see more layoffs if additional federal money is not forthcoming.
On the whole, this is a positive report, with the addition of more than 1 million private sector jobs, but we are still down 10.7 million from the February level, having recovered less than half the April job loss. With momentum clearly slowing and large public sector layoffs looming, it is difficult to be too optimistic.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
This piece was reprinted by Truthout with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.


truthout--2020-09-04--Trump Denies Reports of Calling Vets “Losers” as More Outlets Corroborate Story

President Trump is struggling to defend himself after an explosive report alleged he had belittled U.S. soldiers who died during wars as “ losers.
” The Atlantic published a scathing article Thursday evening quoting the current commander in chief disparaging veterans who died in wars , citing several sources with knowledge of Trump ’ s statements .
In one account from the report , a trip to an American cemetery in France to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I was canceled — not due to the inability of a helicopter to fly to the event @ @ @ @ @ @ @ excuse given , but rather because Trump didn ’ t want to mess up his hair simply to honor those who had died .
“ Why should I go to that cemetery ?
It ’ s full of losers , ” Trump reportedly said .
In separate comments on the same trip , Trump allegedly described U.S. Marines who died in an important battle as “ suckers.
” He also had difficulty understanding basic history about the war , asking aides who “ the good guys ” were , and asking why the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump sent a series of tweets Friday morning attempting to discredit the report as “ fake news.
” However , a number of comments Trump has made both during his time in office and before he became president give reason to be skeptical of his characterization of the article .
The Atlantic also described Trump ’ s tactless interactions with his former chief of staff John Kelly , a veteran himself whose son died in Afghanistan .
During a ceremony for Kelly ’ s son and others who were killed in Afghanistan and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and said , “ I don ’ t get it .
What was in it for them ?
” The article also mentioned Trump ’ s public feud with former Sen. John McCain , who passed away in 2018 .
Trump was flippant and outraged over the honors being given to the late statesman when he died , the report said .
“ We ’ re not going to support that loser ’ s funeral , ” Trump allegedly said at the time .
He also was outraged that U.S. flags were lowered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are we doing that for ?
Guy was a fucking loser , ” Trump said .
The White House disputed the contents of The Atlantic ’ s report .
“ This report is false .
President Trump holds the military in the highest regard , ” White House spokeswoman Alyssa Farah said .
Trump also tweeted that , despite their differences , he was happy to honor McCain .
“ I never called John a loser , ” Trump wrote .
“ I swear on whatever , or whoever , I was asked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called our great fallen soldiers anything other than HEROES .
This is more made up Fake News given by disgusting & jealous failures in a disgraceful attempt to influence the 2020 Election !
” Trump also said that he had to approve McCain ’ s funeral , repeating a claim he made in March 2019 .
However , the Washington National Cathedral , where McCain ’ s funeral was conducted , never needs approval for services it holds , including for funerals of former lawmakers .
“ All funerals and memorial services at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the deceased ; only a state funeral for a former president involves consultation with government officials , ” Kevin Eckstrom , chief communications officer for the National Cathedral , said at the time .
Miles Taylor , who previously served as chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security under Trump , also contradicted the president ’ s assertions .
“ Mr .
President , this is not true , ” Taylor wrote in a tweet of his own .
“ You were angry that DHS notified federal buildings to lower @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would know because your staff called and told me.
” Trump ’ s insistence that he never disparaged McCain , who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam , is also false .
In 2015 , while campaigning for president , Trump suggested that McCain was not worthy of recognition , extending his complaints toward POWs in general for having been imprisoned .
“ I like people who weren ’ t captured , ” Trump said in an interview .
In that same year , Trump also shared an article from his Twitter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Several other instances of Trump ’ s easy-to-debunk lies in the wake of The Atlantic ’ s reporting on his statements about veterans — which have since been corroborated by reporters from The Associated Press and The Washington Post as well — provide ample reasons to be skeptical of his assertions that the article is “ fake news.
” Following the assassination of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani in January , Iran retaliated with missile attacks toward U.S. bases in the Middle East .
Trump downplayed the injuries soldiers suffered there , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brain injuries that he brushed off as being “ headaches.
” Trump has also claimed to have raised millions of dollars for charities to veterans ’ groups , but oftentimes those claims have been exaggerations or complete lies , as some organizations have reported funds promised to them were never received until the media reported on him not giving .
VoteVets , a progressive organization representing veterans and their family members , released a statement in response to The Atlantic ’ s report on Trump ’ s comments , saying it was “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he had said .
Trump “ has abused our military , has made our country less safe , and has put our men and women in uniform in harm ’ s way for his own political gain , ” their statement read .

President Trump is struggling to defend himself after an explosive report alleged he had belittled U.S. soldiers who died during wars as “losers.”
The Atlantic published a scathing article Thursday evening quoting the current commander in chief disparaging veterans who died in wars, citing several sources with knowledge of Trump’s statements.
In one account from the report, a trip to an American cemetery in France to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I was canceled — not due to the inability of a helicopter to fly to the event in rain, as was the original excuse given, but rather because Trump didn’t want to mess up his hair simply to honor those who had died.
“Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s full of losers,” Trump reportedly said.
In separate comments on the same trip, Trump allegedly described U.S. Marines who died in an important battle as “suckers.” He also had difficulty understanding basic history about the war, asking aides who “the good guys” were, and asking why the U.S. sided with the Allied powers.
Trump sent a series of tweets Friday morning attempting to discredit the report as “fake news.” However, a number of comments Trump has made both during his time in office and before he became president give reason to be skeptical of his characterization of the article.
The Atlantic also described Trump’s tactless interactions with his former chief of staff John Kelly, a veteran himself whose son died in Afghanistan. During a ceremony for Kelly’s son and others who were killed in Afghanistan and Iraq, Trump reportedly turned to Kelly and said, “I don’t get it. What was in it for them?”
The article also mentioned Trump’s public feud with former Sen. John McCain, who passed away in 2018. Trump was flippant and outraged over the honors being given to the late statesman when he died, the report said.
“We’re not going to support that loser’s funeral,” Trump allegedly said at the time.
He also was outraged that U.S. flags were lowered for McCain. “What the fuck are we doing that for? Guy was a fucking loser,” Trump said.
The White House disputed the contents of The Atlantic’s report. “This report is false. President Trump holds the military in the highest regard,” White House spokeswoman Alyssa Farah said.
Trump also tweeted that, despite their differences, he was happy to honor McCain.
“I never called John a loser,” Trump wrote. “I swear on whatever, or whoever, I was asked to swear on, that I never called our great fallen soldiers anything other than HEROES. This is more made up Fake News given by disgusting & jealous failures in a disgraceful attempt to influence the 2020 Election!”
Trump also said that he had to approve McCain’s funeral, repeating a claim he made in March 2019. However, the Washington National Cathedral, where McCain’s funeral was conducted, never needs approval for services it holds, including for funerals of former lawmakers.
“All funerals and memorial services at the Cathedral are organized by the family of the deceased; only a state funeral for a former president involves consultation with government officials,” Kevin Eckstrom, chief communications officer for the National Cathedral, said at the time.
Miles Taylor, who previously served as chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security under Trump, also contradicted the president’s assertions.
“Mr. President, this is not true,” Taylor wrote in a tweet of his own. “You were angry that DHS notified federal buildings to lower the flags for Sen. McCain. I would know because your staff called and told me.”
Trump’s insistence that he never disparaged McCain, who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam, is also false. In 2015, while campaigning for president, Trump suggested that McCain was not worthy of recognition, extending his complaints toward POWs in general for having been imprisoned.
“I like people who weren’t captured,” Trump said in an interview.
In that same year, Trump also shared an article from his Twitter account that called McCain a “loser.”
Several other instances of Trump’s easy-to-debunk lies in the wake of The Atlantic’s reporting on his statements about veterans — which have since been corroborated by reporters from The Associated Press and The Washington Post as well — provide ample reasons to be skeptical of his assertions that the article is “fake news.”
Following the assassination of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani in January, Iran retaliated with missile attacks toward U.S. bases in the Middle East. Trump downplayed the injuries soldiers suffered there, as dozens of troops had received serious traumatic brain injuries that he brushed off as being “headaches.”
Trump has also claimed to have raised millions of dollars for charities to veterans’ groups, but oftentimes those claims have been exaggerations or complete lies, as some organizations have reported funds promised to them were never received until the media reported on him not giving.
VoteVets, a progressive organization representing veterans and their family members, released a statement in response to The Atlantic’s report on Trump’s comments, saying it was “not surprising” to read about what he had said.
Trump “has abused our military, has made our country less safe, and has put our men and women in uniform in harm’s way for his own political gain,” their statement read.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
Copyright © Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.


truthout--2020-09-04--Rochester Police Fired Pepper Bullets at People Protesting Daniel Prude Killing

Police in Rochester , New York fired pepper bullets and pushed back demonstrators with riot shields Thursday night amid protests demanding justice for Daniel Prude , a Black man killed by asphyxiation when officers put a “ spit hood ” over his head in March of this year after responding to a call that he was having a mental health emergency .
“ This was one of the more violent things I ’ ve seen in my years in journalism , ” Zach D. Roberts , a photojournalist who covered the protests live , tweeted late Thursday .
Protesters took @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the release Wednesday of video footage showing police putting the spit hood over Prude ’ s head and pinning his naked body to the ground when they responded to the call earlier this year .
Seven police officers involved in the incident were suspended with pay Thursday , following outrage and news coverage of the footage .
Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren announced the officers ’ suspension during a news conference , saying she took the action “ against the advice of counsel , ” noting the police union could respond by suing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been failed “ by our police department , our mental healthcare system , our society… and by me.
” Hundreds of people gathered outside the city ’ s Public Safety Building on Thursday night to challenge the police and demand justice for Prude .
According to the New York Times : At around 10:30 p.m. , the dozen or so police officers who had been monitoring the demonstrators from behind a barricade were joined by around 20 reinforcements in riot gear .
The officers suddenly surged toward the barricade and began firing an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unclear what led them to do so .
Coverage of the protests and police response lit up social media , with journalists and citizens shocked at the use of police force , including pepper-spraying a broadcast reporter .
“ It ’ s clear that City Council ’ s request for a respectful , de-escalated interaction with protesters went unheeded , ” City Council member Mitch Gruber wrote in a text message to the local Democrat and Chronicle .
“ [ Rochester Police Department ] initiated unnecessarily aggressive behavior toward peaceful protesters.
” According @ @ @ @ @ @ @ events : The crowd on Thursday chanted “ Black Lives Matter ” and “ What do we want ?
Justice .
When do we want it ?
Now.
” Most wore face masks , while carrying signs and listening to the beating of a drum in front of the barricaded headquarters of the Rochester Police Department .
Officers began firing pepper balls shortly before 10:30 pm .
An hour later , officers emerged in line formation from the building , shooting dozens of pepper balls , standing where the barricade once stood , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Thursday condemned the use of the “ spit hood ” by police and joined calls for an investigation into events leading up to Prude ’ s death .
“ Spit hoods can cause extreme distress and restricted breathing , ” Justin Mazzola , the deputy director of research at Amnesty International USA , said in a statement .
“ They are especially dangerous when someone is already in crisis as Daniel Prude appeared to be .
This is just one of a number of cases of people being suffocated by police and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Mazzola continued : “ There must be a thorough investigation into Daniel Prude ’ s death , as part of a wide-ranging reform of policing practices .
Daniel Prude and his family have a right to justice .
”

Police in Rochester, New York fired pepper bullets and pushed back demonstrators with riot shields Thursday night amid protests demanding justice for Daniel Prude, a Black man killed by asphyxiation when officers put a “spit hood” over his head in March of this year after responding to a call that he was having a mental health emergency.
“This was one of the more violent things I’ve seen in my years in journalism,” Zach D. Roberts, a photojournalist who covered the protests live, tweeted late Thursday.
Rochester Police just retook the fence in space with a full court charge with about a hundred officers using rubber bullets. And pepper bullets. This was one of the more violent things I’ve seen in my years in journalism. Almost every single person here is affected I got hit too. pic.twitter.com/y4zqUhEMpB — Zach D Roberts (@zdroberts) September 4, 2020
Protesters took to the streets in the city following the release Wednesday of video footage showing police putting the spit hood over Prude’s head and pinning his naked body to the ground when they responded to the call earlier this year.
Seven police officers involved in the incident were suspended with pay Thursday, following outrage and news coverage of the footage. Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren announced the officers’ suspension during a news conference, saying she took the action “against the advice of counsel,” noting the police union could respond by suing the city. Warren added that Prude had been failed “by our police department, our mental healthcare system, our society… and by me.”
Hundreds of people gathered outside the city’s Public Safety Building on Thursday night to challenge the police and demand justice for Prude. According to the New York Times:
People were sitting, singing, chanting, and eating pizza. At around 10:30 p.m., the dozen or so police officers who had been monitoring the demonstrators from behind a barricade were joined by around 20 reinforcements in riot gear. The officers suddenly surged toward the barricade and began firing an irritant into the crowd. It was unclear what led them to do so.
Coverage of the protests and police response lit up social media, with journalists and citizens shocked at the use of police force, including pepper-spraying a broadcast reporter.
I don’t think I ever could have expected to be fired on with chemical itinerant while covering a small, unequivocally peaceful protest. In America. https://t.co/8eQdZPus2d — Sarah Maslin Nir (@SarahMaslinNir) September 4, 2020
There’s a sad, almost inevitable cycle about how many of these deaths of unarmed Black men happen in the places with the worst police departments—who then make everything worse by responding poorly and aggressively to the ensuing protests. https://t.co/mMb9aM3C5x — Garrett M. Graff (@vermontgmg) September 4, 2020
This reporter got hit with pepper spray in Rochester just before he went on the air at 11:00.
Demonstrators have tried to kick down barriers around police headquarters. #DanielPrude #RochesterNY pic.twitter.com/P12Q04TziS — Michael Benny (@MichaelBenny) September 4, 2020
“It’s clear that City Council’s request for a respectful, de-escalated interaction with protesters went unheeded,” City Council member Mitch Gruber wrote in a text message to the local Democrat and Chronicle. “[Rochester Police Department] initiated unnecessarily aggressive behavior toward peaceful protesters.” According to the newspaper’s coverage of events:
The crowd on Thursday chanted “Black Lives Matter” and “What do we want? Justice. When do we want it? Now.” Most wore face masks, while carrying signs and listening to the beating of a drum in front of the barricaded headquarters of the Rochester Police Department. Officers began firing pepper balls shortly before 10:30 pm. An hour later, officers emerged in line formation from the building, shooting dozens of pepper balls, standing where the barricade once stood, as crowds retreated.
Amnesty International earlier on Thursday condemned the use of the “spit hood” by police and joined calls for an investigation into events leading up to Prude’s death.
“Spit hoods can cause extreme distress and restricted breathing,” Justin Mazzola, the deputy director of research at Amnesty International USA, said in a statement. “They are especially dangerous when someone is already in crisis as Daniel Prude appeared to be. This is just one of a number of cases of people being suffocated by police and illustrates the need for systemic police reform.”
Mazzola continued: “There must be a thorough investigation into Daniel Prude’s death, as part of a wide-ranging reform of policing practices. Daniel Prude and his family have a right to justice.”
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
This piece was reprinted by Truthout with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.


truthout--2020-09-04--Ted Cruz Seeks Abortion Pill Ban, Claims Pregnancy Is Not “Life-Threatening”

Sen. Ted Cruz , the Texas Republican who was once a ferocious opponent of Donald Trump , submitted a letter Monday to the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) co-signed by 20 of his GOP colleagues , asking the agency to take the abortion pill off the market amid the coronavirus pandemic , calling the lawful medication “ deadly ” and an “ imminent hazard to the public health.
” As an exigent excuse , Cruz wrote that the pandemic is exacerbating risks to women ’ s health , which appears inarguable , but then said that “ pregnancy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the abortion pill does not cure or prevent any disease.
” That is very from the truth .
While pregnancy is not an “ illness ” as that term is commonly understood , 830 women die from pregnancy-related complications every day , according to the World Health Organization .
Further , according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , which operates under the same umbrella department as the FDA — Health and Human Services — the maternal mortality rate in the U.S. is 17.4 deaths per 100,000 live births @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women is more than double that : 37.1 deaths per 100,000 births .
Compared with rates in 10 similarly wealthy countries , the U.S. would rank last .
Since the beginning of the pandemic , Republican elected officials and anti-abortion groups have tried to leverage the crisis to curtail abortion access — largely without success .
In March , a federal judge overruled an abortion ban that Cruz ’ s home state of Texas had put in place amid the pandemic .
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic , the “ abortion pill ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A federal judge in Maryland suspended that rule in July , in a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union against the FDA .
U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang ruled in that case that because in-person visits increase the risk of contracting the disease , prescriptions must be accessible over the phone or via telehealth appointments , otherwise the barrier to access would otherwise “ constitute irreparable harm.
” “ Particularly in light of the limited timeframe during which a medication abortion or any abortion must occur , such infringement on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ irreparable harm , ” Chuang wrote .
Cruz ’ s letter , however , calls the ruling an “ opportunistic ploy , ” alleging that the court was hijacking the pandemic to wrongly expand access to abortion — despite the fact that abortion is a legal medical procedure and the right to access is protected by law .
Cruz is also arguing against the FDA ’ s own data .
According to the agency , in the 18 years between Mifeprex ’ s approval in 2000 and Dec. 31 , 2018 , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ associated with the medicine — two of which involved ectopic pregnancies , which themselves can be deadly .
As of 2016 , about 2.75 million women have taken Mifeprex — that works out to less than one death per 100,000 women .
Working from statistical averages , more than 640 women would have died of pregnancy complications in 2018 alone .
Dr. Jennifer Gunter , an OB/GYN and New York Times contributor , pointed out to Cruz on Twitter that erectile dysfunction medications such as Viagra are more dangerous than Mifeprex .

Republican elected officials and anti-abortion groups have tried to leverage the pandemic to curtail abortion access.
Sen. Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican who was once a ferocious opponent of Donald Trump, submitted a letter Monday to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) co-signed by 20 of his GOP colleagues, asking the agency to take the abortion pill off the market amid the coronavirus pandemic, calling the lawful medication “deadly” and an “imminent hazard to the public health.”
As an exigent excuse, Cruz wrote that the pandemic is exacerbating risks to women’s health, which appears inarguable, but then said that “pregnancy is not a life-threatening illness, and the abortion pill does not cure or prevent any disease.”
That is very from the truth. While pregnancy is not an “illness” as that term is commonly understood, 830 women die from pregnancy-related complications every day, according to the World Health Organization.
Further, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which operates under the same umbrella department as the FDA — Health and Human Services — the maternal mortality rate in the U.S. is 17.4 deaths per 100,000 live births. The maternal mortality rate for Black women is more than double that: 37.1 deaths per 100,000 births. Compared with rates in 10 similarly wealthy countries, the U.S. would rank last.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Republican elected officials and anti-abortion groups have tried to leverage the crisis to curtail abortion access — largely without success. In March, a federal judge overruled an abortion ban that Cruz’s home state of Texas had put in place amid the pandemic.
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the “abortion pill” Mifeprex could only be prescribed in person. A federal judge in Maryland suspended that rule in July, in a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union against the FDA.
U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang ruled in that case that because in-person visits increase the risk of contracting the disease, prescriptions must be accessible over the phone or via telehealth appointments, otherwise the barrier to access would otherwise “constitute irreparable harm.”
“Particularly in light of the limited timeframe during which a medication abortion or any abortion must occur, such infringement on the right to an abortion would constitute irreparable harm,” Chuang wrote.
Cruz’s letter, however, calls the ruling an “opportunistic ploy,” alleging that the court was hijacking the pandemic to wrongly expand access to abortion — despite the fact that abortion is a legal medical procedure and the right to access is protected by law.
Cruz is also arguing against the FDA’s own data.
According to the agency, in the 18 years between Mifeprex’s approval in 2000 and Dec. 31, 2018, the U.S. has recorded a total 24 deaths associated with the medicine — two of which involved ectopic pregnancies, which themselves can be deadly. As of 2016, about 2.75 million women have taken Mifeprex — that works out to less than one death per 100,000 women.
Working from statistical averages, more than 640 women would have died of pregnancy complications in 2018 alone.
Dr. Jennifer Gunter, an OB/GYN and New York Times contributor, pointed out to Cruz on Twitter that erectile dysfunction medications such as Viagra are more dangerous than Mifeprex.
Medications for erectile dysfunction are more dangerous than Mifeprex.
Maternal mortality is a tragic 17.4 deaths/100,000 live births. Abortion is safer.
Medical abortion is health care.
Are you lying or just stupid? https://t.co/hHsDoz1wgV — Jennifer Gunter (@DrJenGunter) September 3, 2020
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
This piece was reprinted by Truthout with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.