As you’ve likely heard by now, Donald Trump has spent months trying to undermine confidence in the election, a plot that reached a crescendo this week when he to commit to a peaceful transfer of power and called for “the ballots” to be thrown out so that he can just be declared the winner. Obviously, the remarks were deeply disturbing to people who don’t want to live under an authoritarian regime reminiscent of Turkmenistan. But for Trump? Well, apparently he thought they were a real gas.The Daily Beast that, according two people familiar with the matter, Trump was glued to the cable-news...…As you’ve likely heard by now, Donald Trump has spent months trying to undermine confidence in the election, a plot that reached a crescendo this week when he to commit to a peaceful transfer of power and called for “the ballots” to be thrown out so that he can just be declared the winner. Obviously, the remarks were deeply disturbing to people who don’t want to live under an authoritarian regime reminiscent of Turkmenistan. But for Trump? Well, apparently he thought they were a real gas.The Daily Beast that, according two people familiar with the matter, Trump was glued to the cable-news...WW…

One day after President Donald Trump refused to endorse a peaceful transition of power were he to lose the presidential election in November—an incendiary comment Trump repeated on Thursday—Seth Meyers was left feeling fearful about the future of American democracy.“We’re as close as we’ve ever been to losing our democracy and watching our government transform into an autocratic regime,” Meyers said on Thursday’s episode of Late Night. “It’s happening right in front of our eyes, right now. You don’t need to wait for Trump to roll down Pennsylvania Avenue on a tank in green fatigues with a...…One day after President Donald Trump refused to endorse a peaceful transition of power were he to lose the presidential election in November—an incendiary comment Trump repeated on Thursday—Seth Meyers was left feeling fearful about the future of American democracy.“We’re as close as we’ve ever been to losing our democracy and watching our government transform into an autocratic regime,” Meyers said on Thursday’s episode of Late Night. “It’s happening right in front of our eyes, right now. You don’t need to wait for Trump to roll down Pennsylvania Avenue on a tank in green fatigues with a...WW…

Her comments about the election may have back in Britain this week, but the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle plans to continue canvassing ahead of November’s U.S. presidential election, and hasn’t ruled out a career in politics—including a possible White House run. that Meghan could run for president in 2024, and she got the attention of the office’s current occupant, who in a press conference on Wednesday that he is “not a fan” of the duchess. Donald Trump was responding to a to promote Time 100’s list of the most influential people in 2020, in which she declared that November’s election is...…Her comments about the election may have back in Britain this week, but the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle plans to continue canvassing ahead of November’s U.S. presidential election, and hasn’t ruled out a career in politics—including a possible White House run. that Meghan could run for president in 2024, and she got the attention of the office’s current occupant, who in a press conference on Wednesday that he is “not a fan” of the duchess. Donald Trump was responding to a to promote Time 100’s list of the most influential people in 2020, in which she declared that November’s election is...WW…

Chris Van Hollen tried to make Joe Biden mad. Didn’t work. Van Hollen tried to confuse Biden. No luck. Then again, this was 2012, when Biden was the incumbent vice president, and Van Hollen was playing the part of Republican veep nominee Paul Ryan in mock debates. Whatever you may think of Ryan’s politics, the congressman was at least a coherent thinker and speaker. “What I was trying to do was to throw a lot of stuff at Biden that might come his way,” Van Hollen, who is now a U.S. senator from Maryland, tells me. “So you come up with the most outrageous things that Paul Ryan might say, and...…Chris Van Hollen tried to make Joe Biden mad. Didn’t work. Van Hollen tried to confuse Biden. No luck. Then again, this was 2012, when Biden was the incumbent vice president, and Van Hollen was playing the part of Republican veep nominee Paul Ryan in mock debates. Whatever you may think of Ryan’s politics, the congressman was at least a coherent thinker and speaker. “What I was trying to do was to throw a lot of stuff at Biden that might come his way,” Van Hollen, who is now a U.S. senator from Maryland, tells me. “So you come up with the most outrageous things that Paul Ryan might say, and...WW…

 “I rode the bike.”Ding.“I rode the bike.”Gabby Giffords smiles as her iPad chimes. Sentence formed. Way too easy. The smile is magnetic, if slightly crooked: Her dimples burrow a little deeper on the left side. Her left eyebrow is more expressive, while the right looks permanently arched.Gabby sits at her cozy breakfast table in an aquamarine sweatsuit and Ruth Bader Ginsburg socks that read “I DISSENT.” It’s hour two of speech therapy, and the iPad’s voice recognition helps journal her day. A summerlike day in Tucson, two weeks before Christmas, it began with the ride around her...… “I rode the bike.”Ding.“I rode the bike.”Gabby Giffords smiles as her iPad chimes. Sentence formed. Way too easy. The smile is magnetic, if slightly crooked: Her dimples burrow a little deeper on the left side. Her left eyebrow is more expressive, while the right looks permanently arched.Gabby sits at her cozy breakfast table in an aquamarine sweatsuit and Ruth Bader Ginsburg socks that read “I DISSENT.” It’s hour two of speech therapy, and the iPad’s voice recognition helps journal her day. A summerlike day in Tucson, two weeks before Christmas, it began with the ride around her...WW…

Hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars Congress intended for pandemic relief were instead diverted for military spending, with bailout cash used to produce products like jet engine parts, body armor, and dress uniforms. For a period of time, the Washington Post , the $1 billion fund that Congress gave the Pentagon via the Cares Act to “prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus” was on track to be used for its original purpose, with $750 million for medical resources and $250 million for defense contractors. That was what Ellen Lord, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and...…Hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars Congress intended for pandemic relief were instead diverted for military spending, with bailout cash used to produce products like jet engine parts, body armor, and dress uniforms. For a period of time, the Washington Post , the $1 billion fund that Congress gave the Pentagon via the Cares Act to “prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus” was on track to be used for its original purpose, with $750 million for medical resources and $250 million for defense contractors. That was what Ellen Lord, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and...WW…

Whether it be because his campaign in Moscow’s election interference —  — or simply because the idea that he needed anyone else’s help to win the White House , Donald Trump has long been sensitive to matters relating to Russia. He has stood in the way of efforts to secure future elections. He has cheered a retaliatory probe into the origins of the Russia inquiry, one that could also — conveniently —  in the final stretch of this year’s race. So imposing is his aversion to intelligence about Russia, it seems to have actually filtered down into the intelligence community itself.According to...…Whether it be because his campaign in Moscow’s election interference —  — or simply because the idea that he needed anyone else’s help to win the White House , Donald Trump has long been sensitive to matters relating to Russia. He has stood in the way of efforts to secure future elections. He has cheered a retaliatory probe into the origins of the Russia inquiry, one that could also — conveniently —  in the final stretch of this year’s race. So imposing is his aversion to intelligence about Russia, it seems to have actually filtered down into the intelligence community itself.According to...WW…

It was early Friday afternoon, and we were talking about possible surprises that could disrupt the 2020 presidential race. Philippe Reines, a longtime top aide to Hillary Clinton, mentioned the Durham investigation, Attorney General William Barr’s ongoing probe into the origins of the FBI’s 2016 attempt to divine whether Russia was trying to help get Donald Trump elected. “If Durham’s report turns out to be about John Brennan and Jim Clapper and Andrew McCabe—sure, fine, that’s not going to transform the race,” Reines told me. “But it’s noise. And noise favors Trump. If he can’t come up...…It was early Friday afternoon, and we were talking about possible surprises that could disrupt the 2020 presidential race. Philippe Reines, a longtime top aide to Hillary Clinton, mentioned the Durham investigation, Attorney General William Barr’s ongoing probe into the origins of the FBI’s 2016 attempt to divine whether Russia was trying to help get Donald Trump elected. “If Durham’s report turns out to be about John Brennan and Jim Clapper and Andrew McCabe—sure, fine, that’s not going to transform the race,” Reines told me. “But it’s noise. And noise favors Trump. If he can’t come up...WW…

Donald Trump has repeatedly insisted that he has been on Russia than any of his predecessors. So it might seem a bit curious that its leader, Vladimir Putin, is so hellbent on getting him re-elected. The Washington Post’s Josh Rogin on Tuesday that the CIA has concluded Putin is likely personally overseeing an influence campaign meant to damage Joe Biden, a plot that has also included a Ukrainian lawmaker and Russian agent linked to Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer.“We assess that President Vladimir Putin and the senior most Russian officials are aware of and probably...…Donald Trump has repeatedly insisted that he has been on Russia than any of his predecessors. So it might seem a bit curious that its leader, Vladimir Putin, is so hellbent on getting him re-elected. The Washington Post’s Josh Rogin on Tuesday that the CIA has concluded Putin is likely personally overseeing an influence campaign meant to damage Joe Biden, a plot that has also included a Ukrainian lawmaker and Russian agent linked to Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer.“We assess that President Vladimir Putin and the senior most Russian officials are aware of and probably...WW…

Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death, and the future of the nation’s highest court, quickly moved front and center in an election year marked by a pandemic, protests against racial injustice, and impeachment. The imminent confirmation battle over the Supreme Court vacancy is already reshaping the presidential race, with President Donald Trump encouraging the Senate Republicans’ to replace Ginsburg. At a campaign event in Fayetteville, North Carolina on Saturday, Trump said he would put forth a nominee to fill the vacant seat next week and that the candidate would be a woman, Politico He cited...…Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death, and the future of the nation’s highest court, quickly moved front and center in an election year marked by a pandemic, protests against racial injustice, and impeachment. The imminent confirmation battle over the Supreme Court vacancy is already reshaping the presidential race, with President Donald Trump encouraging the Senate Republicans’ to replace Ginsburg. At a campaign event in Fayetteville, North Carolina on Saturday, Trump said he would put forth a nominee to fill the vacant seat next week and that the candidate would be a woman, Politico He cited...WW…

Joe Rogan, the podcast king who recently moved his show, and its millions of listeners, to Spotify, treated them to a debunked right-wing conspiracy theory by asserting that “left-wing” activists are behind the wildfires currently raging across the West Coast. After insinuating that Black Lives Matter and anti-fascist protesters’ nightly clashes with police in Portland “[crowd] madness,” Rogan, without citing any evidence or official accounts, said that authorities have “arrested people for lighting forest fires up there. They’ve arrested left-wing people for lighting these forest fires.”...…Joe Rogan, the podcast king who recently moved his show, and its millions of listeners, to Spotify, treated them to a debunked right-wing conspiracy theory by asserting that “left-wing” activists are behind the wildfires currently raging across the West Coast. After insinuating that Black Lives Matter and anti-fascist protesters’ nightly clashes with police in Portland “[crowd] madness,” Rogan, without citing any evidence or official accounts, said that authorities have “arrested people for lighting forest fires up there. They’ve arrested left-wing people for lighting these forest fires.”...WW…

As Donald Trump was considering who should succeed Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court in the summer of 2018, he met for lunch with Sean Hannity and Rudy Giuliani at his private golf club in West Palm Beach. According to a source briefed on the conversation, Hannity and Giuliani argued that Trump should nominate Amy Coney Barrett, a federal appeals court judge and Notre Dame law professor, because her conservative would mobilize the president’s base. “Hannity and Rudy said, ‘You’re going to have a confirmation fight anyways, so pick Barrett,’” the source said. Trump told them he...…As Donald Trump was considering who should succeed Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court in the summer of 2018, he met for lunch with Sean Hannity and Rudy Giuliani at his private golf club in West Palm Beach. According to a source briefed on the conversation, Hannity and Giuliani argued that Trump should nominate Amy Coney Barrett, a federal appeals court judge and Notre Dame law professor, because her conservative would mobilize the president’s base. “Hannity and Rudy said, ‘You’re going to have a confirmation fight anyways, so pick Barrett,’” the source said. Trump told them he...WW…

Facebook on Tuesday announced it is establishing an online information center for climate change, which—like the company’s COVID information center—purports to cut through the noise of lies, distortions, and disinformation to provide hard scientific facts about an ongoing crisis. But as with some of the social media giant’s recent initiatives, the move is a step in the right direction that hardly goes far enough to address the full scope of the problem.The company has been for its of misleading and false content related to global warming, with hard science more or less lumped together with...…Facebook on Tuesday announced it is establishing an online information center for climate change, which—like the company’s COVID information center—purports to cut through the noise of lies, distortions, and disinformation to provide hard scientific facts about an ongoing crisis. But as with some of the social media giant’s recent initiatives, the move is a step in the right direction that hardly goes far enough to address the full scope of the problem.The company has been for its of misleading and false content related to global warming, with hard science more or less lumped together with...WW…

The future of the Supreme Court—and the 2020 election—was upended Friday night following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s vow shortly after to replace her. “President Trump’s nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate,” McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said in a statement on Friday, setting off an imminent confirmation battle as in the presidential race has begun and election day is away.Unsurprisingly, McConnell, who has effectively used his power to get more than 200 of Donald Trump’s federal judicial nominees...…The future of the Supreme Court—and the 2020 election—was upended Friday night following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s vow shortly after to replace her. “President Trump’s nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate,” McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said in a statement on Friday, setting off an imminent confirmation battle as in the presidential race has begun and election day is away.Unsurprisingly, McConnell, who has effectively used his power to get more than 200 of Donald Trump’s federal judicial nominees...WW…

As part of a recurring feature of his presidency, Donald Trump took to a podium in the White House Friday afternoon to rattle off a string of incoherent lies. Kicking things off with a COVID-19-based rant, Trump once again insisted a vaccine is just around the corner and that Joe Biden has “,” because the Democratic nominee has said he would only get the immunization , and not simply because the guy banking his reelection on it says it’s good. Then the snarled and rat-chewed synapses in his brain fired off this:“In a short time we’ll have a safe and effective vaccine and we’ll defeat the...…As part of a recurring feature of his presidency, Donald Trump took to a podium in the White House Friday afternoon to rattle off a string of incoherent lies. Kicking things off with a COVID-19-based rant, Trump once again insisted a vaccine is just around the corner and that Joe Biden has “,” because the Democratic nominee has said he would only get the immunization , and not simply because the guy banking his reelection on it says it’s good. Then the snarled and rat-chewed synapses in his brain fired off this:“In a short time we’ll have a safe and effective vaccine and we’ll defeat the...WW…

In the heart of San Francisco’s Financial District, a few blocks from the Transamerica Pyramid Center that defines the city’s skyline, sits a 52-story tower, the kind you might find in any major city. Its name, 555 California Street, is as forgettable as its appearance, all brown and black and boring. Inside, a team of security guards watches over the elevator banks in the lobby, checking IDs.To get past them and into the heart of the building, I signed up for a desk in a coworking space on the 49th floor. Once there, I rode down to a different floor, the 43rd, and walked off the elevator....…In the heart of San Francisco’s Financial District, a few blocks from the Transamerica Pyramid Center that defines the city’s skyline, sits a 52-story tower, the kind you might find in any major city. Its name, 555 California Street, is as forgettable as its appearance, all brown and black and boring. Inside, a team of security guards watches over the elevator banks in the lobby, checking IDs.To get past them and into the heart of the building, I signed up for a desk in a coworking space on the 49th floor. Once there, I rode down to a different floor, the 43rd, and walked off the elevator....WW…

This week Inside the Hive welcomes historian Peter Fritzsche, author of to help separate fact from exaggeration on the increasingly pressing question of how much Donald Trump’s GOP resembles the Nazis of the early 1930s. As Trump attacks democratic norms and undermines the electoral process, and Attorney General William Barr stokes fear of “a socialist path” if Trump loses, historians are hearing distressing echoes of Adolph Hitler’s rise, from the fearmongering demonization of the left to the threats of street violence and military force against enemies both real and imagined. One...…This week Inside the Hive welcomes historian Peter Fritzsche, author of to help separate fact from exaggeration on the increasingly pressing question of how much Donald Trump’s GOP resembles the Nazis of the early 1930s. As Trump attacks democratic norms and undermines the electoral process, and Attorney General William Barr stokes fear of “a socialist path” if Trump loses, historians are hearing distressing echoes of Adolph Hitler’s rise, from the fearmongering demonization of the left to the threats of street violence and military force against enemies both real and imagined. One...WW…

On the evening of Saturday, March 21, a small group of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, business executives, and venture capitalists gathered in the White House Situation Room to offer their help to the Trump administration as it confronted a harrowing shortage of lifesaving supplies to battle COVID-19.More than seven weeks after the federal government first learned that a new and lethal coronavirus was barreling toward U.S. shores, hospitals were pleading for masks, gloves, and other personal protective equipment to safeguard their medical staff. Intensive care nurses had been photographed...…On the evening of Saturday, March 21, a small group of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, business executives, and venture capitalists gathered in the White House Situation Room to offer their help to the Trump administration as it confronted a harrowing shortage of lifesaving supplies to battle COVID-19.More than seven weeks after the federal government first learned that a new and lethal coronavirus was barreling toward U.S. shores, hospitals were pleading for masks, gloves, and other personal protective equipment to safeguard their medical staff. Intensive care nurses had been photographed...WW…

For months, Donald Trump and his administration’s law enforcement officials have made an aggressive, concerted effort to portray anti-fascist protesters as a highly organized group that poses a grave domestic terrorist threat. As Black Lives Matter protests erupted in late May following the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, the president made the that the U.S. government “will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization.” Last month, Fox News host Tucker Carlson Acting Homeland Security Director Chad Wolf about why the “leaders of antifa and BLM” have yet to be...…For months, Donald Trump and his administration’s law enforcement officials have made an aggressive, concerted effort to portray anti-fascist protesters as a highly organized group that poses a grave domestic terrorist threat. As Black Lives Matter protests erupted in late May following the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, the president made the that the U.S. government “will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization.” Last month, Fox News host Tucker Carlson Acting Homeland Security Director Chad Wolf about why the “leaders of antifa and BLM” have yet to be...WW…

Remember, in June, when the federal government attacked peaceful protesters in a park across from the White House, firing stun grenades, setting off smoke bombs, shoving demonstrators with batons and shields, and allegedly spraying the crowd with tear gas—which the administration denies—because Donald Trump wanted to do ? At the time, the White House insisted that the use of authoritarian tactics was in response to violence and that the protesters were given ample warning to disperse, but contemporaneous accounts by people who were actually there said otherwise. The scene was so chilling...…Remember, in June, when the federal government attacked peaceful protesters in a park across from the White House, firing stun grenades, setting off smoke bombs, shoving demonstrators with batons and shields, and allegedly spraying the crowd with tear gas—which the administration denies—because Donald Trump wanted to do ? At the time, the White House insisted that the use of authoritarian tactics was in response to violence and that the protesters were given ample warning to disperse, but contemporaneous accounts by people who were actually there said otherwise. The scene was so chilling...WW…

Of all of Donald Trump’s servile employees willing to put his extremely fragile ego above the country, William Barr may very well be the most dangerous. (Well, tied with the guy who did a Facebook Live video the president’s supporters to prepare for an insurrection.) The thing about the attorney general is that he’s not just a sycophant willing to do Trump’s dirty work—he actually knows how to go about it. Apparently seeing himself as Trump’s personal lawyer in the mold of Roy Cohn, Barr has spent his time at the Justice Department the Mueller investigation; involving the DOJ in to keep the...…Of all of Donald Trump’s servile employees willing to put his extremely fragile ego above the country, William Barr may very well be the most dangerous. (Well, tied with the guy who did a Facebook Live video the president’s supporters to prepare for an insurrection.) The thing about the attorney general is that he’s not just a sycophant willing to do Trump’s dirty work—he actually knows how to go about it. Apparently seeing himself as Trump’s personal lawyer in the mold of Roy Cohn, Barr has spent his time at the Justice Department the Mueller investigation; involving the DOJ in to keep the...WW…

Donald Trump, true to form, is stoking chaos, trying to undermine faith in the accuracy of November’s election. He has floated  at the 2020 polls and maintained a steady stream of lies about “rigged” mail-in ballots. Joe Biden’s counteroffensive is shaping up to be equally in character: It relies on his trust in rational process and in projecting calm. It’s a strategy that makes a great deal of sense—and also feels quaint considering Trump’s evil genius for asymmetrical warfare.Biden has solicited the help of two former solicitors general, one former attorney general, and a small army of...…Donald Trump, true to form, is stoking chaos, trying to undermine faith in the accuracy of November’s election. He has floated  at the 2020 polls and maintained a steady stream of lies about “rigged” mail-in ballots. Joe Biden’s counteroffensive is shaping up to be equally in character: It relies on his trust in rational process and in projecting calm. It’s a strategy that makes a great deal of sense—and also feels quaint considering Trump’s evil genius for asymmetrical warfare.Biden has solicited the help of two former solicitors general, one former attorney general, and a small army of...WW…

When first son-in-law Jared Kushner sat down with Bob Woodward to discuss his father-in-law’s administration, he the veteran journalist, “The most dangerous people around the president are overconfident idiots.” The quote was obviously ironic given Kushner’s history as an , but it could just as easily have described Donald Trump, who has long thought of himself as when, in reality, he’s a . Despite bankrupting six businesses, he he knows more about monetary policy than the chairman of the Federal Reserve. Despite that windmills cause cancer, he he knows “more about renewable [energy] than...…When first son-in-law Jared Kushner sat down with Bob Woodward to discuss his father-in-law’s administration, he the veteran journalist, “The most dangerous people around the president are overconfident idiots.” The quote was obviously ironic given Kushner’s history as an , but it could just as easily have described Donald Trump, who has long thought of himself as when, in reality, he’s a . Despite bankrupting six businesses, he he knows more about monetary policy than the chairman of the Federal Reserve. Despite that windmills cause cancer, he he knows “more about renewable [energy] than...WW…

Last year, Alexander Vindman laid his career on the line to against Donald Trump, describing to impeachment investigators the president’s efforts to strongarm Ukraine into announcing politically motivated investigations into Joe Biden and the 2016 election. It made the decorated military veteran and National Security Council Ukraine expert a hero to Democrats. Trump and his allies, of course, felt differently, and the president in retaliation soon after Republicans helped him beat the rap. “He was very insubordinate, reported contents of my “perfect” calls incorrectly, & was given a...…Last year, Alexander Vindman laid his career on the line to against Donald Trump, describing to impeachment investigators the president’s efforts to strongarm Ukraine into announcing politically motivated investigations into Joe Biden and the 2016 election. It made the decorated military veteran and National Security Council Ukraine expert a hero to Democrats. Trump and his allies, of course, felt differently, and the president in retaliation soon after Republicans helped him beat the rap. “He was very insubordinate, reported contents of my “perfect” calls incorrectly, & was given a...WW…

Even in a news landscape where it feels like nothing is shocking anymore, the first excerpts from the new Bob Woodward book still landed like a pair of hydrogen bombs. It wasn’t so much the revelation that President Donald Trump had privately acknowledged the danger and severity of the novel coronavirus, even as he was significantly downplaying and minimizing the threat in remarks to the American public. Of course he’d said something like that. We hear all the time about hard-to-believe things Trump said, either from people describing the president’s conversations anonymously to reporters,...…Even in a news landscape where it feels like nothing is shocking anymore, the first excerpts from the new Bob Woodward book still landed like a pair of hydrogen bombs. It wasn’t so much the revelation that President Donald Trump had privately acknowledged the danger and severity of the novel coronavirus, even as he was significantly downplaying and minimizing the threat in remarks to the American public. Of course he’d said something like that. We hear all the time about hard-to-believe things Trump said, either from people describing the president’s conversations anonymously to reporters,...WW…