POLITICO NIGHTLY: What we ask when we ask about Trump

 

BY ELANA SCHOR Former President Donald Trump throws a cap into the audience during his arrival at the ‘Save America’ rally in Conroe, Texas. | Brandon Bell/Getty Images LIGHTS, CAMERA, REACTION — A subgenre of congressional journalism flourished during President Donald Trump’s four years in office, one that I’ll call “the Republican react piece.” The formula was simple: Reporters would confront GOP lawmakers with the most ill-advised or objectionable statements from their party’s president, which forced them to align with the statement or disavow themselves from their party’s leader. A few greatest hits from this subgenre: Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) agreeing that Trump’s 2019 tweets about House Democratic women of color were racist; Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) offering that “I can’t control that … I don’t think it’s helpful” after Trump blasted the special counsel investigating Russia’s ties to his 2016 campaign; and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) replying, “Oh no, ugh,” when asked about Trump’s tweets attacking a 75-year-old demonstrator who was shoved by police. Trump lost the White House and has been deprived of his favorite social media platform. But he remains the de facto head of the Republican Party and the favorite for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024. And he hasn’t stopped airing sentiments that smack of distaste for the democratic process that denied him a second term, like his suggestion during a Texas campaign rally this weekend that he would offer pardons to those prosecuted for besieging the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. So it’s time to get back to regularly asking Republicans in Congress what they think of the president’s statements. It’s time to bring back the Republican react piece in all of its glory. (And speaking as our Congress editor, you can bet that POLITICO’s reporters will do so.) These stories aren’t mere diversions; they’re important. They’re not conceived to focus conservative ire on centrists like Collins and Murkowski who more readily criticize Trump, nor are they gotcha devices geared to yoke most Republicans to a former president whose approval ratings were nosediving by the time he left office. Asking what GOP officeholders think of Trump’s individual statements helps suss out, on an almost granular level, how deep his hold on the party remains. And it’s also likely to further illuminate a significant divide among Republicans in Congress: the House-Senate split. Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell’s conferences have shown signs of divergence from each other all year long, from the infrastructure bill to a debt-limit deal. The House minority leader has kept Trump close, while the Senate minority leader (and his members) has shrugged off the former president’s active campaign to dislodge him. The more Republican react pieces we see as Trump resumes his public rallies, and the more the members of the House and Senate GOP are asked to contextualize Trump’s enduring fury toward the Jan. 6 select committee and other politically resonant topics he takes up, the more we’re likely to see a split between the two chambers’ leading Republicans. As both McCarthy and McConnell push to take back control of their respective chambers this fall, their treatment of each other and of Trump becomes ever more important. Their differences matter for more than just legislation — efforts at accountability for the insurrection that led to Trump’s second impeachment also may hang in the balance. McCarthy has rejected the Jan. 6 panel’s request for an interview about his conversations with Trump, decrying its “abuse of power,” while McConnell has dryly observed that “it will be interesting to reveal all the participants who were involved” in the insurrection as the committee continues its work. We may already be headed toward a resurgence of the Republican react story. Sen. Susan Collins was pressed Sunday during an appearance on ABC’s “This Week” about Trump’s dangling of pardons for the Capitol rioters. In response, the centrist Mainer said she was “very unlikely” to support Trump in 2024, though she also didn’t totally rule it out. The Collins interview occurred before Trump released a statement claiming that former Vice President Mike Pence “did have the right to change the outcome” of the 2020 election. It’s reasonable to expect that she and her colleagues will be asked about that assertion this week. Their responses will be deeply newsworthy as she and more than a dozen other senators hash out a deal to update the Electoral Count Act, the 135-year-old law that governs the congressional certification of Electoral College votes for president. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), asked tonight about Trump’s latest statements on overturning the election (see, it’s happening…), “chided reporters for focusing on ‘low priority’ news,” according to HuffPost’s Igor Bobic. Keep asking them anyway, reporters. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. The viral game Wordle has been acquired by The New York Times for “ an undisclosed price in the low-seven figures,” which is what we would be willing to pay some mornings for a hint when we’re on our sixth and final guess. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com. Or contact tonight’s author at eschor@politico.com, or on Twitter at @eschor. WHAT'D I MISS? — FDA gives full approval to Moderna’s Covid-19 shot: The Food and Drug Administration has approved Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine, the company announced, making it the second to be fully licensed for use in the United States. The approval for people 18 and older will make it easier for schools and workplaces to require vaccination against the virus, now that there are two approved products to choose from, including Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid shot. It will also allow Moderna to market its vaccine directly to consumers. In other vaccine news, Novavax has asked the FDA to authorize its Covid-19 shot for emergency use, opening the door for it to become the fourth vaccine available for adults living in the U.S. An audience reacts to the speaker at a rally against Covid-19 vaccine mandates in Ottawa, Canada. | Alex Kent/Getty Images — Trudeau on trucker protest: ‘We are not intimidated’: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is refusing to bend to demands of a raucous trucker protest that has swarmed Canada’s capital in an effort to force authorities to abandon Covid restrictions and vaccine mandates. The movement has drawn thousands of people — and dozens of honking big rigs — to Ottawa’s famously placid core around Parliament Hill. The demonstrations have been nonviolent, but smaller, more menacing elements in the crowds have threatened lawmakers and journalists and to destabilize Trudeau’s government. — Trudeau tests positive for Covid-19: Trudeau said in a tweet that he tested positive this morning. “I’m feeling fine — and I’ll continue to work remotely this week while following public health guidelines,” the Canadian leader wrote. “Everyone, please get vaccinated and get boosted.” The prime minister’s positive test comes the same day as the House of Commons is reconvening for the first time since before December. — Crypto advocates score win as Himes revises ransomware safeguard: Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) is proposing that the House narrow a financial crimes provision he drafted in Democrats’ China competitiveness bill, after cryptocurrency advocates warned the proposal threatened the industry and its users. The section at issue would expand the Treasury Department’s authority to monitor and freeze accounts at financial institutions — a policy intended to address the use of digital assets in ransomware attacks, money laundering and other illegal activity. It would give Treasury more latitude to identify any “transmittals of funds” as money laundering concerns. — Biden to designate Qatar a ‘major non-NATO ally’: Biden today said that he intended to designate Qatar as a “major non-NATO ally,” during a meeting with the country’s head of state, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, at the White House. Bahrain and Kuwait are the only other non-NATO allies in the Gulf. — Navy Secretary Del Toro tests positive for Covid: Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro has tested positive for coronavirus, according to a statement released today. Del Toro returned from official travel on Friday afternoon, the statement said, and had received negative tests on Jan. 21 and the morning of Jan. 28. He was in Pascagoula, Miss., last week, where he toured Ingalls Shipbuilding. Mississippi Republican Rep. Steven Palazzo and Sens. Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith also took part in the shipyard tour. AROUND THE WORLD Members of the United Nations Security Council meet to discuss the situation between Russia and Ukraine in New York. | Spencer Platt/Getty Images TUSSLE AT TURTLE BAY — In a public showdown today at the United Nations Security Council, the U.S. accused Russia of undermining international peace and security by massing troops on the Ukrainian border, David M. Herszenhorn writes. But Russia slapped back, arguing Washington was fear-mongering and forcing an unnecessary debate — allegations China later echoed. The heated, at times angry, rhetoric at U.N. headquarters in New York came as some 100,000 Russian troops are positioned along Ukraine’s eastern border with Russia as well as its northern border with Belarus. The U.S. called the Security Council meeting to confront Russia over fears that an invasion is imminent. “Russia’s actions strike at the very heart of the U.N. Charter,” said U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield. “This is as clear and consequential a threat to peace and security as anyone can imagine.” She added: “Russia’s aggression today not only threatens Ukraine. It also threatens Europe. It threatens the international order.” Russia objected to the open meeting from the outset, immediately demanding a procedural vote seeking to prevent it, which failed. NIGHTLY NUMBER 70 percent The proportion of Americans who agreed with the statement “It’s time we accept that Covid is here to stay and we just need to get on with our lives” in the latest Monmouth University poll. PARTING WORDS The logo for Super Bowl LVI is seen outside the stadium before the NFC Championship Game between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers. | Meg Oliphant/Getty Images A NON-OVERTIME-RULES NFL GAME SCANDAL — California Gov. Gavin Newsom defended himself amid outrage over a maskless photo he took Sunday with basketball legend Magic Johnson at an NFL playoff game in Los Angeles where all spectators were required to wear masks, Susannah Luthi writes. “I was trying to be gracious,” the governor told reporters at a news conference on state mental health initiatives. “I took the mask off for a brief second. But I encourage people to continue to wear them.” Celebrities and elite politicians gathered Sunday at SoFi stadium in Southern California to watch the Los Angeles Rams defeat the San Francisco 49ers in the final playoff game before the Super Bowl. Newsom wasn’t the only high-profile California politician facing backlash from the photo. Johnson posed with a maskless San Francisco Mayor London Breed and outgoing Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti — and tagged Breed, Newsom and Garcetti in his Instagram posts. But Newsom is seeing special outcry because he has presided over some of the nation’s strictest mask mandates. Last year’s failed recall effort against the governor gained steam after photos circulated showing him dining unmasked with lobbyists at an exclusive restaurant during a late 2020 surge, as he asked Californians to avoid gatherings.   Follow us on Twitter Chris Suellentrop @suellentrop Tyler Weyant @tweyant Renuka Rayasam @renurayasam Myah Ward @myahward   FOLLOW US

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RSN: Stephen Eric Bronner and Eric Gozlan | Israel and Qatar: The Ongoing Dialogue

 

 

09 September 21

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RSN: Stephen Eric Bronner and Eric Gozlan | Israel and Qatar: The Ongoing Dialogue
Stephen Eric Bronner and Eric Gozlan, Reader Supported News
Excerpt: "Qatar has become a key player in the Afghan crisis regarding negotiations between Washington and the Taliban, and for its help in evacuation efforts."

Qatar has become a key player in the Afghan crisis regarding negotiations between Washington and the Taliban, and for its help in evacuation efforts. However, Qatar plays a complicated game: it welcomes Islamist movements and simultaneously hosts the largest American military base outside the United States.

This has been going on for many years. Sheikh Hamad explained his country’s policy in an interview with the Financial Times on October 24, 2010: “Our policy is to be friends with everyone. We seek peace. This does not mean that if two camps want to fight each other, we have to take sides with one of them, no we like to be in liaison with both parties.”

On the occasion of the first anniversary of the Abraham Accords, we at ICDD decided to focus on the relationship between Qatar and Israel; we also believe that Qatar will soon become party to that agreement. Relations between Qatar and Israel have existed – off and on – for nearly 30 years. What follows is a brief history of those ties.

1993: Meetings between Shimon Peres and the Qatari Ambassador to the United Nations took place while the Oslo agreements were being signed.

1993: Qatari Foreign Minister Hamad Bin Jasmen (discreetly) worked to better ties between Doha and Israel via the directors of Enron (an American company close to the pro-Israeli lobby). This company had a project for a pipeline that would link Doha to Haifa where a degasification terminal would be built to export raw materials to Europe. Following the bankruptcy of Enron, the project was terminated.

1995: The Crown Prince of Qatar, Sheikh Jassem Ben Hamad al-Thani, attended the funeral of Yitzhak Rabin

1996: Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres visited Qatar to inaugurate a new Office of Commerce in Doha. Of interest is that airport protocol was respected: flags of both countries flew and both national anthems were played. The office was opened following negotiations that were led by diplomats who worked for the Oslo agreements, Uri Savir and Sammy Ravel, who directed the Israeli office in Qatar.

1996: With the election of Benyamin Netanyahu, relations between the two countries grew colder.

2000: Second intifada: Relations between Israel and Qatar hardened, but Qatar did not close its embassies as did Morocco, Tunisia and Oman.

2002: Qatar headed the “Arab Peace Initiative” committee. During the Beirut summit, the Arab countries in attendance proposed that Israel withdraw from the occupied territories in exchange for normalization of relations and recognition of the Jewish state.

2006: Opening of the “Doha Stadium,” located in the city of Sakhnin, Galilee (Israel), which was largely built with public funds from Israel and the Qatar National Olympic Committee and was named after the Qatari city of Doha. Qatar’s participation was intended to show that relations between the two nations were peaceful and that they have certain shared interests.

January 2008: Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak meets with former Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Thani on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.

February 2008: Israeli tennis player Shahar Peer participated in the Qatar Open.

April 2008: Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was invited to the Doha Forum. During her stay, she met the Emir, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Oil and Gas of Qatar. Minister Livni had already met the Qatari Emir during a United Nations conference in New York the same year.

December 2008-January 2009: The Israeli offensive in Gaza (December 2008-January 2009) leads to the freezing of relations.

2013: According to the Israeli television channel Arutz sheva, Qatar helped an Israeli operation to bring a group of Yemeni Jews to Israel. According to the source, 60 Jews fleeing Yemen were allowed by Doha to fly to Israel.

2014: Israeli swimmers participated in the 2014 World Swimming Championships in Doha.

June 2015: The Qatari Government facilitated talks between Israel and Hamas in Doha to discuss a possible five-year ceasefire between the two sides.

April 2016: Israeli beach volleyball duo, Sean Faiga and Ariel Hilman, competed in the Qatar Open in Doha.

October 2018: Israeli gymnasts participated in the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Doha.

November 2018: Israeli equestrian Danielle Goldstein participated in Global Champions Tour 2 in Doha.

September 2019: Qatar hosted the World Athletics Championships. Israeli athletes participated and Israeli flags were flown along the course.

February 2020: Dr. Vered Windman of Israel participated in the ISPAN (International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect) congress in Doha.

September 2020: In its September 2, 2020 edition, the Times of Israel media revealed that Qatar and an Israeli gas company would discuss a gas pipeline to Gaza. The article also reported that Qatari envoy Al-Emadi arrived in Israel as tensions between Israel and Hamas were rising, with a mission to mediate between the two sides.

2020: The Israeli press revealed that Mossad chief Yossi Cohen and the senior Israeli army officer in charge of Gaza, Herzi Halevi went to Qatar to discuss the situation upon order of Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu.

March 11, 2021: The newspaper Le Monde published an article indicating that joint maneuvers had taken place between the American, Saudi, Qatari and Israeli air forces. “Two American strategic bombers, B-52Hs, were on show. But it was the accompaniment of Israeli F-15 fighters, and those of the Saudis and Qatari that attracted attention. The Pentagon called it a ‘multinational patrol,’ American-Israeli-Arab.”

June 2021: Israeli Artem Dolgopyat won a gold medal in the series of the World Cup of Artistic Gymnastics, held in Doha.

August 2021: In preparation for the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, Qatar Airways set up a booking center where it was possible to note Israel as a place of residence.

August 20, 2021: Agreement between Qatar and the UN for Qatari funds to enter Gaza. Monthly grants of $100 for 100,000 will be distributed to poor families in Gaza through a UN-backed mechanism. Defense Minister Benny Gantz welcomes the agreement.

August 21, 2121: Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz thanks the Qatari authorities in a tweet but deletes it a few hours later.

Good relations between Qatar and Israel can prove of major importance for the region. As we have seen, the dialogue between these two states has been ongoing.

As co-directors of the International Council for Diplomacy and Dialogue, we were invited to the 2019 Doha Forum. Many Western personalities were present, and we were both pleasantly surprised when we read in the hotel’s directory book that it was possible to call Israel directly.

There is surely more to come.

---

Stephen Eric Bronner and Eric Gozlan are Co-Directors of the International Council for Diplomacy and Dialogue.

Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News.

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CC News Letter 02 Sept - Now That Afghan War Is Over, Close Gitmo—Now

 

Dear Friend,

The prison facility located on the U.S. military base at Guantánamo Bay (Gitmo) is a glaring reminder of the war’s human rights failures and damage to the rule of law. Then-President Bush created the prison in January 2002 to house exclusively Muslim men captured in the “War on Terror.” As with the Afghan war, Biden must ensure that the prison never sees its 20th anniversary.

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If you think the contents of this news letter are critical for the dignified living and survival of humanity and other species on earth, please forward it to your friends and spread the word. It's time for humanity to come together as one family! You can subscribe to our news letter here http://www.countercurrents.org/news-letter/.

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Countercurrents.org

Now That Afghan War Is Over, Close Gitmo—Now

by Farrah Hassen

https://countercurrents.org/2021/09/now-that-afghan-war-is-over-close-gitmo-now/

The prison facility located on the U.S. military base at Guantánamo Bay (Gitmo) is a glaring reminder of the war’s human rights failures and damage to the rule of law. Then-President Bush created the prison in January 2002 to house exclusively Muslim men captured in the “War on Terror.” As with the Afghan war, Biden must ensure that the prison never sees its 20th anniversary.

Near-total abortion ban goes into effect in Texas

by Trévon Austin

https://countercurrents.org/2021/09/near-total-abortion-ban-goes-into-effect-in-texas/

Legislation banning abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy took effect in Texas at midnight after the US Supreme Court did not act on an emergency appeal by Texas abortion providers Tuesday.

Who Wins Germany’s Election?

by Thomas Klikauer and Meg Young

https://countercurrents.org/2021/09/who-wins-germanys-election/

It has often been said that

predictions are hard to make – particularly when they concern the future. We have seen it many times in recent years and this may just as well apply to the upcoming federal election in Germany scheduled for 26th September 2021.

Rise and rise of Qatar in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan

by M K Bhadrakumar 

https://countercurrents.org/2021/09/rise-and-rise-of-qatar-in-taliban-ruled-afghanistan/

When the US State Department announced that it would host a virtual ministerial meeting on August  30 with “key partners on Afghanistan,” there was an element of surprise in the list of participants. Apart from the US’ NATO and EU allies, there was a solitary non-western partner country — Qatar.  What qualified this peninsular Arab country to be invited to join such a privileged circle of America’s Western allies is yet to sink in

On Propaganda and Failed Narratives: New Understanding of Afghanistan is a Must

by Dr Ramzy Baroud

https://countercurrents.org/2021/09/on-propaganda-and-failed-narratives-new-understanding-of-afghanistan-is-a-must/

For twenty years, two dominant narratives have shaped our view of the illegal US invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, and neither one of these narratives would readily accept the use of such terms as ‘illegal’, ‘invasion’ and ‘occupation.’

Jewish Chronicle’s libel payouts were a small price to pay for smearing Corbyn and the left

by Jonathan Cook

https://countercurrents.org/2021/09/jewish-chronicles-libel-payouts-were-a-small-price-to-pay-for-smearing-corbyn-and-the-left/

Over the past three years, the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), the misnamed and feeble “press regulator” created by the billionaire-owned corporate media, has found the paper to have breached its code of practice on at least 28 occasions. The weekly has also lost, or been forced to settle, at least four libel cases over the same period.

Enough for Everyone

by Stan Cox

https://countercurrents.org/2021/09/enough-for-everyone/

Given the current climate emergency and the broader ecological breakdown that looms, there are few issues more pressing than that expressed by the single word: enough. Yet, it is possible to satisfy humanity’s universal needs fairly—and keep the world livable.

Covid leaves copper utensil artisans of Songir jobless

by Shirish Khare

https://countercurrents.org/2021/09/covid-leaves-copper-utensil-artisans-of-songir-jobless/

In Songir, a small town near Dhule in Maharashtra making these embroidered utensils is a fine art, making its products much sought after throughout India. The Covid pandemic has however hit this small, artisanal business hard, with rising raw material costs, disruption of delivery services and falling sales. For the last year and a half work here has been badly affected forcing businesses to close and many workers in the industry seek jobs elsewhere.

Banks’ legal battle for RTI

exemption

by Dr Madabhushi Sridhar

https://countercurrents.org/2021/09/banks-legal-battle-for-rti-exemption/

On August 18, the Supreme Court rejected another attempt of the banks to wriggle out of accountability and responsibility under Right to Information Act. Surprisingly the Central Government joins these petitioners. Whom are they facilitating- the scamsters, big loan defaulters etc? Then why dacoits and way side robbers should be jailed?

Jalianwala Bag: Heritage re-made

by Hiren Gohain

https://countercurrents.org/2021/09/jalianwala-bag-heritage-re-made/

I had expected that the entire community of historians, legions of freedom-fighters, and lovers of culture and heritage will erupt into a resounding protest against this sacrilege. But so far only a few political leaders and some respected historians have recorded their sense of loss and outrage. Some people could also have approached the courts to stop this vandalism and restore historical monuments to their dignity. Has

the nation already developed amnesia induced by the drug of constant and widespread divisive, venomous propaganda?

What Made Kerala’s Women Achievers of the Last Century?

by Kandathil Sebastian

https://countercurrents.org/2021/09/what-made-keralas-women-achievers-of-the-last-century/

Kerala has given birth to many women achievers in the last century. This is a quick analysis based on case studies of three women achievers, from the areas of science, politics, and law. Though these three achievers are selected purposively and there could be some possibility of a selection bias, this analysis offers some key insights.

Tribute to Com. Ramnath

by Harsh Thakor

https://countercurrents.org/2021/09/tribute-to-com-ramnath/

Com. Ramnath left us a few days ago at the age of 83. He suffered a heart attack and passed away in his sleep early in the morning of August 31st. He was unwell for the last several years but his health had deteriorated severely recently.