Thursday, July 30, 2020

ALMOST PERFECT!

Let's make a list, shall we?

Trump Says ‘Not Sure I Could Have Done Any More’ As COVID Rages Across The Country

Death toll reaches 150,000. No end in sight


He just says s--t

Trump claims military will distribute COVID-19 vaccine, only someone forgot to tell the military


Trump undermines the coronavirus relief bill negotiations

‘We Really Don’t Care’

The things he says

“I read a lot. You know, I read a lot. They like to say I don’t read. I read a lot. I comprehend extraordinarily well, probably better than anybody that you’ve interviewed in a long time. I read a lot.”

Saying the secret part out loud

Racist In Chief: Trump Says Suburbanites Will ‘No Longer Be Bothered’ By Low-Income Housing

[NB: Was there ever any doubt?]


Ocasio-Cortez tries to stop housing rule as Trump plays to race

Trump has advice for those who decry his obvious conflict of interest in promoting a new FBI building across the street from his hotel

President Trump on Wednesday dismissed Republican criticism of his push for the inclusion of funding for a new FBI building in the next coronavirus relief package, saying GOP senators should “go back to school and learn.” . . .

[NB: Many favor moving the FBI to a different location, which would free up that prime real estate for another hotel -- and Trump DEFINITELY doesn't want that.]

No. 2 GOP senator: Not a lot of support for FBI building funds in COVID bill

Appalling. Simply appalling (thanks to DR for the link)

Jailed Portland Protesters Must Agree to Stop Going to Protests to Be Freed

Trump pulls Federal cops from Portland


“The reason Trump’s tactic fails is that, by deploying troops to fight the anarchists, he broadens the issue into a fight about Trump himself. This inevitably draws more, largely nonviolent protesters, into the streets. ‘The numbers of protesters had dwindled substantially in recent weeks,’ one reporter in Portland observed last week, ‘but reports of heavily armed, unidentified, camouflaged federal officers abducting people off the street into unmarked vehicles and meting out violence on the people of Portland have thoroughly re-energized the populace.'” “The same thing happened further north. ‘Nightly protests since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis had dwindled in recent weeks in Seattle but were reinvigorated in the wake of federal action in the Portland protests and after Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) tweeted that President Trump had sent federal law enforcement agents to the city,’ reported the Post.”

“And so the scenes that Trump craves, pitting soldiers against black-clad radicals, have transformed quickly into troops against veterans, moms, and other antagonists who cut a more sympathetic profile. The protesters report that they have joined the protests because of Trump’s response to the protests. Tessa and Leshan Terry formed the ‘Wall of Vets’ in Portland, and came to their first demonstration after seeing video of agents beating a fellow Navy veteran.”

Now this

Trump administration to send federal agents to Cleveland, Detroit and Milwaukee

The Pentagon goes after leakers

New Pentagon training refers to protesters, journalists as 'adversaries'

AG Bill Barr used his testimony to repeat and reinforce Trump's lies -- adding to his reputation as the worst AG ever


In investigation news . . .  

Trump calls the Russian bounty story "fake news" (it's not), has consistently refused to bring it up with Putin

In This Astounding Interview, Trump Shrugs Off Russian Bounties As 'Fake News'

Trump has called Putin 8 times since he was briefed on Russian bounty program, and never even asked

Instead . . . a big smooch for Vlad

U.S. to withdraw 12,000 troops from Germany just days after Trump placed latest call to Putin

Lawmakers blast Trump plans to withdraw troops from Germany

Justice Brett Kavanaugh tried to get his fellow justices NOT to rule on the Trump tax records case


In other news . . .   

Louie Gohmert, public menace

GOP Rep. Louie Gohmert, Who Refused to Wear a Mask, Now Has Coronavirus . . . “[I]f I get it,” he told CNN in June, “you’ll never see me without a mask.” Gohmert, who was in attendance at Tuesday’s House Judiciary Committee hearing with Attorney General William Barr . . . was spotted without a mask on Tuesday speaking with Barr within an arm’s length prior to the hearing.

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) told the American Independent that he probably contracted coronavirus because he wore a mask more frequently in recent days . . . “I can’t help but think that if I hadn’t been wearing a mask so much in the last 10 days or so, I really wonder if I would have gotten it.”

Just after reports that Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) had tested positive for coronavirus, Politico got an email from one of his aides: “Thank you for letting our office know Louie tested positive for the Coronavirus. When you write your story, can you include the fact that Louie requires full staff to be in the office, including three interns, so that ‘we could be an example to America on how to open up safely.’ When probing the office, you might want to ask how often were people berated for wearing masks.”

Gohmert’s positive coronavirus test raises fresh safety questions

Hoyer: Maskless Republicans a public health threat

Trump supporters, including Republican officials, are making that impossible by waging a cultural war against common-sense pandemic solutions, such as wearing masks to curb the virus’ spread. As most countries now enjoy post-coronavirus recoveries, Trump’s America careens deeper into the crisis. If only somebody had warned us about how dangerous his fanatic followers are. . . . [read on]

Pelosi to require masks on House floor

The GOP really, really wants lawsuit immunity for businesses


Trump Calls GOP Relief Bill ‘Semi-Irrelevant’

They've earned it

Scores of House Republicans are suddenly sweating over losing their seats

NY Daily News: What four more years of Trump would mean


The Trump campaign is pulling ads from Michigan


Social media pulls videos with dangerously false virus advice and insane conspiracy theorizing. But Fox World thinks they're just fine


Trump really believes that Fox World should be his personal campaign bullhorn. They OWE him

Trump again targets Fox: 'They totally forgot who got them where there are'

The Cheerleader struggles to defend Trump retweeting health disinformation


Love it

NAVARRO: The China virus. The CCP virus.
BERMAN: You know what? We let you say that once, Peter. Please don’t say that again on this show.
NAVARRO: The China virus.
BERMAN: Alright. Peter Navarro, we appreciate you being with us.

Dark money is infiltrating national elections


Bonus item: Seth Meyers on that wacky coronavirus video


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Wednesday, July 29, 2020

PLAYING DOCTOR

Twitter pulls misleading Trump tweets for providing FALSE medical information


Trump’s New Favorite COVID Doctor Believes in Alien DNA, Demon Sperm and Hydroxychloroquine

Trump keeps praising this absolute kook -- because she's pro-hydroxychloroquine and he's determined to defend his irrational faith in it

Trump said a female doctor in the video, appearing to reference Stella Immanuel, made “specular” statements about hydroxychloroquine. He also described the doctors in the video as “very respected” and questioned why social media companies removed the videos. Immanuel has previously claimed on YouTube and in articles on her website that gynecological problems, such as endometriosis, cysts and infertility, are caused by individuals having sex with demons and witches in their dreams. She claims alien DNA is currently used in medical treatments and that scientists are developing a vaccine to prevent people from being religious. Asked later about outlandish statements made by Immanuel, Trump said he believed she was “impressive” but that he knew “nothing about her.” Trump left the briefing without taking further questions after CNN’s Kaitlan Collins tried to press him further on the issue.

President Donald Trump’s press conference quickly unraveled on Tuesday as he struggled to defend a video he’d retweeted that is full of false claims about the coronavirus and complained about his low approval rating. Reporters asked Trump repeated questions about his continued support for hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment a day after he retweeted several conspiracy theories about the drug. Multiple clinical trials have found hydroxychloroquine is not an effective coronavirus treatment, despite the president’s suggestions to the contrary. “Many doctors think it is extremely successful,” Trump claimed when asked about the retweets, adding, “I happen to believe in it. I would take it. As you know, I took it for a 14-day period, and I’m here. ... It’s safe. It doesn’t cause problems.” Trump was also forced to answer for a video he retweeted on Monday that showed a group of self-proclaimed medical experts claiming that social distancing and masks were not necessary to curb the spread of COVID-19 . . . The event was hosted and funded by the right-wing nonprofit Tea Party Patriots, which has been organizing projects to promote that narrative. A reporter pointed out to Trump . . . that one of the main doctors featured in the video is a full-blown conspiracy theorist: “She’s also made videos saying that doctors make medicine using DNA from aliens and that they’re trying to create a vaccine to make you immune from becoming religious.”

“She was on air, along with many other doctors,” Trump said. “They were big fans of hydroxychloroquine, and I thought she was very impressive . . . She said that she’s had tremendous success with hundreds of different patients.” . . . After fumbling through his answer about the video, Trump quickly walked off the podium, ending the briefing after less than 30 minutes. In the past, his coronavirus-related briefings have lasted for over an hour. But the president appeared eager to wrap up the event on Tuesday, complaining several times that he was being unfairly maligned. At one point he suggested that health experts were not backing hydroxychloroquine to spite him. “It doesn’t seem to be too popular,” Trump said of the drug. “You know why? Because I recommend it. When I recommend something, they like to say don’t use it.”

This is the inevitable of these briefings: they can try to script him all they want, but whining and self-serving lies will always come out

Trump's 'new tone' on coronavirus implodes over his promotion of 'demon sperm' doctor

Trump Calls Quack Doctor ‘Very Impressive,’ Then Stalks Out Of Presser

Trump Moans ‘Nobody Likes Me,’ And Twitter Critics Quickly Remind Him Why

What were they thinking?

Meanwhile, Trump accuses DR. FAUCI of misleading the country


The Lincoln Project keeps hitting Trump with a sledgehammer -- another new ad

“None of this had to happen” . . . “We have suffered needlessly because Trump is a fool, a liar and a failure. Most countries stopped it, Trump refused. It’s Trump’s virus now.”

Trump says FU to the SC

Trump admin makes Supreme Court defiance official, says it won't accept first-time DACA applicants


Trump WANTS clashes between protesters and his troops -- he thinks chaos in the cities will scare people back into his "law and order" arms


Trump Is Getting What He Wants in Portland

The Department of Homeland Security was always a bad idea, an overreaction to the events of 9/11. Now Trump shows us what centralizing these functions under a president's direct control can do



“What we're seeing now on the streets of Portland is written into the DNA of the department.”

AG Bill Barr testifies before Congress. They waited a year to get him, and they squandered their chance. Tight questioning, which is what you need with a weasel like Barr, is not their forté

Billy Barr’s statement for his testimony today is here. It is as cynical and dishonest as you might imagine. . . .





Swalwell: Barr has taken Michael Cohen's job as Trump's fixer

SWALWELL: You don’t read the president’s tweets?
'BARR: No.
SWALWELL: Well, there’s a lot of evidence in the president’s tweets, Mr. Attorney General. I think you should start reading them.'

Barr: "I have no reason to think" that 2020 election will be rigged

Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) asked Barr during a Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday if it is ever appropriate for a president to solicit or accept foreign assistance in an election.
“It depends what kind of assistance,” Barr responded.

Attorney General William Barr, whom a Justice Department official told the Post ordered the police crackdown, told lawmakers during a separate hearing Tuesday that he learned “sometime in the afternoon that the president might come out of the White House,” but like Monahan claimed it had “nothing to do” with the plan to clear the park. . .

'I'm Starting To Lose My Temper': Rep. Jayapal Eviscerates Bill Barr

Bad questioning

Democrats Finally Had Their Chance to Grill Bill Barr. They Blew It.

Democratic attorneys criticize House Judiciary Democrats' questioning of Barr

Long-awaited showdown doesn't yield many new answers

Why the Democrats Can’t Nail Bill Barr

In investigation news . . .  

No, of course not

Trump never raised Russia's Taliban bounties with Putin

The Cesspool

“President Trump’s re-election effort is alleged to have paid more than $170 million to companies affiliated with former campaign manager Brad Parscale without disclosing the ultimate recipients of the money,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Trump Making Illegal Secret Payments, Including To His Own Family

How Trump Funnels Campaign Funds to His Businesses
In other news . . .   

Now, after everything, Trump will receive the RNC nomination in North Carolina after all


Trump is spending nearly all his campaign ad money trying to hold on to states he won in 2016


Trump claims he is leading in a series of states where he is actually trailing


The Republicans release their COVID relief bill. But they're still divided

Individuals
  • Democrats maintain the $600 unemployment bonus. Republicans slash it to $200.
  • Stimulus checks: About the same in both bills.
  • Democrats allocate $430 billion for schools. Republicans are offering only $100 billion.
  • Democrats want $1 trillion in aid to cities and states. Republicans want nothing. 
Business
  • Republicans want to immunize businesses from COVID-related lawsuits.
  • Republicans want more money for emergency business loans.
  • Republicans want a new round of funding for the PPP program.
  • Republicans want a 100 percent deduction for business meals through the end of 2020.
Senate Republicans release their COVID-19 relief bill. Is it enough?

“The GOP Senate’s new $1 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill restores hundreds of millions of dollars in Pentagon spending that the Trump administration redirected to help pay for President Trump’s border wall,” the Washington Post reports.

Senate Republicans criticize their own stimulus bill . . . “It’s a mess. . .This is not going to be the bill . . .”

Republican lawmakers faced with slipping poll numbers and economic indicators acknowledge they are under pressure to reach a quick deal with Democrats on a new coronavirus package. Armed with more leverage, Democrats will likely not agree to any deal unless it is closer to the $3.4 trillion bill the House passed in May. Republican officials don’t see any advantages to drawing the battle out. . . .

Theocracy watch

Trump Campaign Adviser Jenna Ellis: Separation of Church and State Is a Liberal Lie

Some Repubs would rather see Biden win, and then try to win things back in 2024 (thanks to DR for the link)


I've never liked her. Never

The co-chair of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ failed presidential campaign profanely blasted presumed Democratic nominee Joe Biden on Monday, striking a divisive note on behalf of unsatisfied progressive voters. Nina Turner, assessing the choice of Biden against President Donald Trump in the November presidential election, told The Atlantic: “It’s like saying to somebody, ‘You have a bowl of shit in front of you, and all you’ve got to do is eat half of it instead of the whole thing.’ It’s still shit.” . . .

Bernie Sanders delegates mount convention rebellion over 'Medicare for All'

Nope, Dems are not in disarray over party platform and Medicare for All

Joe Biden unveils an economic plan with a focus on racial inequalities



Six things that could still shake up the presidential race


Is Kamala Harris's stock dropping as a potential VP?



Joe Biden said he will announce his running mate “in the first week in August.”

Bonus item: Why Trump made up the invitation to throw out the first pitch at a Yankees game

Trump’s abrupt announcement was reportedly prompted by his irritation that Fauci, who has clashed with the President’s rosy framing of the COVID-19 crisis in the U.S., had been invited to throw out the opening pitch. . . .

Fauci baseball card shatters Topps 24-hour record with 51,512 sold

Trump questions how Fauci has a high approval rating 'but nobody likes me' . . . "It can only be my personality. That’s all."

***If you enjoy Progressive Blog Digest and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sharing its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com) with others via email or social media. Thanks for helping to spread the word!

I don’t get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don’t run ads, etc.). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a “mission,” it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
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Tuesday, July 28, 2020

MAGICAL THINKING

Why Trump won't get serious about fighting the virus

“Trump’s shortcomings have perplexed even some of his most loyal allies, who increasingly have wondered why the president has not at least pantomimed a sense of command over the crisis or conveyed compassion for the millions of Americans impacted by it.” “People close to Trump, many speaking anonymously to share candid discussions and impressions, say the president’s inability to wholly address the crisis is due to his almost pathological unwillingness to admit error; a positive feedback loop of overly rosy assessments and data from advisers and Fox News; and a penchant for magical thinking that prevented him from fully engaging with the pandemic.”

Who could've seen it coming? Trump's allies marvel over his relentless coronavirus incompetence


Aides told Trump, "our people" are getting sick. That got his attention


[NB: I absolutely believe this story. This is how they think. This is how HE thinks. He has never seen himself as the president of everyone.]

Trump says kids don't get the virus

President Donald Trump is falsely suggesting that children are safe from the coronavirus as he pushes to reopen the country now and schools in the summer or fall. Although Trump is broadly correct that the disease is most deadly to the elderly and to people with existing health problems, his statement that “the children aren’t affected” is heedless. . .

Coronavirus hospitalizations among children rise by 23 percent in Florida

As Florida schools prepare to reopen, new COVID-19 cases among Florida children top 1,000 per day

Trump's own National Security Advisor has the coronavirus, AND THEY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT



Now we learn more: the reason Trump didn't know is because he HASN'T SEEN his National Security Advisor!


Actions have consequences

DC National Guard Whistleblower Details Tear Gas Op For Trump Photo Shoot

National Guard officer calls treatment of Lafayette Square protesters 'deeply disturbing'

Trump posts multiple tweets praising a defense spending bill he threatened to veto over the provision on renaming military bases


[NB: Either Trump is very confident that Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) is going to be successful in single-handedly removing that provision, even though it was passed by both houses of Congress -- or he is setting up to sign it anyway, representing it as a great victory instead of as a stinging defeat.]

This is the man who thinks he can attract black votes

President Trump does not plan to visit the Capitol to honor the late civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), he told reporters on Monday. “I won’t be going, no,” Trump said . . .

John Lewis becomes first Black American to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda

One of the few unquestioned "successes" of Trump's presidency is appointing judges (with a huge assist from Mitch McConnell) -- over 200 Federal judges and two Supreme Court justices. With another term he could reshape the entire Federal bench and possibly appoint 2-3 more Supreme Court justices. We must not let that happen

Trump Is Hot to Promote His List of Possible Justices

Trump's self-touted prescription drug plan will do very little to affect prescription drug prices


Drugmakers refuse to attend White House meeting after Trump issues executive orders on costs

A section of Trump's Wall™ is blown down by high winds


In investigation news . . .  

Trump tries to find a new excuse to cover up his financial records: "harassment"



The WH Press Sect'y, The Cheerleader, is being paid by the Trump campaign. That's illegal


The coronavirus bill has money for . . . a new FBI building?


Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Monday accused President Trump of self-dealing in pressing Senate Republicans to include in their coronavirus relief proposal $1.75 billion to rebuild the FBI headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue in downtown Washington. Democrats suspect Trump is pressing for the money to rebuild the FBI headquarters in downtown D.C. so that it doesn’t move out from its space on 9th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue and leave open a prime piece of real estate that could be occupied by a new hotel that would pose serious competition to the Trump International Hotel across the street. . . .

In other news . . .   

Here's the ominous news for Trump: early voting starts in just a few weeks


Trump Is Running Out of Time

Fewer voters identify as "conservative," as conservative comes to mean "Trump supporter"


Lincoln Project ad features former Navy SEAL: 'Trump is not conservative'

Trump's campaign of fear


Will Trump's base abandon him?


The RNC is over-the-top in their fundraising appeals

“We texted you TWICE,” the text message read. “Why did you let your 500% Trump House Patriot match expire AGAIN? We’ll give you 1 more chance. 500% match for 1 HR.”

The kind of people they are

GOP senator deletes ad that showed Jewish opponent with larger nose

[NB: You don't have to scratch very deep, I guess.]

Trump complains that Twitter's "trending" is full of negative posts about him

So disgusting to watch Twitter’s so-called “Trending”, where sooo many trends are about me, and never a good one. They look for anything they can find, make it as bad as possible, and blow it up, trying to make it trend. Really ridiculous, illegal, and, of course, very unfair!

[NB: That is sooo hilarious! Twitter doesn't control what's trending -- it reflects what people are actually posting. Too much negative stuff? Gee, guess why. And ILLEGAL? Ha ha ha ha ha!]

Don't listen to ANYTHING Larry Kudlow says

Kudlow on economic recovery: 'On the whole the picture is very positive'

Jake Tapper Pushes Back On Larry Kudlow's Avalanche Of Lies

Or the other one: Peter Navarro

Peter Navarro Mocks Fauci’s First Pitch, Doesn’t Regret Op-Ed Attacking Him

Navarro Laments The ‘Politicization’ Of Coronavirus As He Does Just That
Trump likes to sue people. Now it's a key part of his reelection strategy

President Donald Trump's reelection campaign filed defamation lawsuits against three of the country's most prominent news outlets: The New York Times, The Washington Post and CNN. Then it filed another suit against a somewhat lower-profile news organization: northern Wisconsin's WJFW-TV, which serves the 134th-largest market in the country. . . .

Trump's convention will have some real winners as featured speakers

Ted Nugent, Scott Baio, Antonio Sabato Jr, and Diamond and Silk will all appear virtually in Zoom boxes before Trump’s acceptance speech. You can already feel the electricity. . .

Trump says he has to reject an invitation to throw out the first pitch at a Yankees game so he can focus on the "China virus." One problem: he was never invited in the first place


It's an old story. The GOP tries to craft a bill without Dem participation -- then finds out they need Dem votes to pass it


Apparently Susan Rice is at the top of the Biden VP list. Is anyone worried about reopening Benghazi?



Bonus item: John Oliver on Sean Hannity


***If you enjoy Progressive Blog Digest and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sharing its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com) with others via email or social media. Thanks for helping to spread the word!

I don’t get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don’t run ads, etc.). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a “mission,” it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
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