Donald Trump - Former President of the USA - Discussion Thread

[MenInG]

Former Fox News reporter Courtney Friel says Donald Trump called her with a creepy come-on before he became president — while they were both married.

Friel, who sometimes worked as a fill-in host on Trump’s beloved “Fox & Friends,” details the alleged proposition in her upcoming memoir, “Tonight At 10: Kicking Booze and Breaking News,” due out Tuesday.

She says Trump told her she was “the hottest one at Fox News” and called her office line a few weeks after she mentioned an interest in working as a judge on his Miss USA beauty pageant.

“Though he said I couldn’t be a judge since I worked at a different network, he did ask me about my career goals and complimented my work at FNC,” Friel, 39, wrote in a sneak peek of her book shared with the Daily News.

“Then, out of nowhere, he said: ‘You should come up to my office sometime, so we can kiss,’” Friel claimed.

The journalist who now works as an anchor at KTLA-TV in Los Angeles says she was “shocked” by the advance.

“'Donald,' I responded, ‘I believe we’re both married.’ I quickly ended the call,” she wrote.

“This proposition made it difficult for me to report with a straight face on Trump running for president. It infuriated me that he would call all the women who shared stories of his bold advances liars. I totally believe them,” she states in the book.

“At least now I can joke that I could have banged the President — but I passed,” she wrote.

Attempts to reach a White House spokesman were not immediately successful Thursday.

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/pol...v6m-story.html

[Abdullah719]

We are helping Apple all of the time on TRADE and so many other issues, and yet they refuse to unlock phones used by killers, drug dealers and other violent criminal elements. They will have to step up to the plate and help our great Country, NOW! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2020

[The_Odd_One]

Former Fox News reporter Courtney Friel says Donald Trump called her with a creepy come-on before he became president — while they were both married.

Friel, who sometimes worked as a fill-in host on Trump’s beloved “Fox & Friends,” details the alleged proposition in her upcoming memoir, “Tonight At 10: Kicking Booze and Breaking News,” due out Tuesday.

She says Trump told her she was “the hottest one at Fox News” and called her office line a few weeks after she mentioned an interest in working as a judge on his Miss USA beauty pageant.

“Though he said I couldn’t be a judge since I worked at a different network, he did ask me about my career goals and complimented my work at FNC,” Friel, 39, wrote in a sneak peek of her book shared with the Daily News.

“Then, out of nowhere, he said: ‘You should come up to my office sometime, so we can kiss,’” Friel claimed.

The journalist who now works as an anchor at KTLA-TV in Los Angeles says she was “shocked” by the advance.

“'Donald,' I responded, ‘I believe we’re both married.’ I quickly ended the call,” she wrote.

“This proposition made it difficult for me to report with a straight face on Trump running for president. It infuriated me that he would call all the women who shared stories of his bold advances liars. I totally believe them,” she states in the book.

“At least now I can joke that I could have banged the President — but I passed,” she wrote.

Attempts to reach a White House spokesman were not immediately successful Thursday.

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/pol...v6m-story.html

Another attempt for 10 minutes of fame

[MenInG]

President Donald Trump has hailed the "great American comeback" in a speech to Congress on the eve of his expected acquittal in his impeachment trial.

->Spoiler<-

At his annual State of the Union address, Mr Trump set out his case for another four years in office.

The president refrained from lashing out directly at the lawmakers who have attempted to remove him from office, though he did jab at Democrats.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped up a copy of his speech behind him.

The Republican president delivered Tuesday night's nationally televised speech in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, where he was impeached in December.

On the other side of the Capitol, the Republican-led Senate is all but certain on Wednesday to clear the president of corruption charges in a party-line vote.

Republican lawmakers chanted "four more years" as Mr Trump prepared to speak, urging him on for November's White House election.

How did Trump and Pelosi clash?
Before Mr Trump began speaking at the podium in the well of the House, he appeared to snub the outstretched hand of Mrs Pelosi, America's most powerful elected Democrat.

The House speaker, critics noticed, skipped the traditional introduction welcoming the president as a "distinct honour".

It was the first time Mr Trump had come face to face with his implacable political foe since she stormed out of a White House meeting four months ago.

When the president accused Democrats of planning to force American taxpayers to provide unlimited free healthcare to undocumented immigrants, Mrs Pelosi was observed twice mouthing: "Not true."

She stunned onlookers by shredding a copy of the president's remarks as he concluded.

Mrs Pelosi told reporters afterwards her gesture was "the courteous thing to do".

She did rise to applaud the president more than once, including when he promoted his pet project of infrastructure investment, a possible area of bipartisan co-operation.

What else did the president say?
Mr Trump struck an upbeat note in a speech lasting one hour and 18 minutes that contrasted sharply with his lament of "American carnage" in his 2017 inaugural presidential address.

In an implicit rebuke to his predecessor Barack Obama, the president told his audience: "In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American decline and we have rejected the downsizing of America's destiny.

"We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back!"

Trump's State of the Union speech fact-checked
Mr Trump repeatedly swiped at Democrats, including left-wing candidates such as Bernie Sanders, who are vying to challenge him for the presidency.

"We will never let socialism destroy American healthcare!" said the president, whose critics point out that he has not put forward a healthcare plan of his own.

Who were the guests?
The president invited several special guests to the address, including Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó, military veterans and the brother of a man killed by an undocumented immigrant.

In a move certain to infuriate liberal critics, Mr Trump announced he would award the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honour, to firebrand conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, who revealed this week he has lung cancer.

First Lady Melania Trump bestowed the honour on an emotional Mr Limbaugh as the president spoke.

A protester was escorted from the chamber while Mr Trump defended gun rights. It was Fred Guttenberg, the father of Jaime Guttenberg, a student killed in a mass school shooting at Parkland, Florida, in February 2018.

Mr Guttenberg was a guest of Mrs Pelosi.

A Democratic rebuttal to Mr Trump's speech was delivered afterwards by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

She accused the president of failing to fix America's problems. "Bullying people on Twitter doesn't fix bridges - it burns them," she said.

As they did last year, many female Democrats - including Mrs Pelosi - wore white as tribute to the suffragettes who won the vote for US women a century ago.

Several liberal Democratic lawmakers, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Maxine Waters of California, boycotted Mr Trump's address.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez tweeted that she would "not use my presence at a state ceremony to normalize Trump's lawless conduct & subversion of the Constitution".

Other left-wing Democrats, including Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, walked out during Mr Trump's speech.

Who was the designated survivor?
As is traditional during the State of the Union, one member of the president's cabinet did not attend the address.

He or she remains at a secret location to make sure the government can continue should calamity befall the nation's president, vice-president and other top leaders.

That person, who is known as the designated survivor, was Interior Secretary David Bernhardt on Tuesday night.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51381625

[MenInG]

US Attorney General William Barr has said that President Donald Trump "undercuts" him by tweeting, making it "impossible for me to do my job".

His criticism of Mr Trump comes amid intense scrutiny of the Justice Department over the handling of a case involving Roger Stone - a convicted former advisor to the president.

->Spoiler<-

The attorney general had been accused of bowing to presidential pressure.

Mr Barr's comments are a rare sign of annoyance with Mr Trump.

"I think it's time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases," Mr Barr told ABC News.

"I cannot do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me," he added.

There was widespread anger this week when the Justice Department said it planned to reduce the length of the prison sentence it would seek for Stone, a long-time friend of the president.

Stone was convicted in November of obstructing an investigation by the House Intelligence Committee into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Federal prosecutors had initially recommended that Stone should face seven to nine years in jail for trying to thwart the investigation.

The president swiftly voiced his opposition, tweeting: "This is a horrible and very unfair situation."

The Justice Department then overruled the recommendation by its own prosecution team, prompting questions over whether Mr Barr had intervened on behalf of Mr Trump's ally. The four prosecutors then quit.

President Trump praised Mr Barr for "taking charge" of the case.

Mr Barr insisted the president "has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case", but said his tweets about active cases were making it "impossible for me to do my job".

"Do you go forward with what you think is the right decision or do you pull back because of the tweet? And that just sort of illustrates how disruptive these tweets can be," he said.

Mr Barr added: "I'm not going to be bullied or influenced by anybody ... whether it's Congress, a newspaper editorial board, or the president."

The attorney general said that he hoped Mr Trump would respect his words.

"I hope he will react," he said.

Mr Barr was appointed attorney general in February last year. He has been seen since as a close ally of the president, in contrast to the strained relationship Mr Trump had with Mr Barr's predecessor, Jeff Sessions.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51498490

[Gilly]

I cannot do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me," he added.

Barr is referring to the media that is undercutting him, watch the video of it and you will see.

[IMMY69]

I cannot do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me," he added.

Barr is referring to the media that is undercutting him, watch the video of it and you will see.

What am I missing?

Mr Barr insisted the president "has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case", but said his tweets about active cases were making it "impossible for me to do my job".

"Do you go forward with what you think is the right decision or do you pull back because of the tweet? And that just sort of illustrates how disruptive these tweets can be," he said.

[Gilly]

What am I missing?

Mr Barr insisted the president "has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case", but said his tweets about active cases were making it "impossible for me to do my job".

"Do you go forward with what you think is the right decision or do you pull back because of the tweet? And that just sort of illustrates how disruptive these tweets can be," he said.

Trumps tweets are used by the media to accuse Barr of doing Trumps bidding. Barr made his decision independent of Trump but because Trump tweeted the media have attacked Barr.

[Abdullah719]

“The President has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case.” A.G. Barr This doesn’t mean that I do not have, as President, the legal right to do so, I do, but I have so far chosen not to!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 14, 2020

[Markhor]

So the President turns up to the CDC officers, wearing a MAGA hat and brags about the ratings he got for his interview on Sean Hannity's show on Fox, talks about how his uncle was a "super genius" and how doctors are amazed by his medical knowledge (I'm not kidding), and has NO plan to deal with the passengers on the Grand Princess cruise ship.

Meanwhile his supporters claim the virus is a hoax designed to bring their hero down.

If you still support this man...

[Markhor]

"Pres Trump told aides he’s afraid journalists will try to purposefully contract coronavirus to give it to him on Air Force One and has asked the Secret Service to bar anyone who has a cough from the White House grounds, per Vanity Fair."

https://t.co/Sj8PudNz1f

WHAT THE HELL ? This man needs psychological help.

[Stewie]

I cannot do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me," he added.

Barr is referring to the media that is undercutting him, watch the video of it and you will see.

Check again!

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/barr...ry?id=68963276

[Ryw]

Coronavirus: Trump 'very concerned' after having photo with man who got COVID-19

Although the president has publicly said he is not worried about the encounter, US media reports suggest otherwise.

Donald Trump is "very concerned" about coming into contact with people who have contracted the coronavirus, according to a US media report.

According to CNN, the US president is worried about having exposure to anyone later diagnosed with COVID-19.

Last weekend, Mr Trump was pictured standing shoulder to shoulder with Fábio Wajngarten, who serves as communications chief for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

Days later, Mr Wajngarten confirmed he had tested positive for the coronavirus - prompting Mr Trump to insist that he was not concerned.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, the US president had said: "We had dinner in Florida at Mar-a-Lago with the entire delegation, but we did nothing very unusual.
Advertisement

"We sat next to each other for a period of time. I am not concerned."

Contradicting Mr Trump's public remarks, a source told CNN: "He is very concerned about all the people he met who have it, including the Brazilian."
This is the first time that someone known to have the virus was in close proximity to the US president, and the White House says the 73-year-old president does not plan to self-isolate or be tested.

Several other US politicians who were at the dinner - including Senator Rick Scott - have said they will be self-isolating as a precaution.

In a statement, the White House said: "Exposures from the case are being assessed, which will dictate next steps. Both the president and vice president had almost no interactions with the individual who tested positive and do not require being tested at this time.

"As stated before, the White House Medical Unit and the United States Secret Service has been working closely with various agencies to ensure every precaution is taken to keep the first and second families and all White House staff healthy."

Mr Bolsonaro has been tested for coronavirus following his colleague's positive result - and on Thursday night, he spoke to the Brazilian people in a Facebook live video while wearing a face mask.

Elsewhere, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that he will stay in isolation for two weeks after his wife Sophie tested positive for the coronavirus.

In a statement, Mrs Trudeau said she was "experiencing uncomfortable symptoms of the virus" but will be "back on my feet soon".

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she is close to reaching an agreement with the Trump administration on a coronavirus aid package designed to reassure anxious Americans and calm the markets.

Sick pay and free testing are among the measures proposed in the package.

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavir...id-19-11956742

[MenInG]

This is beyond shocking. Trump on why he picked Easter as the day he wants to end strict social distancing and reopen American businesses: "Easter is a very special day for me ... Easter Sunday, and you'll have packed churches all over our country." pic.twitter.com/HC5q9nq4Lv

— Peter Stefanovic (@PeterStefanovi2) March 24, 2020

[someone21]

He is just a bully. He may bully countries with trade, economies and get his way. But against a virus? Calling it a hoax? Not a genuine person nor leader...

[MenInG]

“President Trump is a ratings hit. Since reviving the daily White House briefing Mr. Trump and his coronavirus updates have attracted an average audience of 8.5 million on cable news, roughly the viewership of the season finale of ‘The Bachelor.’ Numbers are continuing to rise...

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 29, 2020

[Markhor]

“President Trump is a ratings hit. Since reviving the daily White House briefing Mr. Trump and his coronavirus updates have attracted an average audience of 8.5 million on cable news, roughly the viewership of the season finale of ‘The Bachelor.’ Numbers are continuing to rise...

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 29, 2020

Yes that's the priority in a deadly pandemic.

[Technics 1210]

No matter what Trump will do, the lefty snowflakes will find some fault with him. I do wonder whether there is such a thing as the perfect politician in their eyes. I'm surprised these lot have not blamed Trump for C19 yet!

I just love the way Trump riles and godes the left. Long may it continue for another 4 years.

Don't worry, these same snowflakes will find something wrong with Biden, if he wins.

[MenInG]

During a news conference earlier, US President Donald Trump got a few numbers mixed up.

He was asked by a reporter why the US wasn't testing as much as South Korea. The president responded by saying, "I know South Korea better than anybody", only to then ask the reporter whether she knew how big the capital Seoul was.

He swiftly gave the answer himself: "38 million people - that's bigger than anything we have."

In fact, South Korea's capital only has 9.7 million people, the Seoul Capital Area just over 25 million, and the entire country around 51 million.

[Markhor]

No matter what Trump will do, the lefty snowflakes will find some fault with him. I do wonder whether there is such a thing as the perfect politician in their eyes. I'm surprised these lot have not blamed Trump for C19 yet!

I just love the way Trump riles and godes the left. Long may it continue for another 4 years.

Don't worry, these same snowflakes will find something wrong with Biden, if he wins.

Must have missed all the other world leaders boasting about the ratings for their press conferences when their citizens are dying from a pandemic.

So you support the most left wing Labour leader in years in Corbyn in the UK but on the other hand wish for another 4 years of Trump in the US. The folks you meet online are funny.

[irfan]

Must have missed all the other world leaders boasting about the ratings for their press conferences when their citizens are dying from a pandemic.

So you support the most left wing Labour leader in years in Corbyn in the UK but on the other hand wish for another 4 years of Trump in the US. The folks you meet online are funny.

Many who voted for Trump would have voted for Sanders if the Dems hadn't stolen the nomination from him.

[Gilly]

During a news conference earlier, US President Donald Trump got a few numbers mixed up.

He was asked by a reporter why the US wasn't testing as much as South Korea. The president responded by saying, "I know South Korea better than anybody", only to then ask the reporter whether she knew how big the capital Seoul was.

He swiftly gave the answer himself: "38 million people - that's bigger than anything we have."

In fact, South Korea's capital only has 9.7 million people, the Seoul Capital Area just over 25 million, and the entire country around 51 million.

And the sad thing is the reporter comes away reporting about Trump getting those numbers wrong instead of coming away reporting on the coronavirus. Reporters are going to these briefings not to gain information to inform but to try and catch Trump in a gotcha moment.

People are dying and reporters are trying to prove its all Trumps fault instead of just getting the information about the virus out to the people.

[Technics 1210]

Must have missed all the other world leaders boasting about the ratings for their press conferences when their citizens are dying from a pandemic.

So you support the most left wing Labour leader in years in Corbyn in the UK but on the other hand wish for another 4 years of Trump in the US. The folks you meet online are funny.

So what if Trump boasts about his numbers? You do realise the media are reporting the jump in his approval ratings anyway, whether Trump boasts or not.

If you read through my posts on politics, I didnt support Corbyn anymore than I did Boris. I have lived long enough to realise that all politicans have faults and are not perfect, but ultimately they are all the same.

However I do find Trumps style refreshing and entertaining. He has changed American politics forever, which is why I want another 4 years, purley for entertainment purposes because nothing is more delightful than seeing sore losers who are still stuck up on Trump, and Brexit for that matter, crying day in day out.

Its because of people like you, your views, your approach, that since Trump was elected the Democrats have squandered 3 years trying to riddicule Trump, with the ultimate failure in removing him from office during his impeachment trial. Rather than accept the result, 3 years wasted when in that time Democrats could've groomed a younger and more appealing candidate than Biden.

Why dont you enlighten us and tell us who your favourite politican is, and who you feel should be leader of USA/UK?

Go a step further and tell me how you would handle the C19 crisis as US president or UK prime minister because all I ever read from you are problems, complaints, hollow cries, but no solutions. Or go even a step further and enlighten us on how the election system is broken, and how it should be fixed to avoid the likes of Trump or Boris in power again. You can't because one thing you cannot deny is the massive support these 2 leaders have. They connect with the masses, and there's squat you can do about that.

Or the ultimate challenge, how do you abolish austerity? How do you fix the broken capitalist system? Can you do that? Solutions please. Thought so.

You should because the crux of all of this is money. Money in the pockets of voters. When voters are flush with cash they dont care who is in power. Thatcher and Blair, the most divisive UK leaders in modern history, yet the longest serving. Why? A booming economy under their tenure.

Trump and Boris are nothing without their supporters, so focus on why the people voted for such leaders. Let me guess because they are racists? No, its because said people were ignored from the political class and labelling them racists is a copout explanation.

You can fingerpoint, name call, insult Trump or any other leader, the fact is they are in power and you are not. Your vote didn't win; accept this fact of democracy and move on.

[Technics 1210]

I can double down bet that the likes of Markhor et al are upset because their Killary Hillary Clinton lost.

[Markhor]

So what if Trump boasts about his numbers? You do realise the media are reporting the jump in his approval ratings anyway, whether Trump boasts or not.

Please keep up I'm referring to Trump boasting about TV ratings for his press conferences being higher than The Bachelor not his approval rating. There is a global pandemic killing thousands around the world including many Americans and the US is set to be the epicenter of the outbreak - I would've thought (as do Republicans privately BTW according to reports) the President would have bigger priorities to discuss than goddamn TV ratings, don't you ?

If you read through my posts on politics, I didnt support Corbyn anymore than I did Boris. I have lived long enough to realise that all politicans have faults and are not perfect, but ultimately they are all the same.

I agree all politicians have faults. The question is how disqualifying are those faults - Trump's dismissal of experts, arrogance, rash decision making, mismanagement and outright false public statements on a DAILY basis makes him a unique threat to the lives of millions. This is NOT a left vs right thing - Gov DeWine of Ohio is a Republican and has handled the crisis SUPERBLY with early social distancing measures at the outset.

However I do find Trumps style refreshing and entertaining. He has changed American politics forever, which is why I want another 4 years, purley for entertainment purposes because nothing is more delightful than seeing sore losers who are still stuck up on Trump, and Brexit for that matter, crying day in day out.

Got it, so politics is just a form of entertainment to you like I'm a Celebrity, X-Factor etc. These aren't real lives to you but a big game where the aim is to "own the libs".

Well tell that to the hospital staff short of ventilators who Trump has accused of hoarding.

Tell that to the doctors and nurses in NY who Trump accused of STEALING and SELLING personal protective equipment they need to save their lives on the black market. How sick must a person be to claim that ?

Most importantly, tell that to the patients dying because of a virus Trump labelled a "hoax" last month. Or the guy who overdosed on Chloroquine, an unproven treatment for COVID-19, after Trump hyped it up as a miracle cure.

I'm sure they appreciate you being entertained and amused at the whole situation. Won't be so entertaining if you or a loved one (God forbid) find yourself in the same shoes.

Go a step further and tell me how you would handle the C19 crisis as US president or UK prime minister because all I ever read from you are problems, complaints, hollow cries, but no solutions.

Firstly, I am working on the frontline for the NHS every goddamn day as a pharmacist where I am doing my utmost to protect the lives of the patients in my community, including the most vulnerable.

Every day I am exposed to the public, and all I have are the crappy NHS PPE including facemasks you can hardly breathe in.

So don't you lecture me sitting on your **** behind a computer screen on what I am doing. You come work in a dispensary dealing with the crap we have to on a regular basis and I'll see what an ACTUAL snowflake looks like.

But I'll give you some solutions. Unlike Trump, I would never have hired raving lunatic neocon John Bolton who shut down the Global Health Security and Biodefense unit - responsible for pandemic preparedness.

I would not call for an end to social distancing by Easter - but continue it until the autumn. Ordered the WHO testing kits instead of insisting of manufacturing our own - which turnes out to be faulty. Not sack the Field Epidemiologist in China months before the outbreak OR cut CDC staff in China by TWO-THIRDS.

Answer me why those decisions are made.

FWIW, I think the Johnson Govt has handled an extremely challenging situation as well as they can. They've stepped up testing, are getting testing kits out to market soon and introduced a generous economic stimulus. However they were slow with social distancing measures and need to improve the availability of quality PPE to frontline NHS staff.

Or go even a step further and enlighten us on how the election system is broken, and how it should be fixed to avoid the likes of Trump or Boris in power again. You can't because one thing you cannot deny is the massive support these 2 leaders have. They connect with the masses, and there's squat you can do about that.

Or the ultimate challenge, how do you abolish austerity? How do you fix the broken capitalist system? Can you do that? Solutions please. Thought so.

You should because the crux of all of this is money. Money in the pockets of voters. When voters are flush with cash they dont care who is in power. Thatcher and Blair, the most divisive UK leaders in modern history, yet the longest serving. Why? A booming economy under their tenure.

Trump and Boris are nothing without their supporters, so focus on why the people voted for such leaders. Let me guess because they are racists? No, its because said people were ignored from the political class and labelling them racists is a copout explanation.

You can fingerpoint, name call, insult Trump or any other leader, the fact is they are in power and you are not. Your vote didn't win; accept this fact of democracy and move on.

I'm not going down this irrelevant rabbithole. Please answer those questions about Trump's coronavirus response.

I can double down bet that the likes of Markhor et al are upset because their Killary Hillary Clinton lost.

Wow did you take you up until 2AM to come up with that gem ?

[Technics 1210]

Please keep up I'm referring to Trump boasting about TV ratings for his press conferences being higher than The Bachelor not his approval rating. There is a global pandemic killing thousands around the world including many Americans and the US is set to be the epicenter of the outbreak - I would've thought (as do Republicans privately BTW according to reports) the President would have bigger priorities to discuss than goddamn TV ratings, don't you ?


I agree all politicians have faults. The question is how disqualifying are those faults - Trump's dismissal of experts, arrogance, rash decision making, mismanagement and outright false public statements on a DAILY basis makes him a unique threat to the lives of millions. This is NOT a left vs right thing - Gov DeWine of Ohio is a Republican and has handled the crisis SUPERBLY with early social distancing measures at the outset.


Got it, so politics is just a form of entertainment to you like I'm a Celebrity, X-Factor etc. These aren't real lives to you but a big game where the aim is to "own the libs".

Well tell that to the hospital staff short of ventilators who Trump has accused of hoarding.

Tell that to the doctors and nurses in NY who Trump accused of STEALING and SELLING personal protective equipment they need to save their lives on the black market. How sick must a person be to claim that ?

Most importantly, tell that to the patients dying because of a virus Trump labelled a "hoax" last month. Or the guy who overdosed on Chloroquine, an unproven treatment for COVID-19, after Trump hyped it up as a miracle cure.

I'm sure they appreciate you being entertained and amused at the whole situation. Won't be so entertaining if you or a loved one (God forbid) find yourself in the same shoes.


Firstly, I am working on the frontline for the NHS every goddamn day as a pharmacist where I am doing my utmost to protect the lives of the patients in my community, including the most vulnerable.

Every day I am exposed to the public, and all I have are the crappy NHS PPE including facemasks you can hardly breathe in.

So don't you lecture me sitting on your **** behind a computer screen on what I am doing. You come work in a dispensary dealing with the crap we have to on a regular basis and I'll see what an ACTUAL snowflake looks like.

But I'll give you some solutions. Unlike Trump, I would never have hired raving lunatic neocon John Bolton who shut down the Global Health Security and Biodefense unit - responsible for pandemic preparedness.

I would not call for an end to social distancing by Easter - but continue it until the autumn. Ordered the WHO testing kits instead of insisting of manufacturing our own - which turnes out to be faulty. Not sack the Field Epidemiologist in China months before the outbreak OR cut CDC staff in China by TWO-THIRDS.

Answer me why those decisions are made.

FWIW, I think the Johnson Govt has handled an extremely challenging situation as well as they can. They've stepped up testing, are getting testing kits out to market soon and introduced a generous economic stimulus. However they were slow with social distancing measures and need to improve the availability of quality PPE to frontline NHS staff.


I'm not going down this irrelevant rabbithole. Please answer those questions about Trump's coronavirus response.



Wow did you take you up until 2AM to come up with that gem ?

I thought as much. You have no solutions, just bluff and bluster.

[Technics 1210]

To the rest of you, ask yourself how Trump got into power. Don't ask those who are close to the NHS, because Trump isn't even relevant to the NHS.

Don't hate the player, hate the game.

[Markhor]

I thought as much. You have no solutions, just bluff and bluster.

Come on I thought you were the master debater around here, don't run away.

I've given you a specific list of solutions and this is all you got ?

[Technics 1210]

Come on I thought you were the master debater around here, don't run away.

I've given you a specific list of solutions and this is all you got ?

I'm not a master debater, but the fact you believe fixing the capitalist system is irrelevant to Trump/Boris amazes me, because while I don't always agree with you I had you down as a smart person.

The reason I asked you on a solution on how to fix the broken captialist system is because - austerity breeds fascism and crime.

Trump didn't get into power because he's smart or even racist , he got into power because of austerity, the same applies to Brexit/Boris etc.

You address effect, never the cause. Your copout is that half of America is racist so they voted for Trump, and 17.5M brits who voted for Brexit are rascit. Do you ever think why said people voted the way they did? Oh that's right, cos they are racist.

This is why I asked you, and anyone else who opposes Trump/Boris, what needs to change to avoid right-wing leaders coming into power - the answer is to abolish austerity.

Hitler didnt come into power because he was convincing, he came into power because the Germans had lost everything, had nothing else to lose, and voted for someone who promised them hope. The same pattern can be seen throughout human history, now with Trump and Boris.

As for Boris, you oppose Brexit, fine, but you've time and time again ridiculed the Tories, but now he's satisfactory because of his leadership under C19 crisis.

So back to my point, instead of moaning about Trump like you do, find a solution that fixes the current capitalist system so that austerity, thus right-wing leaders, would never get into power. Your answer? It's irrelevant.

By the way, you care about the NHS, but I dont think I've seen any posts from you in the Coronovirus UK thread?

Yes I do seek entertainment in politics now, because no matter which leader in the UK, it's never made any material difference to me. I gave up on politics long time ago.

I'm not running away, you copped out.

[Markhor]

I'm not a master debater, but the fact you believe fixing the capitalist system is irrelevant to Trump/Boris amazes me, because while I don't always agree with you I had you down as a smart person.

The reason I asked you on a solution on how to fix the broken captialist system is because - austerity breeds fascism and crime.

Trump didn't get into power because he's smart or even racist , he got into power because of austerity, the same applies to Brexit/Boris etc.

I actually agree with that but for god's sake, right now the pressing concern is coronavirus which, ironically, has caused austerity to go out the window. Austerity, i.e. underfunding of NHS, has also caused us to be seriously unprepared for coronavirus.

Your copout is that half of America is racist so they voted for Trump, and 17.5M brits who voted for Brexit are rascit. Do you ever think why said people voted the way they did? Oh that's right, cos they are racist.

This is why I asked you, and anyone else who opposes Trump/Boris, what needs to change to avoid right-wing leaders coming into power - the answer is to abolish austerity.

I have never, ever, ever said all Trump voters or all Brexit voters are racist. I challenge you to go and find any examples of such posts.

I have posted on many occasions about economic issues such as austerity, wage stagnation, deindustrialisation and destruction of union rights even before 2016. Infact, I posted this in February 2016, before the Brexit vote and Trump victory, saying that 30 years of neoliberal economics is causing a mountain of working class discontent. I partly attributed that to the rise in support for Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn at the time:

http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/sh...77#post8406677

Hitler didnt come into power because he was convincing, he came into power because the Germans had lost everything, had nothing else to lose, and voted for someone who promised them hope. The same pattern can be seen throughout human history, now with Trump and Boris.

I agree the Rust Belt in the US and UK wanted to latch onto someone or something that would promise to bring back manufacturing jobs - now I don't believe Trump or Brexit achieves this - but I can perfectly understand why Rust Belt voters were sick of mainstream politicians who presided over a punitive economic system for 40 years.

As for Boris, you oppose Brexit, fine, but you've time and time again ridiculed the Tories, but now he's satisfactory because of his leadership under C19 crisis.

Praise or ridicule depends on the issue. I'm not a blind partisan - I already praised the Republican Governor of Ohio for his handling of the COVID-19 crisis.

By the way, you care about the NHS, but I dont think I've seen any posts from you in the Coronovirus UK thread?

Firstly I am exhausted at the end of each shift and cannot provide a running commentary, but I think your eyesight is fading because, here enjoy:

http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/se...earchid=927571

I'm not running away, you copped out.

But you haven't answered any of the questions re: Trump's handling of COVID-19. Here's a refresher:

1) Are doctors and nurses in New York stealing and selling PPE on the black market ?
2) Are hospitals hoarding ventilators ?
3) Why did Trump call COVID-19 a hoax last month ?
4) Why did he shut down the Pandemic preparedness unit that he inherited from Obama Admin which was set up after the Ebola outbreak ?
5) Why would you sack the Field Epidemiologist in China and why cut the number of CDC staff in China by two-thirds ?

This is not a game, these decisions have costed many lives !

[Gilly]

3) Why did Trump call COVID-19 a hoax last month ?
!

Should have looked that one up before asking.

Snopes
What's False
Despite creating some confusion with his remarks, Trump did not call the coronavirus itself a hoax.

[Bigboii]

before the Covid 19 disaster I thought Trump was doing a good job but his handling of the crisis has been pretty pathetic

[sjahmed23]

Herbert Hoover 2.0 good work trump supporters you got your wish now enjoy making america great again in economic depression.

[Technics 1210]

I actually agree with that but for god's sake, right now the pressing concern is coronavirus which, ironically, has caused austerity to go out the window. Austerity, i.e. underfunding of NHS, has also caused us to be seriously unprepared for coronavirus.

Here’s a question on the underfunding of the NHS. If the UK government can create money out of thin air to bail out ‘too big to fail’ companies, including banks which were known to commit fraud, then why doesn’t the government create money to fund the NHS especially when the Chancellor has announced QE to tackle the Coronavirus? The only answer I can think of is that the NHS is the 3rd rail of British politics, meaning touch it, and you’re career is dead, because that is where all the power is.

I have never, ever, ever said all Trump voters or all Brexit voters are racist. I challenge you to go and find any examples of such posts.

I stand corrected.

I have posted on many occasions about economic issues such as austerity, wage stagnation, deindustrialisation and destruction of union rights even before 2016. Infact, I posted this in February 2016, before the Brexit vote and Trump victory, saying that 30 years of neoliberal economics is causing a mountain of working class discontent. I partly attributed that to the rise in support for Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn at the time:

http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/sh...77#post8406677

I agree the Rust Belt in the US and UK wanted to latch onto someone or something that would promise to bring back manufacturing jobs - now I don't believe Trump or Brexit achieves this - but I can perfectly understand why Rust Belt voters were sick of mainstream politicians who presided over a punitive economic system for 40 years.

Praise or ridicule depends on the issue. I'm not a blind partisan - I already praised the Republican Governor of Ohio for his handling of the COVID-19 crisis.

Then why state that a solution to abolish austerity is irrelevant? This is a thread on Trump after all and not Coronavirus/NHS.

Firstly I am exhausted at the end of each shift and cannot provide a running commentary, but I think your eyesight is fading because, here enjoy:

http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/se...earchid=927571

Maybe you are tired, because I asked the question, I didn’t make the claim.

But you haven't answered any of the questions re: Trump's handling of COVID-19. Here's a refresher:

1) Are doctors and nurses in New York stealing and selling PPE on the black market ?
2) Are hospitals hoarding ventilators ?
3) Why did Trump call COVID-19 a hoax last month ?
4) Why did he shut down the Pandemic preparedness unit that he inherited from Obama Admin which was set up after the Ebola outbreak ?
5) Why would you sack the Field Epidemiologist in China and why cut the number of CDC staff in China by two-thirds ?

Trump’s handling of the situation entirely depends on the advice he receives from his team. He is not doctor, and not smart according to the likes of you. Do you understand how Presidency/Premierships work? Leaders act upon their advisers.

Let’s see what his advisers had to say, here’s a nice snipet:

The New England Journal of Medecine - March 26 , 2020

COVID-19 - Navigating the Uncharted

Author : Anthony S. Fauci, M.D.,


"The case fatality rate may be considerably less than 1%. This suggests that the overall clinical consequences of Covid-19 may ultimately be more akin to those of a severe seasonal influenza (which has a case fatality rate of approximately 0.1%) or a pandemic influenza (similar to those in 1957 and 1968) rather than a disease similar to SARS or MERS, which have had case fatality rates of 9 to 10% and 36%, respectively. "

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe2002387

Now in case you do not know, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci is the Doctor standing next to Trump during the press conferences, and is the lead adviser on C19.

His own adviser on the 26th March 2020 states that the fatality rate maybe less than 1%. THEN a few days later, the same doctor, advises Trump of a high end figure of 200000 deaths, based on a *moving target* and higher fatality rate

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...0000-americans


If you had such wishy washy advise from the lead doctor on this C19 crisis, you too would make silly mistakes, U-Turns, make contradictory comments. Perhaps Dr. Fauci is as exhausted as you hey?

This is not a game, these decisions have costed many lives !

Neither is war nor austerity which have claimed way more lives than Covid-19 ever will, but lets not find a solution for that! And no, not under Trump's presidency.

[Stewie]

Now the Trumpers are issuing death threats on dr. Fauci

[MenInG]

Trump says some remarkably irresponsible stuff about hydroxychloroquin: "What do you have to lose? Take it. I really think they should take it ... try it, if you'd like." pic.twitter.com/ULjKRfqEG5

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 4, 2020

Here is Trump giving potentially deadly medical advice in bizarre, hushed tones pic.twitter.com/acOCdJ9I9M

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 4, 2020

[CoraCora]

This guy turning out to be useless fellow...

[IMMY69]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.ft....2-f1c20e010cda

Germans accuses the us of face mask piracy ��*☠️

[MenInG]

An Iranian official has called US President Donald Trump "more dangerous than coronavirus" saying moves to block vital medical supplies to fight coronavirus from reaching Iran was tantamount to crimes against humanity.

Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, accused the American government of opposing efforts by the International Monetary Fund to assist Iran during the pandemic.

"The sanction on health items is an illegal and inhumane act and a symbol of Trump's open hostility to the Iranian people," Shamkhani wrote in a tweet on Sunday.

"The US opposition to granting facilities to Iran by the International Monetary Fund to meet the required medical items to fight against the coronavirus is a real example of crimes against humanity."

The sanction of health items is an illegal & inhumane act & a symbol of #Trump's open hostility to the Iranian people.
US opposition to granting #Iran's requested facilities from @IMF to provide items needed to deal with #CoronaVirus is a real case of crimes against humanity.

More than 3,600 people have died of COVID-19 in Iran, while the number of confirmed cases in the country reached nearly 60,000, according to Johns Hopkins University.

'We'd love to meet'

Trump on Friday said he would have a "moral responsibility" to help Iran in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic if leaders of the country asked for assistance.

"Well they haven't even asked us to do that," said Trump when asked if the United States would consider easing sanctions on Iran in light of the global outbreak.

"If they want to meet, we'd love to meet and we'd settle the whole thing out," he added.

Since 2018, the Trump administration has imposed a policy of "maximum pressure" sanctions against Tehran after Washington withdrew from the landmark 2015 nuclear agreement.

Under the deal - reached between Iran, the US, the European Union, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and Germany in 2015 - Tehran promised to curtail its nuclear ambitions in exchange for sanctions relief.

Over the last month, as the virus spread rapidly in Iran, the US repeatedly tightened sanctions designed to choke off Tehran's crucial oil exports.

On March 26, the Trump administration imposed new sanctions on 20 Iranian people and companies accused of supporting a Shia militia in Iraq, which is believed to be responsible for attacks on bases where US forces are located.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/...064200587.html

[MenInG]

Donald Trump has been accused of "fanning hatred" after a re-election attack advert wrongly suggested a former US ambassador to Beijing was a Chinese official.

Gary Locke, who held the top diplomatic post during Barack Obama's administration and also served as commerce secretary, was born in Washington and was governor of the state for eight years.

In a statement, Mr Locke, 70, said: "President Trump and his team are fanning hatred and it needs to stop now.

"Hate crimes and discrimination against the Asian American community are on the rise [since the coronavirus epidemic began]. And the Trump team is making it worse.

"Asian Americans are Americans. Period. We defend our country in wars, build businesses and create jobs, serve in all levels of our government, and are treating patients on the frontlines of this crisis as we speak."

In the commercial, which was released on Thursday, presumptive Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden is portrayed as being soft on China.

It is part of a montage of pictures of Mr Biden, who is expected to take on Mr Trump in November's presidential election, with Chinese figures, including president Xi Jinping.

The Democrat is running neck and neck with Mr Trump, with the latest opinion poll putting them both on 42%, according to Real Clear Politics.

Mr Biden said in a statement that attacks against Asian Americans were "disgusting and racist acts," though he did not directly mention the Trump campaign ad.

"The casual racism and regular xenophobia that we have seen from Trump and this administration is a national scourge."

"Donald Trump only knows how to speak to people's fears, not their better angels. He only ever seeks to place blame, instead of claiming responsibility," Mr Biden said.

The spread of the coronavirus, which was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019, has led to a rise in attacks on Asian Americans across the US.

The Trump administration, which has been accused of being too slow to react to the spread of COVID-19, has referred to the coronavirus both as the "Wuhan virus" and the "Chinese virus."

Monitoring group Stop AAPI Hate said it has received more than 1,100 reports of coronavirus discrimination from Asian Americans across the country in the first two weeks alone after it was launched last month.

Former Democrat candidate, Andrew Yang, described Mr Locke on Twitter as as "American as the day is long" and claimed the campaign was trying to rewrite history and shift attention from Mr Trump's poor response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh defended the ad on Twitter, saying it "specifically places Biden in Beijing".

https://news.sky.com/story/donald-tr...snt-sf-twitter

[Abdullah719]

....It is the decision of the President, and for many good reasons. With that being said, the Administration and I are working closely with the Governors, and this will continue. A decision by me, in conjunction with the Governors and input from others, will be made shortly!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 13, 2020

[MenInG]

Donald Trump has used a daily White House COVID-19 news conference to launch a blistering broadside against the US media.

In a lengthy monologue the US president threw accusations against news organisations, reserving the majority of his criticism for The New York Times.

One television network described it as "the biggest meltdown from a US president" they'd ever seen.

At one point he played a video produced by White House staff which included a montage of select clips of state governors praising him for his handling of the crisis.

"You're a fake, you know you're a fake," he argued with one reporter when she asked him what the administration had done to stop the spread of COVID-19 during February. "You're disgraceful, you're so disgraceful."

Rather than using the platform to pay tribute to the hundreds of Americans who lost their lives to coronavirus over the past 24 hours, the president repeatedly listed what he'd done well.

"We've done this right, we've really done this right, the problem is the press doesn't cover it," he said.

When challenged, he said the video had been put together in a couple of hours by White House staff and he had "hundreds of other statements, better clips" he could have shown.

Asked what authority he had to re-open the country, as opposed to the power of state governors to decide, Mr Trump claimed: "I have the ultimate authority".

This is in conflict with an earlier statement by six eastern US state governors, including New York and New Jersey, who said it was left to them to decide when to lock down states and it was therefore their responsibility when they re-opened.

CNN broadcast the news conference live but with accompanying graphics accusing the president of turning the briefing into "a propaganda session" and trying to "rewrite history".

Multiple news networks cutaway from the conference as it was ongoing, protesting that the president was wrongly using the session to campaign rather than update on the health crisis sweeping the US.

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavir...story-11972847

[MenInG]

Disgraceful President.

[MenInG]

US President Donald Trump has claimed he has "total" authority to decide how and when to reopen the economy after weeks of strict physical-distancing guidelines aimed at fighting the novel coronavirus.

But governors from both parties were quick to push back, noting they have primary responsibility for ensuring public safety in their states and would decide when it was safe to begin a return to normal operations.

Trump would not offer specifics about the source of his asserted power, which he claimed, despite constitutional limitations, was absolute.

"When somebody is president of the United States, the authority is total," Trump said on Monday at the White House. "The governors know that."

The comments came not long after the opposition Democratic leaders in the northeast and along the West Coast announced separate state agreements to coordinate their efforts to scale back stay-at-home orders or reopen businesses on their own timetables.

The pandemic, which originated in China last December, has wreaked havoc in the US, which now has the highest number of coronavirus cases and deaths. More than 582,000 are infected and 23,649 people have died across the country.

Anxious to put the crisis behind him, Trump has been discussing with senior aides how to roll back federal social-distancing recommendations that expire at the end of the month.

'Joint effort'

While Trump has issued national recommendations advising people to stay home, it has been governors and local leaders who have instituted mandatory restrictions, including shuttering schools and closing non-essential businesses. Some of those orders carry fines or other penalties and in some jurisdictions extend into the early northern summer.

And governors made it clear on Monday they would not tolerate pressure to act before they deem it safe.

"All of these executive orders are state executive orders and so therefore, it would be up to the state and the governor to undo a lot of that," New Hampshire Republican Governor Chris Sununu said on CNN news organisation.

"The government doesn't get opened up via Twitter. It gets opened up at the state level," said Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat.

New York's Governor Andrew Cuomo, another Democrat, also dismissed Trump's "legal analysis".

"The president does not have total authority. We have a constitution, we don't have a king, we have an elected president," he told CNN.

Trump: “When somebody is president of the United States, the authority is total.”

Nope.

That would be the literal definition of a *totalitarian* government—which our traditions, our Constitution, and our values all rightly and
Mississippi Republican Governor Tate Reeves, a supporter of Trump, said the question of when to lift restrictions would be "a joint effort" between Washington and the states.

Meanwhile, governors were banding together, with New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Rhode Island agreeing to coordinate their actions. The governors of California, Oregon and Washington announced a similar pact.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat, stressed the efforts would take time.

"The house is still on fire," Murphy said on a conference call with reporters. "We still have to put the fire out, but we do have to begin putting in the pieces of the puzzle that we know we're going to need ... to make sure this doesn't reignite."

Trump, however, insisted it was his decision to make.

"The president of the United States calls the shots," he said, promising to release a paper outlining his legal argument.

Trump's claim that he could force governors to reopen their states also represents a dramatic shift in tone. For weeks Trump has argued that states, not the federal government, should lead the response to the crisis.

"The President can informally put pressure on local/state governments. He can mess with emergency funding. And he can even order the federal workforce back to their offices. But largely because he's left so much to local authorities so far, this, too, is ultimately up to them," Stephen Vladeck, a law professor at the University of Texas, said on Twitter.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/...061646944.html

[The Viper]

Trump's name to appear on benefit cheques

As part of the US administration's economic response to the coronavirus outbreak, tens of millions of Americans are set to receive cheques worth $1,200 (around £945).

But according to US media, President Donald Trump's name will be printed on every single one.

The Washington Post, which first reported the news on Tuesday, says it is the first time that a US president's name has appeared on a cheque sent out by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

The newspaper said the decision could mean delays of a few days before recipients receive the cheques, although a senior official speaking to CNN denied this.

[MenInG]

Donald Trump is warning “China will own the United States” if Joe Biden is elected president.

But Trump himself is tens of millions of dollars in debt to China: In 2012, his real estate partner refinanced one of Trump’s most prized New York buildings for almost $1 billion. The debt includes $211 million from the state-owned Bank of China — its first loan of this kind in the U.S. — which matures in the middle of what could be Trump’s second term, financial records show.

Steps from Trump Tower in Manhattan, the 43-story 1290 Avenue of the Americas skyscraper spans an entire city block. Trump owns a 30 percent stake in the property valued at more than $1 billion, making it one of the priciest addresses in his portfolio, according to his financial disclosures.

Trump’s ownership of the building received a smattering of attention before and after his 2016 campaign. But the arrangement with the Bank of China — and its impending due date in 2022 — has gone largely unnoticed.

The revelation complicates one of Trump’s emerging campaign attacks against Biden: that the former vice president would be a gift to the Communist country and America’s chief economic rival.

Aside from the historic precedent of a developer-turned president paying back millions to a bank controlled by a foreign government, the 2012 Bank of China deal also stands out because Trump and his campaign have repeatedly highlighted the same bank's role in a $1.5 billion deal announced in 2013 by partners of Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden. Critics of the Bidens have seized on the fact that the agreement materialized just days after Hunter Biden traveled to China with the then-vice president, who was there on official business.

“Why did the Chinese government's bank want to do business with Hunter Biden while his dad was Vice President,” Trump’s campaign asked on Twitter earlier this month. The issue was also raised in a campaign ad the day before, one in a stream of criticisms about the China deal raised by campaign spokespeople and Trump since last year.

The Trump campaign has steadily increased its focus on trying to portray Biden as weak on China amid rising voter disapproval of China, the source of the coronavirus pandemic. Trump surrogate Corey Lewandowski dubbed him “Beijing Biden” in an online campaign event Wednesday. And during a White House news briefing Saturday, Trump said China will “own” the U.S. if Biden wins.

But Trump’s recent criticisms of China have been muddied by his own mixed messaging as well as by his numerous financial ties to the country. Those connections extend far beyond the Avenue of the America’s loan: Chinese state-owned companies are constructing two luxury Trump developments in United Arab Emirates and Indonesia. The president and his daughter Ivanka Trump, a White House adviser, have been awarded trademarks by China’s government. And his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has courted Chinese investors in at least one other real estate deal.

“We actually explored all these foreign enterprises and how once he became president he’d be seen differently by foreign leaders who would have leverage over this president because he had investments in their countries and/or financial dealings with business enterprises and financial institutions and investors in their countries,” said Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), a member of the House Oversight Committee. “He is highly conflicted with respect to China.”

Trump has denied he has any conflicts. But he rejected calls to fully separate from his namesake company, which comprises more than 500 businesses and includes properties in nearly two dozen countries, after he was sworn into office. He still owns his business, though he asked his adult sons to run it. His holdings were placed in a trust designed to hold assets for his benefit from which he can draw money at any time without public knowledge.

The building at 1290 Avenue of the Americas is a particular point of pride for Trump, who mentioned it when he announced his candidacy in 2015.

“I beat China all the time,” Trump said during a speech at the time from Trump Tower, adding, “I own a big chunk of the Bank of America building [in San Francisco] and 1290 Avenue of the Americas that I got from China in a war. Very valuable. I love China.”

A New York Times article in 2016, however, reported that Trump had to settle for 30 percent ownership of both buildings. Trump continues to own that share of both properties, which are touted under the real estate portfolio section of the Trump Organization's website.

Trump is considered a passive investor who doesn’t control the financing or management of 1290 Avenue of the Americas. The main investor is Vornado Realty Trust, which owns 70 percent.

The debt stems from a $950 million refinancing deal in 2012, to which the Bank of China chipped in $211 million. With the loan, Bank of China became the first in the nation to enter the U.S. securitization market, according to a 2013 Wall Street Journal article. Vornado's federal financial disclosures show it and the other owner of 1290 Avenue of the Americas — Trump — are still indebted from the 2012 deal.

“While Trump is talking about the former vice president’s son's financial dealings, in Trump’s case, it is the president himself who has a company he still owns and profits from that has financial relationships with the countries that he is supposed to be negotiating with on behalf of the American people,” said Robert Maguire, research director for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

“There are definitely legitimate questions that are raised by Hunter Biden’s actions,” Maguire said. “They are not even in the same ballpark as the conflict of interest questions raised by President Trump’s continued relationship with his own company.”

The White House and Trump Organization, which features the New York City property on its website, declined to comment on the record for this story.

The Trump campaign said there is no comparison between Trump’s debt and Biden’s deals.

“There is an obvious difference between Donald Trump working as a successful businessman as a private citizen and Hunter Biden using his name to cash in with a $1.5 billion investment from a state-controlled Chinese bank while his father was vice president,” said Tim Murtaugh, a campaign spokesman.

George Mesires, a lawyer for Hunter Biden, disputes the account of the Trump campaign and conservative critics. He said the private equity deal linked to Hunter Biden’s business partners, called Bohai Harvest RST, was initially capitalized by a group of investors in China. Some had financial links to the bank. And Mesires said they initially invested $4.2 million —not the $1.5 billion that the firm initially boasted was a goal of the deal in a news release.

During the trip to China on Dec. 4, 2013, with his father, Hunter Biden went along to chaperone his own daughter, who was accompanying her grandfather, then vice president, Mesires said. He said Hunter Biden did not conduct business in China but did meet socially during the trip with the Chinese businessman who would become CEO of Bohai Harvest RST, the registration documents for which were submitted to Chinese authorities a month before the Bidens’ China trip.

Hunter Biden was not listed on the company’s documents because he didn’t put the deal together and did not acquire a direct financial stake until October 2017, when he acquired a 10 percent interest after committing $420,000, Mesires said. Hunter Biden announced he was resigning from BHR last year.

Hunter Biden’s involvement in the deal came despite his lack of experience in doing business in China. Similarly, Hunter Biden had no experience in Ukraine or in natural gas, but scored a lucrative gig for an energy company in that country, in which his dad also had business.

“I don't think that there's a lot of things that would have happened in my life if my last name wasn't Biden,” Hunter Biden said in an ABC interview in October in which he reiterated his father’s longstanding denials that Joe Biden had any involvement in his business affairs.

Trump’s criticism of the Ukraine deal led to his impeachment for trying to leverage U.S. aid to Ukraine in return for it opening an investigation into Biden and his son.

"Donald Trump was so desperate not to face the vice president that he got himself impeached," said Biden campaign spokesman Andrew Bates, who declined to comment on Trump's China-focused attacks, but criticized his handling of the coronavirus that emanated in China.

Biden backers have complained that the information about the China trip and Ukraine matter were overhyped by Republican researcher Peter Schweizer in his 2019 book, “Secret Empires: How the American Political Class Hides Corruption and Enriches Family and Friends.” Democrats point out that Schweizer runs a nonprofit that has been funded by a top Trump donor and they say that “Secret Empires” is a replay of his 2015 “Clinton Cash,” a book that fact checkers took some issue with as it was embraced by Trump in an effort to paint Hillary Clinton as corrupt.

Still, Biden’s Democratic opponents in the early days of the crowded primary shopped opposition research about Hunter Biden’s foreign entanglements. They said it was a liability that needed to be litigated before the general election because Trump was sure to use it to “muddy the waters” and draw an equivalence between the families’ foreign dealings.

Charlie Kirk, a Trump ally and head of the Turning Point USA conservative group, said the Trump “campaign is right to highlight what amounts to a major distinction in the two candidates. The president has been tougher on China than any politician in decades, reversing a wrongheaded strategy of China appeasement that Joe Biden helped lead and prolong, and from which his own son likely benefited.”

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/0...na-debt-205475

[Abdullah719]

When will all of the “reporters” who have received Noble Prizes for their work on Russia, Russia, Russia, only to have been proven totally wrong (and, in fact, it was the other side who committed the crimes), be turning back their cherished “Nobles” so that they can be given....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 26, 2020

....to the REAL REPORTERS & JOURNALISTS who got it right. I can give the Committee a very comprehensive list. When will the Noble Committee DEMAND the Prizes back, especially since they were gotten under fraud? The reporters and Lamestream Media knew the truth all along....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 26, 2020

....Lawsuits should be brought against all, including the Fake News Organizations, to rectify this terrible injustice. For all of the great lawyers out there, do we have any takers? When will the Noble Committee Act? Better be fast!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 26, 2020

[MenInG]

The inspector general, Steve Linick, was given notice of his dismissal late on Friday night and is to be replaced by Stephen Akard, a close ally of the vice-president, Mike Pence, from his home state of Indiana. A state department spokesperson said that Akard, who has been running the office for foreign missions, would take over immediately as acting inspector general.

According to a Democratic congressional aide, just before his abrupt dismissal Linick had opened an investigation into allegations that Pompeo had been using a political appointee at the state department to run personal errands for him and his wife, Susan.

Under US law the president is required to give 30 days’ notice before firing an inspector general, to allow Congress to investigate the reasons for dismissal. In recent months Congress has not used that month-long notice period to prevent the termination of other watchdog officials fired by the president.

[MenInG]

US Democrats have launched an investigation into President Donald Trump's firing of the state department's internal watchdog.

Inspector General Steve Linick was investigating Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for suspected abuse of office, reports say.

But he was sacked late on Friday after Mr Trump said he no longer commanded his full confidence.

The move prompted angry criticism from senior Democrats in Congress.

They accused Mr Trump of retaliating against public servants who want to hold his administration to account. Mr Linick was the third official responsible for monitoring government misconduct to be dismissed in recent weeks.

The former prosecutor was appointed by Mr Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, to oversee spending and detect mismanagement at the state department.

On Saturday, top Democrats on the House and Senate Foreign Relations Committees questioned the timing of Mr Linick's removal and announced an immediate investigation.

"We unalterably oppose the politically-motivated firing of inspectors general and the president's gutting of these critical positions," Congressman Eliot Engel and Senator Bob Menendez said in a statement.

They said Mr Linick had "opened an investigation into wrongdoing by Secretary Pompeo himself", adding that his firing was "transparently designed to protect Secretary Pompeo from personal accountability".

Mr Linick had begun investigating allegations that Mr Pompeo had improperly used staff to run personal errands, US media report.

Mr Engel and Mr Menendez have requested that the White House and State Department hand over all records related to his dismissal by next Friday.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, the White House said the decision to oust Mr Linick was prompted by Mr Pompeo himself. "Secretary Pompeo recommended the move, and President Trump agreed," an official said.

What happened on Friday?
Mr Trump sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in which he declared his intention to fire Mr Linick.

Under federal law, the Trump administration must give Congress 30 days' notice of its plans to fire an inspector general. It is expected that Mr Linick will leave his post after this time, with some reports suggesting a political ally of Mr Trump is being lined up to replace him.

"It is vital that I have the fullest confidence in the appointees serving as inspectors general. That is no longer the case with regard to this inspector general," Mr Trump said in the letter.

Not long after Mr Linick's dismissal was announced, Mr Engel, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Mr Linick had opened an investigation into Mr Pompeo.

"Mr Linick's firing amid such a probe strongly suggests that this is an unlawful act of retaliation," he said in a statement.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Mr Linick was "punished for honourably performing his duty to protect the constitution and our national security".

It was the latest in a series of dismissals of independent government watchdogs.

Last month, Mr Trump dismissed Michael Atkinson, the inspector general of the intelligence community.

Mr Atkinson first alerted Congress to a whistleblower complaint that led to Mr Trump's impeachment trial.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52694497

[Saj]

U.S. President Donald Trump says he has been taking hydroxychloroquine for "about a week and a half" but has not been exposed to covid-19

[MenInG]

Pelosi: 'Morbidly obese' Trump should not take hydroxychloroquine

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she would rather President Donald Trump did not take hydroxychloroquine, labelling him "morbidly obese".

Mr Trump has said he is taking the medication to ward off coronavirus, even though there is no evidence it can fight the virus, and regulators warn it may cause heart problems.

“I would rather he not be taking something that has not been approved by the scientists," Pelosi told CNN.

"Especially in his age group and in his, shall we say, weight group: ‘Morbidly obese,' they say. I don't think that's a good idea."

Mr Trump, 73, weighed 243lb (110kg) last year, with some doctors noting his Body Mass Index fell in excess of 30, which is considered clinically obese. A BMI of 40 or above is considered to be extreme, or "morbid", obesity.

[Firebat]

U.S. President Donald Trump says he has been taking hydroxychloroquine for "about a week and a half" but has not been exposed to covid-19

Trump says he is taking unproven drug hydroxychloroquine

US President Donald Trump has said he is taking hydroxychloroquine to ward off coronavirus, despite public health officials warning it may be unsafe.

Speaking at the White House, he told reporters he started taking the malaria and lupus medication recently.

"I'm taking it for about a week and a half now and I'm still here, I'm still here," was his surprise announcement.

There is no evidence hydroxychloroquine can fight coronavirus, and regulators warn the drug may cause heart problems.

->Spoiler<-

What did Trump say?
The 73-year-old president was hosting a meeting devoted to the struggling restaurant industry on Monday, when he caught reporters unawares by revealing he was taking the drug.

"You'd be surprised at how many people are taking it, especially the frontline workers before you catch it, the frontline workers, many, many are taking it," he told reporters. "I happen to be taking it."

Asked what was his evidence of hydroxychloroquine's positive benefits, Mr Trump said: "Here's my evidence: I get a lot of positive calls about it."

He added: "I've heard a lot of good stories [about hydroxychloroquine] and if it's not good, I'll tell you right I'm not going to get hurt by it."

Though some people in the White House have tested positive for coronavirus, the president said again on Monday he had "zero symptoms" and was being tested frequently.

He added that he had been taking a daily zinc supplement and received a single dose of azithromycin, an antibiotic meant to prevent infection.

When asked whether the White House physician had recommended he start taking the disputed remedy, Mr Trump said he himself had requested it.

Dr Sean Conley, physician to the president, said in a statement issued through the White House later on Monday that Mr Trump was in "very good health" and "symptom-free".

The US Navy officer added: "After numerous discussions he and I had regarding the evidence for and against the use of hydroxychloroquine, we concluded the potential benefit from treatment outweighed the relative risks."



What have US health officials said?
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last month issued an advisory saying that hydroxychloroquine has "not been shown to be safe and effective".

It cited reports that the drug can cause serious heart rhythm problems in Covid-19 patients.

The FDA warned against use of the medication outside hospitals, where the agency has granted temporary authorisation for its use in some cases. Clinical trials of the drug are also under way.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says there are no approved drugs or therapeutics to prevent or treat Covid-19, which is confirmed to have infected more than 1.5 million people in the US, killing more than 90,000 patients.

What's the reaction?
Mr Trump's most powerful elected antagonist, the Democratic Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, could not resist taking a dig at his age and weight when asked on CNN about him taking the malaria medication.

"He's our president and I would rather he not be taking something that has not been approved by the scientists, especially in his age group and in his, shall we say, weight group - morbidly obese, they say," she said.

Last year, the White House physician noted in Mr Trump's annual medical exam that he weighed 243lb (110kg) and was 6ft 3in, which would score his body mass index at a technically obese 30.4.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52717161

[Saj]

US President Donald Trump says he thought it would be "appropriate" to take hydroxychloroquine after two people working in the White House tested positive for Covid-19.

On Monday, Trump said he was using the malaria and lupus medication despite public health officials warning it may be unsafe to do so.

Elaborating further at an on-camera cabinet meeting on Tuesday, he said: "Somebody fairly close to me, a very nice young gentleman, tested positive.

"Plus I deal with Mike [Pence, the vice-president] a lot, and somebody very close to him, who I also see, tested positive. So I thought, you know, from my standpoint, not a bad time to take it because we had that combination."

Trump also confirmed that he is considering imposing a ban on travel to the US from Brazil, which has the world's third highest number of reported cases.

"I don't want people coming over here and infecting our people," he said.

"I don't want people over there sick either. We're helping Brazil with ventilators. Brazil is having some trouble, no question about it."

[MenInG]

(CNN)An official portrait unveiling for former President Barack Obama at the White House isn't expected to occur anytime soon as his successor, President Donald Trump, accuses him of unsubstantiated and unspecified crimes.

NBC News first reported on the apparent end of a long tradition of first-term presidents hosting their immediate predecessor at the White House to unveil an official portrait. People familiar with the matter said such an event wasn't currently on the calendar -- and may not occur at all while Trump remains in office.

An administration official said there have been some discussions between the White House and Obama's team to hang the portrait but no date was ever officially scheduled.

"Presidential portrait unveilings are one of the three events that bring former presidents together. This level of animosity between a sitting president and his predecessors is unprecedented in modern history," Kate Andersen Brower, author of "Team of Five: The Presidents Club in the Age of Trump," told CNN.

Trump and Obama have met only once in person since Inauguration Day, at the funeral for former President George H.W. Bush in December 2018. They shook hands briefly at the start of the service but didn't interact for the remainder of the day.

The chilly encounter encapsulated Trump's uneasy position in the President's Club, which is typically marked by apolitical comity even between onetime political rivals.

Brower asked Trump in an Oval Office interview whether he would go to the opening of Obama's presidential library, which is still years away.

"He probably wouldn't invite me. Why should he?" Trump said, Brower writes in her book.

One of the traditional set-pieces of the club is the portrait unveiling in the White House East Room, which in the past has occurred sometime in a new president's first term. Obama hosted George W. Bush in 2012; Bush hosted Bill Clinton in 2004; Clinton hosted George H.W. Bush in 1995; and the elder Bush hosted Ronald Reagan in 1989.

First ladies also attend the ceremony and their portraits are unveiled as well.

In 2012, ahead of Bush's portrait unveiling, first lady Michelle Obama told aides the event and accompanying meal "needs to be perfect," Brower reported in the book.

"It was the first time they had been back to the house they had lived in for eight years. The residence staff, at Michelle Obama's direction, had a long table set in the elegant Red Room, on the State Floor, for the Bushes' large extended family. Fourteen Bushes had a meal together and were served by the same butlers who had attended to them for years in the upstairs residence," Brower wrote.
Trump's first term will end next January, and neither Obama nor Michelle is expected to participate in a portrait unveiling before then, according to people familiar with the matter. If Trump wins reelection in November, it's not clear the Obamas would return to the White House for a portrait ceremony during his second term either.

Both the White House and representatives for Obama declined to comment.

Trump has lashed out at his predecessor in unprecedented fashion over the past three-and-a-half years, most recently alleging he may have committed a crime (though, when pressed, Trump has been unable to voice the exact nature of the alleged criminal activity).
Obama, while not explicitly criticizing the President's handling of the current coronavirus pandemic, took lightly veiled swipes at how the crisis has been handled during nationwide commencement addresses on Saturday.

The open enmity between the current and most recent president is all but unprecedented and does not appear poised to dissipate as Trump battles Obama's vice president, Joe Biden, in this year's presidential contest.
The portrait unveiling appears to be a victim of the discord. Under a process administered by the White House Historical Association, presidents and first ladies typically choose a portraitist before leaving the White House. Sittings and final approval of the paintings occur afterward.

While the Obamas were deeply involved in a separate pair of portraits that hang at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, the state of their official portraits that would hang alongside those of past presidents and first ladies in the White House isn't clear.
On its website, the White House Historical Association says all presidents since Jimmy Carter -- who asked not to have a ceremony -- have returned to the White House for an unveiling.

"These ceremonies are often bipartisan events with warm greetings and collegial speeches exchanged by the president and their predecessor," the website reads.

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/19/p...05-19T18:06:16

[MenInG]

My ‘decision to make’: Trump defends criticism on use of drug

United States President Donald Trump has emphatically defended himself against criticism from medical experts that his announced use of a malaria drug against the coronavirus could spark wide misuse by Americans of the unproven treatment with potentially fatal side effects, AP reported.

Trump said he decided to take hydroxychloroquine after two White House staffers tested positive for the disease, but he already had spent months promoting the drug as a potential cure or preventive despite the cautionary advice of many of his administration’s top medical professionals.

“This is an individual decision to make,” Trump told reporters during a visit to Capitol Hill to meet with Senate Republicans. He later claimed, “It’s gotten a bad reputation only because I’m promoting it.”

[MenInG]

Donald Trump has branded Nancy Pelosi a "sick woman" with "a lot of mental problems" after she said he was "morbidly obese" and should not be taking an unapproved drug as a preventative measure for coronavirus.

The US president revealed overnight he had been taking hydroxychloroquine for the last week and a half in pill form and had had "zero symptoms".

In an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 programme, house speaker Mrs Pelosi said: "As far as the president is concerned, he's our president and I would rather he would not be taking something that has not been approved by the scientists, especially in his age group, and his, shall we say, weight group, morbidly obese, they say.

A Salvadoran Health Ministry worker holds a package of bottles of Hydroxychloroquine pills to be distributed in hospitals in San Salvador on April 21, 2020, amid the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak

"So I think it's not a good idea."

The president, who is 73, passed the official threshold for being considered obese, with a body mass index of 30.4, in February last year.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a BMI of 40 or above is considered morbidly obese.

Mr Trump has continued to double down on his decision to take the drug and has insisted it has a "great reputation" and gives "an additional level of safety".

The US Food and Drug Administration has warned against the use of hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19 patients outside of a hospital setting or clinical trial due to the risk of serious heart rhythm problems.

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), earlier said there was no evidence the drug could prevent coronavirus, but added there was some anecdotal evidence to show it can treat patients who are infected with the virus.

Studies published in the medical journal BMJ have disputed this, saying patients given the drug did not improve significantly over those who did not.

Asked about some studies of hydroxycholoriquine which have warned of potentially fatal side effects, Mr Trump said there was only one "bad survey".

"They were giving [the drug] to people that were in very bad shape," he said. "They were very old. Almost dead.

"It was a Trump enemy statement."

Dr Bharat Pankhania said Trump was 'absolutely wrong' to think the controversial malaria drug was good for preventing COVID-19

'It is so wrong on so many parameters'
The president said he requested the drug from the White House physician and it had not been recommended by his doctor.

Asked whether he could provide any evidence hydroxychloroquine has a preventative effect, Mr Trump told reporters: "I get a lot of positive calls about it."

In a letter to the White House press secretary, the president's physician, Commander Sean Conley, said he and Mr Trump had discussed the merits of the drug on several occasions and "we concluded the potential benefit from treatment outweighed the relative risks".

But British medical experts have criticised Dr Conley's advice to the president.

Donald Trump has admitted to taking the controversial drug for over a week, despite concerns over dangerous side effects

'Yeah I'm taking it, and I'm still here'
Bharat Pankhania, senior clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter, told Sky News he was "extremely disappointed" to see Mr Trump's own clinical physician say there was "no harm" in taking the drug.

"We have noticed cardiotoxicity, which means it has harmful effects on the heart muscle, and we've had reports of deaths due to taking an overdose of hydroxychloroquine," he said.

"In this case it's the president of the United States, so he may get other people to start taking it, which they shouldn't. They may stop taking precautions against getting infections, they may take an overdose and die. This is serious."

The UK government also stressed that taking the anti-malarial drug was "not something we recommend doing".

Hydroxychloroquine is still being studied by the US and other countries as a potential COVID-19 treatment.

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavir...obese-11990890

[MenInG]

Donald Trump has claimed the fact the US has 1.5 million confirmed coronavirus cases - the most of any country in the world - is a "badge of honour".

The country has suffered almost 92,000 deaths of people with COVID-19, but the president suggested the infection figures should be a source of pride.

"By the way, you know when you say that we lead in cases, that's because we have more testing than anybody else," he told reporters at the White House.

"So when we have a lot of cases, I don't look at that as a bad thing, I look at that as, in a certain respect, as being a good thing because it means our testing is much better.

"So I view it as a badge of honour. Really, it's a badge of honour.

"It's a great tribute to the testing and all of the work that a lot of professionals have done."

Mr Trump also emphatically defended himself against criticism from medical experts that his decision to announce he was taking a malaria drug to prevent coronavirus could spark wide misuse of the unproven treatment with potentially fatal side effects.

His revelation on Monday that he was taking hydroxychloroquine caught many in his administration by surprise and set off an urgent effort by officials to justify the statement.

But their attempt to address the concerns of health professionals was undercut by the president himself.

While offering no evidence, he suggested a study of veterans raising alarm about the drug was "false" and an "enemy statement", despite his own government stating the drug should be administered for COVID-19 only in a hospital or research setting.

"If you look at the one survey, the only bad survey, they were giving it to people that were in very bad shape," he said.

The remarks were apparently in reference to a study of hundreds of patients treated by the Department of Veterans Affairs, in which more of those in a group who were administered hydroxychloroquine died than among those who weren't.

"They were very old. Almost dead," he said.

"It was a Trump enemy statement."

The drug has also not been shown to protect or treat the virus in a number of other studies.

https://news.sky.com/story/donald-tr...snt-sf-twitter

[MenInG]

A US TV host has furiously rebuked President Donald Trump for falsely suggesting her husband and co-presenter may have got away with murder.

In tweets, Mr Trump has appeared to link MSNBC anchor Joe Scarborough to the death of an aide two decades ago, a conspiracy theory debunked by police.

"Donald, you're a sick person," anchor Mika Brzezinski said on air as she defended her husband.

She also demanded Twitter take down the president's incendiary tweets.

What else did Brzezinski say?
"He's once again tweeting conspiracy theories about Joe, falsely accusing him of murder," Ms Brzezinski said on her MSNBC show Morning Joe on Wednesday, before addressing the president directly.

She questioned how the president could subject the family of a congressional aide - who authorities said died of natural causes in Mr Scarborough's office in 2001 - to such "**".

"Donald, you're a sick person," Ms Brzezinski said. "You're really a cruel, sick, disgusting person."

She said the president's tweets were merely a ploy to deflect from the Covid-19 pandemic because her husband "speaks the truth" about Mr Trump's "lack of ability to handle this massive human catastrophe".

MSNBC, Ms Brzezinski and Mr Scarborough have been highly critical of the president's handling of the US coronavirus outbreak. Countrywide, cases have surpassed 1.5 million.

Ms Brzezinski then turned to Twitter, saying the company should remove Mr Trump's tweets.

"You should be ashamed of yourself," she scolded the social media giant.

It is by no means the president's first clash with the couple. In 2017, he referred to Ms Brzezinski on Twitter as "low IQ Crazy Mika" and claimed she had been "bleeding badly from a face-lift" when he saw her once near his Florida home.

On Wednesday, Mr Trump complained that his convicted former adviser Roger Stone had been treated unfairly, "while guys like Low Ratings Psycho Joe Scarborough are allowed to walk the streets? Open Cold Case!"

Last week he tweeted: "When will they open a Cold Case on the Psycho Joe Scarborough matter in Florida. Did he get away with murder? Some people think so. Why did he leave Congress so quietly and quickly? Isn't it obvious? What's happening now? A total nut job!"

The president first directed the baseless charge at Mr Scarborough in November 2017, suggesting he should be fired "based on the 'unsolved mystery' that took place in Florida years ago".

However, the case the president is apparently referring to is not a cold case.

Mr Scarborough is a former Republican congressman who represented a Florida district from 1995 to 2001. In July 2001, a member of his staff, 28-year-old Lori Klausutis, was found dead in the lawmaker's office in Fort Walton Beach.

Mr Scarborough was in Washington DC at the time. Despite the president's suggestion of something untoward in his exit from Congress, Mr Scarborough had stepped down before Klausutis' death.

Authorities determined Klausutis died after losing consciousness from an abnormal heart rhythm, before collapsing and striking her head. She had told a colleague a day earlier that she felt unwell.

Police found no foul play and a medical examiner established Klausutis had suffered an acute subdural hematoma, or blood clot, ruling her death accidental.

After Mr Trump's tweet about the matter on 12 May, Mr Scarborough said live on air: "Why don't you turn off the television, and why don't you start working, OK?"

What other conspiracy theories has Trump promoted?
Mr Trump was the most high-profile supporter of the bogus "birther" theory that former President Barack Obama was born in Kenya and ineligible for the presidency.

In 2016, Mr Trump suggested the father of his then-Republican presidential rival Ted Cruz had been seen with John F Kennedy's assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, before the president's death. His source for the claim was an unverified tabloid report.

Last April, Mr Trump suggested that the noise from windmills causes cancer. Scientists have found no such health risks.

The president has also shared a baseless theory that former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton were connected to last year's prison suicide of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

[MenInG]

Trump on his latest coronavirus test: "I tested very positively in another sense, so, this morning, yeah. I tested positively toward negative, right? So, no. I tested perfectly this morning, meaning I tested negative. But that's a way of saying it. Positively toward the negative" pic.twitter.com/El53NhCqOL

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 21, 2020

[MenInG]

Trump on his latest coronavirus test: "I tested very positively in another sense, so, this morning, yeah. I tested positively toward negative, right? So, no. I tested perfectly this morning, meaning I tested negative. But that's a way of saying it. Positively toward the negative" pic.twitter.com/El53NhCqOL

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 21, 2020

US President Donald Trump has just spoken to reporters on his way to tour an automotive plant in Michigan.

He says that he took a coronavirus test today, which came back "positively toward negative".

He said: "I tested very positively in another sense. So this morning, yeah, I tested positively toward negative.
"Right, so, I tested perfectly this morning. Meaning, I tested negative."

Trump is visiting later today a Ford factory that has been manufacturing ventilators. Earlier this week a company spokesperson said the president would be required to wear a mask during the tour.

Trump has yet to be seen wearing a face mask since the outbreak began.

Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence have been receiving daily tests after several White House staff members tested positive.

[Firebat]

Trump drug hydroxychloroquine raises death risk in Covid patients, study says

The drug US President Donald Trump said he was taking to ward off Covid-19 actually increases the risk of patients with the disease dying from it, a study in the Lancet has found.

The study said there were no benefits to treating patients with the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine.

Mr Trump said he was taking the drug despite public health officials warning that it could cause heart problems.

The president has repeatedly promoted the drug, against medical advice.

Hydroxychloroquine is safe for malaria, and conditions like lupus or arthritis, but no clinical trials have recommended the use of hydroxychloroquine for coronavirus.

->Spoiler<-

The Lancet study involved 96,000 coronavirus patients, nearly 15,000 of whom were given hydroxychloroquine - or a related form chloroquine - either alone or with an antibiotic.

The study found that the patients were more likely to die in hospital and develop heart rhythm complications than other Covid patients in a comparison group.

The death rates of the treated groups were: hydroxychloroquine 18%; chloroquine 16.4%; control group 9%. Those treated with hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine in combination with antibiotics had an even higher death rate.

The researchers warned that hydroxychloroquine should not be used outside of clinical trials.

Mr Trump says he has not tested positive for Covid-19 and is taking the drug because he thinks it has "positive benefits".

A trial is under way to see whether the anti-malarial drug could prevent Covid-19. More than 40,000 healthcare workers from Europe, Africa, Asia and South America who are in contact with patients with the disease will be given the drug as part of the trial.

When asked about the Lancet study, White House coronavirus taskforce co-ordinator Dr Deborah Birx said the US Food and Drug Administration had been "very clear" about concerns in using the drug as either a coronavirus prevention or as a treatment course.

Dr Marcos Espinal, director of the Pan American Health Organization - part of the World Health Organization - has stressed that no clinical trials have recommended the use of hydroxychloroquine for coronavirus.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-52779309

[MenInG]

Even by Donald Trump’s standards, it was a wild ride. On a Memorial Day weekend when coronavirus deaths in the US closed in on 100,000, and a grateful nation paid respects to its war dead, its president took to the golf course and turned to social media to unleash a barrage of personal attacks on foes old, new and perceived.

On Saturday and Sunday, both days on which Trump visited his golf club in Sterling, Virginia, he followed his time on the links with late-night Twitter sessions tweeting or retweeting insults to prominent female politicians.

The US House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and Democratic rising star Stacey Abrams were derided for their looks or weight, while Trump’s former opponent Hillary Clinton was denounced as a “skank”.

He renewed his feud with the former US attorney general Jeff Sessions, who is trying to regain his old US Senate seat in Alabama, and repeated a baseless conspiracy theory accusing the TV host Joe Scarborough of involvement in the death of a young staffer.

On Monday morning, just moments before attending the Memorial Day wreath-laying ceremony at Virginia’s Arlington National Cemetery, the president was still raging, lashing out on Twitter at Joe Biden, his presumptive Democratic opponent in November’s presidential election, and Barack Obama, his predecessor in the White House.

Trump claimed his golf trips, his first in almost three months because of the coronavirus pandemic, were for exercise, and slammed the media as “sick”, “dishonest” and “deranged” for reporting them.

“The fake and corrupt news makes it sound like a mortal sin. I knew this would happen,” he tweeted on Monday, keeping attention on himself less than an hour before he appeared with the vice-president, Mike Pence, and defense secretary, Mark Esper, for a ceremony at Arlington’s tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

“They don’t mention Sleepy Joe’s poor work ethic, or all of the time Obama spent on the golf course,” he continued.

According to the website trumpgolfcount.com, the president has spent 251 days golfing since his January 2017 inauguration, at an estimated cost to the US taxpayer of $134m. By contrast, the website says, Obama played golf 306 times during the entire eight years of his two-term presidency.

Absent from Trump’s Twitter feed, however, other than a couple of retweeted health advice bulletins from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was any mention of the coronavirus pandemic still sweeping the nation. The feed did feature a small handful of Memorial Day-themed messages.

At midday on Monday, with beaches, parks, bars and restaurants packed across the US, largely in defiance of social distancing guidelines, the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus resource center was showing a death toll of 97,811.

Some of the president’s most insulting retweets were originally sent out on Saturday by John K Stahl, a failed Republican candidate for a 2012 California seat in the House of Representatives and Trump supporter with more than 107,000 followers.

The Clinton tweet calling her a “skank”, which also referred to Biden as a racist, was one of eight Stahl messages that Trump retweeted in a brief period on Saturday night.

“The president is using his old playbook, his old grievances against Hillary Clinton and particularly [going] after Jeff Sessions, who is fighting in a Senate primary in July and which he is likely going to lose because of all this antipathy the president has for his former attorney general,” Seung Min Kim, the Washington Post’s White House correspondent, told CNN.

“What we’re not hearing from the president right now on his Twitter feed, which is his preferred method of communication, his preferred megaphone, is any solemn messages about Memorial Day.”


https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...avirus-golfing

[The Viper]

Twitter says it is not removing Trump tweets on deceased Scarborough staff member

Twitter Inc said on Tuesday it would take no action at this time on tweets from U.S. President Donald Trump about the 2001 death of a former congressional staff member for Joe Scarborough, after her widower asked the company to remove them for furthering false claims.

In a letter to Twitter’s chief executive Jack Dorsey that was published by the New York Times, Timothy J. Klausutis asked that the company remove a tweet by the president “alluding to the repeatedly debunked falsehood that my wife was murdered by her boss, former U.S. Rep. Joe Scarborough.”

Lori Klausutis, who had an undiagnosed heart condition, fell and hit her head on her desk at work. Her death was ruled an accident.

Trump said he had seen the family’s letter, but stood by his comments, telling White House reporters: “I’m sure that ultimately they want to get to the bottom of it ... It’s a very suspicious thing.”

A Twitter spokeswoman said the tweets would remain.

“We are deeply sorry about the pain these statements, and the attention they are drawing, are causing the family,” the spokeswoman said in a statement when asked about the president’s tweets on Scarborough, now an MSNBC television host with whom Trump has brawled.

Last year, Twitter said it would start labeling tweets from prominent politicians and government officials that broke its rules but that it deemed were in the public interest. The spokeswoman declined to say why these tweets did not fall within that policy.

Later in the day, Twitter for the first time prompted readers to check the facts in tweets sent by Trump, warning readers his claims about mail-in ballots were false and had been debunked by fact checkers.

The blue exclamation mark notification prompted readers to “get the facts about mail-in ballots” and directed them to a page with news articles and information from fact-checkers about the claims.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-tw...KBN2322KO?il=0

[The Viper]

Twitter fact-checks Trump tweet for the first time

Twitter (TWTR.N) on Tuesday for the first time prompted readers to check the facts in tweets sent by U.S. President Donald Trump, warning his claims about mail-in ballots were false and had been debunked by fact checkers.

The blue exclamation mark notification prompted readers to “get the facts about mail-in ballots” and directed them to a page with news articles and information about the claims aggregated by Twitter staffers.

“Trump makes unsubstantiated claim that mail-in ballots will lead to voter fraud,” said a headline at the top of the page, followed by a “what you need to know” section correcting three false or misleading claims made in the tweets.

Trump had claimed in tweets earlier in the day that mail-in ballots would be “substantially fraudulent” and result in a “rigged election.” He also singled out the governor of California over the issue, although the state is not the only one to use mail-in ballots.

Twitter confirmed this was the first time it had applied a fact-checking label to a tweet by the president, in an extension of its new “misleading information” policy introduced this month to combat misinformation about the coronavirus.

The company said at the time it would later extend the policy on disputed or misleading information about COVID-19 to other topics.

Twitter’s fact-checking notification on Wednesday came hours after the social network declined to take action on tweets Trump sent about the 2001 death of a former congressional staff member, after her widower asked the company to remove them for furthering false claims.

Twitter explicitly bans content that could result in voter suppression, but a company spokesman said the president’s tweets on mail-in ballots did not violate that policy.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-tw...KBN23239K?il=0

[Stewie]

Trump is probably the only US president who such brazenly and openly lies through his teeth and doesn’t even feel ashamed..

[BoomBoomCricket]

President Donald Trump is again pushing the limits of Twitter's attempts to deal with national leaders who spread misinformation and engage in personal abuse, this time with a barrage of baseless tweets suggesting that a television host he has feuded with committed murder.

The husband of a woman who died by accident two decades ago in an office of then-Republican congressman Joe Scarborough is demanding that Twitter remove the president's tweets suggesting Scarborough, now a fierce Trump critic, killed her.

"My request is simple: Please delete these tweets," Timothy J Klausutis wrote to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.

The body of Lori Kaye Klausutis, 28, was found in Scarborough's Fort Walton Beach, Florida, congressional office on July 20, 2001. Trump has repeatedly tried to implicate Scarborough, a host of MSNBC's Morning Joe show, in the death even though Scarborough was in Washington, DC, not Florida, at the time.

It is the latest instance in which the president has blown past Twitter's half-hearted attempts to enforce rules intended to promote civility and "healthy" conversation on its most prominent user. Trump frequently amplifies misinformation, spreads abuse and uses his pulpit to attack private citizens and public figures alike, but has never faced Twitter sanctions on his account.

Klausutis wrote in his letter that he has struggled to move on with his life due to the ongoing "bile and misinformation" spread about his wife on the platform, most recently by Trump. His wife continues to be the subject of conspiracy theories 20 years after her death.

Trump's tweets violate Twitter's community rules and terms of service, he said. "An ordinary user like me would be banished," he wrote.

For the first time, Twitter on Tuesday flagged some of Trump’s tweets with a fact-check warning.

Twitter added a warning phrase to two Trump tweets that called mail-in ballots “fraudulent” and predicted that “mail boxes will be robbed”, among other things. Under the tweets, there is now a link reading “Get the facts about mail-in ballots” that guides users to a Twitter “moments” page with fact checks and news stories about Trump’s unsubstantiated claims.

At Tuesday's White House briefing, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany repeatedly refused to say why Trump was pressing the unfounded allegations against Scarborough or whether he would stop tweeting about them.

Dorsey did not reply directly to Klausutis' letter and has not taken any action on the president's tweets. In a statement, Twitter said it was "deeply sorry about the pain these statements, and the attention they are drawing, are causing the family".

But the company did not say it would do anything about Trump's tweets and did not even mention them directly, although it did reference vague plans for future policy changes. "We've been working to expand existing product features and policies so we can more effectively address things like this going forward, and we hope to have those changes in place shortly," Twitter said.

The proposed changes include labelling false or misleading tweets as such, with fact checks "crowdsourced" from Twitter. It recently started labelling such tweets when they are about COVID-19 and is looking to expand more broadly.

But the company has not said when this tool would be available. Based on history, it is also not clear if these strictures would apply to Trump and other world leaders.

https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2...mpression=true

[Firebat]

Trump threatens to shutter social media companies after Twitter warning

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to regulate or shut down social media companies, one day after Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) for the first time added a warning to some of his tweets prompting readers to fact check the president’s claims.

Trump, without offering any evidence, reiterated his accusations of political bias by such technology platforms, tweeting: “Republicans feel that Social Media Platforms totally silence conservatives voices. We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen.”

He added: “Clean up your act, NOW!!!!”

Representatives for Twitter and Facebook could not be immediately reached for comment on Trump’s tweets. Shares of the companies were down in pre-market trading following his posts.

In the pair of early morning posts, the Republican president again blasted mail-in ballots. Trump posted similar tweets about the ballot topic on Tuesday, which had moved Twitter to add a blue exclamation mark alert underneath those tweets to warn his claims were false and had been debunked by factcheckers.

The dramatic shift by the tech company, which has tightened its policies in recent years amid criticism that its hands-off approach has allowed misinformation to thrive, had prompted Trump to accuse it of interfering in the upcoming U.S. presidential election.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-tw...-idUKKBN2331RP

[MenInG]

Former US Vice-President Joe Biden has called President Donald Trump "an absolute fool" for appearing to mock him for donning a mask at a Memorial Day ceremony on Monday.

The president retweeted a disparaging post from a Fox News personality, apparently insulting Biden's masked appearance. He later denied that he was making fun of his Democratic rival.

Trump has mostly refused to wear masks in public, deepening a partisan divide over the practice. A poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation this month found that 89% of Democrats and 72% of independents report wearing a mask every time or most of the time when they leave home, compared to 58% of Republicans.

==

The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on Donald Trump’s re-election plans. His promise to maintain record-breaking economic expansion and “keep America great” has been swept away by record unemployment and the financial toll that the nationwide business-closure and shelter-in-place orders have taken.

During the outbreak, the president has leaned heavily on a favourite method of communication, Twitter, to bypass the filters of mainstream media.

However, some of the president’s sharpest attacks have been reserved for Twitter itself, which on Tuesday added a “fact check” label to his tweets - a first. Just a few hours after Twitter’s move, the president began threatening “big action” against the company (although it is unclear what authority the president has to do so).

Donald Trump has touted his “unpredictablity” and willingness to counter-punch when threatened as two of his biggest strengths, but Twitter has taken steps that could blunt one of his most effective weapons.

[MenInG]

US President Donald Trump will sign an executive order on social media firms on Thursday, the White House has said.

It comes after he threatened to shut down social media platforms he accused of stifling conservative voices.

The latest dispute flared on Tuesday after Twitter added fact-check links to his tweets for the first time.

The order's details have not been shared and it is unclear what regulatory steps the president can take without new laws passed by Congress.

The White House officials gave no further information when questioned by reporters who were travelling with Mr Trump on Air Force One on Wednesday.

Before leaving Washington for Florida to watch a space launch that was postponed due to bad weather, Mr Trump again accused Twitter and other social media of bias, without offering evidence.

Mr Trump also continued his criticism of social media platforms on Twitter, ending a tweet with: "Now they are going absolutely CRAZY. Stay Tuned!!!"

The long-running dispute between Mr Trump and social media companies flared up again on Tuesday when one of his posts was given a fact-check label by Twitter for the first time.

He had tweeted, without providing evidence: "There is NO WAY (ZERO!) that Mail-In Ballots will be anything less than substantially fraudulent."

Twitter added a warning label to the post and linked to a page that described the claims as "unsubstantiated".

On Wednesday Mr Trump threatened to "strongly regulate" or even "close down" social media platforms.

He tweeted to his more than 80 million followers that Republicans felt the platforms "totally silence conservatives" and that he would not allow this to happen. In an earlier tweet, he said that Twitter was "completely stifling free speech".

Twitter's chief executive Jack Dorsey responded to criticism of the platform's fact-checking policies in a series of posts, saying: "We'll continue to point out incorrect or disputed information about elections globally."

Mr Trump wrote a similar post on Facebook post about mail-in ballots on Tuesday, and no such warnings were applied.

In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Facebook's chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said censoring a social media platform would not be the "right reflex" for a government concerned about censorship. Fox said it would play its full interview with Mr Zuckerberg on Thursday.

Twitter has tightened its policies in recent years as it faced criticism that its hands-off approach was helping fake accounts and misinformation to thrive.

Some of America's biggest technology companies have also been accused of anti-competitive practices and violating their user's privacy. Apple, Google, Facebook and Amazon face antitrust probes by federal and state authorities and a US congressional panel.

Shares in both Twitter and Facebook fell in Wednesday's trading session in New York.

Facebook, Twitter and Google did not immediately reply to requests from the BBC for comment.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52815872

[MenInG]

US President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order redefining the legal protections given to social media platforms.

It means platforms such as Facebook and Twitter could be sued if they are judged to "deceptively" block posts.

The draft of the executive order says social networks are engaged in "selective censorship".

Mr Trump has regularly accused social-media platforms of stifling or censoring conservative voices.

On Wednesday, Mr Trump accused Twitter of election interference, after it added fact-check links to two of his tweets.

"Big action to follow," he tweeted.

What does the executive order say?

The order sets out to clarify the Communications Decency Act, a US law that offers online platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube legal protection in certain situations.

Under Section 230 of the law, social networks are not generally held responsible for content posted by their users but can engage in "good-Samaritan blocking", such as removing content that is obscene, harassing or violent.

And the draft of the executive order points out this legal immunity does not apply if a social network edits content posted by its users.

It also says "deceptive" blocking of posts, including removing a post for reasons other than those described in a website's terms of service, should not be offered immunity.

Republican senator Marco Rubio is among those arguing the platforms take on the role of a "publisher" when they add fact-check labels to specific posts.

"The law still protects social-media companies like Twitter because they are considered forums not publishers," Mr Rubio said.

"But if they have now decided to exercise an editorial role like a publisher, then they should no longer be shielded from liability and treated as publishers under the law."

The draft of the executive order also calls for:

the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to spell out what type of content blocking will be considered deceptive, pretextual or inconsistent with a service provider's terms and conditions
a review of government advertising on social-media sites and whether those platforms impose viewpoint-based restrictions
the re-establishment of the White House "tech bias reporting tool" that lets citizens report unfair treatment by social networks

How have the social networks responded?
Twitter, which is repeatedly named in the draft of the executive order, declined to comment.

YouTube, owned by Google, has not yet responded.

In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Facebook's chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, said censoring a social-media platform would not be the "right reflex" for a government concerned about censorship.

Fox said it would play its full interview with Mr Zuckerberg on Thursday.

One conservative think tank warned the executive order could have unintended consequences.

"In the long run, this conservative campaign against social-media companies could have a devastating effect on the freedom of speech," Matthew Feeney, of the Cato Institute, said.

And changing the Communications Decency Act to "impose political neutrality on social-media companies" could see the platforms filled with "legal content they'd otherwise like to remove" such as pornography, violent imagery and racism.

"Or they would screen content to a degree that would kill the free flow of information on social media that we're used to today," he said.

Mr Feeney said the draft of the executive order was a "mess" but could prove politically popular in the run-up to a presidential election.

What sparked the latest row?

The long-running dispute between Mr Trump and social-media companies flared up again on Tuesday, when two of his posts were given a fact-check label by Twitter for the first time.

He had tweeted, without providing evidence: "There is no way (zero) that mail-in ballots will be anything less than substantially fraudulent."

Twitter added a warning label to the post and linked to a page describing the claims as "unsubstantiated".

What are executive orders?

Then, on Wednesday, Mr Trump threatened to "strongly regulate" social-media platforms.

He tweeted to his more than 80 million followers Republicans felt the platforms "totally silence conservatives".

And he would not allow this to happen.

In an earlier tweet, he said Twitter was "completely stifling free speech".

Twitter's chief executive, Jack Dorsey, responded to criticism of the platform's fact-checking policies in a series of posts, saying: "We'll continue to point out incorrect or disputed information about elections globally."

Mr Trump wrote a similar post about mail-in ballots on Facebook, on Tuesday, and no such warnings were applied.

Twitter has tightened its policies in recent years, as it faced criticism its hands-off approach allowed fake accounts and misinformation to thrive.

Is Twitter stifling free speech?

Analysis by Christopher Giles, BBC Reality Check

Twitter says it enforces its rules "impartially for all users, regardless of their background or political affiliation".

But there is no publicly available list of which accounts have had fact-check labels or been suspended.

Twitter told BBC News it had previously added fact-check labels to two tweets by Chinese government spokesman Zhao Lijian, who had speculated back in March coronavirus may have originated in the US.

The company said the tweets had contained "potentially misleading content about Covid-19 and have been labelled to provide additional context to the public".

But these labels were added retrospectively, after Twitter had been scrutinised for placing them on President Trump's posts.

Twitter says common reasons for suspending accounts are abusive tweets and spam - not the censoring of political opinions.

But critics say Twitter's decision-making process is opaque.

And these criticisms don't just come from conservatives.

Human rights groups have previously claimed Twitter has censured dissident voices and activists.

In 2018, Mr Dorsey said its staff were "more left-leaning".

But he added: "We do not look at content with regards to political viewpoint or ideology."

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-52832800

[BoomBoomCricket]

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at removing some of the legal protections given to social media platforms.

It gives regulators the power to pursue legal actions against firms such as Facebook and Twitter for the way they police content on their platforms.

President Trump accused social media platforms of having "unchecked power" while signing the order.
The order is expected to face legal challenges.

Critics and several legal experts says the US Congress or the court system must be involved to change the current legal understanding of protections for these platforms.

Mr Trump has regularly accused social media platforms of stifling or censoring conservative voices.
On Wednesday, Mr Trump accused Twitter of election interference, after it added fact-check links to two of his tweets.

"Big action to follow," he tweeted.

[Firebat]

George Floyd death: Trump's church visit shocks religious leaders

Last night he held a Bible in front of St John's Episcopal Church, just across the road from the White House. Today, he'll visit the Shrine to St John Paul II, also in Washington DC.

But US President Donald Trump's signalling of religious affiliation has not been welcomed by a range of clerics as the nation struggles to manage the twin challenges of a pandemic and widespread political protest.

The Episcopal Bishop of Washington, the Right Reverend Mariann Budde, said: "The president just used a Bible, the most sacred text of the Judeo-Christian tradition, and one of the churches of my diocese, without permission, as a backdrop for a message antithetical to the teachings of Jesus."

James Martin, a Jesuit priest and consultant to the Vatican's communications department, tweeted: "Let me be clear. This is revolting. The Bible is not a prop. A church is not a photo op. Religion is not a political tool. God is not your plaything."

Rabbi Jack Moline, President of the Interfaith Alliance, said: "Seeing President Trump standing in front of St John's Episcopal Church while holding a Bible in response to calls for racial justice - right after using military force to clear peaceful protesters - is one of the most flagrant misuses of religion that I have ever seen."

President Trump does not belong to a particular congregation, only occasionally attends a service and has said many times that he does not like to ask God for forgiveness.

->Spoiler<-

But while he may not consider church essential to his personal life, it may yet hold the keys to his political future.

In 2016, Mr Trump won 81% of white evangelical votes and exit polls found that white Catholics supported him over Hillary Clinton by 60% to 37%.

Mr Trump's status, as the champion of evangelical and conservative voters, can seem peculiar given his use of divisive rhetoric, his three marriages, accusations of sexual assault by dozens of women, the hush-money paid to a pornographic film actress, and the record of false statements made during his presidency - more than 18,000 according to the Poynter Institute's Politifact website.

But he has sealed a powerful bond with religious voters by embracing their political priorities and appointing two Supreme Court justices - Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch - and federal judges with their support.

This may explain why - though an irregular congregant himself - the president has repeatedly demanded the reopening of churches, saying, on 22 May, "If they don't do it, I will override the governors."

Religious conservatives appear to be the most solid core of Mr Trump's voter base, despite political unrest and the vast number of deaths from Covid-19.

According to the latest Pew Research Poll, 77% of white evangelical Protestants say he's doing a good job in handling the pandemic - down just 4 percentage points from three weeks ago.

But while one voting bloc remains faithful, the country at large is deeply divided. According to analysis by the website FiveThirtyEight, which collates all polling data, 43% of Americans agree with the president's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, while 53.4% disapprove.

Several religious leaders are hoping that Trump's visit to the shrine may encourage him to reflect on the words of then Pope John Paul II, delivered to the United Nations in 1995.

"The answer to the fear which darkens human existence at the end of the 20th Century," he said, "is the common effort to build the civilization of love."

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52890650

[Firebat]

Exclusive: Trump administration to bar Chinese passenger carriers from flying to U.S., sources say

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump’s administration plans to bar Chinese passenger carriers from flying to the United States starting in mid-June as it pressures Beijing to allow U.S. air carriers to resume flights, three U.S. and airline officials briefed on the matter told Reuters.

The move, set to be announced on Wednesday, penalizes China after Beijing failed to comply with an existing agreement on flights between the world’s two largest economies. Relations between the two countries have also soured in recent months amid escalating tensions surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.

The restrictions are expected to take effect on June 16 but the date could be moved up by Trump, the people briefed on the matter said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) and United Airlines (UAL.O) have asked to resume flights to China this month, even as Chinese carriers have continued U.S. flights during the pandemic.

The order applies to Air China (601111.SS), China Eastern Airlines Corp, China Southern Airlines Co (600029.SS) and Hainan Airlines Holding Co (600221.SS), the sources said.

The White House and Transportation Department declined to comment on the matter. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump’s administration on May 22 accused the Chinese government of making it impossible for U.S. airlines to resume service to China and ordered four Chinese carriers to file flight schedules with the U.S. government.

The administration is also cracking down on Chinese passenger airline charter flights and will warn carriers not to expect approvals. Administration officials have suggested charter flights have been used to circumvent Chinese government limits on flights.

On Jan. 31, the U.S. government barred from entry most non-U.S. citizens who had been in China within the previous 14 days due to the coronavirus crisis but did not impose any restrictions on Chinese flights. Major U.S. carriers voluntarily decided to halt all passenger flights to China in February.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-u...idUSKBN23A248s

[MenInG]

Nicola Sturgeon has said it is "hard to not conclude" that Donald Trump is a racist.

Scotland's first minister also said the US president appears to be more interested in polarising those rallying against police brutality.

The protests have been in response to George Floyd, who died after a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes during an arrest.

Earlier this week, Mr Trump said he would send in the army if cities failed to deal with violent protesters.

Answering a question from Radio Clyde and Radio Forth listeners about whether Mr Trump is a racist, Ms Sturgeon said: "I think sometimes it's hard to not conclude that.

"What I always say when I'm asked questions like that is I can't see inside his head.


"I've been asked that before about comments Boris Johnson has made about Muslims and do I think he's a racist.

"It's not an unwillingness to confront the issue, I don't know what goes on inside Donald Trump's head - maybe that's a good thing.

"But, I do know that the language you use and how you express yourself matters.

"If you don't want to be accused of racism, then don't use racist language."

She added that if you do not want to be accused of racism then you should not "sound" as if you are equating people who protest against racism with those who take to the streets to try to perpetrate racist values and attitudes.

Ms Sturgeon said that, at times like these, a leader needs to try to bring people together and heal the divide by addressing the underlying issues, implying Mr Trump is doing the opposite and is further polarising the American people.

She said that, with no malice, she does not know if Mr Trump is capable of that type of leadership - but this is the moment to prove that he is.

The first minister added that the UK should also be looking in the mirror as no country is immune from racism or does not have issues of racial injustice and inequality.

https://news.sky.com/story/george-fl...acist-12000756

[Firebat]

Trump 'approves plan' to withdraw US troops from Germany

US President Donald Trump has approved a plan to withdraw 9,500 American troops from bases in Germany by September, US media say.

Mr Trump, who has long complained that European members of Nato should spend more on their own defence, reportedly wants US troop levels capped at 25,000.

Troops would either be redeployed elsewhere or return home, US media report, citing a government official.

Tensions between the US and its Nato allies have increased under Mr Trump.

The president has said that Europe's North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) members should no longer be relying so heavily on the US to shoulder the costs of maintaining the alliance.

On Friday, Mr Trump directed the Pentagon to permanently remove almost a third of the country's troops currently based in Germany, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing an unnamed administration official.

It added that the US Defense Department would need to approve the plan before it could be implemented.

The White House did not immediately confirm the reports, but spokesman John Ullyot said in a statement that the US remained "committed to working with our strong ally Germany" on defence and other issues.

Mr Trump has previously raised the issue of so-called burden-sharing at Nato summits.

The debate focuses around the target agreed by all alliance members that defence spending should reach 2% of GDP (gross domestic product, the total value of goods produced and services provided) by 2024.

Last year, Nato's civilian and military budget was about €1.67bn (£1.43; $1.84bn), its own figures show.

The US military presence in Germany is a legacy of the post-World War Two Allied occupation of the country. Germany currently hosts by far the largest number of US forces in Europe, followed by Italy, the UK and Spain.

Some US personnel based in Europe support non-Nato operations and US military numbers fluctuate as forces are rotated in and out of Europe.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52947056

[Firebat]

Merkel allies criticize Trump decision to cut U.S. troops in Germany

BERLIN (Reuters) - Senior lawmakers from German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling conservative bloc on Saturday criticized President Donald Trump’s decision to order the U.S. military to remove 9,500 troops from Germany.

The move would reduce U.S. troops numbers in Germany to 25,000, from 34,500.

“The plans once again show that the Trump administration is neglecting an elementary leadership task: the involvement of alliance partners in decision-making processes,” Johann Wadephul, foreign policy spokesman for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, told Reuters.

All NATO partners benefited from the cohesion of the alliance, and only Russia and China gain from discord, Wadephul said, adding: “This should be given more attention in Washington”.

Wadephul also spoke of a “further wake-up call” to Europeans to position themselves better in terms of security policy.

The German Foreign Ministry declined to comment.

Andreas Nick, like Wadephul a member of the parliamentary foreign relations committee, told Deutsche Welle the indications were that “that the decision was not a technical but a purely politically motivated decision”.

A U.S. official, who did not want to be identified, said on Friday the move was the result of months of work by the top U.S. military officer, General Mark Milley, and had nothing to do with tensions between Trump and Merkel, who thwarted Trump’s plan to host a G7 meeting this month.

The withdrawal, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, is the latest twist in relations between Berlin and Washington, which have often been strained during Trump’s presidency. Trump has pressed Germany to raise defense spending and accused Berlin of being a “captive” of Russia due to its energy reliance.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-u...-idUSKBN23D0JN

[Firebat]

U.S. troop plans "shake transatlantic relationship", Merkel ally says

BERLIN (Reuters) - U.S. plans to withdraw troops from Germany “shake the pillars of the transatlantic relationship”, Peter Beyer, the German coordinator for transatlantic ties, told Reuters on Monday.

U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the U.S. military to remove 9,500 troops from Germany, a senior U.S. official said on Friday. The move would reduce the U.S. contingent to 25,000. But Germany said it has not received confirmation.

“I don’t want to speculate on something for which I have no confirmation,” Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer told a news conference on Monday.

“The fact is, the presence of U.S. troops in Germany serves the entire security of the NATO alliance - so American security too. That is the basis on which we work together.”

Sources in Germany’s governing coalition said Berlin had not received a reply from the U.S. government despite inquiries through various diplomatic channels as to whether the reports were accurate. “This indicates a controversial discussion within the U.S. government,” one government source said.

Despite misgivings about nuclear weapons that the United States is believed to have stationed at a base in Buechel in western Germany, Germans have generally welcomed U.S. troops since World War Two.

The reported U.S. decision, even if not yet confirmed, has shocked policymakers in Berlin.

Beyer told Reuters: “We’re not yet at divorce. But we’re already at a much lower level of cohabitation than before. It’s saddening because what’s happened is not in the German, European or American interest.”

“We are in a systemic competition with China. But the West is weakening itself,” he said, adding that Chancellor Angela Merkel had not rejected Trump’s invitation to a - now postponed - June G7 summit but rather not yet accepted it due to coronavirus lockdown restrictions.

The troop move is the latest twist in relations between Berlin and Washington that have often been strained during Trump’s presidency. Trump has pressed Germany to raise defence spending and accused Berlin of being a “captive” of Russia due to its partial? reliance on Russian energy.

Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff, Vice President at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, which promotes U.S.-European ties, said the decision “does smack a bit like revenge”.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-u...-idUSKBN23F1EF

[MenInG]

The ramp that I descended after my West Point Commencement speech was very long & steep, had no handrail and, most importantly, was very slippery. The last thing I was going to do is “fall” for the Fake News to have fun with. Final ten feet I ran down to level ground. Momentum!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 14, 2020

[IMMY69]

Is there anyone here who will still support and defend this man?

[Firebat]

US Supreme Court rejects Trump bid to make it easier to deport 'Dreamer' immigrants

The US Supreme Court has dealt a major blow to Donald Trump's hardline immigration policies by ruling against his effort to end protection from deportation for hundreds of thousands of immigrants.

Justices voted 5-4 to uphold lower court rulings that found the president's 2017 move to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme was unlawful.

The scheme was created in 2012 by his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama. Dubbed "Dreamers", those who are part of the programme entered the United States illegally as children.

Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court's four liberals in finding that the administrations actions were "arbitrary and capricious" under a federal law called the Administrative Procedure Act.

It means that the roughly 649,000 immigrants, mostly young Hispanic adults born in Mexico and other Latin American countries, currently enrolled in DACA will remain protected from deportation.

They will also be eligible to obtain renewable two-year work permits.

While the ruling does not prevent Mr Trump from trying again to end the scheme, his administration is unlikely to be able to do so before the 3 November election in which he is seeking a second four-year term in office.

https://news.sky.com/story/us-suprem...rants-12009744