talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-09--The Climate Crisis Is Happening Right Now. Just Look at California’s Weekend.

This article first appeared in ProPublica , a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom .
Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox .
Two weeks ago , after freak lightning strikes torched Northern California but before the inferno of Labor Day weekend had begun , a friend called to talk , like you do when the world is turning to crap and nothing is stable or makes sense .
In the past six months she ’ d fled New York for rural West Marin ( due to the pandemic ) , and West @ @ @ @ @ @ @ smoke ) .
Now she was planning to leave San Francisco for Los Angeles , as the gross air had descended here .
We joked , as I ’ d joked with every friend this summer , that we should all just drop out and start a commune on a lake in Maine .
“ Every commune needs lesbians !
” she said .
“ I ’ ll be our lesbian !
California is going to become unlivable !
” Two weeks ago , this was a funny conversation .
By Sunday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weekend that climate change , in California , stopped being about the future .
The weekend that the idea that COVID-19 was worse than climate change , or fascism was worse than climate change , disappeared .
The experts , of course , had known this for some time .
But by the point August turned into September , the drumbeat of California ’ s environmental anomalies had grown so horrid and relentless that not even the professionals could stay detached .
Way back , a lifetime ago , on Sept. 3 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ climate scientist who ’ s made a name from himself by tweeting , in plain language , just what the hell is going on , wrote , “ This *gesturing wildly and in every direction* is utterly exhausting.
” Still , through Friday the 4th and into Saturday the 5th , Swain tried his professional best to keep his readers up to date on the all-time record high temperatures in a staggering number of California cities and the unheard-of airlift rescue of 200 people from the Creek Fire surrounding Mammoth Lake .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lexicographical reserves were growing thin .
“ Yeah , it is almost literally unbelievable , but I ’ ve been saying that a lot lately , ” he wrote while commenting how the Creek Fire had exploded to more than 100,000 acres even before it reached the part of the Sierra where , due to climate change , bark beetles killed millions of trees .
For a moment early Sunday morning , he appeared to get his vocabulary and mojo back : “ Active pyrocumulonimbus ( “ fire thunderstorm ” ) activity occurred @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” But by 8 a.m. he ’ d exhausted his vocabulary and himself : “ These are getting harder and harder to write.
” The stakes had shifted ; the essential subject-object dynamic changed .
The earth — at least the part of it that is California — was no longer a backdrop for our actions , the set of our play .
It had become the diva , the star of our horrible drama , the villain demolishing cascades of plans for all of us little specks hubristic enough to believe we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , hoping to escape the heat and smoke , I walked across San Francisco ’ s Great Highway , on the far western edge of the city , to Ocean Beach .
Last year , the city closed part of the Great Highway due to blowing sand ( and it plans to move a whole stretch in the future due to sea level rise ) .
This spring , the city closed the road again , so residents could exercise , socially distanced .
Then on Sunday , Mayor London Breed shut down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parking lots along Ocean Beach .
Labor Day weekend is Burning Man weekend in the traditional Bay Area calendar .
Given that Burning Man 2020 was canceled , 1,000 people gathered Saturday night on the beach instead .
The next day the mayor called the partiers “ absolutely reckless and selfish , ” and she closed the beach parking to make an example of them .
Marin , San Francisco , Los Angeles , Maine .
Since March we ’ d been canceling plans and making backup plans , and then scrubbing those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ house , I sat in front of my fan and my HEPA filter .
My mother called .
She was going to see my sister in Marin that day , because Marin was going to be cooler than Napa , where she lived .
But Mill Valley was 106 .
Napa was 110 .
And there is still our pandemic , so no socializing in the air conditioning inside .
I tried to call Gov .
Gavin Newsom , who declared a state of emergency in Fresno , Madera , Mariposa , San @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I called former Gov .
Jerry Brown .
I wanted a civic parental figure , a leader to help me , and the rest of California , think about the state ’ s past and its future , to analyze how we ’ d come to this point where we ’ d made so many plans we later had to call off .
When Brown called me back , he was in a very practical mood .
What he would say to Californians who are feeling grief this weekend over the condition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ OK , No .
1 , I wouldn ’ t talk about the planet , ” he said .
“ That ’ s a very abstract idea.
” He was all for the individual actions we all know we need to take — change the cars we drive , the foods we eat .
But what he really felt we needed to do was harness our values , consolidate our pain into outward pressure and political power , not retreat into fantasy communes .
World leaders have not done nearly enough to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not demanded enough of them .
So , Brown said , we need to break down and reverse engineer the problem .
Start the causal chain : “ build the belief that builds the consensus that allows the leaders to make the decisions that we need to make.
” This could be grounded in individuals , right here , this weekend .
But the consensus and accountability needed to fan out across the globe .
“ When I say that leaders I mean the mayor , the city council , the governor , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president , President Xi , President Putin , Prime Minister Modi , the whole crowd .
They ’ ve got to get on board .
If any of the major players play hooky , then we all will suffer.
” Since 2006 , when California passed its landmark greenhouse gas reduction legislation , the state has basked in a glowing reputation with regard to climate policy .
In some ways we legitimately earned our gold star .
But we ’ ve also used sleight of hand : shell games of carbon credits , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tech while still pumping over 10 million barrels of oil a year out of the ground .
With the wildfires , too , we put on a fantastic performance : uniformed firefighting armies , a huge air show .
But in our overzealous suppression efforts we left our forests choked with fuel .
Now we have megafires like the ones that shut down eight national forests ( and camping in all national forests in California ) this weekend .
Fires so powerful they create their own weather .
Not even our dazzling army @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hopeful we ’ ll meet this moment ?
The Jesuit-trained , student-of-Buddhism governor took a deep breath and let his spiritual side talk .
“ I focus on what I can do .
Hope is an interesting virtue , ” he said .
“ There ’ s three , right ?
There ’ s faith , there ’ s hope and there ’ s charity .
And we all know what faith is : You either believe or you don ’ t believe.
” Charity : “ You ’ re generous , you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I know what that is .
Hope .
Hope is what ?
A state of mind ?
I ’ m not quite sure.
” Brown paused again .
“ Hope derives from a belief that life has good things in store .
I definitely think that ’ s possible .
I also think the alternate is possible , too.
” At dusk , Sunday night , I sat on my back porch with my husband and drank a cocktail the color of the smoky orange sky .
We ’ ve both been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we both know too much .
We know that even if California starts lighting prescribed fires at the rate we need to ignite them , our Septembers will be filled with smoke for the rest of our lives .
But we need to make those plans anyway , and we need to keep them , too .
The timing never feels right for the big , important parts of life .
Your children are too young and then they ’ re too old .
The climate crisis was too distant … until @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up with its thick , hot smoke upon us and realized it was smothering our lives .

This article first appeared in ProPublica, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.
Two weeks ago, after freak lightning strikes torched Northern California but before the inferno of Labor Day weekend had begun, a friend called to talk, like you do when the world is turning to crap and nothing is stable or makes sense. In the past six months she’d fled New York for rural West Marin (due to the pandemic), and West Marin for San Francisco (due to smoke). Now she was planning to leave San Francisco for Los Angeles, as the gross air had descended here. We joked, as I’d joked with every friend this summer, that we should all just drop out and start a commune on a lake in Maine. “Every commune needs lesbians!” she said. “I’ll be our lesbian! California is going to become unlivable!”
Two weeks ago, this was a funny conversation. By Sunday, it was not.
This was the weekend that climate change, in California, stopped being about the future. The weekend that the idea that COVID-19 was worse than climate change, or fascism was worse than climate change, disappeared. The experts, of course, had known this for some time. But by the point August turned into September, the drumbeat of California’s environmental anomalies had grown so horrid and relentless that not even the professionals could stay detached. Way back, a lifetime ago, on Sept. 3, Daniel Swain, UCLA’s extreme-weather climate scientist who’s made a name from himself by tweeting, in plain language, just what the hell is going on, wrote, “This *gesturing wildly and in every direction* is utterly exhausting.”
Still, through Friday the 4th and into Saturday the 5th, Swain tried his professional best to keep his readers up to date on the all-time record high temperatures in a staggering number of California cities and the unheard-of airlift rescue of 200 people from the Creek Fire surrounding Mammoth Lake. But by Saturday evening, his emotional and lexicographical reserves were growing thin. “Yeah, it is almost literally unbelievable, but I’ve been saying that a lot lately,” he wrote while commenting how the Creek Fire had exploded to more than 100,000 acres even before it reached the part of the Sierra where, due to climate change, bark beetles killed millions of trees.
For a moment early Sunday morning, he appeared to get his vocabulary and mojo back: “Active pyrocumulonimbus (“fire thunderstorm”) activity occurred through night — resembling volcanic eruption …”
But by 8 a.m. he’d exhausted his vocabulary and himself: “These are getting harder and harder to write.”
The stakes had shifted; the essential subject-object dynamic changed. The earth — at least the part of it that is California — was no longer a backdrop for our actions, the set of our play. It had become the diva, the star of our horrible drama, the villain demolishing cascades of plans for all of us little specks hubristic enough to believe we could still make them.
Midmorning Sunday, hoping to escape the heat and smoke, I walked across San Francisco’s Great Highway, on the far western edge of the city, to Ocean Beach. Last year, the city closed part of the Great Highway due to blowing sand (and it plans to move a whole stretch in the future due to sea level rise). This spring, the city closed the road again, so residents could exercise, socially distanced. Then on Sunday, Mayor London Breed shut down not just the Great Highway but the parking lots along Ocean Beach. Labor Day weekend is Burning Man weekend in the traditional Bay Area calendar. Given that Burning Man 2020 was canceled, 1,000 people gathered Saturday night on the beach instead.
The next day the mayor called the partiers “absolutely reckless and selfish,” and she closed the beach parking to make an example of them.
Marin, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Maine. Since March we’d been canceling plans and making backup plans, and then scrubbing those plans, too.
Back at my house, I sat in front of my fan and my HEPA filter. My mother called. She was going to see my sister in Marin that day, because Marin was going to be cooler than Napa, where she lived. But Mill Valley was 106. Napa was 110. And there is still our pandemic, so no socializing in the air conditioning inside.
I tried to call Gov. Gavin Newsom, who declared a state of emergency in Fresno, Madera, Mariposa, San Bernardino and San Diego counties that day. I called former Gov. Jerry Brown. I wanted a civic parental figure, a leader to help me, and the rest of California, think about the state’s past and its future, to analyze how we’d come to this point where we’d made so many plans we later had to call off. When Brown called me back, he was in a very practical mood. What he would say to Californians who are feeling grief this weekend over the condition of the planet and the state?
“OK, No. 1, I wouldn’t talk about the planet,” he said. “That’s a very abstract idea.”
He was all for the individual actions we all know we need to take — change the cars we drive, the foods we eat. But what he really felt we needed to do was harness our values, consolidate our pain into outward pressure and political power, not retreat into fantasy communes. World leaders have not done nearly enough to meet the climate crisis because we have not demanded enough of them. So, Brown said, we need to break down and reverse engineer the problem. Start the causal chain: “build the belief that builds the consensus that allows the leaders to make the decisions that we need to make.” This could be grounded in individuals, right here, this weekend. But the consensus and accountability needed to fan out across the globe. “When I say that leaders I mean the mayor, the city council, the governor, the legislator, the Congress, the president, President Xi, President Putin, Prime Minister Modi, the whole crowd. They’ve got to get on board. If any of the major players play hooky, then we all will suffer.”
Since 2006, when California passed its landmark greenhouse gas reduction legislation, the state has basked in a glowing reputation with regard to climate policy. In some ways we legitimately earned our gold star. But we’ve also used sleight of hand: shell games of carbon credits, a focus on inventing incredible new sustainable-energy tech while still pumping over 10 million barrels of oil a year out of the ground. With the wildfires, too, we put on a fantastic performance: uniformed firefighting armies, a huge air show. But in our overzealous suppression efforts we left our forests choked with fuel. Now we have megafires like the ones that shut down eight national forests (and camping in all national forests in California) this weekend. Fires so powerful they create their own weather. Not even our dazzling army can fight them.
So is Brown hopeful we’ll meet this moment?
The Jesuit-trained, student-of-Buddhism governor took a deep breath and let his spiritual side talk. “I focus on what I can do. Hope is an interesting virtue,” he said. “There’s three, right? There’s faith, there’s hope and there’s charity. And we all know what faith is: You either believe or you don’t believe.” Charity: “You’re generous, you help people, you love people OK, I know what that is. Hope. Hope is what? A state of mind? I’m not quite sure.”
Brown paused again. “Hope derives from a belief that life has good things in store. I definitely think that’s possible. I also think the alternate is possible, too.”
At dusk, Sunday night, I sat on my back porch with my husband and drank a cocktail the color of the smoky orange sky. We’ve both been writing about fire and as a result, we both know too much. We know that even if California starts lighting prescribed fires at the rate we need to ignite them, our Septembers will be filled with smoke for the rest of our lives. But we need to make those plans anyway, and we need to keep them, too. The timing never feels right for the big, important parts of life. Your children are too young and then they’re too old.
The climate crisis was too distant … until Sunday in California. Then we woke up with its thick, hot smoke upon us and realized it was smothering our lives.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-09--‘Beyond Despicable’: Biden Slams Trump For Purposely Downplaying Severity Of COVID-19

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden tore into President Donald Trump on Wednesday after Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward released audio recordings of Trump privately admitting back in early 2020 that COVID-19 was a serious threat and that he was downplaying it on purpose .
During a campaign stop in Warren , Michigan Wednesday , Biden said Trump had “ knowingly and willingly lied ” to the country .
“ He knew how dangerous it was .
And while this deadly disease ripped through our nation , he failed do his job on purpose , ” the former vice president told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life-and-death betrayal of the American people.
” Biden also hit Trump on the economic damage brought on by the President ’ s “ negligence ” throughout the pandemic .
“ It ’ s beyond despicable , ” the Democratic candidate said .
“ It ’ s a dereliction of duty .
It ’ s a disgrace.
” Shortly before Biden was scheduled to give his speech , the Washington Post published a series of excerpts from “ Rage , ” Woodward ’ s upcoming book about Trump , along with several audio clips @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the President .
The excerpts and recording revealed that Trump completely understood back in February that COVID-19 was “ deadly stuff ” when it first began to hit the U.S. – back when he repeatedly told the country that it wasn ’ t serious .
“ It ’ s also more deadly than even your strenuous flu , ” Trump told Woodward on February 7 , the exact opposite of the talking point he and his allies at Fox News had been peddling at the time .
Then on March 19 , Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the urgency of the pandemic .
“ To be honest with you , I wanted to always play it down , ” the President said in the interview .
“ I still like playing it down , because I don ’ t want to create a panic .
”

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden tore into President Donald Trump on Wednesday after Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward released audio recordings of Trump privately admitting back in early 2020 that COVID-19 was a serious threat and that he was downplaying it on purpose.
During a campaign stop in Warren, Michigan Wednesday, Biden said Trump had “knowingly and willingly lied” to the country.
“He knew how dangerous it was. And while this deadly disease ripped through our nation, he failed do his job on purpose,” the former vice president told the audience. “It was a life-and-death betrayal of the American people.”
Biden also hit Trump on the economic damage brought on by the President’s “negligence” throughout the pandemic.
“It’s beyond despicable,” the Democratic candidate said. “It’s a dereliction of duty. It’s a disgrace.”
Shortly before Biden was scheduled to give his speech, the Washington Post published a series of excerpts from “Rage,” Woodward’s upcoming book about Trump, along with several audio clips Woodward had recorded during his interviews with the President. The excerpts and recording revealed that Trump completely understood back in February that COVID-19 was “deadly stuff” when it first began to hit the U.S. – back when he repeatedly told the country that it wasn’t serious.
“It’s also more deadly than even your strenuous flu,” Trump told Woodward on February 7, the exact opposite of the talking point he and his allies at Fox News had been peddling at the time.
Then on March 19, Trump baldly admitted that he was artificially deflating the urgency of the pandemic.
“To be honest with you, I wanted to always play it down,” the President said in the interview. “I still like playing it down, because I don’t want to create a panic.”
Watch Biden below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-09--DOJ Lawyers: Would Take Us ‘Several Weeks’ To Compile Info On Decision To Truncate Census Timeline

Department of Justice lawyers claimed in a Tuesday filing that it would take them “ several weeks ” to compile a record of how the Trump administration made its abrupt decision to cut in half the timeline for collecting census data early last month .
There is no administrative record “ as that term is ordinarily used , ” the lawyers argued , because the census operation includes many employees and a “ dynamic , ongoing operation.
” And to pull together such a report , they argued , would be to the detriment of the census process .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with knowledge of the replan who can be spared time compiling a record because they are consumed with the census , ” the attorneys wrote .
“ The Bureau is attempting to conduct an accurate and thorough census , in the middle of a global pandemic , and no employee has spare time.
” The Census Bureau ’ s abrupt decision to shorten the timeline for collecting the 2020 census , in the midst of a pandemic , has prompted an outcry — as well as a legal challenge .
U.S. District Judge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the move on Saturday .
During a virtual hearing on Tuesday , Koh seemed particularly interested in the administration ’ s resistance to ponying up the documents undergirding the timeline change .
“ I just find it hard to believe that there ’ s no administrative record here .
I do not understand the government ’ s refusal to be transparent about what they have decided to do , ” she said , according to NPR reporter Hansi Lo Wang .
She asked why the government “ is so afraid ” of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s loose attitude toward the law has derailed its census meddling efforts before : It was the reason the Supreme Court blocked its attempt to add a citizenship question to the census in 2019 .
The plaintiffs , led by the National Urban League , responded to the administration ’ s complaints on Wednesday .
And on the supposedly heavy lift to amass the information , they were unsympathetic .
“ Defendants ’ objections to scope are purely practical in nature : they can not do what the law requires in ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the judge ’ s tentative deadline for an administrative record of the decision-making process .
“ That is a problem of their own making ; this Court told them , on August 26 , that ‘ [ i ] f there ’ s an administrative record , it should be produced.
’ ” They also dismissed the DOJ lawyers ’ argument that it would pull too many employees off the important work of the census .
“ This would not be ‘ years ’ of data , ” the attorneys wrote .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ employees .
But it will allow the Court to see what the Replan was conceived to be and is ; when the decision was made ; and what was considered when making the decision to shorten the data collection and processing timeframes.
” Earlier this year , President Donald Trump announced that his administration would exclude undocumented immigrants from the apportionment data which , among other things , determines how many House seats each state gets .
The move to curtail the 2020 count came soon after .
If the census process went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run the risk of losing control of the count to an incoming Biden administration , which could reverse the new immigrant policy .
The expedited timeline ensures that Trump can see the process through .

Department of Justice lawyers claimed in a Tuesday filing that it would take them “several weeks” to compile a record of how the Trump administration made its abrupt decision to cut in half the timeline for collecting census data early last month.
There is no administrative record “as that term is ordinarily used,” the lawyers argued, because the census operation includes many employees and a “dynamic, ongoing operation.”
And to pull together such a report, they argued, would be to the detriment of the census process.
“Simply put, there are no individuals with knowledge of the replan who can be spared time compiling a record because they are consumed with the census,” the attorneys wrote. “The Bureau is attempting to conduct an accurate and thorough census, in the middle of a global pandemic, and no employee has spare time.”
The Census Bureau’s abrupt decision to shorten the timeline for collecting the 2020 census, in the midst of a pandemic, has prompted an outcry — as well as a legal challenge. U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh placed a temporary restraining order on the move on Saturday.
During a virtual hearing on Tuesday, Koh seemed particularly interested in the administration’s resistance to ponying up the documents undergirding the timeline change.
“I just find it hard to believe that there’s no administrative record here. I do not understand the government’s refusal to be transparent about what they have decided to do,” she said, according to NPR reporter Hansi Lo Wang.
She asked why the government “is so afraid” of revealing the relevant documents.
The administration’s loose attitude toward the law has derailed its census meddling efforts before: It was the reason the Supreme Court blocked its attempt to add a citizenship question to the census in 2019.
The plaintiffs, led by the National Urban League, responded to the administration’s complaints on Wednesday. And on the supposedly heavy lift to amass the information, they were unsympathetic.
“Defendants’ objections to scope are purely practical in nature: they cannot do what the law requires in ‘two days,’” they said of the judge’s tentative deadline for an administrative record of the decision-making process. “That is a problem of their own making; this Court told them, on August 26, that ‘[i]f there’s an administrative record, it should be produced.’”
They also dismissed the DOJ lawyers’ argument that it would pull too many employees off the important work of the census.
“This would not be ‘years’ of data,” the attorneys wrote. “Nor does it cover hundreds of employees. But it will allow the Court to see what the Replan was conceived to be and is; when the decision was made; and what was considered when making the decision to shorten the data collection and processing timeframes.”
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump announced that his administration would exclude undocumented immigrants from the apportionment data which, among other things, determines how many House seats each state gets. The move to curtail the 2020 count came soon after.
If the census process went along as initially planned, Trump would run the risk of losing control of the count to an incoming Biden administration, which could reverse the new immigrant policy. The expedited timeline ensures that Trump can see the process through.
Read the DOJ lawyers’ filing here:
And the plaintiffs’ response here:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-09--WH Denies Trump Downplayed COVID-19 Despite Audio Proving He Did

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Wednesday vehemently defended President Trump just hours after reports on journalist Bob Woodward ’ s forthcoming book “ Rage ” recounted Trump admission that he downplayed the risk of COVID-19 publicly .
According to multiple reports on Wednesday , Woodward reported that Trump privately expressed fear over COVID-19 after being warned by national security officials in late January that COVID-19 would be the worst pandemic in a century .
However , the President would go on to spend the following weeks downplaying the threat of COVID-19 as cases began to spread throughout the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Task Force briefing in late February , Trump suggested that the novel coronavirus would be less deadly than the flu .
Trump expressed a similar sentiment again during another White House briefing in mid-March , when he told reporters that the novel coronavirus is “ going to disappear.
” In his forthcoming book , Woodward wrote that Trump told him on March 19 that he “ wanted to always play it down.
” Woodward recorded the President on tape as he made the remark .
It was among 18 interviews he conducted with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
When pressed on Trump ’ s COVID-19 soft-pedaling captured in Woodward ’ s book during a White House briefing on Wednesday , McEnany denied that the President misled Americans about the pandemic , which has so far cost the lives of nearly 200,000 Americans .
She argued that he wanted to “ express calm.
” “ Absolutely not , ” McEnany said .
“ When you are finding insurmountable challenges , it ’ s important to express confidence and express calm.
” Pressed again on whether “ playing it down ” expresses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporter Paula Reid as she asked her to read the rest of Trump ’ s quote in Woodward ’ s book .
“ He makes clear he doesn ’ t want to see chaos is the second part of the quote which you failed to read , ” McEnany said , before pointing to Trump telling reporters during a press conference at the White House on March 30 that he wants the public to “ stay calm ” and that “ we are doing a great job.
” “ If you look at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ true — stay calm , ” McEnany said .
“ It will go away , but it ’ s important to stay calm .
This president does what leaders do , good leaders .
It ’ s stay calm and resolute at a time when you face an insurmountable challenge.
” Asked whether the President lied to the American public about the threat posed by COVID-19 , McEnany insisted that the President “ has never lied to the American public on COVID ” before again reiterating that he was “ expressing calm and @ @ @ @ @ @

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Wednesday vehemently defended President Trump just hours after reports on journalist Bob Woodward’s forthcoming book “Rage” recounted Trump admission that he downplayed the risk of COVID-19 publicly.
According to multiple reports on Wednesday, Woodward reported that Trump privately expressed fear over COVID-19 after being warned by national security officials in late January that COVID-19 would be the worst pandemic in a century.
However, the President would go on to spend the following weeks downplaying the threat of COVID-19 as cases began to spread throughout the country. During a White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing in late February, Trump suggested that the novel coronavirus would be less deadly than the flu. Trump expressed a similar sentiment again during another White House briefing in mid-March, when he told reporters that the novel coronavirus is “going to disappear.”
In his forthcoming book, Woodward wrote that Trump told him on March 19 that he “wanted to always play it down.” Woodward recorded the President on tape as he made the remark. It was among 18 interviews he conducted with Trump spanning from Dec. 2019 to July.
When pressed on Trump’s COVID-19 soft-pedaling captured in Woodward’s book during a White House briefing on Wednesday, McEnany denied that the President misled Americans about the pandemic, which has so far cost the lives of nearly 200,000 Americans. She argued that he wanted to “express calm.”
“Absolutely not,” McEnany said. “When you are finding insurmountable challenges, it’s important to express confidence and express calm.”
Pressed again on whether “playing it down” expresses calm, McEnany butted heads with CBS reporter Paula Reid as she asked her to read the rest of Trump’s quote in Woodward’s book.
“He makes clear he doesn’t want to see chaos is the second part of the quote which you failed to read,” McEnany said, before pointing to Trump telling reporters during a press conference at the White House on March 30 that he wants the public to “stay calm” and that “we are doing a great job.”
“If you look at the individual statements, they are all true — stay calm,” McEnany said. “It will go away, but it’s important to stay calm. This president does what leaders do, good leaders. It’s stay calm and resolute at a time when you face an insurmountable challenge.”
Asked whether the President lied to the American public about the threat posed by COVID-19, McEnany insisted that the President “has never lied to the American public on COVID” before again reiterating that he was “expressing calm and his actions reflect that.”
Watch McEnany’s remarks below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-10--Trump Blabbed To Woodward For Months Because He Thought He’d Get Good PR

President Donald Trump ’ s stunningly candid interviews with Washington Post editor Bob Woodward , which have raised a major scandal over Trump ’ s deliberate downplaying of COVID-19 , were stemmed from the President ’ s belief that he could get the journalist to give him good PR .
CNN reported on Wednesday night that Trump was dead set on granting interviews with Woodward , who was working on a book about Trump titled “ Rage , ” to boost his image , with the President reportedly relying on his experience as a salesman to present himself in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ repeatedly ” warned Trump against speaking to the dogged reporter , a source told CNN , but as usual , the President ignored their advice and acted on his own instincts instead .
Senior staffers were also reportedly worried about the level of personal access Trump had afforded Woodward , which included phone calls where the President ’ s advisers were not present .
One official told CNN that the direct calls between the two men “ without us knowing were made all the time.
” Thus White House aides were blindsided on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Woodward ’ s interviews with Trump were published , revealing that Trump was well aware back in February of how serious COVID-19 was even as he persistently told the country that it was less serious than the flu .
In one especially damning excerpt , the President admitted to Woodward in mid-March that he “ wanted to always play [ the pandemic ] down .
”

President Donald Trump’s stunningly candid interviews with Washington Post editor Bob Woodward, which have raised a major scandal over Trump’s deliberate downplaying of COVID-19, stemmed from the President’s belief that he could get the journalist to give him good PR.
CNN reported on Wednesday night that Trump was dead set on granting interviews with Woodward, who was working on a book about Trump titled “Rage,” to boost his image, with the President reportedly relying on his experience as a salesman to present himself in a positive light.
White House aides “repeatedly” warned Trump against speaking to the dogged reporter, a source told CNN, but as usual, the President ignored their advice and acted on his own instincts instead.
Senior staffers were also reportedly worried about the level of personal access Trump had afforded Woodward, which included phone calls where the President’s advisers were not present.
One official told CNN that the direct calls between the two men “without us knowing were made all the time.”
Thus White House aides were blindsided on Wednesday when excerpts and audio clips of Woodward’s interviews with Trump were published, revealing that Trump was well aware back in February of how serious COVID-19 was even as he persistently told the country that it was less serious than the flu. In one especially damning excerpt, the President admitted to Woodward in mid-March that he “wanted to always play [the pandemic] down.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-10--Pompeo: ‘Substantial Chance’ Senior Russian Officials Directed Navalny Poisoning

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that there is a “ substantial chance ” that senior Russian officials directed the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny .
“ I think people all around the world see this kind of activity for what it is .
And when they see the effort to poison a dissident , and they recognize that there is a substantial chance that this actually came from senior Russian officials , I think this is not good for the Russian people , ” Pompeo told conservative commentator Ben Shapiro in an interview Wednesday .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Russia.
” The comments come as President Donald Trump has declined to condemn Russia for the opposition leader ’ s poisoning even as world leaders have censured Russia and demanded answers .
On Friday , Trump appeared to defend Russia telling reporters during a news conference that there was “ not any proof yet ” of Kremlin involvement .
“ I don ’ t know exactly what happened , ” Trump said when asked about his stance on the poisoning , Trump has used the same tactic of feigned ignorance many times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to assume responsibility to publicly condemn and likely break ties with those he views as potentially advantageous to his political agenda .
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson have not dragged their feet in expression of strong public opposition to Navalny ’ s poisoning .
Last week , Merkel ’ s spokesman , Steffen Seibert , issued a statement formally confirming that testing by a German military laboratory now shows “ proof without doubt of a chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group.
” The German government had already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a coma while being treated in the country , had been exposed to a Novichok — a known chemical weapon developed by the Soviet Union .
In recent years Novichok has been used on at least one other occasion in an attack on a Kremlin enemy .

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that there is a “substantial chance” that senior Russian officials directed the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny.
“I think people all around the world see this kind of activity for what it is. And when they see the effort to poison a dissident, and they recognize that there is a substantial chance that this actually came from senior Russian officials, I think this is not good for the Russian people,” Pompeo told conservative commentator Ben Shapiro in an interview Wednesday. “I think it’s not good for Russia.”
The comments come as President Donald Trump has declined to condemn Russia for the opposition leader’s poisoning even as world leaders have censured Russia and demanded answers.
On Friday, Trump appeared to defend Russia telling reporters during a news conference that there was “not any proof yet” of Kremlin involvement.
“I don’t know exactly what happened,” Trump said when asked about his stance on the poisoning. Trump has used the same tactic of feigned ignorance many times before when he doesn’t want to assume responsibility to publicly condemn or break ties with those he views as potentially advantageous to his political agenda.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson did not drag their feet in publicly condemning Navalny’s poisoning.
Last week, Merkel’s spokesman, Steffen Seibert, issued a statement formally confirming that testing by a German military laboratory now shows “proof without doubt of a chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group.”
The German government had already reported that Navalny who came out of a coma while being treated in the country, had been exposed to a Novichok — a known chemical weapon developed by the Soviet Union. In recent years Novichok has been used on at least one other occasion in an attack on a Kremlin enemy.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-10--Trump Defends Raising Less Money Than Biden: I Don’t Like Big Donors Anyway!

President Donald Trump on Wednesday night defended his campaign raising less cash in August than Democratic rival Joe Biden , who raked in a record-breaking $ 364 million last month , on Wednesday night by claiming he didn ’ t want help from big donors .
When Fox News host Sean Hannity asked if Trump running fewer ads than Biden in Florida was a “ strategy ” and mentioned that the President was “ shy of $ 300 million ” ( which is false ; the Trump campaign had raised $ 210 million last month ) , Trump claimed his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coming in from small donors.
” “ I haven ’ t been heavy on big donors because I don ’ t want to call them , ” the President told Hannity .
“ When you called big donors , you sort of put yourself in a very compromising position .
When somebody puts up a lot of money , you ’ re in a compromised position .
Whether you say it , whether you don ’ t say it , it doesn ’ t matter.
” “ What I like are the small @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said he would put up his own money into his campaign “ if I saw that we needed more.
” Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that Trump was considering pouring as much as $ 100 million into his reelection efforts .

President Donald Trump on Wednesday night defended his campaign raising less cash in August than Democratic rival Joe Biden — who raked in a record-breaking $364 million last month — on Wednesday night by claiming he didn’t want help from big donors.
When Fox News host Sean Hannity asked if Trump running fewer ads than Biden in Florida was a “strategy” and mentioned that the President was “shy of $300 million” (which is false; the Trump campaign had raised $210 million last month), Trump claimed his campaign has “a lot of money coming in from small donors.”
“I haven’t been heavy on big donors because I don’t want to call them,” the President told Hannity. “When you called big donors, you sort of put yourself in a very compromising position. When somebody puts up a lot of money, you’re in a compromised position. Whether you say it, whether you don’t say it, it doesn’t matter.”
“What I like are the small donors,” he added.
Trump said he would put up his own money into his campaign “if I saw that we needed more.” Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that Trump was considering pouring as much as $100 million into his reelection efforts.
Listen to Trump below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-10--Pence Plans To Attend A Fundraiser Hosted By QAnon Fans

WASHINGTON ( AP ) — Vice President Mike Pence and top officials from President Donald Trump ’ s campaign are slated to attend a Montana fundraiser next week hosted by a couple who have expressed support for the QAnon conspiracy theory , according to an event invitation obtained by The Associated Press and a review of social media postings .
The hosts of the fundraiser , Caryn and Michael Borland , have shared QAnon memes and retweeted posts from QAnon accounts , their social media activity shows .
The baseless conspiracy theory posits that Trump is fighting entrenched enemies in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ child sex trafficking .
Beyond Pence , the Sept. 14 fundraiser in Bozeman , Montana , is expected to draw influential figures in the president ’ s orbit including Kimberly Guilfoyle , a top Trump fundraising official who is dating Donald Trump Jr. , GOP chairwoman Ronna McDaniel , Republican National Committee finance chairman Todd Ricketts and RNC co-chairman Tommy Hicks Jr. , the event invitation shows .
While many Republicans have dismissed QAnon , the fundraiser is another sign of how the conspiracy theory is gaining a foothold in the party .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Taylor Greene , another QAnon supporter , as a “ future Republican star.
” The president has refused to condemn QAnon , recently telling reporters that the conspiracy theory is “ gaining in popularity ” and that its supporters “ like me very much.
” Representatives for Pence declined to comment on the fundraiser , though the vice president has previously called QAnon a “ conspiracy theory.
” “ I don ’ t know anything about QAnon , and I dismiss it out of hand , ” he told CBS last month .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ t immediately comment on the fundraiser .
Caryn and Michael Borland did not return a call seeking comment on the event .
QAnon is a wide-ranging conspiracy fiction spread largely through the internet , centered on the baseless belief that Trump is waging a secret campaign against enemies in the “ deep state ” and a child sex trafficking ring run by satanic pedophiles and cannibals .
It is based on cryptic postings by the anonymous “ Q , ” purportedly a government insider .
The story has grown to include other long-standing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extreme Trump supporters .
The movement is often likened to a right-wing cult ; some followers have run for office , primarily in the Republican Party , though some have been independent or run as third-party candidates .
Trump has refused to say QAnon is false .
The Borlands have shared multiple QAnon social media posts , as well as other discredited conspiracies .
Michael Borland prominently features several QAnon “ Q ” logos on his Facebook page .
One features a flaming “ Q ” with a Christian cross in the middle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ oath as well as its slogan , which states : “ Where We Go One We Go All.
” From his Twitter account , which also features the “ Q ” logo , he also shared a post that labeled the Black Lives Matter movement “ terrorists ” and made his own threat to shoot protesters , according to a June 25 post .
Caryn Borland has retweeted or engaged with QAnon Twitter accounts .
In April , she responded to a pro-Trump Tweet from a QAnon account by replying “ Always ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ couple has donated over $ 220,000 to Trump ’ s reelection , the bulk of which was made in Caryn Borland ’ s name .
They were guests at the president ’ s renominating convention last month .
They posed for photos from the White House South Lawn , including one that shows Michael Alfaro , a Trump fundraiser from Illinois , in the foreground .
Alfaro , who is also slated to attend the Montana fundraiser , responded in the comments : “ Working for the Borland family on South Lawn !
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky , according to a caption on a Aug. 27 Facebook photo of the couple and Paul .
Michael Borland also posed for a photo that same day with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California , Borland ’ s Facebook account shows .
The couple previously posed for a picture with Trump , which Michael Borland posted to Facebook on Dec. 20 .

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence and top officials from President Donald Trump’s campaign are slated to attend a Montana fundraiser next week hosted by a couple who have expressed support for the QAnon conspiracy theory, according to an event invitation obtained by The Associated Press and a review of social media postings.
The hosts of the fundraiser, Caryn and Michael Borland, have shared QAnon memes and retweeted posts from QAnon accounts, their social media activity shows. The baseless conspiracy theory posits that Trump is fighting entrenched enemies in the government and also involves satanism and child sex trafficking.
Beyond Pence, the Sept. 14 fundraiser in Bozeman, Montana, is expected to draw influential figures in the president’s orbit including Kimberly Guilfoyle, a top Trump fundraising official who is dating Donald Trump Jr., GOP chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, Republican National Committee finance chairman Todd Ricketts and RNC co-chairman Tommy Hicks Jr., the event invitation shows.
While many Republicans have dismissed QAnon, the fundraiser is another sign of how the conspiracy theory is gaining a foothold in the party. Trump has hailed Georgia congressional candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene, another QAnon supporter, as a “future Republican star.” The president has refused to condemn QAnon, recently telling reporters that the conspiracy theory is “gaining in popularity” and that its supporters “like me very much.”
Representatives for Pence declined to comment on the fundraiser, though the vice president has previously called QAnon a “conspiracy theory.”
“I don’t know anything about QAnon, and I dismiss it out of hand,” he told CBS last month.
Representatives for the Trump campaign didn’t immediately comment on the fundraiser. Caryn and Michael Borland did not return a call seeking comment on the event.
QAnon is a wide-ranging conspiracy fiction spread largely through the internet, centered on the baseless belief that Trump is waging a secret campaign against enemies in the “deep state” and a child sex trafficking ring run by satanic pedophiles and cannibals. It is based on cryptic postings by the anonymous “Q,” purportedly a government insider.
The story has grown to include other long-standing conspiracy theories, gaining traction among some extreme Trump supporters. The movement is often likened to a right-wing cult; some followers have run for office, primarily in the Republican Party, though some have been independent or run as third-party candidates. Trump has refused to say QAnon is false.
The Borlands have shared multiple QAnon social media posts, as well as other discredited conspiracies.
Michael Borland prominently features several QAnon “Q” logos on his Facebook page. One features a flaming “Q” with a Christian cross in the middle. He has also shared the QAnon oath as well as its slogan, which states: “Where We Go One We Go All.”
From his Twitter account, which also features the “Q” logo, he also shared a post that labeled the Black Lives Matter movement “terrorists” and made his own threat to shoot protesters, according to a June 25 post.
Caryn Borland has retweeted or engaged with QAnon Twitter accounts. In April, she responded to a pro-Trump Tweet from a QAnon account by replying “Always” with a praying hands emoji.
The couple has donated over $220,000 to Trump’s reelection, the bulk of which was made in Caryn Borland’s name.
They were guests at the president’s renominating convention last month. They posed for photos from the White House South Lawn, including one that shows Michael Alfaro, a Trump fundraiser from Illinois, in the foreground. Alfaro, who is also slated to attend the Montana fundraiser, responded in the comments: “Working for the Borland family on South Lawn!”
The couple also said they dined with Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, according to a caption on a Aug. 27 Facebook photo of the couple and Paul.
Michael Borland also posed for a photo that same day with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, Borland’s Facebook account shows.
The couple previously posed for a picture with Trump, which Michael Borland posted to Facebook on Dec. 20.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-10--Biden Jabs Trump For Lacking Sense Of ‘What Constitutes National Security’ In Woodward’s Book

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden railed against President Trump for seeming to lack “ conception of what constitutes national security ” in light of legendary journalist Bob Woodward writing in his forthcoming book “ Rage ” that Trump knew about the existence of a classified nuclear weapons system , during an interview aired on CNN Thursday .
In his book that drew from 18 interviews with Trump conducted from December to July , Woodward wrote that Trump privately expressed COVID-19 fears after being warned by national security officials in late January that COVID-19 would be the worst pandemic in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go on to spend the following weeks downplaying the threat of COVID-19 as cases began to spread throughout the country .
According to the Washington Post , Woodward also wrote that Trump bragged about a supposedly secret nuclear weapons system while recounting how the U.S. came close to waging nuclear war with North Korea in 2017 .
“ I have built a nuclear — a weapons system that nobody ’ s ever had in this country before .
We have stuff that you haven ’ t even seen or heard about , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Post .
After saying that the remarks that Trump made to Woodward were “ not a surprise , ” Biden argued that the intelligence community has no reason to trust a president who lacks understanding of what constitutes national security .
“ You wonder why people in the intelligence community wondered from the very beginning whether you could share data with him , ’ cause they don ’ t trust him .
They don ’ t trust what he ’ ll say or do , ” Biden said .
“ He seems to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security , no conception of anything other than : what can he do to promote himself ?
” The former VP then referenced an Axios report that said Trump pondered whether nuclear bombs could help dissipate hurricanes before landfall , which the President has denied .
Biden also cited Trump ’ s erroneous comment last year that the Continental Army “ took over the airports ” from the British in the Revolutionary War ( airplanes had not existed during that time ) — a claim that the President blamed on a supposedly a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guy who said maybe the way to deal with hurricane is drop a nuclear bomb on them .
I mean , seriously , he said it !
” Biden said .
“ I mean , God .
Or you know , the problem with the Revolutionary War was they didn ’ t have enough airports .
I mean , I just — it is beyond my comprehension.
” The Democratic presidential nominee then took aim at the President ’ s disparaging remarks to fallen soldiers reported in The Atlantic last week — which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( R-AZ ) a “ fucking loser ” in 2018 — by bringing up his late son Beau Biden ’ s service in Kosovo and in the Iraq war .
“ And all the people with him , the people who died — they ’ re suckers ?
I mean , I can ’ t fathom , ” Biden said .
“ They ’ re heroes .
They really are heroes .
Duty , honor , country.
” Biden went on to take aim about how Trump boasts about “ can you repeat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his little IQ test or dementia test he took.
” “ He doesn ’ t understand duty , honor , service , country .
He doesn ’ t get it , ” Biden said .
“ Or if he gets it , he doesn ’ t care about it.
” Biden concluded that regardless of his presidential run , Trump shouldn ’ t be the commander-in-chief of the military .
“ It ’ s just — no commander-in-chief ’ s ever , ever , ever , acted like this man , ” Biden @ @

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden railed against President Trump for seeming to lack “conception of what constitutes national security” in light of legendary journalist Bob Woodward writing in his forthcoming book “Rage” that Trump knew about the existence of a classified nuclear weapons system, during an interview aired on CNN Thursday.
In his book that drew from 18 interviews with Trump conducted from December to July, Woodward wrote that Trump privately expressed COVID-19 fears after being warned by national security officials in late January that COVID-19 would be the worst pandemic in a century. However, the President would go on to spend the following weeks downplaying the threat of COVID-19 as cases began to spread throughout the country.
According to the Washington Post, Woodward also wrote that Trump bragged about a supposedly secret nuclear weapons system while recounting how the U.S. came close to waging nuclear war with North Korea in 2017.
“I have built a nuclear — a weapons system that nobody’s ever had in this country before. We have stuff that you haven’t even seen or heard about,” Trump told Woodward, according to the Post.
After saying that the remarks that Trump made to Woodward were “not a surprise,” Biden argued that the intelligence community has no reason to trust a president who lacks understanding of what constitutes national security.
“You wonder why people in the intelligence community wondered from the very beginning whether you could share data with him, ’cause they don’t trust him. They don’t trust what he’ll say or do,” Biden said. “He seems to have no conception of what constitutes national security, no conception of anything other than: what can he do to promote himself?”
The former VP then referenced an Axios report that said Trump pondered whether nuclear bombs could help dissipate hurricanes before landfall, which the President has denied.
Biden also cited Trump’s erroneous comment last year that the Continental Army “took over the airports” from the British in the Revolutionary War (airplanes had not existed during that time) — a claim that the President blamed on a supposedly a faulty teleprompter.
“This is the guy who said maybe the way to deal with hurricane is drop a nuclear bomb on them. I mean, seriously, he said it!” Biden said. “I mean, God. Or you know, the problem with the Revolutionary War was they didn’t have enough airports. I mean, I just — it is beyond my comprehension.”
The Democratic presidential nominee then took aim at the President’s disparaging remarks to fallen soldiers reported in The Atlantic last week — which include calling the late Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) a “fucking loser” in 2018 — by bringing up his late son Beau Biden’s service in Kosovo and in the Iraq war.
“And all the people with him, the people who died — they’re suckers? I mean, I can’t fathom,” Biden said. “They’re heroes. They really are heroes. Duty, honor, country.”
Biden went on to take aim about how Trump boasts about “can you repeat four words in a row or whatever his little IQ test or dementia test he took.”
“He doesn’t understand duty, honor, service, country. He doesn’t get it,” Biden said. “Or if he gets it, he doesn’t care about it.”
Biden concluded that regardless of his presidential run, Trump shouldn’t be the commander-in-chief of the military.
“It’s just — no commander-in-chief’s ever, ever, ever, acted like this man,” Biden said.
Watch Biden’s remarks below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-10--Armed Right-Wing Group Oath Keepers Banned From Twitter For Violating Extremism Policy

Twitter has banned the armed right-wing group Oath Keepers and its founder Stewart Rhodes for violating the website ’ s policy on violent extremist groups .
NBC News first reported the ban , followed by Engadget .
A Twitter spokesperson confirmed the news to TPM in an email .
Rhodes recently used the Oath Keepers Twitter account to announce that “ Civil war is here , right now ” and “ The first shot has been fired ” after a right-wing demonstrator was killed during a clash in Portland .
( The man suspected of shooting the demonstrator was himself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ later . )
The group , which first made waves during the 2014 unrest in Ferguson , Missouri for their armed patrols from rooftops , claims thousands of members , many with law enforcement or military backgrounds .
Last year , Rhodes got a tour of the site of a GoFundMe-powered , privately constructed border wall outside of El Paso , Texas .
The leadership of the project , We Build The Wall , now faces federal charges for conspiracy to commit fraud .
A few months prior , Rhodes and other Oath @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the VIP section at a Trump rally in El Paso .
While Oath Keepers have long predicted various kind of civil unrest or armed conflict — and used the claims as recruiting tools — the recent declaration that a civil war had in fact begun was new territory , Sam Jackson , an assistant professor at the University of Albany and author of a new book about the group , told TPM .
“ They ’ ve identified the start of a civil war over and over again , ” Jackson said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ they ’ re pointing to a particular act of violence from the people that they ’ ve identified as the other side — the enemy combatants in the civil war.
” A request for comment to the group was not immediately returned Thursday .
But last month Rhodes called the removal of Oath Keepers groups from Facebook “ an ideological and political purge.
” “ Oath Keepers does not engage in unlawful activities or advocate or incite violence .
Quite the contrary , ” he wrote .
“ We stand for law and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against unlawful violence .
And that ’ s exactly why we are being purged .
”

Twitter has banned the armed right-wing group Oath Keepers and its founder Stewart Rhodes for violating the website’s policy on violent extremist groups.
NBC News first reported the ban, followed by Engadget. A Twitter spokesperson confirmed the news to TPM in an email.
Rhodes recently used the Oath Keepers Twitter account to announce that “Civil war is here, right now” and “The first shot has been fired” after a right-wing demonstrator was killed during a clash in Portland. (The man suspected of shooting the demonstrator was himself killed by law enforcement a few days later.)
The group, which first made waves during the 2014 unrest in Ferguson, Missouri for their armed patrols from rooftops, claims thousands of members, many with law enforcement or military backgrounds.
Last year, Rhodes got a tour of the site of a GoFundMe-powered, privately constructed border wall outside of El Paso, Texas. The leadership of the project, We Build The Wall, now faces federal charges for conspiracy to commit fraud. A few months prior, Rhodes and other Oath Keepers claimed to have gotten access to the VIP section at a Trump rally in El Paso.
While Oath Keepers have long predicted various kind of civil unrest or armed conflict — and used the claims as recruiting tools — the recent declaration that a civil war had in fact begun was new territory, Sam Jackson, an assistant professor at the University of Albany and author of a new book about the group, told TPM.
“They’ve identified the start of a civil war over and over again,” Jackson said. “What’s different now is they’re pointing to a particular act of violence from the people that they’ve identified as the other side — the enemy combatants in the civil war.”
A request for comment to the group was not immediately returned Thursday. But last month Rhodes called the removal of Oath Keepers groups from Facebook “an ideological and political purge.”
“Oath Keepers does not engage in unlawful activities or advocate or incite violence. Quite the contrary,” he wrote. “We stand for law and order under the Constitution and defend people against unlawful violence. And that’s exactly why we are being purged.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-10--Trump Reels Off 8 Hours Of Fox Shows He Has Consumed Since Last Night

President Donald Trump ’ s voracious cable news consumption is well-known — he often reacts via Twitter to guests and packages on Fox News particularly .
But during a Thursday press conference , he left no doubt as to the sheer volume he devours in a 24-hour period .
“ I watch Liz MacDonald , she ’ s fantastic — Fox Business .
I watched Lou Dobbs last night , Sean Hannity last night , Tucker last night , Laura , ” he said .
“ I watched ‘ Fox and Friends ’ in the morning.
” If he did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Trump took in a mind-numbing eight hours of Fox Business Network and Fox News programming in the last 24 hours .
Trump ’ s lax attitude towards the prodigious workload of the presidency has come up before : it was a mini-scandal in 2019 when Trump ’ s private schedule was leaked full of blank swaths of unscheduled “ executive time.
” He ’ s made changes to the West Wing to aid the compulsion , installing a large flatscreen TV on the wall of the White House dining room .
According @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TV is such his constant companion that it drones on in the background when he makes calls .

President Donald Trump’s voracious cable news consumption is well-known — he often reacts via Twitter to guests and packages on Fox News particularly.
But during a Thursday press conference, he left no doubt as to the sheer volume he devours in a 24-hour period.
Trump names the many Fox shows he watched last night and this morning pic.twitter.com/MMLLlSXZJN — TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) September 10, 2020
“I watch Liz MacDonald, she’s fantastic — Fox Business. I watched Lou Dobbs last night, Sean Hannity last night, Tucker last night, Laura,” he said. “I watched ‘Fox and Friends’ in the morning.”
If he did watch all the shows in their entirety, Trump took in a mind-numbing eight hours of Fox Business Network and Fox News programming in the last 24 hours.
Trump’s lax attitude towards the prodigious workload of the presidency has come up before: it was a mini-scandal in 2019 when Trump’s private schedule was leaked full of blank swaths of unscheduled “executive time.”
He’s made changes to the West Wing to aid the compulsion, installing a large flatscreen TV on the wall of the White House dining room. According to the New York Times, the TV is such his constant companion that it drones on in the background when he makes calls.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-10--Court Blocks Trump’s Effort To Exclude Some Immigrants From Congressional Apportionment

A three-judge panel in New York ruled Thursday to block President Donald Trump ’ s attempt to exclude undocumented immigrants from the census apportionment count , which allocates how many House seats each state gets .
In a July memo , Trump tried to break with years of precedent and possibly the Constitution in what some called a transparent attempt to decrease the power of immigrant-heavy states .
The ruling is likely to be appealed , and will go next to the Supreme Court .
In their order , the judges declare the memo an “ unlawful exercise of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” and enjoin defendants from giving Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross information for his report on the number of undocumented immigrants .
Ross was tasked by the President with figuring out a count of the population minus undocumented immigrants to enable their exclusion from the apportionment database .
The judges found Trump ’ s memo to be a “ violation of Congress ’ s delegation of its constitutional responsibility to count the whole number of persons in each State and to apportion members of the House of Representatives among the States according to their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The panel declined to address the question of the memo ’ s constitutionality , though the plaintiffs argued that the policy runs afoul of the 14th Amendment , which mandates “ counting the whole number of persons in each state.
” “ Because the President exceeded the authority granted to him by Congress by statute , we need not , and do not , reach the overlapping , albeit distinct , question of whether the Presidential Memorandum constitutes a violation of the Constitution itself , ” the judges wrote .
They did , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the administration ’ s arguments , saying it flies in the face of the Constitution .
“ With neither text nor history on their side , the only thing Defendants have remaining is their assertion that excluding illegal aliens from the apportionment base is ‘ more consonant with the principles of representative democracy underpinning our system of Government , ' ” they wrote .
But , they added , those principals are “ irrelevant ” in the face of the fact that the constitution imbues Congress , and not the executive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also endorsed the plaintiffs ’ argument that the memo could have the practical effect of “ chilling ” undocumented immigrants ’ participation in the census process by validating fear that the information they provide could be turned against them .
“ In short , the record supports a conclusion that the Presidential Memorandum has created , and is likely to create , widespread confusion among illegal aliens and others as to whether they should participate in the census , a confusion which has obvious deleterious effects on their participation rate , ” they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chilling effect on census participation will likely also degrade the census data , harming state and local governments that rely on the data to carry out their public functions , ” they added .
Trump ’ s memo prompted eight legal challenges across the country .
The stakes are high electorally .
For states with relatively large populations of undocumented immigrants such as California , Texas and Florida , the Pew Research Center has estimated that each would receive one fewer seat after the 2020 census under Trump ’ s apportionment policy .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ like Alabama , Minnesota and Ohio , would each keep a seat they would have otherwise lost after the 2020 census .
Additional legal challenges were lodged when the administration abruptly , and on the heels of Trump ’ s apportionment memo , decided to cut the census data collection timeline in half .
If the census proceeds on its original timeline , there ’ s a chance that the Biden administration could take over the process before apportionment is completed , risking that the new President could overturn Trump ’ s policy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take care of that first .

A three-judge panel in New York ruled Thursday to block President Donald Trump’s attempt to exclude undocumented immigrants from the census apportionment count, which allocates how many House seats each state gets.
In a July memo, Trump tried to break with years of precedent and possibly the Constitution in what some called a transparent attempt to decrease the power of immigrant-heavy states.
The ruling is likely to be appealed, and will go next to the Supreme Court.
In their order, the judges declare the memo an “unlawful exercise of the authority granted to the President by statute” and enjoin defendants from giving Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross information for his report on the number of undocumented immigrants.
Ross was tasked by the President with figuring out a count of the population minus undocumented immigrants to enable their exclusion from the apportionment database.
The judges found Trump’s memo to be a “violation of Congress’s delegation of its constitutional responsibility to count the whole number of persons in each State and to apportion members of the House of Representatives among the States according to their respective numbers,” they wrote.
The panel declined to address the question of the memo’s constitutionality, though the plaintiffs argued that the policy runs afoul of the 14th Amendment, which mandates “counting the whole number of persons in each state.”
“Because the President exceeded the authority granted to him by Congress by statute, we need not, and do not, reach the overlapping, albeit distinct, question of whether the Presidential Memorandum constitutes a violation of the Constitution itself,” the judges wrote.
They did, though, give a dismissive treatment to one of the administration’s arguments, saying it flies in the face of the Constitution.
“With neither text nor history on their side, the only thing Defendants have remaining is their assertion that excluding illegal aliens from the apportionment base is ‘more consonant with the principles of representative democracy underpinning our system of Government,'” they wrote. But, they added, those principals are “irrelevant” in the face of the fact that the constitution imbues Congress, and not the executive, with apportionment powers.
The panel also endorsed the plaintiffs’ argument that the memo could have the practical effect of “chilling” undocumented immigrants’ participation in the census process by validating fear that the information they provide could be turned against them.
“In short, the record supports a conclusion that the Presidential Memorandum has created, and is likely to create, widespread confusion among illegal aliens and others as to whether they should participate in the census, a confusion which has obvious deleterious effects on their participation rate,” they wrote.
“The Memorandum’s chilling effect on census participation will likely also degrade the census data, harming state and local governments that rely on the data to carry out their public functions,” they added.
Trump’s memo prompted eight legal challenges across the country.
The stakes are high electorally. For states with relatively large populations of undocumented immigrants such as California, Texas and Florida, the Pew Research Center has estimated that each would receive one fewer seat after the 2020 census under Trump’s apportionment policy. States with relatively few undocumented immigrants, like Alabama, Minnesota and Ohio, would each keep a seat they would have otherwise lost after the 2020 census.
Additional legal challenges were lodged when the administration abruptly, and on the heels of Trump’s apportionment memo, decided to cut the census data collection timeline in half. If the census proceeds on its original timeline, there’s a chance that the Biden administration could take over the process before apportionment is completed, risking that the new President could overturn Trump’s policy — if the courts don’t take care of that first.
Read the order here:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-10--Trump Blames Woodward — A Journalist — For Not Being Presidential Enough To Alert Authorities On COV

Trump Blames Woodward — A Journalist — For Not Being Presidential Enough To Alert Authorities On COVID

In a sign of his reelection desperation , President Trump on Thursday held his fourth press conference in a week as he continued fielding questions following reports on legendary journalist Bob Woodward ’ s book , which revealed that Trump purposefully downplayed the COVID-19 pandemic in its early stages .
During a press conference at the White House on Thursday , Trump echoed his admission from the day before that he intentionally downplayed the severity of COVID-19 early this year because he is “ a cheerleader for this country.
” In the three questions that Trump took during the press @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News reporter Jon Karl who bluntly asked the President : “ Why did you lie to the American people ?
And why should we trust what you have to say now ?
” Trump hit back at Karl by telling him “ that ’ s a terrible question and the phraseology ” because he “ didn ’ t lie.
” “ What I said is we have to be calm , ” Trump said .
“ We can ’ t be panicked.
” The President would go on to blame Woodward after being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about why he didn ’ t go public about his COVID-19 concerns , given that he told Woodward on Feb. 7 that he knew that the novel coronavirus was airborne and deadly .
Trump pointed to China ’ s early assertion that COVID-19 was an airborne disease “ earlier than the statements I made , ” before going on to argue that “ there has to be a calmness.
” “ You don ’ t want me jumping up and down screaming there ’ s going to be great death and really causing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump said .
Trump then suggested that Woodward should ’ ve taken it upon himself to alert authorities after stating his private concerns on COVID-19 to the legendary journalist .
After Rucker attempted to interject by mentioning that “ Bob Woodward is not the President , ” Trump rambled on by insisting that Woodward “ said he didn ’ t think it was bad ” before reiterating that the journalist should ’ ve gone public with the President ’ s COVID-19 concerns sooner .
“ He actually said he didn ’ t think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that said its bad were the fake news media because they take it and they try and put it a certain way , ” Trump said .
“ If Bob Woodward thought it was bad , then he should have immediately gone out publicly , not wait four months .
He ’ s had that statement for four months , maybe five months .
He ’ s had it for a long time.
” The President then added that he did a series of “ quick ” interviews with Woodward on the phone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have respect.
” “ I wonder whether or not somebody like that can write good , ” Trump said .
“ I don ’ t think he can , but let ’ s see what happens.
” Trump ’ s latest remarks come a day after Woodward responded to criticism he is facing for taking months into the COVID-19 pandemic to reveal that President Trump privately acknowledged that it was “ deadly stuff ” earlier this year .
In a phone interview with the AP on Wednesday , Woodward said that he needed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President ’ s private comments from February .
“ He tells me this , and I ’ m thinking , ‘ Wow , that ’ s interesting , but is it true ?
’ Trump says things that don ’ t check out , right ?
” Woodward told the AP .
Woodward told the AP that only in May that he felt assured in reporting Trump ’ s comments as the country experienced surges of COVID-19 cases nationwide .
“ If I had done the story at that time about what he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not telling us anything we didn ’ t know , ” Woodward told the AP .

In a sign of his reelection desperation, President Trump on Thursday held his fourth press conference in a week as he continued fielding questions following reports on legendary journalist Bob Woodward’s book, which revealed that Trump purposefully downplayed the COVID-19 pandemic in its early stages.
During a press conference at the White House on Thursday, Trump echoed his admission from the day before that he intentionally downplayed the severity of COVID-19 early this year because he is “a cheerleader for this country.”
In the three questions that Trump took during the press conference, the first went to ABC News reporter Jon Karl who bluntly asked the President: “Why did you lie to the American people? And why should we trust what you have to say now?”
Trump hit back at Karl by telling him “that’s a terrible question and the phraseology” because he “didn’t lie.”
“What I said is we have to be calm,” Trump said. “We can’t be panicked.”
The President would go on to blame Woodward after being asked by Washington Post reporter Philip Rucker about why he didn’t go public about his COVID-19 concerns, given that he told Woodward on Feb. 7 that he knew that the novel coronavirus was airborne and deadly.
Trump pointed to China’s early assertion that COVID-19 was an airborne disease “earlier than the statements I made,” before going on to argue that “there has to be a calmness.”
“You don’t want me jumping up and down screaming there’s going to be great death and really causing serious problems for the country,” Trump said.
Trump then suggested that Woodward should’ve taken it upon himself to alert authorities after stating his private concerns on COVID-19 to the legendary journalist.
After Rucker attempted to interject by mentioning that “Bob Woodward is not the President,” Trump rambled on by insisting that Woodward “said he didn’t think it was bad” before reiterating that the journalist should’ve gone public with the President’s COVID-19 concerns sooner.
“He actually said he didn’t think it was bad. The only one that said its bad were the fake news media because they take it and they try and put it a certain way,” Trump said. “If Bob Woodward thought it was bad, then he should have immediately gone out publicly, not wait four months. He’s had that statement for four months, maybe five months. He’s had it for a long time.”
The President then added that he did a series of “quick” interviews with Woodward on the phone “out of curiosity because I do have respect.”
“I wonder whether or not somebody like that can write good,” Trump said. “I don’t think he can, but let’s see what happens.”
Trump’s latest remarks come a day after Woodward responded to criticism he is facing for taking months into the COVID-19 pandemic to reveal that President Trump privately acknowledged that it was “deadly stuff” earlier this year.
In a phone interview with the AP on Wednesday, Woodward said that he needed time to ensure the accuracy of the President’s private comments from February.
“He tells me this, and I’m thinking, ‘Wow, that’s interesting, but is it true?’ Trump says things that don’t check out, right?” Woodward told the AP.
Woodward told the AP that only in May that he felt assured in reporting Trump’s comments as the country experienced surges of COVID-19 cases nationwide.
“If I had done the story at that time about what he knew in February, that’s not telling us anything we didn’t know,” Woodward told the AP.
Watch Trump’s remarks below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-10--Rudy Has Been Playing Footsie With Sanctioned ‘Active Russian Agent’ For Months

The Ukrainian MP sanctioned by the Treasury today for interfering in the 2020 election has had a long streak of cooperation with Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani , and has been peddling information to the GOP for years .
Andrii Derkach met with Rudy Giuliani at least twice during period of time in which the Treasury says Derkach was waging “ a covert influence campaign centered on cultivating false and unsubstantiated narratives concerning U.S. officials in the upcoming 2020 Presidential Election.
” The Ukrainian MP , who was once a member of the political party that employed Paul Manafort , has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trying to broadcast disinformation from the former Soviet Republic that would help Republican politicians and hurt the Democrats .
Most recently , that has taken the form of supposed recordings of Vice President Joe Biden speaking with Ukraine ’ s head of state in 2016 .
A graduate of Moscow ’ s Felix Dzerzhinsky Higher School of State Security , Derkach began to push counter-narratives about Russian interference in the 2016 election , claiming that it was Ukraine which interfered to help Hillary and hurt Trump ’ s candidacy in 2016 .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Derkach , calling him “ an active Russian agent , ” comes as the starkest illustration yet that the Kremlin is waging a disinformation campaign to damage Biden ’ s election chances in November .
Many of the same theories that Derkach has tried to substantiate have been pushed by the mainstream GOP , including President Trump in his 2019 bid to pressure Ukraine into producing evidence that would substantiate long-discredited allegations , a campaign that led to President Trump ’ s impeachment .
In a Thursday statement posted onto Facebook , written @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. Treasury had been co-opted by the Democratic Party , and accused Biden of trying to exact “ revenge ” on him .
The elaborate theories had much to do with the so-called Black Ledger : a mysterious bribe ledger released in May 2016 by a Ukrainian anti-corruption law enforcement body which showed millions of dollars in payments next to the name of Paul Manafort , then-chairman of the Trump campaign .
Manafort was forced to resign from the Trump campaign in August 2016 after the New York Times published an article @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s victory , Derkach sensed an opportunity .
He began to allege that Manafort was the victim of a baroque conspiracy orchestrated by the Ukrainian government , done to “ hinder the candidacy of Donald Trump and strengthen the position of Hillary Clinton , ” reads a press release issued by Derkach ’ s office in August 2017 .
In July 2017 , Derkach sent a letter to Ukrainian authorities demanding that they open a criminal investigation into the allegations .
Republicans in the U.S. were interested in the same allegations .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in August 2017 about “ Ukraine interference , ” ran a segment in July alleging that it was Kyiv which stood as the true source of foreign interference in 2016 .
And Sen. Chuck Grassley ( R-IA ) , sent a letter to the Justice Department on the same day that Derkach sent his letter , demanding to know whether there was a federal criminal investigation into “ collusion ” between the Clinton campaign and the Ukrainian government .
A Grassley spokesman told TPM in December that the letter was sent in advance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that week where several examples of possible violations and enforcement failures were discussed.
” “ So it was important to have this inquiry in the public domain in advance , ” the spokesman said .
“ I ’ m not sure we were even aware of the Ukrainian MP inquiry you reference.
” A bipartisan report from the Senate Intelligence Committee released last month found that efforts to blame Ukraine for interference in 2016 occurred as part of a Russian intelligence operation .
Rudy Giuliani first met with Derkach in Kyiv in December @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump attorney had spent months trying to substantiate the long-debunked allegations around Biden and his son Hunter ’ s involvement in Ukraine .
Giuliani ’ s effort had failed , and left his client President Trump impeached .
But on the December trip to Kyiv with pro-Trump network One America News , Giuliani sat down with Derkach .
Derkach said at the time that he had given Giuliani documents that would show “ international corruption , ” and said that he had sent letters with the same information to Sen. Lindsey Graham ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ R-CA ) , and Mick Mulvaney .
Only Nunes appears to have received any of the information .
The House Intelligence ranking member refused to say in July whether he had taken information from Derkach , after House Democrats discovered a postal receipt addressed to Nunes ’ office from Derkach .
After the trip , Giuliani reportedly told President Trump that he had gathered dirt on Biden during the trip and that he was assembling a report on it to brief both the President and Attorney General Bill Barr .
Giuliani has since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disinformation into the U.S..
Many of the allegations that Derkach described had to do with U.S. foreign aid that was allegedly misallocated during the Obama administration .
Though there is no evidence to support the allegations , Giuliani dug into it in a February 2020 interview with Derkach held in New York .
Bizarrely , the episode does not focus on the Democrats .
Rather , Giuliani appears to be doing Derkach ’ s bidding by attacking his internal Ukrainian political opponents .
Derkach spoke to Giuliani in a mix of English and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another Ukrainian involved in pushing anti-Biden disinformation , Andrii Telizhenko , voiced over Derkach ’ s remarks .
Telizhenko denied to TPM earlier on Thursday that he was associated with Derkach .
When asked about his role in voicing over Derkach ’ s remarks on the video , he told TPM that “ Rudy Gulliani asked me to do a voice over as I saw the Mayor a couple of days after their interview .
Mr. Guliani did not have anyone who could translate and asked for my help.
” “ I did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Telizhenko added .

The Ukrainian MP sanctioned by the Treasury today for interfering in the 2020 election has had a long streak of cooperation with Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, and has been peddling information to the GOP for years.
Andrii Derkach met with Rudy Giuliani at least twice during period of time in which the Treasury says Derkach was waging “a covert influence campaign centered on cultivating false and unsubstantiated narratives concerning U.S. officials in the upcoming 2020 Presidential Election.”
The Ukrainian MP, who was once a member of the political party that employed Paul Manafort, has spent much of the past three years trying to broadcast disinformation from the former Soviet Republic that would help Republican politicians and hurt the Democrats. Most recently, that has taken the form of supposed recordings of Vice President Joe Biden speaking with Ukraine’s head of state in 2016.
A graduate of Moscow’s Felix Dzerzhinsky Higher School of State Security, Derkach began to push counter-narratives about Russian interference in the 2016 election, claiming that it was Ukraine which interfered to help Hillary and hurt Trump’s candidacy in 2016.
The Treasury Department’s decision to sanction Derkach, calling him “an active Russian agent,” comes as the starkest illustration yet that the Kremlin is waging a disinformation campaign to damage Biden’s election chances in November.
Many of the same theories that Derkach has tried to substantiate have been pushed by the mainstream GOP, including President Trump in his 2019 bid to pressure Ukraine into producing evidence that would substantiate long-discredited allegations, a campaign that led to President Trump’s impeachment.
In a Thursday statement posted onto Facebook, written partly in all-caps, Derkach suggested that the U.S. Treasury had been co-opted by the Democratic Party, and accused Biden of trying to exact “revenge” on him.
Shifting the blame
The elaborate theories had much to do with the so-called Black Ledger: a mysterious bribe ledger released in May 2016 by a Ukrainian anti-corruption law enforcement body which showed millions of dollars in payments next to the name of Paul Manafort, then-chairman of the Trump campaign.
Manafort was forced to resign from the Trump campaign in August 2016 after the New York Times published an article about the ledger. But after Trump’s victory, Derkach sensed an opportunity.
He began to allege that Manafort was the victim of a baroque conspiracy orchestrated by the Ukrainian government, done to “hinder the candidacy of Donald Trump and strengthen the position of Hillary Clinton,” reads a press release issued by Derkach’s office in August 2017.
In July 2017, Derkach sent a letter to Ukrainian authorities demanding that they open a criminal investigation into the allegations.
Republicans in the U.S. were interested in the same allegations. Sean Hannity, who texted Manafort himself in August 2017 about “Ukraine interference,” ran a segment in July alleging that it was Kyiv which stood as the true source of foreign interference in 2016.
And Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), sent a letter to the Justice Department on the same day that Derkach sent his letter, demanding to know whether there was a federal criminal investigation into “collusion” between the Clinton campaign and the Ukrainian government.
A Grassley spokesman told TPM in December that the letter was sent in advance of a “hearing on FARA enforcement that week where several examples of possible violations and enforcement failures were discussed.”
“So it was important to have this inquiry in the public domain in advance,” the spokesman said. “I’m not sure we were even aware of the Ukrainian MP inquiry you reference.”
A bipartisan report from the Senate Intelligence Committee released last month found that efforts to blame Ukraine for interference in 2016 occurred as part of a Russian intelligence operation.
Enter Rudy
Rudy Giuliani first met with Derkach in Kyiv in December 2019.
That trip came after the Trump attorney had spent months trying to substantiate the long-debunked allegations around Biden and his son Hunter’s involvement in Ukraine. Giuliani’s effort had failed, and left his client President Trump impeached.
But on the December trip to Kyiv with pro-Trump network One America News, Giuliani sat down with Derkach.
Derkach said at the time that he had given Giuliani documents that would show “international corruption,” and said that he had sent letters with the same information to Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), and Mick Mulvaney.
Рудольф Джулиани прилетел в Киев. Мы сразу же встретились с ним по вопросу создания межпарламентской группы «Друзья… Posted by Андрей Деркач on Thursday, December 5, 2019
Only Nunes appears to have received any of the information. The House Intelligence ranking member refused to say in July whether he had taken information from Derkach, after House Democrats discovered a postal receipt addressed to Nunes’ office from Derkach.
After the trip, Giuliani reportedly told President Trump that he had gathered dirt on Biden during the trip and that he was assembling a report on it to brief both the President and Attorney General Bill Barr.
Giuliani has since remained a sieve for Derkach to pour disinformation into the U.S.. Many of the allegations that Derkach described had to do with U.S. foreign aid that was allegedly misallocated during the Obama administration.
Though there is no evidence to support the allegations, Giuliani dug into it in a February 2020 interview with Derkach held in New York.
Bizarrely, the episode does not focus on the Democrats. Rather, Giuliani appears to be doing Derkach’s bidding by attacking his internal Ukrainian political opponents.
Derkach spoke to Giuliani in a mix of English and Russian. For the Russian-language comments, another Ukrainian involved in pushing anti-Biden disinformation, Andrii Telizhenko, voiced over Derkach’s remarks.
Telizhenko denied to TPM earlier on Thursday that he was associated with Derkach. When asked about his role in voicing over Derkach’s remarks on the video, he told TPM that “Rudy Gulliani asked me to do a voice over as I saw the Mayor a couple of days after their interview. Mr. Guliani did not have anyone who could translate and asked for my help.”
“I did not help Derkach I helped Mr. Giuliani,” Telizhenko added.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-10--Stanford Med Faculty Rips Trump’s New Favorite COVID Doc: Peddling ‘Falsehoods’

A group of 78 researchers and doctors from Stanford Medical School issued a letter on Wednesday that rebuked Dr. Scott Atlas , who President Trump appointed to the White House coronavirus task force last month , for peddling “ falsehoods and misrepresentations of science.
” Atlas —a neuroradiologist who is not an epidemiologist and has no significant experience with treating infectious diseases — was a regular fixture on Fox News prior to joining the White House coronavirus task force last month .
Atlas often bolstered Trump ’ s public downplaying of COVID-19 by dismissing the need to wear masks to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , advocating for in-person instruction to resume at schools amid surging COVID-19 cases nationwide and asserting that it was “ very important ” that herd immunity develop even before a vaccine was ready .
In a “ Dear Colleagues ” letter issued on Wednesday , the Stanford experts wrote that they have a “ moral and ethical responsibility ” to dispute Atlas ’ unfounded claims on COVID-19 , which they described as “ opinions and statements ( that ) run counter to established science ” and “ undermine public health authorities and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policy.
” Although the letter did not specifically cite Atlas ’ past comments , the Stanford experts included a list based on a “ preponderance of data ” that disproved Atlas ’ controversial assertions — which include denouncing the use of natural “ herd immunity ” as “ not a safe public health strategy ” that there can have “ serious short-term and long-term consequences ” for children and young people who contract COVID-19 .
The Stanford experts concluded their letter by warning against the “ failure to follow the science – or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they wrote “ will lead to immense avoidable harm.
” The White House did not immediately respond to TPM ’ s request for comment .

A group of 78 researchers and doctors from Stanford Medical School issued a letter on Wednesday that rebuked Dr. Scott Atlas, who President Trump appointed to the White House coronavirus task force last month, for peddling “falsehoods and misrepresentations of science.”
Atlas —a neuroradiologist who is not an epidemiologist and has no significant experience with treating infectious diseases — was a regular fixture on Fox News prior to joining the White House coronavirus task force last month. Atlas often bolstered Trump’s public downplaying of COVID-19 by dismissing the need to wear masks to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus, advocating for in-person instruction to resume at schools amid surging COVID-19 cases nationwide and asserting that it was “very important” that herd immunity develop even before a vaccine was ready.
In a “Dear Colleagues” letter issued on Wednesday, the Stanford experts wrote that they have a “moral and ethical responsibility” to dispute Atlas’ unfounded claims on COVID-19, which they described as “opinions and statements (that) run counter to established science” and “undermine public health authorities and the credible science that guides effective public health policy.”
Although the letter did not specifically cite Atlas’ past comments, the Stanford experts included a list based on a “preponderance of data” that disproved Atlas’ controversial assertions — which include denouncing the use of natural “herd immunity” as “not a safe public health strategy” that there can have “serious short-term and long-term consequences” for children and young people who contract COVID-19.
The Stanford experts concluded their letter by warning against the “failure to follow the science – or deliberately misrepresenting the science,” which they wrote “will lead to immense avoidable harm.”
The White House did not immediately respond to TPM’s request for comment.
Read the “Dear Colleagues” letter below: