theintercept--2020-04-22--Covid-19 Highlights Trump’s Malignant Narcissism — And Proves Americans Will Survive Des

Covid-19 Highlights Trump’s Malignant Narcissism — And Proves Americans Will Survive Despite Him

wisdom from ancient Rome has guided astute public health officials dealing with epidemics for 2,000 years : “ Cito , longe , tarde.
” That ’ s Latin for “ Leave quickly .
Go far away .
Come back slowly.
” Faced with a highly contagious , lethal disease for which there is no known cure , President Donald Trump has ignored that timeless advice .
Instead , like a medieval demagogue , Trump is spouting quackery and hatred straight out of the 14th century , when panicked Europeans confronting the Black Death strapped live chickens to their bodies , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and blamed the Mongols and the Jews when none of it worked .
Major catastrophes lay bare the truth about our leaders .
Trump ’ s criminally negligent , chaotic handling of the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed , once and for all , that he is a corrupt , narcissistic psychopath .
His babbling and incoherent press conferences , in which he lashes out in every direction , continue to show that he is in urgent need of psychiatric treatment .
He exhibits the self-centered tendencies of a small child .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prevents any intervention , even in the midst of the worst public health crisis in a century .
His family members , like Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump , appear perfectly happy to keep smiling while enjoying the favored status that , most recently , allowed them to disregard stay-at-home guidelines to decamp to a Trump resort in New Jersey for Passover .
Of course , some of Trump ’ s most important enablers are the reporters in the White House press corps , who daily act as his Greek chorus .
Instead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they dutifully cover his Covid-19 press conferences and tweets as if they were the serious , coherent statements of a genuine national leader .
In the process , they are aiding and abetting Trump ’ s disinformation campaign , which could result in thousands of additional and needless deaths .
The government ’ s top public health professionals , fearful of losing their jobs and of even worse behavior by Trump , have also become crucial enablers , forced to pretend that Trump ’ s handling of the Covid-19 crisis has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House coronavirus coordinator , has taken on a more prominent role at briefings after effusively praising the president , while Dr. Anthony Fauci , the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , has been less noticeable as he has grown more willing to contradict Trump ’ s most dangerous assertions .
On Saturday , Birx went along while Trump hijacked the daily briefing to complain about Democrats , the press , and China .
The result is that the White House is stuck in a surreal alternate reality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do their jobs as if the president were not mad as a hatter .
But because of Covid-19 , the rest of the nation now recognizes what should have been obvious ever since Trump took office : His first response to every crisis is to insist on complete authority , while at the same time abandoning all responsibility .
Despite his inaction and incompetence , he won ’ t relinquish control over the government ’ s resources to those who know how to use them .
In the total absence of national @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to take charge , leading Trump to lash out at them .
In this , he resembles the insane U.S. Navy captain played by Humphrey Bogart in the 1954 film “ The Cain Mutiny , ” who is so paralyzed with fear during a storm that junior officers must take control of the ship .
After they steer it into calmer waters , he accuses them of mutiny .
Trump has attacked governors in hard-hit states for imposing strict stay-at-home orders to slow the spread of the virus .
He is fearful of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affect his chances for reelection in November and wants the economy to reopen even before the disease has been contained or any treatment is available .
This has led , predictably , to small protests against state-level quarantine measures , staged by an extremist , zombie-like slice of Trump ’ s base .
Trump has endorsed these demonstrations , which have been highlighted by groups funded by wealthy , right-wing industrialists eager for Americans to get back to work even if doing so will kill them .
Once again , the press has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by exaggerating the significance of the protests .
In fact , Trump has long leveraged support from such fringe anti-government groups to control the media narrative .
These extremist Trump supporters firmly believe that government only helps people of color , and the Covid-19 pandemic , which has disproportionately harmed the African American community , has intensified and accelerated these racist , counterrevolutionary beliefs .
These White Walker-like Trump extremists view measures to slow the Covid-19 contagion as government overreach designed to protect people who live in big cities — in other words @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , liberals , and urban elites — and not them .
Trump ’ s failures in dealing with the crisis only seem to reinforce their view that he is on their side .
catastrophe exposes the truth about a leader , it also reveals the truth about societies and nations .
Since 2016 , the central question facing the United States has been whether it could survive Trump .
So far , Covid-19 has shown that the answer is yes .
Americans have overwhelmingly supported state-level efforts to curb the virus and have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to help the sick and the medical professionals fighting the disease .
For the most part , state and local officials have acted like adults , ignoring Trump and his threats while forging their own ad-hoc solutions .
While some Southern Republican governors are eagerly pursuing a pro-Trump strategy of prematurely reopening their states , not all governors have responded along partisan lines .
Maryland ’ s Republican governor , Larry Hogan , has issued strict stay-at-home orders , as have other Republicans like Ohio ’ s Mike DeWine and Idaho ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than the others , working closely with the Democratic governor of Virginia and the Democratic mayor of Washington , D.C. , to try to come up with a regional strategy to fight the pandemic .
He has also started to craft his own foreign policy : On Monday , Hogan announced that Maryland bought 500,000 badly needed Covid-19 testing kits from South Korea .
Hogan and his wife , a Korean immigrant , worked out the deal with the help of South Korea ’ s ambassador to the United States .
Hogan ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testing shortage embarrassed Trump , so naturally , Trump attacked Hogan , charging on Monday night that the governor “ needed to get a little knowledge , ” about testing in Maryland .
On Tuesday , Hogan responded , saying on ABC ’ s “ The View ” that Trump “ seemed to be a little confused yesterday in his press conference .
I have no idea what set him off.
” Trump is exhibiting many of the same traits that led to his impeachment just four months ago , after he illegally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the 2020 presidential election for his personal benefit .
Trump abused his power by withholding crucial aid from Ukraine in an attempt to pressure the Ukrainians to spread lies about Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden .
Now , he is abusing his power again by threatening to withhold badly needed resources and aid from governors if they don ’ t go along with his reckless demands to abandon their quarantine measures .
It is strange to remember that the United States had a chance to remove Trump from power just weeks before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States .
The Senate impeachment trial ended with Trump ’ s acquittal on February 5 , just a month before the World Health Organization declared the existence of a global pandemic .
The Senate ’ s failure to convict Trump of impeachable offenses and remove him from office is now coming back to haunt the nation .
We are left with a president whose own company tweeted out a video suggesting that getting drunk on vodka is the way to defeat Covid-19 .
“ I kind of got a cure for this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the video .
“ I only drink one drink a day — it just happens to be a bottle — of good , old Belvedere .
You know , you just drink one of these a day .
You know , sippy , sippy on a little McDonald ’ s Diet Coke .
You know , wash it down pretty good .
Never have a hangover .
And that ’ s the way you kill this coronavirus , I believe .
”

Photo: Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images
One piece of wisdom from ancient Rome has guided astute public health officials dealing with epidemics for 2,000 years: “Cito, longe, tarde.”
That’s Latin for “Leave quickly. Go far away. Come back slowly.”
Faced with a highly contagious, lethal disease for which there is no known cure, President Donald Trump has ignored that timeless advice.
Instead, like a medieval demagogue, Trump is spouting quackery and hatred straight out of the 14th century, when panicked Europeans confronting the Black Death strapped live chickens to their bodies, drank potions tinged with mercury and arsenic, and blamed the Mongols and the Jews when none of it worked.
Major catastrophes lay bare the truth about our leaders. Trump’s criminally negligent, chaotic handling of the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed, once and for all, that he is a corrupt, narcissistic psychopath.
His babbling and incoherent press conferences, in which he lashes out in every direction, continue to show that he is in urgent need of psychiatric treatment. He exhibits the self-centered tendencies of a small child.
But a legion of enablers surrounds Trump and prevents any intervention, even in the midst of the worst public health crisis in a century. His family members, like Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, appear perfectly happy to keep smiling while enjoying the favored status that, most recently, allowed them to disregard stay-at-home guidelines to decamp to a Trump resort in New Jersey for Passover.
Of course, some of Trump’s most important enablers are the reporters in the White House press corps, who daily act as his Greek chorus. Instead of ignoring his lies and outrageous statements, they dutifully cover his Covid-19 press conferences and tweets as if they were the serious, coherent statements of a genuine national leader. In the process, they are aiding and abetting Trump’s disinformation campaign, which could result in thousands of additional and needless deaths.
The government’s top public health professionals, fearful of losing their jobs and of even worse behavior by Trump, have also become crucial enablers, forced to pretend that Trump’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis has been sound. Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus coordinator, has taken on a more prominent role at briefings after effusively praising the president, while Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has been less noticeable as he has grown more willing to contradict Trump’s most dangerous assertions. On Saturday, Birx went along while Trump hijacked the daily briefing to complain about Democrats, the press, and China.
The result is that the White House is stuck in a surreal alternate reality in which reporters and government officials continue to do their jobs as if the president were not mad as a hatter.
But because of Covid-19, the rest of the nation now recognizes what should have been obvious ever since Trump took office: His first response to every crisis is to insist on complete authority, while at the same time abandoning all responsibility. Despite his inaction and incompetence, he won’t relinquish control over the government’s resources to those who know how to use them.
Read Our Complete Coverage The Coronavirus Crisis
In the total absence of national leadership or direction, governors have had to take charge, leading Trump to lash out at them. In this, he resembles the insane U.S. Navy captain played by Humphrey Bogart in the 1954 film “The Caine Mutiny,” who is so paralyzed with fear during a storm that junior officers must take control of the ship. After they steer it into calmer waters, he accuses them of mutiny.
Trump has attacked governors in hard-hit states for imposing strict stay-at-home orders to slow the spread of the virus. He is fearful of how the economic impact from Covid-19 could affect his chances for reelection in November and wants the economy to reopen even before the disease has been contained or any treatment is available.
This has led, predictably, to small protests against state-level quarantine measures, staged by an extremist, zombie-like slice of Trump’s base. Trump has endorsed these demonstrations, which have been highlighted by groups funded by wealthy, right-wing industrialists eager for Americans to get back to work even if doing so will kill them.
Once again, the press has done Trump’s work for him by exaggerating the significance of the protests. In fact, Trump has long leveraged support from such fringe anti-government groups to control the media narrative.
These extremist Trump supporters firmly believe that government only helps people of color, and the Covid-19 pandemic, which has disproportionately harmed the African American community, has intensified and accelerated these racist, counterrevolutionary beliefs. These White Walker-like Trump extremists view measures to slow the Covid-19 contagion as government overreach designed to protect people who live in big cities — in other words, in their view, African Americans, liberals, and urban elites — and not them. Trump’s failures in dealing with the crisis only seem to reinforce their view that he is on their side.
Just as a major catastrophe exposes the truth about a leader, it also reveals the truth about societies and nations. Since 2016, the central question facing the United States has been whether it could survive Trump. So far, Covid-19 has shown that the answer is yes. Americans have overwhelmingly supported state-level efforts to curb the virus and have willingly sacrificed their own comfort and livelihoods to help the sick and the medical professionals fighting the disease.
For the most part, state and local officials have acted like adults, ignoring Trump and his threats while forging their own ad-hoc solutions. While some Southern Republican governors are eagerly pursuing a pro-Trump strategy of prematurely reopening their states, not all governors have responded along partisan lines. Maryland’s Republican governor, Larry Hogan, has issued strict stay-at-home orders, as have other Republicans like Ohio’s Mike DeWine and Idaho’s Brad Little.
Hogan has gone further than the others, working closely with the Democratic governor of Virginia and the Democratic mayor of Washington, D.C., to try to come up with a regional strategy to fight the pandemic. He has also started to craft his own foreign policy: On Monday, Hogan announced that Maryland bought 500,000 badly needed Covid-19 testing kits from South Korea.
Hogan and his wife, a Korean immigrant, worked out the deal with the help of South Korea’s ambassador to the United States. Hogan’s unilateral success in countering the severe testing shortage embarrassed Trump, so naturally, Trump attacked Hogan, charging on Monday night that the governor “needed to get a little knowledge,” about testing in Maryland. On Tuesday, Hogan responded, saying on ABC’s “The View” that Trump “seemed to be a little confused yesterday in his press conference. I have no idea what set him off.”
Share Your Coronavirus Story Click here to learn about contacting a reporter securely, or email us at coronavirus@theintercept.com
With the Covid-19 crisis, Trump is exhibiting many of the same traits that led to his impeachment just four months ago, after he illegally sought to pressure Ukrainian leaders to intervene in the 2020 presidential election for his personal benefit. Trump abused his power by withholding crucial aid from Ukraine in an attempt to pressure the Ukrainians to spread lies about Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.
Now, he is abusing his power again by threatening to withhold badly needed resources and aid from governors if they don’t go along with his reckless demands to abandon their quarantine measures.
It is strange to remember that the United States had a chance to remove Trump from power just weeks before the full force of Covid-19 hit the United States. The Senate impeachment trial ended with Trump’s acquittal on February 5, just a month before the World Health Organization declared the existence of a global pandemic.
The Senate’s failure to convict Trump of impeachable offenses and remove him from office is now coming back to haunt the nation. We are left with a president whose own company tweeted out a video suggesting that getting drunk on vodka is the way to defeat Covid-19.
“I kind of got a cure for this,” professional golfer John Daly said in the video. “I only drink one drink a day — it just happens to be a bottle — of good, old Belvedere. You know, you just drink one of these a day. You know, sippy, sippy on a little McDonald’s Diet Coke. You know, wash it down pretty good. Never have a hangover. And that’s the way you kill this coronavirus, I believe.”


theintercept--2020-04-22--Trump Retweeted Praise from an Anti-Iran Hard-Liner Who Doesn’t Exist

just a few hours after once again threatening to go to war with Iran , President Donald Trump shared a tweet from an account from someone by the name of Heshmat Alavi .
Like many of the tweets the president circulates , Alavi was praising Trump , this time for his hard-line stance against the Islamic Republic .
Trump ’ s amplification of the post was bad enough on its own : Alavi is a supporter of a militant Iranian cult called the Mojahedin-e-Khalq , known as the MEK , an organization that was designated for decades as a terrorist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
What makes it even worse , however , is that Heshmat Alavi does not exist .
As The Intercept reported last June , Alavi is a composite identity run by a team of MEK members based mainly at the group ’ s compound in Albania , according to defectors who were involved with managing the account and other sources .
“ Heshmat Alavi is a persona run by a team of people from the political wing of the MEK , ” a former MEK member named Hassan Heyrani , who helped manage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Intercept in 2019 .
“ They write whatever they are directed by their commanders and use this name to place articles in the press .
This is not and has never been a real person.
” In a blog post published after The Intercept story , the Alavi account admitted for the first time that there was no real Heshmat Alavi , claiming instead to be using a pseudonym .
“ No , I will never reveal my real identity or photograph , ” the account wrote .
“ No activist in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That would place all of my family , friends and myself , both inside & outside of Iran , in complete danger.
” While the Alavi account has never declared itself a member of the MEK , the content produced under the name frequently toed a pro-MEK line .
In the same post published after The Intercept story , however , the account explicitly stated its support of the group : “ Why do I support the MEK ?
1 ) They have an organization .
2 ) They have an agenda .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Under Alavi ’ s name , a steady stream of blog posts and tweets have been produced over the years , always advocating harsh U.S. policies toward Iran and occasionally sliding in messages of support for the MEK and its leadership .
And it ’ s not just social media activity : Articles under Alavi ’ s name were published in an array of mostly right-leaning news outlets in the U.S. At least one of these articles , published under Alavi ’ s name in Forbes , was cited in the past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to justify its aggressive Iran policy .
Following The Intercept ’ s 2019 expose , publications like Forbes , the Daily Caller , and The Diplomat that had published articles by Alavi either removed or updated them to reflect his nonexistence as a person .
with editorial standards showed a willingness to remove articles by people demonstrated to not exist , social media outlets like Twitter remain useful vectors for getting misinformation out to the public — as in Alavi ’ s case .
Today , Alavi ’ s account still exists and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The account was briefly suspended following The Intercept ’ s report , but after a storm of pro-MEK advocates tweeting at Twitter ’ s support account and the company ’ s CEO , the account was reinstated a few days later .
Twitter does not comment on its decisions regarding individual users , but a source familiar with the organization told the Saudi-government owned al-Arabiya news that , after temporarily being banned , the Alavi account was reactivated after being deemed a “ credible use of pseudonymity.
” Social media companies have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in helping amplify disinformation , including from sources connected to foreign governments and political movements .
During the 2016 presidential election , troll farms connected to the Russian government were accused of helping sway American public sentiment over the vote .
These activities are only believed to have increased since then .
The MEK , for its part , has a checkered history .
A half-century-old revolutionary group , the organization has cycled through ideologies and tactics — from Marxism to democratic advocacy , from terrorist violence to protests and active lobbying in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The turn toward seeking U.S. support is a decade-old tactic for a group that once allied with the Palestinian Liberation Organization and , in the 1980s and 1990s , Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussain .
This year , an Intercept investigation documented allegations by former members of the group depicting a cult-like atmosphere inside the organization .
The former members detailed practices of forced sterilization , torture , and other methods of controlling followers .
Nonetheless , the MEK now has powerful allies throughout Washington .
Most notably , as of today , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House — a president who has never been uncomfortable with blurring the lines between reality and falsehood .

On Wednesday morning, just a few hours after once again threatening to go to war with Iran, President Donald Trump shared a tweet from an account from someone by the name of Heshmat Alavi. Like many of the tweets the president circulates, Alavi was praising Trump, this time for his hard-line stance against the Islamic Republic.
Trump’s amplification of the post was bad enough on its own: Alavi is a supporter of a militant Iranian cult called the Mojahedin-e-Khalq, known as the MEK, an organization that was designated for decades as a terrorist organization and is widely hated inside Iran. What makes it even worse, however, is that Heshmat Alavi does not exist.
As The Intercept reported last June, Alavi is a composite identity run by a team of MEK members based mainly at the group’s compound in Albania, according to defectors who were involved with managing the account and other sources.
“Heshmat Alavi is a persona run by a team of people from the political wing of the MEK,” a former MEK member named Hassan Heyrani, who helped manage the Alavi persona in Albania, told The Intercept in 2019. “They write whatever they are directed by their commanders and use this name to place articles in the press. This is not and has never been a real person.”
In a blog post published after The Intercept story, the Alavi account admitted for the first time that there was no real Heshmat Alavi, claiming instead to be using a pseudonym. “No, I will never reveal my real identity or photograph,” the account wrote. “No activist in his/her right mind would do so. That would place all of my family, friends and myself, both inside & outside of Iran, in complete danger.”
While the Alavi account has never declared itself a member of the MEK, the content produced under the name frequently toed a pro-MEK line. In the same post published after The Intercept story, however, the account explicitly stated its support of the group: “Why do I support the MEK? 1) They have an organization. 2) They have an agenda. 3) They are serious and dedicated.”
Under Alavi’s name, a steady stream of blog posts and tweets have been produced over the years, always advocating harsh U.S. policies toward Iran and occasionally sliding in messages of support for the MEK and its leadership. And it’s not just social media activity: Articles under Alavi’s name were published in an array of mostly right-leaning news outlets in the U.S. At least one of these articles, published under Alavi’s name in Forbes, was cited in the past by the Trump administration to the press to justify its aggressive Iran policy.
Following The Intercept’s 2019 expose, publications like Forbes, the Daily Caller, and The Diplomat that had published articles by Alavi either removed or updated them to reflect his nonexistence as a person.
While news outlets with editorial standards showed a willingness to remove articles by people demonstrated to not exist, social media outlets like Twitter remain useful vectors for getting misinformation out to the public — as in Alavi’s case. Today, Alavi’s account still exists and is still producing superhuman amounts of content.
The account was briefly suspended following The Intercept’s report, but after a storm of pro-MEK advocates tweeting at Twitter’s support account and the company’s CEO, the account was reinstated a few days later. Twitter does not comment on its decisions regarding individual users, but a source familiar with the organization told the Saudi-government owned al-Arabiya news that, after temporarily being banned, the Alavi account was reactivated after being deemed a “credible use of pseudonymity.”
Social media companies have been under increasing criticism for their roles in helping amplify disinformation, including from sources connected to foreign governments and political movements. During the 2016 presidential election, troll farms connected to the Russian government were accused of helping sway American public sentiment over the vote. These activities are only believed to have increased since then.
The MEK, for its part, has a checkered history. A half-century-old revolutionary group, the organization has cycled through ideologies and tactics — from Marxism to democratic advocacy, from terrorist violence to protests and active lobbying in Washington — to rise to prominence. The turn toward seeking U.S. support is a decade-old tactic for a group that once allied with the Palestinian Liberation Organization and, in the 1980s and 1990s, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussain.
This year, an Intercept investigation documented allegations by former members of the group depicting a cult-like atmosphere inside the organization. The former members detailed practices of forced sterilization, torture, and other methods of controlling followers.
Nonetheless, the MEK now has powerful allies throughout Washington. Most notably, as of today, the group has found a friend in the White House — a president who has never been uncomfortable with blurring the lines between reality and falsehood.


theintercept--2020-04-22--Watch: The Ongoing Travesty — and Dangers — of the Prosecution and Attempted Extradition

Watch: The Ongoing Travesty — and Dangers — of the Prosecution and Attempted Extradition of Julian Assange

The U.S. media has spent almost four full years loudly proclaiming its own devotion to defending press freedoms from any assaults by the Trump administration .
And yet , with a few noble exceptions , they have largely ignored what is , by far , the single greatest attack on press freedoms by the U.S. Government in the last decade at least : the prosecution and attempted extradition of Julian Assange for alleged crimes arising out of WikiLeaks ’ 2010 award-winning publication — in conjunction with the world ’ s largest newspapers — of the Iraq and Afghanistan war logs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ currently being held in the high-security Belmarsh prison in London where he faces no charges of any kind other than the attempt to extradite him by the U.S. Government for those 2010 publications .
There are no charges pending against him in Sweden , nor does this prosecution have anything to do with WikiLeaks ’ publications during the 2016 election .
The indictment pertains solely to those widely celebrated 2010 disclosures that revealed rampant war crimes , systemic corruption and official deceit by numerous governments around the world .
Our new episode of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — the latest updates to it and the reasons it is so pernicious — with two guests : the international human rights lawyer Jen Robinson , who has long represented Assange in this and other legal proceedings , and the Washington Post ’ s media reporter Margaret Sullivan , who is one of the few major media figures to have denounced the Assange indictment .
The show begins with my own comprehensive reporting on this case in order to document what did and did not happen , what is and is not in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should deeply anger anyone who cares about press freedom : not just in the U.S. but internationally .
I believe the issues raised by this program are of vital importance across the political spectrum .
You can watch it on the Intercept ’ s YouTube channel ( to which you can subscribe to see all content when it ’ s broadcast ) , or on the player below .
A transcript will be posted later today :

The U.S. media has spent almost four full years loudly proclaiming its own devotion to defending press freedoms from any assaults by the Trump administration. And yet, with a few noble exceptions, they have largely ignored what is, by far, the single greatest attack on press freedoms by the U.S. Government in the last decade at least: the prosecution and attempted extradition of Julian Assange for alleged crimes arising out of WikiLeaks’ 2010 award-winning publication — in conjunction with the world’s largest newspapers — of the Iraq and Afghanistan war logs and U.S diplomatic cables.
Assange is currently being held in the high-security Belmarsh prison in London where he faces no charges of any kind other than the attempt to extradite him by the U.S. Government for those 2010 publications. There are no charges pending against him in Sweden, nor does this prosecution have anything to do with WikiLeaks’ publications during the 2016 election. The indictment pertains solely to those widely celebrated 2010 disclosures that revealed rampant war crimes, systemic corruption and official deceit by numerous governments around the world.
Our new episode of SYSTEM UPDATE explores Assange’s case — the latest updates to it and the reasons it is so pernicious — with two guests: the international human rights lawyer Jen Robinson, who has long represented Assange in this and other legal proceedings, and the Washington Post’s media reporter Margaret Sullivan, who is one of the few major media figures to have denounced the Assange indictment. The show begins with my own comprehensive reporting on this case in order to document what did and did not happen, what is and is not in question, and why this attempted extradition should deeply anger anyone who cares about press freedom: not just in the U.S. but internationally.
I believe the issues raised by this program are of vital importance across the political spectrum. You can watch it on the Intercept’s YouTube channel (to which you can subscribe to see all content when it’s broadcast), or on the player below. A transcript will be posted later today:


theintercept--2020-04-22--U.S. Airstrikes Hit All-Time High as Coronavirus Spreads in Somalia

In the first four months of this year , U.S. Africa Command has conducted more airstrikes in Somalia than it did during all of Barack Obama ’ s eight years in office .
The massive escalation of America ’ s undeclared war in Somalia comes as U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has repeatedly appealed for a global ceasefire amid the Covid-19 pandemic .
“ There should be only one fight in our world today , our shared battle against Covid-19 , ” he reiterated on April 3 .
“ We must mobilize every ounce of energy to defeat it.
” That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ airstrike targeting al-Shabaab terrorists in the vicinity of Bush Madina , Somalia , ” according to a command press release .
The U.S. claimed five members of al-Shabab were killed in the strike .
Since the beginning of the year , AFRICOM has announced 39 airstrikes in Somalia .
The command announced a total of 36 such attacks from 2009 to 2017 , under Obama , peaking in 2016 with 19 declared airstrikes .
Last year , under President Donald Trump , the U.S. conducted 63 air attacks in Somalia , the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s our command ’ s responsibility to support our partners so this terrorist group can ’ t expand and strike the U.S. homeland as its leaders desire to do , ” said U.S. Marine Corps Brig .
Gen. Bradford J. Gering , AFRICOM ’ s deputy director of operations , after the April 3 strike on al-Shabab targets , which was followed by attacks on April 5 , 6 , 9 , and 10 .
AFRICOM did not respond to a request for further information about the uptick in strikes in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tempo of U.S. air and ground operations in Somalia appears to be focused on supporting efforts by Somali government forces and its [ African Union Mission in Somalia ] allies to dislodge the terror group from its strongholds , ” said Chris Woods , the director of Airwars , a U.K.-based airstrike monitoring group .
“ There are also a significant number of strikes targeting leadership within the terror group.
” The spike in U.S. airstrikes comes as the number of Covid-19 cases in Somalia is similarly rising .
On April 8 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ novel coronavirus in Somalia .
As of Wednesday , there were 286 .
Most of those infected have no history of travel abroad , indicating local transmission of the disease and worrying prospects for the future — especially among the many internally displaced persons , or IDPs , who have lost their homes to the ongoing conflict between al-Shabab and the Federal Government of Somalia , which is backed by the United States .
“ There is an increased risk that cases may go undetected or undiagnosed if community transmission begins and becomes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs .
“ The impact on the 2.6 million IDPs living in more than 2,000 crowded settlements with limited access to health and water , sanitation and hygiene services would be catastrophic.
” While reports have been circulating about potential U.S. military drawdowns and even base closures in Africa , the number of U.S. outposts in Somalia is significant and poised to expand .
There are five U.S. bases in Somalia — the second-most on the continent after Niger — according to formerly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Intercept earlier this year .
Last September , one of those bases — a U.S. outpost at Baledogle — was attacked by al-Shabab .
And in January , the terror group assaulted the U.S. base at Manda Bay , Kenya , killing one American service member and two U.S. contractors .
Chris Woods of Airwars drew attention to the fact that AFRICOM ’ s widely dispersed footprint of scattered outposts left smaller sites like Manda Bay vulnerable .
“ While we may see drawdowns in some African nations , in others it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ll see bases consolidated and beefed up , ” he told The Intercept .
In fact , the number of U.S. personnel in Somalia remains high , despite the global pandemic and talk of drawdowns .
Last month , the New York Times reported there were roughly 500 American troops based in the country .
But the total number of Defense Department personnel , “ depending on training missions , operations and other security force assistance activities , ” fluctuates between 650 and 800 , according to AFRICOM spokesperson John Manley .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ dozens of countries , including U.S. allies such as the United Kingdom , France , and Germany , as well as human rights groups , the Trump administration has refused to be bound by the call for an end to fighting .
A White House official referred The Intercept to a State Department comment to Foreign Policy magazine : “ The United States supports the secretary-general ’ s call for a global ceasefire , but have noted that we will continue to fulfill our legitimate counter-terrorism mission.
” While there have been significant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Woods noted , including a pause in Russian airstrikes in northern Syria since early March , other war zones have seen a marked uptick in violence .
“ In Somalia , we ’ ve seen no letup at all in U.S. actions against al Shabaab , which are presently running at their highest-ever tempo , ” he told The Intercept .
“ It ’ s deeply troubling that more belligerents are not heeding the UN ’ s call for ceasefires during this global health crisis .
”

In the first four months of this year, U.S. Africa Command has conducted more airstrikes in Somalia than it did during all of Barack Obama’s eight years in office.
The massive escalation of America’s undeclared war in Somalia comes as U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has repeatedly appealed for a global ceasefire amid the Covid-19 pandemic. “There should be only one fight in our world today, our shared battle against Covid-19,” he reiterated on April 3. “We must mobilize every ounce of energy to defeat it.”
That same day, AFRICOM conducted an “airstrike targeting al-Shabaab terrorists in the vicinity of Bush Madina, Somalia,” according to a command press release. The U.S. claimed five members of al-Shabab were killed in the strike.
Since the beginning of the year, AFRICOM has announced 39 airstrikes in Somalia. The command announced a total of 36 such attacks from 2009 to 2017, under Obama, peaking in 2016 with 19 declared airstrikes. Last year, under President Donald Trump, the U.S. conducted 63 air attacks in Somalia, the most ever in a single year.
“It’s our command’s responsibility to support our partners so this terrorist group can’t expand and strike the U.S. homeland as its leaders desire to do,” said U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Bradford J. Gering, AFRICOM’s deputy director of operations, after the April 3 strike on al-Shabab targets, which was followed by attacks on April 5, 6, 9, and 10. AFRICOM did not respond to a request for further information about the uptick in strikes in time for publication.
“The high tempo of U.S. air and ground operations in Somalia appears to be focused on supporting efforts by Somali government forces and its [African Union Mission in Somalia] allies to dislodge the terror group from its strongholds,” said Chris Woods, the director of Airwars, a U.K.-based airstrike monitoring group. “There are also a significant number of strikes targeting leadership within the terror group.”
The spike in U.S. airstrikes comes as the number of Covid-19 cases in Somalia is similarly rising. On April 8, there were 21 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Somalia. As of Wednesday, there were 286. Most of those infected have no history of travel abroad, indicating local transmission of the disease and worrying prospects for the future — especially among the many internally displaced persons, or IDPs, who have lost their homes to the ongoing conflict between al-Shabab and the Federal Government of Somalia, which is backed by the United States.
“There is an increased risk that cases may go undetected or undiagnosed if community transmission begins and becomes widespread,” reads an April 20 report from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. “The impact on the 2.6 million IDPs living in more than 2,000 crowded settlements with limited access to health and water, sanitation and hygiene services would be catastrophic.”
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While reports have been circulating about potential U.S. military drawdowns and even base closures in Africa, the number of U.S. outposts in Somalia is significant and poised to expand. There are five U.S. bases in Somalia — the second-most on the continent after Niger — according to formerly secret 2019 AFRICOM planning documents revealed by The Intercept earlier this year. Last September, one of those bases — a U.S. outpost at Baledogle — was attacked by al-Shabab. And in January, the terror group assaulted the U.S. base at Manda Bay, Kenya, killing one American service member and two U.S. contractors.
Chris Woods of Airwars drew attention to the fact that AFRICOM’s widely dispersed footprint of scattered outposts left smaller sites like Manda Bay vulnerable. “While we may see drawdowns in some African nations, in others it’s just as likely that we’ll see bases consolidated and beefed up,” he told The Intercept.
In fact, the number of U.S. personnel in Somalia remains high, despite the global pandemic and talk of drawdowns. Last month, the New York Times reported there were roughly 500 American troops based in the country. But the total number of Defense Department personnel, “depending on training missions, operations and other security force assistance activities,” fluctuates between 650 and 800, according to AFRICOM spokesperson John Manley.
Read Our Complete Coverage The Coronavirus Crisis
Despite support for a universal armistice from dozens of countries, including U.S. allies such as the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, as well as human rights groups, the Trump administration has refused to be bound by the call for an end to fighting. A White House official referred The Intercept to a State Department comment to Foreign Policy magazine: “The United States supports the secretary-general’s call for a global ceasefire, but have noted that we will continue to fulfill our legitimate counter-terrorism mission.”
While there have been significant declines in fighting in some conflicts, Woods noted, including a pause in Russian airstrikes in northern Syria since early March, other war zones have seen a marked uptick in violence.
“In Somalia, we’ve seen no letup at all in U.S. actions against al Shabaab, which are presently running at their highest-ever tempo,” he told The Intercept. “It’s deeply troubling that more belligerents are not heeding the UN’s call for ceasefires during this global health crisis.”


theintercept--2020-04-23--Hospital Workers Like Me Are Waging a War Against Coronavirus. Where Is Our GI Bill?

health care workers have been heralded as heroes in the national response to the coronavirus pandemic .
Wartime analogies flow freely : U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called the Covid-19 pandemic the most challenging global crisis since World War II .
In a recent press briefing , New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo made calls to “ support our troops , ” referring to health care workers as “ the soldiers in this fight.
” In many ways , the comparison is apt .
Doctors , nurses , and support staff find themselves enlisted in a war against a virus that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their colleagues globally .
Public expressions of support for health professionals are meaningful .
But they are also insufficient to drown out the deafening silence from Capitol Hill in response to mounting cries for relief measures — chief among them educational debt forgiveness .
I am a physician and , unsurprisingly , the owner of a sizable student loan .
You can ’ t become a doctor in America without paying for years of higher education , so I began my medical career with more than $ 200,000 in educational debt — the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. , the average salary for new doctors in training is about $ 57,000 per year .
Four years into residency , and approximately $ 20,000 in loan payments later , I am still scraping away at the interest .
I owe more than when I graduated .
Now , as a psychiatry resident in the national epicenter of this crisis , I am tasked with responding to mental health emergencies , including for Covid-19-positive patients .
When not in the hospital , I will provide outpatient coverage for co-workers pulled to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care units .
Many junior psychiatry residents have already been “ redeployed ” to internal medicine teams overwhelmed by the tidal wave of Covid-19 patients .
We are being extended far beyond our original job description .
Even so , relative to my nursing , ER , and ICU colleagues , I have it easy .
Among indebted health care workers , young doctors are not alone .
Almost 70 percent of all nurses — who staff the truest front line in this pandemic — graduate from training with $ 40,000 to $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a family medicine nurse practitioner who oversees the clinic at her local homeless shelter , has dutifully paid interest on nursing school loans for 10 years without making a dent in the principal .
Now , she reuses the same paper gown each day to examine patients with Covid-19 symptoms .
The average debt of a graduating college student is roughly $ 30,000 — on par with the average annual salary for certified medication technicians , EMTs , and ambulance crew members .
Just imagine : Every Covid-19 patient admitted to the hospital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of professionals who , theoretically , have over $ 1 million in combined student debt .
So , sure , you can call use heroes .
But we ’ d prefer debt relief .
Critics will say an economic crisis is no time to talk about student debt reform .
Some view such reform as placing an undue burden on American taxpayers .
Others will remind us that we signed up for these jobs and , hey , at least we have jobs .
But , in the age of Covid-19 , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ akin to military deployment than a day at work .
We now speak of front lines , redeployments , isolation zones , tours of duty .
For many , these are no longer the jobs we signed up for , but they do demand skills we indebted ourselves to acquire .
Much has been made of the shortage of personal protective equipment plaguing our nation during this crisis .
This shortage has already — and will continue to — cost health care workers their health and , for many , their lives .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ attending doctors , we are all filling gaps in a system not designed for global pandemic .
And when the dust settles , many will need to rebuild their health while contending with the very real trauma of working amid an onslaught of sick , dying , and mourning patients , as well as their families .
Covid-19 health care veterans deserve better than the six-month stay on loan payments for all borrowers as a part of the recently passed stimulus .
Certainly , we deserve better than the bedraggled Public Service Loan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us do not qualify and which — having rejected 99 percent of all applicants in 2018 — was called “ fundamentally broken ” by the very government officials hired to manage it .
If health care workers did our jobs as poorly as the Department of Education manages student loans , patients would die at an alarming rate .
And yet , with awe-inspiring reliability , health care workers are rising to the occasion , demonstrating commitment to the ethics of the field .
I am proud to be part of this community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patient suffering .
What , then , is a reasonable way for our government to repay this burden ?
A look at World War II-era GI bills may be instructive .
These GI bills included immediate financial rewards for nearly all veterans .
Additional benefits included low-cost mortgages , dedicated loans , dedicated unemployment compensation , and tuition stipends .
The benefits were provided to all vets active for at least 90 days during an allotted time period .
Like all systems of wealth , knowledge , and power , the American health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What is said aloud functions alongside what remains silent .
The word “ hero ” carries a loaded history .
It originally referred to a person — a man , often semi-divine in origin — who demonstrated superhuman strength .
Heroes champion causes against all odds , sacrificing their well-being in the pursuit .
Health care workers have been given the herculean task of fighting Covid-19 .
But we live in the real world , where we juggle this task with the same demands as every American : child care , mortgages , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ payments , and so on .
When nurses are called soldiers and told to fight a war , we should wonder what is being overlooked .
When Education Secretary Betsy DeVos dismisses plans for student loan forgiveness as “ crazy , ” we should ask who her language serves .
And when Congress speaks on behalf of corporations , while remaining silent on an issue impacting 42 million indebted graduates , we should hear that silence loudly .

Photo: Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
In recent weeks, health care workers have been heralded as heroes in the national response to the coronavirus pandemic. Wartime analogies flow freely: U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called the Covid-19 pandemic the most challenging global crisis since World War II. In a recent press briefing, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo made calls to “support our troops,” referring to health care workers as “the soldiers in this fight.”
In many ways, the comparison is apt. Doctors, nurses, and support staff find themselves enlisted in a war against a virus that has infected thousands and killed hundreds of their colleagues globally. Public expressions of support for health professionals are meaningful. But they are also insufficient to drown out the deafening silence from Capitol Hill in response to mounting cries for relief measures — chief among them educational debt forgiveness.
Every Covid-19 patient admitted to the hospital will be cared for by a team of professionals who, theoretically, have over $1 million in combined student debt.
I am a physician and, unsurprisingly, the owner of a sizable student loan. You can’t become a doctor in America without paying for years of higher education, so I began my medical career with more than $200,000 in educational debt — the average for med school grads. In the U.S., the average salary for new doctors in training is about $57,000 per year. Four years into residency, and approximately $20,000 in loan payments later, I am still scraping away at the interest. I owe more than when I graduated.
Now, as a psychiatry resident in the national epicenter of this crisis, I am tasked with responding to mental health emergencies, including for Covid-19-positive patients. When not in the hospital, I will provide outpatient coverage for co-workers pulled to work shifts in emergency rooms and intensive care units. Many junior psychiatry residents have already been “redeployed” to internal medicine teams overwhelmed by the tidal wave of Covid-19 patients. We are being extended far beyond our original job description. Even so, relative to my nursing, ER, and ICU colleagues, I have it easy.
Among indebted health care workers, young doctors are not alone. Almost 70 percent of all nurses — who staff the truest front line in this pandemic — graduate from training with $40,000 to $150,000 in debt. My sister, a family medicine nurse practitioner who oversees the clinic at her local homeless shelter, has dutifully paid interest on nursing school loans for 10 years without making a dent in the principal. Now, she reuses the same paper gown each day to examine patients with Covid-19 symptoms. The average debt of a graduating college student is roughly $30,000 — on par with the average annual salary for certified medication technicians, EMTs, and ambulance crew members.
Just imagine: Every Covid-19 patient admitted to the hospital will be cared for by a team of professionals who, theoretically, have over $1 million in combined student debt. So, sure, you can call us heroes. But we’d prefer debt relief.
Critics will say an economic crisis is no time to talk about student debt reform. Some view such reform as placing an undue burden on American taxpayers. Others will remind us that we signed up for these jobs and, hey, at least we have jobs. But, in the age of Covid-19, the reality facing health care workers is more akin to military deployment than a day at work. We now speak of front lines, redeployments, isolation zones, tours of duty. For many, these are no longer the jobs we signed up for, but they do demand skills we indebted ourselves to acquire.
Much has been made of the shortage of personal protective equipment plaguing our nation during this crisis. This shortage has already — and will continue to — cost health care workers their health and, for many, their lives. From janitorial staff to respiratory therapists to attending doctors, we are all filling gaps in a system not designed for global pandemic. And when the dust settles, many will need to rebuild their health while contending with the very real trauma of working amid an onslaught of sick, dying, and mourning patients, as well as their families.
Covid-19 health care veterans deserve better than the six-month stay on loan payments for all borrowers as a part of the recently passed stimulus. Certainly, we deserve better than the bedraggled Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, for which many of us do not qualify and which — having rejected 99 percent of all applicants in 2018 — was called “fundamentally broken” by the very government officials hired to manage it. If health care workers did our jobs as poorly as the Department of Education manages student loans, patients would die at an alarming rate.
And yet, with awe-inspiring reliability, health care workers are rising to the occasion, demonstrating commitment to the ethics of the field. I am proud to be part of this community, proud to have skills that ease patient suffering. What, then, is a reasonable way for our government to repay this burden?
A look at World War II-era GI bills may be instructive. These GI bills included immediate financial rewards for nearly all veterans. Additional benefits included low-cost mortgages, dedicated loans, dedicated unemployment compensation, and tuition stipends. The benefits were provided to all vets active for at least 90 days during an allotted time period.
Like all systems of wealth, knowledge, and power, the American health care system has its own discourse. What is said aloud functions alongside what remains silent. The word “hero” carries a loaded history. It originally referred to a person — a man, often semi-divine in origin — who demonstrated superhuman strength. Heroes champion causes against all odds, sacrificing their well-being in the pursuit. Health care workers have been given the herculean task of fighting Covid-19.
But we live in the real world, where we juggle this task with the same demands as every American: child care, mortgages, health insurance, rent, student loan payments, and so on. When nurses are called soldiers and told to fight a war, we should wonder what is being overlooked. When Education Secretary Betsy DeVos dismisses plans for student loan forgiveness as “crazy,” we should ask who her language serves. And when Congress speaks on behalf of corporations, while remaining silent on an issue impacting 42 million indebted graduates, we should hear that silence loudly.
Speak up, Uncle Sam. Support the troops.