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India and USA on Wednesday announced the dates of upcoming 2+2 dialogue between the two countries. The dialogue will take place next week on October 26 and 27 in New Delhi. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mark Esper will be visiting India for 2+2 dialogue and meet Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

"This Sunday I will depart for India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives then on to Indonesia and at every stop will discuss a broad range of the bilateral topics and also work with each of the countries what is the best way to cooperate to preserve free and open Indo Pacific," said Pompeo.

"Especially looking forward with Secretary Espar at 2+2 ministerial dialogue with our Indian friend... the meeting will also include how free nations can work on threats posed by Chinese Communist Party," he added.

This is the third 2+2 dialogue that's taking place between India and the US. &nbsp;The first two 2+2 Ministerial dialogues were held in New Delhi in September 2018 and in Washington DC in 2019.&nbsp;

Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-china-standoff-china-putting-military-pressure-on-india-says-us-defence-secretary-mark-esper-336848">India-China standoff: China putting military pressure on India, says US defence secretary Mark Esper</a>

"Agenda for the third Dialogue will cover all bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest," said the MEA while it made announcement about the dialogue.

This 2+2 dialogue between India and US will take place as both countries face an increasingly aggressive China. Both India and the US, are part of Quad grouping of countries which include Australia and Japan.

Pompeo will visit India just a week before US Presidential elections.

India and USA on Wednesday announced the dates of upcoming 2+2 dialogue between the two countries. The dialogue will take place next week on October 26 and 27 in New Delhi.

India and USA on Wednesday announced the dates of upcoming 2+2 dialogue between the two countries. The dialogue will take place next week on October 26 and 27 in New Delhi. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mark Esper will be visiting India for 2+2 dialogue and meet Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. "This Sunday I will depart for India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives then on to Indonesia and at every stop will discuss a broad range of the bilateral topics and also work with each of the countries what is the best way to cooperate to preserve free and open Indo Pacific," said Pompeo. "Especially looking forward with Secretary Espar at 2+2 ministerial dialogue with our Indian friend... the meeting will also include how free nations can work on threats posed by Chinese Communist Party," he added. This is the third 2+2 dialogue that's taking place between India and the US. The first two 2+2 Ministerial dialogues were held in New Delhi in September 2018 and in Washington DC in 2019. Also Read: India-China standoff: China putting military pressure on India, says US defence secretary Mark Esper "Agenda for the third Dialogue will cover all bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest," said the MEA while it made announcement about the dialogue. This 2+2 dialogue between India and US will take place as both countries face an increasingly aggressive China. Both India and the US, are part of Quad grouping of countries which include Australia and Japan. Pompeo will visit India just a week before US Presidential elections.

It's official: India and USA will hold 2+2 dialogue next week

US election 2020: Preparations get finalised for final presidential debate

President Donald Trump’s victory in 2016 is remembered for defying polls and stunning Democrats. But in many ways, it was not a surprise.

He prevailed with a piercing outsider message on jobs, immigration, China and trade. He restrained himself on Twitter in the final weeks while portraying his opponent, Hillary Clinton, as hostile to the economically disenfranchised blue-collar voters flocking to his rallies. His campaign worked systematically to drive up margins of white voters in battleground states that Democrats had largely taken for granted.

Trump’s obstacles are considerably higher this time. He is an unpopular incumbent in the midst of a pandemic and an economic decline. He is facing a much different opponent, Joe Biden, who has carefully studied Clinton’s mistakes.

Yet with two weeks until Election Day, Trump retains a narrow path to victory, in the view of many analysts, that would require him to draw on his most effective tactics from 2016 and make fundamental changes in his campaign style to expand his appeal beyond his political base. He also needs Biden to make a mistake.

The clearest road for Trump is to hold one of the three states he snatched from Democrats in 2016 — Pennsylvania, Michigan or Wisconsin — as well as the rest of his winning electoral map, including Arizona and Florida, where Biden is now competitive. Polls indicate that is a daunting task but not an impossible one, particularly if he succeeds again in driving up support among working-class voters, including in rural areas he dominated in 2016, while holding down Biden’s support among nonwhite voters.

Still, interviews with 21 Republican and Democratic strategists, many of whom have worked for other presidential campaigns over the past 30 years, suggest that Trump will need some eleventh-hour disruptions in the race. That might include a bad stumble by Biden in the debate Thursday or on the trail, court rulings or Republican tactics that suppress the Democratic vote, and a GOP ground game that turns out voters who may not have been counted by pollsters.

And Trump will need to bring discipline to the campaign trail that has so far eluded him, the strategists say. That will mean presenting a forceful and uncluttered appeal that he is better able than Biden to rebuild the economy, while trying yet again to draw a contrast between himself and an opponent he has sought to portray as ideologically too far to the left to run the nation.

In the end, most strategists said the single best hope for Trump was for Biden to do something to worry or alienate swing voters whom Trump has already driven into the Democratic camp. And counting on your opponent to make a fatal mistake in the final days is rarely a good strategy.

Expand the Electorate

Republicans have shown success in registering new voters in states like Florida and Pennsylvania. That could be important in building on a key part of the president’s 2016 strategy: turning out working-class white Americans who have not voted before.

“There are few days left to change the trajectory of the race,” said Sara Fagen, who was the White House political director for President George W. Bush. “Trump’s best chance at this point would be to dramatically boost turnout among noncollege-educated white voters in the industrial Midwest.”

Even optimistic Democrats say this is a cause for concern.

“The Republicans have been laser-focused on growing the electorate this time,” said Donna Brazile, who managed Al Gore’s 2000 campaign for president. “The Republicans have a better operation on the ground than anything we’ve seen since 2004.”

And isn’t only white working-class voters. Polling suggests that Trump is doing as well or slightly better with Black and Latino voters in some states than he was in 2016 against Clinton.

Focus on the Map

Biden is competitive in several states that Trump won in 2016: Arizona, North Carolina, Georgia, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Some polls also show Biden with a significant lead in Florida, which has long been the Lucy-and-the-football state for Democratic presidential candidates.

But any road to reelection for Trump leads through Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. He is unlikely to win without at least one of those three 2016 upset states (and ideally two), though which ones offer him the best opportunity changes by the day.

Some analysts have suggested he pour resources into Wisconsin, which began in-person early voting Tuesday. “It’s quite a challenge for him,” said Katherine Cramer, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “It seems like Biden is really holding his own here.”

From there, he can turn to cobbling together the electoral votes he needs to reach 270 — by holding Arizona, North Carolina, Georgia and potentially grabbing Nevada, Minnesota or New Hampshire from the Democrats. More than anything, Trump cannot lose Florida.

Biden enjoys big leads in many national polls, but the race is tighter in many of these states. That may prove significant if some state polls are off, as they were in 2016, though pollsters say that is not likely. “Go back and look at October 2016,” said Newt Gingrich, the former Republican speaker of the House. “This was the time of the panic over the ‘Access Hollywood’ tape, when everyone&nbsp;knew&nbsp;that Trump was dead. I always said he was going to win.”

COVID-19

Trump could limit the continuing political damage from his management of the pandemic, analysts said, if he stopped offering chipper assessments of the coronavirus and ceased presenting himself as evidence that a disease that has killed more than 220,000 people is not a big threat. Then he could turn to issues that would expand his appeal, particularly to women and older voters.

“He should take coronavirus seriously,” said Stephanie Cutter, a Democratic consultant and veteran of presidential campaigns. “He should start chairing COVID meetings. Do some joint appearances with Anthony Fauci. Show some empathy for people whose lives have been lost. Stop talking about himself.”

Karl Rove, the senior strategist for Bush, said that Trump could seek to blunt Biden’s attacks on the White House’s management of the pandemic by pointing to Biden’s own response during the winter.

“There’s a lot of information out there that a disciplined campaign could use to say to Biden, ‘What you and your advisers were saying and doing then shows you didn’t have it right and all this criticism is Monday morning quarterbacking,’ ” Rove said.

Showing More Discipline

One of the reasons Trump won in 2016 was that he began exhibiting more discipline in the final weeks of his campaign: less tweeting and trolling.

If he were to reprise that, perhaps he could get weary Americans to give him one last look.

“Trump must turn to the disciplined teleprompter demeanor he used during the last two weeks of 2016,” said Charlie Black, a veteran of many Republican presidential contests. “He must talk about two issues only: the economy and the Democrats’ plan to pack the Supreme Court.”

But in 2016, Trump was not dealing with a pandemic. He was out-hustling Clinton on the campaign trail every day, and she was dealing with a daily influx of bad news.

And if there is anything the political world has learned over these past four years, it is that Trump does not pivot. If he is getting take-the-high-road advice from his strategists, there is no sign that he is following it, as despondent Republicans were reminded this week when he started attacking Fauci.

A Biden Stumble

Trump has always counted on Biden having a mental lapse that would underscore the president’s contention that the former vice president has lost something on his fastball. Biden has provided plenty of missteps over the years to encourage that kind of hope. But that did not happen at the first debate, and Trump has been frustrated in his attempts to exploit Biden’s stumbles on the campaign trail.

There is one more debate and two more weeks of campaigning that will give Trump an opportunity to maintain pressure on his opponent — with attacks on the business dealings of his son Hunter Biden, for instance — in hopes of forcing a mistake that could bring back some swing voters whom Trump has lost.

Suppression and Challenges

Republicans have been trying, with legislation and court battles, to restrict absentee balloting, which could make the difference in a close election.

“Surround the counters; find friendly governors and commissioners who won’t certify the vote,” said Susan Estrich, who managed the 1988 presidential campaign of Michael Dukakis. Stuart Stevens, a Republican consultant who is now a critic of the president, said that Trump’s “only realistic hope is voter suppression through every means possible.”

Trump has surprised the world before. But even accounting for his loyal base and his tenacity as a campaigner, Republicans and Democrats say Trump’s political future may now be out of his hands.

“It’s been locked in for months and is now moving away from him even further post-debate,” said Mark Salter, a senior adviser to Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee in 2008. “I suppose some unforeseen catastrophe or huge Biden mistake might reverse the trend, but it seems pretty clear that a majority of voters want to get Trump the hell out of there before he screws up even more.”

President Donald Trump’s victory in 2016 is remembered for defying polls and stunning Democrats. But in many ways, it was not a surprise. He prevailed with a piercing outsider message on jobs, immigration, China and trade.

President Donald Trump’s victory in 2016 is remembered for defying polls and stunning Democrats. But in many ways, it was not a surprise. He prevailed with a piercing outsider message on jobs, immigration, China and trade. He restrained himself on Twitter in the final weeks while portraying his opponent, Hillary Clinton, as hostile to the economically disenfranchised blue-collar voters flocking to his rallies. His campaign worked systematically to drive up margins of white voters in battleground states that Democrats had largely taken for granted. Trump’s obstacles are considerably higher this time. He is an unpopular incumbent in the midst of a pandemic and an economic decline. He is facing a much different opponent, Joe Biden, who has carefully studied Clinton’s mistakes. Yet with two weeks until Election Day, Trump retains a narrow path to victory, in the view of many analysts, that would require him to draw on his most effective tactics from 2016 and make fundamental changes in his campaign style to expand his appeal beyond his political base. He also needs Biden to make a mistake. The clearest road for Trump is to hold one of the three states he snatched from Democrats in 2016 — Pennsylvania, Michigan or Wisconsin — as well as the rest of his winning electoral map, including Arizona and Florida, where Biden is now competitive. Polls indicate that is a daunting task but not an impossible one, particularly if he succeeds again in driving up support among working-class voters, including in rural areas he dominated in 2016, while holding down Biden’s support among nonwhite voters. Still, interviews with 21 Republican and Democratic strategists, many of whom have worked for other presidential campaigns over the past 30 years, suggest that Trump will need some eleventh-hour disruptions in the race. That might include a bad stumble by Biden in the debate Thursday or on the trail, court rulings or Republican tactics that suppress the Democratic vote, and a GOP ground game that turns out voters who may not have been counted by pollsters. And Trump will need to bring discipline to the campaign trail that has so far eluded him, the strategists say. That will mean presenting a forceful and uncluttered appeal that he is better able than Biden to rebuild the economy, while trying yet again to draw a contrast between himself and an opponent he has sought to portray as ideologically too far to the left to run the nation. In the end, most strategists said the single best hope for Trump was for Biden to do something to worry or alienate swing voters whom Trump has already driven into the Democratic camp. And counting on your opponent to make a fatal mistake in the final days is rarely a good strategy. Expand the Electorate Republicans have shown success in registering new voters in states like Florida and Pennsylvania. That could be important in building on a key part of the president’s 2016 strategy: turning out working-class white Americans who have not voted before. “There are few days left to change the trajectory of the race,” said Sara Fagen, who was the White House political director for President George W. Bush. “Trump’s best chance at this point would be to dramatically boost turnout among noncollege-educated white voters in the industrial Midwest.” Even optimistic Democrats say this is a cause for concern. “The Republicans have been laser-focused on growing the electorate this time,” said Donna Brazile, who managed Al Gore’s 2000 campaign for president. “The Republicans have a better operation on the ground than anything we’ve seen since 2004.” And isn’t only white working-class voters. Polling suggests that Trump is doing as well or slightly better with Black and Latino voters in some states than he was in 2016 against Clinton. Focus on the Map Biden is competitive in several states that Trump won in 2016: Arizona, North Carolina, Georgia, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Some polls also show Biden with a significant lead in Florida, which has long been the Lucy-and-the-football state for Democratic presidential candidates. But any road to reelection for Trump leads through Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. He is unlikely to win without at least one of those three 2016 upset states (and ideally two), though which ones offer him the best opportunity changes by the day. Some analysts have suggested he pour resources into Wisconsin, which began in-person early voting Tuesday. “It’s quite a challenge for him,” said Katherine Cramer, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “It seems like Biden is really holding his own here.” From there, he can turn to cobbling together the electoral votes he needs to reach 270 — by holding Arizona, North Carolina, Georgia and potentially grabbing Nevada, Minnesota or New Hampshire from the Democrats. More than anything, Trump cannot lose Florida. Biden enjoys big leads in many national polls, but the race is tighter in many of these states. That may prove significant if some state polls are off, as they were in 2016, though pollsters say that is not likely. “Go back and look at October 2016,” said Newt Gingrich, the former Republican speaker of the House. “This was the time of the panic over the ‘Access Hollywood’ tape, when everyone knew that Trump was dead. I always said he was going to win.” COVID-19 Trump could limit the continuing political damage from his management of the pandemic, analysts said, if he stopped offering chipper assessments of the coronavirus and ceased presenting himself as evidence that a disease that has killed more than 220,000 people is not a big threat. Then he could turn to issues that would expand his appeal, particularly to women and older voters. “He should take coronavirus seriously,” said Stephanie Cutter, a Democratic consultant and veteran of presidential campaigns. “He should start chairing COVID meetings. Do some joint appearances with Anthony Fauci. Show some empathy for people whose lives have been lost. Stop talking about himself.” Karl Rove, the senior strategist for Bush, said that Trump could seek to blunt Biden’s attacks on the White House’s management of the pandemic by pointing to Biden’s own response during the winter. “There’s a lot of information out there that a disciplined campaign could use to say to Biden, ‘What you and your advisers were saying and doing then shows you didn’t have it right and all this criticism is Monday morning quarterbacking,’ ” Rove said. Showing More Discipline One of the reasons Trump won in 2016 was that he began exhibiting more discipline in the final weeks of his campaign: less tweeting and trolling. If he were to reprise that, perhaps he could get weary Americans to give him one last look. “Trump must turn to the disciplined teleprompter demeanor he used during the last two weeks of 2016,” said Charlie Black, a veteran of many Republican presidential contests. “He must talk about two issues only: the economy and the Democrats’ plan to pack the Supreme Court.” But in 2016, Trump was not dealing with a pandemic. He was out-hustling Clinton on the campaign trail every day, and she was dealing with a daily influx of bad news. And if there is anything the political world has learned over these past four years, it is that Trump does not pivot. If he is getting take-the-high-road advice from his strategists, there is no sign that he is following it, as despondent Republicans were reminded this week when he started attacking Fauci. A Biden Stumble Trump has always counted on Biden having a mental lapse that would underscore the president’s contention that the former vice president has lost something on his fastball. Biden has provided plenty of missteps over the years to encourage that kind of hope. But that did not happen at the first debate, and Trump has been frustrated in his attempts to exploit Biden’s stumbles on the campaign trail. There is one more debate and two more weeks of campaigning that will give Trump an opportunity to maintain pressure on his opponent — with attacks on the business dealings of his son Hunter Biden, for instance — in hopes of forcing a mistake that could bring back some swing voters whom Trump has lost. Suppression and Challenges Republicans have been trying, with legislation and court battles, to restrict absentee balloting, which could make the difference in a close election. “Surround the counters; find friendly governors and commissioners who won’t certify the vote,” said Susan Estrich, who managed the 1988 presidential campaign of Michael Dukakis. Stuart Stevens, a Republican consultant who is now a critic of the president, said that Trump’s “only realistic hope is voter suppression through every means possible.” Trump has surprised the world before. But even accounting for his loyal base and his tenacity as a campaigner, Republicans and Democrats say Trump’s political future may now be out of his hands. “It’s been locked in for months and is now moving away from him even further post-debate,” said Mark Salter, a senior adviser to Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee in 2008. “I suppose some unforeseen catastrophe or huge Biden mistake might reverse the trend, but it seems pretty clear that a majority of voters want to get Trump the hell out of there before he screws up even more.”

Can Trump win? Yes. But the path is narrow and difficult.

When FBI Special Agent Richard Trask took the witness stand in federal court in Grand Rapids, Michigan, last week to detail a plot to kidnap the governors of Michigan and Virginia, the prosecutor first asked him what the men involved had in common.

They were all from “multiple militias from different states,” replied Trask, who is a domestic terrorism expert for the Detroit field office.

Nils Kessler, the prosecutor, paused on the word “militia,” noting that it meant different things to different people. “These are groups that call themselves militias?” he asked. “But they are not under any government authority or anything like that?”

“That’s correct,” Trask responded.

For decades, federal authorities and academics have described private paramilitary organizations — armed groups who train together on military tactics and techniques — as “militias” or as part of the “militia movement.” But the term has taken on new meaning as makeshift vigilante groups have popped up with increasing frequency in the months leading up to a contentious election.

Once limited to the far-right fringe, the term militia now encompasses a far wider spectrum, representing everything from armed-to-the-teeth neighborhood watch organizations to an all-Black paramilitary group that marches to protest police violence.

The rising visibility of such groups has put a spotlight on the word “militia” itself, with many critics demanding it be replaced. They contend that the term has fundamentally lost its meaning as more groups use it to camouflage threats of violence.

Historically, militias have referred to an auxiliary force raised from the civilian population to bolster the Army. The issue in the United States, experts said, is that private paramilitary groups have long cloaked their activities in the vocabulary of the American Revolution and the Constitution, creating an aura of legality that does not exist.

“The use of the word militia anytime you are talking about anything other than a state militia like the National Guard, it is just wrong,” said Mary McCord, a former Justice Department official now running an institute that specializes in constitutional law at Georgetown University Law Center. “Using that term without putting ‘unlawful’ in front of it suggests that there is some legitimacy or even constitutional authority for their existence, which there isn’t.”

One such group in Michigan, called the Wolverine Watchmen, was at the center of the suspected plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and commit other planned violence. Federal and state authorities announced the arrest this month of 14 men linked to the group.

That drew even more attention to the term, escalating demands to label such groups “terrorists.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., wrote on Twitter, “Genuine question for the media/law enforcement: why are you calling these armed neo-Nazi groups breaking the law ‘militias’ instead of ‘gangs’ or ‘domestic terrorist groups?’”

Last spring, various anti-government groups condemned the coronavirus lockdown measures as a form of “tyranny” and organized some of the first protests against them. More groups turned out in force during demonstrations against police brutality. Scuffles between protesters and members of armed groups have led to deaths in Kenosha, Wisconsin; Portland, Oregon; and Denver.

There are currently about 181 active anti-government paramilitary groups in the United States, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks them. Some claim thousands of members, but more often their numbers are far smaller, experts said.

American schoolchildren are often taught that Revolutionary War militiamen were heroes. “Patriots formed militia groups to defend the colonies against the British,” reads a brief passage in a fifth grade textbook used in Hillsboro, Oregon, “Some militiamen called themselves minutemen because they could be ready at a moment’s notice.”

In addition, the Second Amendment says, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Many groups cite that language to justify their use of the term. But experts note that “well-regulated,” implies state control and not freelance efforts by all comers.

The name “militia” suggests the idea of citizen soldiers and patriotism, plus it lends such groups “the color of the law,” said Mark Pitcavage, a senior research fellow with the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism.

Underneath that veneer lies a fundamental contradiction, experts noted, with members of the current movement advocating an armed resistance against the very state that the original militias were formed to protect.

It is difficult to pinpoint which group first resurrected the name “militia.” Some historians consider the Ku Klux Klan a militia, and over the past century various militant groups drew on the Revolution for their names.

In the 1970s, far-right activists, alarmed by civil rights legislation as well as new environmental laws, pushed to reassert local control. The Posse Comitatus movement, rooted in white Christian fundamentalism, developed the concept of citizen posses.

Its manual stated that any official who disobeyed the Constitution should “be removed by the Posse to a populated intersection of the streets in the township and at high noon be hung there by the neck, the body remaining until sundown as an example to those who would subvert the law,” according to Daniel Levitas, author of “The Terrorist Next Door,” a history of extremist groups.

“Unorganized militia,” a 19th century legal term, was considered obsolete after the Militia Act of 1903, when federal law began incorporating all legal militias into the National Guard, controlled by state governors. Although the wording differs, all 50 states ban private paramilitary groups that further “civil disorder.”

Fast forward to the early 1990s, when the term gained new life after the violent sieges by federal law enforcement agents against the cabin of Randy Weaver in Ruby Ridge, Idaho, in 1992, and the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, in 1993.

Those on the far-right, already dedicated to the idea of a “leaderless resistance,” concluded that they needed to organize into paramilitary groups to protect themselves from government “tyranny.” Pamphlets appeared with titles like “The Field Manual of the Free Militia” that explained how to establish one.

Using the word “militia” and other historical vocabulary was a deliberate attempt to attract a broader membership by veiling the often racist, anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant and homophobic origins of such groups, experts said.

“Right-wing extremist organizations try to cloak themselves in heroic garb,” said David Neiwert, author of “Alt-America,” who has tracked such groups for decades. “That is the basis of a lot of the appeal; this is your chance to be a hero.”

Paramilitary organizations mushroomed in the 1990s, with some 370 formed by the middle of the decade. Then came the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, sprouting from the same ideology if not directly connected to a militia, that left 168 people dead. Scores of paramilitary organizations collapsed as their appeal dimmed.

But political fights over the Second Amendment kept the movement alive; plus, conspiracy theories about a looming foreign invasion never faded entirely. In recent years, the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 marked the first high-profile appearance of such armed groups at protests.

Experts who continue to use the word “militia” said it helped to define a distinct category among adherents of various fringe ideologies or criminal organizations including white supremacists, prison gangs, the tax protest movement, anti-vaxxers, skinheads, survivalists and others.

“Terrorist” was the most popular substitute that circulated on social media, but the legal definition of terrorism refers to organized attacks meant to intimidate or coerce in an attempt to influence government policy. Many experts consider that too broad. The majority of militia members “will never be involved with a terrorist act,” said Pitcavage.

The term gangs is also considered a poor fit since law enforcement agencies tend to use that to describe violent criminal enterprises. Some experts said they felt like they were under siege by “language police” over a word they have used for decades.

In Michigan, federal authorities said the plotters discussed putting the governor on trial as a “tyrant” before Election Day. The case has become an election issue as President Donald Trump has cast doubts on the plot and continued to vilify Whitmer.

The possibility that armed groups might try to intimidate voters at the polls prompted the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown Law to publish a legal guide to confront such groups for all 50 states.

“It has all been whitewashed and made safe for broader public consumption by wrapping it in the flag,” said Neiwert. “They call themselves patriots, although you have never met a more seditious bunch.” 
&nbsp;

When FBI Special Agent Richard Trask took the witness stand in federal court in Grand Rapids, Michigan, last week to detail a plot to kidnap the governors of Michigan and Virginia, the prosecutor first asked him what the men involved had in common.

When FBI Special Agent Richard Trask took the witness stand in federal court in Grand Rapids, Michigan, last week to detail a plot to kidnap the governors of Michigan and Virginia, the prosecutor first asked him what the men involved had in common. They were all from “multiple militias from different states,” replied Trask, who is a domestic terrorism expert for the Detroit field office. Nils Kessler, the prosecutor, paused on the word “militia,” noting that it meant different things to different people. “These are groups that call themselves militias?” he asked. “But they are not under any government authority or anything like that?” “That’s correct,” Trask responded. For decades, federal authorities and academics have described private paramilitary organizations — armed groups who train together on military tactics and techniques — as “militias” or as part of the “militia movement.” But the term has taken on new meaning as makeshift vigilante groups have popped up with increasing frequency in the months leading up to a contentious election. Once limited to the far-right fringe, the term militia now encompasses a far wider spectrum, representing everything from armed-to-the-teeth neighborhood watch organizations to an all-Black paramilitary group that marches to protest police violence. The rising visibility of such groups has put a spotlight on the word “militia” itself, with many critics demanding it be replaced. They contend that the term has fundamentally lost its meaning as more groups use it to camouflage threats of violence. Historically, militias have referred to an auxiliary force raised from the civilian population to bolster the Army. The issue in the United States, experts said, is that private paramilitary groups have long cloaked their activities in the vocabulary of the American Revolution and the Constitution, creating an aura of legality that does not exist. “The use of the word militia anytime you are talking about anything other than a state militia like the National Guard, it is just wrong,” said Mary McCord, a former Justice Department official now running an institute that specializes in constitutional law at Georgetown University Law Center. “Using that term without putting ‘unlawful’ in front of it suggests that there is some legitimacy or even constitutional authority for their existence, which there isn’t.” One such group in Michigan, called the Wolverine Watchmen, was at the center of the suspected plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and commit other planned violence. Federal and state authorities announced the arrest this month of 14 men linked to the group. That drew even more attention to the term, escalating demands to label such groups “terrorists.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., wrote on Twitter, “Genuine question for the media/law enforcement: why are you calling these armed neo-Nazi groups breaking the law ‘militias’ instead of ‘gangs’ or ‘domestic terrorist groups?’” Last spring, various anti-government groups condemned the coronavirus lockdown measures as a form of “tyranny” and organized some of the first protests against them. More groups turned out in force during demonstrations against police brutality. Scuffles between protesters and members of armed groups have led to deaths in Kenosha, Wisconsin; Portland, Oregon; and Denver. There are currently about 181 active anti-government paramilitary groups in the United States, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks them. Some claim thousands of members, but more often their numbers are far smaller, experts said. American schoolchildren are often taught that Revolutionary War militiamen were heroes. “Patriots formed militia groups to defend the colonies against the British,” reads a brief passage in a fifth grade textbook used in Hillsboro, Oregon, “Some militiamen called themselves minutemen because they could be ready at a moment’s notice.” In addition, the Second Amendment says, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Many groups cite that language to justify their use of the term. But experts note that “well-regulated,” implies state control and not freelance efforts by all comers. The name “militia” suggests the idea of citizen soldiers and patriotism, plus it lends such groups “the color of the law,” said Mark Pitcavage, a senior research fellow with the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism. Underneath that veneer lies a fundamental contradiction, experts noted, with members of the current movement advocating an armed resistance against the very state that the original militias were formed to protect. It is difficult to pinpoint which group first resurrected the name “militia.” Some historians consider the Ku Klux Klan a militia, and over the past century various militant groups drew on the Revolution for their names. In the 1970s, far-right activists, alarmed by civil rights legislation as well as new environmental laws, pushed to reassert local control. The Posse Comitatus movement, rooted in white Christian fundamentalism, developed the concept of citizen posses. Its manual stated that any official who disobeyed the Constitution should “be removed by the Posse to a populated intersection of the streets in the township and at high noon be hung there by the neck, the body remaining until sundown as an example to those who would subvert the law,” according to Daniel Levitas, author of “The Terrorist Next Door,” a history of extremist groups. “Unorganized militia,” a 19th century legal term, was considered obsolete after the Militia Act of 1903, when federal law began incorporating all legal militias into the National Guard, controlled by state governors. Although the wording differs, all 50 states ban private paramilitary groups that further “civil disorder.” Fast forward to the early 1990s, when the term gained new life after the violent sieges by federal law enforcement agents against the cabin of Randy Weaver in Ruby Ridge, Idaho, in 1992, and the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, in 1993. Those on the far-right, already dedicated to the idea of a “leaderless resistance,” concluded that they needed to organize into paramilitary groups to protect themselves from government “tyranny.” Pamphlets appeared with titles like “The Field Manual of the Free Militia” that explained how to establish one. Using the word “militia” and other historical vocabulary was a deliberate attempt to attract a broader membership by veiling the often racist, anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant and homophobic origins of such groups, experts said. “Right-wing extremist organizations try to cloak themselves in heroic garb,” said David Neiwert, author of “Alt-America,” who has tracked such groups for decades. “That is the basis of a lot of the appeal; this is your chance to be a hero.” Paramilitary organizations mushroomed in the 1990s, with some 370 formed by the middle of the decade. Then came the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, sprouting from the same ideology if not directly connected to a militia, that left 168 people dead. Scores of paramilitary organizations collapsed as their appeal dimmed. But political fights over the Second Amendment kept the movement alive; plus, conspiracy theories about a looming foreign invasion never faded entirely. In recent years, the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 marked the first high-profile appearance of such armed groups at protests. Experts who continue to use the word “militia” said it helped to define a distinct category among adherents of various fringe ideologies or criminal organizations including white supremacists, prison gangs, the tax protest movement, anti-vaxxers, skinheads, survivalists and others. “Terrorist” was the most popular substitute that circulated on social media, but the legal definition of terrorism refers to organized attacks meant to intimidate or coerce in an attempt to influence government policy. Many experts consider that too broad. The majority of militia members “will never be involved with a terrorist act,” said Pitcavage. The term gangs is also considered a poor fit since law enforcement agencies tend to use that to describe violent criminal enterprises. Some experts said they felt like they were under siege by “language police” over a word they have used for decades. In Michigan, federal authorities said the plotters discussed putting the governor on trial as a “tyrant” before Election Day. The case has become an election issue as President Donald Trump has cast doubts on the plot and continued to vilify Whitmer. The possibility that armed groups might try to intimidate voters at the polls prompted the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown Law to publish a legal guide to confront such groups for all 50 states. “It has all been whitewashed and made safe for broader public consumption by wrapping it in the flag,” said Neiwert. “They call themselves patriots, although you have never met a more seditious bunch.”

What is a militia? And why is the word so controversial these days?

The final presidential debate between US President Donald Trump & his democratic rival Joe Biden is all set to take place today.

US Election 2020: Trump, Biden to meet for final face-off today

Former US President Barack Obama return to the campaign trail launching a blistering attack on Donald Trump with less than 2 weeks to before election day.

US Election 2020: Obama holds first full-fledged rally event for Biden

United States' Director of National intelligence, John Ratcliffe has said that Russia & Iran have both taken actions to trying to interfere in the 2020 presidential election.

US intel agencies: Iran & Russia have tried to interfere in 2020 election

Former US President Barack Obama has slammed Donald Trump saying- democracy can not work if leaders lie everyday, this is not a reality show this is reality, speaking at a drive-in rally in Philadelphia.

US Election 2020: Obama spoke at a drive-in rally in Philadelphia

Less than 2 weeks to go for US Election 2020, the battle for the White House is only gaining in ferocity. Just a day before the final Presidential Debate, WION reports the opinion polls in key swing states.

Who leads in key states before debate?

One thing that has become crucial in the 2020 Election campaign is The State of Race relations in America. Susan Tehrani brings you a ground report on the deep racial division in America before Election Day.

A reckoning with racism & discrimination

Octopuses Predictions &nbsp;- Everybody loves predictions.&nbsp;The fact that there ARE&nbsp;predictions in itself proves that an outcome about something is eagerly anticipated. It shows that we are curious to know what'll happen, and the event in itself has a far-reaching effect.

We've had humans like Nostradamus predicting things before. Then as humans conquered new frontiers of scientific and intellectual frontiers, we outsourced this work to parrots, octopuses and whatnot

But they haven't disappointed us.

<h2>US Election 2020 -&nbsp;Octopuses Predictions </h2>

Octopuses in particular have greatly occupied popular perception in this regard. Remember Paul the Octopus? The guy was super-famous during 2010 FIFA World Cup. People wanted to kill the poor creature when he predicted that Germany would drub Argentina but to Messi's horror, Paul prevailed! Germany won.

Octopuses have also got their tentacles in the realm or politics and elections.

At the time of 2016 US Presidential Elections, the battle was on between Democratic Party's Hillary Clinton and Republican Party's Donald Trump. At the time when all sorts of predictions were being made, along came Anglesey Octopus.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-fumes-as-facebook-twitter-limit-reach-of-smoking-gun-article-on-biden-and-his-son-335344">Trump fumes as Facebook, Twitter limit reach of 'smoking gun' article on Biden and his son</a>

All eyes were on Ollie the Octopus who swam happily in Anglesey Zoo in the UK. He knocked down the jar with Hillary Clinton's photo on it. Hillary lost the election.

Other animals were not too far behind

Felix the polar bear from a Russian zoo had correctly predicted that Donald Trump would win US Election 2016

A monkey in Hunan province of China had also given his verdict in favour of Trump in 2016.

Question is, where are all the fortune-tellers now? We are not asking directly for an Octopus, but a Panda would suffice too. As the election race between Joe Biden and Donald Trump enters last few weeks we are eager to know what the critters think.

<h2>US Election Octopuses Predictions ​​​​​​​</h2>

Where are they? Don't they want to predict? Or has the pandemic year become too unpredictable already? 
&nbsp;

Octopuses Predictions - Everybody loves predictions. The fact that there ARE predictions in itself proves that an outcome about something is eagerly anticipated.

Octopuses Predictions - Everybody loves predictions. The fact that there ARE predictions in itself proves that an outcome about something is eagerly anticipated. It shows that we are curious to know what'll happen, and the event in itself has a far-reaching effect. We've had humans like Nostradamus predicting things before. Then as humans conquered new frontiers of scientific and intellectual frontiers, we outsourced this work to parrots, octopuses and whatnot But they haven't disappointed us. US Election 2020 - Octopuses Predictions Octopuses in particular have greatly occupied popular perception in this regard. Remember Paul the Octopus? The guy was super-famous during 2010 FIFA World Cup. People wanted to kill the poor creature when he predicted that Germany would drub Argentina but to Messi's horror, Paul prevailed! Germany won. Octopuses have also got their tentacles in the realm or politics and elections. At the time of 2016 US Presidential Elections, the battle was on between Democratic Party's Hillary Clinton and Republican Party's Donald Trump. At the time when all sorts of predictions were being made, along came Anglesey Octopus. Also Read | Trump fumes as Facebook, Twitter limit reach of 'smoking gun' article on Biden and his son All eyes were on Ollie the Octopus who swam happily in Anglesey Zoo in the UK. He knocked down the jar with Hillary Clinton's photo on it. Hillary lost the election. Other animals were not too far behind Felix the polar bear from a Russian zoo had correctly predicted that Donald Trump would win US Election 2016 A monkey in Hunan province of China had also given his verdict in favour of Trump in 2016. Question is, where are all the fortune-tellers now? We are not asking directly for an Octopus, but a Panda would suffice too. As the election race between Joe Biden and Donald Trump enters last few weeks we are eager to know what the critters think. US Election Octopuses Predictions Where are they? Don't they want to predict? Or has the pandemic year become too unpredictable already?

US Elections 2020: Where are the Octopuses?

After blaming Barack Obama for the failing economy to faulty air conditioning at the White House, Donald Trump steered clear of mentioning Obama in his Pennsylvania rally. Here is a round-up of trump's Pennsylvania rally.

Trump appeals to Pennsylvania voters

Joe Biden's not-so-secret weapon Barack Obama to make his debut at the campaign trail. The former Commander-in-chief will headline a drive-in rally in the key swing state of Pennsylvania. Can Obama end trump's presidency?

Biden's former boss comes to the rescue

After casting doubts about Joe Biden's standing with China & cornering Hunter Biden, is now hit by another bombshell report. From trade war to constant barbs over the origin of Pandemic, was everything a cover up? WION reports on Trump's link with CHINA.

Donald Trump: China crusader or covert ally?

President Donald Trump and his allies have tried to paint the Democratic nominee, Joe Biden, as soft on China, in part by pointing to his son’s business dealings there.

Senate Republicans produced a report asserting, among other things, that Biden’s son Hunter “opened a bank account” with a Chinese businessman, part of what it said were his numerous connections to “foreign nationals and foreign governments across the globe.”

But Trump’s own business history is filled with overseas financial deals, and some have involved the Chinese state. He spent a decade unsuccessfully pursuing projects in China, operating an office there during his first run for president and forging a partnership with a major government-controlled company.

And it turns out that China is one of only three foreign nations — the others are Britain and Ireland — where Trump maintains a bank account, according to an analysis of the president’s tax records, which were obtained by The New York Times. The foreign accounts do not show up on Trump’s public financial disclosures, where he must list personal assets, because they are held under corporate names. The identities of the financial institutions are not clear.

The Chinese account is controlled by Trump International Hotels Management LLC, which the tax records show paid $188,561 in taxes in China while pursuing licensing deals there from 2013 to 2015.

The tax records do not include details on how much money may have passed through the overseas accounts, though the Internal Revenue Service does require filers to report the portion of their income derived from other countries. The British and Irish accounts are held by companies that operate Trump’s golf courses in Scotland and Ireland, which regularly report millions of dollars in revenue from those countries. Trump International Hotels Management reported just a few thousand dollars from China.

In response to questions from The Times, Alan Garten, a lawyer for the Trump Organization, said the company had “opened an account with a Chinese bank having offices in the United States in order to pay the local taxes” associated with efforts to do business there. He said the company had opened the account after establishing an office in China “to explore the potential for hotel deals in Asia.”

“No deals, transactions or other business activities ever materialized and, since 2015, the office has remained inactive,” Garten said. “Though the bank account remains open, it has never been used for any other purpose.”

Garten would not identify the bank in China where the account is held. Until last year, China’s biggest state-controlled bank rented three floors in Trump Tower, a lucrative lease that drew accusations of a conflict of interest for the president.

China continues to be an issue in the 2020 presidential campaign, from the president’s trade war to his barbs over the origin of the coronavirus pandemic. His campaign has tried to portray Biden as a “puppet” of China who, as vice president, misread the dangers posed by its growing power. Trump has also sought to tar his opponent with overblown or unsubstantiated assertions about Hunter Biden’s business dealings there while his father was in office.

“He’s like a vacuum cleaner — he follows his father around collecting,” Trump said recently, referring to Biden’s son. “What a disgrace. It’s a crime family.”

In a misleading claim amplified by surrogates like his son Donald Trump Jr. and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani, the president has said the younger Biden “walked out of China” with $1.5 billion after accompanying his father on an official trip in 2013. Numerous news articles and fact-checking sites have explained that the huge figure was actually a fundraising goal set by an investment firm in which Hunter Biden obtained a 10% stake after his father left office. The firm did receive financial backing from a large state-controlled bank, but it is not clear the fundraising target was ever met, and there is no evidence Hunter Biden received a large personal payout.

As for the former vice president, his public financial disclosures, along with the income tax returns he voluntarily released, show no income or business dealings of his own in China. However, there is ample evidence of Trump’s efforts to join the myriad American firms that have long done business there — and the tax records for him and his companies that were obtained by The Times offer new details about them.

As with Russia, where he explored hotel and tower projects in Moscow without success, Trump has long sought a licensing deal in China. His efforts go at least as far back as 2006, when he filed trademark applications in Hong Kong and the mainland. Many Chinese government approvals came after he became president. (The president’s daughter Ivanka Trump also won Chinese trademark approvals for her personal business after she joined the White House staff.)

In 2008, Trump pursued an office tower project in Guangzhou that never got off the ground. But his efforts accelerated in 2012 with the opening of a Shanghai office, and tax records show that one of Trump’s China-related companies, THC China Development LLC, claimed $84,000 in deductions that year for travel costs, legal fees and office expenses.

After effectively planting his flag there, Trump found a partner in the State Grid Corp., one of the nation’s largest government-controlled enterprises. Agence France-Presse reported in 2016 that the partnership would have involved licensing and managing a development in Beijing. Trump was reportedly still pursuing the deal months into his first presidential campaign, but it was abandoned after State Grid became ensnared in a corruption investigation by Chinese authorities.

It is difficult to determine from the tax records precisely how much money Trump has spent trying to land business in China. The records show that he has invested at least $192,000 in five small companies created specifically to pursue projects there over the years. Those companies claimed at least $97,400 in business expenses since 2010, including some minor payments for taxes and accounting fees as recently as 2018.

But Trump’s plans in China have been largely driven by a different company, Trump International Hotels Management — the one with a Chinese bank account.

The company has direct ownership of THC China Development, but is also involved in management of other Trump-branded properties around the world, and it is not possible to discern from its tax records how much of its financial activity is China-related. It normally reports a few million dollars in annual income and deductible expenses.

In 2017, the company reported an unusually large spike in revenue — some $17.5 million, more than the previous five years’ combined. It was accompanied by a $15.1 million withdrawal by Trump from the company’s capital account.

On the president’s public financial disclosures for that year, he reported the large revenue figure, and described it only as “management fees and other contract payments.” One significant event for the company that is known to have occurred in 2017 was the buyout of its management contract for the Soho Hotel in New York, which Bloomberg reported to have cost around $6 million.

Garten would not comment on the specific amount cited by Bloomberg, but said that the contract buyout represented a “significant portion” of the company’s revenue and that the remaining money was not related to China.

Outside of China, Trump has had more success attracting wealthy Chinese buyers for his properties in other countries. His hotels and towers in Las Vegas and Vancouver, British Columbia — locales known for drawing Chinese real estate investors — have found numerous Chinese purchasers, and in at least one instance drew the attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

During the 2016 campaign, a shell company controlled by a Chinese couple from Vancouver bought 11 units, for $3.1 million, in the Las Vegas tower Trump co-owns with the casino magnate Phil Ruffin. The owner of a Las Vegas-based financial services firm told The Times he was later visited by two FBI agents asking about the company behind the purchases, which he said had used his office address in incorporation papers without his knowledge. It is not known what became of the inquiry.

Garten said the Trump Organization had “never been contacted by the FBI and has no knowledge of any investigation.”

In Vancouver, numerous Chinese buyers of units in Trump’s hotel and tower helped increase licensing fees from that project to $5.8 million in 2016, the year it was completed, according to tax records. The project was built by a Canadian-based firm controlled by the family of Malaysia’s richest man, Tony Tiah Thee Kian, who operates hotels in China and elsewhere. CNN reported in 2018 that the Vancouver operation was the subject of a counterintelligence review related to Ivanka Trump’s need for a security clearance.

And not long after winning the 2016 election, Trump reported selling a penthouse in one of his Manhattan buildings for $15.8 million to a Chinese-American businesswoman named Xiao Yan Chen, who bought the unit, previously occupied by Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, in an off-market transaction. Chen runs an international consulting firm and reportedly has high-level connections to government and political elites in China.

Trump’s tax records show that he reported a capital gain of at least $5.6 million from the penthouse sale in 2017, his first year as president.

President Donald Trump and his allies have tried to paint the Democratic nominee, Joe Biden, as soft on China, in part by pointing to his son’s business dealings there.

President Donald Trump and his allies have tried to paint the Democratic nominee, Joe Biden, as soft on China, in part by pointing to his son’s business dealings there. Senate Republicans produced a report asserting, among other things, that Biden’s son Hunter “opened a bank account” with a Chinese businessman, part of what it said were his numerous connections to “foreign nationals and foreign governments across the globe.” But Trump’s own business history is filled with overseas financial deals, and some have involved the Chinese state. He spent a decade unsuccessfully pursuing projects in China, operating an office there during his first run for president and forging a partnership with a major government-controlled company. And it turns out that China is one of only three foreign nations — the others are Britain and Ireland — where Trump maintains a bank account, according to an analysis of the president’s tax records, which were obtained by The New York Times. The foreign accounts do not show up on Trump’s public financial disclosures, where he must list personal assets, because they are held under corporate names. The identities of the financial institutions are not clear. The Chinese account is controlled by Trump International Hotels Management LLC, which the tax records show paid $188,561 in taxes in China while pursuing licensing deals there from 2013 to 2015. The tax records do not include details on how much money may have passed through the overseas accounts, though the Internal Revenue Service does require filers to report the portion of their income derived from other countries. The British and Irish accounts are held by companies that operate Trump’s golf courses in Scotland and Ireland, which regularly report millions of dollars in revenue from those countries. Trump International Hotels Management reported just a few thousand dollars from China. In response to questions from The Times, Alan Garten, a lawyer for the Trump Organization, said the company had “opened an account with a Chinese bank having offices in the United States in order to pay the local taxes” associated with efforts to do business there. He said the company had opened the account after establishing an office in China “to explore the potential for hotel deals in Asia.” “No deals, transactions or other business activities ever materialized and, since 2015, the office has remained inactive,” Garten said. “Though the bank account remains open, it has never been used for any other purpose.” Garten would not identify the bank in China where the account is held. Until last year, China’s biggest state-controlled bank rented three floors in Trump Tower, a lucrative lease that drew accusations of a conflict of interest for the president. China continues to be an issue in the 2020 presidential campaign, from the president’s trade war to his barbs over the origin of the coronavirus pandemic. His campaign has tried to portray Biden as a “puppet” of China who, as vice president, misread the dangers posed by its growing power. Trump has also sought to tar his opponent with overblown or unsubstantiated assertions about Hunter Biden’s business dealings there while his father was in office. “He’s like a vacuum cleaner — he follows his father around collecting,” Trump said recently, referring to Biden’s son. “What a disgrace. It’s a crime family.” In a misleading claim amplified by surrogates like his son Donald Trump Jr. and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani, the president has said the younger Biden “walked out of China” with $1.5 billion after accompanying his father on an official trip in 2013. Numerous news articles and fact-checking sites have explained that the huge figure was actually a fundraising goal set by an investment firm in which Hunter Biden obtained a 10% stake after his father left office. The firm did receive financial backing from a large state-controlled bank, but it is not clear the fundraising target was ever met, and there is no evidence Hunter Biden received a large personal payout. As for the former vice president, his public financial disclosures, along with the income tax returns he voluntarily released, show no income or business dealings of his own in China. However, there is ample evidence of Trump’s efforts to join the myriad American firms that have long done business there — and the tax records for him and his companies that were obtained by The Times offer new details about them. As with Russia, where he explored hotel and tower projects in Moscow without success, Trump has long sought a licensing deal in China. His efforts go at least as far back as 2006, when he filed trademark applications in Hong Kong and the mainland. Many Chinese government approvals came after he became president. (The president’s daughter Ivanka Trump also won Chinese trademark approvals for her personal business after she joined the White House staff.) In 2008, Trump pursued an office tower project in Guangzhou that never got off the ground. But his efforts accelerated in 2012 with the opening of a Shanghai office, and tax records show that one of Trump’s China-related companies, THC China Development LLC, claimed $84,000 in deductions that year for travel costs, legal fees and office expenses. After effectively planting his flag there, Trump found a partner in the State Grid Corp., one of the nation’s largest government-controlled enterprises. Agence France-Presse reported in 2016 that the partnership would have involved licensing and managing a development in Beijing. Trump was reportedly still pursuing the deal months into his first presidential campaign, but it was abandoned after State Grid became ensnared in a corruption investigation by Chinese authorities. It is difficult to determine from the tax records precisely how much money Trump has spent trying to land business in China. The records show that he has invested at least $192,000 in five small companies created specifically to pursue projects there over the years. Those companies claimed at least $97,400 in business expenses since 2010, including some minor payments for taxes and accounting fees as recently as 2018. But Trump’s plans in China have been largely driven by a different company, Trump International Hotels Management — the one with a Chinese bank account. The company has direct ownership of THC China Development, but is also involved in management of other Trump-branded properties around the world, and it is not possible to discern from its tax records how much of its financial activity is China-related. It normally reports a few million dollars in annual income and deductible expenses. In 2017, the company reported an unusually large spike in revenue — some $17.5 million, more than the previous five years’ combined. It was accompanied by a $15.1 million withdrawal by Trump from the company’s capital account. On the president’s public financial disclosures for that year, he reported the large revenue figure, and described it only as “management fees and other contract payments.” One significant event for the company that is known to have occurred in 2017 was the buyout of its management contract for the Soho Hotel in New York, which Bloomberg reported to have cost around $6 million. Garten would not comment on the specific amount cited by Bloomberg, but said that the contract buyout represented a “significant portion” of the company’s revenue and that the remaining money was not related to China. Outside of China, Trump has had more success attracting wealthy Chinese buyers for his properties in other countries. His hotels and towers in Las Vegas and Vancouver, British Columbia — locales known for drawing Chinese real estate investors — have found numerous Chinese purchasers, and in at least one instance drew the attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. During the 2016 campaign, a shell company controlled by a Chinese couple from Vancouver bought 11 units, for $3.1 million, in the Las Vegas tower Trump co-owns with the casino magnate Phil Ruffin. The owner of a Las Vegas-based financial services firm told The Times he was later visited by two FBI agents asking about the company behind the purchases, which he said had used his office address in incorporation papers without his knowledge. It is not known what became of the inquiry. Garten said the Trump Organization had “never been contacted by the FBI and has no knowledge of any investigation.” In Vancouver, numerous Chinese buyers of units in Trump’s hotel and tower helped increase licensing fees from that project to $5.8 million in 2016, the year it was completed, according to tax records. The project was built by a Canadian-based firm controlled by the family of Malaysia’s richest man, Tony Tiah Thee Kian, who operates hotels in China and elsewhere. CNN reported in 2018 that the Vancouver operation was the subject of a counterintelligence review related to Ivanka Trump’s need for a security clearance. And not long after winning the 2016 election, Trump reported selling a penthouse in one of his Manhattan buildings for $15.8 million to a Chinese-American businesswoman named Xiao Yan Chen, who bought the unit, previously occupied by Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, in an off-market transaction. Chen runs an international consulting firm and reportedly has high-level connections to government and political elites in China. Trump’s tax records show that he reported a capital gain of at least $5.6 million from the penthouse sale in 2017, his first year as president.

Trump records shed new light on Chinese business pursuits

The Final Presidential Debate between Donald Trump & Joe Biden will feature a 'mute button'. The US President is calling Dr. Anthony Fauci a 'disaster'. A video of Kamala Harris dancing in the rain is going viral. WION's Palki Sharma gets you the latest from US Election 2020.

Gravitas: A 'mute button' for the last U.S. Presidential Debate

US election 2020 - While the race between Donald Trump and Joe Biden gets intenser by day, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, came up with a new way to promote voting among the masses.

AOC, as she is commonly known as, the US Congresswoman from New York’s 14th congressional district has always stirred up a storm&nbsp;- be it during her speeches, or on social media.

Recently, the Congresswoman took up a new challenge - video games! Ocasio-Cortez played the game “Among Us” on Twitch, a video game sharing platform, to raise awareness about the upcoming elections in the US, and to urge viewers to vote as the November 3 nears.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/culture-of-sexism-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-hits-back-at-republican-ted-yohos-derogatory-slur-315649" hreflang="en">'Culture of sexism': Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hits back at Republican Ted Yoho's derogatory slur</a>

She was joined by a fellow Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, and YouTubers like Pokimane, Hasanabi, and Jack Septic Eye.

On Monday night, AOC had tweeted out her plans to play the game. "Anyone want to play Among Us with me on Twitch to get out the vote?"&nbsp;

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Anyone want to play Among Us with me on Twitch to get out the vote? (I’ve never played but it looks like a lot of fun)
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) <a href="https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1318276809977434112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2020</a></blockquote>
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AOC added that was unfamiliar with the game, and that she had never played it, while saying that it looks like a “lot of fun”.

Later on the same say, she tweeted the following - "Spent tonight setting up accounts, mods, streaming &amp; run throughs. Hoping to go live tomorrow night”.

Take a look below:&nbsp;

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/AOC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AOC</a> is playing Among Us with <a href="https://twitter.com/pokimanelol?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@pokimanelol</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/hasanthehun?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@hasanthehun</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/DrLupo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrLupo</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/IlhanMN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IlhanMN</a> to help people make voting plans. <a href="https://t.co/SJq9TZzv7B">pic.twitter.com/SJq9TZzv7B</a>
— B/R Gaming (@BRGaming) <a href="https://twitter.com/BRGaming/status/1318722398099628032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Even before going live, she had amassed over 220,000 followers. AOC received praise from gamers for playing as well as she did, considering she had never played the game before. In the game, she played the role of an “imposter”. Their job is basically… killing! And that she did!

At least 700,000 people tuned into the live stream, according to Forbes.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/us-policemen-fired-for-suggesting-democratic-lawmaker-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-be-shot-237858" hreflang="en">US policemen fired for suggesting Democratic lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez be shot</a>

“Among Us” is inspired by space, and developed by InnerSloth. Out of the ten people playing at once, three are assigned “imposters”. The other crew mates have to protect the spaceship and prevent imposters from sabotaging their goals.

Here are some Twitter reactions!

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AOC just did the most amateur kill ever and im howling laughing at the fact she got away with it <a href="https://t.co/NV01ZJf5Bt">pic.twitter.com/NV01ZJf5Bt</a>
— Chelsea E. Manning (@xychelsea) <a href="https://twitter.com/xychelsea/status/1318724905207214080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2020</a></blockquote>
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highlights from the <a href="https://twitter.com/AOC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AOC</a> among us stream - my love for this woman knows no bounds 💖 <a href="https://t.co/aZErKVAlVw">https://t.co/aZErKVAlVw</a> <a href="https://t.co/OCa06KMuob">pic.twitter.com/OCa06KMuob</a>
— lindsay (@levlinds) <a href="https://twitter.com/levlinds/status/1318801851375099904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2020</a></blockquote>
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US election 2020 - While the race between Donald Trump and Joe Biden gets intenser by day, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, came up with a new way to promote voting among the masses.

US election 2020 - While the race between Donald Trump and Joe Biden gets intenser by day, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, came up with a new way to promote voting among the masses. AOC, as she is commonly known as, the US Congresswoman from New York’s 14th congressional district has always stirred up a storm - be it during her speeches, or on social media. Recently, the Congresswoman took up a new challenge - video games! Ocasio-Cortez played the game “Among Us” on Twitch, a video game sharing platform, to raise awareness about the upcoming elections in the US, and to urge viewers to vote as the November 3 nears. Also read: 'Culture of sexism': Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hits back at Republican Ted Yoho's derogatory slur She was joined by a fellow Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, and YouTubers like Pokimane, Hasanabi, and Jack Septic Eye. On Monday night, AOC had tweeted out her plans to play the game. "Anyone want to play Among Us with me on Twitch to get out the vote?" Anyone want to play Among Us with me on Twitch to get out the vote? (I’ve never played but it looks like a lot of fun) — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) October 19, 2020 × AOC added that was unfamiliar with the game, and that she had never played it, while saying that it looks like a “lot of fun”. Later on the same say, she tweeted the following - "Spent tonight setting up accounts, mods, streaming & run throughs. Hoping to go live tomorrow night”. Take a look below: .@AOC is playing Among Us with @pokimanelol, @hasanthehun, @DrLupo and @IlhanMN to help people make voting plans. pic.twitter.com/SJq9TZzv7B — B/R Gaming (@BRGaming) October 21, 2020 × Even before going live, she had amassed over 220,000 followers. AOC received praise from gamers for playing as well as she did, considering she had never played the game before. In the game, she played the role of an “imposter”. Their job is basically… killing! And that she did! At least 700,000 people tuned into the live stream, according to Forbes. Also read: US policemen fired for suggesting Democratic lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez be shot “Among Us” is inspired by space, and developed by InnerSloth. Out of the ten people playing at once, three are assigned “imposters”. The other crew mates have to protect the spaceship and prevent imposters from sabotaging their goals. Here are some Twitter reactions! AOC just did the most amateur kill ever and im howling laughing at the fact she got away with it pic.twitter.com/NV01ZJf5Bt — Chelsea E. Manning (@xychelsea) October 21, 2020 × highlights from the @AOC among us stream - my love for this woman knows no bounds 💖 https://t.co/aZErKVAlVw pic.twitter.com/OCa06KMuob — lindsay (@levlinds) October 21, 2020 ×

Internet in splits after Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez plays 'Among Us' to urge viewers to vote

Each art has its artists. At least in popular perception, there is always one figure in every field who people like to admire/ fear/ follow and so on. Science has its Einstein, painting has Picasso and those trying to peer into past and future have Nostradamus.

Mr Nostradamus is a go-to person for everyone from people seeking a little amusement to serious 'what if' conspiracy theorists. There are those who believe that Nostradamus predicted future events in his book Les Propheties. The book was written in 1555.

Whenever there is any major global event, Monsieur Nostradamus makes his presence felt. US Presidential Election&nbsp;2020 is&nbsp;no exception.

Joe Biden may be leading in poll numbers. He may be crisscrossing US states to meet voters. But&nbsp;some people think that it is futile, because Donald Trump is slated&nbsp;win the elections.

The reason for their hunch? A prediction by Nostradamus.

Some of his lines are being cited to drive home the point. A reference to a 'trumpet' is being taken to be Nostadamus' seal of approval for Trump to win the election.

The lines read:

"The false trumpet concealing madness,

"Will cause Byzantium to change its laws.

"From Egypt there will go forth a man who wants

"The edict withdrawn, changing money and standards."

As it is with other lines of Nostradamus taken to be predictions, these do not unequivocally say anything. But it is indeed being taken to be a prediction.

Critics of this thought process often say that Nostradamus' 'predictions' are nothing but cryptic poetry that is interpreted in a certain way to validate global events.

Donald Trump did clinch an unexpected victory during 2016 elections. It'll be interesting to see whether he can repeat the feat this time.

It'll then be all the more interesting to hear people who swear by Nostradamus.

Each art has its artists. At least in popular perception, there is always one figure in every field who people like to admire/ fear/ follow and so on. Science has its Einstein, painting has Picasso and those trying to peer into past and future have Nostradamus.

Each art has its artists. At least in popular perception, there is always one figure in every field who people like to admire/ fear/ follow and so on. Science has its Einstein, painting has Picasso and those trying to peer into past and future have Nostradamus. Mr Nostradamus is a go-to person for everyone from people seeking a little amusement to serious 'what if' conspiracy theorists. There are those who believe that Nostradamus predicted future events in his book Les Propheties. The book was written in 1555. Whenever there is any major global event, Monsieur Nostradamus makes his presence felt. US Presidential Election 2020 is no exception. Joe Biden may be leading in poll numbers. He may be crisscrossing US states to meet voters. But some people think that it is futile, because Donald Trump is slated win the elections. The reason for their hunch? A prediction by Nostradamus. Some of his lines are being cited to drive home the point. A reference to a 'trumpet' is being taken to be Nostadamus' seal of approval for Trump to win the election. The lines read: "The false trumpet concealing madness, "Will cause Byzantium to change its laws. "From Egypt there will go forth a man who wants "The edict withdrawn, changing money and standards." As it is with other lines of Nostradamus taken to be predictions, these do not unequivocally say anything. But it is indeed being taken to be a prediction. Critics of this thought process often say that Nostradamus' 'predictions' are nothing but cryptic poetry that is interpreted in a certain way to validate global events. Donald Trump did clinch an unexpected victory during 2016 elections. It'll be interesting to see whether he can repeat the feat this time. It'll then be all the more interesting to hear people who swear by Nostradamus.

Nostradamus on US Election 2020: Has he predicted a Donald Trump victory?

President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on Attorney General William Barr to take action before Election Day against his Democratic opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, over his son’s foreign work, an extraordinary attempt to pressure the government’s chief law enforcement to help him politically.

The president made the remark during an interview with “Fox &amp;amp; Friends,” after days of caustic criticism of Biden, the moderators of the presidential debates, the news media and, increasingly, Barr. He recently said the attorney general would go down in history “as a very sad, sad situation” if he did not indict Democrats like Biden and former President Barack Obama.

“We’ve got to get the attorney general to act,” Trump said Tuesday when asked whether he wants to see investigations into unverified information about Biden and his son Hunter that the president’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, claims he recently obtained. Giuliani, who has made a range of outlandish and false assertions in an effort to damage the president’s rivals and critics, has refused to provide news outlets with the information he claims to have.

Trump called on Barr to appoint a special prosecutor or similar official, saying: “He’s got to act. And he’s got to act fast.”

“This is major corruption, and this has to be known about before the election. And, by the way, we’re doing very well. We’re going to win the election.”

A spokesman for Biden declined to comment.

Critics have accused Barr on a number of occasions of intervening on issues to help Trump politically. But for the president to publicly call on him to take action against a political opponent was remarkable, especially two weeks before a presidential election. On Monday, Trump repeatedly called Biden “a criminal.”

“He is sounding desperate,” said Charles Fried, a Harvard Law professor who was solicitor general in the Reagan administration. “He’s been urging the attorney general in several ways to investigate his political opponents and to somehow validate his preposterous charges of criminality.”

“And even as loyal a henchman as Barr seems to have been able to draw the line somewhere — and it’s driving Trump crazy,” Fried added.

Trump’s comments come less than a year after he was impeached over another effort to compel an investigation of Biden and his son by the government of Ukraine in return for U.S. military aid. Asked after his February acquittal by the Republican Senate what lessons he had learned, Trump responded that Democrats were “crooked” and “vicious” and that he should not have been impeached.

The president’s comment about Barr came during an interview in which he criticized the Bidens, the news media and infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, his answers replete with a number of falsehoods.

After spending Monday attacking Fauci, who remains popular in public opinion polls, Trump claimed Tuesday that he was “not at odds” with him, before renewing the attacks.

The president falsely described Fauci as a Democrat and claimed he was a “good friend” of the family of Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York.

“He’s been there for a long time, I leave him there, and he’s been wrong,” Trump said of Fauci.

He then accused reporters of favoring Fauci “because they think he’s against me,” and maintained that the doctor was not always a “team player.”

Later in the day, before leaving for a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, Trump abruptly ended an interview with “60 Minutes” correspondent Lesley Stahl at the White House and then posted a short behind-the-scenes video of her at the taping, noting that she had not been wearing a mask.

Trump ended the interview after becoming irritated with Stahl’s lines of questioning, according to two people familiar with the circumstances of the taping.

The rally in Erie was another attempt to consolidate support in a state that was critical to the president’s success in 2016 but where he has struggled in polls against Biden.

Trump hammered his Democratic opponent’s energy policies, repeating a false claim that Biden supports a total ban on fracking, a major industry in the state.

In what Trump said was a first for one of his campaign rallies, he played on large video screens a montage of several clips in which Biden and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, talked about phasing out fossil fuels to combat climate change.

“If Biden is elected, he will wipe out your energy industry,” the president said.

Trump also offered a litany of false claims about Biden’s position on the coronavirus, saying that his opponent would “delay therapies, postpone the vaccine, prolong the pandemic.” He insisted that the United State was “rounding the turn on the pandemic,” even though the virus is surging around the country, including in Pennsylvania, where new cases over the past week have run 42% higher than the average two weeks earlier, according to a New York Times database — a level the state has not seen since April.

Trump had one other warning for voters there: that Biden, whom he calls “Sleepy Joe,” would fail to entertain them as he has. “If you want depression, doom and despair, vote for Sleepy Joe,” he said. “And boredom.”

Seeming to acknowledge his electoral deficit, the president pined for the days before the coronavirus when his electoral prospects looked at least somewhat brighter. Before “the plague” arrived, he said, “I wasn’t going to Erie. I mean, I have to be honest, there’s no way I was coming. I didn’t have to.” He added, “We had this thing won.”

Trump had been expected to be joined by first lady Melania Trump for her first public appearance since she contracted the coronavirus. But an aide to Melania Trump said Tuesday morning that she had a lingering cough and would not accompany her husband.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on Attorney General William Barr to take action before Election Day against his Democratic opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, over his son’s foreign work, an extraordinary attempt to pressure the government’s chief law enforcement to help him politically.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on Attorney General William Barr to take action before Election Day against his Democratic opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, over his son’s foreign work, an extraordinary attempt to pressure the government’s chief law enforcement to help him politically. The president made the remark during an interview with “Fox &amp; Friends,” after days of caustic criticism of Biden, the moderators of the presidential debates, the news media and, increasingly, Barr. He recently said the attorney general would go down in history “as a very sad, sad situation” if he did not indict Democrats like Biden and former President Barack Obama. “We’ve got to get the attorney general to act,” Trump said Tuesday when asked whether he wants to see investigations into unverified information about Biden and his son Hunter that the president’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, claims he recently obtained. Giuliani, who has made a range of outlandish and false assertions in an effort to damage the president’s rivals and critics, has refused to provide news outlets with the information he claims to have. Trump called on Barr to appoint a special prosecutor or similar official, saying: “He’s got to act. And he’s got to act fast.” “This is major corruption, and this has to be known about before the election. And, by the way, we’re doing very well. We’re going to win the election.” A spokesman for Biden declined to comment. Critics have accused Barr on a number of occasions of intervening on issues to help Trump politically. But for the president to publicly call on him to take action against a political opponent was remarkable, especially two weeks before a presidential election. On Monday, Trump repeatedly called Biden “a criminal.” “He is sounding desperate,” said Charles Fried, a Harvard Law professor who was solicitor general in the Reagan administration. “He’s been urging the attorney general in several ways to investigate his political opponents and to somehow validate his preposterous charges of criminality.” “And even as loyal a henchman as Barr seems to have been able to draw the line somewhere — and it’s driving Trump crazy,” Fried added. Trump’s comments come less than a year after he was impeached over another effort to compel an investigation of Biden and his son by the government of Ukraine in return for U.S. military aid. Asked after his February acquittal by the Republican Senate what lessons he had learned, Trump responded that Democrats were “crooked” and “vicious” and that he should not have been impeached. The president’s comment about Barr came during an interview in which he criticized the Bidens, the news media and infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, his answers replete with a number of falsehoods. After spending Monday attacking Fauci, who remains popular in public opinion polls, Trump claimed Tuesday that he was “not at odds” with him, before renewing the attacks. The president falsely described Fauci as a Democrat and claimed he was a “good friend” of the family of Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York. “He’s been there for a long time, I leave him there, and he’s been wrong,” Trump said of Fauci. He then accused reporters of favoring Fauci “because they think he’s against me,” and maintained that the doctor was not always a “team player.” Later in the day, before leaving for a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, Trump abruptly ended an interview with “60 Minutes” correspondent Lesley Stahl at the White House and then posted a short behind-the-scenes video of her at the taping, noting that she had not been wearing a mask. Trump ended the interview after becoming irritated with Stahl’s lines of questioning, according to two people familiar with the circumstances of the taping. The rally in Erie was another attempt to consolidate support in a state that was critical to the president’s success in 2016 but where he has struggled in polls against Biden. Trump hammered his Democratic opponent’s energy policies, repeating a false claim that Biden supports a total ban on fracking, a major industry in the state. In what Trump said was a first for one of his campaign rallies, he played on large video screens a montage of several clips in which Biden and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, talked about phasing out fossil fuels to combat climate change. “If Biden is elected, he will wipe out your energy industry,” the president said. Trump also offered a litany of false claims about Biden’s position on the coronavirus, saying that his opponent would “delay therapies, postpone the vaccine, prolong the pandemic.” He insisted that the United State was “rounding the turn on the pandemic,” even though the virus is surging around the country, including in Pennsylvania, where new cases over the past week have run 42% higher than the average two weeks earlier, according to a New York Times database — a level the state has not seen since April. Trump had one other warning for voters there: that Biden, whom he calls “Sleepy Joe,” would fail to entertain them as he has. “If you want depression, doom and despair, vote for Sleepy Joe,” he said. “And boredom.” Seeming to acknowledge his electoral deficit, the president pined for the days before the coronavirus when his electoral prospects looked at least somewhat brighter. Before “the plague” arrived, he said, “I wasn’t going to Erie. I mean, I have to be honest, there’s no way I was coming. I didn’t have to.” He added, “We had this thing won.” Trump had been expected to be joined by first lady Melania Trump for her first public appearance since she contracted the coronavirus. But an aide to Melania Trump said Tuesday morning that she had a lingering cough and would not accompany her husband.

Trump calls on Barr to ‘act’ against Biden before election

US election 2020: Joe Biden or Donald Trump? 15 days to go for the big election day, and faith has now taken the centre stage. Both the president and his challenger are eager to showcase how their campaigns are guided by faith.

All of a sudden, the US president loves going to churches. His rival Joe Biden is attending mass ceremonies. The US president attended a church services at the International Church of Las Vegas, an evangelical mega-church with contemporary musical programmes.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-religion-takes-centerstage-in-us-election-336537/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Trump has always worked closely with evangelical Christians and has put their causes of restricting abortion and preserving gun ownership on top of his political agenda.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/us-election-2020-trump-and-biden-finally-agree-on-something-as-november-3-nears-336482" hreflang="en">US election 2020: Trump and Biden finally agree on something as November 3 nears</a>

Addressing the gathering, one of the pastors said that at 4:30 the lord told her that Trump was going to be the president again.

“At 4.30 (am), the Lord said to me,Ii am going to give your president a second win. (cheering) this has three meanings, a win. And you will be the president again”, Denise Goulet, Senior Associate Pastor, International Church of Las Vegas.

The congregation then began praying for their president. As they prayed, Donald Trump kept himself busy counting money before he donated it.

After much deliberation, Trump settled for 20 dollars and dropped them in a bucket titled “change for change”. His critics say, the billionaire president should have donated more. Trump's supporters say - they couldn't care less.

“Everything he has promised to do, he has taken care of. The best economy that we have had in quite a while, he has built the wall, umm....What am I missing?”, David Tainowitz, a Trump supporter said.

“I do honestly feel that what's happening now, with the most corrupt man to ever have run for president, in John, Joe, John, I’m getting like him, Joe Biden, then you deserve to vote for him and you get what you get. I think Trump is the best man we have ever had”, another supporter said.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/us-election-2020-key-states-that-will-likely-decide-fate-of-donald-trump-and-joe-biden-336311" hreflang="en">US election 2020: Key states that will likely decide fate of Donald Trump and Joe Biden</a>

Last week, Joe Biden was spotted leaving a mass ceremony in Wilmington, Delaware. Biden has frequently stressed on how his Catholic faith has guided his actions as a public official. On Sunday, he participated in a virtual event with African-American faith leaders. He asked the leaders to pray for him to have the capacity to carry out his job when he becomes the president.

“Pray I have the capacity to step up and do this job, because four more years of Donald Trump will fundamentally change the nature of this country for several generations”, Biden was heard saying.

Donald Trump is trying to woo white evangelicals., Biden is catering to black protestants. Both their campaigns are working hard to court other key religious blocks.

But how much of a role does religion really play in the US election?

The Pew Research Centre recently conducted a survey of the key religious blocks. 78 per cent of white evangelical protestants said they will vote for Trump if the election were held today. Only 17 per cent prefer Biden.&nbsp;

White non-evangelical protestants:&nbsp;53 per cent said they would vote for Trump. 43 per cent said they lean towards the Democrats.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/us-election-donald-trump-claims-his-campaign-is-doing-very-very-well-336290" hreflang="en">US election: Donald Trump claims his campaign is doing 'very, very well'</a>

Among white catholic voters, Trump is again ahead by 8 percentage points. 52 per cent in this group said they would vote for Trump and 44 per cent favoured Biden. Among black protestant voters, 90 per cent favour Biden, while only 9 per cent say they would vote for Trump. Among hispanic&nbsp;catholics too, Biden leads with 67 per cent favouring him, and 26 per cent saying they would vote for Trump. Among Jewish Americans, 27 per cent say they will vote for Trump, and over 70 per cent say they prefer Biden.

Among atheist and agnostic voters, only 11 per cent say they will vote for Trump, while 83 per cent say they prefer Biden.

What do the figures tell?

There are deep divisions among white Christians and almost everybody else. Most of them support Donald Trump, and they account for roughly 44 per cent of registered American voters.

Will they manage to give their president another term?

US election 2020: Joe Biden or Donald Trump? 15 days to go for the big election day, and faith has now taken the centre stage. Both the president and his challenger are eager to showcase how their campaigns are guided by faith.

US election 2020: Joe Biden or Donald Trump? 15 days to go for the big election day, and faith has now taken the centre stage. Both the president and his challenger are eager to showcase how their campaigns are guided by faith. All of a sudden, the US president loves going to churches. His rival Joe Biden is attending mass ceremonies. The US president attended a church services at the International Church of Las Vegas, an evangelical mega-church with contemporary musical programmes. Trump has always worked closely with evangelical Christians and has put their causes of restricting abortion and preserving gun ownership on top of his political agenda. Also read: US election 2020: Trump and Biden finally agree on something as November 3 nears Addressing the gathering, one of the pastors said that at 4:30 the lord told her that Trump was going to be the president again. “At 4.30 (am), the Lord said to me,Ii am going to give your president a second win. (cheering) this has three meanings, a win. And you will be the president again”, Denise Goulet, Senior Associate Pastor, International Church of Las Vegas. The congregation then began praying for their president. As they prayed, Donald Trump kept himself busy counting money before he donated it. After much deliberation, Trump settled for 20 dollars and dropped them in a bucket titled “change for change”. His critics say, the billionaire president should have donated more. Trump's supporters say - they couldn't care less. “Everything he has promised to do, he has taken care of. The best economy that we have had in quite a while, he has built the wall, umm....What am I missing?”, David Tainowitz, a Trump supporter said. “I do honestly feel that what's happening now, with the most corrupt man to ever have run for president, in John, Joe, John, I’m getting like him, Joe Biden, then you deserve to vote for him and you get what you get. I think Trump is the best man we have ever had”, another supporter said. Also read: US election 2020: Key states that will likely decide fate of Donald Trump and Joe Biden Last week, Joe Biden was spotted leaving a mass ceremony in Wilmington, Delaware. Biden has frequently stressed on how his Catholic faith has guided his actions as a public official. On Sunday, he participated in a virtual event with African-American faith leaders. He asked the leaders to pray for him to have the capacity to carry out his job when he becomes the president. “Pray I have the capacity to step up and do this job, because four more years of Donald Trump will fundamentally change the nature of this country for several generations”, Biden was heard saying. Donald Trump is trying to woo white evangelicals., Biden is catering to black protestants. Both their campaigns are working hard to court other key religious blocks. But how much of a role does religion really play in the US election? The Pew Research Centre recently conducted a survey of the key religious blocks. 78 per cent of white evangelical protestants said they will vote for Trump if the election were held today. Only 17 per cent prefer Biden. White non-evangelical protestants: 53 per cent said they would vote for Trump. 43 per cent said they lean towards the Democrats. Also read: US election: Donald Trump claims his campaign is doing 'very, very well' Among white catholic voters, Trump is again ahead by 8 percentage points. 52 per cent in this group said they would vote for Trump and 44 per cent favoured Biden. Among black protestant voters, 90 per cent favour Biden, while only 9 per cent say they would vote for Trump. Among hispanic catholics too, Biden leads with 67 per cent favouring him, and 26 per cent saying they would vote for Trump. Among Jewish Americans, 27 per cent say they will vote for Trump, and over 70 per cent say they prefer Biden. Among atheist and agnostic voters, only 11 per cent say they will vote for Trump, while 83 per cent say they prefer Biden. What do the figures tell? There are deep divisions among white Christians and almost everybody else. Most of them support Donald Trump, and they account for roughly 44 per cent of registered American voters. Will they manage to give their president another term?

US election 2020: Biden-Trump campaigns and the role of faith in American elections

United States President Donald Trump has called on the US attorney general to investigate his "criminal" Democratic opponent Joe Biden.

Polls show Trump down or in a tight contest in most of the swing states that decide presidential races, but he believes his frenetic campaigning will give him new momentum for the November 3 presidential election as he heads Tuesday to a rally in the key state of Pennsylvania.

"Things are changing fast," Trump told the Fox &amp; Friends programme Tuesday, claiming that his own polling showed Biden is "imploding."

Notably, just over two weeks ago Trump was in hospital with Covid-19 and Biden had the field to himself, hammering home his central message that the Republican president has failed the country on managing the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden has, however, disappeared from the campaign trail, apparently to prepare for the debate.

Trump's current attack centres on a conspiracy theory about the Biden family's business activities. Crowds at Trump's rallies have even repurposed the old anti-Clinton chant of 2016 for Biden, shouting "lock him up."

According to Trump, Biden's personally troubled son Hunter sold access to his father in Ukraine and China when he was vice president to Barack Obama.

Trump Tuesday called Joe Biden "a criminal" and demanded on Fox News that the attorney general, Bill Barr, "act and act fast."

"This has to be known about before the election," Trump said.

While Biden continues to try and focus on Trump's handling of the pandemic -- depicting him as an irresponsible leader who panicked -- the president is milking frustration in places like Pennsylvania with the economic impact of shutdowns and social distancing.

"We will never shut down" again, Trump promised Tuesday -- a message he will likely repeat loudly at the rally.

According to a new poll from The New York Times/Siena College, Biden has a nine-point lead nationally.

Pennsylvania is one of the half dozen states that Trump more or less has to win to hold on to the presidency. Polls show Biden ahead, though a Reuters/Ipsos poll this week showed the gap narrowing slightly.

Trump is the first president to run for reelection after being impeached.

(with inputs)

United States President Donald Trump has called on the US attorney general to investigate his "criminal" Democratic opponent Joe Biden. Polls show Trump down or in a tight contest in most of the swing states that decide presidential races, but he believes his frenetic campaigning will give him new momentum for the November 3 presidential election as he heads Tuesday to a rally in the key state of Pennsylvania.

United States President Donald Trump has called on the US attorney general to investigate his "criminal" Democratic opponent Joe Biden. Polls show Trump down or in a tight contest in most of the swing states that decide presidential races, but he believes his frenetic campaigning will give him new momentum for the November 3 presidential election as he heads Tuesday to a rally in the key state of Pennsylvania. "Things are changing fast," Trump told the Fox & Friends programme Tuesday, claiming that his own polling showed Biden is "imploding." Notably, just over two weeks ago Trump was in hospital with Covid-19 and Biden had the field to himself, hammering home his central message that the Republican president has failed the country on managing the coronavirus pandemic. Biden has, however, disappeared from the campaign trail, apparently to prepare for the debate. Trump's current attack centres on a conspiracy theory about the Biden family's business activities. Crowds at Trump's rallies have even repurposed the old anti-Clinton chant of 2016 for Biden, shouting "lock him up." According to Trump, Biden's personally troubled son Hunter sold access to his father in Ukraine and China when he was vice president to Barack Obama. Trump Tuesday called Joe Biden "a criminal" and demanded on Fox News that the attorney general, Bill Barr, "act and act fast." "This has to be known about before the election," Trump said. While Biden continues to try and focus on Trump's handling of the pandemic -- depicting him as an irresponsible leader who panicked -- the president is milking frustration in places like Pennsylvania with the economic impact of shutdowns and social distancing. "We will never shut down" again, Trump promised Tuesday -- a message he will likely repeat loudly at the rally. According to a new poll from The New York Times/Siena College, Biden has a nine-point lead nationally. Pennsylvania is one of the half dozen states that Trump more or less has to win to hold on to the presidency. Polls show Biden ahead, though a Reuters/Ipsos poll this week showed the gap narrowing slightly. Trump is the first president to run for reelection after being impeached. (with inputs)

Trump calls for investigation of Biden, heads to Pennsylvania

President Donald Trump's wife Melania canceled a rare joint appearance with him at a campaign rally Tuesday due to a "lingering cough" following her infection with the coronavirus, a spokeswoman said. 
 
"Mrs Trump continues to feel better every day following her recovery from COVID-19, but with a lingering cough, and out of an abundance of caution, she will not be traveling today," Stephanie Grisham said in a statement. 
 
The first lady's appearance with Trump in Erie, Pennsylvania, was to have been her first at a campaign rally in more than a year.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/trump-and-biden-pooper-figurines-steal-the-show-in-catalan-nativity-336757" hreflang="en">Trump and Biden 'pooper' figurines steal the show in Catalan nativity</a> 
 
Trump, the first lady and their teenage son Barron all tested positive for Covid-19 earlier this month. 
 
The president was hospitalised for three nights and later said he'd risked death, but now appears to have recovered. The first lady's case was described as having been considerably milder. 
 
However, last week she revealed details of the illness in an unusual statement entitled "My Personal Experience with Covid-19" in which she said the aftermath had been difficult. 
 
"It seemed to be a roller coaster of symptoms in the days after. I experienced body aches, a cough and headaches, and felt extremely tired most of the time," she said.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/opinions-blogs/trump-is-giving-up-336754" hreflang="en">Trump is giving up</a> 
 
Melania Trump said that in contrast to the president, who took an intense therapy of experimental drugs and received oxygen to assist his breathing, "I chose to go a more natural route in terms of medicine, opting more for vitamins and healthy food." 
 
It was only in that statement that she revealed that Barron, 14, had also become infected, although he has since recovered. 
 
Trump has been holding at least one election rally a day in the last two weeks before Election Day but he has not appeared on stage with his wife since 2019.

President Donald Trump's wife Melania canceled a rare joint appearance with him at a campaign rally Tuesday due to a "lingering cough" following her infection with the coronavirus, a spokeswoman said.

President Donald Trump's wife Melania canceled a rare joint appearance with him at a campaign rally Tuesday due to a "lingering cough" following her infection with the coronavirus, a spokeswoman said. "Mrs Trump continues to feel better every day following her recovery from COVID-19, but with a lingering cough, and out of an abundance of caution, she will not be traveling today," Stephanie Grisham said in a statement. The first lady's appearance with Trump in Erie, Pennsylvania, was to have been her first at a campaign rally in more than a year. Also read: Trump and Biden 'pooper' figurines steal the show in Catalan nativity Trump, the first lady and their teenage son Barron all tested positive for Covid-19 earlier this month. The president was hospitalised for three nights and later said he'd risked death, but now appears to have recovered. The first lady's case was described as having been considerably milder. However, last week she revealed details of the illness in an unusual statement entitled "My Personal Experience with Covid-19" in which she said the aftermath had been difficult. "It seemed to be a roller coaster of symptoms in the days after. I experienced body aches, a cough and headaches, and felt extremely tired most of the time," she said. Also read: Trump is giving up Melania Trump said that in contrast to the president, who took an intense therapy of experimental drugs and received oxygen to assist his breathing, "I chose to go a more natural route in terms of medicine, opting more for vitamins and healthy food." It was only in that statement that she revealed that Barron, 14, had also become infected, although he has since recovered. Trump has been holding at least one election rally a day in the last two weeks before Election Day but he has not appeared on stage with his wife since 2019.

Melania Trump cancels rare campaign appearance due to 'cough'

Caught with their pants down and wearing face masks, U.S. President Donald Trump and his challenger Joe Biden are the stars of a new range of defecating figurines that are a longstanding Christmas tradition in the Spanish region of Catalonia.

Known as "caganers" or "poopers" in English, the small statues offer a satirical take on the year`s biggest news stories and are traditionally hidden in nativity scenes for friends and family to find.

Masked health workers who have become emblematic of the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, also feature prominently in the 2020 Christmas lineup alongside the presidential hopefuls.

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"In these four years Trump has been an excellent caganer, I mean excellent in terms of sales," said caganer artisan Marc Alos, 49, from his workshop in the small Mediterranean town of Toroella de Montgri.

Such was the popularity of the Trump figure in the run-up to the 2016 elections that Alos felt certain he would take the White House, despite polls pointing to a Hillary Clinton victory.

"We said that the day before the U.S. elections, and he won."

With another fraught vote looming, Biden appears to have the edge in pooper sales but Alos said it is still early to make any election night predictions: "We are at the very beginning and Joe Biden is working a little better for us, but I don`t know how this will evolve."

Caught with their pants down and wearing face masks, U.S. President Donald Trump and his challenger Joe Biden are the stars of a new range of defecating figurines that are a longstanding Christmas tradition in the Spanish region of Catalonia.

Caught with their pants down and wearing face masks, U.S. President Donald Trump and his challenger Joe Biden are the stars of a new range of defecating figurines that are a longstanding Christmas tradition in the Spanish region of Catalonia. Known as "caganers" or "poopers" in English, the small statues offer a satirical take on the year`s biggest news stories and are traditionally hidden in nativity scenes for friends and family to find. Masked health workers who have become emblematic of the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, also feature prominently in the 2020 Christmas lineup alongside the presidential hopefuls. "In these four years Trump has been an excellent caganer, I mean excellent in terms of sales," said caganer artisan Marc Alos, 49, from his workshop in the small Mediterranean town of Toroella de Montgri. Such was the popularity of the Trump figure in the run-up to the 2016 elections that Alos felt certain he would take the White House, despite polls pointing to a Hillary Clinton victory. "We said that the day before the U.S. elections, and he won." With another fraught vote looming, Biden appears to have the edge in pooper sales but Alos said it is still early to make any election night predictions: "We are at the very beginning and Joe Biden is working a little better for us, but I don`t know how this will evolve."

Trump and Biden 'pooper' figurines steal the show in Catalan nativity

Donald Trump can still win the 2020 presidential election; something that has a 10% or 15% chance of happening can certainly transpire. But even more than in 2016, if the president wins this time, we will have to attribute his victory to the workings of divine providence (don’t worry, I have that column pre-written), because what we’re watching is an incumbent doing everything in his power to run up his own margin of defeat.

Start with his reelection messaging, to the extent that you can discern such a thing. In 2016, Trump’s campaign was shambolic and punctuated by self-inflicted disasters, but his message against Hillary Clinton, like his message against the Republican establishment in the primaries, had a simplicity and consistency: She supported bad trade deals; she supported stupid wars; she sold the country out to special interests and foreign governments; vote for her and you get more closed factories, more soldiers dead or crippled, more illegal immigration, more power to Wall Street and Washington, D.C.

In 2020, on the other hand, the Trump campaign has been stuck toggling back and forth between two very different narratives. One seeks to replay the last campaign, portraying Joe Biden as the embodiment of a failed establishment (hence all the references to his 47 years in Washington) who will sell out American interests to China as soon as he’s back in power (hence the attempts to elevate Hunter Biden’s influence-peddling).

But the other narrative goes after Biden as though the Democrats had actually nominated Bernie Sanders, insisting that his advancing age makes him a decrepit vessel for the radical left, a stalking horse not just for Kamala Harris but also for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and antifa.

A truly brilliant campaigner might be able to weave these two narratives together, but on the lips of Donald Trump their contradictions are evident. The resulting incoherence just feeds his tendency to return to old grudges and very online grievances, as though he’s running for the presidency of talk radio or his own Twitter feed. Without Steve Bannon to keep him grounded or Clinton to keep him focused, he’s making a closing “argument” that’s indistinguishable from a sales pitch for a TV show or a newsletter — suggesting that even more than four years ago, the president assumes he’ll be in the media business as soon as the election returns come in.

But the messaging failure is just the surface; it’s on policy where Trump has really acted like a Black Sox ballplayer trying to throw the World Series. There are two major issues for voters in this election: the pandemic and the economy. Trump’s numbers on handling the virus are lousy, but his numbers on handling the economy are still pretty good, presumably thanks to both the memory of where the unemployment rate stood before the coronavirus hit and the fact that the flood of COVID-19 relief spending kept people’s disposable income up.

This context suggested an obvious fall campaign strategy: Push more relief money into the economy, try to ostentatiously take the pandemic seriously and promise the country that mask-wearing and relief dollars are a bridge to a vaccine and normalcy in 2021.

Instead Trump has ended up with the opposite approach. He mostly ignored the negotiations over relief money for months, engaging only at a point where he had become so politically weak that both Republican deficit hawks (or the born-again variety, at least) and Democratic free-spenders assume he’ll soon be gone. And meanwhile he’s let himself be drawn ever deeper — especially since his own encounter with the disease — into the libertarian style of COVID-19 contrarianism, which argues that we’re overtesting, overreacting and probably close to herd immunity anyway.

There is a mild contrarianism that makes important points: The lockdown approach wasn’t sustainable and can’t be reimposed, most elementary schools should be open because the risks of spread seem pretty low, the virus is less deadly than the initial worst-case projections suggested, and deaths as a share of cases are going down with better treatment.

But the strong version keeps being wrong. First, the past two months have made it clear that herd immunity is a moving target: You can achieve it provisionally under social-distancing conditions, but once people relax and start socializing again, the threshold changes, and suddenly you get a renewed spike. This is what happened across Europe, which crushed its case rates in the late spring, returned to more normal life in the summer — and then reaped an early-fall wave that’s now fully out of control, including in countries like Belgium that were hit intensely in the first go-round.

Meanwhile, just because tests reveal more mild cases doesn’t mean the virus has stopped killing people. Over and over again, case numbers spike and deaths lag and contrarians talk about how the virus is just a “casedemic” — and then a few weeks go by, and deaths follow cases up. It happened in the United States over the summer, it’s happened in Europe in the past month, and now it’s probably about to happen here again: Our cases have been rising since early September, our hospitalizations have been rising for several weeks, and while deaths are flat for now (at “only” 711 Americans a day), it’s likely they’ll be rising again by the time we hit November.

Which means that Trump has chosen to go to war with the idea of testing, with Dr. Anthony Fauci and with “experts” in general at precisely the moment when the fall wave they’ve been warning about seems to be showing up — which is also the moment when the two-thirds of Americans who describe themselves as “very” or “somewhat” concerned about the virus will be going to the polls.

Strictly as a policymaking matter, this is Trump’s worst behavior since his springtime push for the fastest-possible reopening. Europe’s renewed crisis shows that the Western failure to contain the virus is much more than just a Trump problem — but on the margins, in the thousands if not the hundreds of thousands, Trumpian denial can still get Americans unnecessarily killed.

As politics, meanwhile, even more than the mixed messaging on Biden and the missed opportunities on relief spending, the retreat to corona-minimizing is a case study in how the Trump of 2020 has ceded his biggest general-election advantage from 2016 — his relative distance from the ideological rigidities of the anti-government right — and locked himself into a small box with flatterers and cranks.

From these follies the God of surprises might yet deliver him. But every decision of his own lately has been a choice for political defeat.

Donald Trump can still win the 2020 presidential election; something that has a 10% or 15% chance of happening can certainly transpire. But even more than in 2016, if the president wins this time, we will have to attribute his victory to the workings of divine providence (don’t worry, I have that column pre-written), because what we’re watching is an incumbent doing everything in his power to run up his own margin of defeat.

Donald Trump can still win the 2020 presidential election; something that has a 10% or 15% chance of happening can certainly transpire. But even more than in 2016, if the president wins this time, we will have to attribute his victory to the workings of divine providence (don’t worry, I have that column pre-written), because what we’re watching is an incumbent doing everything in his power to run up his own margin of defeat. Start with his reelection messaging, to the extent that you can discern such a thing. In 2016, Trump’s campaign was shambolic and punctuated by self-inflicted disasters, but his message against Hillary Clinton, like his message against the Republican establishment in the primaries, had a simplicity and consistency: She supported bad trade deals; she supported stupid wars; she sold the country out to special interests and foreign governments; vote for her and you get more closed factories, more soldiers dead or crippled, more illegal immigration, more power to Wall Street and Washington, D.C. In 2020, on the other hand, the Trump campaign has been stuck toggling back and forth between two very different narratives. One seeks to replay the last campaign, portraying Joe Biden as the embodiment of a failed establishment (hence all the references to his 47 years in Washington) who will sell out American interests to China as soon as he’s back in power (hence the attempts to elevate Hunter Biden’s influence-peddling). But the other narrative goes after Biden as though the Democrats had actually nominated Bernie Sanders, insisting that his advancing age makes him a decrepit vessel for the radical left, a stalking horse not just for Kamala Harris but also for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and antifa. A truly brilliant campaigner might be able to weave these two narratives together, but on the lips of Donald Trump their contradictions are evident. The resulting incoherence just feeds his tendency to return to old grudges and very online grievances, as though he’s running for the presidency of talk radio or his own Twitter feed. Without Steve Bannon to keep him grounded or Clinton to keep him focused, he’s making a closing “argument” that’s indistinguishable from a sales pitch for a TV show or a newsletter — suggesting that even more than four years ago, the president assumes he’ll be in the media business as soon as the election returns come in. But the messaging failure is just the surface; it’s on policy where Trump has really acted like a Black Sox ballplayer trying to throw the World Series. There are two major issues for voters in this election: the pandemic and the economy. Trump’s numbers on handling the virus are lousy, but his numbers on handling the economy are still pretty good, presumably thanks to both the memory of where the unemployment rate stood before the coronavirus hit and the fact that the flood of COVID-19 relief spending kept people’s disposable income up. This context suggested an obvious fall campaign strategy: Push more relief money into the economy, try to ostentatiously take the pandemic seriously and promise the country that mask-wearing and relief dollars are a bridge to a vaccine and normalcy in 2021. Instead Trump has ended up with the opposite approach. He mostly ignored the negotiations over relief money for months, engaging only at a point where he had become so politically weak that both Republican deficit hawks (or the born-again variety, at least) and Democratic free-spenders assume he’ll soon be gone. And meanwhile he’s let himself be drawn ever deeper — especially since his own encounter with the disease — into the libertarian style of COVID-19 contrarianism, which argues that we’re overtesting, overreacting and probably close to herd immunity anyway. There is a mild contrarianism that makes important points: The lockdown approach wasn’t sustainable and can’t be reimposed, most elementary schools should be open because the risks of spread seem pretty low, the virus is less deadly than the initial worst-case projections suggested, and deaths as a share of cases are going down with better treatment. But the strong version keeps being wrong. First, the past two months have made it clear that herd immunity is a moving target: You can achieve it provisionally under social-distancing conditions, but once people relax and start socializing again, the threshold changes, and suddenly you get a renewed spike. This is what happened across Europe, which crushed its case rates in the late spring, returned to more normal life in the summer — and then reaped an early-fall wave that’s now fully out of control, including in countries like Belgium that were hit intensely in the first go-round. Meanwhile, just because tests reveal more mild cases doesn’t mean the virus has stopped killing people. Over and over again, case numbers spike and deaths lag and contrarians talk about how the virus is just a “casedemic” — and then a few weeks go by, and deaths follow cases up. It happened in the United States over the summer, it’s happened in Europe in the past month, and now it’s probably about to happen here again: Our cases have been rising since early September, our hospitalizations have been rising for several weeks, and while deaths are flat for now (at “only” 711 Americans a day), it’s likely they’ll be rising again by the time we hit November. Which means that Trump has chosen to go to war with the idea of testing, with Dr. Anthony Fauci and with “experts” in general at precisely the moment when the fall wave they’ve been warning about seems to be showing up — which is also the moment when the two-thirds of Americans who describe themselves as “very” or “somewhat” concerned about the virus will be going to the polls. Strictly as a policymaking matter, this is Trump’s worst behavior since his springtime push for the fastest-possible reopening. Europe’s renewed crisis shows that the Western failure to contain the virus is much more than just a Trump problem — but on the margins, in the thousands if not the hundreds of thousands, Trumpian denial can still get Americans unnecessarily killed. As politics, meanwhile, even more than the mixed messaging on Biden and the missed opportunities on relief spending, the retreat to corona-minimizing is a case study in how the Trump of 2020 has ceded his biggest general-election advantage from 2016 — his relative distance from the ideological rigidities of the anti-government right — and locked himself into a small box with flatterers and cranks. From these follies the God of surprises might yet deliver him. But every decision of his own lately has been a choice for political defeat.

Trump is giving up

The Treasury Department last month imposed sanctions on four people linked to Russia for attempting to influence the presidential election, including a Ukrainian parliamentarian named Andriy Derkach, who has worked with Donald Trump’s consigliere Rudy Giuliani to smear Joe Biden. According to the Treasury, Derkach has been “an active Russian agent for over a decade, maintaining close connections with the Russian intelligence services.”

The Treasury said Derkach had worked covertly to cultivate “false and unsubstantiated narratives concerning U.S. officials in the upcoming 2020 presidential election” — an obvious reference to Biden. Derkach had released “edited audiotapes and other unsupported information” and managed to push his “unsubstantiated narratives” into Western media.

According to The Washington Post, U.S. intelligence agencies warned the White House last year that Giuliani, then searching in Ukraine for dirt about Biden and his son Hunter, was the target of a Russian influence operation. “The Russians have been cultivating Rudy Giuliani as an asset for over a year,” Chris Murphy, a Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told me. “Any information proffered by Rudy Giuliani is likely compromised.”

That, of course, did not stop The New York Post from publishing a series of breathless articles about Hunter Biden purportedly based on a hard drive that fell into Giuliani’s hands. Some of the stories — like one about Hunter’s anguished texts to his father from rehab — seem intended to wound Joe Biden by humiliating his child. Others were meant to resurrect the discredited accusation that Joe Biden pressed for the firing of a Ukrainian prosecutor to help Burisma, an energy company that had Hunter Biden on its board.

So far, the Hunter Biden laptop affair is a farcical retread of the Russian hack-and-leak operation that helped torpedo Hillary Clinton’s presidential aspirations in 2016. Now, as then, the Trump campaign appears to be hoping that the media will dribble out stolen private messages over the final weeks of the campaign, creating an illusion of scandal where none exists. And now, as then, someone in Trump’s inner circle is working directly with someone who is, at least according to the U.S. government, a Russian agent.

Since The New York Post began publishing its Hunter Biden articles, there’s been an escalating chorus of conservative whining about the mainstream media’s refusal to pick up its reporting. “Media avoiding The Post’s Hunter Biden stories as much as Joe,” says the headline on a self-pitying Post column.

Most reputable reporters aren’t taking the bait; Giuliani’s trove is just too sketchy. As The New York Times reported, the journalist who wrote one of The Post’s big Hunter Biden stories refused to put his byline on it out of concerns about the credibility of the underlying information. Mediaite reported that Giuliani initially offered the data to Fox News, but “the news division chose not to run the story unless or until the sourcing and veracity of the emails could be properly vetted.”

The provenance of the alleged hard drive is murky, and the FBI is reportedly investigating whether it’s linked to a foreign disinformation campaign. Giuliani claims his lawyer got it from a Delaware computer repair shop owner, John Paul Mac Isaac, who says someone he thinks was Hunter Biden dropped off three laptops and never picked them up. Mac Isaac gave a halting interview to several journalists last week; The Daily Beast published the audio, so you can hear for yourself as his story shifts over the course of an hour.

If there’s an important story here, it’s almost certainly about Giuliani’s dirty tricks, not any wrongdoing by Joe Biden. Reporting on disinformation is complicated, because it’s hard to write about it without amplifying it. Still, this episode distills just how far Trump has dragged the country down in four years.

In 2016, the public didn’t know that Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman, was passing polling data to someone tied to the Russian intelligence directorate — such a revelation would have been devastating. Giuliani’s relationship with Derkach, by contrast, is out in the open.

Last week, Giuliani told The Daily Beast he thinks there’s only a 50% chance that his Ukrainian collaborator is really a Russian spy, and that it wouldn’t matter to him if his Hunter Biden material was linked to Russian hacking. This barely made a ripple. “It’s collusion in broad daylight,” said Murphy.

Giuliani probably can’t sabotage Biden the way WikiLeaks sabotaged Clinton. The Clinton leak was damaging because many voters already believed there was something sinister about her hidden emails. Burisma never stuck to Biden in the same way, so there’s less payoff in forcing it back into the news.

But Giuliani’s tactics aren’t any less foul for being ineffective. It’s hardly surprising that the president’s bottom-feeding lawyer has shown himself open to working with Russian intelligence. It’s striking, though, that no one expects better.

The Treasury Department last month imposed sanctions on four people linked to Russia for attempting to influence the presidential election, including a Ukrainian parliamentarian named Andriy Derkach, who has worked with Donald Trump’s consigliere Rudy Giuliani to smear Joe Biden.

The Treasury Department last month imposed sanctions on four people linked to Russia for attempting to influence the presidential election, including a Ukrainian parliamentarian named Andriy Derkach, who has worked with Donald Trump’s consigliere Rudy Giuliani to smear Joe Biden. According to the Treasury, Derkach has been “an active Russian agent for over a decade, maintaining close connections with the Russian intelligence services.” The Treasury said Derkach had worked covertly to cultivate “false and unsubstantiated narratives concerning U.S. officials in the upcoming 2020 presidential election” — an obvious reference to Biden. Derkach had released “edited audiotapes and other unsupported information” and managed to push his “unsubstantiated narratives” into Western media. According to The Washington Post, U.S. intelligence agencies warned the White House last year that Giuliani, then searching in Ukraine for dirt about Biden and his son Hunter, was the target of a Russian influence operation. “The Russians have been cultivating Rudy Giuliani as an asset for over a year,” Chris Murphy, a Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told me. “Any information proffered by Rudy Giuliani is likely compromised.” That, of course, did not stop The New York Post from publishing a series of breathless articles about Hunter Biden purportedly based on a hard drive that fell into Giuliani’s hands. Some of the stories — like one about Hunter’s anguished texts to his father from rehab — seem intended to wound Joe Biden by humiliating his child. Others were meant to resurrect the discredited accusation that Joe Biden pressed for the firing of a Ukrainian prosecutor to help Burisma, an energy company that had Hunter Biden on its board. So far, the Hunter Biden laptop affair is a farcical retread of the Russian hack-and-leak operation that helped torpedo Hillary Clinton’s presidential aspirations in 2016. Now, as then, the Trump campaign appears to be hoping that the media will dribble out stolen private messages over the final weeks of the campaign, creating an illusion of scandal where none exists. And now, as then, someone in Trump’s inner circle is working directly with someone who is, at least according to the U.S. government, a Russian agent. Since The New York Post began publishing its Hunter Biden articles, there’s been an escalating chorus of conservative whining about the mainstream media’s refusal to pick up its reporting. “Media avoiding The Post’s Hunter Biden stories as much as Joe,” says the headline on a self-pitying Post column. Most reputable reporters aren’t taking the bait; Giuliani’s trove is just too sketchy. As The New York Times reported, the journalist who wrote one of The Post’s big Hunter Biden stories refused to put his byline on it out of concerns about the credibility of the underlying information. Mediaite reported that Giuliani initially offered the data to Fox News, but “the news division chose not to run the story unless or until the sourcing and veracity of the emails could be properly vetted.” The provenance of the alleged hard drive is murky, and the FBI is reportedly investigating whether it’s linked to a foreign disinformation campaign. Giuliani claims his lawyer got it from a Delaware computer repair shop owner, John Paul Mac Isaac, who says someone he thinks was Hunter Biden dropped off three laptops and never picked them up. Mac Isaac gave a halting interview to several journalists last week; The Daily Beast published the audio, so you can hear for yourself as his story shifts over the course of an hour. If there’s an important story here, it’s almost certainly about Giuliani’s dirty tricks, not any wrongdoing by Joe Biden. Reporting on disinformation is complicated, because it’s hard to write about it without amplifying it. Still, this episode distills just how far Trump has dragged the country down in four years. In 2016, the public didn’t know that Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman, was passing polling data to someone tied to the Russian intelligence directorate — such a revelation would have been devastating. Giuliani’s relationship with Derkach, by contrast, is out in the open. Last week, Giuliani told The Daily Beast he thinks there’s only a 50% chance that his Ukrainian collaborator is really a Russian spy, and that it wouldn’t matter to him if his Hunter Biden material was linked to Russian hacking. This barely made a ripple. “It’s collusion in broad daylight,” said Murphy. Giuliani probably can’t sabotage Biden the way WikiLeaks sabotaged Clinton. The Clinton leak was damaging because many voters already believed there was something sinister about her hidden emails. Burisma never stuck to Biden in the same way, so there’s less payoff in forcing it back into the news. But Giuliani’s tactics aren’t any less foul for being ineffective. It’s hardly surprising that the president’s bottom-feeding lawyer has shown himself open to working with Russian intelligence. It’s striking, though, that no one expects better.

Is the Trump campaign colluding with Russia again?

The Democrats supporters found an IRONIC spot for the BIDEN-HARRIS campaign logo in Chicago. The United Steelworkers Union projected the bat light with gigantic Blue letters onto Donald Trump's properties. WION reports

'Biden-Harris' projected on Trump properties | U.S. Election 2020 New York Direct

Kamala Harris is back on the campaign trail with & immediately goes viral for her light dance at the Florida rally. Vice President Mike Pence rallied in Maine. WION brings you the highlights of both campaigns.

Four more years of time for a change? U.S. Election 2020 New York Direct

With 14 days to US Election 2020, Donald Trump visits the key swing state of Arizona for the sixth time. The President makes his poll pitch to what he calls as 'The Suburban Housewives of America'. WION reports

Poll pitch for the 'The Suburban Housewives' | U.S. Election 2020 New York Direct

Donald Trump's personal warfare against Dr Anthony Fauci has taken over his campaign addresses. The attacks continue as America registers rising COVID-19 cases & deaths. WION reports

Personal warfare takes over election rallies | U.S. Election 2020 New York Direct

For the second & FINAL Presidential Debate on October 22, Donald Trump & Joe Biden will have their microphones muted during the LIVE verbal battle. But the silent treatment will last only during the opening remarks of each segment. WION reports

Last Trump & Biden showdown on LIVE TV; U.S. Election 2020 New York Direct

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