Category: 2020 Election

Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’

The president has repeatedly disparaged the intelligence of service members, and asked that wounded veterans be kept out of military parades, multiple sources tell The Atlantic.

When President Donald Trump canceled a visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris in 2018, he blamed rain for the last-minute decision, saying that “the helicopter couldn’t fly” and that the Secret Service wouldn’t drive him there. Neither claim was true.

Trump rejected the idea of the visit because he feared his hair would become disheveled in the rain, and because he did not believe it important to honor American war dead, according to four people with firsthand knowledge of the discussion that day. In a conversation with senior staff members on the morning of the scheduled visit, Trump said, “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.” In a separate conversation on the same trip, Trump referred to the more than 1,800 marines who lost their lives at Belleau Wood as “suckers” for getting killed.

Belleau Wood is a consequential battle in American history, and the ground on which it was fought is venerated by the Marine Corps. America and its allies stopped the German advance toward Paris there in the spring of 1918. But Trump, on that same trip, asked aides, “Who were the good guys in this war?” He also said that he didn’t understand why the United States would intervene on the side of the Allies. Continue reading.

Facebook blocking new political ads ahead of election

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Facebook on Thursday announced that it would ban new political advertisements from its platform in the week leading up to the November election as part of an effort to combat misinformation about voting. 

The step is one of a series of moves Facebook said it planned to take in order to “secure the integrity of this year’s elections.” The company additionally said it would remove posts falsely saying people can develop the coronavirus by voting and would attach “information labels” to other content attempting to delegitimize voting methods or the election’s outcome.

And in the event that a candidate declares victory before the final results are in, the company will add labels to the posts directing people to authoritative information, Facebook said.  Continue reading.

Biden blames Trump for coronavirus-related school closures, calls education gap a ‘national emergency’

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WILMINGTON, Del. — Joe Biden on Wednesday sought to channel the frustrations of students, parents, and teachers around the country by squarely blaming President Trump for school districts’ inability to fully reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden, who with his wife, Jill, received a briefing from education leaders here at a sparsely filled downtown theater, said the lack of in-person primary school education around the country was a “national emergency.”

“Let me be clear,” Biden said, in his second speech in three days taking direct aim at his Republican opponent. “If President Trump and his administration had done their jobs early on in this crisis, American schools would be open. And they’d be open safely.” Continue reading.

Chris LaTondresse Endorsed by Commissioner Jan Callison

On September 4, retiring Hennepin County District 6 Commissioner Jan Callison released the following statement:

Friends, I’m announcing today my support for Chris LaTondresse as the next District 6 Hennepin County Commissioner. I believe that Chris has the right combination of experience and skills to address our current challenges and to lead District 6 and Hennepin County into the future.

I decided to step down in order to permit new voices to be heard. But it’s not enough just to be new. The voices that we need right now must be skilled at listening. They must welcome different opinions by treating people respectfully and acting inclusively. They must honor the past while envisioning the future.

I have listened carefully to Chris over these past several months and believe that he understands these challenges. As vice-chair of the Hopkins School Board, he has demonstrated his leadership skills and willingness to tackle tough (and divisive) issues. He has gained an understanding of the uniqueness of local government and what it takes to be effective there. And he has affirmed his values, which I share.

For all these reasons, I hope that you will join me in voting for Chris LaTondresse and then extending to him the support that he will need in order for him to represent us well.

Thank you.

Trump appears to encourage North Carolinians to vote twice to test the system

Washington (CNN) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday appeared to encourage people in North Carolina to vote twice — once by mail and once in person — during the November general election to purportedly double check that their initial vote was counted, which is already receiving push back from state election officials. 

Americans can only vote once per election.

When Trump was asked by local news station WECT in Wilmington, North Carolina, whether he was confident in the state’s absentee voting system, the President launched into a somewhat rambling answer. Continue reading.

Barr justifies Trump’s suggestion about sending feds to polling places

The attorney general straddled multiple lines in discussing things that could have an impact on the election.

Attorney General William Barr justified President Donald Trump’s suggestion of deploying federal agents to polling places, arguing the Justice Department has historically sent agents to enforce civil rights.

Speaking with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday, Barr said he hadn’t heard any requests from the White House to deploy federal agents to voting sites, but he wouldn’t rule out the possibility “if there was a specific investigative danger.” He added that federal agents had been sent in the past to “enforce civil rights” and “to make sure that people were not being harassed and there was no suppression of vote against African Americans” in the past.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 allowed the attorney general to send federal observers to ensure there was no voter suppression and also that eligible Black voters were being registered without hindrance. But those observers have a mission drastically different from the federal law enforcement Trump proposed sending to polling places. Continue reading.

Trump-Nominated Postal Service Board Member Pushed Black Lives Matter Conspiracy Theories

John Barger called the movement “violent” and said it had nothing to do with race, in exchanges on LinkedIn.

A U.S. Postal Service board member, who reportedly played a key role in the selection of Louis DeJoy to lead the agency, called the Black Lives Matter movement violent and floated a conspiracy theory that it may be financially backed by foreign entities.

In June, John M. Barger, who serves on the Postal Service’s six-member Board of Governors, engaged in a back-and-forth on LinkedIn with a contact in Hong Kong. The exchange is publicly accessible on Barger’s profile on the platform. It began with that contact posting a photo of the strict public health measures in effect in Hong Kong due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When Barger’s contact offhandedly mentioned Black Lives Matter in the course of explaining the Chinese government’s aggressive posture toward Hong Kong, Barger teed off.

“Ummmm… BLM is a movement that is neither state sanctioned, nor about race these days,” responded Barger. “Further, its divisive violent core may be receiving ‘foreign funding.’” Continue reading.

The Trump Administration Wants To Pull Federal Funds From Major Cities Where There Are Anti-Racism Protests

The memo comes as Trump has politicized the national movement against systemic racism and police brutality.

The Trump administration plans to review federal funds provided to Seattle, Washington, DC, New York City, and Portland, cities where “outrageous acts of violence and destruction have continued unabated,” according to a memo signed by the president Wednesday.

Within two weeks, the White House will issue guidance to the heads of federal agencies to submit a report on the federal funds provided to the four cities.

In addition, Attorney General Bill Barr will publish a list “identifying State and local jurisdictions that have permitted violence and the destruction of property to persist and have refused to undertake reasonable measures to counteract these criminal activities (anarchist jurisdictions).” Continue reading.

Presidential race tightens in Minnesota as Trump plows resources into state

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Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is favored to carry Minnesota’s 10 electoral votes but President Trump’s campaign is mounting a serious challenge, plowing resources into a state that hasn’t gone for the GOP presidential nominee since 1972, the longest such streak in the nation.

The Trump campaign went up with new ads on Wednesday accusing Biden of standing with “rioters and looters” in Minneapolis, where the police killing of George Floyd in May sparked nationwide protests and demands for police reform.

The ad is part of $14 million in television reservations the Trump campaign has in Minnesota. Republicans are knocking on doors in the state and flooding mailboxes with literature. Vice President Pence visited last week to tout the support of rural mayors in the Iron Range, where mining and forestry are top occupations. Continue reading.

House subpoenas embattled Postal Service leader over delays

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — The House Oversight Committee on Wednesday subpoenaed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy for records about the widespread mail delivery delays that have pulled the Postal Service into the political spotlight as it prepares to handle an onslaught of ballots in the November election.

The subpoena, which seeks documents related to operational changes that have slowed mail and the agency’s plans for the presidential election, comes after committee chair Rep. Carolyn Maloney said DeJoy has not sufficiently answered the panel’s requests for more information. 

“It is clear that a subpoena has become necessary to further the Committee’s investigation and help inform potential legislative actions,” Maloney, D-N.Y., said this week. Continue reading.