Saudi Women's Rights Activist's Trial Moved to Terrorism Court

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

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 »

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

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: Cashing In on the Presidency | The Daily Social Distancing Show

Did Trump run for president just to make money? Maybe. Did he realize that becoming President could make him even more money than he imagined? Definitely. Here’s a look at how Trump cashed in on the presidency.

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

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

Ali Velshi on President Trump’s Real Legacy | MSNBC

President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the election are predictable and will achieve nothing but the erosion of our democracy. That will be Trump’s real legacy. He will do damage, but he won’t succeed.

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

Barbra Streisand - 1980 - Guilty

Trump Slams Paris Climate Accord in His Last G20 Appearance | G20 Riyadh

Leaders of the world's wealthiest countries are wrapping up their online G20 summit, hosted by Saudi Arabia in Riyadh. US President Donald Trump defended his environmental record and justified his decision to pull out of the international Paris climate agreement. The virtual gathering has been dominated by efforts to end the coronavirus pandemic and the global recession. A draft declaration shows the biggest economies will pledge to pay for fair distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and testing, so that poor countries are not left out. Climate change and the environment have emerged as another theme as the summit draws to a close.

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

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

Joe Biden Says He Would Be Ready to Rejoin Iran Nuclear Deal

President Donald Trump unraveled a signature foreign policy achievement of his predecessor by quitting the Iranian nuclear deal two years ago and subjecting Tehran to harsh economic sanctions. President-Elect Joe Biden says under his administration, Washington would be ready to rejoin the agreement. Political analyst and a Professor at Tehran University Mohammad Marandi weighs in.

The Real Reason Trump Won’t Concede

Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich exposes how Trump is swindling his supporters through his meaningless "Official Election Defense Fund".

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

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

Neal Katyal: All of Trump’s Criminal Immunity Expires in about 60 Days | Deadline | MSNBC

Former U.S. acting solicitor general Neal Katyal explains the charges President Trump might face after he leaves office and the reason why his current legal efforts are incriminating him even more. Aired on 11/20/2020.

Smerconish: Here's the Real Danger in Trump's Charade

President Trump's dangerous efforts to "gum up" the election process is leading too many Americans not to accept the results of the 2020 election, Michael Smerconish says, because his enablers remain unwilling to tell the emperor he has no clothes.

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 »

CC Ivanka Trump: How the President Has Stoked Unrest | The Mehdi Hasan Show | The Choice on Peacock

Two minute drill: Mehdi Hasan sums up almost everything Ivanka's father, the president, has done to incite violence and terror here in the U.S. since 2015.

'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

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.

Fmr. MI GOP Exec: I'm "Not Confident That They'll Certify the Election" | The Mehdi Hasan Show

Despite that lack of confidence, fmr. longtime Republican Jeff Timmer says his ex-colleagues in the Michigan GOP "have an obligation to certify the election results. A court will likely tell them to certify the election results."

Mary Trump: The President is Not Going to Concede | The Mehdi Hasan Show

Mary Trump, a psychologist and President Trump's niece, joins Mehdi Hasan to discuss how the GOP has enabled Trump's unwillingness to concede, delaying critical information sharing with the incoming Biden administration.

Leaders

“Call them whatever you like, but don’t call them leaders”

Tim O’Brien: ‘Donald Trump Will Go to His Grave Saying I Won’ | Deadline | MSNBC

Bloomberg Opinion senior columnist, Tim O’Brien, analyzes Trump’s decision to ignore the realities of the 2020 election and instead tout, with no evidence, that there was election fraud. Aired on 11/18/2020.

America's "Freedom" for the Rich Is Killing Us!

Republicans have a bizarre notion of what that word “freedom” means. But Americans who don’t have live-in chefs and pilots for their private jets are more inclined to agree with President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who pointed out in 1933, that “a necessitous man is not a free man.”

Schmidt Calls Efforts to Cast Doubt on the Election a ‘Breaking of Faith with American Democracy’

Co-founder of the Lincoln Project Steve Schmidt says Trump not accepting the results of the election is his worst action yet, and says it’s tragic to watch Republicans go along with it. Aired on 11/18/2020.

'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 »

Conservative Political Analyst Bill Kristol on If Trump Will Concede

Conservative political analyst and Editor at Large at the Bulwark, Bill Kristol, chatted with me on Instagram Live about President Trump’s refusal to concede. “The Republicans by going along with Trump,” Kristol said. “They have strengthened him a lot. They’ve set him up to be a major figure in the next months, maybe years.”

Democracy Now! Top US & World Headlines — November 17, 2020

Pete Buttigieg: 'Each Passing Day That This Denial Goes on, It Has a Real Cost' | Andrea Mitchell

Pete Buttigieg joins Andrea Mitchell to discuss the delayed transition process, on which he says that "Each passing day that this denial goes on, it has a real cost." He also addresses reports and speculation that he could serve in a role in the Biden administration, saying that "I would love a chance to return to public service but that's for the president-elect to decide. This administration is going to have enthusiastic support from me whether I'm on the inside or outside." Aired on 11/16/2020.

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.

Barack Obama: The 2020 60 Minutes Interview

The former president shares the advice he would give President Trump, his thoughts on the killing of George Floyd, and what's behind the divisions in Washington and across the U.S. Scott Pelley reports

Barack Obama: One Election Won't Stop US 'Truth Decay'

Read the BBC article HERE »

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

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

Lawrence: ‘It’s All Over’ for William Barr & Donald Trump | The Last Word | MSNBC

Lawrence O’Donnell explains how Donald Trump’s remarks in the Rose Garden show that the president knows his administration is coming to an end on January 20. Aired on 11/13/2020.

Mary Trump on Her Uncle’s Loss

The niece of President Trump and author of "Too Much and Never Enough" Mary Trump texted me saying, “consider yourself lucky that you’re not out on the golf course with him right now.” So we decided to have a chat on Instagram Live. We chatted about the President’s reaction and how the next 74 days will unfold.

Democracy

It's time for Republicans to put America first.

Sainsbury’s Christmas Ad 2014

Is this, perhaps, one of the very best Christmas ads ever made? In my opinion, this year’s Christmas ads from the nation’s major supermarkets don’t hold the candle to this great ad by Sainsbury’s. This advertisement has everything: it is Christmassy, it represents the true spirit of Christmas, it is moving, and it is extremely well made. A wonderful advert! This is going to be very difficult to improve upon. It is timeless.

Elton John - Something About The Way You Look Tonight

"Directed by Tim Royes, the music video for The Big Picture’s first single features supermodels Alek Wek, Kate Moss, and Sophie Dahl. 'Something About The Way You Look Tonight' peaked at #1 in over 20 countries as the double-A side single with 'Candle In The Wind 1997'".

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

Trump Is Bashing Fox News on Twitter as Pandemic Rages

CNN's Brian Stelter explains how President Donald Trump's relationship with Fox News is changing following the results of the 2020 presidential election.

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

McEnany's Answer Stuns Cooper: That's Next Level Stuff

CNN's Anderson Cooper discusses the lack of action from President Donald Trump and his White House administration days after the election results and reacts to a White House press secretary's reaction to the situation.

'Dejected' Trump Waffles over Waging Baseless Election Fight

CNN's Kaitlan Collins reports on President Trump's attitude and strategy days after President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

South African Activist Kumi Naidoo: Trump Is Attempting a Coup to Install Minority Rule

We continue to look at the world’s response to the U.S. election with South African activist Kumi Naidoo, a global ambassador for Africans Rising for Justice, Peace and Dignity, former secretary general of Amnesty International and former head of Greenpeace. Naidoo says President Donald Trump’s loss to Joe Biden is good news, but notes that the world lost four crucial years to tackle the climate crisis and other issues because of the Trump administration. “This is a relief, but it is not something for us to — at this stage, anyway — celebrate with any great enthusiasm,” he says.

Why Ex-CIA Chief Is More Worried about Trump Now

Former CIA Director John Brennan tells CNN's Wolf Blitzer why he's more worried now than he has been during the past four years of President Trump's administration.

Debate - What Could Trump Do in Next 76 Days- And Is He a 'Flight Risk'?

We’re joined by Timothy Snyder - professor of history at Yale University. His latest book analyses what he calls "America's turn towards authoritarianism" under Donald Trump.

Democracy Now! : Top US & World Headlines — November 12, 2020

The Invasion - The Outbreak of World War II

This extra-long episode reconstructs how Hitler's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 triggered a chain of events sparking a global conflagration. Hitler’s Poland Campaign unleashed a “Blitzkrieg” lasting six weeks only. However, it was a war of unprecedented brutality resulting in a tremendous suffering of the Polish people in the long run. Sheds light on some of their lives telling almost forgotten stories.

Lawrence: ‘Donald Trump’s Silence Is His Concession Speech’ | The Last Word | MSNBC

Lawrence O’Donnell explains why Donald Trump’s silence is the silence of a man who is terrified of what his life will become on January 20th. Aired on 11/11/2020.

Decoded: Saudi Food Wars

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

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 »

Keilar: Trump Denying Transition and Installing Loyalists Is Dangerous

CNN's Brianna Keilar breaks down the danger of President Trump's team refusing to begin the transition for President-elect Joe Biden and Trump firing key people in the administration to replace them with loyalists.

Trump's Handling of the Transition Is 'Innapropriate' and 'Reckless' | Andrea Mitchell | MSNBC

William Cohen, former Republican senator and Secretary of Defense to President Clinton, joins Andrea Mitchell to discuss the lack of cooperation in the transition process and President Trump's refusal to concede. Cohen reflects on the transition between President Clinton and President George W. Bush, "That's what a democracy is supposed to be about, that you want your successor to be in a position to protect and defend the interests of the American people." Aired on 11/11/2020.

As Trump Loses White House, Robert De Niro Shares Relief and the Hope for Accountability | MSNBC

Legendary Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro speaks out in his first interview since Pres. Trump’s defeat, telling MSNBC’s Ari Melber that he is relieved about Trump’s loss and concerned about how someone like Trump could get as far as he did in American government, warning that “more people like” Trump may test democracy again. De Niro also reflects on Trump’s ethics, his silence since Saturday’s election call, why he believes Trump has “no center” and the appeal and role of “tough guys” and mafia films in American life and culture. Aired on 11/09/2020.

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

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

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

Democracy Now! Top US & World Headlines — November 11, 2020

See What Pompeo Said When Asked about Biden's Victory

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said there would be a smooth transition to a "second Trump administration" despite President-elect Joe Biden's victory. Brianna Keilar discusses with CNN's Kylie Atwood, Gloria Borger and legal analyst Laura Coates.

Only in America! Pro-Trump Televangelist Laughs at News Biden Won US Election | NowThis

Say Goodbye to Trump’s Cabinet | NowThis

It's not just Trump leaving the White House in January — say goodbye to all his lackeys, too.

Brianna Keilar Sounds Off on GOP Enablers Fueling Trump's Refusal to Concede

CNN's Brianna Keilar calls out enablers of President Donald Trump for fueling the President's refusal to accept defeat in the 2020 election

Hitler and the Children of Obersalzberg

The Obersalzberg retreat was the summer residence and retreat of Adolf Hitler, Eva Braun and his closest confidants in the Nazi regime. The public are mainly familiar with film footage and photographs from the alleged Nazi idyll. For the first time, eye witnesses are willing to talk about their experiences in Obersalzberg.

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

John Podesta: Trump 'Is Interfering with the Orderly Transition of Power' | Andrea Mitchell | MSNBC

John Podesta, the White House Chief of Staff to President Clinton and counselor to President Obama, joins Andrea Mitchell to discuss the transition and recount process. In regards to the GSA administrator refusal to sign the paperwork allowing for the Biden-Harris transition, Podesta says "I think that people need to think about how they are going to go down in history if they decide that they are going to follow the president's lead and kind of set themselves on fire as they go out the door." Aired on 11/9/2020.

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.

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.

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

Trump's a Loser: What Does His 2020 Loss Mean for America? | The Beat with Ari Melber | MSNBC

Donald Trump lost the 2020 election to a diverse coalition backing Joe Biden -- powered especially by women of color and new voters. On the weekend that Biden was formally projected the winner and President-Elect, MSNBC anchor Ari Melber reports on implications of the election and digs into clues about America’s direction in the results. (This interview is from MSNBC’s “The Beat with Ari Melber, a news show covering politics, law and culture airing nightly at 6pm ET on MSNBC.

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.<

How Will the Biden Presidency Impact US Foreign Relations? | US election 2020

Many European leaders are hoping Joe Biden will help repair the transatlantic ties that have been strained under the Trump presidency. So what is a Biden administration likely to do for relations with Europe and the rest of the world?

Biden Addressed Supporters, and the Nation

President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris addressed the nation from Wilmington, Del.

Read the article HERE »

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

Van Jones Fights Back Tears: Result Shows Character Matters

CNN's Van Jones reacts to Joe Biden's election as the 46th president of the United States.

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

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

Biden Says 'We're Going to Win This Race' as Election Count Puts Him on the Cusp of Victory

Presidential hopeful Joe Biden has said 'we're going to win this race' as crucial states trend in his favour as vote counting in the US election continues. Biden, who stands on the cusp of victory, said late on Friday he was on track to claim 300 electoral votes. The former vice-president has already urged unity during the count after Donald Trump moved to sow doubt about the election process without presenting any evidence. 'We may be opponents, but we're not enemies,' Biden said. 'We're Americans' 'We're going to win this race': Biden addresses the nation as his lead grows

US Presidential Election: Biden on Cusp of Clinching Victory in Narrow Race

We dissect a week like no other with the latest on the US election. And asking how does America hope to become re-United in the wake of the most bitter election of living memory? Trump's legacy may well be the rise of the far right: his policies and personal attitude have been emboldened and branch of politics long thought to be shamed into silence. No more. With Trump's threats of legal action, and his inflammatory, but it seems baseless claims of election fraud, is he trying to take down the system at the same time as the people vote him out?

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.

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

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

Trump, McCain, Bush and Carter: Different Reactions to Bad Election Results

Speeches from candidates conceding defeat in past US elections have been resurfacing after Donald Trump’s latest address as the 2020 result looms. Speaking from the White House on Thursday, Trump falsely referred to legally cast mail-in ballots as illegitimate, and made unsubstantiated claims that pollsters got results ‘knowingly wrong’ and that the election was being stolen

Democracy Now! Top US & World Headlines — November 6, 2020

'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

"No Elected Republican Will Stand behind Trump's Statement": Santorum Weighs in on Trump Briefing

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) reacts to President Donald Trump's address from the White House press briefing room. Santorum said it was "very disappointing and shocking" to hear the allegations and hoped Republicans would defend the election's integrity.

Trump Reportedly Defied Aides with His Chaotic Election Attacks | The 11th Hour | MSNBC

In a move criticized by many in his own party, Trump issued a slew of false and damaging attacks on the integrity of the election defying the advice of White House staff. Ashley Parker and Alexi McCammond share what they've learned from their sources. Aired on 11/05/2020.

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

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

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.

Trump or Biden: How Divided Is the United States? | To The Point

Who will be the 46th president of the United States? Donald Trump or Joe Biden? Can the winner bring the divided country together? Our guests: Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson (KCRW Berlin), Mosi Secret (freelance Journalist), Matthew Karnitschnig (Politico).

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 »

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

Lyon, 1897: Snow Fight – Bataille de neige – L’œuvre cinématographique des frères Lumière

A large number of characters fight with snowballs. In the middle of this mêlée, a cyclist appears on whom everyone throws balls and who ends up rolling on the ground; he gets up and dodges sharply with his bicycle and the battle starts all over again. Date: January 31, 1897 - February 7, 1897 Location: France, Lyon

L’œuvre cinématographique des frères Lumière »

Read the NYT article HERE »

Joe: It's Time for Us to Take a Deep Breath and Move Forward | Morning Joe | MSNBC

Joe Scarborough discusses conservative and liberal division and why the country has to stop regarding elections as the end of the world. Aired on 11/05/2020.