GOP downplays Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transition of power: 'The President says crazy stuff'

 https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/24/politics/republican-reaction-trump-transfer-of-power/index.html

 President Donald Trump's stunning refusal to commit to a peaceful transition of power was mostly dismissed by Republicans on Capitol Hill, with many downplaying the remarks as merely rhetoric and others deflecting questions about a comment that Democrats fear could threaten a fundamental principle of American democracy.

"The President says crazy stuff. We've always had a peaceful transition of power. It's not going to change," said Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, who has been an occasional critic of the President.

While Republicans insisted there would be a peaceful transition, many did not go so far as to explicitly criticize his remarks after Trump on Wednesday would not commit to providing a peaceful transition of power after Election Day, lending further fuel to concerns he may not relinquish his office should he lose in November.

 

 

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Trump Declines To Commit To A Peaceful Transfer Of Power | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC

Trump Refuses To Commit To Peaceful Transfer Of Power | Morning Joe | MSNBC

Yeshivas are asking teachers not to test for COVID-19, even as cases rise

 https://forward.com/news/455103/schools-are-not-reporting-covid-cases-among-students-asking-teachers-not/

 Some Haredi yeshiva day schools in Brooklyn are asking teachers not to get tested for COVID-19, and also not sharing information about students who test positive, to try to avoid school closures, said three sources with direct knowledge of specific schools said in interviews.

The news comes amid an uptick in COVID-19 cases in six Queens and Brooklyn neighborhoods which include the “Ocean Parkway Cluster” of Borough Park, Midwood and Bensonhurst — named after the avenue that links them, according to a Department of Health statement issued Tuesday.

Did Trump Say Protesters Threw Cans of Soup at Police?

 https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-protesters-cans-of-soup/

 Given that Trump did make the statements about protesters using cans of soup as weapons against law enforcement and there is footage confirming he made the statement, we rate this claim as a “Correct Attribution.”

Yom Kippur synagogue closure will be ineffective among haredim - Analysis

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/yom-kippur-synagogue-closure-will-be-ineffective-among-haredi-analysis-643312

 Moshe Weisberg, editor of the B’hadrei Haredim ultra-Orthodox news website, says likewise that a closure order of synagogues on Yom Kippur will be widely violated.

He estimated that at least 80% of the ultra-Orthodox community, including the hassidim and various extremist factions, have not been obeying social distancing in synagogues in recent months, and that that figure would climb even higher on Yom Kippur.

In B’hadrei Haredim’s editorial on Wednesday, the site described a closure of synagogues on Yom Kippur as “a declaration of war on God and his Torah,” and that “thousands of worshipers and synagogue administrators will not comply with such a decision.”

Israel is winning on the world stage, but losing the plot at home

 https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/23/middleeast/israel-netanyahu-world-stage-at-home-intl/index.html

At home it's a different story, however. The second wave of coronavirus infections in Israel long ago eclipsed the first, forcing the country into a second general lockdown that has shuttered schools, restaurants, entertainment venues and more. And while the coronavirus may be the most pressing challenge facing Netanyahu right now, it's far from the only one. The 70-year-old leader is being attacked from both left and the right, not only for his handling of the public health crisis, but also for mismanagement of the economy, his response to his criminal trials, and more.

 

 

 

The Pentagon Reportedly Blew Its $1 Billion Coronavirus Budget on Body Armor and Planes

 https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/09/pentagon-reportedly-blew-its-dollar1-billion-coronavirus-budget-on-body-armor-and-planes

Hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars Congress intended for pandemic relief were instead diverted for military spending, with bailout cash used to produce products like jet engine parts, body armor, and dress uniforms. For a period of time, the Washington Post reported, the $1 billion fund that Congress gave the Pentagon via the Cares Act to “prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus” was on track to be used for its original purpose, with $750 million for medical resources and $250 million for defense contractors. That was what Ellen Lord, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, told reporters in April. But at a congressional hearing two months later, she backtracked, telling lawmakers that defense contractors had “critical needs as well.” The ultimate spending plan that the Pentagon put forth to Congress in June, the Post notes, prioritized $688 million for the defense industry.

 

Are elderly people now disposable? Look in mirror, Trump

COVID-19 Has Killed Nearly 200,000 Americans. How Many More Lives Will Be Lost Before the U.S. Gets It Right?

 https://time.com/5887432/coronavirus-united-states-failure/

 If, early in the spring, the U.S. had mobilized its ample resources and expertise in a coherent national effort to prepare for the virus, things might have turned out differently. If, in midsummer, the country had doubled down on the measures (masks, social-distancing rules, restricted indoor activities and public gatherings) that seemed to be working, instead of prematurely declaring victory, things might have turned out differently. The tragedy is that if science and common sense solutions were united in a national, coordinated response, the U.S. could have avoided many thousands of more deaths this summer.

 

Erin Burnett: Here is what keeps President Trump up at night

Trump views 200,000 Covid-19 deaths as a PR problem. We should view them as someone's loved one

 https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/22/opinions/trump-views-200000-covid-19-deaths-as-a-pr-problem-obeidallah/index.html

 On Monday, with the US on the verge of reaching the solemn number of 200,000 dead from Covid-19, Donald Trump appeared on Fox News where the topic of the virus was raised. Did Trump express sympathy for the heartbreaking losses caused to families across the nation from this deadly pandemic? Nope, instead he patted himself on the back for doing what he called "a phenomenal job" in handling Covid-19, giving himself an "A+." The only criticism Trump would offer was regarding the public relations for the virus, saying in that area, "I give myself a D." He blamed the low grade on "fake news."

 

A bubble of self-delusion in Washington

 https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/22/world/meanwhile-in-america-september-22-intl/index.html

 "Just remember, what you're seeing and what you're reading is not what's happening," Donald Trump told supporters in 2018. On Monday, as the terrible milestone of 200,000 Covid-19 deaths loomed, the US President put his motto into action.

"We've done a phenomenal job. Not just a good job, a phenomenal job," Trump said on Fox News, referring to his leadership in the pandemic. "On the job itself, we take an A+," the President said.

The entire Trump mythology rests on a bubble of self-delusion. The US has around 4% of the world's population -- but more than 20% of its coronavirus deaths. And while few governments have fought this pernicious disease perfectly, any fair assessment would put Trump's performance closer to a D than an A.