monitoring Trump and relevant contemporary events

Brian Schatz
@brianschatz
· 1h
Republicans are refusing to pass a bill that has
- free coronavirus testing
- paid emergency medical leave
- extended unemployment insurance
- food assistance
- help for health care workers.
Call their offices, tell them to get their **** together and do it. Thanks.

I know the difference between 'your' and 'you're'. If you're not on drugs. you're stupid.

I didn't disappear. Once again, your imagination has the best of you. Or the drugs do.

Caption The Cartoon Part Deux
Thu 15 Aug, 2019 07:58 am - Hair today and gone tommorrow.... (view)
'Bye.
Wed 9 Nov, 2016 03:49 am - I keep my bets. Regarding tRump's win: better start hoarding. Better get armed. "I retract none of the warnings that I issued about the likelihood of catastrophe and crisis on his watc... (view)

"The president's gotten the country healthy, healthy enough of course to withstand this, and even to lead the way in overcoming it"

Which proves exactly what, dingbat?

if you're so offended why don't you teach me a terrible lesson and organize A2K to ignore me???

Alex Parker
@AlexParkerDC
· 1h
If my math is correct, the Dow has lost 80% of the gains made in the Trump administration.

I'm not offended, I've proved you are a liar and nothing you say can be taken as truth.

NBC News
@NBCNews
· 2h
VP Pence says there has been "irresponsible rhetoric" from people who have downplayed the seriousness of the US coronavirus outbreak. https://nbcnews.to/3aKJIUk

Ana Cabrera
@AnaCabrera
· 47m
McConnell ally says Senate won't take up House #coronavirus bill until after recess. “The Senate will act when we come back and we have a clearer idea of what extra steps we need to take,” Sen. Lamar Alexander told reporters.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's communications chief, who met Donald Trump during an official weekend visit to the US leader's Florida resort, has tested positive for the new coronavirus, the government said.

The Brazilian president's office "has taken and is taking all necessary preventive measures to protect the health of the president and all staff that traveled with him to the United States" last Saturday to Tuesday, it said in a statement, confirming the far-right government's chief spokesman, Fabio Wajngarten, had tested positive for COVID-19.

Bahrain accused Iran of "biological aggression" by covering up the spread of the coronavirus and failing to stamp the passports of Bahraini travellers.

Many of the recorded infections throughout the Gulf region are linked to travel to Iran, which hosts several important shrines and pilgrimage sites for Shia Muslims. No Gulf Arab state has so far reported a coronavirus death.

"With this behaviour, Iran has allowed the disease to travel abroad, and in my estimation this constitutes a form of biological aggression that is criminalised by international law, as it has put in danger our safety and health and that of others," Bahraini Interior Minister General Sheikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa said on Twitter.

Bahrain has reported 77 new infections among citizens evacuated from Iran. A second government-chartered repatriation flight is scheduled for Thursday.

everyone knows

From Al Jazeera's rolling news page.....

At least three US-led coalition soldiers have been killed after multiple rockets hit an Iraqi base housing US and coalition troops on Wednesday, according to a statement by Operation Inherent Resolve.

The statement added that at least 12 more soldiers were injured during the attack, which is "under investigation by the coalition and Iraqi security forces".

In a statement released on Thursday, Iraqi President Barham Salih condemned the attack and pledged to investigate and hold accountable those responsible.

A "number of coalition consultants and trainers within the international coalition operating in Iraq" were killed in the attack, the statement read.

An assessment of the incident is under way, a senior official from the administration of US President Donald Trump said.

"We are closely following the situation at Camp Taji," the official said on Wednesday. "We are not going to get ahead of the assessment and investigation, which are ongoing."

The rocket attack was the 22nd against US military interests in the country since late October, an Iraqi military commander said.

US Army Colonel Myles Caggins, a US military spokesman in Iraq, said on Twitter more than 15 small rockets hit the base, but provided no further details.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Britain's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab vowed to hold "accountable" the people behind the attack.

In a phone conversation late on Wednesday, the pair "underscored that those responsible for the attacks must be held accountable," the US State Department said.

Camp Taji, located just north of Baghdad, has been used as a training base for a number of years. There are as many as 6,000 US troops in Iraq, training and advising Iraqi forces and conducting counterterrorism missions.

Previous rocket attacks targeting US soldiers, diplomats and facilities in Iraq killed one US contractor and an Iraqi soldier. None of the attacks has been claimed, but Washington accuses pro-Iran factions of being responsible.

Survey finds a big majority of white American evangelical Protestants say their cause is winning under Trump

Almost two-thirds of white evangelical Protestants in the US believe “their side” is winning politically under the Trump administration, according to a new survey.

The proportion has increased steadily during Trump’s presidency. In May 2016, six months before he was elected, 23% of white evangelical Protestants said their side was winning politically, rising to 36% two years ago, and 63% last month.

The survey, published by the Pew Research Center on Thursday, found that a big majority of white evangelical Protestants in the US – a key part of Trump’s electoral base – believed the president was good for their interests, but they had more mixed views on his personal attributes.

More than eight in 10 said the Trump administration “fights for what I believe in” either very or fairly well. But markedly fewer – 61% – said the phrase “morally upstanding” described the president very or fairly well.

“Even among this strongly supportive constituency, most do not view Trump as a very religious, honest or morally upstanding person,” said the report.

In more general terms, 63% of both all US adults and white evangelical Protestants said it was very important to them to have a president who “personally lives and moral, ethical life”.

Almost half - 49% – of all US adults said the Bible should influence the laws of the country, a proportion which rose to 89% among white evangelical Protestants.

One in 20 US adults believe that “God chose Trump because God approves of Trump’s policies”, rising to 13% among white evangelical Protestants.

“Across all religious groups in this analysis, there is near consensus on one Trump characteristic: majorities of all groups, including 70% of white evangelicals, say that ‘self-centered’ describes Trump at least fairly well,” the report said.

In general, 83% of white evangelicals identify with or lean towards the Republican party, the survey found. White evangelical Protestants form 16% of the US population, Pew found last year.

Pew questioned almost 6,400 US adults last month.

Majority of white US Protestants believe Trump is good for their interests