Gun & ammunition sales have shot up across mid-south America with several shops posting record sales this year. U.S. witnessed a historic record of almost 4 million guns sold in only June this year. What is the reason behind the sudden surge?

Americans buying more guns than ever? | U.S. Election 2020 New York Direct

U.S. Opinion polls look great for Joe Biden with a National Lead & ahead of Donald Trump in Swing States. Almost all opinion polls had favoured Hillary Clinton in 2016, and Who won? How reliable are the opinion polls? WION explains how opinion polls work.

The conflict of validity vs reliability | U.S. Election 2020 New York Direct

A bitterly divided senate launches the confirmation hearing for Amy Coney Barrett to serve #SCOTUS. The 4-day hearing is expected to be a bipartisan firestorm before the senate votes to confirm nomination. WION tells you what to expect from the hearing.

A bipartisan firestorm before polls? | U.S. Election 2020 New York Direct

Going by Donald Trump's tweets, it seems like he is planning for a 'GRAND' return to the campaign trail. Meanwhile, U.S. top disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci class out Trump Campaign for using his interview out of context & without consent. WION reports.

Another superspreader event ahead? | U.S. Election 2020 New York Direct

Twitter on Sunday flagged a tweet by US President Donald Trump in which he claimed he was immune to the coronavirus. The micro-blogging site said it violated the social media platform's rules about misleading information related to COVID-19.

"A total and complete sign off from White House Doctors yesterday. That means I can't get it (immune), and can't give it. Very nice to know," Trump said in the tweet.

The post was flagged by Twitter with a disclaimer.

"This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about spreading misleading and potentially harmful information related to COVID-19," Twitter's disclaimer read, adding that it had determined that it may be in the public's interest for the tweet to remain accessible.

Additionally, Trump earlier on Sunday said he had fully recovered from COVID-19 and was not an infection risk for others, freeing him to return to holding big campaign rallies during the final weeks of the race for the White House.

Trump also said, without producing evidence, that he was now immune, a claim that drew a flag from Twitter for violating the social media platform's rules about misleading information related to COVID-19.

"I passed the highest test, the highest standards, and I'm in great shape," Trump told Fox News show "Sunday Morning Futures."

"It looks like I'm immune for, I don't know, maybe a long time, or maybe a short time. It could be a lifetime. Nobody really knows," Trump told Fox.

Trump, who is trailing Democratic rival Joe Biden in opinion polls, is eager to get back on the campaign trail after an absence of more than a week. He plans to travel to the key battleground state of Florida on Monday, followed by rallies in Pennsylvania and Iowa on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.

The president, who spent three days in the hospital after revealing he had tested positive on October 2, said he was no longer on medications for the coronavirus and was now immune from re-infection.

Trump said on Sunday he had fully recovered from COVID-19 and would not be a transmission risk to others, freeing him to return to holding big campaign rallies during the final weeks of the race for the White House.

The scientific evidence is unclear on how long people who have recovered from COVID-19 have antibodies and are protected from a second infection.

The president first announced that he had had a positive coronavirus test on October 2. Trump's physician said on Saturday the president had taken a test showing he was no longer infectious.

Trump, who is trailing Democrat Joe Biden in opinion polls ahead of the November 3 election, is eager to get back on the campaign trail after an absence of more than a week. He plans to travel to the key battleground state of Florida on Monday, followed by rallies in Pennsylvania and Iowa on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. 
&nbsp;

Twitter on Sunday flagged a tweet by US President Donald Trump in which he claimed he was immune to the coronavirus. The micro-blogging site said it violated the social media platform's rules about misleading information related to COVID-19.

Twitter on Sunday flagged a tweet by US President Donald Trump in which he claimed he was immune to the coronavirus. The micro-blogging site said it violated the social media platform's rules about misleading information related to COVID-19. "A total and complete sign off from White House Doctors yesterday. That means I can't get it (immune), and can't give it. Very nice to know," Trump said in the tweet. The post was flagged by Twitter with a disclaimer. "This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about spreading misleading and potentially harmful information related to COVID-19," Twitter's disclaimer read, adding that it had determined that it may be in the public's interest for the tweet to remain accessible. Additionally, Trump earlier on Sunday said he had fully recovered from COVID-19 and was not an infection risk for others, freeing him to return to holding big campaign rallies during the final weeks of the race for the White House. Trump also said, without producing evidence, that he was now immune, a claim that drew a flag from Twitter for violating the social media platform's rules about misleading information related to COVID-19. "I passed the highest test, the highest standards, and I'm in great shape," Trump told Fox News show "Sunday Morning Futures." "It looks like I'm immune for, I don't know, maybe a long time, or maybe a short time. It could be a lifetime. Nobody really knows," Trump told Fox. Trump, who is trailing Democratic rival Joe Biden in opinion polls, is eager to get back on the campaign trail after an absence of more than a week. He plans to travel to the key battleground state of Florida on Monday, followed by rallies in Pennsylvania and Iowa on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. The president, who spent three days in the hospital after revealing he had tested positive on October 2, said he was no longer on medications for the coronavirus and was now immune from re-infection. Trump said on Sunday he had fully recovered from COVID-19 and would not be a transmission risk to others, freeing him to return to holding big campaign rallies during the final weeks of the race for the White House. The scientific evidence is unclear on how long people who have recovered from COVID-19 have antibodies and are protected from a second infection. The president first announced that he had had a positive coronavirus test on October 2. Trump's physician said on Saturday the president had taken a test showing he was no longer infectious. Trump, who is trailing Democrat Joe Biden in opinion polls ahead of the November 3 election, is eager to get back on the campaign trail after an absence of more than a week. He plans to travel to the key battleground state of Florida on Monday, followed by rallies in Pennsylvania and Iowa on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.

Twitter flags Trump tweet for violating its rules on COVID-19 information

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/fauci-says-trump-campaign-ad-twisted-his-words-on-coronavirus-334558">Fauci says Trump campaign ad twisted his words on coronavirus</a>

Top US government scientist Anthony Fauci has said an ad aired by Donald Trump's reelection campaign was edited to make him seem to endorse the president's handling of the coronavirus pandemic | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/fauci-says-trump-campaign-ad-twisted-his-words-on-coronavirus-334558">READ MORE</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-backed-militias-offer-truce-for-us-pullout-from-iraq-334571">Iran-backed militias offer truce for US pullout from Iraq</a>

Iraqi militias backed by Iran have agreed to temporarily halt attacks targetting the American presence in Iraq | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-backed-militias-offer-truce-for-us-pullout-from-iraq-334571">READ MORE</a>

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Twitter on Sunday flagged a tweet by US President Donald Trump in which he claimed he was immune to the coronavirus. The micro-blogging site said it violated the social media platform's rules about misleading information related to COVID-19 |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/twitter-flags-trump-tweet-for-violating-its-rules-on-covid-19-information-334560"> READ MORE</a>

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un presided over the 75th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party on Sunday where tens of thousands of dancers, gymnasts and others performered in a large-scale celebration | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-hosts-mass-games-for-75th-anniversary-of-ruling-party-334573">READ MORE</a>

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Rafael Nadal on Sunday annihilated Novak Djokovic 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 to win his 13th French Open title while equaling Roger Federer’s all-time record of 20 Grand Slam titles | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/nadal-defeats-djokovic-to-win-13th-french-open-equals-federers-20-grand-slam-wins-334536">READ MORE</a>

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The novel coronavirus can survive on surfaces of items like banknotes and phones for 28 days in dark and cool conditions, a study by Australia's national science agency claimed |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/coronavirus-can-survive-on-phones-banknotes-for-28-days-study-334576"> READ MORE</a>

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Fauci says Trump campaign ad twisted his words on coronavirus Top US government scientist Anthony Fauci has said an ad aired by Donald Trump's reelection campaign was edited to make him seem to endorse the president's handling of the coronavirus pandemic | READ MORE Iran-backed militias offer truce for US pullout from Iraq Iraqi militias backed by Iran have agreed to temporarily halt attacks targetting the American presence in Iraq | READ MORE Twitter flags Trump tweet for violating its rules on COVID-19 information Twitter on Sunday flagged a tweet by US President Donald Trump in which he claimed he was immune to the coronavirus.

Fauci says Trump campaign ad twisted his words on coronavirus Top US government scientist Anthony Fauci has said an ad aired by Donald Trump's reelection campaign was edited to make him seem to endorse the president's handling of the coronavirus pandemic | READ MORE Iran-backed militias offer truce for US pullout from Iraq Iraqi militias backed by Iran have agreed to temporarily halt attacks targetting the American presence in Iraq | READ MORE Twitter flags Trump tweet for violating its rules on COVID-19 information Twitter on Sunday flagged a tweet by US President Donald Trump in which he claimed he was immune to the coronavirus. The micro-blogging site said it violated the social media platform's rules about misleading information related to COVID-19 | READ MORE North Korea hosts Mass Games for 75th anniversary of ruling party North Korean leader Kim Jong Un presided over the 75th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party on Sunday where tens of thousands of dancers, gymnasts and others performered in a large-scale celebration | READ MORE Nadal defeats Djokovic to win 13th French Open, equals Federer's 20 Grand Slam wins Rafael Nadal on Sunday annihilated Novak Djokovic 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 to win his 13th French Open title while equaling Roger Federer’s all-time record of 20 Grand Slam titles | READ MORE Kim Kardashian to donate $1million to Armenia fund amid ongoing conflict Amid the ongoing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, TV star Kim Kardashian pleged to donate $1 million to the Armenian relief fund | READ MORE Coronavirus can survive on phones, banknotes for 28 days: Study The novel coronavirus can survive on surfaces of items like banknotes and phones for 28 days in dark and cool conditions, a study by Australia's national science agency claimed | READ MORE Microsoft to expand its work from home policy, make it permanent for some staff Seattle-based technology giant Microsoft has decided to expand its work-from-home policy and make it permanent for some workers | READ MORE TikTok rival Triller explores deal to go public, sources say Triller Inc, a budding competitor to popular short-video app TikTok, is in discussions with blank-check acquisition companies about a merger which would take the U.S. social media company public, according to people familiar with the matter | READ MORE

Morning news brief: Updates on US election 2020, coronavirus data and facts, and more

US President Donald Trump has claimed he no longer has coronavirus and is now “immune” to Covid-19 as he prepares to return to the campaign trail.

Donald Trump claims immunity from COVID-19 ahead of rallies

Three weeks from now, we will reach an end to speculation about what Donald Trump will do if he faces political defeat, whether he will leave power like a normal president or attempt some wild resistance. Reality will intrude, substantially if not definitively, into the argument over whether the president is a corrupt incompetent who postures as a strongman on Twitter or a threat to the Republic to whom words like “authoritarian” and even “autocrat” can be reasonably applied.

I’ve been on the first side of that argument since early in his presidency, and since we’re nearing either an ending or some poll-defying reset, let me make the case just one more time.

Across the past four years, the Trump administration has indeed displayed hallmarks of authoritarianism. It features egregious internal sycophancy and hacks in high positions, abusive presidential rhetoric and mendacity on an unusual scale. The president’s attempts to delegitimize the 2020 vote aren’t novel; they’re an extension of the way he’s talked since his birther days, paranoid and demagogic.

These are all very bad things, and good reasons to favor his defeat. But it’s also important to recognize all the elements of authoritarianism he lacks. He lacks popularity and political skill, unlike most of the global strongmen who are supposed to be his peers. He lacks power over the media: Outside of Fox’s prime time, he faces an unremittingly hostile press whose major outlets have thrived throughout his presidency. He is plainly despised by his own military leadership, and notwithstanding his courtship of Mark Zuckerberg, Silicon Valley is more likely to censor him than to support him in a constitutional crisis.

His own Supreme Court appointees have already ruled against him; his attempts to turn his voter-fraud hype into litigation have been repeatedly defeated in the courts; he has been constantly at war with his own CIA and FBI. And there is no mass movement behind him: The threat of far-right violence is certainly real, but America’s streets belong to the anti-Trump left.

So if you judge an authoritarian by institutional influence, Trump falls absurdly short. And the same goes for judging his power grabs. Yes, he has successfully violated post-Watergate norms in the service of self-protection and his pocketbook. But pre-Watergate presidents were not autocrats, and in terms of seizing power over &lt;em&gt;policy&lt;/em&gt; he has been less imperial than either George W. Bush or Barack Obama.

There is still no Trumpian equivalent of Bush’s anti-terror and enhanced-interrogation innovations or Obama’s immigration gambit and unconstitutional Libyan war. Trump’s worst human-rights violation, the separation of migrants from their children, was withdrawn under public outcry. His biggest defiance of Congress involved some money for a still-unfinished border wall. And when the coronavirus handed him a once-in-a-century excuse to seize new powers, he retreating to a cranky libertarianism instead.

All this context means that one can oppose Trump, even hate him, and still feel very confident that he will leave office if he is defeated, and that any attempt to cling to power illegitimately will be a theater of the absurd.

Yes, Trump could theoretically retain power if the final outcome is genuinely too close to call.

But the same would be true of any president if their reelection came down to a few hundred votes, and Trump is less equipped than a normal Republican to steer through a Florida-in-2000 controversy — and less likely, given his excesses, to have jurists like John Roberts on his side at the end.

Meanwhile, the scenarios that have been spun out in reputable publications — where Trump induces Republican state legislatures to overrule the clear outcome in their states or militia violence intimidates the Supreme Court into vacating a Biden victory — bear no relationship to the Trump presidency we’ve actually experienced. Our weak, ranting, infected-by-COVID chief executive is not plotting a coup, because a term like “plotting” implies capabilities that he conspicuously lacks.

OK, the reader might say, but since you concede that the Orange Man is, in fact, bad, what’s the harm of a little paranoia, a little extra vigilance?

There are many answers, but I’ll just offer one: With American liberalism poised to retake presidential power, it needs clarity about its own position. Liberalism lost in 2016 out of a mix of accident and hubris, and many liberals have spent the last four years persuading themselves that their position might soon be as beleaguered as the opposition under Putin, or German liberals late in Weimar.

But in reality, liberalism under Trump has become a more dominant force in our society, with a zealous progressive vanguard and a monopoly in the commanding heights of culture. Its return to power in Washington won’t be the salvation of American pluralism; it will be the unification of cultural and political power under a single banner.

Wielding that power in a way that doesn’t just seed another backlash requires both vision and restraint. And seeing its current enemy clearly, as a feckless tribune for the discontented rather than an autocratic menace, is essential to the wisdom that a Biden presidency needs.

Three weeks from now, we will reach an end to speculation about what Donald Trump will do if he faces political defeat, whether he will leave power like a normal president or attempt some wild resistance.

Three weeks from now, we will reach an end to speculation about what Donald Trump will do if he faces political defeat, whether he will leave power like a normal president or attempt some wild resistance. Reality will intrude, substantially if not definitively, into the argument over whether the president is a corrupt incompetent who postures as a strongman on Twitter or a threat to the Republic to whom words like “authoritarian” and even “autocrat” can be reasonably applied. I’ve been on the first side of that argument since early in his presidency, and since we’re nearing either an ending or some poll-defying reset, let me make the case just one more time. Across the past four years, the Trump administration has indeed displayed hallmarks of authoritarianism. It features egregious internal sycophancy and hacks in high positions, abusive presidential rhetoric and mendacity on an unusual scale. The president’s attempts to delegitimize the 2020 vote aren’t novel; they’re an extension of the way he’s talked since his birther days, paranoid and demagogic. These are all very bad things, and good reasons to favor his defeat. But it’s also important to recognize all the elements of authoritarianism he lacks. He lacks popularity and political skill, unlike most of the global strongmen who are supposed to be his peers. He lacks power over the media: Outside of Fox’s prime time, he faces an unremittingly hostile press whose major outlets have thrived throughout his presidency. He is plainly despised by his own military leadership, and notwithstanding his courtship of Mark Zuckerberg, Silicon Valley is more likely to censor him than to support him in a constitutional crisis. His own Supreme Court appointees have already ruled against him; his attempts to turn his voter-fraud hype into litigation have been repeatedly defeated in the courts; he has been constantly at war with his own CIA and FBI. And there is no mass movement behind him: The threat of far-right violence is certainly real, but America’s streets belong to the anti-Trump left. So if you judge an authoritarian by institutional influence, Trump falls absurdly short. And the same goes for judging his power grabs. Yes, he has successfully violated post-Watergate norms in the service of self-protection and his pocketbook. But pre-Watergate presidents were not autocrats, and in terms of seizing power over policy he has been less imperial than either George W. Bush or Barack Obama. There is still no Trumpian equivalent of Bush’s anti-terror and enhanced-interrogation innovations or Obama’s immigration gambit and unconstitutional Libyan war. Trump’s worst human-rights violation, the separation of migrants from their children, was withdrawn under public outcry. His biggest defiance of Congress involved some money for a still-unfinished border wall. And when the coronavirus handed him a once-in-a-century excuse to seize new powers, he retreating to a cranky libertarianism instead. All this context means that one can oppose Trump, even hate him, and still feel very confident that he will leave office if he is defeated, and that any attempt to cling to power illegitimately will be a theater of the absurd. Yes, Trump could theoretically retain power if the final outcome is genuinely too close to call. But the same would be true of any president if their reelection came down to a few hundred votes, and Trump is less equipped than a normal Republican to steer through a Florida-in-2000 controversy — and less likely, given his excesses, to have jurists like John Roberts on his side at the end. Meanwhile, the scenarios that have been spun out in reputable publications — where Trump induces Republican state legislatures to overrule the clear outcome in their states or militia violence intimidates the Supreme Court into vacating a Biden victory — bear no relationship to the Trump presidency we’ve actually experienced. Our weak, ranting, infected-by-COVID chief executive is not plotting a coup, because a term like “plotting” implies capabilities that he conspicuously lacks. OK, the reader might say, but since you concede that the Orange Man is, in fact, bad, what’s the harm of a little paranoia, a little extra vigilance? There are many answers, but I’ll just offer one: With American liberalism poised to retake presidential power, it needs clarity about its own position. Liberalism lost in 2016 out of a mix of accident and hubris, and many liberals have spent the last four years persuading themselves that their position might soon be as beleaguered as the opposition under Putin, or German liberals late in Weimar. But in reality, liberalism under Trump has become a more dominant force in our society, with a zealous progressive vanguard and a monopoly in the commanding heights of culture. Its return to power in Washington won’t be the salvation of American pluralism; it will be the unification of cultural and political power under a single banner. Wielding that power in a way that doesn’t just seed another backlash requires both vision and restraint. And seeing its current enemy clearly, as a feckless tribune for the discontented rather than an autocratic menace, is essential to the wisdom that a Biden presidency needs.

There will be no Trump coup

Fraudulent messages are drawing attention as political campaigns in US presidential race ramp up data collection and voter targeting using their own technology to circumvent restrictions imposed by social media platforms following the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

"Your early vote has not been recorded," says one of the many fraud text messages -- with a link for more information.

Other messages tell voters they are not registered, or offer unverified information about a political opponent.

Facebook barred apps that scraped data on users and their contacts after revelations about the now-defunct British consulting group. But in response, President Donald Trump's campaign and some activist groups are using their own methods.

A team led by Samuel Woolley, a University of Texas professor who leads propaganda research at the school's Center for Media Engagement, examined messages such as the above-referenced ones.&nbsp;

It found that the Trump mobile app, and to a lesser extent those of Democrat Joe Biden and other political activist groups, scoop up data to create profiles to craft personalised, targetted messages by SMS, email or social media.

Some apps collect data not only on the user, but his or her contacts, and track location and other activities such as shopping or church attendance.

Campaigns can combine that with third-party information from data brokers or public records to finetune messages to specific individuals or groups.

Dozens of unsolicited texts, many with pro-Trump messages, surprise common people.

One of the many reads: "Looting. Rioting. Burning Cities. These are the realities of a Biden America."

Many message recipients have never downloaded a political app or signed up for notifications, according to researchers.

Some messages are effectively campaign ads, but without the disclosure required by social media platforms and other media.

The FBI has hence launched a "protected voices" project investigating potential criminal violations in such messages.

"Intentionally deceiving qualified voters to prevent them from voting is voter suppression -- and it is a federal crime," the FBI said in a September statement.

This brings attention to "microtargeting" -- delivering narrowly focused messages to specific individuals or groups. This also raised concerns in the 2016 elections.

Panagopoulos noted that campaigns have "massive amounts of information" on voters which they can gather themselves or purchase, making it easy to spread misinformation or dissuade people form voting.

Fraudulent messages are drawing attention as political campaigns in US presidential race ramp up data collection and voter targeting using their own technology to circumvent restrictions imposed by social media platforms following the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Fraudulent messages are drawing attention as political campaigns in US presidential race ramp up data collection and voter targeting using their own technology to circumvent restrictions imposed by social media platforms following the Cambridge Analytica scandal. "Your early vote has not been recorded," says one of the many fraud text messages -- with a link for more information. Other messages tell voters they are not registered, or offer unverified information about a political opponent. Facebook barred apps that scraped data on users and their contacts after revelations about the now-defunct British consulting group. But in response, President Donald Trump's campaign and some activist groups are using their own methods. A team led by Samuel Woolley, a University of Texas professor who leads propaganda research at the school's Center for Media Engagement, examined messages such as the above-referenced ones. It found that the Trump mobile app, and to a lesser extent those of Democrat Joe Biden and other political activist groups, scoop up data to create profiles to craft personalised, targetted messages by SMS, email or social media. Some apps collect data not only on the user, but his or her contacts, and track location and other activities such as shopping or church attendance. Campaigns can combine that with third-party information from data brokers or public records to finetune messages to specific individuals or groups. Dozens of unsolicited texts, many with pro-Trump messages, surprise common people. One of the many reads: "Looting. Rioting. Burning Cities. These are the realities of a Biden America." Many message recipients have never downloaded a political app or signed up for notifications, according to researchers. Some messages are effectively campaign ads, but without the disclosure required by social media platforms and other media. The FBI has hence launched a "protected voices" project investigating potential criminal violations in such messages. "Intentionally deceiving qualified voters to prevent them from voting is voter suppression -- and it is a federal crime," the FBI said in a September statement. This brings attention to "microtargeting" -- delivering narrowly focused messages to specific individuals or groups. This also raised concerns in the 2016 elections. Panagopoulos noted that campaigns have "massive amounts of information" on voters which they can gather themselves or purchase, making it easy to spread misinformation or dissuade people form voting.

Fraudulent messages take over as Trump and Biden campaigns for US election gain pace

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, facing open criticism from President Donald Trump, promised Friday he would release emails by Hillary Clinton avidly sought by conservative activists before November 3 elections.

Trump, trailing in the polls and confined to the White House after a Covid-19 diagnosis, has returned to his familiar demands for the emails of his 2016 rival while she was secretary of state.

Asked about Trump's rare attack on him over not finding and releasing the emails, Pompeo said in a Fox News interview: "We're gonna get there. We're going to get this information out so the American people can see it."

Pressed on whether he would follow through before the vote, Pompeo said: "Doing it as fast as we can. I certainly think there will be more to see before the election."

If Pompeo asks State Department employees to work on Clinton's emails, he would likely trigger questions of legality as the 1939 Hatch Act bans federal employees from most political activity.&nbsp;

Clinton -- who is not on the ballot this year -- has acknowledged using a private email server, in violation of regulations, when she was America's top diplomat from 2009 to 2013.

Then FBI chief James Comey, in the run-up to the 2016 election, found that Clinton was careless but that there was no criminal intent.

The emails have animated Trump's voters, who with his encouragement would chant "Lock her up!" at his rallies in 2016.

"You'll remember there was classified information on a private server. It should have never been there," Pompeo said.

"Hillary Clinton should never have done that. It was unacceptable behavior."

Pompeo -- who made his name as a Republican congressman with his fiery questions of Clinton over the deadly 2012 attack on the US mission in Benghazi, Libya -- has until now been one of the few aides never to cross the mercurial Trump and is known for his eager defenses of him.

But Trump in a Fox Business interview Thursday said he was "not happy" with Pompeo over the emails. On Friday, Trump said Clinton should be imprisoned over the emails.

A probe last year led by House Democratic lawmakers found that Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, both advisors to the president, have themselves used personal email for White House business.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, facing open criticism from President Donald Trump, promised Friday he would release emails by Hillary Clinton avidly sought by conservative activists before November 3 elections.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, facing open criticism from President Donald Trump, promised Friday he would release emails by Hillary Clinton avidly sought by conservative activists before November 3 elections. Trump, trailing in the polls and confined to the White House after a Covid-19 diagnosis, has returned to his familiar demands for the emails of his 2016 rival while she was secretary of state. Asked about Trump's rare attack on him over not finding and releasing the emails, Pompeo said in a Fox News interview: "We're gonna get there. We're going to get this information out so the American people can see it." Pressed on whether he would follow through before the vote, Pompeo said: "Doing it as fast as we can. I certainly think there will be more to see before the election." If Pompeo asks State Department employees to work on Clinton's emails, he would likely trigger questions of legality as the 1939 Hatch Act bans federal employees from most political activity. Clinton -- who is not on the ballot this year -- has acknowledged using a private email server, in violation of regulations, when she was America's top diplomat from 2009 to 2013. Then FBI chief James Comey, in the run-up to the 2016 election, found that Clinton was careless but that there was no criminal intent. The emails have animated Trump's voters, who with his encouragement would chant "Lock her up!" at his rallies in 2016. "You'll remember there was classified information on a private server. It should have never been there," Pompeo said. "Hillary Clinton should never have done that. It was unacceptable behavior." Pompeo -- who made his name as a Republican congressman with his fiery questions of Clinton over the deadly 2012 attack on the US mission in Benghazi, Libya -- has until now been one of the few aides never to cross the mercurial Trump and is known for his eager defenses of him. But Trump in a Fox Business interview Thursday said he was "not happy" with Pompeo over the emails. On Friday, Trump said Clinton should be imprisoned over the emails. A probe last year led by House Democratic lawmakers found that Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, both advisors to the president, have themselves used personal email for White House business.

Under Trump pressure, Pompeo vows to put out Clinton emails

Democratic challenger Joe Biden has placed himself at a commanding position as the US presidential race enters its final stretch. He is leading President Donald Trump in polling and fundraising while the latter struggles to defend must-win states.

Experts are of the opinion that time is running out for Trump to change the race's trajectory -- and he is failing to capitalise on the opportunities that do exist.

Polls show Biden is leading Trump among voters 65 and older and benefits from a huge gender gap, with women overwhelmingly supporting him and men split more evenly. This is a rare feat for a Democratic nominee.

According to CNN, Biden is offering calm and steadiness amid a pandemic that has claimed more than 210,000 American lives and in the chaos created by Trump -- qualities that appeal to a broad swath of voters.

Biden's running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, bested Vice President Mike Pence in their debate Wednesday night, a CNN post-debate poll found.&nbsp;

In the aftermath, Trump wasted a day by calling into a Fox Business morning show and calling Harris a "monster," blaming Gold Star families for his infection with coronavirus and saying he would not participate in his second debate against Biden. The debate was then scheduled for the next week but changed to a virtual format.

It later got cancelled.

Then again on Saturday morning, Trump returned to the campaign trail. He hosted an event at the White House, raising concerns that the virus could spread. Attendees on Saturday were largely seen wearing masks, but they were not socially distanced.

The president's physician declared him non-contagious only late Saturday night -- not however disclosing if he had finally tested negative.

And even while he addressed the crowd, he said, ""Science, medicine will eradicate the China virus once and for all, it's going to disappear. It's disappearing. I have defeated the China virus, &nbsp;This disease is going to disappear" -- discounting -- for the nth time -- the gravity of the pandemic.

All this provoked a round of politically damaging headlines and left him without what could have been a valuable opportunity to improve on his first showing against Biden in a debate next week.

Polls in recent days have found Biden with a large lead nationally -- he is ahead 57% to Trump's 41%, a CNN poll this week found -- and in the core battleground states of Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, where he would likely cross the 270 electoral vote threshold by winning three or four of the six.

(with inputs)

Democratic challenger Joe Biden has placed himself at a commanding position as the US presidential race enters its final stretch. He is leading President Donald Trump in polling and fundraising while the latter struggles to defend must-win states.

Democratic challenger Joe Biden has placed himself at a commanding position as the US presidential race enters its final stretch. He is leading President Donald Trump in polling and fundraising while the latter struggles to defend must-win states. Experts are of the opinion that time is running out for Trump to change the race's trajectory -- and he is failing to capitalise on the opportunities that do exist. Polls show Biden is leading Trump among voters 65 and older and benefits from a huge gender gap, with women overwhelmingly supporting him and men split more evenly. This is a rare feat for a Democratic nominee. According to CNN, Biden is offering calm and steadiness amid a pandemic that has claimed more than 210,000 American lives and in the chaos created by Trump -- qualities that appeal to a broad swath of voters. Biden's running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, bested Vice President Mike Pence in their debate Wednesday night, a CNN post-debate poll found. In the aftermath, Trump wasted a day by calling into a Fox Business morning show and calling Harris a "monster," blaming Gold Star families for his infection with coronavirus and saying he would not participate in his second debate against Biden. The debate was then scheduled for the next week but changed to a virtual format. It later got cancelled. Then again on Saturday morning, Trump returned to the campaign trail. He hosted an event at the White House, raising concerns that the virus could spread. Attendees on Saturday were largely seen wearing masks, but they were not socially distanced. The president's physician declared him non-contagious only late Saturday night -- not however disclosing if he had finally tested negative. And even while he addressed the crowd, he said, ""Science, medicine will eradicate the China virus once and for all, it's going to disappear. It's disappearing. I have defeated the China virus, This disease is going to disappear" -- discounting -- for the nth time -- the gravity of the pandemic. All this provoked a round of politically damaging headlines and left him without what could have been a valuable opportunity to improve on his first showing against Biden in a debate next week. Polls in recent days have found Biden with a large lead nationally -- he is ahead 57% to Trump's 41%, a CNN poll this week found -- and in the core battleground states of Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, where he would likely cross the 270 electoral vote threshold by winning three or four of the six. (with inputs)

Biden enters final weeks of US presidential race in commanding position

President Donald Trump rallied hundreds of cheering supporters for a campaign-style comeback event at the White House on Saturday, jumping back into the race nine days after being stopped in his tracks by COVID-19.

Donald Trump no longer a transmission risk: White House

US President Donald Trump is no longer contagious, nine days after being stopped in his tracks by Covid-19, his physician said in a statement released late Saturday.

"This evening I am happy to report that in addition to the President meeting CDC criteria for the safe discontinuation of isolation, this morning's COVID PCR sample demonstrates, by currently recognised standards, he is no longer considered a transmission risk to others," the president's physician Sean Conley said in the statement.

To this end, he will hold two more campaign rallies next week -- Tuesday in Pennsylvania, a battleground state key to his reelection hopes, and in Iowa on Wednesday.

The president's physician, who has been accused of a lack of transparency with the public, said it had been 10 days since Trump first began showing symptoms of the new coronavirus. He was hospitalised one day later, on October 2.

Tests showed there was "no longer evidence of actively replicating virus," and that Trump's viral load was "decreasing," Conley continued -- though he did not state that the president is now Covid-free.

Trump is fever-free and his symptoms have "improved," Conley said, adding that he would continue to monitor the president as he "returns to an active schedule."

Trump, who stayed in the hospital for three days before returning to the White House, has been pushing to jump back on the campaign trail.

He trails his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, badly in the polls with less than a month before the election on November 3.

In his first public address after recovering from coronavirus, Trump on Saturday told his supporters that he was "feeling great" from the White House balcony.

"Our nation will defeat the China virus, the vaccine is coming in record time, it is coming very soon," the US president said, adding," I am thankful to everyone who prayed for my health."

"Science, medicine will eradicate the China virus once and for all, it's going to disappear. It's disappearing," Trump asserted. "I have defeated the China virus, &nbsp;This disease is going to disappear."

(with inputs)

US President Donald Trump is no longer contagious, nine days after being stopped in his tracks by Covid-19, his physician said in a statement released late Saturday.

US President Donald Trump is no longer contagious, nine days after being stopped in his tracks by Covid-19, his physician said in a statement released late Saturday. "This evening I am happy to report that in addition to the President meeting CDC criteria for the safe discontinuation of isolation, this morning's COVID PCR sample demonstrates, by currently recognised standards, he is no longer considered a transmission risk to others," the president's physician Sean Conley said in the statement. To this end, he will hold two more campaign rallies next week -- Tuesday in Pennsylvania, a battleground state key to his reelection hopes, and in Iowa on Wednesday. The president's physician, who has been accused of a lack of transparency with the public, said it had been 10 days since Trump first began showing symptoms of the new coronavirus. He was hospitalised one day later, on October 2. Tests showed there was "no longer evidence of actively replicating virus," and that Trump's viral load was "decreasing," Conley continued -- though he did not state that the president is now Covid-free. Trump is fever-free and his symptoms have "improved," Conley said, adding that he would continue to monitor the president as he "returns to an active schedule." Trump, who stayed in the hospital for three days before returning to the White House, has been pushing to jump back on the campaign trail. He trails his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, badly in the polls with less than a month before the election on November 3. In his first public address after recovering from coronavirus, Trump on Saturday told his supporters that he was "feeling great" from the White House balcony. "Our nation will defeat the China virus, the vaccine is coming in record time, it is coming very soon," the US president said, adding," I am thankful to everyone who prayed for my health." "Science, medicine will eradicate the China virus once and for all, it's going to disappear. It's disappearing," Trump asserted. "I have defeated the China virus, This disease is going to disappear." (with inputs)

Trump 'no longer a transmission risk', to hold two rallies next week

Throughout its 208-year history, The New England Journal of Medicine has remained staunchly nonpartisan. The world’s most prestigious medical journal has never supported or condemned a political candidate.

Until now.

In an editorial signed by 34 editors who are U.S. citizens (one editor is not) and published Wednesday, the journal said the Trump administration had responded so poorly to the coronavirus pandemic that it “have taken a crisis and turned it into a tragedy.”

The journal did not explicitly endorse Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee, but that was the only possible inference, other scientists noted.

The editor-in-chief, Dr. Eric Rubin, said the scathing editorial was one of only four in the journal’s history that were signed by all of the editors. The NEJM’s editors join those of another influential journal, Scientific American, who last month endorsed Biden, the former vice president.

The political leadership has failed Americans in many ways that contrast vividly with responses from leaders in other countries, the NEJM said.

In the United States, the journal said, there was too little testing for the virus, especially early on. There was too little protective equipment, and a lack of national leadership on important measures like mask wearing, social distancing, quarantine and isolation.

There were attempts to politicize and undermine the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the journal noted.

As a result, the United States has had tens of thousands of “excess” deaths — those caused both directly and indirectly by the pandemic — as well as immense economic pain and an increase in social inequality as the virus hit disadvantaged communities hardest.

The editorial castigated the rejection of science by the administration of President Donald Trump, writing, “Instead of relying on expertise, the administration has turned to uninformed ‘opinion leaders’ and charlatans who obscure the truth and facilitate the promulgation of outright lies.”

The uncharacteristically pungent editorial called for change: “When it comes to the response to the largest public health crisis of our time, our current political leaders have demonstrated that they are dangerously incompetent. We should not abet them and enable the deaths of thousands more Americans by allowing them to keep their jobs.”

Scientific American, too, had never before endorsed a political candidate. “The pandemic would strain any nation and system, but Trump’s rejection of evidence and public health measures have been catastrophic,” the journal’s editors said.

The NEJM, like all medical journals these days, is deluged with papers on the coronavirus and the illness it causes, COVID-19. Editors have struggled to reconcile efforts to insist on quality with a constant barrage of misinformation and misleading statements from the administration, said Dr. Clifford Rosen, associate editor of the journal and an endocrinologist at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.

“Our mission is to promote the best science and also to educate,” Rosen said. “We were seeing anti-science and poor leadership.”

Mounting public health failures and misinformation had eventually taken a toll, said Rubin, editor-in-chief of The New England Journal of Medicine.

“It should be clear that we are not a political organization,” he said. “But pretty much every week in our editorial meeting there would be some new outrage.”

“How can you not speak out at a time like this?” he added.

Dr. Thomas H. Lee, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a member of the journal’s editorial board, did not participate in writing or voting on the editorial.

But “to say nothing definitive at this point in history would be a cause for shame,” he said.

Medical specialists not associated with the NEJM applauded the decision.

“Wow,” said Dr. Matthew K. Wynia, an infectious disease specialist and director of the Center for Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Colorado. He noted that the editorial did not explicitly mention Biden, but said it was clearly “an obvious call to replace the president.”

There is a risk that such a departure could taint the NEJM’s reputation for impartiality. While other medical journals, including JAMA, the Lancet and The British Medical Journal, have taken political positions, the NEJM has dealt with political issues in a measured way, as it did in a forum published in October 2000 in which Al Gore and George W. Bush answered questions on health care.

But it is hard to imagine such a deliberative debate in today’s acrimonious atmosphere, said Dr. Jeremy Greene, a professor of medicine and historian of medicine at Johns Hopkins University.

The Trump administration, he said, had demonstrated “a continuous, reckless disregard of truth.”

“If we want a forum based on matters of fact, it strikes me that no form of engagement could work,” Greene added.

Throughout its 208-year history, The New England Journal of Medicine has remained staunchly nonpartisan. The world’s most prestigious medical journal has never supported or condemned a political candidate.

Throughout its 208-year history, The New England Journal of Medicine has remained staunchly nonpartisan. The world’s most prestigious medical journal has never supported or condemned a political candidate. Until now. In an editorial signed by 34 editors who are U.S. citizens (one editor is not) and published Wednesday, the journal said the Trump administration had responded so poorly to the coronavirus pandemic that it “have taken a crisis and turned it into a tragedy.” The journal did not explicitly endorse Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee, but that was the only possible inference, other scientists noted. The editor-in-chief, Dr. Eric Rubin, said the scathing editorial was one of only four in the journal’s history that were signed by all of the editors. The NEJM’s editors join those of another influential journal, Scientific American, who last month endorsed Biden, the former vice president. The political leadership has failed Americans in many ways that contrast vividly with responses from leaders in other countries, the NEJM said. In the United States, the journal said, there was too little testing for the virus, especially early on. There was too little protective equipment, and a lack of national leadership on important measures like mask wearing, social distancing, quarantine and isolation. There were attempts to politicize and undermine the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the journal noted. As a result, the United States has had tens of thousands of “excess” deaths — those caused both directly and indirectly by the pandemic — as well as immense economic pain and an increase in social inequality as the virus hit disadvantaged communities hardest. The editorial castigated the rejection of science by the administration of President Donald Trump, writing, “Instead of relying on expertise, the administration has turned to uninformed ‘opinion leaders’ and charlatans who obscure the truth and facilitate the promulgation of outright lies.” The uncharacteristically pungent editorial called for change: “When it comes to the response to the largest public health crisis of our time, our current political leaders have demonstrated that they are dangerously incompetent. We should not abet them and enable the deaths of thousands more Americans by allowing them to keep their jobs.” Scientific American, too, had never before endorsed a political candidate. “The pandemic would strain any nation and system, but Trump’s rejection of evidence and public health measures have been catastrophic,” the journal’s editors said. The NEJM, like all medical journals these days, is deluged with papers on the coronavirus and the illness it causes, COVID-19. Editors have struggled to reconcile efforts to insist on quality with a constant barrage of misinformation and misleading statements from the administration, said Dr. Clifford Rosen, associate editor of the journal and an endocrinologist at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. “Our mission is to promote the best science and also to educate,” Rosen said. “We were seeing anti-science and poor leadership.” Mounting public health failures and misinformation had eventually taken a toll, said Rubin, editor-in-chief of The New England Journal of Medicine. “It should be clear that we are not a political organization,” he said. “But pretty much every week in our editorial meeting there would be some new outrage.” “How can you not speak out at a time like this?” he added. Dr. Thomas H. Lee, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a member of the journal’s editorial board, did not participate in writing or voting on the editorial. But “to say nothing definitive at this point in history would be a cause for shame,” he said. Medical specialists not associated with the NEJM applauded the decision. “Wow,” said Dr. Matthew K. Wynia, an infectious disease specialist and director of the Center for Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Colorado. He noted that the editorial did not explicitly mention Biden, but said it was clearly “an obvious call to replace the president.” There is a risk that such a departure could taint the NEJM’s reputation for impartiality. While other medical journals, including JAMA, the Lancet and The British Medical Journal, have taken political positions, the NEJM has dealt with political issues in a measured way, as it did in a forum published in October 2000 in which Al Gore and George W. Bush answered questions on health care. But it is hard to imagine such a deliberative debate in today’s acrimonious atmosphere, said Dr. Jeremy Greene, a professor of medicine and historian of medicine at Johns Hopkins University. The Trump administration, he said, had demonstrated “a continuous, reckless disregard of truth.” “If we want a forum based on matters of fact, it strikes me that no form of engagement could work,” Greene added.

In a first, New England Journal of Medicine joins never-Trumpers

President Donald Trump’s order to his secretary of state to declassify thousands of Hillary Clinton’s emails, along with his insistence that his attorney general issue indictments against Barack Obama and Joe Biden, takes his presidency into new territory — until now, occupied by leaders with names like Putin, Xi and Erdogan.

Trump has long demanded — quite publicly, often on Twitter — that his most senior cabinet members use the power of their office to pursue political enemies. But his appeals this week, as he trailed badly in the polls and was desperate to turn the national conversation away from the coronavirus, were so blatant that one had to look to authoritarian nations to make comparisons.

He took a step even Richard Nixon avoided in his most desperate days: openly ordering direct immediate government action against specific opponents, timed to serve his reelection campaign.

“There is essentially no precedent,” said Jack Goldsmith, who led the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel under President George W. Bush and has written extensively on presidential powers. “We have a norm that developed after Watergate that presidents don’t talk about ongoing investigations, much less interfere with them.”

“It is crazy and it is unprecedented,” said Goldsmith, now a professor at Harvard Law School, “but it’s no different from what he has been saying since the beginning of his presidency. The only thing new is that he has moved from talking about it to seeming to order it.”

Trump’s vision of the presidency has always leaned to exercising the absolute powers of the chief executive, a writ-large version of the family business he presided over. “I have an Article II,” he told young adults last year at a Turning Point USA summit, referring to the section of the Constitution that deals with the president’s powers, “where I have the right to do whatever I want as president, but I don’t even talk about that.”

Now he is talking about it, almost daily. He is making it clear that prosecutions, like vaccines for the coronavirus, are useless to him if they come after Nov. 3. He has declared, without evidence, that there is already plenty of proof that Obama, Biden and Clinton, among others, were fueling the charges that his campaign had links to Russia — what he calls “the Russia hoax.” And he has pressured his secretary of state to agree to release more of Clinton’s emails before the election, reprising a yearslong fixation despite having defeated her four years ago.

Presidential historians say there is no case in modern times where the president has so plainly used his powers to take political opponents off the field — or has been so eager to replicate the behavior of strongmen. “In America, our presidents have generally avoided strongman balcony scenes — that’s for other countries with authoritarian systems,” Michael Beschloss, the presidential historian, wrote on Twitter after Trump returned from the hospital where he received COVID-19 treatment and removed his mask, while still considered contagious, as he saluted from the White House balcony.

Long ago, White House officials learned how to avoid questions about whether the president views his powers as fundamentally more constrained than those of the authoritarians he so often casts in admiring terms, including Vladimir Putin of Russia, Xi Jinping of China and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. They have something in common: Trump’s State Department has criticized all three for corrupting the justice systems in their countries to pursue political enemies.

(Russia, the State Department complained in its 2019 Human Rights report, engaged in a “crackdown on political opposition and other critics before and after presidential elections that Vladimir Putin won.” Turkey, it said the same year, has conducted the “arbitrary arrest and detention of tens of thousands of persons, including former opposition members of parliament.” In recent weeks. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been particularly outspoken about the state’s use of a new national security law to arrest activists and political opponents of the Chinese Communist Party.)

Pompeo has always bristled when reporters have asked him to explain what the world should believe when it reads Trump’s most authoritarian-sounding tweets. He answers that what distinguishes the United States is that it is a “rule of law” nation, and then often turns the tables on his questioners, charging that even raising the issue reveals that the reporters are partisans, not journalists, intent on embarrassing Trump and the United States.

But his anger is often wielded as a shield, one that keeps him from publicly grappling with the underlying question: How can Washington take on other authoritarians around the world — especially China, Pompeo’s nemesis — for abusing state power when the president of the United States calls for political prosecutions and politically motivated declassifications?

“We’ve never seen anything like this in an American election campaign,” said R. Nicholas Burns, a former undersecretary of state who is now an informal adviser to Biden. “It reduces our credibility — we look like the countries we condemn for nondemocratic practices before an election.”

“I have worked for nine secretaries of state,” Burns said. “I cannot imagine any of them intervening in an election as blatantly as what we are seeing now. Our tradition is that secretaries of state stay out of elections. If they wanted to release Hillary Clinton’s emails, they could have done it in 2017, 2018 or 2019. It is an abuse of power by Donald Trump and Mike Pompeo.”

Another career diplomat who served as both ambassador to Russia and deputy secretary of state, William J. Burns, said that what Trump had ordered is “exactly the kind of behavior I saw so often in authoritarian regimes in many years as an American diplomat.”

“In dealing with Putin’s Russia or Erdogan’s Turkey, we would have protested and condemned such actions,” he said. “Now it’s our own government that’s engaging in them.

“The result,” said Burns, now the president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, “is the hollowing out of our institutions at home and deep corrosion of our image and influence abroad.”

In the current cases, it is unclear whether Trump will get his wish — or whether his loyal appointees will slow-walk his requests. There is some evidence they are already looking for escape hatches.

Pompeo, the administration’s most conspicuous ideologue, Trump’s most vocal loyalist and a lawyer, was clearly taken aback when the president expressed displeasure, saying he was “not happy” that the State Department had not released emails sent through Clinton’s home server.

“You’re running the State Department, you get them out,” the president told Fox Business in an interview this week. “Forget about the fact that they were classified. Let’s go. Maybe Mike Pompeo finally finds them.”

Pompeo, one of his aides said Saturday, was in a box: The complaint about Clinton’s home server was that she was risking exposing classified emails by not using the State Department email system — a system Russia had already infiltrated — yet Trump was demanding that they be released in full. Just days before, he had announced, over Twitter, that he was using his executive power to declassify all of them, without redactions.

“We’ve got the emails,” Pompeo responded on Fox News. “We’re getting them out. We’re going to get all this information out so the American people can see it.”

But he also hinted that many of Clinton’s emails, mostly those that were stored on the State Department’s own system, have already been posted on the agency’s website, after an unusually diligent effort by the department to respond to Freedom of Information Act requests from Trump’s supporters. (They are often heavily redacted — to the point of containing no content — despite the president’s order to the contrary.)

“We’re doing it as fast as we can,” Pompeo told Dana Perino, a Fox News anchor who once served as President Bush’s press secretary. “I certainly think there’ll be more to see before the election.”

Pompeo clearly understands the problem: Even if he makes all of them public, they are unlikely to satisfy the president. Last year, the State Department’s own inspector general found that while Clinton had risked compromising classified information, she did not systematically or deliberately mishandle her emails.

William Barr may face an even greater challenge in satisfying the president. No attorney general since John Mitchell, who served Nixon and brought conspiracy charges against critics of the Vietnam War, bent the Justice Department more in a president’s direction. And Nixon himself, while urging the IRS to audit political opponents, stopped short of publicly calling for individual prosecutions. Yet in February, Barr told ABC News that Trump “has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case.” At the same time, he complained that the president’s tweets about the Justice Department “make it impossible for me to do my job.”

Now, clearly, the president has asked Barr to act in a criminal case — and not in a quiet phone call. Instead, he did it on Twitter and Fox News, expressing his deep disappointment with his second attorney general, for essentially the same reason he fired his first one, Jeff Sessions: insufficient blind loyalty.

His complaint appears to have been driven by Barr’s warning to the White House and other officials that there are likely to be no indictments before the election from the investigation being run by John Durham, the U.S. attorney in Connecticut. Durham is searching for evidence that the inquiry into Russia was a politically motivated effort to undercut his presidency.

Trump says the case is clear-cut. He told Rush Limbaugh, the conservative radio host to whom he gave the Presidential Medal of Freedom during the last State of the Union address, that Durham has had “plenty of time to do it.”

“Unless Bill Barr indicts these people for crimes — the greatest political crime in the history of our country — then we’ll get little satisfaction, unless I win,” Trump said on Fox Business.

“If we don’t win,” he said, “that whole thing is going to be dismissed.”

President Donald Trump’s order to his secretary of state to declassify thousands of Hillary Clinton’s emails, along with his insistence that his attorney general issue indictments against Barack Obama and Joe Biden, takes his presidency into new territory — until now, occupied by leaders with names like Putin, Xi and Erdogan.

President Donald Trump’s order to his secretary of state to declassify thousands of Hillary Clinton’s emails, along with his insistence that his attorney general issue indictments against Barack Obama and Joe Biden, takes his presidency into new territory — until now, occupied by leaders with names like Putin, Xi and Erdogan. Trump has long demanded — quite publicly, often on Twitter — that his most senior cabinet members use the power of their office to pursue political enemies. But his appeals this week, as he trailed badly in the polls and was desperate to turn the national conversation away from the coronavirus, were so blatant that one had to look to authoritarian nations to make comparisons. He took a step even Richard Nixon avoided in his most desperate days: openly ordering direct immediate government action against specific opponents, timed to serve his reelection campaign. “There is essentially no precedent,” said Jack Goldsmith, who led the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel under President George W. Bush and has written extensively on presidential powers. “We have a norm that developed after Watergate that presidents don’t talk about ongoing investigations, much less interfere with them.” “It is crazy and it is unprecedented,” said Goldsmith, now a professor at Harvard Law School, “but it’s no different from what he has been saying since the beginning of his presidency. The only thing new is that he has moved from talking about it to seeming to order it.” Trump’s vision of the presidency has always leaned to exercising the absolute powers of the chief executive, a writ-large version of the family business he presided over. “I have an Article II,” he told young adults last year at a Turning Point USA summit, referring to the section of the Constitution that deals with the president’s powers, “where I have the right to do whatever I want as president, but I don’t even talk about that.” Now he is talking about it, almost daily. He is making it clear that prosecutions, like vaccines for the coronavirus, are useless to him if they come after Nov. 3. He has declared, without evidence, that there is already plenty of proof that Obama, Biden and Clinton, among others, were fueling the charges that his campaign had links to Russia — what he calls “the Russia hoax.” And he has pressured his secretary of state to agree to release more of Clinton’s emails before the election, reprising a yearslong fixation despite having defeated her four years ago. Presidential historians say there is no case in modern times where the president has so plainly used his powers to take political opponents off the field — or has been so eager to replicate the behavior of strongmen. “In America, our presidents have generally avoided strongman balcony scenes — that’s for other countries with authoritarian systems,” Michael Beschloss, the presidential historian, wrote on Twitter after Trump returned from the hospital where he received COVID-19 treatment and removed his mask, while still considered contagious, as he saluted from the White House balcony. Long ago, White House officials learned how to avoid questions about whether the president views his powers as fundamentally more constrained than those of the authoritarians he so often casts in admiring terms, including Vladimir Putin of Russia, Xi Jinping of China and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. They have something in common: Trump’s State Department has criticized all three for corrupting the justice systems in their countries to pursue political enemies. (Russia, the State Department complained in its 2019 Human Rights report, engaged in a “crackdown on political opposition and other critics before and after presidential elections that Vladimir Putin won.” Turkey, it said the same year, has conducted the “arbitrary arrest and detention of tens of thousands of persons, including former opposition members of parliament.” In recent weeks. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been particularly outspoken about the state’s use of a new national security law to arrest activists and political opponents of the Chinese Communist Party.) Pompeo has always bristled when reporters have asked him to explain what the world should believe when it reads Trump’s most authoritarian-sounding tweets. He answers that what distinguishes the United States is that it is a “rule of law” nation, and then often turns the tables on his questioners, charging that even raising the issue reveals that the reporters are partisans, not journalists, intent on embarrassing Trump and the United States. But his anger is often wielded as a shield, one that keeps him from publicly grappling with the underlying question: How can Washington take on other authoritarians around the world — especially China, Pompeo’s nemesis — for abusing state power when the president of the United States calls for political prosecutions and politically motivated declassifications? “We’ve never seen anything like this in an American election campaign,” said R. Nicholas Burns, a former undersecretary of state who is now an informal adviser to Biden. “It reduces our credibility — we look like the countries we condemn for nondemocratic practices before an election.” “I have worked for nine secretaries of state,” Burns said. “I cannot imagine any of them intervening in an election as blatantly as what we are seeing now. Our tradition is that secretaries of state stay out of elections. If they wanted to release Hillary Clinton’s emails, they could have done it in 2017, 2018 or 2019. It is an abuse of power by Donald Trump and Mike Pompeo.” Another career diplomat who served as both ambassador to Russia and deputy secretary of state, William J. Burns, said that what Trump had ordered is “exactly the kind of behavior I saw so often in authoritarian regimes in many years as an American diplomat.” “In dealing with Putin’s Russia or Erdogan’s Turkey, we would have protested and condemned such actions,” he said. “Now it’s our own government that’s engaging in them. “The result,” said Burns, now the president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, “is the hollowing out of our institutions at home and deep corrosion of our image and influence abroad.” In the current cases, it is unclear whether Trump will get his wish — or whether his loyal appointees will slow-walk his requests. There is some evidence they are already looking for escape hatches. Pompeo, the administration’s most conspicuous ideologue, Trump’s most vocal loyalist and a lawyer, was clearly taken aback when the president expressed displeasure, saying he was “not happy” that the State Department had not released emails sent through Clinton’s home server. “You’re running the State Department, you get them out,” the president told Fox Business in an interview this week. “Forget about the fact that they were classified. Let’s go. Maybe Mike Pompeo finally finds them.” Pompeo, one of his aides said Saturday, was in a box: The complaint about Clinton’s home server was that she was risking exposing classified emails by not using the State Department email system — a system Russia had already infiltrated — yet Trump was demanding that they be released in full. Just days before, he had announced, over Twitter, that he was using his executive power to declassify all of them, without redactions. “We’ve got the emails,” Pompeo responded on Fox News. “We’re getting them out. We’re going to get all this information out so the American people can see it.” But he also hinted that many of Clinton’s emails, mostly those that were stored on the State Department’s own system, have already been posted on the agency’s website, after an unusually diligent effort by the department to respond to Freedom of Information Act requests from Trump’s supporters. (They are often heavily redacted — to the point of containing no content — despite the president’s order to the contrary.) “We’re doing it as fast as we can,” Pompeo told Dana Perino, a Fox News anchor who once served as President Bush’s press secretary. “I certainly think there’ll be more to see before the election.” Pompeo clearly understands the problem: Even if he makes all of them public, they are unlikely to satisfy the president. Last year, the State Department’s own inspector general found that while Clinton had risked compromising classified information, she did not systematically or deliberately mishandle her emails. William Barr may face an even greater challenge in satisfying the president. No attorney general since John Mitchell, who served Nixon and brought conspiracy charges against critics of the Vietnam War, bent the Justice Department more in a president’s direction. And Nixon himself, while urging the IRS to audit political opponents, stopped short of publicly calling for individual prosecutions. Yet in February, Barr told ABC News that Trump “has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case.” At the same time, he complained that the president’s tweets about the Justice Department “make it impossible for me to do my job.” Now, clearly, the president has asked Barr to act in a criminal case — and not in a quiet phone call. Instead, he did it on Twitter and Fox News, expressing his deep disappointment with his second attorney general, for essentially the same reason he fired his first one, Jeff Sessions: insufficient blind loyalty. His complaint appears to have been driven by Barr’s warning to the White House and other officials that there are likely to be no indictments before the election from the investigation being run by John Durham, the U.S. attorney in Connecticut. Durham is searching for evidence that the inquiry into Russia was a politically motivated effort to undercut his presidency. Trump says the case is clear-cut. He told Rush Limbaugh, the conservative radio host to whom he gave the Presidential Medal of Freedom during the last State of the Union address, that Durham has had “plenty of time to do it.” “Unless Bill Barr indicts these people for crimes — the greatest political crime in the history of our country — then we’ll get little satisfaction, unless I win,” Trump said on Fox Business. “If we don’t win,” he said, “that whole thing is going to be dismissed.”

Taking page from authoritarians, Trump turns power of state against political rivals

What looks like an extraordinary situation for the U.S. Politics, is just a temporary set up to hold election duties during a crisis. From running parliaments to educating children- World has adapted to the new 'virtual' norm. In fact, U.S. had its first 'virtual' debate in 1960s. WION reports

US Election 2020: Was Nixon & Kennedy debate virtual?

Uncertainty over upcoming #PresidentialDebates as Donald Trump & Joe Biden's campaign teams offer duelling proposals. Commission on Presidential debates has refused to change updated format & trump backed out from debating virtually. What now?

US Election 2020: Fate of Presidential debates hangs loose

Donald Trump wants to hold an in-person rally in Arizona & dodges the questions on his COVID-19, again. Meanwhile, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden & Mike pence take their campaigns to the battleground state of Arizona. WION reports.

US Election 2020: Campaign rallies on full swing

A city that never sleeps is facing the biggest economic blow in decades. After surviving the high crimes of 1970s, the aftermaths of 9/11 & the recession of 2007, Times Square is facing the biggest economic blow of COVID-19.

US Election 2020: New York City waits for a lifeline

U.S. facing political blows, almost every day now. With the election day inching closer, the battle for the White House is getting murkier. Here's a quick wrap on the last 2 weeks of political storms.

US Election 2020: Range of political storms in a span of 2 weeks

Watch this special episode of WION-VOA Co-Production over US Election 2020: A civil Vice Presidential debate..

US Election 2020: A civil Vice Presidential debate | WION-VOA Co-Production

Donald Trump could return to the campaign trail as soon as Saturday. The doctors say the US President has completed his treatment. But, will Trump be able to make it to the second debate? WION's Palki Sharma tells you more.

US Election: Trump could return to the campaign trail by Saturday | Gravitas

Donald Trump will resume campaigning on Saturday after being sidelined by a case of COVID-19, but Second Presidential debate against his election opponent Joe Biden was cancelled because Trump refused to participate.

Donald Trump to resume campaigning, Second Presidential debate cancelled

The young environment activist Greta Thunberg has lent support to the&nbsp;Democratic candidate and former Vice President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;in the upcoming <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/us-election">US elections</a>.

Thunberg has tried to stay away from participating in the politics. However, this time, she claims the elections are different.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/allan-lichtman-the-man-who-has-correctly-predicted-us-election-since-1984-334317">Also read|&nbsp;Allan Lichtman: The man who has correctly predicted US election since 1984</a>

"I never engage in party politics. But the upcoming US elections is above and beyond all that." the 17-year-old tweeted.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I never engage in party politics. But the upcoming US elections is above and beyond all that. 
From a climate perspective it’s very far from enough and many of you of course supported other candidates. But, I mean…you know…damn! 
Just get organized and get everyone to vote <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Biden?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Biden</a> <a href="https://t.co/gFttFBZK5O">https://t.co/gFttFBZK5O</a>
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) <a href="https://twitter.com/GretaThunberg/status/1314900271332458496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

The Swedish activist took to Twitter to openly lend her support to&nbsp;Joe Biden, instead of the current US President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-donald-trump-or-joe-biden-astrologers-predict-the-next-president-333963">Also read|&nbsp;US election 2020: Trump or Biden? Astrologers predict the next President</a>

"From a climate perspective it’s very far from enough and many of you of course supported other candidates. But, I mean…you know…damn!," she said.

"Just get organized and get everyone to vote #Biden," she added.

Thunberg's support towards&nbsp;Biden&nbsp;was expected by the experts as the activist and&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;have not been on each other's favourite list for the past few years.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/getting-warmer-trump-acknowledges-human-role-in-climate-change-331687">Also read|&nbsp;'Getting warmer': Trump acknowledges human role in climate change</a>

Once&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;even tweeted, "So ridiculous. Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!"

He had also earned a "How dare you?" from&nbsp;Thunberg&nbsp;after the president tweeted, "She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future."

Trump&nbsp;had recently finally acknowledged climate change despite repeated warnings.&nbsp;Biden, on the other hand, had reached out to&nbsp;Thunberg&nbsp;to discuss about climate change and has often applauded the 17-year-old's commitment towards the cause.

The young environment activist Greta Thunberg has lent support to the Democratic candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden in the upcoming US elections. Thunberg has tried to stay away from participating in the politics.

The young environment activist Greta Thunberg has lent support to the Democratic candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden in the upcoming US elections. Thunberg has tried to stay away from participating in the politics. However, this time, she claims the elections are different. Also read| Allan Lichtman: The man who has correctly predicted US election since 1984 "I never engage in party politics. But the upcoming US elections is above and beyond all that." the 17-year-old tweeted. I never engage in party politics. But the upcoming US elections is above and beyond all that. From a climate perspective it’s very far from enough and many of you of course supported other candidates. But, I mean…you know…damn! Just get organized and get everyone to vote #Biden https://t.co/gFttFBZK5O — Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) October 10, 2020 × The Swedish activist took to Twitter to openly lend her support to Joe Biden, instead of the current US President Donald Trump. Also read| US election 2020: Trump or Biden? Astrologers predict the next President "From a climate perspective it’s very far from enough and many of you of course supported other candidates. But, I mean…you know…damn!," she said. "Just get organized and get everyone to vote #Biden," she added. Thunberg's support towards Biden was expected by the experts as the activist and Trump have not been on each other's favourite list for the past few years. Also read| 'Getting warmer': Trump acknowledges human role in climate change Once Trump even tweeted, "So ridiculous. Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!" He had also earned a "How dare you?" from Thunberg after the president tweeted, "She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future." Trump had recently finally acknowledged climate change despite repeated warnings. Biden, on the other hand, had reached out to Thunberg to discuss about climate change and has often applauded the 17-year-old's commitment towards the cause.

US election 2020: Greta Thunberg urges people to vote for Joe Biden

Twitter is set to take down calls for violence starting after polls close on US election day and slap warnings on premature victory claims to fight efforts to undermine the election.

Social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter have been in the spotlight since massive disinformation campaigns directed by Russian intelligence and other malign actors overshadowed the 2016 election.

Twitter requires an announcement by an election official or a public projection from at least two authoritative, national news outlets making independent election calls when it comes to a winner in any race.

The tech giant will also invite people to add their thoughts to retweets instead of just mindlessly sharing. The platform will also broaden its application of warning labels for misleading tweets by candidates leading up to election day on November 3.

Twitter will also label tweets that falsely claim a win and will remove "tweets that encourage violence or call for people to interfere with election results or the smooth operation of polling places."

It anyway forbids posts that manipulate or interfere with elections, and the platform already adds labels to tweets that violate rules against doctored media or misleading information concerning voting or Covid-19.

Beginning next week, people who try to retweet posts deserving warning labels because of misleading information will be shown a prompt directing them to credible facts about the topic first, according to the blog post.

Twitter will also start adding warnings and restrictions on tweets labelled as containing misleading information when they are from US political figures including candidates and campaign accounts.

The same will be done with misleading tweets from US-based accounts with more than 100,000 followers, or that spark significant engagement.

(with inputs)

Twitter is set to take down calls for violence starting after polls close on US election day and slap warnings on premature victory claims to fight efforts to undermine the election.

Twitter is set to take down calls for violence starting after polls close on US election day and slap warnings on premature victory claims to fight efforts to undermine the election. Social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter have been in the spotlight since massive disinformation campaigns directed by Russian intelligence and other malign actors overshadowed the 2016 election. Twitter requires an announcement by an election official or a public projection from at least two authoritative, national news outlets making independent election calls when it comes to a winner in any race. The tech giant will also invite people to add their thoughts to retweets instead of just mindlessly sharing. The platform will also broaden its application of warning labels for misleading tweets by candidates leading up to election day on November 3. Twitter will also label tweets that falsely claim a win and will remove "tweets that encourage violence or call for people to interfere with election results or the smooth operation of polling places." It anyway forbids posts that manipulate or interfere with elections, and the platform already adds labels to tweets that violate rules against doctored media or misleading information concerning voting or Covid-19. Beginning next week, people who try to retweet posts deserving warning labels because of misleading information will be shown a prompt directing them to credible facts about the topic first, according to the blog post. Twitter will also start adding warnings and restrictions on tweets labelled as containing misleading information when they are from US political figures including candidates and campaign accounts. The same will be done with misleading tweets from US-based accounts with more than 100,000 followers, or that spark significant engagement. (with inputs)

Twitter tightens rules to prevent election threats

US President Donald Trump will hold an in-person event on the White House lawns for the first time since contracting the viral disease on Saturday, and hit the election campaign trail from Florida on Monday.

The president took to Twitter to announce his decision to return to campaigning. "Will be in Sanford, Florida, on Monday for a very BIG RALLY!" he wrote on the microblogging site.

"Will be in Sanford, Florida on Monday for a very BIG RALLY!" he&nbsp;tweeted.

The events come despite continued questions over how sick Trump was and how complete his recovery is now, with White House officials refusing to answer basic queries including when the president first contracted the virus and whether he has tested negative since.

Saturday's speech, which a senior administration official said would be on Trump's favoured theme of "law and order," will give him a chance to dispel lingering doubts about his health.&nbsp;

The crowd will be on the South Lawn of the White House, while the president will speak from the balcony. All attendees will be required to wear masks and have their temperature checked.

This also comes in the backdrop of the Commission on Presidential Debates saying the next Thursday's debate was scrapped, leaving an October 22 event the final Trump-Biden showdown before election day on November 3.

Seeking to project strength and improved health, Trump had refused to participate in next week's scheduled debate after organizers shifted it to an online format out of coronavirus concerns.

That prompted accusations of bias from Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh, who said "there is no medical reason to stop" the October 15 debate from proceeding.

Biden, however, does not concur with the idea of a public appearance so soon after contracting the deadly virus and has called the president's behaviour "reckless."

At a drive-in style event in Las Vegas, Biden slammed the president.&nbsp;

"His reckless personal conduct since his diagnosis, the destabilizing effect it's having on our government, is unconscionable," Biden said.

"He didn't take the necessary precautions to protect himself or others... How can we trust him to protect this country?"

As he boarded his campaign plane he offered a message for those attending Trump's public events: "Good luck. I wouldn't show up unless you had a mask and were distanced."

After Trump spent months mocking Biden for staying at home during the pandemic, ironically it is Biden who has barnstormed swing states this week.

He visited Arizona Thursday and campaigned Friday in Nevada. Trump won both states in 2016 but they are now narrowly tilting Democratic in polls.

On Friday, Trump also gave a marathon interview to right-wing talk radio host Rush Limbaugh in which he said the experimental Regeneron antibody cocktail that he took as part of therapeutic treatment was "a cure."

In fact, there is no cure and still no approved vaccine for the coronavirus.

Trump repeatedly asserted that he feels fine and he has been backed up by&nbsp;statements from presidential physician Sean Conley.

But in his Limbaugh interview, Trump suggested for the first time that he had been close to death, had it not been for his therapeutic drug regimen.

"I'm talking to you today because of it. I could have been a bad victim," he said.

According to Conley, Trump is now fit for a "safe return to public engagement" from Saturday.

Polls show Biden leads heavily in key demographics including women and the elderly, prompting analysts to talk increasingly of a possible landslide victory. Trump's biggest liability -- overwhelming public dissatisfaction over his handling of the pandemic -- has returned as the headline issue of the campaign thanks to his own infection.

Adding to the pressure, Democrats who control the House of Representatives unveiled plans for a commission to investigate a president's fitness for the job -- a move clearly meant to jab at Trump.

(with inputs)

US President Donald Trump will hold an in-person event on the White House lawns for the first time since contracting the viral disease on Saturday, and hit the election campaign trail from Florida on Monday.

US President Donald Trump will hold an in-person event on the White House lawns for the first time since contracting the viral disease on Saturday, and hit the election campaign trail from Florida on Monday. The president took to Twitter to announce his decision to return to campaigning. "Will be in Sanford, Florida, on Monday for a very BIG RALLY!" he wrote on the microblogging site. "Will be in Sanford, Florida on Monday for a very BIG RALLY!" he tweeted. The events come despite continued questions over how sick Trump was and how complete his recovery is now, with White House officials refusing to answer basic queries including when the president first contracted the virus and whether he has tested negative since. Saturday's speech, which a senior administration official said would be on Trump's favoured theme of "law and order," will give him a chance to dispel lingering doubts about his health. The crowd will be on the South Lawn of the White House, while the president will speak from the balcony. All attendees will be required to wear masks and have their temperature checked. This also comes in the backdrop of the Commission on Presidential Debates saying the next Thursday's debate was scrapped, leaving an October 22 event the final Trump-Biden showdown before election day on November 3. Seeking to project strength and improved health, Trump had refused to participate in next week's scheduled debate after organizers shifted it to an online format out of coronavirus concerns. That prompted accusations of bias from Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh, who said "there is no medical reason to stop" the October 15 debate from proceeding. Biden, however, does not concur with the idea of a public appearance so soon after contracting the deadly virus and has called the president's behaviour "reckless." At a drive-in style event in Las Vegas, Biden slammed the president. "His reckless personal conduct since his diagnosis, the destabilizing effect it's having on our government, is unconscionable," Biden said. "He didn't take the necessary precautions to protect himself or others... How can we trust him to protect this country?" As he boarded his campaign plane he offered a message for those attending Trump's public events: "Good luck. I wouldn't show up unless you had a mask and were distanced." After Trump spent months mocking Biden for staying at home during the pandemic, ironically it is Biden who has barnstormed swing states this week. He visited Arizona Thursday and campaigned Friday in Nevada. Trump won both states in 2016 but they are now narrowly tilting Democratic in polls. On Friday, Trump also gave a marathon interview to right-wing talk radio host Rush Limbaugh in which he said the experimental Regeneron antibody cocktail that he took as part of therapeutic treatment was "a cure." In fact, there is no cure and still no approved vaccine for the coronavirus. Trump repeatedly asserted that he feels fine and he has been backed up by statements from presidential physician Sean Conley. But in his Limbaugh interview, Trump suggested for the first time that he had been close to death, had it not been for his therapeutic drug regimen. "I'm talking to you today because of it. I could have been a bad victim," he said. According to Conley, Trump is now fit for a "safe return to public engagement" from Saturday. Polls show Biden leads heavily in key demographics including women and the elderly, prompting analysts to talk increasingly of a possible landslide victory. Trump's biggest liability -- overwhelming public dissatisfaction over his handling of the pandemic -- has returned as the headline issue of the campaign thanks to his own infection. Adding to the pressure, Democrats who control the House of Representatives unveiled plans for a commission to investigate a president's fitness for the job -- a move clearly meant to jab at Trump. (with inputs)

Trump to hold in-person event Saturday and hit campaign trail Monday; Biden calls it 'reckless'

Many have been trying to predict the result of the upcoming US elections, but all eyes are now set on the predictions of one man:&nbsp;Allan Lichtman.

A history professor, Allan Lichtman, is one of those rare experts who has correctly predicted all the US elections since 1984.

This year, the race to the White House is between the current US President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;and his Democratic rival and former Vice President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-donald-trump-or-joe-biden-astrologers-predict-the-next-president-333963">Also read|&nbsp;US election 2020: Trump or Biden? Astrologers predict the next President</a>

The two are running against each other to become the&nbsp;46th President of the United States of America — which will also set a record of being the oldest President of the US.

13 Keys

Lichtman has created a system called 'The Keys to the White House' — more popularly known as the '13 Keys' model.

This model is a very basic and simple, yet an important way of predicting the&nbsp;election&nbsp;results.&nbsp;Lichtman has devised 13 questions or topics which he answers on True/False basis and thus predicts the next&nbsp;President.

As per this model, if majority questions are answered as true, then the current&nbsp;President&nbsp;gets to keep his room in the&nbsp;White House,&nbsp;and if not then it is time for a new face to represent the superpower.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions-blogs/the-twitter-president-donald-trump-and-his-political-history-328458">Also read|&nbsp;The Twitter President: Donald Trump and his political history</a>

The 13 topics on which he mulls are: Midterm Gains, No contest during nominations, Incumbent President seeking re-elections, No third party contesting the elections, Strong short term economy, &nbsp;Strong long term economy, Major policy change, Scandals, Foreign/military failure, Foreign/military success, No social unrest, Charisma of the President, Charisma of the challenger.

The winner of 2020

So many astrologers, numerologists, ecnomic experts, political leaders and many more have been studying, polling and trying to predict who will be winner of the&nbsp;US elections&nbsp;this year.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/donald-trump-vs-joe-biden-which-celebrity-is-backing-whom-in-the-us-presidential-elections-333505">Have a look|&nbsp;Donald Trump Vs Joe Biden: Which celebrity is backing whom in the US presidential elections</a>

However,&nbsp;Lichtman has given his answer.

"Donald Trump will become the first sitting President since Bill Clinton defeated George H W Bush in 1992 to lose a re-election bid,"&nbsp;Lichtman predicted.

As per the expert Historian, this year he observed seven false and six true for the questions in his '13 Keys' model. So, as per the rules of the model — which has never been wrong —&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;will have to pack up his stuff and leave the&nbsp;White House.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-what-happens-if-a-us-presidential-candidate-dies-before-the-election-333986">Also read|&nbsp;US election 2020: What happens if a US presidential candidate dies before the election</a>

"The secret is keeping your eye on the big picture of incumbent strength and performance. And don't pay any attention to the polls, the pundits, the day-to-day ups and downs of the campaign. And that's what the keys gauge. The big picture," Lichtman defended his prediction in an interview with the American channel CNN.

He also added that one of the biggest reasons for&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;losing to "sleepy Joe"&nbsp;will be the President's poor handling of the novel&nbsp;coronavirus&nbsp;— which he also contracted last week but claims to have recovered.

"He was in pretty good shape going into 2020 and then, as you point out, America was hit with the pandemic, the cries for social and racial justice, and Donald Trump reverted to his 2016 playbook where he was the challenger. But you can't talk your way out of it when it's your record," he told LBC in an interview.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/mark-ruffalo-naomi-campbell-sarah-silverman-and-others-go-nude-to-spread-awareness-about-mail-in-voting-333608">Also read|&nbsp;Mark Ruffalo, Naomi Campbell, Sarah Silverman and others go nude to spread awareness about mail-in voting</a>

He also added that&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;and the current members of the Republican party have had one of the rare times when a massive fortune of economy and a probable win was reversed within months due to one issue.&nbsp;Lichtman also added that things cannot go back to looking greener within few weeks time for&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;and that will cause his downfall in the upcoming elections&nbsp;that are scheduled for November 03.

However, people are calling&nbsp;US elections 2020&nbsp;to be one of the most unpredictable elections in the history of the US. So, not everyone is betting on&nbsp;Lichtman's predictions this year. But whether or not&nbsp;Lichtman will be able to continue his 35 years plus strike will be revealed soon.

Many have been trying to predict the result of the upcoming US elections, but all eyes are now set on the predictions of one man: Allan Lichtman. A history professor, Allan Lichtman, is one of those rare experts who has correctly predicted all the US elections since 1984.

Many have been trying to predict the result of the upcoming US elections, but all eyes are now set on the predictions of one man: Allan Lichtman. A history professor, Allan Lichtman, is one of those rare experts who has correctly predicted all the US elections since 1984. This year, the race to the White House is between the current US President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival and former Vice President Joe Biden. Also read| US election 2020: Trump or Biden? Astrologers predict the next President The two are running against each other to become the 46th President of the United States of America — which will also set a record of being the oldest President of the US. 13 Keys Lichtman has created a system called 'The Keys to the White House' — more popularly known as the '13 Keys' model. This model is a very basic and simple, yet an important way of predicting the election results. Lichtman has devised 13 questions or topics which he answers on True/False basis and thus predicts the next President. As per this model, if majority questions are answered as true, then the current President gets to keep his room in the White House, and if not then it is time for a new face to represent the superpower. Also read| The Twitter President: Donald Trump and his political history The 13 topics on which he mulls are: Midterm Gains, No contest during nominations, Incumbent President seeking re-elections, No third party contesting the elections, Strong short term economy, Strong long term economy, Major policy change, Scandals, Foreign/military failure, Foreign/military success, No social unrest, Charisma of the President, Charisma of the challenger. The winner of 2020 So many astrologers, numerologists, ecnomic experts, political leaders and many more have been studying, polling and trying to predict who will be winner of the US elections this year. Have a look| Donald Trump Vs Joe Biden: Which celebrity is backing whom in the US presidential elections However, Lichtman has given his answer. "Donald Trump will become the first sitting President since Bill Clinton defeated George H W Bush in 1992 to lose a re-election bid," Lichtman predicted. As per the expert Historian, this year he observed seven false and six true for the questions in his '13 Keys' model. So, as per the rules of the model — which has never been wrong — Trump will have to pack up his stuff and leave the White House. Also read| US election 2020: What happens if a US presidential candidate dies before the election "The secret is keeping your eye on the big picture of incumbent strength and performance. And don't pay any attention to the polls, the pundits, the day-to-day ups and downs of the campaign. And that's what the keys gauge. The big picture," Lichtman defended his prediction in an interview with the American channel CNN. He also added that one of the biggest reasons for Trump losing to "sleepy Joe" will be the President's poor handling of the novel coronavirus — which he also contracted last week but claims to have recovered. "He was in pretty good shape going into 2020 and then, as you point out, America was hit with the pandemic, the cries for social and racial justice, and Donald Trump reverted to his 2016 playbook where he was the challenger. But you can't talk your way out of it when it's your record," he told LBC in an interview. Also read| Mark Ruffalo, Naomi Campbell, Sarah Silverman and others go nude to spread awareness about mail-in voting He also added that Trump and the current members of the Republican party have had one of the rare times when a massive fortune of economy and a probable win was reversed within months due to one issue. Lichtman also added that things cannot go back to looking greener within few weeks time for Trump and that will cause his downfall in the upcoming elections that are scheduled for November 03. However, people are calling US elections 2020 to be one of the most unpredictable elections in the history of the US. So, not everyone is betting on Lichtman's predictions this year. But whether or not Lichtman will be able to continue his 35 years plus strike will be revealed soon.

Allan Lichtman: The man who has correctly predicted US election since 1984

The planned October 15 debate between US President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden has officially been called off. The organisers' decision came a day after Trump rejected a decision by the nonpartisan commission organising it to change its format to a virtual event to guard against the spread of COVID-19.

The debate, originally scheduled as a town hall-style encounter in Miami, was intended to be the second of three presidential debates. The final one is planned for October 22 in Nashville, Tennessee.

After Trump refused to take part in the October 15 debate, Biden scheduled a televised town hall-style event for himself that evening.

The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) said in an emailed statement: "It is now apparent there will be no debate on October 15, and the CPD will turn its attention to preparations for the final presidential debate scheduled for October 22."

Trump announced last Friday that he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus and spent three days hospitalised receiving treatment before being released on Monday. The Republican president, seeking re-election on November 3, on Thursday called the format change in which he and Biden were to participate from remote locations "ridiculous" and said it would be a waste of his time to take part.

Trump's campaign on Friday accused the commission, headed by a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, "biased" toward Biden.

"There is no medical reason to stop the October 15 debate in Miami from proceeding as scheduled, since the President will be healthy and ready to debate," Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said, alluding to Trump's coronavirus infection.

The commission said both candidates have agreed to participate in the October 22 debate and would be subject to required coronavirus testing, mask-wearing and social distancing protocols.

"It's shameful that Donald Trump ducked the only debate in which the voters get to ask the questions - but it's no surprise," Biden campaign spokesman Andrew Bates said.

Trump has faced criticism for his handling of the pandemic, as well as for a lax approach to mask-wearing and social distancing in the White House and - in recent days - confusing messages about how ill he has been.

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll showed Americans steadily losing confidence in how Trump has managed the pandemic, with his net approval rating on the issue hitting a new low.

Questions remain about whether Trump is still contagious. The White House has declined to say when Trump last tested negative for the virus. But Trump, eager to get back on the campaign trail despite his bout with COVID-19, is set to give remarks to supporters outdoors at the White House on Saturday, and hold a rally in Florida two days later.

In the chaotic first debate, Trump constantly interrupted and talked over both Biden and the moderator.

The planned October 15 debate between US President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden has officially been called off. The organisers' decision came a day after Trump rejected a decision by the nonpartisan commission organising it to change its format to a virtual event to guard against the spread of COVID-19.

The planned October 15 debate between US President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden has officially been called off. The organisers' decision came a day after Trump rejected a decision by the nonpartisan commission organising it to change its format to a virtual event to guard against the spread of COVID-19. The debate, originally scheduled as a town hall-style encounter in Miami, was intended to be the second of three presidential debates. The final one is planned for October 22 in Nashville, Tennessee. After Trump refused to take part in the October 15 debate, Biden scheduled a televised town hall-style event for himself that evening. The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) said in an emailed statement: "It is now apparent there will be no debate on October 15, and the CPD will turn its attention to preparations for the final presidential debate scheduled for October 22." Trump announced last Friday that he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus and spent three days hospitalised receiving treatment before being released on Monday. The Republican president, seeking re-election on November 3, on Thursday called the format change in which he and Biden were to participate from remote locations "ridiculous" and said it would be a waste of his time to take part. Trump's campaign on Friday accused the commission, headed by a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, "biased" toward Biden. "There is no medical reason to stop the October 15 debate in Miami from proceeding as scheduled, since the President will be healthy and ready to debate," Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said, alluding to Trump's coronavirus infection. The commission said both candidates have agreed to participate in the October 22 debate and would be subject to required coronavirus testing, mask-wearing and social distancing protocols. "It's shameful that Donald Trump ducked the only debate in which the voters get to ask the questions - but it's no surprise," Biden campaign spokesman Andrew Bates said. Trump has faced criticism for his handling of the pandemic, as well as for a lax approach to mask-wearing and social distancing in the White House and - in recent days - confusing messages about how ill he has been. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll showed Americans steadily losing confidence in how Trump has managed the pandemic, with his net approval rating on the issue hitting a new low. Questions remain about whether Trump is still contagious. The White House has declined to say when Trump last tested negative for the virus. But Trump, eager to get back on the campaign trail despite his bout with COVID-19, is set to give remarks to supporters outdoors at the White House on Saturday, and hold a rally in Florida two days later. In the chaotic first debate, Trump constantly interrupted and talked over both Biden and the moderator.

October 15 presidential debate between Trump and Biden cancelled

A US Judge on Friday blocked the order of limiting the&nbsp;vote drop-off point per county to one for the upcoming <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/us-election">US elections</a>.

The authorities this year are encouraging people to opt for mail-in voting rather than the in-person approach that is usually followed, to make sure the elections do not add to the increasing number of coronavirus cases in the US.

However, the US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;is not a fan of this new approach as he feels this can leave room for manipulation of votes.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/inside-the-trump-campaigns-strategy-to-make-voting-a-tooth-and-nail-fight-334209/amp">Also read:&nbsp;Inside the Trump campaign’s strategy to make voting a tooth-and-nail fight</a>

Following Trump's thought process, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, said the number of drop-off points should be limited to guarantee voter security.

Judge Robert Pitman, on Friday, ruled that limitation will force many people to travel long distances to find a drop-off point, which can make them vulnerable to catching the virus and can also discourage people from voting.

Therefore, Pitman has blocked the Governor's order and has asked the authorities to co-operate with the American voters and encourage them to safely cast their votes.

In Texas, resgietred voters over&nbsp;65, people who have a disability, are in jail or who will be out of town on election day ly ones who will be allowed to vote by post. Therefore, the Judge feels that the Governor's order will add to the problems of these voters, instead of helping them.

A US Judge on Friday blocked the order of limiting the vote drop-off point per county to one for the upcoming US elections. The authorities this year are encouraging people to opt for mail-in voting rather than the in-person approach that is usually followed, to make sure the elections do not add to the increasing number of coronavirus cases in the US.

A US Judge on Friday blocked the order of limiting the vote drop-off point per county to one for the upcoming US elections. The authorities this year are encouraging people to opt for mail-in voting rather than the in-person approach that is usually followed, to make sure the elections do not add to the increasing number of coronavirus cases in the US. However, the US President Donald Trump is not a fan of this new approach as he feels this can leave room for manipulation of votes. Also read: Inside the Trump campaign’s strategy to make voting a tooth-and-nail fight Following Trump's thought process, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, said the number of drop-off points should be limited to guarantee voter security. Judge Robert Pitman, on Friday, ruled that limitation will force many people to travel long distances to find a drop-off point, which can make them vulnerable to catching the virus and can also discourage people from voting. Therefore, Pitman has blocked the Governor's order and has asked the authorities to co-operate with the American voters and encourage them to safely cast their votes. In Texas, resgietred voters over 65, people who have a disability, are in jail or who will be out of town on election day ly ones who will be allowed to vote by post. Therefore, the Judge feels that the Governor's order will add to the problems of these voters, instead of helping them.

US election 2020: Texas Judge blocks Governor's order to limit drop-off points

President Donald Trump forced the State Department on Friday to commit to releasing at least some of Hillary Clinton’s emails before next month’s election, resurrecting a 4-year-old issue in hopes that it would prove as helpful to his political prospects as it was when he defeated her in 2016.

Trailing badly in the polls and eager to change the subject from the coronavirus, Trump succeeded in compelling Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to announce that he would make public the emails even as Attorney General William Barr resisted pressure from the president to prosecute Democrats like former Vice President Joe Biden, this year’s Democratic nominee.

Still recovering from his own coronavirus infection, Trump made plans to host hundreds of supporters on the South Lawn of the White House on Saturday for his first in-person event since he tested positive last week, according to three people familiar with the schedule. The rally that he had previously said he wanted to hold Saturday in Florida will instead be held Monday, his campaign announced, as the president insisted on getting back on the road despite his illness.

The burst of activity and machinations reflected a president grasping for a way to make up a double-digit polling deficit against Biden with 25 days left before the election on Nov. 3. Biden’s lead has remained stable for months and, if anything, expanded in recent days, despite every effort by the president to shift the momentum of the race.

He lost one of the few obvious opportunities to transform the dynamics of the campaign Friday when the Commission on Presidential Debates formally canceled Thursday’s second showdown between Trump and Biden after the president refused to participate remotely.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-raises-stimulus-offer-to-usd-18-trillion-days-after-halting-negotiations-334269">Trump raises stimulus offer to USD 1.8 trillion days after halting negotiations</a>

Battered by an October surprise that Trump did not anticipate — his hospitalization from a virus that he had played down even as it has killed 213,000 people in the United States — the president appeared intent Friday on creating an October surprise more to his liking, in this case tarring Democrats by using the instruments of government power at his disposal.

He publicly badgered Barr this week to indict Democrats connected to the original investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and any ties to Trump’s campaign, naming specifically Biden and former President Barack Obama. But Barr has told Republicans and others that he planned no major moves in his reexamination of the Russia investigation before Election Day.

Three government officials briefed on the investigation said that they had been told that it was unlikely that John Durham, the prosecutor tapped by Barr to lead the inquiry, would produce indictments or any other developments that could affect the trajectory of the election before Nov. 3.

“If that’s the case, I’m very disappointed,” Trump said Friday during a two-hour phone conversation with radio host Rush Limbaugh. “I think it’s a terrible thing, and I’ll say it to his face.”

The president has been consumed for months with the hope that the Durham investigation would provide him evidence that the Russia inquiry was an effort to smear him. He has told advisers he hoped for indictments of top former Obama administration national security officials or even Obama or Biden themselves. Short of that, he hoped for a report with the imprimatur of the Justice Department detailing their actions in 2016, according to people briefed on the conversations.

Beyond his public comments, the president has also conveyed to Barr, directly and through surrogates, that he wanted “scalps,” according to two government officials familiar with the conversations.

The Justice Department declined to comment on the president’s remarks.

While Barr defied the president’s desire for preelection action, Pompeo bowed to Trump’s wishes a day after he publicly chastised the secretary of state for not cooperating. Pompeo told Fox News that he would release at least some of Clinton’s emails from when she was secretary of state and using a private server.

“We’ve got the emails,” Pompeo said. “We’re getting them out. We’re going to get all this information out so the American people can see it.”

He made no effort to suggest that releasing them was unconnected to the political campaign. “We’re doing it as fast as we can,” he added. “I certainly think there’ll be more to see before the election.”

Neither Trump nor Pompeo explained why they would release the emails now, in the final weeks of a hotly contested presidential campaign, given that they could have done so at any point in the past four years. Nor did they explain why they would seek to prove that Clinton was too casual with emails containing classified information by releasing emails containing classified information.

But Pompeo said he did not expect Trump to declassify any documents that might include sensitive information that would be damaging to U.S. interests once it is made public. “We’ll get the information out that needs to get out,” Pompeo said. “We’ll do it in a way that protects the intelligence sources that we need to protect.”

While Pompeo made a name for himself as a Republican congressman from Kansas excoriating Clinton over the email issue, the State Department under his leadership concluded just last year that while she had risked compromising classified information, she did not systematically or deliberately mishandle it.

The FBI declined to recommend charges against Clinton in 2016 but made its decision public, contributing to the political liability for her. It ultimately cost her in the final days of the campaign when the investigation was briefly reopened after the discovery of emails on the laptop of an aide’s estranged husband and then quickly closed again when no further evidence of wrongdoing was found.

President Donald Trump forced the State Department on Friday to commit to releasing at least some of Hillary Clinton’s emails before next month’s election, resurrecting a 4-year-old issue in hopes that it would prove as helpful to his political prospects as it was when he defeated her in 2016.

President Donald Trump forced the State Department on Friday to commit to releasing at least some of Hillary Clinton’s emails before next month’s election, resurrecting a 4-year-old issue in hopes that it would prove as helpful to his political prospects as it was when he defeated her in 2016. Trailing badly in the polls and eager to change the subject from the coronavirus, Trump succeeded in compelling Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to announce that he would make public the emails even as Attorney General William Barr resisted pressure from the president to prosecute Democrats like former Vice President Joe Biden, this year’s Democratic nominee. Still recovering from his own coronavirus infection, Trump made plans to host hundreds of supporters on the South Lawn of the White House on Saturday for his first in-person event since he tested positive last week, according to three people familiar with the schedule. The rally that he had previously said he wanted to hold Saturday in Florida will instead be held Monday, his campaign announced, as the president insisted on getting back on the road despite his illness. The burst of activity and machinations reflected a president grasping for a way to make up a double-digit polling deficit against Biden with 25 days left before the election on Nov. 3. Biden’s lead has remained stable for months and, if anything, expanded in recent days, despite every effort by the president to shift the momentum of the race. He lost one of the few obvious opportunities to transform the dynamics of the campaign Friday when the Commission on Presidential Debates formally canceled Thursday’s second showdown between Trump and Biden after the president refused to participate remotely. Also Read | Trump raises stimulus offer to USD 1.8 trillion days after halting negotiations Battered by an October surprise that Trump did not anticipate — his hospitalization from a virus that he had played down even as it has killed 213,000 people in the United States — the president appeared intent Friday on creating an October surprise more to his liking, in this case tarring Democrats by using the instruments of government power at his disposal. He publicly badgered Barr this week to indict Democrats connected to the original investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and any ties to Trump’s campaign, naming specifically Biden and former President Barack Obama. But Barr has told Republicans and others that he planned no major moves in his reexamination of the Russia investigation before Election Day. Three government officials briefed on the investigation said that they had been told that it was unlikely that John Durham, the prosecutor tapped by Barr to lead the inquiry, would produce indictments or any other developments that could affect the trajectory of the election before Nov. 3. “If that’s the case, I’m very disappointed,” Trump said Friday during a two-hour phone conversation with radio host Rush Limbaugh. “I think it’s a terrible thing, and I’ll say it to his face.” The president has been consumed for months with the hope that the Durham investigation would provide him evidence that the Russia inquiry was an effort to smear him. He has told advisers he hoped for indictments of top former Obama administration national security officials or even Obama or Biden themselves. Short of that, he hoped for a report with the imprimatur of the Justice Department detailing their actions in 2016, according to people briefed on the conversations. Beyond his public comments, the president has also conveyed to Barr, directly and through surrogates, that he wanted “scalps,” according to two government officials familiar with the conversations. The Justice Department declined to comment on the president’s remarks. While Barr defied the president’s desire for preelection action, Pompeo bowed to Trump’s wishes a day after he publicly chastised the secretary of state for not cooperating. Pompeo told Fox News that he would release at least some of Clinton’s emails from when she was secretary of state and using a private server. “We’ve got the emails,” Pompeo said. “We’re getting them out. We’re going to get all this information out so the American people can see it.” He made no effort to suggest that releasing them was unconnected to the political campaign. “We’re doing it as fast as we can,” he added. “I certainly think there’ll be more to see before the election.” Neither Trump nor Pompeo explained why they would release the emails now, in the final weeks of a hotly contested presidential campaign, given that they could have done so at any point in the past four years. Nor did they explain why they would seek to prove that Clinton was too casual with emails containing classified information by releasing emails containing classified information. But Pompeo said he did not expect Trump to declassify any documents that might include sensitive information that would be damaging to U.S. interests once it is made public. “We’ll get the information out that needs to get out,” Pompeo said. “We’ll do it in a way that protects the intelligence sources that we need to protect.” While Pompeo made a name for himself as a Republican congressman from Kansas excoriating Clinton over the email issue, the State Department under his leadership concluded just last year that while she had risked compromising classified information, she did not systematically or deliberately mishandle it. The FBI declined to recommend charges against Clinton in 2016 but made its decision public, contributing to the political liability for her. It ultimately cost her in the final days of the campaign when the investigation was briefly reopened after the discovery of emails on the laptop of an aide’s estranged husband and then quickly closed again when no further evidence of wrongdoing was found.

Election less than a month away, Trump leans on Barr and Pompeo for a lift

WASHINGTON — Elliott Broidy already had a record when he became a major fundraiser for the Trump campaign in 2016. Now he has become the latest Trump ally to face criminal charges, this time accused of evading foreign lobbying laws while trying to make money off his access to the administration.

Broidy was charged with a single count of conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act as part of an influence operation that prosecutors say sought to use his political ties to help Malaysian and Chinese interests, according to federal court filings that became public on Thursday.

The case centers on an accusation that Broidy accepted $6 million from a foreign client to lobby administration officials to end a federal investigation related to the looting of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad fund, known as 1MDB. The court filing also accuses him of seeking the extradition of a Chinese citizen from the United States.

He did not succeed in either effort, and at one point sought to deceive his client about having raised the 1MDB case directly with President Donald Trump, the court filing said.

While the foreign client was not identified, people familiar with the case said he was the Malaysian financier Jho Low, who the federal authorities say played a key role in the theft of billions of dollars from 1MDB.

Broidy, 63, is expected to enter a guilty plea to the charge, which was filed last week by prosecutors from the Justice Department’s public integrity section and its election crimes branch and unsealed this week.

Broidy’s representatives declined to comment. The charge against him was detailed in a criminal information, which is often filed in cases in which a guilty plea has been agreed to.

The details of the accusations against Broidy are especially striking: They include a promised $75 million “success fee” from Low, and discussions about arranging for Malaysia’s prime minister to play golf with Trump. But they follow a pattern that has become familiar since Trump began seeking the White House.

People who had backgrounds or were pursuing business that was likely to have raised red flags in other campaigns and administrations marketed themselves as intermediaries to individuals, companies and countries wanting something from the Trump administration. They were able to do so because Trump ran for office and came to Washington without the established networks of gatekeepers, lobbyists and fundraisers who typically surround a president.

A number of Trump’s associates have been charged in the nearly four years since he was elected. Among those who have pleaded or were found guilty of charges related to their work for him are Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser whose case the Justice Department is now seeking to dismiss; George Papadopoulos, a former campaign adviser; and Roger Stone, a longtime friend whose sentence the president commuted.

Trump’s former campaign chair, Paul Manafort, and his deputy, Rick Gates, were charged with lobbying and financial crimes that predated their work for the president’s campaign. The two pleaded guilty to lesser charges in exchange for agreeing to cooperate with prosecutors, as did Michael Cohen, Trump’s longtime personal lawyer.

Cohen, Gates and Manafort had sought to parlay their perceived access to the president into business opportunities.

But few figures seized on the Trump presidency more ambitiously than Broidy, who owns a defense contracting firm.

He had been a top Republican fundraiser for years, but he had retreated from politics after pleading guilty in 2009 to a felony charge, later reduced to a misdemeanor, in an unrelated pension fund bribery case.

After Trump emerged as the Republican presidential nominee in 2016, Broidy threw his support behind him at a time when most elite Republican donors were staying away.

And when Trump was elected, Broidy became a leading fundraiser for Trump’s inauguration and the Republican National Committee, as well as a member of Mar-a-Lago, the president’s private resort in Florida.

Broidy enlisted Cohen to arrange a payout to a former Playboy model who became pregnant during an affair and paid Gates to help pursue a contract for his defense firm and administration appointments for his associates.

And Broidy began aggressively promoting his connection to the new administration to politicians, business executives and governments around the world, His defense company won big contracts from the United Arab Emirates and Angola. And Broidy discussed the possibility of a visit to Mar-a-Lago for an Angolan politician from whom he was seeking to collect additional payments.

But the charge against Broidy is not related to his defense company or its clients.

Rather, it stems from his arrangement with Low, a flamboyant Malaysian financier who federal authorities say orchestrated a multibillion-dollar embezzlement scheme from 1MDB.

Low, who is believed to be living in China, was charged in the United States in 2018 in connection with the 1MDB theft, but he has not appeared in criminal court in the United States.

The filing said that Broidy and a pair of associates agreed in 2017 to work for Low “to orchestrate back-channel, unregistered campaigns to lobby the administration,” to “end the 1MDB matters” and to send a dissident back to China.

The Chinese citizen is not identified by name in the filing, but he is known to be billionaire dissident Guo Wengui, an outspoken critic of China who has been charged by its government with corruption and is seeking asylum in the United States.

Some of Broidy’s associates have already been charged, including Nickie Lum Davis, a fundraiser who pleaded guilty in August and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. Another, George Higginbotham, a former Justice Department employee, pleaded guilty in 2018 to conspiring to lie to banks about the source of tens of millions of dollars he funneled into the United States from Low.

In his guilty plea, Higginbotham admitted that he and entertainer and businessman Pras Michel, a former member of the Fugees, a defunct hip-hop group, arranged for millions of dollars of Low’s money to be transferred to a law firm owned by Broidy’s wife to pay them to try to end the 1MDB investigation.

Prosecutors said that Michel received $8.5 million from Low, while Broidy was paid $6 million and Davis $1.7 million, but that they tried to “conceal Broidy’s contacts with and payments from” Low “to maintain Broidy’s credibility with United States officials and to further the illegal advocacy scheme.”

The prosecutors cited a contract with Broidy’s wife’s law firm, which is not named, agreeing that if the Justice Department dropped its civil forfeiture proceedings against Low within 180 days, Low would pay a $75 million fee, or $50 million if the matter was resolved within 365 days.

As part of the effort, prosecutors say Broidy asked Trump in June 2017 “if he would play golf” with Prime Minister Najib Razak of Malaysia. Najib is not identified in the charging document, but he was in office at the time and was planning a trip to Washington, despite being under investigation by federal prosecutors for his role in the 1MDB theft.

Broidy and Davis believed that a golf game with Trump “would please” Najib and allow him “to attempt to resolve the matter” of the 1MDB investigation, the filing said.

Najib did meet with Trump in September 2017, but he was denied the customary photograph in the Oval Office with the president, let alone the golf outing, despite Broidy’s repeated lobbying of Trump’s aides. Najib was later convicted in Malaysia of corruption charges related to the 1MDB theft.

In October 2017, the court filing said, Broidy met at the White House with Trump but did not raise the issue of 1MDB. Nonetheless, the filing said, Broidy told Davis that he had raised it, believing she would pass that misinformation to Low and Michel.

The Justice Department did not drop its investigation of 1MDB, instead charging Low and others in 2018 with conspiring to launder billions of dollars embezzled from 1MDB and of paying bribes to officials in Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates. Low agreed last year as part of a civil forfeiture case to give up his claim to hundreds of millions of dollars in luxury apartments, yachts, jets and artwork that prosecutors said were bought with stolen money.

Prosecutors also claimed that Broidy and his associates traveled to Thailand, Malaysia and China to meet with Low, a Chinese government official and others to negotiate a multimillion-dollar deal to lobby on their behalf.

After one such trip, Broidy drafted a memo to Attorney General Jeff Sessions in 2017 about the possibility of extraditing Guo, recommending a meeting with the Chinese official, according to prosecutors. They said the contents of the memo were provided by the Chinese official and Low.

A person close to Broidy has said he never sent that memo, and a Justice Department spokesperson has said Sessions never received it.

Guo remains in the United States, though a company linked to him and Steve Bannon, Trump’s former adviser, is reportedly under investigation by federal and New York state authorities.

WASHINGTON — Elliott Broidy already had a record when he became a major fundraiser for the Trump campaign in 2016. Now he has become the latest Trump ally to face criminal charges, this time accused of evading foreign lobbying laws while trying to make money off his access to the administration.

WASHINGTON — Elliott Broidy already had a record when he became a major fundraiser for the Trump campaign in 2016. Now he has become the latest Trump ally to face criminal charges, this time accused of evading foreign lobbying laws while trying to make money off his access to the administration. Broidy was charged with a single count of conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act as part of an influence operation that prosecutors say sought to use his political ties to help Malaysian and Chinese interests, according to federal court filings that became public on Thursday. The case centers on an accusation that Broidy accepted $6 million from a foreign client to lobby administration officials to end a federal investigation related to the looting of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad fund, known as 1MDB. The court filing also accuses him of seeking the extradition of a Chinese citizen from the United States. He did not succeed in either effort, and at one point sought to deceive his client about having raised the 1MDB case directly with President Donald Trump, the court filing said. While the foreign client was not identified, people familiar with the case said he was the Malaysian financier Jho Low, who the federal authorities say played a key role in the theft of billions of dollars from 1MDB. Broidy, 63, is expected to enter a guilty plea to the charge, which was filed last week by prosecutors from the Justice Department’s public integrity section and its election crimes branch and unsealed this week. Broidy’s representatives declined to comment. The charge against him was detailed in a criminal information, which is often filed in cases in which a guilty plea has been agreed to. The details of the accusations against Broidy are especially striking: They include a promised $75 million “success fee” from Low, and discussions about arranging for Malaysia’s prime minister to play golf with Trump. But they follow a pattern that has become familiar since Trump began seeking the White House. People who had backgrounds or were pursuing business that was likely to have raised red flags in other campaigns and administrations marketed themselves as intermediaries to individuals, companies and countries wanting something from the Trump administration. They were able to do so because Trump ran for office and came to Washington without the established networks of gatekeepers, lobbyists and fundraisers who typically surround a president. A number of Trump’s associates have been charged in the nearly four years since he was elected. Among those who have pleaded or were found guilty of charges related to their work for him are Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser whose case the Justice Department is now seeking to dismiss; George Papadopoulos, a former campaign adviser; and Roger Stone, a longtime friend whose sentence the president commuted. Trump’s former campaign chair, Paul Manafort, and his deputy, Rick Gates, were charged with lobbying and financial crimes that predated their work for the president’s campaign. The two pleaded guilty to lesser charges in exchange for agreeing to cooperate with prosecutors, as did Michael Cohen, Trump’s longtime personal lawyer. Cohen, Gates and Manafort had sought to parlay their perceived access to the president into business opportunities. But few figures seized on the Trump presidency more ambitiously than Broidy, who owns a defense contracting firm. He had been a top Republican fundraiser for years, but he had retreated from politics after pleading guilty in 2009 to a felony charge, later reduced to a misdemeanor, in an unrelated pension fund bribery case. After Trump emerged as the Republican presidential nominee in 2016, Broidy threw his support behind him at a time when most elite Republican donors were staying away. And when Trump was elected, Broidy became a leading fundraiser for Trump’s inauguration and the Republican National Committee, as well as a member of Mar-a-Lago, the president’s private resort in Florida. Broidy enlisted Cohen to arrange a payout to a former Playboy model who became pregnant during an affair and paid Gates to help pursue a contract for his defense firm and administration appointments for his associates. And Broidy began aggressively promoting his connection to the new administration to politicians, business executives and governments around the world, His defense company won big contracts from the United Arab Emirates and Angola. And Broidy discussed the possibility of a visit to Mar-a-Lago for an Angolan politician from whom he was seeking to collect additional payments. But the charge against Broidy is not related to his defense company or its clients. Rather, it stems from his arrangement with Low, a flamboyant Malaysian financier who federal authorities say orchestrated a multibillion-dollar embezzlement scheme from 1MDB. Low, who is believed to be living in China, was charged in the United States in 2018 in connection with the 1MDB theft, but he has not appeared in criminal court in the United States. The filing said that Broidy and a pair of associates agreed in 2017 to work for Low “to orchestrate back-channel, unregistered campaigns to lobby the administration,” to “end the 1MDB matters” and to send a dissident back to China. The Chinese citizen is not identified by name in the filing, but he is known to be billionaire dissident Guo Wengui, an outspoken critic of China who has been charged by its government with corruption and is seeking asylum in the United States. Some of Broidy’s associates have already been charged, including Nickie Lum Davis, a fundraiser who pleaded guilty in August and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. Another, George Higginbotham, a former Justice Department employee, pleaded guilty in 2018 to conspiring to lie to banks about the source of tens of millions of dollars he funneled into the United States from Low. In his guilty plea, Higginbotham admitted that he and entertainer and businessman Pras Michel, a former member of the Fugees, a defunct hip-hop group, arranged for millions of dollars of Low’s money to be transferred to a law firm owned by Broidy’s wife to pay them to try to end the 1MDB investigation. Prosecutors said that Michel received $8.5 million from Low, while Broidy was paid $6 million and Davis $1.7 million, but that they tried to “conceal Broidy’s contacts with and payments from” Low “to maintain Broidy’s credibility with United States officials and to further the illegal advocacy scheme.” The prosecutors cited a contract with Broidy’s wife’s law firm, which is not named, agreeing that if the Justice Department dropped its civil forfeiture proceedings against Low within 180 days, Low would pay a $75 million fee, or $50 million if the matter was resolved within 365 days. As part of the effort, prosecutors say Broidy asked Trump in June 2017 “if he would play golf” with Prime Minister Najib Razak of Malaysia. Najib is not identified in the charging document, but he was in office at the time and was planning a trip to Washington, despite being under investigation by federal prosecutors for his role in the 1MDB theft. Broidy and Davis believed that a golf game with Trump “would please” Najib and allow him “to attempt to resolve the matter” of the 1MDB investigation, the filing said. Najib did meet with Trump in September 2017, but he was denied the customary photograph in the Oval Office with the president, let alone the golf outing, despite Broidy’s repeated lobbying of Trump’s aides. Najib was later convicted in Malaysia of corruption charges related to the 1MDB theft. In October 2017, the court filing said, Broidy met at the White House with Trump but did not raise the issue of 1MDB. Nonetheless, the filing said, Broidy told Davis that he had raised it, believing she would pass that misinformation to Low and Michel. The Justice Department did not drop its investigation of 1MDB, instead charging Low and others in 2018 with conspiring to launder billions of dollars embezzled from 1MDB and of paying bribes to officials in Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates. Low agreed last year as part of a civil forfeiture case to give up his claim to hundreds of millions of dollars in luxury apartments, yachts, jets and artwork that prosecutors said were bought with stolen money. Prosecutors also claimed that Broidy and his associates traveled to Thailand, Malaysia and China to meet with Low, a Chinese government official and others to negotiate a multimillion-dollar deal to lobby on their behalf. After one such trip, Broidy drafted a memo to Attorney General Jeff Sessions in 2017 about the possibility of extraditing Guo, recommending a meeting with the Chinese official, according to prosecutors. They said the contents of the memo were provided by the Chinese official and Low. A person close to Broidy has said he never sent that memo, and a Justice Department spokesperson has said Sessions never received it. Guo remains in the United States, though a company linked to him and Steve Bannon, Trump’s former adviser, is reportedly under investigation by federal and New York state authorities.

Elliott Broidy, a top Trump fundraiser, charged in foreign influence case

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Morning news brief: Updates on US election 2020, coronavirus data and facts, and more

Donald Trump claims immunity from COVID-19 ahead of rallies

There will be no Trump coup

Fraudulent messages take over as Trump and Biden campaigns for US election gain pace

Under Trump pressure, Pompeo vows to put out Clinton emails

Biden enters final weeks of US presidential race in commanding position

Donald Trump no longer a transmission risk: White House

Trump 'no longer a transmission risk', to hold two rallies next week

Trump 'no longer a transmission risk', to hold two rallies next week

In a first, New England Journal of Medicine joins never-Trumpers

Taking page from authoritarians, Trump turns power of state against political rivals

US Election 2020: Was Nixon & Kennedy debate virtual?

US Election 2020: Fate of Presidential debates hangs loose

US Election 2020: Campaign rallies on full swing

US Election 2020: New York City waits for a lifeline

US Election 2020: Range of political storms in a span of 2 weeks

US Election 2020: A civil Vice Presidential debate | WION-VOA Co-Production

US Election: Trump could return to the campaign trail by Saturday | Gravitas

Donald Trump to resume campaigning, Second Presidential debate cancelled