“Don’t cry for my White House staffers.”

Ego maniac trump’s disregard for anyone and anything except his narcissistic self interest. “Don’t Cry for Me Secret Service”

Lincoln Project Trolls Trump’s Balcony Stunt With Singalong ‘Evita’ Parody

Ed Mazza, Overnight Editor, HuffPost                     October 7, 2020

President Donald Trump marked his return to the White House on Monday from hospitalization for the coronovirus with a photo-op at the Truman Balcony ― a scene his critics likened to the iconic moment from the musical “Evita.”

Now his critics on the right turned that comparison into a song parody.

The Lincoln Project ― a group of never-Trump Republicans ― released “Covita,” a parody based on the musical’s showstopper:

The Lincoln Project did not say who sang the track. Asked on Twitter, co-founder Rick Wilson responded: “I’ll never tell.”

Patti LuPone, who originated the role on Broadway and won a Tony as Eva Peron, weighed in on Trump’s balcony appearance a day earlier on social media.

“I still have the lung power and I wore less makeup,” she wrote on Twitter. “This revival is closing November 3rd.”

The “Covita” video was one of several released by The Lincoln Project on Tuesday. The group also dropped a much more somber video on the toll of the infection amid Trump’s continuing efforts to downplay it:

Want to Live Longer? Get Out Of These 30 Most Polluted Cities in the US

Want to Live Longer? Get Out Of These 30 Most Polluted Cities in the US

Soma Dutta                       October 5, 2020

In this article we take a look at the 30 most polluted cities in the United States. Click to skip ahead and jump to the 10 most polluted cities in the U.S.

When comparing cities or regions on their pollution levels, there are several things that need to be considered. First off, cities can be considered polluted from several different angles and aspects. While water bodies surrounding urban cities can get polluted due to discharges or waste disposal, the major factor that affects the daily life of citizens is air pollution. The denser the population of the cities, the higher the level of air pollution tends to rise due to the large amounts of emissions constantly being released into the air, making it unbreathable and detrimental to health and life expectancy.

The absolute pollution figures might point at the US being one of the top polluters in the world, with over 5,145.2 million tons of carbon emissions according to the 2019 BP Statistical Review of World Energy. However, if we look at the air quality of the cities it might seem cleaner than most cities in other parts of the world. This is so because when we compare the livability of cities, it is largely also dependent on the density of population and also the concentration levels of pollutants. While most cities in the US might be emitting greater amounts of air pollutants, owing to the heavy industrialized economy, the concentration levels might be lower compared to its counterparts owing to the large area that the country is spread across.

Air quality also, does not just include CO2 emissions, but largely consists of particulate matter, which is what majorly causes health implications like respiratory diseases, or weakened heart or lung functioning due to prolonged exposure. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) specified AQI (Air Quality Index) is the best yardstick to measure the level of pollution in the air of a certain region. The major pollutants that are considered in the AQI are Ground level ozone, Carbon monoxide, Sulfur dioxide, Nitrogen dioxide and airborne particles. The higher the AQI figures the greater is the air pollution while anything over 200 AQI is considered to be unhealthy air as stated by EPA.

Air pollution is largely attributable to particulate matter which includes a mix of dust, soot, smoke and liquid particles or aerosols. It is a major determinant of air quality and a major irritant present in the air. Fine particulate matter is what causes major health hazards to citizens , while reducing visibility when in high concentration in the air. According to WHO, prolonged exposure to PM2.5 can increase long-term risk of cardiopulmonary mortality by 6–13% per 10 µg/m3 of PM2.5 (8–10).

The Improving Knowledge and Communication for Decision-making on Air Pollution and Health (Aphekom) in Europe was conducted to understand the implications on average life expectancy if PM 2.5 in polluted cities could be brought down as per WHO recommendations. Among the 25 participating European countries, it was observed that they averaged at 10µg/m3 and residents could live 20 months longer on an average if PM 2.5 levels were perfect. Los Angeles has a PM 2.5 level of 11. Los Angeles residents could live an average of approximately 1 month longer, if their PM 2.5 is reduced to 10 and also could live nearly a year longer if the air quality were perfect.

Given this, a measure of Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) present in the air is a good focus to determine the level of pollution in a certain region.

As EPA produces a comprehensive track record of different air pollutants that affect individual cities, we have based our rankings on this Air Quality Trends Data and have ranked cities according to the level of PM 2.5 level measured in Wtd AM (µg/m3) for each of these cities.

Other coarse particles or PM10 can also be a cause of irritations and health complications and are majorly released from activities on construction sites, or mining. We have therefore reported PM10 for each of the cities that appear on our rankings as well.

25 Most Polluted Cities in the US in 2017
25 Most Polluted Cities in the US in 2017

Kekyalyaynen / Shutterstock.com

Population can be a major contributor too, and cities with greater population can often be greater emitters. We can therefore see some of the cities in our rankings also featuring in the 50 Most Populated Cities in the US.

Air pollution has been a major cause of concern for most big cities with unexpected increases in fine dust situations and smog in the recent past. And, even though 2020 has seen a sudden drop in air pollution levels owing to the pandemic, it might be just a temporary respite and chances are that the levels might shoot right up as soon as economic activities get ready to bounce back in action.

Pollutants in the air can also be a major contributor to climate change. But also, in the recent California wildfires we have witnessed how climate change and environmental factors can in fact lead to sudden increase in air pollution levels as well. It can be easily inferred that air pollution and climate change are quite closely related.

With the talks increasing around Climate Change and the clocks ticking for major nations to get to net zero emissions , let’s take a look at the problem areas and pinpoint the focus on the cities that need attention for their less than favorable air quality conditions.

30. Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO

PM 2.5 – 10

PM 10 – 111

While Denver average yearly AQI is at 34 and meets “healthy” air standards, it fails to meet the thresholds for PM2.5. Particularly in winter months, the city experiences pollution swings that makes it one of the most polluted cities in the US.

Pixabay/Public Domain

29. Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR

PM 2.5 – 10.3

PM 10 – 38

Little Rock area has a moderate level of air pollution with major pollutants being PM2.5 at 10.3 and Ozone that averages at 68 µg/m³.

28.Birmingham-Hoover, AL

PM 2.5 – 10.4

PM 10 – 106

The city has often experienced high levels of Ozone pollution and has therefore had unhealthy air conditions. The PM.25 and PM 10 level have been over threshold as well.

Pixabay / Public Domain

27. St. Louis, MO-IL

PM 2.5 – 10.5

PM 10 – 99

St. Louis’ pollution levels are slightly higher than the limits specified by WHO and therefore poses risks in the long-term. PM 2.5 and PM 10 are the main pollutants.

www.schmanke.com

26. Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN

PM 2.5 – 10.5

PM 10 – 40

While Jefferson County had been one of 50 counties across the country that failed to meet federal health standards for fine particle pollution from 2011 to 2013, EPA has recently noted a significant improvement in air quality in the area. The area now meets the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for sulfur dioxide set to protect public health.

25. Klamath Falls, OR

PM 2.5 – 10.5

PM 10 – 58

Klamath Falls has had a prolonged problem with particulate pollution owing to its topography. Air quality can be largely affected during fire season and impacted greatly by fire smoke.

24. Modesto, CA

PM 2.5 – 10.6

PM 10 – 104

The pollution levels in Modesto are often concerning and touch the “unhealthy” level. While PM 2.5 hovers around 10.6 , it can reach a 114 µg/m³ especially towards the end of the year.

area, bakery, bay, business, california, carlos, chain, editorial, enterprise, food, foods, frozen, groceries, liquor, lucky, meat, neighborhood, only, pharmacy, san, seafood,
area, bakery, bay, business, california, carlos, chain, editorial, enterprise, food, foods, frozen, groceries, liquor, lucky, meat, neighborhood, only, pharmacy, san, seafood,

jejim / Shutterstock.com

23. Shreveport-Bossier City, LA

PM 2.5 – 10.7

PM 10 – 44

While particle pollution is still a concern in the area, Shreveport fares nicely in the ozone pollution category and also experiences clean air and a favorable AQI.

Most Polluted Cities in the United States
Most Polluted Cities in the United States

22. McAllen-Mission, TX

PM 2.5 – 10.7

PM 10 – 50

While pollutants level remain low to moderate throughout the year in the area, the PM2.5 level still poses a concern at 10.7 and hence finds a rank among the most polluted cities in the US.

Pixabay/Public Domain

21. Laredo, TX

PM 2.5 – 10.7

PM 10 – 48

Laredo, TX experience average to low AQI conditions across the year. Ozone andPM 2.5 comprise of the main pollutants.

20.Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX

PM 2.5 – 10.7

PM 10 – 63

Even though Houston’s pollution conditions have been on the improving trends, there is still way to go to attain EPA’s standards. Despite a population rise in the recent past, the area has majorly been able to tackle its pollution levels.

Most Ethnically Diverse Cities in America
Most Ethnically Diverse Cities in America

19. El Centro, CA

PM 2.5 – 10.7

PM 10 – 162

The area experiences high ozone days and high levels of particle pollution with AQI often dipping below favorable.

San Leandro, CA
San Leandro, CA

David Brimm/Shutterstock.com

18.Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC

PM 2.5 – 10.7

PM 10 – 25

While the area ranks higher in 24 hour particle pollution, initiatives have been working in its favor. Augusta has also had no high ozone days in the recent past.

States with the Best Roads in America
States with the Best Roads in America

Sean Pavone/Shutterstock.com

17. Cleveland-Elyria, OH

PM 2.5 – 10.8

PM 10 – 79

Cleveland ranks highly on the pollution levels, and soot and smoke particles in the air are a major cause of concern.

Dirtiest Cities in America
Dirtiest Cities in America

Henryk Sadura/Shutterstock.com

16. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI

PM 2.5 – 10.8

PM 10 – 73

The region has reported over 100 days of moderate pollution levels and poor air quality in 2018. Higher levels of ground level ozone and particle pollution has been concerning.

Pixabay/Public Domain

15.Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

PM 2.5 – 10.8

PM 10 – 40

The region experiences favorable days, however, the pollution levels remain moderately high on an average through the year.

15 Highest Paying Cities for Teachers
15 Highest Paying Cities for Teachers

Pixabay/Public Domain

14. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ

PM 2.5 – 10.9

PM 10 – 990

Air quality is often poor in the region, with high levels of pollutants. The PM10 levels are high and the region experienced 110 days of poor air quality in 2016.

airport, phoenix, arizona, traffic, air, control, view, aerial, sky, dawn, harbor, tower, usa, travel, built, night, skyline, southwest, sonoran, runway, building, architecture, city,
airport, phoenix, arizona, traffic, air, control, view, aerial, sky, dawn, harbor, tower, usa, travel, built, night, skyline, southwest, sonoran, runway, building, architecture, city,

Anton Foltin/Shutterstock.com

13. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA

PM 2.5 – 11

PM 10 – 34

The overall area has experienced over 96 days of poor air quality in 2016, however, recent trends have shown significant decrease in pollutants in New York during the COVID 19 pandemic.

Pixabay/Public Domain

12. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

PM 2.5 – 11

PM 10 – 159

Los Angeles has average pollution levels , while maximum pollution levels over a year are greater than the maximum limit specified by WHO. Smog is a major issue that the region faces.

Most Ethnically Diverse Cities in America
Most Ethnically Diverse Cities in America

11. Fresno, CA

PM 2.5 – 11.2

PM 10 – 234

Air Quality touches very low levels in Fresno, and respiratory issues like asthma is common in the region.

Click to continue reading and see the 10 most polluted cities in America. Disclosure: 30 Most Polluted Cities in the US is originally published at Insider Monkey.

Difference in class and empathy between President’s Obama and Clinton, Joe Biden and trump

Former President Barack Obama wished President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump good care and “a speedy recovery” on Friday after they were diagnosed with Covid – 19.

“Michelle and I are hopeful that they and others that have been affected by COVID 19 around the country are getting the care that they need, that they are going to be on the path to a speedy recovery, and it’s important I think for all of us to remember that even when we’re in the midst of big political battles with issues that have a lot at stake, that we’re all Americans and we’re all human beings, and we want to make sure everybody is healthy, Obama added in words echoing what Joe Biden said earlier today online and at a campaign speech in Michigan. “Michelle and I want to make sure we acknowledge the president and the first lady at this difficult time.”

Bill Clinton @BillClinton

We wish the President and First Lady a speedy recovery, and hope for the safety of the White House staff, the Secret Service, and others putting their lives on the line. This pandemic has affected so many. We must continue to protect ourselves, our families, and communities.

Image may contain: 1 person, text that says 'Joe Biden has pulled all negative ads out of respect for Trump. Joe Joe Biden is taking down his negative ads, going all-positive, the New York Times reports. That is what class and leadership looks like. like. Do you agree? CALL TO ACTIVISM'

Michael Moore floats conspiracy theory that Trump may be faking Covid diagnosis

Michael Moore floats conspiracy theory that Trump may be faking Covid diagnosis

Graig Graziosi                       October 2, 2020
Documentarian Michael Moore suggests Donald Trump may be faking his coronavirus diagnosis to garner sympathy before the election. Trump political advisor Hope Hicks, as well as another White House staffer and two reporters working in the White House also have tested positive since Mr Trump was diagnosed. (Getty Images North America)

Documentarian and left-wing activist Michael Moore has floated a conspiracy theory on his Facebook page that suggested Donald Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis was faked.

Mr Moore justified his skepticism of Mr Trump’s diagnosis by citing the president’s many lies and incorrect statements.

“There is one absolute truth about Trump: He is a consistent, absolute, unrelenting, fearless, and professional liar. A serial liar. A factually proven liar. How many lies now has the Washington Post proven in these four years? 25,000? A lie at least twice during every waking hour? Think of all the bad people you’ve known in your life. Even the worst ones you couldn’t say that about.,” he wrote.

Mr Moore then asked “so why on earth would we believe him today? Has he earned your trust now?”

He pondered why Mr Trump would “all of a sudden just start telling the truth.”

“Why would you believe him now?” he asked. “…Trump has a history of lying about his health. His longtime New York doctor, Dr Bornstein, admitted a few years ago that Trump dictated his perfect ‘doctor’s letter’ during the 2016 campaign. Then there was the White House doctor who said Trump could live “200 years!” What about his lying about that emergency trip to Walter Reed “to complete his physical?”

Mr Moore said that Mr Trump may have the virus, but said the president lying about the virus had to be considered.

He went on to speculate as to why Mr Trump would fake having the virus after spending months downplaying its danger and publicly undermining guidelines meant to mitigate its spread.

Mr Moore believes the president is responding to polling data that suggests he is falling behind his campaign rival in the 2020 US election, Democrat Joe Biden. Under Mr Moore’s theory, Mr Trump hopes to change the media narrative and garner sympathy amoung the public by pretending to have the virus.

“Democrats, liberals, the media and others have always been wrong to simply treat him as a buffoon and a dummy and a jackass. Yes, he is all those things. But he’s also canny. He’s clever. He outfoxed Comey. He outfoxed Mueller. He outfoxed 20 Republicans in the GOP primary and then did the same to the Democrats, winning the White House despite receiving fewer votes than his opponent,” Mr Moore wrote. “He’s an evil genius and I raise the possibility of him lying about having Covid -19 to prepare us and counteract his game. He knows being sick tends to gain one sympathy. He’s not above weaponizing this.”

He then went on to claim that Mr Trump may use his potentially phony diagnosis to attempt to delay or otherwise postpone the election. Mr Moore notes that the US Constitution does not grant the president the power to move the election, but says Mr Trump and his administration will simply ignore it.

“He and his thug Attorney General Barr have no shame and will stop at nothing to stay in power. He may even use this as an excuse for losing,” Mr Moore wrote.

He concluded by admitting that Mr Trump “probably does” have Covid-19, and calling on voters to stick to their plans to vote and to be sceptical about what they read and hear. He then offered his well-wishes – mixed with a sizeable amount of indignation – to Mr Trump.

“Finally, on a personal note: Stay alive Mr. President. Your exit from public life must happen in the right and decent way. You have many years to live. You have a child to raise. Grandchildren who need you. A base that loves you,” Mr Moore wrote. “And the families of nearly the quarter-million dead who might be alive today had you done your job, had you cared, had you not played politics with people’s lives. Over 200,000 lost souls — and YOU KNEW! You told Woodward in February it was a plague. 200,000 dead because of decisions you made, because you denigrated science and ignored the doctors.”

Just before Mr Trump and First Lady Melania Trump announced their diagnosis, White House staffer Hope Hicks tested positive for Covid-19. Since their diagnosis, several other individuals in Mr Trump’s orbit over the past few days have tested positive as well, including the president of Notre Dame, a White House staffer, and two reporters who work in the White House.

Read more

Trump coronavirus news – live: Doctors reveal Trump on cocktail of drugs with ‘cough, fever’ and fatigue

Cleveland reports at least 11 cases of coronavirus linked to presidential debate

What’s at stake in the SCOTUS : White House struggles to understand the ACA case it supports

MSNBC – MaddowBlog

White House struggles to understand the ACA case it supports

If the White House is going to fight to take health care benefits from millions of families, it should at least try to get the details right.
By Steve Benen,          Repeated from June 30, 2020
Image: Kayleigh McEnany

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany speaks during a press briefing at the White House on May 1, 2020.Evan Vucci / AP

Last week, Donald Trump and his team asked the Supreme Court to tear down the Affordable Care Act in its entirety, despite the ongoing pandemic. If the president succeeds in getting what he wants, his own country’s health care system would be left in shambles, and tens of millions of families would lose benefits they’ve come to rely on.

It was against this backdrop that White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany appeared on Fox News yesterday morning, and one of the co-hosts asked about the potential political fallout of destroying the existing system without having a replacement ready. The president’s chief spokesperson made the case that it’s actually Democrats who’ll have a political problem.

“Look, the American public looks at this and what they say is this: If Democrats passed an unconstitutional law several years ago, then it’s on Democrats to come forward with a solution.”

 

McEnany went on to argue that the Affordable Care Act represents a “government takeover of health care” (that’s not true), that the White House has “put forward solutions” (that’s not true), and that Democrats are moving toward “eliminating Medicare” (that’s not true).

There was, in other words, quite a bit wrong with the press secretary’s pitch. But let’s focus on two key elements.

First, to hear McEnany tell it, if Supreme Court conservatives agree to destroy the existing health care system, it will be because Democrats “passed an unconstitutional law several years ago.” She’s confused: the pending ACA case is not a test of the original law’s constitutionality. That case has already come and gone.

Rather, the current case relates to the Republicans’ 2017 tax plan and the GOP’s apparent belief that it altered the ACA in such a way as to render it unconstitutional. It’s the sort of detail the White House really ought to know while it tries to take health care coverage from millions of families.

Second, it’s almost amusing to hear McEnany insist that it’s “on Democrats to come forward with a solution.” In other words, if Republicans make a mess, the White House expects Democrats to clean it up.

In reality, however, it’s Democrats who’ve already “come forward with a solution” — it’s the ACA, and it’s working — which they continue to take steps to improve. Meanwhile, it’s Republicans who’ve spent more than a decade promising to craft an alternative to “Obamacare” that does more and costs less.

At least so far, McEnany’s party has failed to keep that promise.

Conspiracy-Theory Twitter Is Going Nuts Over Trump’s COVID Diagnosis

Conspiracy-Theory Twitter Is Going Nuts Over Trump’s COVID Diagnosis

Barbie Latza Nadeau                     October 2, 2020
Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters
Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters

It took about two full minutes from President Trump’s tweet confirming that he and Melania Trump had both tested positive for COVID-19 for the Twittersphere to go quite literally crazy with conspiracies.

As some people speculated that the conspiracy theories would take hold come daybreak, the head of Instagram tweeted: “it’s already starting…”

A number of Twitter users have pushed the theory that the president is “faking” the diagnosis to get out of any more disastrous debates or to distract the world from his $750 tax scandal.

Author Linda Sarsour posed the question whether the debate played a role.

Others, like curriculum writer Jodi Austin, suggested that a full recovery will be an “added bonus of ‘proving’ that it’s just a mild cold when he doesn’t become catastrophically ill. It’s an insane strategy that could be their last hope.”

More sage posters, like author and self-described conspiracy-theory debunker Mike Rothschild offered this: “The galaxy brain take is that Trump is faking COVID to get out of the debates or distract from the tax stuff. But his image depends on being a bull god street fighter Adonis who outworks men half his age. He wouldn’t pretend to be sick and weak. If anything, he’d cover it up.”

Yet another camp of conspiracy theorists believes that the president is faking the diagnosis so he can say how quickly he recovered and how COVID-19 is not at all as bad as it seems. A poster named Catherine Kenyon theorizes that Trump needs to change the conversation for two or three weeks. “At which time, Trump can emerge hale and hearty and say that Covid barely laid a glove on him.”

The Hoarse Whisperer tweeted to the more than 314,000 followers that the diagnosis is, in fact, real. “To folks speculating Trump might be lying about having COVID as a ruse of some kind: 1) His narcissism makes him see being sick as being weak. He would never voluntarily make himself look weak. 2) He can’t campaign for two weeks. His narcissism needs that ego fuel. He has it.”

Many of those posting under Trump’s announcement wish him well, including several who say they cried at the news he tested positive. Others gave advice, including not to drink bleach or ingest disinfectants or inject daylight. Many more posted videos of him mocking his presidential opponent Joe Biden for wearing a mask and being cautious.

One Twitter user tweeting under then handle Mrs. Krassenstein, lectured the president on his behavior, telling him, “You should be ashamed of yourself for calling this virus a hoax and for holding rallies after you were exposed to Hope Hicks. I wish you well Mr. President, but you have no one to blame but yourself.” She added a followup post, “Now can you please stand up like a leader and stop downplaying the virus? Can you please stop mocking mask wearing? If you wore a mask, you would probably not have gotten COVID.”

Some posts, like WMM podcast and CNN political analyst Joe Lockhart, floated the idea that these cascading scandals somehow replace each other. “This is the world we live in. The Kimberly [Guilfoyle sexual harassment] story gave us a break from the Trump the racist story. The Melania tapes gave us a break from the Kimberly story. And the Covid diagnosis gave us a break from the Melania tape story. NUTS.”

And even some far-right Twitter users—already prone to conspiratorial thinking—seemed to indulge the idea that the president would fake a positive coronavirus test to change the news focus. Kurt Schlichter, a conservative media star who frequently fantasizes about killing Democrats in a new civil war, wrote: “I’m not saying that Donald Trump is pretending to have Covid to cause the left to freak out in a frenzy of murder wishes and to wash all the garbage stories off the front page, but I’m not saying I’m not saying that.” The take was so hot that he retweeted himself to boost it again for his audience.

Among other memes, jokes about the Trump couple actually kissing each other, and wishes of ill-will and speedy recovery, one user sought to wish the president “Thoughts and prayers for a quick recovfefe.”

‘It’s Just F*ck-Up After F*ck-up’—Trump’s COVID Advisers at Their Breaking Point

‘It’s Just F*ck-Up After F*ck-up’—Trump’s COVID Advisers at Their Breaking Point

Erin Banco, Asawin Suebsaeng                October 2, 2020
Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/AP
Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/AP

 

The announcement that President Donald Trump, his wife, and a top White House aide contracted coronavirus threatened, on Friday, to bring unprecedented levels of tumult to the federal government.

But even as the president was rushed to the hospital at Walter Reed, for what the White House said would be days of observation, rest and testing, officials inside the administration said they didn’t anticipate much of a shakeup in their approach to combating COVID. There would reportedly be no official revised mask policy, which remained encouraged but not required. The White House’s COVID task force would not take on an enhanced role, after operating for months on fumes.

“It’s business as usual,” as one White House official put it, even as the pandemic had come bursting through their front door.

The approach may have seemed odd considering the stakes: the leader of the free world, silent and out of sight, helicoptered to a hospital to deal with a deadly virus. But, to a degree, it merely echoed the science-skeptical mindset that has gripped Trump and his team as it has approached a likely spike in COVID cases this fall. By Friday, even some of the president’s top boosters were wondering if it was all insane.

“I support [the president’s] re-election, I think he’s done an amazing job, I think he’s Ronald Reagan on steroids. But one thing I personally don’t understand is why people don’t wear masks. I don’t understand it. Why don’t they wear masks? The president should tell people to wear them!” businessman Shalabh “Shalli” Kumar, a Trump and GOP mega-donor and chair of the Republican Hindu Coalition, said on Friday afternoon. “I hope [the infection] is very minor, and I hope that there’s no negative impact on him or the first lady at all, or anybody else associated with them. I’m very concerned about this.”

Elsewhere in Trumpworld, there was anger and internal frustrations over how the virus in general and the president’s infection in particular had been handled. Among White House staff and the re-election effort, some advisers were furious that Trump wasn’t talked out of attending a high-roller fundraiser at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club on Thursday night, after the White House already learned of his exposure to the virus, two administration officials said. The senior official was also exasperated that the way the White House bungled the information rollout in the past couple days left the administration wide-open to allegations of yet another disastrous cover-up.

“It’s just fuck-up after fuck-up,” said a senior administration official who works with the coronavirus task force. “I don’t have much more to add [beyond] that.”

The anger expressed in some corners of Trumpworld on Friday was similar to the frustrations those inside the administration have come to feel. For weeks the president’s medical advisers have been increasingly on the outs. But in recent days officials have grown increasingly resigned to the idea that keeping the public informed about the threats the virus poses while maintaining favor with the president is an impossible task.

In the hours leading up to the president’s announcement of a new coronavirus testing initiative last week in the Rose Garden, officials at the Centers for Disease Control were left in the dark about the initiative’s actual details. Earlier in the day, Vice President Mike Pence and Adm. Brett Giroir, the administration’s coronavirus testing czar, had hosted a call with the nation’s governors, during which they said that the federal government planned to send states batches of Abbot BinaxNOW point-of-care tests, free of charge, with the hope that they use them for the reopening of schools.

But neither Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, nor CDC Director Robert Redfield were on the call. And when Trump ultimately unveiled the initiative at the Rose Garden, neither Redfield, Fauci nor Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, appeared alongside him. (Birx has been traveling across the country to work with colleges to slow community spread). Instead, the president turned to Pence, Giroir and Scott Atlas, an adviser to Trump on COVID-19 issues, to promote the new testing plan.

For those who continue to warn that the virus will infect and kill more Americans without serious attention paid toward stopping community spread, the frustrations have hit a boiling point.

“We used to meet seven days a week. Then five days a week. We’re now meeting one day a week and at most two times a week,” Fauci said during an interview with AIDS & LGBT rights activist Peter Staley last week. “The way things have evolved at the White House is that there has been a pivot away from the reliance on a daily type of a task force discussion… on policy making and policy implementation… more towards how are we going to get this country open again economically. There is another science person— Dr. Atlas— who is much more with the president than any of the other task force members particularly Debbie Birx who used to be in that position. This is a unique situation.”

Chris Wallace Tells Fox Viewers Not to Listen to Trump COVID Adviser Scott Atlas: ‘He Has No Training’

At the heart of the matter is Trump’s belief that his election hinges on convincing the public that the virus is not the threat his own science advisers say it is.

The president and his team have traveled across the country, greeting voters and other supporters without masks. Some of those events have been inside—including rallies—while others were held outdoors. And during the presidential debate on Tuesday, Trump publicly questioned the analysis of his own coronavirus officials, saying he did not agree with a timetable that a coronavirus vaccine would not reach the American people until well into next year.

But the current delta between Trump’s political objectives and scientific reality is, sources say, even worse than it appears publicly.

Over the last several weeks, officials within the CDC, including several working with the White House coronavirus task force, have grown increasingly frustrated with the president, who they say has sidelined the nation’s top scientists and health representatives in an effort to control the narrative around the pandemic’s spread. While most admit the CDC has made mistakes, including accidentally posting guidelines about COVID-19 aerosol transmission, officials say the president has pushed aside top health officials throughout the administration primarily because they have questioned his approach to responding to the virus.

Central to the dysfunction, officials say, is Atlas, a Rasputin-like figure who has increasingly gotten hold of the president’s ear.

Several officials who interact with the neuroradiologist expressed frustration that President Trump had put his trust in an individual who has little experience working on infectious disease outbreaks. Increasingly, those frustrations are bubbling to the surface in ways that would have been unheard of in past administrations.

“He’s doing things that you would do if you wanted to tear apart the task force,” one senior Trump administration official, who works closely with the group, said of Atlas. “The president was already doing a fine job ignoring much of the counsel coming out of the task force, but [Atlas’s ascension] has made it even worse.”

This official referenced several times this summer, during which the United States had seen coronavirus surges in various areas, when Trump was being briefed on virus data or worsening situations, and would reply, “What does Scott have to say,” or “What does Scott think?”

Trump had told senior officials in recent weeks he doesn’t see Atlas on TV enough and wants him booked on more programs and cable-news shows representing the administration’s policies, said a source with direct knowledge of the president’s wishes. But even Fox News—whose airwaves initially drew Trump to Atlas—has grown wary of putting him on some programs, owing to his policy prescriptions that are deemed by many to be out-of-touch with mainstream scientific and public-health opinion.

And within the administration, trust in Atlas is even lower. In the interview with Stanley, Fauci called out Atlas for undermining an assessment by Redfield that 90 percent of Americans are still susceptible to the virus.

“I thought it was extraordinary inappropriate for him [Atlas] in a press conference like that to contradict the director of CDC as opposed to saying ‘you know, it is a complicated issue and I think I’d like to sit down and discuss this with the people from the CDC’,” Fauci said. “And then what has happened, he’s a smart guy, no doubt about it, but he tends to cherry-pick data.”

Redfield has also been quoted speaking critically about Atlas, saying—in comments overheard by NBC last week, that “everything” Atlas “says is false.” Multiple officials working with the task force, meanwhile, have said that Atlas, the president and other advisers have downplayed case numbers and complicated their efforts to inform the public about how local communities can stop the spread of the virus by issuing public health ordinates, such as mask mandates, and by recommending stricter lockdown measures.

On Friday, hours before Trump was flown to Walter Reed, Atlas was quoted as predicting the president would make “a complete and full and rapid recovery.”

There was, he insisted, “zero reason to panic.”

‘Borat 2’ Trailer: Sacha Baron Cohen Returns to Annihilate Donald Trump’s America

Indie Wire

Zack Sharf         October 1, 2020

 

Ready or not, here comes Borat. Amazon has premiered the official trailer for Sacha Baron Cohen’s comedy sequel, officially titled “Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm.” No, the rumored title of “Borat: Gift of Pornographic Monkey to Vice Premiere Mikhael Pence to Make Benefit Recently Diminished Nation of Kazakhstan” was not true. The film picks up with Cohen’s Kazakh journalist Borat following the blockbuster success of the 2006 movie as he returns to America with his daughter hoping to “gift her to someone close to the throne” (aka someone in the orbit of Donald Trump’s White House).

Cohen shot the “Borat” sequel in secret over the summer. Fans of the comedian started to wonder what he was up to after news broke in June that Cohen crashed a far-right rally in Olympia, Washington, and convinced the crowd to sing a racist song with him. Cohen appeared dressed in overalls and a fake beard and sang about injecting kids with the “Wuhan flu.” The event was for the Washington Three Percenters, a far-right militia group known for its gun advocacy.

Another Cohen prank leaked after New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani revealed in July that Cohen ambushed his interview at the Mark Hotel in New York City. During the middle of Giuliani’s interview, a man believed to be Cohen stormed in “wearing a crazy” outfit that included “a pink bikini, with lace, underneath a translucent mesh top.” Giuliani called the prank “absurd.”

In addition to far-right groups and Giuliani, Cohen is also expected to take aim at Mike Pence, Donald Trump, and Jeffrey Epstein in “Borat 2.” Deadline reported in September that Cohen risked his life on multiple occasions to film the “Borat” sequel, including wearing a bulletproof vest on at least two full days of filming.

The original “Borat” was a box office winner in 2006, grossing over $260 million worldwide. Cohen won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical, and the film went on to land an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 79th Academy Awards. The film is often referred to as one of the best comedy films of the 21st century.

“Borat 2” will be released October 23 on Amazon Prime. Watch the official trailer for the comedy sequel in the video below.

Randy Rainbow: I Won’t Vote Trump

Randy Rainbow

***NEW VIDEO***
Repeat after me: #IWontVoteTrump ✋🏻
This one’s a fundraiser on YouTube for

HeadCount

which uses music and culture to engage Americans with democracy. Donate if you can at the link below and visit Headcount.org to #RegisterToVote or verify your address! 🗳🇺🇸🧚🏻🎶

A Disgusting Night for Democracy

OLIVIER DOULIERY / AFP / GETTY 

The 90-minute spectacle tonight calls into question the value of having any “debates” of this sort ever again. No one knows more about public life than he or she did before this disaster began; some people know less; and everyone feels and looks worse.

Start with the supposed moderator, Chris Wallace. It became obvious five minutes in that Donald Trump’s strategy was to interrupt, yell, insult, and disrupt as often as he could. This is a strategy that can work only if no one gets in the way of it, and Chris Wallace just let it go on. Maybe Wallace was caught by surprise by Trump’s bellicosity and primate-dominance. (But—c’mon.) Even so, two or three minutes of this should have been enough to adjust. He didn’t adjust. And he let Trump roll over him.

Maybe—I don’t know—the negotiated debate rules prevented Wallace from selectively cutting off the speakers’ mics. Even so, there are ways for the people supposedly in charge of an event to demonstrate that in fact they are in charge. Wallace made clear early on that he was not.

Trump’s instincts are taken from pro wrestling, as with his famous stunt of shaving Vince McMahon’s head. Thus Trump was unconstrained by norms or unenforced rules; Wallace did not enforce the rules, and the result, as it would be in a brawl or an unrefereed sporting match, was one person unconstrained by any of the norms of “allotted time” or “take your turn” or “respectful disagreement,” and another who was half the time constrained by those expectations, and the other half taking the bait in some way.

I recorded a whole detailed minute-by-minute annotation of the debate as it unfolded, but I’m not going to dignify this disaster with any details. It was a giant mess. Did the spectacle change any votes? Who knows. Maybe some people were revved up for Trump by his assertiveness. Maybe other people—I’d guess a larger number, but it’s just a guess—were repelled by his bullying tactics.Was Biden correctly playing the long game, by turning all topics from Trump’s favored terrain (It’s about me) to Biden’s theme (It’s about you) and addressing the camera rather than Wallace or Trump?

Will either side’s strategy pay off ? I can’t say. And—just for this second—I don’t care. I’ll think about that tomorrow.

But for tonight I’ll say this was a disgusting moment for democracy. Donald Trump made it so, and Chris Wallace let him. I hope there are no more debates before this election. If they happen, I won’t waste another minute of my life watching them.

The modern presidential debate was invented in 1960. We may have seen the end of its useful life this evening.

We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.

James Fallows is a staff writer at The Atlantic and has written for the magazine since the late 1970s. He has reported extensively from outside the United States and once worked as President Jimmy Carter’s chief speechwriter. He and his wife, Deborah Fallows, are the authors of the 2018 book Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey Into the Heart of America, which was a national best seller and is the basis of a forthcoming HBO documentary.