talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-15--Newsweek Editors Finally Apologize Under Pressure For Racist Birther Op-Ed About Kamala Harris

Newsweek editor-in-chief Nancy Cooper and opinion editor Josh Hammer have apologized after first publishing — and later defending — an op-ed that advanced a racist conspiracy theory that has been weaponized by the Trump campaign as a tactic to sow doubt about the eligibility of Sen. Kamala Harris ( D-CA ) to be vice president .
“ We entirely failed to anticipate the ways in which the essay would be interpreted , distorted and weaponized , ” the editors wrote in a note attached to the racist op-ed by conservative lawyer John Eastman .
Harris , the first Black woman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a major party ’ s presidential ticket , is a U.S.-born citizen — but President Donald Trump on Thursday when asked if he accepted her eligibility appeared to defer to Eastman ’ s article , even falsely suggesting that Harris “ may not meet the requirements.
” Harris was born in Oakland , California , but Trump advanced the falsehood on Thursday that the Democratic lawmaker may not have been born in the United States .
He called the claims peddled by Eastman ’ s theory which falsely suggests that the US Constitution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very serious.
” Giving credence to the claims to boost his own bid for re-election , Trump said that he held Eastman , the op-ed ’ s author , in high esteem , calling him a “ very highly qualified and very talented lawyer.
” After a first wave of backlash on Twitter , comparing the claims made by Eastman to another racist conspiracy theory that falsely argued former President Barack Obama was born in Kenya and not Hawaii , the Newsweek editors first defended the op-ed ’ s publication in an editor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ no connection whatsoever ” to the false claims made about Obama .
“ No one is questioning Harris ’ place of birth or the legitimacy of an obviously valid birth certificate , ” the editors wrote at the time .
Hammer joined Newsweek ’ s opinion team in May , after working as editor-at-large at Ben Shapiro ’ s conservative outfit , The Daily Wire .
He was also a fellow at the Claremont Institute — the conservative organization where Eastman is a senior fellow and founding director of its Center for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Claremont contributors have defended some of Trump ’ s most overtly racist comments .
The chair of its board of directors , Thomas Klingenstein even called Trump in 2018 “ our most important truth teller.
” Hammer and Cooper finally apologized late Friday following pressure on social media and from staffers who wanted the op-ed retracted , according to the Daily Beast .
Without retracting the piece , the editors offered an apology in a note attached to the racist birther column , which is still live acknowledging regret that the op-ed was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tool to perpetuate racism and xenophobia .
”

Newsweek editor-in-chief Nancy Cooper and opinion editor Josh Hammer have apologized after first publishing — and later defending — an op-ed that advanced a racist conspiracy theory that has been weaponized by the Trump campaign as a tactic to sow doubt about the eligibility of Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) to be vice president.
“We entirely failed to anticipate the ways in which the essay would be interpreted, distorted and weaponized,” the editors wrote in a note attached to the racist op-ed by conservative lawyer John Eastman.
Harris, the first Black woman and first Asian American to appear on a major party’s presidential ticket, is a U.S.-born citizen — but President Donald Trump on Thursday when asked if he accepted her eligibility appeared to defer to Eastman’s article, even falsely suggesting that Harris “may not meet the requirements.”
Harris was born in Oakland, California, but Trump advanced the falsehood on Thursday that the Democratic lawmaker may not have been born in the United States. He called the claims peddled by Eastman’s theory which falsely suggests that the US Constitution doesn’t grant birthright citizenship “very serious.”
Giving credence to the claims to boost his own bid for re-election, Trump said that he held Eastman, the op-ed’s author, in high esteem, calling him a “very highly qualified and very talented lawyer.”
After a first wave of backlash on Twitter, comparing the claims made by Eastman to another racist conspiracy theory that falsely argued former President Barack Obama was born in Kenya and not Hawaii, the Newsweek editors first defended the op-ed’s publication in an editor’s note claiming the piece had “no connection whatsoever” to the false claims made about Obama.
“No one is questioning Harris’ place of birth or the legitimacy of an obviously valid birth certificate,” the editors wrote at the time.
Hammer joined Newsweek’s opinion team in May, after working as editor-at-large at Ben Shapiro’s conservative outfit, The Daily Wire. He was also a fellow at the Claremont Institute — the conservative organization where Eastman is a senior fellow and founding director of its Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence. Salon points out that Claremont contributors have defended some of Trump’s most overtly racist comments. The chair of its board of directors, Thomas Klingenstein even called Trump in 2018 “our most important truth teller.”
Hammer and Cooper finally apologized late Friday following pressure on social media and from staffers who wanted the op-ed retracted, according to the Daily Beast. Without retracting the piece, the editors offered an apology in a note attached to the racist birther column, which is still live, acknowledging regret that the op-ed was “being used by some as a tool to perpetuate racism and xenophobia.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-15--‘He Shouldn’t Even Be There To Begin With,’ Manchin Says Of Trump’s Postmaster General

Sen. Joe Manchin ( D-WV ) accused President Donald Trump on Friday of using the US Postal Service as “ a scapegoat if the election doesn ’ t go his way , ” following suggestions by the President last week that he would block additional funding to the mail service to hamper mail voting , which he sees as unfavorable to his re-election prospects .
Asked on “ Meet the Press ” Friday if he had confidence in the recently-installed Trump ally , Louis DeJoy as postmaster general , Manchin was concise .
“ Not at all , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even be there to begin with , ” the West Virginia lawmaker told MSNBC ’ s Chuck Todd on Friday , adding , “ any way you can get rid of him please do so.
” Since June , DeJoy — a former Republican mega-donor — has already made cost-cutting policy changes that some have said are causing delays to election mail and the critical delivery of medicine to rural areas .
“ He ’ s going to destroy it before he figures out how to run it , ” Manchin said of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his state on Friday .
The Democratic lawmaker said that his state has been particularly hard hit as many residents in the largely rural state rely on the postal service for the delivery of essentials .
According to a CNN report , West Virginia is one of the states that due to policy changes is seeing hours slashed during some of the mail service ’ s busiest times .
Union officials in West Virginia , Florida and Missouri told CNN that workers are being directed to close post offices for an hour at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ D-CA ) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ( D-NY ) who have proposed additional funding to the postal service have called President ’ s attempts to block that money an “ abuse of power ” at a time when its services are most needed .
Responding to those comments on Friday , Manchin called President Trump ’ s handicapping of the USPS a “ callous ” act against the people who depend on its services and chastised Trump for drawing postal workers into a “ political fight ” for his own gain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was blocking funding to the USPS to thwart the expansion of mail voting , Trump later claimed that his actions had nothing to do with the campaign .
“ I ’ m not doing this for any reason , ” Trump said of his push to deny funds to the postal service during a press conference Thursday , adding “ maybe the other turns out to be my advantage .
”

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) accused President Donald Trump on Friday of using the US Postal Service as “a scapegoat if the election doesn’t go his way,” following suggestions by the President earlier this week that he would block additional funding to the mail service to hamper mail voting, which he sees as unfavorable to his re-election prospects.
Asked on “Meet the Press” Friday if he had confidence in the recently-installed Trump ally, Louis DeJoy as postmaster general, Manchin was concise.
“Not at all,” he said.
“He shouldn’t even be there to begin with,” the West Virginia lawmaker told MSNBC’s Chuck Todd on Friday, adding, “any way you can get rid of him please do so.”
WATCH: What I saw yesterday at #WV post offices & mail distribution centers was concerning. I'm already hearing from West Virginians that their critical medications are delayed in the mail. The USPS is a lifeline for rural America. I urge my Republican colleagues to #SaveTheUSPS. pic.twitter.com/Zlbzos07WG — Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) August 15, 2020
Since June, DeJoy — a former Republican mega-donor — has already made cost-cutting policy changes that some have said are causing delays to election mail and the critical delivery of medicine to rural areas.
“He’s going to destroy it before he figures out how to run it,” Manchin said of DeJoy after visiting four USPS locations in his state on Friday.
The Democratic lawmaker said that his state has been particularly hard hit as many residents in the largely rural state rely on the postal service for the delivery of essentials.
According to a CNN report, West Virginia is one of the states that due to policy changes is seeing hours slashed during some of the mail service’s busiest times.
Union officials in West Virginia, Florida and Missouri told CNN that workers are being directed to close post offices for an hour at lunchtime.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) who have proposed additional funding to the postal service have called President’s attempts to block that money an “abuse of power” at a time when its services are most needed.
Responding to those comments on Friday, Manchin called President Trump’s handicapping of the USPS a “callous” act against the people who depend on its services and chastised Trump for drawing postal workers into a “political fight” for his own gain.
After drawing ire for comments that he was blocking funding to the USPS to thwart the expansion of mail voting, Trump later claimed that his actions had nothing to do with the campaign.
“I’m not doing this for any reason,” Trump said of his push to deny funds to the postal service during a press conference Thursday, adding “maybe the other turns out to be my advantage.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-15--USPS Will Temporarily Stop Removing Letter Collection Boxes From Streets In Some States

The US Postal Service has said it will stop removing letter collection boxes in some Western states following complaints that the disappearance of boxes in some areas could hamper voters from mailing their completed ballots .
A spokesperson for the USPS ’ Western region Rod Spurgeon told CNN in a statement late Friday that the mail service would stop removing letter collection boxes until after the election in 16 states and parts of two others .
The USPS had continued to make headlines earlier Friday following reports that in the last week the mail service had started removing letter collection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including New York , Oregon , Montana and Indiana .
It remains unclear if the USPS will stall mailbox removal nationwide .
Kim Frum , a spokesperson based at USPS headquarters , told CNN that the removal and installation of almost 142,000 letter collection boxes nationwide “ has been based on mail volume received in those boxes.
” Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden brought attention to the disappearing mailboxes during an online fundraiser Friday calling it “ bizarre.
” “ They ’ re going around literally with tractor trailers picking up mailboxes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attack on the mail service appears to be part of a campaign tactic to suppress mailed ballots particularly in Democratic-run states to increase his chances of a win amid unfavorable poll numbers .
After Trump installed his own ally , Louis DeJoy as postmaster general in June , DeJoy has pushed policy changes that many lawmakers say could have a negative effect on the mail service ’ s timely delivery of election mail .
Union officials told CNN that the USPS began informing postal workers in West Virginia , Florida and Missouri that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the November election draws near and many Americans prepare to mail their ballots rather than casting them in person amid the coronavirus pandemic .
The USPS ’ internal investigator announced Friday that it would initiate a probe into the former Republican mega-donor ’ s controversial policy changes .
President of the American Postal Workers Union Mark Dimondstein on Thursday criticized the Trump administration during an MSNBC interview for holding the postal service “ hostage ” when it is needed most and for attempting to suppress mailed votes .
“ It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very dedicated to the people of the country , to provide prompt , reliable , and efficient services , ” Dimonstein said .
“ We call it our DNA .
Never delay mail , ” Dimondstein added .
It is becoming increasingly clear , however , that DeJoy ’ s recent changes to the service and any withholding of funding , will likely impact the ability of postal workers to accomplish that task .

The US Postal Service has said it will stop removing letter collection boxes in some Western states following complaints that the disappearance of boxes in some areas could hamper voters from mailing their completed ballots.
A spokesperson for the USPS’ Western region Rod Spurgeon told CNN in a statement late Friday that the mail service would stop removing letter collection boxes until after the election in 16 states and parts of two others.
The USPS had continued to make headlines earlier Friday following reports that in the last week the mail service had started removing letter collection boxes in at least four states, including New York, Oregon, Montana and Indiana.
It remains unclear if the USPS will stall mailbox removal nationwide.
Kim Frum, a spokesperson based at USPS headquarters, told CNN that the removal and installation of almost 142,000 letter collection boxes nationwide “has been based on mail volume received in those boxes.”
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden brought attention to the disappearing mailboxes during an online fundraiser Friday calling it “bizarre.”
“They’re going around literally with tractor trailers picking up mailboxes,” Biden said.
Trump’s attack on the mail service appears to be part of a campaign tactic to suppress mailed ballots particularly in Democratic-run states to increase his chances of a win amid unfavorable poll numbers.
After Trump installed his own ally, Louis DeJoy as postmaster general in June, DeJoy has pushed policy changes that many lawmakers say could have a negative effect on the mail service’s timely delivery of election mail.
Union officials told CNN that the USPS began informing postal workers in West Virginia, Florida and Missouri that retail operating hours will be slashed even as the November election draws near and many Americans prepare to mail their ballots rather than casting them in person amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The USPS’ internal investigator announced Friday that it would initiate a probe into the former Republican mega-donor’s controversial policy changes.
President of the American Postal Workers Union Mark Dimondstein on Thursday criticized the Trump administration during an MSNBC interview for holding the postal service “hostage” when it is needed most and for attempting to suppress mailed votes.
“It’s very disturbing to postal workers who are very dedicated to the people of the country, to provide prompt, reliable, and efficient services,” Dimonstein said.
“We call it our DNA. Never delay mail,” Dimondstein added. It is becoming increasingly clear, however, that DeJoy’s recent changes to the service and any withholding of funding, will likely impact the ability of postal workers to accomplish that task.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-15--Romney Pushes Back On Trump Effort To Suppress Mail Voting: ‘We Want People To Vote’

Sen. Mitt Romney ( R-UT ) said Friday that he sees mail voting as “ more secure ” than in-person electronic voting , challenging President Donald Trump ’ s months-long attack on mail voting as fraudulent to boost his chances of re-election .
“ I don ’ t know of any evidence that voting by mail would increase voter fraud , ” Romney told the the conservative Utah-based Sutherland Institute during a videoconference Friday , adding when asked about the potential for fraud that his biggest concern was hacking of electronic voting machines and tabulation systems — not mailed ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by mail , the good news is that if there were some allegation of impropriety , you would be able to get the physical ballots , ” Romney said .
Some states have used Direct Recording Electronic ( DRE ) Systems for in-person voting that employ computers to record votes directly – sometimes without a paper trail .
The Republican lawmaker , who has often been a critic of President Trump said that he supported “ providing additional funds to states that don ’ t have as effective voting systems as we do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The comments come as Trump has indicated in news conferences and interviews that he is trying to cripple the expansion of mail voting by blocking much-needed additional funding to the US Postal Service .
Romney urged that effort be made to assure that voters are able to cast their ballot in November , calling it “ essential ” for the United States — a leader of Democratic nations — to show that elections can be held in a free and fair manner .
“ We want people to vote , ” Romney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the USPS to bolster his own dwindling chances amid unfavorable poll numbers , intensified early Saturday when he suggested in a tactical tweet early Saturday that “ The Democrats know the 2020 Election will be a fraudulent mess .
Will maybe never know who won !
” Late last month general counsel for the Postal Service Thomas Marshall warned in letters to election officials in Pennsylvania and other electoral battleground states like Michigan and Florida that “ certain deadlines for requesting and casting mail-in ballots are incongruous with the Postal Service ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ urged states to push up deadlines for requesting ballots to at least 15 days before an election , a move that would leave voters much less time than the four days required under some state laws to request a ballot .
The USPS ’ internal investigator also announced Friday that it would initiate a probe into controversial policy changes affecting mail delivery by Trump ally , postmaster general Louis DeJoy , a former Republican mega-donor .
“ We should make every effort to assure that people who want to vote get the chance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more important than the outcome of the vote , ” Romney said .
“ We have got to preserve the principle of democracy or the trend we ’ re on is going to continue to get worse .
”

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) said Friday that he sees mail voting as “more secure” than in-person electronic voting, challenging President Donald Trump’s months-long attack on mail voting as fraudulent to boost his chances of re-election.
“I don’t know of any evidence that voting by mail would increase voter fraud,” Romney told the conservative Utah-based Sutherland Institute during a videoconference Friday, adding when asked about the potential for fraud that his biggest concern was hacking of electronic voting machines and tabulation systems — not mailed ballots.
“In the case of voting by mail, the good news is that if there were some allegation of impropriety, you would be able to get the physical ballots,” Romney said.
Some states have used Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) Systems for in-person voting that employ computers to record votes directly – sometimes without a paper trail.
The Republican lawmaker, who has often been a critic of President Trump said that he supported “providing additional funds to states that don’t have as effective voting systems as we do here in Utah, voting by mail.”
The comments come as Trump has indicated in news conferences and interviews that he is trying to cripple the expansion of mail voting by blocking much-needed additional funding to the US Postal Service.
Romney urged that effort be made to ensure that voters are able to cast ballots in November, calling it “essential” for the United States — a leader of Democratic nations — to show that elections can be held in a free and fair manner.
“We want people to vote,” Romney said.
Trump’s attack on the USPS to bolster his own dwindling chances amid unfavorable poll numbers, intensified early Saturday when he suggested in a tactical tweet early Saturday that “The Democrats know the 2020 Election will be a fraudulent mess. Will maybe never know who won!”
Late last month general counsel for the Postal Service Thomas Marshall warned in letters to election officials in Pennsylvania and other electoral battleground states like Michigan and Florida that “certain deadlines for requesting and casting mail-in ballots are incongruous with the Postal Service’s delivery standards.”
Marshall’s letter urged states to push up deadlines for requesting ballots to at least 15 days before an election, a move that would leave voters much less time than the four days required under some state laws to request a ballot.
The USPS’ internal investigator also announced Friday that it would initiate a probe into controversial policy changes affecting mail delivery by Trump ally, postmaster general Louis DeJoy, a former Republican mega-donor.
“We should make every effort to assure that people who want to vote get the chance to vote and that’s even more important than the outcome of the vote,” Romney said. “We have got to preserve the principle of democracy or the trend we’re on is going to continue to get worse.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-16--Trump’s Younger Brother Dies At 71 After Hospitalization In New York

NEW YORK ( AP ) — President Donald Trump ’ s younger brother , Robert Trump , a businessman known for an even keel that seemed almost incompatible with the family name , died Saturday night after being hospitalized in New York , the president said in a statement .
He was 71 .
The president visited his brother at a New York City hospital on Friday after White House officials said he had become seriously ill. Officials did not immediately release a cause of death .
“ It is with heavy heart I share that my wonderful brother , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Donald Trump said in a statement .
“ He was not just my brother , he was my best friend .
He will be greatly missed , but we will meet again .
His memory will live on in my heart forever .
Robert , I love you .
Rest in peace.
” The youngest of the Trump siblings had remained close to the 74-year-old president and , as recently as June , filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Trump family that unsuccessfully sought to stop publication of a tell-all book @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mary .
Robert Trump had reportedly been hospitalized in the intensive care unit for several days that same month .
Both longtime businessmen , Robert and Donald had strikingly different personalities .
Donald Trump once described his younger brother as “ much quieter and easygoing than I am , ” and “ the only guy in my life whom I ever call ‘ honey.
’ ” Robert Trump began his career on Wall Street working in corporate finance but later joined the family business , managing real estate holdings as a top executive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he worked in the Trump Organization , he was known as the nice Trump , ” Gwenda Blair , a Trump family biographer , told The Associated Press .
“ Robert was the one people would try to get to intervene if there was a problem.
” Robert Stewart Trump was born in 1948 , the youngest of New York City real estate developer Fred Trump ’ s five children .
The president , more than two years older than Robert , admittedly bullied his brother in their younger years , even as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I think it must be hard to have me for a brother but he ’ s never said anything about it and we ’ re very close , ” Donald Trump wrote in his 1987 bestseller “ The Art of the Deal.
” “ Robert gets along with almost everyone , ” he added , “ which is great for me since I sometimes have to be the bad guy.
” In the 1980s , Donald Trump tapped Robert Trump to oversee an Atlantic City casino project , calling him the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it cannibalized his other casinos , though , “ he pointed the finger of blame at Robert , ” said Blair , author of “ The Trumps : Three Generations that Built an Empire.
” “ When the slot machines jammed the opening weekend at the Taj Mahal , he very specifically and furiously denounced Robert , and Robert walked out and never worked for his brother again , ” Blair said .
A Boston University graduate , Robert Trump later managed the Brooklyn portion of father Fred Trump ’ s real estate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Once a regular boldface name in Manhattan ’ s social pages , Robert Trump had kept a lower profile in recent years .
“ He was not a newsmaker , ” Blair said .
Before divorcing his first wife , Blaine Trump , more than a decade ago , Robert Trump had been active on Manhattan ’ s Upper East Side charity circuit .
He avoided the limelight during his elder brother ’ s presidency , having retired to the Hudson Valley .
But he described himself as a big supporter of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the New York Post .
In early March of 2020 , he married his longtime girlfriend , Ann Marie Pallan .
The eldest Trump sibling and Mary ’ s father , Fred Trump Jr. , struggled with alcoholism and died in 1981 at the age of 43 .
The president ’ s surviving siblings include Elizabeth Trump Grau and Maryanne Trump Barry , a retired federal appeals judge .
Authors Michael Kranish and Marc Fisher described Robert Trump as soft spoken but cerebral in “ Trump Revealed : The Definitive Biography of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lacked Donald ’ s charismatic showmanship , and he was happy to leave the bravado to his brother , but he could show flashes of Trump temper.
” AP researcher Jennifer Farrar contributed to this report from New York .

NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump’s younger brother, Robert Trump, a businessman known for an even keel that seemed almost incompatible with the family name, died Saturday night after being hospitalized in New York, the president said in a statement. He was 71.
The president visited his brother at a New York City hospital on Friday after White House officials said he had become seriously ill. Officials did not immediately release a cause of death.
“It is with heavy heart I share that my wonderful brother, Robert, peacefully passed away tonight,” Donald Trump said in a statement. “He was not just my brother, he was my best friend. He will be greatly missed, but we will meet again. His memory will live on in my heart forever. Robert, I love you. Rest in peace.”
The youngest of the Trump siblings had remained close to the 74-year-old president and, as recently as June, filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Trump family that unsuccessfully sought to stop publication of a tell-all book by the president’s niece, Mary.
Robert Trump had reportedly been hospitalized in the intensive care unit for several days that same month.
Both longtime businessmen, Robert and Donald had strikingly different personalities. Donald Trump once described his younger brother as “much quieter and easygoing than I am,” and “the only guy in my life whom I ever call ‘honey.’”
Robert Trump began his career on Wall Street working in corporate finance but later joined the family business, managing real estate holdings as a top executive in the Trump Organization.
“When he worked in the Trump Organization, he was known as the nice Trump,” Gwenda Blair, a Trump family biographer, told The Associated Press. “Robert was the one people would try to get to intervene if there was a problem.”
Robert Stewart Trump was born in 1948, the youngest of New York City real estate developer Fred Trump’s five children.
The president, more than two years older than Robert, admittedly bullied his brother in their younger years, even as he praised his loyalty and laid-back demeanor.
“I think it must be hard to have me for a brother but he’s never said anything about it and we’re very close,” Donald Trump wrote in his 1987 bestseller “The Art of the Deal.”
“Robert gets along with almost everyone,” he added, “which is great for me since I sometimes have to be the bad guy.”
In the 1980s, Donald Trump tapped Robert Trump to oversee an Atlantic City casino project, calling him the perfect fit for the job. When it cannibalized his other casinos, though, “he pointed the finger of blame at Robert,” said Blair, author of “The Trumps: Three Generations that Built an Empire.”
“When the slot machines jammed the opening weekend at the Taj Mahal, he very specifically and furiously denounced Robert, and Robert walked out and never worked for his brother again,” Blair said.
A Boston University graduate, Robert Trump later managed the Brooklyn portion of father Fred Trump’s real estate empire, which was eventually sold.
Once a regular boldface name in Manhattan’s social pages, Robert Trump had kept a lower profile in recent years. “He was not a newsmaker,” Blair said.
Before divorcing his first wife, Blaine Trump, more than a decade ago, Robert Trump had been active on Manhattan’s Upper East Side charity circuit.
He avoided the limelight during his elder brother’s presidency, having retired to the Hudson Valley. But he described himself as a big supporter of the White House run in a 2016 interview with the New York Post.
“I support Donald one thousand percent,” Robert Trump said.
In early March of 2020, he married his longtime girlfriend, Ann Marie Pallan.
The eldest Trump sibling and Mary’s father, Fred Trump Jr., struggled with alcoholism and died in 1981 at the age of 43. The president’s surviving siblings include Elizabeth Trump Grau and Maryanne Trump Barry, a retired federal appeals judge.
Authors Michael Kranish and Marc Fisher described Robert Trump as soft spoken but cerebral in “Trump Revealed: The Definitive Biography of the 45th President”: “He lacked Donald’s charismatic showmanship, and he was happy to leave the bravado to his brother, but he could show flashes of Trump temper.”
___
AP researcher Jennifer Farrar contributed to this report from New York.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-16--Dems Signal Willingness To Cut Recess Short To Fight Trump’s Crusade Against Mail-In Voting

Several prominent Democrats on Sunday made clear that they ’ re not taking President Trump ’ s explicit efforts to cripple the U.S .
Postal Service lightly .
Over the weekend , the U.S .
Postal Service warned 46 states that it can not guarantee all mail-in ballots for the November election will arrive in time to be counted , regardless of whether the ballots are mailed by state deadlines .
The USPS ’ warning came as President Trump continues repeating his baseless claim that mail-in voting leads to voter fraud and openly admits to opposing Democrats ’ efforts to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to fund USPS because it would assist mail-in voting .
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has also come under fire recently for implementing cost-cutting policy changes that critics say are causing delays to election mail .
From the House Oversight Committee ’ s letter on Sunday demanding that DeJoy testify at an “ urgent ” congressional hearing following “ startling ” cost-cutting policy changes to the USPS , to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ( D-NY ) urging a key Senate panel to hold a public hearing with USPS leadership , congressional leaders signaled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its August recess short to address the ongoing crisis unfurling over the USPS just months away from the November election .
Here ’ s how Democrats hit back at Trump ’ s efforts to sabotage the USPS on Sunday : In a letter written to DeJoy on Sunday , Maloney wrote that there have been “ startling new revelations ” regarding DeJoy ’ s postal service overhaul and that she ’ s pushing up his testimony to Aug. 24 in light of reports on delays at postal facilities nationwide .
“ Over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ startling new revelations about the scope and gravity of operational changes you are implementing at hundreds of postal facilities without consulting adequately with Congress , the Postal Regulatory Commission , or the Board of Governors , ” Maloney wrote .
Maloney wrote that DeJoy ’ s testimony is “ particularly urgent ” due to “ troubling ” reports of delays at postal facilities nationwide , in addition to the President explicitly admitting that he ’ s holding up emergency funds for the USPS — a move that will prove detrimental to mail-in voting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pelosi ( D-CA ) , who is reportedly considering bringing the House back in session to address the USPS crisis , and Schumer issued a scathing statement as well on Sunday as they demanded testimony from both DeJoy and Robert Duncan , the chairman of the U.S .
Postal Service Board of Governors .
Schumer leaned in further into his call for Congress to deal with the USPS crisis immediately during a press conference on Sunday .
Schumer called on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson ( R-WI ) to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Schumer added that DeJoy should be removed from his position if he won ’ t testify .
Schumer added that if the House passes legislation addressing the USPS crisis , then Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) should bring the Senate back into session before its currently scheduled return on Sept. 8 .
“ In addition to hearings , I will push for new legislation that will undo the changes that have slowed down the mail and ensure all mail-in ballots for the upcoming election are treated as First Class @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Accordingly , if the House acts on legislation , Leader McConnell must bring the Senate back into session so we can quickly pass their legislation to reverse these harmful changes.
” Schumer also echoed his remarks in a tweet on Sunday .
When asked during an interview on CNN about whether New Jersey will be ready to vote by mail this fall following Gov .
Phil Murphy ’ s ( D-NJ ) announcement that ballots will be mailed to all 6.3 million voters in the state , Booker replied that “ voter fraud @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s done absentee ballots or in mail-in ballots , the reason why it ’ s so easy to find out is because you literally have a paper trail , ” Booker said .
Booked said that what concerns him most is “ not these spurious claims that somehow there ’ s going to be mass voter fraud , ” but the “ all-out attack ” that the President is waging to “ undermine the United States Postal Service , to underfund it , to allow a mega-donor leading it to overtly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The former Democratic presidential candidate urged that Congress return to session to deal with the USPS crisis , which he argued is a “ crisis for American democracy ” overall and needs to be acted on now .
When asked by MSNBC ’ s Chuck Todd about whether both the House and the Senate should cut their August recess short to deal directly with the USPS crisis , Sanders responded “ absolutely ” because it ’ s “ not a debate about the Postal Service alone.
” “ That ’ s important @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is about the future of American democracy and whether people have a right to participate.
” After pointing out how his state of Vermont just held primaries that “ worked just fine ” with most voters casting ballots by mail , Sanders urged Pelosi to bring back the House and that senators “ will do everything that we can to get McConnell to bring back the Senate.
” “ This is a crisis for American democracy , ” Sanders said .
“ We have got to act and act now .
”

Several prominent Democrats on Sunday made clear that they’re not taking President Trump’s explicit efforts to cripple the U.S. Postal Service lightly.
Over the weekend, the U.S. Postal Service warned 46 states that it cannot guarantee all mail-in ballots for the November election will arrive in time to be counted, regardless of whether the ballots are mailed by state deadlines. The USPS’ warning came as President Trump continues repeating his baseless claim that mail-in voting leads to voter fraud and openly admits to opposing Democrats’ efforts to allocate $25 billion in coronavirus relief to fund USPS because it would assist mail-in voting.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has also come under fire recently for implementing cost-cutting policy changes that critics say are causing delays to election mail.
From the House Oversight Committee’s letter on Sunday demanding that DeJoy testify at an “urgent” congressional hearing following “startling” cost-cutting policy changes to the USPS, to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) urging a key Senate panel to hold a public hearing with USPS leadership, congressional leaders signaled that they’re ready to cut its August recess short to address the ongoing crisis unfurling over the USPS just months away from the November election.
Here’s how Democrats hit back at Trump’s efforts to sabotage the USPS on Sunday:
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), House Oversight Committee chair
In a letter written to DeJoy on Sunday, Maloney wrote that there have been “startling new revelations” regarding DeJoy’s postal service overhaul and that she’s pushing up his testimony to Aug. 24 in light of reports on delays at postal facilities nationwide.
“Over the past several weeks, there have been startling new revelations about the scope and gravity of operational changes you are implementing at hundreds of postal facilities without consulting adequately with Congress, the Postal Regulatory Commission, or the Board of Governors,” Maloney wrote.
Maloney wrote that DeJoy’s testimony is “particularly urgent” due to “troubling” reports of delays at postal facilities nationwide, in addition to the President explicitly admitting that he’s holding up emergency funds for the USPS — a move that will prove detrimental to mail-in voting in the November election.
House Speaker Pelosi (D-CA), who is reportedly considering bringing the House back in session to address the USPS crisis, and Schumer issued a scathing statement as well on Sunday as they demanded testimony from both DeJoy and Robert Duncan, the chairman of the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
Schumer leaned in further into his call for Congress to deal with the USPS crisis immediately during a press conference on Sunday.
Schumer called on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-WI) to schedule a hearing with DeJoy and Duncan. Schumer added that DeJoy should be removed from his position if he won’t testify.
Schumer added that if the House passes legislation addressing the USPS crisis, then Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) should bring the Senate back into session before its currently scheduled return on Sept. 8.
“In addition to hearings, I will push for new legislation that will undo the changes that have slowed down the mail and ensure all mail-in ballots for the upcoming election are treated as First Class priority,” Schumer said. “Accordingly, if the House acts on legislation, Leader McConnell must bring the Senate back into session so we can quickly pass their legislation to reverse these harmful changes.”
Sen. Schumer: "Speaker Pelosi and I are looking at having a standalone bill — the House, she can call it back into session… I hope she will. And then I will ask Leader McConnell to call the Senate back in session." pic.twitter.com/ckAMGNAMQH — The Hill (@thehill) August 16, 2020
Schumer also echoed his remarks in a tweet on Sunday.
If Postmaster General DeJoy doesn’t testify before Congress next week as Speaker Pelosi and I have requested, he should be stamped, returned to sender, and removed from his position. — Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) August 16, 2020
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ)
When asked during an interview on CNN about whether New Jersey will be ready to vote by mail this fall following Gov. Phil Murphy’s (D-NJ) announcement that ballots will be mailed to all 6.3 million voters in the state, Booker replied that “voter fraud is incredibly rare.”
“And when it’s done absentee ballots or in mail-in ballots, the reason why it’s so easy to find out is because you literally have a paper trail,” Booker said.
Booked said that what concerns him most is “not these spurious claims that somehow there’s going to be mass voter fraud,” but the “all-out attack” that the President is waging to “undermine the United States Postal Service, to underfund it, to allow a mega-donor leading it to overtly do things to slow down the mail.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
The former Democratic presidential candidate urged that Congress return to session to deal with the USPS crisis, which he argued is a “crisis for American democracy” overall and needs to be acted on now.
When asked by MSNBC’s Chuck Todd about whether both the House and the Senate should cut their August recess short to deal directly with the USPS crisis, Sanders responded “absolutely” because it’s “not a debate about the Postal Service alone.”
“That’s important,” Sanders said. “This is about the future of American democracy and whether people have a right to participate.”
After pointing out how his state of Vermont just held primaries that “worked just fine” with most voters casting ballots by mail, Sanders urged Pelosi to bring back the House and that senators “will do everything that we can to get McConnell to bring back the Senate.”
“This is a crisis for American democracy,” Sanders said. “We have got to act and act now.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-16--Trumpworld Shoots Down Harris Birther Lie POTUS Floated, Blames Media For It Instead

The White House and the Trump campaign on Sunday held back from bolstering a birther conspiracy that Sen. Kamala Harris ( D-CA ) is ineligible to run for office — which President Trump first stoked during a press conference on Thursday — but blamed the media for reporting on the baseless assertion instead .
On Thursday , Trump said that he had heard that Harris , who was born in California and is set to become the first Black and South Asian woman to appear on a major presidential ticket , “ doesn ’ t meet the requirements ” to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t born an American citizen .
The President ’ s surfacing of the conspiracy theory appeared to reference an op-ed by John Eastman , a law professor at Chapman University , published in Newsweek .
On Friday , Newsweek issued an editor ’ s note apologizing for Eastman ’ s op-ed advancing the racist conspiracy theory that has been weaponized as a tactic by the Trump campaign .
Although Trump initially said that he ’ d “ look into ” Harris ’ eligibility to run for office , he told reporters on Saturday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ VP eligibility is “ not something we will be pursuing , ” but stopped short of debunking the baseless claim .
The President ’ s latest remarks on the conspiracy came a day after his son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner denied to CBS News that the President ’ s remarks were “ promoting it , ” but that “ at the end of the day , it ’ s something that ’ s out there.
” In an interview released on Sunday in TheGrio , Harris said that she expects the President and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lies ” and “ deception ” after his remarks stoking the conspiracy theory .
“ They ’ re going to engage in an attempt to distract from the real issues that are impacting the American people .
And I expect that they will engage in dirty tactics , ” Harris told TheGrio .
“ And this is going to be a knockdown , drag-out .
And we ’ re ready.
” On Sunday , White House chief of staff and Trump campaign officials wouldn ’ t promote the conspiracy aimed at discrediting Harris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on it instead .
Here ’ s what Trumpworld had to say : Meadows told CNN ’ s Jake Tapper that “ this is not something that we ’ re going to pursue , ” backing Trump ’ s remarks to reporters the day before .
The White House chief of staff then took aim at the media for its reporting on the birther conspiracy theory targeting Harris .
“ Actually , Jake , you and a number of the media , y ’ all have spent more time on it than anybody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this , ” Meadows said .
“ I ’ m more concerned with Kamala Harris ’ liberal ideas coming from San Francisco to the rest of America than where she was born or anything else.
” When asked whether Harris is eligible to be vice president , Meadows repeatedly said “ yes.
” When asked about the President stopping short of shooting down the birther conspiracy theory against Harris the day before , Miller defended Trump by saying that he ’ s “ made very clear , it ’ s not something that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that “ it ’ s something that media keeps bringing up ” during an interview on ABC News .
“ It is not something that anyone in our campaign is talking about , ” Miller said .
“ The President said that he doesn ’ t — it ’ s not something that we ’ re pursuing , not something that we ’ re interested in.
” Miller declared that “ in our opinion , it is case closed , end of story ” and once again blamed the media , before going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adviser Jenna Ellis ’ retweet of a link to the Newsweek op-ed floating the conspiracy theory on Harris speaks for the campaign .
“ ( Ellis ) wasn ’ t speaking for the campaign , I am , ” Miller said .
During an interview with Chris Wallace on “ Fox News Sunday , ” Cortes flat-out denied that Trump nor his re-election campaign brought up the birther conspiracy theory against Harris , before predictably blaming the media .
“ He never brought this up , the campaign never brought it up , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the media have asked him about it , are trying to create a controversy that simply doesn ’ t exist.
” Cortes added that he doesn ’ t know why “ it ’ s incumbent upon ( Trump ) to opine on legal scholarship of the Constitution ” and argued that the President is saying “ we have not made an issue of this , we will not make an issue of this .
”

The White House and the Trump campaign on Sunday held back from bolstering a birther conspiracy that Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) is ineligible to run for office — which President Trump first stoked during a press conference on Thursday — but blamed the media for reporting on the baseless assertion instead.
On Thursday, Trump said that he had heard that Harris, who was born in California and is set to become the first Black and South Asian woman to appear on a major presidential ticket, “doesn’t meet the requirements” to be vice president because she wasn’t born an American citizen. The President’s surfacing of the conspiracy theory appeared to reference an op-ed by John Eastman, a law professor at Chapman University, published in Newsweek. On Friday, Newsweek issued an editor’s note apologizing for Eastman’s op-ed advancing the racist conspiracy theory that has been weaponized as a tactic by the Trump campaign.
Although Trump initially said that he’d “look into” Harris’ eligibility to run for office, he told reporters on Saturday that the conspiracy theory attacking Harris’ VP eligibility is “not something we will be pursuing,” but stopped short of debunking the baseless claim. The President’s latest remarks on the conspiracy came a day after his son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner denied to CBS News that the President’s remarks were “promoting it,” but that “at the end of the day, it’s something that’s out there.”
In an interview released on Sunday in TheGrio, Harris said that she expects the President and his re-election campaign to “engage in lies” and “deception” after his remarks stoking the conspiracy theory.
“They’re going to engage in an attempt to distract from the real issues that are impacting the American people. And I expect that they will engage in dirty tactics,” Harris told TheGrio. “And this is going to be a knockdown, drag-out. And we’re ready.”
On Sunday, White House chief of staff and Trump campaign officials wouldn’t promote the conspiracy aimed at discrediting Harris, but blamed the media for reporting on it instead.
Here’s what Trumpworld had to say:
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows
Meadows told CNN’s Jake Tapper that “this is not something that we’re going to pursue,” backing Trump’s remarks to reporters the day before.
The White House chief of staff then took aim at the media for its reporting on the birther conspiracy theory targeting Harris.
“Actually, Jake, you and a number of the media, y’all have spent more time on it than anybody in the White House has talking about this,” Meadows said. “I’m more concerned with Kamala Harris’ liberal ideas coming from San Francisco to the rest of America than where she was born or anything else.”
When asked whether Harris is eligible to be vice president, Meadows repeatedly said “yes.”
Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller
When asked about the President stopping short of shooting down the birther conspiracy theory against Harris the day before, Miller defended Trump by saying that he’s “made very clear, it’s not something that he’s brought up” and that “it’s something that media keeps bringing up” during an interview on ABC News.
“It is not something that anyone in our campaign is talking about,” Miller said. “The President said that he doesn’t — it’s not something that we’re pursuing, not something that we’re interested in.”
Miller declared that “in our opinion, it is case closed, end of story” and once again blamed the media, before going on to deny that Trump campaign legal adviser Jenna Ellis’ retweet of a link to the Newsweek op-ed floating the conspiracy theory on Harris speaks for the campaign.
“(Ellis) wasn’t speaking for the campaign, I am,” Miller said.
.@GStephanopoulos: Why can’t President Trump clearly, unequivocally say Kamala Harris is eligible to run? As Trump fans false, racist birther theory, Jason Miller says campaign believes Harris is eligible: “In our opinion it is case closed, end of story.” https://t.co/2ABKsXMlfb pic.twitter.com/pgNoDtW53W — This Week (@ThisWeekABC) August 16, 2020
Trump campaign senior adviser Steve Cortes
During an interview with Chris Wallace on “Fox News Sunday,” Cortes flat-out denied that Trump nor his re-election campaign brought up the birther conspiracy theory against Harris, before predictably blaming the media.
“He never brought this up, the campaign never brought it up,” Cortes said. “Members of the media have asked him about it, are trying to create a controversy that simply doesn’t exist.”
Cortes added that he doesn’t know why “it’s incumbent upon (Trump) to opine on legal scholarship of the Constitution” and argued that the President is saying “we have not made an issue of this, we will not make an issue of this.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-16--Top Dems Demand Postmaster General Testify At ‘Urgent’ Hearing After ‘Startling’ Overhaul

The House Oversight Committee on Sunday demanded that Postmaster General Louis DeJoy testify at an “ urgent ” congressional hearing on Aug. 24 in light of growing concerns that cutting funding to the U.S .
Postal Service will hamper mail-in voting in the November election .
Since June , DeJoy — a former Republican mega-donor who was appointed in May — has made cost-cutting policy changes that critics say are causing delays to election mail as well as the critical delivery of medicine to rural areas .
Over the weekend , the U.S .
Postal Service warned states that it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the November election will arrive in time to be counted , regardless of whether the ballots are mailed by state deadlines .
The USPS ’ warning came as Trump repeatedly asserts his baseless claim that mail-in voting leads to voter fraud .
In an interview on Fox Business on Thursday , President Trump said that he opposed Democrats ’ efforts to allocate $ 25 billion in coronavirus relief to fund USPS because it would help mail-in voting .
In a letter written by committee chair Rep. Carolyn Maloney ( D-NY ) to DeJoy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been “ starting new revelations ” regarding DeJoy ’ s postal service overhaul .
“ Over the past several weeks , there have been startling new revelations about the scope and gravity of operational changes you are implementing at hundreds of postal facilities without consulting adequately with Congress , the Postal Regulatory Commission , or the Board of Governors , ” Maloney wrote .
Maloney then added that DeJoy ’ s testimony is “ particularly urgent ” due to “ troubling ” reports of delays at postal facilities nationwide , in addition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s holding up emergency funds for the USPS to hamper mail-in voting .
Maloney concluded that she pushed up the hearing , which was originally scheduled for mid-September , to Aug. 24 in light of recent reports .
In a statement on Sunday , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-CA ) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ( D-NY ) demanded testimony from both DeJoy and Robert Duncan , the chairman of the U.S .
Postal Service Board of Governors .
Pelosi and Schumer noted how the President has “ explicitly stated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” in calling for DeJoy and top Postal Service leadership to “ answer to the Congress and the American people as to why they are pushing these dangerous new policies that threaten to silence the voices of millions , just months before the election.
” The House Oversight ’ s hearing announcement came on the heels of Democratic leaders sending a letter to DeJoy , which demanded that he provide answers about the overhaul he implemented at post offices nationwide .
Democrats set Aug. 21 as the deadline for DeJoy to produce “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overhaul .
Calls for DeJoy to testify also come amid the House being on recess until mid-September .
However , Pelosi is reportedly considering cutting the recess short to address the unfurling crisis surrounding the USPS .

The House Oversight Committee on Sunday demanded that Postmaster General Louis DeJoy testify at an “urgent” congressional hearing on Aug. 24 in light of growing concerns that cutting funding to the U.S. Postal Service will hamper mail-in voting in the November election.
Since June, DeJoy — a former Republican mega-donor who was appointed in May — has made cost-cutting policy changes that critics say are causing delays to election mail as well as the critical delivery of medicine to rural areas.
Over the weekend, the U.S. Postal Service warned states that it cannot guarantee all mail-in ballots for the November election will arrive in time to be counted, regardless of whether the ballots are mailed by state deadlines.
The USPS’ warning came as Trump repeatedly asserts his baseless claim that mail-in voting leads to voter fraud. In an interview on Fox Business on Thursday, President Trump said that he opposed Democrats’ efforts to allocate $25 billion in coronavirus relief to fund USPS because it would help mail-in voting.
In a letter written by committee chair Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) to DeJoy on Sunday, Maloney wrote that there have been “starting new revelations” regarding DeJoy’s postal service overhaul.
“Over the past several weeks, there have been startling new revelations about the scope and gravity of operational changes you are implementing at hundreds of postal facilities without consulting adequately with Congress, the Postal Regulatory Commission, or the Board of Governors,” Maloney wrote.
Maloney then added that DeJoy’s testimony is “particularly urgent” due to “troubling” reports of delays at postal facilities nationwide, in addition to the President explicitly admitting that he’s holding up emergency funds for the USPS to hamper mail-in voting.
Maloney concluded that she pushed up the hearing, which was originally scheduled for mid-September, to Aug. 24 in light of recent reports.
In a statement on Sunday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) demanded testimony from both DeJoy and Robert Duncan, the chairman of the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors.
Pelosi and Schumer noted how the President has “explicitly stated his intention to manipulate the Postal Service” in calling for DeJoy and top Postal Service leadership to “answer to the Congress and the American people as to why they are pushing these dangerous new policies that threaten to silence the voices of millions, just months before the election.”
The House Oversight’s hearing announcement came on the heels of Democratic leaders sending a letter to DeJoy, which demanded that he provide answers about the overhaul he implemented at post offices nationwide. Democrats set Aug. 21 as the deadline for DeJoy to produce “key documents and information” regarding the overhaul.
Calls for DeJoy to testify also come amid the House being on recess until mid-September. However, Pelosi is reportedly considering cutting the recess short to address the unfurling crisis surrounding the USPS.
Read Maloney’s letter to DeJoy below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-16--Meadows Gets Into Heated Exchange As He Tries Defending Trump’s War On Mail-In Voting

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on Sunday clashed with CNN ’ s Jake Tapper as he was questioned about President Trump ’ s efforts to cripple the U.S .
Postal Service .
When pressed by Tapper about the President admitting recently that he is blocking emergency funds to the Postal Service to hamper mail-in voting ahead of the November election , Meadows hit back by denying that Trump is sabotaging the Postal Service and claimed that the President has expressed openness towards additional Postal Service funding in a broader coronavirus stimulus package .
Tapper then pressed Meadows about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , prompting delays in delivery .
Meadows punted the blame to Democrats .
“ There ’ s no sorting machines that are going offline between now and the election , ” Meadows said .
“ That ’ s something that my Democrat friends are trying to do to stoke fear out there .
That ’ s not happening.
” Later in the interview , Tapper and Meadows clashed even further when the CNN anchor confronted him about Trump ’ s baseless claims arguing that mail-in voting leads to voter fraud .
Tapped listed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Cabinet members who have a record of voting by mail , which include the President and First Lady themselves .
“ Can you tell me the difference between voting by mail in Florida and , say , voting by mail in Pennsylvania ?
What ’ s the difference ?
” Tapper asked Meadows .
After Meadows said that he couldn ’ t explain the difference , he proceeded to double down on Trump ’ s false assertion by arguing that mail-in voting would lead to voters being “ disenfranchised ” due “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ empty mailboxes , ” which he claimed can be blamed on outdated voter rolls .
Tapper pushed back by bringing up how several states have conducted vote-by-mail for years with little or without issues , saying that “ there ’ s no evidence of widespread voter fraud.
” Meadows then hit back by sharing a head-scratching defense of Trump ’ s baseless crusade against mail-in voting .
“ There ’ s no evidence that there ’ s not either , ” Meadows said .
“ That ’ s the definition of fraud @ @ @ @

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on Sunday clashed with CNN’s Jake Tapper as he was questioned about President Trump’s efforts to cripple the U.S. Postal Service.
When pressed by Tapper about the President admitting recently that he is blocking emergency funds to the Postal Service to hamper mail-in voting ahead of the November election, Meadows hit back by denying that Trump is sabotaging the Postal Service and claimed that the President has expressed openness towards additional Postal Service funding in a broader coronavirus stimulus package.
Tapper then pressed Meadows about high-volume mail sorters reportedly being decommissioned nationwide, prompting delays in delivery. Meadows punted the blame to Democrats.
“There’s no sorting machines that are going offline between now and the election,” Meadows said. “That’s something that my Democrat friends are trying to do to stoke fear out there. That’s not happening.”
Later in the interview, Tapper and Meadows clashed even further when the CNN anchor confronted him about Trump’s baseless claims arguing that mail-in voting leads to voter fraud. Tapper listed off a number of White House official and Cabinet members who have a record of voting by mail, which include the President and First Lady themselves.
“Can you tell me the difference between voting by mail in Florida and, say, voting by mail in Pennsylvania? What’s the difference?” Tapper asked Meadows.
After Meadows said that he couldn’t explain the difference, he proceeded to double down on Trump’s false assertion by arguing that mail-in voting would lead to voters being “disenfranchised” due “millions of ballots” getting sent to “empty mailboxes,” which he claimed can be blamed on outdated voter rolls.
Tapper pushed back by bringing up how several states have conducted vote-by-mail for years with little or without issues, saying that “there’s no evidence of widespread voter fraud.”
Meadows then hit back by sharing a head-scratching defense of Trump’s baseless crusade against mail-in voting.
“There’s no evidence that there’s not either,” Meadows said. “That’s the definition of fraud, Jake.”
Watch Meadows’ remarks below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-16--Pelosi Considers Cutting House Recess Short To Address Postal Service Crisis

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-CA ) and House Democratic leaders are reportedly considering cutting the chamber ’ s August recess short and bringing it back into session amid the unfurling U.S .
Postal Service crisis .
Democratic sources told Politico on Saturday that the House , which is currently in recess and has no votes scheduled until mid-September , could return to vote in the next two weeks .
During an emergency leadership call on Saturday afternoon , Pelosi and other top Democrats — which include House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer ( D-MD ) and House Majority Whip Jim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cutting the chamber ’ s August recess short , according to Politico .
Sources familiar with the discussion told Politico that Democrats seek to address organizational issues at the Postal Service in the coming weeks .
One option under consideration is voting on a modified version of a bill introduced by House Oversight Chair Carolyn Maloney ( D-NY ) earlier this week .
The modified bill would reportedly halt the USPS from instituting a planned organizational overhaul , which critics argue would hamper mail-in voting ahead of the November election .
On Friday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Schumer ( D-NY ) tore into President Trump and Republicans for waging an “ all-out assault on the Postal Service and its role in ensuring the integrity of the 2020 election.
” Pelosi and Schumer ’ s scathing statement came after Trump made his efforts to cripple the Postal Service explicit , saying that he opposes funding to save it .
Trump has repeatedly claimed that mail-in voting leads to voter fraud .
“ The President made plain that he will manipulate the operations of the Post Office to deny eligible voters the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Pelosi and Schumer said in a joint statement .
“ The President ’ s own words confirm : he needs to cheat to win.
” The President has also thrown his support behind Louis DeJoy , a businessman and Trump donor who was recently appointed postmaster general , who Democrats believe is overhauling the Postal Service ’ s operations to help Trump win in November .
“ The Post Office is a catastrophe , ” Trump said during a press conference on Saturday .
“ And obviously if you ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of nowhere , ( DeJoy is ) going to obviously need funding .
But the Democrats aren ’ t willing to provide other things and therefore they ’ re not going to get the funding for that .
”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and House Democratic leaders are reportedly considering cutting the chamber’s August recess short and bringing it back into session amid the unfurling U.S. Postal Service crisis.
Democratic sources told Politico on Saturday that the House, which is currently in recess and has no votes scheduled until mid-September, could return to vote in the next two weeks.
During an emergency leadership call on Saturday afternoon, Pelosi and other top Democrats — which include House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC) — discussed possibly cutting the chamber’s August recess short, according to Politico.
Sources familiar with the discussion told Politico that Democrats seek to address organizational issues at the Postal Service in the coming weeks. One option under consideration is voting on a modified version of a bill introduced by House Oversight Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) earlier this week. The modified bill would reportedly halt the USPS from instituting a planned organizational overhaul, which critics argue would hamper mail-in voting ahead of the November election.
On Friday, Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) tore into President Trump and Republicans for waging an “all-out assault on the Postal Service and its role in ensuring the integrity of the 2020 election.” Pelosi and Schumer’s scathing statement came after Trump made his efforts to cripple the Postal Service explicit, saying that he opposes funding to save it. Trump has repeatedly claimed that mail-in voting leads to voter fraud.
“The President made plain that he will manipulate the operations of the Post Office to deny eligible voters the ballot in pursuit of his own re-election,” Pelosi and Schumer said in a joint statement. “The President’s own words confirm: he needs to cheat to win.”
The President has also thrown his support behind Louis DeJoy, a businessman and Trump donor who was recently appointed postmaster general, who Democrats believe is overhauling the Postal Service’s operations to help Trump win in November.
“The Post Office is a catastrophe,” Trump said during a press conference on Saturday. “And obviously if you’re going to do these millions of ballots out of nowhere, (DeJoy is) going to obviously need funding. But the Democrats aren’t willing to provide other things and therefore they’re not going to get the funding for that.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-17--France Sending Riot Police To Southern Region To Enforce Mask-Wearing

PARIS — The French government is sending riot police to the Marseille region to help enforce mask requirements , as @ @ @ @ @ neighborhoods are imposing mask rules starting Monday to slow rising infections .
Government spokesman Gabriel @ @ @ @ @ police officers are being sent to the Marseille region , which expanded its outdoor mask @ @ @ @ @ markets and more neighborhoods Friday .
France has seen scattered incidents of violence by people @ @ @ @ @ Paris expanded its mask requirements Saturday , and other towns around France started requiring masks @ @ @ @ @ have been speeding up around France in recent days , with 3,015 new cases Sunday @ @ @ @ @ daily spikes since the country lifted a strict two-month lockdown in May .
More than @ @ @ @ @ the virus in France , one of the highest death tolls in the world .

PARIS — The French government is sending riot police to the Marseille region to help enforce mask requirements, as more and more towns and neighborhoods are imposing mask rules starting Monday to slow rising infections.
Government spokesman Gabriel Attal announced Monday that 130 police officers are being sent to the Marseille region, which expanded its outdoor mask requirements to all farmers’ markets and more neighborhoods Friday.
France has seen scattered incidents of violence by people refusing to wear masks. Paris expanded its mask requirements Saturday, and other towns around France started requiring masks outdoors on Monday.
Infections have been speeding up around France in recent days, with 3,015 new cases Sunday, one of the highest daily spikes since the country lifted a strict two-month lockdown in May.
More than 30,400 people have died with the virus in France, one of the highest death tolls in the world.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-17--Kasich Says A ‘Prominent’ Former GOP Congressman Will Endorse Biden Soon

Former Ohio Gov .
John Kasich ( R ) , who is slated to speak at the 2020 Democratic National Convention ( DNC ) this week , stated on Sunday evening that a former Republican lawmaker will endorse Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Monday .
During an interview with Kasich , CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer asked if the GOP ex-governor “ actually foresee [ s ] a significant number of Republicans voting for Biden in November ?
” “ Look , you ’ re gon na have a prominent congressman that ’ s going to come out , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I think he ’ s gon na do it tomorrow , ” Kasich replied .
Shortly after the remark , CNN reporter Jamie Gangel reported that the Ohio Republican had told her he was referring to a former , not sitting , member of Congress .
Prior to Kasich ’ s clarification , Rep. Justin Amash ( I-MI ) , whose opposition to President Donald Trump prompted him to leave the GOP for the Libertarian Party , shot down speculation that he would endorse Biden .
“ Trump is just a symptom , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t address the causes .
”

Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R), who is slated to speak at the 2020 Democratic National Convention (DNC) this week, stated on Sunday evening that a former Republican lawmaker will endorse Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Monday.
During an interview with Kasich, CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer asked if the GOP ex-governor “actually foresee[s] a significant number of Republicans voting for Biden in November.”
“Look, you’re gonna have a prominent congressman that’s going to come out, and declare, let him do it. I think he’s gonna do it tomorrow,” Kasich replied.
Shortly after the remark, CNN reporter Jamie Gangel reported that the Ohio Republican had told her he was referring to a former, not sitting, member of Congress.
Prior to Kasich’s clarification, Rep. Justin Amash (I-MI), whose opposition to President Donald Trump prompted him to leave the GOP for the Libertarian Party, shot down speculation that he would endorse Biden.
“Trump is just a symptom,” Amash tweeted. “Biden won’t address the causes.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-17--Pelosi Calls House Back To Session Early To Tackle ‘Devastating Effects’ Of Trump’s USPS Changes

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-CA ) informed her Democratic colleagues on Sunday night that the House would be called back to session this week to curtail the Trump-appointed Postmaster General ’ s structural changes at the United States Postal Service ( USPS ) that threaten to cause delays that could invalidate Americans ’ mail-in votes .
In a letter to House Democrats , Pelosi slammed the “ devastating effects ” of President Donald Trump ’ s “ campaign to sabotage the election by manipulating the Postal Service to disenfranchise voters , ” of which Postmaster General Louis DeJoy “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic leader also noted that the changes could also prevent people from receiving crucial medicine and payments in the mail on time .
“ Lives , livelihoods and the life of our American Democracy are under threat from the President , ” the Democratic leader wrote .
“ That is why I am calling upon the House to return to session later this week to vote on Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Maloney ’ s ‘ Delivering for America Act , ’ which prohibits the Postal Service from implementing any changes to operations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place on January 1 , 2020.
” The restructuring at the USPS directed by DeJoy , a Trump and GOP donor , include the removal of several mail-sorting machines and reduction of overtime for postal workers .
Democrats have criticized DeJoy ’ s changes , accusing him of deliberately delaying the agency ’ s operations to sabotage states ’ mail-in voting systems , which Trump has baselessly claimed causes election fraud .
The USPS has warned multiple states that their mail-in ballots may arrive too late to be counted in the November elections @

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) informed her Democratic colleagues on Sunday night that the House would be called back to session this week to curtail the Trump-appointed Postmaster General’s structural changes at the United States Postal Service (USPS) that threaten to cause delays that could invalidate Americans’ mail-in votes.
In a letter to House Democrats, Pelosi slammed the “devastating effects” of President Donald Trump’s “campaign to sabotage the election by manipulating the Postal Service to disenfranchise voters,” of which Postmaster General Louis DeJoy “has proven a complicit crony.”
The Democratic leader also noted that the changes could also prevent people from receiving crucial medicine and payments in the mail on time.
“Lives, livelihoods and the life of our American Democracy are under threat from the President,” the Democratic leader wrote. “That is why I am calling upon the House to return to session later this week to vote on Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Maloney’s ‘Delivering for America Act,’ which prohibits the Postal Service from implementing any changes to operations or level of service it had in place on January 1, 2020.”
The restructuring at the USPS directed by DeJoy, a Trump and GOP donor, include the removal of several mail-sorting machines and reduction of overtime for postal workers. Democrats have criticized DeJoy’s changes, accusing him of deliberately delaying the agency’s operations to sabotage states’ mail-in voting systems, which Trump has baselessly claimed causes election fraud.
The USPS has warned multiple states that their mail-in ballots may arrive too late to be counted in the November elections.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-17--DHS Mocks GAO Staffer After Watchdog Says Wolf, Cuccinelli Are Ineligible For Their Jobs

Three days after the Government Accountability Office announced its finding that the two top officials at the Department of Homeland Security weren ’ t legally eligible to actually hold those jobs , DHS responded by … picking on one of the purported authors of the GAO finding .
The Monday letter from DHS lawyer Chad Mizelle was , ostensibly , a legal rebuttal to the GAO .
But it detoured into an attack against a GAO staffer who , Mizelle suggested , was too inexperienced to author the opinion in question .
In a phone call Friday between GAO and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GAO identified a staffer as the “ author ” of the report , even though the staffer had limited experience practicing law — “ having graduated from law school only three years ago , ” Mizelle griped .
Mizelle also pointed to the political affiliations of the staffer , who he said previously worked on a Democratic campaign .
“ Surely , few things could be more significant than the appointment of the head of a cabinet-level agency , ” Mizelle wrote .
“ It should have been easy to find a more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would not have created even the appearance of impropriety ) among the GAO ’ s 3,000 employees.
” Mizelle was an awkward messenger .
As the senior official performing the duties of the DHS general counsel , Mizelle himself is only seven years out of law school .
And , as CNN reported in February , he is close with White House adviser Stephen Miller and was an attorney volunteer for the Trump campaign in 2016 .
The DHS letter did not name the GAO staffer , and the report was ultimately published @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Counsel Thomas H. Armstrong .
But the quibble about partisanship and the knock on the GAO staffer ’ s supposed inexperience was representative of the tenor of DHS ’ rebuttal to the office ’ s legal finding .
“ As the reader reaches the Report ’ s conclusion , he is left with the sinking and inescapable feeling that something is afoot in the swamp , ” Mizelle ’ s letter concluded , after dismissing the GAO ’ s analysis as hopelessly partisan .
“ The GAO should rescind its erroneous report immediately.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ an expert on administrative law at Stanford , said she was taken aback .
“ I want to tweet on the substance but I can ’ t get over the inappropriate tone , ” she observed .
As far as the law is concerned : According to the GAO , Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf and Ken Cuccinelli , the “ senior official performing the duties of the deputy secretary , ” can not lawfully serve in their current roles because the man who appointed them , former acting DHS chief Kevin McAleenan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ job .
According to the GAO ’ s reading , McAlennan ’ s Senate-confirmed successor Kirstjen Nielsen designated McAleenan as her replacement by citing a document that only applied in cases of “ disaster or catastrophic emergency ” — not a resignation .
Nielsen resigned , and therefore she didn ’ t have the legal right to choose McAleenan out-of-order as her successor , the GAO found .
Wolf and Cuccinelli ’ s problems flow from there .
But Mizelle countered that Nielsen had made her choice of successor eminently clear .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ McAleenan in — a ritual that GAO said didn ’ t amount to anything , legally .
“ We are mindful that the timing of Secretary Nielsen ’ s resignation the next day and the subsequent actions and statements of officials—such as Secretary Nielsen ’ s farewell message to DHS—may suggest that she intended for Mr. McAleenan to become the Acting Secretary upon her resignation , ” the GAO report read .
“ However , it would be inappropriate , in light of the clear express directive of the April Delegation , to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ post-hoc actions.
” “ Few things constitute a more unambiguous designation of a successor than personally swearing your successor in , ” he wrote , adding : “ The moment that Secretary Nielsen invoked her authority , she overrode all past designations.
” A wave of legal fights could ride on judges ’ interpretations of Nielsen ’ s rightful successor — if Wolf and Cuccinelli aren ’ t operating as legitimate government officials , that means their decisions in office can be challenged and reversed in court .

Three days after the Government Accountability Office announced its finding that the two top officials at the Department of Homeland Security weren’t legally eligible to actually hold those jobs, DHS responded by … picking on one of the purported authors of the GAO finding.
The Monday letter from DHS lawyer Chad Mizelle was, ostensibly, a legal rebuttal to the GAO. But it detoured into an attack against a GAO staffer who, Mizelle suggested, was too inexperienced to author the opinion in question.
In a phone call Friday between GAO and DHS staff, Mizelle wrote, the GAO identified a staffer as the “author” of the report, even though the staffer had limited experience practicing law — “having graduated from law school only three years ago,” Mizelle griped.
Mizelle also pointed to the political affiliations of the staffer, who he said previously worked on a Democratic campaign.
“Surely, few things could be more significant than the appointment of the head of a cabinet-level agency,” Mizelle wrote. “It should have been easy to find a more seasoned attorney (whose past political work would not have created even the appearance of impropriety) among the GAO’s 3,000 employees.”
Mizelle was an awkward messenger. As the senior official performing the duties of the DHS general counsel, Mizelle himself is only seven years out of law school. And, as CNN reported in February, he is close with White House adviser Stephen Miller and was an attorney volunteer for the Trump campaign in 2016.
The DHS letter did not name the GAO staffer, and the report was ultimately published under the name of the GAO General Counsel Thomas H. Armstrong. But the quibble about partisanship and the knock on the GAO staffer’s supposed inexperience was representative of the tenor of DHS’ rebuttal to the office’s legal finding.
“As the reader reaches the Report’s conclusion, he is left with the sinking and inescapable feeling that something is afoot in the swamp,” Mizelle’s letter concluded, after dismissing the GAO’s analysis as hopelessly partisan. “The GAO should rescind its erroneous report immediately.”
Anne Joseph O’Connell, an expert on administrative law at Stanford, said she was taken aback.
“I want to tweet on the substance but I can’t get over the inappropriate tone,” she observed.
As far as the law is concerned: According to the GAO, Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf and Ken Cuccinelli, the “senior official performing the duties of the deputy secretary,” cannot lawfully serve in their current roles because the man who appointed them, former acting DHS chief Kevin McAleenan, was himself incorrectly picked for the job.
According to the GAO’s reading, McAlennan’s Senate-confirmed successor Kirstjen Nielsen designated McAleenan as her replacement by citing a document that only applied in cases of “disaster or catastrophic emergency” — not a resignation.
Nielsen resigned, and therefore she didn’t have the legal right to choose McAleenan out-of-order as her successor, the GAO found. Wolf and Cuccinelli’s problems flow from there.
But Mizelle countered that Nielsen had made her choice of successor eminently clear. He even included the photo of Nielsen swearing McAleenan in — a ritual that GAO said didn’t amount to anything, legally.
“We are mindful that the timing of Secretary Nielsen’s resignation the next day and the subsequent actions and statements of officials—such as Secretary Nielsen’s farewell message to DHS—may suggest that she intended for Mr. McAleenan to become the Acting Secretary upon her resignation,” the GAO report read. “However, it would be inappropriate, in light of the clear express directive of the April Delegation, to interpret the order of succession based on post-hoc actions.”
Mizelle disagreed, vocally.
“Few things constitute a more unambiguous designation of a successor than personally swearing your successor in,” he wrote, adding: “The moment that Secretary Nielsen invoked her authority, she overrode all past designations.”
A wave of legal fights could ride on judges’ interpretations of Nielsen’s rightful successor — if Wolf and Cuccinelli aren’t operating as legitimate government officials, that means their decisions in office can be challenged and reversed in court.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-17--USPS Turmoil Splits GOP, With Some Calling For Reversal Of Controversial Policies

A growing number of Republican officials are expressing their concerns about how recent changes at the U.S .
Postal Service could hamper vote by mail , with a Republican attorney general from a swing state the latest to call for the changes to be delayed until after the election .
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost , whose letter to President Trump was first reported by CBS , is one of several Republican officials who have raised concerns about the apparent delays in mail delivery due to new policies implemented by a Trump-aligned postmaster general .
GOP state election officials , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , have previously spoken publicly about their worries that the turmoil will affect their ability to keep the vote-by-mail process running smoothly .
The bipartisan leadership of the National Association of Secretaries of State requested a discussion with Postmaster General Louis DeJoy , and as of Friday , according to NPR , hadn ’ t gotten a response .
DeJoy has reportedly sought to eliminate overtime for postal workers , which could prove disastrous if they ’ re not allowed to work extra to handle the surge in mail-in ballots come November .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ around how it will handle the delivery of mail ballots if election officials don ’ t pay extra to mail them first class .
That ’ s prompted more questions about whether it was changing , under the new regime , its approach to prioritizing the shipment of ballots .
Amid this chaos , Trump said last week that he was opposed to additional USPS funding because he didn ’ t want to facilitate more vote-by-mail — a line he and the White House have since tried to walk back .
Scrutiny has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boxes being removed from neighborhood streets and mail sorters being shut down in certain facilities .
Yost ’ s letter to the President signaled that he was generally supportive of the longstanding conservative quest to overhaul the postal service , which was facing tough financial conditions even before the pandemic .
But Yost requested that such changes wait until after the election , so that “ confidence ” in elections won ’ t be eroded because of them .
“ These changes so close to the election are certain to give rise to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a sense of chaos and uncertainty that will likely roll right into the early voting period — thereby de-legitimizing the thousands of winners of the November contests , ” he wrote .
The letter also highlighted that military personnel serving abroad and elderly people who fear the health risks of COVID-19 are likely to cast absentee ballots .
He called for more transparency around what USPS was doing to improve its operations , and requested that Trump “ consider demanding that the Board of Governors postpone changes until after the election to avoid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of service across the country.
” While Yost ’ s concerns focused on the election impacts of the new changes , other Republicans — and particularly those representing rural areas — have also sounded the alarm about what the delivery delays means for their constituents more broadly .
Sens .
Susan Collins ( R-ME ) and Steve Daines ( R-MT ) — who both face competitive elections this fall — issued letters calling on DeJoy to rethink the new policies .
But plenty of other Republicans are currently ducking the issue , even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was bringing the House back from its August recess to vote on USPS legislation expected later this week .
DeJoy will also testify in front of a House committee next Monday .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) showed no interest in engaging in the debate over the postal service , telling reporters on Capitol Hill Monday that , “ the Postal Service is going to be just fine.
” Meanwhile , Sen. John Cornyn ( R-TX ) tweeted out pieces from the Washington Examiner and the Wall Street Journal that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s recent changes .

A growing number of Republican officials are expressing their concerns about how recent changes at the U.S. Postal Service could hamper vote by mail, with a Republican attorney general from a swing state the latest to call for the changes to be delayed until after the election.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, whose letter to President Trump was first reported by CBS, is one of several Republican officials who have raised concerns about the apparent delays in mail delivery due to new policies implemented by a Trump-aligned postmaster general.
GOP state election officials, like Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman, have previously spoken publicly about their worries that the turmoil will affect their ability to keep the vote-by-mail process running smoothly.
The bipartisan leadership of the National Association of Secretaries of State requested a discussion with Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, and as of Friday, according to NPR, hadn’t gotten a response.
DeJoy has reportedly sought to eliminate overtime for postal workers, which could prove disastrous if they’re not allowed to work extra to handle the surge in mail-in ballots come November. The USPS has also shifted its messaging around how it will handle the delivery of mail ballots if election officials don’t pay extra to mail them first class. That’s prompted more questions about whether it was changing, under the new regime, its approach to prioritizing the shipment of ballots.
Amid this chaos, Trump said last week that he was opposed to additional USPS funding because he didn’t want to facilitate more vote-by-mail — a line he and the White House have since tried to walk back.
Scrutiny has grown around anecdotal reports of USPS drop boxes being removed from neighborhood streets and mail sorters being shut down in certain facilities.
Yost’s letter to the President signaled that he was generally supportive of the longstanding conservative quest to overhaul the postal service, which was facing tough financial conditions even before the pandemic. But Yost requested that such changes wait until after the election, so that “confidence” in elections won’t be eroded because of them.
“These changes so close to the election are certain to give rise to litigation, which in
turn will create a sense of chaos and uncertainty that will likely roll right into the
early voting period — thereby de-legitimizing the thousands of winners of the
November contests,” he wrote.
The letter also highlighted that military personnel serving abroad and elderly people who fear the health risks of COVID-19 are likely to cast absentee ballots.
He called for more transparency around what USPS was doing to improve its operations, and requested that Trump “consider demanding that the Board of Governors postpone changes until after the election to avoid slowing the mail or creating uneven levels of service across the country.”
(The U.S. Postal Service operates with more independence than other federal agencies. The Board of Governors is appointed by the President and the current board is made up entirely by Trump appointees. They, in turn, elevate a postmaster general, though Secretary Treasury Steve Mnuchin was reportedly involved in recruiting DeJoy, a GOP mega-donor, for the job.)
While Yost’s concerns focused on the election impacts of the new changes, other Republicans — and particularly those representing rural areas — have also sounded the alarm about what the delivery delays means for their constituents more broadly.
Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Steve Daines (R-MT) — who both face competitive elections this fall — issued letters calling on DeJoy to rethink the new policies.
But plenty of other Republicans are currently ducking the issue, even as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced she was bringing the House back from its August recess to vote on USPS legislation expected later this week. DeJoy will also testify in front of a House committee next Monday.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) showed no interest in engaging in the debate over the postal service, telling reporters on Capitol Hill Monday that, “the Postal Service is going to be just fine.”
Meanwhile, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) tweeted out pieces from the Washington Examiner and the Wall Street Journal that defended the U.S. Postal Service’s recent changes.
Read Yost’s letter below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-17--Trump Suddenly All About Saving The Post Office After Blocking Its Funding

With a Monday evening tweet , the Trump administration completed a very public flip-flop on the President ’ s stance on the postal service just days after he candidly explained that he was blocking its funding .
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows ’ Monday morning comments presaged the President ’ s new message .
“ As he ’ s already mentioned to Sen. Schumer and Speaker Pelosi the other day is that he ’ s willing to put the resources necessary to make sure the mail is processed , ” Meadows said on CNN .
He promised that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ USPS funding , adding that he wants the Democrats to include other COVID relief measures as well .
Democrats have so far rejected the “ piecemeal ” approach , insisting on an expansive and comprehensive relief package , and are so far planning to vote on a standalone USPS funding bill on Saturday .
The new posture is strikingly different from Trump ’ s last week , when he spoke bluntly about his refusal to green-light a COVID relief package that would include $ 25 billion for the USPS .
“ Now they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the post office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots , ” he said Thursday , adding : “ But if they don ’ t get those two items , that means you can ’ t have universal mail-in voting.
” Trump has consistently gone after various aspects of voting by mail , asserting baselessly that the system is rife with fraud .
His comments added to a nationwide tsunami of building outrage and renewed scrutiny of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy , a Trump ally and former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the job in June , has laid out a comprehensive agency overhaul that will leave employees ’ hours cut and high-volume mail processors removed .
Amid those changes , the postal service sent out letters to 46 states and Washington D.C. warning that it may not be able to turn around ballots fast enough for them to be counted in November , the Washington Post reported late last week .
Those sweeping changes—on top of the hardships the USPS was already facing for this election—have Democrats crying foul , accusing the President of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what is sure to be a heavily-mail election .
The House Oversight Committee called on DeJoy to testify publicly about the changes , which he agreed to do next Monday .
A slew of top Democrats also requested reams of documents and records from DeJoy on the overhaul due by Friday .
“ Rather than strongly advocating for the Postal Service ’ s request for emergency funding , it appears that you are now using funding shortfalls—which are being aggravated by the President himself—to justify sweeping operational changes that experts warn could degrade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jeopardize crucial deliveries such as prescription medicines and essential goods , and potentially impair the rights of eligible Americans to cast their votes through the mail in the upcoming November elections , ” the Democrats wrote .

With a Monday evening tweet, the Trump administration completed a very public flip-flop on the President’s stance on the postal service just days after he candidly explained that he was blocking its funding.
SAVE THE POST OFFICE! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 17, 2020
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows’ Monday morning comments presaged the President’s new message.
“As he’s already mentioned to Sen. Schumer and Speaker Pelosi the other day is that he’s willing to put the resources necessary to make sure the mail is processed,” Meadows said on CNN.
He promised that Trump would sign a bill that includes USPS funding, adding that he wants the Democrats to include other COVID relief measures as well. Democrats have so far rejected the “piecemeal” approach, insisting on an expansive and comprehensive relief package, and are so far planning to vote on a standalone USPS funding bill on Saturday.
The new posture is strikingly different from Trump’s last week, when he spoke bluntly about his refusal to green-light a COVID relief package that would include $25 billion for the USPS.
“Now they need that money in order to make the post office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots,” he said Thursday, adding: “But if they don’t get those two items, that means you can’t have universal mail-in voting.” Trump has consistently gone after various aspects of voting by mail, asserting baselessly that the system is rife with fraud.
His comments added to a nationwide tsunami of building outrage and renewed scrutiny of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a Trump ally and former Republican mega-donor.
DeJoy, who started the job in June, has laid out a comprehensive agency overhaul that will leave employees’ hours cut and high-volume mail processors removed. Amid those changes, the postal service sent out letters to 46 states and Washington D.C. warning that it may not be able to turn around ballots fast enough for them to be counted in November, the Washington Post reported late last week.
Those sweeping changes—on top of the hardships the USPS was already facing for this election—have Democrats crying foul, accusing the President of trying to further undermine the agency before what is sure to be a heavily-mail election. The House Oversight Committee called on DeJoy to testify publicly about the changes, which he agreed to do next Monday. A slew of top Democrats also requested reams of documents and records from DeJoy on the overhaul due by Friday.
“Rather than strongly advocating for the Postal Service’s request for emergency funding, it appears that you are now using funding shortfalls—which are being aggravated by the President himself—to justify sweeping operational changes that experts warn could degrade delivery standards, slow the mail, jeopardize crucial deliveries such as prescription medicines and essential goods, and potentially impair the rights of eligible Americans to cast their votes through the mail in the upcoming November elections,” the Democrats wrote.