Category Archives: Donald Trump

Donald Trump is a child, and I dont mean to disparage children. The characteristics he exhibits are childlike.

He takes no responsibility for his actions. When asked by a reporter if he takes responsibility for the federal governments delay in virus testing, he answered; I take no responsibility at all. Hes declared bankruptcy multiple times, leaving his creditors holding his debt. The idea of the buck stopping here doesnt apply to him.

He blames others for the effects of his words, telling his supporters that Bernie Sanders supporters were responsible for the unrest at one of his Chicago campaign rallies. He blames Obama for all his administrations failures: saying he inherited a mess, a total mess. Its been three years and he still blames Obama.

His name calling and bullying are his go to weapons. He recently called Marine Veteran Congressman Conor Lamb an American fraud. Were familiar with the demeaning monikers that he regularly uses; crooked, little, weak, horse face, dog, and snake. Sounds like an eight year old. The list is virtually endless.

We can agree or disagree about his politics, but one thing on which we should agree, this man-child is not qualified to be called President of anything especially the United States of America.

On Nov. 3, we have an opportunity to vote this mentally, emotionally, and morally deficient individual out of office. Replace this child with an adult; Joe Biden.

Phil Heil

Algonquin

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Letter: Donald Trump needs to grow up - Northwest Herald

The former Dortmund striker is the latest in a long line of individuals to call out POTUS for his handling of the Covid-19 crisis and social unrest

Former USMNT player Terrence Boyd has stated his belief that US president Donald Trump is one of the worst people on the planet as unrest continues to rage in the country following the death of George Floyd, an African-American who died as the result of police brutality.

Protesters of all creeds and races have taken to the streets to demonstrate their anger, with Trump responding by threatening military action if the protests become violent.

Indeed, many of the country's cities have seen public property defaced,cars set on fire and widespread looting, and Boyd believes the president himself has played a big part in fuelling the flames of public disorder.

I'm sad, Boyd, whose father was a black American, told T-Online. Donald Trump is one of the worst people on the planet. He's driving his country apart and making things worse in the United States. I love the U.S., but I hate what Trump has made of the country."

Asked what he would say to the president if he was to meet him in person, Boyd said: Donald, aren't you ashamed? But Trump is so egotistical that he wouldn't even be bothered by that.

Vandalism and violence towards police officers has been widely condemned by most, including Boyd, but a reaction to decades of discrimination must be loud enough to be heard, the striker concedes.

Of course, no cars should be set on fire or police officers attacked, he said. Most police officers have families and are great people, but we have to be honest with ourselves: what other solutions are there?

The protests have to be loud, it has to pop, because enough is enough. African Americans have to start up to the constant injustice. Racism is also a problem in Germany, but it has a completely different look in the United States. Germany continues to be a stable country.

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The coronavirus crisis is often credited as the straw that broke the camel's back in terms of the protests, but Boyd feels that Germany's leadership has handled the pandemic in such a way that citizens' faith in politicians has grown rather than diminished.

Right now, during the crisis, it's becoming even clearer how important Chancellor Angela Merkel is for our country. Merkel has the biggest balls of all the politicians in the world. We are leading the way through the pandemic. Everyone envies us even the top three leagues are running again. We are governed by good, intelligent people.

Here, when you are admitted to hospital, you are not asked first how you will pay for your stay just like a 16-year-old cannot buy a fully automatic weapon. Germany is the best country in the world for me.

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Donald Trump is one of the worst people on the planet, says ex-USMNT striker Boyd - Goal

FALL RIVER -- The case of an elderly Fall River man who was assaulted while holding a Trump sign has drawn the attention of one of the president's sons.

In a Tweet Friday afternoon, Donald Trump Jr. asked for people to send him contact information for the man, a veteran, identified in a news broadcast as Charlie Chase.

"Awful," Trump Jr. said. "An 82-year-old wearing a Trump hat was attacked by a leftwing nut job in Massachusetts. All political violence is wrong, but what kind of person commits violence against an elderly man? If anyone has contact info for the victim please send my way."

The request received more than 1,000 replies. Some respondents are including Chase's personal information in their tweets.

Fall River City Councilor Christopher Peckham was one of those to reach out.

"I was just with Charlie. Please feel free to reach out to me," he stated in his tweet. "Hes a good friend of mine."

Chase and Trump Jr. eventually connected during calls into The Howie Carr Show on WRKO. Carr scheduled Chase to be a guess, and Trump Jr. called in to thank him for his service and for supporting his father.

"I just wanted to say I saw your story, Im sorry you had to go through that, and we really appreciate the support," Trump Jr. told Chase on the show. "That shouldnt be going on in America. I just wanted to say thank you for that support and thank you for that steadfast loyalty and for your service to our country."

Trump Jr. also told Chase he would send him some hats, gear and flags to continue supporting Trump's campaign.

The attack occurred Tuesday on North Main Street at the Airport Road rotary. Chase is known in the city for carrying his sign in that area and in front of One Government Center on occasion.

A 27-year-old Fall River man, Aidan Courtright, allegedly stopped his car at the rotary, got out and attacked Chase, who was holding a Trump sign.

According to Fall River police, Courtright then walked toward Chase while screaming, "Give me the f---ing sign! He then grabbed the sign and ripped it in half, then grabbed the victim by his shirt, knocking his hat off and throwing him to the ground, police say. Then, Courtright kicked him in his ribs and legs while he was on the ground.

Courtright is charged with committing a civil rights violation with injury; assault and battery on a person over 60 years old; vandalizing property; and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a person over 60 years old.

Courtright pleaded not guilty and was released, but was ordered to stay away from the victim and not take part in any online political activity.

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Attack on elder Trump supporter draws attention of Donald Trump Jr. - Fall River Herald News

But that 3.1 million job gain is wiped out when you take into account a statistical glitch that the BLS admits tothe misclassification of about five million workers as employed who said they were not at work for other reasons than losing their jobs. The likelihood that these people will get their old jobs back diminishes with each passing day. But even aside from the question of job viability for these workers, the BLS is required to classify such people as unemployed, and for some as yet ill-explained reason, it didnt. If it had, the BLS says, the unemployment rate would have risen in May to 16.1 percent. And thats before seasonal adjustment to the jobless count, which would raise the rate even higher.

Jason Furman, who was chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under President Barack Obama, and Wilson Powell III, his colleague at Harvards Kennedy School of Government, calculate that when you figure in this and other problems with the May calculations, the true unemployment rate is 17.1 percent. (Lets also remember that any single-digit job gain must be balanced against a two-month loss in March and April of more than 22 million jobs.)

Without diving into the weeds, though, it appears that even an honest reckoning of Mays employment trend, based on the limited data available, yields a rather surprising gain rather than the loss most observers were anticipating. Furman and Powells reckoning of the realistic unemployment rate at 17. 1 percent is, as they note, lower than their similarly realistic calculation that Aprils true unemployment rate was 20.5 percent. We all want unemployment to go down, so that really is something to celebratehowever cautiously.

Its also a reason to congratulate the president on his administrations greatest (indeed, sole) domestic accomplishment: the $600 sweetener added to weekly unemployment benefits. Trump being Trump, hed rather you didnt. He agreed to it only at the prodding of congressional Democrats in March, and reportedly hes itching to discontinue the payout when it expires at the end of next month.

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Donald Trump Is Celebrating the Wrong Economic Accomplishment - The New Republic

But with peaceful protests continuing for the 12th day on Saturday, Trump and his campaign team showed this week that his baser instincts -- divide, attack, polarize -- will prevail. His passing attempt at words of healing gave way to his calls for domination of protesters in the streets, an effort to malign Washington, DC's black mayor as "grossly incompetent," and then a text message from his campaign Saturday declaring: "Liberal THUGS are destroying our streets. Restore LAW & ORDER!" Trump hasn't let up.The Trump campaign's efforts to incite fear and amplify falsehoods created a striking contrast with the images of thousands of protesters of all races walking together in solidarity at huge demonstrations in DC, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles -- a reminder that the nation is now at an inflection point.

The central question that lingers over the demonstrations is where the debate goes from here and whether it will produce actual change. Or, if the President has his way, will the energy of the protests simply be viewed as another red-blue issue where some cities and states step forward with policing policy changes while Trump and his allies use the fear of that change as a cudgel they can wield in the upcoming elections.

Demonstrator Olivia Butler reflected on that uncertainty as she marched down Constitution Avenue in Washington, DC, Saturday.

"I'm very thankful that all the support is out here from young people to old people, all different races. I think it is great they're out here now but I am a little skeptical about if it is authentic," Butler told CNN's Boris Sanchez Saturday. "This is not something that is going to be solved with a week's worth of marches, or something that's going to be solved with a month's worth of marches."

"It is something that's going to be solved through legislation, through new precedents being set in our legal system, and then social change so people's mindsets [are] changing so we don't keep fostering the sense of underlying racial bias in the country. ...This is not a fight only in these streets while we're marching."

Signs of policy change in some US cities

In California, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said he would work toward a statewide standard for policing peaceful protests and ending the carotid hold, along with similar techniques. "Protesters have the right to protest peacefullynot to be harassed. Not to be shot at by rubber bullets or tear gas," he tweeted. "Today I am calling for the creation of a new statewide standard for use of force in protests. Acts of violence against peaceful protesters will not be tolerated."

"George Floyd died on the street slowly and deliberately strangled and our children watched," Minneapolis school board member Jenny Arenson said during the meeting of the Minneapolis Board of Education Tuesday. "Minneapolis police, individual officers and the city have work to do. And until they demonstrate they have done that work, we need to separate our relationship."

While many praised the move on a day when tens of thousands of people took to the streets in DC, the DC Chapter of Black Lives Matter Global Network called the street mural a "performative distraction from real policy changes" and said Bowser "has consistently been on the wrong side of BLMDC history."

CNN's Alex Marquardt spotted black graffiti on the yellow lettering in Black Lives Matter Plaza Friday night that said "Not good enough."

Calls to defund police create potential risks for Democrats

The rallying cry to defund police from some quarters of the black community and some progressive groups will undoubtedly become a flashpoint as the presidential campaign heats up.

Many conservatives on Twitter have already sought to suggest that defunding the police is now part of the Democrats' agenda -- an argument that could complicate the re-election prospects of former Vice President Joe Biden as well as more moderate Democrats in swing districts in November.

During a town hall Thursday evening moderated by actor Don Cheadle, Biden was asked whether he agreed with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's proposal to cut the Los Angeles Police Department budget and re-appropriate $150 million dollars to communities of color that are suffering.

"I think it makes sense," Biden responded. "Some places, they're short on having enough people to cover the community, others, the police departments have a lot more than they need. And so, it depends on the community, but it's all about treating people with dignity, just treating people with dignity, period. And then setting down basic fundamental rules that relate to what constitutes adequate and fair police conduct."

On Saturday, former DC police chief and former Philadelphia police commissioner Charles Ramsey, who led a task force on 21st century policing for former President Barack Obama, also weighed in on the thorny issue of defunding the police.

"I don't disagree that we need more social workers; we need more health care professionals, mental health teachers, counselors, and the like," Ramsey told CNN's Ana Cabrera. "But how are you going to actually go about implementing that? And if you defund police, what is it that you are willing to sacrifice that police are currently doing that you no longer want them to do?"

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As Trump gives in to his baser instincts, some cities look for policing changes - CNN

Solange Knowles joined the chorus of beautiful tributes to Breonna Taylor on what should have been her 27th birthday on Friday (June 5).

I want to be more like you Breonna Taylor. A better sister, friend, and human. More kind. More positive. More intentional, wrote Solo. Less judgmental. Less phased by shit that doesnt matter. More dependable and moving with more care, light, and love.

Your friends and cousin say that you were the show up and never disappoint friend...that you would throw all negativity out the door. I wish you were there with them all today celebrating. You should be with them all here celebrating in all your radiance. I dont know WHERE [the f**k] Id be without my sisters and reading about your life, I know you were all their rock.

In closing, the Cranes in the Sky singer shouted out Taylors mother, Tamika Palmer, as well as her sister, relatives, and friends to thank them for sharing her with the world today. Solo also thanked and Eva Lewis for writing a Teen Voguestory where Taylors loved ones opened up about her life and legacy.

She always said she was destined for greatness, and now she will be a part of history, said Palmer.

Taylor was murdered by officers from the Louisville Police Department on March 13. None of the officers have been arrested.

In commemoration of her birthday, social media has been flooded with tributes and calls for justice. A Change.org petition demanding the arrest of Louisville officers John Mattingly, Brett Hankison, Myles Cosgrove, and any other involved in the death and coverup of her death has reached 4.5 million signatures.

A GoFundMepage launched by Taylors family has raised over $4 million and counting, and multiple demonstrations are scheduled to be held this weekend in Taylor's honors.

Check below for tributes from Solange, Megan Thee Stallion, Beyonce, Cardi B, Janelle Monae, Taraji P. Henson, Tika Sumpter, and more.

I want to be more like you Breonna Taylor. A better sister, friend, and human. More kind. More positive. More intentional. Less judgmental. Less phased by shit that doesnt matter. More dependable and moving with more care, light, and love. Your friends and cousin say that you were the show up and never disappoint friend...that you would throw all negativity out the door. I wish you were there with them all today celebrating. You should be with them all here celebrating in all your radiance. I dont know WHERE tf Id be with out my sisters and reading about your life, I know you were all their rock. Ms. Tamika Palmer, JuNiyah ,Katrina ,Alena ,Erinicka ,Clarissa, Preonia, Shatanis.... thank you all for sharing her with the world today. I hope we are all doing due justice by lifting her spirit up in light today. Thank you Eva Lewis for writing a piece that illustrated her beautiful power. I want to be more like you Breonna. Happy Birthday beautiful one

A post shared by @ saintrecords on Jun 5, 2020 at 3:18pm PDT

Happy birthday breonna #breonnataylor

A post shared by Hot Girl Meg (@theestallion) on Jun 5, 2020 at 8:16am PDT

Breonna Taylor would be 27 today. Her life was taken to soon. Officers must be held accountable. These no-knock warrants are dangerous. #happybirthdaybreonna You deserve so much more. #blm #breonnataylor @gracieleeart

A post shared by Tika Sumpter (@tikasumpter) on Jun 5, 2020 at 9:03am PDT

Lets give #breonnataylor #Justice for her birthday!!! JESUS....she was asleep in her own bed getting her rest to wake up and save lives (as a first responder studying to be a nurse) and her precious life was taken by systemic racism and negligence by the police dept that OUR tax dollars pay for to SERVE AND PROTECT US!!!! NO ONE has been arrested!!!! NO ONE IS BEING HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE LOSS OF PRECIOUS LIFE!!!!#BLACKLIVESMATTER RIGHT TF NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #LetMyPeopleGo #GODIS #NOTMAN I dont care how things are looking right now. #GODIS #DarknessNEVERwins #TheTruthALWAYScomesToLight and #TheDevilCantStandIt

A post shared by taraji p henson (@tarajiphenson) on Jun 5, 2020 at 10:55am PDT

Today wouldve been Breonna Taylors 27th birthday She was a full-time EMT at TWO hospitals in Louisville, KY She was an essential workerShe was an aspiring nurse & dedicated her life at an early age to helping others HER KILLERS police officers Jon Mattingly, Brett Hankison, Myles Cosgrove have not been arrested or fired She was shot to death in her own home asleep! Her killers claim they had the wrong house the suspect they were looking for was already in Custody The police did not knock and were not in uniform Please help her family get justice Call 502-696-5300 and tell Kentucky attorney general Daniel Cameron that your birthday wish for Breonna is that the officers are arrested, charged, and convicted of the murder of BREONNA TAYLOR SPEAK UP FOR BLACK WOMEN #SAYHERNAME #justiceforbreonnataylor #defundthepolice sign:standwithbre.com

A post shared by Janelle Monae (@janellemonae) on Jun 5, 2020 at 10:36am PDT

Today is #BreonnaTaylors birthday.#SayHerName. Think of and pray for those closest to her. Dedicate time to work for #JusticeforBreonnaTaylor. Heres how. RT. Share. #JusticeForBreonna, @GovAndyBeshear @louisvillemayor @LMPD. pic.twitter.com/ee2ZsqyENK

Be A King (@BerniceKing) June 5, 2020

Breonna Taylor would have been 27 years old today. On her social media she talks abou 2020 being her year. Instead her loved ones mourn and her killers havent been charged. We will never stop fighting for #JusticeForBreonna. #SayHerName! pic.twitter.com/7D4XeqFpus

SisterSong (@SisterSong_WOC) June 5, 2020

Its the Dolls Birthday. We love you Breonna and well never forget you pic.twitter.com/desgduXosh

Sean Garrette (@sgarretteskin) June 5, 2020

Happy Birthday #BreonnaTaylor .She looks so pretty and fine in this pic.Her story its so sad and unfair and it almost didnt get picked up by the media.Kentuky police department really tried to sweep her case under the rug,but got is BIG.The fight aint over till you get justice pic.twitter.com/LuZFu4tlFF

iamcardib (@iamcardib) June 5, 2020

Justice for Breonna. Click the link in my bio to take action.

A post shared by Beyonce (@beyonce) on Jun 5, 2020 at 5:53pm PDT

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BET Invites Donald Trump And Joe Biden To Appear In Juneteenth Special - Vibe

In every one of these instances, Trump paid a price, at least in the short termmultiple corporate bankruptcies and very nearly personal financial ruin. Ultimately, though, he was stalled but not stainedand definitely not stopped. The headlines, no matter what they said, still made him more and more famous. And what often exasperated his staffers and minders and critics in the circles of the social and financial elite also didnt lose him any fans.

Its worked for him, granted Nobles, the Trump Shuttle president. You cant argue with the mans success.

The spotlight, after all, led to The Apprentice, which led to his turn toward politics, which led to the Oval Office.

He frequently cites his smartsDonald Trumps very, very large brain, as he once put it. A self-styled expert on topics ranging from technology to the weather to all types of medical matters, Trump is especially attuned, too, to what his base craves. The base wanted hydroxychloroquine from the start. And the base wants it still. And Trump is well aware. Its what every pitchman has always done, former Trump publicist Alan Marcus once told me. Tell the people what they want to hear.

Ive received a lot of positive letters and it seems to have an impact, he said Monday in the White House. And maybe it does; maybe it doesnt. But if it doesnt, youre not going to get sick or die. This is aa pill thats been used to a long timefor 30, 40 years on the malaria, and on lupus, too, and even on arthritis, I guess, from what I understand.

He said hed been taking it for about a week and half.

And Im still here, he said. Im still here.

Not everybody whos known him through the years thinks hes telling the truth.

Not a chance, said Res, the former executive vice president. I dont think he would subject himself to any potential harm. He wants everyone to think hes taking it and to think everything he has said all along about it has been right. Thats what he wants. Thats why hes saying hes taking it.

Louise Sunshine, though, another former Trump Organization executive vice president, thinks he is. I asked her why. Shes known Trump for almost 50 years. Because one of his West Wing valets tested positive for the virus, she said. Because the vice presidents spokeswoman tested positive.

Because, Sunshine said, hes scared.

Whether hes taking it or not, Trump biographer Tim OBrien told me Tuesday evening, I think he has two goals here. One is to distract. And in addition to distraction, he is also a very desperate man whos trying to control something he cant controlthe coronavirus and its economic effectsand theres a clock ticking in the back of his mind. And he said in the earliest stages of this that itll be like a miracle. It goes away. And so now hes buying into miracles, and he wants other people to buy into it, too.

Trump, in OBriens estimation, is taking hydroxochloroquine, or is saying that he is, for the same reason hes refused so far to wear a mask. It involves, OBrien said, conceding to expertise.

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The Reason Donald Trump Will Take a Pill But Not Advice - POLITICO

As the nation's death toll approaches 100,000 lives lost during the coronavirus pandemic, Donald Trump was spotted playing golf, as crowds of people flocked to beaches and parties over Memorial Day weekend despite growing infection rates across the US.

The president also shared sexist insults about his political rivals, including one message that called Hillary Clinton a "skank", while also spending the weekend on Twitter floating conspiracy theories about MSNBC host Joe Scarborough.

After encouraging Americans to spend the weekend outdoors and at the golf course, White House health official Dr Deborah Birx defended her remarks following reports of massive crowds over the holiday weekend and suggested that Americans need to change their behaviour and follow physical distancing guidelines, which are beginning to ease in most states after weeks of quarantine.

Sharing the full story, not just the headlines

The president's top economic adviser meanwhile has predicted that the unemployment rate will remain in double digits by the 2020 presidential election in November and hit 20 per cent by the end of May, as the number of unemployed Americans continues to creep upward.

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Following a Columbia University study that showed at least 30,000 lives could've been saved if social distancing guidelineswere put in place a week earlier, Donald Trump calledthe university a "liberal, disgraceful institution."

"It's a disgrace" that "played right into their little group of people that tell him what to do," the president told Sharyl Attkisson's Full Measure. Hesuggestedthat the study "caters" toJoe Biden and his Democratic opponents as a political tool, though it has nothing to do with their campaigns.

The president also accusedhis rival, the former vice president, of being "not mentally sharp enough to be president," which sounds familiar.

He also told Full Measure that he sometimes tweets himself but when he's "too busy" he dictates to White House social media manager Dan Scavino.

Video from NBC News shows the president driving around in a golf cart and putting on the green at his Virginia course on Sunday, his second straight day of golfing as the US death toll from coronavirus approaches 100,000.

In 2014, then-citizen Trump slammed Barack Obama for golfing during the Ebola crisis, when there were a handful of cases, saying that it "send the wrong signal".

Black patients were hospitalised at nearly three times the rate of white and Hispanic patients, according to an analysis of patient records from a large health care system in Northern California.

Donald Trump continued to voice his opposition to expanded mail-in voting with a tweet on Sunday spreading falsehoods about the prevalence of fraud in the process, even though confirmed cases of voter fraud have been in the single digits in past presidential elections.

The United States cannot have all Mail In Ballots. It will be the greatest Rigged Election in history, Mr Trump tweeted, the latest in a recent uptick of attacks on Democrats and even many Republicans desire to expand mail-in voting to mitigate health risks during the coronavirus pandemic.

People grab them from mailboxes, print thousands of forgeries and force people to sign. Also, forge names, the president wrote, falsely, without citing any evidence to support such claims.

Following an explosive surges of cases and deaths in Brazil, led by right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro, who has downplayed the threat of coronavirus in his country, US national security adviserRobert OBrien says it's likely the US could put a "temporary" ban on travel from the country, similar to holds in place for China and Europe.

Because of the situation in Brazil, we are going to take every step necessary to protect the American people," he told CNN's Face the Nation on Sunday.

Brazilhas the largest-known outbreak following the USwith more than 347,000 infections and more than 22,000 deaths.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that professional sports teams can begin spring training camps on Sunday, following weeks of doubtwhether team sports will pick up again this fall.

He said: "I believe that sports that can come back without having people in the stadium, without having people in the arena, do it.Do it.Work out the economics, if you can. We want you up. We people to be able to watch sports to the extent people are still staying home. It gives people something to do. It's a return to normalcy."

Veterinarians can also reopen this week, along with campgrounds and RV parks.

Charlamagne Tha God appeared on MSNBC on Sunday following Joe Biden's apology for tellingThe Breakfast Club host that black Americans who don't vote for him "ain't black".

"The best apology is actually a black agenda," he told Joy Reid. "It has to come to a point where we stop putting the burden on black voters to show up for Democrats, and start putting the burden on Democrats to show up for black voters."

Donald Trump unleashed a string of vile, sexist messages against his Democratic rivals while promoting false claims about absentee ballots and suggesting MSNBC host Joe Scarborough had something to do with the death of a former intern in 2001 just before he headed to his Virginia golf club for a second day while nearly 100,000 Americans died from coronavirus.

Face coverings have become a political symbol among the nation's right wing.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, echoingNorth Dakota Governor Burgum's emotional press conference urging residents to wear face coverings, told NBC's Meet the Press that"it's not about conservative or liberal, it's about helping other people."

Without any effectivelaw-binding or consistent mandates on the state or federal level to enforce social distancing, Dr Deborah Birx questioned about her encouraging people to spend the Memorial Day weekend outdoors said "we've made it clear" there's asymptomatic spread and that "social distancing is absolutely critical".

"We've learned a lot about this virus, but we need to translate that learning into real changed behaviour," she told ABC on Sunday.

But, Martha Raddatzsaid, we're not seeing that months after those guidelines have been in place.

"It's our job to communicate," Dr Birx said.

When Donald Trump said in late March he didnt think the economic devastation from stay-at-home orders was a good trade-off for avoiding Covid-19 deaths, tweeting, WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF, economists across the country already were busy working on the exact kind of cost-benefit analysis implied by the president.

On Friday, after Donald Trump ordered states' governors to "reopen" houses of worship, White House health official Dr Deborah Birx encouraged Americans to head outside, "play golf" and spend the Memorial Day weekend outdoors, with the caveat that social distancing bein place.

Most states already have begun easing quarantine measure over the last several weeks, andMemorial Day weekend has emerged as a benchmark test to determine whether Americans are willing to embrace a "new normal" that involves careful physical distancing, face coverings and other protective measures in what's still the early phase of the coronavirus pandemic.

They aren't.

Reports of crowded beaches and boardwalks over the weekend have alarmed police, doctors and health officials. At least one mayor supports seeing the swelling crowds.

A top economic adviser to Donald Trump has predicted that the unemployment rate could still be in double digits by the 2020 presidential election in November, as the number of unemployed Americans continues to creep upward due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Griffin Connolly reports:

Hong Kong police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse thousands who, in defiance of curbs imposed to contain the coronavirus, gathered on Sunday to protest against Beijing's plan to directly impose national security laws on the city.

In a return of the unrest that roiled the financial hub last year, crowds thronged the bustling shopping area of Causeway Bay, where chants of "Hong Kong independence, the only way out", and other slogans echoed through the streets.

Coronavirus restrictions have largely kept protesters off the streets in recent months.

Underground production at AngloGold Ashanti's Mponeng mine in South Africa will remain closed until further notice after 53 employees tested positive for the coronavirus, a provincial health department said in a statement on Sunday.

The mine, the deepest in the world, restarted operations on April 22 after closing entirely during a nationwide lockdown, and was operating at 50% capacity.

The department of health in Gauteng, the province where the mine is located, said in statement posted on Twitter that 53 employees at the mine had so far tested positive for the virus, and that a further 104 tests were still being processed.

"The management of the mine has indicated that the underground production will remain closed until further notice," the statement said.

China reported three new cases of the coronavirus on Sunday, two from outside the country and one locally transmitted in the northeastern province of Jilin, which has experienced a minor outbreak now apparently largely contained. No new deaths were reported and 79 people remain in treatment, with another 380 under isolation and monitoring for being suspected cases or having tested positive for COVID-19 without showing any symptoms. China has reported a total of 82,974 cases, including 4,634 deaths.

Former Durham Police Chief Constable Mike Barton has said of Dominic Cummings trip to Durham: Lets not beat about the bush he broke the rules. Its very clear.

If youre suffering from coronavirus, you stay at home. Youre in lockdown, you do not leave your home under any circumstances. Not only did they do that and travel 260 miles, but are also then trying to justify it and evade their responsibilities, he said to the BBC.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said the COVIDSafe app is playing a strong role in Australia's response to the pandemic and that several countries have expressed interest in learning from its positive impacts.

If a user is diagnosed, the app works to identify other users who have been in close proximity for 15 minutes or more in the previous three weeks.

The government has said at least 40% of Australia's 26 million people need to use the app for it to be effective. There are approximately 17 million cellphones in Australia.

The government and states have been easing restrictions on travel and allowed for increased use of restaurants and bars in the past few weeks. Australia has recorded more than 7,100 cases of thecoronavirus, including 102 deaths.

Labour's Ian Murray has condemned a lack of transparency from both the UK and Scottish governments as the further impact of coronavirus cases linked to a Nike conference in Edinburgh came to light.

More than 70 employees from around the world attended the event at the Hilton Carlton Hotel on February 26 and 27.

Investigations found that at least 25 people linked to the event contracted Covid-19, including eight in Scotland, but the incident was not made public until it was revealed in a television documentary earlier this month.

The first coronavirus case in Scotland was announced on March 1 and was a Tayside resident unrelated to the conference.

But the Sunday Times says it has been reported locally that the North East of England's "patient zero" attended the conference in February and the infection was passed to a second person in Newcastle at a child's birthday party.

The Chronicle newspaper also states that a church in Newcastle closed after a member tested positive for coronavirus, with it being "understood the patient works for Nike in Sunderland and contracted the virus after attending a conference in Edinburgh" - although this was unconfirmed at the time.

Originally posted here:

Trump news live: Trump visits golf course for second day in a row as coronavirus deaths near 100,000 - The Independent

The United States will on Sunday impose a lockdown on travelers from Brazil, according to Donald Trumps national security adviser.

Covid-19 deaths have soared in Brazil as the countrys foul-mouthed president, Jair Bolsonaro, continues to deflect from the crisis. It seems the Trump administration has heard enough.

I think well have a decision today with respect to Brazil, just like we did with the UK and Europe and China, and we hope it will be temporary, Robert OBrien told CBSs Face the Nation.

Were concerned about the people of the southern hemisphere, OBrien continued, the people of Brazil, theyve had a rough go of it. But because of the situation in Brazil, were going to take every step necessary to protect the American people.

As of now Id say Brazil, and well take a look at the other countries on a country by country basis.

OBrien did not divulge details of any such lockdown. But the conversation did allow him to pick up the White House narrative of painting China as the bogeyman of the Covid-19 crisis.

They allowed those folks to travel from China to Europe, and to seed the disease in Europe and have it come through a backdoor into the United States, OBrien said. In perfect hindsight, when we realized the Europeans hadnt cut off travel, sure it would have been better to cut off earlier.

OBrien claimed literally hundreds of thousands or millions of lives were saved by Trumps travel bans, and that the presidents move was a profile in courage.

The Washington Post reported on Saturday on how Trumps restriction on flights from Europe backfired badly.

OBrien also said he expected an in-person G7 gathering of world leaders to take place in Washington in late June.

Were getting very close to the peak [of the pandemic] if were not already, in Washington and if the situation permits it, and we think it will, wed love to have the G7 in person, OBrien said.

Well make sure everybodys tested, well make sure its a safe environment. The leaders would love to get out of their offices and meet in person to plan the post-Covid world.

Two other notable footnotes: the US presidential election will take place as planned on 3 November, no question about it OBrien says, despite speculation fuelled by comments from Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner that the administration might be looking at a postponement.

Well have to see what happens with the virus, but we want to make sure that we have a free and fair election. That elections going to take place on election day, theres no question about it, OBrien said, declaring that stockpiles of PPE, especially masks, were being built for election workers.

OBrien also insisted there was no security risk posed by Trump, the nations commander in chief, continuing to take hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug that the Food and Drug Administration says could have life-threatening side effects.

Im sure theyre doing the right regimen for President Trump hes under great medical care, OBrien said.

Hes doing the right thing that he and his physician believe is good for the president. The guys got more energy than anyone Ive ever seen, he added, claiming improbably that the golf-loving president was working 16, 18 hours a day.

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Coronavirus US live: Birx says Trump wears mask when not socially distancing - The Guardian

Most of Europe and all 50 US states are in various stages of reopening. But why, exactly?

The pandemic is still with us. After the first tentative steps to ease the lockdown in Germany the most successful large European country in halting the spread of the virus, thanks to massive testing the disease has shown signs of spreading faster.

At least Germany is opening slowly and carefully, as is the rest of the EU.

By contrast, the US with the highest number of deaths and most haphazard response to Covid-19 of any advanced nation is opening chaotically, each state on its own. Some are lifting restrictions overnight.

Researchers expect the reopenings to cause thousands of additional deaths.

Americans whose jobs require them to leave home express trepidation: 60% fear exposing their families to Covid-19

Two weeks after Texas governor, Greg Abbott, began reopening, the state experienced the single-highest rise in cases since the beginning of the pandemic. Since Nebraska reopened on 4 May, Covid-19 cases in Colfax county alone surged 1,390%.

Experts warn that Dallas, Houston, Floridas Gold Coast, the entire state of Alabama and several other places in the south that have rapidly reopened their economies are in danger of a second wave of coronavirus infections over the next four weeks.

Last Monday, Ford reopened its large North American assembly plants. On Tuesday, it closed and reopened its Chicago Assembly plant twice in less than 24 hours, after two workers tested positive for Covid-19. On Wednesday, Ford temporarily shut its Dearborn, Michigan truck plant after an employee tested positive, then promptly resumed operations.

So why reopen so abruptly, when Covid-19 continues to claim lives?

The main reason given is to get the economy moving again. But this begs the question of why an economy exists in the first place, other than to promote the wellbeing of people within it.

Both Ford plants are vital to the companys profitability, and that profitability is important to jobs in the midwest. But surely the wellbeing of Ford workers, their families, the people of Chicago and Dearborn and others are more important.

A related argument is that workers are clamoring to return to their jobs. People want to get back to work, Trump has asserted repeatedly. Fox News host Sean Hannity claims people are dying to get back to work, seemingly unaware of the irony of his words.

Polls suggest otherwise. Americans whose jobs require them to leave home express trepidation about doing so: 60% fear exposing their families to Covid-19.

Many Americans must return to work because they need the money, but this doesnt have to be the case. Rich economies can support their people for years if necessary. During the second world war, America shut down most of its economy for nearly four years.

The obstacle right now is a lack of political will to provide such support, at least until testing and tracing provide reasonable assurance the pandemic is contained.

Although nearly half of all US households report lost employment income since mid-March, extra jobless benefits enacted by Congress are only starting to trickle out now. Trump and the Republican Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, refuse to extend them beyond 31 July.

Meanwhile, states are denying benefits to anyone whose company has called them back.

Finally, Trump and his enablers argue that reopening is a matter of freedom. He has called on citizens to liberate their states from public-health restrictions. Fox News personalities have decried what they call denials of basic freedoms.

Armed protesters stormed the Michigan state capitol, demanding the freedom to work. At the Kentucky statehouse, protesters shouted We want to work! and Were free citizens!

But the supposed freedom to work is a cruel joke when people are forced to choose between putting food on the table or risking their lives. Its the same perverse ideology that put workers in harms way in the dawn of the industrial age, when robber barons demanded workers be free to work in dangerous factories 12 hours a day.

In truth, there is no good reason to reopen when the pandemic is still raging: not getting the economy moving again, or workers clamoring to return to work, or the cost of extended income support, or because workers should be free to endanger themselves.

Lets be clear. The pressure to reopen the economy is coming from businesses that want to return to profitability, and from Trump, who wants to run for re-election in an economy that appears to be recovering.

Neither is reason enough.

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No, Donald Trump, Americans are not dying to work work may cause them to die - The Guardian