talkingpointsmemo--2020-06-20--Berman Resigns, Ending His Turbulent Standoff With Barr

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman announced his resignation on Saturday evening “ effective immediately , ” putting an end to his 24-hour stalemate with Attorney General Bill Barr .
Berman said in a statement that he was leaving “ in light of Attorney General Barr ’ s decision to respect the normal operation of law ” by replacing him with Deputy U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss .
“ It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as this District ’ s U.S. Attorney and a custodian of its proud legacy , but I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hands than Audrey ’ s , ” he said .
The prosecutor , whose office is currently investigating Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani , expressed confidence in Strauss ’ ability to maintain the SDNY ’ s “ enduring tradition of integrity and independence.
” Berman ’ s resignation concludes the dramatic standoff between him and Barr that began with the attorney general suddenly announcing on Friday night that Berman was stepping down , only for the U.S. attorney to smack down Barr ’ s announcement several hours later and declare that he had “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the SDNY ’ s investigations “ will move forward without delay or interruption.
” A furious Barr sent Berman a letter the next day accusing the U.S. attorney of choosing “ public spectacle over public service.
” “ Because you have declared that you have no intention of resigning , I have asked the President to remove you as of today , and he has done so , ” the attorney general told Berman .
But shortly after Barr had sent the missive , President Donald Trump denied having any involvement in Berman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disaster on his attorney general .
“ That ’ s really up to him , ” Trump told reporters .
“ I ’ m not involved .
”

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman announced his resignation on Saturday evening “effective immediately,” putting an end to his 24-hour stalemate with Attorney General Bill Barr.
Berman said in a statement that he was leaving “in light of Attorney General Barr’s decision to respect the normal operation of law” by replacing him with Deputy U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss.
“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as this District’s U.S. Attorney and a custodian of its proud legacy, but I could leave the District in no better hands than Audrey’s,” he said.
The prosecutor, whose office is currently investigating Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, expressed confidence in Strauss’ ability to maintain the SDNY’s “enduring tradition of integrity and independence.”
Berman’s resignation concludes the dramatic standoff between him and Barr that began with the attorney general suddenly announcing on Friday night that Berman was stepping down, only for the U.S. attorney to smack down Barr’s announcement several hours later and declare that he had “no intention” of resigning and that the SDNY’s investigations “will move forward without delay or interruption.”
A furious Barr sent Berman a letter the next day accusing the U.S. attorney of choosing “public spectacle over public service.”
“Because you have declared that you have no intention of resigning, I have asked the President to remove you as of today, and he has done so,” the attorney general told Berman.
But shortly after Barr had sent the missive, President Donald Trump denied having any involvement in Berman’s ouster and dumped the entire disaster on his attorney general.
“That’s really up to him,” Trump told reporters. “I’m not involved.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-06-20--Trump Denies Involvement In Berman Ouster–Right After Barr Told Berman POTUS Fired Him

President Donald Trump and Attorney General Bill Barr apparently forgot to consult with each other while coming up with an explanation for the abrupt firing of U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoff Berman on Friday night .
In a seething letter sent to Berman on Saturday , Barr accused the U.S. attorney of choosing “ public spectacle over public service ” by announcing that he would not resign in defiance of the press release Barr had issues earlier .
“ Because you have declared that you have no intention of resigning , I have asked the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and he has done so , ” Barr wrote .
Then Trump came in and shattered Barr ’ s version of events entirely by telling reporters that Berman ’ s position is “ all up to the attorney general ” and denying any involvement in the debacle .
“ Attorney General Barr is working on that .
That ’ s his department , not my department , ” Trump said .
“ But we have a very capable attorney general , so that ’ s really up to him .
I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ late-night press release announcing that Berman , who is currently leading the investigations into Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and his associates in Ukraine , had stepped down immediately caused a firestorm on Friday .
The situation grew even more chaotic after the SDNY attorney publicly refuted Barr ’ s announcement , saying in a defiant press release that he had not resigned and had “ no intention ” of doing so .
“ Our investigations will move forward without delay or interruption , ” Berman said .

President Donald Trump and Attorney General Bill Barr apparently forgot to consult with each other while coming up with an explanation for the abrupt firing of U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoff Berman on Friday night.
In a seething letter sent to Berman on Saturday, Barr accused the U.S. attorney of choosing “public spectacle over public service” by announcing that he would not resign in defiance of the press release Barr had issues earlier.
“Because you have declared that you have no intention of resigning, I have asked the President to remove you as of today, and he has done so,” Barr wrote.
Then Trump came in and shattered Barr’s version of events entirely by telling reporters that Berman’s position is “all up to the attorney general” and denying any involvement in the debacle.
“Attorney General Barr is working on that. That’s his department, not my department,” Trump said. “But we have a very capable attorney general, so that’s really up to him. I’m not involved.”
Trump on Barr's claim Trump fired Geoff Berman: "That's really up to him. I'm not involved" pic.twitter.com/yB0Fjc61Uv — Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) June 20, 2020
Barr’s late-night press release announcing that Berman, who is currently leading the investigations into Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and his associates in Ukraine, had stepped down immediately caused a firestorm on Friday.
The situation grew even more chaotic after the SDNY attorney publicly refuted Barr’s announcement, saying in a defiant press release that he had not resigned and had “no intention” of doing so.
“Our investigations will move forward without delay or interruption,” Berman said.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-06-20--Trump Declares Bolton ‘Will Have Bombs Dropped On Him’

President Donald Trump tweeted on Saturday that former national security adviser John Bolton , who will soon publish an apparently damning tell-all book about his experiences in the Trump administration , “ will have bombs dropped on him ” Trump made the comment while taking a victory lap over a court ruling that rejected the Justice Department ’ s attempt to block the book ’ s release but also agreed with the DOJ that Bolton had “ likely jeopardized national security by disclosing classified information ” in the book in violation of his NDA .
The judge signaled that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in its lawsuit against Bolton The President asserted that his former adviser “ broke the law ” and has a “ really big price to pay.
” “ He likes dropping bombs on people , and killing them , ” Trump wrote .
“ Now he will have bombs dropped on him !
” The White House did not respond to TPM ’ s request for comment .
Though Bolton ’ s book , titled “ The Room Where It Happened : A White House Memoir , ” won ’ t be released @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media outlets have already revealed several astonishing accounts of Trump allegedly leveraging the presidency to boost his chances of reelection , which included asking Chinese President Xi Jinping for assistance .

President Donald Trump tweeted on Saturday that former national security adviser John Bolton, who will soon publish an apparently damning tell-all book about his experiences in the Trump administration, “will have bombs dropped on him”
Trump made the comment while taking a victory lap over a court ruling that rejected the Justice Department’s attempt to block the book’s release but also agreed with the DOJ that Bolton had “likely jeopardized national security by disclosing classified information” in the book in violation of his NDA. The judge signaled that the DOJ will therefore be likely to win in its lawsuit against Bolton
“BIG COURT WIN against Bolton,” Trump tweeted.
The President asserted that his former adviser “broke the law” and has a “really big price to pay.”
“He likes dropping bombs on people, and killing them,” Trump wrote. “Now he will have bombs dropped on him!”
The White House did not respond to TPM’s request for comment.
Though Bolton’s book, titled “The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir,” won’t be released until Tuesday, excerpts published by several media outlets have already revealed several astonishing accounts of Trump allegedly leveraging the presidency to boost his chances of reelection, which included asking Chinese President Xi Jinping for assistance.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-06-20--Six Trump Campaign Staffers Who Set Up Tulsa Rally Get Infected With COVID-19

WASHINGTON ( AP ) — President Donald Trump ’ s campaign says six staff members helping set up for his Saturday night rally in Tulsa , Oklahoma , have tested positive for coronavirus .
The campaign ’ s communications director , Tim Murtaugh , said in a statement that “ quarantine procedures ” were immediately initiated and no staff member who tested positive would attend the event .
He said no one who had immediate contact with those staffers would attend , either .
Murtaugh said campaign staff members are tested for COVID-19 as part of the campaign ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who is attending the rally will be given temperature checks before they pass through security .
They will also be given masks to wear , if they want , and hand sanitizer at the 19,000-seat BOK Center .
The rally is expected to be the biggest indoor event the country has seen since restrictions to prevent the coronavirus from spreading began in March .
Tulsa has seen cases of COVID-19 spike in the past week , and the local health department director asked that the rally be postponed .
But Republican Gov .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Friday denied a request that everyone attending the indoor rally wear a mask , and few in the crowd outside Saturday were wearing them .

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s campaign says six staff members helping set up for his Saturday night rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, have tested positive for coronavirus.
The campaign’s communications director, Tim Murtaugh, said in a statement that “quarantine procedures” were immediately initiated and no staff member who tested positive would attend the event. He said no one who had immediate contact with those staffers would attend, either.
Murtaugh said campaign staff members are tested for COVID-19 as part of the campaign’s safety protocols.
Campaign officials say everyone who is attending the rally will be given temperature checks before they pass through security. They will also be given masks to wear, if they want, and hand sanitizer at the 19,000-seat BOK Center.
The rally is expected to be the biggest indoor event the country has seen since restrictions to prevent the coronavirus from spreading began in March.
Tulsa has seen cases of COVID-19 spike in the past week, and the local health department director asked that the rally be postponed. But Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt said it would be safe. The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Friday denied a request that everyone attending the indoor rally wear a mask, and few in the crowd outside Saturday were wearing them.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-06-20--Pence Bends Over Backwards To Avoid Saying Black Lives Matter

Vice President Mike Pence refused to say Black lives matter on Friday , aka Juneteenth , amid the growing movement against anti-Black police brutality sparked by the killing of George Floyd .
During an interview on ABC 6 , anchor Brian Taff pressed Pence on whether he would explicitly say “ Black lives matter , ” which most Republicans have refused to do .
The vice president described Floyd ’ s death as a “ tragedy , ” then dodged Taff ’ s question .
“ In this nation , especially on Juneteenth , we celebrate the fact that from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cherish the ideal that all , all of us , are created equal and endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights , ” Pence said .
“ And so all lives matter in a very real sense , ” he told Taff .
The anchor pointed out the importance of recognizing Black lives specifically given how it was uniquely anti-Black systemic racism that led to the killings of Floyd , Breonna Taylor , and other African-American victims of violent policing .
“ To say the words is an acknowledgment that Black lives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country when it appears that there ’ s a segment of our society that doesn ’ t agree , ” Taff said .
“ So why will you not say those words ?
” “ Well , I don ’ t accept the fact , Brian , that there ’ s a segment of American society that disagrees in the preciousness and importance of every human life , ” Pence replied .
Still refusing to state that Black lives matter , the vice president instead praised President Donald Trump ’ s “ action @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration is “ absolutely determined to improve the lives of our African-American citizens.
” “ And yet , one final time , you won ’ t say the words , ” Taff responded .
“ And we understand your explanation .
”

Vice President Mike Pence refused to say Black lives matter on Friday, aka Juneteenth, amid the growing movement against anti-Black police brutality sparked by the killing of George Floyd.
During an interview on ABC 6, anchor Brian Taff pressed Pence on whether he would explicitly say “Black lives matter,” which most Republicans have refused to do.
The vice president described Floyd’s death as a “tragedy,” then dodged Taff’s question.
“In this nation, especially on Juneteenth, we celebrate the fact that from the founding of this nation, we cherish the ideal that all, all of us, are created equal and endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights,” Pence said.
“And so all lives matter in a very real sense,” he told Taff.
The anchor pointed out the importance of recognizing Black lives specifically given how it was uniquely anti-Black systemic racism that led to the killings of Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other African-American victims of violent policing.
“To say the words is an acknowledgment that Black lives also matter at a time in this country when it appears that there’s a segment of our society that doesn’t agree,” Taff said. “So why will you not say those words?”
“Well, I don’t accept the fact, Brian, that there’s a segment of American society that disagrees in the preciousness and importance of every human life,” Pence replied.
Still refusing to state that Black lives matter, the vice president instead praised President Donald Trump’s “action” on police reform and said his administration is “absolutely determined to improve the lives of our African-American citizens.”
“And yet, one final time, you won’t say the words,” Taff responded. “And we understand your explanation.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-06-20--Inside the Trump Administration’s Decision to Leave the World Health Organization

This story first appeared at ProPublica .
ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom .
Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox .
Right before President Donald Trump unveiled punitive measures against China on May 29 , he inserted a surprise into his prepared text .
“ We will be today terminating our relationship with the World Health Organization , ” he announced during a press conference in the Rose Garden .
Most of the president ’ s top aides — and even some of his Cabinet secretaries — were blindsided @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had sent an ultimatum threatening to withdraw from the WHO if reforms were not enacted in 30 days .
Some senior officials hoped that he was bluffing or would change his mind about a decision that could hobble efforts to fight dangerous diseases .
Trump ’ s foreign policy choices are at the center of a forthcoming book by former national security adviser John Bolton , who argues that many of the president ’ s erratic actions are aimed at boosting his re-election chances .
But while Bolton ’ s book focuses on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Turkey , Ukraine and China ’ s leader Xi Jinping , officials interviewed by ProPublica said the less explored WHO decision may have a more lasting impact .
ProPublica has interviewed senior officials at five federal agencies to understand the repercussions and the behind-the-scenes efforts to contain the damage of a decision in which they had little input .
In the weeks after Trump ’ s Rose Garden declaration , the White House gave little direction on what to do next .
Officials who deal with the WHO knew that withdrawal is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s notice , a multiagency review and payment of unpaid dues .
As a result , Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar instructed his department to continue cooperating with the organization .
The American ambassador in Geneva , Andrew Bremberg , kept negotiating with the WHO director general on the reforms demanded by the president , including an independent inquiry into the WHO ’ s response to the pandemic .
( The talks were first reported by Vanity Fair . )
Dozens of scientists , doctors and public health specialists detailed from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kept working at their posts at the WHO ’ s Geneva headquarters and in the field , fighting Ebola and other diseases in Africa and elsewhere .
But on Monday , the administration made it clear there would be no backing down .
At a meeting at the White House , a director with the National Security Council told diplomats and health officials that they must now justify any engagement with the WHO as being necessary for national security and public health safety , senior government officials told ProPublica .
In addition , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paperwork to declare the official withdrawal of the United States from the WHO , officials said .
“ The president is moving toward a fast withdrawal , ” a senior administration official said in an interview this week .
Another administration official said on Friday that the White House does not plan to reconsider the decision .
National security and health officials confirmed those assertions .
“ The President has made clear that the U.S. is terminating its relationship with the World Health Organization , and that process is being expedited , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in an email response to a request for comment .
“ All US-WHO collaborations are being examined through an interagency exercise as part of the termination process to ensure the safety of the American people will be protected.
” The new “ no-engagement ” policy is a concrete step to curtail the relationship , and it has caused alarm and confusion , other officials said .
“ This is sending just unbelievable shock waves through the agencies , ” a senior government official said .
The official warned that reduced cooperation with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ severe repercussions.
” Among the most immediate potential impacts : The move could for the first time cut the U.S. government out of the development of the seasonal influenza vaccine for the Southern Hemisphere , a process coordinated by the WHO in partnership with the United States .
And the withdrawal from the WHO could impede access to an eventual COVID-19 vaccine if it is created overseas , current and former officials said .
Leaving the organization could also significantly blind the U.S. to health threats in remote foreign locales that , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ potential to make their way to the U.S. shores .
Experts also fear the impact on major initiatives to combat infectious diseases , such as a WHO-led program that is on the cusp of eradicating polio .
“ To do this in the middle of a pandemic is breathtakingly dangerous , ” said Nancy Cox , a former CDC virologist , who for 22 years led the agency ’ s WHO center on influenza surveillance and control .
“ So I worry a lot about what ’ s going to happen to so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were strongly supported financially and through expertise and consultation with the U.S .
I just think it could be really bad.
” When informed of the NSC directive , a WHO spokesman in Geneva wrote that the organization “ hopes the United States will remain part of WHO , as it has been since 1948 .
Its leadership in global public health as a WHO Member State is important to all people , everywhere.
” The United States is the largest donor among the WHO ’ s 194 member states , giving about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ WHO said the U.S. cut in funding would affect childhood immunizations , polio eradication and other initiatives in some of the most vulnerable parts of the world .
Trump ’ s disgust with the WHO is well-founded , administration officials say .
The decision to leave wasn ’ t solely due to the WHO ’ s stumbles on COVID-19 , but because they capped a record of unresolved structural issues and failures during crises , officials said .
As the pandemic spread early this year , the WHO reported that only 1 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doctors were privately saying that the number was actually as high as 50 % , the senior administration official said .
“ The organization had no credibility , ” the official said .
“ It was either clueless or cut out , being manipulated.
” Recent missteps , including conflicting advice about the efficacy of masks , raised further questions , officials said .
The administration plans to fill the void left by its withdrawal with direct aid to foreign countries , creating a new entity based in the State Department to lead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interviews and a proposal prepared by the department .
The U.S. will spend about $ 20 billion this year on global public health .
( About $ 9 billion of that is emergency aid for COVID response . )
But the senior administration official conceded that important activities led by the WHO , including vaccination initiatives , need to continue .
It is not yet clear what will happen to those programs when American funding and participation end , the official acknowledged .
In fact , many aspects of the new policy toward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
At the White House meeting Monday , the NSC director who outlined the policy did not answer a number of questions from the agencies about its implementation and impact , saying responses would come later , the senior government official said .
The new directive will require officials to divert their attention from pandemic response in order to review a list of their WHO-related activities and try to justify them on national security and public health safety grounds , the senior government official said .
Critics warn of potential widespread damage as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from an international health infrastructure in which it is entrenched .
The timing will cause even more uncertainty , they said .
A case in point : The flu vaccine that Americans receive at drugstores and doctors ’ offices is based on work that the CDC and Food and Drug Administration conduct through the WHO .
Since 2004 , the U.S. has helped build a global network of WHO flu centers , buying lab equipment and training scientists .
The centers in more than 100 countries collect samples from sick people , isolate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ viruses that could cause an epidemic or pandemic .
The CDC houses one of five WHO Collaborating Centers that collect these virus samples , sequence the viral RNA and analyze reams of data on flu cases around the world , while the FDA runs one of the four WHO regulatory labs that help vaccine makers determine the correct amount of antigen , which triggers the immune response , to include in vaccines .
The U.S. and other WHO members meet twice a year to pick the dominant flu viruses that are included in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s flu vaccine in the U.S. were chosen in April .
But in September , the WHO flu centers are scheduled to pick the flu strains for the Southern Hemisphere ’ s vaccine , and months of work at the CDC leads up to that meeting .
The uncertainty has caused concern in the pharmaceutical industry as well as the government , officials said .
The CDC could lose access to the data and virus samples that protects Americans from potentially deadly strains of flu from around the world .
“ If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Organization , we ’ re going to be flying blind in terms of influenza and other pandemic threats , ” said Cox , the CDC flu expert , who retired in 2014 .
“ It ’ s going to be a lot harder to know what ’ s going on.
” The onslaught of the coronavirus has hurt immunization activities worldwide , causing a rise in measles and other diseases .
American cooperation with the WHO is vital to fighting such threats , according to current and former officials .
They fear that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ program that has come tantalizingly close to the eradication of polio .
The wild form of the disease now lingers in just two countries , Pakistan and Afghanistan .
“ We are using WHO to run an anti-polio campaign and coordinate it , ” said Andrew Natsios , a former administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development and director of the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs at Texas A & M University .
“ And we ’ re almost there .
We can ’ t stop that now.
” The Trump administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and address global health problems directly with foreign governments will run into trouble in the Middle East , South Asia , Africa and other regions where Americans encounter hostility or have difficulty operating , critics said .
“ People coming into countries in WHO shirts to work on polio or AIDS are less threatening , ” said former Ambassador Jimmy Kolker , a veteran health diplomat who represented the United States at WHO meetings until 2017 .
“ It is easier to get collaboration from a skeptical country or population through WHO .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to think that other nations will accept a U.S.-led health initiative as a substitute for the WHO , Kolker said .
“ No one is looking for U.S.-based alternatives to WHO , ” he said .
“ Dead on arrival .
There is no way they are going to be supported or even accepted.
” The WHO has a history of bringing together ideological rivals .
William Foege , a CDC director under Presidents Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter , credits the global agency for uniting American scientists and their counterparts from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eradicate smallpox in a little more than a decade .
“ It ’ s not a failed bureaucracy , ” said Foege , who worked on the international fight against smallpox .
“ If you go there and see all they do every year , and they have a budget for the entire world that ’ s smaller than many medical centers in this country.
” At the same time , global health experts across the political spectrum admit that the WHO needs reform .
The organization does not have the muscle to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on member states , experts say .
Its decentralized structure gives the headquarters in Geneva limited power over regional offices , some of which have been fiefs dominated by politics and patronage .
During the U.S. response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014 , the Obama administration ’ s displeasure with the WHO led American officials to bypass the agency and join forces instead with other nations and nongovernmental organizations , current and former officials said .
The WHO ’ s flawed record shows the need for the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health crises , a senior administration official said .
“ As U.S. leadership demonstrated in the Ebola and MERS outbreaks , our diplomatic and development efforts enable countries to develop tools for addressing infectious disease , ” the official said .
“ Due to these efforts , we filled gaps created by the WHO ’ s inaction to prevent , detect and respond to outbreaks immediately.
” Kolker said the calls for reform are legitimate , but he and others said the United States has enough influence to make changes from within .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ controls the WHO and its director general , Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus .
“ In general , the WHO is deferential to member states , ” Kolker said .
“ Yes , it should have been more aggressive in response to Chinese obstruction .
Tedros surely realizes the public statements were too deferential to China .
But the organization is not dominated by China .
Its weaknesses reflect the challenges we have long faced in international collaboration on public health.
” China will gain control over the organization if Washington really does terminate its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ There ’ s one country that ’ s desperate for the United States to leave the WHO , and that ’ s China , ” Sen. Chris Murphy , a Connecticut Democrat , said at a hearing Thursday of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations .
“ They are going to fill this vacuum .
They are going to put in the money that we have withdrawn , and even if we try to rejoin in 2021 , it ’ s going to be under fundamentally different terms because China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our even temporary absence from it .
”

This story first appeared at ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.
Right before President Donald Trump unveiled punitive measures against China on May 29, he inserted a surprise into his prepared text.
“We will be today terminating our relationship with the World Health Organization,” he announced during a press conference in the Rose Garden.
Most of the president’s top aides — and even some of his Cabinet secretaries — were blindsided.
Just 11 days earlier, Trump had sent an ultimatum threatening to withdraw from the WHO if reforms were not enacted in 30 days. Some senior officials hoped that he was bluffing or would change his mind about a decision that could hobble efforts to fight dangerous diseases.
Trump’s foreign policy choices are at the center of a forthcoming book by former national security adviser John Bolton, who argues that many of the president’s erratic actions are aimed at boosting his re-election chances.
But while Bolton’s book focuses on revelations about Trump’s past dealings with Turkey, Ukraine and China’s leader Xi Jinping, officials interviewed by ProPublica said the less explored WHO decision may have a more lasting impact.
ProPublica has interviewed senior officials at five federal agencies to understand the repercussions and the behind-the-scenes efforts to contain the damage of a decision in which they had little input.
In the weeks after Trump’s Rose Garden declaration, the White House gave little direction on what to do next. Officials who deal with the WHO knew that withdrawal is a cumbersome process requiring a year’s notice, a multiagency review and payment of unpaid dues.
As a result, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar instructed his department to continue cooperating with the organization. The American ambassador in Geneva, Andrew Bremberg, kept negotiating with the WHO director general on the reforms demanded by the president, including an independent inquiry into the WHO’s response to the pandemic. (The talks were first reported by Vanity Fair.) Dozens of scientists, doctors and public health specialists detailed from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention kept working at their posts at the WHO’s Geneva headquarters and in the field, fighting Ebola and other diseases in Africa and elsewhere.
But on Monday, the administration made it clear there would be no backing down.
At a meeting at the White House, a director with the National Security Council told diplomats and health officials that they must now justify any engagement with the WHO as being necessary for national security and public health safety, senior government officials told ProPublica. In addition, the State Department has begun preparing formal paperwork to declare the official withdrawal of the United States from the WHO, officials said.
“The president is moving toward a fast withdrawal,” a senior administration official said in an interview this week. Another administration official said on Friday that the White House does not plan to reconsider the decision. National security and health officials confirmed those assertions.
“The President has made clear that the U.S. is terminating its relationship with the World Health Organization, and that process is being expedited,” said Katie McKeogh, an HHS spokesperson, in an email response to a request for comment. “All US-WHO collaborations are being examined through an interagency exercise as part of the termination process to ensure the safety of the American people will be protected.”
The new “no-engagement” policy is a concrete step to curtail the relationship, and it has caused alarm and confusion, other officials said.
“This is sending just unbelievable shock waves through the agencies,” a senior government official said. The official warned that reduced cooperation with the WHO will have “profound and severe repercussions.”
Among the most immediate potential impacts: The move could for the first time cut the U.S. government out of the development of the seasonal influenza vaccine for the Southern Hemisphere, a process coordinated by the WHO in partnership with the United States. And the withdrawal from the WHO could impede access to an eventual COVID-19 vaccine if it is created overseas, current and former officials said.
Leaving the organization could also significantly blind the U.S. to health threats in remote foreign locales that, as the pandemic has shown, have the potential to make their way to the U.S. shores. Experts also fear the impact on major initiatives to combat infectious diseases, such as a WHO-led program that is on the cusp of eradicating polio.
“To do this in the middle of a pandemic is breathtakingly dangerous,” said Nancy Cox, a former CDC virologist, who for 22 years led the agency’s WHO center on influenza surveillance and control. “So I worry a lot about what’s going to happen to so many of the programs at WHO that were strongly supported financially and through expertise and consultation with the U.S. I just think it could be really bad.”
When informed of the NSC directive, a WHO spokesman in Geneva wrote that the organization “hopes the United States will remain part of WHO, as it has been since 1948. Its leadership in global public health as a WHO Member State is important to all people, everywhere.”
The United States is the largest donor among the WHO’s 194 member states, giving about $450 million last year. The WHO said the U.S. cut in funding would affect childhood immunizations, polio eradication and other initiatives in some of the most vulnerable parts of the world.
Trump’s disgust with the WHO is well-founded, administration officials say. The decision to leave wasn’t solely due to the WHO’s stumbles on COVID-19, but because they capped a record of unresolved structural issues and failures during crises, officials said. As the pandemic spread early this year, the WHO reported that only 1% of cases were asymptomatic, while Chinese doctors were privately saying that the number was actually as high as 50%, the senior administration official said.
“The organization had no credibility,” the official said. “It was either clueless or cut out, being manipulated.”
Recent missteps, including conflicting advice about the efficacy of masks, raised further questions, officials said.
The administration plans to fill the void left by its withdrawal with direct aid to foreign countries, creating a new entity based in the State Department to lead the response to outbreaks, according to interviews and a proposal prepared by the department. The U.S. will spend about $20 billion this year on global public health. (About $9 billion of that is emergency aid for COVID response.)
But the senior administration official conceded that important activities led by the WHO, including vaccination initiatives, need to continue. It is not yet clear what will happen to those programs when American funding and participation end, the official acknowledged.
In fact, many aspects of the new policy toward the WHO remain unclear, officials said. At the White House meeting Monday, the NSC director who outlined the policy did not answer a number of questions from the agencies about its implementation and impact, saying responses would come later, the senior government official said.
The new directive will require officials to divert their attention from pandemic response in order to review a list of their WHO-related activities and try to justify them on national security and public health safety grounds, the senior government official said.
Critics warn of potential widespread damage as the United States attempts to extricate itself from an international health infrastructure in which it is entrenched. The timing will cause even more uncertainty, they said.
A case in point: The flu vaccine that Americans receive at drugstores and doctors’ offices is based on work that the CDC and Food and Drug Administration conduct through the WHO.
Since 2004, the U.S. has helped build a global network of WHO flu centers, buying lab equipment and training scientists. The centers in more than 100 countries collect samples from sick people, isolate the viruses and search for any new viruses that could cause an epidemic or pandemic. The CDC houses one of five WHO Collaborating Centers that collect these virus samples, sequence the viral RNA and analyze reams of data on flu cases around the world, while the FDA runs one of the four WHO regulatory labs that help vaccine makers determine the correct amount of antigen, which triggers the immune response, to include in vaccines.
The U.S. and other WHO members meet twice a year to pick the dominant flu viruses that are included in vaccines. The strains for this fall’s flu vaccine in the U.S. were chosen in April. But in September, the WHO flu centers are scheduled to pick the flu strains for the Southern Hemisphere’s vaccine, and months of work at the CDC leads up to that meeting.
The uncertainty has caused concern in the pharmaceutical industry as well as the government, officials said. The CDC could lose access to the data and virus samples that protects Americans from potentially deadly strains of flu from around the world.
“If we pull out of the World Health Organization, we’re going to be flying blind in terms of influenza and other pandemic threats,” said Cox, the CDC flu expert, who retired in 2014. “It’s going to be a lot harder to know what’s going on.”
The onslaught of the coronavirus has hurt immunization activities worldwide, causing a rise in measles and other diseases. American cooperation with the WHO is vital to fighting such threats, according to current and former officials. They fear that the U.S. decision will endanger a WHO-led program that has come tantalizingly close to the eradication of polio. The wild form of the disease now lingers in just two countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“We are using WHO to run an anti-polio campaign and coordinate it,” said Andrew Natsios, a former administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development and director of the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs at Texas A&M University. “And we’re almost there. We can’t stop that now.”
The Trump administration’s plan to bypass the WHO and address global health problems directly with foreign governments will run into trouble in the Middle East, South Asia, Africa and other regions where Americans encounter hostility or have difficulty operating, critics said.
“People coming into countries in WHO shirts to work on polio or AIDS are less threatening,” said former Ambassador Jimmy Kolker, a veteran health diplomat who represented the United States at WHO meetings until 2017. “It is easier to get collaboration from a skeptical country or population through WHO. It facilitates access.”
It is fanciful to think that other nations will accept a U.S.-led health initiative as a substitute for the WHO, Kolker said.
“No one is looking for U.S.-based alternatives to WHO,” he said. “Dead on arrival. There is no way they are going to be supported or even accepted.”
The WHO has a history of bringing together ideological rivals. William Foege, a CDC director under Presidents Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter, credits the global agency for uniting American scientists and their counterparts from the Soviet Union during the Cold War to eradicate smallpox in a little more than a decade.
“It’s not a failed bureaucracy,” said Foege, who worked on the international fight against smallpox. “If you go there and see all they do every year, and they have a budget for the entire world that’s smaller than many medical centers in this country.”
At the same time, global health experts across the political spectrum admit that the WHO needs reform. The organization does not have the muscle to enforce international health regulations or put pressure on member states, experts say. Its decentralized structure gives the headquarters in Geneva limited power over regional offices, some of which have been fiefs dominated by politics and patronage.
During the U.S. response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014, the Obama administration’s displeasure with the WHO led American officials to bypass the agency and join forces instead with other nations and nongovernmental organizations, current and former officials said.
The WHO’s flawed record shows the need for the United States to take the lead in response to health crises, a senior administration official said.
“As U.S. leadership demonstrated in the Ebola and MERS outbreaks, our diplomatic and development efforts enable countries to develop tools for addressing infectious disease,” the official said. “Due to these efforts, we filled gaps created by the WHO’s inaction to prevent, detect and respond to outbreaks immediately.”
Kolker said the calls for reform are legitimate, but he and others said the United States has enough influence to make changes from within. They disagree with the allegations that China controls the WHO and its director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“In general, the WHO is deferential to member states,” Kolker said. “Yes, it should have been more aggressive in response to Chinese obstruction. Tedros surely realizes the public statements were too deferential to China. But the organization is not dominated by China. Its weaknesses reflect the challenges we have long faced in international collaboration on public health.”
China will gain control over the organization if Washington really does terminate its membership, current and former officials predicted.
“There’s one country that’s desperate for the United States to leave the WHO, and that’s China,” Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, said at a hearing Thursday of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. “They are going to fill this vacuum. They are going to put in the money that we have withdrawn, and even if we try to rejoin in 2021, it’s going to be under fundamentally different terms because China will be much more influential because of our even temporary absence from it.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-06-20--Judge Rejects DOJ’s Emergency Request To Halt Bolton Book Release

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth rejected on Saturday the Justice Department ’ s emergency request to block the release of former national security adviser John Bolton ’ s tell-all book .
The ruling will allow the book , titled “ The Room Where It Happened : A White House Memoir , ” to be released on Tuesday as scheduled .
Lamberth ’ s order sidestepped the First Amendment issues at stake in the DOJ ’ s request .
Instead , he focused on the fact that what the government was asking for was unworkable .
The judge said that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was seeking “ would prevent irreparable injury.
” “ With hundreds of thousands of copies around the globe — many in newsrooms — the damage is done .
There is no restoring the status quo , ” Lamberth said .
Bolton alleges that the government sought to slow-walk its prepublication review of his book for political reasons .
He ’ s agued that the informal okay he got from a career classification expert was enough for him to release the book .
After that expert had finished her review , a political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more classified information that needed removal .
In his order Saturday , Lamberth previewed extreme skepticism of Bolton ’ s defense of his behavior .
Noting that Bolton bailed on the review process after four months , Lamberth said , “ Many Americans are unable to renew their passports within four months , but Bolton complains that reviewing hundreds of pages of a National Security Advisor ’ s tell-all deserves a swifter timetable.
” While technically a loss for the Justice Department , Royce had scathing words for Bolton ’ s conduct and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there was still classified information in the book , which put Bolton in violation of his NDAs .
However , on the issue of blocking publication , the judge ultimately concluded that whatever action he tried to take to block publication of the already widely distributed book would be “ toothless.
” He said that the emergency injunction the DOJ was requesting was an “ untimely solution.
” “ While Bolton ’ s unilateral conduct raises grave national security concerns , the government has not established that an injunction is an appropriate remedy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ signaled that Bolton is likely to lose in the underlying lawsuit brought by the government , which is seeking to recoup Bolton ’ s book earnings because he allegedly violated his NDA .
Lamberth also asserted that , having viewed non-public government declarations describing the classified material in Bolton ’ s book , he is “ persuaded that Defendant Bolton likely jeopardized national security by disclosing classified information in violation of his nondisclosure agreement obligations .
”

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth rejected on Saturday the Justice Department’s emergency request to block the release of former national security adviser John Bolton’s tell-all book.
The ruling will allow the book, titled “The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir,” to be released on Tuesday as scheduled.
Lamberth’s order sidestepped the First Amendment issues at stake in the DOJ’s request. Instead, he focused on the fact that what the government was asking for was unworkable.
The judge said that the DOJ had not proved that the order it was seeking “would prevent irreparable injury.”
“With hundreds of thousands of copies around the globe — many in newsrooms — the damage is done. There is no restoring the status quo,” Lamberth said.
Bolton alleges that the government sought to slow-walk its prepublication review of his book for political reasons. He’s agued that the informal okay he got from a career classification expert was enough for him to release the book. After that expert had finished her review, a political appointee intervened and said there was still more classified information that needed removal.
In his order Saturday, Lamberth previewed extreme skepticism of Bolton’s defense of his behavior.
Noting that Bolton bailed on the review process after four months, Lamberth said, “Many Americans are unable to renew their passports within four months, but Bolton complains that reviewing hundreds of pages of a National Security Advisor’s tell-all deserves a swifter timetable.”
While technically a loss for the Justice Department, Royce had scathing words for Bolton’s conduct and said that the government had convinced him there was still classified information in the book, which put Bolton in violation of his NDAs.
However, on the issue of blocking publication, the judge ultimately concluded that whatever action he tried to take to block publication of the already widely distributed book would be “toothless.” He said that the emergency injunction the DOJ was requesting was an “untimely solution.”
“While Bolton’s unilateral conduct raises grave national security concerns, the government has not established that an injunction is an appropriate remedy,” Lamberth said.
The judge signaled that Bolton is likely to lose in the underlying lawsuit brought by the government, which is seeking to recoup Bolton’s book earnings because he allegedly violated his NDA.
Lamberth also asserted that, having viewed non-public government declarations describing the classified material in Bolton’s book, he is “persuaded that Defendant Bolton likely jeopardized national security by disclosing classified information in violation of his nondisclosure agreement obligations.”
Read the decision below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-06-20--Nadler To Invite Berman To Testify After Barr Attempts To Fire Him In Friday Night Massacre Gone Awr

Nadler To Invite Berman To Testify After Barr Attempts To Fire Him In Friday Night Massacre Gone Awry

House Judiciary Committee chair Jerry Nadler ( D-NY ) announced late Friday night that he will invite U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoff Berman to testify after Attorney General Bill Barr abruptly attempted to fire Berman .
“ America is right to expect the worst of Bill Barr , who has repeatedly interfered in criminal investigations on Trump ’ s behalf , ” Nadler tweeted .
“ We have a hearing on this topic on Wednesday .
We welcome Mr. Berman ’ s testimony and will invite him to testify.
” The Democratic leader ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barr ’ s sudden firing of Berman , who is currently investigating President Donald Trump ’ s lawyer Rudy Giuliani and leading the criminal case of Giuliani ’ s associates , Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman , for alleged campaign finance violations .
Parnas and Fruman were tied to Giuliani ’ s scheme to dig up dirt on Trump ’ s Democratic rival , Joe Biden , in Ukraine .
Berman also headed the prosecution of Michael Cohen , Trump ’ s former lawyer .
Barr had announced on Friday night that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be replaced by SEC chair Jay Clayton .
However , that apparently came as news to Berman , who stated that he only found out about the development through the attorney general ’ s press release .
In a defiant press release of his own , Berman declared he has “ no intention of resigning , ” noting that he was appointed by SDNY judges , not Trump directly .
“ I will step down when a presidentially appointed nominee is confirmed by the Senate , ” the attorney said .
“ Until @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without delay or interruption.
” Berman also implied that he believed Barr had tried to oust him to stymie certain SDNY operations .
“ I cherish every day that I work with the men and women of this Office to pursue justice without fear or favor – and intend to ensure that this Office ’ s important cases continue unimpeded , ” Berman said .
Nadler ’ s committee is holding a hearing on Wednesday with John Elias and Aaron Zelinsky , two whistleblowers at the Justice Department , to “ describe the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump and Barr ’ s leadership .

House Judiciary Committee chair Jerry Nadler (D-NY) announced late Friday night that he will invite U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoff Berman to testify after Attorney General Bill Barr abruptly attempted to fire Berman.
“America is right to expect the worst of Bill Barr, who has repeatedly interfered in criminal investigations on Trump’s behalf,” Nadler tweeted. “We have a hearing on this topic on Wednesday. We welcome Mr. Berman’s testimony and will invite him to testify.”
The Democratic leader’s invitation comes amid the chaos prompted by Barr’s sudden firing of Berman, who is currently investigating President Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani and leading the criminal case of Giuliani’s associates, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, for alleged campaign finance violations. Parnas and Fruman were tied to Giuliani’s scheme to dig up dirt on Trump’s Democratic rival, Joe Biden, in Ukraine.
Berman also headed the prosecution of Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer.
Barr had announced on Friday night that the U.S. attorney was stepping down and would be replaced by SEC chair Jay Clayton.
However, that apparently came as news to Berman, who stated that he only found out about the development through the attorney general’s press release.
In a defiant press release of his own, Berman declared he has “no intention of resigning,” noting that he was appointed by SDNY judges, not Trump directly.
“I will step down when a presidentially appointed nominee is confirmed by the Senate,” the attorney said. “Until then, our investigations will move forward without delay or interruption.”
Berman also implied that he believed Barr had tried to oust him to stymie certain SDNY operations.
“I cherish every day that I work with the men and women of this Office to pursue justice without fear or favor – and intend to ensure that this Office’s important cases continue unimpeded,” Berman said.
Nadler’s committee is holding a hearing on Wednesday with John Elias and Aaron Zelinsky, two whistleblowers at the Justice Department, to “describe the unprecedented politicization” of the DOJ under Trump and Barr’s leadership.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-06-21--Trump Says He Asked Administration To ‘Slow The Testing Down’ On Coronavirus

TULSA , Okla. ( AP ) — President Donald Trump said Saturday he ’ s asked his administration to slow down coronavirus testing because robust testing turns up too many cases of COVID-19 .
Trump told supporters at his campaign rally that the U.S. has tested 25 million people , far more than any other country .
The “ bad part , ” Trump said , is that widespread testing leads to logging more cases of the virus .
“ When you do testing to that extent , you ’ re going to find more people , you ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump said .
“ So I said to my people , ‘ Slow the testing down , please.
’ They test and they test.
” The campaign of likely Democratic presidential rival , Joe Biden , said Trump was putting politics ahead of the safety and health of Americans .
Trump opted to hold his first rally in 110 days despite concerns from local health officials that it could lead to further spread of the virus in Tulsa .
Most of those in attendance declined to wear a mask .
“ In an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after tonight ’ s debacle of a rally , President Trump just admitted that he ’ s putting politics ahead of the safety and economic well-being of the American people — even as we just recorded the highest number of new COVID-19 cases in almost two months and 20 million workers remain out of work , ” according to the Biden campaign ’ s statement .
The outbreak has killed about 120,000 people in the U.S. , and nearly a half-million worldwide , according to a count by Johns Hopkins University , though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ higher .
The number of newly confirmed cases per day has risen from about 21,400 two weeks ago to 23,200 , according to an Associated Press analysis .
And in Florida , Georgia , Texas and Arizona — states that loosened their stay-at-home restrictions early — daily deaths have been quietly rising since early June .
“ This virus has killed nearly 120,000 Americans and cost tens of millions their jobs , in large part because this president could not and would not mobilize testing as quickly as we needed it , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ To hear him say tonight that he has ordered testing slowed — a transparent attempt to make the numbers look better — is appalling.
” Rising case numbers can partially be explained by the wider availability of testing .
Mild cases , previously undetected because of limits on who could be tested , are now showing up in the numbers .

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — President Donald Trump said Saturday he’s asked his administration to slow down coronavirus testing because robust testing turns up too many cases of COVID-19.
Trump told supporters at his campaign rally that the U.S. has tested 25 million people, far more than any other country. The “bad part,” Trump said, is that widespread testing leads to logging more cases of the virus.
“When you do testing to that extent, you’re going to find more people, you’re going to find more cases,” Trump said. “So I said to my people, ‘Slow the testing down, please.’ They test and they test.”
The campaign of likely Democratic presidential rival, Joe Biden, said Trump was putting politics ahead of the safety and health of Americans.
Trump opted to hold his first rally in 110 days despite concerns from local health officials that it could lead to further spread of the virus in Tulsa. Most of those in attendance declined to wear a mask.
“In an outrageous moment that will be remembered long after tonight’s debacle of a rally, President Trump just admitted that he’s putting politics ahead of the safety and economic well-being of the American people — even as we just recorded the highest number of new COVID-19 cases in almost two months and 20 million workers remain out of work,” according to the Biden campaign’s statement.
The outbreak has killed about 120,000 people in the U.S., and nearly a half-million worldwide, according to a count by Johns Hopkins University, though the real numbers are believed to be higher.
The number of newly confirmed cases per day has risen from about 21,400 two weeks ago to 23,200, according to an Associated Press analysis. And in Florida, Georgia, Texas and Arizona — states that loosened their stay-at-home restrictions early — daily deaths have been quietly rising since early June.
“This virus has killed nearly 120,000 Americans and cost tens of millions their jobs, in large part because this president could not and would not mobilize testing as quickly as we needed it,” according to the Biden campaign statement. “To hear him say tonight that he has ordered testing slowed — a transparent attempt to make the numbers look better — is appalling.”
Rising case numbers can partially be explained by the wider availability of testing. Mild cases, previously undetected because of limits on who could be tested, are now showing up in the numbers.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-06-21--Trump Faces Thousands Of Empty Seats At Campaign Comeback Rally

TULSA , Okla. ( AP ) — President Donald Trump launched his comeback rally amid a pandemic on Saturday by declaring that “ the silent majority is stronger than ever before , ” but what was meant to be a show of political force was instead met with thousands of empty seats and new coronavirus cases on his campaign staff .
Ignoring health warnings , Trump went through with his first rally in 110 days in Tulsa , Oklahoma , one of the largest indoor gatherings in the world during a coronavirus outbreak that has killed more than 120,000 Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and upended Trump ’ s reelection bid .
In the hours before the event , crowds were significantly lighter than expected , and campaign officials scrapped plans for Trump to first address an overflow space outdoors .
About a third of the seats at his indoor rally were empty .
Trump tried to explain away the crowd size by blaming the media for declaring “ don ’ t go , don ’ t come , don ’ t do anything ” and by insisting there were protesters outside who were “ doing bad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prerally demonstrators were largely peaceful , and Tulsa police reported just one arrest Saturday afternoon .
“ We begin our campaign , ” Trump thundered as he took the stage .
“ The silent majority is stronger than ever before.
” Just hours before the rally , Trump ’ s campaign revealed that six staff members who were helping set up for the event had tested positive for the coronavirus .
Campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said that “ quarantine procedures were immediately implemented , ” and that neither the affected staffers nor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them would attend the event .
News of the infections came just a short time before Trump departed for Oklahoma , and the president raged to aides that the information had been made public , according to two White House and campaign officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren ’ t authorized to speak publicly about private conversations .
Onstage , Trump unleashed months of pent-up grievances , accusing the media of favoring his Democratic opponent Joe Biden and defending his handling of the pandemic , which he dubbed the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the virus that many consider to be racist .
Trump also spent more than 10 minutes — with the crowd laughing along — trying to explain away a pair of odd images from his speech last weekend at West Point , blaming his slippery leather-soled shoes for video of him walking awkwardly down a ramp as he left the podium .
And then he declared that he used two hands to drink a cup of water — another image that went viral — because he didn ’ t want to spill water @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaned in hard on cultural issues , including the push to tear down statues and rename military bases named after Confederate generals in the wake of nationwide protests about racial injustice .
“ The unhinged left-wing mob is trying to vandalize our history , desecrate our monuments , our beautiful monuments .
Tear down our statues , and punish , cancel and persecute anyone who does not conform to their demands for absolute and total control , ” Trump said .
“ They want to demolish our heritage so they can impose their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Large gatherings in the United States were shut down in March because of the coronavirus .
The rally was scheduled over the protests of local health officials as COVID-19 cases spike in many states , while the choice of host city and date — it was originally set for Friday , Juneteenth , and in a city where a 1921 white-on-Black attack killed as many as 300 people — prompted anger amid a national wave of protests against racial injustice .
But Trump and his advisers forged forward , believing that a return @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president , who is furious that he has fallen behind Biden in polls , and reassure Republicans growing anxious about the state of the presidential race and their ability to hold onto the Senate .
But the smaller-than-expected crowds may only increase GOP worries .
The president ’ s campaign tried to point fingers elsewhere , despite the largely peaceful protests before the event .
“ Sadly , protestors interfered with supporters , even blocking access to the metal detectors , which prevented people from entering the rally , ” Murtaugh said in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coupled with a relentless onslaught from the media , attempted to frighten off the President ’ s supporters .
We are proud of the thousands who stuck it out.
” In the minutes before Trump arrived at the downtown arena , supporters who signed up for tickets received a text urging them to show up , declaring , “ There ’ s still space !
” Trump was determined to return to his signature campaign events .
He dismissed complaints that bringing together throngs for an indoor rally risked spreading the coronavirus as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had expected a crowd of 100,000 people or more in downtown Tulsa .
Trump ’ s campaign , for its part , declared that it had received over a million ticket requests .
The crowd that gathered was far less than that , though the rally , being broadcast on cable , will also target voters in battleground states such as Pennsylvania , North Carolina and Florida .
The campaign handed out masks and hand sanitizer , but there was no requirement that participants use them .
Participants also underwent a temperature check @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s anything worse than the flu , ” said Brian Bernard , 54 , a retired IT worker from Baton Rouge , Louisiana , who sported a Trump 2020 hat .
“ I haven ’ t caught a cold or a flu in probably 15 years , and if I haven ’ t caught a cold or flu yet , I don ’ t think I ’ m gon na catch COVID.
” Lemire reported from New York .
Associated Press writers John Mone and Ellen Knickmeyer in Tulsa , Okla. @ @ @ @ @ @

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — President Donald Trump launched his comeback rally amid a pandemic on Saturday by declaring that “the silent majority is stronger than ever before,” but what was meant to be a show of political force was instead met with thousands of empty seats and new coronavirus cases on his campaign staff.
Ignoring health warnings, Trump went through with his first rally in 110 days in Tulsa, Oklahoma, one of the largest indoor gatherings in the world during a coronavirus outbreak that has killed more than 120,000 Americans, put 40 million out of work and upended Trump’s reelection bid.
In the hours before the event, crowds were significantly lighter than expected, and campaign officials scrapped plans for Trump to first address an overflow space outdoors. About a third of the seats at his indoor rally were empty.
Trump tried to explain away the crowd size by blaming the media for declaring “don’t go, don’t come, don’t do anything” and by insisting there were protesters outside who were “doing bad things.” But the small crowds of prerally demonstrators were largely peaceful, and Tulsa police reported just one arrest Saturday afternoon.
“We begin our campaign,” Trump thundered as he took the stage. “The silent majority is stronger than ever before.”
Just hours before the rally, Trump’s campaign revealed that six staff members who were helping set up for the event had tested positive for the coronavirus. Campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said that “quarantine procedures were immediately implemented,” and that neither the affected staffers nor anyone who was in immediate contact with them would attend the event.
News of the infections came just a short time before Trump departed for Oklahoma, and the president raged to aides that the information had been made public, according to two White House and campaign officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly about private conversations.
Onstage, Trump unleashed months of pent-up grievances, accusing the media of favoring his Democratic opponent Joe Biden and defending his handling of the pandemic, which he dubbed the “Kung flu,” a term for the virus that many consider to be racist.
Trump also spent more than 10 minutes — with the crowd laughing along — trying to explain away a pair of odd images from his speech last weekend at West Point, blaming his slippery leather-soled shoes for video of him walking awkwardly down a ramp as he left the podium. And then he declared that he used two hands to drink a cup of water — another image that went viral — because he didn’t want to spill water on his tie.
But Trump also leaned in hard on cultural issues, including the push to tear down statues and rename military bases named after Confederate generals in the wake of nationwide protests about racial injustice.
“The unhinged left-wing mob is trying to vandalize our history, desecrate our monuments, our beautiful monuments. Tear down our statues, and punish, cancel and persecute anyone who does not conform to their demands for absolute and total control,” Trump said. “They want to demolish our heritage so they can impose their new repressive regime in its place.”
Large gatherings in the United States were shut down in March because of the coronavirus. The rally was scheduled over the protests of local health officials as COVID-19 cases spike in many states, while the choice of host city and date — it was originally set for Friday, Juneteenth, and in a city where a 1921 white-on-Black attack killed as many as 300 people — prompted anger amid a national wave of protests against racial injustice.
But Trump and his advisers forged forward, believing that a return to the rally stage would reenergize the president, who is furious that he has fallen behind Biden in polls, and reassure Republicans growing anxious about the state of the presidential race and their ability to hold onto the Senate. But the smaller-than-expected crowds may only increase GOP worries.
The president’s campaign tried to point fingers elsewhere, despite the largely peaceful protests before the event.
“Sadly, protestors interfered with supporters, even blocking access to the metal detectors, which prevented people from entering the rally,” Murtaugh said in a statement. “Radical protestors, coupled with a relentless onslaught from the media, attempted to frighten off the President’s supporters. We are proud of the thousands who stuck it out.”
In the minutes before Trump arrived at the downtown arena, supporters who signed up for tickets received a text urging them to show up, declaring, “There’s still space!”
Trump was determined to return to his signature campaign events. He dismissed complaints that bringing together throngs for an indoor rally risked spreading the coronavirus as nothing more than politics.
City officials had expected a crowd of 100,000 people or more in downtown Tulsa. Trump’s campaign, for its part, declared that it had received over a million ticket requests. The crowd that gathered was far less than that, though the rally, being broadcast on cable, will also target voters in battleground states such as Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Florida.
The campaign handed out masks and hand sanitizer, but there was no requirement that participants use them. Participants also underwent a temperature check.
“I don’t think it’s anything worse than the flu,” said Brian Bernard, 54, a retired IT worker from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who sported a Trump 2020 hat. “I haven’t caught a cold or a flu in probably 15 years, and if I haven’t caught a cold or flu yet, I don’t think I’m gonna catch COVID.”
___
Lemire reported from New York. Associated Press writers John Mone and Ellen Knickmeyer in Tulsa, Okla., contributed to this report.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-06-21--What Second Wave? We’re Still In COVID’s First Flood

What ’ s all this talk about a “ second wave ” of U.S. coronavirus cases ?
In The Wall Street Journal last week , Vice President Mike Pence wrote in a piece headlined “ There Isn ’ t a Coronavirus ‘ Second Wave ' ” that the nation is winning the fight against the virus .
Many public health experts , however , suggest it ’ s no time to celebrate .
About 120,000 Americans have died from the new virus and daily counts of new cases in the U.S. are the highest they ’ ve been in more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recent increases in the South and West .
But there is at least one point of agreement : “ Second wave ” is probably the wrong term to describe what ’ s happening .
“ When you have 20,000-plus infections per day , how can you talk about a second wave ?
” said Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health .
“ We ’ re in the first wave .
Let ’ s get out of the first wave before you have a second wave.
” Clearly there was an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exploded in New York City .
After schools and businesses were closed across the country , the rate of new cases dropped somewhat .
But “ it ’ s more of a plateau , or a mesa , ” not the trough after a wave , said Caitlin Rivers , a disease researcher at Johns Hopkins University ’ s Center for Health Security .
Scientists generally agree the nation is still in its first wave of coronavirus infections , albeit one that ’ s dipping in some parts of the country while rising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spreading around the United States and hitting different places with different intensity at different times , ” said Dr. Richard Besser , chief executive of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation who was acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when a pandemic flu hit the U.S. in 2009 .
“ What I would call this is continued transmission with flare-ups , ” he said .
Flu seasons sometimes feature a second wave of infections .
But in those cases , the second wave is a distinct new surge in cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ different than the strain that caused earlier illnesses .
That ’ s not the case in the coronavirus epidemic .
Monto doesn ’ t think “ second wave ” really describes what ’ s happening now , calling it “ totally semantics.
” “ Second waves are basically in the eye of the beholder , ” he said .
But Besser said semantics matter , because saying a first wave has passed may give people a false sense that the worst is over .
Some worry a large wave of coronavirus might occur @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reopen , the weather turns colder and less humid , and people huddle inside more .
That would follow seasonal patterns seen with flu and other respiratory viruses .
And such a fall wave could be very bad , given that there ’ s no vaccine or experts think most Americans haven ’ t had the virus .
But the new coronavirus so far has been spreading more episodically and sporadically than flu , and it may not follow the same playbook .
“ It ’ s very difficult to make a prediction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t know the degree to which this virus is seasonal , if at all.
” The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute ’ s Department of Science Education .
The AP is solely responsible for all content .

What’s all this talk about a “second wave” of U.S. coronavirus cases?
In The Wall Street Journal last week, Vice President Mike Pence wrote in a piece headlined “There Isn’t a Coronavirus ‘Second Wave'” that the nation is winning the fight against the virus.
Many public health experts, however, suggest it’s no time to celebrate. About 120,000 Americans have died from the new virus and daily counts of new cases in the U.S. are the highest they’ve been in more than a month, driven by alarming recent increases in the South and West.
But there is at least one point of agreement: “Second wave” is probably the wrong term to describe what’s happening.
“When you have 20,000-plus infections per day, how can you talk about a second wave?” said Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health. “We’re in the first wave. Let’s get out of the first wave before you have a second wave.”
Clearly there was an initial infection peak in April as cases exploded in New York City. After schools and businesses were closed across the country, the rate of new cases dropped somewhat.
But “it’s more of a plateau, or a mesa,” not the trough after a wave, said Caitlin Rivers, a disease researcher at Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Health Security.
Scientists generally agree the nation is still in its first wave of coronavirus infections, albeit one that’s dipping in some parts of the country while rising in others.
“This virus is spreading around the United States and hitting different places with different intensity at different times,” said Dr. Richard Besser, chief executive of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation who was acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when a pandemic flu hit the U.S. in 2009.
Dr. Arnold Monto, a University of Michigan flu expert, echoed that sentiment.
“What I would call this is continued transmission with flare-ups,” he said.
Flu seasons sometimes feature a second wave of infections. But in those cases, the second wave is a distinct new surge in cases from a strain of flu that is different than the strain that caused earlier illnesses.
That’s not the case in the coronavirus epidemic.
Monto doesn’t think “second wave” really describes what’s happening now, calling it “totally semantics.”
“Second waves are basically in the eye of the beholder,” he said.
But Besser said semantics matter, because saying a first wave has passed may give people a false sense that the worst is over.
Some worry a large wave of coronavirus might occur this fall or winter — after schools reopen, the weather turns colder and less humid, and people huddle inside more. That would follow seasonal patterns seen with flu and other respiratory viruses. And such a fall wave could be very bad, given that there’s no vaccine or experts think most Americans haven’t had the virus.
But the new coronavirus so far has been spreading more episodically and sporadically than flu, and it may not follow the same playbook.
“It’s very difficult to make a prediction,” Rivers said. “We don’t know the degree to which this virus is seasonal, if at all.”
___
AP medical writer Lauran Neergaard contributed to this report.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-06-21--White House Official: Trump Was Just Joking About Stifling COVID Testing!

WASHINGTON — White House trade adviser Peter Navarro says U.S. President Donald Trump was being “ tongue in cheek ” @ @ @ @ @ campaign rally in Oklahoma that he asked officials to slow down coronavirus testing .
Navarro @ @ @ @ @ “ State of the Union ” on Sunday that Trump made the comment in a @ @ @ @ @ Saturday ’ s rally in Tulsa , Trump explained that the “ bad part ” @ @ @ @ @ it leads to logging more virus cases .
New cases have recently spiked in several @ @ @ @ @ just due to testing .
The United States has tested over 25 million people for @ @ @ @ @ country has reported more than 2.2 million confirmed cases and about 120,000 COVID-19 deaths .
@ @ @ @ @ Johns Hopkins University .
The real numbers are believed to be higher .
In response @ @ @ @ @ , Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden criticized Trump for putting politics ahead of the safety @ @ @ @ @

WASHINGTON — White House trade adviser Peter Navarro says U.S. President Donald Trump was being “tongue in cheek” when he claimed at a campaign rally in Oklahoma that he asked officials to slow down coronavirus testing.
Navarro said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday that Trump made the comment in a “light moment.”
During Saturday’s rally in Tulsa, Trump explained that the “bad part” of widespread testing is that it leads to logging more virus cases. New cases have recently spiked in several U.S. states, but not just due to testing.
The United States has tested over 25 million people for the novel coronavirus. The country has reported more than 2.2 million confirmed cases and about 120,000 COVID-19 deaths. according to a count by Johns Hopkins University. The real numbers are believed to be higher.
In response to Trump’s remarks, Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden criticized Trump for putting politics ahead of the safety and health of Americans.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-06-21--British Police Call Park Stabbing Rampage That Killed 3 People Terror Attack

READING , England ( AP ) — A stabbing rampage in Britain that killed three people as they sat in a park on a summer evening is being considered a terrorist attack , British police said Sunday as a 25-year-old believed to be the lone attacker was in custody .
Authorities said they were not looking for any other suspects , and they did not raise Britain ’ s official terrorism threat level from “ substantial.
” “ Motivation for this horrific act is far from certain , ” said Neil Basu , Britain ’ s top counterterrorism police officer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the carnage unfolded in Reading , a large commuter town west of London .
Three people were killed and three others seriously wounded in the stabbing attack that came out of the blue in Reading ’ s Forbury Gardens park on Saturday evening .
Basu said “ incredibly brave ” unarmed officers from the Thames Valley Police force arrested a 25-year-old local man at the scene .
The Thames Valley force later said counterterrorism detectives were taking over the investigation .
“ There is no intelligence to suggest that there is any further @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Detective Chief Superintendent Ian Hunter .
The Press Association news agency reported the suspect was an asylum-seeker from Libya who was living in Reading .
Police have not identified him .
Prime Minister Boris Johnson was being briefed on developments .
His office said Johnson had met security officials , police and senior ministers on Sunday for an update on the investigation .
Police officers patrolled cordons on the roads leading to the park on Sunday , and blue-and-white tents were erected near the site of the attack .
Overnight , heavily armed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away , and a loud bang was heard .
The attack came a sunny summer evening in Reading , a town of 200,000 residents 40 miles ( 64 kilometers ) west of London , as eased coronavirus lockdown restrictions allowed more people to socialize .
Personal trainer Lawrence Wort said the park was full of groups sitting on the grass when “ one lone person walked through , suddenly shouted some unintelligible words and went around a large group of around 10 , trying to stab them.
” “ He stabbed three of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the arms , and then turned and started running towards me , and we turned and started running , ” Wort said .
The attack came hours after a Black Lives Matter demonstration at Forbury Gardens , but police said there was no connection between the two .
Britain has been hit by several terror attacks in recent years , both by people inspired by the Islamic State group and by far-right extremists .
Islamist-inspired attacks include a suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester that killed 22 people in 2017 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in London the same year .
In several cases , attackers have been known to police .
In November , a man who had been released after serving a prison sentence for a terrorism offense stabbed two people to death at a justice conference in London .
In February , a man recently released from prison after serving time for terrorism-related offenses strapped on a fake bomb and stabbed two people on a busy London street before being shot to death by police .
No one else was killed .
Britain ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ substantial , ” the middle level on a five-rung scale , meaning an attack is likely .

READING, England (AP) — A stabbing rampage in Britain that killed three people as they sat in a park on a summer evening is being considered a terrorist attack, British police said Sunday as a 25-year-old believed to be the lone attacker was in custody.
Authorities said they were not looking for any other suspects, and they did not raise Britain’s official terrorism threat level from “substantial.”
“Motivation for this horrific act is far from certain,” said Neil Basu, Britain’s top counterterrorism police officer, as police combed the park where the carnage unfolded in Reading, a large commuter town west of London.
Three people were killed and three others seriously wounded in the stabbing attack that came out of the blue in Reading’s Forbury Gardens park on Saturday evening.
Basu said “incredibly brave” unarmed officers from the Thames Valley Police force arrested a 25-year-old local man at the scene. The Thames Valley force later said counterterrorism detectives were taking over the investigation.
“There is no intelligence to suggest that there is any further danger to the public,” said Detective Chief Superintendent Ian Hunter.
The Press Association news agency reported the suspect was an asylum-seeker from Libya who was living in Reading. Police have not identified him.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson was being briefed on developments. His office said Johnson had met security officials, police and senior ministers on Sunday for an update on the investigation.
Police officers patrolled cordons on the roads leading to the park on Sunday, and blue-and-white tents were erected near the site of the attack. Overnight, heavily armed officers entered an apartment about a mile away, and a loud bang was heard.
The attack came a sunny summer evening in Reading, a town of 200,000 residents 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of London, as eased coronavirus lockdown restrictions allowed more people to socialize.
Personal trainer Lawrence Wort said the park was full of groups sitting on the grass when “one lone person walked through, suddenly shouted some unintelligible words and went around a large group of around 10, trying to stab them.”
“He stabbed three of them severely in the neck and under the arms, and then turned and started running towards me, and we turned and started running,” Wort said.
The attack came hours after a Black Lives Matter demonstration at Forbury Gardens, but police said there was no connection between the two.
Britain has been hit by several terror attacks in recent years, both by people inspired by the Islamic State group and by far-right extremists. Islamist-inspired attacks include a suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester that killed 22 people in 2017 and two deadly vehicle and knife attacks in London the same year.
In several cases, attackers have been known to police. In November, a man who had been released after serving a prison sentence for a terrorism offense stabbed two people to death at a justice conference in London.
In February, a man recently released from prison after serving time for terrorism-related offenses strapped on a fake bomb and stabbed two people on a busy London street before being shot to death by police. No one else was killed.
Britain’s official terrorism threat level stands at “substantial,” the middle level on a five-rung scale, meaning an attack is likely.
___
Lawless reported from London.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-06-21--Shooting In Minneapolis Leaves One Man Dead, 11 People Injured

MINNEAPOLIS ( AP ) — One man is dead and 11 people suffered non-life-threatening wounds in a shooting in Minneapolis , police there said early Sunday .
Minneapolis police had first said 10 people had been shot with “ various severity levels of injuries , ” but revised their total upward in a tweet posted just after 3 a.m .
The man died at the hospital , not at the scene , according to the police daily media briefing sheet .
No one was in custody in connection with the shooting as of 4 a.m. , according to a police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ individuals on foot ” started shooting around 12:30 a.m. and later fled the scene .
An initial tweet from Minneapolis police advised the public to avoid the area in Uptown Minneapolis , a commercial district that includes several bars and restaurants .
Minnesota began allowing bars and restaurants to reopen with limited service on June 1 after some six weeks of closure because of the coronavirus pandemic .
Photographs posted to social media showed windows at the Landmark ’ s Uptown Theatre and another storefront shot out .
Screams were audible on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ showed the aftermath at the scene .
Small crowds of people gathered , with some crouched over victims lying on the pavement before police officers on bicycles showed up to attend to them .
Splatters of blood on the pavement were visible in the video after the victims were taken to local hospitals — some via ambulance and others in private vehicles , according to the police release .
The area is about 3 miles ( 5 kilometers ) west of the Minneapolis commercial area and neighborhood hit by rioting in the wake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death after being arrested by Minneapolis police .
Floyd ’ s death has sparked a move to overhaul the Minneapolis Police Department , with a majority of City Council members pledging support for dismantling a department that many community activists have called brutal and racist .
That ’ s prompted pushback from opponents who question how citizens will be protected from violent crime .
Even the most aggressive proponents for change have acknowledged it ’ s many months away and they ’ re not sure what it will look like .
The injured @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
The victim ’ s identity will be released by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner ’ s Office .

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — One man is dead and 11 people suffered non-life-threatening wounds in a shooting in Minneapolis, police there said early Sunday.
Minneapolis police had first said 10 people had been shot with “various severity levels of injuries,” but revised their total upward in a tweet posted just after 3 a.m. The man died at the hospital, not at the scene, according to the police daily media briefing sheet.
No one was in custody in connection with the shooting as of 4 a.m., according to a police release that said preliminary investigation indicated that “individuals on foot” started shooting around 12:30 a.m. and later fled the scene.
An initial tweet from Minneapolis police advised the public to avoid the area in Uptown Minneapolis, a commercial district that includes several bars and restaurants. Minnesota began allowing bars and restaurants to reopen with limited service on June 1 after some six weeks of closure because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Photographs posted to social media showed windows at the Landmark’s Uptown Theatre and another storefront shot out.
Screams were audible on a live video posted to Facebook that showed the aftermath at the scene. Small crowds of people gathered, with some crouched over victims lying on the pavement before police officers on bicycles showed up to attend to them. Splatters of blood on the pavement were visible in the video after the victims were taken to local hospitals — some via ambulance and others in private vehicles, according to the police release.
The area is about 3 miles (5 kilometers) west of the Minneapolis commercial area and neighborhood hit by rioting in the wake of George Floyd’s May 25 death after being arrested by Minneapolis police.
Floyd’s death has sparked a move to overhaul the Minneapolis Police Department, with a majority of City Council members pledging support for dismantling a department that many community activists have called brutal and racist. That’s prompted pushback from opponents who question how citizens will be protected from violent crime. Even the most aggressive proponents for change have acknowledged it’s many months away and they’re not sure what it will look like.
The injured were all adults, the police release said. The victim’s identity will be released by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-06-20--Trump Denies Involvement In Berman Ouster—Right After Barr Told Berman POTUS Fired Him