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    Trump signs memo to defund 'lawless' cities but experts raise legality doubts

    Donald Trump signed a memo on Wednesday that threatened to cut funding to Democratic-led cities that the administration has characterized as “lawless” and “anarchist jurisdictions”, using his office to launch an extraordinary – if legally ineffective – attack on his political opponents ahead of the November election.“My administration will not allow federal tax dollars to fund cities that allow themselves to deteriorate into lawless zones,” the memorandum reads. “It is imperative that the federal government review the use of federal funds by jurisdictions that permit anarchy, violence, and destruction in America’s cities.”The document compels William Barr, the attorney general, to develop a list of jurisdictions that “permitted violence and the destruction of property to persist and have refused to undertake reasonable measures to counteract these criminal activities” within the next fortnight. It also instructs Russell Vought, the White House budget director, to issue guidance in the next month on how federal agencies can restrict or disfavor “anarchist jurisdictions” in providing federal grants.Today @POTUS made clear that we will not continue to funnel taxpayer money to lawless cities that fail to restore law and order in their communities. We will explore all options. https://t.co/BDScgIG2uK— Russ Vought (@RussVought45) September 3, 2020
    The president has often suggested that his political opponents, including Joe Biden, want to defund the police departments, despite the fact that most Democrats, including Biden, have said they do not endorse that approach to police reform. Pushing hardline “law and order” rhetoric, Trump has also pushed baseless conspiracy theories about leftwing violence amid protests against police brutality and systemic racism while refusing to condemn rightwing and white supremacist vigilantism.The memorandum that the White House shared on Wednesday night, which specifically names Portland, New York City, Seattle and Washington DC as examples of jurisdictions might lose federal funding, is unlikely to result in any of those cities losing significant funding, according to legal experts. Congress determines how funding is distributed, and agencies cannot “willy nilly restrict funding”, said Sam Berger, a former senior policy advisor at the Office of Management and Budget during the Obama administration.The five-page memorandum “reads like a campaign press release”, Berger told the Guardian. “The first two pages are a bizarre diatribe – that’s not what a government document looks like.”Even if federal agencies are able to find justification to reduce funding to certain cities, perhaps via grants linked to law enforcement, any funding restrictions are unlikely to hold up to legal challenges, he added.“The president obviously has no power to pick and choose which cities to cut off from congressionally appropriated funding,” said Laurence Tribe, a constitutional law scholar at Harvard, and recently the co-author of To End a Presidency: The Power of Impeachment. Trump “has no defunding spigot. The power of the purse belongs to Congress, not the Executive. Donald Trump must have slept through high school civics,” Tribe said in an email.New York governor Andrew Cuomo said the memo was “an illegal stunt”, noting that Trump “is not a king. He cannot ‘defund’ NYC.”This latest move from the president follows through on his growing disdain for American cities run by Democrats. During his speech at the Republican National Convention last week, Trump railed against “rioters and criminals spreading mayhem in Democrat-run cities” and spoke of “left-wing anarchy and mayhem in Minneapolis, Chicago, and other cities”. More

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    Revealed: super-rich donate to Cuomo as he rejects tax hikes for billionaires

    Investigation shows governor’s political machine has received money from more than a third of New York’s billionaire familiesJoin us for a live digital event with former attorney general Eric Holder to discuss voter suppression in 2020, Thursday at 5pm ET. Register nowGovernor Andrew Cuomo of New York has stood firm against intensifying pressure to avert massive budget cuts by raising taxes on the many billionaires who live in his state. Related: ‘Egregious’ distancing violations at Chainsmokers charity concert – Cuomo Continue reading… More

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    Trump coronavirus vaccine goal 'amazingly ambitious', Senate Republican says

    Vaccine success would underpin reopening of economy White House does not want immediate stimulus bill Coronavirus – live US updates Coronavirus – latest global updates Lamar Alexander gives his closing remarks at a committee hearing on new coronavirus tests. Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock White House predictions about how the US economy might rebound from the coronavirus crisis […] More

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    Under Trump, American exceptionalism means poverty, misery and death | Robert Reich

    Under Trump, American exceptionalism means poverty, misery and death Robert Reich No other advanced nation denies healthcare and work protections, or loosens lockdown while fatalities mount Donald Trump listens during a meeting with Republican members of Congress on Friday. Photograph: Tom Brenner/Reuters No other nation has endured as much death from Covid-19 nor nearly as […] More

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    Arguing with Zombies review: Paul Krugman trumps the Republicans

    The New York Times columnist Paul Krugman has four essential rules for successful punditry: Those maxims have consistently made Krugman the most intelligent and the most useful New York Times pundit, at least since Frank Rich wrote his final must-read column 11 years ago. A new collection of Krugman’s pieces, therefore, is a timely reminder […] More

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    America's billionaires are giving to charity – but much of it is self-serving rubbish | Robert Reich

    America’s billionaires are giving to charity – but much of it is self-serving rubbish Robert Reich Well-publicized philanthropy shows how afraid the super-rich are of a larger social safety net – and higher taxes Jeff Bezos’s $100m donation, for example, amounts to about 11 days of his income. Photograph: Katherine Taylor/Reuters As millions of jobless Americans […] More

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    To Donald Trump, coronavirus is just one more chance for a power grab | Robert Reich

    To Donald Trump, coronavirus is just one more chance for a power grab Robert Reich Chaos in response to Covid-19 is no surprise. Nor is the unscrupulous operators’ pursuit of profit and political advantage Coronavirus – latest US updates Coronavirus – latest global updates See all our coronavirus coverage Donald Trump speaks at the White […] More