Category: 2020 Election

Trump sidesteps grim coronavirus surge to sell a happier message

The president is focused on reopening the economy, while many of his aides see the latest surge of coronavirus cases as media fearmongering.

Top political officials in Florida, Arizona, Texas and numerous other states are grappling with a rapid surge in coronavirus cases, facing the threat of an out-of-control outbreak that washes over their citizens and overwhelms their health care systems.

Top political officials in the White House say it’s business as usual from their perspective.

President Donald Trump and his top aides sought Thursday to minimize the threat of the coronavirus to the public’s health and the U.S. economy despite alarms blaring across two dozen states — including many overseen by Trump-friendly leaders. Continue reading.

Doctors lament: ‘No country in the world’ except the US ‘debates masks’ during the coronavirus pandemic

AlterNet logoEuropean countries have their liberals and progressives as well as their right-wing conservatives and libertarians, and one thing all of them can agree on — for all their differences and heated debates — is that wearing face masks in public is a very good idea during the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed over 483,600 people worldwide (according to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore). But mask wearing, much to the dismay of physicians, has been seriously politicized in the United States.

Javier E. David, in an article published by Yahoo Finance on June 25, describes the assertions of U.S.-based physicians who realize that wearing a face mask should be viewed from a health standpoint rather than a political standpoint.

“Social distancing and the use of masks in public have become a source of contention among those who feel it violates their personal freedoms,” David reports. “In a series of interviews, doctors on the front lines in states where COVID-19 infections are exploding lamented the controversy in stark terms. They argue that mixed messages from mayors, governors and President Donald Trump are making it harder for people to appreciate the need for masking — especially as infections among younger citizens jump sharply.” Continue reading.

Trump lashes out at Black Lives Matter, accuses one member of ‘treason’

Washington Post logoPresident Trump lashed out at the Black Lives Matter movement in twin tweets Thursday, accusing one of its members of treason and lamenting reported plans for a new mural in front of Trump Tower in Manhattan that honors the cause.

Trump, who has said he supports peaceful protesters, has increasingly articulated disdain for the protests that continue across the country after the death of George Floyd. His comments Thursday were among his most aggressive attacks on the movement that rose up in recent years against racial profiling and police violence.

“Black Lives Matter leader states, ‘If U.S. doesn’t give us what we want, then we will burn down this system and replace it.’ This is Treason, Sedition, Insurrection!” Trump tweeted. Continue reading.

Trump’s use of Pentagon funds for US-Mexico border wall illegal, court rules

The Hill logoA federal appeals court in California on Friday ruled that the Trump administration’s use of Pentagon funding to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border is illegal.

In a 2-1 ruling, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals found that President Trump’s diversion of defense, military and other funding — billions of dollars that were not originally earmarked for border wall construction — violated the Appropriations Clause of the Constitution, which gives Congress the exclusive power of the purse.

“These funds were appropriated for other purposes, and the transfer amounted to ‘drawing funds from the Treasury without authorization by statute and thus violating the Appropriations Clause,’ ” the majority wrote. “Therefore, the transfer of funds here was unlawful.” Continue reading.

Trump’s pick for Manhattan U.S. attorney refuses to say he would recuse from probes of president’s associates

Washington Post logoPresident Trump’s nominee to take over the Manhattan federal prosecutor’s office after the abrupt dismissal of U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman refused on Thursday to say whether he would recuse himself from pending investigations involving Trump’s interests and associates if confirmed for the post.

Appearing before a House Financial Services subcommittee, Securities and Exchange Committee Chairman Jay Clayton sought to deflect Democrats’ questions about his selection for the job and the circumstances under which Berman was removed over the weekend, characterizing the Senate confirmation process as “way down the road.” But when pressed by Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.) to “commit, right here, to recusing yourself” from matters in which the president has a personal stake, Clayton demurred

“What I will commit to do, which is what I commit to in my current job, is to approach the job with independence and to follow all ethical rules,” Clayton responded. Continue reading.

Trump is headlining fireworks at Mount Rushmore. Experts worry two things could spread: virus and wildfire.

Washington Post logoNational Park Service and local fire marshal officials have warned for years about dangers in resuming fireworks at the memorial

President Trump is planning a massive fireworks display at Mount Rushmore on July 3, despite a decade-long ban on pyrotechnics at the iconic spot because of concerns about public health, environmental and safety risks.

Trump has wanted to stage fireworks at the national memorial in South Dakota’s Black Hills since 2018, according to two individuals familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. But the idea was scuttled or delayed by a number of his advisers, these individuals said.

The National Park Service stopped staging pyrotechnics at Mount Rushmore in 2010 out of concern that it could ignite wildfires under drought conditions. The memorial is surrounded by 1,200 acres of forested lands, including ponderosa pines, and lies next to the Black Hills National Forest’s Black Elk Wilderness. Continue reading.

What the Trump Campaign Is Up To on YouTube (Hint: It Involves Aliens, Bin Laden and Ivanka)

Mostly stymied from holding his mass rallies, the world’s most famous Twitter user is turning to a different part of the internet — but with the same message.

Donald Trump is famous — and infamous — for his use of Twitter and Facebook. But particularly since the pandemic forced him to largely swear off his favorite mass, in-person rallies, his campaign has been amping up the use of another form of alternative media: YouTube and podcasts.

The president’s most recent sit-down interview? As it happens, it occurred last week on “Triggered,” a YouTube program hosted by his namesake son. In a conversation in the White House’s map room, Trump Jr. quizzed his dad about everything from who his favorite child is to whether aliens exist — to a Fox News report that Osama bin Laden wanted to assassinate President Barack Obama so that Joe Biden would ascend to the presidency.

This was no ordinary campaign video, nor was it a random question, this week’s episode of “Trump, Inc.” makes clear. “Triggered” followed the exchange about bin Laden with a campaign ad that repeated the same point, showing how closely the program’s conversations are tied in with campaign talking points. “Trump, Inc.” explores the Trump campaign’s universe of podcasts and YouTube shows, which has expanded since the coronavirus began locking down huge swaths of the country. (The campaign did not respond to requests for comment.)

Trump administration calls for Supreme Court to strike down ObamaCare

The Hill logoThe Trump administration on Thursday night argued in a legal brief filed to the Supreme Court that the entire Affordable Care Act (ACA) should be invalidated.

The legal filing, while expected, makes official the Trump administration’s position in the Supreme Court against the health care law months ahead of the election, at a time when Democrats are hammering President Trump over his position on health care.  

Overturning the ACA would take away health insurance coverage for about 20 million people, and the stakes are even higher given the effects of the current pandemic. Continue reading.

Judge Tosses Trump Family Attempt to Block Mary Trump’s Tell-All

A Queens County Surrogate Court Judge cited “several improprieties” in Robert Trump’s attempt to block niece Mary’s tell-all, slated to be published this month.

A New York judge has tossed an application by President Donald Trump’s brother to try and halt the publication of his niece Mary Trump’s book, Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man.

Queens County Surrogate Court Judge Peter Kelly cited “several improprieties” in Robert Trump’s filing that rendered it “fatally defective”—including that it was based on the official disposition of patriarch Fred Trump Sr.’s estate, which wrapped up in 2001 and is thus for legal purposes “nonexistent.” That settlement included a confidentiality clause that niece Mary Trump signed, and which the elder Trumps have argued prevents her from publishing the sort of titillating family secrets her memoir is set to contain.

But Kelly asserted that his court could not provide the declaratory judgment blocking the book that Robert sought, and recommended the Trump brother try his luck in the New York State Supreme Court, which oversees civil and criminal matters. The Surrogate Court strictly handles the wills and assets of the deceased. Continue reading.

Trump to Supreme Court: Take Away Health Care From 337,000 Minnesotans During A Pandemic

DFL Party slams Trump legal brief urging the Supreme Court to end the A.C.A.

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Late last night, President Trump’s administration filed a legal brief urging the Supreme Court to strike down the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the midst of a pandemic.

According to newly-released numbers from the Center for American Progress (CAP), a public policy think tank, 337,000 Minnesotans would lose their health insurance if Trump succeeds in eliminating the ACA.

Nationwide, CAP projected that 23,259,000 Americans will lose their health insurance if the ACA is struck down – 3,382,000 of whom would lose health insurance specifically due to the loss of jobs and employer-sponsored insurance as a result of COVID-19 and Trump’s failure to manage the virus. CAP’s pre-pandemic numbers are in line with official estimates released by Trump’s own Department of Health and Human Services just last year. Continue reading “Trump to Supreme Court: Take Away Health Care From 337,000 Minnesotans During A Pandemic”