rawstory--2020-09-11--France’s former president Nicolas Sarkozy in racism row

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has attracted fierce criticism after appearing to associate the word “ monkey ” with a racist term for a black person .
Speaking on a television show on Thursday evening , Sarkozy was criticizing elites “ who are like monkeys that listen to no one , ” when he suddenly stopped .
“ I don ’ t know anymore , are we allowed to say ‘ monkey ’ ?
” , he asked , adding : “ Because… we ’ re no longer allowed to say… What do we say ?
‘ Ten Little Soldiers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yeah… Society is really progressing.
” “ Maybe we ’ re allowed to say ‘ monkey ’ without insulting anyone.
” Sarkozy was referring to Agatha Christie ’ s famous novel “ And then there were none ” , which originally had a different title that contained the racially-charged word but was changed decades ago in Britain .
The French translation of the best-selling book continued to sport the original title until August , when it was renamed “ Ils etaient dix , ” or “ They were ten , ” at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Inside the novel , the racial slur is now replaced by the word “ soldier ” , as in “ ten little soldiers.
” Sarkozy ’ s comments caused a stir in France for his apparent association of the word “ monkey ” with the slur .
Audrey Pulvar , a deputy mayor of Paris , tweeted that it was “ pure and deep racism , uninhibited.
” Olivier Serva , an MP for France ’ s overseas region of Guadeloupe who belongs to President Emmanuel Macron ’ s LREM party , also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ filthy and shameless , ” he said in a statement , describing Sarkozy ’ s tone as arrogant and condescending .
“ Racism is a crime and must be punished.
” But Rachida Dati , a former minister under Sarkozy who is still close to him , denied he was racist .
She told French media that Sarkozy met Barack Obama “ before anyone could have imagined he would become president one day.
” “ He was in favor of positive discrimination , in favor of foreigners ’ right to vote.
” Sarkozy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ book about his time in office , remains influential on the French political scene .

The three candidates, as well as businessman Perry Johnson and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, also had campaign events at the Iowa State Fair scheduled for Friday, meeting with Reynolds for a “fair-side chat” at JR’s SouthPork Ranch and speaking at the Register Political Soapbox.
In Thursday events, candidates talked with Iowans about issues from the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection to the investigation into Hunter Biden’s financial dealings. Some of the Iowans attending political events in the first two days of the Fair were weighing their options for the 2024 Republican caucuses — looking for alternatives to the frontrunner, former President Donald Trump.
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Linda Sullivan of Johnston came to listen to Burgum’s speech at 8:30 a.m., saying she and her husband were interested in what he and other candidates like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott were saying. Sullivan said Trump was “wouldn’t be on my top list,” and that she was looking for another candidate to take on leading the Republican Party in 2024.
“I just want to get the best person that can get us out of this — in my words — mess, we’re kind of in, in our country,” Sullivan said. “And, yeah, just get back to common sense, like Kim said.”
Trump plans to attend the fair Saturday, but does not plan to speak at the soapbox or participate in a chat with Reynolds.
Here are some updates from the second day of Iowa’s 2023 Iowa State Fair:
Larry Elder calls for support to get to GOP debate stage
Talk show host Larry Elder defended his spot as a “serious candidate” in the 2024 Republican presidential field Friday at the Iowa State Fair, while saying his role was to push other candidates on under-discussed issues.
“Did you think that Donald Trump would win in 2016 at some point? Did you think Joe Biden would the nominee in 2020 at some point?” Elder said. “… Honestly, things have a long way to go between now and the first vote was here in Iowa on January 15. And of longer way to go before the first vote in November in 2024. Anything could happen — trust me, it will happen. You have no idea what’s gonna happen. Do I believe I’m a serious candidate? Hell yes, I am.”
The former California gubernatorial candidate spoke to more than 60 people gathered at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox Friday afternoon. He shared his family story and described policy proposals to address the “epidemic of fatherlessness,” tie federal spending to a set percentage of the national gross domestic product and to remove so-called “soft on crime” district attorneys from office in cities around the country.
Elder described himself as a “MAGA” and “America First” Republican. Though Elder did not point to reasons why he would be a better nominee than former President Donald Trump, he asked for Republicans to support him to put a bigger spotlight on the topics he is discussing.
“Even if they want somebody else, I’m trying to put these issues front and center,” he said. “So if I’m not the nominee, if Trump, for example, is a nominee, if Trump can begin talking about this, given the strength of his voice, given the strength of his megaphone … maybe something can be done.”
Elder said no other Republican candidates are talking about issues such as fatherhood or saying that America is not “systematically racist,” for fear of being called racist. He asked for donations and support from Iowa Republicans at the soapbox and during his Thursday “fair-side chat” with Gov. Kim Reynolds to help him qualify for the Republican debate in Milwaukee Aug. 23.
Elder said he was about 15,000 donors short of the Republican National Committee’s 40,000 threshold. He asked the crowd for support to get his message on the national stage even if they support another candidate for the Republican nomination.
“Do you think that’s a serious message to take to the American people as I’m campaigning, even if I’m not the nominee?” Elder said. “Hell yeah, it is. That’s why I’m doing this.”
Perry Johnson wants executive order to stop Ukraine spending
Perry Johnson spent a large portion of his 20 minutes on the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox focused on federal debt and spending.
Defense spending, aid to Ukraine and federal departments were on Johnson’s list of cuts to make.
“I spent my entire life bringing quality and efficiency to companies and now I want to bring it to the federal government,” Johnson said.
Johnson is a businessman who focuses on efficiency and has founded several worldwide companies.
“I think it’s ridiculous that we are sending $113 billion to the Ukraine when we are going broke here,” Johnson said.
“The single most important thing we have in the United States is defense,” Johnson said, addressing the Department of Defense’s need to have advanced technology, as well as the department’s failed audits.
One audience member asked Johnson how he would be able to stop the U.S. from sending money to Ukraine.
“You noticed how Biden has all of the executive orders to send money over [to Ukraine]? You’re allowed to have an executive order to not fund it,” Johnson said. “… Let’s stop this craziness because sending $113 billion to the Ukraine, we don’t even know where the money is going. It’s nuts.”
Johnson also said he would get rid of the federal Department of Education if elected.
Lowering the cost of running the government is part of Johnson’s agenda, but he also wants to address costs Americans are facing in their privates lives, too, he said.
“The two major things that have gone up exponentially are college tuition and medical care and we need to address those issues,” Johnson, who just sent his eldest son to Michigan State, said.
Johnson said he would require colleges to freeze tuition cost and cut spending 2% each year to qualify for student loans if elected.
“Part of the thing that’s going to happen when I enter office is I will try to privatize as many things as possible,” Johnson said. “You realize, when we privatize things we force competition, we force people to have better quality and better efficiency or they can’t survive.”
Johnson is hosting a concert Saturday featuring the band Big & Rich at the Lauridsen Amphitheater in Des Moines. He said his concert was originally just for his donors, but he has reached his goal of 40,000 donors to reach the debate stage in Milwaukee on Aug. 23.
Johnson still invited everyone to the concert, “I guess in theory you’re supposed to donate, but I do have 52,000 donors, I don’t need more.”
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez emphasizes national electability while aiming for debate stage
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez does not have the name recognition that some of his competitors for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination can boast, but he told Iowans he was uniquely able to draw certain groups of voters away from the Democratic Party.
“I have absolutely no doubt that I would be a impossible candidate for the Democrats to beat, because I attack three core constituencies that, if they were to lose, they will lose the election by a landslide,” Suarez said. “… If we could win Hispanics, if we could win urban voters — which I’ve done already, my community — and young voters, it’s game over. There isn’t a place in the United States where Democrats can win. I’ve already done that.”
The Republican mayor talked with Iowans in back-to-back stops at the Iowa State Fair, first speaking with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds for a “fair-side chat” before speaking to a group of 30 at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox.
In both talks, Suarez discussed his experience as a Cuban-American whose parents were “kicked out of their country of birth by a communist dictator.” He said his family history and experience as a Republican mayor in a major American city would make him a good choice to lead conservatives to victory in a national election.
However, Suarez has acknowledged that his bid for the Republican nomination hinges on gaining a higher national profile. In an interview with The Hill Tuesday, the candidate said making it onto the Milwaukee debate stage later this month was “critical” to his campaign, and that he may drop out of the race if he does not qualify for the Aug. 23 debate.
Candidates must have donations from a minimum of 40,000 individuals, as well as hit at least 1% in three national polls or a mix of national and early state polls between July 1 and Aug. 23. Currently, eight candidates have met these thresholds for the debate: former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
Trump, Pence and Christie have yet to sign the Republican National Committee’s pledge to back the eventual Republicans nominee regardless of who wins the contest also required to participate.
Suarez said that he is hoping the RNC offers some flexibility in the debate requirements because of some of the obstacles his campaign has encountered, “including not being included in at least a third of the polls that have been that have been put out.” Speaking with reporters after his soapbox speech, Suarez did not commit to dropping out if he does not qualify for the debate, but said he does believe candidates should not “linger around” if they do not have a credible shot at the nomination.
Getting a national platform would give his campaign the momentum needed to build toward that “credible” bid at the Republican nomination, he said.
“When you’re a relatively unknown candidate, you see the reaction that the crowd has and the people have when they listen to me, you know that if you’re given an opportunity to speak at a national level, that you’re gonna be able to connect and that you’re gonna be able to grow,” Suarez said. “So it’s kind of a chicken or an egg problem. And so we’re doing everything we can over the next 10 days to get there.”
Pence expresses pride in ‘Trump-Pence administration’
Although it’s been a common topic during campaign trail appearances, Gov. Kim Reynolds did not ask former Vice President Mike Pence about Jan. 6 during her “fair-side chat” interview.
A fairgoer on Thursday accused Pence of treason for refusing on Jan. 6, 2021, to block certification of the 2020 election. Pence said he was upholding his oath to defend the Constitution.
Reynolds, however, kept the focus on lighter topics. She asked what he was proud of during his time in the White House, as well as his Christian faith, his childhood and America’s current “absent president.”
Pence said he will “always be proud of the Trump-Pence administration,” an appealing line to some Republicans.
Andrew Wallace, a 21-year-old from Wisconsin drove five hours to see Donald Trump on Saturday, but decided to arrive to Iowa a day early to see Pence. Wallace said Pence is running on an agenda similar to Trump’s, but said he does not like Pence “ripping on Trump.”
“I don’t like that, I don’t like that,” Wallace said. “Trump didn’t do anything to him, Trump did absolutely nothing to him.”
Wallace said of Pence, “He’s running a Trump campaign, just a different guy other than Trump.”
Regarding Medicare and Social Security, Pence said, “We’re not going to change anything, 40-years-old or older and nothing changing for you.”
For those who are under 40, Pence said “I’d like to reform these New Deal programs and actually give you a better deal by making sure that Social Security and Medicare are actually there for you.”
The former vice president said the federal government has gotten too big.
“Washington is not only too big and spends too much, but it does too much,” Pence said before he told the audience of about 100 that he would shut down the federal Department of Education if elected.
Reynolds followed up with a question about Linn-Mar schools and a federal lawsuit regarding gender transitioning, with which Pence has been involved.
“We have got to make it clear that parents don’t co-parent with government,” Pence said, receiving a round of applause. “Parents are in charge of their children’s education and we got to protect our kids from this radical gender ideology.”
Pence promised attendees that he would bring small town values to the White House.
“Iowa just feels like home,” Pence said. “I grew up in a small town… I can tell you, I just promise you, you give me the privilege to be your president, I’m going to fight for the values and the ideals and the integrity and the character of the people of Iowa and the heartland of this country.”
Doug Burgum calls for action on U.S.-Mexico border
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum told Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds Friday about his recent trip to the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas, saying President Joe Biden’s administration was failing to support Border Patrol agents.
Both Burgum and Reynolds, Republican governors, have sent National Guard troops from their states at the request of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. The action comes following the end of Title 42, a measure that allowed the U.S. to turn away asylum-seekers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Burgum also made a trip to the border in Texas with North Dakota National Guard’s adjutant general on Monday and Tuesday, receiving a briefing from the more than 100 North Dakota National Guard troops on a yearlong deployment supporting U.S. Border Patrol agents in Texas.
In a “fair-side chat” with Reynolds Friday, Burgum said he saw the need during his trip for more federal support, and for more Border Patrol agents. There was not enough attention on the Biden administration’s border policies, he said, citing as an example an experience while he was being interviewed by national press in Texas.
“Over my shoulder, there was people wading across the Rio Grande, and I was getting questions about the swamp, and these indictments, while there’s people crossing the river behind us,” Burgum said.
The Biden administration asked Congress on Thursday for an additional $4 billion for border security.
Burgum linked the Biden administration’s handling of the U.S.-Mexico border with rising fentanyl overdose deaths, saying the U.S. was “taking mass casualties” by not stopping the flow of drugs over the southern border. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration found in 2020 that most fentanyl, produced in China and Mexico, was transported into the U.S. through legal ports of entry by U.S. citizens. Democrats have criticized Republicans for linking fentanyl trafficking with immigration.
The North Dakota Republican also said immigration along the U.S.-Mexico border was an issue of national security. He said cartels, transnational criminal organizations, were profiting off of people seeking transportation to the U.S. border, and that some of the people crossing the border could pose national security risks.
“This isn’t just like, ‘Oh, people are coming over from Mexico,'” Burgum said. Syrians, Iranians, North Koreans, Russians, Chinese — I mean, so we’ve got people on terrorist watch lists that are part of the group that are coming across the border right now.”
Burgum said there are roughly 20,000 Border Patrol agents currently working in the U.S. at both the northern and southern borders. He said he would reverse the Biden administration’s “dereliction of duty,” and put more federal resources behind border patrol.
“On a day one, if you give a group of law enforcement the support they need if you give them the technology, you give them the staffing you given the material, they’re going to be able to do the job when I was talking to Border Patrol people they said, Hey, we’ve done it before we’ve controlled the board before. Just give us a chance to do it.”
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Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on Facebook and Twitter.


rawstory--2020-09-11--Iran says US aircraft flew close to military exercise zone

The Iranian navy on Friday said it drove off American aircraft that flew close to an area where military exercises were underway near the Strait of Hormuz .
The military said three US aircraft — a P-8 airplane , a MQ-9 drone and a RQ-4 drone — were detected by Iran ’ s air force radars after they entered the country ’ s air defense identification zone , according to its website .
After “ ignoring warnings by Iran ’ s defense systems to keep away from the drill zone ” the aircraft were tracked by an Iranian drone before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ zone , ” it added .
In June last year , a US RQ-4 drone was shot down by Iran after allegedly violating the Islamic republic ’ s airspace — a claim the US has denied .
The sworn enemies have come to the brink of direct confrontation twice since then .
Tensions have escalated between Tehran and Washington since US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from a landmark nuclear agreement in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran .
Their animosity deepened after a US drone strike killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iran to retaliate with missile strikes against bases used by the US military in Iraq .
During Friday ’ s drill , the Iranian navy deployed homegrown military equipment , including a submarine and a cruise missile on the second day of exercises near the strategic Strait of Hormuz .
Dubbed “ Zolfaghar 99 ” , the three-day exercises are being held over waters stretching from the northern Indian Ocean to the eastern end of the Strait of Hormuz , through which a fifth of world oil output passes .
The submarine dubbed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” — was seen in action for the first time and sailed up the Indian Ocean , the military said on its website .
The near 600-tonne sub is equipped with torpedoes , mines and cruise missiles , and can stay underwater at a depth of more than 200 metres ( 650 feet ) for up to 35 days , according to Iranian media .
Unveiled last year , it is Iran ’ s first submarine in the semi-heavy category , filling a gap between its light Ghadir class and heavy Kilo class @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a “ Ghader ” land-to-sea cruise missile first unveiled in 2014 , saying it successfully hit its target at a distance of over 200 kilometers ( 124 miles ) .
The installation of missile systems “ all across the country ’ s southern coast has enabled us to target any threat at sea from any point , ” navy commander Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi said .
“ This is not about deterrence ; it ’ s about attacking any target that could pose a threat for Iran , ” he said on state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ showed the missile being fired from a mobile system installed on a truck , with Khanzadi thanking the crew afterwards .
A locally-made “ Simorgh ” combat drone also destroyed its targets using “ smart , precision bombs ” in waters more than a 1,000 kilometers ( 620 miles ) away , the navy said .

Medical experts pushed back against Texas lawmakers’ assertions that puberty blockers and hormone therapies are experimental and put young transgender patients at risk as they testified Tuesday in a hearing that seeks to block a new law banning such medical treatment for kids.
Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy, a doctor who treats adolescents and has been providing gender-affirming care for 17 years, said the body of medical research demonstrates these treatments have a high success rate in improving mental health outcomes of trans youth. But in her clinical work, the evidence is more obvious.
“Recently, I had one of my patients tell me, ‘If you had not allowed me, and helped shepherd me through these interventions, I don’t think I would be here,’” said Olson-Kennedy, the medical director of the Center for Transyouth Health and Development at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
She added that hundreds of her patients have expressed the same sentiment in her nearly two decades treating roughly 1,100 young patients.
Texas families and doctors are suing the state to block Senate Bill 14 from going into effect Sept. 1. That new law would ban transgender youth from taking puberty blockers, receiving hormone therapies and having surgery, the latter of which is rarely performed on minors. Such medical interventions are used to treat gender dysphoria, a medical term for the distress someone experiences when their gender identity doesn’t match their body. The plaintiffs assert that the new law violates their parental rights and interferes with their ability to practice medicine.
Legal groups including the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, Lambda Legal and the Transgender Law Center requested that Travis County District Court Judge Maria Cantú Hexsel issue an injunction against the law.
In her opening statement of the two-day hearing, Assistant Attorney General Heather Dyer rejected the plaintiffs’ claim that SB 14 discriminates based on sex because, she said, people with gender dysphoria are not a protected class.
A central argument of lawmakers supporting SB 14 during the legislative session was that puberty blockers and hormone therapies put young patients at risk for fertility loss and a reduction of bone density. On Tuesday, defense attorneys for the state repeated these claims.
“SB 14 was designed to protect minors from scientifically unsound treatments,” Dyer said.
The medical experts called on by the plaintiffs rejected those claims Tuesday, arguing that the scientific literature supports the use of hormones or puberty blockers as a means to improve the mental health of transgender youth and reduces the dysphoria these young people feel.
“I would not consider estrogen or testosterone the end of the story for fertility,” said Dr. Daniel Shumer, a pediatric endocrinologist at the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor.
Pediatric endocrinology is the field of medicine that specializes in transgender adolescent health care.
Representing the state, Assistant Attorney General Johnathan Stone asked Shumer about the number of his patients who stopped receiving gender-affirming treatment. A group of people who refer to themselves as detransitioners have been vocal opponents of gender-affirming care for youth in legislative hearings throughout the country. During this year’s regular Texas legislative session, Republican lawmakers called on several people who had detransitioned to testify in support of SB 14.
Shumer said of his roughly 400 patients, 10 had stopped taking puberty blockers, a reversible treatment that delays the onset of puberty, and two had stopped taking hormones.
Olson-Kennedy noted that there are a variety of reasons people detransition — including a lack of acceptance of their new identity or a loss of health care access — but overall, the number of people who do take this step is very small.
The state’s only witness on Tuesday was evolutionary biologist Colin Wright, who has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology and ecology from the University of California Santa Barbara. Wright testified that humans can only be “observed and recorded” as either the male or female sex. While individuals can modify their secondary sex characteristics, like body hair and breast development, Wright said people cannot change their sex.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs noted that Wright was not an expert in gender dysphoria and had not published original research on the topic of biological sex. Wright, who is vocal on his social media platforms about his opposition to gender-affirming care for minors, was asked if he thought transgender individuals were delusional. Of the idea that people can change their sex from what was assigned at birth, he said, “that specific belief is a delusional belief.”
Dr. Aron Janssen, a psychiatrist at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, testified to the evidence that psychotherapy alone cannot alleviate gender dysphoria, asserting that puberty blockers or hormone therapy is medically necessary. By restricting access to these treatments, young patients will have worse outcomes, Janssen said.
“There’s an intense improvement we see amongst these kids,” Janssen said of his clinical experience.
Parents of trans youth and Texas health care workers testified about the impact SB 14 would have on their families and patients. One of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, Dr. David Paul, a pediatric endocrinologist who works at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, said SB 14 would strip him of the ability to provide the standard of care for his transgender patients.
“They are probably the most positive outcomes of all the patients I see,” Paul said of patients who receive gender-affirming care. If his patients couldn’t access this type of care, Paul said he worries their physical and mental health will deteriorate. He added he has already lost one of his patients to suicide.
One parent of a transgender child, identified by the pseudonym Mary Moe, said she and her daughter have moved out of the state in the wake of SB 14.
“I would like to return to Texas, but Texas has become very ugly to me and my family,” Moe said.
Texas lawmakers’ efforts to restrict gender-affirming care in Texas followed nearly identical campaigns from other Republican-led state legislatures. Across the country, 19 other states have passed similar legislation. Prohibiting doctors from providing gender-affirming care to trans youth is widely popular among Republican voters — over 85% of registered GOP voters in Texas supported these restrictions to some degree, according to an April poll by the Texas Politics Project.
But the wave of new legislation invited a series of lawsuits across the country seeking to block the laws from going into effect. Those suits have largely proved successful in federal courts.
In June, a federal judge ruled that Arkansas’ ban on gender-affirming care for minors is unconstitutional because it violates the due-process and equal-protection rights of transgender children and their families. Federal judges in Florida, Kentucky and Tennessee have also blocked those states’ laws from going into effect. An appeals court intervened to allow Tennessee to implement its ban, and the Kentucky federal judge lifted the injunction he issued, allowing the law to go into effect.
This lawsuit is filed in state court and claims SB 14 violates parental-right protections laid out in the Texas Constitution.
Disclosure: The ACLU of Texas has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.


rawstory--2020-09-11--Trump said he wanted to have sex with Michael Cohen’s daughter — when she was just 15-years-old: rep

Trump said he wanted to have sex with Michael Cohen’s daughter — when she was just 15-years-old: report

Speaking to Vanity Fair in an interview published this Friday , the daughter of former Trump fixer Michael Cohen spoke about the price her father paid for his years of loyalty to Donald Trump .
In the outset of the piece , an incident detailed in Cohen ’ s new memoir is described where Trump sexually ogled her — with Cohen standing right there in Trump ’ s presence .
The incident involving Samantha Cohen took place in the summer of 2016 .
“ That summer day felt like all the others before it , standing alongside Trump outside the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was ‘ some pressing business matter , like the size of the breasts of a woman sunbathing on a lounge chair.
’ Somehow Trump ’ s attention was diverted to another skirt walking off a tennis court .
‘ Look at that piece of ass , ’ Cohen recalls Trump saying , as he whistled and pointed .
‘ I would love some of that.
’ It so happened that Trump was referring to Cohen ’ s then 15-year-old daughter , Samantha , ” Vanity Fair ’ s Emily Jane Fox writes .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ speaking about his daughter , Trump responded , “ When did she get so hot ?
” “ When Samantha reached her dad , Trump asked her for a kiss on the cheek , before inquiring , ‘ When did you get such a beautiful figure ?
’ and warning her that in a few years , he would be dating one of her friends.
” Read the full piece over at Vanity Fair .

In new allegations revealed Wednesday, Texas House investigators accused suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton of engaging in a complex cover-up to hide his relationship with real estate investor Nate Paul as senior aides grew increasingly concerned about Paxton’s willingness to use his office to benefit Paul.
The subterfuge allegedly included Paxton and Paul creating an Uber account under an alias so they could meet each other and so the attorney general could visit the woman with whom he was having an extramarital affair.
And once Paxton learned several high-ranking officials in his office reported his behavior to the FBI, the House impeachment managers alleged, he took immediate steps to cover up his relationship with Paul, including wiring a $122,000 payment to a Paul-affiliated company in an effort to hide home renovations that Paul had provided for free.
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The allegations, outlined in a series of filings with the Texas Senate’s court of impeachment, shed new light on the relationship between Paul and Paxton that is at the core of his impeachment proceedings.
Among the new claims: Top deputies in the attorney general’s office persistently warned Paxton that Paul was a “crook” and that there was no merit to his claims that he had been unfairly treated by law enforcement, and that the two met at least 20 times in spring and summer 2020, sometimes discussing the FBI investigation into Paul’s faltering real estate empire.
Paxton “blindly accepted Paul’s conspiracy,” impeachment managers alleged. “Senior Staff urged Paxton to stay away. But when it came to Paul, Paxton was immune to reason.”
Paul was arrested in June on federal felony charges of lying to financial institutions to secure business loans.
Responding to Paxton’s pretrial motions that seek to dismiss all 20 articles of impeachment, including four that will not be included in the Sept. 5 impeachment trial, House managers also detailed multiple actions in which Paxton allegedly sought to use his office to benefit Paul.
They alleged that Paxton conducted a “sham criminal investigation” into Paul’s “adversaries,” routinely overriding concerns from agency staff who told him that Paul was a “criminal” and that Paxton needed to “get away.”
Instead, House managers alleged, Paxton became increasingly “entangled in Paul’s web of deceit” and “went to great lengths” to hide his relationship with Paul — using a burner phone and secret email accounts, ditching his security detail and using the fake Uber name to be “ferried to his lover’s or Paul’s properties more than a dozen times.”
In response to Paul’s favors — including allegedly employing the woman and paying to remodel Paxton’s home — Paxton “continually abused the power of his office to advance Paul’s aims,” House managers alleged.
In one instance, Paxton allegedly told agency staff that he did not want the office to assist law enforcement “in any way” with an investigation into Paul, who Paxton claimed was being “railroaded” and needed “unprecedented” access to sensitive information about his case.
After meeting with “alarmed” senior staff, Paxton allegedly demanded files about Paul’s criminal case that included an unredacted FBI letter that identified individuals involved in a 2019 raid on Paul’s home and businesses.
“Paxton held onto the file for more than a week,” House managers wrote. “Ultimately, OAG did not disclose the information to Paul. But Paxton did.”
In another instance, Paxton was accused of issuing a legal opinion that staved off a pending foreclosure sale of Paul’s businesses at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. House investigators cited two agency employees who said they were forced to work through the night to produce the opinion while Paxton frequently called them.
Paxton “sounded like someone was holding him hostage,” one of the staffers told investigators.
The opinion, which Paxton allegedly edited himself, was published at 1 a.m. Aug. 2, 2020, and said foreclosure proceedings posed a public health threat — despite the state’s “open for business” mantra throughout the pandemic, managers said.
The next day, managers alleged, Paul cited the opinion to successfully delay the foreclosures.
“It is hard to imagine a more blatant abuse of Paxton’s office,” House managers wrote.
Paxton’s legal team had filed more than a dozen motions to dismiss all articles of impeachment, often arguing that the underlying allegations were baseless or fell under the legitimate duties of the attorney general’s office.
His attorneys also accused the Texas House of trying to “overturn the will of voters” who reelected Paxton to a third term last year despite various public scandals dating to 2015. One argument stressed that Paxton cannot be impeached for alleged misconduct that predated his most recent election under the so-called “prior-term doctrine.” And they downplayed some of the allegations he faces, saying that, even if true, they are not severe enough to warrant his removal from office.
Paxton’s lawyers also attacked two bribery-related impeachment articles, saying there was no evidence of a “quid pro quo” and that Paxton’s ties to Paul were nothing more than “a personal relationship with a constituent and that the constituent found something the Attorney General did to be agreeable in some way.”
Under rules adopted by the Senate, any pretrial motion to dismiss or quash an article of impeachment must be voted on by senators. A majority — 16 senators — can approve dismissal of an article, placing an early test on the determination of the chamber’s 19 Republicans to allow a trial on the allegations. Those votes are set to be taken shortly after the trial begins in September.
In a written response, filed with the Senate on Tuesday and made public Wednesday, the impeachment team challenged other pretrial assertions from Paxton’s lawyers, who claimed the articles of impeachment were deficient because they failed to list specific laws that Paxton allegedly broke.
“Impeachable offenses need not be indictable crimes,” the House team argued. “Impeachment in Texas seeks to protect against conduct that undermines the integrity of the office, disregards constitutional duties and oaths of office, abuses government process and power, and adversely impacts the system of government.”
What’s more, the team argued, many of the articles listed particular crimes, and several detailed “how Paxton abused his office for his own personal benefit or that of Nate Paul and business entities controlled by Paul.”
More broadly, the managers emphasized that the impeachment trial is not a criminal or civil proceeding, as Paxton’s side has implied. In one new filing, the managers wrote that an impeachment trial is “a unique, if not mostly Political, with a capital ‘P’, proceeding — i.e., an action by the representatives of the people challenging official actions that are contrary to the public interest.”
That view aligns with the view that Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who leads the Senate and is acting as judge in the impeachment trial, offered in a TV interview Tuesday.
“It’s not a criminal trial. It’s not a civil trial. It’s a political trial,” Patrick told the Fox affiliate in Houston.
The House managers also asked the Senate to dismiss Paxton’s motion to quash the articles or return them to the House to add more detail to the allegations. The managers said the demand shows a “fundamental misunderstanding” of how impeachment works, arguing that the Texas Constitution does not require the level of detail common in a civil or criminal proceeding.
“A person can be impeached without an indictment, therefore Paxton does not have any right to demand more details,” the managers said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.


rawstory--2020-09-12--‘Weirdest cult I’ve ever seen’: Bafflement over why Trump tweeted wacky pics of his supporters

President Donald Trump on Saturday amused himself on Twitter after holding a fundraiser at his DC hotel and before a @ @ @ @ @ After claiming that Hispanic voters were “ strongly favoring ” his campaign , Trump praised @ @ @ @ @ photo of a wedding at a house that was painted as a giant campaign sign @ @ @ @ @ great deal of commentary online , here ’ s some of what people were saying @

"Don't accept slavery, you deserve the best!" she wrote in her posts.
But she has now been detained again and moved outside of Tehran to Qarchak women's prison, whose conditions are repeatedly criticised by rights groups, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said.
The group, which collates information from activists, said it had confirmed her re-arrest with a source close to the family.
Maroufian, whose age is given by Persian media outside Iran as 23, in October published an interview on the Mostaghel Online news site with Amjad Amini.
He is the father of Mahsa Amini, 22. Her death in custody last September 16 after she allegedly violated the dress rules sparked months of protests.
In the interview, Amjad Amini accused authorities of lying about the circumstances of his daughter's death.
Iranian authorities have indicated she died because of a health problem, but the family and activists have said she suffered a blow to the head while in custody.
Echoes of another case
Maroufian, a Tehran-based journalist from Amini's hometown of Saqez in Kurdistan province, was first arrested in November.
She was later released but in January said she had been sentenced to two years in jail, suspended for five years, on charges of propaganda against the system and spreading false news.
According to rights groups, Maroufian was again ordered back to Evin prison in early July.
Her rapid return to prison after posting defiant images upon her release on Sunday recalls the case of labour activist Sepideh Gholian.
In March, Gholian was re-arrested hours after she walked free from jail bare-headed and chanting slogans against Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Gholian, one of the most prominent female activists detained in Iran, remains in prison.
Iran has reacted harshly to reporting inside the country on the Amini case.
The two women journalists who helped bring the story to the world's attention have now spent almost a year in Evin prison after their arrest in September.
Niloufar Hamedi reported for Iran's Shargh newspaper from the hospital where Amini languished in a coma for three days before she died, and Elahe Mohammadi, a reporter for the Ham Mihan newspaper, went to Saqez to report on Amini's funeral.
Both are now on trial on charges of violating national security, which they vehemently deny.
According to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, 95 reporters were arrested in the crackdown on the Amini protests, although most have now been released on bail.
The crackdown left hundreds dead, mainly demonstrators but also security personnel.
© 2023 AFP


rawstory--2020-09-12--CNN airs shocking video of no social distancing and few masks at Trump rally in Nevada

Trump supporters are refusing to social distance while waiting to enter a rally in Nevada and few are wearing masks , CNN reported Saturday .
“ Happening right now , people packed in lines in the Reno area to see the president speak this evening , they are waiting to enter his rally which actually doesn ’ t get underway for the next five hours or so , ” Ana Cabrera reported .
“ This is a rally , of course , he has not cancelled or postponed despite — not just the risk of the coronavirus spreading — but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the raging wildfires across much of the west right now , ” she reported .
“ This after we learn the president has known the truth all along about just how deadly and dangerous this virus is and he ’ s been intentionally downplaying the severity of it , he says , as his own voice revealed conversations he had with veteran journalist and author Bob Woodward , ” she noted .
Cabrera interviewed CNN reporter Boris Sanchez , who is in Minden , Nevada to cover the rally .
“ They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ standing very closely together , ” he reported .
“ Keep in mind they have been here for hours , already , in scorching heat.
” “ The campaign , when we asked them about what measures they were taking to protect these folks , gave us the standard statement that they are checking temperatures , making sure people have masks , but as you can see they ’ re not enforcing whether people are wearing them or not , ” he reported .
“ This event , we should note , was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ determined that holding this event there would go against the mandate from the state of Nevada that bans gatherings of 50 people or more .
”

Trump supporters are refusing to social distance while waiting to enter a rally in Nevada and few are wearing masks, CNN reported Saturday.
"Happening right now, people packed in lines in the Reno area to see the president speak this evening, they are waiting to enter his rally which actually doesn't get underway for the next five hours or so," Ana Cabrera reported.
"This is a rally, of course, he has not cancelled or postponed despite -- not just the risk of the coronavirus spreading -- but also a local air quality alert due to the raging wildfires across much of the west right now," she reported.
"This after we learn the president has known the truth all along about just how deadly and dangerous this virus is and he's been intentionally downplaying the severity of it, he says, as his own voice revealed conversations he had with veteran journalist and author Bob Woodward," she noted.
Cabrera interviewed CNN reporter Boris Sanchez, who is in Minden, Nevada to cover the rally.
"They're chanting, they're standing very closely together," he reported. "Keep in mind they have been here for hours, already, in scorching heat."
"The campaign, when we asked them about what measures they were taking to protect these folks, gave us the standard statement that they are checking temperatures, making sure people have masks, but as you can see they're not enforcing whether people are wearing them or not," he reported. "This event, we should note, was moved from the Reno airport because officials determined that holding this event there would go against the mandate from the state of Nevada that bans gatherings of 50 people or more."
Watch:


rawstory--2020-09-13--Trump busted for claiming he received non-existent ‘Bay of Pigs Award’ in Twitter rant

Following news that billionaire Michael Bloomberg is sinking $ 100 million into Florida to boost Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and defeat Donald Trump in November , the president first attacked Bloomberg on Twitter and then laid claim to an award that he stated was bestowed upon him by some of Florida ’ s Cuban-Americans .
As CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale explains , there is no such thing as the awkwardly named “ Bay of Pigs Award.
” According to Trump , “ Sleepy Joe Biden has spent 47 years in politics being terrible to Hispanics .
Now he is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help him out .
That won ’ t work !
Remember , Miami Cubans gave me the highly honored Bay of Pigs Award for all I have done for our great Cuban Population !
” According to Dale , ” For those confused by Trump ’ s claim he got the ‘ highly honored Bay of Pigs Award ’ : He got an endorsement in 2016 from the Bay of Pigs Veterans Association .
It ’ s not an award .
He has a long history of turning endorsements and other non-awards into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The thing is that it was , according to local news coverage , an unprecedented endorsement from the Bay of Pigs Veterans .
So Trump could accurately boast about it .
But he often seems to prefer wrongness to even impressive-sounding correctness – no truth too good not to embellish.
” You can see the tweets below :

Following news that billionaire Michael Bloomberg is sinking $100 million into Florida to boost Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and defeat Donald Trump in November, the president first attacked Bloomberg on Twitter and then laid claim to an award that he stated was bestowed upon him by some of Florida's Cuban-Americans.
As CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale explains, there is no such thing as the awkwardly named "Bay of Pigs Award."
According to Trump, "Sleepy Joe Biden has spent 47 years in politics being terrible to Hispanics. Now he is relying on Castro lover Bernie Sanders to help him out. That won’t work! Remember, Miami Cubans gave me the highly honored Bay of Pigs Award for all I have done for our great Cuban Population!"
According to Dale,"For those confused by Trump’s claim he got the 'highly honored Bay of Pigs Award': He got an endorsement in 2016 from the Bay of Pigs Veterans Association. It’s not an award. He has a long history of turning endorsements and other non-awards into awards."
He then added, "The thing is that it was, according to local news coverage, an unprecedented endorsement from the Bay of Pigs Veterans. So Trump could accurately boast about it. But he often seems to prefer wrongness to even impressive-sounding correctness - no truth too good not to embellish."
You can see the tweets below:


rawstory--2020-09-13--ABC reporter doubles down after calling Trump a liar to his face: ‘There’s no other way to put it’

ABC White House correspondent Jonathan Karl on Sunday revealed why he finally relented and used the word “ lie ” to describe how President Donald Trump withheld information about COVID-19 from the American people .
At a press conference on Friday , Karl had confronted Trump about an audio tape in which the president admits that he publicly downplayed the virus even though he knew it was much more serious .
“ Why did you lie to the American people and why should we trust what you say now ?
” Karl asked the president , who responded by calling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sunday , CNN ’ s Brian Stelter asked Karl why he chose to use the word “ lie.
” “ I ’ ve resisted using that word for five years of covering Donald Trump , as a candidate and as president , ” Karl explained .
“ But I went in there feeling that there was no other way to put it.
” According to the ABC reporter , audio tapes recorded by journalist Bob Woodward make it clear “ that the president knew what the truth was and , in fact , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ telling the truth.
” “ That is by definition a lie , ” Karl observed .
“ So , I just felt I needed to ask the question as directly and plainly as possible.
” Watch the video below from CNN .

ABC White House correspondent Jonathan Karl on Sunday revealed why he finally relented and used the word "lie" to describe how President Donald Trump withheld information about COVID-19 from the American people.
At a press conference on Friday, Karl had confronted Trump about an audio tape in which the president admits that he publicly downplayed the virus even though he knew it was much more serious.
"Why did you lie to the American people and why should we trust what you say now?" Karl asked the president, who responded by calling the reporter a "disgrace."
On Sunday, CNN's Brian Stelter asked Karl why he chose to use the word "lie."
"I've resisted using that word for five years of covering Donald Trump, as a candidate and as president," Karl explained. "But I went in there feeling that there was no other way to put it."
According to the ABC reporter, audio tapes recorded by journalist Bob Woodward make it clear "that the president knew what the truth was and, in fact, explained to Woodward his reason for not telling the truth."
"That is by definition a lie," Karl observed. "So, I just felt I needed to ask the question as directly and plainly as possible."
Watch the video below from CNN.


rawstory--2020-09-17--Bombshell: Pence’s former top homeland security aide endorses Biden in devastating new ad

Another lifelong Republican and former top Trump administration official has endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden .
“ Olivia Troye , the former top homeland security aide to Vice President Mike Pence , endorsed former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Thursday and accused President Trump of weak leadership and of dramatically mismanaging the response to the coronavirus crisis , ” The New York Times reported Thursday .
“ In an ad released online , Ms. Troye recounts hearing the president — who has spoken about his phobia of germs — say in a meeting that he was glad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States , because it meant he would no longer have to shake hands with people he said he considered ‘ disgusting . '
” “ Josh Venable , who served as the chief of staff for Betsy DeVos , the secretary of education , will also join the group , known as REPAIR ( Republican Political Alliance for Integrity and Reform ) , according to a statement .
John Mitnick , the former top lawyer at Mr. Trump ’ s Department of Homeland Security , is an adviser to the group , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Troye , a lifelong Republican who also worked in the George W. Bush administration , said in the statement that she will serve as a co-founder of the group , with the goal of restoring integrity to the Republican Party .
”

Another lifelong Republican and former top Trump administration official has endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden.
"Olivia Troye, the former top homeland security aide to Vice President Mike Pence, endorsed former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Thursday and accused President Trump of weak leadership and of dramatically mismanaging the response to the coronavirus crisis," The New York Timesreported Thursday. "In an ad released online, Ms. Troye recounts hearing the president — who has spoken about his phobia of germs — say in a meeting that he was glad that the virus had arrived in the United States, because it meant he would no longer have to shake hands with people he said he considered 'disgusting.'"
"Josh Venable, who served as the chief of staff for Betsy DeVos, the secretary of education, will also join the group, known as REPAIR (Republican Political Alliance for Integrity and Reform), according to a statement. John Mitnick, the former top lawyer at Mr. Trump’s Department of Homeland Security, is an adviser to the group," the newspaper reported. "Ms. Troye, a lifelong Republican who also worked in the George W. Bush administration, said in the statement that she will serve as a co-founder of the group, with the goal of restoring integrity to the Republican Party."


rawstory--2020-09-19--Mitch McConnell flattened by ex-White House official  for plan to rush through Ginsburg replacement

Appearing with CNN host Anderson Cooper , former White House adviser David Gergen rained hell on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) after he announced he would , d rush through a vote on a replacement for the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg just hours after it was announced she had passed away .
Gergen , who served in the White House under both Republican and Democratic presidents seemed beside himself with anger when he talked about McConnell who notoriously blocked Merrick Garland from the court after being nominated by former President Barack Obama .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gauntlet , we ’ re going to have a titanic fight over this , ” Gergen exclaimed .
“ Yes , as Jeffrey [ Toobin ] has said , it will mobilize a lot of people on the right , the hunger still to overturn Roe vs Wade to get social issues on the 6-3 court , they will think Donald Trump has delivered on his promises.
” “ This will unleash a fury among Democrats , for all the obvious reasons , ” he continued .
“ It ’ s so brazenly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s hypocritical .
You ’ re going to see that the Republicans will pay a price at the polls this November .
Another one of the things , I think it makes it more likely that Joe Biden will win the election , it makes it more likely that the Democrats will take over the Senate .
”

Hundreds of these green “boxes” are attached to the riverbank walls along a three-kilometer stretch of the river that passes right through the heart of the French capital. They are as familiar and distinctive a Parisian sight as the tops of Notre Dame's towers rising above the rooftops behind them.
“We’ve been along the quays of the Seine for 450 years, and on the parapets since they were built by Napoleon III,” says one bouquiniste who has been an official delegate representing the booksellers along the central stretch of the right bank for 30 years.
Now the traditional shops are facing an unexpected threat. At the end of July, Paris city hall said that the kiosks would have to be removed when the city hosts the Summer Olympic Games in July and August 2024.
The opening ceremony is set to be a ground-breaking event, taking place – for the first time – not inside a stadium but along the river itself, with massive crowds expected to watch from the quays.
The unique open-air spectacle requires a colossal security operation and the kiosks must be taken down as a safety measure, the Paris prefecture said in July.
“They’re worried that people are going to climb on the boxes. But if the boxes are open, they can’t. And there’ll be railings [installed], which are dangerous too,” says Juliette, who has been selling books along the quays for a year. “All the booksellers here will tell you they don’t agree with the plans.”
Her sentiments are echoed by Lim, who is running his wife’s shop for the day. He has just sold a second-hand children’s book to an elderly French customer. “I don’t understand why they would remove them. The boxes are a part of Paris,” he says.
“The biggest problem for me is the symbolism,” says Camille, who has sold books on the Seine for 10 years and has owned her own kiosks for five.
“For a ceremony that will last four hours, they want to make us move for months. We are part of the Paris landscape. Removing us is like removing a building.”
The bouquinistes also have practical concerns. The summer months are typically the busiest time of year for the open-air shops, as good weather brings more foot traffic and tourists to the city centre.
“Summer is the time when we make money for the rest of the year. It’s what allows us to survive. If we miss a summer of work, it’s very difficult to bounce back,” Camille says, pausing to sell a collection of vintage Vogue magazine photos to two tourists in their 20s.
Tourist numbers in Paris are expected to rise to more than 10 million in summer 2024, thanks to the Games.
To make sure the booksellers don’t miss out completely, Paris city hall has suggested they could move to a dedicated book market near the Place de la Bastille in order to keep trading over the summer months.
The idea has not been well received. In their current location, the sellers are perfectly positioned to attract foot traffic from the busy Arcole bridge that connects tourist sites on the Île de la Cité to the vibrant Marais district on the right bank. By contrast, “there’s no one at Bastille”, says Juliette.
The idea of going from bouquiniste to market stall seller also doesn’t appeal. There is an evident sense of pride among the shopkeepers that their presence in the city centre contributes to the capital’s cultural heritage in a unique way. “People who come to us come for the boxes, for their character. They represent Paris,” Juliette adds.
Uncertainty
Paris city hall has said it will manage the removal, storage and reinstallation of an estimated 570 kiosks “located within the opening ceremony security perimeter” ahead of the games, but questions abound on how the feat will be achieved.
“Where will they put them? How will we get them back? And how long will it last for?” Lim asks. “[City hall] doesn’t have the answers. There’s a lot of uncertainty.”
Shoppers look at products on sale at Lim's kiosk along the quays of the Seine, August 15, 2023. © Joanna York, FRANCE 24
Shopkeepers are also worried about the impact the move will have on the kiosks themselves.
“They’re not made to be moved,” says Camille. “Each box is made differently because they’re all made by different people. It takes a lot of time to take them down and a good understanding of how they’re made.”
“Some boxes are very old. Mine are [30 years old], and every time I’ve moved them, they get a little damaged.”
Then there is the stock to think about. A seller with multiple kiosks can store thousands of books inside, some of which could be rare and fragile collectibles.
Camille has 2,000 books that will need to be stored elsewhere if her kiosks are dismantled. “I don’t have anywhere else to keep them. Unless I fill up my apartment for two months,” she says.
A few kiosks down, the 30-year booksellers’ delegate runs a stall that looks, at a glance, sparser than the others. There are no souvenirs or posters for sale; instead, his is dedicated entirely to rare, vintage books. In fact he is rarely at his own, instead walking from kiosk to kiosk speaking to different customers and shopkeepers, enjoying the atmosphere and opportunities for conversation that the rows of booksellers bring to what would otherwise be a busy riverside sidewalk.
His role as delegate puts him in regular contact with Paris city hall, and he was shocked at how officials broke the news of plans to remove the bouquinistes.
“There was no discussion,” he says. “I thought we were going to a meeting to prepare for the Games. But city hall had already made an administrative decision, validated it with the prefecture, and none of us bouquinistes were consulted during the process.”
He fears local officials do not value what the bouquinistes bring to the riverside, saying there have been previous attempts to convert the boxes into enclosed rental spaces or to move the shopkeepers outside of the city centre. His major concern is that, once removed, the kiosks may never return.
“All we have is a verbal promise, and we can’t just work with that. The sensible thing to do is to stay where we are, and we hope we have support to do that.”


rawstory--2020-09-20--Trump claims Biden is on drugs: ‘They gave him a big, fat, shot in the ass’

President Donald Trump has repeatedly accused Joe Biden of using performance-enhancing drugs .
The idea that Biden is appearing too @ @ @ @ @ with Trump ’ s simultaneous accusation that Biden is senile , but such is the @ @ @ @ @ s re-election campaign .
Trump added new delusions to his conspiracy theory during a Saturday @ @ @ @ @ North Carolina .
“ They gave him a big , fat , shot in the @ @ @ @ @ , ” Trump claimed as his audience laughed .
“ And for two hours he @ @ @ @ @ before .
The problem is , what happens after that .
”

The caller began rattling off questions about "the guy who's from New York," asking vague questions about something that Signorile suggested was likely a conspiracy theory with no supporting facts.
POLL: Should Trump be allowed to run for office?
There was a debate about whether Trump was being charged with "insurrection" – in fact, his many charges include "defrauding the United States," but not insurrection.
John then began rattling off comments about conspiracies in Philadelphia during the 2020 election.
Signorile explained that Donald Trump was unsuccessful in each case where he went to court over the election. In most cases, the courts ruled he was relying on unsubstantiated facts and hearsay.
"Let's make believe, in John from Staten Island World, that he was someone who was somehow facing an injustice. Does that give him a right to engage in illegal means to overturn the government?" Signorile asked.
John from Staten Island accused Signorile of using "innuendo," and went on to cite what Donald Trump told people.
Signorile went on to say that the way the American system works is that those who have disagreements use the law to fight their case, they don't side-step the law and do whatever they want. That, he said, is why Trump is being accused of the crimes he is at the federal and state level.
"He is every stereotype of place, the only borough of New York City that voted for Trump — and where there was a rally over the weekend to stop migrant asylum-seekers from being sheltered there, even though just about everyone living there, a place dominated by Italian-Americans, descended from immigrants," Signorile, who said he was from the borough, wrote after the call.
"(And let me tell you that not everyone there is like this!)"
Listen to the exchanges in the audio here.


rawstory--2020-09-20--Watch Trump tell a brazen lie about teleprompters — while using two teleprompters at MAGA rally

Right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is spreading a conspiracy theory that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg chose to die to help Democrats in the 2020 election .
Video of Jones ' Infowars show was posted online by the watchdog group Media Matters for America .
`` And this , you know , I talked to a White House adviser as well , not just the two of the White House lawyers today , just in the last 30 minutes before we went -- when you were already live , I was talking to them , '' Jones claimed .
`` And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sick math is they had her on life support , they could keep her alive with adrenaline and growth hormone and blood transfusions , and it was her wish to go ahead and die to get the vote out as a blood sacrifice because her main mission was to get abortion , which she helped get through , and that blood sacrifice that [ Sen. Chuck ] Schumer [ D-NY ] talked about , if you want a war , quit letting us have the blood of the babies , we need that @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Seventeen minutes after the 13 new felony charges were released, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) took to social media and declared it a “ WITCH HUNT .”
And before the clock struck 11:30 p.m., House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) declared the two-plus-year investigation a “ sham ,” even as a sworn grand jury in Fulton County, Ga., unanimously disagreed with the speaker’s assessment.
Today’s indictment is just the latest political attack in the Democrats’ WITCH HUNT against President Trump.
He did nothing wrong!
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) August 15, 2023
A senior member of the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), says we ain’t seen nothing yet.
“We're going to be subjected to a massive disinformation and distraction campaign by the Republicans. Distort, distract, deflect and dissemble. Those are the tools of the trade,” Connolly told Raw Story. “But I think it's going to be very hard to overcome the facts as they're being laid out in these various indictments.”
While the conservative media machine is following the lead of Trump and his Republican allies in Congress, Connolly says their distortions-to-lies get harder to defend with each new case — not to mention the 91 felony charges now hanging over the former president.
RELATED ARTICLE: 11 ways Donald Trump doesn’t become president again
“They’re all engaged in defending the indefensible. You know, they can rail all they want about a laptop that was owned by the son of the president of the United States, but we've got four criminal indictments in four different locations of the former president and his acolytes,” Connolly says. “And that's pretty compelling.”
Still, even before the indictment dropped Monday evening, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) urged Republicans to defund special counsel Jack Smith, which is something Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Matt Gaetz (R-FL), for two, have been pushing in Congress.
Gingrich goes on to urge House Republicans to cut off special counsel Jack Smith's funding as of September 30, saying, "I think this is so dangerous to the very survival of the republic that it has to be stopped." pic.twitter.com/39C16cTUFw
— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) August 15, 2023
Connolly wonders if some Republicans are getting nervous.
“Now, members of Congress, you know, I think many of them crossed the line. Some of them came perilously close to that line, and we'll see what happens with them,” Connolly says.
Of the four Republicans the House Jan. 6 select committee formally referred to the House Ethics Committee — McCarthy, Jordan, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) and Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) — the new indictment only mentions Perry .
After all 16 alleged fake electors in Michigan were charged last month, Raw Story exclusively reported Perry — along with Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) — denied being worried.
“I don’t have any concerns,” Perry told Raw Story .
This latest indictment has the other three lawmakers named by the Jan. 6 select committee — McCarthy, Biggs and Jordan — publicly parroting Trump, even as Connolly says they’re likely singing a different tune in private.
“In some ways, this is the most sweeping of all of the indictments, because it's all-encompassing. It finally points the finger at what, in fact, all of us saw, and wraps a very coherent narrative around it as a massive conspiracy involving lots of people,” Connolly said. “I mean, that's massive. I think it's a big deal. You can't overstate the criticality of this indictment.”
Connolly says they’re mimicking Trump in more ways than one.
“That’s all part and parcel of the attempt to try to dismantle and degrade and demean and dismiss the legal system in America,” Connolly says. “When you can't win your case in front of a jury, then maybe you try to debunk the entire legal system?”
Gingrich goes on to urge House Republicans to cut off special counsel Jack Smith's funding as of September 30, saying, "I think this is so dangerous to the very survival of the republic that it has to be stopped." pic.twitter.com/39C16cTUFw
— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) August 15, 2023
But that’s why Connolly and other Democrats are glad the Fulton County, Ga., trial is slated to be televised — in likely contrast to federal court proceedings, where there are no plans for television coverage.
“It’s necessary for the country to see this, to hear it, to go through this process,” Connolly says. “The public needs to hear the evidence. It's compelling. You know, it's one thing to read a headline and decide you can dismiss it. It's another to be riveted in front of the television and watch the evidence unfold in the courtroom where political rhetoric isn't going to cut it. It's now in a court of law, and you're being held to legal standards. And you're accused of violating them criminally, along with 18 co-conspirators.”


rawstory--2020-09-20--Lincoln Project releases devastating new ad against Republican Lindsey Graham

The chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee had his own words used against him in a hard-hitting new ad from @ @ @ @ @ If an opening comes in the last year of President Trump ’ s term , @ @ @ @ @ started , we ’ ll wait till the next election , ” Graham promised The @ @ @ @ @ in October of 2018 .
It wasn ’ t the only time Graham had made @ @ @ @ @ was pointed out by Vanita Gupta , the president and CEO of The Leadership Conference @ @ @ @ @ .
As Trump is pushing the Senate to confirm whomever he nominates , Graham ’ @ @ @ @ @ added meaning .
Graham also has political considerations , the confirmation could keep him from @ @ @ @ @ where he is facing a tough challenge from Jaime Harrison .
Here is the Lincoln @ @ @ @ @ :

The chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee had his own words used against him in a hard-hitting new ad from the Lincoln Project.
"If an opening comes in the last year of President Trump's term, and the primary process has started, we'll wait till the next election," Graham promised The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg in October of 2018.
It wasn't the only time Graham had made such a claim, as was pointed out by Vanita Gupta, the president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
As Trump is pushing the Senate to confirm whomever he nominates, Graham's statements have taken on added meaning.
Graham also has political considerations, the confirmation could keep him from campaigning in South Carolina, where he is facing a tough challenge from Jaime Harrison.
Here is the Lincoln Project's new ad:


rawstory--2020-09-21--Bank account used for Trump’s hush money payments got cash linked to Russian oligarch: Andrew Weissm

Bank account used for Trump’s hush money payments got cash linked to Russian oligarch: Andrew Weissmann

The latest bombshell book on the Trump administration reveals new details on the special counsel investigation into the president ’ s relationship with Moscow .
“ The team led by Robert S. Mueller III , the special counsel , failed to do everything it could to determine what happened in the 2016 election , shying away from steps like subpoenaing President Trump and scrutinizing his finances out of fear he would fire them , one of Mr. Mueller ’ s top lieutenants argued in the first insider account of the inquiry , ” The New York Times reported Monday .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ protect its files of evidence from the risk that the Justice Department might destroy them if Mr. Trump fired them and worked to keep reporters and the public from learning what they were up to , Mr. Weissmann wrote in “ Where Law Ends : Inside the Mueller Investigation , ” which Random House will publish next week , ” the newspaper reported .
“ While he speaks reverently of Mr. Mueller , he also says his boss ’ s diffidence made him ill-suited for aspects of shepherding the politically charged investigation .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Aaron M. Zebley , as overly cautious.
” According to The Times , the book contains bombshell new revelations .
“ And he revealed new details — for example , writing that the same business account that sent hush payments to an adult film star who alleged an extramarital affair with Mr. Trump had also received ‘ payments linked to a Russian oligarch.
’ The president has denied the affair ; his former lawyer Michael D. Cohen controlled the account .
Mr. Mueller transferred the Cohen matter to prosecutors in New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ details about the Russian payments , ” the newspaper reported .
“ Ty Cobb , a lawyer for Mr. Trump , also privately promised to be a ‘ canary in the coal mine ’ and provide a heads up if Mr. Trump was going to fire the special counsel team , according to Mr. Weissmann .
Mr. Cobb did not respond to a request for comment .
”

The latest bombshell book on the Trump administration reveals new details on the special counsel investigation into the president's relationship with Moscow.
"The team led by Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel, failed to do everything it could to determine what happened in the 2016 election, shying away from steps like subpoenaing President Trump and scrutinizing his finances out of fear he would fire them, one of Mr. Mueller’s top lieutenants argued in the first insider account of the inquiry," The New York Timesreported Monday.
"The team took elaborate steps to protect its files of evidence from the risk that the Justice Department might destroy them if Mr. Trump fired them and worked to keep reporters and the public from learning what they were up to, Mr. Weissmann wrote in “Where Law Ends: Inside the Mueller Investigation,” which Random House will publish next week," the newspaper reported. "While he speaks reverently of Mr. Mueller, he also says his boss’s diffidence made him ill-suited for aspects of shepherding the politically charged investigation. He saw Mr. Mueller and his deputy, Aaron M. Zebley, as overly cautious."
According to The Times, the book contains bombshell new revelations.
"And he revealed new details — for example, writing that the same business account that sent hush payments to an adult film star who alleged an extramarital affair with Mr. Trump had also received 'payments linked to a Russian oligarch.' The president has denied the affair; his former lawyer Michael D. Cohen controlled the account. Mr. Mueller transferred the Cohen matter to prosecutors in New York, and Mr. Weissmann provided no further details about the Russian payments," the newspaper reported. "Ty Cobb, a lawyer for Mr. Trump, also privately promised to be a 'canary in the coal mine' and provide a heads up if Mr. Trump was going to fire the special counsel team, according to Mr. Weissmann. Mr. Cobb did not respond to a request for comment."


rawstory--2020-09-21--Betsy DeVos under Special Counsel investigation over Fox News appearance: report

Yet another top Trump administration official is being investigated for violating federal law .
“ The Office of the Special Counsel has started investigating Education Secretary Betsy DeVos for potentially violating the Hatch Act , after she slammed Joe Biden in a Fox News interview and her agency promoted it through official channels , ” Politico reported Monday .
“ The head of investigative watchdog blog Checks and Balances Project Scott Peterson said in an interview that OSC Hatch Act attorney Eric Johnson told him he had been assigned to investigate the matter.
” Politico reported how Peterson recounted what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll investigate matters in your complaint , ” Johnson reportedly said .
“ The incident seems very well documented.
” Johnson also told him that because of remote work prompted by the coronavirus pandemic , the timeline for the investigation is uncertain .
“ DeVos would become one of the most high-profile Trump officials known to have been investigated for violating the Hatch Act .
Depending on what OSC finds , she would be the second member of the Trump Cabinet to be found to have violated the law .
At least 12 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Act , according to the OSC , the independent agency that probes possible violations .
In most cases , the office decided that the violation was minor enough to merit only a warning letter .
Only one case , that of former senior counselor Kellyanne Conway , was sent to President Donald Trump for action , and he didn ’ t act on it , ” Politico reported .

I’m a macroeconomistwho’s interested in understanding how these space-related innovations and the growing role of private industry have affected the economy. Recently, the U.S. government started tracking the space economy’s size. These data can tell us the size of the space-related industry, whether its outputs come mainly from government or private enterprise, and how they have been growing relative to the economy at large.
Companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galacticmade up over 80% of the U.S. space economy in 2021. The government held a 19% share of space spending, up from 16% in 2012 – mostly thanks to an increase in military spending.
Ways to measure the space economy
There are many ways to measure economic success in space.
One way is the economic impact. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, which tracks the nation’s gross domestic product and other indicators, recently began to monitor the space economy and published figures from 2012 to 2021. The Bureau of Economic Analysis calculated the impact of space using both broad and narrow definitions.
The broad definition comprises four parts: things used in space, like rocket ships; items supporting space travel, like launch pads; things getting direct input from space, like cell phone GPS chips; and space education, like planetariums and college astrophysics departments.
In 2021, the broad definition showed that total space-related sales, or what the government calls gross output, was over US$210 billion, before adjusting for inflation. That number represents about 0.5% of the whole U.S. economy’s total gross output.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis also has a narrow definition that excludes satellite television, satellite radio and space education. The difference in definitions is important because back in 2012 these three categories represented one-quarter of all space spending. However, by 2021, they only represented one-eighth of spending because many people had switched from watching satellite TV to streaming movies and shows over the internet.
Space’s share of the economy
A closer look at the data shows that space’s share of the U.S. economy is shrinking.
Using the broad definition and adjusting for inflation, the relative size of the space economy fell by about one-fifth from 2012 to 2021. This is because sales of space-related items – everything from rockets to satellite TV – have barely changed since 2015.
Using the narrow definition also shows the space economy is getting relatively smaller. From 2012 to 2021, the space sector’s inflation-adjusted gross output grew on average 3% a year, compared with 5% for the overall economy. This suggests space is not growing as fast as other economic sectors.
Space jobs
The number of jobs created by the space economy has also declined. In 2021, 360,000 people worked full- or part-time space-related jobs in the private sector, down from 372,000 about a decade earlier, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis could not track all space-related government jobs since spy agencies and parts of the military don’t provide much information. Nevertheless, it has tracked some since 2018. The military’s Space Force, which is the smallest branch, adds about 9,000 workers. NASA has about 18,000 employees, which is half of its 1960s peak.
Combining these government workers plus all private workers results in just under 400,000 people. To give some perspective, Amazon’s U.S. workforce is over twice as big and Walmart’s is four times bigger than reported U.S. space-related employment.
On July 14, 2023, India launched a rocket as part of its Chandrayaan-3 mission to put a lander and rover on the south pole of the Moon.
Growing competition in space
The U.S. has long dominated the space economy, especially in terms of government spending.
The U.S. government spent a little more than $40 billion in 2017, compared with about $3.5 billion spent by Japan and less than $2 billion by Russia.
Moreover, most of the top private space companies are based in the U.S., led by Boeing, SpaceX and Raytheon, which gives the U.S. a leg up in continuing to play a leading role with the rockets, satellites and other stuff needed to operate in space.
The U.S. also published more than twice the amount of space research in 2017 as its next nearest rival – China.
But China is catching up and has narrowed the gap in recent years as top Chinese officials decided success in space is a national priority. Their goal is reportedly to surpass the U.S. as the dominant space power by 2045. China recently put a large space station called the Tiangong into orbit and aims to put people on the Moon.
China’s not the only one joining the 21st century space race. India is expanding its space economy rapidly, with 140 space-tech startups. India launched a rocket on July 14, 2023, designed to put a lander and rover on the Moon. And the European Space Agency’s Euclid spacecraft plans to map parts of the universe to study dark matter. The ESA released the craft’s first test images at the end of July 2023.
The U.S. has a strong foothold in space. But whether it can maintain its lead – as the space race moves into a new frontier of space mining and missions to Mars – remains to be seen.
Jay L. Zagorsky, Clinical Associate Professor of Markets, Public Policy and Law, Boston University


rawstory--2020-09-22--Patagonia calls out climate deniers with blunt message on label

Outdoor retailer Patagonia , known for championing environmental causes , has put it bluntly to voters in a label on a limited-edition pair of shorts that says “ VOTE THE ASSHOLES OUT.
” The company said the message , printed on the underside of a clothing tag , was added to its 2020 men ’ s and women ’ s “ regenerative organic stand-up shorts ” in defiance of climate change deniers .
“ Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard has been saying ‘ vote the assholes out ’ for several years , ” company spokesperson Tessa Byars told AFP via email @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from any party who deny or disregard the climate crisis and ignore science , not because they aren ’ t aware of it , but because their pockets are lined with money from oil and gas interests.
” In 2017 , the company changed its website ’ s homepage , posting a message in giant white letters against a black background that read “ The President Stole Your Land.
” The move was aimed at raising awareness on environmental rollbacks by the Trump administration .
The company ’ s political activism this year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Election Day November 3 and offering employees up to four days off to train and serve as poll workers to help offset a nationwide shortage because of the COVID-19 pandemic .
“ Patagonia is doing our part to ensure this November ’ s elections are accessible for all eligible voters , ” Hilary Dessouky , Patagonia ’ s general counsel , said in a statement .
“ Already this election has been marred by misinformation about voting , roadblocks to accessible voting and threats to cut essential voting services like the US Postal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safely and securely , ” she added .
“ Patagonia is prioritizing time off to vote , and we encourage others to vote , serve as poll workers and share localized information to help make sure all voices are heard this November.
” Other retailers like Under Armour and Nike have also launched voter turnout initiatives amid the global pandemic and racial unrest in the US .
Under Armour has launched a “ Run To Vote ” campaign while Nike has joined the non-partisan “ Time To Vote ” initiative to also get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ across the United States are also giving their employees the day off on Election Day so that they can vote .

But on March 10, just after a jury convicted Householder and Borges, a reporter asked Parker an obvious question: What about the people who paid the bribes? Would they be charged? Parker would only say that the investigation was continuing.
Attorneys for the men who were FirstEnergy’s top executives at the time of the conspiracy — former CEO Chuck Jones and former Vice President Michael Dowling — have already said in court filings that they believe federal investigators are looking at their clients.
POLL: Should Trump be allowed to run for office?
This month brought two more pieces of evidence that federal investigators are considering further prosecutions in the bribery and money laundering scandal.
On Aug. 4, Hilary M. Williams, who is representing FirstEnergy, submitted a filing in a massive class-action case against the company over the bailout scandal. She informed the scores of lawyers for the pension and investment funds suing the company that they’re not the only ones who want to see the emails and text messages the FirstEnergy executives sent as the bribery scheme was taking place.
“Counsel… we confirmed this morning that we may disclose to the parties that certain governmental authorities have requested the production of the entire contents of iPad and iPhone devices used by Mr. Jones or Mr. Dowling from January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2020,” Williams wrote. “In keeping with the protocol in this matter, those documents will be produced to all parties, and we expect to do so at approximately the same time that production is made to the requesting governmental authorities.”
She added. “Mr. Dowling and Mr. Jones used more than a dozen devices during the relevant time period, and processing and reviewing the contents of those devices requires substantial processing time and then time to review for confidentiality and privilege. We are working to complete the review as quickly as possible, and expect to make these productions on or about September 15, 2023.”
A spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office didn’t comment on whether the “governmental authorities” Williams referred to worked for Parker, whose office prosecuted Householder and Borges.
However, Parker last week sent a letter to the Public Utility Commission of Ohio asking the regulator to further postpone its investigation into the racketeering scandal.
“The PUCO proceedings involve issues related to the U.S. Department of Justice of the United States’ investigation, and the United States believes that continued discovery in the PUCO proceedings may directly interfere with or impede the United States’ ongoing investigation,” the letter said. “For that reason, the United States respectfully requests that PUCO stay the PUCO proceedings for a period of six months from the date of this letter. The United States reserves the right to request that the stay be extended beyond this time.”
Among those the feds may be investigating are Jones, Dowling and Sam Randazzo, whom Gov. Mike DeWine nominated to chair the PUCO in early 2019.
In a deferred prosecution agreement, FirstEnergy said it paid Randazzo a $4.3 million bribe just before his nomination in exchange for favors the ostensible regulator did for the company. Randazzo denies wrongdoing, but in the Householder trial, witnesses testified that Randazzo played a key role in drafting the corrupt bailout legislation.
Plaintiffs in the class-action suit earlier this month filed texts and emails between Jones, Dowling and Randazzo. They indicate that the three met in Randazzo’s Columbus condo in December 2018 and arranged to pay the soon-to-be regulator $4.3 million and made it clear that they expected something in return. They also appear to indicate that in addition to his work on the the bailout, Randazzo helped exempt FirstEnergy from a 2024 rate review it had been required to undergo.
The class-action plaintiffs are accusing FirstEnergy of violating securities law by concealing its illegal conduct from investors. Last week, they filed a transcript of an earnings call from July 23, 2020 — days after Householder, Borges and three others were arrested in the racketeering conspiracy. In it, Jones appeared to mislead analysts about his and his company’s role in it.
“I believe that FirstEnergy acted properly in this matter, and we intend to cooperate fully with the investigation to, among other things, ensure our company and our role in supporting House Bill 6 is understood as accurately as possible,” said Jones, who would be fired months later. “In the meantime, we wanted to share our preliminary perspective on this issue and reinforce the values with which we operate our company.”
Jones also claimed that he and his subordinates followed “the highest standards of conduct.”
“This is a serious and disturbing situation,” he said. “Ethical behavior and upholding the highest standards of conduct are foundational values for the entire FirstEnergy family and me personally. These high standards have fostered the trust of our employees, our customers and the financial community. We strive to apply these standards in all business dealings including our participation in the political process.”
Jones sat for a sworn deposition in the class-action case in July. Last week, U.S. Magistrate Judge Kimberly Jolson ordered Dowling to sit for one in October.
Ohio Capital Journal is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Ohio Capital Journal maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor David DeWitt for questions: info@ohiocapitaljournal.com. Follow Ohio Capital Journal on Facebook and Twitter.


rawstory--2020-09-23--Kushner task force whistleblower was told to ‘fudge’ death data

A grandson of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy told The New Yorker that he was the whistleblower that sounded the alarm on presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner ’ s coronavirus task force to Congress .
Max Kennedy Jr. , 26 , told The New Yorker ’ s Jane Mayer that he sent an anonymous whistleblower complaint to Congress in April “ detailing dangerous incompetence ” in the administration ’ s pandemic response , according to the report .
“ Americans are facing a crisis of tragic proportions , and there is an urgent need for an effective , efficient and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a volunteer , I believe we are falling short , ” he said in the complaint in April .
“ I am writing to alert my representatives of these challenges and to ask that they do everything possible to help front-line health-care workers and other Americans in need.
” “ I just couldn ’ t sleep , ” Kennedy told Mayer .
“ I was so distressed and disturbed by what I ’ d seen.
” Kennedy was advised by a friend to volunteer for Kushner ’ s “ impact team ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to join the Supply-Chain Task Force in March believing that the job “ didn ’ t seem political.
” Kennedy , who was surrounded by other 20-something volunteers from various fields with no experience in procuring medical supplies , said he was surprised that they were not intended to be support staff for the procurement team .
“ We were the team , ” he told Mayer .
“ We were the entire frontline team for the federal government.
” The team was tasked with procuring much-needed supplies while equipped with only their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kennedy said that as the weeks went on , he was disturbed by President Donald Trump ’ s continued efforts to downplay the pandemic .
“ I knew from that room that he was saying things that just weren ’ t true , ” he said , adding that the team was too small to meet the challenge .
Kennedy told Mayer that Brad Smith , one of the leaders of the task force , “ pressured [ Kennedy ] to create a model fudging the projected number of fatalities , ” according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he wanted the model to revise down the number of projected deaths , arguing that experts ’ models were “ too severe , ” according to Kennedy .
“ I don ’ t know the first thing about disease modelling , ” Kennedy said he told Smith , adding that he turned down the task .
The country marked 200,000 deaths this week , though experts believe the number is even higher .
Kennedy told the outlet that the team was also directed to prioritize requests from Trump ’ s friends and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Fox News host Jeanine Pirro , who demanded masks for a hospital she favored .
The task force ultimate failed to get enough equipment , Mayer wrote , forcing hospital workers to reuse potentially contaminated equipment or improvise with garbage bags while states bid against each other for critical supplies .
One of the task force officials told Kennedy that Trump was a “ marketing genius ” because he “ personally came up with the strategy of blaming the states ” for the failure to procure equipment .
Kennedy ultimately quit the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the Democratic Party .
Kushner has dismissed what he called “ hysterical ” media reports that the administration ’ s response was highly inadequate , declaring it a “ success ” despite more than 200,000 deaths .
His “ shadow ” task force has been widely criticized from within , with one senior official describing the team of young entrepreneurs to the New York Times as a “ frat party ” that “ descended from a UFO and invaded the federal government.
” Kushner , like Trump , initially sought to downplay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rejected federal action to help states desperately in need of medical supplies , according to Vanity Fair .
“ Like Trump — when it comes to fighting the coronavirus outbreak — Kushner appears more concerned with the stock market than with public health , ” GQ ’ s Luke Darby wrote in May .
“ One Republican briefed on the administration ’ s coronavirus response told Vanity Fair that as early as mid-January , advisers were sounding alarms , but ‘ Jared kept saying the stock market would go down , and Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Kennedy told Mayer he came forward despite signing a non-disclosure agreement because he doubts the administration can silence him in court .
“ If you see something that might be illegal , and cause thousands of civilian lives to be lost , a person has to speak out , ” he said , adding that the administration ’ s pandemic response “ was like a family office meets organized crime , melded with ‘ Lord of the Flies.
’ It was a government of chaos .
”

A grandson of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy told The New Yorker that he was the whistleblower that sounded the alarm on presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner's coronavirus task force to Congress.
This article originally appeared at Salon.
Max Kennedy Jr., 26, told The New Yorker's Jane Mayer that he sent an anonymous whistleblower complaint to Congress in April "detailing dangerous incompetence" in the administration's pandemic response, according to the report.
"Americans are facing a crisis of tragic proportions, and there is an urgent need for an effective, efficient and bold response. From my few weeks as a volunteer, I believe we are falling short," he said in the complaint in April. "I am writing to alert my representatives of these challenges and to ask that they do everything possible to help front-line health-care workers and other Americans in need."
"I just couldn't sleep," Kennedy told Mayer. "I was so distressed and disturbed by what I'd seen."
Kennedy was advised by a friend to volunteer for Kushner's "impact team" and decided to jump at the opportunity to join the Supply-Chain Task Force in March believing that the job "didn't seem political."
Kennedy, who was surrounded by other 20-something volunteers from various fields with no experience in procuring medical supplies, said he was surprised that they were not intended to be support staff for the procurement team.
"We were the team," he told Mayer. "We were the entire frontline team for the federal government."
The team was tasked with procuring much-needed supplies while equipped with only their personal laptops and private email accounts. Kennedy said that as the weeks went on, he was disturbed by President Donald Trump's continued efforts to downplay the pandemic.
"I knew from that room that he was saying things that just weren't true," he said, adding that the team was too small to meet the challenge.
Kennedy told Mayer that Brad Smith, one of the leaders of the task force, "pressured [Kennedy] to create a model fudging the projected number of fatalities," according to the report. Smith told him that he wanted the model to revise down the number of projected deaths, arguing that experts' models were "too severe," according to Kennedy.
"I don't know the first thing about disease modelling," Kennedy said he told Smith, adding that he turned down the task.
The country marked 200,000 deaths this week, though experts believe the number is even higher.
Kennedy told the outlet that the team was also directed to prioritize requests from Trump's friends and supporters, including "special attention" for Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, who demanded masks for a hospital she favored.
The task force ultimate failed to get enough equipment, Mayer wrote, forcing hospital workers to reuse potentially contaminated equipment or improvise with garbage bags while states bid against each other for critical supplies.
One of the task force officials told Kennedy that Trump was a "marketing genius" because he "personally came up with the strategy of blaming the states" for the failure to procure equipment.
Kennedy ultimately quit the team in April and landed a gig with the Democratic Party.
Kushner has dismissed what he called "hysterical" media reports that the administration's response was highly inadequate, declaring it a "success" despite more than 200,000 deaths.
His "shadow" task force has been widely criticized from within, with one senior official describing the team of young entrepreneurs to the New York Times as a "frat party" that "descended from a UFO and invaded the federal government."
Kushner, like Trump, initially sought to downplay the threat posed by the pandemic and rejected federal action to help states desperately in need of medical supplies, according to Vanity Fair.
"Like Trump — when it comes to fighting the coronavirus outbreak — Kushner appears more concerned with the stock market than with public health," GQ's Luke Darby wrote in May. "One Republican briefed on the administration's coronavirus response told Vanity Fair that as early as mid-January, advisers were sounding alarms, but 'Jared kept saying the stock market would go down, and Trump wouldn't get reelected.'"
Kennedy told Mayer he came forward despite signing a non-disclosure agreement because he doubts the administration can silence him in court.
"If you see something that might be illegal, and cause thousands of civilian lives to be lost, a person has to speak out," he said, adding that the administration's pandemic response "was like a family office meets organized crime, melded with 'Lord of the Flies.' It was a government of chaos."