Category: 2020 Election

Here’s why the White House is sending stormtroopers into Portland

AlterNet logoIn one of the most alarming developments of Trump’s presidency, dozens of federal agents in full camouflage seized protesters and threw them into unmarked cars, taking them to locations unknown without specifying a reason for arrest. It appears that at least some of the agents involved belonged to the US Customs and Border Protection (colloquially known as Border Patrol), an organization that obviously has no business whatsoever conducted counterinsurgency tactics against peaceful American protesters in Portland, Oregon. Neither the mayor of Portland nor the governor of Oregon wanted them there; in fact, they specifically requested that they leave. And now a U.S. Attorney for the State of Oregon is calling for an investigation into the arrests, even as the Acting head of Homeland Security, Chad Wolf, is vowing to ramp up these actions both in Portland and reportedly elsewhere.

Needless to say, this is a chilling step toward police state authoritarian rule in the United States, one that was presaged by Attorney General Barr’s approval of an pre-curfew assault on protesters instigated in Lafayette Square to clear the way for a presidential campaign photo op. Few took it seriously when leftist organizers were warning that the border patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were being culturally and structurally converted into stormtroopers for the Trump regime, equally ready to be deployed against politically inconvenient American citizens as against undocumented immigrants seeking a better life. Those warnings should be heeded now. Continue reading.

Trump official despairs at his train wreck Chris Wallace interview

AlterNet logoPresident Donald Trump’s already-infamous Fox News interview with Chris Wallace is causing fresh headaches for the president’s re-election campaign.

In an interview with The Daily Beast, a senior Trump official said that there was no “rational reason” for the president to do an interview with Wallace, who is widely regarded as one of the sharpest and best-prepared interviewers in the news media.

Another Trump ally, when asked by The Daily Beast why the president volunteered to be grilled by Wallace, simply responded, “I don’t f*cking know.” Continue reading.

Endangered GOP senators under pressure as Senate considers new coronavirus measures

Washington Post logoThe spiraling pandemic and the increasingly virulent politics around Washington’s handling of the novel coronavirus are raising the pressure on Senate Republicans as they try to craft a fresh coronavirus relief package.

As the Senate returns this week for a three-week sprint before the August break, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is facing competing demands from President Trump and Republican senators, including some who are up for reelection in states hit hard by the virus and are coming under withering attacks by Democratic challengers over the pandemic.

In particular, the expiration of an additional $600-per-week in unemployment insurance by July 31 is adding pressure on vulnerable GOP senators as 20 million to 30 million people remain out of work. McConnell and many other Republicans adamantly oppose extending the enhanced benefit at its current level, saying it discourages some from returning to work because they make more money by staying home. Continue reading.

Trump defends bungled handling of coronavirus with falsehoods and dubious claims

Washington Post logoPresident Trump said in an interview aired Sunday that the rising number of U.S. deaths from the coronavirus “is what it is,” defended his fumbled management of the pandemic with a barrage of dubious and false claims, and revealed his lack of understanding about the fundamental science of how the virus spreads and infects people.

Making one of his biggest media appearances in months — an hour-long, sit-down interview with “Fox News Sunday” anchor Chris Wallace — Trump was visibly rattled and at times hostile as he struggled to answer for his administration’s failure to contain the coronavirus, which has claimed more than 137,000 lives in the United States.

On a range of other topics, including the racial justice movement and the Confederate flag, the president positioned himself firmly outside the political mainstream. And Trump suggested he might not accept the results of November’s general election should he lose because he predicted without evidence that “mail-in voting is going to rig the election.” Continue reading.

The crisis that shocked the world: America’s response to the coronavirus

Washington Post logoDysfunctional politics, a lack of funding for public health and a rush to reopen the economy ignited the resurgence of the virus

Isabelle Papadimitriou, 64, a respiratory therapist in Dallas, had been treating a surge of patients as the Texas economy reopened. She developed coronavirus symptoms June 27 and tested positive two days later. The disease was swift and brutal. She died the morning of the Fourth of July.

The holiday had always been her daughter’s favorite. Fiana Tulip loved the family cookouts, the fireworks, the feeling of America united. Now, she wonders if she’ll ever be able to celebrate it again. In mourning, she’s furious.

Tulip, 40, had seen her country fail to control the virus. She had seen Texas ease restrictions even as case counts and hospitalizations soared. She had seen fellow citizens refuse to wear a mask or engage in social distancing. Continue reading.

Chris Wallace fact checks Trump to his face as he melts down over COVID death rate: ‘That’s not true’

AlterNet logoPresident Donald Trump lashed out at Fox News host Chris Wallace after he was challenged on the false premise that the United States has the “lowest” COVID-19 mortality rate in the world.

“I think we have one of the lowest mortality rates,” Trump argued in an interview that aired on Sunday.

“That’s not true,” Wallace pointed out. “We have 900 deaths on a single day this week. You can check it out.” Continue reading.

Chris Wallace deflates Trump’s claim he ‘aced’ a cognitive exam in brutal fashion: ‘I took it — it’s not the hardest test’

AlterNet logoFox News host Chris Wallace batted aside Donald Trump’s boast that he “aced” a cognitive test at Walter Reed hospital, telling the president that he took it too and “It’s not the hardest test.”

With the president challenging presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden to go down and take the test with him, the Fox News host pulled the president up and smiled as he pointed out there is little to be about for passing such a simple series of exercises.

“I took the [cognitive] test too, when I heard you passed it,” Wallace said as a shot of the test scrolled on the screen for the viewers. “It’s not the hardest test. It shows a picture and it says, ‘what’s that,’ and it’s an elephant.” Continue reading.

Trump declines to say whether he will accept November election results

Washington Post logoPresident Trump declined to say whether he will accept the results of the November election, claiming without evidence that mail-in voting due to the coronavirus pandemic could “rig” the outcome.

In a wide-ranging interview with “Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace, the president also continued to play down the severity of the coronavirus crisis in the country, declined to say whether he is offended by the Confederate flag and dismissed polls showing him trailing former vice president Joe Biden by a significant margin.

The interview comes as the 2020 campaign has been upended by the pandemic, which has claimed more than 137,000 lives in the United States. Most in-person events have been canceled, and both political parties are planning to hold smaller-scale conventions to limit the spread of the virus. Continue reading.

Trump downplays virus, disputes bad polls in testy interview with Fox’s Wallace

The Hill logoPresident Trump in a testy interview with Fox News’s Chris Wallace downplayed recent surges in coronavirus cases, defended his stance on Confederate-named bases and sought to attack his fall opponent, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. 

Trump disputed polls showing him trailing Biden, eviscerating his Democratic opponent as “not competent to be president” and controlled by the “radical” progressive wing of the party.

He also complained about his inability to hold rallies in some areas of the country due to the coronavirus, accusing “Democrat-run states” of not allowing him to do so. Continue reading.

Trump’s Bogus Optimism Won’t Stop Pandemic Or Boost Economy

I have some bad news for anyone concerned about the economy. Very bad news. Donald Trump tweeted last Monday, “The Economy is coming back fast!” Tuesday, he proclaimed: “Things are coming back, and they’re coming back very rapidly. A lot sooner than people thought.”

This is an unmistakable signal that the economy is not coming back rapidly and may not be coming back at all. Whenever Trump boasts of something happening soon, it’s time to settle in for a good, long wait, or maybe just give up hope entirely.

Trump made his claims as the COVID-19 pandemic was saying the opposite. Florida set a record for the most new cases in a single day for any state and broke its own record for most deaths from the virus. California Gov. Gavin Newsom banned indoor operations in bars, restaurants and movie theaters, while closing hair salons, workout facilities and malls. Continue reading.