Розділ: Політика
Trump, Hospitalized for COVID-19, ‘Continues to Do Well’
U.S. President Donald Trump “continues to do well” and has made progress since his COVID-19 diagnosis, according to a statement from his physician, Dr. Sean Conley, Saturday night.Earlier in the day, a group of physicians treating the president gave an upbeat report.“This morning the president is doing very well,” Conley told reporters late Saturday morning at the front entrance of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.In his Saturday night update, he said Trump has had a second dose of remdesivir, “remains fever-free and off supplemental oxygen with a saturation level between 96% and 98% all day.”While the president is not out of the woods, his doctors remain cautiously optimistic, Conley’s statement said. Trump will receive additional doses of remdesiver on Sunday, and his doctors will continue to closely monitor him, statement concluded.Earlier Saturday, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said, “The president’s vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning, and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care. We’re still not on a clear path to a full recovery.”Conley, an osteopathic physician and a commander in the U.S. Navy, told reporters that in coordination with a team of medical professionals at the hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, he had recommended that Trump be brought there the previous day.“At this time, the team and I are extremely happy with the progress the president has made,” said Conley, who explained that on Thursday, the day Trump tested positive for the disease caused by the coronavirus, Trump had “a mild cough, some nasal congestion and fatigue – all of which are now resolving and improving.”The physician said it is unclear how long the president will need to remain hospitalized. He did not answer questions regarding whether Trump had ever required oxygen.“We are monitoring him very closely for any evidence of complications from either the coronavirus illness or the therapies that we are prescribing to make him better,” said Dr. Sean Dooley, an internist.“He is in exceptionally good spirits,” Dooley said, explaining that when the team of doctors completed its rounds Saturday morning, the president exclaimed, “I feel like I could walk out of here today.”The team of doctors declined to go into detail on the president’s diagnosis in response to some of the questions from reporters.Conley said Trump is receiving daily ultrasounds and lab work, but when asked if lung scans have shown damage, he declined to “go into specifics of what the findings are.”On Thursday, the 74-year-old president was given a high dose an experimental special antibody therapy cocktail developed by Regeneron to fight the coronavirus, Dr. Brian Garibaldi, a specialist in pulmonary medicine, said.“We’re working very closely with the company to monitor him in terms of that outcome,” said the doctor, who added that Friday evening Trump received the first of a five-day course of intravenous remdesivir, another anti-viral drug being studied to see how effective it is in fighting COVID-19.“If he needs all five days, that would likely be the course,” Conley said, adding that Trump “has been fever free for over 24 hours.”The team of doctors noted that days seven to 10 for a coronavirus patient are the most concerning, due to the possibility of serious inflammation.“Every day, we’re evaluating, ‘Does he need to be here?’” Dr. Conley said in answering questions from reporters during a 12-minute briefing.Shortly after the news conference, Trump tweeted, “Doctors, Nurses and ALL at the GREAT Walter Reed Medical Center, and others from likewise incredible institutions who have joined them, are AMAZING!!!Tremendous progress has been made over the last 6 months in fighting this PLAGUE. With their help, I am feeling well!”Doctors, Nurses and ALL at the GREAT Walter Reed Medical Center, and others from likewise incredible institutions who have joined them, are AMAZING!!!Tremendous progress has been made over the last 6 months in fighting this PLAGUE. With their help, I am feeling well!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 3, 2020Both Trump and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday evening after one of the president’s close aides, Hope Hicks, was confirmed to be ill with COVID-19.Late Friday, Trump tweeted from his hospital suite, “Going well, I think! Thank you to all. LOVE!!”Going welI, I think! Thank you to all. LOVE!!!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 3, 2020There has been no transfer of power from the hospitalized president to Vice President Mike Pence, who was at his official residence, the U.S. Naval Observatory, according to White House officials.Trump’s illness comes a month before the November election. His opponent, Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden, said Friday he was sending “prayers for the health and safety of the first lady and the president of the United States.”Biden added that the president’s positive test for COVID-19 is a “bracing reminder to all of us that we have to take this virus seriously.”Trump and Biden were about 4 meters apart on a debate stage Tuesday evening in Cleveland, Ohio. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests at least 2 meters for social distancing purposes.Biden’s campaign said the former vice president tested negative Friday for the coronavirus.Speaking Friday in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Biden, wearing a surgical mask, called again for a national mask mandate, asserting it could save 100,000 lives in 100 days.The coronavirus has killed more than 208,000 people in the United States and infected 7.3 million across the country, according to Johns Hopkins University data.Trump’s campaign Friday put on hold all previously announced campaign events involving the president’s participation.“Vice President Mike Pence, who has tested negative for COVID-19, plans on resuming his scheduled campaign events,” campaign manager Bill Stepien said in a statement.A spokesperson confirmed early Saturday that Stepien has also tested positive for the virus and is suffering “mild, flu-like symptoms.”U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday that he and his wife, Susan, also tested negative.Pompeo said he and his wife were examined on an airplane 20 minutes before landing in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The country’s top diplomat told reporters upon arrival that he last saw Trump on September 15 at the White House and said, “We are praying for the president and first lady that they’ll have a speedy recovery.” Three U.S. senators, all from Trump’s Republican Party, have announced in recent days they have all tested positive for the coronavirus. Two of them attended last Saturday’s event in the White House Rose Garden where the president announced Judge Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee for the Supreme Court.Former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway, who left the White House staff in August but attended that event, tweeted late Friday that she has also tested positive for COVID-19.Tonight I tested positive for COVID-19. My symptoms are mild (light cough) and I’m feeling fine. I have begun a quarantine process in consultation with physicians. As always, my heart is with everyone affected by this global pandemic. ❤️— Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls) October 3, 2020During the Rose Garden, guests were seated closely together and most did not wear masks – a defiance of the U.S. government’s own guidelines on such gatherings amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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By Polityk | 10/04/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
A Primer on the Detailed Report on Trump’s Taxes
Last week The New York Times published a detailed report about U.S. President Donald Trump’s tax returns — the documents Americans file each year with the government that are used to calculate their income tax.Unlike all other U.S. presidents in recent decades, Trump has declined to release his returns, saying that he cannot while he undergoes a long-running audit with federal tax authorities. The newspaper said it obtained years of Trump’s tax return data from sources who were legally allowed to view them but who wished to remain anonymous.Here is a summary of the newspaper’s key findings and some questions raised by the disclosures.What news did The New York Times uncover in its reports on the president’s taxes?In a report released the evening of September 27, The New York Times revealed that it had obtained what it described as “tax-return data extending over more than two decades for Mr. Trump and the hundreds of companies that make up his business organization, including detailed information from his first two years in office.”The newspaper offered up a long list of details about the president’s finances, revealing that his business empire has, for years, generated hundreds of millions of dollars in losses that allowed him to reduce his income tax liability to zero in 10 of the last 15 years, and to a mere $750 in 2016, the year he won election, and 2017, his first year in the White House.During Tuesday night’s presidential debate, Trump said, “I paid millions of dollars in taxes, millions of dollars of income tax,” adding that “I paid $38 million one year, I paid $27 million one year.” However, he provided no documentation.The paper also revealed that Trump has hundreds of millions of dollars in outstanding debts coming due over the next few years — debts that he has personally guaranteed. It laid out some questionable practices, such as paying his daughter Ivanka, an employee of his company, as an outside consultant, and then deducting the expenses as a cost of doing business. Other details included tens of thousands of dollars in tax write-offs associated with styling Trump’s hair for TV appearances.Where did the newspaper obtain these records?The Times has been very careful not to reveal much information about how its reporters came into possession of the president’s tax information. This includes refusing to publish or make available the source data on which its stories on the topic are based.In a note accompanying the initial publication, Dean Baquet, the paper’s executive editor, wrote, “We are not making the records themselves public because we do not want to jeopardize our sources, who have taken enormous personal risks to help inform the public.”Why are the records just coming into public view now, after years of speculation about what’s in them?It is unclear why the president’s tax information was revealed to the Times now, though the proximity of the 2020 presidential election seems like a probable contributing factor.Going back to the early 1970s, presidential candidates from both major parties have voluntarily released their tax returns to the public in order to demonstrate that they had no financial conflicts of interest that might affect their behavior in office, and no outstanding debts that could be used to exert pressure on them.Early in his run for the presidency, Trump said that he would eventually release his returns, but has used the fact — confirmed by the Times — that he is under audit as an excuse to delay making them public. There is no legal barrier to an individual releasing tax returns that are being audited.Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden this week released his 2019 tax returns showing that he and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, paid $299,346 in federal income tax on $944,737 in income.The president’s returns have been the subject of much wrangling in both state and federal courts. After the administration declined to obey a federal law requiring it to release the returns after a formal request from Congress, Democrats sued the administration in a case that remains ongoing. Prosecutors in New York state are also fighting in court to get access to the president’s tax records.What does the White House say about the newspaper’s reporting?The president’s first reaction to the Times story was to declare it “fake news,” as he does with much unfavorable media coverage. Trump and his spokespersons have declared that, contrary to the Times story, the president has paid “millions” of dollars in taxes over the years in question. However, the wording in those statements is often vague, and there has been little to no pushback from the administration on specific details of the story.During his debate with Biden in Cleveland, Ohio, Trump again insisted that he paid millions in federal income taxes for 2016 and 2017, and appeared to argue that to the extent he took action to lower his tax liability, it was legal.“It was the tax laws– I don’t want to pay tax,” he said. “Before I came here, I was a private developer. I was a private business [person]. Like every other private person, unless they’re stupid, they go through the laws and that’s what it is.”What do Republicans and Democrats say about the reports?Republicans in Congress were largely silent about the details in the Times report, but some were extremely angry that the information was provided to the newspaper in the first place.Rep. Kevin Brady, the top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over taxation issues, said, “While many critics question the article’s accuracy, equally troubling is the prospect that a felony crime was committed by releasing the private tax return information of an individual – in this case the president’s.” Brady and other senior Republicans called for an investigation to identify the paper’s source.Democrats used the revelations to attack the president. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, in interviews and on social media, declared the revelations of the president’s massive personal debts “a national security issue.” She also noted that the reports indicate Trump has paid far more in personal income taxes to foreign governments than he has to the United States.“The President of the United States paid $750 in federal taxes,” she wrote on Twitter. “Yet he paid other countries more. What leverage do they have over him? What is he hiding? The people have a right to know.”What do tax experts say about the disclosures in the reporting?Tax experts may have been among the Americans least surprised by the revelations in the New York Times report. It has long been understood that the U.S. tax code is complex enough to allow the wealthy many opportunities to avoid paying what most would consider a fair share of their income. Nowhere is that more true than in the president’s chosen field of real estate development.“I don’t think, actually, all that much is new to people who really follow the news,” said C. Eugene Steuerle, institute fellow and Richard B. Fisher chair at the non-partisan Tax Policy Center in Washington. “There were some particular details that were enticing, you know, like the personal expenses for getting a new hairdo, that titillate. But many of those were not big picture issues. I mean, the big picture issue is the extent to which the president, but as it turns out, many real estate developers, can avoid paying income tax.”What do national security experts say about the disclosures in the reporting?While the administration itself has largely been silent on the question, retired national security and intelligence professionals have reacted with alarm to the report, particularly to the extent to which the president is personally in debt.Larry Pfeiffer, a former chief of staff at the CIA and the current director of the Hayden Center for Intelligence at George Mason University, told The Washington Post that the debts are “an outrageous vulnerability,” that would cause any other senior official to have their security clearance revoked.
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By Polityk | 10/04/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
North Carolina Senate Race Upended by Sexting, Virus Diagnosis
North Carolina’s intensively competitive and expensive U.S. Senate race has been upended by personal and health disruptions that sent uncertainty through the campaigns and an electorate already casting ballots.Democratic nominee Cal Cunningham acknowledged and apologized for exchanging sexually suggestive text messages with a woman who’s not his wife, but he said he wouldn’t drop out of the race. And just a few hours earlier Friday evening, his opponent, Republican Senator Thom Tillis, announced he had tested positive for COVID-19. While the first-term senator said he had no symptoms, the news forced Tillis to cancel in-person events, and several members of his campaign staff headed into quarantine.”It’s chaos,” David McLennan, a political science professor at Meredith College in Raleigh, said in a Saturday interview.In the text message exchanges, Cunningham tells the woman he wants to kiss her and she says she wants to spend the night with him. The messages were first reported by the website NationalFile.com.”I have hurt my family, disappointed my friends, and am deeply sorry. The first step in repairing those relationships is taking complete responsibility, which I do,” Cunningham said in his statement late Friday.Staying to fightCunningham, who is married with two teenage children, added he’s staying in the Senate race: “I will continue to work to earn the opportunity to fight for the people of our state.”The race is the nation’s most expensive Senate campaign and considered key to determining the power balance in the chamber. Democrats need to gain four seats in November to take control.Voting has been under way for four weeks in North Carolina, and 341,000 completed mail-in absentee ballots have been accepted and will be counted. Early in-person voting begins October 15.McLennan and Gary Pearce, a longtime state Democratic consultant, said it’s unclear how much of an effect Cunningham’s text messages will have on the election.”Most Democrats are really scared by it, but then you wonder: Has everything changed in the age of [President Donald] Trump?” Pearce said, adding the electorate’s increased polarization since 2016 could lead many Democrats to stick with Cunningham simply because the party’s victory is paramount.TimingA spokeswoman for Cunningham’s campaign, Rachel Petri, confirmed the authenticity of the text messages on Saturday. It’s unclear when the messages were sent, but at one point Cunningham says he’s “nervous about the next 100 days,” which could be a reference to the Senate election. One hundred days before the election would be July 26.An email trying to reach Guzman Todd at the California-based communications firm that lists her as an employee and voice messages left with what public records indicate are her phone numbers weren’t returned Saturday. Public records show she had a Raleigh residence briefly until 2015. Guzman Todd is married to someone who has served in the U.S. Army, according to the NationalFile.com report.Cunningham, 47, is an attorney and Iraq War veteran who still serves as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve. He served one term in the state Senate in the early 2000s and lost a Democratic primary runoff for U.S. Senate in 2010.FILE – U.S. Senator Thom Tillis, R-N.C., talks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 30, 2020.As for Tillis, he said he has no symptoms but will be staying at home for 10 days. Cunningham tweeted that he wished Tillis a “quick recovery” and said he would get tested himself after the two men shared a debate stage Thursday night. No other debates are scheduled.The Tillis campaign, citing its own health concerns, deferred on Saturday questions about the text messages to Cunningham. National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesperson Jesse Hunt said Cunningham must disclose more so voters can decide his fitness for office: “These are very troubling allegations and Cal needs to be fully transparent with the voters of North Carolina.”Tillis, 60, was diagnosed with the virus after attending the Supreme Court nomination ceremony in the White House Rose Garden for Amy Coney Barrett on September 26. The first-term senator didn’t say in his statement where he believes he caught the virus but did say he had tested negative for the virus on the same day as the White House event.Advocates mask useTillis was wearing a mask at the ceremony and has been among the most consistent Republicans to preach the use of face coverings. In late August, Tillis apologized for listening maskless in person to Trump’s Republican nomination acceptance speech outdoors at the White House.The North Carolina Senate race is second only to the presidential campaign in terms of overall outside spending, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. More than $97 million has been spent by independent expenditure groups in the general election, center data says.Cunningham, who outraised Tillis during the first half of the year, announced this week that his campaign would report collecting $28.3 million in the third quarter — a record haul for any North Carolina candidate. Tillis’ campaign hasn’t announced his third-quarter fundraising totals.
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By Polityk | 10/04/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
GOP Seeks to Pause Senate Work, but Not Barrett Hearings
Republicans on Saturday sought to call off legislative work in the Senate until October 19 as the coronavirus reached into their ranks. But they vowed that hearings for President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee would push ahead as planned, even as lawmakers increasingly demanded testing for everyone on Capitol Hill.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett would still begin October 12, even if Democrats agreed to cancel the regular Senate session to avoid further spread of COVID-19. Since Friday morning, three GOP senators have announced they have tested positive.”The Senate’s floor schedule will not interrupt the thorough, fair and historically supported confirmation process,” the Kentucky Republican wrote. Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, who is running for reelection in South Carolina, added that senators could attend the hearings virtually.”Certainly,” McConnell wrote, “all Republican members of the committee will participate in these important hearings.”But Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, said that if the COVID-19 threat was too great for Senate sessions, it made Barrett’s confirmation perilous, too.FILE – Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Donald Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court, and Vice President Mike Pence arrive at the Capitol where she was to meet with senators, Sept. 29, 2020.The Republicans’ “drive to confirm Judge Barrett at all costs needlessly threatens the health and safety of senators, staff and all those who work in the Capitol complex,” Schumer said in a statement.Schumer notably did not say Democrats would block McConnell’s plan. Doing so could force the Senate back into the confines of the Capitol without the mandatory testing of lawmakers and their aides.The back-and-forth served as an emphatic reminder that Senate Republicans defending their majority had hoped for an election season finale focused on their power to solidify a conservative majority on the high court. But the infections of Trump, who has been hospitalized, and a series of GOP senators since Friday morning raised significant worries in Republican circles about the spread of the virus at various events where masks have been scarce.FILE – Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, listens during a Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 21, 2015 .Concern began with the White House Rose Garden ceremony last Saturday where Trump introduced Barrett. In the audience, where few people wore masks, were members of the Judiciary Committee that will handle confirmation hearings. Two members of the panel, Mike Lee of Utah and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, on Friday announced that, like Trump, they had tested positive for the virus.On Saturday, Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, who is not a member of the Judiciary panel, announced that he, too, had tested positive.With three Republican senators infected and others awaiting results, McConnell is without a fully working majority of 50 senators. He would need to rely on Vice President Mike Pence to be on hand to break any tie votes.Amid the outbreak, members of both chambers of Congress called for a comprehensive testing plan for Capitol Hill. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and McConnell have resisted doing so because universal testing is not available to everyone in America.Some senators are calling for a more stringent protocol and contact tracing for Congress. Senator Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, called on McConnell to require immediate tests for every senator and staff member who has visited the White House over the past two weeks.
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By Polityk | 10/04/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Trump’s COVID-19 Diagnosis Upends Presidential Campaign
The coronavirus pandemic has again upended the U.S. presidential campaign with President Donald Trump’s announcement early Friday morning that he and first lady Melania Trump have contracted the potentially deadly virus.Both the president and the first lady placed themselves in quarantine, and Trump was hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in late afternoon following reports that he developed a fever. White House officials emphasized the president is not incapacitated and would continue to work from the hospital.Trump’s battle with the coronavirus could rally public support for him, as often happens in a time of crisis. But it could also conflict with his campaign message that everything is getting back to normal.“It’s very unpredictable at this time,” said John Fortier, a political analyst with the Bipartisan Policy Center.The second presidential debate, scheduled for October 15, could be postponed or canceled if Trump is too ill to participate or remains in quarantine to prevent the spread of infection. The debate, which was to be a town hall-style event with a live audience in Miami, could also be changed to a virtual format with participation via video conferencing.With the November election just weeks away, Fortier said, both presidential candidates are making their “primary argument” to win over undecided voters and generate enthusiasm among supporters.Pandemic focusTrump had been holding mass rallies where he has downplayed the seriousness of the virus and many supporters have not worn masks. At an event in New Jersey on Thursday, the president said the development of a vaccine was imminent and that ”the end of the pandemic is in sight.”Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 7 MB480p | 10 MB540p | 12 MB720p | 25 MB1080p | 50 MBOriginal | 176 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioThe president falling ill could conflict with his campaign message “that everything is turning around, we’re past this, and things are getting back to normal,” said Todd Belt, a professor of politics at George Washington University.The death toll from COVID-19 in the U.S. has topped 208,000, and the infection rates in many states have recently been rising, according to Johns Hopkins University data.The president has defended his administration’s response to the health and economic crises caused by the pandemic, saying the death toll would have reached into the millions had he not moved quickly to suspend travel from China where the outbreak originated and provided extensive medical support to states.Public reactionBelt said many people will be hard pressed to feel sympathy for Trump after his mocking of Democratic candidate Joe Biden and others for wearing masks, and after the president continued to hold events that violate social distancing guidance from health officials.With the electorate already intensely divided over Trump, Fortier with the Bipartisan Policy Center said he can “imagine both sides feeling strongly that this is related to their feelings” and reinforce their political views about the coronavirus and the campaign.Public opinion could also turn against Biden if his campaign is seen as mocking or ridiculing Trump for contracting the virus, Fortier said.“I think it could be dangerous politically for Biden and really backfire on him,” he said.Because of the pandemic, Biden had already cut back significantly on travel and instead waged a mostly virtual campaign with few in-person events and with mandatory masks and social distancing enforced.During a speech Friday in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Biden said he sent “my prayers for the health and safety of the first lady and the President of the United States.”“We can get this pandemic under control so we can get our economy working for everyone,” Biden said. “But this cannot be a partisan moment. It must be an American moment.”Biden has made what he has described as Trump’s mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic a major focus of his campaign, contrasting his plans to implement a national strategy to bring down the infection rate with the president’s downplaying of the virus.Extreme scenarioWhile the White House says the president is experiencing only mild symptoms, there are risks that his condition could get significantly worse and even be life threatening. Trump, at age 74 and somewhat overweight, is in a high-risk category for complications from COVID-19 that can cause significant damage to the lungs and heart.If the president were to become incapacitated, Vice President Mike Pence would assume the role of the acting head of the federal government and commander in chief.Trump COVID-19 Diagnosis Raises Issue of Continuity of GovernmentThe 25th Amendment to the US Constitution details the process by which the president or vice president are replaced in the event they are unable to execute their dutiesPence on Friday tested negative for the coronavirus. The White House is conducting widespread testing of officials who may have come in contact with the president and his senior aide Hope Hicks, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday.Biden, his wife, Jill, and Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris all tested negative for the coronavirus Friday.Regarding the presidential campaign and November election, the Republican Party could replace Trump as the party nominee if he is unable to continue.Voters backing the party would still cast their ballots for the Trump-Pence ticket. But because the U.S. Electoral College system uses the popular vote to pick electors pledged to the winning party, those electors affiliated with the Republican party could then vote for the new party nominee.
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By Polityk | 10/03/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Trump’s Coronavirus Infection Upends Presidential Campaign
The coronavirus pandemic has again upended the U.S. presidential campaign with President Donald Trump’s announcement early Friday morning that he and first lady Melania Trump have contracted the potentially deadly virus.Both the president and the first lady placed themselves in quarantine, and Trump was hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in late afternoon following reports that he developed a fever. White House officials emphasized the president is not incapacitated and would continue to work from the hospital.Trump’s battle with the coronavirus could rally public support for him, as often happens in a time of crisis. But it could also conflict with his campaign message that everything is getting back to normal.“It’s very unpredictable at this time,” said John Fortier, a political analyst with the Bipartisan Policy Center.The second presidential debate, scheduled for October 15, could be postponed or canceled if Trump is too ill to participate or remains in quarantine to prevent the spread of infection. The debate, which was to be a town hall-style event with a live audience in Miami, could also be changed to a virtual format with participation via video conferencing.With the November election just weeks away, Fortier said, both presidential candidates are making their “primary argument” to win over undecided voters and generate enthusiasm among supporters.Pandemic focusTrump had been holding mass rallies where he has downplayed the seriousness of the virus and many supporters have not worn masks. At an event in New Jersey on Thursday, the president said the development of a vaccine was imminent and that ”the end of the pandemic is in sight.”Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 7 MB480p | 10 MB540p | 12 MB720p | 25 MB1080p | 50 MBOriginal | 176 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioThe president falling ill could conflict with his campaign message “that everything is turning around, we’re past this, and things are getting back to normal,” said Todd Belt, a professor of politics at George Washington University.The death toll from COVID-19 in the U.S. has topped 208,000, and the infection rates in many states have recently been rising, according to Johns Hopkins University data.The president has defended his administration’s response to the health and economic crises caused by the pandemic, saying the death toll would have reached into the millions had he not moved quickly to suspend travel from China where the outbreak originated and provided extensive medical support to states.Public reactionBelt said many people will be hard pressed to feel sympathy for Trump after his mocking of Democratic candidate Joe Biden and others for wearing masks, and after the president continued to hold events that violate social distancing guidance from health officials.With the electorate already intensely divided over Trump, Fortier with the Bipartisan Policy Center said he can “imagine both sides feeling strongly that this is related to their feelings” and reinforce their political views about the coronavirus and the campaign.Public opinion could also turn against Biden if his campaign is seen as mocking or ridiculing Trump for contracting the virus, Fortier said.“I think it could be dangerous politically for Biden and really backfire on him,” he said.Because of the pandemic, Biden had already cut back significantly on travel and instead waged a mostly virtual campaign with few in-person events and with mandatory masks and social distancing enforced.During a speech Friday in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Biden said he sent “my prayers for the health and safety of the first lady and the President of the United States.”“We can get this pandemic under control so we can get our economy working for everyone,” Biden said. “But this cannot be a partisan moment. It must be an American moment.”Biden has made what he has described as Trump’s mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic a major focus of his campaign, contrasting his plans to implement a national strategy to bring down the infection rate with the president’s downplaying of the virus.Extreme scenarioWhile the White House says the president is experiencing only mild symptoms, there are risks that his condition could get significantly worse and even be life threatening. Trump, at age 74 and somewhat overweight, is in a high-risk category for complications from COVID-19 that can cause significant damage to the lungs and heart.If the president were to become incapacitated, Vice President Mike Pence would assume the role of the acting head of the federal government and commander in chief.Pence on Friday tested negative for the coronavirus. The White House is conducting widespread testing of officials who may have come in contact with the president and his senior aide Hope Hicks, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday.Biden, his wife, Jill, and Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris all tested negative for the coronavirus Friday.Regarding the presidential campaign and November election, the Republican Party could replace Trump as the party nominee if he is unable to continue.Voters backing the party would still cast their ballots for the Trump-Pence ticket. But because the U.S. Electoral College system uses the popular vote to pick electors pledged to the winning party, those electors affiliated with the Republican party could then vote for the new party nominee.
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By Polityk | 10/03/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Trump, Diagnosed With COVID-19, to Work From Hospital
U.S. President Donald Trump, suffering from the coronavirus, was taken by helicopter from the White House to a nearby military hospital Friday afternoon, where he was expected to remain for at least several days.The president, with a wave and a thumbs-up gesture to reporters, boarded Marine One on the White House South Lawn and flew to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, which has a suite that allows presidents to work from the hospital.Maine One with President Donald Trump aboard leaves the White House to go to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after he tested positive for COVID-19, Oct. 2, 2020, in Washington.After the helicopter landed at the hospital, Trump walked to a vehicle for the short drive to the main building’s entrance.“Out of an abundance of caution, and at the recommendation of his physician and medical experts, the president will be working from the presidential offices at Walter Reed for the next few days,” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement.There was no immediate transfer of power from the hospitalized 74-year-old president to Vice President Mike Pence, who was at his official residence, the U.S. Naval Observatory, according to White House officials.pic.twitter.com/B4H105KVSs— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2020Trump “remains in good spirits, has mild symptoms, and has been working throughout the day,” according to the press secretary.Less than 24 hours after he and first lady Melania Trump were diagnosed with COVID-19, the president was given, at the White House, a yet-to-be approved, unproven but promising treatment.Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
A memorandum from the White House physician, Sean Conley, released by the White House, provides an update on President Donald Trump’s medical condition after the announcement that the president had tested positive for the coronavirus, Oct. 2, 2020.Conley added in his statement that the first lady “remains well with only a mild cough and headache, and the remainder of the first family are well and tested negative” for the coronavirus.“It is a very moderate case” of the coronavirus that has infected the president, according to his economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, who spoke to a group of White House reporters. “The president is going to get healthy soon.”The president’s illness comes a month before the November election. His opponent, Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden, said on Friday that he was sending “prayers for the health and safety of the first lady and the president of the United States.”Biden added that the president’s positive test for COVID-19 was a “bracing reminder to all of us that we have to take this virus seriously.”Trump and Biden were about 4 meters apart on a debate stage Tuesday evening in Cleveland, Ohio. Biden’s campaign said the former vice president on Friday tested negative for the coronavirus.Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden arrives to speak at United Food & Commercial Workers Union Local 951 in Grand Rapids, Mich., Oct. 2, 2020.Speaking Friday in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Biden, wearing a surgical mask, called again for a national mask mandate, asserting that it could save 100,000 lives in 100 days.The coronavirus has killed more than 208,000 people in the United States and infected 7.3 million across the country, according to Johns Hopkins University data.Trump’s campaign Friday put on hold all previously announced events involving the president’s participation.“Vice President Mike Pence, who has tested negative for COVID-19, plans on resuming his scheduled campaign events,” said the campaign’s manager, Bill Stepien, in a statement.In the early morning hours of Friday, Trump tweeted: “Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!”Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2020Minutes later, the White House released a memorandum from the president’s physician, Conley, confirming the positive tests for the Trumps.Melania Trump later tweeted, “As too many Americans have done this year, @potus & I are quarantining at home after testing positive for COVID-19. We are feeling good & I have postponed all upcoming engagements. Please be sure you are staying safe & we will all get through this together.”As too many Americans have done this year, @potus & I are quarantining at home after testing positive for COVID-19. We are feeling good & I have postponed all upcoming engagements. Please be sure you are staying safe & we will all get through this together.— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) October 2, 2020In another tweet, the first lady acknowledged she also had “mild symptoms but overall feeling good.”Thank you for the love you are sending our way. I have mild symptoms but overall feeling good. I am looking forward to a speedy recovery.— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) October 2, 2020Trump, who for months has played down the seriousness of the coronavirus, on Thursday evening confirmed during a telephone interview on the Fox News Channel that he and the first lady had been tested after one of his closest aides, Hope Hicks, was confirmed to have been infected.Hicks, counselor to the president, traveled with Trump to Pennsylvania for a campaign rally on Saturday, then to Cleveland for the presidential debate on Tuesday and to Minnesota for campaign events the following day.Hicks was showing symptoms at a political rally Wednesday evening in Duluth, Minnesota, and tested positive Thursday morning, according to officials who spoke on condition of not being named.Fundraiser in New JerseyTrump, however, flew Thursday with some top officials to New Jersey for a political fundraising event, where he was in close contact with dozens of people.During the telephone interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, the president suggested Hicks could have contracted the virus from members of the military or law enforcement.”It is very, very hard when you are with people from the military, or from law enforcement, and they come over to you, and they want to hug you, and they want to kiss you, because we really have done a good job for them,” Trump said. “You get close, and things happen. I was surprised to hear with Hope, but she is a very warm person with them. She knows there’s a risk, but she is young.”The president, in his 70s and overweight, is in a high-risk category for the coronavirus, but until Friday he was otherwise believed to be in good health.Pence and his wife, Karen, tested negative for COVID-19 early Friday, according to spokesman Devin O’Malley. The spokesman said the vice president “remains in good health and wishes the Trumps well in their recovery.”As has been routine for months, Vice President Pence is tested for COVID-19 every day. This morning, Vice President Pence and the Second Lady tested negative for COVID-19. Vice President Pence remains in good health and wishes the Trumps well in their recovery.— Devin O’Malley (@VPPressSec) October 2, 2020U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday that he and his wife, Susan, had also tested negative.Pompeo said he and his wife were examined on an airplane 20 minutes before landing in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The country’s top diplomat told reporters upon arrival that he last saw Trump on September 15 at the White House and said, “We are praying for the president and first lady that they’ll have a speedy recovery.”
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By Polityk | 10/03/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Top US Health Official: COVID-19 Response Not Compromised by Politics
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told a congressional panel Friday he is confident that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is not compromising its approval standards in a push to deliver a COVID-19 vaccine.Azar made his appearance before Congress hours after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he and first lady Melania Trump had both tested positive for COVID-19.The health and human services secretary was asked to appear at the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis as the committee staff released a report saying the Trump administration “engaged in a persistent pattern of political interference” into efforts by public health officials to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) listens to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar at a hearing before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis in the Rayburn Building in Washington, Oct. 2, 2020.The committee’s report argued the president and his staff repeatedly injected partisan politics into public health decisions, overruling and sidelining the country’s top scientists.In his comments, Azar insisted that all actions coming out of his department’s agencies — the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health — “are grounded in science and evidence.” He said that standard also applies to authorization or approval of any COVID-19 vaccine.He also added that, as of Friday, the United States has four candidate vaccines in Phase 3 clinical trials.Trump has said on several occasions the U.S. is very close to developing a vaccine, which he said could be ready before the end of the year. Most public health officials have said it is more likely a vaccine would not be readily available before well into 2021.Some scientists, public health officials and lawmakers have expressed concern that the Trump administration will pressure the FDA to authorize a COVID-19 vaccine in advance of the November 3 presidential election, even if data from clinical trials do not support its widespread use.Azar also said that “out of an abundance of caution,” he had been tested for COVID-19 earlier Friday and the results were negative.
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By Polityk | 10/03/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Trump’s Positive COVID Test Throws Election Into Disarray
President Donald Trump’s positive COVID-19 test has thrown an already contentious election into further disarray and raised the possibility of a national security crisis over the continuity of government. White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has the story.
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By Polityk | 10/02/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Biden Says He’ll Continue to Pray for Health, Safety of Trump and Family
Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden on Friday said he and his wife Jill are sending their thoughts to President Donald Trump, his opponent in the November election, and Trump’s wife Melania, who both tested positive for COVID-19.”Jill and I send our thoughts to President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump for a swift recovery. We will continue to pray for the health and safety of the president and his family,” Biden wrote in a tweet.
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By Polityk | 10/02/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
World Leaders Send Support After Trump COVID Diagnosis
Leaders and prominent figures from around the world Friday sent their best wishes to U.S. President Donald Trump and his family after he announced that he and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive for coronavirus.The president revealed his diagnosis on Twitter early Friday, with leaders across the globe sending their well wishes. The head of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, tweeted his wish that Trump and his wife have “a full and speedy recovery.” My best wishes to President @realDonaldTrump and @FLOTUS for a full and speedy recovery. https://t.co/6OUZT20huK
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) October 2, 2020
The WHO declared the virus a global pandemic in March. Since then, more than 34 million people have tested positive worldwide, according to WHO figures. Of those, more than 1 million have died. The U.S. carries the world’s heaviest viral burden, according to WHO data, with more than 7.1 million confirmed cases and more than 205,000 deaths. India’s prime minister and close Trump ally Narendra Modi was one of the first heads of state to send a message of support. India, a nation of more than 1.3 billion people, reports the world’s second heaviest coronavirus burden, with just under 6.4 million confirmed cases and more than 99,000 deaths. Wishing my friend @POTUS@realDonaldTrump and @FLOTUS a quick recovery and good health. https://t.co/f3AOOHLpaQ
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 2, 2020In a message posted on his official web page, Russian President Vladimir Putin wished Trump well, saying: “I am sure that your inherent vitality, good spirits and optimism will help you cope with the dangerous virus.” Russia has reported just under 1.2 million confirmed cases, and slightly less than 21,000 deaths. And German Chancellor Angela Merkel issued a statement through a spokesman Friday, saying: “I send Donald and Melania Trump all my best wishes. I hope they will recover well from their coronavirus infection and will soon be completely recovered.” Germany has reported more than 291,000 cases and at least 9,500 deaths. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who himself contracted the virus in late March, at the height of his country’s pandemic, also sent well wishes. In early April, Johnson was rushed to a London hospital and put in an intensive care unit. At the time, the 55-year-old leader said his condition “could have gone either way.” Britain has reported 453,000 cases and more than 42,000 deaths, according to the WHO. The island nation appears to be currently experiencing a second wave of infections. My best wishes to President Trump and the First Lady. Hope they both have a speedy recovery from coronavirus.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) October 2, 2020Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who met with Trump in Washington in mid-September to sign the Abraham Accords peace agreement, along with leaders of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, also sent wishes for Trump’s recovery. Israel has reported more than 238,000 cases and just over 1,500 deaths. Like millions of Israelis, Sara and I are thinking of President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump and wish our friends a full and speedy recovery. https://t.co/UcxQpsxBLE
— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) October 2, 2020
And Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani sent best wishes to Trump from his official presidential account. Afghanistan has reported more than 39,000 cases and more than 1,400 deaths. The President of The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is saddened and expressed concern over the news of Covid-19 positive tests for the U.S. President Donald Trump and the U.S. First Lady. He conveys his best wishes and prayers for the well-being of them both.
— ارگ (@ARG_AFG) October 2, 2020Other leaders have yet to issue statements. North Korea’s reclusive leader, Kim Jong Un, did not release a public reaction, according to a group that closely monitors his pronouncements on state-controlled media. Global health officials have no viral data on North Korea, and the government has yet to report a single case of the highly contagious virus, which originated in neighboring China. Chinese President Xi Jinping also did not immediately react to the news on any known public platform. The virus first appeared in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December, and officials reported more than 91,000 cases and 4,700 deaths before the virus appeared to subside in April. But state-run Chinese daily Global Times issued a critical statement, saying, “it may also negatively affect his re-election.” President Trump and the first lady have paid the price for his gamble to play down the COVID-19. The news shows the severity of the US’ pandemic situation. It will impose a negative impact on the image of Trump and the US, and may also negatively affect his reelection.
— Hu Xijin 胡锡进 (@HuXijin_GT) October 2, 2020
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By Polityk | 10/02/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Female Supreme Court Justices Can Change the Conversation
A day after U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died at age 87 of pancreatic cancer, President Donald Trump promised attendees at a rally in North Carolina that his nominee to fill her seat would be a woman.A week later, he announced her: Amy Coney Barrett, a 48-year-old conservative and circuit judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit.Ginsburg wanted more women on the Supreme Court. In a talk at Georgetown University in 2015, she said she was sometimes asked how many female justices would be enough to satisfy her.“When there are nine,” she replied, which would have meant an all-female Supreme Court. In explanation, she noted that no one questioned it when nine men were on the court.Her famous answer has become a call to arms, emblazoned across T-shirts and scrawled onto the sidewalk in front of the Supreme Court in an impromptu tribute after her death.Impact on the courtWhy is it important to have women on the Supreme Court?Legal scholars cite two reasons. First, because women bring a different perspective to the table. This is something acknowledged long before a woman was named to the court.The book Shortlisted: Women in the Shadows of the Supreme Court by Renee Knake Jefferson, professor of law at the University of Houston Law Center, and Hannah Brenner Johnson, associate professor of law at California Western School of Law, notes that a woman was first considered for the Supreme Court in 1930. Over the years, nine women — all prominent in their field — appeared on presidential short lists of Supreme Court contenders without being nominated.It was not until 1981 that Sandra Day O’Connor became the first female Supreme Court justice. She was the lone woman for more than a decade before Ginsburg joined her in 1993. The two women had to lobby for simple conveniences like a bathroom near their chambers.“Women have been graduating from law school in equal numbers to men for the past several decades. That we have seen only four women serve on the court in the history of this country is deeply problematic,” Johnson said in an email this week. She said women bring a different perspective to the court — and not a uniform one.Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 13 MB480p | 18 MB540p | 22 MB720p | 44 MB1080p | 92 MBOriginal | 115 MB Embed” />Copy Download Audio“We need a diversity of female voices on the bench, as it is impossible for one woman to represent the perspectives of all women,” Johnson said.Christina Boyd, associate professor of political science at the University of Georgia, has done multiple studies testing the influence of women on the courts, including how they influence their fellow judges in panel decisions.“Group decision-making is better when you have diverse voices and perspectives involved, and women bring a unique set of experiences, backgrounds and worldviews to deliberation,” Boyd said in an interview this week.Jefferson cited an example — a case heard by the Supreme Court in which a 13-year-old girl was forced to undergo a strip search (Safford Unified School District v. Redding, 2009).“Women on the court can make a difference in how justices view issues,” Jefferson said. “For example, Justice Ginsburg explained to her male colleagues the particular sensitivities for a teenage girl who was strip-searched.”At the time, Ginsburg was the lone woman on the court, which ruled that the school officials who conducted the strip-search violated the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibiting unreasonable searches and seizures.The second reason is to have a court that is representative of the people it serves, which engenders trust in the court system.“Having a judiciary that represents society is essential for people to trust and believe in the courts,” Boyd said.Recent studies have shown that sex discrimination cases are really the only area where having women on a panel of judges can influence the outcome in a statistically significant way. In all other cases, ideologies rule the day.“Women and men aren’t that different,” said Meghan Leonard, associate professor of politics and government at Illinois State University. “A conservative woman will vote more like a conservative man than a liberal woman.”Leonard studies state-level supreme courts and published a paper recently on the way women affect a high court’s decisions. Her research shows that while women, like men, are driven by ideology in most cases, panels with female judges on them tend to reach consensus more often, form larger coalitions and reduce the number of dissents.“Women tend to be more democratic decision-makers,” Leonard said. “They have this consensus view of decision-making. … They get people to agree.”Unequal scrutiny“Women face scrutiny into areas of their life that have nothing to do with personal qualifications,” Jefferson said. “When justices Sotomayor and Kagan were nominated, the media focused on their lack of romantic partners and children. With the nomination of Barrett, we’re already seeing lots of focus on her abilities as a mother of seven.”Johnson said age is another area where women are subject to more scrutiny than men.“Young women are often seen as lacking the requisite experience to step into a role, and older women are sometimes viewed as past their prime or too ‘grandmotherly’ to be taken serious. With both of these examples, men are not subjected to the same impossible set of conditions,” she said.DissentIt can also be difficult for a woman to make her voice heard, even in the highest court in the nation.Tonja Jacobi, professor of law at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, examines Supreme Court oral arguments, transcripts of which are available to the public online. She finds that during oral arguments, women are often interrupted — not just by other justices, but sometimes by male advocates making their cases to the court.Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 5 MB480p | 7 MB540p | 9 MB720p | 16 MB1080p | 34 MBOriginal | 44 MB Embed” />Copy Download Audio“Often, women’s voices are cut off,” Jacobi said. “They don’t get to ask their question, or they have to come in later in the argument to ask their question.”Now that the court is hearing oral arguments by telephone because of the pandemic, she said the problem has gotten worse because Chief Justice John Roberts, who Jacobi said habitually interrupts Sotomayor, controls who speaks and for how long.Female Supreme Court justices have been known to make good use of a particular tool that amplifies their voices — dissent.Ginsburg, or “Notorious RBG,” as she was popularly known, earned her notoriety with bold and eloquent dissents that made their way around the internet as soon as they were issued.Dissent is a powerful tool, said Jacobi.“One thing that they do is bring public attention to the issue,” she said. “They talk about things that the majority is maybe sweeping under the carpet.”Jacobi also noted that a powerful dissent can make a secondary issue the focus of future cases.If Barrett’s nomination to the court is confirmed, the court will again consist of six men and three women. When asked in 2009 what it would be like to work on a court with a majority of women, Ginsburg had a ready opinion.“The work would not be any easier,” she said. “Some of the amenities might improve.”
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By Polityk | 10/02/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
How Politicians Worldwide Reacted to Trump COVID-19 Infection
A little more than a month before the U.S. presidential election, Donald Trump announced early Friday via Twitter that he and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive for the coronavirus and have begun quarantining themselves. In response, Vice President Mike Pence tweeted: “Karen and I send our love and prayers to our dear friends President @realDonaldTrump and @FLOTUS Melania Trump. We join millions across America praying for their full and swift recovery. God bless you President Trump & our wonderful First Lady Melania.”Karen and I send our love and prayers to our dear friends President A woman walks past an electronic stock board showing Japan’s Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm in Tokyo Friday, Oct. 2, 2020. U.S. stock futures and Asian shares have fallen after U.S. President Donald Trump said he and first lady Melania Trump…Global markets fell following the news of Trump’s diagnosis.Naoya Oshikubo, a senior economist with Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management in Tokyo, told Reuters he was worried that Trump would “become even more aggressive against China” after contracting the virus. Oshikubo added, “I got the impression that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has become more anti-China after he had COVID-19.” The coronavirus first emerged in China late last year. Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro of Texas expressed concern, tweeting: “It’s not just a matter of the President’s personal health; it’s a matter of national security. This virus has claimed over 200k American lives in 6 months.”If @realdonaldtrump tests positive for COVID-19, the White House needs to be honest with the American people. It’s not just a matter of the President’s personal health; it’s a matter of national security. This virus has claimed over 200k American lives in 6 months.— Joaquin Castro (@JoaquinCastrotx) October 2, 2020More than 7.2 million people in the U.S. have contracted COVID-19.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first foreign leaders to send well wishes to the Trumps. Modi said on Twitter, “Wishing my friend @POTUS @realDonaldTrump and @FLOTUS a quick recovery and good health.”
Wishing my friend @POTUS@realDonaldTrump and @FLOTUS a quick recovery and good health. https://t.co/f3AOOHLpaQ— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 2, 2020That sentiment was echoed by some of the president’s fiercest critics.“We sincerely pray the President& the First Lady do not have the worst of this disease,” American civil rights leader Jesse Jackson said on Twitter. “We must all pray for the full recovery of the President& his wife. For whatever religious or political persuasion you may be, we must all pray as millions of people are affected by this disease.”We sincerely pray the President& the First Lady do not have the worst of this disease.We must all pray for the full recovery of the President& his wife.For whatever religious or political persuasion you may be, we must all pray as millions of people are affected by this disease.— Rev Jesse Jackson Sr (@RevJJackson) October 2, 2020More Reaction from World LeadersI wish a speedy recovery to U.S. President @realDonaldTrump and @FLOTUS Melania Trump, who tested positive for COVID-19.I sincerely hope that they will overcome the quarantine period without problems and regain their health as soon as possible.— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) October 2, 2020From IsraelLike millions of Israelis, Sara and I are thinking of President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump and wish our friends a full and speedy recovery. https://t.co/UcxQpsxBLE— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) October 2, 2020From WHO chief My best wishes to President @realDonaldTrump and @FLOTUS for a full and speedy recovery. https://t.co/6OUZT20huK— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) October 2, 2020
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By Polityk | 10/02/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Trump’s Voter Fraud Claims Could Spark Electoral College Controversy
During Tuesday’s raucous presidential debate, President Donald Trump warned that he “won’t go along with” an election result based on mail-in ballots he alleges are fraudulent. To prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus, some states have expanded voting by mail, and polling indicates significantly more Democrats than Republicans are relying on this method to cast their ballots. In addition to the likely possibility Trump will challenge the election results in court if he loses, VOA’s Brian Padden reports there are growing concerns his campaign will also try to persuade the Electoral College to overturn the popular vote in states where Democratic candidate Joe Biden is deemed the winner.
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By Polityk | 10/02/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Trump Supreme Court Nominee’s Impact on American Life Expected to be Profound
U.S. lawmakers have been meeting this week with President Donald Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, who would fill the seat left empty by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. If confirmed as expected, Barrett will have a critical impact on court decisions on a range of issues impacting life in the United States, from abortion to health care to this November’s presidential election. VOA’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson reports.
Camera: Henry Hernandez
Produced by: Katherine Gypson
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By Polityk | 10/02/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Trump Signals Opposition to Debate Rule Changes
U.S. President Donald Trump signaled Thursday that he was opposed to changing the rules for his second and third debates against Democratic challenger Joe Biden, claiming he “easily” won their contentious, chaotic first debate earlier this week.Both candidates frequently interrupted each other’s remarks at Tuesday’s 90-plus minute debate, but Trump more so than Biden.FILE – President Donald Trump gestures while speaking during the first presidential debate, Sept. 29, 2020, at Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic, in Cleveland, Ohio.More than an hour into the debate, moderator Chris Wallace, a Fox News journalist, admonished the president for ignoring the agreed-upon rules allowing both candidates to answer his questions unimpeded by the other.But the interruptions continued to the end, leaving numerous journalists and U.S. political analysts to conclude that it was the worst presidential debate ever. Despite Trump’s claim, post-debate polls showed voters thought Biden won the faceoff.But the chaos of the night led the independent Commission on Presidential Debates, which oversees the quadrennial debates, to say Wednesday that it would soon announce tightened rules for the scheduled Trump-Biden debates on October 15 and 22 to give the events “additional structure … to ensure a more orderly discussion of the issues.”But Trump said on Twitter, “Why would I allow the Debate Commission to change the rules for the second and third Debates when I easily won last time?”Why would I allow the Debate Commission to change the rules for the second and third Debates when I easily won last time?— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) FILE – Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden gestures while speaking during the first presidential debate, Sept. 29, 2020, at Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic, in Cleveland, Ohio.Some critics said the moderators at the next two debates should be able to silence the microphone of each candidate while the other is speaking. But Wallace told The New York Times he was opposed to the idea, saying it would not succeed at reducing the disruptions. Other analysts said any interruptions could still likely be picked up on the live microphone or heard by those in the debate hall.Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel told Fox News that the commission should not make any changes to the rules without the support of both campaigns “in the middle of the campaign,” after both sides had agreed to specific provisions.Two-minute limitEach candidate was supposed to have two minutes to answer Wallace’s queries before the other had the same amount of time to respond. But the interruptions quickly threw that restriction off-kilter, turning the debate into a mix of crosstalk and claims and counterclaims on a range of issues, such as Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, his appointment of a new Supreme Court justice and his tax returns and Biden’s stances on health care, climate change and increasing taxes on businesses and wealthy taxpayers.McDaniel claimed that any rule changes would be aimed at protecting Biden “from answering to the American people,” although both candidates answered numerous questions from Wallace.”I don’t think you should be changing the rules that they have agreed to, and I do not think this commission has the right to just arbitrarily change rules without talking to both candidates and getting agreement and input from both sides,” McDaniel said.FILE – Moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News speaks on stage before the start of the first presidential debate, Sept. 29, 2020, at Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic, in Cleveland, Ohio.In his post-mortem on the debate, Wallace said the debate was “a terrible missed opportunity” for American voters to learn about the two candidates’ views.“I never dreamt that it would go off the tracks the way it did,” he said.“I’ve read some of the reviews,” he told the Times. “I know people think, well, gee, I didn’t jump in soon enough.”“I guess I didn’t realize – and there was no way you could, hindsight being 20/20 – that this was going to be the president’s strategy, not just for the beginning of the debate but the entire debate,” to interrupt Biden’s remarks.
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By Polityk | 10/02/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
House Democrats Pass Partisan COVID Bill; Relief Talks Drag
Democrats controlling the House narrowly passed a $2.2 trillion COVID-19 relief bill Thursday night, a move that came as top-level talks on a smaller, potentially bipartisan measure dragged on toward an uncertain finish. An air of pessimism has largely taken over the Capitol.The Democratic bill passed after a partisan debate by a 214-207 vote without any Republicans in support. The move puts lawmakers no closer to delivering aid such as more generous weekly unemployment payments, extended help for small businesses and especially troubled economic sectors such as restaurants and airlines, and another round of $1,200 direct payments to most Americans.Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin makes a brief comment as he leaves the Capitol, Sept. 30, 2020, in Washington. Mnuchin earlier met with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California.Passage of the $2.2 trillion plan came after a burst of negotiations this week between Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. The Trump administration delivered concessions Wednesday, including a $400 per week pandemic jobless benefit and a markedly higher overall price tag of $1.6 trillion, but that failed to win over Pelosi.”This isn’t half a loaf, this is the heel of the loaf,” Pelosi said in a televised interview Thursday. Pelosi spoke after the White House attacked her as “not being serious.”The ramped-up negotiations come as challenging economic news continues to confront policymakers. The airlines are furloughing about 30,000 workers with the expiration of aid passed earlier this year, and a report Thursday showed 837,000 people claiming jobless benefits for the first time last week. Most of the economic benefits of an immediate round of COVID relief could accrue under the next administration, and failure now could mean no significant help for struggling families and businesses until February.The vote was advertised as a way to demonstrate Democrats were making a good faith offer on coronavirus relief, but 18 Democrats abandoned the party and sentiment remains among more moderate Democrats to make more concessions and guarantee an agreement before Election Day. Republicans controlling the Senate remained divided.Talks between Mnuchin and Pelosi were closely held and the Speaker told reporters that no deal would come Thursday. Mnuchin’s offer of a $400 per week jobless benefit put him in the same ballpark as Democrats backing a $600 benefit. Mnuchin’s price tag of $1.6 trillion or more could drive many Republicans away, however, even as it failed to satisfy Pelosi.”We raised our offer to $1.6 trillion,” White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters Thursday. “It’s one that she is not interested in.”Mnuchin and Pelosi spoke by phone Thursday, but the speaker was publicly dismissive of the latest White House plan. Discussions are continuing, Pelosi said.The White House plan, offered Wednesday, gave ground with a $250 billion proposal on funding for state and local governments and backed $20 billion in help for the struggling airline industry.Details on the White House offer were confirmed by congressional aides, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door discussions.As the talks dragged on, House leaders announced a Thursday evening vote on their scaled-back “HEROES Act,” which started out as a $3.4 trillion bill in May but is now down to $2.2 trillion after Pelosi cut back her demands for aiding state and local governments. The legislation came after party moderates openly criticized her stance.White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows waits in his seat for the start of the first presidential debate, Sept. 29, 2020, in Cleveland, Ohio.White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has drawn a line in the sand and warns that Trump won’t approve legislation that approaches a $2 trillion threshold. But there’s plenty of wiggle room in numbers so large, and the revenue picture for many states is not as alarming as feared when Democrats passed more than $900 billion for state and local governments in May.Pelosi said Thursday that the administration is still far short on aid to state and local governments and in other areas.”Some of you have asked, ‘Isn’t something better than nothing?’ No,” Pelosi told reporters, citing the “opportunity cost” for provisions sought by Democrats but potentially lost in any rush to agreement.At issue is a long-delayed package that would extend another round of $1,200 direct stimulus payments, restore bonus pandemic jobless benefits, speed aid to schools and extend assistance to airlines, restaurants and other struggling businesses. A landmark $2 trillion relief bill in March passed with sweeping support and is credited with helping the economy through the spring and summer, but worries are mounting that the recovery may sputter without additional relief.Pelosi has largely assumed a hard line so far. But she’s never had a reputation for leaving large sums of money on the table and her tactical position — facing a White House and Senate controlled by Republicans — is not as strong as her demands might indicate.The White House also seems far more eager for a deal than Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Any compromise that could pass both the House and Senate is sure to alienate a large chunk of the Senate GOP. McConnell expressed support for the talks and another bill but isn’t leaning into the effort. But some of his members appear worried that the deadlock is harming their reelection bids.”I’d like to see another rescue package. We’ve been trying for months to get there,” McConnell told reporters Thursday. “I wish them well.”Even if Pelosi and Mnuchin were able to reach a tentative agreement on “top line” spending levels, dozens of details would need to be worked out. A particularly difficult issue, Pelosi told her colleagues earlier in the day, remains McConnell’s insistence on a liability shield for businesses fearing COVID-related lawsuits after they reopen their doors.The latest Democratic bill would revive a $600-per-week pandemic jobless benefit and send a second round of direct payments to most individuals. It would scale back an aid package to state and local governments to a still-huge $436 billion, send $225 billion to colleges and universities and deliver another round of subsidies to businesses under the Paycheck Protection Program. Airlines would get another $25 billion in aid to prevent a wave of layoffs.
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By Polityk | 10/02/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
How American Voters in Israel Could Affect US Election Outcome
An estimated nine million Americans live abroad – half a million of them in Israel where observers expect an unprecedented number will cast absentee ballots in the upcoming U.S. presidential election. Linda Gradstein reports for VOA from Jerusalem.Camera: Ricki Rosen Produced by: Marcus Harton
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By Polityk | 10/01/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Trump Administration Proposes Limiting Refugee Admissions to 15,000
The Trump administration said late Wednesday it wants to cut the number of refugees admitting into the United States to 15,000 in fiscal year 2021, which begins Thursday.The figure represents the latest in a series of annual cuts since President Donald Trump took office in 2017.In 2020, the administration put the cap at 18,000, and the United States allowed 10,892 refugees into the country before putting the program on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic.That was the fewest since the modern refugee program was approved by Congress in 1980. The annual cap during the administration of President Barack Obama was between 70,000 and 85,000.The State Department said Trump’s 2021 proposal “reaffirms America’s enduring commitment to assist the world’s most vulnerable people while fulfilling our first duty to protect and serve the American people.”Krish Vignarajah, president of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, a federally funded agency charged with resettling refugees in the United States, said the decision to further limit the number of refugee admissions “is a complete abdication of our moral duty and all that we stand for as a nation.”
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By Polityk | 10/01/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Democrats Say Republicans Rushing Barrett Supreme Court Nomination
Democrats on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee said Republicans are rushing the Supreme Court confirmation process for Judge Amy Coney Barrett and reiterated calls for postponing the review of her nomination until after the presidential inauguration in January.In a letter to Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham released late Wednesday, Democrats said the timeline Graham has set does not allow for a thorough FBI background investigation, review of her entire judicial record or for Barrett to answer senators’ questions.“This timeline is a sharp departure from past practice,” the Democrats wrote. “Even more, it undercuts the Senate’s ability to fulfill its advice and consent role and deprives the American people of a meaningful opportunity to gauge the nominee and her record for themselves.”Graham, a South Carolina Republican, met with Barrett on Tuesday. He described her as highly qualified and has said he is “committed to ensuring that the nominee gets a challenging, fair, and respectful hearing.”President Donald Trump nominated Barrett, a conservative jurist he previously tapped for the federal bench in 2017, to fill the seat of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the court’s best-known liberal who died September 18 at the age of 87.Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, and it appears Barrett has enough Republican support to be confirmed, despite fierce opposition from Democrats.The Judiciary Committee is scheduled to begin three to four days of formal confirmation hearings on October 12. A vote in the full Senate could come by the end of the month.Democrats have argued the next justice should be named by the winner of the November presidential election, a view Republicans championed when there was a Supreme Court vacancy in 2016. In that year, former President Barack Obama, a Democrat, put forth a nominee to replace the late justice Antonin Scalia, an arch conservative.A public opinion poll by The New York Times and Siena College released Sunday showed 56% of voters indicated the seat should not be filled until after the election, while 41% said Trump should make the choice.Barrett has been meeting with other Republican senators, including talks Wednesday with Senators Mitt Romney of Utah and Todd Young of Indiana. She is scheduled to meet Thursday with Senators Josh Hawley of Missouri and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee. So far, no Democrat has agreed to meet with her.Democrats have also argued that if Barrett joins the court, she should recuse herself from any potential cases that may arise from the November election due to potential conflicts of interest.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell rejected that view Wednesday, calling it “ridiculous” and saying Democrats “are grasping at straws.”
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By Polityk | 10/01/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Notorious Hate Group Proud Boys Celebrates Trump’s Debate Comments
The Proud Boys are fired up.The notorious hate group has been celebrating since President Donald Trump refused to directly disavow them and other white supremacists during Tuesday night’s presidential debate in Cleveland, Ohio.Trump, who has been criticized for never explicitly denouncing right-wing extremism, was asked by debate moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News if he would condemn white supremacy.“Who would you like me to condemn?” Trump asked before Democratic challenger Joe Biden mentioned the Proud Boys, a pro-Trump right-wing group. “The Proud Boys? Stand back and stand by,” Trump responded cryptically.“But I’ll tell you what, I’ll tell you what,” Trump continued. ”Somebody’s gotta do something about antifa and the left, because this is not a right-wing problem, this is a left-wing problem.”Prominent leaders of the Proud Boys, who frequently appear at Trump rallies, took that as a ringing endorsement of their fight against anti-fascist activists known as antifa.On Instagram, Enrique Tarrio, a well-known Proud Boys leader, wrote that he was “excited about the mention on the debate stage.”“Him telling the ProudBoys to stand back and standby is what we have ALWAYS done,” Tarrio wrote.Joe Biggs, another Proud Boys organizer, went further.”Trump basically said to go [expletive] them up!” Biggs wrote. “This makes me so happy.”Members of the Proud Boys cheer on stage as they and other right-wing demonstrators rally, Sept. 26, 2020, in Portland, Ore.Apparent shiftIn the wake of widespread criticism of his refusal to denounce white supremacy, Trump on Wednesday appeared to shift his stance.”I don’t know who the Proud Boys are,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “Whoever they are, they need to stand down.”Asked if he denounced white supremacy, Trump said, “I’ve always denounced any form, any form of any of that you have to denounce.”Among Proud Boys, the apparent reversal in Trump’s position was anticipated and is unlikely to diminish their enthusiasm.”Don’t be surprised if he makes a statement on us in the upcoming days to appease the masses,” Biggs wrote Tuesday night. “But he knows we are the good guys.”Biden was highly critical of Trump’s debate performance. Asked by a reporter in Ohio whether he had any advice for the Proud Boys, the former vice president responded, “Cease and desist.”The controversy comes as Trump continues to blame the violence at racial justice protests around the country almost exclusively on antifa, contradicting his own FBI director’s assessment that violent white supremacy remains the biggest domestic national security threat.Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, said far-right white supremacists are thrilled with what they see as Trump’s endorsement of the Proud Boys — who are making money off Trump’s comment by selling T-shirts.“And all the talk in those sectors is about how great this is, how they’re ready to support the president,” Beirich said. “President Trump basically gave the Proud Boys a new slogan.”Members of the Proud Boys and other right-wing demonstrators rally, Sept. 26, 2020, in Portland, Ore.Who are the Proud Boys?The Proud Boys describe themselves as a drinking club of “Western chauvinists.” But extremism watchdogs say that’s just a guise for what is at its core a misogynistic, anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant group. Although the group has never advocated a white ethnostate championed by white nationalists, its bigotry is just as extreme, Beirich said.”The organization itself says it stands for Western chauvinism, sometimes Western civilization, which are code words for the white supremacist movement,” Beirich said.In an FILE – Members of a group wearing shirts with the logo of the far-right Proud Boys group argue with counterprotesters during a small protest against Washington state’s stay-at-home orders, May 1, 2020, in downtown Seattle.InterminglingJason Kessler, a former member of Proud Boys, was the main organizer of the 2017 far-right “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The rally, which brought together neo-Nazis, anti-government militiamen and members of the Klan, ended in the death of a counterprotester. Conversely, in recent years, far-right nationalist groups have attended rallies organized by Proud Boys.“We believe that there are streams of white supremacy and white nationalism that run deep through what they do,” said Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.Last year, a Connecticut police officer was forced to retire after the Lawyers Committee exposed him as a Proud Boys member, Clarke said.While Proud Boys publicly disavow violence, their members have engaged in violent acts over the years.FBI Director Christopher Wray testified on Capitol Hill last week that white supremacists and anti-government extremists have been responsible for most of the recent deadly attacks by extremist groups within the United States.Last year, two Proud Boys were convicted of assault and riot charges in connection with beating up antifa activists in New York City in 2018.This year, members of the Proud Boys have taken part in violent clashes between right-wing and left-wing activists in Portland, Oregon, and several other cities. On August 22, Proud Boys fought with left-wing counterprotesters in Portland, engaging in multiple acts of violence, according to ADL.
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By Polityk | 10/01/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Republican Lawmakers Grill Comey on Leadership of Russia Probe
Republican lawmakers on Wednesday confronted former FBI Director James Comey about his oversight of the Trump-Russia investigation during a politically charged hearing that focused attention on problems with the probe that have become a rallying cry for President Donald Trump’s supporters.Comey, making his first appearance before Congress since a harshly critical inspector general report on the investigation, acknowledged under questioning that the FBI’s process for conducting surveillance on a former Trump campaign adviser was “sloppy” and “embarrassing.” He said he would not have certified the surveillance had he known then what he knows now about applications the FBI submitted in 2016 and 2017 to eavesdrop on the aide, Carter Page.The questioning of Comey, conducted with the election just weeks away, underscores the extent to which the FBI’s investigation four years ago into potential coordination between Trump’s campaign and Russia remains front and center in the minds of Republican lawmakers, who see an opening to rally support for the president and cast him as the victim of biased law enforcement. The hearing was part of a review of the Russia probe by the GOP-led Senate Judiciary Committee.Just a part of investigationThough Comey acknowledged the FBI’s shortcomings in the surveillance of Page, he also described that aspect of the probe as a “slice” of the broader Russia investigation, which he defended as legitimate and valid.But those answers, including Comey’s repeated assertions that he had been unaware at the time of the extent of problems, frustrated Republicans who point to the surveillance flaws to try to discredit the overall Russia investigation.Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., asks questions to former FBI Director James Comey, during an oversight hearing to examine the Crossfire Hurricane Investigation, Sept. 30, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington.A Justice Department inspector general report identified errors and omissions in each of the four applications that the FBI submitted to obtain warrants to surveil Page, who was never charged with any wrongdoing. The FBI relied in part on Democratic-funded research in applying for those warrants. The inspector general report and documents released in recent months have raised questions about the reliability of that research.The FBI relied on that documentation “over and over and over” again, even though it was “fundamentally unsound,” said the Judiciary Committee chairman, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.’That’s the way it goes'”What do we do? We just say, ‘Well, that was bad, that’s the way it goes’? Does anybody get fired? Does anybody go to jail?” Graham said. “To my Democratic friends, if it happened to us, it can happen to you.”Comey was fired by Trump in May 2017 but has remained a prominent and complicated character for Republicans and Democrats alike. Republicans have joined Trump in heaping scorn on Comey, but Democrats have not embraced him either, angered by his public statements made during the Hillary Clinton email case that they believe contributed to her loss.Democrats lamented the backward-looking nature of Wednesday’s hearing, saying the FBI had good reason to investigate contacts between Trump associates and Russia and that the committee’s time could be better spent on other matters.Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Sept. 30, 2020, to examine the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation.”Most people think we should be talking about other things, except maybe President Trump,” said Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.Comey defended the investigation, which was opened after a campaign adviser boasted that he had heard Russia had damaging information about Clinton. The probe examined multiple contacts between Russians and Trump associates during the 2016 campaign. Comey noted that special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation resulted in criminal charges against dozens of people.”In the main, it was done by the book. It was appropriate, and it was essential that it be done,” Comey said.He later added: “The overall investigation was very important. The Page slice of it? Far less, given the scope.”But Comey, the latest high-profile former official from the FBI or Justice Department to testify in Graham’s investigation, acknowledged “embarrassing” problems in the handling of surveillance applications. He said had he known then about the problems, he would not have certified the surveillance “without a much fuller discussion” within the FBI.”I’m not looking to shirk responsibility,” Comey said. “The director is responsible.”Legitimate probeA Justice Department inspector general report did not find evidence of partisan bias and concluded the investigation was opened for a legitimate reason. But Republican lawmakers have seized on the critical aspects of the watchdog report to cast broader doubt on the Russia investigation. They have also released documents they say support the conclusion that the probe was flawed.On Tuesday, Graham revealed that he had received declassified information on the probe from national intelligence Director John Ratcliffe, a Trump loyalist, even though Ratcliffe has said he does not know if it is true.In a letter to Graham made public Tuesday, Ratcliffe said that in late July 2016, U.S. intelligence agencies obtained “insight” into Russian spycraft alleging that Clinton had “approved a campaign plan to stir up a scandal against” Trump.But Ratcliffe added that American intelligence agencies do “not know the accuracy of this allegation or the extent to which the Russian intelligence analysis may reflect exaggeration or fabrication.”Comey brushed aside questions about that document, saying, “I don’t understand Mr. Ratcliffe’s letter well enough to comment on it. It’s confusing.”The Senate panel has already heard from Rod Rosenstein and Sally Yates, both former deputy attorneys general, and has scheduled testimony from ex-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.
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By Polityk | 10/01/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
US Debate Commission Promises More ‘Structure’ for Next Trump-Biden Encounters
The independent U.S. presidential election debate agency said Wednesday that it would move soon to tighten the format of the encounters after critics panned Tuesday’s first debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden as the worst in American political history.The two candidates frequently interrupted each other or talked at the same time, with debate moderator Chris Wallace, a Fox News journalist, rebuking Trump for failing to adhere to the rules of the debate to allow both candidates to finish answering questions unimpeded.The Commission on Presidential Debates said the debate debacle showed the need for “additional structure” to the format “to ensure a more orderly discussion.”The commission commended Wallace for his “professionalism” for his handling of the chaotic affair on a debate stage at a university in the Midwestern city of Cleveland, Ohio. But the agency said it would soon impose new restrictions before the second and third Trump-Biden debates set for October 15 and 22.Some critics of the first Trump-Biden encounter suggested cutting off the microphone of either Trump or Biden when the other was speaking.Both claim successBoth Trump and Biden claimed they were successful in Tuesday’s encounter and then headed back out on to the campaign trail Wednesday, with the November 3 election now less than five weeks away.“I thought the debate last night was great. We’ve gotten tremendous reviews on it,” Trump told reporters as he departed for Minnesota. “I thought it was a great evening. It was an exciting evening.”Trump was headed to Minnesota, a Midwestern battleground state that he narrowly lost in 2016 but hopes to recapture against Biden. Polls show the president trailing in the state and throughout the country. Trump was to attend a campaign fundraising event at a private home near Minneapolis, the state’s biggest city, then head to Duluth, the westernmost Great Lakes shipping port in the U.S., for a rally with supporters. U.S. President Donald Trump disembarks Air Force One upon arriving at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, after returning from the first presidential debate with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in Cleveland, Ohio, Sept. 30, 2020.Biden started a campaign train trip through parts of Pennsylvania and Ohio, two political battleground states that Trump won four years ago against Democrat Hillary Clinton but where polls show Biden has pulled ahead of the president. Biden is especially attempting to recapture blue-collar workers in the two states that historically have voted for Democrats but turned to Trump in 2016. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at Amtrak’s Alliance Train Station, in Alliance, Ohio, Sept. 30, 2020.After pillorying each other in Tuesday’s debate as unfit to lead the country for the next four years, the two candidates resumed their attacks Wednesday on Twitter. Trump claimed, “Nobody wants Sleepy Joe as a leader, including the Radical Left (which he lost last night!).” The president said Biden “disrespected” Bernie Sanders by “effectively calling him a loser!” Sanders, the Vermont senator who is the leader of the Democrats’ progressive wing, was the last remaining Democratic contender opposing Biden for the party’s presidential nomination before conceding the race to him earlier this year. Nobody wants Sleepy Joe as a leader, including the Radical Left (which he lost last night!). He disrespected Bernie, effectively calling him a loser!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) Debate moderator and Fox News anchor Chris Wallace directs the first 2020 presidential campaign debate between U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, in Cleveland, Ohio, Sept. 29, 2020.More than an hour into the debate, moderator Chris Wallace, a Fox News journalist, rebuked the president for not adhering to the debate rules agreed to ahead of time by the two campaigns that each candidate would allow the other to finish answering questions unimpeded. Trump and Biden are set to debate each other twice more in the coming weeks, on October 15 and 22, after next week’s debate between their respective vice-presidential running mates, Vice President Mike Pence and California Senator Kamala Harris. It is not immediately clear what could prevent another verbal free-for-all encounter between Trump and Biden, short of moderators cutting off the microphones to let Trump and Biden answer questions without the other interrupting. University of Virginia political analyst Larry Sabato posted a blunt message on his Twitter account: “CANCEL THE REMAINING PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES.”CANCEL THE REMAINING PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES. It is impossible to have an orderly, productive exchange with Donald Trump. Stop pretending otherwise. The front page of French weekly newspaper Le Point displays a photo of President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden with a headline reading “America on a volcano, (and Us too)” in Paris, Sept. 30, 2020.Veteran Washington Post political analyst Dan Balz said, “Judging the debate by traditional standards gives the evening more credit than it deserves. For most people, this was unwatchable, a grab-the-remote, change-the-channel moment in a forum that in past election years has served the country well. What two more debates like this will accomplish is hard to imagine, other than to heighten tensions in a country already on edge.” Markus Feldenkirchen of the German newsmagazine Der Spiegel posted on Twitter, saying, “The debate was a joke, a low point, a shame for the country. Roaring, insults, two over-70s who interrupt each other like 5-year-olds — and a moderator who loses all control. The trigger, of course: Trump’s uncouth, undignified behavior.”
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By Polityk | 10/01/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
US Court Upholds Extended Wisconsin Ballot Deadline
A U.S. federal appeals court has upheld a ruling allowing Wisconsin’s absentee ballots in the November general election to be counted if they arrive up to six days after Election Day. The panel of three judges, all appointed by Republican presidents, agreed with a September lower court ruling that said if the ballots are postmarked by November 3, they can be accepted for counting as long as they arrive by November 9. The Republican National Committee and Wisconsin Republicans argued against allowing the deadline extension and could appeal Tuesday’s ruling. They said voters had plenty of time to obtain and return an absentee ballot by Election Day. Wisconsin Democrats welcomed the court’s decision and said it would give more people in the state an opportunity to “have their voices heard in this election.” Absentee voting has been a focus of the election in the United States this year with state officials allowing more flexibility for people to cast ballots due to the coronavirus pandemic.FILE – A voter drops off his election ballot in the drop box at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, in Cleveland, Ohio, April 22, 2020.As of Tuesday, about 1.2 million absentee ballots had been requested in Wisconsin and more than 308,000 returned. The state is one of the key battlegrounds that will determine whether President Donald Trump wins another term or whether former Vice President Joe Biden takes over the White House in January. Trump won Wisconsin by less than 1 percentage point in 2016 and recent opinion polls show Biden with a slight lead. Eighteen other U.S. states allow ballots to be counted even if they arrive in the mail after Election Day. Almost all of them require the ballots to be postmarked by Election Day to be eligible, except in Iowa and Ohio where the deadline is November 2. The receipt deadlines vary, with Texas allowing just one extra day, six states allowing until November 6, two accepting ballots until November 9, four others giving until November 10, and three states allowing until November 13 for the ballots to arrive in the mail to be counted. Illinois allows until November 17, while California has the latest receipt deadline — November 20. Louisiana is the only U.S. state that requires absentee ballots to be received by the day before the election.
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By Polityk | 09/30/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Fierce Reaction Pours in After First Trump-Biden Debate
Reaction to Tuesday night’s presidential debate between Republican President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, his Democratic challenger, split along partisan lines but also featured sharp criticism of how the event, often a verbal free-for-all, played out. Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, tweeted after the debate that “For ninety minutes, @realDonaldTrump made a confident, commanding and compelling case for his re-election and took Joe Biden to task for supporting radical policies that would raise taxes, destroy jobs and make our communities less safe.”For ninety minutes, @realDonaldTrump made a confident, commanding and compelling case for his re-election and took Joe Biden to task for supporting radical policies that would raise taxes, destroy jobs and make our communities less safe. (1/3)— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) September 30, 2020Tim Murtaugh, the communications director for President Trump’s re-election campaign, told VOA’s Carolyn Presutti the president’s performance was “fantastic.” “What viewers saw was President Trump who was in command of every moment of the debate, and I think what they saw was a weak Joe Biden,” Murtaugh said, “looking around for someone to bail him out.” Prominent Democrats, meanwhile, called the debate for the former vice president and said Trump’s performance provided ample reason to deny him a second term in office. “Donald Trump has failed this country with his lies, bigotry, and reckless leadership,” tweeted U.S. Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, who competed against Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination earlier in the year. Booker in particular denounced the president for declining to condemn white supremacists, instead urging them to “stand by.”Donald Trump has failed this country with his lies, bigotry, and reckless leadership.We can’t have four more years of a president who tells white supremacists to “stand by.” The choice in this election is very clear. https://t.co/AQNVH52gt4— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) September 30, 2020Many debate watchers slammed the loud and chaotic exchanges between the two candidates, including Karen Attiah, the global opinions editor for The Washington Post newspaper, who called the event “a national embarrassment.”This whole debate is a national embarrassment— Karen Attiah (@KarenAttiah) September 30, 2020Some, including presidential historian Michael Beschloss, harshly faulted the president. “Democracy was trashed tonight by a President who ran roughshod over the rules,” he wrote, “refused to condemn white supremacists and would not tolerate any form of dissent—a harbinger of what a second term might be like,” Beschloss tweeted.Democracy was trashed tonight by a President who ran roughshod over the rules, refused to condemn white supremacists and would not tolerate any form of dissent—a harbinger of what a second term might be like.— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) September 30, 2020Others, like former Republican senator Jeff Flake, expressed sorrow over the entire spectacle. “We are a better country than was on display tonight,” Flake wrote on Twitter.We are a better country than was on display tonight.— Jeff Flake (@JeffFlake) September 30, 2020University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato posted a blunt message on his Twitter account: “CANCEL THE REMAINING PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES.”CANCEL THE REMAINING PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES. It is impossible to have an orderly, productive exchange with Donald Trump. Stop pretending otherwise. #Debate2020— Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) September 30, 2020But Murtaugh defended the exchanges as illuminating. “I think a freewheeling conversation like the president was driving is actually good, it allows for a much better exchange of ideas and for viewers to see the real difference between the two,” he said.
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By Polityk | 09/30/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Three Takeaways From Trump, Biden Debate
President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential challenger Joe Biden met Tuesday for the first presidential debate ahead of the Nov. 3 election. The 90-minute matchup was moderated by Fox News host Chris Wallace and held at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Here are three takeaways from the debate: Interruptions Trump repeatedly talked over both Biden and moderator Wallace during the debate. The result was chaotic, as both men frequently interrupted each other. The prime-time broadcast often showed a side-by-side view of the candidates with each man talking, at times simultaneously. Trump was often rebuked by Wallace, who told the president to “please let the vice president talk.” At one point Biden told Trump, “Will you shut up, man?”President Donald Trump gestures while speaking during the first presidential debate Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020, at Case Western University and Cleveland Clinic, in Cleveland, Ohio.Trump’s Taxes Just two days before Tuesday’s debate, The New York Times Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden gestures while speaking during the first presidential debate, Sept. 29, 2020, at Case Western University and Cleveland Clinic, in Cleveland, Ohio.’Race and violence’One of the six topics chosen by Wallace was “race and violence” in U.S. cities, such as in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last month. Last week, FBI and Department of Homeland Security officials warned that white supremacist groups pose a rising threat of violence in the U.S. A tense exchange between Trump and Wallace occurred when the moderator asked the president to condemn white supremacists and militia groups and tell them to stand down and not contribute to the violence occurring at some anti-racism rallies. Trump at first appeared to sidestep the question, and then when pushed, he said, “What do you want me to call them? Give me a name.” Wallace offered up the group known as the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group. Trump spoke to the group, saying, “Proud Boys, stand back, stand by.” He then pivoted, however, criticizing left-wing activists. “Somebody’s got to do something about Antifa and the left because this is not a right-wing problem. This is a left-wing problem,” he said.
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By Polityk | 09/30/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
