Monthly Archives: June 2020

On Thursday night, a collection some of the NFLs biggest stars released avideochallenge to the league. A-listers including Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson and Odell Beckham spoke powerfully about the omnipresence of systemic racism against black Americans.

Then the players turned to the deep rift that has existed between players and owners ever since Colin Kaepernick first knelt during the national anthem in 2016 to protest against racism. They asked the NFL to apologize and recognize the current moment by putting out a statement with these words: We, the NFL, condemn racism and the systemic oppression of black people. We, the NFL admit were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all that speak out and peacefully protest. We, the NFL, believe Black Lives Matter.

Less than 24 hours later, Donald Trump predictably entered the fray with a series of tweets that asserted New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees should not have apologized for equating kneeling with disrespecting the military. Trump then tried to rally his base with the antiquated talking point he utters most in times of desperation.

I am a big fan of Drew Brees. I think hes truly one of the greatest quarterbacks, but he should not have taken back his original stance on honoring our magnificent American Flag. OLD GLORY is to be revered, cherished, and flown high,Trumptweeted.We should be standing up straight and tall, ideally with a salute, or a hand on heart. There are other things you can protest, but not our Great American Flag NO KNEELING!

All eyes turned to the NFL. The league had a significant decision to make. Would commissioner Roger Goodell, representative of the 32 owners, finally turn his back on the president (and the NFLs numerous MAGA fans)? Would he side with his players? Or would he continue to condone Trumps words through silence, or worse, release a weak, fluffy statement with corporate buzzwords like equality, justice, and respect, while taking no concrete action?

Within minutes, Goodell issued astunning video. He uttered the words we were wrong as he read the statement requested by the players.He spoke with emotion and remorse as he said, I personally protest with you and want to be part of the much-needed change in this country. It was a Goodell we have never seen before.

Then again, this is a moment we have never seen before. The brutal police killing of George Floyd and so many before him has sparked a passionate, widespread movement of awareness, education, and solidarity. We are now almost two weeks into protests seeking an America that ends police brutality and the systemic oppression of its black citizens. Its a movement that should reach anyone with a heart and functioning brain cells.

Goodell hardly deserves a parade for his change of tone. After all, his NFL is the one that tossed aside its moral compass and turned its back on Kaepernick four years ago and every day since. Goodells statement would have been far more powerful had he mentioned Kaepernick by name. Either way, the NFLs banishment of Kaepernick is a permanent stain on the NFL.Nothing can change that now.

Goodells statement was not proactive but reactive to a litany of players who drew a line in the sand. But it was quick and decisive and achieved the unthinkable: The NFL gave Donald Trump the middle finger. It finally detached itself from Trump and his crazy, dangerous strategy of exploiting the flag and national anthem to suppress and demonize peaceful protest.

Trump considers many NFL owners as friends, most notably Robert Kraft of the New England Patriots. Kraft was one of 10 NFL owners who contributed to Trumps inauguration committee. All of these owners have stood on the sidelines like faithful puppies and allowed Trump to pounce on the league since he started his presidential campaign. Whether calling kneeling players sons of bitches or sending Vice-President Mike Pence to a 49ers-Colts just to storm out of the stadium after the anthem, or tweeting STAND FOR THE FLAG when hes bored, Trumps toxicity has been a constant in the NFL. And the league, happy to collect the revenue of his supporters, turned a blind eye.

But with the NFLs sudden support of its protesting players, Trump has lost something important. Even Brees exited the Trump train on Friday, addressing the president directly and urging him to stop using the flag to distract America from discussing racial injustice. None of the NFLs power brokers are publicly in Trumps corner anymore whatever they think in private. And Trump, for all of his megalomania, is going to have a hard time using the NFL to spew his usual cocktail of spite and hate.

Even the military, who Trump has long used as a crutch for his demagoguery, is turning its back on him.From condemnation by retired generals, including James Mattis, to the backtracking of the current secretary of defense, Mark Esper, after Trump ordered the military to tamp down protests, Trumps playbook of politicizing the military is losing steam.

We will see what happens when the protests thin out and the threats of boycotting from MAGA fans inevitably arrives. We will see if any owners cozy up to Trump and try to clamp down on peaceful protesting. We will see if Kaepernick is allowed to play again in the league that has deprived him of a career for his political beliefs. Given the torment the league has caused Kaepernick, and so many of its players, there is reason to be skeptical. But this time feels different. White players and coaches are joining forces with their black teammates. They are marching. They are talking. They are anxious to help. The NFL finally seems ready to be on the right side of history and turning its back on Trumpis a healthy place to start.

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The NFL did the unthinkable: it gave Donald Trump the middle finger - The Guardian

President Trump signed an executive order on Thursday allowing major infrastructure projects and energy projects to move forward without rigorous environmental review. Agencies would be able to waive provisions put in place by cornerstone environmental laws like the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). That would apply to projects like new mines, pipelines, and highways, reports The Washington Post.

The move is aimed at spurring recovery from the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. An economic emergency, Trump claimed, gives the president authority to essentially suspend environmental laws. Agencies should take all reasonable measures to speed infrastructure investments and to speed other actions in addition to such investments that will strengthen the economy and return Americans to work, the executive order says.

But disregarding environmental law could come with grave consequences, former members of the EPA warn. Failing to assess the potential environmental damage a project might inflict can also harm health. Take pollution that might come from building a highway near neighborhoods and the vehicle traffic that follows, for example. That leads to chronic health problems that can make people more vulnerable to COVID-19, and pollution often disproportionately poisons black neighborhoods and other communities of color. Black Americans are exposed to 1.54 times more fine particle pollution, which can come from construction sites and tailpipes, than the rest of the population, the EPA found in a 2018 study.

The new executive order arrives as protests continue against systemic racism and the police killing of George Floyd, who told officers I cant breathe as a Minneapolis officer pinned him down by the neck. When we say we cant breathe, we are not only talking about the knees on our necks and chokeholds from police, but also the squeezing of life from our lungs brought on by the pollution that the Trump Administration continues to pump into our bodies by the rolling back of the vary laws that are meant to give us justice and access, Mustafa Santiago Ali , the former associate administrator of the EPAs Office of Environmental Justice, said in an emailed statement.

Its unclear whether Trump actually has the legal authority to enforce his latest executive order, according to Joel Mintz, Professor Emeritus of Law at Nova Southeastern University and a former attorney for the EPA. This is also very bad public policy. Pipelines and other infrastructure can do great environmental harm. Their impact should be carefully examined, as NEPA requires, before they are allowed to go forward, Mintz said in a statement emailed to The Verge.

Trump has already moved to weaken the National Environmental Policy Act. In January, he proposed changes that would speed up the approval process for constructing new pipelines and infrastructure. NEPA gives the public an opportunity to comment before projects are allowed to break ground, and has been invoked to oppose the Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines.

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Donald Trump weakens environmental regulations with new executive order - The Verge

Bret: Well, it pains me to say this, but Elizabeth Warrens chances just got a lot better: Her case is that she can help save capitalism from itself by fighting against all the inequalities of American life. And Stacey Abramss chances improved too, as a way for Biden to signal that he will heal racial divisions and unrest.

Gail: Every day feels like a Biden ad now. While Minneapolis was in turmoil, Trump came out to address reporters. And very, very low as my opinion of our president is, I did not expect him to ignore the subject entirely. But he just talked about China. Then walked off without answering any questions.

Im in awe of Trumps China obsession. Its second only to his Obama obsession. Really, if something bad is going on hell blame one of those two. Sometimes both. I was sort of impressed by the way he managed to celebrate the space launch only good news of the entire week by taking credit for rescuing NASA from Obama neglect.

But Im still interested in why he seems to feel that blaming everything on China works. You have a way better sense of foreign affairs than I do. Give me an analysis.

Bret: The tinpot leaders instinct is always to find someone else to blame for whatever misfortunes befall the country. But in Chinas case, that someone else happens to be exceedingly blameworthy.

Theres no question Beijings initial cover-up in Wuhan helped the virus spread. Now it is behaving tyrannically when it comes to the people of Hong Kong. It is treaty-bound to honor the principle of one country, two systems. But it has constantly tried to undermine the citys civic freedoms, which is what sparked last years massive demonstrations. This time around, Chinas leaders figured the world was too preoccupied to try to stand in the way of their attempts to impose draconian limitations on Hong Kongs long-held rights of speech and public protest.

Any American president would be bound to respond somehow. The problem we have is that Trump has squandered so much of Americas moral capital, and behaved so obsequiously with despots like Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, that his words just dont carry the weight of former presidents. And the same goes for crises at home.

Gail: So youre saying that even when hes right, hes wrong? Sounds like a perfect campaign slogan.

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Donald Trump Is Lost in Space - The New York Times

Once Twitter applied its rules to Trumpand received accolades for its decisionit inadvertently set a precedent. The company had stood strong against the bully, and showed that there was little price to pay for the choice. A large swath of S&P 500 companies soon calculated that it was better to stand in solidarity with the protests, rather than wait for their employees to angrily pressure them to act.

A cycle of noncooperation was set in motion. Local governments were the next layer of the elite to buck Trumps commands. After the president insisted that governors dominate the streets on his behalf, they roundly refused to escalate their response. Indeed, New York and Virginia rebuffed a federal request to send National Guard troops to Washington, D.C.* Even the suburb of Arlington, Virginia, pulled its police that had been loaned to control the crowd in Lafayette Square.

As each group of elites refused Trump, it became harder for the next to comply in good conscience. In Sharps taxonomy, the autocrats grasp on power depends entirely on the allegiance of the armed forces. When the armed forces withhold cooperation, the dictator is finished. Of course, the U.S. is far more democratic than the regimes Sharp studied and doesnt fit his taxonomy neatly. But on Wednesday, the presidents very own secretary of defense explicitly rejected Trumps threat to deploy active-duty military officers to American streets. Its among the most striking instances of an official bucking a president in recent decades.

Adam Serwer: Trump gave police permission to be brutal

The examples of Serbia, Ukraine, and Tunisia show how even the subservient unexpectedly break from a leader once that leader is doomed to illegitimacy. And to an extent, the cycle of abandonment has already begun. Jim Mattiss excoriation of his old boss prodded Trumps former chief of staff John Kelly and Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska to echo his condemnation of the president.** As each defector wins praise for moral courage, it incentivizes the next batch of defectors.

Even if the protests fizzleand the parade of denunciations comes to an endits worth pausing to marvel at the moment. Despite the divisions of the country, a majority of its people joined together in shared abhorrence of the president, at least for an instant. Sectors of society that studiously avoid politics broke with their reticence. In a dark era, when it seemed beyond the moral capacities of the nation, it mustered the will to disobey.

* An earlier version of this article incorrectly included Maryland among the states that have rebuffed a request to send National Guard troops to Washington, D.C.

** This article previously misstated the first name of former White House chief of staff John Kelly.

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

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The Trump Regime Is Beginning to Topple - The Atlantic

Donald Trump promised on Twitter this week that the United States of America will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization.

Legal experts immediatelythrew cold wateron theproposal, arguing that there may be no means by which any domestic entity can be designated in this way.

But, perhaps more importantly, experts also say that there is no actual antifa organization for Trump to define in this way.Put simply: antifa does not really exist as a distinct entity.

Antifa is a useful umbrella term that denotes a broad spectrum of groups and individuals of far-left or anarchist tendencies. The term itself means simply anti-fascist.

Mark Bray, a historian and the author of Antifa: The Antifascist Handbook, said in a telephone conversation that antifa is a loose movement of decentralized revolutionary self defense opposed to the far right.

Antifa conspiracy theories are common amongst rightwing politicians, media and activists. Bray said: The right describes antifa as a unitary organization with leaders and even secret funding though that is simply not true.

An antisemitic conspiracy theory that the billionaire financier George Soros funds antifa also has widespread currency on the right, including amonginfluential Trump-world figures.

Although the president and his allies wish to conflate large protests in every city with radical anti-fascist groups, Bray says they drastically overstate the numbers and influence of committed Antifa activists.

The antifa movement traces its heritage to radical left groups that resisted dictators such as Mussolini and Hitler in Europe in the 1930s. In Germany, the communist-aligned Antifaschistische Aktion fought street battles with Hitlers followers until it was forcibly disbanded in 1933.

This tradition was revived in Europe during the 1980s and 1990s, with the rise of nazi skinheads and other far right groups. It arrived in the US in the late 1980s, with the creation of Anti Racist Action (ARA) in Minneapolis.

The movement which is also strongly associated with anarchist politics is not defined by lasting institutions. ARA no longer exists and the oldest identifiable group in the US is probably Portlands Rose City Antifa, which dates from 2007.

Contemporary antifa groups have a distinctive repertoire of tactics ranging from publicly identifying members of far-right groups, to physically resisting them in the streets.Often, in street protests, activists dress in black bloc attire including balaclavas or masks to conceal their identity.

Sometimes, antifa street demonstrations involve violence: between activists and police, or members of far-right groups, or both.

The most controversial recent episodes have involved violent confrontations with rightwing social media personalities and sometimes, with journalists and photographers who activists believe will compromise their anonymity.

Bray says that antifas actions in this respect are nothing like the violence police have visited on journalists in recent days as dozens of reporters have been beaten, teargassed, shot and arrested by police covering the Black Lives Matter protests.

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What is antifa and why is Donald Trump targeting it? - The Guardian

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As Donald Trump fumes and fulminates in the White House, amid a pandemic, economic calamity, and widespread civil unrest, he and his political team are not taking their eyes off the big picture: raising money for his reelection campaign. With Americans across the nation protesting social inequities and violent policingwhich Trump at times has encouragedand with public health experts continuing to warn against large gatherings, the Trump campaign sent out an invitation for a megadollar fundraiser in Dallas on June 11.

The admission fee: $580,600. For this, you get dinner and a photo with Trump. Pricey? Well, this donation does cover a couple.

Thats right, for more than half a million buckswith the money going to Trumps campaign, the Republican National Committee, and an assortment of state GOP outfitsyou can get a few seconds of face time with Trump and a pic to commemorate the moment.

The hosts for the event arewell, predictable. No showbiz celebrities. No sports heroes. No popular influencers. Theres the head of the RNC, Ronna McDaniel, RNC co-chair Tommy Hicks Jr., and the chief fundraiser for the GOP, Todd Ricketts. (Hicks, a buddy of Donald Trump Jr., has used his connections to set up meetings for business associates with the Trump White House. Ricketts, a co-owner of the Chicago Cubs, last year was accused of skipping out on his fair share of property taxes.) Also on the hosts list: Kimberly Guilfoyle, chair of the Trump Victory Finance Committee and constant companion of Trump Jr., and campaign manager Brad Parscale, who has gotten rich off donations to the Trump campaign.

Though $500,000-plus for the chance to stand close to Trump seems high, this amount does not set a record. In 2016, the Trump campaign and the RNC held a fundraiser, once again in Dallas, with a top-dollar donation of $893,000 per couple. But you could still get into the event for a contribution as measly as $5,400 for a twosome. (The invitation for the coming Trump fundraiser does not offer such a poor-mans option.) In February, Trump held a fundraiser at the Palm Beach estate of billionaire Nelson Peltz, also for $580,600 per couple.

Joe Biden, too, is trying to get into this big-money game. The presumptive Democratic nominees campaign has worked out an arrangement with the Democratic National Committee and state parties to raise $620,600 apiece from wealthy donors to support his White House run and other Democratic candidates. But Biden has yet to host an event with this sum as the ticket price. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is scheduled to mount an online big-dollar event for the former vice president later this month, but the cost of admission has not been publicly reported.

Back to the Trump event: The invitation stirs a number of questions. Will there be social distancing at this shindig? How close to Trump will half-a-mil donors be allowed to get for their photo with him? Will there be handshakes? Will guests be screened for the coronavirus before they are allowed into the event? Will they be tested before posing with Trump? Will they have to wear a mask? Or will they have to take off a mask to be photographed with Trump?

Mother Jonesemailed one of the events organizers at the GOP about all this. No reply, so far.

Though Trump these days is laying low in his besieged White Househe didnt even get out to play golf this past weekendhe does have this big special evening to look forward to. As of now, he doesnt want to talk to Americans about the protests and the violence occurring, while the nation is still threatened by a deadly virus that has struck down over 100,000 souls. But he will gladly hobnob with well-heeled swells who are willing to underwrite his presidency. And he will flash his famous (or infamous) grimace-smile on the photo lineas long as you pay him big money to do so.

UPDATE:A spokesperson for the Trump campaign says the Secret Service and the White House medical unit will vet attendees for the event. Trumps donors will have to test negative for coronavirus that day and undergo a temperature screening.

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You Can Get a Photo With Donald Trump for Only $580600 - Mother Jones

Tinkering with the worlds top table

Jun 4th 2020

AMERICAS YEAR of chairing the Group of Seven (G7) club of advanced economies has become something of a soap opera. In the latest episode the star of the show, President Donald Trump, due to host fellow leaders at the presidential retreat of Camp David on June 10th-12th, decided to postpone the summit until at least September, after the leading lady, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, made it clear she was not minded to travel to America during a pandemic. Mr Trump also said he wanted to add to the cast the leaders of Australia, India, Russia and South Korea, since he did not think the current very outdated collection of countries properly represents whats going on in the world. That sets up more drama for the coming months.

In an early episode in the series Mr Trump shocked audiences by announcing his intention to hold the summit at one of his own golf resorts; a bipartisan backlash truncated that subplot. In March Mr Trump chaired a videoconference with G7 leaders, after prodding by the French co-star, Emmanuel Macron, who was concerned at the lack of concerted Western leadership in the face of the covid-19 crisis. A virtual meeting of G7 foreign ministers later that month ended in farce. The ministers could not issue a statement because Mike Pompeo, Americas secretary of state, insisted it referred to the Wuhan virus.

Now comes controversy over Mr Trumps proposed expansion of the club. He has long been keen to find a way to bring Russia back into the fold (it joined what became the G8 in 1998 but was suspended after its annexation of Crimea in 2014). Some other G7 members, including France and Italy, might favour that, too.

But Canada and Britain have already said they would veto Russias readmission. Justin Trudeau, Canadas prime minister, said this week that Russias continued defiance of international rules meant that it would remain out. The G7s host is free to invite guests to a summit. Last year, for example, Mr Macron extended a welcome to several African leaders as well as to the prime ministers of Australia and India. But the British government made it clear on June 1st that any decision on membership had to be unanimous, and its opposition to Russias was unchanged.

In truth, Mr Trump is right that the G7 could do with rethinking. When it started in 1975with six members, Canada joining a year laterit represented about 70% of the world economy and was a cosy club for tackling issues such as the response to oil shocks. Now it accounts for about 40% of global GDP. Since the global financial crisis of 2007-09 it has sometimes been overshadowed by the broader G20.

So what is the point of it? With his suggested four extra members, Mr Trump seems to envisage a G11 (or perhaps G12, if Brazil came in too) becoming a China-containment club. But having Chinas junior partner, Russia, in the mix would undermine that idea. By contrast, points out Michael Fullilove of the Lowy Institute, an Australian think-tank, if this is to be the steering committee of the world economy, then China deserves to be included.

Perhaps it should simply be a modernised version of what the G7 has aspired to be all along, a powerful group of like-minded democracies. With their impressive response to the pandemic, Australia and South Korea can claim to have earned a place at the top table. The problem is that it is less clear how well America itself fits into the club these days. Under Mr Trump, especially since a contentious summit in Canada two years ago, when he withdrew his name from the concluding statement, the group has often looked more like a G6+1. The next episodes should be gripping.

This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline "Groping for the right grouping"

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Donald Trump is right that the G7 needs updating. But what for? - The Economist

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