rawstory--2020-10-01--Notorious GOP operatives charged with felonies for trying to trick people out of mail-in voting in M

Notorious GOP operatives charged with felonies for trying to trick people out of mail-in voting in Michigan

On Thursday , Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced a pair of infamous Republican tricksters have been charged with multiple felonies for a series of scam robocalls designed to trick voters out of voting by mail .
Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman , who are known for a number of failed schemes including paying off a woman to accuse Dr. Anthony Fauci of sexual assault , are charged with voter intimidation , election conspiracy , and two computer crimes .
Their robocall , targeted to Detroit and other Democratic-heavy urban areas , allegedly warned voters — falsely — that a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s personal information to police , debt collectors , and public health officials administering mandatory vaccines .
“ The calls were made in late August and went out to nearly 12,000 residents with phone numbers from the 313 area code , ” said the AG press release .
“ During its investigation , Nessel ’ s office communicated with attorneys general offices in New York , Pennsylvania , Ohio and Illinois , all of which reported similar robocalls being made to residents in their states who live in urban areas with significant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around 85,000 calls were made nationally , though an exact breakdown of the numbers of calls to each city or state are not available .
”

Dissolving carbon dioxide
Carbonation involves dissolving the colorless and odorless carbon dioxide – CO₂ – gas into a liquid. When carbon dioxide is added to a sealed bottle or can containing water, the pressure in the bottle or can increases, and the carbon dioxide dissolves into the liquid.
The CO₂ above the liquid and the CO₂ dissolved in the liquid reach chemical equilibrium. Chemical equilibrium essentially means the rate that CO₂ dissolves into the liquid is equal to the rate that CO₂ is released from the liquid. It’s based on the amounts of CO₂ both in the air and in the liquid.
Some of the dissolved CO₂ reacts with the water to form carbonic acid, which has a chemical formula of H₂CO₃. So once some of the dissolved CO₂ converts to H₂CO₃, more CO₂ from the air above can dissolve into the liquid and reestablish chemical equilibrium.
Carbonation happens when CO₂ is forced into a can or bottle, where it dissolves into the liquid.
When you open a bottle or can, the pressure above the carbonated liquid drops to match the pressure outside of the bottle or can. The pressure release results in a hissing sound, and you see bubbles rising in the liquid as the H₂CO₃ converts back to CO₂ and that gas escapes to the surface. The carbonic acid in the beverage is what makes it taste a little sour.
A colder drink is a bubblier one
The bubbles in carbonated beverages are filled with CO₂ gas moving from an area of high CO₂ concentration to an area of low CO₂ concentration. Jonathan Knowles/DigitalVision via Getty Images
Another important factor influencing carbonation is temperature. Most gases, including carbon dioxide, do not dissolve well in liquids as the temperature of the liquid rises. That’s why carbonated drinks go flat if you leave them out at room temperature.
Conversely, if you place your favorite carbonated beverage in the refrigerator and allow it to get cold, more dissolved carbon dioxide will stay in the beverage while it’s still sealed. When you open the chilled bottle or can, the liquid is more bubbly because there was more dissolved carbon dioxide in the cold beverage.
The temperature of the liquid affects how the CO₂ molecules dissolved in the beverage behave once the beverage is opened.
Surface tension and fizziness
One final important factor for carbonation is the surface tension of the liquid. A liquid’s surface tension is determined by how strongly the liquid’s molecules interact with each other. For most beverages, those molecules are water molecules, but diet soft drinks have artificial sweeteners dissolved in them. These sweeteners can weaken the interactions between the water molecules, creating a lower surface tension. A lower surface tension means the carbon dioxide bubbles form faster and last longer.
This is why it takes slightly longer to be served a Diet Coke on ice, a problem you might notice on a plane. The lower surface tension from the artificial sweetener means there’s more fizz, and for longer, compared with other soft drinks. The flight attendants then have to wait for the bubbles in the cup to break before they can fill the cup with more Diet Coke.
CO₂ bubbles form on the surface of the candy, which falls to the bottom of the bottle and pushes the fizzing liquid out the top. The lower surface tension of diet soda means more bubbles that last longer.
Surface tension is also why Diet Coke works so well in the famous Mentos experiment, during which you drop Mentos candies into 2-liter Diet Coke bottles. The candy helps to weaken the interactions between the water molecules and the CO₂ molecules, lowering the surface tension and allowing for an easier release of CO₂ molecules. A bubbling “geyser” of Diet Coke rises fast above the 2-liter bottle as the CO₂ molecules quickly form on the candy’s surfaces and force the Diet Coke out of the bottle.
Getting the bubbles into a beverage
In an effort to make water similar to that from mineral springs, the carbonation process was invented by Joseph Priestley in England in the 1760s and commercialized by Jacob Schweppe – recognize the name? – in Switzerland in the 1780s. Priestley reacted chalk with sulfuric acid, producing CO₂, and he hung a water-filled container over the reaction to infuse the water with CO₂.
Today, most commercial beers, soft drinks, seltzers and sparkling waters are created by “forced” carbonation. This is when manufacturers directly inject carbon dioxide into the beverage under high carbon dioxide pressures.
A second common way to introduce carbon dioxide into a liquid is by fermentation. Champagne manufacturers and some small home beer brewers follow this method by sealing a sugar source and live yeast into their bottles. The yeast produce alcohol and carbon dioxide, and this carbon dioxide increases the pressure in the bottle, resulting in carbonated champagne and beer. But this process is not as controlled and can result in exploding bottles.
Larger brewers often capture CO₂ produced during a fermentation process and pump that gas into the tanks that contain beer to carbonate the beer. This is normally a controlled process that allows for known amounts of carbon dioxide to be introduced into the beverages for outstanding consistency.
Carbonation is a marriage between physics and chemistry – one that transforms ordinary liquids into effervescent treats. The next time you drink a carbonated beverage, take a moment to appreciate the science behind those dancing bubbles.
Michael W. Crowder, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Miami University


rawstory--2020-10-02--Nancy Pelosi should isolate for ‘continuity in government’ as both Trump and Pence may have coronavi

Nancy Pelosi should isolate for ‘continuity in government’ as both Trump and Pence may have coronavirus: CNN doctor

President Donald Trump is under quarantine that is supposed to last 14 days after White House advisor Hope Hicks tested positive for coronavirus .
After Hicks traveled aboard Air Force One four times this week , raising worries that COVID may have spread to the highest levels of the White House .
Dr. Jonathan Reiner made the case that Speaker Nancy Pelosi , who is second in the line of ascension should anything happen to Trump or Vice President Mike Pence , should be isolated to prevent government decapitation from the virus .
“ You ’ re saying everyone who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or in these situtations , should be quarantining right now ?
” CNN ’ s Don Lemon asked .
“ Yeah , everyone should be quarantining now , ” Dr. Reiner replied .
“ And I ’ ll go even further and say that the Speaker of the House should be protected in isolation now because it doesn ’ t violate the rules of physics now for both vice president and the president of the United States to get sick , ” he continued .
“ The continuity of government requires that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s very possible the president and the vice president can both become sick right now , ” he explained .
“ So , I would limit activity for the Speaker of the House and make sure she ’ s really isolated and in a relatively sterile environment .
”

President Donald Trump is under quarantine that is supposed to last 14 days after White House advisor Hope Hicks tested positive for coronavirus.
After Hicks traveled aboard Air Force One four times this week, raising worries that COVID may have spread to the highest levels of the White House.
Dr. Jonathan Reiner made the case that Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is second in the line of ascension should anything happen to Trump or Vice President Mike Pence, should be isolated to prevent government decapitation from the virus.
"You're saying everyone who has been in contact with Hope Hicks, or in these situtations, should be quarantining right now?" CNN's Don Lemon asked.
"Yeah, everyone should be quarantining now," Dr. Reiner replied.
"And I'll go even further and say that the Speaker of the House should be protected in isolation now because it doesn't violate the rules of physics now for both vice president and the president of the United States to get sick," he continued.
"The continuity of government requires that we have a clear leader here and it's very possible the president and the vice president can both become sick right now," he explained. "So, I would limit activity for the Speaker of the House and make sure she's really isolated and in a relatively sterile environment."


rawstory--2020-10-03--Matt Gaetz argues Trump catching COVID after ignoring CDC guidance means coronavirus rules don’t wor

Matt Gaetz argues Trump catching COVID after ignoring CDC guidance means coronavirus rules don’t work

Rep. Matt Gaetz ( R-FL ) argued on Fox News that President Donald Trump catching coronavirus means that the guidelines put forth by the Centers for Disease Control don ’ t work .
Gaetz made his argument to Tucker Carlson after Trump was airlifted to Walter Reed Hospital .
“ What I can tell you is if this virus can get into the Oval , into the body of the president , there is no place where it could not possibly infect one of our fellow Americans , ” Gaetz argued , ignoring the fact that Trump had constantly engaged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rallies across the country while refusing to wear a mask .
“ And that ’ s why it ’ s so important to continue executing on President Trump ’ s strategy to allow our country to open up , but then to ensure we protect the vulnerable because there is no lockdown that can be a panacea to save everyone from everything — and this is proof-positive that ’ s the case , ” he argued , doubling down on the approach that resulted in Trump ’ s hospitalization .
“ It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mean , if the president can get this virus , then it tells you a lot about our ability to protect ourselves from it , ” Carlson said , ignoring the fact that Trump defiantly ignored all the protections to protect oneself from COVID-19 .

"He's saying that he wants to fight this case in Georgia," said Polantz. "But Rudy Giuliani actually has a lot of other things on his plate right now: namely, he appears to be out of cash. He hasn't been able to share details in court. He's trying to not do that because it would embarrass him and draw attention to his misfortunes, but we were able to pick through some court filings that do outline in lawsuits that he's facing related to his work for Donald Trump after the 2020 election, just how much his bills have piled up right now."
POLL: Should Trump be allowed to run for office?
"Right now, he has $181,000 in current bills," said Polantz. "That includes a judgment from a court last week saying he had to pay a phone bill for his company from 2020, that he has to pay legal fees for two Georgia election workers who are suing him. That's what the sanction would be, an $89,000 sanction. That's not even what happens if he were to lose that case."
As if that weren't enough, Polantz made clear she was just getting started in listing the former New York mayor's financial woes.
"On top of that, he has a lot of bills for just keeping ahold of the records that he had in his various cell phones and other electronic equipment," she said. "He has that all in a company. It costs money to do searches for those records every time he's getting sued, and it costs money just to hold them with that company. So he has access to his electronic records. It's a lot of legal bills, but on top of that, he has debts. One of the debts that has become public in the court proceedings is he had a $320,000 debt to this company hosting his electronic records. Donald Trump's PAC has paid that off ... but this is not even capturing the scope of the money Rudy Giuliani is just being bogged down with in order to fend off just lawsuits related to the 2020 election and other court proceedings."
"If he's actually out of cash, does he just have two options, pro bono representation or public defender?" asked Harlow.
"Those would be some options. The other options would be to get some cash based on the assets he has. One of the things he has done recently is put a three-bedroom Manhattan apartment up for sale for $6.5 million. It's only been listed for a couple days. As far as I can tell, it doesn't have a bid or a sale on it yet, but he's listing that property of his in Manhattan. We're talking about bills he has right now for lawsuits going on that are not even at the end. If he gets judgments against him for things where he is already conceding he was making false statements about the 2020 election, those bills could skyrocket. That doesn't even factor into how much it costs to defend yourself in criminal court."
Watch the video below or at the link here.


rawstory--2020-10-03--Trump is having trouble breathing: Jim Acosta reports White House advisor is admitting ‘this is seri

Trump is having trouble breathing: Jim Acosta reports White House advisor is admitting ‘this is serious’

President Donald Trump was airlifted from the White House to Walter Reed Hospital on Friday after testing positive for COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ downplayed Trump ’ s condition , with White House Dr. Sean Conley saying , “ @ @ @ @ @ in good spirits.
” But that is not what CNN chief White House correspondent Jim @ @ @ @ @ reported that White House officials , “ have serious concerns about Trump ’ s condition @ @ @ @ @ worse than those of the First Lady at this point , according to our sources.
@ @ @ @ @ s sources , a Trump advisor , was directly quoted .
“ This is serious @ @ @ @ @ .
The source described Trump as being “ very tired , very fatigued , and @ @ @ @ @ ”

And former federal prosecutor Elie Honig, during an appearance on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper,” said other alleged co-conspirators are likely to pursue a similar legal avenue.
POLL: Should Trump be allowed to run for office?
Meadows “filed to have his case moved from Georgia court to federal court, why?” Tapper asked Honig.
“This is more than just procedural wrangling,” Honig said. “This could be outcome determinative, because if Mark Meadows can show that the charges relate to his performance of his official duties, in this case as White House Chief of Staff, then a couple things happen.
“First, he gets moved across the street to the federal courthouse. Second of all, he's then on the doorstep of a dismissal, because under the law, federal law, if a person can show that they've been criminally charged for something that they did, ‘under color of law,’ meaning in their capacity as a federal official, then the case gets thrown out altogether.
“So there's no question Mark Meadows has a reasonable argument to make here and I look for Donald Trump to make a similar argument. I don't think he has as strong an argument and I look for Jeffrey Clark, who worked at DOJ to make a similar argument. All of these are going to be potentially dispositive motions.”
Added Honig: “Dispositive means they either stay or they go away They live or they die.
“Rudy Giuliani and Donald Trump are also expected to make the same request, do they have a strong case do you think?” asked Tapper.
“Donald Trump does not have as good a case as Mark Meadows because Trump will say, ‘Well, this was my effort to sort of regulate and make sure the election was clean as president’, but I think ...the prosecutors are going to respond, ‘No, this was you as a private citizen as a candidate, way overstepping your authority as President,” Honig said.
“As for Rudy Giuliani, he's got nothing, he was not a federal employee at the time.”
Watch the video below or at the link here.
CNN 08 16 2023 16 04 46 www.youtube.com


rawstory--2020-10-02--Lindsey Graham says he feels ‘fine’ and will have a virtual hearing for Amy Coney Barrett

While President Donald J. Trump embarks on his COVID-19 related hospital stay at Walter Reed Medical Center , Sen. Lindsey @ @ @ @ @ pushing forward with hopes of securing Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the United States Supreme @ @ @ @ @ feel fine and look forward to the hearing for Judge Amy Coney Barrett on Oct. @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Any Senator who wants to participate virtually will be allowed to do so.
@ @ @ @ @ far stretch from the statement Graham made on March 10 , 2016 .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ words against me , ” Graham said at that time .
“ If there ’ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 and a vacancy occurs in the last year of the first term , you @ @ @ @ @ let ’ s let the next president , whoever it might be , make that @ @ @

Trained in political science and the law, he has no formal education in disaster preparedness or response. And prior to his current role, he never held a full-time job dedicated to emergency management.
Instead, his main qualification was being chief of staff to then-mayor Alan Arakawa. But in that role, he told Civil Beat Tuesday, he assisted during emergency operations. And he said he participated in online FEMA trainings and workshops throughout the years.
In 2017, Andaya beat out 40 other applicants for the job, Maui Now reported at the time.
As the mayor’s administration was coming to a close, a panel of government officials – which said it was independent of the mayor – chose Andaya for the civil service role.
Civil Beat reviewed Andaya’s experience after historic Lahaina was swallowed by an inferno last week, killing scores of residents and visitors who never saw it coming.
The Maui Emergency Management Agency had the authority to issue siren warnings that might have alerted people. After Andaya’s agency decided not to sound them, many survivors reported they only became aware of the fire when they saw and smelled smoke.
Andaya said sounding the sirens wasn’t an option officials considered because they’re “mainly used for tsunamis.” That’s why they’re mostly located on the coast, he said.
But the state’s own website says the sirens are useful for many kinds of emergencies.
“The all-hazard siren system can be used for a variety of both natural and human-caused events; including tsunamis, hurricanes, dam breaches, flooding, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, terrorist threats, hazardous material incidents, and more,” the site states.
Andaya wasn’t on the island when the fires started, and he hasn’t made any appearances at press conferences since the disaster occurred.
Asked about Andaya’s resume, David Hafner, a retired telecommunications planner for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, questioned whether his relative inexperience affected his agency’s performance in a crisis.
“It’s a good ol’ boy network,” Hafner said. “This time it cost lives.”
Hafner said it’s “absolutely essential” for emergency management leaders to have experience in the field so they make the right decisions both before and after disasters strike.
Not having it, he said, “can lead to grave mistakes in judgment.”
Andaya’s hiring came at a time when Hawaii’s counties had just taken on increased responsibility for disaster response, according to Hafner. State emergency management officials used to be the designated authority to respond to emergencies, he said, but an update to the law in 2014 put the counties in the driver’s seat.
Asked about Andaya’s LinkedIn resume, Colin Moore, a political scientist at the University of Hawaii, said he was shocked by the emergency administrator’s lack of relevant experience. He said the public is owed an explanation.
“It’s a legitimate question to ask why the person leading the county emergency services agency has no clear background in fire, police, public health, the usual emergency services backgrounds,” he said.
“Having that on-the-ground experience, you develop the instincts and the connections to be able to perform a job like this. And if you just have general government experience, there is just no opportunity to have that kind of on-the-ground knowledge that often is really useful in a crisis.”
Andaya said as a former member of the mayor’s cabinet, he was qualified for the job.
“Whenever there was an activation in the emergency operations center, we were involved,” he said. “To say that I have no experience or no background in emergency management is not correct.”
‘Political Influence’ A Concern
Andaya, 52, is from Maui and graduated from HP Baldwin High School.
He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science from the University of Hawaii Manoa. He also has a law degree from the UH Richardson School of Law, although he never became a licensed attorney, according to the Hawaii State Bar Association’s online database.
He began his career clerking for Maui Judge Artemio Baxa. He then worked for the law office of Lynn Araki-Regan, an attorney who is the wife of Arakawa’s managing director, Keith Regan.
When Andaya vacated his position as chief of staff, it was filled by Araki-Regan, who was by then the county budget director. Regan said he had no involvement in Andaya’s hiring.
From the early 2000s onward, Andaya has held leadership positions in Maui’s Department of Housing and Human Concerns and worked as the assistant to the chancellor of UH’s Maui College, according to his LinkedIn resume. He is married to Rowena Dagdag-Andaya, a former elementary school teacher who served as Maui’s public works director and now works in Maui’s Office on Aging.
Andaya was Arakawa’s chief of staff from 2011 through 2017. That year, the mayor appointed him acting administrator of MEMA, and he became permanent by the end of that year.
In contrast, Honolulu’s emergency management director, Hiro Toiya, has technical training in emergency response, worked for years as a preparedness planner for the Hawaii health department and rose up the ranks of Honolulu’s Department of Emergency Management. He worked there for more than seven years before becoming the director.
Asked how he stood out among a pool of 40 job candidates, Andaya said Maui doesn’t have a lot of emergency management professionals to begin with. He noted that he had to take an exam and based on his score was determined to be a finalist.
“You would have to question the civil service process if you can believe that politics was involved,” he said. “This is something that my predecessors have to go through as well.”
Before Andaya was hired, there were concerns in Maui’s political scene that the county was considering someone who wasn’t qualified.
“In the past, this position has sometimes been filled by individuals without the proper emergency response background.”
Former Maui County Council Chairman Mike White
In July 2017, the chair of the Maui County Council at the time, Mike White, took the unusual step of writing a Maui News column warning that the job of emergency management was too important to be “subject to political influence.”
“In the past, this position has sometimes been filled by individuals without the proper emergency response background,” White wrote.
“The administration must search for well-qualified candidates who can make a seamless transition in leading our Emergency Management Agency. The stakes are too high and our community has grown to a point where emergency coordination has become quite sophisticated in its implementation.”
In his column, White praised the outgoing emergency management chief, Anna Foust, who had previously worked for years leading the Maui branch of the Red Cross. White emphasized her expertise.
“During her tenure, she used her emergency response experience and training to help guide the county to keep citizens safe during hurricane warnings and watches, flooding events and tsunami warnings,” White wrote.
Civil Beat wasn’t able to reach White for comment.
Panel Of Specialists Chose Andaya
On Tuesday, Arakawa’s former managing director, Keith Regan, said that politics was not a factor in Andaya’s hiring. Asked why Andaya was the best candidate, Regan said he didn’t know because he wasn’t on the hiring committee. But he was adamant there was “zero” political influence in the process.
“This was a straightforward civil service process,” said Regan, who is now the state comptroller.
When Regan ran for Maui County Council in 2015, Andaya was his campaign manager. This year, Andaya wrote a letter of support of Regan’s nomination to state comptroller.
Regan noted that the hiring panel included numerous experts in the field. Maui Now identified them at the time as then-Maui Police Chief Tivoli Faaumu; then-Maui Fire Chief Jeff Murray; Elton Ushio, administrator of the Kauai Emergency Management Agency; and Vern Miyagi, then-administrator of the Hawaii State Emergency Management Agency.
At the time, Ushio was quoted by Maui Now as saying Andaya’s “proven leadership abilities, executive level experience, and impressive knowledge of emergency management” made him a great fit for the job. Murray cited Andaya’s familiarity with government processes, his “institutional knowledge of the various emergency incidents” in recent years, and his then-recent work as acting leader of the department.
“These are not people that, you know, are just political people,” Regan said. “They’re people who understand emergency management and are going to make the right choice for the community.”
In a statement, former HI-EMA director Miyagi said the public’s focus should be on working together on response and recovery.
“Herman Andaya and his staff at MEMA are really good people,” he said. “They carried Maui successfully through numerous hurricanes, floods, and other disasters.”
He said the public should wait for the attorney general’s investigation before drawing conclusions.
Civil Beat left messages with the other hiring committee members on Tuesday, but they were not returned. Former mayor Arakawa also did not respond to a request for comment.
“Herman is a very skilled, experienced, knowledgeable, professional individual,” Regan said. “I trust that is making the right decisions … There is no question in my mind that he cares about that community, and he’s going to do everything he can to keep that community safe.”


rawstory--2020-10-02--Joe Biden takes down negative ads as Trump is airlifted to Walter Reed Hospital after contracting CO

Joe Biden takes down negative ads as Trump is airlifted to Walter Reed Hospital after contracting COVID

Democratic presidential pick Joe Biden has removed negative political ads involving his opponent President Donald J. Trump as a direct @ @ @ @ @ .
The news followed Trump ’ s emergency airlift to Walter Reed National Military Medical @ @ @ @ @ decision was made “ before ” the White House released word that Trump was going @ @ @ @ @ to multiple sources .
Biden ’ s campaign tweeted , “ This can not be @ @ @ @ @ must be an American moment .
We have to come together as a nation .
@

The video, which highlights the plot that is now at the center of a federal and state indictments, was taken by Danish documentarian, Melber said.
POLL: Should Trump be allowed to run for office?
“Although state officials in all 50 states must ultimately certify the results of the voting in their state, the final decision as to who the state legislatures authorize be sent to the electoral college is a decision made solely by the legislature,” Stone said. “Any legislative body may decide on the basis of overwhelming evidence of fraud to send electors to the Electoral College who accurately reflect the President’s legitimate victory in their state, which was illegally denied him through fraud.“
He continued:
"We must be prepared to lobby our Republican legislatures by personal contact and by demonstrating the overwhelming will of the people … in each state that this may need to happen.”
“Let me make a clear point about this exclusive here on The Beat tonight,” Melber said. “That was before the presidential race had even been called for Biden. Now this is important, take a look, Stone pushing the elector plot as you just saw with your own eyes all the way back on November 5 2020. That’s a shot of the video on the left that we just took broken here as news tonight.”
Melber noted that Stone’s comments in the video undercut a key Trump defense argument.
“That timeline hurts the Trump defense that we’ve heard so much about, that these individuals pushing these plots were acting in a good faith belief they had won. Indeed, this particular piece of evidence, this video shows quite the opposite for Stone. He was pushing the plot, not because he believed Trump had won or was looking at numbers or looking at the results as they were called, which hadn’t happened yet,” Melber said.
“Regardless of the results that were not even in, he was already pushing this plot. Stone’s words on video were early, a month before now indicted Ken Cheseboro penned the memo outlining the plot, long before Rudy Giuliani, now indicted. was recruiting those people.”
Watch the video below or at the link.


rawstory--2020-10-03--Fox News paid $4 million to cover up sexual harassment allegations against Kim Guilfoyle: report

In 2018 , the year in which Guilfoyle departed Fox News , her former assistant reportedly alleged in a 42-page draft complaint that the outgoing network host had “ subjected her frequently to degrading , abusive and sexually inappropriate behavior.
” Fox News reportedly hired the accuser , a woman , out of college in 2015 to work as an assistant for Guilfoyle and Eric Bolling , another former Fox News host who was fired amid allegations of sexual harassment .
The New Yorker ’ s Jane Mayer broke the story on Thursday , as told to her by “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the complaints .
The draft complaint alleged that Guilfoyle often spoke in inappropriate detail about her sex life and shared photographs of the genitalia of her sexual partners , according to Meyers sources .
The document also reportedly alleged that Guilfoyle once demanded a thigh massage , as well as exposed herself and asked her former assistant to critique her naked body .
The draft complaint also alleged that Guilfoyle required her former assistant to spend nights at her apartment , plus share rooms on business trips .
The former Fox News host @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with powerful men and once told her to “ submit to a Fox employee ’ s demands for sexual favors , ” the draft complaint reportedly alleged .
Sources told The New Yorker that Guilfoyle had tried to buy the assistant ’ s silence , allegedly offering to pay her if she lied to lawyers involved in investigations of impropriety at the network .
Guilfoyle also allegedly inveigled her with a private-plane trip to Rome , a cut of future speaking fees and a chance to report for the network .
The assistant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 1 million , and “ two well-informed sources ” told the New Yorker that Fox News had agreed to pay the woman more than $ 4 million in order to head off a trial .
When the woman rejected Guilfoyle ’ s offers , the former Fox News host allegedly implied in a “ threatening ” manner that she could blackmail the assistant , according to the report .
Though Guilfoyle declined the New Yorker ’ s interview request , she offered a statement .
“ In my 30-year career working for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the LA District Attorney ’ s Office , in media and in politics , I have never engaged in any workplace misconduct of any kind , ” she told the outlet .
“ During my career , I have served as a mentor to countless women , with many of whom I remain exceptionally close to this day.
” A Fox News spokesperson declined to comment about this article .
The Trump campaign referred Salon ’ s request for comment to Guilfoyle ’ s attorney , who did not reply to Salon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump , whose 2016 campaign survived his comments about committing sexual assault in a leaked 2004 “ Access Hollywood ” video , currently lags Democratic rival Joe Biden by 30 % points among women , a demographic which helped propel Trump ’ s 2016 victory .
The president earlier in the year named Guilfoyle , the significant other of his eldest son , Donald Jr. , as head of campaign finance , and she spoke on the opening night of the Republican National Convention .
The Trump campaign , as of earlier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported $ 15,000 monthly salary as a chief fundraiser through a consulting company owned by former campaign manager Brad Parscale , according to multiple sources and reports .
Per reports , Guilfoyle ’ s operation was allegedly a fiasco plagued by profligacy and top staff departures .
Guilfoyle claimed she left Fox News for politics voluntarily , but it was widely reported that the network fired her in July 2018 , at which time she co-hosted “ The Five.
” Fox News is a network plagued by a long history of allegations of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In 2017 , The New York Times revealed that Fox News had settled with at least half a dozen women who accused star host Bill O ’ Reilly of sexual misconduct , in allegations which dated back to 2002 .
Over the years , the women reportedly received hush money payouts from the network or O ’ Reilly totaling $ 13 million — about half of the $ 25 million Fox News paid their abuser a few weeks before his departure .
In 2017 , former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson filed an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chief Roger Ailes , who is now dead , catalyzing the decades-old # MeToo movement and heralding the arrival of a long-overdue reckoning for the network .
This summer , Fox News personalities Ed Henry , Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson were named in a sweeping sexual misconduct lawsuit , which two women filed against the network in a New York federal court .
Henry , who was accused of rape , was fired .

In 2018, the year in which Guilfoyle departed Fox News, her former assistant reportedly alleged in a 42-page draft complaint that the outgoing network host had "subjected her frequently to degrading, abusive and sexually inappropriate behavior."
Fox News reportedly hired the accuser, a woman, out of college in 2015 to work as an assistant for Guilfoyle and Eric Bolling, another former Fox News host who was fired amid allegations of sexual harassment. The New Yorker's Jane Mayer broke the story on Thursday, as told to her by "a dozen well-informed sources familiar with" the complaints.
The draft complaint alleged that Guilfoyle often spoke in inappropriate detail about her sex life and shared photographs of the genitalia of her sexual partners, according to Meyers sources. The document also reportedly alleged that Guilfoyle once demanded a thigh massage, as well as exposed herself and asked her former assistant to critique her naked body.
The draft complaint also alleged that Guilfoyle required her former assistant to spend nights at her apartment, plus share rooms on business trips. The former Fox News host urged her former assistant to have sex with powerful men and once told her to "submit to a Fox employee's demands for sexual favors," the draft complaint reportedly alleged.
Sources told The New Yorker that Guilfoyle had tried to buy the assistant's silence, allegedly offering to pay her if she lied to lawyers involved in investigations of impropriety at the network. Guilfoyle also allegedly inveigled her with a private-plane trip to Rome, a cut of future speaking fees and a chance to report for the network. The assistant reportedly claimed that Guilfoyle had personally mentioned $1 million, and "two well-informed sources" told the New Yorker that Fox News had agreed to pay the woman more than $4 million in order to head off a trial.
When the woman rejected Guilfoyle's offers, the former Fox News host allegedly implied in a "threatening" manner that she could blackmail the assistant, according to the report.
Though Guilfoyle declined the New Yorker's interview request, she offered a statement.
"In my 30-year career working for the SF District Attorney's Office, the LA District Attorney's Office, in media and in politics, I have never engaged in any workplace misconduct of any kind," she told the outlet. "During my career, I have served as a mentor to countless women, with many of whom I remain exceptionally close to this day."
A Fox News spokesperson declined to comment about this article. The Trump campaign referred Salon's request for comment to Guilfoyle's attorney, who did not reply to Salon's request for comment.
President Donald Trump, whose 2016 campaign survived his comments about committing sexual assault in a leaked 2004 "Access Hollywood" video, currently lags Democratic rival Joe Biden by 30% points among women, a demographic which helped propel Trump's 2016 victory. The president earlier in the year named Guilfoyle, the significant other of his eldest son, Donald Jr., as head of campaign finance, and she spoke on the opening night of the Republican National Convention.
The Trump campaign, as of earlier this year, paid Guilfoyle's reported $15,000 monthly salary as a chief fundraiser through a consulting company owned by former campaign manager Brad Parscale, according to multiple sources and reports. Per reports, Guilfoyle's operation was allegedly a fiasco plagued by profligacy and top staff departures.
Guilfoyle claimed she left Fox News for politics voluntarily, but it was widely reported that the network fired her in July 2018, at which time she co-hosted "The Five."
Fox News is a network plagued by a long history of allegations of sexual assault, harassment and misconduct. In 2017, The New York Times revealed that Fox News had settled with at least half a dozen women who accused star host Bill O'Reilly of sexual misconduct, in allegations which dated back to 2002. Over the years, the women reportedly received hush money payouts from the network or O'Reilly totaling $13 million — about half of the $25 million Fox News paid their abuser a few weeks before his departure.
In 2017, former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson filed an earth-shattering sexual harassment lawsuit against Fox News chief Roger Ailes, who is now dead, catalyzing the decades-old #MeToo movement and heralding the arrival of a long-overdue reckoning for the network.
This summer, Fox News personalities Ed Henry, Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson were named in a sweeping sexual misconduct lawsuit, which two women filed against the network in a New York federal court. Henry, who was accused of rape, was fired.


rawstory--2020-10-04--Trump is ‘infuriated’ his chief of staff told the press his health was ‘very concerning’: NYT

President Donald J. Trump is reportedly furious at White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows following his less-than-stellar address to the nation about his boss ’ health .
The difference of opinion occurred minutes after the president ’ s team of doctors gave a rosy interpretation of their patient ’ s road to recovery .
The conflicting information was public fodder for the remainder of the day Saturday with numerous television news channels digging in an attempt at reaching some sort of reality .
“ The president ’ s vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in terms of his care , ” Meadows told reporters , asking not to be mentioned by name .
“ We ’ re still not on a clear path to a full recovery.
” Although not mentioned by name , Meadows was reportedly identified when an image surfaced of him speaking with the media outside of Walter Reed .
That ’ s when Trump tweeted , “ I am feeling well !
” and then proceeded to call his former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani to help him compose the following message , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comments infuriated the president , according to people close to the situation , and he intervened directly to counter the perception that he was sicker than the White House had admitted , ” the newspaper reported .

"I know you were animated and motivated by this desire to warn of the natural endgame for Trump and his supporters," said anchor Nicolle Wallace. "And that has been something you've been warning about the loudest. Maybe the longest ... talk about what you see in this moment."
POLL: Should Trump be allowed to run for office?
"This book, 'Blowback,' I didn't want to write it," said Taylor. "As I've said to you many times, I don't want to be talking about politics anymore. We're stuck in this environment where political violence is one of the biggest threats to our country. The reason I talked extensively about it is because we now have a political party that is mainstreaming that violence as an acceptable tactic. The studies show the GOP base is embracing it. This was very foreseeable."
"There's someone I want to quote," said Taylor. "One of Donald Trump's Republican opponents for the GOP nomination very prophetically spelled this out. He warned that Trump had a history of inciting violence, that his henchmen did, if he took the White House, he would be like Michael Corleone from 'The Godfather' and this would be a dangerous environment. He would run that administration like a Mafia and he would act like a mobster. That person who made that warning was Ted Cruz. The same representative who defended Donald Trump against the charges in Georgia."
That, Taylor continued, signifies "how powerful this radicalization has been that the same people who were warning this guy would incite mass violence has now been brainwashed to go out and defend him for some of the past acts that led to violence."
"I think it is a big worry," added Taylor. "Donald Trump continues to blow that dog whistle. He did it to me when I came out against him. It is why many times I've joined your show from different places. One of the apartments I used to join your show, we had to leave there because of the menacing packages that were arriving with regularity. We couldn't stay there anymore. It is one of many, many examples around the country and now we're seeing with it the jurors in this case. It is wrong, and law enforcement should pay further attention to whether there are further violations of the law."
Watch the video below or at the link here.


rawstory--2020-10-04--Texas AG Ken Paxton accused of taking bribes and abusing power — by his own aides: report

The Attorney General of Texas should be investigated by federal law enforcement for political corruption in office , according to @ @ @ @ @ Top aides of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton have asked federal law enforcement authorities to @ @ @ @ @ , abuse of office , bribery and other potential crimes against the state ’ s @ @ @ @ @ Austin American-Statesman reported on Saturday .
“ We have a good faith belief that the @ @ @ @ @ and/or state law , including prohibitions relating to improper influence , abuse of office , @ @ @ @ @ offenses , ” the Oct. 1 letter states , ” KVUE-TV reports .
Paxton lashed @ @ @ @ @ misconduct .
“ The complaint filed against General Paxton was done to impede on an @ @ @ @ @ by public officials including employees of this office .
Making false claims is a very @ @ @ @ @ to investigate this to the fullest extent of the law , ” Paxton ’ s @ @ @ @ @ .

POLL: Should Trump be allowed to run for office?
Still, Ron DeSantis refuses to expand Medicaid, even though 93 percent of the cost is covered with money from Washington, DC. It’s the principle of the thing, apparently: he’s one of 11 red state governors who believes that working poor people simply shouldn’t get health coverage. After all, they didn’t have the good sense to be born into a wealthy family!
Michael, 30, lives in Orlando and has asthma, but running his little business buying and selling used furniture hasn’t earned him enough to cover his medical bills and to pay rent. He recently got an eviction notice, telling the Florida Health Justice Project:
“I was given a list of homeless shelters to choose from but I hope it doesn’t come to that.”
Ron DeSantis is just fine with this. Cruelty is his trademark.
Violence, hate, bigotry, and cruelty are the four cardinal points of fascism. Compassion and concern for the greater good, for the poor and weak, for the victims of fate and accident have no place in the fascist world.
Historians and political observers have been predicting that America would get our very own Mussolini ever since the days of Barry Goldwater. And there’s been no shortage of candidates: bribe-taking Nixon; Central American fascist-loving Reagan; Gitmo torturing and war-lying Bush; and, of course, Trump.
But with Ron DeSantis, we may finally be facing an all-American politician who has Mussolini’s guile, ruthlessness, and willingness to see people die to advance his political career, all while being smart and educated enough to avoid the easily satirized buffoonishness of Trump.
Mussolini was a famously short man who strutted with his muscular chest pushed out and his chin jutted forward, just like DeSantis, who Trump says is musclebound, likes to do.
Both men were socially awkward, craved power, lacked empathy, displayed casual cruelty, sucked up to the wealthiest men in the nation, and demonized opposition politicians — literally calling or implying their fellow citizens are “the enemy” (a favorite trick of Hitler and Orbán, as well) — to encourage their followers to support them or entertain the rhetoric of violence and threats of violence to achieve political ends.
Miriam, a single parent of two young children, discovered a lump in her breast but postponed visiting the doctor for months because she had no health insurance with her job as a housekeeper.
Finally, she realized the potential gravity of her situation.
“I needed to live to be there for my children,” she said.
She got treatment through the charity ward of a hospital, but even that treatment came with a cost of $2,183. She slipped behind in the $200 monthly payments when her job vanished with the pandemic and now she’s struggling to pay the $1783 she still owes in co-payments from her treatments. She’s been sent to collection and is living in fear of what’s next when the court finally comes after her.
Ron DeSantis is just fine with this. Cruelty is his trademark.
George Washington, in his Farewell Address, warned us of the possible rise of politicians like DeSantis who would suggest other Americans are enemies of the nation’s values, who would exaggerate policy differences in war-like terms, and who would ascribe the most evil of motives and intentions to simple political opponents.
“The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism.”
But it wasn’t just that calling other politicians enemies or attributing evil motivations to them produced dissension and could tear a society apart, although those concerns were at the top of Washington’s mind.
He also knew that such rhetoric was the platform from which a literal strongman could arise in America, destroying the democracy he’d fought the Revolutionary War to create:
“But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism,” he told the nation. “The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty.”
Such a warlike approach to politics, Washington said, could only lead in one direction:
“It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection.”
Such rhetoric, Washington argued, produces:
“A fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume.”
It’s been 225 years since George Washington uttered those words. And now we’re here.
Hipolito, the father of four, is worried about his life’s partner, the mother of their children.
“My wife has been in pain for weeks now but we can’t afford to find out why,” Hipolito told the Florida Health Justice Project. “I swear, I’m very afraid. She is pale and suffering every day.”
He notes that his wife hasn’t visited the doctor because their family can’t afford the expense when they must also house, feed, and clothe their kids on his job as a cook.
Ron DeSantis is just fine with this. Cruelty is his trademark.
Arresting black men for voting, terrifying them and ruining their lives while making sure they all get paraded in chains before the cameras.
Threatening public school teachers with prison for simply teaching history.
Lying about medical science regarding vaccines to suck up to the Trump base, resulting in fewer Floridians being protected from a disease that is killing literally hundreds of Americans every day.
Using rhetoric that feeds bigotry and hate against gay, lesbian, and trans people.
Intimidating the college board so they strip the Black Lives Matter movement out of their advanced placement African-American Studies curriculum.
Lying to asylum-seekers to get them on a plane to Martha’s Vineyard as a stunt to elevate his own political fortunes.
Ron DeSantis is just fine with all of this. Cruelty is his trademark.
Ignoring the health and safety of his state’s citizens, DeSantis led Florida into a veritable Covid Armageddon, letting (as of January 16th) 84,176 of his citizens die from the disease. As former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CBS’ Face The Nation:
“They let the virus spread largely unchecked in terms of personal mitigation. People weren't wearing masks. They weren't encouraged to wear masks. Vaccination was encouraged for the elderly population, but not widely… So they made policy choices, and the consequence was an infection that largely engulfed most parts of the state.”
After this orgy of death and disease, at the end of 2021 about 12 percent of Florida’s population — almost 2.6 million — still lacked any form of medical insurance because of DeSantis’ refusal to expand Medicaid for low-income people.
And now as many as 2 million more Floridians will join the ranks of the uninsured in the coming months.
Ron DeSantis is just fine with this. Cruelty is his trademark.


rawstory--2020-10-03--The White House’s statements about Trump’s condition just don’t add up

Welcome to another edition of What Fresh Hell ?
, Raw Story ’ s roundup of news items that might have become controversies under another regime , but got buried – or were at least under-appreciated – due to the daily firehose of political pratfalls , unhinged tweet storms and other sundry embarrassments coming out of the current White House .
It is October , but news that Donald Trump has been diagnosed with Covid-19 should come as no surprise .
Trump believes that masks make you look weak– which would come as a surprise to goalies , catchers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ maskless people .
And , as The New York Times reported , the White House ’ s strategy to keep the virus at bay relies on screening everyone with a rapid test “ that was never intended for that purpose and is known to deliver incorrect results.
” ( Meanwhile , the Coronavirus Task Force is rarely meeting these days and , according to Anthony Fauci , when it does taskforce members spend all of their time discussing how to reopen the economy and barely talk about public health . )
The only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t contract the disease earlier .
Meanwhile , the White House is painting a rosy picture of Trump ’ s condition , saying that he ’ s only experiencing mild symptoms and was transferred to Walter Reed Medical Center out of “ an abundance of caution , ” and will continue to work from there for a few days .
But while we don ’ t know what his status is with any certainty , everything else they ’ re saying is inconsistent with those sunny statements .
First , there ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moved to Walter Reed if his symptoms were mild .
The White House Medical Unit is a state-of-the-art urgent care facility managed by the military and staffed by highly qualified medical personnel around-the-clock .
They can handle any emergency , but they don ’ t have an Intensive Care Unit .
The presidential suite at Walter Reed does .
Second , Trump ’ s physician said that Trump was given the maximum dose of an experimental antibody treatment that ’ s currently undergoing testing on a “ compassionate use ” basis .
These @ @ @ @ @ @ @ illnesses when other treatments have proven ineffective .
On Twitter , Ezekiel Emanuel , a clinician and bioethicist , wrote , “ you do not give a patient — much less the President of the United States — a drug that is not yet approved by the FDA ( to say nothing of one with ‘ mild symptoms ’ ) .
Unsurprisingly , the Trump WH is not being forthright to the American people about the health of their President.
” He is also being administered Remdesivir , a drug that is not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has received an Emergency Use Authorization for use in severe cases .
That needs to be administered in a hospital setting , which may be another reason they moved him to Walter Reed .
One clinical trial found that one-in-five patients who received the drug for five days and more than a third of those who were on it for ten days experienced “ severe adverse events ” including worsening respiratory failure and liver damage .
Giving the guy with the nuclear codes such a treatment is entirely inconsistent with a mild case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ note that none of this proves anything .
It could simply be a matter of Trump demanding every drug he ’ s heard about and his medical staff refusing to say “ no ” to a panicky patient who happens to be the most powerful person in America .
But this notoriously mendacious White House isn ’ t doing much to assure the public that the information they ’ re providing is reliable .
Moments after a Saturday press briefing in which Trump ’ s physician , Sean Conley , said that his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and refused to say outright that Trump has not required supplemental oxygen , White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows went off of the record to give reporters “ contradictory information ” about his boss ’ s condition , according to NYMag ’ s Olivia Nuzzi .
“ Vice President Mike Pence in March directed the nation ’ s top disease control agency to use its emergency powers to effectively seal the U.S. borders , overruling the agency ’ s scientists who said there was no evidence the action would slow the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The action has so far caused nearly 150,000 children and adults to be expelled from the country.
” “ Top White House officials pressured the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this summer to play down the risk of sending children back to school , a strikingly political intervention in one of the most sensitive public health debates of the pandemic , ” according to The New York Times .
A huge study out of India was released this week , and it found that “ children were actually quite important ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NPR , “ the proportion of children who are infected but don ’ t show any symptoms , he says , is higher than adults .
So they may not even be recognized as potential carriers.
” ‘ [ Many ] kids are silent spreaders in the sense that they don ’ t manifest the disease with symptoms , ” [ said one of the authors of the study ] .
‘ They happen to get infected as much as anyone else , and then they happen to spread it to other people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ broke “ that government-sponsored lending agency Freddie Mac had agreed to back $ 786 million in loans to the Kushner Companies , ” leading to questions about whether Jared Kushner ’ s family ’ s business “ had received special treatment , ” according to ProPublica .
Now , ProPublica reports that “ Kushner Companies received unusually favorable loan terms for the 18 mortgages it obtained with Freddie Mac ’ s backing .
The loans allowed the Kushner family company to make lower monthly payments and borrow more money than was typical for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ partisan and is all-in for Donald Trump .
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that “ ICE officials have launched a billboard campaign in Pennsylvania that they say will educate the public about the dangers of sanctuary policies in places like Philadelphia… ‘ These billboards are clearly intended to fuel anti-immigrant fervor one month before the election , ’ said city spokesperson Mike Dunn.
” Meanwhile , The Washington Post reports that the Trump regime “ is preparing an immigration enforcement blitz next month that would target arrests in U.S. cities and jurisdictions that have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to three U.S. officials who described a plan with public messaging that echoes the president ’ s law-and-order campaign rhetoric.
” According to the report , this is all for show : “ Two officials with knowledge of plans for the sanctuary op described it as more of a political messaging campaign than a major ICE operation , noting that the agency already concentrates on immigration violators with criminal records and routinely arrests them without much fanfare.
” “ Federal law enforcement officials were directed to make public comments sympathetic to Kyle Rittenhouse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two protesters in Kenosha , Wisconsin , according to internal Department of Homeland Security talking points obtained by NBC News.
” Meanwhile , The Nation ’ s Ken Klippenstein obtained an internal FBI report that paints a very different picture .
Finally , the September jobs report fell far short of expectations–CNBC called it “ massively disturbing ” –and The Washington Post reports that “ the worst economic crisis in more than a generation has thrust potentially millions of Americans across the country into… sudden peril : Cash-strapped , and in some cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behind on their electricity , water and gas bills , staring down the prospect of potential utility shut-offs and fast-growing debts they may never be able to repay.
” And amid all of this suffering , “ the Agriculture Department last week began mandating that millions of boxes of surplus food for needy families include a letter from President Donald Trump claiming credit for the progra , ” according to Politico .
In reality , Trump has proposed radical cuts to the agency ’ s nutritional assistance programs .

Welcome to another edition of What Fresh Hell?, Raw Story’s roundup of news items that might have become controversies under another regime, but got buried – or were at least under-appreciated – due to the daily firehose of political pratfalls, unhinged tweet storms and other sundry embarrassments coming out of the current White House.
It is October, but news that Donald Trump has been diagnosed with Covid-19 should come as no surprise. Trump believes that masks make you look weak-- which would come as a surprise to goalies, catchers and Darth Vader--and attends indoor events with other maskless people. And, as The New York Timesreported, the White House's strategy to keep the virus at bay relies on screening everyone with a rapid test "that was never intended for that purpose and is known to deliver incorrect results." (Meanwhile, the Coronavirus Task Force is rarely meeting these days and, according to Anthony Fauci, when it does taskforce members spend all of their time discussing how to reopen the economy and barely talk about public health.) The only surprise is that the guy didn't contract the disease earlier.
Meanwhile, the White House is painting a rosy picture of Trump's condition, saying that he's only experiencing mild symptoms and was transferred to Walter Reed Medical Center out of "an abundance of caution," and will continue to work from there for a few days. But while we don't know what his status is with any certainty, everything else they're saying is inconsistent with those sunny statements.
First, there's no clear reason why Trump would be moved to Walter Reed if his symptoms were mild. The White House Medical Unit is a state-of-the-art urgent care facility managed by the military and staffed by highly qualified medical personnel around-the-clock. They can handle any emergency, but they don't have an Intensive Care Unit. The presidential suite at Walter Reed does.
Second, Trump's physician said that Trump was given the maximum dose of an experimental antibody treatment that's currently undergoing testing on a "compassionate use" basis. These are typically approved for patients with serious illnesses when other treatments have proven ineffective. On Twitter, Ezekiel Emanuel, a clinician and bioethicist, wrote, "you do not give a patient -- much less the President of the United States -- a drug that is not yet approved by the FDA (to say nothing of one with 'mild symptoms'). Unsurprisingly, the Trump WH is not being forthright to the American people about the health of their President."
He is also being administered Remdesivir, a drug that is not indicated for the treatment of Covid-19 but has received an Emergency Use Authorization for use in severe cases. That needs to be administered in a hospital setting, which may be another reason they moved him to Walter Reed. One clinical trial found that one-in-five patients who received the drug for five days and more than a third of those who were on it for ten days experienced "severe adverse events" including worsening respiratory failure and liver damage. Giving the guy with the nuclear codes such a treatment is entirely inconsistent with a mild case of Covid.
Now, we should note that none of this proves anything. It could simply be a matter of Trump demanding every drug he's heard about and his medical staff refusing to say "no" to a panicky patient who happens to be the most powerful person in America.
But this notoriously mendacious White House isn't doing much to assure the public that the information they're providing is reliable. Moments after a Saturday press briefing in which Trump's physician, Sean Conley, said that his patient is only "slightly overweight" and refused to say outright that Trump has not required supplemental oxygen, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows went off of the record to give reporters "contradictory information" about his boss's condition, according to NYMag's Olivia Nuzzi.
*****
"Vice President Mike Pence in March directed the nation’s top disease control agency to use its emergency powers to effectively seal the U.S. borders, overruling the agency’s scientists who said there was no evidence the action would slow the coronavirus," according to the AP. "The action has so far caused nearly 150,000 children and adults to be expelled from the country."
*****
"Top White House officials pressured the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this summer to play down the risk of sending children back to school, a strikingly political intervention in one of the most sensitive public health debates of the pandemic," according to The New York Times.
A huge study out of India was released this week, and it found that "children were actually quite important" in spreading the disease. According to NPR, "the proportion of children who are infected but don't show any symptoms, he says, is higher than adults. So they may not even be recognized as potential carriers." '[Many] kids are silent spreaders in the sense that they don't manifest the disease with symptoms," [said one of the authors of the study]. 'They happen to get infected as much as anyone else, and then they happen to spread it to other people.'"
*****
Last year, news broke "that government-sponsored lending agency Freddie Mac had agreed to back $786 million in loans to the Kushner Companies," leading to questions about whether Jared Kushner's family's business "had received special treatment," according to ProPublica.
The loans helped Kushner Companies scoop up thousands of apartments in Maryland and Virginia, the business’s biggest purchase in a decade. The deal, first reported by Bloomberg, also ranked among Freddie Mac’s largest ever. At the time, the details of its terms weren’t disclosed.
Now, ProPublica reports that "Kushner Companies received unusually favorable loan terms for the 18 mortgages it obtained with Freddie Mac’s backing. The loans allowed the Kushner family company to make lower monthly payments and borrow more money than was typical for similar loans."
*****
ICE has become nakedly partisan and is all-in for Donald Trump.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that "ICE officials have launched a billboard campaign in Pennsylvania that they say will educate the public about the dangers of sanctuary policies in places like Philadelphia... 'These billboards are clearly intended to fuel anti-immigrant fervor one month before the election,' said city spokesperson Mike Dunn."
Meanwhile, The Washington Postreports that the Trump regime "is preparing an immigration enforcement blitz next month that would target arrests in U.S. cities and jurisdictions that have adopted “sanctuary” policies, according to three U.S. officials who described a plan with public messaging that echoes the president’s law-and-order campaign rhetoric." According to the report, this is all for show: "Two officials with knowledge of plans for the sanctuary op described it as more of a political messaging campaign than a major ICE operation, noting that the agency already concentrates on immigration violators with criminal records and routinely arrests them without much fanfare."
#AbolishICE
*****
Compare and contrast:
"Federal law enforcement officials were directed to make public comments sympathetic to Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenager charged with fatally shooting two protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, according to internal Department of Homeland Security talking points obtained by NBC News."
In preparing Homeland Security officials for questions about Rittenhouse from the media, the document suggests that they note that he "took his rifle to the scene of the rioting to help defend small business owners." Another set of talking points distributed to Homeland Security officials said the media were incorrectly labeling the group Patriot Prayer as racists after clashes erupted between the group and protesters in Portland, Oregon.
Meanwhile, The Nation'sKen Klippenstein obtained an internal FBI report that paints a very different picture.
[When asked] if he would condemn white supremacist violence by groups like the Proud Boys, President Trump was defiant, remarking: “Almost everything I see is from the left-wing, not the right-wing.” But that very same day, the FBI issued an intelligence report warning of an imminent “violent extremist threat” posed by a far-right militia that includes white supremacists—identifying the current election period up to the 2021 inauguration as a “potential flashpoint.”... The intelligence report concludes by citing concerns of the Boogaloos’ “increased ‘patrolling’ or attendance at events” amenable to their cause. You might say those orders are coming from the top—at the presidential debate last night, President Trump called for his supporters to patrol polling places. “I’m urging my supporters to go into the polls and watch very carefully because that’s what has to happen,” Trump said. *****
Finally, the September jobs report fell far short of expectations--CNBC called it "massively disturbing"--and The Washington Post reports that "the worst economic crisis in more than a generation has thrust potentially millions of Americans across the country into... sudden peril: Cash-strapped, and in some cases still unemployed, they have fallen far behind on their electricity, water and gas bills, staring down the prospect of potential utility shut-offs and fast-growing debts they may never be able to repay."
And amid all of this suffering, "the Agriculture Department last week began mandating that millions of boxes of surplus food for needy families include a letter from President Donald Trump claiming credit for the progra," according to Politico. In reality, Trump has proposed radical cuts to the agency's nutritional assistance programs.


rawstory--2020-10-03--‘If he’s sick, then they planted it’: Trump supporters question whether he has COVID

President Donald Trump ’ s condition has worsened since the White House announced his positive test for COVID-19 , and has been rushed to Walter Reed Medical Center , with reports suggesting that his aides wanted him moved while he was visibly healthy for the optics , in case he became too sick to walk on his own .
But according to The Guardian , which spoke to voters in the Republican stronghold of St. Joseph , Missouri , many of his supporters are still completely convinced the president handled the pandemic well — if indeed there was a pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a hoax .
There ’ s no pandemic .
As Trump said , how many millions die of flu ?
” said trucker Sean Patterson .
“ If he ’ s sick , then they planted it when they tested him .
It ’ s what they did to me when I went to hospital for my heart beating too fast .
Two weeks later I got a cold .
It ’ s political .
I don ’ t trust the US government at all .
Who are they to mandate personal safety @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some voters who acknowledge the president showed bad judgment on the pandemic still plan to vote for him .
“ I agreed with the president that it was wrong to shut down the country because of coronavirus , ” said office manager Karen White .
“ But he was wrong to question masks .
I wish he hadn ’ t done it .
He made things worse and now I have to wonder if he would even have it if he had just listened to what his own advisers were saying.
” She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will vote for him again … If Biden becomes president he will be under the control of the socialists.
” Missouri has not been seriously contested by both parties at the presidential level since the 2000 election .
However , polls suggest that many of the battleground states Trump carried in 2016 are trending against him .

President Donald Trump's condition has worsened since the White House announced his positive test for COVID-19, and has been rushed to Walter Reed Medical Center, with reports suggesting that his aides wanted him moved while he was visibly healthy for the optics, in case he became too sick to walk on his own.
But according to The Guardian, which spoke to voters in the Republican stronghold of St. Joseph, Missouri, many of his supporters are still completely convinced the president handled the pandemic well — if indeed there was a pandemic at all.
“It’s a hoax. There’s no pandemic. As Trump said, how many millions die of flu?” said trucker Sean Patterson. “If he’s sick, then they planted it when they tested him. It’s what they did to me when I went to hospital for my heart beating too fast. Two weeks later I got a cold. It’s political. I don’t trust the US government at all. Who are they to mandate personal safety? I listen to Trump.”
Even some voters who acknowledge the president showed bad judgment on the pandemic still plan to vote for him.
“I agreed with the president that it was wrong to shut down the country because of coronavirus,” said office manager Karen White. "But he was wrong to question masks. I wish he hadn’t done it. He made things worse and now I have to wonder if he would even have it if he had just listened to what his own advisers were saying." She added, however, that "I will vote for him again ... If Biden becomes president he will be under the control of the socialists."
Missouri has not been seriously contested by both parties at the presidential level since the 2000 election. However, polls suggest that many of the battleground states Trump carried in 2016 are trending against him.


rawstory--2020-10-04--‘There’s no pandemic’: These Trump supporters are standing firm on COVID-19 being a ‘hoax’

President Donald Trump is hospitalized after testing positive for coronavirus but his base still refuses to accept that the reality of the situation : coronavirus is real .
Many of Trump ’ s supporters are already circulating conspiracy theories to downplay the spread of the virus .
Others are attempting to justify how the president may have contracted the virus insisting someone may have “ planted it , ” according to The Guardian .
A 56-year-old truck driver was briefly interviewed while standing outside of an early voting facility in St Joseph , Missouri .
Despite Trump , himself , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ criticized response to the pandemic , the trucker still casted his vote for the president .
In fact , he still insists the coronavirus is a hoax and the pandemic is non-existent .
As he quoted the president ’ s words , the trucker also attempted to compare the coronavirus to the flu .
“ It ’ s a hoax .
There ’ s no pandemic .
As Trump said , how many millions die of flu ?
” He also shared details about a theory that suggests Trump may have become infected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ If he ’ s sick , then they planted it when they tested him .
It ’ s what they did to me when I went to hospital for my heart beating too fast .
Two weeks later I got a cold , ” he said .
“ It ’ s political .
I don ’ t trust the US government at all .
Who are they to mandate personal safety ?
I listen to Trump.
” Other Trump supporters are continuing to blindly trust the president while parroting his rhetoric @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joe Biden .
“ I will vote for him again , ” said Karen White , a long-time supporter of Trump who voted for him in 2016 .
“ I still think he ’ s better for the country .
If Biden becomes president he will be under the control of the socialists.
” The latest remarks come just one day after Trump tested positive for coronavirus .
The president ’ s diagnosis sparked a media firestorm as multiple developments occurred in a matter of hours .
He went from reportedly having “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Walter Reed Medical Center .

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--2020-10-04--Trump ‘bodyman’ is the latest White House official to test positive for coronavirus: report

Assistant to the President and Director of Oval Office Operations Nick Luna is the latest senior White House official to @ @ @ @ @ “ One of Trump ’ s personal assistants has tested positive for coronavirus , sources @ @ @ @ @ , as bodyman , works in very close proximity to the president so it ’ @ @ @ @ @ Bloomberg News White House correspondent Jennifer Jacobs reported late Saturday evening .
Jacobs was the @ @ @ @ @ of Hope Hicks having coronavirus , which resulted in the White House revealing that President @ @ @ @ @ the virus .
Other individuals who have tested positive include first lady Melania Trump , @ @ @ @ @ RNC Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel , former White House counselor Kellyanne Conway , Sen. Mike @ @ @ @ @ Sen. Thom Tills ( R-NC ) , Sen. Ron Johnson ( R-WI ) .


rawstory--2020-10-05--The White House is empty and aides don’t know what they’re supposed to be doing: report

The New York Times reported that the White House is very quiet in absence of the president and top aides have no idea what they ’ re supposed to be doing .
According to the report , it is ordinarily quiet when the president is out of the West Wing because the staff follows the president wherever they go .
In this case , it ’ s even more vacant as staff is quarantining at home after aide Hope Hicks and other staffers quickly spread the coronavirus through the White House .
There ’ s no one barking orders , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rep. Mark Meadows ( R-NC ) , is at the hospital with the president .
“ Missing as well in recent days has been a deployment of West Wing staff members , including Pat Cipollone , the White House counsel , and some communications staff members like Julia Hahn and Ben Williamson , who have been working out of Mr. Pence ’ s office on Capitol Hill in preparation for the expected Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett .
Mr. Pence himself was working from his residence over the weekend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a normal administration , Coney Barrott would be being prepared by the White House team for her upcoming hearing at the Senate .
Given COVID-19 has taken down top Republican senators , however , the vote might not happen if the senators are still contagious or struggling with the impact of the virus .
Meadows being MIA is unusual for any administration .
Still , in Trump World , the staff has been frustrated with the way he operates , “ neglecting to relay messages to the president from agency leaders who ask @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the impression that he is focused solely on trying to score a legislative victory for himself to please the boss , ” said the Times .
On Capitol Hill , Trump ’ s allies have been disturbed by the way that Meadows is managing the crisis .
“ On Saturday , Mr. Meadows contradicted the everything-is-fine message delivered by the president ’ s physician , telling reporters , ‘ we ’ re still not on a clear path to a full recovery , ’ on the assumption that he would not be identified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Mr .
Meadows , however , was caught on camera speaking to the reporters , making it clear that he was the source of the grimmer update.
” Trump reportedly flipped out , asking who gave the quote to the press .
According to CNN ’ s Kaitlan Collins , the White House staff were told not to come to work if they were experiencing symptoms .
Despite having extensive contact with Hope Hicks , Kayleigh McEnany came to the office on Friday and some of Saturday , without wearing a mask @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ essential ” and claimed she tested negative , so she could ignore CDC guidelines to quarantine .


rawstory--2020-10-04--‘Don’t tell anyone’: Trump tried to hide positive COVID-19 tests spreading through the White House

The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that President Donald Trump tried to hide that he first tested positive for COVID-19 when he waited for a second test on Thursday .
According to the report , Trump attempted to hide his first rapid test that gave him a positive test result .
Oddly , Trump was supposed to take a COVID test on Tuesday upon arriving at the debate site , but he arrived “ too late ” to be tested .
So far , 11 Ohio people at the debate site have now tested positive for COVID .
“ Mr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thursday evening before making an appearance on Fox News in which he didn ’ t reveal those results , ” said the Journal .
“ Instead , he confirmed earlier reports that one of his top aides had tested positive for coronavirus and mentioned the second test he had taken that night for which he was awaiting results.
” “ I ’ ll get my test back either tonight or tomorrow morning , ” Trump explained in the Fox News interview .
Trump then tweeted at 1 a.m. on Friday that he ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many questions about the Amy Coney Barrett announcement in the Rose Garden as a super-spreader event since so many White House staff , Congress members , and Senators have now turned up positive for the virus .
Trump then spread the virus on Thursday when he went to New Jersey for a fundraiser .
Former Gov .
Chris Christie ( R-NJ ) now also has the virus and is in the hospital .
“ Under White House protocols , the more reliable test that screens a specimen from deeper in the nasal passage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shows a positive reading .
Based on people familiar with the matter , the president ’ s tests followed that protocol , ” said the Journal .
As the virus was spreading , the report also said that Trump asked one adviser not to disclose people were coming up positive for the virus .
“ Don ’ t tell anyone , Trump reportedly said , according to the Journal ’ s interview with a person familiar with the conversation .

"I just want to go back to Giuliani for a second, since you know these characters all so well," said anchor Joy Reid. "I want to read you what The New York Times — there was an opinion piece by one of his biographers, Andrew Kirtzman and David Holly what they wrote about Rudy has become. They wrote this. 'Faced with the political irrelevance and collapsing client base that would accompany Mr. Trump's defeat, in 2020, he seemingly made a Faustian bargain, working to undermine democracy in order to save his career.' I feel like it was a few years before that. What do you make of the fact that the RICO guy is now the RICO defendant?"
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"Well, it's Shakespearean in its dimensions, because Rudy was an evangelist about the rule of law in a very draconian way," said O'Brien. "And he used RICO, I think, to great effect, as we all know to go after the mob. The argument being that you could never touch the people at the head of the mob families, because they were very good at insulating their own actions from their minions who went out there, soldiers out on the street, who did the crimes. Rudy said, it was very important to attach what lower-level people did to the people orchestrating the schemes. Shades of Donald Trump much later. Everybody who has been pulled up in the January 6th investigation has complained that they came there because Trump asked them to come here. They thought they were doing what they had been told to do, and yet Trump wasn't being held accountable."
"The argument against RICO being used by Fani Willis to go after Trump is then that it's overreach," continued O'Brien. "That it should only go after organized crime. But the statute is meant to go against organized criminal conspiracies, not necessarily just conspiracies that Italian mobsters were targeted for. And in that context, one of Giuliani's biggest cases in addition to the commission case targeting the mobsters was Wall Street. He brought down Drexel Burnham. He targeted Michael Milken, he cited the person in the financial web involving insider trading and financial fraud. He himself recognized that RICO wasn't a statute that should only be used against people we traditionally call organized criminals. Fani Willis, as you noted in your opening, has also adapted it to target other people, including drug dealers. And so, I think that the idea that this thing that he created has now come around and snapped him up is both ironic but overdue because he sold himself out and he sold himself out to Trump."
"It's a reminder how easily Trump corrupts people in his orbit, but he can only corrupt them if they're corruptible," O'Brien added. "And Rudy, for all of his finger-wagging over the years at people of color for being street criminals, mobsters and many others for not following the rule of law, has now shown he's just as base and just as craven as any number of the people he once prosecuted."
Watch the video below or at the link here.


rawstory--2020-10-04--Trump advisers now saying GOP is the ‘stupid party’ due to president’s COVID-19 irresponsibility

The COVID-19 pandemic has been on American soil since early 2020 and has killed more than 200,000 people , but it took the president of the United States to physically fall ill before his supporters would start paying attention to what their leader called a “ hoax ” by the Democrats .
Now , GOP advisers and donors are concerned their sickly president has ruined more than just the reputation of their party – but also their chances of winning the 2020 election .
“ There was a panic before this started , but now we ’ re sort of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ J. Rollins , co-chairman of the pro-Trump super PAC Great America .
“ Candidates are being forced to defend themselves every day on whether they agree with this or that , in terms of what the president did on the virus.
” Republican strategist Michael Steel said , “ The president and the people around him flouted the rules .
We wish him and his family a speedy recovery , but he has been reckless , and voters dealing with the health and economic effects on them and their families won ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adviser Stuart Stevens now works with the anti-Trump Lincoln Project .
He said , “ there is fatalism ” among GOP officials and donors .
“ If I were running a Senate race , I ’ d run out and say the White House should have taken this more seriously.
” Former Biden adviser Irwin E. Redlener is the founding director of Columbia University ’ s National Center for Disaster Preparedness .
“ Their extraordinary rejection of what scientists have been recommending is coming home to roost…everyone who hitched themselves to the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is being confronted with the reality that the president himself is sick.
” Trump ’ s narrative about COVID-19 just “ disappearing ” is an argument now drawing remote and thin as the president himself sits isolated at Walter Reed Medical Center .

The COVID-19 pandemic has been on American soil since early 2020 and has killed more than 200,000 people, but it took the president of the United States to physically fall ill before his supporters would start paying attention to what their leader called a "hoax" by the Democrats. Now, GOP advisers and donors are concerned their sickly president has ruined more than just the reputation of their party - but also their chances of winning the 2020 election.
“There was a panic before this started, but now we’re sort of the stupid party,” said Edward J. Rollins, co-chairman of the pro-Trump super PAC Great America. “Candidates are being forced to defend themselves every day on whether they agree with this or that, in terms of what the president did on the virus.”
Republican strategist Michael Steel said, “The president and the people around him flouted the rules. We wish him and his family a speedy recovery, but he has been reckless, and voters dealing with the health and economic effects on them and their families won’t look on that kindly.”
Veteran Republican adviser Stuart Stevens now works with the anti-Trump Lincoln Project. He said, "there is fatalism” among GOP officials and donors. “If I were running a Senate race, I’d run out and say the White House should have taken this more seriously.”
Former Biden adviser Irwin E. Redlener is the founding director of Columbia University’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness.
“Their extraordinary rejection of what scientists have been recommending is coming home to roost...everyone who hitched themselves to the president’s dishonest messaging about the virus is being confronted with the reality that the president himself is sick.”
Trump's narrative about COVID-19 just "disappearing" is an argument now drawing remote and thin as the president himself sits isolated at Walter Reed Medical Center.


rawstory--2020-10-04--Angry Trump aides are calling Amy Coney Barrett’s announcement the ‘Rose Garden massacre’ after COVI

Angry Trump aides are calling Amy Coney Barrett’s announcement the ‘Rose Garden massacre’ after COVID-19 outbreak

Appearing ON MSNBC on Sunday afternoon , former Trump White House official Omarosa Onee Manigault Newman revealed staffers at the White House are upset with the president over the Rose Garden ceremony that seems to have led to a COVID-19 outbreak .
She also shed light on what might really be going on with President Donald J. Trump as he receives care at the facility .
She spent some time there when she fractured her foot during the early part of her tenure with the Trump administration .
“ I had an opportunity to go to Walter Reid and I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I was in that boot for about six months and I had to go back and forth , ” she said .
I ” m so grateful for my doctors there , but let me just tell you what it is like at Walter Reid .
Particularly the presidential suite , probably one of the most advanced medical wings .
They can fully support Donald Trump and his COVID diagnosis .
The only comfort I have is knowing he is only a mile away from George Washington hospital where they , too , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care and the director there can also handle any kind of presidential incidents .
But why go and expose the staff , the secret service , the military aides , the wonderful staff in the residence , even the junior staffers you see there going in and out ?
They ’ re at risk in the Trump White House.
” She added , “ What surprised me about him being moved , particularly with the symptoms they ’ re describing , are symptoms that could have easily been treated at the White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his condition is worse than what they are describing .
For him to be transported means there are things they have not shared with the American people.
” She revealed more about the inner workings at the White House during the pandemic .
“ I will tell you there are members of the staff , career staffers , who are very upset about the fact that this outbreak has happened , ” she added .
“ They ’ re calling it the Rose Garden Massacre .
It could have been prevented .
Many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive for COVID and they do not have access to the best cutting edge technology like the president does .
They could succumb to this virus .
So I ’ m hearing things , and a lot of it is that they just don ’ t understand why even now the White House has not changed their mask policy .
People are still being allowed to roam around the complex saying they ’ re optional.
” During the press conference outside of Walter Reed Medical Center , the president ’ s team of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ today is we want him to eat and drink .
be up and out of bed as much as possible .
If he continues to look and feel as good as he does today , we hope to discharge him tomorrow .
”


rawstory--2020-10-05--CNN supercut shows how Trump has repeatedly mocked his opponents’ health

CNN ’ s John Avlon on Monday showed how President Donald Trump has repeatedly used his political opponents ’ health as a weapon , such as when he openly mocked Hillary Clinton for coming down with pneumonia in 2016 .
During his latest “ Reality Check ” segment , Avlon explained how the president in the past has not been concerned about politicizing others ’ illness .
“ We all wish the president and everyone infected by the White House COVID outbreak a speedy recovery , ” he said .
“ But it ’ s a comic twist , because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in this campaign and the last , trying to stir rumors that his democratic opponents were seriously ill. ” He then cut to a clip of Trump attacking Clinton for getting sick in 2016 .
“ Here ’ s a woman , she ’ s supposed to fight all of these different things and she can ’ t make it 15 feet to her car !
” he said .
“ Give me a break.
” Avlon then notes that the president has tried to employ the same playbook against 2020 rival Joe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ questions about biden ’ s mental fitness in speeches , ads , social media.
” However , he says that this ploy has failed so far this year , which has forced the president to baselessly allege Biden is taking performance-enhancing brain pills to beat him in debates .