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      Democracy is under attack – and reporting that isn’t ‘violating journalistic standards’ | Robert Reich

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      Democracy is under attack – and reporting that isn’t ‘violating journalistic standards’Robert ReichBiden gave a rare primetime address on the most important challenge facing America – and the media coverage was just more he-said/she-said reaction Joe Biden’s message Thursday evening was clear. American democracy is under attack.This was a rare primetime address on the most important challenge facing the nation.But the media treated the speech as if it were just another in an endless series of partisan vollies instead of what it was – a declaration by the president of the United States that America must choose between democracy and authoritarianism.The major networks didn’t broadcast the speech.Friday’s media coverage of the speech was just more he-said/she-said reaction.The New York Times quoted the Republican House minority leader, Kevin McCarthy, as claiming Democrats are the ones “dismantling Americans’ democracy”.The Times failed to point out that McCarthy’s claim is a lie. Nor did it state that McCarthy himself was one of 139 House Republicans who voted to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election even after the attack on the Capitol.The same Times article quoted Ronna McDaniel, the chair of the Republican National Committee, as calling Biden “the divider in chief” and accusing him of exhibiting “disgust and hostility towards half the country”. But there was no mention of McDaniel’s role in advancing Trump’s “big lie”.The Times characterized a more general Republican objection to Biden’s speech – that he “was maligning the 74 million people” who voted for Trump in 2020. But the Times didn’t mention that Trump has illegally refused to concede the election.It is dangerous to believe that “balanced journalism” gives equal weight to liars and to truth-tellers, to those intent on destroying democracy and those seeking to protect it, to the enablers of an ongoing attempted coup and those who are trying to prevent it.Two Sundays ago, CNN’s Brian Stelter, host of the show Reliable Sources, put it well:“It’s not partisan to stand up for decency and democracy and dialogue. It’s not partisan to stand up to demagogues. It’s required. It’s patriotic. We must make sure we don’t give platforms to those who are lying to our faces.”Not incidentally, that was Stelter’s last show on CNN.On Friday, CNN White House reporter John Harwood said:“The core point [Biden] made in that political speech about a threat to democracy is true. Now, that’s something that’s not easy for us, as journalists, to say. We’re brought up to believe there’s two different political parties with different points of view and we don’t take sides in honest disagreements between them. But that’s not what we’re talking about. These are not honest disagreements. The Republican party right now is led by a dishonest demagogue.”Harwood went on to say:“Many, many Republicans are rallying behind his lies about the 2020 election and other things as well. And a significant portion – or a sufficient portion – of the constituency that they’re leading attacked the Capitol on January 6. Violently.”Shortly after making these remarks, Harwood announced he was no longer with CNN.A source told Dan Froomkin of Press Watch that CNN had informed Harwood last month that he was being let go. That was despite his long-term contract with the network. The source also said that Harwood had used his last broadcast to “send a message”.Why must we wait until some of America’s ablest journalists are sacked before they are willing and able to tell America the truth?It is not “partisan” to explain what Trump and his anti-democracy movement are seeking.It is not “taking sides” to point out that the Trump Republicans are trying to establish an authoritarian government in America.It is not “violating journalistic standards” to tell the unvarnished truth about what America is facing today.In fact, a failure to call out the Trump Republicans for what they are – liars, enablers, and accessories to crimes against the constitution – itself violates the most basic canons of journalistic ethics.“Balanced journalism” does not exist halfway between facts and lies.
      Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley and the author of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few and The Common Good. His new book, The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It, is out now. He is a Guardian US columnist. His newsletter is at robertreich.substack.com
      TopicsUS politicsOpinionJoe BidenDonald TrumpRepublicansDemocratscommentReuse this content More

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      ‘I want to work with everyone’: Alaska’s history-making new congresswoman

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      Interview‘I want to work with everyone’: Alaska’s history-making new congresswomanMaanvi Singh in Anchorage Mary Peltola, the first Alaska Native elected to Congress, having defeated former vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin, is a relentless coalition builderAhead of her astonishing victory this week in a special election to fill Alaska’s sole congressional seat, Mary Peltola was delighted to get recognized at Costco. “I was approached by some people to do a selfie,” she laughed.It seemed like months of traversing the state for meet-and greets was paying off. “I am getting recognized more.”Wind in Democrats’ sails as Sarah Palin humbled in Alaska special electionRead moreNow, people all over the US are learning her name. Peltola, who is Yup’ik Eskimo, will make history as the first Alaska Native to represent the state in Congress, and as the first Democrat to hold the seat in nearly 50 years.On Wednesday, she prevailed over the Trump-endorsed former vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin and Republican party-backed Nick Begich III – in a state that favoured Trump by 10 points in 2020. She will serve out the remainder of the late Republican congressman Don Young’s term.A former state legislator and fisheries manager, Peltola campaigned as a relentlessly amicable coalition builder. “I want to work with everyone and anyone who is a reasonable person to find solutions to Alaska’s challenges,” she said.In a race where Palin’s celebrity – and her self-described “right-winging, bitter-clinging” attack dog energy – loomed large in the media and in voters’ minds, Peltola would often bring up her warm relationship with Palin. She’d talk about how both she and Palin were pregnant at the same time, while Peltola was serving as a legislator and Palin was governor. “Our teenagers are just a month apart,” she said. Before Palin left to campaign as Republican John McCain’s running mate in the 2008 elections, she bequeathed Peltola her backyard trampoline.Resolute nicenessPeltola was born in 1973, the year that Young was elected to office, and her father was a friend of the late congressman. While Young – a bombastic character with a taxidermy-stuffed office, a reputation for making racist and sexist jokes and a zeal for oil – was very much a contrast to Peltola, in demeanour and philosophy, voters in Anchorage nonetheless said they shared a sense of pragmatic bipartisanship.In 2010, Peltola helped to run the write-in campaign for Lisa Murkowski, the Republican senator with an independent streak now fighting for her political life after she voted for Trump’s impeachment.First elected to the state legislature in 1998, Peltola built a reputation for resolute niceness. She helped build the Bush Caucus – a bipartisan group of legislators representing the most rural and remote parts of the state – and showed a knack for winning over even her most conservative colleagues to advance policies on natural resource management and infrastructure.Peltola’s own politics diverge from the Republicans she is often willing to work with. In the US House race, she was the only candidate who endorsed abortion rights. “Alaska Natives have a history of forced sterilisation against their knowledge or consent,” she said. “People should have to build their families the way, when and how they choose. And for that to be infringed on is very troubling.”A majority of Alaskans support the right to choose – and after the supreme court decision to revoke the constitutional right to abortion access, the issue has energized voters in the Last Frontier as it has in other parts of the country.Peltola’s policies on climate adaptation also reflect the nuanced realities of Alaska – a state whose economy is intricately entwined with the oil and gas industry and whose people live at the Arctic edge of the climate crisis. Alaska is losing glacier ice faster than anywhere else in the world. “In the near term, we are tied to oil and gas. And in the near term, that is how we are paying our bills as Alaskans,” Peltola said. But “I have seen firsthand the effects of climate change across Alaska. We had over 250 wildfires this summer before June, we had the largest tundra fire we’ve ever seen in May.” Fisheries and salmon stock, which many Alaskans depend on for sustenance, are suffering, she added.Her platform focused on investment in renewable energy and a gradual transition for Alaska’s economy.A focus on bipartisanship could pay offIt remains unclear if Peltola’s moderate way will pave her path to victory in November when she’ll be running again in the race to serve the next full, two-year term in Congress. Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system, which the state tried for the first time with the special election, could be shaped as much by Alaskans’ scepticism about Palin as their support for Peltola.But in a state that tends to elect a Republican but where the majority of voters declare no party preference, her focus on bipartisanship could pay off.“We all have to help each other out if we’re going to survive. That’s the fundamental nature of Alaskans,” said Ivan Moore, an Anchorage-based pollster who has been tracking Peltola’s rise in Alaska politics. “We can be political assholes, just like everywhere else. But when push comes to shove, when it’s life and death, Alaskans will help each other. And I think Mary tapped into that.”“She speaks in a language that connects people,” said Shirley Mae Springer Staten, 76, an Anchorage-based arts educator who supported Peltola. “There’s a new wave of unkindness in politics these days, and I like that Mary Peltola pushes against that.”News of her victory this week came on Peltola’s 49th birthday – a “GOOD DAY”, she tweeted shortly after the elections division released preliminary results.Now more people know who she is. But she’s sticking with what works. “Support a regular Alaskan,” is the slogan.TopicsAlaskaDemocratsUS politicsSarah PalinClimate crisisinterviewsReuse this content More

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      Biden targets Trump and says ‘anyone who fails to condemn violence is a threat to democracy’ – as it happened

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      Joe Biden delivered a brief and impromptu speech seemingly targeting Donald Trump as “a threat to Democracy”. Responding to a question from a reporter on whether “all Trump supporters are a threat to this country”, Biden said he does not consider any Trump supporter to be a threat. “I do think that anyone who calls for the use of violence, fails to condemn violence when it’s used, refuses to acknowledge when an election has been won, insists upon changing the way in which you count votes, that is a threat to democracy and everything we stand for,” Biden said. “Everything we stand for rests on the platform of democracy.” Biden continued by saying that those who voted for Trump in 2020 “weren’t voting to attack the Capitol, they weren’t voting for overruling the election. They were voting for a philosophy he put forward.”The comments came after Biden shifted his tone in a primetime address last night, directly calling out Trump and his allies, saying “democracy is under assault”. Here’s a quick summary of what happened today:
      Joe Biden implicitly criticized Donald Trump for threatening democracy, saying that anyone who fails to condemn violence is a threat. Both Biden and Trump will be in Pennsylvania this weekend rallying for candidates in their respective parties.
      Gina McCarthy, Biden’s top climate adviser, is stepping down in less than two weeks. The White House announced that John Podesta, former top adviser to Bill and Hillary Clinton, will be senior clean energy adviser to Biden.
      The US Bureau of Labor Statistics released data today that showed 315,000 jobs were added to the US economy in August. Biden celebrated the numbers, saying “American has some really good news going into Labor Day weekend”.
      As Trump heads back onto the campaign trail for Republican candidates, there are rumblings about a potential 2024 bid from the former president. Son-in-law Jared Kushner said in an interview that Trump has been thinking about it, while a former Trump White House official predicted that Trump will bow out after raising cash for his campaign.
      That’s it for the live blog today. Thanks for reading.Bill Barr, former attorney general, think that Florida governor Ron DeSantis could be elected president if he runs in 2024.“I don’t know Ron DeSantis that well, but I’ve been impressed with his record down in Florida,” Barr told Bari Weiss on her podcast, “Honestly”.Though Barr was once a part of Trump’s band of loyalists, he has taken to lightly criticizing his former boss, who in turn referred to him as “slow and very boring”.Whether Barr is right ultimately depends on how much of a sway Trump still has over voters.DeSantis has posited himself as a potential successor to the Maga throne, bringing the flare of Trumpism without the baggage of investigations and the Capitol insurrection. Though he has not confirmed any presidential ambitions, Republican voters picked him as a second choice, behind Trump, in a theoretical 2024 election.Two of Donald Trump’s former lawyers appeared in federal court today to testify in front of a grand jury investigating the January 6 insurrection.Former White House counsel Pat Cipollone arrived at the courthouse first and was with the grand jury for over two hours, according to Reuters. Former White House deputy counsel Pat Philbin arrived at the courthouse shortly after and was also with the grand jury for over two hours. Cipollone and Philbin are the most high-profile witnesses the grand jury has seen. The grand jury is investigating the “fake electors” plot to send fake slates of electors to Congress to fraudulently inflate the number of electors in Trump’s favor, despite him losing the election.The Department of Veteran Affairs announced Friday that it will provide access to abortions to pregnant veterans and veteran beneficiaries. Abortions will be available for those whose life or health is endangered through their pregnancy or if it is a result of rape or incest. The rule will allow VA employees, “when working within the scope of their federal employment” to “provide authorized services regardless of state restrictions”. “This is a patient safety decision,” VA secretary Denis McDonough said in a statement. “Pregnant veterans and VA beneficiaries deserve to have access to world-class reproductive care when they need it most. That’s what our nation owes them.” New: The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs “is taking steps to guarantee Veterans and other VA beneficiaries abortion-related care anywhere in the country. VA employees…may provide authorized services regardless of state restrictions.” https://t.co/ysv96U4FZT— Gabriella Borter (@gabriellaborter) September 2, 2022
      Donald Trump will continue to flirt with a third White House run in 2024 in order to raise money but will ultimately choose not to mount a campaign, a Trump White House official predicts.In communications reviewed by the Guardian on Friday, the official said Trump would look to “Bring in the $$$ then bow out gracefully before announcing”.The 45th president, in office from 2017 to 2021, dominates polling of possible Republican nominees in 2024. He has amassed a significant campaign war chest and is generally held to have maintained his grip on his party despite being impeached twice, the second time for inciting the deadly January 6 attack on the US Capitol.On Thursday, senior Republicans sprang to Trump’s defense – and eagerly expressed their own sense of offense – when Joe Biden used a primetime address to outline the threat to American democracy posed by Trump and his supporters.Trump himself floated pardons – and official apologies – for January 6 rioters should he return to the White House. Lest anyone forget, nine deaths have been connected to the Capitol attack, including suicides among law enforcement officers.Regarding the former White House official’s prediction that Trump will not run, the Guardian recently reported the contrary view of a senior source close to Trump, who said Trump “has to” announce a 2024 campaign soon, to head off being indicted under the Espionage Act after the FBI search at Mar-a-Lago in August.That source indicated Trump needed to announce because politically it would be harder for the Department of Justice to indict a candidate for office than a former president out of the electoral running.Developments since then have in most eyes increased the likelihood of an indictment over Trump’s handling of classified records. But most observers believe an indictment is not likely until after the midterm elections on 8 November, given DoJ policy regarding avoiding politically insensitive moves close to polling day.Hugo Lowell has more:FBI materials seized from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home included 90 empty foldersRead moreThe White House has announced that John Podesta will become senior advisor to US president Joe Biden for clean energy innovation and implementation, among other developments following the news earlier today that top climate advisor Gina McCarthy plans to step down.Podesta was White House chief of staff to Bill Clinton when he was president, a climate adviser to Barack Obama and – infamously as it became, chairman of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential bid.Current deputy White House national climate advisor, Ali Zaidi will be promoted to assistant to the president and national climate advisor.The White House statement noted that: “In his new role, Podesta will oversee implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act’s expansive clean energy and climate provisions and will chair the president’s national climate task force in support of this effort.”Meanwhile, Zaidi will also be vice-chair of the national climate task force. Gina McCarthy will leave her current role on September 16.Biden expressed gratitude to McCarthy and said of his new appointees: “Under Gina McCarthy and Ali Zaidi’s leadership, my administration has taken the most aggressive action ever, from historic legislation to bold executive actions, to confront the climate crisis head-on. The Inflation Reduction Act is the biggest step forward on clean energy and climate in history, and it paves the way for additional steps we will take to meet our clean energy and climate goals. “We are fortunate that John Podesta will lead our continued innovation and implementation. His deep roots in climate and clean energy policy and his experience at senior levels of government mean we can truly hit the ground running to take advantage of the massive clean energy opportunity in front of us.”Podesta, 73, is a veteran Washington establishment insider and Democratic party stalwart. But he achieved infamy in the 2016 presidential election campaign when, as a result of a chain of mishaps, his email was breached.As the Guardian reported in late 2016, the blunder gave Kremlin hackers access to about 60,000 emails in Podesta’s private Gmail account. According to US intelligence officials, Moscow then gave the email cache to WikiLeaks. The website released them in October, and the email scandal dominated the news cycle and was exploited by Donald Trump, who went on to a shock victory over Hillary Clinton in the November election.The revelation gave further credence to a CIA finding that the Moscow deliberately intervened to help Trump.Here’s a summary of everything that’s happened so far today:
      Off the heels of his eviscerating speech last night, Joe Biden is continuing to attack Donald Trump, saying today that anyone who fails to condemn violence “is a threat to democracy and everything we stand for”.
      Biden touted the jobs figures that were released today that showed the US added 315,000 jobs in August, saying that “American workers are back to work”.
      Gina McCarthy, Biden’s top climate adviser, is planning to step down in less than two weeks, according to the New York Times. McCarthy had privately expressed frustration with the pace of climate policy.
      Stay tuned for more live updates.At the White House press briefing just now, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre spoke on Joe Biden’s speech last night where he warned that Donald Trump and “MAGA Republicans” are a threat to democracy. “The president was trying to give the American people a choice: how do we move forward in this inflection point?” Jean-Pierre said. “When it comes to the soul of the nation, that is something the president has talked about for years… He has been concerned about where our democracy is going.” Responding to criticism that Biden’s speech was politically charged despite it being an official White House event, Jean-Pierre said that “standing up for democracy is not political”. “Denouncing political violence is not political. Standing up for freedom and rights is not political,” she said. “We don’t call any of that political. We see that as leadership and as presidential.” Jean-Pierre on Biden speech: “Standing up for democracy is not political. Denouncing political violence is not political. Standing up for freedom and rights is not political… We see that as leadership and as presidential.”— David Smith (@SmithInAmerica) September 2, 2022
      Joe Biden delivered a brief and impromptu speech seemingly targeting Donald Trump as “a threat to Democracy”. Responding to a question from a reporter on whether “all Trump supporters are a threat to this country”, Biden said he does not consider any Trump supporter to be a threat. “I do think that anyone who calls for the use of violence, fails to condemn violence when it’s used, refuses to acknowledge when an election has been won, insists upon changing the way in which you count votes, that is a threat to democracy and everything we stand for,” Biden said. “Everything we stand for rests on the platform of democracy.” Biden continued by saying that those who voted for Trump in 2020 “weren’t voting to attack the Capitol, they weren’t voting for overruling the election. They were voting for a philosophy he put forward.”The comments came after Biden shifted his tone in a primetime address last night, directly calling out Trump and his allies, saying “democracy is under assault”. Gina McCarthy, Joe Biden’s top climate adviser, is stepping down on 16 September, the New York Times is reporting, citing people familiar with her plans.Rumors have swirled around her departure for months as McCarthy privately expressed frustrated with the “slow pace of climate progress” in the administration.McCarthy was an Environmental Protection Agency administrator during the Obama administration.In a press conference on the American Rescue Plan – the $1.9tn coronavirus stimulus package passed in March 2021 – Joe Biden celebrated today’s jobs report that said the US added 315,000 jobs in August. “We received more good news. American workers are back to work, earning more, manufacturing more, building an economy from the bottom up and the middle out,” Biden said. “We have created nearly 10m jobs since I took office. The fastest growth in all of American history.” Biden noted that the labor participation rate, or the number of people working or looking to work, is up and that more working-age women have come back to work. He also noted that gas prices have been going down over the last few weeks. “America has some really good news going into Labor Day weekend,” he said. Biden has been trying to emphasize the positive benefits to his stimulus package, particularly in light of claims from conservatives that it contributed to inflation. In his press conference, Biden emphasized that the stimulus created jobs, especially in manufacturing.A new Pew Research poll shows that opinions of the supreme court are more polarized than ever. Just 28% of Democrats and liberal independents have a favorable view of the court, versus 73% of Republicans and conservative independents.The gap is the largest since Pew started polling Americans on their opinion of the court. The court is also facing their lowest approval rating, with 48% of American having an unfavorable view of the court versus 49% with a favorable view.Today, 49% of Americans have a favorable view of the Supreme Court. Among partisans, just 28% of Democrats say they have a favorable view, while 73% of Republicans say the same. https://t.co/iLKP70pW4n pic.twitter.com/hqnVm0degr— Pew Research Center (@pewresearch) September 1, 2022
      More Americans also believe the court is Republican/Conservative-leaning, with 49% of Americans saying they view they court as conservative versus 30% in August 2020.This Labor Day weekend kicks off the midterm election season which will put both the lasting sway of Donald Trump and Joe Biden’s presidency to the test with American voters.The primary election showed that the myth that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump is potent with voters: Many candidates who publicly questioned the election results won their primaries over the last few months.Now that these Trump-backed Republican candidates are in place heading into the general election, the test now shifts to how strong “Maga Republicans” – as Joe Biden put it Thursday night – are among the broader electorate.Pennsylvania is being seen as a key state to watch this midterm season. Trump is traveling to northeastern Pennsylvania this weekend to rally for two Republican candidates, Mehmet Oz and Doug Mastriano, who are running for US Senate and governor, respectively.Both candidates have vied themselves for Trump’s endorsement, but they are also trailing in the polls behind their Democratic opponents. Oz is eight points behind Democratic candidate John Fetterman, while Mastriano is seven points behind that state’s attorney general, Josh Shapiro.Oz, a one-time heart surgeon and celebrity television doctor, has had a particularly hard time convincing conservative voters that he is no longer attached to his liberal Hollywood persona. Oz “looks forward to President Trump talking to Pennsylvanians about the importance of fighting the radical, liberal agenda,” a spokesperson told Politico.New York City mayor Eric Adams released a joint statement with family and friends of 9/11 victims criticizing a Saudi-funded women’s golf tournament that is to be hosted at a Trump golf course in the city. “It is outrageous that the Trump Organization agreed to host a tournament with this organization while knowing how much pain it would cause New Yorkers,” Adams said. Last September, the FBI declassified documents related to 9/11 that revealed that the Saudi government provided logistical report to the attackers and helped fund the attacks.The tournament is scheduled to be held at Trump Golf Links, a Trump golf course in the Bronx, in October. Mayor Eric Adams quietly releases a statement online after meeting with the families of 9/11 victims about their opposition to a Saudi-backed golf tournament at the city-owned Trump Ferry Point course, h/t @maggieNYT: https://t.co/tOXL0OT1ep pic.twitter.com/ZghLXpd9Iv— Emma G. Fitzsimmons (@emmagf) September 2, 2022
      Donald Trump is “obviously thinking about” running for president in 2024, Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner told Sky News in an interview Friday. “He hates seeing what’s happening in the country,” Kushner said. Though Trump has not officially announced a run in 2024, he and his allies have dropped plenty of hints that he is wanting to. On Thursday, Trump said that he would pardon the January 6 rioters if he were elected president again. Trump is, of course, facing multiple investigations into his business dealings as well as unauthorized retention of sensitive government documents.The US added another 315,000 jobs in August as the jobs market remained strong amid signs of a worsening economy.The US jobs market lost 22m jobs in early 2020 at the start of the pandemic but roared back after the Covid lockdowns ended. It has remained strong despite four-decade high rates of inflation and slowing economic growth. In July, the US unexpectedly added 528,000 new jobs, restoring employment to pre-pandemic levels.The unemployment rate ticked up to 3.7% in August from 3.5% in July but is still close to a 50-year low.The remarkable strength of the jobs market has spurred the Federal Reserve to sharply increase interest rates in the hopes of cooling the economy and bringing down prices.Last week the Fed chair, Jerome Powell, made clear the Fed intends to keep raising rates sharply as the central bank struggles to tamp down inflation. His speech triggered a meltdown on Wall Street, with the Dow Jones index losing 1,000 points. The latest jobs report is the last to be released before the Fed meets again in September.US added 315,000 jobs in August as strong market defies signs of worsening economyRead moreGood morning, and welcome to the Guardian’s US politics live blog. It’s 10 weeks before the midterms, and it’s starting to feel like it’s 2020 again. Both Donald Trump and Joe Biden are in Pennsylvania this weekend to rally for candidates in their respective parties.Donald Trump will go to Wilkes-Barre in northern Pennsylvania on Saturday support two Pennsylvania Republican candidates: Mehmet Oz (known as “Dr Oz”), who is running for US Senate, and Doug Mastriano, who is running for governor. Trump, despite intensifying investigation into alleged unauthorized retention of sensitive government documents, has also geared up his talk about the 2024 election, saying on Thursday that he would seriously consider full pardons for participants of the January 6 US Capital insurrection.Joe Biden, on the other hand, in turn delivered a speech last night from Philadelphia attacking Trump and “Maga Republicans”.“There’s no question that the Republican party today is dominated, driven and intimidated by Donald Trump and the Maga Republicans, and that is a threat to this country,” Biden said. “Maga Republicans are destroying American democracy.”Biden will travel further into Pennsylvania this weekend with a planned stop in Pittsburgh to continue pushing for Democratic candidates running in the state.Here’s what else we’re watching today:
      The US added 315,000 jobs in August, a sign of continuing growth in the labor market despite high rates of inflation and slowing economic growth.
      Biden is scheduled to discuss the American Rescue Plan on the heels of today’s jobs report release.
      Former White House counsel Pat Cipollone and former deputy Patrick Philbin are appearing before a grand jury that is investigating the January 6 insurrection.
      Stay tuned for more live updates. More

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      Leon Panetta on the Afghanistan withdrawal, a year on: Politics Weekly America podcast

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      A year ago, American troops withdrew from Afghanistan after a 20-year war. The Taliban quickly returned to power and the country has since experienced famine, economic collapse and a widespread erosion of women’s rights.
      This week, Jonathan Freedland speaks to the former US defense secretary Leon Panetta, who was at the heart of the Obama administration’s Afghanistan policy, about what he thinks of the Afghan withdrawal and what the future holds for Joe Biden and the Democrats

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      Five key takeaways from Biden’s speech on the threat to democracy

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      AnalysisFive key takeaways from Biden’s speech on the threat to democracyMaanvi SinghIn a rare primetime address, Biden pitched the midterms as a battle for the nation’s soul and directly called out Trump A more aggressive tone on Trump and “Maga” RepublicansJoe Biden – who usually makes couched references to “the former guy” and his “predecessor” – explicitly named and called out Donald Trump during his speech. The president warned that Trump and the “Maga (Make America great again)” Republicans “represent an extremism that threatens the very foundation of our republic”.With the stipulation that “not every Republican” is an extremist, he went on to directly address the grip his predecessor still holds over the party, saying: “There’s no question that the Republican party today is dominated, driven and intimidated by Donald Trump.” He even made reference to the commotion surrounding the Justice Department’s discovery that Trump was holding on to classified documents at Mar-a-Lago – something he’s largely avoided discussing. Biden’s directness tonight was a culmination of a new, aggressive approach he’s taken recently in aiming to marginalize and Trump’s agenda.An appeal to America’s better natureBiden planned to evoke a battle for “the soul of the nation”, and throughout his address he aligned himself with the founding ideals of the country – casting Trump and extremist Republicans as an existential threat to the nation.Speaking in front of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall – where the Declaration of Independence and the US constitution were signed – Biden began his speech with the words: “I speak to you tonight from sacred ground.” Backlit in red, white and blue, and welcomed on and off stage by a Marine band playing anthems from the 1800s, it was a night that leaned heavily on patriotism. “America is an idea,” he said at one point, flanked by Marines at parade rest. “The most powerful idea in the history of the world.”“I know your hearts. And I know our history,” he said, addressing the “American people”. “This is a nation that honors our constitution,” he said.02:58A campaign pitch to the American peopleThe speech tonight was billed as an official address, but it also had the feel of a campaign appeal. Biden touted his and Democrats’ policy goals – urging Americans to “vote, vote, vote”.During a rare optimistic segment in what an otherwise dark speech, Biden touted his administration’s progress on healthcare, combatting climate change and addressing the Covid-19 pandemic. “I’ve never been more optimistic about America’s future,” he said. “We’re going to end cancer as we know it. We’re going to create millions of new jobs in the clean energy economy. We’re going to think big, we’re going to make 21st century another American century.”Threat of election deniers looms largeThe president issued stern warnings that the integrity of American elections was vulnerable. Condemning Trump and other Republicans who have denied the legitimacy of the 2020 elections – and have threatened to do so in the midterms – Biden asked Americans to join him in resisting election misinformation and the rollback of voting rights.“We can’t let the integrity of our elections be undermined,” he said. “We can’t allow violence to be normalized in this country,” he added, referencing the January 6 insurrection.A missed opportunity?Biden may have missed a chance to highlight the public’s outrage over the supreme court’s decision to revoke the constitutional right to abortion. The issue energized Democrats ahead of the midterm, and abortion rights advocates have expressed frustration at Biden and other Democrats for not speaking more directly and forcefully about it.Biden did mention that “Maga Republicans” want to take the country “backwards to an America where there is no right to choose. No right to privacy. No right to contraception.” But he lost a chance to directly play the issue up as an urgent example of rights at stake.TopicsJoe BidenUS politicsDemocratsRepublicansBiden administrationnewsReuse this content More

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      Biden’s stern warning on extremism shows the rose-colored glasses are off

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      AnalysisBiden’s stern warning on extremism shows the rose-colored glasses are offDavid Smith in WashingtonThe president’s primetime speech named Trump and ‘Maga Republicans’ as a threat facing American democracy Joe Biden’s journey from idealist to realist continues. But it is not quite complete.After 36 years in the Senate, he stepped into the US presidency in 2021 as an apostle of bipartisanship, convinced that his authoritarian-minded predecessor Donald Trump would fade away and the Republican party would rediscover its bearings.By the start of this year he had come to understand that Trump’s malign influence still runs deep. “We must be absolutely clear about what is true and what is a lie,” Biden said on 6 January, the first anniversary of the attack on the US Capitol, stopping short of using Trump’s name.Biden warns US democracy imperiled by Trump and Maga extremistsRead moreThen, a month ago, a group of historians reportedly gathered in the White House map room for two hours to give the president a dire warning about the threats facing American democracy. They included Jon Meacham, author of The Soul of America.Polls show a country still unravelling. More than two-fifths of Americans believe civil war is at least somewhat likely in the next decade, a share that increases to more than half among self-identified “strong Republicans”, according to research by YouGov and the Economist.Given that context, Biden used a primetime “soul of the nation” speech on Thursday night to deliver the starkest warning of his long career about the danger of Trump – whom he did name this time, – extremist “Maga” (Make America great again) Republicans and political violence.“This is a nation that rejects violence as a political tool,” he said. “We are still, at our core, a democracy. Yet history tells us that blind loyalty to a single leader and the willingness to engage in political violence is fatal in a democracy.”It was pugnacious talk that many progressives, worried that Biden is trapped in a rose-tinted past, have been urging for a long time. It was also sure to enrage Trump and his allies although Biden, who recently called the Maga philosophy “semi-fascism”, did not repeat that f-word.But the speech also, perhaps understandably, tried to err on the side of optimism by drawing a distinction between Maga Republicans and mainstream Republicans. Biden cast the former as a weird rebel sect that opposes the rule of law, seeks to overturn elections and revels in violence. Maga has, he implied, imposed minority rule on a party of otherwise reasonable people.“Donald Trump and the Maga Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic. Now, I want to be very clear up front: not every Republican, not even a majority of Republicans, are Maga Republicans. Not every Republican embraces their extreme ideology. I know, because I’ve been able to work with these mainstream Republicans.”He continued: “But there’s no question that the Republican party today is dominated, driven and intimidated by Donald Trump and the Maga Republicans and that is a threat to this country.”Perhaps. The point is at least debatable after the past seven years. Numerous mainstream Republicans have retired or been purged, most recently congresswoman Liz Cheney. Polls show a majority of Republicans believe the 2020 presidential election was stolen. Trump and Florida governor Ron DeSantis, both extremists, are the two leading contenders for the party nomination in 2024. There is no moderate alternative with any reasonable chance.In what may be a triumph of hope over experience, Biden still wants to believe that Maga is being enforced from the top down. But there is a case to be made that it comes from the bottom up, with millions of grassroots Republicans willing to buy into false conspiracy theories and vote for extremist midterm candidates. As Trump may discover to his cost, the base has taken on a life of its own.If Biden, with elaborate stagecraft at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where the nation’s founding documents were written, was striving to isolate Maga and bring Democrats and democrats together to reject it, he may have more work to do. The right was bound to compare his critique to Hillary Clinton’s infamous 2016 “basket of deplorables” comment anyway.Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News network did not show the full speech and, when it did, questioned why Biden spoke against a dramatically lit “blood red” backdrop. Far-right host Tucker Carlson, the most watched prime time figure on cable news, sneered and deployed chyrons such as: “This is by far Biden’s most shameful moment.”The network’s 9pm bulletin added, “Biden vilifies millions of Americans”, “Biden uses primetime address to fuel more division” and “Clueless Biden spews hate in dark, dismal speech”.Biden has evolved a long way from the man who suggested that he could turn back the clock to a golden age of Democrats and Republicans debating together, dining together and respectfully agreeing to disagree. But in November’s midterm elections, or in 2024’s presidential poll, his harshest lesson may yet be to come.TopicsJoe BidenBiden administrationDemocratsRepublicansUS politicsanalysisReuse this content More

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      Biden speech: ‘Democracy is under assault’ from election deniers and political violence, president warns – as it happened

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      That’s all from us tonight.Joe Biden spoke for just over 20 minutes tonight, offering a rare primetime address that forecasted the midterm elections as a battle for the nation’s soul. In what very much came across as a campaign speech, the president stuck a dark, stern tone – building on a new, more direct approach he’s recently taken in attacking Donald Trump and his allies.Here are some key takeaways:
      Speaking in front of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall – where the Declaration of Independence and the US constitution were signed – back lit in red, white and blue, and played on and off by the Marine band playing anthems from the 1800s – the night really played up patriotism. “America is an idea,” he said at one point, flanked by Marines at parade rest. “The most powerful idea in the history of the world.” Throughout his address, Biden evoked the founding ideals of the country, and aligned himself with them – casting Trump and extremist Republicans as an existential threat to the nation. “I know your hearts. And I know our history,” he said, addressing the “American people”. “This is a nation that honors our constitution,” he said.
      The president issued stern warnings that the integrity of American elections was vulnerable. Condemning Trump and other Republicans who have denied the legitimacy of the 2020 elections – and have threatened to do so in the midterms, Biden asked Americans to join him in resisting election misinformation and the rollback of voting rights. “We can’t let the integrity of our elections be undermined,” he said. “We can’t allow violence to be normalized in this country,” he added, referencing the January 6 insurrection.
      Biden – who usually makes couched references to “the former guy” and his “predecessor” – explicitly named and called out Donald Trump tonight. Trump and the “Maga (Make America great again)” Republicans “represent an extremism that threatens the very foundation of our republic”, Biden said. Hedging that “not every Republican” is an extremist, he added: “There’s no question that the Republican party today is dominated, driven and intimidated by Donald Trump.” The president even made reference to the commotion surrounding the Justice Department’s discovery that Trump was holding on to classified documents – something he’s largely avoided discussing. Biden’s directness tonight was a culmination of a new, aggressive approach he’s taken recently in aiming to marginalize Trump’s agenda.
      Biden also touted his and Democrats’ policy goals, urging Americans to “vote, vote, vote”. The speech tonight was presented as an official address – but it also very much came off as a campaign appeal. During a jarringly optimistic segment in an otherwise dark speech, Biden touted reforming healthcare, combatting climate change and addressing the Covid-19 pandemic. “I’ve never been more optimistic about America’s future,” he said. “We’re going to end cancer as we know it. We’re going to create millions of new jobs in the clean energy economy. We’re going to think big, we’re going to make the 21st century another American century.”
      Biden may have missed an opportunity to highlight outrage over the supreme court’s decision to revoke the constitutional right to abortion. The issue energized Democrats ahead of the midterm, and abortion rights advocates have expressed frustration at Biden and other Democrats for not speaking more directly and forcefully about it. Biden did mention that “Maga Republicans” want to take the country “backwards to an America where there is no right to choose. No right to privacy. No right to contraception.” But he lost a chance to play the issue up as an urgent example of rights at stake.
      The scenes from tonight’s speechOne quick note just for my UK readers …You may have been confused as to why God Save the Queen was playing as Biden walked off the stage. Some of my British colleagues certainly were.What you actually heard was the American patriotic song My Country, Tis of Thee. It was written by Samuel Francis Smith in 1831 – and is sung to the same melody as God Save the Queen.As an American editor said, “Guess we’re united in more ways than one!’One thing that was conspicuously missing from the speech tonight: the issue of abortion.In recent weeks, public backlash against the supreme court’s decision to revoke the constitutional right to abortion has energized Democrats ahead of the midterm. Biden did mention that “Maga Republicans” want to take the country “backwards to an America where there is no right to choose. No right to privacy. No right to contraception.” He also mentioned that the right to marriage equality was under threat.(In concurring opinion in the case that resulted in the right to abortion being overturned, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the rights to same-sex marriage and the right for couples to use contraception should be reconsidered.)But abortion rights advocates have expressed frustration at Biden and other Democrats for not speaking about abortion more directly and forcefully, given that the majority of Americans support the right – and the issue has proved to be energizing in the primaries so far.This sort of prime time address from the president is rare. But it’s unclear what its impact will be.Several major networks did not cary the broadcast. NBC showed Law and Order, CBS aired Young Sheldon, and ABC had Press Your Luck on.And then there was Fox News, which seemed to jump the gun a bit:it … hasn’t happened yet? pic.twitter.com/zCPIQ1X30w— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 2, 2022
      Biden’s speech has concluded.Stay tuned for more analysis and reflections from me and the Guardian politics team.Thee second half of the speech struck an entirely different tone, evoking Democrats’ successes and goals in reforming healthcare, combatting climate change and addressing the Covid-19 pandemic:.css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}I’ve never been more optimistic about America’s future… We’re going to end cancer as we know it. We’re going to create millions of new jobs in the clean energy economy. We’re going to think big we’re going to make 21st century another American Century.Protesters outside Independence Hall were shouting “Let’s go, Brandon,” which Biden was able to brush off.Biden addressed them, saying: “They’re entitled to be outrageous. This is a democracy.”And followed with a quip that such protestors have never suffered from “good manners”.And there it is: “I ran for president because I believe we’re in a battle for the soul of this nation. I still believe that to be true,” Biden said, in a speech that is seeming very much like a campaign speech.“America is defined by the sacred proposition that all are created equal in the image of God, that all are entitled to be treated with decency, dignity and respect that all deserve justice in a shot at lives are a consequence,” he said. “Democracy makes all these things possible.”“No matter what the white supremacists and extremists say,” Biden continued, “I made a bet on you, the American people, and that bet is paying off.”The president also evoked the “darkness” of the Charlottesville white nationalist rally that he has said upset him so much, it compelled him to run for president.Raising his voice, Biden warns that “we can’t let the integrity of our elections be undermined” – adding that doing so leads down a “path to chaos”.“Democracy endures only if we the people respect the guardrails of the Republic,” he says.The tone has so far been stern, and dark. “Throughout our history, Americans often made the greatest progress coming out of some of our darkest moments,” Biden said – transitioning. Invoking his “soul of the nation” theme from his presidential campaign, Biden says that Maga forces “are determined to take this country backwards. Backwards to an America where there is no right to choose. No right to privacy. No right to contraception, no right to marry.”These forces “promote authoritarian leaders and they fan the flames of political violence” are a threat “to our personal rights, to the pursuit of justice, to the rule of law, to the very soul of this country”, he continues.“As I stand here tonight, equality and democracy are under assault,” Biden dives in. “We do ourselves no favor to pretend otherwise. So tonight, I’ve come to this place where it all began to speak as plainly as I can to the nation, about the threats we face, about the power we have in our own hands to meet these threats, and about the incredible future that lies in front of us.”Hedging that “not every Republican” is an extremist, he singles out “Donald Trump and Maga Republicans”.The president has historically avoided calling out Trump by name – often couching references to his “predecessor”. But in recent appearances, he has struck a more aggressive tone, and willingness to more directly attack Trump and Republicans.Trump and his supporters represents an “extremism that threatens the foundations of our Republic”, he said. Biden has begun his address from outside Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were signed.Walking out to the tune of Hail to the Chief, Biden began: “I speak to you tonight from sacred ground in America.”And just in: the January 6 committee is requesting testimony from Newt Gingrich, a Trump ally and former House speaker.In a letter sent today, the committee said it is interested in emails between Gingrich and former Trump senior advisers, including Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, that the committee said provided input on advertisements repeating election lies.“These advertising efforts were not designed to encourage voting for a particular candidate. Instead, these efforts attempted to cast doubt on the outcome of the election after voting had already taken place,” committee chairman Bennie Thompson,wrote.“They encouraged members of the public to contact their state officials and pressure them to challenge and overturn the results of the election. To that end, these advertisements were intentionally aired in the days leading up to December 14, 2020, the day electors from each state met to cast their votes for president and vice-president.”Biden’s speech on threats to democracy comes as investigations into Donald Trump and the January 6 insurrection intensify.Two former Trump White House lawyers – Pat Cipollone and Patrick Philbin, will be testifying this week before a grand just investigating the insurrection. The House January 6 select committee is continuing its digging, interviewing senior Trump officials. Once its investigation concludes, the decision over whether to file criminal charges against Trump will be made by the US Department of Justice.Meanwhile the South Carolina Republican senator Lindsey Graham will also have to testify before the special grand jury in Georgia in a criminal case related to allegations that Trump illegally attempted to overturn the state’s 2020 presidential election results.Moreover, my colleague Sam Levine reported earlier today:.css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}Trump said he would pardon and apologize to those who participated in the deadly attack on the US Capitol on January 6 if he were elected to the White House again.
      “I mean full pardons with an apology to many,” he told Wendy Bell, a conservative radio host on Thursday. “I will be looking very, very strongly about pardons, full pardons.”
      Five people died in connection with the attack and more than 140 law enforcement officers were injured. More than 875 people have been charged with crimes related to January 6, according to an NPR tracker. 370 people have pleaded guilty to crimes so far.
      Trump also said he was offering financial support to some of those involved in the attack. “I am financially supporting people that are incredible and they were in my office actually two days ago, so they’re very much in my mind,” Trump said. “It’s a disgrace what they’ve done to them. What they’ve done to these people is disgraceful.”
      It was not immediately clear what the extent of Trump’s financial assistance was.The former president has indicated he plans to run again in 2024.Biden will be delivering his speech from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – where American democracy was born.Thursday’s primetime speech is the second of three visits by the president in less than a week to battleground Pennsylvania, home to several consequential races this election season.In the US Senate race, Mehmet Oz, the Trump-backed heart surgeon turned celebrity doctor, is squaring off against the state’s lieutenant governor, Democrat John Fetterman, in a contest that could determine which party controls the chamber, evenly divided at present.Meanwhile, Democrats have warned about the risks of Doug Mastriano, the far-right Republican nominee for governor, a leading figure in Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Pennsylvania who helped shuttle people on 6 January to Trump’s Washington DC rally that preceded the attack on the US capitol.In Pennsylvania, the governor appoints the secretary of state, giving the next governor enormous sway over how the 2024 presidential election is conducted in the state. Mastriano faces Democrat Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania’s attorney general.In a speech not far from Biden’s birthplace of Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, the US president lashed out at “Maga Republicans in Congress” over their attacks on the FBI after agents seized boxes of classified documents from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate last month. The remarks were designed to counter Republican attacks on Democrats as “soft on crime”, with Biden casting his opponents’ rhetoric as a threat to law enforcement and the rule of law.“The idea you turn on a television and see senior senators and congressmen saying, ‘If such and such happens there’ll be blood on the street’?” he said in Wilkes-Barre. “Where the hell are we?”Good evening, and welcome to the Guardian’s US politics liveblog, primetime edition.We’ll be bringing you live updates and analysis tonight, as Joe Biden addresses the country. The president is expected to speak about threats to American democracy, and “the power we have in our own hands to meet those threats”, according to excerpts of his speech that the White House has shared with the media.In recent weeks, Biden has unleashed an uncharacteristically energetic, aggressive line of attack against Republicans allied with Donald Trump, and the party’s willingness to erode democratic rights and personal freedoms.As my colleague Lauren Gambino reports, Biden is expected to evoke a battle for the “soul of the nation”, reviving a theme from his presidential campaign, and build on public backlash against the supreme court’s decision to end the constitutional right to abortion.Here’s our main report on the night ahead:Biden to warn ‘extremist’ Republicans loyal to Trump threaten US democracy Read more More

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      in US Politics

      Judge delays ruling on Trump’s request for special master to review evidence seized by FBI – as it happened

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      The Florida hearing in which Donald Trump’s legal team asked for a “special master” to look at the classified evidence the FBI seized from the former president’s home appears to be over.There’s no immediate ruling. We’ll have more details coming up.The hearing here in Florida has wrapped. Judge Cannon is not ruling on Trump’s request for a special master from the bench, she will enter a written order at some point. No indication on timeline.— Katherine Faulders (@KFaulders) September 1, 2022
      Judge Cannon has called a recess after 1 hr 40 minutes. no ruling yet. Focus on special master issue.— Harry Litman (@harrylitman) September 1, 2022
      Another very eventful day in US political news. We are closing this blog now but Guardian US will have a special live blog firing up in just a short while, ready for Joe Biden’s prime-time speech on, so it’s flagged: “The battle for the soul of the nation.”The fresh live blog will begin at 7pm ET for the run-up to the US president’s speech, which is due at 8pm ET, in Philadelphia, and we’ll have a live stream.The regular US politics blog will be back tomorrow morning.Here’s where things stand:
      Donald Trump reportedly said on a radio show today that he’ll pardon some of the rioters who took part in the attack on the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, after being urged by him to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election. Trump is dangling this prospect if he stands and is elected president again. He has also admitted to financially helping some of them.
      The Florida hearing in which Donald Trump’s legal team asked for a “special master” to look at the classified evidence the FBI seized from the former president’s home is over and the judge has not issued a decision on the spot.
      South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham will have to testify before the special grand jury sitting in Georgia in the criminal case hearing evidence related to allegations that Donald Trump illegally attempted to overturn the state’s 2020 presidential election result, in which Trump lost to Biden.
      US federal agents have reportedly raided two New York properties belonging to a Russian oligarch and close ally of the country’s president, Vladimir Putin.
      Kellye SoRelle, general counsel for the extremist right-wing Oath Keepers group, has been indicted and arrested for alleged involvement in the 6 January 2021, Capitol attack.
      New York Democrat Carolyn Maloney, chair of the House committee on oversight and reform stated that at least some of Donald Trump’s key financial papers will be available to a House panel investigating the former president’s “unprecedented conflicts of interest, self-dealing and foreign financial ties”.
      A lawyer for Donald Trump is arguing that there is “no cause for alarm” over the fact that the former president stashed top secret government documents at his club resort and residence Mar-a-Lago after leaving office.
      Meanwhile in other news … Trump promises pardons for January 6 insurrectionistsThe consummate troll Donald Trump – perhaps with half a mind on Joe Biden’s speech tonight warning of the Republican threat to US democracy – has weighed in with the idea that he will pardon January 6 rioters if he is elected president again. He has also admitted to financially helping some of them.The Washington Post reports: “Former president Donald Trump said he would issue full pardons and a government apology to rioters who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, and violently attacked law enforcement to stop the democratic transfer of power.“I mean full pardons with an apology to many,” he told conservative radio host Wendy Bell on Thursday morning. Such a move would be contingent on Trump running and winning the 2024 presidential election.”It adds: “Trump, during his conversation with Bell on Thursday morning, also said he met with some January 6 defendants in his office this week and that he is helping some financially.“I am financially supporting people that are incredible and they were in my office actually two days ago, so they’re very much in my mind,” Trump said. “It’s a disgrace what they’ve done to them. What they’ve done to these people is disgraceful.””“What is the harm?” judge says of special master requestThe judge in the hearing issued no ruling from the bench on whether or not to appoint a special master, instead deferring the decision for a written filing at some future date.But a hint of judge Aileen Cannon’s thinking came during the court session when she asked: “What is the harm?”Per AP: There was no immediate ruling, but the judge had indicated last week that she was inclined to grant the request and asked Thursday, “What is the harm?” in such an appointment.Lawyers for Trump say the appointment of a special master is necessary to ensure an independent inspection of the documents. This kind of review, they say, would allow for “highly personal information” such as diaries or journals to be separated from the investigation and returned to Trump, along with any other documents that may be protected by claims of attorney-client privilege or executive privilege.Trump lawyers claim “overdue library book” defenseTo most of the world the retention of a trove of top secret national security documents at Mar-a-Lago would appear pretty serious. But perhaps not to the Trump legal team, who said during today’s hearing it was a bit like forgetting to return a library book on time.From NBC: While the government characterized the case in grave terms related to national security and classified documents, Trump lawyer Jim Trusty compared it to something more mundane.“We’ve characterized it at times as an overdue-library-book scenario where there’s a dispute – not even a dispute – but ongoing negotiations with [the National Archives] that has suddenly been transformed into a criminal investigation,” he said, sidestepping that the justice department had issued a subpoena for the documents earlier this year.Judge Aileen Cannon also said she would make public a more detailed list of the items the FBI took in the 8 August search, some of which was revealed in the justice department’s legal filing on Tuesday in response to Trump’s “special master” request.A photograph accompanying the filing showed the covers of a number of top secret and classified folders that were seized. Today’s ruling opens the prospect of a far detailed picture emerging of what documents might be among the classified/secret materials.The FBI has already finished a review of the seized materials by agents not involved in the investigation surrounding Trump’s retention of government secrets, and say they identified a number of files that may be privileged and set aside from the evidence cache.It is not yet known when the detailed inventory authorized by Cannon will be available.And Trump’s attorneys are staying tight-lipped, it seems, as they await Judge Cannon’s written ruling:New: Trump lawyer Evan Corcoran declined to answer any questions as he walked out of the courthouse in West Palm Beach, Florida, just now — including one about whether he had retained his own defense counsel.— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) September 1, 2022
      Donald Trump’s lawyer Jim Trusty appears to have suggested during the hearing that it was no big deal that numerous “top secret” and “highly classified” documents found at Trump’s Florida resort were not returned to the National Archives, according to Katherine Faulders of ABC News:During the hearing, Trump lawyer Jim Trusty equated his refusal to return documents to NARA as an “overdue library book,” adding that the ongoing dispute with the National Archives “has been transformed into a criminal investigation.”— Katherine Faulders (@KFaulders) September 1, 2022
      Here’s the Associated Press account of what just went down in the West Palm Beach courthouse:A federal judge said she would issue a written ruling “at some point” after hearing arguments Thursday on whether to appoint an outside legal expert to review government records seized by the FBI last month in a search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida home.Lawyers for Trump claimed the appointment of a “special master” was necessary to ensure an independent inspection of the documents. Such a review, they said, would allow for “highly personal information” such as diaries or journals to be separated from the investigation and returned to Trump, along with any other documents that may be protected by claims of attorney-client privilege or executive privilege.The justice department argued an appointment is unwarranted because investigators have completed their review of potentially privileged records and identified “a limited set of materials that potentially contain attorney-client privileged information”.The government says Trump lacks legal grounds to demand the return of presidential documents because they do not belong to him. The department has also expressed concerns that the appointment could delay the investigation, in part because a special master probably would need to obtain a security clearance to review the records and special authorization from intelligence agencies.District court judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee who has previously indicated she was inclined to agree to the request, said she would issue a written ruling later at an unspecified future time.The Florida hearing in which Donald Trump’s legal team asked for a “special master” to look at the classified evidence the FBI seized from the former president’s home appears to be over.There’s no immediate ruling. We’ll have more details coming up.The hearing here in Florida has wrapped. Judge Cannon is not ruling on Trump’s request for a special master from the bench, she will enter a written order at some point. No indication on timeline.— Katherine Faulders (@KFaulders) September 1, 2022
      Judge Cannon has called a recess after 1 hr 40 minutes. no ruling yet. Focus on special master issue.— Harry Litman (@harrylitman) September 1, 2022
      A snippet of news from the Trump hearing in West Palm Beach. Looks like the Trump legal team reversed itself, and now wants a detailed inventory of what was taken in the FBI raid kept secret.BREAKING: Trump team in court now opposes this more detailed inventory becoming public! Tells you everything, as govt said it was okay unsealing this. Why doesn’t Trump team want this detailed MAL search inventory made public– because it would be inculpatory, not exculpatory. https://t.co/jwNhjCjMhN— Andrew Weissmann 🌻 (@AWeissmann_) September 1, 2022
      Judge Aileen Cannon agrees to the request.Judge decides to keep the more detailed inventory list under seal.— Harry Litman (@harrylitman) September 1, 2022
      The wife of supreme court justice Clarence Thomas contacted at least two Wisconsin state lawmakers, including the chair of the senate elections committee, urging them to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 election win, emails obtained Thursday by The Associated Press show.Virginia ‘“Ginni” Thomas, a conservative activist, also had sent messages to more than two dozen lawmakers in Arizona, the news agency says.In her communications with lawmakers in both states, Thomas urged Republicans to choose their own slate of electors after the election, arguing that results giving Biden a victory in the states were marred by fraud. Despite numerous reviews, lawsuits and recounts, no widespread fraud calling into question the results has been discovered in either state.The House January 6 committee investigating Trump’s efforts to overturn Biden’s win is seeking an interview with Thomas.“We think it’s time that we, at some point, invite her to come talk to the committee,” Bennie Thompson, the Mississippi Democrat who chairs the panel, said in June.Time for a quick look at where we stand:
      Lawyers for the Donald Trump are in court in West Palm Beach, Florida, arguing why a judge should appoint an independent “special master” to review highly classified papers seized in an FBI raid on the former president’s home. The justice department opposes the move. The court has cut off wifi access for the media, so developments are not immediately forthcoming.
      A judge has ruled South Carolina Republican senator Lindsey Graham will have to testify to Georgia grand jury hearing evidence related to allegations that Trump illegally attempted to overturn the state’s 2020 presidential election result and prevent Joe Biden from taking office.
      Federal agents raided two New York properties belonging Viktor Vekselberg, a Russian oligarch and close ally of the country’s president, Vladimir Putin. Vekselberg, billionaire founder of a Russian energy conglomerate, has been under sanctions by the US for four years.
      At least some of Trump’s key financial papers will be available to a House panel investigating the former president. New York Democrat Carolyn Maloney, chair of the House committee on oversight and reform, said subpoenas to Trump’s accounting firm, Mazars USA, yielded “critical” documents, and halted his legal action to protect them.
      A special election for Alaska’s only seat in the US House was won by Democrat Mary Peltola, delivering a blow to the former vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s hopes of a political comeback.
      Kellye SoRelle, general counsel for the extremist Oath Keepers group, has been indicted and arrested for alleged involvement in the January 6 Capitol riot, at which a mob of Trump’s supporters attempted to halt Biden’s certification as president.
      From what little we’re able to glean, progress appears slow in the West Palm Beach courtroom where Donald Trump’s lawyers are arguing for an independent review of evidence seized in the FBI raid on his Florida home.This from Harry Litman of the Los Angeles Times:report from MSNBC reporter who was in courtroom. not much seems to have occurred in 45 minutes. Trump’s attorney, Chris Kise (former Fla SG), stressing it’s unprecedented and we need to lower temperatures, and insinuating he has right to docs as former Pres.— Harry Litman (@harrylitman) September 1, 2022
      Obstacle to swift reporting and transparency at the hearing in federal court in West Palm Beach, Florida.Lawyers for Donald Trump and the Department of Justice have been going head to head today in front of federal judge Aileen Cannon as they fight over whether to appoint a “special master” to review the documents seized by the FBI at the-then president’s home at nearby Mar-a-Lago earlier this month.It’s the latest stage in the dispute that erupted after Trump’s resort and residence was searched on 8 August.The FBI action, conducted in an active criminal investigation about the alleged harboring of secret documents at Trump’s premises, was the first time a former president has been subject to such an indignity in US history.The hearing is being covered by the Guardian and many other members of the media, but here’s a disturbing development in the logistics, reported by Reuters.Bad news friends. Florida court is turning wi-fi off to block the media from reporting the Trump hearing in real-time. This truly sucks and I don’t understand it. We do this in DC District Court all the time. It makes courts accessible to the public. I am beyond annoyed.— Sarah N. Lynch (@SarahNLynch) September 1, 2022
      South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham will have to testify before the special grand jury sitting in Georgia in a criminal case.The panel is hearing evidence related to allegations that Donald Trump illegally attempted to overturn the state’s 2020 presidential election result and prevent Joe Biden from taking power.Former Trump lawyer John Eastman appeared before the panel yesterday, pleading the fifth throughout, and followed hot on the heels of Rudy Giuliani in making an appearance in that case.Now a judge has denied Graham’s efforts to avoid testifying, despite putting some limits on what he can be asked.The prosecutor in the case is Fulton county district attorney Fani Willis in Atlanta.Here’s Norm Eisen, Brookings fellow and former White House chief ethics lawyer in the Obama administration, on Twitter.Breaking: Lindsey Graham loses again on his battle not to testify before DA Willisi’ll have more analysis to follow but Willis is on a winning streak. Like the Rolling Stones said, “if you try sometime, you just might find you get what you need.” pic.twitter.com/EOhIO8cxeJ— Norm Eisen (@NormEisen) September 1, 2022
      This case is about that call when Trump asked Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger to “find” enough votes to overturn Joe Biden’s crucial victory in the state in the 2020 election, and a whole lot more, including many of the then-president’s men.“Graham may be questioned about any alleged efforts to encourage Raffensperger or others to throw out ballots or alter Georgia’s election practices. Likewise, the grand jury may inquire into Graham’s alleged communications and coordination with the Trump Campaign & public stmts.” https://t.co/bZZ7yDaEXh— Norm Eisen (@NormEisen) September 1, 2022
      Lindsey Graham ran against Trump for the GOP nomination in 2016 and dismissed his opponent as, among other things, a jackass, a “kook, and a race-baiting bigot, but later became an adoring and some would say potentially dangerous loyalist. He’s now in legal danger himself. More