Donald Trump has signed an executive order on Thursday targeting social media companies following his threats to “strongly regulate” or “close down” platforms after Twitter fact-checked a pair of his tweets making false statements about the extent of voter fraud in the US.
The president was incandescent with fury on Wednesday after Twitter moved to cast doubt on his spurious claims by directing readers to a topic page where they could “get the facts” on the issue, wildly accusing the company of “stifling FREE SPEECH” in a tweet whose very existence undermined his argument, despite social media platforms making similar efforts to combat campaign misinformation ahead of US elections.
His pursuit of a personal grievance came as the US hit the grim milestone of 100,000 coronavirus deaths, a moment unacknowledged by the president — until the following day — and which saw Democratic challenger Joe Biden commiserate with Americans, saying that “this nation grieves with you.”
By contrast, the president’s son Eric Trump pronounced it a “GREAT DAY for the DOW”.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany meanwhile refused to say whether the president should ever be fact-checked, instead saying that the president's "intent is always to give truthful information to the American people", despite countless false claims and other misleading statements made on- and offline.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the president's order is merely a "a distraction" to obscure the fact that the "administration has been a failure in terms of testing, treating and isolating people" from coronavirus, she said.
"Anything he does is a distraction from the problem at hand," she continued. "People are dying. Rome is burning and all people wanna talk about is what he said next about this. That's a success for him. I will not go there."
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Trump to sign executive order pursuing social media giants
Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order on Thursday targeting social media companies following his threats to “strongly regulate” or “close down” platforms after Twitter fact-checked a pair of his tweets making false statements about the extent of voter fraud in the US.
The president was incandescent with fury on Wednesday after Twitter moved to cast doubt on his spurious claims by directing readers to a topic page where they could “get the facts” on the issue, wildly accusing the company of “stifling FREE SPEECH” in a tweet whose very existence undermined his argument.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters yesterday that the order in question is "pertaining to social media" but declined to give details.
Here’s the president’s latest rant at Big Tech...
...and here are the corrected tweets he took such umbrage at.
Alex Woodward has more on the order he’ll be scrawling his signature across in anger today, big marker pen clasped in hot little fist.
Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order on Thursday targeting social media companies following his threats to “strongly regulate” or “close down” platforms after Twitter fact-checked a pair of his tweets making false statements about the extent of voter fraud in the US.
The president was incandescent with fury on Wednesday after Twitter moved to cast doubt on his spurious claims by directing readers to a topic page where they could “get the facts” on the issue, wildly accusing the company of “stifling FREE SPEECH” in a tweet whose very existence undermined his argument.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters yesterday that the order in question is "pertaining to social media" but declined to give details.
Here’s the president’s latest rant at Big Tech...
...and here are the corrected tweets he took such umbrage at.
Alex Woodward has more on the order he’ll be scrawling his signature across in anger today, big marker pen clasped in hot little fist.
President fails to acknowledge 100,000 coronavirus dead as Biden mourns
Trump’s pursuit of a personal grievance against Twitter came as the US hit the grim milestone of 100,000 coronavirus deaths, a moment unacknowledged by the president but which saw Democratic challenger Joe Biden commiserate with citizens and remark: “This nation grieves with you.”
"To all of you hurting so badly, I'm so sorry for your loss," Biden said in a video released while the president was in Cape Canaveral, Florida, to watch a SpaceX rocket launch that never happened.
In the video, the presumptive presidential nominee directly addressed those who have lost relatives and friends. Evoking the personal tragedies he's faced in his own life, Biden said, "I think I know what you're feeling."
"You feel like you're being sucked into a black hole in the middle of your chest," said the former veep, who lost his first wife and young daughter in a 1972 car crash and his adult son Beau to cancer in 2015. "It's suffocating."
"I can promise you from personal experience," he continued, "The day will come when the memory of your loved one will bring a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eyes."
"I can promise you from personal experience," he continued, "The day will come when the memory of your loved one will bring a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eyes."
While Trump said nothing personally about the tragedy he is presiding over, the White House did issue a statement on his behalf, saying: "President Trump's prayers for comfort and strength are with all of those grieving the loss of a loved one or friend as a result of this unprecedented plague, and his message to this great nation remains one of resilience, hope and optimism."
He did find time to retweet a call to prayer on behalf of his unwell media ally Rush Limbaugh. The right-wing talk radio heavyweight was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Trump at the State of the Union in February and was a leading voice in downplaying the coronavirus early on, insisting it was no worse than the “common cold” and was being “weaponised” by the president’s political enemies to bring him down.
Here’s Alex Woodward on how the US came to this sorry pass.
Eric Trump cheers 'GREAT DAY for the DOW'
If you thought the president’s response to the grim Covid-19 death toll was lacklustre, get a load of this from his son.
House forced to scrap FISA overhaul as Trump threatens veto
An effort to extend parts of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) stalled in the House of Representatives on Wednesday after Trump threatened to veto it and Republicans withdrew their support from a bipartisan coalition.
The House’s Democratic leaders said late on Wednesday a vote on renewing three government surveillance rules that expired in March would not take place as expected, with no word on when it might be rescheduled.
"If the FISA Bill is passed tonight on the House floor, I will quickly VETO it," the president had frothed on Twitter. "Our Country has just suffered through the greatest political crime in its history. The massive abuse of FISA was a big part of it!"
After the tweet, none of Trump's fellow Republicans in the House backed a procedural measure related to the bill. Some of the 183 Republican "no" votes came from lawmakers who had previously supported it. There were "no" yes votes from Republicans. Fourteen did not vote.
With liberal Democratic privacy hawks also opposing the legislation, it was not clear that it could pass and Congress has never overridden a Trump veto.
US security officials say the FISA provisions are essential tools for combating extremism and catching foreign spies. Privacy hawks say they do too little to protect Americans' data.
Attorney general William Barr wrote an earlier version of the bill that passed the Democratic-controlled House - but not the Senate - with bipartisan support just before lawmakers left Washington as the coronavirus pandemic spread.
Trump recently turned against FISA, charging on Twitter that Barack Obama's administration had improperly used it for surveillance of his campaign aides in 2016, the so-called “Obamagate” controversy the president insists “MAKES WATERGATE LOOK LIKE SMALL POTATOES!”
The rules that would be renewed until December 2023 cover the FISA court's approval of warrants for business records, allow surveillance without establishing that a subject is acting on behalf of an extremist group, and allow continued eavesdropping on a subject who has changed cellular telephone providers.
Griffin Connolly has this report.
An effort to extend parts of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) stalled in the House of Representatives on Wednesday after Trump threatened to veto it and Republicans withdrew their support from a bipartisan coalition.
The House’s Democratic leaders said late on Wednesday a vote on renewing three government surveillance rules that expired in March would not take place as expected, with no word on when it might be rescheduled.
"If the FISA Bill is passed tonight on the House floor, I will quickly VETO it," the president had frothed on Twitter. "Our Country has just suffered through the greatest political crime in its history. The massive abuse of FISA was a big part of it!"
After the tweet, none of Trump's fellow Republicans in the House backed a procedural measure related to the bill. Some of the 183 Republican "no" votes came from lawmakers who had previously supported it. There were "no" yes votes from Republicans. Fourteen did not vote.
With liberal Democratic privacy hawks also opposing the legislation, it was not clear that it could pass and Congress has never overridden a Trump veto.
US security officials say the FISA provisions are essential tools for combating extremism and catching foreign spies. Privacy hawks say they do too little to protect Americans' data.
Attorney general William Barr wrote an earlier version of the bill that passed the Democratic-controlled House - but not the Senate - with bipartisan support just before lawmakers left Washington as the coronavirus pandemic spread.
Trump recently turned against FISA, charging on Twitter that Barack Obama's administration had improperly used it for surveillance of his campaign aides in 2016, the so-called “Obamagate” controversy the president insists “MAKES WATERGATE LOOK LIKE SMALL POTATOES!”
The rules that would be renewed until December 2023 cover the FISA court's approval of warrants for business records, allow surveillance without establishing that a subject is acting on behalf of an extremist group, and allow continued eavesdropping on a subject who has changed cellular telephone providers.
Griffin Connolly has this report.
Dr Fauci says he wears a mask to be a symbol of what 'you should be doing'
The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, whom we’ve not heard much from lately, encouraged Americans to wear face masks out in public during an interview with Jim Sciutto on CNN’s Newsroom yesterday, breaking with Trump’s mockery of the phenomenon despite its being advised by his own administration.
"I want to protect myself and protect others, and also because I want to make it be a symbol for people to see that that's the kind of thing you should be doing," Dr Anthony Fauci said.
The expert said he believes that while wearing a mask is not "100% effective," it is a valuable safeguard and shows "respect for another person".
Right-wing objections to wearing a mask appearing to be shifting, with even Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell saying yesterday: “There’s no stigma attached to wearing a mask. There’s no stigma attached to staying six feet apart.”
Trump continues to mock Biden for it, after the challenger labelled him an “absolute fool” for his derision on Memorial Day and said he was being “falsely masculine”.
But it seems the president’s adored daughter Ivanka is breaking ranks, sporting one at Cape Canaveral after her father ridiculed Reuters journalist Jeff Mason in the White House Rose Garden as "politically correct" for doing likewise.
Justin Vallejo has more on that below.
The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, whom we’ve not heard much from lately, encouraged Americans to wear face masks out in public during an interview with Jim Sciutto on CNN’s Newsroom yesterday, breaking with Trump’s mockery of the phenomenon despite its being advised by his own administration.
"I want to protect myself and protect others, and also because I want to make it be a symbol for people to see that that's the kind of thing you should be doing," Dr Anthony Fauci said.
The expert said he believes that while wearing a mask is not "100% effective," it is a valuable safeguard and shows "respect for another person".
Right-wing objections to wearing a mask appearing to be shifting, with even Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell saying yesterday: “There’s no stigma attached to wearing a mask. There’s no stigma attached to staying six feet apart.”
Trump continues to mock Biden for it, after the challenger labelled him an “absolute fool” for his derision on Memorial Day and said he was being “falsely masculine”.
But it seems the president’s adored daughter Ivanka is breaking ranks, sporting one at Cape Canaveral after her father ridiculed Reuters journalist Jeff Mason in the White House Rose Garden as "politically correct" for doing likewise.
Justin Vallejo has more on that below.
Hong Kong no longer independent from China, says Mike Pompeo, as tension with US grows
US secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Wednesday that the Trump administration no longer views Hong Kong as independent from China, a move that could cause it to lose special trading status with Washington as the president threatens to punish Beijing over coronavirus.
"It's hard to see how Hong Kong can remain a financial hub if China takes over," Trump told White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Wednesday, according to her account of their conversation.
A day later, his top diplomat told Congress Beijing has done just that.
"The State Department is required by the Hong Kong Policy Act to assess the autonomy of the territory from China. After careful study of developments over the reporting period, I certified to Congress today that Hong Kong does not continue to warrant treatment under United States laws in the same manner as US laws were applied to Hong Kong before July 1997," Pompeo said in a statement.
"No reasonable person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China, given facts on the ground," the secretary of state added.
John T Bennett has the latest on the great game.
Trump reluctant to be drawn on George Floyd killing
The president declined to take a position on whether four former Minneapolis police officers who were fired after the death of George Floyd in their custody should be prosecuted on Wednesday, saying he and vice president Mike Pence will get a "full" report on the incident today.
The president called yesterday a "sad day," telling reporters travelling with him to the aborted SpaceX rocket launch he is slated to receive a "very full report" on the matter the next day, a line he reiterated on Twitter later.
When a reporter asked if he thinks the four officers should be prosecuted, Trump just said his administration will "look at it."
John T Bennett has this report.
The president declined to take a position on whether four former Minneapolis police officers who were fired after the death of George Floyd in their custody should be prosecuted on Wednesday, saying he and vice president Mike Pence will get a "full" report on the incident today.
The president called yesterday a "sad day," telling reporters travelling with him to the aborted SpaceX rocket launch he is slated to receive a "very full report" on the matter the next day, a line he reiterated on Twitter later.
When a reporter asked if he thinks the four officers should be prosecuted, Trump just said his administration will "look at it."
John T Bennett has this report.
One dead in Minneapolis shooting amid George Floyd riots and looting as mayor appeals for calm
Andrew Naughtie has the latest on the disturbing scenes of outraged unrest in the Midwestern city after the latest act of police brutality claims another African American life.
Andrew Naughtie has the latest on the disturbing scenes of outraged unrest in the Midwestern city after the latest act of police brutality claims another African American life.
Trump’s press secretary 'votes exclusively by mail' despite promoting boss's fraud conspiracy theories
Chris Riotta has one for all you hypocrisy connoisseurs out there.
Chris Riotta has one for all you hypocrisy connoisseurs out there.
Twitter should not be ‘arbiter of truth’, says Mark Zuckerberg after rival fact-checks Trump
Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg has criticised Twitter after it fact-checked the president’s false tweets.
“We have a different policy, I think, than Twitter on this,“ Zuckerberg told Dana Perino, host of the Fox News show The Daily Briefing, in a clip trailing an interview scheduled to be aired on 28 May.
“I just believe strongly that Facebook shouldn't be the arbiter of truth of everything that people say online. In general, private companies probably shouldn't be, especially these platform companies, shouldn't be in the position of doing that,” he added.
As to Trump’s vague threats to rein in social media platforms, the CEO commented: "I'll have to understand what they actually would intend to do, but in general I think a government choosing to censor a platform because they're worried about censorship doesn't exactly strike me as the right reflex there."
Here’s Adam Smith’s report.
'Enough already': Mitt Romney blasts Trump for pushing Joe Scarborough murder conspiracy theory
The Utah senator, already the president’s number one GOP enemy after he had the audacity to vote with his conscience in favour of Trump’s impeachment in February, has attacked him for pushing a scurrilous and entirely made-up accusation against the MSNBC host over the tragic, accidental death of an aide in 2001.
Justin Vallejo has this on Romney’s response, the former presidential candidate clearly moved by the deceased’s widower’s plea to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to take down the president’s offending tweets earlier this week.
Journalist retweeted by president changes username to 'Trump is dumb, sloppy and moist'
This is obviously not the most important matter we'll cover today but it is funny and underscores the peril of the president's habit of jabbing out retweets without checking their province.
Kudos to Andrew Lawrence of Media Matters for his quick thinking here.
This is obviously not the most important matter we'll cover today but it is funny and underscores the peril of the president's habit of jabbing out retweets without checking their province.
Kudos to Andrew Lawrence of Media Matters for his quick thinking here.
President shares video declaring: ‘Only good Democrat is a dead Democrat’
If you thought that last tweet was unwise, James Besanvalle has news of an even worse one for Indy100 involving the "Cowboys for Trump" crowd.
If you thought that last tweet was unwise, James Besanvalle has news of an even worse one for Indy100 involving the "Cowboys for Trump" crowd.
Trump floods Twitter with Obamagate conspiracy theories but silent on coronavirus and George Floyd
In the last hour, the president has treated his followers to some 18 retweets, most of which relate to his concocted Obamagate conspiracy theory and Michael Flynn.
He has also attacked Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer and hailed "a Big Day for Social Media and FAIRNESS!", trailing his executive order.
Trump also says there are "so many different viewpoints" on wearing face masks - so there are, it seems, but Dr Fauci's is surely the only one he should be listening to.
Nothing more though on the mass coronavirus deaths or the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis, which seems a shame.
Fox News host Tucker Carlson calls demonstrations over police killing of George Floyd ‘a form of tyranny’
Andrew Naughtie has this reliably bird-brained take on the protests unfolding in Minneapolis from one of the president's favourite conservative commentators.
Andrew Naughtie has this reliably bird-brained take on the protests unfolding in Minneapolis from one of the president's favourite conservative commentators.
Trump belatedly pays tribute to 100,000 Americans dead from coronavirus
Better late than never I guess but who is advising him to post 20+ Obamagate tweets before this?
"No one", I fear is the answer to that.
Better late than never I guess but who is advising him to post 20+ Obamagate tweets before this?
"No one", I fear is the answer to that.
Lindsey Graham calls Rod Rosenstein as first witness in Senate Russia inquiry
The South Carolina senator has summoned the ex-US deputy attorney general - a key character in the Mueller report saga - to testify next week at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the Justice Department's Russia investigation.
The session next Wednesday is the first in a series of planned oversight hearings focused on the investigation into ties between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign.
The hearings are part of a broader effort by allies of President Trump to call into question decisions and actions made during the Russia investigation.
The Justice Department has undertaken multiple reviews of the Russia probe and the Trump administration has recently declassified material with an apparent goal of placing Obama administration officials under scrutiny.
Rosenstein is a pivotal figure in the matter because it was he who appointed Robert Mueller in May 2017 as special counsel to investigate potential ties between the Kremlin and Trump's campaign and oversaw much of Mueller's work. In his first months on the job, Rosenstein also signed off on renewing the FBI's applications to monitor former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.
Justice Department inspector general Michael Horowitz concluded in a December report that the investigation, which started in July 2016 during the Obama administration, was opened for a legitimate basis. But he also identified serious mistakes and omissions in the FISA applications that targeted Page.
Graham said Rosenstein would testify about "the new revelations contained in the Horowitz report concerning the FISA warrant applications and other matters."
In a statement, Rosenstein said he was grateful for the opportunity to testify "about information that has come to light" related to the FISA process and the FBI's counterintelligence decision-making.
"During my three decades of service in law enforcement, I learned firsthand that most local, state, and federal law enforcement officers deserve the high confidence people place in them, but also that even the best law enforcement officers make mistakes, and that some engage in willful misconduct," he said.
He added: "Independent law enforcement investigations, judicial review, and congressional oversight are important checks on the discretion of agents and prosecutors. We can only hope to maintain public confidence if we correct mistakes, hold wrongdoers accountable, and adopt policies to prevent problems from recurring."
AP
'Fart' heard on Joe Biden campaign livestream
Here's Greg Evans to get to the bottom of Guffgate for Indy100.
I'm blaming Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf, not Diamond Joe.
Here's Greg Evans to get to the bottom of Guffgate for Indy100.
I'm blaming Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf, not Diamond Joe.
Is Ivanka Trump America's answer to Dominic Cummings?
As we've seen, the first daughter and her husband took their children to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida yesterday to see the the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch, only for it to be rained off.
They did so in spite of Nasa administrator Jim Bridenstine asking people not travel to the launch site for fear of exacerbating the spread of Covid-19.
Is Cape Canaveral their Barnard Castle?
Greg Evans has the answer.
As we've seen, the first daughter and her husband took their children to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida yesterday to see the the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch, only for it to be rained off.
They did so in spite of Nasa administrator Jim Bridenstine asking people not travel to the launch site for fear of exacerbating the spread of Covid-19.
Is Cape Canaveral their Barnard Castle?
Greg Evans has the answer.
