WHAT'S BREWING
TRUMP ALREADY BASHING NEXT DEBATE MODERATOR Trump is already attacking NBC’s moderator for Thursday's debate, Kristen Welker, in what appears to be preemptive damage control. It’s a change of tone from January, when Trump congratulated Welker after she was given a slot as a weekend anchor. Trump senior campaign adviser Jason Miller said on Fox News just last week that Welker — whom he characterized as “very fair” — would do an “excellent job” moderating the debate, which is set for Nashville, Tennessee. But on Saturday, Trump ripped her in a tweet. “She’s always been terrible & unfair, just like most of the Fake News,” he wrote. [HuffPost]
TRUMP GOT PLAYED BY THE MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX Trump has used his job as commander-in-chief to be America’s arms-dealer-in-chief in a way no other president has since Dwight Eisenhower, as he prepared to leave the presidency, warned in early 1961 of the military-industrial complex’s political influence. Trump’s posture makes sense ― he often fantasizes about violence, usually toward foreigners ― and he and his advisers see it as politically useful. Trump is “on steroids in terms of promoting arms sales for his own political benefit,” said William Hartung, a scholar at the Center for International Policy. [HuffPost]
TWITTER REMOVES FALSE MASK TWEET BY TRUMP ADVISER Twitter removed a tweet by White House coronavirus task force member Scott Atlas that said masks don’t work to stop the spread of COVID-19. “Masks work? NO,” Atlas, a radiologist with no background in infectious diseases or public health, tweeted Saturday. The post cited the World Health Organization as having said that the “widespread use” of masks is not supported — an interpretation that experts have disputed. The CDC advises that masks be worn in all public settings. [HuffPost]
WARNING: TRUMP 'HELPING TO CROWDSOURCE DOMESTIC TERRORISM' Miles Taylor, the chief of staff of the Department of Homeland Security until 2019, has accused Trump of “helping to crowdsource domestic terrorism” with his refusal to denounce the conspiracy theory QAnon. Taylor said the president ― who declined to condemn QAnon during his NBC town hall Thursday ― was well aware of how easy it was “for this rhetoric to jump the tracks to violence” because DHS had repeatedly conveyed the danger to the White House during Taylor’s two-and-a-half years in the Trump administration. [HuffPost]
TRUMP AND BIDEN ON THE OFFENSIVE Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden went on offense Sunday, with each campaigning in states they are trying to flip during the Nov. 3 election that is just over two weeks away. Trump began his day in Nevada, making a rare visit to church before a fundraiser and an evening rally in Carson City. Once considered a battleground, Nevada hasn’t swung for a Republican presidential contender since 2004. Biden, a practicing Catholic, attended Mass in Delaware before campaigning in North Carolina, where a Democrat hasn’t won in the White House race since Barack Obama in 2008. [AP]
RON REAGAN SLAMS 'GRIFTER' TRUMPS Former President Ronald Reagan’s youngest son believes Trump’s family is using his presidency as a “grift” and that his late father would be “horrified” by the state of the Republican Party today. In an interview with CNN’s Ana Cabrera Sunday, Ron Reagan was asked about the way Trump’s children have been involved in his administration and reelection campaign. “They’re certainly entitled to campaign for their dad,” Reagan said. “When you cross the line is ― I hate to say it here, I don’t mean to be blunt, but we’ve got a bunch of grifters in the White House. They’re treating this as a grift.” [HuffPost]
UBER, LYFT SPEND MILLIONS TO FIGHT LABOR PROTECTION In the last year, companies like Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Postmates and Instacart have spent more than $185 million trying to convince California voters to pass Prop 22, a statewide ballot initiative that would exempt them from a state law requiring the gig economy companies to hire most of their independent contractors as employees. It's now the most expensive ballot initiative in the state’s history. For the companies funding the campaign, it’s a desperate measure to ward off regulation that could set an example for other states to follow. The money has been used to flood California with misleading information, framing Prop 22 as a pro-worker effort. [HuffPost] |
