Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Monster Hunter]

Debate starts in 6 mins but i have work in the morning and its nearly 2am here,

but good luck Americans, lets hope this time it isnt as much of a complete national embrassement for you guys.....

[Edge-]

Unfortunately between extra expenses due to my leg and some unexpected expenses the past 2-3 years paying for a VPN isn't something I can justify right now. But yes, I'm aware they exist.

In other news, looks like the Trump admin's penchant for getting rid of whistleblowers is traveling down the food chain.

Second whistleblower fired from Texas attorney general's office after accusing Ken Paxton of bribery

Several people in Paxton's office have reported shady activity to the police...but let's get rid of the people coming forth about it, I guess.

So uh...how many whistleblowers need to be fired before there's an independent/federal investigation?

Isn't that violating whistleblower protection laws to begin with?

[Radux]

So uh...how many whistleblowers need to be fired before there's an independent/federal investigation?

Isn't that violating whistleblower protection laws to begin with?

Honestly would likely depend if it was a right to work state or not. And if they were making their complaint as a whistleblower (legal channels) opposed to just "gon go to the media". I'd also be curious at what the employer's specific handbook might say on the topic.

[s_bushido]

It came from Chyna and it's going away! Please believe me!

[Benggaul]

Honestly would likely depend if it was a right to work state or not. And if they were making their complaint as a whistleblower (legal channels) opposed to just "gon go to the media". I'd also be curious at what the employer's specific handbook might say on the topic.

From the article:

Brickman and Mase were among seven top aides in Paxton’s office who alerted law enforcement weeks ago that they believed their boss had run afoul of the law. In internal emails obtained by the Tribune, they accused Paxton of using the power of his office to serve the financial interests of a donor, Nate Paul.

Employment attorneys say by firing the employees who alleged he had broken the law, Paxton may be walking directly into a lawsuit for violating the Texas Whistleblower Act, which protects state employees from retaliation after they accuse their superiors of crimes.

“This situation looks like what the Texas Whistleblower Act was designed to prevent. And the timing looks bad,” Jason Smith, a North Texas employment attorney, told The Texas Tribune this week.
Paxton has denied the allegations as false and dismissed the whistleblowers as “rogue employees.”

[Radux]

From the article:

Apologies and my thanks. I'm distracted with the debate. I'm wrong in this case. Sounds like someone needs the book thrown at them.

[Breccia]

Hoo boy.

So we know why Trump posted that interview, even though it directly made an enemy of CBS.
1) It would likely not otherwise have aired in full, due to the contents and Trump walking out, and
2) It wasn't an interview, it was a campaign speech.

"Mr. Vice President, this was not a rally. This was not just a campaign speech to the public. This was supposed to be an interview," Stahl told Pence in the interview, which was posted to Facebook in full by President Trump.

"And the same with the president. And I feel that you both have insulted '60 Minutes' by not answering our questions and by giving set campaign speeches that we’ve heard both of you give at rallies without answering our questions," she added.

"Lesley, what question haven’t I answered. What questioned haven’t I answered right now," Pence responded.

Stahl pointed to her question about whether Pence had any comment on Trump calling Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious diseases expert, a "disaster," which the vice president didn't directly address. He instead said the scientists involved in the White House coronavirus response have provided a "great public service."

"I think the both of you, there is this kind of anticipation that people in power are held accountable, and they answer questions for the public, not for me. For the public, and I feel you didn’t do that," Stahl said. "I’m upset."

"Well, Lesley I appreciate the speech that you just gave, but I answered all your questions, and I’ve spoken about things the American care about," Pence said before launching into remarks praising Trump's record and accomplishments in his first term.

Trump seems to be working under the impression that any press is good press. He is wrong.

Trump posted Stahl's 14-minute interview with Pence in full on Facebook hours after publishing his own sit-down with Stahl, which showed the president bristling at tough questions about his agenda and allegations about his opponents.

The president abruptly ended the interview before Stahl was able to conduct a walk-and-talk segment with Trump and Pence together.

Stahl raised the incident with Pence, who was standing off camera when it transpired.

"Why did he walk out and end the interview like that?" Stahl asked. "You walked out with him, right?"

"Lesley, you spent the better part of an hour with the president, and the American people heard the passion that he has for this country," Pence said. "His determination to bring the country all the way back and then some."

The vice president spent his interview repeating many of the same talking points he delivers in his campaign stump speeches, hailing Trump for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 220,000 Americans and insisting that he's kept all of his promises he made in 2016. Stahl pointed out the latter point is not true, noting he hasn't delivered an infrastructure deal.

Not only has Trump now lost a town hall debate in which he was the only participant, he lost an interview in which he had help.

Not only is CBS under no obligation to air the interview, they could probably (depending on the forms signed) take legal action against Trump, and they certainly have no reason to remain neutral. Quite frankly, they have an hour to fill and have loads of information that's objectively factual and therefore hostile to Trump.

- - - Updated - - -

I'm not watching yet, but, Trump is apparently bringing Hunter Biden's former business acquaintance who will claim that Hunter Biden did talk with his father about business.

And Turmp didn't divest and that's the end of that argument.

[Benggaul]

Apologies and my thanks. I'm distracted with the debate. I'm wrong in this case. Sounds like someone needs the book thrown at them.

Just in case it wasn't clear, I wasn't quoting those at you as a snark or a reprimand...just trying to help provide the info.

[Breccia]

Trump signs declaration that there is no human right to abortion, and no international requirement to provide them.

Other signers of the declaration are such bastions of womens' rights as Saudi Arabia and Uganda.

EDIT: Trump is clearly desperate to hold onto his base. This declaration has no actual effect, other than to say "Hey I am still pro-life". And why didn't he do this earlier? If he's so pro-life, why didn't he sign this three years and ten months ago?

[Elegiac]

Trump signs declaration that there is no human right to abortion, and no international requirement to provide them.

Other signers of the declaration are such bastions of womens' rights as Saudi Arabia and Uganda.

EDIT: Trump is clearly desperate to hold onto his base. This declaration has no actual effect, other than to say "Hey I am still pro-life". And why didn't he do this earlier? If he's so pro-life, why didn't he sign this three years and ten months ago?

That's an awfully bold sharpie signature from someone keeping themselves alive by virtue of dead baby juice.

[Breccia]

I imagine McConnell watching this slouching in a lazyboy chair with a bottle of whisky

GOP power shift emerges with Trump, McConnell

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has sought to avoid a vote on a massive stimulus package that would badly divide the Senate GOP conference right before Election Day, even as Trump urges Republican senators to “go big.”

McConnell told Republican colleagues at a lunch meeting Tuesday that he warned the White House against a vote on a massive stimulus package before election day. He quipped that he knew his message that was delivered in a private meeting would get out to the public very quickly.

“He made his statement prefaced by ‘this will probably be on Twitter in a few minutes,’” said a GOP senator recounting Tuesday’s meeting.

A majority of Republican senators oppose a bigger coronavirus relief package, even as Trump pushes for one.

“Mitch understands his troops,” the senator said. “He’s made the calculation that it’s not helpful to bring it to the floor because it would show we’re not on the same page as the president. There would be a lot of Republican no's."

It’s just one of the emerging differences between the two pillars of GOP power in Washington.

Republican lawmakers also have concerns about the management of Trump’s reelection campaign, ranging from his performance during the first debate, to its cash shortage, to the president’s tendency to highlight politically divisive topics instead of focus on the issues.

Trump’s campaign has had increasing trouble raising money as donors have started to shift their resources to saving the Senate GOP majority and building a firewall against the possibility of a Democratic-controlled White House and House. Trump’s grass-roots fundraising arm is working harder and spending more on every dollar it raises compared to earlier this year.

McConnell's strategy is not one I would have guessed, but should have. I see now how he'll try to protect his own party from having to take a stand on the most major issue facing the country, because it's his party's fault and he doesn't want to hurt what's left of their re-election chances.

If he's watching the debate, apparently, he's pretty confident he made the right call.

- - - Updated - - -

So the next time anyone tries to talk about "the violent left" I hereby urge you to point to the Trump suppporter arrested with a house full of machine guns, explosives, child pornography and plans to go on a mass shooting spree on Black Friday and tell them to fuck right off.

[eschatological]

GOP power shift emerges with Trump, McConnell


So the next time anyone tries to talk about "the violent left" I hereby urge you to point to the Trump suppporter arrested with a house full of machine guns, explosives, child pornography and plans to go on a mass shooting spree on Black Friday and tell them to fuck right off.

I warn against making that conclusion too quickly.

Part of the charging documents seems to assert the suspect declared he needed to "save Bernie" by possibly executing Biden.

I mean, a lot of his stuff also includes anti-Islamic literature and swastikas and talking about killing black people, so who knows. Could be an extreme example of horseshoe theory, or one of those Trump supporters who often claimed in 2016 "I would totally vote for Bernie."

[Breccia]

I warn against making that conclusion too quickly.

The decision not to vote on a bill? I mean, there's no bill yet, so, I have to agree.

[eschatological]

The decision not to vote on a bill? I mean, there's no bill yet, so, I have to agree.

No, the decision to label the kid who was arrested as a Trump supporter. He may be a Bernie supporter.

Edit: Here's a more in-depth article about what they found, which I posted in the election thread, since assassinating the Dem candidate seemed like election news: https://www.thedailybeast.com/alexan...er&via=desktop

[Breccia]

No, the decision to label the kid who was arrested as a Trump supporter. He may be a Bernie supporter.

I'm going to point at the house full of machine guns and explosives, and remain confident with my earlier statement.

[eschatological]

I'm going to point at the house full of machine guns and explosives, and remain confident with my earlier statement.

See my above edit with the more in-depth article of what was found.

The conversation which included "Should I kill Biden?" came after he said "I have to save Bernie."

Like I said, he could be either/or. Might be a horseshoe theory case at its finest.

[Benggaul]

74,301 new cases, about 8k more than last Thursday.

Texas: 6,197 new cases; 92 deaths
Fuck Florida. (Yep, it's up there again)
Illinois: 4,942 new cases (new record*); 42 deaths
California: 4,302 new cases; 71 deaths
Wisconsin: 3,413 new cases; 22 deaths
Indiana: 2,850 new cases (new record); 42 deaths
Ohio: 2,440 new cases (new record); 39 deaths
North Carolina: 2,400 new cases; 50 deaths
Michigan: 2,204 new cases; 46 deaths
Pennsylvania: 2,054 new cases; 31 deaths
Tennessee: 2,046 new cases; 41 deaths
Iowa: 2,011 new cases (new record*); 17 deaths
Missouri: 1,910 new cases; 34 deaths
Georgia: 1,785 new cases; 25 deaths
New York: 1,708 new cases; 14 deaths
Oklahoma: 1,628 new cases; 11 deaths
Minnesota: 1,561 new cases; 20 deaths
Utah: 1,543 new cases (new record); 6 deaths
Alabama: 1,390 new cases; 15 deaths
Colorado: 1,373 new cases (new record); 4 deaths
Virginia: 1,332 new cases; 9 deaths
Kentucky: 1,303 new cases; 17 deaths
Arkansas: 1,202 new cases; 21 deaths
South Carolina: 1,128 new cases; 47 deaths
Massachusetts: 1,049 new cases; 30 deaths
New Jersey: 1,015 new cases; 17 deaths

Special mention: South Dakota: 973 new cases (new record); 14 deaths

More new records, which will be a theme for a while. According to the source I use Illinois did not break their record today but because of the way they gather information directly from the counties where possible versus just using what the state reports the numbers almost always differ. That said, I'm marking them as a new record based on @beanman12345's report from earlier in the thread. Iowa's is also technically not a record but it looks like their previous record was a correction. Oklahoma hit their second-highest total ever, the highest being just after Trump's superspreader event in Tulsa. Massachusetts is joining the list for the first time as they see numbers above 1k for the first time since late April, joining the rest of the Northeast in their slow crawl upwards--which is still a damned sight better than what a lot of the rest of the country is seeing. The trends are only decreasing in a couple of states with the vast majority increasing and a small handful remaining relatively flat. Given the few positivity ratings I've checked in various regions, that's not going to change. 12 states had more than 2k cases today.

Something I forgot to mention yesterday: Texas has now passed California for total cases. Florida is a distant third--but we all know that's through wildly inaccurate reporting. Fuck Florida.

Dipping back below 1k to 973 deaths today, which is still 100 more than last Thursday. The total now stands at 228,381 And it's looking likely that we'll hit 230k before the weekend is over.

Related news:

Trump’s campaign made stops nationwide. Coronavirus cases surged in his wake in at least five places.
White House says Trump tests negative for coronavirus before debate with Biden--But can we believe them?
Rheumatoid arthritis drug tocilizumab advances as a COVID-19 treatment, as other regimens fall back, studies show

Stay safe, folks.

[gondrin]

You know, the discussion of Trump and healthcare reminds me of the joke on South Park with George RR Martin and the pizzas are coming and yet hasn't placed the order yet.

[Odinfrost]

Ah yes Trump. The windmills does indeed kill all the birds. That is why I haven't seen any here in Denmark for years. What a load of crap

[beanman12345]

74,301 new cases, about 8k more than last Thursday.

Texas: 6,197 new cases; 92 deaths
Fuck Florida. (Yep, it's up there again)
Illinois: 4,942 new cases (new record*); 42 deaths
California: 4,302 new cases; 71 deaths
Wisconsin: 3,413 new cases; 22 deaths
Indiana: 2,850 new cases (new record); 42 deaths
Ohio: 2,440 new cases (new record); 39 deaths
North Carolina: 2,400 new cases; 50 deaths
Michigan: 2,204 new cases; 46 deaths
Pennsylvania: 2,054 new cases; 31 deaths
Tennessee: 2,046 new cases; 41 deaths
Iowa: 2,011 new cases (new record*); 17 deaths
Missouri: 1,910 new cases; 34 deaths
Georgia: 1,785 new cases; 25 deaths
New York: 1,708 new cases; 14 deaths
Oklahoma: 1,628 new cases; 11 deaths
Minnesota: 1,561 new cases; 20 deaths
Utah: 1,543 new cases (new record); 6 deaths
Alabama: 1,390 new cases; 15 deaths
Colorado: 1,373 new cases (new record); 4 deaths
Virginia: 1,332 new cases; 9 deaths
Kentucky: 1,303 new cases; 17 deaths
Arkansas: 1,202 new cases; 21 deaths
South Carolina: 1,128 new cases; 47 deaths
Massachusetts: 1,049 new cases; 30 deaths
New Jersey: 1,015 new cases; 17 deaths

Special mention: South Dakota: 973 new cases (new record); 14 deaths

More new records, which will be a theme for a while. According to the source I use Illinois did not break their record today but because of the way they gather information directly from the counties where possible versus just using what the state reports the numbers almost always differ. That said, I'm marking them as a new record based on @beanman12345's report from earlier in the thread. Iowa's is also technically not a record but it looks like their previous record was a correction. Oklahoma hit their second-highest total ever, the highest being just after Trump's superspreader event in Tulsa. Massachusetts is joining the list for the first time as they see numbers above 1k for the first time since late April, joining the rest of the Northeast in their slow crawl upwards--which is still a damned sight better than what a lot of the rest of the country is seeing. The trends are only decreasing in a couple of states with the vast majority increasing and a small handful remaining relatively flat. Given the few positivity ratings I've checked in various regions, that's not going to change. 12 states had more than 2k cases today.

Something I forgot to mention yesterday: Texas has now passed California for total cases. Florida is a distant third--but we all know that's through wildly inaccurate reporting. Fuck Florida.

Dipping back below 1k to 973 deaths today, which is still 100 more than last Thursday. The total now stands at 228,381 And it's looking likely that we'll hit 230k before the weekend is over.

Related news:

Trump’s campaign made stops nationwide. Coronavirus cases surged in his wake in at least five places.
White House says Trump tests negative for coronavirus before debate with Biden--But can we believe them?
Rheumatoid arthritis drug tocilizumab advances as a COVID-19 treatment, as other regimens fall back, studies show

Stay safe, folks.

Your source is good. It got the right info, there was a day where we had 5 something thousand reported but it was from backlog due to some slowdown in data processing which got fixed and caused a giant crazy spike that one day when cases were hovering much lower but still in the thousands.