rawstory--2020-10-14--Mike Pence told a whopper about Joe Biden’s pandemic plan: analysis

During last week ’ s vice presidential debate , moderator Susan Page , USA Today ’ s Washington bureau chief , asked Vice President Mike Pence about the U.S. COVID-19 death toll .
Pence replied by touting the Trump administration ’ s actions to combat the pandemic , such as restrictions on travel from China , steps to expand testing and efforts to accelerate the production of a vaccine .
Pence also took a jab at Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden , a strong critic of the Trump pandemic response .
“ The reality is , when you look at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ awful lot like what President Trump and I and our task force have been doing every step of the way , ” said Pence .
“ And , quite frankly , when I look at their plan , ” he added , “ it looks a little bit like plagiarism , which is something Joe Biden knows a little bit about.
” Because COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the United States , with nearly 8 million cases and upward of 215,000 deaths , we decided to examine both the Trump and Biden plans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pence was on target in his charge that the Biden plan is rooted in Trump ’ s ideas .
We reached out to both presidential campaigns for their candidates ’ COVID-19 plans .
The Trump campaign did not respond to our request , but we looked at a campaign website timeline of administration actions on COVID-19 , as well as a coronavirus fact sheet from the White House .
The Biden campaign sent us a link to Biden ’ s COVID-19 plan .
At first glance , there are obvious similarities .
Both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public availability of COVID-19 tests .
“ Most pandemic response plans should be at their core fairly similar , if they ’ re well executed , ” said Nicolette Louissaint , executive director of Healthcare Ready , a nonprofit organization focused on strengthening the U.S. health care supply chain .
But public health experts also pointed to significant philosophical differences in how the plans are put into action .
“ You ought to think about it as two groups of people trying to make a car , ” said Dr. Georges Benjamin , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Association .
“ They have to have four wheels , probably have to have a bumper , have some doors , ” he said .
It is how you build the car from that point forward that determines what the end product looks like .
What Trump Has Done As Pence pointed out , the Trump administration has focused its efforts to combat COVID-19 along a couple of lines .
The administration formed the White House coronavirus task force in January and issued travel restrictions for some people traveling from China and other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guidelines were issued in March and expired on April 30 .
The administration launched Operation Warp Speed in April , with the goal of producing and delivering 300 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine beginning in January 2021 .
A more detailed logistics plan to distribute a vaccine was issued later .
Trump activated the Defense Production Act for certain protective equipment and ventilators .
His administration also has talked about efforts to expand COVID-19 testing in partnership with the private sector , as well as initiatives to help cover costs for COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Importantly , the administration also shifted significant decision-making responsibility to states , leaving the development of testing plans , procurement of personal protective equipment and decrees on stay-at-home orders and mask mandates to the discretion of the governor or local governments .
Despite that , Trump still urged states to reopen beginning in May , though in many areas cases of COVID-19 remained high .
What Biden Proposes to Do Biden ’ s plan would set out strong national standards for testing , contact tracing and social distancing — words that echo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with states on mask mandates , establishing a “ supply commander ” in charge of shoring up PPE , aggressively using the Defense Production Act and accelerating vaccine development .
It also outlines plans to extend more fiscal relief , provide enhanced health insurance coverage , eliminate cost sharing for COVID treatments , reestablish a team on the National Security Council to address pandemic response and to maintain membership inthe World Health Organization .
Trump announced earlier this summer that the U.S. would begin procedures to withdraw from the WHO , effective as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has said he would follow scientific advice if indicators pointed to a need to dial up social distancing guidelines in light of another wave of COVID-19 cases .
What ’ s the Same , What ’ s Different Dr. Rachel Vreeman , director of the Arnhold Institute for Global Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai , noted in an email that a key likeness is that the two plans “ sometimes used similar words , such as testing , PPE and vaccines.
” But “ the overall philosophy from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and from Trump , has been to let states and local governments deal with this problem , ” said Josh Michaud , associate director for global health policy at KFF .
“ Biden would have a much more forceful role for the federal government in setting strategy and guidelines in regards to the public health response.
” ( KHN is an editorially independent program of KFF . )
Even Pence pointed out this philosophical difference during the debate , saying that Democrats want to exert government control while Trump and Republicans left health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and others pointed to another contrast — that the Trump administration has yet to issue a comprehensive COVID-19 response plan .
“ What plan ?
I would really love it if someone could show me a plan .
A press release is not a plan , ” said Dr. Leana Wen , a public health professor at George Washington University .
Wen is right that the Trump administration has not issued a detailed plan , such as Biden ’ s document .
The Trump administration has , however , offered a road map @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Another major distinction emerged in the way the candidates have communicated the threat of the coronavirus to the public and reacted to public health guidelines , such as those issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
During most public outings and campaign rallies , Trump has chosen not to wear a mask — even after he tested positive and was treated for COVID-19 .
He has been known to mock others , including reporters and Biden , for wearing masks .
And , Trump and members of his administration have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ official events .
The White House indoor reception and outdoor Rose Garden event held to mark the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court – at each one , few attendees followed these precautions – have been associated with the transmission of at least 11 cases of coronavirus , according to a website tracking the cases from public reports .
There are also multiple reported cases among White House and Trump campaign staff members .
Throughout the pandemic , Trump has downplayed the threat of COVID-19 , touted unproven treatments for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or UV light , questioned the effectiveness of face masks and criticized or contradicted public health officials ’ statements about the pandemic .
In comparison , Biden has worn masks during his public campaign events and has encouraged Americans to do so as well .
His events strictly adhere to public health guidelines , including wearing masks , social distancing and limiting the number of attendees .
The two candidates ’ approaches to listening to scientists are also different .
“ Biden has said he is going to look at science and value @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ The Trump administration has not walked the talk ; they have said one thing and done something else .
If you go on the Trump administration website , you see guidelines that they didn ’ t follow themselves.
” In the end , the Biden campaign has the distinction of being able to learn from the Trump administration ’ s early missteps , said the experts .
There ’ s also a reality check : if Biden wins and attempts to implement his COVID-19 plan , it ’ s important to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out it looks on paper , he may not be able to accomplish everything .
“ There ’ s a lot of words in this plan , ” said Joseph Antos , a resident scholar in health care policy at the American Enterprise Institute .
“ But until you ’ re in the job , a lot of this doesn ’ t really matter.
” Pence claimed the Biden plan to address COVID-19 was similar to the Trump administration ’ s plan “ every step of the way.
” A cursory , side-by-side @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 actions — no actual comprehensive plan has been released — and the Biden plan indicates some big picture overlap on securing a vaccine and ramping up testing .
But that ’ s where the similarities end .
Biden ’ s plan includes proposed actions the Trump administration has not pursued .
It also is focused on federal rather than state authority , a significant distinction Pence himself pointed out during the debate .
Additionally , the candidates ’ behaviors toward COVID-19 and views on science have been diametrically opposed , with Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social distancing , and Biden closely adhering to both .
Pence ’ s statement ignores critical facts and realities , making it inaccurate and ridiculous .
We rate it Pants On Fire .

During last week’s vice presidential debate, moderator Susan Page, USA Today’s Washington bureau chief, asked Vice President Mike Pence about the U.S. COVID-19 death toll. Pence replied by touting the Trump administration’s actions to combat the pandemic, such as restrictions on travel from China, steps to expand testing and efforts to accelerate the production of a vaccine.
Pence also took a jab at Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, a strong critic of the Trump pandemic response. “The reality is, when you look at the Biden plan, it reads an awful lot like what President Trump and I and our task force have been doing every step of the way,” said Pence. “And, quite frankly, when I look at their plan,” he added, “it looks a little bit like plagiarism, which is something Joe Biden knows a little bit about.”
(Pence’s gibe about plagiarism is likely a reference to Biden copying phrases from a British politician’s speeches during his first run for president in 1987, an issue that caused him to drop out of the race. In 2019, the Biden campaign acknowledged it had inadvertently lifted language in its climate and education plans without attributing the sources.)
Because COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the United States, with nearly 8 million cases and upward of 215,000 deaths, we decided to examine both the Trump and Biden plans to curb the pandemic and investigate whether Pence was on target in his charge that the Biden plan is rooted in Trump’s ideas.
We reached out to both presidential campaigns for their candidates’ COVID-19 plans. The Trump campaign did not respond to our request, but we looked at a campaign website timeline of administration actions on COVID-19, as well as a coronavirus fact sheet from the White House. The Biden campaign sent us a link to Biden’s COVID-19 plan.
At first glance, there are obvious similarities. Both declare goals like vaccine development and expanding public availability of COVID-19 tests.
“Most pandemic response plans should be at their core fairly similar, if they’re well executed,” said Nicolette Louissaint, executive director of Healthcare Ready, a nonprofit organization focused on strengthening the U.S. health care supply chain.
But public health experts also pointed to significant philosophical differences in how the plans are put into action.
“You ought to think about it as two groups of people trying to make a car,” said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. “They have to have four wheels, probably have to have a bumper, have some doors,” he said. It is how you build the car from that point forward that determines what the end product looks like.
What Trump Has Done
As Pence pointed out, the Trump administration has focused its efforts to combat COVID-19 along a couple of lines.
The administration formed the White House coronavirus task force in January and issued travel restrictions for some people traveling from China and other countries in February. Federal social distancing guidelines were issued in March and expired on April 30. The administration launched Operation Warp Speed in April, with the goal of producing and delivering 300 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine beginning in January 2021. A more detailed logistics plan to distribute a vaccine was issued later. Trump activated the Defense Production Act for certain protective equipment and ventilators. His administration also has talked about efforts to expand COVID-19 testing in partnership with the private sector, as well as initiatives to help cover costs for COVID-19 treatments and make tests free of charge.
Importantly, the administration also shifted significant decision-making responsibility to states, leaving the development of testing plans, procurement of personal protective equipment and decrees on stay-at-home orders and mask mandates to the discretion of the governor or local governments. Despite that, Trump still urged states to reopen beginning in May, though in many areas cases of COVID-19 remained high.
What Biden Proposes to Do
Biden’s plan would set out strong national standards for testing, contact tracing and social distancing — words that echo the Trump plan. It proposes working with states on mask mandates, establishing a “supply commander” in charge of shoring up PPE, aggressively using the Defense Production Act and accelerating vaccine development.
It also outlines plans to extend more fiscal relief, provide enhanced health insurance coverage, eliminate cost sharing for COVID treatments, reestablish a team on the National Security Council to address pandemic response and to maintain membership inthe World Health Organization. Trump announced earlier this summer that the U.S. would begin procedures to withdraw from the WHO, effective as of July 6, 2021.
Biden has said he would follow scientific advice if indicators pointed to a need to dial up social distancing guidelines in light of another wave of COVID-19 cases.
What’s the Same, What’s Different
Dr. Rachel Vreeman, director of the Arnhold Institute for Global Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, noted in an email that a key likeness is that the two plans “sometimes used similar words, such as testing, PPE and vaccines.”
But “the overall philosophy from the start, from the White House and from Trump, has been to let states and local governments deal with this problem,” said Josh Michaud, associate director for global health policy at KFF. “Biden would have a much more forceful role for the federal government in setting strategy and guidelines in regards to the public health response.” (KHN is an editorially independent program of KFF.)
Even Pence pointed out this philosophical difference during the debate, saying that Democrats want to exert government control while Trump and Republicans left health choices up to individual Americans.
Vreeman and others pointed to another contrast — that the Trump administration has yet to issue a comprehensive COVID-19 response plan.
“What plan? I would really love it if someone could show me a plan. A press release is not a plan,” said Dr. Leana Wen, a public health professor at George Washington University.
Wen is right that the Trump administration has not issued a detailed plan, such as Biden’s document. The Trump administration has, however, offered a road map for how vaccines would be distributed.
Behavior Matters, Too
Another major distinction emerged in the way the candidates have communicated the threat of the coronavirus to the public and reacted to public health guidelines, such as those issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
During most public outings and campaign rallies, Trump has chosen not to wear a mask — even after he tested positive and was treated for COVID-19. He has been known to mock others, including reporters and Biden, for wearing masks. And, Trump and members of his administration have not adhered to social distancing guidelines at official events. The White House indoor reception and outdoor Rose Garden event held to mark the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court – at each one, few attendees followed these precautions – have been associated with the transmission of at least 11 cases of coronavirus, according to a website tracking the cases from public reports. There are also multiple reported cases among White House and Trump campaign staff members.
Throughout the pandemic, Trump has downplayed the threat of COVID-19, touted unproven treatments for the disease such as bleach, hydroxychloroquine or UV light, questioned the effectiveness of face masks and criticized or contradicted public health officials’ statements about the pandemic.
In comparison, Biden has worn masks during his public campaign events and has encouraged Americans to do so as well. His events strictly adhere to public health guidelines, including wearing masks, social distancing and limiting the number of attendees.
The two candidates’ approaches to listening to scientists are also different.
“Biden has said he is going to look at science and value the best scientists,” said Benjamin. “The Trump administration has not walked the talk; they have said one thing and done something else. If you go on the Trump administration website, you see guidelines that they didn’t follow themselves.”
In the end, the Biden campaign has the distinction of being able to learn from the Trump administration’s early missteps, said the experts.
There’s also a reality check: if Biden wins and attempts to implement his COVID-19 plan, it’s important to consider that no matter how well thought out it looks on paper, he may not be able to accomplish everything.
“There’s a lot of words in this plan,” said Joseph Antos, a resident scholar in health care policy at the American Enterprise Institute. “But until you’re in the job, a lot of this doesn’t really matter.”
Our Ruling
Pence claimed the Biden plan to address COVID-19 was similar to the Trump administration’s plan “every step of the way.”
A cursory, side-by-side look at the Trump administration’s COVID-19 actions — no actual comprehensive plan has been released — and the Biden plan indicates some big picture overlap on securing a vaccine and ramping up testing. But that’s where the similarities end.
Biden’s plan includes proposed actions the Trump administration has not pursued. It also is focused on federal rather than state authority, a significant distinction Pence himself pointed out during the debate.
Additionally, the candidates’ behaviors toward COVID-19 and views on science have been diametrically opposed, with Trump eschewing the use of face masks and social distancing, and Biden closely adhering to both.
Pence’s statement ignores critical facts and realities, making it inaccurate and ridiculous.
We rate it Pants On Fire.
Subscribe to KHN's free Morning Briefing.


rawstory--2020-10-14--‘Ultimate insult’: Michael Steele shocked that Trump is mocking seniors on Twitter days ahead of ele

‘Ultimate insult’: Michael Steele shocked that Trump is mocking seniors on Twitter days ahead of election

MSNBC ’ s Michael Steele spent years winning over senior voters to Republican candidates , and he has no idea why President Donald Trump is purposefully insulting them .
The president won over senior voters by nine points in 2016 , but this past week a Wall Street Journal/NBC News national poll and another from CNN showed the Joe Biden winning over-65 voters by more than 20 points .
“ It is a core [ GOP ] constituency and has been for over a generation now , ” Steele told “ Morning Joe.
” “ That ’ s how we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that have allowed us to take the House in 2010 , for example .
A lot of that was on the back of and help from seniors around the country , but particularly in places like Florida.
” Biden has been connecting with senior voters , who are worried about the coronavirus pandemic that has claimed so many of their lives , while Trump is alienating them with outright mockery , Steele said .
“ You had Joe Biden actually connecting with seniors in a way that , you know , says to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where you are at this stage in your life , but I also understand how important you are to what we need to get done in order to turn the country around , ' ” Steele said , “ versus what you saw from the president , not just that mocking tweet , but his own rhetoric on the stage when he talks about himself .
‘ They say I ’ m a senior but I don ’ t feel like it , I don ’ t act like it ’ — so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s not a recognition of what these men and women represent , not just to the base of the Republican Party , but to the country as a whole , and the role that they play in setting the direction and have played in setting the direction.
” The president seems to expect older voters to back him again , Steele said , but isn ’ t making any effort to win their support .
“ The president takes these voters for granted , ” Steele said .
“ He ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the fact of the matter is , this is a completely different race .
It ’ s not just what the numbers are showing , it ’ s just the dynamics from COVID to civil unrest to the flattening of the economy , and then his tin ear to all that , represented by his tweet photoshopped in a wheelchair is the ultimate insult to the men and women who have actually could help him get over the finish line .
”

MSNBC's Michael Steele spent years winning over senior voters to Republican candidates, and he has no idea why President Donald Trump is purposefully insulting them.
The president won over senior voters by nine points in 2016, but this past week a Wall Street Journal/NBC News national poll and another from CNN showed the Joe Biden winning over-65 voters by more than 20 points.
"It is a core [GOP] constituency and has been for over a generation now," Steele told "Morning Joe." "That's how we have put together the kinds of wins that have allowed us to take the House in 2010, for example. A lot of that was on the back of and help from seniors around the country, but particularly in places like Florida."
Biden has been connecting with senior voters, who are worried about the coronavirus pandemic that has claimed so many of their lives, while Trump is alienating them with outright mockery, Steele said.
"You had Joe Biden actually connecting with seniors in a way that, you know, says to them, 'Hey, I get where you are at this stage in your life, but I also understand how important you are to what we need to get done in order to turn the country around,'" Steele said, "versus what you saw from the president, not just that mocking tweet, but his own rhetoric on the stage when he talks about himself. 'They say I'm a senior but I don't feel like it, I don't act like it' -- so that's a putdown. It's not a recognition of what these men and women represent, not just to the base of the Republican Party, but to the country as a whole, and the role that they play in setting the direction and have played in setting the direction."
The president seems to expect older voters to back him again, Steele said, but isn't making any effort to win their support.
"The president takes these voters for granted," Steele said. "He's making assumptions about 2016 in 2020, and the fact of the matter is, this is a completely different race. It's not just what the numbers are showing, it's just the dynamics from COVID to civil unrest to the flattening of the economy, and then his tin ear to all that, represented by his tweet photoshopped in a wheelchair is the ultimate insult to the men and women who have actually could help him get over the finish line."


rawstory--2020-10-14--In a ‘stunning rebuke’, UN Human Rights Council rejects Saudi membership bid

Human rights groups hailed the snub to Saudi Arabia , which deals a blow to the kingdom ’ s attempts to improve its image in the international community .
“ The # HRC elections today delivered a stunning rebuke to # SaudiArabia under Mohammed bin Salman , ” tweeted Bruno Stagno , a deputy executive director at Human Rights Watch , referring to the country ’ s crown prince .
“ Only country not elected , shunned by a majority of the UN .
The kingdom reaped what it deserves for its serious violations of human rights and war crimes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positions were up for grabs on the 47-seat body that has been criticised by rights organisations and the US for electing countries accused of human rights violations .
However , only four of the 15 spots were contested , all in Asia-Pacific .
In secret-ballot voting in the 193-member UN General Assembly on the race , Pakistan received 169 votes , Uzbekistan 164 , Nepal 150 , China 139 and Saudi Arabia just 90 votes .
In 2016 , the Saudis won a seat with 152 votes .
China ’ s 139 votes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ votes it received when it was last elected in 2016 .
“ Shows more states are disturbed by China ’ s abysmal rights record , ” tweeted Louis Charbonneau , UN director at Human Rights Watch .
Last week , a coalition of human rights groups from Europe , the US and Canada called on UN member states to oppose the election of China , Russia , Saudi Arabia , Cuba , Pakistan and Uzbekistan , saying their human rights records make them “ unqualified ” .
“ Electing these dictatorships as UN @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a gang of arsonists into the fire brigade , ” said Hillel Neuer , executive director of UN Watch .
Saudi Arabia ’ s fall from grace came two years after the the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul , which sparked an international cry for human rights accountability in the oil-rich Gulf nation .
“ Unless Saudi Arabia undertakes dramatic reforms to release political prisoners , end its disastrous war in Yemen and allow its citizens meaningful political participation , it will remain a global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , executive director of Democracy for the Arab World Now , which was founded by Khashoggi .
The controversial UN voting system sees countries strike bargains to agree on who will stand , often unopposed .
President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the council in 2018 .
“ Today the UN General Assembly once again elected countries with abhorrent human rights records , ” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement .
He slammed the body ’ s membership rules , saying they “ allow the election of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to seats on the council ” .
The Geneva-based Human Rights Council can spotlight abuses and has special monitors watching certain countries and issues .
It also periodically reviews human rights in every UN member country .
Created in 2006 to replace a commission discredited because of some members ’ poor rights records , the new council soon came to face similar criticism , including that rights abusers sought seats to protect themselves and their allies .

The indictment describes Individual 1 as talking about a draft speech on or about Oct. 21, 2020, that falsely declared victory and alleged voter fraud. It matches what was found by the House Select Committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack and the attempt to overthrow the 2020 election. Fitton wrote a draft speech he emailed to Trump through two aides on Oct. 31.
POLL: Should Trump be allowed to run for office?
That matches material the Jan. 6 congressional committee released last year, revealing that Fitton had written a draft speech and emailed it to Trump via two aides on Oct. 31, noting he had recently discussed the draft with the then-president.
“Dear Mr. President,” the email begins. “Please see below a draft statement as you requested.”
They can't say with absolute certainty that Fitton is the one, but it's their best guess. Just Security agreed with the assessment, naming Fitton, too.
Individual 2, they believe, is a fake elector that was among one of the most engaged, based on the descriptions in the indictment, according to both sites. No name is included.
Individual 3 is likely Boris Epshteyn, one of Trump's longtime aides that has provided legal advice. The indictment says that he was on stage with Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, and Sidney Powell, which narrows things down.
He sent an email that investigators have from John Eastman where he admits to constitutional questions about the Electoral Count Act before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which “could invite counter views that we do not believe should constrain Pence.”
Just Security agreed that Epshteyn is Individual 3, specifically citing Act 109 of the indictment.
Individual 4, the Daily Beast confirmed is Robert Sinners, who ran operations for Election Day for the Trump campaign. Indicted co-conspirator David Shafer, former Republican Party chair of Georgia, and Sinners exchanged emails on Nov. 20, 2020, which claimed that indicted Georgia bail bondsman Scott Hall “has been looking into the election on behalf of the President at the request of [Trump adviser] David Bossie." He then asked Individual 4 to contact Hall and lend a hand.
Just Security also named Sinners, saying that "the same email is accounted for in Curling v. Raffensperger ."
Sinners now works "with an institutional bulwark that brooked some of the most severe abuse and violent threats while holding the Trump team’s anti-democratic efforts at bay—the office of Georgia’s GOP Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger," said the Beast.
Individuals 5 and 6 are likely Bernie Kerik (5), and Phil Waldron (6). Kerik is the longtime Rudy Giuliani pal that was in the war room at the Willard Hotel on Jan. 6. But he was also chatting with Waldron about a conspiracy theorist in Texas who had a PowerPoint roadmap to overturning the election using China and Venezuela.
Just Security agreed, too, noting that the two men are in some of the same places or meetings as previously known. Waldron, for example, told The Washington Post that he was at the Nov. 25 meeting.
"The indictment then puts Individuals 5 and 6 together during similar back-to-back presentations that Giuliani’s team made days later to a group of Arizona GOP lawmakers. Kerik describes those meetings in detail to the Jan. 6 committee, matching details in the indictment," the Beast concluded.
Individual 7 was unknown to the Daily Beast, but Just Security can narrow it down to five people: "G. Michael Brown or others on email chain: James Fitzpatrick, Shawn Flynn, Thomas Lane, Valerie McConahay."
"Act 77 of the indictment alleges that Mike Roman sent an email on 12/14/2020 to Robert Sinners, Individual 7, and others stating: 'Please send me an update as soon as the State Electoral College has adjourned and all paperwork is secured.'"
The House Select Committee had the email, showing the possible people that were also on the email.
Individual 8 appears to be Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, both sites said. He was a state senator at the time, and was one of the 16 fake electors.
"The indictment makes it easy to identify Individual 8, who is portrayed as a central figure in the alleged fake elector scheme, appearing in 11 overt acts," said the report. "But the glaring tip that Willis included might not sit well with the purportedly anonymous Individual 8. Last year, Jones successfully barred the DA from publicly naming him in connection with the grand jury probe."
Still, he was quoted from an identifiable Dec. 7 tweet, that Rudy Giuliani shared.
“Georgia Patriot Call to Action: today is the day we need you to call your state Senate & House Reps & ask them to sign the petition for a special session,” the tweet says. “We must have free & fair elections in GA & this is our only path to ensuring every legal vote is counted. @realDonaldTrump.”
Jones is the author, making it easy to identify him. He refused to comment, but did attack D.A. Fani Willis on Twitter for "pursuing 'political vendettas of the past' and spending 'millions of taxpayer dollars' on the sprawling criminal investigation for 'the sole purpose of the furthering of her own political career.'"
Individual 9 the Daily Beast thinks is former Georgia Republican Party treasurer Joseph Brannan, but Just Security isn't as certain. They only identify 9 as a fake elector.
"Individual 9 is alleged in the indictment to have been on the receiving end of a Dec. 10 email from indicted pro-Trump lawyer Ken Chesebro, who is said to also be unindicted co-conspirator 5 in Smith’s federal indictment," said the Beast.
The House Select committee has an email from that as well, showing Chesebro trying “to help coordinate with the other 5 contested States, to help with logistics of the electors in other States hopefully joining in casting their votes on Monday.”
The recipients match Brannan's description, the report explained, which also featured indicted former Georgia GOP chair David Shafer along with “unindicted co-conspirator Individual 9.” The two other people on the email are women, and 9 is referred to as male.
Individuals 10-19 are all fake electors both sides aid.
Individual 20, which was cited by some of the legal analysts after the indictment dropped, was someone that was in the Oval Office during one of the key meetings on 12/18/2020. While the Daily Beast won't say, Just Security narrows it down to Michael Flynn, Patrick Byrne, or Emily Newman.
Individual 21, the Beast said was unknown, but Just Security identifies Todd Sanders or Conan Hayes. They use Act 91, which refers to an email sent by Sidney Powell that mentions both men along with Waldron, who was identified as Individual 6. The email was also included in the records from Curling v. Raffensperger.
Individual 22 would reportedly be the other of Todd Sanders or Conan Hayes.
Individual 23, which the Beast also said was unknown. Citing Act 115, Just Security said that Individual 23 was on one of the phone calls with Harrison Floyd and others on Jan. 3, 2021, at 8:11 p.m. Act 27 also references a four-way call that included Floyd, Trevian Kutti, Stephen Lee, and individual 23 on Jan. 5, 2021.
Individual 24 is Alex Cruce, Just Security said, using Act 143 which references the individual flying into Coffee County with Scott Hall, something Cruce admitted in Curling v. Raffensperger.
Individual 25, both sites believe to be Doug Logan, the CEO of the Cyber Ninjas.
Act 154 refers to Misty Hampton, one of the people who allowed Individual 25 into non-public areas of the Coffee County Election Board offices on Jan. 18, 2021. The videos were reported by ABC News and showed Logan and Jeff Lenbert being allowed in on that time. Act 150 refers to Individual 25 downloading the information from the county and putting it on legal technology company Sullivan Strickler's ShareFile, which showed Logan downloading the data on several dates in Jan. 2021.
Individuals 26 and 27, Just Security writes are probably Michael Pospieszalski or Jovan Pulitzer. They cite Acts 151 and 152 accusing Individuals 26 and 27 of downloading Coffee County data. There were six people who did this according to Curling v. Raffensperger. Others have already been identified, leaving these two men.
Individual 28, both believe is Jim Penrose, a former National Security official who ultimately went to work for Sidney Powell. Act 155 alleging an email on April 22, 2021 to SullivanStrickler COO Paul Maggio, asking that the voting data taken from Coffee County be sent to an attorney working with Powell.
“On or about the 22nd day of April 2021, unindicted co-conspirator Individual 28, whose identity is known to the grand jury, sent an email to the chief operations officer of SullivanStrickler LLC directing him to transmit all data copied from Dominion Voting Systems equipment at the Coffee County Board of Elections & Registration Office in Coffee County, Georgia, to unindicted co-conspirator Individual 30, whose identity is known to the grand jury, an attorney associated with Sidney Katherine Powell and the Trump campaign,” the indictment says.
Individual 29 is likely Jeffrey Lenberg, the Beast and Just Security believes, citing Act 154 of the indictment. Lenberg was with Logan on Jan. 18, 2021, when going into the board of elections.
Individual 30 is probably Stefanie Lambert, the sites agree, citing Act 155.
Jim Pemrose, though to be Individual 28, sent an email that was available in Curling v. Raffensperger, indicating Stefanie Lambert was to get the data from Coffee County. Penrose wrote to send the materials to "the same address as before," and "[i]nvoice Stefanie Lambert for the work like last time."
The Daily Beast spoke to Lambert's lawyer, Michael Smith, who said, “My client is a brilliant and zealous advocate for her clients. Stefanie Lambert has done nothing illegal. Like all law firms, Lambert hires experts to opine on potential cases or cases in active litigation. She intends to file suit against any person or entity falsely implying her legal work was improper.”
Read both reports at Just Security and the Daily Beast for significantly more details.


rawstory--2020-10-15--Judge rules feds must act after GOP senator caught coordinating with dark money group

On Wednesday , the Quad-City Times reported that a federal judge is ordering the Federal Election Commission to investigate a “ dark money ” group accused of improper coordination with Sen. Joni Ernst ( R-IA ) .
“ A U.S. District Court judge has entered a default judgment against the Federal Election Commission , ordering it to take action on a complaint involving a so-called dark-money group tied to Sen. Joni Ernst ’ s campaign , ” reported Gary Krambeck .
“ The action Wednesday was brought by the left-leaning Washington-based Campaign Legal Center , which told the court the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its complaint that Ernst ’ s campaign had illegally coordinated with the dark-money group , Iowa Values , a political nonprofit backing Ernst.
” “ According to a July 2019 email obtained by The Associated Press , an Ernst campaign consultant asked a donor to make a $ 50,000 contribution to Iowa Values , a political nonprofit backing the incumbent Republican , after Ernst introduced the two , ” said the report .
Even after the Supreme Court ’ s Citizens United decision , it is illegal for campaigns , whose donors face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with outside political nonprofits , who can spend as much as they want .
However , the FEC is currently not enforcing these rules , mainly because it lacks the quorum to meet and conduct business in the first place .
Ernst , who is facing a tough re-election battle against Democratic businesswoman Theresa Greenfield , has denied she did anything improper .

"You mentioned the concept of accountability and how it is not something that Donald Trump is particularly familiar with," said anchor Alex Wagner. "I wonder what you think of the peril that he keeps putting himself in, legally speaking, by lashing out at prosecutors. Targeting judges. Speaking badly about the very people who will determine his fate. And being, effectively, not threatened, but potentially forced to pay a price for that in the form of a trial date that has moved, or a fine, or even the possibility of being incarcerated while he awaits trial. Do you think that there is anything at this point that could force Donald Trump to stop the vitriol and to stop the tweets and the rants? Or is he going to push it as far as he possibly can?"
POLL: Should Trump be allowed to run for office?
"The short answer is no, he is not going to be able to stop himself," said Mary Trump. "There has been a really interesting shift over the last few months or couple of years. the way in which he is presenting himself in social media, the kind of attacking nature, and the aggressiveness, that used to be a strategy for him."
"You know, he used to throw temper tantrums strategically to get his way," she continued. "It is not strategy anymore."
"He is literally doing what he has done in other contexts, which is pushing the envelope to see how much he could get away with, which obviously, until this time, has been everything," she added. "But, the unconscious fear, terror, and especially if you have a fear of humiliation is so strong, that he cannot course correct and realize that what he's always done is, this time, not going to get him what he wants. In fact, quite the opposite."
Watch the video below or at the link.


rawstory--2020-10-15--‘He does not sound well’: Trump’s health questioned after repeated pronunciation failures at Iowa ra

‘He does not sound well’: Trump’s health questioned after repeated pronunciation failures at Iowa rally

President Donald Trump on Wednesday held his third daily campaign rally after returning to the campaign trail following his hospitalization @ @ @ @ @ supporters in Iowa , despite local fears his rally would be a coronavirus super-spreader event @ @ @ @ @ no social distancing and few masks at the event .
But the focus returned to @ @ @ @ @ he repeatedly failed to pronounce the name of a company while attacking Hunter Biden .
@ @ @ @ @ what people were saying about Trump ’ s pronunciation failures :

"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?"
POLL: Should Trump be allowed to run for office?
"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--2020-10-14--Michael Cohen is writing a second book because ‘Trump has weaponized the Department of Justice’

President Donald J. Trump ’ s former “ fixer ” Michael Cohen is writing a second book detailing the politicization of the Department of Justice under his former boss .
“ It is fair and accurate to state that President Trump has weaponized the Department of Justice , ” Cohen , said in an interview while promoting his book .
His first publication was called , “ Disloyal : A Memoir : The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump , ” which was a number one New York Times bestseller .
“ There ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that hasn ’ t been told , tangentially related to Donald Trump , ” he told POLITICO in an interview Wednesday .
“ It is fair and accurate to state that President Trump has weaponized the Department of Justice against those he deems to be a threat thus making it into the Department of Injustice.
” Expected to be covered in the second book are the events that occurred when police used a warrant for the raid of Cohen ’ s office and hotel room and “ his public opinions regarding the prosecutors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and other witnesses who worked with the Justice Department , the judges who worked on his case , the Christopher Steele dossier , and how government officials dealt with him , ” according to POLITICO .
Cohen said he worked on the book for about a month and is almost done with the outline .
He is currently shopping the book for a publishing house is almost done with the outline .

President Donald J. Trump’s former “fixer” Michael Cohen is writing a second book detailing the politicization of the Department of Justice under his former boss.
“It is fair and accurate to state that President Trump has weaponized the Department of Justice,” Cohen, said in an interview while promoting his book. His first publication was called, "Disloyal: A Memoir: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump,” which was a number one New York Times bestseller.
“There’s so much more to the story that hasn’t been told, tangentially related to Donald Trump,” he told POLITICO in an interview Wednesday. “It is fair and accurate to state that President Trump has weaponized the Department of Justice against those he deems to be a threat thus making it into the Department of Injustice.”
Expected to be covered in the second book are the events that occurred when police used a warrant for the raid of Cohen's office and hotel room and "his public opinions regarding the prosecutors who went after him, the banks and other witnesses who worked with the Justice Department, the judges who worked on his case, the Christopher Steele dossier, and how government officials dealt with him," according to POLITICO.
Cohen said he worked on the book for about a month and is almost done with the outline. He is currently shopping the book for a publishing house.


rawstory--2020-10-14--BUSTED: Amy Coney Barrett caught in another scandal for failing to disclose politics to the Senate

CNN reported Wednesday that there are at least seven additional talks not listed on public calendars from the University of Notre Dame ’ s law school that involved Judge Amy Coney Barrett .
Missing on the Senate paperwork was a talk with the law school ’ s anti-abortion group , according to a CNN KFile review .
Barrett is listed as participating in the newly discovered talks from 2004 to 2013 and involve panel participation on religion in the public square , a speech to a student religious society , a talk with the law school ’ s anti-abortion group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a faculty colloquium , a student scholarship symposium , and an event sponsored by Notre Dame ’ s Women ’ s Legal Forum .
CNN ’ s KFile accessed the public calendars on the Internet Archive ’ s Wayback Machine and on Notre Dame ’ s website .
Bennett omitted these public talks – even though it is required to disclose them to the Senate Judiciary Committee .
CNN ’ s KFile did note they were unable to independently confirm Barrett ’ s participation in the events , only that they were listed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In several of the instances , only listings for the events , but not descriptions of them , were archived .
Barrett is currently in day three of hearings to be confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court seat left vacant following Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg ’ s death on Sept. 17 .

CNN reported Wednesday that there are at least seven additional talks not listed on public calendars from the University of Notre Dame's law school that involved Judge Amy Coney Barrett. Missing on the Senate paperwork was a talk with the law school's anti-abortion group, according to a CNN KFile review.
Barrett is listed as participating in the newly discovered talks from 2004 to 2013 and involve panel participation on religion in the public square, a speech to a student religious society, a talk with the law school's anti-abortion group, a roundtable on the Constitution, a faculty colloquium, a student scholarship symposium, and an event sponsored by Notre Dame's Women's Legal Forum.
CNN's KFile accessed the public calendars on the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine and on Notre Dame's website. Barrett omitted these public talks - even though it is required to disclose them to the Senate Judiciary Committee. CNN's KFile did note they were unable to independently confirm Barrett's participation in the events, only that they were listed on Notre Dame's public calendars. In several of the instances, only listings for the events, but not descriptions of them, were archived.
Barrett is currently in day three of hearings to be confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court seat left vacant following Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death on Sept. 17.


rawstory--2020-10-14--Kamala Harris praised for cornering Amy Coney Barrett: ‘She cannot stand being asked questions’

On Wednesday , Sen. Kamala Harris ( D-CA ) subjected Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett to relentless grilling about @ @ @ @ @ to climate change .
Commenters on social media applauded the round of tough questioning — @ @ @ @ @ responses .

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--2020-10-14--‘Totally under control’: New, secretly-filmed documentary details Trump’s colossal COVID-19 failures

Several public health experts who have spent this year watching as President Donald Trump has ignored , refuted , and openly mocked their guidance on the coronavirus pandemic are among those interviewed in a new documentary titled “ Totally Under Control ” —coming forward to give an insider ’ s account of how the Trump administration ’ s severe mismanagement of the crisis led to more than 216,000 deaths in the United States so far .
“ Should open-minded viewers decide to watch ‘ Totally Under Control , ’ they ’ re likely to feel snapped awake , as if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” —Ann Hornaday , Washington Post Directed by Alex Gibney—whose previous documentary subjects include the energy company Enron , the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi , and the church of Scientology—the trailer for the film begins with reports of the first confirmed Covid-19 case in the U.S. on January 20 and concludes with the president making the claim that the documentary is named after , telling a reporter that the pandemic is “ totally under control.
” The experts featured in the trailer and film make clear that while the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needed to save hundreds of thousands of lives , the federal government refused to prepare healthcare workers and the general public for the crisis , choosing instead to downplay the pandemic .
“ We , the scientists , knew what to do for the pandemic response , ” says Dr. Rick Bright , a vaccine expert who was ousted from his role at the Health and Human Services Department after objecting to Trump ’ s Covid-19 response .
“ The plan was in front of us but leadership would not do it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the line and push back.
” The film was made in secret , and also includes interviews with former CDC director Tom Frieden , Dr. Taison Bell of University of Virginia , and Michael Bowen , an executive at medical supply company Prestige Ameritech whose offer to produce N95 masks was dismissed by federal officials in January .
“ Political leaders caused avoidable death and destruction , ” Frieden , who served under the Obama administration , says in the trailer .
In the two-hour film , Gibney focuses significantly on a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and March when the federal government failed to implement a widespread testing strategy and the CDC went ahead with the development of a faulty test kit .
The administration “ squandered the critical window for containing the virus ” during that time , wrote Adrian Horton at The Guardian .
Around the same time , Trump spoke with veteran journalist Bob Woodward , who later released audio recordings of the president stating clearly that he understood the virus to be highly deadly and virulent to people of all ages—even as he was publicly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on its own in a matter of weeks or months .
“ They knew all this , and yet they refused to act , ” Gibney told The Guardian .
Reviewers of the film at The Guardian and the Washington Post wrote that “ Totally Under Control ” will likely be most widely viewed and appreciated by people who are already familiar with and critical of the president ’ s response to the coronavirus pandemic .
But “ should open-minded viewers decide to watch ‘ Totally Under Control , ' ” wrote Ann @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re likely to feel snapped awake , as if from a long , horrifying national trance .
Let ’ s hope they keep awake , and stay angry.
” “ Totally Under Control ” is available to rent on streaming platforms including YouTube and iTunes , and will be available on Hulu on October 20 .

Several public health experts who have spent this year watching as President Donald Trump has ignored, refuted, and openly mocked their guidance on the coronavirus pandemic are among those interviewed in a new documentary titled "Totally Under Control"—coming forward to give an insider's account of how the Trump administration's severe mismanagement of the crisis led to more than 216,000 deaths in the United States so far.
"Should open-minded viewers decide to watch 'Totally Under Control,' they're likely to feel snapped awake, as if from a long, horrifying national trance."
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
Directed by Alex Gibney—whose previous documentary subjects include the energy company Enron, the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, and the church of Scientology—the trailer for the film begins with reports of the first confirmed Covid-19 case in the U.S. on January 20 and concludes with the president making the claim that the documentary is named after, telling a reporter that the pandemic is "totally under control."
The experts featured in the trailer and film make clear that while the U.S. had at its disposal every resource it needed to save hundreds of thousands of lives, the federal government refused to prepare healthcare workers and the general public for the crisis, choosing instead to downplay the pandemic.
"We, the scientists, knew what to do for the pandemic response," says Dr. Rick Bright, a vaccine expert who was ousted from his role at the Health and Human Services Department after objecting to Trump's Covid-19 response. "The plan was in front of us but leadership would not do it. It is time to lay our careers on the line and push back."
WATCH:
The film was made in secret, and also includes interviews with former CDC director Tom Frieden, Dr. Taison Bell of University of Virginia, and Michael Bowen, an executive at medical supply company Prestige Ameritech whose offer to produce N95 masks was dismissed by federal officials in January.
"Political leaders caused avoidable death and destruction," Frieden, who served under the Obama administration, says in the trailer.
In the two-hour film, Gibney focuses significantly on a "missing six weeks" in February and March when the federal government failed to implement a widespread testing strategy and the CDC went ahead with the development of a faulty test kit. The administration "squandered the critical window for containing the virus" during that time, wrote Adrian Horton at The Guardian.
Around the same time, Trump spoke with veteran journalist Bob Woodward, who later released audio recordings of the president stating clearly that he understood the virus to be highly deadly and virulent to people of all ages—even as he was publicly saying Covid-19 would likely "disappear" on its own in a matter of weeks or months.
"They knew all this, and yet they refused to act," Gibney told The Guardian.
Reviewers of the film at The Guardian and the Washington Post wrote that "Totally Under Control" will likely be most widely viewed and appreciated by people who are already familiar with and critical of the president's response to the coronavirus pandemic.
But "should open-minded viewers decide to watch 'Totally Under Control,'" wrote Ann Hornaday at the Post, "they're likely to feel snapped awake, as if from a long, horrifying national trance. Let's hope they keep awake, and stay angry."
"Totally Under Control" is available to rent on streaming platforms including YouTube and iTunes, and will be available on Hulu on October 20.


rawstory--2020-10-15--‘Desperate’ Trump ‘openly’ using government resources to boost his sagging re-election chances

President Donald Trump is using government resources to make up for his flagging campaign funds .
The president ordered millions of food boxes set out to needy families , an $ 8 billion program for drug discount cards for seniors — featuring Trump branding , and paid for by taxpayers — and a $ 300 million advertising campaign in the final weeks before an election he seems likely to lose , reported Politico .
“ The president is increasingly using all the levers he ’ s got for political purposes , ” said Donald Ayer , a former deputy attorney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ You can wonder whether he ’ s getting a bit desperate … It appears to me that the president is making increasingly outrageous demands and comments as time goes along.
” This last-minute push comes as Trump falls more than $ 100 million behind Democrat Joe Biden in television ad spending , and most public polls show him trailing by double digits , and veterans of previous administrations call the activity a “ frontal assault ” on government ethics .
“ Trump is openly saying , ‘ I get to use this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come with it , to just advance my political interests in the most raw terms , ’ ” said Bob Bauer , the President Barack Obama ’ s White House counsel who now helps lead Biden ’ s voter protection efforts .
Previous presidents have used the trappings of the office to their advantage , but government watchdogs say Trump ’ s bending of the government to serve his campaign is highly unusual .
“ I do firmly believe that Trump has blended his personal business and the functioning of government in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in United States history , ” said Nick Schwellenbach , a senior investigator with the nonpartisan Project on Government Oversight .
The Department of Justice , under Attorney General William Barr , has intervened against the president ’ s sex assault accusers and political enemies , and attorneys who ’ ve faced those efforts are clearly aimed at helping him win another term .
“ Trump ’ s effort to wield the power of the U.S. government to evade responsibility for his private misconduct is without precedent , ” said attorney Roberta Kaplan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jean Carroll , who has accused the president of raping her in the 1990s , “ and shows even more starkly how far he is willing to go to prevent the truth from coming out .
”

President Donald Trump is using government resources to make up for his flagging campaign funds.
The president ordered millions of food boxes set out to needy families, an $8 billion program for drug discount cards for seniors -- featuring Trump branding, and paid for by taxpayers -- and a $300 million advertising campaign in the final weeks before an election he seems likely to lose, reported Politico.
“The president is increasingly using all the levers he’s got for political purposes,” said Donald Ayer, a former deputy attorney general under George H.W. Bush. “You can wonder whether he’s getting a bit desperate … It appears to me that the president is making increasingly outrageous demands and comments as time goes along.”
This last-minute push comes as Trump falls more than $100 million behind Democrat Joe Biden in television ad spending, and most public polls show him trailing by double digits, and veterans of previous administrations call the activity a "frontal assault" on government ethics.
“Trump is openly saying, ‘I get to use this office, the authority and resources that come with it, to just advance my political interests in the most raw terms,’" said Bob Bauer, the President Barack Obama's White House counsel who now helps lead Biden's voter protection efforts.
Previous presidents have used the trappings of the office to their advantage, but government watchdogs say Trump's bending of the government to serve his campaign is highly unusual.
“I do firmly believe that Trump has blended his personal business and the functioning of government in a way we’ve seen perhaps never in United States history,” said Nick Schwellenbach, a senior investigator with the nonpartisan Project on Government Oversight.
The Department of Justice, under Attorney General William Barr, has intervened against the president's sex assault accusers and political enemies, and attorneys who've faced those efforts are clearly aimed at helping him win another term.
“Trump’s effort to wield the power of the U.S. government to evade responsibility for his private misconduct is without precedent," said attorney Roberta Kaplan, who's representing author E. Jean Carroll, who has accused the president of raping her in the 1990s, "and shows even more starkly how far he is willing to go to prevent the truth from coming out.”


rawstory--2020-10-16--Watch Trump’s unhinged meltdown when asked about his white supremacist supporters at town hall

President Donald Trump lashed out at NBC anchor Savannah Guthrie during NBC ’ s town hall meeting on Wednesday .
@ @ @ @ @ whether he would denounce the white supremacists who support his campaign .
“ You didn @ @ @ @ @ whether he denounces Antifa , ” Trump said of the antifascists who oppose his white @ @ @ @ @ on to claim he was unfamiliar with the QAnon conspiracy theory being pushed by his @ @ @ @ @ nothing about QAnon , ” Trump claimed .
Trump attended the town hall after refusing @ @ @ @ @ presidential debate .

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.
POLL: Should Trump be allowed to run for office?
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--2020-10-15--‘We’re done!’ GOP candidate for John Lewis’ seat storms from interview when asked about her conspira

‘We’re done!’ GOP candidate for John Lewis’ seat storms from interview when asked about her conspiracy theories

On Wednesday , Angela Stanton-King — a Trump-loving GOP candidate running for the late civil rights hero Rep. John Lewis ’ congressional seat in Metro Atlanta — was interviewed by The Guardian ‘ s Oliver Laughland , and angrily cut short the interview when asked about her past tweets appearing to reference the QAnon conspiracy theory .
Believers of QAnon , which holds that Trump is secretly working to bring down a Democratic-controlled ring of cannibalistic , Satanic pedophiles , have dabbled in anti-Semitism and have been flagged as a source of domestic terrorism .
As a result , some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it now try to deny their involvement — as Stanton-King tried to do .
When Laughland asked her to explain a tweet in which she warned of “ a major cover up for PEDOPHILIA and HUMAN TRAFFICKING , ” she replied “ That has nothing to do with QAnon.
” Laughland then asked “ what about that tweet that says ‘ The storm is here ? '
” — a popular catchphrase of QAnon believers — and Stanton-King said , “ It was raining that day.
” Ultimately , faced with questioning , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ done , let ’ s go , ” and walked out of the interview .


rawstory--2020-10-15--Taxpayers paid for embattled GOP senator to robocall constituents during early voting: report

Interim Sen. Martha McSally ( R-AZ ) used taxpayer funds to robocall Arizonians as she continues to trail Democrat and former astronaut Mark Kelly .
“ Less than three weeks before a tough election , Sen. Martha McSally ( R-AZ ) has used her office ’ s taxpayer-funded resources to send out a robocall touting a key campaign issue—her work on COVID-19 policy—to Arizonans , ” The Daily Beast reported Thursday .
“ Normally , mass official communication with constituents so close to an election would be prohibited , ” The Beast explained .
“ But a waiver approved by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made it permissible—if , and only if , the communication is for the purposes of ‘ providing updated information about the pandemic , and providing information about the federal government ’ s response.
’ ” The publication interviewed Meredith McGehee , executive director of the nonpartisan good-government group Issue One .
“ What you see in the McSally communication is , a kind of a touting of her constituent services , and that ’ s where the line is pretty blurred , ” McGehee said .
“ It skates along the edges of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a very hot re-election campaign , she is truly abiding by the purpose of the waiver .
It is certainly a legitimate question to ask .
”

Interim Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) used taxpayer funds to robocall Arizonians as she continues to trail Democrat and former astronaut Mark Kelly.
"Less than three weeks before a tough election, Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) has used her office’s taxpayer-funded resources to send out a robocall touting a key campaign issue—her work on COVID-19 policy—to Arizonans," The Daily Beast reported Thursday.
"Normally, mass official communication with constituents so close to an election would be prohibited," The Beast explained. "But a waiver approved by the Senate Rules Committee in March has made it permissible—if, and only if, the communication is for the purposes of 'providing updated information about the pandemic, and providing information about the federal government's response.'”
The publication interviewed Meredith McGehee, executive director of the nonpartisan good-government group Issue One.
“What you see in the McSally communication is, a kind of a touting of her constituent services, and that’s where the line is pretty blurred,” McGehee said. “It skates along the edges of whether or not, in the middle of a very hot re-election campaign, she is truly abiding by the purpose of the waiver. It is certainly a legitimate question to ask.”


rawstory--2020-10-15--‘Trump’s administration has torn families apart’: Rudy Giuliani’s daughter warns ‘corruption starts

‘Trump’s administration has torn families apart’: Rudy Giuliani’s daughter warns ‘corruption starts with yes-men’

In an op-ed for Vanity Fair this Thursday , Rudy Giuliani ’ s daughter rebuked the Trump administration and called upon people to elect Joe Biden for president in 2020 .
“ To anyone who feels overwhelmed or apathetic about this election , there is nothing I relate to more than desperation to escape corrosive political discourse , ” Caroline Rose Giuliani wrote .
“ As a child , I saw firsthand the kind of cruel , selfish politics that Donald Trump has now inflicted on our country .
It made me want to run as far away from them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I tell you : Running away does not solve the problem .
We have to stand and fight .
The only way to end this nightmare is to vote .
There is hope on the horizon , but we ’ ll only grasp it if we elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
” Giuliani , who is a filmmaker , describes how as a child she would get into debates with her father , but found that his opinions were immovable .
“ It was disheartening to feel how little power I had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how logical and above-my-pay-grade my arguments were .
He always found a way to justify his party line , whatever it was at the time , ” she wrote , later adding that even though there was an “ occasional flash of connection in these disagreements with my dad , it felt like nothing changed for the better , so I would retreat again until another issue I couldn ’ t stay silent on surfaced.
” “ Women , immigrants , people with disabilities , and people of color are all also under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by his judicial appointments , including , probably , Amy Coney Barrett .
Trump ’ s administration has torn families apart in more ways than I even imagined were possible , from ripping children from their parents at the border to mishandling the coronavirus , which has resulted in over 215,000 in the U.S. dying , many thousands of them without their loved ones near.
” Read her full op-ed over at Vanity Fair .


rawstory--2020-10-16--Majority of voters tilt toward Biden as health issues weigh heavily on Americans

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According to Eisen, "The CNN story is very important because it connects the dots. We now have evidence that goes from Coffee County, to Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani, and as CNN reports, right into the Oval Office because this was discussed on Dec. 18th in one of the very notorious meetings in the Oval Office, whether it's possible to get access to these Georgia voting systems and others around the country. It matters, of course, because it is one of the most serious crimes that we have in the 21st century is unauthorized access, hacking of computer systems."
He explained that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has a three-legged indictment available to her: "The first is the famous fake electoral certificates. The second is pressure on Georgia election officials, that's the famous call, 'just find 11,780 votes,' to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. And the third is the alleged intrusion on these computer systems in Coffee County, Georgia."
Eisen went on to say that the new reporting revealed, "just how long, how strong that third leg of the stool is."
Trump has already responded to the news by alleging that election fraud happened at the hands of Atlanta voters. He claimed there was proof if the grand jury wanted it.
POLL: Should Trump be allowed to run for office?
There are 40 racketeering laws on the books in Georgia, Eisen explained, and Willis will have access to using those to link actions in Coffee County to the state case.
"She's done it numerous times on high-profile cases in the past, and that's exactly what RICO does. It pulls together those three conspiracies we were talking about, including this hacking conspiracy, into one large case that you can present to a jury where you say, 'Hey, what was the point of those fake electoral certificates? What was the point of pressing Georgia officials to do the wrong thing? What was the point of the computer hacking? The same point, all of these people were working together in one, as we put it, enterprise in order for Donald Trump to allegedly hang on to his office when we know he had lost the election. You can't do that in American law."
The grand jury meets again on Monday, and it is possible indictments will be handed down then or come on Tuesday.
See his full commentary in the video below or at the link here.


rawstory--2020-10-17--Kansas man arrested for threat to kidnap and murder Wichita mayor over mask mandate: report

Yet another plot was uncovered by somebody seeking to harm public officials over COVID-19 restrictions .
“ A Wichita man has been arrested on suspicion of threatening to kidnap and kill Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple over frustrations with the city ’ s mask ordinance , the mayor and police said Friday afternoon , ” The Wichita Eagle reported Friday .
“ Meredith Dowty , 59 , was booked into Sedgwick County Jail at 6:05 p.m. , Friday , booking reports show .
Police confirmed he is the suspect and said he could face a charge of criminal threat.
” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me and slash my throat and he needed my address because I needed to see the hangman — me and everyone who , something about tyranny , ” Whipple said .
“ It sounded like the person was very upset about pretty much mask mandates and he said something about not being able to see his mother because of COVID restrictions on elderly homes.
” The suspect is a retired city firefighter known for playing guitar and harmonica at local bars .
“ This wasn ’ t just some guy popping off on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ He contacted someone that knows where I live that apparently he thought would give him my address .
”

"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.