Boris Johnson Fascinated by Donald Trump, Says Ex-Ambassador

THE GUARDIAN: PM is intrigued by Trump’s ‘relationship with the truth’, Kim Darroch writes in new book

Kim Darroch, a former British ambassador to the US, has said Boris Johnson is fascinated and inspired by Donald Trump, and is intrigued by the US president’s patchy relationship “with the facts and the truth”.

In a new book serialised in the Times, Lord Darroch said Johnson must share the blame for his resignation as ambassador to Washington, which followed the leaking of diplomatic cables disparaging Trump.

Darroch wrote that Johnson had been “fascinated” by Trump on his visits to Washington as foreign secretary before he became prime minister, with particular focus on the president’s use of language.

This includes “the limited vocabulary, the simplicity of the messaging, the disdain for political correctness, the sometimes incendiary imagery, and the at best intermittent relationship with facts and the truth”, the former diplomat wrote. » | PA media | Saturday, September 5, 2020

Don Winslow Films - #MeetMotherPence

Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’

THE ATLANTIC: The president has repeatedly disparaged the intelligence of service members, and asked that wounded veterans be kept out of military parades, multiple sources tell The Atlantic.

When President Donald Trump canceled a visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris in 2018, he blamed rain for the last-minute decision, saying that “the helicopter couldn’t fly” and that the Secret Service wouldn’t drive him there. Neither claim was true.

Trump rejected the idea of the visit because he feared his hair would become disheveled in the rain, and because he did not believe it important to honor American war dead, according to four people with firsthand knowledge of the discussion that day. In a conversation with senior staff members on the morning of the scheduled visit, Trump said, “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.” In a separate conversation on the same trip, Trump referred to the more than 1,800 marines who lost their lives at Belleau Wood as “suckers” for getting killed. » | Jeffrey Goldberg | Thursday, September 3, 2020

Trump 'Is a Man of Many Fears': Former Military Leaders React to the Atlantic's Reporting | MSNBC

Retired four star general Barry McCaffrey and former Defense Secretary William Cohen join Andrea Mitchell to react to reporting from the Atlantic that President Trump called Americans who died in war "losers" and "suckers." General McCaffrey says that Trump "is a man of many fears" who "can't understand the millions of veterans who have stepped forward to fight and defend this country." Secretary Cohen adds that "almost everything he has done has proven that he is unfit to serve." Aired on 09/04/2020.

Former Australian PM Tony Abbott Confirmed as UK Trade Adviser

THE GUARDIAN: Critics say Abbott’s views on women and homosexuality and the climate crisis make him unfit for role

Boris Johnson has appointed Tony Abbott as an official UK trade adviser, defying widespread condemnation of the former Australian prime minister’s record of misogyny and homophobia and his views on the climate emergency.

Abbott, whose consideration for the role prompted criticism from opposition parties, charities and LGBT and environmental activists, is among nine external advisers appointed to the Board of Trade. The board, revived by Theresa May, is intended to help shape post-Brexit trade policy.

Liz Truss, the international trade secretary, who declined to defend Abbott’s views when asked about them in a TV interview last week, said the advisers were “a diverse group of people who share Britain’s belief in free enterprise, democracy and high standards and rules-based trade”. » | Peter Walker and Kevin Rawlinson | Friday, September 4, 2020

'We're At the Point Where We Should Sanction Putin', Tory MP Says | LBC

Tom Tugendhat told LBC sanctions should be used "more actively" to help target individuals who have been "part of Putin's mafia regime".

Speaking to LBC's Iain Dale Tom Tugendhat, the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee and Conservative MP for Tonbridge and Malling, said it was time to start sanctioning President Putin.

Earlier President Vladimir Putin's spokesman has brushed off allegations that the Kremlin was involved in poisoning the Russian leader's most determined critic, Alexei Navalny. But Mr Tugendhat told LBC that he thinks the UK should be "stiffer with the sanctions" that are in place.

Referencing the Magnitsky Act the Tory MP said sanctions should be used "more actively" to help target individuals who have been "part of Putin's mafia regime".

Türkei vs. Griechenland: Riskiert Erdogan einen Krieg? | Auf den Punkt

Die türkische Außenpolitik unter Präsident Erdogan wird immer aggressiver. Jüngstes Beispiel der Gasstreit im östlichen Mittelmeer. Droht jetzt ein Krieg unter Natopartnern? Unsere Gäste: Maximilian Popp (Spiegel), Michael Thumann (Die Zeit), Yasemin Ergin (freie Journalistin).

Prof. Richard D Wolff on the Four Reasons Capitalism Is Imploding

Professor Richard D. Wolff discusses the "four basic problems that the United States and its Capitalist system have had for a very long time" and how "none of them have been solved", and how "none of them have even been approached for the serious fundamental problems that they are". Watch to hear Professor Wolff break down these four all-encompassing issues we face in America today and have faced in our history.

Angela Merkel: 'Unequivocal Proof' Alexei Navalny Was Poisoned with Novichok

The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, said in a personal statement that testing by a special military laboratory had shown proof that the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a novichok nerve agent. 'It is now clear: Alexei Navalny is the victim of a crime,' Merkel said. 'He was meant to be silenced. This raises very difficult questions that only the Russian government can answer, and has to answer.' Alexei Navalny poisoned with novichok, says German government

Donald Trump’s Failed Leadership Threatens Everything Mark Cares about. For that reason, he's for Joe

"It's unbelievable what he's doing to save himself and to get re-elected. It's just all about him, not about country."

Donald Trump Denies Suffering 'Mini Strokes'

THE TELEGRAPH: VP Mike Pence was reportedly put on 'standby' over president's hospital visit in November

Donald Trump has denied having a series of “mini strokes” amid reports Mike Pence, vice president, was put on standby after he sought hospital treatment in November.

Mr Trump's denial comes amid new scrutiny of his unannounced weekend trip to Walter Reed last November, during which the White House said the president began “portions of his routine annual physical exam".

However, according to a forthcoming book by New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt, West Wing staffers were told to put Mr Pence on standby “to take over the powers of the presidency temporarily if Mr Trump had to undergo a procedure that would have required him to be anesthetized". » | Josie Ensor, US correspondent | Tuesday, September 1, 2020

Donald Trump: Ratings

Biden beats Trump in polls and ratings. Ouch.

Meet the New Yes Man on Trump's COVID Task Force: Dr Scott Atlas Wants US to Adopt Herd Immunity

As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States passes 6 million, with a death toll of over 183,000, the Trump administration is loosening coronavirus restrictions, fast-tracking vaccine approval and disregarding safety tests, and now one of Trump's top medical advisers is pushing for the country to adopt a controversial "herd immunity" strategy, raising alarm among public health officials. Washington Post health reporter Yasmeen Abutaleb says Dr. Scott Atlas is not an epidemiologist and was brought on specifically because he would back President Trump's position "about how the pandemic was going, that the threat was receding, that the country should reopen." We also speak with Yale epidemiologist Gregg Gonsalves, who argues the U.S. is already following an "implicit" herd immunity policy. "They realize it's politically toxic, so they don't want to use the phrase, but if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is a duck," he says.

Germany Shocked by Far-right Protesters Trying to Enter Parliament | DW News

German politicians from across the political spectrum have condemned a far-right attempt to storm the parliament building in Berlin. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called it "an intolerable attack on the heart of our democracy". Demonstrators against the government's pandemic policies, along with far-right groups and science deniers overwhelmed police to rush the entrance to the German parliament. The sight of black, white and red imperial German flags in front of the Reichstag was so shocking that science denial and conspiracy theories were forgotten.

Don Winslow Films: An Open Letter to Republicans - #OpenLetterToRepublicans

Jon Meacham on the DNC and the RNC: Patriotism vs Propaganda | The 11th Hour | MSNBC

Presidential historian and biographer Jon Meacham, who was a speaker at Biden's DNC, contrasts and compares that event to the four days of Trump's very different RNC. Aired on 08/28/2020.

Can Fascism Take Root in the US? | Think | NBC News

Is President Trump Fascist? | NYT Opinion

While calling President Trump a fascist may seem like an exaggeration, it might not be that far from the truth. Should we be worried? Jason Stanley has spent the past decade studying fascism, from Mussolini to Duterte. In this video op-ed, he argues that yes, we should be worried: If Americans are not vigilant, fascism could become a new reality in the United States.

Mary Trump Shares New Recordings of Trump’s Sister Criticizing Family | The ReidOut | MSNBC

In recordings shared by Mary Trump exclusively with The ReidOut, Maryanne Trump Barry, Donald Trump’s sister, is heard criticizing many members of the Trump family. Maryanne Trump Barry and Mary Trump discussed Ivanka Trump’s actions during the period that the Trump Administration initiated their child separation practices. Trump Barry also says the president 'is all over the line' when it comes to his treatment of DREAMers. Aired on 08/28/2020.

2020: The Next Great Depression (w/ Richard Wolff)

We are in the middle of the severest depression, ever. Unemployment is at an all-time high and many people will never work again. Should the government employ many of these unemployed people, as happened the in great depression 100 years ago? Or will they just ignore them?