talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-13--Trump, Biden Condemn Shooting Of Two LA Sheriff’s Deputies In Patrol Car

COMPTON , Calif. ( AP ) — Authorities searched Sunday for a gunman who shot and wounded two Los Angeles County sheriff ’ s deputies who were sitting in their squad car — an apparent ambush that drew an angry response from the president and sparked an anti-police protest outside the hospital where the deputies were being treated .
The 31-year-old female deputy and 24-year-old male deputy underwent surgery Saturday evening , Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in a late-night news conference .
Both graduated from the academy 14 months ago , he said .
The deputies were shot while sitting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rail station and were able to radio for help , the sheriff said .
Villanueva , whose department has come under fire during recent protests over racial unrest , expressed frustration over anti-police sentiment as he urged people to pray for the deputies .
“ It pisses me off .
It dismays me at the same time , ” he said .
The department tweeted video of the shooting that shows a person open fire through the passenger-side window of the patrol car .
“ The gunman walked up on the deputies and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” the department stated .
The video sparked thousands of reactions , including from President Donald Trump , who responded , “ Animals that must be hit hard !
” “ This cold-blooded shooting is unconscionable and the perpetrator must be brought to justice , ” Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden tweeted .
“ Violence of any kind is wrong ; those who commit it should be caught and punished.
” Protesters gathered outside the the hospital where the injured deputies were being treated .
“ To the protesters blocking the entrance & @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We hope they die ” referring to 2 LA Sheriff ’ s ambushed today in # Compton : DO NOT BLOCK EMERGENCY ENTRIES & EXITS TO THE HOSPITAL , ” the sheriff ’ s department tweeted .
“ People ’ s lives are at stake when ambulances can ’ t get through.
” A radio reporter who was near the protest scene was taken into custody .
The sheriff ’ s department later tweeted that the reporter interfered with the arrest of a male protester .
“ The female adult , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the press , did not identify herself as press and later admitted she did not have proper press credentials on her person , ” the department stated .
After being released , Josie Huang , a reporter for public radio station KPCC , tweeted that she had seen the statements from sheriff ’ s officials and had “ thoughts and videos to share soon after a little rest.
” The executive editor of the station , Megan Garvey , expressed outrage over the arrest and said her reporter appeared to be wearing her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Meanwhile , the search for the gunman continued .
Capt .
Kent Wegener said officers were blanketing the area in search of the suspect seen on the video opening fire with a pistol .
“ We have a very , very generic description , ” he said .
The incident happened around 7 p.m. a short distance from the Compton sheriff ’ s station south of downtown Los Angeles .
The U.S. Justice Department would assist sheriff ’ s investigators with “ all federal tools available , ” department spokesperson Kerri Kupec @ @ @ @ @ @ @ railed against the LA Sheriff ’ s Department for weeks over recent shootings by deputies , including the killing of a man on a bicycle last month .
“ Of course , there ’ s an important conversation going on about policing in this country , but these are folks who put their lives on the line for us , and we will find justice for them , ” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said on CNN Sunday .

COMPTON, Calif. (AP) — Authorities searched Sunday for a gunman who shot and wounded two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies who were sitting in their squad car — an apparent ambush that drew an angry response from the president and sparked an anti-police protest outside the hospital where the deputies were being treated.
The 31-year-old female deputy and 24-year-old male deputy underwent surgery Saturday evening, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in a late-night news conference. Both graduated from the academy 14 months ago, he said.
The deputies were shot while sitting in their patrol car at a Metro rail station and were able to radio for help, the sheriff said. Villanueva, whose department has come under fire during recent protests over racial unrest, expressed frustration over anti-police sentiment as he urged people to pray for the deputies.
“It pisses me off. It dismays me at the same time,” he said.
The department tweeted video of the shooting that shows a person open fire through the passenger-side window of the patrol car.
“The gunman walked up on the deputies and opened fire without warning or provocation,” the department stated.
The video sparked thousands of reactions, including from President Donald Trump, who responded, “Animals that must be hit hard!”
“This cold-blooded shooting is unconscionable and the perpetrator must be brought to justice,” Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden tweeted. “Violence of any kind is wrong; those who commit it should be caught and punished.”
Protesters gathered outside the the hospital where the injured deputies were being treated.
“To the protesters blocking the entrance & exit of the HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM yelling “We hope they die” referring to 2 LA Sheriff’s ambushed today in #Compton: DO NOT BLOCK EMERGENCY ENTRIES & EXITS TO THE HOSPITAL,” the sheriff’s department tweeted. “People’s lives are at stake when ambulances can’t get through.”
A radio reporter who was near the protest scene was taken into custody. The sheriff’s department later tweeted that the reporter interfered with the arrest of a male protester.
“The female adult, who was later identified as a member of the press, did not identify herself as press and later admitted she did not have proper press credentials on her person,” the department stated.
After being released, Josie Huang, a reporter for public radio station KPCC, tweeted that she had seen the statements from sheriff’s officials and had “thoughts and videos to share soon after a little rest.”
The executive editor of the station, Megan Garvey, expressed outrage over the arrest and said her reporter appeared to be wearing her credentials and had shouted her KPCC affiliation.
Meanwhile, the search for the gunman continued.
Capt. Kent Wegener said officers were blanketing the area in search of the suspect seen on the video opening fire with a pistol.
“We have a very, very generic description,” he said.
The incident happened around 7 p.m. a short distance from the Compton sheriff’s station south of downtown Los Angeles.
The U.S. Justice Department would assist sheriff’s investigators with “all federal tools available,” department spokesperson Kerri Kupec said on Twitter Sunday.
Protesters have railed against the LA Sheriff’s Department for weeks over recent shootings by deputies, including the killing of a man on a bicycle last month.
“Of course, there’s an important conversation going on about policing in this country, but these are folks who put their lives on the line for us, and we will find justice for them,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said on CNN Sunday.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-13--Woodward: Trump ‘Did Not Understand’ Public As He Downplayed COVID-19 Threat

Journalist Bob Woodward said that President Trump “ failed ” by continuing to downplay the threat of COVID-19 early this year , even as he privately expressed fear over it to Woodward after being warned by national security officials in late January that COVID-19 would be the worst pandemic in a century .
Hours after reports on Woodward ’ s book were released , Trump admitted that he purposefully downplayed the COVID-19 pandemic in its early stages , despite privately acknowledging it was “ deadly stuff , ” because he is “ a cheerleader for this country.
” Woodward , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ December to July for his book , faced backlash on social media for not reporting on the President ’ s private COVID-19 concerns sooner as the country records more than 190,000 fatalities from the infectious disease .
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 .
The next day , Trump blamed Woodward for not taking the initiative to alert authorities after stating his private concerns on COVID-19 to the legendary journalist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ set to air on CBS ’ 60 Minutes on Sunday night , Woodward was asked whether the President ever disclosed why he wasn ’ t telling the public what the stakes were with the coronavirus .
Woodward referred to Trump ’ s remarks during an interview on March 19 , when the President said that he “ wanted to always play it down ” because he didn ’ t want to stir a “ panic.
” Woodward added that he thinks Trump “ did not understand the American public ” by rationalizing that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ create a panic.
” “ We know from history when the public is told the truth , they organize .
‘ We have a problem , we ’ re going to step up , ’ ’ Woodward said .
“ And Trump thought , ‘ Oh , well , they ’ ll panic.
’ ” Woodward then argued that the President “ failed ” in responding to the COVID-19 crisis .
“ When there ’ s a crisis , when the President particularly , they know something , it ’ s time to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Woodward said .
“ He failed.
” When asked what Woodward meant when he wrote in his forthcoming book that Trump ’ s COVID-19 response “ reflects his instincts , habits , and style , ” Woodward replied “ denial , making up his own facts .
”

Journalist Bob Woodward said that President Trump “failed” by continuing to downplay the threat of COVID-19 early this year, even as he privately expressed fear over it to Woodward after being warned by national security officials in late January that COVID-19 would be the worst pandemic in a century.
Hours after reports on Woodward’s book were released, Trump admitted that he purposefully downplayed the COVID-19 pandemic in its early stages, despite privately acknowledging it was “deadly stuff,” because he is “a cheerleader for this country.”
Woodward, who spoke with Trump 18 times from December to July for his book, faced backlash on social media for not reporting on the President’s private COVID-19 concerns sooner as the country records more than 190,000 fatalities from the infectious disease.
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.
The next day, Trump blamed Woodward for not taking the initiative to alert authorities after stating his private concerns on COVID-19 to the legendary journalist.
In a preview of his interview set to air on CBS’ 60 Minutes on Sunday night, Woodward was asked whether the President ever disclosed why he wasn’t telling the public what the stakes were with the coronavirus.
Woodward referred to Trump’s remarks during an interview on March 19, when the President said that he “wanted to always play it down” because he didn’t want to stir a “panic.”
Woodward added that he thinks Trump “did not understand the American public” by rationalizing that he didn’t “want to create a panic.”
“We know from history when the public is told the truth, they organize. ‘We have a problem, we’re going to step up,’’ Woodward said. “And Trump thought, ‘Oh, well, they’ll panic.’”
Woodward then argued that the President “failed” in responding to the COVID-19 crisis.
“When there’s a crisis, when the President particularly, they know something, it’s time to tell the public in some form,” Woodward said. “He failed.”
When asked what Woodward meant when he wrote in his forthcoming book that Trump’s COVID-19 response “reflects his instincts, habits, and style,” Woodward replied “denial, making up his own facts.”
Watch Woodward’s remarks below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-13--Navarro Grows Irate As He Accuses CNN Host Of ‘Cherry Picking’ Trump’s COVID Downplay

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro on Sunday found himself in a heated exchange with CNN ’ s Jake Tapper as the anchor took him to task on President Trump ’ s purposeful downplaying of the COVID-19 pandemic in its early stages , according to legendary journalist Bob Woodward ’ s forthcoming book .
When pressed on why Trump misled the public on COVID-19 — citing his remarks to Woodward in a Feb. 7 interview when the President privately expressed fear over COVID-19 after being warned by national security officials in late January that it would be the worst pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public downplaying of the threat in the following weeks — Navarro brought up Trump ’ s so-called travel ban on China imposed at the end of January and plans that the White House made in early February in preparation for COVID-19 .
After calling Navarro out for dodging his question , Tapper grilled him on the stark contrast between Trump ’ s public comments versus his remarks those to Woodward on COVID-19 .
“ Why wasn ’ t the president straightforward with the American people ?
” Tapper asked .
Navarro insisted that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tapper of “ cherry-picking.
” Tapper continued pressing Navarro to answer his question as he denied that he was “ cherry-picking.
” After Navarro defended Trump ’ s comments again and claimed that “ CNN is not honest with the American people , ” Tapper abruptly ended the interview by talking over Navarro — who insisted that he “ answered the question ” — and reminding the American public of the country ’ s dire statistics on COVID-19 .
“ I would just like to remind the American people that are watching that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % of the world ’ s population , and the United States has more than 20 % of the world ’ s coronavirus deaths , ” Tapper said .
“ That is a fact .
It does not matter how many times he insults CNN .
”

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro on Sunday found himself in a heated exchange with CNN’s Jake Tapper as the anchor took him to task on President Trump’s purposeful downplaying of the COVID-19 pandemic in its early stages, according to legendary journalist Bob Woodward’s forthcoming book.
When pressed on why Trump misled the public on COVID-19 — citing his remarks to Woodward in a Feb. 7 interview when the President privately expressed fear over COVID-19 after being warned by national security officials in late January that it would be the worst pandemic in a century, which contrasted his public downplaying of the threat in the following weeks — Navarro brought up Trump’s so-called travel ban on China imposed at the end of January and plans that the White House made in early February in preparation for COVID-19.
After calling Navarro out for dodging his question, Tapper grilled him on the stark contrast between Trump’s public comments versus his remarks those to Woodward on COVID-19.
“Why wasn’t the president straightforward with the American people?” Tapper asked.
Navarro insisted that Trump was “straightforward” before accusing Tapper of “cherry-picking.”
Tapper continued pressing Navarro to answer his question as he denied that he was “cherry-picking.”
After Navarro defended Trump’s comments again and claimed that “CNN is not honest with the American people,” Tapper abruptly ended the interview by talking over Navarro — who insisted that he “answered the question” — and reminding the American public of the country’s dire statistics on COVID-19.
“I would just like to remind the American people that are watching that the United States has less than 5% of the world’s population, and the United States has more than 20% of the world’s coronavirus deaths,” Tapper said. “That is a fact. It does not matter how many times he insults CNN.”
Watch Navarro’s remarks below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-13--Trump: Extrajudicial Killing Of Portland Shooting Suspect Is ‘The Way It Has To Be’

President Trump leaned into his self-proclamation of being the President of “ law and order ” further as he appeared to approve of the “ retribution ” of federal law enforcement officers fatally shooting a man suspected of killing a pro-Trump supporter amid protests in Portland , during an interview on Fox News that aired Saturday night .
After mocking Portland mayor Ted Wheeler for refusing Trump ’ s offer to send in federal troops to the city to quell protests , the President then turned his focus to the fatal shooting earlier this month of Michael Forest Reinoehl — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Patriot Prayer group during violent clashes in Portland — by U.S .
Marshals .
“ We sent in the U.S .
Marshals for the killer , the man who killed the young man on the street .
He shot him… just cold blooded killed him , ” Trump said .
“ Two and a half days went by , and I put out ‘ when are you going to go get him ?
’ And the U.S .
Marshals went in to get him , and they ended up in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violent criminal ” before suggesting that his extrajudicial killing was par for the course .
“ This guy was a violent criminal , and the U.S .
Marshals killed him , ” Trump said .
“ And I will tell you something — that ’ s the way it has to be .
There has to be retribution when you have crime like this.
” Trump ’ s remarks comes amid his continuous infomercial-like praise for federal troops after agents fatally shot Reinoehl in Portland .
During his interview with Pirro that aired @ @ @ @ @ @ @ militaristic crackdowns on any potential “ riots ” that break out on November 3 if he were to win reelection .
“ We ’ ll put them down very quickly if they do that , ” Trump told Pirro .
“ We have the right to do that .
We have the power to do that , if we want.
” Trump then characterized the potential “ riots ” as calling for “ insurrection.
” “ We just send in … and we do it very easy , ” Trump said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ easy .
I ’ d rather not do that because there ’ s no reason for it , but if we had to , we ’ d do that and put it down within minutes .
”

President Trump leaned into his self-proclamation of being the President of “law and order” further as he appeared to approve of the “retribution” of federal law enforcement officers fatally shooting a man suspected of killing a pro-Trump supporter amid protests in Portland, during an interview on Fox News that aired Saturday night.
After mocking Portland mayor Ted Wheeler for refusing Trump’s offer to send in federal troops to the city to quell protests, the President then turned his focus to the fatal shooting earlier this month of Michael Forest Reinoehl — a man suspected of killing a member of the Patriot Prayer group during violent clashes in Portland — by U.S. Marshals.
“We sent in the U.S. Marshals for the killer, the man who killed the young man on the street. He shot him… just cold blooded killed him,” Trump said. “Two and a half days went by, and I put out ‘when are you going to go get him?’ And the U.S. Marshals went in to get him, and they ended up in a gunfight.”
Trump called Reinoehl a “violent criminal” before suggesting that his extrajudicial killing was par for the course.
“This guy was a violent criminal, and the U.S. Marshals killed him,” Trump said. “And I will tell you something — that’s the way it has to be. There has to be retribution when you have crime like this.”
Trump’s remarks comes amid his continuous infomercial-like praise for federal troops after agents fatally shot Reinoehl in Portland.
During his interview with Pirro that aired Saturday night, the President also threatened militaristic crackdowns on any potential “riots” that break out on November 3 if he were to win reelection.
“We’ll put them down very quickly if they do that,” Trump told Pirro. “We have the right to do that. We have the power to do that, if we want.”
Trump then characterized the potential “riots” as calling for “insurrection.”
“We just send in … and we do it very easy,” Trump said. “I mean, it’s very easy. I’d rather not do that because there’s no reason for it, but if we had to, we’d do that and put it down within minutes.”
Watch Trump’s remarks below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-14--Michigan Lt. Guv Torches Trump As A ‘Liar Who Has Killed People, Straight Up’

Michigan Lieutenant Gov .
Garlin Gilchrist II ( D ) flayed President Donald Trump and his sluggish response to the @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Donald Trump is a liar who has killed people , straight up , @ @ @ @ @ virtual event with progressive Democrats on Saturday , per ClickOnDetroit .
The top Michigan official @ @ @ @ @ not afford another four years of this man at the helm.
” “ There are @ @ @ @ @ stake , ” said Gilchrist , who stated that 23 people in his life had @ @ @ @ @ The lieutenant governor ’ s fiery comments come amid the scandal over revelations that Trump @ @ @ @ @ all the way back in early 2020 that COVID-19 was “ deadly stuff ” and @ @ @ @ @ “ playing it down ” in his public remarks on the virus .
There are @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. and a death toll of nearly 200,000 , according to Johns Hopkins University @

Michigan Lieutenant Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II (D) flayed President Donald Trump and his sluggish response to the COVID-19 pandemic over the weekend.
“Donald Trump is a liar who has killed people, straight up,” Gilchrist said during a virtual event with progressive Democrats on Saturday, per ClickOnDetroit.
The top Michigan official asserted the country “cannot afford another four years of this man at the helm.”
“There are literally millions of lives at stake,” said Gilchrist, who stated that 23 people in his life had died from the virus.
The lieutenant governor’s fiery comments come amid the scandal over revelations that Trump had told reporter Bob Woodward all the way back in early 2020 that COVID-19 was “deadly stuff” and privately admitted to purposefully “playing it down” in his public remarks on the virus.
There are 6.5 million COVID-19 cases in the U.S. and a death toll of nearly 200,000, according to Johns Hopkins University.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-14--Nevada Guv Slams Trump Over Indoor Rally: ‘Shameful, Dangerous And Irresponsible’

Nevada Gov .
Steve Sisolak ( D ) blasted President Donald Trump on Sunday night for flouting the state ’ s restrictions on large gatherings by holding an indoor campaign rally amid the COVID-19 pandemic .
In a statement posted on Twitter , Sisolak accused Trump of “ taking reckless and selfish actions that are putting countless lives in danger ” with the event in Henderson that night , which violated Nevada ’ s restrictions on gatherings of more than 50 people .
“ As usual , he doesn ’ t believe the rules apply to him , ” the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which also saw few masks being worn by Trump ’ s supporters , as an “ insult to every Nevadan who has followed the directives , made sacrifices , and put their neighbors before themselves.
” “ At a time when Nevada is focused on getting our economy back on track and protecting public health , the President ’ s actions this weekend are shameful , dangerous and irresponsible , ” the governor wrote .
The campaign event was Trump ’ s first indoor rally held entirely indoors since the rally in @ @ @ @ @ @

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) blasted President Donald Trump on Sunday night for flouting the state’s restrictions on large gatherings by holding an indoor campaign rally amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement posted on Twitter, Sisolak accused Trump of “taking reckless and selfish actions that are putting countless lives in danger” with the event in Henderson that night, which violated Nevada’s restrictions on gatherings of more than 50 people.
“As usual, he doesn’t believe the rules apply to him,” the governor tweeted.
Sisolak blasted the rally, which also saw few masks being worn by Trump’s supporters, as an “insult to every Nevadan who has followed the directives, made sacrifices, and put their neighbors before themselves.”
“At a time when Nevada is focused on getting our economy back on track and protecting public health, the President’s actions this weekend are shameful, dangerous and irresponsible,” the governor wrote.
The campaign event was Trump’s first indoor rally held entirely indoors since the rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma in June.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-14--Dem Sen Demands Caputo Resignation After He Reportedly Accused Scientists Of ‘Sedition’

Senate health committee ranking member Patty Murray ( D-WA ) on Monday called for Health and Human Services secretary Alex Azar to demand the resignation of Michael Caputo , HHS assistant secretary of public affairs , after he reportedly claimed that a “ resistance unit ” of “ seditious ” government scientists at the CDC are working to undermine President Trump .
According to a New York Times report , Caputo claimed during a histrionic Facebook livestream on Sunday that anti-Trump government scientists at the CDC “ haven ’ t gotten out of their sweatpants except for meetings at coffee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re going to attack Donald Trump.
” “ There are scientists who work for this government who do not want America to get well , not until after Joe Biden is president , ” Caputo said , according to the Times , before going on to claim that his own life is at risk .
“ You understand that they ’ re going to have to kill me , and unfortunately , I think that ’ s where this is going , ” Caputo said , before launching into a dramatic rant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in my apartment , there alone , shadows are so long , ” according to the Times .
Caputo , a longtime vocal Trump loyalist who has no background in health care , told the Times that his family had been “ continually threatened ” since he joined the administration in April .
Responding to the Times ’ report on Caputo ’ s remarks in a series of tweets , Murray urged Azar to demand Caputo ’ s resignation because as HHS secretary , Azar has a “ basic responsibility to ensure our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their jobs ” especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic .
Murray also tore into Azar for failing to “ meet his basic responsibilities ” by allowing Caputo to “ continue serving in such an influential role , ” citing reports over the weekend that surfaced of Caputo ’ s attempts to skew weekly bulletins from the CDC to fit Trump ’ s baseless assertions that the COVID-19 pandemic is subsiding .
Murray ’ s tweets came shortly after the House Subcommittee on the Coronavirus announced an investigation into efforts by political appointees at HHS @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scientific reports ” by the CDC amid the coronavirus crisis that has killed nearly 200,000 Americans thus far .

Senate health committee ranking member Patty Murray (D-WA) on Monday called for Health and Human Services secretary Alex Azar to demand the resignation of Michael Caputo, HHS assistant secretary of public affairs, after he reportedly claimed that a “resistance unit” of “seditious” government scientists at the CDC are working to undermine President Trump.
According to a New York Times report, Caputo claimed during a histrionic Facebook livestream on Sunday that anti-Trump government scientists at the CDC “haven’t gotten out of their sweatpants except for meetings at coffee shops” to plot “how they’re going to attack Donald Trump.”
“There are scientists who work for this government who do not want America to get well, not until after Joe Biden is president,” Caputo said, according to the Times, before going on to claim that his own life is at risk.
“You understand that they’re going to have to kill me, and unfortunately, I think that’s where this is going,” Caputo said, before launching into a dramatic rant about the “shadows on the ceiling in my apartment, there alone, shadows are so long,” according to the Times.
Caputo, a longtime vocal Trump loyalist who has no background in health care, told the Times that his family had been “continually threatened” since he joined the administration in April.
Responding to the Times’ report on Caputo’s remarks in a series of tweets, Murray urged Azar to demand Caputo’s resignation because as HHS secretary, Azar has a “basic responsibility to ensure our public health experts are able to do their jobs” especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Murray also tore into Azar for failing to “meet his basic responsibilities” by allowing Caputo to “continue serving in such an influential role,” citing reports over the weekend that surfaced of Caputo’s attempts to skew weekly bulletins from the CDC to fit Trump’s baseless assertions that the COVID-19 pandemic is subsiding.
If @SecAzar believes his responsibility is to the American public and not to President Trump, he should demand Michael A. Caputo’s resignation today. https://t.co/oFAdW8IjOH — Senator Patty Murray (@PattyMurray) September 14, 2020
It's clear Sec. Azar can't meet his basic responsibilities while allowing Caputo, a yes-man for President Trump with no scientific expertise who publicly attacked CDC scientists & privately interfered with key CDC reports, to continue serving in such an influential role. — Senator Patty Murray (@PattyMurray) September 14, 2020
Murray’s tweets came shortly after the House Subcommittee on the Coronavirus announced an investigation into efforts by political appointees at HHS to “block the publication of accurate scientific reports” by the CDC amid the coronavirus crisis that has killed nearly 200,000 Americans thus far.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-14--Trump’s New NOAA Hire Is A Climate Science Denier Who Rails Against ‘Thug’ Mainstream

David Legates has made a career of denying the science behind climate change .
And now the University of Delaware professor has a new high-profile gig at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , as deputy assistant secretary of Commerce for environmental observation and prediction .
Legates , the state of Delaware ’ s former climatologist , is known for attempting to undermine the science behind climate change .
His hiring at the NOAA is yet another example of the Trump administration politicizing an agency that prioritizes science and is loathe to be roped into partisan politics .
An affiliate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think tank that nurtures climate science denial — Legates received the “ Courage in Defense of Science ” award at the group ’ s Tenth International Conference on Climate Change in 2015 .
During his acceptance speech at the time , Legates said the award signaled that “ you ’ ve been beaten over the head by a bunch of thugs repeatedly and you ’ ve persevered.
” In the same speech , he compared mainstream climate science to the book “ Chariots of the Gods ?
” Published in 1968 , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been visited and influenced by aliens .
In 2011 , Legates was asked to step down as Delaware ’ s climatologist — a few years after the state ’ s governor had directed him , in an email , to stop using his official title when discussing his views on climate change .
“ Your views on climate change , as I understand them , are not aligned with those of my administration , ” then-Gov .
Gov .
Ruth Ann Minner wrote to Legates in 2007 .
“ In light of my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your role with the state , I am directing you to offer any future statements on this or other public policy matters only on behalf of yourself or the University of Delaware , and not as state climatologist.
” Over the years , Legates has run through the well-rehearsed arguments of other climate science deniers , as diligently recorded on the site DeSmog Blog .
During congressional testimony in 2019 , for example , he argued that a warmer climate and more carbon dioxide would be a “ net benefit ” to life @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and more productive growing season and the fact that “ More people die from exposure to cold than heat.
” In a 2007 paper co-authored with Dr. Willie Soon , the pair argued that polar bears in Canada ’ s Hudson Bay did not face a threat from climate change .
The paper was one of several from Soon that questioned the threat posed by climate change — and that also acknowledged Soon had received grants from the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation , American Petroleum Institute and ExxonMobil .
Legates isn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up in the Trump administration .
William Happer , also affiliated with the group , served on the National Security Council until last year .
Happer , another climate science denier , is perhaps best known for comparing Carbon Dioxide to “ poor Jews under Hitler.
” In an email quoted in a Heartland Institute blog post , Legates called himself “ the only scientist ever to have his research characterized as “ crap ” in Science…a badge I wear with honor .
”

David Legates has made a career of denying the science behind climate change. And now the University of Delaware professor has a new high-profile gig at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as deputy assistant secretary of Commerce for environmental observation and prediction.
Legates, the state of Delaware’s former climatologist, is known for attempting to undermine the science behind climate change. His hiring at the NOAA is yet another example of the Trump administration politicizing an agency that prioritizes science and is loathe to be roped into partisan politics.
An affiliate of the Heartland Institute — a right-wing think tank that nurtures climate science denial — Legates received the “Courage in Defense of Science” award at the group’s Tenth International Conference on Climate Change in 2015.
During his acceptance speech at the time, Legates said the award signaled that “you’ve been beaten over the head by a bunch of thugs repeatedly and you’ve persevered.”
In the same speech, he compared mainstream climate science to the book “Chariots of the Gods?” Published in 1968, the popular work asserted that ancient civilizations had been visited and influenced by aliens.
In 2011, Legates was asked to step down as Delaware’s climatologist — a few years after the state’s governor had directed him, in an email, to stop using his official title when discussing his views on climate change.
“Your views on climate change, as I understand them, are not aligned with those of my administration,” then-Gov. Gov. Ruth Ann Minner wrote to Legates in 2007. “In light of my position and due to the confusion surrounding your role with the state, I am directing you to offer any future statements on this or other public policy matters only on behalf of yourself or the University of Delaware, and not as state climatologist.”
Over the years, Legates has run through the well-rehearsed arguments of other climate science deniers, as diligently recorded on the site DeSmog Blog.
During congressional testimony in 2019, for example, he argued that a warmer climate and more carbon dioxide would be a “net benefit” to life on Earth. He cited a longer and more productive growing season and the fact that “More people die from exposure to cold than heat.”
In a 2007 paper co-authored with Dr. Willie Soon, the pair argued that polar bears in Canada’s Hudson Bay did not face a threat from climate change. The paper was one of several from Soon that questioned the threat posed by climate change — and that also acknowledged Soon had received grants from the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, American Petroleum Institute and ExxonMobil.
Legates isn’t the only Heartland associate to end up in the Trump administration. William Happer, also affiliated with the group, served on the National Security Council until last year. Happer, another climate science denier, is perhaps best known for comparing Carbon Dioxide to “poor Jews under Hitler.”
In an email quoted in a Heartland Institute blog post, Legates called himself “the only scientist ever to have his research characterized as “crap” in Science…a badge I wear with honor.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-14--NBC: DOJ IG Reviewing Roger Stone Sentencing Memo Debacle

The February fracas around the Justice Department ’ s sentencing recommendations for Roger Stone is now being probed by the office of DOJ Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz , NBC News reported Monday .
The report , based on two unnamed sources , gave few details on what exactly the watchdog is looking into and how far along he is in his review .
One source told NBC News that the investigation was launched after Aaron Zelinsky — a career DOJ official who had led the Stone prosecution — testified before Congress about “ political pressure ” within the Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Stone .
Zelinsky and three other prosecutors working on the case withdrew from it when the Department filed a memo that overruled the initial recommendation they offered for Stone .
Stone ’ s sentence was commuted by President Trump , his longtime associate , in July .
The prosecutors initially recommended that Stone serve seven to nine years in prison , after a jury convicted him of making false statements and tampering with a witness in the House ’ s Russia investigation .
After the DOJ filed a new brief , at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ watering down that recommendation , Stone ’ s judge sentenced him to around four years .
Barr has pointed to that sentence as vindicating his move to overrule the career prosecutors .
But the judge at Stone ’ s sentencing hearing called the DOJ ’ s handling of the matter “ unprecedented , ” while questioning some of the arguments made in the revised memo for why the recommendation was being watered down .
Zelinksy testified to Congress that , before the initial memo was filed , then-Acting U.S. Attorney for the District @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heavy pressure from the highest levels of the Department of Justice to cut Stone a break .
”

The February fracas around the Justice Department’s sentencing recommendations for Roger Stone is now being probed by the office of DOJ Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz, NBC News reported Monday.
The report, based on two unnamed sources, gave few details on what exactly the watchdog is looking into and how far along he is in his review. One source told NBC News that the investigation was launched after Aaron Zelinsky — a career DOJ official who had led the Stone prosecution — testified before Congress about “political pressure” within the Department to lighten the sentencing recommendation submitted for Stone.
Zelinsky and three other prosecutors working on the case withdrew from it when the Department filed a memo that overruled the initial recommendation they offered for Stone.
Stone’s sentence was commuted by President Trump, his longtime associate, in July.
The prosecutors initially recommended that Stone serve seven to nine years in prison, after a jury convicted him of making false statements and tampering with a witness in the House’s Russia investigation.
After the DOJ filed a new brief, at the direction of Attorney General Bill Barr, watering down that recommendation, Stone’s judge sentenced him to around four years.
Barr has pointed to that sentence as vindicating his move to overrule the career prosecutors. But the judge at Stone’s sentencing hearing called the DOJ’s handling of the matter “unprecedented,” while questioning some of the arguments made in the revised memo for why the recommendation was being watered down.
Zelinksy testified to Congress that, before the initial memo was filed, then-Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Timothy Shea “was receiving heavy pressure from the highest levels of the Department of Justice to cut Stone a break.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-14--‘Disastrous’: Why It’s So Damaging For Trump Admin To Doctor The CDC’s COVID Reports

Once again , the Trump administration is politicizing something it doesn ’ t understand .
In this case , Trump officials have been pressing CDC officials to manipulate the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on the spread of COVID-19 to benefit President Trump politically as Election Day draws near .
Scientists described the situation to TPM as “ disastrous , ” saying that it threatens to undermine a key tool spreading health knowledge around the country while also reflecting a profound lack of understanding about the CDC ’ s mission .
Dr. Sussan Hassig , an epidemiologist at Tulane University @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as “ accumulating information from all over the country , and collecting and answering questions that might not be answerable at the local level.
” Politico first reported the changes over the weekend , which have been taking place throughout the summer .
In recent weeks , HHS spokesman Michael Caputo and an assistant , Dr. Paul Alexander have reportedly pressured CDC scientists into delaying a report that stated the “ potential benefits ” of hydroxychloroquine does not “ outweigh their risks , ” after questioning the scientists ’ political beliefs .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and if that ’ s inconvenient , I ’ m sorry , ” Hassig said .
“ That ’ s the unfortunate reality of science — even as a researcher , if you go in with a particular hypothesis , your data may not show that it ’ s not correct.
” Dr. Alexander , the Caputo aide , has tried to chip away at scientific understanding in other forums , as well .
In July , Alexander published a paper about research methodology into hydryoxychloroquine .
That paper used studies claiming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high risk of side-effects to claim that COVID-19 research has suffered from “ overall low methodological quality thus far.
” But undermining the weekly scientific reports from within the federal government , for political reasons , comes as a separate shock .
“ The voice of CDC through the MMWR penetrates every single demographic , ” said Dr. Lamar Hasbrouck , a former CDC epidemic intelligence service member and former head of the Illinois Department of Public Health .
Hasbrouck told TPM that he would rely on the MMWRs while serving at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its speed and accuracy made it an “ early warning system ” for emerging public health risks .
“ It makes you feel like it ’ s going to be directed by political expedience and not by the scientific priorities or the research priorities , ” he said .
“ Once you lose that credibility you have a hard time getting it back.
” The political pressure comes as the Trump administration has contorted other elements of the country ’ s response to COVID-19 to align with his re-election campaign .
Administration officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a “ holy grail ” for the Trump campaign , as President Trump himself has called for a vaccine to be released before the election .
The CDC has told states to prepare to distribute a vaccine by late October .
Officials have issued guidance that would lessen the number of COVID-19 tests performed , recommending that people exposed to the disease but who show no symptoms not be tested .
In both those cases , states and local governments have ignored the CDC and begun to prepare to ignore further Trump administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , pointed out to TPM that the CDC has accommodated political influence in the past — like under the Reagan administration , when the government advocated for abstinence-only methods of preventing HIV transmission , as opposed to the use of condoms .
“ That ’ s a legitimate way of preventing HIV and STI , albeit less popular , ” Hassig said .
“ What ’ s different now is the perceived personal nature of the attack — the CDC doesn ’ t have personal vendettas against anybody .
”

Once again, the Trump administration is politicizing something it doesn’t understand.
In this case, Trump officials have been pressing CDC officials to manipulate the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on the spread of COVID-19 to benefit President Trump politically as Election Day draws near.
Scientists described the situation to TPM as “disastrous,” saying that it threatens to undermine a key tool spreading health knowledge around the country while also reflecting a profound lack of understanding about the CDC’s mission.
Dr. Sussan Hassig, an epidemiologist at Tulane University, described the CDC reports to TPM as “accumulating information from all over the country, and collecting and answering questions that might not be answerable at the local level.”
Politico first reported the changes over the weekend, which have been taking place throughout the summer.
In recent weeks, HHS spokesman Michael Caputo and an assistant, Dr. Paul Alexander have reportedly pressured CDC scientists into delaying a report that stated the “potential benefits” of hydroxychloroquine does not “outweigh their risks,” after questioning the scientists’ political beliefs.
“An MMWR deals with science and facts, and if that’s inconvenient, I’m sorry,” Hassig said. “That’s the unfortunate reality of science — even as a researcher, if you go in with a particular hypothesis, your data may not show that it’s not correct.”
Dr. Alexander, the Caputo aide, has tried to chip away at scientific understanding in other forums, as well.
In July, Alexander published a paper about research methodology into hydryoxychloroquine. That paper used studies claiming that hydroxychloroquine has low effectiveness and a high risk of side-effects to claim that COVID-19 research has suffered from “overall low methodological quality thus far.”
But undermining the weekly scientific reports from within the federal government, for political reasons, comes as a separate shock.
“The voice of CDC through the MMWR penetrates every single demographic,” said Dr. Lamar Hasbrouck, a former CDC epidemic intelligence service member and former head of the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Hasbrouck told TPM that he would rely on the MMWRs while serving at the state health agency, in part because its speed and accuracy made it an “early warning system” for emerging public health risks.
“It makes you feel like it’s going to be directed by political expedience and not by the scientific priorities or the research priorities,” he said. “Once you lose that credibility you have a hard time getting it back.”
The political pressure comes as the Trump administration has contorted other elements of the country’s response to COVID-19 to align with his re-election campaign. Administration officials have referred to a pre-election vaccine as a “holy grail” for the Trump campaign, as President Trump himself has called for a vaccine to be released before the election. The CDC has told states to prepare to distribute a vaccine by late October.
Officials have issued guidance that would lessen the number of COVID-19 tests performed, recommending that people exposed to the disease but who show no symptoms not be tested.
In both those cases, states and local governments have ignored the CDC and begun to prepare to ignore further Trump administration recommendations.
Hassig, the Tulane epidemiologist, pointed out to TPM that the CDC has accommodated political influence in the past — like under the Reagan administration, when the government advocated for abstinence-only methods of preventing HIV transmission, as opposed to the use of condoms.
“That’s a legitimate way of preventing HIV and STI, albeit less popular,” Hassig said. “What’s different now is the perceived personal nature of the attack — the CDC doesn’t have personal vendettas against anybody.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-14--As POTUS Rants About ‘Explosive Trees,’ Biden Warns Trump Win Means ‘More Of America Ablaze’

President Trump on Monday continued dismissing climate change as a cause behind the raging wildfires across several West Coast states by making an absurd suggestion in his attempt to bolster his argument that lack of “ forest management ” is to blame for the ongoing devastation .
Shortly upon landing in McClellan Park , California ahead of a briefing on the wildfires and surveying the damage from the relentless blaze , Trump told reporters that a “ lot of things were possible ” when pressed on whether climate change was worsening the wildfires .
In the vein of blaming the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” the President then nonsensically claimed that trees can “ explode ” if they get dry “ like a match stick.
” “ With regard to the forest , when trees fall down , after a short period of time , about 18 months , they become very dry and like a match stick , ” Trump said .
“ There is no more water pouring through them .
They just explode .
They can explode.
” After saying that “ years of dried leaves ” need to be cleaned up in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fuel for a fire , ” Trump claimed that leaders of “ forest ” nations in Europe told him forest management was the key to preventing wildfires .
“ He said we have trees that are more explosive in terms of fire than they have in California , and we don ’ t have any problems because we manage our forests , ” Trump said , without naming “ the head of a major country ” he referred to .
“ We have to do that in California.
” During the wildfire briefing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Newsom ( D ) acknowledged the need for forest management to combat wildfires to Trump , but urged the President to recognize that climate change is real and worsens the crisis .
“ We come from the perspective , humbly , where we submit the science is in and observed evidence — it ’ s evident that climate change is real and that is exacerbating this , ” Newsom said .
After Newsom conceded that “ there is an area of at least commonality on vegetation and forest management ” and urged the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opinion out here ” regarding climate change , Trump simply nodded and said “ absolutely , appreciate that.
” Later in the briefing , the President off-handedly brushed off climate change as a real concern while California Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot demanded that Trump “ recognize the changing climate and what it means to our forests and actually work together with that science.
” In response to Crowfoot ’ s assertion that it ’ s not enough to recognize that the solution to the wildfires is only about vegetation management , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll start getting cooler , you just watch.
” Crowfoot told Trump that : “ I wish science agreed with you , ” which prompted the President to doubt that “ science knows , actually.
” Around the same time , Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden continued his rebuke of Trump ’ s dismissal of climate change while speaking in Wilmington , Delaware on Monday afternoon .
While counterattacking Trump ’ s unfounded assertion that Biden would “ abolish ” the suburbs if elected president , Biden mentioned wildfires burning the suburbs in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ neighborhoods in the Midwest and hurricanes “ imperiling suburban life ” along the country ’ s coasts , in a warning against the dire long-term consequences of the President ’ s reluctance to acknowledge climate change .
“ If we have four more years of Trump ’ s climate denial , how many suburbs will be burned in wildfires ?
How many suburbs will have been flooded out ?
How many suburbs will have been blown away in superstorms ?
” Biden said .
“ If you give a climate arsonist four more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would anyone be surprised if more of America is ablaze ?
”

President Trump on Monday continued dismissing climate change as a cause behind the raging wildfires across several West Coast states by making an absurd suggestion in his attempt to bolster his argument that lack of “forest management” is to blame for the ongoing devastation.
Shortly upon landing in McClellan Park, California ahead of a briefing on the wildfires and surveying the damage from the relentless blaze, Trump told reporters that a “lot of things were possible” when pressed on whether climate change was worsening the wildfires.
In the vein of blaming the wildfires on lack of “forest management,” the President then nonsensically claimed that trees can “explode” if they get dry “like a match stick.”
“With regard to the forest, when trees fall down, after a short period of time, about 18 months, they become very dry and like a match stick,” Trump said. “There is no more water pouring through them. They just explode. They can explode.”
After saying that “years of dried leaves” need to be cleaned up in forests because he thinks they are “fuel for a fire,” Trump claimed that leaders of “forest” nations in Europe told him forest management was the key to preventing wildfires.
“He said we have trees that are more explosive in terms of fire than they have in California, and we don’t have any problems because we manage our forests,” Trump said, without naming “the head of a major country” he referred to. “We have to do that in California.”
Trump claims that "explosive" trees are causing raging wildfires pic.twitter.com/pbC5xYA8vL — Talking Points Memo (@TPM) September 14, 2020
During the wildfire briefing Monday afternoon, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) acknowledged the need for forest management to combat wildfires to Trump, but urged the President to recognize that climate change is real and worsens the crisis.
“We come from the perspective, humbly, where we submit the science is in and observed evidence — it’s evident that climate change is real and that is exacerbating this,” Newsom said.
After Newsom conceded that “there is an area of at least commonality on vegetation and forest management” and urged the President to respect “the difference of opinion out here” regarding climate change, Trump simply nodded and said “absolutely, appreciate that.”
Later in the briefing, the President off-handedly brushed off climate change as a real concern while California Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot demanded that Trump “recognize the changing climate and what it means to our forests and actually work together with that science.”
In response to Crowfoot’s assertion that it’s not enough to recognize that the solution to the wildfires is only about vegetation management, Trump sarcastically replied, “it’ll start getting cooler, you just watch.”
Crowfoot told Trump that: “I wish science agreed with you,” which prompted the President to doubt that “science knows, actually.”
On climate change, Trump insists that it will "start getting cooler" and doesn’t think “science knows" pic.twitter.com/cCxWEsBotS — Talking Points Memo (@TPM) September 14, 2020
Around the same time, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden continued his rebuke of Trump’s dismissal of climate change while speaking in Wilmington, Delaware on Monday afternoon.
While counterattacking Trump’s unfounded assertion that Biden would “abolish” the suburbs if elected president, Biden mentioned wildfires burning the suburbs in the West, floods wiping out suburban neighborhoods in the Midwest and hurricanes “imperiling suburban life” along the country’s coasts, in a warning against the dire long-term consequences of the President’s reluctance to acknowledge climate change.
“If we have four more years of Trump’s climate denial, how many suburbs will be burned in wildfires? How many suburbs will have been flooded out? How many suburbs will have been blown away in superstorms?” Biden said. “If you give a climate arsonist four more years in the White House, why would anyone be surprised if more of America is ablaze?”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-14--Trump Boosts Xenophobic Post Calling Omar A Somali Who Was ‘Radicalized In Minneapolis’

President Donald Trump retweeted a xenophobic post about Rep. Ilhan Omar ( D-MN ) on Monday baselessly accusing the Muslim congresswoman , who was born in Somalia and became a U.S. citizen after arriving in the country as a refugee , of being “ radicalized.
” “ One thing Somalia definitely doesn ’ t need is more Somalis radicalized in Minneapolis , ” tweeted David Reaboi — a self-described national security expert who has a history of peddling Islamophobic conspiracy theories — in response to Omar ’ s post about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) deporting people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s unclear what kind of so-called radicalization Reoboi is referring to .
Trump retweeted Reaboi ’ s post and claimed , “ I am helping Minnesota greatly ” and that “ OBiden , ” presumably referring to Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden , “ was a Minnesota disaster.
” Omar ’ s office did not respond to TPM ’ s request for comment .
Trump has frequently targeted Omar , the first Somali-born member of Congress and also the first to wear a hijab on Capitol Hill , with xenophobic and Islamophobic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the U.S. Last year , the President tweeted a racist tirade suggesting that she , along with Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D-NY ) , Ayanna Pressley ( D-MA ) and Rashida Tlaib ( D-MN ) , ought to “ go back ” to “ the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came ” even though all four of them are U.S. citizens and all but Omar were born in the country .
The President also allowed his supporters to chant “ send her back ” as he was ranting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

President Donald Trump retweeted a xenophobic post about Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) on Monday baselessly accusing the Muslim congresswoman, who was born in Somalia and became a U.S. citizen after arriving in the country as a refugee, of being “radicalized.”
“One thing Somalia definitely doesn’t need is more Somalis radicalized in Minneapolis,” tweeted David Reaboi — a self-described national security expert who has a history of peddling Islamophobic conspiracy theories — in response to Omar’s post about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deporting people in her district to Somalia. It’s unclear what kind of so-called radicalization Reoboi is referring to.
Trump retweeted Reaboi’s post and claimed, “I am helping Minnesota greatly” and that “OBiden,” presumably referring to Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, “was a Minnesota disaster.”
Omar’s office did not respond to TPM’s request for comment.
Trump has frequently targeted Omar, the first Somali-born member of Congress and also the first to wear a hijab on Capitol Hill, with xenophobic and Islamophobic smears accusing her of being insufficiently loyal to the U.S. Last year, the President tweeted a racist tirade suggesting that she, along with Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MN), ought to “go back” to “the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came” even though all four of them are U.S. citizens and all but Omar were born in the country.
The President also allowed his supporters to chant “send her back” as he was ranting about Omar during a rally last year.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-14--Report: Caputo Accuses Scientists Of ‘Sedition,’ Warns Of Leftist Revolt

Michael Caputo , assistant secretary of public affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services , claimed Sunday that there is a “ resistance unit ” of “ seditious ” government scientists at the CDC working to undermine President Donald Trump .
They “ haven ’ t gotten out of their sweatpants except for meetings at coffee shops ” to plot “ how they ’ re going to attack Donald Trump , ” Caputo added .
“ There are scientists who work for this government who do not want America to get well , not until after Joe Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as recorded by the New York Times , in a histrionic Facebook livestream where he additionally claimed that his own life is at risk .
“ You understand that they ’ re going to have to kill me , and unfortunately , I think that ’ s where this is going , ” he told his followers , building into a dramatic tangent about the “ shadows on the ceiling in my apartment , there alone , shadows are so long.
” Caputo told the Times that his family had been “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration in April .
He did not immediately respond to TPM ’ s questions .
Caputo has been a vocal Trump loyalist for years , and has no background in health care .
Over the weekend , reports surfaced Caputo ’ s attempts to massage weekly bulletins from the CDC — critical public health updates called Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports — to fit Trump ’ s insistence that the COVID-19 pandemic is subsiding .
The reports , meant mostly for scientists and public health officials , are traditionally guarded as wholly apolitical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before publication .
Caputo was reportedly helped in these efforts by Paul Alexander , an assistant professor Caputo hired to assist him with pandemic-related matters , who has reportedly called the MMWRs “ hit pieces on the administration.
” The two recently tried to stop the publication of a report on the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine , an unproven treatment Trump has heralded as a COVID-19 cure-all .
Alexander has called for a complete stop in MMWR publishing until the process is amended so “ someone outside of CDC like myself ” can review @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Coronavirus announced Monday that they ’ re investigating the interference with the reports .
In his livestream , Caputo also dipped into conspiracy theorizing about Trump winning reelection , but former Vice President Joe Biden refusing to concede .
“ And when Donald Trump refuses to stand down at the inauguration , the shooting will begin , ” he said .
“ The drills that you ’ ve seen are nothing , ” he said , adding , “ If you carry guns , buy ammunition , ladies and gentlemen , because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to get.
” Caputo , using language most often found in the fever swamps of QAnon messaging boards , has also been retweeting baseless conspiracies theorizing about the supposed coming insurrection .

Michael Caputo, assistant secretary of public affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services, claimed Sunday that there is a “resistance unit” of “seditious” government scientists at the CDC working to undermine President Donald Trump.
They “haven’t gotten out of their sweatpants except for meetings at coffee shops” to plot “how they’re going to attack Donald Trump,” Caputo added. “There are scientists who work for this government who do not want America to get well, not until after Joe Biden is president.”
He made the claims, as recorded by the New York Times, in a histrionic Facebook livestream where he additionally claimed that his own life is at risk.
“You understand that they’re going to have to kill me, and unfortunately, I think that’s where this is going,” he told his followers, building into a dramatic tangent about the “shadows on the ceiling in my apartment, there alone, shadows are so long.”
Caputo told the Times that his family had been “continually threatened” since he joined the administration in April. He did not immediately respond to TPM’s questions. Caputo has been a vocal Trump loyalist for years, and has no background in health care.
Over the weekend, reports surfaced Caputo’s attempts to massage weekly bulletins from the CDC — critical public health updates called Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports — to fit Trump’s insistence that the COVID-19 pandemic is subsiding. The reports, meant mostly for scientists and public health officials, are traditionally guarded as wholly apolitical and kept from political appointees until just before publication.
Caputo was reportedly helped in these efforts by Paul Alexander, an assistant professor Caputo hired to assist him with pandemic-related matters, who has reportedly called the MMWRs “hit pieces on the administration.” The two recently tried to stop the publication of a report on the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, an unproven treatment Trump has heralded as a COVID-19 cure-all. Alexander has called for a complete stop in MMWR publishing until the process is amended so “someone outside of CDC like myself” can review the reports.
The House Subcommittee on the Coronavirus announced Monday that they’re investigating the interference with the reports.
In his livestream, Caputo also dipped into conspiracy theorizing about Trump winning reelection, but former Vice President Joe Biden refusing to concede.
“And when Donald Trump refuses to stand down at the inauguration, the shooting will begin,” he said. “The drills that you’ve seen are nothing,” he said, adding, “If you carry guns, buy ammunition, ladies and gentlemen, because it’s going to be hard to get.”
Caputo, using language most often found in the fever swamps of QAnon messaging boards, has also been retweeting baseless conspiracies theorizing about the supposed coming insurrection.
Caputo deleted his Twitter account Monday afternoon.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-14--Jack Burkman’s Latest Hoax Appears To Be A Faked FBI Raid On His Home

The latest bogus scheme pushed by two notorious right-wing hoaxsters appears to be a faked FBI raid on one of the hoaxsters , Jack Burkman ’ s home .
The Daily Beast reported Monday the account of an actor who said he was solicited via a Craiglist ad to show up at Burkman ’ s house and film a pseudo-raid .
The Beast backed up the account of one of the actors with emails and other documents that connected the scheme to Jacob Wohl , Burkman ’ s usual partner in their notorious smear jobs .
The Daily Beast report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported on Burkman ’ s claims that he had been raided by the FBI .
TPM picked up that report .
After initially reporting the alleged raid , the Washington Post reporter tweeted her doubts as to whether the raid in fact happened .
Over the years , Burkman and Wohl have attempted schemes to smear various foes of President Trump that have gone horribly awry .
They ’ ve claimed to have found accusers who could speak out with sensational allegations against special counsel Robert Mueller , Sen. Elizabeth Warren ( D-MA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , among others , only to have those accusers bail or later admit to reporters that they were misled by Burkman and Wohl .
Wohl faces felony charges in California related to a securities transaction that predated his shenanigans in the political world .
Before their latest gambit , Burkman and Wohl were in the news yet again last month after robocalls claiming to be linked to their group spread racially charged misinformation about mail-in voting in Detroit .

Editor’s note: Fool me once … This story has been rewritten to reflect the increasing evidence that no FBI raid in fact happened.
The latest bogus scheme pushed by two notorious right-wing hoaxsters appears to be a faked FBI raid on one of the hoaxsters, Jack Burkman’s home.
The Daily Beast reported Monday the account of an actor who said he was solicited via a Craiglist ad to show up at Burkman’s house and film a pseudo-raid.
The Beast backed up the account of one of the actors with emails and other documents that connected the scheme to Jacob Wohl, Burkman’s usual partner in their notorious smear jobs.
The Daily Beast report came not long after the Washington Post reported on Burkman’s claims that he had been raided by the FBI. TPM picked up that report.
After initially reporting the alleged raid, the Washington Post reporter tweeted her doubts as to whether the raid in fact happened.
Deleted tweet on FBI raid of Jack Burkman house because there’s a good chance he staged this raid himself. When asked about that, he hung up. — Rachel Weiner (@rachelweinerwp) September 14, 2020
Over the years, Burkman and Wohl have attempted schemes to smear various foes of President Trump that have gone horribly awry. They’ve claimed to have found accusers who could speak out with sensational allegations against special counsel Robert Mueller, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), among others, only to have those accusers bail or later admit to reporters that they were misled by Burkman and Wohl.
Wohl faces felony charges in California related to a securities transaction that predated his shenanigans in the political world.
Before their latest gambit, Burkman and Wohl were in the news yet again last month after robocalls claiming to be linked to their group spread racially charged misinformation about mail-in voting in Detroit.
Burkman denied involvement in those calls.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-14--Just Before Press Time, Trump Called Woodward To Ask About Portrayal Of The Stock Market Recovery

Prior to reports on journalist Bob Woodward ’ s forthcoming book that revealed President Trump ’ s intentional public downplaying of COVID-19 earlier this year , both Woodward and Trump hopped on the phone one last time ahead of the release of the legendary journalist ’ s book .
According to CNN on Monday , Trump called Woodward on August 14 , as the country hit more than 168,000 fatalities from COVID-19 , to ask about how he would be portrayed in his new book “ Rage , ” set for release Tuesday .
Speaking for the 19th time , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the President from December to July for his book , Trump attempted to pick the legendary journalist ’ s brain on the contents of his book .
Citing excerpts of the 10-minute conversation , CNN reported that Trump appeared more concerned about Woodward ’ s portrayal of the economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic than his response to the public health crisis .
According to CNN , as Trump insisted that “ nothing more could have been done ” because he “ acted early ” in his response to COVID-19 , the President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus totally supersedes the economy.
” Woodward replied , “ Oh sure , but they ’ re related ” to which Trump responded : “ a little bit , yeah.
” Woodward pressed Trump further , prompting the President to claim that he meant “ more than a little bit ” before boasting about how the country is “ close to a new stock market record.
” In another part of the conversation , Woodward warned Trump there are parts of his “ tough book ” that the President won ’ t like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bone.
” The President once again touted that “ the market ’ s coming back very strong ” before asking Woodward whether he covered that in his book .
According to CNN , Trump repeatedly asked Woodward whether he was going to write a “ good book ” during the 18 conversations they had from December to July .
The President ’ s approval seeking from Woodward continued during their final conversation , when Woodward mentioned that the Trump administration ’ s agreement to normalize relations between Israel and the United Arab @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to press .
Woodward mentioned that the agreement earned Trump rare praise from New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman — who has repeatedly been critical of Trump — the President replied “ that ’ s nice ” and that Friedman has “ come along way.
” “ The next one I need is you , ” Trump told Woodward .
“ But it looks like I don ’ t have it on this book , but we ’ ll get you sometime later , I guess.
” CNN ’ s report on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Trump blames Woodward for not taking the initiative to alert authorities after Trump stated his private concerns on COVID-19 to the journalist .
During an interview on CBS ’ 60 Minutes that aired on Sunday night , Woodward said that he thinks Trump “ did not understand the American public ” by rationalizing that he didn ’ t “ want to create a panic.
” Woodward argued that the President “ failed ” in responding to the COVID-19 crisis because in a time of crisis , the President should know that “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public in some form .
”

Prior to reports on journalist Bob Woodward’s forthcoming book that revealed President Trump’s intentional public downplaying of COVID-19 earlier this year, both Woodward and Trump hopped on the phone one last time ahead of the release of the legendary journalist’s book.
According to CNN on Monday, Trump called Woodward on August 14, as the country hit more than 168,000 fatalities from COVID-19, to ask about how he would be portrayed in his new book “Rage,” set for release Tuesday.
Speaking for the 19th time, following the 18 interviews that Woodward conducted with the President from December to July for his book, Trump attempted to pick the legendary journalist’s brain on the contents of his book.
Citing excerpts of the 10-minute conversation, CNN reported that Trump appeared more concerned about Woodward’s portrayal of the economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic than his response to the public health crisis.
According to CNN, as Trump insisted that “nothing more could have been done” because he “acted early” in his response to COVID-19, the President asked Woodward whether he thinks “the virus totally supersedes the economy.”
Woodward replied, “Oh sure, but they’re related” to which Trump responded: “a little bit, yeah.”
Woodward pressed Trump further, prompting the President to claim that he meant “more than a little bit” before boasting about how the country is “close to a new stock market record.”
In another part of the conversation, Woodward warned Trump there are parts of his “tough book” that the President won’t like because it’s “close to the bone.”
The President once again touted that “the market’s coming back very strong” before asking Woodward whether he covered that in his book.
According to CNN, Trump repeatedly asked Woodward whether he was going to write a “good book” during the 18 conversations they had from December to July. The President’s approval seeking from Woodward continued during their final conversation, when Woodward mentioned that the Trump administration’s agreement to normalize relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates happened after his book had gone to press.
Woodward mentioned that the agreement earned Trump rare praise from New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman — who has repeatedly been critical of Trump — the President replied “that’s nice” and that Friedman has “come along way.”
“The next one I need is you,” Trump told Woodward. “But it looks like I don’t have it on this book, but we’ll get you sometime later, I guess.”
CNN’s report on the final conversation between Trump and Woodward comes as Trump blames Woodward for not taking the initiative to alert authorities after Trump stated his private concerns on COVID-19 to the journalist.
During an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes that aired on Sunday night, Woodward said that he thinks Trump “did not understand the American public” by rationalizing that he didn’t “want to create a panic.”
Woodward argued that the President “failed” in responding to the COVID-19 crisis because in a time of crisis, the President should know that “it’s time to tell the public in some form.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-14--USPS’ Confusing Vote-By-Mail Postcard Frustrates State Election Officials

The United States Postal Service has begun sending postcards to voters nationwide with information on casting their ballots through the mail .
But Republican and Democratic election officials alike in several states say the information could just confuse voters with its one-size-fits-all advice .
“ These recommendations are not accurate for Nevada voters , ” Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske , a Republican and the state ’ s top election official , said in a press release over the weekend about the mailers .
Cegavske urged Nevadans to “ seek out trusted sources ” for election information , such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Though the USPS postcard contains fairly generic advice , it conflicts with the laws and practices in several states , given the United States ’ patchwork system of election administration .
For example , the postcard urges voters to request a mail-in ballot “ at least 15 days before Election Day.
” But in some states , voters are sent ballots without having to request them .
In Kentucky , on the other hand , voters must request a mail-in ballot by Oct. 9 , 25 days before Election Day .
“ My @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be a portion of the voting population who will get this and be confused , ” said Jennifer Morrell , a partner at The Elections Group and a former local election official in Utah and Colorado .
“ New voters , older voters , voters who are not savvy to the process in their state .
It ’ s unfortunate they didn ’ t coordinate with anyone in the election community before sending this.
” Cegavske and other election officials , including Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman , have said they weren @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was sent .
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold sued over the mailers on Saturday .
A federal judge ordered the USPS to stop sending them to voters in the state within hours , issuing a temporary restraining order and writing that the USPS mailer had given Colorado voters “ false and misleading instructions about how they should vote in the 2020 election.
” USPS has asked the court to reconsider ; in a filing Monday afternoon , lawyers for the agency disputed that Colorado had grounds to sue over the mailers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ merely “ advise postal customers to plan ahead , but warn customers that state laws vary and that they should consult those laws.
” “ Appreciate the effort @ USPS , but this could be confusing for California , ” tweeted James Schwab , California ’ s chief deputy secretary of state .
He pointed out that all active registered voters in California are receiving a ballot this year ( they don ’ t have to request one ) and that ballots postmarked by Election Day can be counted within 17 days — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to “ mail your ballot at least 7 days before Election Day.
” Voters in many states don ’ t have to mail back their ballots at all : They can return them in person to election officials , or place them in a drop-box .
Wayne Thorley , Nevada ’ s deputy secretary of state for elections , told TPM that his office began hearing over the weekend from confused voters who had received the USPS mailer .
The Nevada Secretary of State ’ s office recently sent their own informational mailer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was much more specific to Nevada.
” “ In their effort to create a postcard that was universally applicable — generic enough that it could apply across all the states — it ended up not really applying to any of them , ” Thorley observed .
Maria Benson , a spokesperson for the National Association of Secretaries of State , told TPM that in a meeting last month with Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and his staff , “ we urged staff to share any mailer with NASS first , so that we could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ necessary because of the differing election laws around the US.
” “ No draft , however , was shared with us before it began to be sent in the mail , ” Benson said .
A USPS spokesperson , Marti Johnson , told TPM on Monday that the purpose of the mailer “ was to send a single set of recommendations that provided general guidance allowing voters who choose mail-in voting to do so successfully , regardless of where they live and where they vote.
” The Postal Service was taking all measures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issued in court in Colorado , she said .
“ However , prior to the state ’ s filing and the ruling of the court , a substantial number of postcards had already been delivered to residents in Colorado .
The Postal Service ’ s compliance efforts are focused on the postcards that have not yet been delivered , ” Johnson said .
In a court filing in the Colorado case , the Postal Service asserted that the mailers were sent “ in the hopes of increasing the likelihood that their mail-in ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reducing the burden on the Postal Service of dealing with a crush of last-minute mailings.
” In a separate declaration , the USPS ’ executive director of brand marketing , Christopher Karpenko , wrote that the USPS decided to send a nationwide mailer with one set of advice because “ certain states are continuing to modify their elections procedures and the USPS did not want to risk providing outdated information.
” “ In addition , ” he wrote , “ residents of some states may be registered voters in other states , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ each state .
Given the practicalities of mailing more than 137 million postcards , the USPS decided instead to mail identical , simple , general messaging postcards to households across the country containing guidance for successfully using the U.S. Mail to submit their ballots if a voter wanted to vote by mail.
” Thorley , the Nevada elections official , said he wasn ’ t aware of any legal efforts his own state was considering over the mailer .
Besides , he said , the postcards have already been sent all over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of the tube , ” he said .
“ My understanding is they ’ ve all been put in the mail .
I don ’ t know how you stop that , at this point.
” This post has been updated .

The United States Postal Service has begun sending postcards to voters nationwide with information on casting their ballots through the mail. But Republican and Democratic election officials alike in several states say the information could just confuse voters with its one-size-fits-all advice.
“These recommendations are not accurate for Nevada voters,” Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske, a Republican and the state’s top election official, said in a press release over the weekend about the mailers. Cegavske urged Nevadans to “seek out trusted sources” for election information, such as her office or county officials.
Though the USPS postcard contains fairly generic advice, it conflicts with the laws and practices in several states, given the United States’ patchwork system of election administration.
For example, the postcard urges voters to request a mail-in ballot “at least 15 days before Election Day.” But in some states, voters are sent ballots without having to request them. In Kentucky, on the other hand, voters must request a mail-in ballot by Oct. 9, 25 days before Election Day.
“My experience with voters is that there will be a portion of the voting population who will get this and be confused,” said Jennifer Morrell, a partner at The Elections Group and a former local election official in Utah and Colorado. “New voters, older voters, voters who are not savvy to the process in their state. It’s unfortunate they didn’t coordinate with anyone in the election community before sending this.”
Cegavske and other election officials, including Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman, have said they weren’t aware of the mailer before it was sent.
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold sued over the mailers on Saturday. A federal judge ordered the USPS to stop sending them to voters in the state within hours, issuing a temporary restraining order and writing that the USPS mailer had given Colorado voters “false and misleading instructions about how they should vote in the 2020 election.”
USPS has asked the court to reconsider; in a filing Monday afternoon, lawyers for the agency disputed that Colorado had grounds to sue over the mailers at all, and said the postcards merely “advise postal customers to plan ahead, but warn customers that state laws vary and that they should consult those laws.”
State election officials sensed a headache.
“Appreciate the effort @USPS, but this could be confusing for California,” tweeted James Schwab, California’s chief deputy secretary of state. He pointed out that all active registered voters in California are receiving a ballot this year (they don’t have to request one) and that ballots postmarked by Election Day can be counted within 17 days — despite the USPS postcard’s recommendation to “mail your ballot at least 7 days before Election Day.”
Voters in many states don’t have to mail back their ballots at all: They can return them in person to election officials, or place them in a drop-box.
Wayne Thorley, Nevada’s deputy secretary of state for elections, told TPM that his office began hearing over the weekend from confused voters who had received the USPS mailer. The Nevada Secretary of State’s office recently sent their own informational mailer to voters, which Thorley said “was much more specific to Nevada.”
“In their effort to create a postcard that was universally applicable — generic enough that it could apply across all the states — it ended up not really applying to any of them,” Thorley observed.
Maria Benson, a spokesperson for the National Association of Secretaries of State, told TPM that in a meeting last month with Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and his staff, “we urged staff to share any mailer with NASS first, so that we could help with any edits that may be necessary because of the differing election laws around the US.”
“No draft, however, was shared with us before it began to be sent in the mail,” Benson said.
A USPS spokesperson, Marti Johnson, told TPM on Monday that the purpose of the mailer “was to send a single set of recommendations that provided general guidance allowing voters who choose mail-in voting to do so successfully, regardless of where they live and where they vote.”
The Postal Service was taking all measures to comply with the temporary restraining order issued in court in Colorado, she said.
“However, prior to the state’s filing and the ruling of the court, a substantial number of postcards had already been delivered to residents in Colorado. The Postal Service’s compliance efforts are focused on the postcards that have not yet been delivered,” Johnson said.
In a court filing in the Colorado case, the Postal Service asserted that the mailers were sent “in the hopes of increasing the likelihood that their mail-in ballots would be timely received and counted and reducing the burden on the Postal Service of dealing with a crush of last-minute mailings.”
In a separate declaration, the USPS’ executive director of brand marketing, Christopher Karpenko, wrote that the USPS decided to send a nationwide mailer with one set of advice because “certain states are continuing to modify their elections procedures and the USPS did not want to risk providing outdated information.”
“In addition,” he wrote, “residents of some states may be registered voters in other states, it was impractical to tailor the guidance to each state. Given the practicalities of mailing more than 137 million postcards, the USPS decided instead to mail identical, simple, general messaging postcards to households across the country containing guidance for successfully using the U.S. Mail to submit their ballots if a voter wanted to vote by mail.”
Thorley, the Nevada elections official, said he wasn’t aware of any legal efforts his own state was considering over the mailer. Besides, he said, the postcards have already been sent all over the country.
“The proverbial toothpaste is out of the tube,” he said. “My understanding is they’ve all been put in the mail. I don’t know how you stop that, at this point.”
Tierney Sneed contributed reporting.
This post has been updated.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-15--Trump Uses Indoor Rally Controversy To Baselessly Claim NV Guv Will ‘Cheat’ With Ballots

President Donald Trump on Tuesday morning turned the controversy over his indoor rally in Henderson , Nevada on Sunday into @ @ @ @ @ Nevada Gov .
Steve Sisolak ( D ) of fixing the state ’ s ballots @ @ @ @ @ him This post will be updated .

President Donald Trump on Tuesday morning turned the controversy over his indoor rally in Henderson, Nevada on Sunday into an opportunity to baselessly accuse Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) of fixing the state’s ballots to rig the election against him.
As he was attempting to blame Sisolak for the Trump campaign’s decision to hold the rally indoors, the President falsely claimed during a “Fox and Friends” interview that the governor “is the same guy that’s going to be in charge of the ballots” (in reality, Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske, who is a Republican, oversees and certifies the election results).
“Now [Sisolak] will cheat on the ballots, I have no doubt about it,” Trump said without providing evidence. He similarly made the baseless claim that “you’re going to see corruption like you’ve never seen” and a “rigged election” come November 3.
Trump had tweeted the same accusation late Monday night claiming that Sisolak “will use every trick in the book to cheat with Ballots.”
Again, it’s the Nevada secretary of state, not the governor, who supervises election ballot process while local elections officials handle the ballots themselves. Sisolak signed a bill allowing county officials to automatically send mail-in ballots to registered voters, which prompted the Trump campaign to sue the state last month in the President’s war against voting by mail.
Trump’s tirade on Tuesday is part of the President’s efforts to delegitimize the election and claim it’s being “rigged” against him as he trails his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, in the polls.
The President’s comments also come after facing backlash over holding a campaign rally indoors despite the COVID-19 pandemic, a move which Sisolak slammed as “shameful, dangerous and irresponsible” on Sunday night.
Trump defended the rally the next day, saying “I’m on a stage, and it’s very far away.”
Listen to Trump below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-15--Trump’s Defense For Indoor Rallies: ‘I’m On Stage, And It’s Very Far Away’

President Donald Trump and his campaign are defending decisions to rally indoors , despite the concerns in private by aides who fear that such gatherings could counter efforts to defeat the coronavirus pandemic .
“ I ’ m on a stage , and it ’ s very far away , ” Trump told The Las Vegas Review-Journal on Monday , after thousands of his supporters — the majority of them not wearing masks — packed inside a manufacturing plant in a Las Vegas suburb on Sunday night , ignoring a state directive that limits indoor gatherings to fewer than 50 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the health of his own supporters nor regard for his own safety , saying of his own risk , “ I ’ m not at all concerned.
” Officials told The New York Times that the Trump campaign ’ s decision to hold a rally indoors on Sunday night , followed efforts to secure five different outdoor locations and was made as a sort of last resort move even as state officials had pressed them not to host the rally .
Per the Times , Xtreme Manufacturing , which agreed to host @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city officials who said in a letter made public that the city could rightfully charge fines of $ 500 for every person over the state ’ s 50-person gathering limit while suspending or revoking the company ’ s license to do business .
Late Monday , Trump went on the attack in tweets suggesting that Nevada Gov .
Steve Sisolak ( D ) had worked “ very hard to cancel all of our venues ” while accusing the governor of scheming to commit election fraud .
Upcoming Trump rallies in Wisconsin and Minnesota @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the likes of which were seen last week in Freeland , Michigan , where attendees continued to flout masks and even suggested that COVID-19 was a hoax made up to destroy the United States .
The upcoming rallies are likely to violate state guidelines limiting attendance to fewer than 50 people .
A top Trump adviser told the Times that the President was playing a game of Russian roulette by holding rallies indoors .
The adviser , said that the President ’ s lax approach could backfire politically .
But a spokesman for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supporters gathering for Trump rallies to “ people gambling in casinos ” or “ protesting shoulder to shoulder , ” suggesting that it was a fundamental freedom guaranteed by the Constitution to gather at a rally .
“ The fact remains that no one bats an eye at people gambling in casinos or tens of thousands of people protesting shoulder to shoulder .
People should be able to gather peacefully under the First Amendment to hear from the president of the United States , ” Murtaugh told the Times in an interview .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ amid the pandemic , Murtaugh said the campaign ’ s “ first preference ” for its venues were airport hangars .

President Donald Trump and his campaign are defending decisions to rally indoors, despite the concerns in private by aides who fear that such gatherings could counter efforts to defeat the coronavirus pandemic.
“I’m on a stage, and it’s very far away,” Trump told The Las Vegas Review-Journal on Monday, after thousands of his supporters — the majority of them not wearing masks — packed inside a manufacturing plant in a Las Vegas suburb on Sunday night, ignoring a state directive that limits indoor gatherings to fewer than 50 people.
The president neither expressed concern for the health of his own supporters nor regard for his own safety, saying of his own risk, “I’m not at all concerned.”
Officials told The New York Times that the Trump campaign’s decision to hold a rally indoors on Sunday night, followed efforts to secure five different outdoor locations and was made as a sort of last resort move even as state officials had pressed them not to host the rally.
Per the Times, Xtreme Manufacturing, which agreed to host the rally was flooded with threats local city officials who said in a letter made public that the city could rightfully charge fines of $500 for every person over the state’s 50-person gathering limit while suspending or revoking the company’s license to do business.
Late Monday, Trump went on the attack in tweets suggesting that Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) had worked “very hard to cancel all of our venues” while accusing the governor of scheming to commit election fraud.
Upcoming Trump rallies in Wisconsin and Minnesota are planned for outdoor airport hangars, the likes of which were seen last week in Freeland, Michigan, where attendees continued to flout masks and even suggested that COVID-19 was a hoax made up to destroy the United States. The upcoming rallies are likely to violate state guidelines limiting attendance to fewer than 50 people.
A top Trump adviser told the Times that the President was playing a game of Russian roulette by holding rallies indoors. The adviser, said that the President’s lax approach could backfire politically.
But a spokesman for the Trump campaign, Tim Murtaugh compared supporters gathering for Trump rallies to “people gambling in casinos” or “protesting shoulder to shoulder,” suggesting that it was a fundamental freedom guaranteed by the Constitution to gather at a rally.
“The fact remains that no one bats an eye at people gambling in casinos or tens of thousands of people protesting shoulder to shoulder. People should be able to gather peacefully under the First Amendment to hear from the president of the United States,” Murtaugh told the Times in an interview.
While defending the decision to gather indoors amid the pandemic, Murtaugh said the campaign’s “first preference” for its venues were airport hangars.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-15--Trump Told Woodward COVID Is ‘A Killer’ That ‘Rips You Apart’ In Newly Released Audio Clips

It turns out President Donald Trump made even more private comments acknowledging the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic to reporter Bob Woodward back in April .
On Monday night , CNN released clips of Trump ’ s phone conversation with Woodward regarding COVID-19 on April 13 in which the President asserted that “ this thing is a killer if it gets you.
” “ If you ’ re the wrong person , you don ’ t have a chance , ” Trump told the reporter .
In another clip of the conversation , the President said COVID-19 “ rips you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ the plague.
” Twitter users pointed out that Trump made the comments three days after he claimed that the virus “ will soon be in full retreat !
” and four days before he called on the right-wingers protesting stay-at-home orders to “ LIBERATE ” Minnesota , Michigan , and Virginia .
The new recordings further fuel the scandal surrounding Trump ’ s private remarks to Woodward as the journalist was working on his book , “ Rage , ” in which the President admitted in February that the virus was “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic .
In March , Trump told Woodward he “ wanted to always play it down.
” After revelations of Trump ’ s comments emerged last week , the President claimed he had purposefully downplayed the virus to the public in order to prevent “ panic .
”

It turns out President Donald Trump made even more private comments acknowledging the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic to reporter Bob Woodward back in April.
On Monday night, CNN released clips of Trump’s phone conversation with Woodward regarding COVID-19 on April 13 in which the President asserted that “this thing is a killer if it gets you.”
“If you’re the wrong person, you don’t have a chance,” Trump told the reporter.
In another clip of the conversation, the President said COVID-19 “rips you apart” and described the virus as “the plague.”
Twitter users pointed out that Trump made the comments three days after he claimed that the virus “will soon be in full retreat!” and four days before he called on the right-wingers protesting stay-at-home orders to “LIBERATE” Minnesota, Michigan, and Virginia.
The new recordings further fuel the scandal surrounding Trump’s private remarks to Woodward as the journalist was working on his book, “Rage,” in which the President admitted in February that the virus was “deadly stuff” even while publicly downplaying the pandemic. In March, Trump told Woodward he “wanted to always play it down.”
After revelations of Trump’s comments emerged last week, the President claimed he had purposefully downplayed the virus to the public in order to prevent “panic.”
Listen to CNN’s clips below: