Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Heads of biggest banks stress need for more stimulus to power economic recovery and avoid deeper recession

 

This makes the third vaccine trial paused due to complications. U.S. pauses Eli Lilly's trial of a coronavirus antibody treatment over safety concerns

 

NEWS: Postal union leaders have proposed a plan to expedite the delivery of mail ballots; if implemented, the reform would result in absentee ballots taking less than 24 hours to get from mailboxes to local election boards, rather than 2-7 days

 

CNN figured out one of the biggest mystery cases in the Mueller probe: whether Trump got a campaign contribution from an Egyptian bank in 2016. Feds chased suspected foreign link to Trump's 2016 campaign cash for three years -

 

Senate Republicans are pretending that this is a normal hearing. It’s not. 200k+ Americans have died due to COVID. The fate of the ACA is in the hands of the Supreme Court. And this nominee would dramatically flip the balance on the Court.

 

Trump is ending the Census early because he doesn't want an accurate count. Don't let him get away with it. Fill out your Census online by 6 am EDT on October 16th – and make sure your friends, family and neighbors do the same.

 

AG Bill Barr used his office to further Trump's re-election campaign, bipartisan ethics group alleges

 

-60% SLASH IN ANTI-COVID FEDERAL WORKFORCE. Trump administration has dramatically slashed employees it has deployed to combat #COVID19, from 50k to 20k as of Sept. 28, saying it has scaled back as it has “completed” work. ๐Ÿคฆ๐Ÿป‍♂️ “Mission accomplished”?

 

NEW DISCLOSURE DOC: @SenRickScott of Florida — a major critic of @andrewcuomo and New York state spending — just bought millions of dollars worth of New York revenue bonds that'll help finance three government entities.

 

A federal judge just ordered the FEC to take action against the dark money group set up by @joniernst’s own top aides. She broke the law looking out for herself. She's part of the corruption in Washington -- I have a plan to end it.

 

NEW: Barron Trump, the 14-year-old son of President Trump and Melania Trump, also tested positive for the coronavirus, but showed no symptoms, the first lady said. The first lady said both she and her son have since tested negative for the virus.

 

My former employer, Wall Street Journal, sure seems defensive about dark money.

 

MYSTERY SOLVED: Federal prosecutors investigated whether an Egyptian state-owned bank backed Trump's $10 million donation to his campaign in October 2016. The probe led to a court fight where Mueller sought bank records — the "mystery grand jury subpoena.

 

Twitter has blocked a controversial New York Post article on Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, from being shown or shared—the first time the social media company has proactively blocked an article from a major mainstream news organization

 

“It’s a Big Test for the Media. the key point of the article was predicated on false information that Giuliani has been spreading for a long time—and that appears to be linked to a Russian disinformation operation that the Post neglected to note...”

 

Under questioning from Sen. Blumenthal, Judge Barrett says that she does not believe her views on climate change are relevant to the work she would do as a judge.

 

Last month the US Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control “designated four Russia-linked individuals for attempting to influence the U.S. electoral process.”

 

Sen. Blumenthal: “Should courts, specifically the Supreme Court, be deciding the next presidential election?” Amy Coney Barrett: “Occasions in which courts adjudicate election disputes are designed to protect the voter’s choice and the right to vote.”

 

Under questioning by Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE), Amy Coney Barrett is unable to name the five freedoms protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

 

Sen. Dick Durbin asked Amy Coney Barrett about a case in which she wrote that a man who had been convicted of a crime should regain his right to own a gun but not to vote. Durbin said the distinction was "hard to understand and difficult to explain."

 

Breaking WaPo: Videos show closed-door sessions of leading conservative activists discussing attempts to limit mail-in ballots from being sent to voters and amplifying conspiracies about voting. "We need to stop those ballots from going out."

 

.@LindseyGrahamSC just called segregation “the good old days.” The good old days for who, Senator? It’s 2020, not 1920. Act like it.

 

Faith-healing church school in Redding CA flouted mask and social distancing rules. It's now the source of a superspreading event, with 274 new cases of #COVID19 so far in less than a week.

 

The reason we invested billions of dollars in taxpayer funds for vaccines is to avoid exposing the virus to millions of Americans. What’s the point of vaccines if @realDonaldTrump just wants to infect people? Embrace of herd immunity now makes no sense when vaccines are close

 

Senator Leahy asks if Barrett agrees that nobody is above the law. Barrett: "I agree that no one is above the law." When Leahy follows up on whether presidents can self-pardon, Barrett punts & says she will not offer a view. Leahy: "I find your answers somewhat incompatible."

 

Always a pleasure, @tedcruz. 3 points: A. Everything I receive is disclosed money. It’s not dark. That’s how you know its there… B. This chart came to you from a dark money, partisan, attack group. C. If you’re serious about tackling dark money, co-sponsor my DISCLOSE Act.

 

Make him famous

 

Thanks for asking, Senator. I do have a plan to create jobs in Eastern Kentucky. You can read it here:

 

Donald Trump wants to destroy Obamacare. I want to protect and build on it. It’s that simple, folks.

 

Day 2 in Houston! Long lines still today....so we are out in multiple locations with meals for the community!

 

This is a huge tell. A GOP strategist tells Bloomberg that Senate Republicans don't want a big stimulus bill now because they want to pivot hard to austerity under a Biden presidency, which could cripple it. No wonder McConnell is laughing. New piece

 

Idaho college investigates reports of students intentionally contracting Covid-19 to sell their plasma

 

TO @realDonaldTrump Sir, just a reminder . . . My fabled attorney, @kaplanrobbie, has obtained outtakes from THE APPRENTICE.

 

New: Biden campaign responds to NY Post story. “The New York Post never asked the Biden campaign about the critical elements of this story...moreover, we have reviewed Joe Biden’s official schedules from the time and no meeting, as alleged by the New York Post, ever took place.”

 

For those interested, my full remarks from yesterday’s Supreme Court nomination hearing. I’ll be up again later this morning for another round

 

Whitmer plotters also discussed kidnapping Virginia governor, FBI says

 

Thousands of people, some braving hours-long waits, glitches and politically motivated obstruction, are flocking to cast early ballots and writing the story of a pandemic-era election that may change how America votes

 

“More than 200,000 people signed a petition drawn up by a former prime minister calling for an examination of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire in Australia.”

 

White House Embraces Covid-19 ‘Herd Immunity’ Declaration - The New York Times

 

Labor secretary’s wife, who attended Sept. 26 White House event, tests positive for COVID-19

 

When Senator @amyklobuchar so smartly asked #AmyConeyBarrett exactly what she meant when she actually wrote that voting rights should belong only to “virtuous” citizens, Barrett was totally unresponsive. That’s telling.

 

This truly is astounding. It carries the plan to make a mockery of the whole confirmation process to an altogether new level. To say she can’t answer whether intimidating voters at the polls is illegal is like refusing to answer whether murder is illegal. Disgusting.

 

Superb by @Profepps on Coney Barrett’s Moment of Truth

 

Trump economic adviser filmed bashing president's 'crappy' debate performance

 

BREAKING—Secretary Eugene Scalia's wife, Trish, has tested #COVID19 positive. Eugene Scalia negative still. Both attended the Rose Garden event seated in the second row, directly behind Melania and next to Kellyanne Conway.

 

Postpone the election? Voter intimidation? Amy Coney Barrett is open to it.

 

President Trump’s once-tight grip on Republican lawmakers is showing signs of slipping as he falls further behind Democrat Joe Biden

 

“They are just hell-bent on getting this done as fast as possible, and that's because at least four of them are in death-defying reelection campaigns," Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin said Tuesday night. "They want to get out of town as fast as they can."

 

“Pro-life people are therefore excusing the king’s reckless waste of human life during the pandemic in exchange for a highly speculative prospect. They get their pro-life wish only by ceasing to defend vulnerable lives.”

 

Graham in the hearing room with two senators (Lee and Tillis) who tested positive for Covid-19 less than two weeks ago has sat for hours today without a mask.

 

Read up thread. These guys were plotting multiple murders as part of their alleged civil war scheme.

 

Herd immunity is not a public health strategy. Period.

 

Justice Department attorneys argued in court that Trump's tweets authorizing the "total declassification of any & all documents" related to the Russia probe and Hillary Clinton's emails should not be considered real declassification orders

 

ICYMI: Federal Judges hear Ghislaine Maxwell’s plea to keep her testimony about her involvement with sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein sealed

 

A lawsuit seeking to extend Virginia’s voter registration deadline was filed Tuesday night after the state’s Department of Election’s online portal was shut down for more than five hours on the last day to register to vote.

 

Opinion: We need a serious conversation on reopening strategies, not arguments based in fantasy

 

Bill Barr buries report that exonerates Obama

 

Switzerland joins EU on Belarus sanctions. The Swiss government has imposed travel ban and an asset freeze against 40 Belarusian officials, incl. Interior Minister Yury Karaieu, who are accused of violence and arbitrary arrests following rigged elections in Belarus

 

Twitter suspends fake accounts claiming to be black Trump supporters

 

Signs of desperation from Lukashenko

 

Omg! Is this the same fly!

 

BREAKING: 88 of Amy Coney Barrett’s faculty colleagues at Notre Dame have released a letter saying she should withdraw from consideration for the Supreme Court.

 

Thank you @donwinslow and @Springsteen Power, truth, art. Our vote has never been more important. Vote @JoeBiden @KamalaHarris as if your life depended on it. It does.

 

Dear @realDonaldTrump: The House passed a big $3.4 trillion stimulus package on May 15 called the Heroes Act. **Your name will be on all the stimulus checks.** All you have to do is have @senatemajldr McConnell send it to you for signature. Or are you that powerless?

 

"The online document claims that thousands of doctors and scientists have signed it. Britain’s Sky News reported last week that some of the names are transparently fake, such as “Dr. Johnny Bananas” and “Dr. Person Fakename.”

 

This was “OBAMAGATE!” right? The one where there was “treason” deserving of the death penalty? I assume there will be an apology forthcoming...

 

During Judge Barrett’s Senate confirmation hearing, Sen. Whitehouse uses his time to give a presentation about how “dark money” is playing a role in the Supreme Court nomination process.

 

Excuse me? "I have read things about climate change. I would not say I have firm views on it.”

 

The Constitution clearly says the president cannot unilaterally change the date of the election. I hope this is a misstatement that Judge Barrett clears up tomorrow.

 

Opinion: How can 42 percent of Americans still support the worst president in our history?

 

The budget is a statement of values. Democrats value help for the American people to keep a roof over their heads, to put food on the table, and to have money in their pockets to meet the needs of their families in this crisis. Look at the details.

 

b-b-b-b-but devin nunes told me this was the greatest scandal of all time

 

Unmasking probe flops


My guess is that, after reviewing the underlying intelligence about Flynn’s behavior that gave rise to SO MANY unmasking requests across the government and IC (which would have been made without knowing it was Flynn!), Bash told Barr this was probably not a path that would help T

 

Asia-Pacific stocks slip as investors react to speech by China's Xi; Evergrande shares in Hong Kong tumble

 

Canada’s Justin Trudeau slams China over Hong Kong and Xinjiang

 

China’s Xi lays out plan to build Shenzhen into a global rival to Hong Kong

 

China and Russia win seats on UN rights council, Saudis lose

 

Hot damn. C-SPAN is dropping some superspreading reality bomb. #COVID19

 

2 months of political crisis, violence and lawlessness in Belarus. Enough is enough. We’re announcing the People’s Ultimatum on October 25th. We demand that: 1. Lukashenko must go. 2. Violence has to stop. 3. Political prisoners must be released.1/

 

Both-sides much, Senator? You've had the power to do actually do something about this out-of-control presidency, and you've mostly squandered it. Don't just speak up - STAND UP.

 

The pro-Trump Navy SEAL who became famous claiming he killed Bin Laden is getting very heated about the new Trump-endorsed conspiracy theory that he actually killed a body double.

 

I mean, he's a step away from saying "Look, I paid for dinner, and I'm a busy man, so..."

 

Why did Senate Dems let RW media machine & GOP cohorts intimidate them from exposing the extreme beliefs & practices of ACB’s sect? She’s a “handmaid”. How is this acceptable? And why is it off limits to question her extreme submission to her husband? Should we be confirming him?

 

I asked Amy Coney Barrett whether she had seen or heard statements before her nomination from Donald Trump promising to nominate judges who would rule against the Affordable Care Act. Her answer? “I don’t recall.”

 

Here's a racial discrimination case that Barrett did decide, where she wrote that being called the n-word at work by your supervisor does not constitute a hostile or abusive work environment

 

Xi Jinping wants young Hongkongers to move to China following student-led protests last year

 

The Trump administration labeled its vaccine czar a “contractor” to sidestep rules against personally profiting from government positions. The man holding this position owns $10 million in stock of a company working with his team to develop a vaccine.