THE GUARDIAN: Loujain al-Hathloul looked weak and unwell after 900 days in jail, said her family
Saudi Arabia has moved the trial of activist Loujain al-Hathloul to a special court that handles terrorism cases, a move condemned by human rights campaigners as a heavy-handed attempt to muzzle dissent.
Hathloul has been in jail without trial for over 900 days now, and her family said she looked weak and unwell at a rare court appearance on Wednesday, her body shaking and her voice faint.
She appeared with three other women who were also arrested in 2018, shortly before the government dropped its longstanding ban on women driving; Hathloul had been a prominent face of the grassroots campaign for change.
The court appearance came just after Saudi Arabia wrapped up its role as virtual host of this year’s G20 summit, which had women’s empowerment as one of its themes. » | Emma Graham-Harrison | Wednesday, November 25, 2020
Wednesday, November 25, 2020
Tuesday, November 24, 2020
Saudi Arabia to Put Women’s Rights Activist Loujain al-Hathloul On Trial
THE GUARDIAN: Family fears activist being pressured into giving false confessions
Saudi Arabia will put women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul on trial on Wednesday, more than 900 days after she was detained, and just after the country wrapped up hosting duties on a virtual G20 summit, her family have been told.
Hathloul is on hunger strike and has been held incommunicado for nearly a month. A UN women’s rights committee recently expressed alarm about her failing health. Her sister Lina al-Hathloul fears she is being pressured into giving false confessions that could be used against her in court.
“I am extremely worried and anxious about this trial. Everything about her case is illegal and unjust,” Lina told the Guardian, pointing out that the family had only been given one day’s notice of the court date. » | Emma Graham-Harrison | Tuesday, November 24, 2020
‘He was nine’: The Saudi minors still on death row despite royal decree »
Saudi Arabia will put women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul on trial on Wednesday, more than 900 days after she was detained, and just after the country wrapped up hosting duties on a virtual G20 summit, her family have been told.
Hathloul is on hunger strike and has been held incommunicado for nearly a month. A UN women’s rights committee recently expressed alarm about her failing health. Her sister Lina al-Hathloul fears she is being pressured into giving false confessions that could be used against her in court.
“I am extremely worried and anxious about this trial. Everything about her case is illegal and unjust,” Lina told the Guardian, pointing out that the family had only been given one day’s notice of the court date. » | Emma Graham-Harrison | Tuesday, November 24, 2020
‘He was nine’: The Saudi minors still on death row despite royal decree »
Labels:
Saudi Arabia
Brexit Stems from a Civil War in Capitalism – We Are All Just Collateral Damage
THE GUARDIAN: To one sort of capitalist, the insecurity and chaos that Brexit will bring is horrifying. To the other, is it highly profitable
Where there is chaos, the government will multiply it. Where people are pushed to the brink, it will shove them over. Boris Johnson ignored the pleas of businesses and politicians across the UK – especially in Northern Ireland – to extend the Brexit transition process. Never mind the pandemic, never mind unemployment, poverty and insecurity – nothing must prevent our experiment in unassisted flight. We will leap from the white cliffs on 1 January, come what may. » | George Monbiot | Tuesday, November 24, 2020
Where there is chaos, the government will multiply it. Where people are pushed to the brink, it will shove them over. Boris Johnson ignored the pleas of businesses and politicians across the UK – especially in Northern Ireland – to extend the Brexit transition process. Never mind the pandemic, never mind unemployment, poverty and insecurity – nothing must prevent our experiment in unassisted flight. We will leap from the white cliffs on 1 January, come what may. » | George Monbiot | Tuesday, November 24, 2020
Labels:
Brexit
Fox News' Laura Ingraham and Tucker Carlson Distance Themselves from Trump
THE GUARDIAN: Rush Limbaugh also distances himself from president’s efforts to overturn his election defeat by Joe Biden
Donald Trump continued to gravitate towards his new rightwing media allies at TV channels One America Network and Newsmax on Tuesday, even as heavyweight supporters Laura Ingraham, Tucker Carlson and Rush Limbaugh distanced themselves from the president’s attempts to overturn his election defeat by Joe Biden.
On Fox News on Monday, Ingraham said: “Unless the legal situation changes in a dramatic and unlikely manner, Joe Biden will be inaugurated on 20 January.”
Carlson claimed “the 2020 election was not fair”, but admitted Trump had lost it.
On his radio show, Limbaugh attacked Trump’s lawyers in Pennsylvania, led by Rudy Giuliani, for failing to provide any evidence to back claims of voter fraud in the state. » | Martin Pengelly in New York | Tuesday, November 24, 2020
Donald Trump continued to gravitate towards his new rightwing media allies at TV channels One America Network and Newsmax on Tuesday, even as heavyweight supporters Laura Ingraham, Tucker Carlson and Rush Limbaugh distanced themselves from the president’s attempts to overturn his election defeat by Joe Biden.
On Fox News on Monday, Ingraham said: “Unless the legal situation changes in a dramatic and unlikely manner, Joe Biden will be inaugurated on 20 January.”
Carlson claimed “the 2020 election was not fair”, but admitted Trump had lost it.
On his radio show, Limbaugh attacked Trump’s lawyers in Pennsylvania, led by Rudy Giuliani, for failing to provide any evidence to back claims of voter fraud in the state. » | Martin Pengelly in New York | Tuesday, November 24, 2020
Labels:
Donald Trump,
FOX News
Monday, November 23, 2020
Donald Trump: Cashing In on the Presidency | The Daily Social Distancing Show
Labels:
Donald Trump
Netanyahu Holds Secret Meeting with Saudi Crown Prince – Reports
THE GUARDIAN: Israeli PM is said to have flown to Saudi Arabia to meet Mohammed bin Salman and Mike Pompeo
Benjamin Netanyahu has made an unannounced trip to Saudi Arabia to meet the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, and the US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, according to media reports in Israel.
The Sunday night trip, if confirmed, would mark an extremely rare high-level meeting between the long-time foes, one that Israel has been pushing for in its efforts for regional acceptance. Hebrew-language reports, citing unnamed Israeli officials, said Netanyahu was accompanied by Yossi Cohen, the head of the country’s Mossad spy agency.
Saudi state media did not refer to a trip and the Israeli prime minister’s office did not respond to a request for comment. » | Oliver Holmes in Jerusalem | Monday, November 23, 2020
Benjamin Netanyahu has made an unannounced trip to Saudi Arabia to meet the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, and the US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, according to media reports in Israel.
The Sunday night trip, if confirmed, would mark an extremely rare high-level meeting between the long-time foes, one that Israel has been pushing for in its efforts for regional acceptance. Hebrew-language reports, citing unnamed Israeli officials, said Netanyahu was accompanied by Yossi Cohen, the head of the country’s Mossad spy agency.
Saudi state media did not refer to a trip and the Israeli prime minister’s office did not respond to a request for comment. » | Oliver Holmes in Jerusalem | Monday, November 23, 2020
Labels:
Benjamin Netanyahu,
Israel,
MbS,
Mike Pompeo,
Saudi Arabia,
USA
Business Leaders, Citing Damage to Country, Urge Trump to Begin Transition
THE NEW YORK TIMES: At the urging of New York’s attorney general, business leaders in New York push for the Trump administration to begin a transfer of power.
Concerned that President Trump’s refusal to accept the election results is hurting the country, more than 100 chief executives plan to ask the administration on Monday to immediately acknowledge Joseph R. Biden Jr. as the winner and begin the transition to a new administration.
As a way of gaining leverage over the G.O.P., some of the executives have also discussed withholding campaign donations from the two Republican Senate candidates in Georgia unless party leaders agree to push for a presidential transition, according to four people who participated in a conference call Friday in which the notion was discussed. The two runoff elections in Georgia, which will take place in early January, will determine the balance of power in the United States Senate. » | Kate Kelly and Danny Hakim | Monday, November 23, 2020
Concerned that President Trump’s refusal to accept the election results is hurting the country, more than 100 chief executives plan to ask the administration on Monday to immediately acknowledge Joseph R. Biden Jr. as the winner and begin the transition to a new administration.
As a way of gaining leverage over the G.O.P., some of the executives have also discussed withholding campaign donations from the two Republican Senate candidates in Georgia unless party leaders agree to push for a presidential transition, according to four people who participated in a conference call Friday in which the notion was discussed. The two runoff elections in Georgia, which will take place in early January, will determine the balance of power in the United States Senate. » | Kate Kelly and Danny Hakim | Monday, November 23, 2020
Labels:
Donald Trump
Sunday, November 22, 2020
Ali Velshi on President Trump’s Real Legacy | MSNBC
Labels:
Ali Velshi,
Donald Trump
Trump Faces Pressure from Republicans to Drop 'Corrosive' Fight to Overturn Election
THE GUARDIAN: John Bolton: Trump is ‘throwing rocks through windows’ / HR McMaster: Trump’s actions sowing doubt among electorate
Donald Trump faced growing pressure from Republicans on Sunday to drop his chaotic, last-ditch fight to overturn the US presidential election, as victor Joe Biden prepared to start naming his cabinet and a Pennsylvania judge compared Trump’s legal case there to “Frankenstein’s monster”.
Despite Republican leadership in Washington standing behind the president’s claims that the 3 November election was stolen from him by nationwide voter fraud, other prominent figures, including two of his former national security advisers, were blunt.
Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton said that Biden would be sworn in in January and added: “The real question is how much damage Trump can do before that happens.”
The president’s efforts were designed mainly to sow chaos and confusion, he told CNN’s State of the Union show, as a demonstration more of “raw political power” than a genuine legal exercise.
Bolton noted that the Trump campaign has so far lost all but two of more than 30 legal challenges in various states.
“Right now Trump is throwing rocks through windows, he is the political equivalent of a street rioter,” Bolton said. » | Miranda Bryant in New York and agency | Sunday, November 22, 2020
Give up the struggle for heaven’s sake. You are one of the world’s losers. Nothing that you can do can change this fact. You’ve had your chance and you’ve blown it. Now it is time for you to step aside and give someone else a chance. Do the right thing and step aside as gracefully as you still can. The world needs to move on from the chaos you have created. Adieu. President Trump! Enjoy your retirement! – © Mark
Donald Trump faced growing pressure from Republicans on Sunday to drop his chaotic, last-ditch fight to overturn the US presidential election, as victor Joe Biden prepared to start naming his cabinet and a Pennsylvania judge compared Trump’s legal case there to “Frankenstein’s monster”.
Despite Republican leadership in Washington standing behind the president’s claims that the 3 November election was stolen from him by nationwide voter fraud, other prominent figures, including two of his former national security advisers, were blunt.
Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton said that Biden would be sworn in in January and added: “The real question is how much damage Trump can do before that happens.”
The president’s efforts were designed mainly to sow chaos and confusion, he told CNN’s State of the Union show, as a demonstration more of “raw political power” than a genuine legal exercise.
Bolton noted that the Trump campaign has so far lost all but two of more than 30 legal challenges in various states.
“Right now Trump is throwing rocks through windows, he is the political equivalent of a street rioter,” Bolton said. » | Miranda Bryant in New York and agency | Sunday, November 22, 2020
Give up the struggle for heaven’s sake. You are one of the world’s losers. Nothing that you can do can change this fact. You’ve had your chance and you’ve blown it. Now it is time for you to step aside and give someone else a chance. Do the right thing and step aside as gracefully as you still can. The world needs to move on from the chaos you have created. Adieu. President Trump! Enjoy your retirement! – © Mark
Labels:
Donald Trump
Trump Slams Paris Climate Accord in His Last G20 Appearance | G20 Riyadh
Labels:
Donald Trump,
G20
British Ski Workers ‘Set to Lose Seasonal Jobs’ after Brexit
THE OBSERVER: Instructors, chalet cooks, drivers and nannies among 25,000 who may no longer be eligible to take up posts in EU countries
Adieu to the British seasonaire. Barring an 11th-hour reprieve, Europe’s ski resorts will soon be largely devoid of British seasonal workers.
From 1 January, post-Brexit, British employees seeking seasonal work as chalet hosts, instructors, drivers and nannies in European ski resorts will find it more difficult to obtain work.
“It’s game over unless the government makes an agreement with the EU that will mean there is a way for British staff to work across Europe in the tourism industry on seasonal jobs,” said Charles Owen, director of Seasonal Businesses in Travel (SBiT), which represents many holiday firms.
The trade body claims that up to 25,000 British seasonal worker jobs in the travel industry will be lost, many contracted by UK-based companies. » | Jamie Doward | Sunday, November 22, 2020
Adieu to the British seasonaire. Barring an 11th-hour reprieve, Europe’s ski resorts will soon be largely devoid of British seasonal workers.
From 1 January, post-Brexit, British employees seeking seasonal work as chalet hosts, instructors, drivers and nannies in European ski resorts will find it more difficult to obtain work.
“It’s game over unless the government makes an agreement with the EU that will mean there is a way for British staff to work across Europe in the tourism industry on seasonal jobs,” said Charles Owen, director of Seasonal Businesses in Travel (SBiT), which represents many holiday firms.
The trade body claims that up to 25,000 British seasonal worker jobs in the travel industry will be lost, many contracted by UK-based companies. » | Jamie Doward | Sunday, November 22, 2020
Labels:
Brexit
Trump's Monumental Sulk: President Retreats from Public Eye as Covid Ravages US
THE GUARDIAN: Two weeks after his defeat, Trump has gone from always present to effectively missing, behavior that many say is unprecedented and dangerous
There was one thing that even Donald Trump’s harshest critics were never able to accuse him of: invisibility.
The outgoing US president held endless campaign rallies, verbally sparred with reporters on the way to his helicopter and spent so long on the phone to Fox News shows that even pliable hosts had to gently but firmly hang up. He was the master of saturating every news cycle with his voice and image.
Yet two weeks after his defeat by Joe Biden in the election, Trump has effectively gone missing in action. Day after day passes without a public sighting. He does not hold press conferences any more. He has even stopped calling into conservative media. » | David Smith in Washington | Saturday, November 21, 2020
There was one thing that even Donald Trump’s harshest critics were never able to accuse him of: invisibility.
The outgoing US president held endless campaign rallies, verbally sparred with reporters on the way to his helicopter and spent so long on the phone to Fox News shows that even pliable hosts had to gently but firmly hang up. He was the master of saturating every news cycle with his voice and image.
Yet two weeks after his defeat by Joe Biden in the election, Trump has effectively gone missing in action. Day after day passes without a public sighting. He does not hold press conferences any more. He has even stopped calling into conservative media. » | David Smith in Washington | Saturday, November 21, 2020
Labels:
Donald Trump
Joe Biden Says He Would Be Ready to Rejoin Iran Nuclear Deal
Labels:
Iran,
Joe Biden,
nuclear deal
The Real Reason Trump Won’t Concede
Labels:
Donald Trump
Trump Tells G20 Leaders He Wants to Work with Them ‘for a Long Time’
THE OBSERVER: US president delivers boasts and falsehoods while other members focus on dealing with the pandemic
Donald Trump has taken his campaign to deny the results of the US presidential election global, telling leaders at the G20 summit he’s looking forward to going on working with them.
The gathering of leaders of major world economies is being held online this year, but could have been an occasion for Trump to bid his peers goodbye and pledge American support in the battle against Covid-19. Instead, according to audio of his comments obtained by the Observer, he said: “It’s been a great honour to work with you, and I look forward to working with you again for a long time.” » | Emma Graham-Harrison and Julian Borger | Saturday, November 21, 2020
Donald Trump has taken his campaign to deny the results of the US presidential election global, telling leaders at the G20 summit he’s looking forward to going on working with them.
The gathering of leaders of major world economies is being held online this year, but could have been an occasion for Trump to bid his peers goodbye and pledge American support in the battle against Covid-19. Instead, according to audio of his comments obtained by the Observer, he said: “It’s been a great honour to work with you, and I look forward to working with you again for a long time.” » | Emma Graham-Harrison and Julian Borger | Saturday, November 21, 2020
Labels:
Donald Trump,
G20
Saturday, November 21, 2020
Invoking a Fantasy Winston Churchill Won’t Help as Brexit Becomes Grim Reality
THE GUARDIAN: Casting the former PM as a little Englander defying Europe is historical nonsense
Winston Churchill should be held to account when Britain throws itself out of the EU. Who is to blame for breaking up and impoverishing the United Kingdom? Churchill, by his followers’ own admission. Who is responsible for the border in the Irish Sea, the food shortages, the irresistible rise of Scottish nationalism, the needless blows to the stricken economy of a plague-ridden nation? No need to ask: Winston’s been at it again.
Not the Churchill of history, but a Churchillian delusion that has been a generation in the making. Its falsity will become apparent on 1 January. Until then, Tories can still pretend that their promises that Brexit would enrich us weren’t false. They can still opine that once “Boris” has completed Brexit he can move on to levelling up or tackling Covid or whatever other issue flits through his half-formed mind. They still don’t realise that in a few weeks their words will sound as absurd as saying: “After I’ve broken my legs, I will run a marathon.” » | Nick Cohen | Saturday, November 21, 2020
Winston Churchill should be held to account when Britain throws itself out of the EU. Who is to blame for breaking up and impoverishing the United Kingdom? Churchill, by his followers’ own admission. Who is responsible for the border in the Irish Sea, the food shortages, the irresistible rise of Scottish nationalism, the needless blows to the stricken economy of a plague-ridden nation? No need to ask: Winston’s been at it again.
Not the Churchill of history, but a Churchillian delusion that has been a generation in the making. Its falsity will become apparent on 1 January. Until then, Tories can still pretend that their promises that Brexit would enrich us weren’t false. They can still opine that once “Boris” has completed Brexit he can move on to levelling up or tackling Covid or whatever other issue flits through his half-formed mind. They still don’t realise that in a few weeks their words will sound as absurd as saying: “After I’ve broken my legs, I will run a marathon.” » | Nick Cohen | Saturday, November 21, 2020
Labels:
Boris Johnson
Neal Katyal: All of Trump’s Criminal Immunity Expires in about 60 Days | Deadline | MSNBC
Labels:
Donald Trump
Smerconish: Here's the Real Danger in Trump's Charade
Labels:
Donald Trump
Trump Makes Futile Last Stand to Overturn Results as Georgia Certifies Biden Win
THE GUARDIAN: President met with Michigan’s Republican leaders at White House in desperate bid to subvert democracy
Donald Trump was on Friday making a futile but dangerous last stand, without precedent in modern American history, to overturn the result of the presidential election so he can remain in power.
Even as Joe Biden’s victory in the state of Georgia was confirmed, the president met with Republican leaders from Michigan at the White House in an increasingly desperate bid to subvert democracy after a series of courtroom defeats over allegations of voter fraud.
The Trump campaign’s apparent strategy is to persuade Republican-controlled legislatures in Michigan and other battleground states in the electoral college to set aside the will of the people and declare Trump the winner, despite officials declaring it the most secure election in American history.
“The entire election, frankly, in all the swing states should be overturned and the legislatures should make sure that the electors are selected for Trump,” Sidney Powell, one of Trump’s lawyers, told the Fox Business Network on Thursday. » | David Smith in Washington || Saturday, November 21, 2020
Trump is such a pathetic little man. He’s the orange dictator wannabe! Donnie is the loser. It really is high time for him to concede to the winner: Joe Biden. Theankfully, it will soon be time for him for Trump to go. – Mark
Donald Trump Jr tests positive for coronavirus »
Donald Trump was on Friday making a futile but dangerous last stand, without precedent in modern American history, to overturn the result of the presidential election so he can remain in power.
Even as Joe Biden’s victory in the state of Georgia was confirmed, the president met with Republican leaders from Michigan at the White House in an increasingly desperate bid to subvert democracy after a series of courtroom defeats over allegations of voter fraud.
The Trump campaign’s apparent strategy is to persuade Republican-controlled legislatures in Michigan and other battleground states in the electoral college to set aside the will of the people and declare Trump the winner, despite officials declaring it the most secure election in American history.
“The entire election, frankly, in all the swing states should be overturned and the legislatures should make sure that the electors are selected for Trump,” Sidney Powell, one of Trump’s lawyers, told the Fox Business Network on Thursday. » | David Smith in Washington || Saturday, November 21, 2020
Trump is such a pathetic little man. He’s the orange dictator wannabe! Donnie is the loser. It really is high time for him to concede to the winner: Joe Biden. Theankfully, it will soon be time for him for Trump to go. – Mark
Donald Trump Jr tests positive for coronavirus »
Friday, November 20, 2020
CC Ivanka Trump: How the President Has Stoked Unrest | The Mehdi Hasan Show | The Choice on Peacock
'Night of the Beating': Details Emerge of Riyadh Ritz-Carlton Purge
THE GUARDIAN: Exclusive: three years on, some of the Saudi detainees reveal what they say took place
In early November 2017, nearly 400 of Saudi Arabia’s most powerful people, among them princes, tycoons and ministers, were rounded up and detained in the Ritz-Carlton hotel, in what became the biggest and most contentious purge in the modern kingdom’s history.
The arrests shook the foundations of Saudi society, in an instant turning untouchable establishment figures into targets for arrest. Statuses were discarded, assets seized and business empires upended. A conventional pact between the state and its influential elite was shredded overnight.
Now, leading figures caught up in the detentions have revealed details of what they say took place. The former detainees, many of whom were stripped of fortunes, portray a scene of torture and coercion, and of royal court advisers leading chaotic attempts to understand the investments behind the wealth of the kingdom’s most influential families, then seizing what they could find.
The accounts of what occurred in the Ritz, provided through an intermediary, are from some of the most senior Saudi business figures, who claim to have been beaten and intimidated by security officers, under the supervision of two ministers, both close confidantes of the man who ordered the purge, the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. » | Martin Chulov, Middle East correspondent | Thursday, November 19, 2020
In early November 2017, nearly 400 of Saudi Arabia’s most powerful people, among them princes, tycoons and ministers, were rounded up and detained in the Ritz-Carlton hotel, in what became the biggest and most contentious purge in the modern kingdom’s history.
The arrests shook the foundations of Saudi society, in an instant turning untouchable establishment figures into targets for arrest. Statuses were discarded, assets seized and business empires upended. A conventional pact between the state and its influential elite was shredded overnight.
Now, leading figures caught up in the detentions have revealed details of what they say took place. The former detainees, many of whom were stripped of fortunes, portray a scene of torture and coercion, and of royal court advisers leading chaotic attempts to understand the investments behind the wealth of the kingdom’s most influential families, then seizing what they could find.
The accounts of what occurred in the Ritz, provided through an intermediary, are from some of the most senior Saudi business figures, who claim to have been beaten and intimidated by security officers, under the supervision of two ministers, both close confidantes of the man who ordered the purge, the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. » | Martin Chulov, Middle East correspondent | Thursday, November 19, 2020
Labels:
Saudi Arabia
The End of a Presidency: Trump’s Loss in a Divided America | Fault Lines
As the Democrats take back the White House, what does the 2020 presidential election say about the future of US politics?
Despite Joe Biden’s win, tens of millions of Americans chose Donald Trump for a second term. How the Republican party relates to this bloc of voters - along with the ideology Trump represents - is now central to its strategic direction.
For the Democrats, an old guard embodied by Joe Biden and a new generation of progressives are in a contest for influence over the party’s vision.
In The End of a Presidency: Trump’s Loss in a Divided America, Fault Lines explores how Trump changed the presidency, and where the two parties will go next.
Despite Joe Biden’s win, tens of millions of Americans chose Donald Trump for a second term. How the Republican party relates to this bloc of voters - along with the ideology Trump represents - is now central to its strategic direction.
For the Democrats, an old guard embodied by Joe Biden and a new generation of progressives are in a contest for influence over the party’s vision.
In The End of a Presidency: Trump’s Loss in a Divided America, Fault Lines explores how Trump changed the presidency, and where the two parties will go next.
Labels:
Donald Trump,
Fault Lines
Fmr. MI GOP Exec: I'm "Not Confident That They'll Certify the Election" | The Mehdi Hasan Show
Mary Trump: The President is Not Going to Concede | The Mehdi Hasan Show
Thursday, November 19, 2020
Tim O’Brien: ‘Donald Trump Will Go to His Grave Saying I Won’ | Deadline | MSNBC
Labels:
Donald Trump
America's "Freedom" for the Rich Is Killing Us!
Schmidt Calls Efforts to Cast Doubt on the Election a ‘Breaking of Faith with American Democracy’
Wednesday, November 18, 2020
'Pathetic' Trump Denounced over Krebs Firing as Campaign Presses for Recounts
THE GUARDIAN: Senior House Democrat says Trump ‘views truth as his enemy’ / Campaign seeks recounts and investigations in key states
Donald Trump was condemned by opponents on Wednesday for firing the senior official who disputed his baseless claims of election fraud, as the president pressed on with his increasingly desperate battle to overturn Joe Biden’s victory.
The president’s election campaign team continued to press for recounts and investigations in battleground states where Biden has already been declared the winner, including a new request in Wisconsin for a partial recount.
And there was uproar over his decision late on Tuesday, announced by tweet, to fire a federal official in charge of election security who dismissed his claims of widespread voter fraud.
The firing of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (Cisa) director, Christopher Krebs, was “pathetic and predictable from a president who views truth as his enemy”, senior House Democrat Adam Schiff said. » | Maanvi Singh in Oakland, Sam Levine and Martin Pengellyin New York and Joan E Greve in Washington | Wednesday, November 18, 2020
Ivanka Trump obsessed with status, says former friend in tell-all essay »
Donald Trump was condemned by opponents on Wednesday for firing the senior official who disputed his baseless claims of election fraud, as the president pressed on with his increasingly desperate battle to overturn Joe Biden’s victory.
The president’s election campaign team continued to press for recounts and investigations in battleground states where Biden has already been declared the winner, including a new request in Wisconsin for a partial recount.
And there was uproar over his decision late on Tuesday, announced by tweet, to fire a federal official in charge of election security who dismissed his claims of widespread voter fraud.
The firing of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (Cisa) director, Christopher Krebs, was “pathetic and predictable from a president who views truth as his enemy”, senior House Democrat Adam Schiff said. » | Maanvi Singh in Oakland, Sam Levine and Martin Pengellyin New York and Joan E Greve in Washington | Wednesday, November 18, 2020
Ivanka Trump obsessed with status, says former friend in tell-all essay »
Labels:
Donald Trump
Conservative Political Analyst Bill Kristol on If Trump Will Concede
Tuesday, November 17, 2020
Monday, November 16, 2020
Pete Buttigieg: 'Each Passing Day That This Denial Goes on, It Has a Real Cost' | Andrea Mitchell
Born Rich – Documentary
This documentary by Jamie Johnson, heir to the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical fortune. He captures their rituals, worries and social customs. This is a documentary on the children of the superrich.
Directed by Jamie Johnson, one of their own and heir, this 80-minute documentary focuses on the growing wealth gap in America, as seen through the eyes of the filmmaker and 27-year-old heir to the Johnson & Johnson fortune.
Directed by Jamie Johnson, one of their own and heir, this 80-minute documentary focuses on the growing wealth gap in America, as seen through the eyes of the filmmaker and 27-year-old heir to the Johnson & Johnson fortune.
Labels:
the superrich,
USA
Barack Obama: The 2020 60 Minutes Interview
Labels:
60 Minutes,
Barack Obama
Sunday, November 15, 2020
Trump Acknowledges Biden’s Win, But Quickly Reverses, Saying ‘I Concede NOTHING!’
THE NEW YORK TIMES: WASHINGTON — President Trump appeared to briefly acknowledge for the first time Sunday morning that former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. had defeated him in the presidential election, but quickly reversed himself less than two hours later, insisting that “I concede NOTHING! We have a long way to go.”
The dueling tweets came as Mr. Trump continued to lie about the conduct of the vote-counting process, falsely insisting that Mr. Biden’s victory was the result of a “Rigged” election orchestrated by the “Fake & Silent” media.
His first tweet came Sunday morning at 7:47. Referring to Mr. Biden, the president said that “he won.” That represented the first time Mr. Trump had publicly said what his advisers have been telling him for days privately: His re-election bid failed and Mr. Biden will be inaugurated on Jan. 20.
After a flurry of tweets and news reports about his “concession,” Mr. Trump insisted that he had been misunderstood. » | Michael D. Shear | Sunday, November 15, 2020
The dueling tweets came as Mr. Trump continued to lie about the conduct of the vote-counting process, falsely insisting that Mr. Biden’s victory was the result of a “Rigged” election orchestrated by the “Fake & Silent” media.
His first tweet came Sunday morning at 7:47. Referring to Mr. Biden, the president said that “he won.” That represented the first time Mr. Trump had publicly said what his advisers have been telling him for days privately: His re-election bid failed and Mr. Biden will be inaugurated on Jan. 20.
After a flurry of tweets and news reports about his “concession,” Mr. Trump insisted that he had been misunderstood. » | Michael D. Shear | Sunday, November 15, 2020
Labels:
Donald Trump,
US election
Saturday, November 14, 2020
Trump Waves to Supporters Protesting Election Results
Trump drives by a D.C. rally on Saturday amid electoral losses and failed court challenges »
What a state to get to! Pathetic! – Mark
Labels:
Donald Trump
Lawrence: ‘It’s All Over’ for William Barr & Donald Trump | The Last Word | MSNBC
Labels:
Bill Barr,
Donald Trump
Mary Trump on Her Uncle’s Loss
Labels:
Donald Trump,
Mary Trump
Friday, November 13, 2020
Sainsbury’s Christmas Ad 2014
Labels:
Christmas
Elton John - Something About The Way You Look Tonight
Labels:
entertainment
Downing Street Denies Internal Crisis Has Harmed Brexit Talks
THE GUARDIAN: Senior French and EU figures claim infighting at No 10 has delayed chances of deal
Downing Street has been forced to deny Boris Johnson has lost control of the Brexit negotiations as French ministers warn of weeks more talks amid “upheaval” in London, and senior Brussels figures claim the chaos had led to a standstill.
France’s minister for EU affairs, Clément Beaune, appeared downbeat on Friday about the chances of an imminent breakthrough on a UK-EU deal.
There has been scant progress in the last week of the trade and security talks, while No 10 has been shaken by infighting that led to the news that Dominic Cummings would be quitting as the prime minister’s chief adviser. » | Daniel Boffey in Brussels, Jon Henley in Paris and Peter Walker in London | Friday, November 13, 2020
Downing Street has been forced to deny Boris Johnson has lost control of the Brexit negotiations as French ministers warn of weeks more talks amid “upheaval” in London, and senior Brussels figures claim the chaos had led to a standstill.
France’s minister for EU affairs, Clément Beaune, appeared downbeat on Friday about the chances of an imminent breakthrough on a UK-EU deal.
There has been scant progress in the last week of the trade and security talks, while No 10 has been shaken by infighting that led to the news that Dominic Cummings would be quitting as the prime minister’s chief adviser. » | Daniel Boffey in Brussels, Jon Henley in Paris and Peter Walker in London | Friday, November 13, 2020
Labels:
Brexit
Trump Is Bashing Fox News on Twitter as Pandemic Rages
Labels:
Donald Trump,
FOX News
Corona-Krise: Schweden ist auf dem Weg in eine dunkle Zeit
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Schweden war stolz auf den eigenen Weg in der Corona-Krise. Jetzt steigen die Infektions- und Totenzahlen deutlich. Der Ministerpräsident stimmt die Bürger auf schwere Zeiten ein – und weicht immer mehr vom bisherigen Kurs ab.
Stefan Löfven hat klare Worte gewählt. Als der schwedische Ministerpräsident in Stockholm vor die Presse trat, hatte er Grundsätzliches zu sagen. Es sei November, begann er, der dunkelste Monat des Jahres, die Dunkelheit werde noch eine Weile bleiben, „und leider scheinen wir uns auch auf dunklere Zeiten zuzubewegen, wenn es um die Ausbreitung von Infektionen in Teilen der Welt, in Europa und in Schweden geht“.
Alle Anzeichen gingen in eine unerwünschte, falsche Richtung. Es bestehe die Gefahr, dass die Situation „völlig dunkel“ werde, sagte er. „Wir riskieren, dass mehr Menschen krank werden, mehr Menschen sterben“, dass es mehr überarbeitete Menschen im Gesundheitswesen gebe und mehr Operationen verschoben würden. Es war Mittwochnachmittag und auch den letzten Schweden sollte nach seiner Rede klargeworden sein, dass die Lage im Königreich sehr ernst ist. » | Von Matthias Wyssuwa, Hamburg | Donnerstag, 12. November 2020
Stefan Löfven hat klare Worte gewählt. Als der schwedische Ministerpräsident in Stockholm vor die Presse trat, hatte er Grundsätzliches zu sagen. Es sei November, begann er, der dunkelste Monat des Jahres, die Dunkelheit werde noch eine Weile bleiben, „und leider scheinen wir uns auch auf dunklere Zeiten zuzubewegen, wenn es um die Ausbreitung von Infektionen in Teilen der Welt, in Europa und in Schweden geht“.
Alle Anzeichen gingen in eine unerwünschte, falsche Richtung. Es bestehe die Gefahr, dass die Situation „völlig dunkel“ werde, sagte er. „Wir riskieren, dass mehr Menschen krank werden, mehr Menschen sterben“, dass es mehr überarbeitete Menschen im Gesundheitswesen gebe und mehr Operationen verschoben würden. Es war Mittwochnachmittag und auch den letzten Schweden sollte nach seiner Rede klargeworden sein, dass die Lage im Königreich sehr ernst ist. » | Von Matthias Wyssuwa, Hamburg | Donnerstag, 12. November 2020
Labels:
Coronavirus,
Schweden
McEnany's Answer Stuns Cooper: That's Next Level Stuff
'Dejected' Trump Waffles over Waging Baseless Election Fight
Labels:
Donald Trump
Thursday, November 12, 2020
South African Activist Kumi Naidoo: Trump Is Attempting a Coup to Install Minority Rule
Why Ex-CIA Chief Is More Worried about Trump Now
Debate - What Could Trump Do in Next 76 Days- And Is He a 'Flight Risk'?
Labels:
Donald Trump
The Invasion - The Outbreak of World War II
Labels:
Poland,
World War II
Lawrence: ‘Donald Trump’s Silence Is His Concession Speech’ | The Last Word | MSNBC
Labels:
Donald Trump
US Election: Gulf Arab Leaders Face New Reality after Biden Victory
BBC: "You'll have to forgive me if I seem a little distracted," said the Saudi ambassador to the UK as his eyes flicked towards his mobile phone. "I'm keeping an eye on the results coming in from Wisconsin."
That was eight days ago, when we still did not know who would be in the White House in January.
When Joe Biden was declared the winner, the Saudi leadership in Riyadh took rather longer to respond than they did when Donald Trump was elected.
This is hardly surprising: they had just lost a friend at the top table.
Mr Biden's victory could now have far-reaching consequences for Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf Arab states.
The US strategic partnership with the region goes back to 1945 and it will likely endure, but changes are coming and they will not all be welcome in Gulf capitals. » | Frank Gardner, BBC security correspondent | Thursday, November 12, 2020
That was eight days ago, when we still did not know who would be in the White House in January.
When Joe Biden was declared the winner, the Saudi leadership in Riyadh took rather longer to respond than they did when Donald Trump was elected.
This is hardly surprising: they had just lost a friend at the top table.
Mr Biden's victory could now have far-reaching consequences for Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf Arab states.
The US strategic partnership with the region goes back to 1945 and it will likely endure, but changes are coming and they will not all be welcome in Gulf capitals. » | Frank Gardner, BBC security correspondent | Thursday, November 12, 2020
Loser: Donald Trump Derided Defeat – Now He Must Live with It
THE GUARDIAN: What was once the president’s go-to insult now unequivocally applies to him, as his record of failure finally catches up with him
In the Manichean world of Donald Trump, there is one epithet more pathetic than any other: loser. He has used the term when describing fellow Republicans Mitt Romney and John McCain, critics such as Cher, his friend Roger Stone, and even American fallen heroes who died fighting for their country in France in 1918. Now he joins their ranks. He will forever carry around his neck the yoke of the one-term president, a burden shouldered in the last 40 years by just two other men – George HW Bush and Jimmy Carter.
To make his humiliation complete, Trump lost to someone he denigrated as“ the worst candidate in the history of presidential politics”. But in the end, after a nail-biting vote count, Joe Biden proved himself to be a more worthy opponent than that, albeit by a thinner margin than polls predicted.
In 2016 Trump was a curiosity – the outsider who promised to take Washington by storm, the real estate magnate who said he would drain the swamp, the self-proclaimed billionaire who wouldn’t reveal his tax returns but would be the champion of “forgotten Americans”. » | Ed Pilkington in New York | Wednesday, November 11, 2020
Trump’s Post-Election Tactics Put Him in Unsavory Company »
In the Manichean world of Donald Trump, there is one epithet more pathetic than any other: loser. He has used the term when describing fellow Republicans Mitt Romney and John McCain, critics such as Cher, his friend Roger Stone, and even American fallen heroes who died fighting for their country in France in 1918. Now he joins their ranks. He will forever carry around his neck the yoke of the one-term president, a burden shouldered in the last 40 years by just two other men – George HW Bush and Jimmy Carter.
To make his humiliation complete, Trump lost to someone he denigrated as“ the worst candidate in the history of presidential politics”. But in the end, after a nail-biting vote count, Joe Biden proved himself to be a more worthy opponent than that, albeit by a thinner margin than polls predicted.
In 2016 Trump was a curiosity – the outsider who promised to take Washington by storm, the real estate magnate who said he would drain the swamp, the self-proclaimed billionaire who wouldn’t reveal his tax returns but would be the champion of “forgotten Americans”. » | Ed Pilkington in New York | Wednesday, November 11, 2020
Trump’s Post-Election Tactics Put Him in Unsavory Company »
Labels:
Donald Trump
Wednesday, November 11, 2020
Keilar: Trump Denying Transition and Installing Loyalists Is Dangerous
Labels:
Donald Trump
Trump's Handling of the Transition Is 'Innapropriate' and 'Reckless' | Andrea Mitchell | MSNBC
Labels:
Donald Trump
As Trump Loses White House, Robert De Niro Shares Relief and the Hope for Accountability | MSNBC
The Surging Coronavirus Finds a Federal Leadership Vacuum
THE NEW YORK TIMES: The winter wave has been anticipated for months. Now that it’s here, health officials worry once again about strategy and supplies.
WASHINGTON — When senior Food and Drug Administration officials held their morning call on Tuesday, they received a sobering warning from the agency’s chief, Dr. Stephen M. Hahn, who had just gotten off the phone with the White House: Block out “all the craziness” afoot and stay focused on fighting the pandemic, he said.
There are plenty of distractions. President Trump is pushing to overturn the results of the election and his only public statements about the coronavirus in the last few days were to make clear his pique that good news about a vaccine had not come until after Election Day — even as the average number of new daily infections topped 116,000, average daily deaths neared 1,000, and Covid-19 hospitalizations hit a record high of 61,964 on Tuesday.
Vice President Mike Pence canceled a vacation at the last minute this week as the virus numbers grew worse, but the White House coronavirus task force that he leads has been all but publicly silent. Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff who is infected with the virus, declared last month, “We are not going to control the pandemic,” and said the focus should instead be on the longer-term goals of developing vaccines and treatments. » | Sheryl Gay Stolberg, Noah Weiland, Sharon LaFraniere and Andrew Jacobs | Wednesday, November 11, 2020
WASHINGTON — When senior Food and Drug Administration officials held their morning call on Tuesday, they received a sobering warning from the agency’s chief, Dr. Stephen M. Hahn, who had just gotten off the phone with the White House: Block out “all the craziness” afoot and stay focused on fighting the pandemic, he said.
There are plenty of distractions. President Trump is pushing to overturn the results of the election and his only public statements about the coronavirus in the last few days were to make clear his pique that good news about a vaccine had not come until after Election Day — even as the average number of new daily infections topped 116,000, average daily deaths neared 1,000, and Covid-19 hospitalizations hit a record high of 61,964 on Tuesday.
Vice President Mike Pence canceled a vacation at the last minute this week as the virus numbers grew worse, but the White House coronavirus task force that he leads has been all but publicly silent. Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff who is infected with the virus, declared last month, “We are not going to control the pandemic,” and said the focus should instead be on the longer-term goals of developing vaccines and treatments. » | Sheryl Gay Stolberg, Noah Weiland, Sharon LaFraniere and Andrew Jacobs | Wednesday, November 11, 2020
Labels:
Coronavirus,
USA
Viktor Orban plant Verfassungsänderung: Ungarn will Rechte Homosexueller einschränken
TAGES ANZEIGER: Viktor Orban wird mit seinen Plänen zu Änderungen in der Verfassung, die auf Familien und die LGBTQ-Community zielen, viel Aufregung verursachen.
Die rechtskonservative ungarische Regierung hat überraschend eine Reihe von Verfassungsänderungen und Gesetzen eingebracht, die Opposition und Zivilgesellschaft in Atem halten und auch in Brüssel Irritation auslösen dürften. So soll das von der Regierungspartei Fidesz mit Zweidrittelmehrheit dominierte Parlament in den nächsten Tagen zwei Paragrafen zustimmen, in denen die Definition von Familie und die Rechte von Kindern umformuliert wurden. » | Cathrin Kahlweit aus Wien | Mittwoch, 11. November 2020
Die rechtskonservative ungarische Regierung hat überraschend eine Reihe von Verfassungsänderungen und Gesetzen eingebracht, die Opposition und Zivilgesellschaft in Atem halten und auch in Brüssel Irritation auslösen dürften. So soll das von der Regierungspartei Fidesz mit Zweidrittelmehrheit dominierte Parlament in den nächsten Tagen zwei Paragrafen zustimmen, in denen die Definition von Familie und die Rechte von Kindern umformuliert wurden. » | Cathrin Kahlweit aus Wien | Mittwoch, 11. November 2020
Labels:
Homosexualität,
Ungarn
Several Injured in Explosion at Saudi Armistice Day Event
THE GUARDIAN: France condemns ‘cowardly attack’ at Jeddah ceremony for foreign diplomatic staff
Several people have been wounded in an explosion in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah during a ceremony to commemorate the end of the first world war attended by staff from foreign diplomatic missions, officials have said.
“The embassies involved condemn this cowardly attack, which is wholly unjustified,” the French foreign ministry said. “They call on the Saudi authorities to shed as much light as they can on this attack, and to identify and hunt down the perpetrators.”
A Greek government official told Reuters that an explosive device had gone off at a ceremony at a non-Muslim cemetery in Jeddah. Four people had been slightly injured, the official said, including a Greek national.
A statement from the Mecca governorate on Saudi state TV said two people were injured: a Greek consulate employee and a Saudi security guard. The British government said one UK national suffered minor injuries. » | Jon Henley | Wednesday, November 11, 2020
Several people have been wounded in an explosion in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah during a ceremony to commemorate the end of the first world war attended by staff from foreign diplomatic missions, officials have said.
“The embassies involved condemn this cowardly attack, which is wholly unjustified,” the French foreign ministry said. “They call on the Saudi authorities to shed as much light as they can on this attack, and to identify and hunt down the perpetrators.”
A Greek government official told Reuters that an explosive device had gone off at a ceremony at a non-Muslim cemetery in Jeddah. Four people had been slightly injured, the official said, including a Greek national.
A statement from the Mecca governorate on Saudi state TV said two people were injured: a Greek consulate employee and a Saudi security guard. The British government said one UK national suffered minor injuries. » | Jon Henley | Wednesday, November 11, 2020
Labels:
Saudi Arabia
Tuesday, November 10, 2020
See What Pompeo Said When Asked about Biden's Victory
Say Goodbye to Trump’s Cabinet | NowThis
Brianna Keilar Sounds Off on GOP Enablers Fueling Trump's Refusal to Concede
Hitler and the Children of Obersalzberg
Monday, November 09, 2020
John Major: Brexit Set to Be 'More Brutal Than Anyone Expected'
BBC: Brexit may be "even more brutal than expected" due to the UK's negotiating "failures", Sir John Major has said.
In a speech in London, the ex-prime minister said the UK's "inflexibility" and "threats" towards the EU would make future trade "less profitable".
And he warned of the "corrosive" impact to the UK's reputation of a proposed law giving ministers the power to over-ride aspects of the Brexit Agreement.
Peers will vote shortly on whether to amend the Internal Market Bill.
They are expected to remove a series of clauses which would give the UK the right to disregard obligations in the Withdrawal Agreement with the EU in relation to Northern Ireland, a move that Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis has conceded would break international law. » | Monday, October 9, 2020
In a speech in London, the ex-prime minister said the UK's "inflexibility" and "threats" towards the EU would make future trade "less profitable".
And he warned of the "corrosive" impact to the UK's reputation of a proposed law giving ministers the power to over-ride aspects of the Brexit Agreement.
Peers will vote shortly on whether to amend the Internal Market Bill.
They are expected to remove a series of clauses which would give the UK the right to disregard obligations in the Withdrawal Agreement with the EU in relation to Northern Ireland, a move that Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis has conceded would break international law. » | Monday, October 9, 2020
Labels:
Brexit,
John Major
John Podesta: Trump 'Is Interfering with the Orderly Transition of Power' | Andrea Mitchell | MSNBC
Labels:
Donald Trump
Boris Johnson Congratulates Joe Biden But Faces Strained Relations - BBC News
Boris Johnson has said he is looking forward to working with the US President Elect Joe Biden on climate change - as well as on international trade - and security.
However, relations are likely to complicated by Joe Biden’s opposition to Brexit and his previous description of Boris Johnson as a “political and emotional clone of Donald Trump”.
The new administration is thought likely to want to establish a strong relationship with the European Union and its policies towards China will be watched closely after years of tension with the Trump White House.
Mishal Husain presents BBC News at Ten reporting by diplomatic correspondent James Landale, political editor Laura Kuenssberg, economics correspondent Dharshini David and China correspondent Jon Sudworth.
However, relations are likely to complicated by Joe Biden’s opposition to Brexit and his previous description of Boris Johnson as a “political and emotional clone of Donald Trump”.
The new administration is thought likely to want to establish a strong relationship with the European Union and its policies towards China will be watched closely after years of tension with the Trump White House.
Mishal Husain presents BBC News at Ten reporting by diplomatic correspondent James Landale, political editor Laura Kuenssberg, economics correspondent Dharshini David and China correspondent Jon Sudworth.
Labels:
Boris Johnson,
Joe Biden
Merkel Congratulates Joe Biden: International Reactions on the US Election | DW News
While US President Donald Trump refuses to accept the result of the presidential election, many world leaders congratulate President-elect Joe Biden.
In her first extended remarks about the outcome of the US election, Chancellor Angela Merkel has outlined how Germany hopes to move forward with projected presidential winner Joe Biden in the White House. German Chancellor Angela Merkel voiced hope for a return to stronger ties with Washington on Monday, following Joe Biden's projected presidential win. Merkel's speech on Monday marks the chancellor's first extended reaction to the results of the US election after she offered her congratulations to President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris this weekend.
In her first extended remarks about the outcome of the US election, Chancellor Angela Merkel has outlined how Germany hopes to move forward with projected presidential winner Joe Biden in the White House. German Chancellor Angela Merkel voiced hope for a return to stronger ties with Washington on Monday, following Joe Biden's projected presidential win. Merkel's speech on Monday marks the chancellor's first extended reaction to the results of the US election after she offered her congratulations to President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris this weekend.
Goodbye Trump, Hello Biden: How America Is Waving Goodbye to a Shocking, Shameful Era
THE GUARDIAN: Trump’s brutal policies and spread of misinformation have divided the US. Uniting the country will be Biden’s biggest task
As the result was finally called, the end of his presidency confirmed, Donald Trump teed off on a crisp, autumnal Saturday afternoon at his private golf club in Virginia.
The president was in the midst of a four-day mission to spread baseless misinformation about election integrity in an attempt to subvert US democracy.
“I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT!” he tweeted, falsely, hours before hitting the fairway.
Of the many false claims Trump has made over the past four years – lying about the size of his inauguration crowd, lying about the trajectory of a life-threatening hurricane, lying about the deadliness of the coronavirus – the lies about this election are the most farcical and grotesque.
And they have not worked.
A growing chorus of world leaders, some members of the Republican party, and tens of millions of Americans have already begun to move on. Trump cast a lonely figure as he returned to the White House after golfing, his motorcade met on the street by hundreds of protesters who simultaneously gave him the middle finger. » | Oliver Laughland | Monday, November 9, 2020
As the result was finally called, the end of his presidency confirmed, Donald Trump teed off on a crisp, autumnal Saturday afternoon at his private golf club in Virginia.
The president was in the midst of a four-day mission to spread baseless misinformation about election integrity in an attempt to subvert US democracy.
“I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT!” he tweeted, falsely, hours before hitting the fairway.
Of the many false claims Trump has made over the past four years – lying about the size of his inauguration crowd, lying about the trajectory of a life-threatening hurricane, lying about the deadliness of the coronavirus – the lies about this election are the most farcical and grotesque.
And they have not worked.
A growing chorus of world leaders, some members of the Republican party, and tens of millions of Americans have already begun to move on. Trump cast a lonely figure as he returned to the White House after golfing, his motorcade met on the street by hundreds of protesters who simultaneously gave him the middle finger. » | Oliver Laughland | Monday, November 9, 2020
Trump's a Loser: What Does His 2020 Loss Mean for America? | The Beat with Ari Melber | MSNBC
Sunday, November 08, 2020
Will President-elect Joe Biden Change US Foreign Policy? | Inside Story
After days of uncertainty and a hard fought, bitter campaign, Joe Biden has been declared the winner of the US Presidential election. He says he wants to restore the soul of America and unite a deeply divided nation.
Biden received more votes than any other presidential candidate in history. But he's appealed to the tens of millions of Americans who did not vote for him - to give him a chance.
After his victory in Pennsylvania, Biden is projected to have a majority of the Electoral College votes needed to win the White House.<
Biden received more votes than any other presidential candidate in history. But he's appealed to the tens of millions of Americans who did not vote for him - to give him a chance.
After his victory in Pennsylvania, Biden is projected to have a majority of the Electoral College votes needed to win the White House.<
How Will the Biden Presidency Impact US Foreign Relations? | US election 2020
Biden Addressed Supporters, and the Nation
Read the article HERE »
Saturday, November 07, 2020
Congratulations!
I would like to congratulate Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on their clear victory in the US presidential election. This is a moment of hope for America: decency and common sense have triumphed. Decency has triumphed over vulgarity, light has triumphed over darkness, wisdom has triumphed over folly, knowledge has triumphed over ignorance, and hope has triumphed over despair.
America is fractured; its society is divided. Much damage has been done in recent years. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have their work cut out to try and undo the damage that Donald Trump and his administration have done to the American economy, to American society.
America has been crying out for change for many years. Now, change has come. In January, the US will have its new beginning. The road ahead will be long, rough and bumpy. I wish the new administration well in the difficult task ahead of them.
© Mark Alexander
America is fractured; its society is divided. Much damage has been done in recent years. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have their work cut out to try and undo the damage that Donald Trump and his administration have done to the American economy, to American society.
America has been crying out for change for many years. Now, change has come. In January, the US will have its new beginning. The road ahead will be long, rough and bumpy. I wish the new administration well in the difficult task ahead of them.
© Mark Alexander
Van Jones Fights Back Tears: Result Shows Character Matters
Labels:
US election
Biden Wins Presidency, Ending Four Tumultuous Years Under Trump
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Joseph R. Biden Jr. achieved victory offering a message of healing and unity. He will return to Washington facing a daunting set of crises.
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was elected the 46th president of the United States on Saturday, promising to restore political normalcy and a spirit of national unity to confront raging health and economic crises, and making Donald J. Trump a one-term president after four years of tumult in the White House.
Mr. Biden’s victory amounted to a repudiation of Mr. Trump by millions of voters exhausted with his divisive conduct and chaotic administration, and was delivered by an unlikely alliance of women, people of color, old and young voters and a sliver of disaffected Republicans. Mr. Trump is the first incumbent to lose re-election in more than a quarter-century.
The result also provided a history-making moment for Mr. Biden’s running mate, Senator Kamala Harris of California, who will become the first woman to serve as vice president. » | Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns | Saturday, November 7, 2020
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was elected the 46th president of the United States on Saturday, promising to restore political normalcy and a spirit of national unity to confront raging health and economic crises, and making Donald J. Trump a one-term president after four years of tumult in the White House.
Mr. Biden’s victory amounted to a repudiation of Mr. Trump by millions of voters exhausted with his divisive conduct and chaotic administration, and was delivered by an unlikely alliance of women, people of color, old and young voters and a sliver of disaffected Republicans. Mr. Trump is the first incumbent to lose re-election in more than a quarter-century.
The result also provided a history-making moment for Mr. Biden’s running mate, Senator Kamala Harris of California, who will become the first woman to serve as vice president. » | Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns | Saturday, November 7, 2020
Steve Bannon Loses Lawyer After Suggesting Beheading of Fauci
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Mr. Bannon, the former adviser to President Trump, said the heads of the F.B.I. director and Dr. Anthony Fauci should be put on pikes, leading Twitter to ban one of his accounts.
Stephen K. Bannon, the former adviser to President Trump who is known for his right-wing extremism, suggested on Thursday that the F.B.I. director and Dr. Anthony S. Fauci should be beheaded, and Twitter responded by banning one of his accounts.
On Friday, a prominent lawyer who was defending Mr. Bannon against fraud charges in federal court in Manhattan abruptly moved to drop him as a client, one person familiar with the matter said.
“Mr. Bannon is in the process of retaining new counsel,” the lawyer, William A. Burck, said in a brief letter to the court, giving no explanation.
A spokeswoman for Mr. Bannon declined to comment. » | Benjamin Weiser, Michael S. Schmidt and William K. Rashbaum | Friday, November 6, 2020
Stephen K. Bannon, the former adviser to President Trump who is known for his right-wing extremism, suggested on Thursday that the F.B.I. director and Dr. Anthony S. Fauci should be beheaded, and Twitter responded by banning one of his accounts.
On Friday, a prominent lawyer who was defending Mr. Bannon against fraud charges in federal court in Manhattan abruptly moved to drop him as a client, one person familiar with the matter said.
“Mr. Bannon is in the process of retaining new counsel,” the lawyer, William A. Burck, said in a brief letter to the court, giving no explanation.
A spokeswoman for Mr. Bannon declined to comment. » | Benjamin Weiser, Michael S. Schmidt and William K. Rashbaum | Friday, November 6, 2020
Labels:
Steve Bannon
Biden Says 'We're Going to Win This Race' as Election Count Puts Him on the Cusp of Victory
Labels:
Joe Biden,
US election
Friday, November 06, 2020
US Presidential Election: Biden on Cusp of Clinching Victory in Narrow Race
Divided States of America? | UpFront
Note: This episode was recorded on Thursday, November 5, 2020.
In this episode of UpFront we ask former Congressman Jack Kingston why the president of the United States is repeatedly claiming, without evidence, that Democrats are "stealing" the election.
And in the Arena, as more than 68 million Americans vote for President Donald Trump, we debate the future of "Trumpism" and ask whether it is time to end the Electoral College.
In this episode of UpFront we ask former Congressman Jack Kingston why the president of the United States is repeatedly claiming, without evidence, that Democrats are "stealing" the election.
And in the Arena, as more than 68 million Americans vote for President Donald Trump, we debate the future of "Trumpism" and ask whether it is time to end the Electoral College.
Donald Trump's Malignant Spell Could Soon Be Broken
THE GUARDIAN: Joe Biden has swept the popular vote, and is on the verge of claiming the electoral college. It’s a momentous achievement
Barring a twist inconceivable even by the standards of 2020, we will soon know the result of the US presidential election – and it will almost certainly be a cause for rejoicing. Donald Trump, the man who has haunted the world’s dreams and sparked a thousand nightmares, has all but lost. On 20 January 2021, he will probably leave the White House – or be removed if necessary. The Trump presidency, a shameful chapter in the history of the republic, will soon be over.
True, it is taking longer than we might have liked. There was to be no swift moment of euphoria and elation, an unambiguous landslide announced on election night with a drumroll and fireworks display. Instead, thanks to a pandemic that meant two in three Democrats voted by slower-to-count mail-in ballots, it’s set to be a win in increments, a verdict delivered in slow motion. Nor was there the hoped-for “blue wave” that might have carried the Democrats to a majority in the US Senate (though there is, just, a way that could yet happen). As a result, it will be hard for Joe Biden to do what so urgently needs to be done, whether that’s tackling the climate crisis, racial injustice, economic inequality, America’s parlous infrastructure or its dysfunctional and vulnerable electoral machinery. And it is glumly true that even if Trump is banished from the Oval Office, Trumpism will live on in the United States. » | Jonathan Freedland | Friday, November 6, 2020
Barring a twist inconceivable even by the standards of 2020, we will soon know the result of the US presidential election – and it will almost certainly be a cause for rejoicing. Donald Trump, the man who has haunted the world’s dreams and sparked a thousand nightmares, has all but lost. On 20 January 2021, he will probably leave the White House – or be removed if necessary. The Trump presidency, a shameful chapter in the history of the republic, will soon be over.
True, it is taking longer than we might have liked. There was to be no swift moment of euphoria and elation, an unambiguous landslide announced on election night with a drumroll and fireworks display. Instead, thanks to a pandemic that meant two in three Democrats voted by slower-to-count mail-in ballots, it’s set to be a win in increments, a verdict delivered in slow motion. Nor was there the hoped-for “blue wave” that might have carried the Democrats to a majority in the US Senate (though there is, just, a way that could yet happen). As a result, it will be hard for Joe Biden to do what so urgently needs to be done, whether that’s tackling the climate crisis, racial injustice, economic inequality, America’s parlous infrastructure or its dysfunctional and vulnerable electoral machinery. And it is glumly true that even if Trump is banished from the Oval Office, Trumpism will live on in the United States. » | Jonathan Freedland | Friday, November 6, 2020
Labels:
US election
Kommentar zu Trumps Präsidentschaft: Jetzt wartet die Endabrechnung
TAGES ANZEIGER: Donald Trump wird sich in schlechter Gesellschaft befinden, wenn die Bilanz seiner tumultartigen Präsidentschaft gezogen wird.
Noch steht ein Ergebnis nicht fest, am Horizont aber zeichnen sich das Ende der Präsidentschaft Donald Trumps sowie die Einschwörung des Demokraten Joe Biden als neuen amerikanischen Präsidenten im Januar 2021 ab (hier gehts zum Ticker zur US-Präsidentschaftswahl). Trump teilte damit das Schicksal Jimmy Carters und George Herbert Walker Bushs, die ebenfalls nach nur einer Amtszeit das Weisse Haus räumen mussten.
Einen Exorzismus der bösen Geister, die Trump rief, hat diese Wahl jedoch nicht geleistet. Eine Reinigung des politischen Systems, die doch so bitter nötig gewesen wäre, steht aus.
Darin manifestiert sich gleichermassen ein profundes Versagen der Demokratischen Partei wie auch die traurige Tatsache, dass die republikanische Basis offensichtlich gewillt ist, antidemokratisches und autoritäres Benehmen trotz des beträchtlichen Schadens für Staat und Gesellschaft zu dulden oder gar zu unterstützen, solange es der Machterhaltung dient. » | Meinung | Martin Kilian aus Washington | Freitag, 6. November 2020
Noch steht ein Ergebnis nicht fest, am Horizont aber zeichnen sich das Ende der Präsidentschaft Donald Trumps sowie die Einschwörung des Demokraten Joe Biden als neuen amerikanischen Präsidenten im Januar 2021 ab (hier gehts zum Ticker zur US-Präsidentschaftswahl). Trump teilte damit das Schicksal Jimmy Carters und George Herbert Walker Bushs, die ebenfalls nach nur einer Amtszeit das Weisse Haus räumen mussten.
Einen Exorzismus der bösen Geister, die Trump rief, hat diese Wahl jedoch nicht geleistet. Eine Reinigung des politischen Systems, die doch so bitter nötig gewesen wäre, steht aus.
Darin manifestiert sich gleichermassen ein profundes Versagen der Demokratischen Partei wie auch die traurige Tatsache, dass die republikanische Basis offensichtlich gewillt ist, antidemokratisches und autoritäres Benehmen trotz des beträchtlichen Schadens für Staat und Gesellschaft zu dulden oder gar zu unterstützen, solange es der Machterhaltung dient. » | Meinung | Martin Kilian aus Washington | Freitag, 6. November 2020
Labels:
Donald Trump
Trump, McCain, Bush and Carter: Different Reactions to Bad Election Results
Labels:
US election
'Time for a Cool Head': Germany Urges Trump to Be Calm, while UK Stays Silent
THE GUARDIAN: German foreign minister says US president must refrain from pouring oil on the fire of a tense situation
Germany led European calls for Donald Trump to end his claim that the American election was fraudulent, urging the president and his followers to stop “pouring oil” on the tense situation in the US and noting that “decent losers” were vital to upholding democracy.
The German foreign minister, Heiko Maas, said: “America is more than a one-man show. Anyone who continues to pour oil on the fire in a situation like this is acting irresponsibly. Now is the time to keep a cool head until an independently determined result is available.”
“In order for the result – which has not yet been determined – to be accepted, everyone must first show restraint. Decent losers are more important for the functioning of a democracy than radiant winners.”
Maas said he expected that once the election result was settled, “the USA will probably not return to the international stage with full energy for the time being”, but he added: “The world needs the USA as a force for order, not as a factor of chaos.” » | Patrick Wintour, Diplomatic editor | Friday, October 6, 2020
Germany led European calls for Donald Trump to end his claim that the American election was fraudulent, urging the president and his followers to stop “pouring oil” on the tense situation in the US and noting that “decent losers” were vital to upholding democracy.
The German foreign minister, Heiko Maas, said: “America is more than a one-man show. Anyone who continues to pour oil on the fire in a situation like this is acting irresponsibly. Now is the time to keep a cool head until an independently determined result is available.”
“In order for the result – which has not yet been determined – to be accepted, everyone must first show restraint. Decent losers are more important for the functioning of a democracy than radiant winners.”
Maas said he expected that once the election result was settled, “the USA will probably not return to the international stage with full energy for the time being”, but he added: “The world needs the USA as a force for order, not as a factor of chaos.” » | Patrick Wintour, Diplomatic editor | Friday, October 6, 2020
Labels:
Donald Trump,
Germany,
US election
"No Elected Republican Will Stand behind Trump's Statement": Santorum Weighs in on Trump Briefing
Labels:
Donald Trump
Trump Reportedly Defied Aides with His Chaotic Election Attacks | The 11th Hour | MSNBC
Labels:
Donald Trump
In Torrent of Falsehoods, Trump Claims Election Is Being Stolen
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Most television networks cut away from the statement President Trump gave Thursday night from the White House briefing room on the grounds that what he was saying was not true.
WASHINGTON — Even for President Trump, it was an imagined version of reality, one in which he was not losing but the victim of a wide-ranging conspiracy stretching across the country in multiple cities, counties and states, involving untold numbers of people all somehow collaborating to steal the election in ways he could not actually explain.
Never mind that Mr. Trump presented not a shred of evidence during his first public appearance since late on election night or that few senior Republican officeholders endorsed his false claims of far-reaching fraud. A presidency born in a lie about Barack Obama’s birthplace appeared on the edge of ending in a lie about his own faltering bid for re-election.
“If you count the legal votes, I easily win,” Mr. Trump said Thursday night in an unusually subdued, 17-minute televised statement from the lectern in the White House briefing room, complaining that Democrats, the news media, pollsters, big technology companies and nonpartisan election workers had all corruptly sought to deny him a second term.
“This is a case where they’re trying to steal an election,” he said. “They’re trying to rig an election, and we can’t let that happen.” » | Peter Baker and Maggie Haberman | Thursday, November 5, 2020
WASHINGTON — Even for President Trump, it was an imagined version of reality, one in which he was not losing but the victim of a wide-ranging conspiracy stretching across the country in multiple cities, counties and states, involving untold numbers of people all somehow collaborating to steal the election in ways he could not actually explain.
Never mind that Mr. Trump presented not a shred of evidence during his first public appearance since late on election night or that few senior Republican officeholders endorsed his false claims of far-reaching fraud. A presidency born in a lie about Barack Obama’s birthplace appeared on the edge of ending in a lie about his own faltering bid for re-election.
“If you count the legal votes, I easily win,” Mr. Trump said Thursday night in an unusually subdued, 17-minute televised statement from the lectern in the White House briefing room, complaining that Democrats, the news media, pollsters, big technology companies and nonpartisan election workers had all corruptly sought to deny him a second term.
“This is a case where they’re trying to steal an election,” he said. “They’re trying to rig an election, and we can’t let that happen.” » | Peter Baker and Maggie Haberman | Thursday, November 5, 2020
Labels:
Donald Trump
Trump May Have Broken His Own Record for Most Dangerous Lies in One Speech
THE GUARDIAN: In 16 minutes, the liar-in-chief offered a downright dishonest take on the election that risked inciting violence
It seemed like a desperate last stand from a fearful strongman who can feel power slipping inexorably away.
The US president on Thursday returned to the White House briefing room, scene of past triumphs such as that time he proposed bleach as a cure for coronavirus and that other time he condemned QAnon with the words “They like me”.
Trump offered a downright dangerous and dishonest take on this week’s election that current vote counting trends suggest he will lose. It was possibly an attempt to intimidate and deter TV networks from declaring a winner in the next few hours.
It also risked inciting protests and violence from supporters encouraged to view Joe Biden as an illegitimate president-elect.
Sombre and downbeat, Trump made false claims from a prepared statement ( is that better or worse than ad-libbing lies?) » | David Smith in Washington | Friday, October 6, 2020
It seemed like a desperate last stand from a fearful strongman who can feel power slipping inexorably away.
The US president on Thursday returned to the White House briefing room, scene of past triumphs such as that time he proposed bleach as a cure for coronavirus and that other time he condemned QAnon with the words “They like me”.
Trump offered a downright dangerous and dishonest take on this week’s election that current vote counting trends suggest he will lose. It was possibly an attempt to intimidate and deter TV networks from declaring a winner in the next few hours.
It also risked inciting protests and violence from supporters encouraged to view Joe Biden as an illegitimate president-elect.
Sombre and downbeat, Trump made false claims from a prepared statement ( is that better or worse than ad-libbing lies?) » | David Smith in Washington | Friday, October 6, 2020
Labels:
Donald Trump
Trump’s Favorite TV Network Is Post-parody
THE ATLANTIC: One America News is the straight truth for Trump fans, and completely surreal for everyone else.
One america news, or OAN, or OANN—whichever you like, it’s all the same thing—is Donald Trump’s favorite cable-news channel. Mostly this is because One America News seems to agree with Trump about everything, in the same way a dog agrees to chase its own tail. Every day, Trump does something that catches OAN’s attention, and it’s off to the races. He’s part ringleader, part muse. If you’re wondering just how deep the fealty goes, consider this actual headline that ran on oann.com at the end of March, when Trump was still in his denial phase about the coronavirus: “President Handling Emergency Well in First Term.” So well, in fact, we should just give him that second term right now, wouldn’t you say? Every so often, Trump and Fox News have a lover’s spat, and this is when he really turns on the charm toward OAN—retweeting its praise of him, calling on its correspondents at press briefings two days in a row. Or, to put the relationship in tabloid terms familiar to Trump: He treats OAN like his sidepiece, and Fox News like a future ex-wife. » | Devin Gordon | Tuesday, May 19, 2020 (Shadowland *) * This article is part of “Shadowland,” a project about conspiracy thinking in America.
One america news, or OAN, or OANN—whichever you like, it’s all the same thing—is Donald Trump’s favorite cable-news channel. Mostly this is because One America News seems to agree with Trump about everything, in the same way a dog agrees to chase its own tail. Every day, Trump does something that catches OAN’s attention, and it’s off to the races. He’s part ringleader, part muse. If you’re wondering just how deep the fealty goes, consider this actual headline that ran on oann.com at the end of March, when Trump was still in his denial phase about the coronavirus: “President Handling Emergency Well in First Term.” So well, in fact, we should just give him that second term right now, wouldn’t you say? Every so often, Trump and Fox News have a lover’s spat, and this is when he really turns on the charm toward OAN—retweeting its praise of him, calling on its correspondents at press briefings two days in a row. Or, to put the relationship in tabloid terms familiar to Trump: He treats OAN like his sidepiece, and Fox News like a future ex-wife. » | Devin Gordon | Tuesday, May 19, 2020 (Shadowland *) * This article is part of “Shadowland,” a project about conspiracy thinking in America.
Labels:
Donald Trump,
OAN
Trump or Biden: How Divided Is the United States? | To The Point
Trump Lies in the White House Briefing Room, and the Networks Pull the Plug.
THE NEW YORK TIMES: President Trump broke a two-day silence with reporters to deliver a brief statement filled with lies about the election process as workers in a handful of states continue to tabulate vote tallies in the presidential race.
The president painted the election results so far as part of a broad conspiracy to deprive him of winning a second term by Democrats, election officials in various cities and the media.
“If you count the legal votes, I easily win,” Mr. Trump said shortly after he took the podium in the White House briefing room, a false statement that cast aspersion on the rest of the election. He offered no evidence. » | Maggie Haberman and Michael M. Grynbaum | Friday, October 6, 2020
The Disinformation Is Coming From Inside the White House »
The president painted the election results so far as part of a broad conspiracy to deprive him of winning a second term by Democrats, election officials in various cities and the media.
“If you count the legal votes, I easily win,” Mr. Trump said shortly after he took the podium in the White House briefing room, a false statement that cast aspersion on the rest of the election. He offered no evidence. » | Maggie Haberman and Michael M. Grynbaum | Friday, October 6, 2020
The Disinformation Is Coming From Inside the White House »
Labels:
Donald Trump,
White House
Steve Bannon Suspended from Twitter, Faces YouTube Removal after Urging Violence against US Officials
THE GUARDIAN: Steve Bannon, Trump’s former top adviser, has been suspended from Twitter and had a YouTube removed after he called for the beheading of Anthony Fauci and Christopher Wray.
Bannon urged violence against the nation’s leading coronavirus expert and the FBI director on his “war room” show where he asserted that the president would win re-election and that he should fire the two officials in his second term, Media Matters reported. Bannon then said: “I’d put the heads on pikes, right, I’d put them at the two corners of the White House as a warning to federal bureaucrats. You either get with the program or you’re gone – time to stop playing games.” » | Sam Levin | Friday, October 6, 2020
Bannon urged violence against the nation’s leading coronavirus expert and the FBI director on his “war room” show where he asserted that the president would win re-election and that he should fire the two officials in his second term, Media Matters reported. Bannon then said: “I’d put the heads on pikes, right, I’d put them at the two corners of the White House as a warning to federal bureaucrats. You either get with the program or you’re gone – time to stop playing games.” » | Sam Levin | Friday, October 6, 2020
Thursday, November 05, 2020
Lyon, 1897: Snow Fight – Bataille de neige – L’œuvre cinématographique des frères Lumière
L’œuvre cinématographique des frères Lumière »
Read the NYT article HERE »
Labels:
fun
Joe: It's Time for Us to Take a Deep Breath and Move Forward | Morning Joe | MSNBC
Labels:
Morning Joe,
US election
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