Trump campaign sues CNN for libel over opinion article

The Trump campaign announced Friday that it sued CNN for libel over an opinion article, saying it wants the network to be held “accountable for intentionally publishing false statements against” it.

The big picture: It’s the latest of a series of libel suits by the campaign aimed at media outlets’ opinion articles on issues linked to Russia. Over the last few weeks, the campaign has also sued the New York Times and the Washington Post, alleging similar motives.

  • While President Trump has often threatened to sue news organizations for libel, he has rarely followed through.
  • The efforts face a relatively high bar for proof compared to most lawsuits. In order for a public official to successfully sue for libel, they must be able to prove that the defendant acted with “actual malice.”

The article named in the suit, written by CNN contributor Larry Noble and published in June, states that “the Trump campaign assessed the potential risks and benefits of again seeking Russia’s help in 2020 and has decided to leave that option on the table.”

  • That assertion is backed up earlier in the piece by citing a Trump interview last year with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, where Trump said he’d “want to hear” information offered on political opponents by a foreign government. His statement in that interview was also used to support an argument in one of the Post pieces that resulted in a lawsuit.
  • The CNN piece also cites an “Axios on HBO” interview with White House adviser Jared Kushner, who said that he doesn’t know whether he’d call the FBI if he were to receive another email like the one before the campaign’s Trump Tower meeting, which had the subject line: “Re: Russia – Clinton – private and confidential.”

What they’re saying:

  • Trump campaign senior legal adviser Jenna Ellis: “The campaign filed this lawsuit against CNN and the preceding suits against The New York Times and The Washington Post to hold the publishers accountable for their reckless false reporting and also to establish the truth: that the campaign did not have an agreement, quid pro quo, or collusion with Russia, as the Mueller Report concluded.”
  • CNN declined to comment on the suit.

[Axios]

Trump calls Inslee a ‘snake’ over criticism of coronavirus rhetoric

President Donald Trump on Friday called Washington Gov. Jay Inslee “a snake” for criticizing his administration’s response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Speaking in Atlanta at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Trump went off on Inslee for saying that he wanted Trump to stick to the science when discussing the outbreak. Trump has repeatedly tried to downplay the gravity of the outbreak and floated his own hunches on matters of science.

“I told Mike not to be complimentary of that governor because that governor is a snake,” Trump said, referring to Vice President Mike Pence. “So Mike may be happy with him but I’m not, OK?”

Pence is Trump’s appointed head of the administration’s coronavirus efforts and has been reaching out to state and local officials to coordinate containment plans.

Inslee tweeted last month that he had been contacted by Pence but said he wanted the Trump administration to stick to the facts about the outbreak.

“I just received a call from @VP Mike Pence, thanking Washington state for our efforts to combat the coronavirus,” Inslee tweeted. “I told him our work would be more successful if the Trump administration stuck to the science and told the truth.”

Washington state was the location of the first U.S. death from coronavirus, and the number of deaths has since grown in the state.

Trump has repeatedly complained that he isn’t getting enough credit for attempting to prevent the outbreak.

“If we came up with a cure today, and tomorrow everything is gone, and you went up to this governor — who is, you know, not a good governor, by the way — if you went up to this governor, and you said to him, ‘How did Trump do?’ He would say, ‘He did a terrible job.’ It makes no difference,” Trump said Friday.

[Politico]

Trump said Warren’s campaign failed because she’s ‘mean’ and lacks talent, and not because of sexism

President Donald Trump on Friday said that Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s campaign did not fail because of sexism, but because she’s “mean” and lacks “talent.” 

“I think lack of talent was her problem. She had a tremendous lack of talent,” Trump told reporters as he signed an $8 billion coronavirus bill, before going on to say Warren was a good debater who “destroyed Mike Bloomberg…like it was nothing.”

“People don’t like her. She’s a very mean person. And people don’t like her. People don’t want that,” Trump added. 

Trump, who has put migrant children in cages, mocked a disabled reporter, said you have to treat women “like sh–t,” called for a ban on Muslims from the US, attacked Gold Star families, and criticized a widely-revered dead senator, went on to say that people like “a person like me, that’s not mean.”

Warren dropped out of the race on Thursday after coming up short in a series of voting contests, which included coming in third in the primary in her home state of Massachusetts. There was a brief moment last fall in which Warren was at the top of some national polls and looked like a potential frontrunner, but her campaign really lost momentum after coming in third in the Iowa caucuses and an abysmal result in the New Hampshire primary (she came away with no delegates). 

The Massachusetts senator garnered a lot of praise when she wiped the floor with Bloomberg in a recent presidential debate, but it did not translate into success with voters — particularly on Super Tuesday.

Many political pundits and commentators, as well as supporters of Warren, have said that sexism played a role in her campaign’s struggles. Warren ran a robust platform, exemplified by her slogan: “I’ve got a plan for that.” She was generally viewed as stronger than other candidates on specifics surrounding policy proposals and, as Trump said, a good debater. 

The same day Warren dropped out, the United Nations Development Programme released a new analysis that found 90% of people — both men and women — are biased against women. The study, which was conducted across 75 countries, also found about 50% of people think men make better political leaders than women. 

But as Insider politics reporter Kayla Epstein recently reported:

[Business Insider]

Jared Kushner Cashes in on Investment Thanks to Tax Breaks He and Ivanka Trump Lobbied to Pass

Presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner last month sold his stake in a company that invested in Opportunity Zones, a designation created under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. This means Kushner will benefit from tax breaks that he and his wife Ivanka Trump both lobbied to pass as part of the 2017 tax overhaul.

According to the Associated Press, the Office of Government Ethics on Monday released a public filing showing that Kushner had requested and received permission to defer capital gains on the sale of his stake in Cadre, a digital platform that allows investors to buy stakes in commercial properties.

Kushner, who is also a senior advisor to the president, founded Cadre in 2014 with his brother Joshua Kushner and current CEO and Goldman Sachs alum Ryan Williams.

While the exact amount Cadre invested in Opportunity  Zones is not known, Cadre had expressed plans to invest heavily in the 8,760 designated Qualified Opportunity Zones.

The financial disclosure report Kushner filed with federal ethics officials last year estimated that his stake in Cadre was worth between $25 and $50 million. His shares in Cadre were previously valued at around $5 million, according to financial disclosures from three years ago.

The sale of Kushner’s stake in Cadre came amid increased scrutiny from potential investors of the conflicts of interest associated with his involvement in the real estate venture. Bloomberg reported last year that Saudi-backed SoftBank declined to invest in the company after Kushner refused to divest from the firm.

“I would be lying if I said the political angle wasn’t frustrating or concerning,” Williams told Forbes last year. “There are people who won’t work with us, and we get that.”

A Cadre spokesperson told The Real Deal last month that the company planned to scale back investing in Opportunity Zones.

[Law and Crime]

Mike Pence’s press secretary snaps at reporter for asking coronavirus question

Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary Katie Miller snapped at a White House correspondent on Wednesday following a press briefing dealing with the White House’s coronavirus task force.  

The reporter, Brian Karem, asked Mr Pence about whether the White House has any guidance for uninsured individuals to get testing. Mr Pence was nearing the end of his press conference when Mr Karem asked him about coronavirus testing for the uninsured.  

“Can you please supply some guidance to the uninsured who want to get tested?” Mr Karen asked. 

Mr Pence blew past the question and wrapped up his press conference. He suggested the risk to the broader American population “remains low.” 

“As we continue to take these steps, as Americans continue to take common-sense practices to protect their own health, the health of their family, we’ll work to keep it [low],” he said. 

As Mr Pence finished and moved to leave the room, Mr Karem again yelled out his question, asking if there was any guidance for the uninsured to get testing. 

He was ignored, so he tried again. 

“Gentlemen, ladies, can the uninsured get tested?” Mr Karem asked. 

Ms Miller snapped a response at Mr Karem. 

“Screaming for the camera isn’t going to get you anywhere” she said. 

Mr Karem pushed again. 

“Well, how about answering the question? We would like an answer to that question,” he said. “It’s a valid question, could you answer it?”

At that point Ms Miller moves to exit the room, responding “We’ll get you an answer” as she departs. 

It is unclear if the White House has followed up on Mr Karem’s question. 

Though the Centers for Disease Control are not charging patients for testing, individuals can still incur hospital costs from visiting the ER.

[The Independent]

Media

WATCH: Pence Spox Katie Miller Scolds Reporter For Asking ‘Can the Uninsured Get Tested’ For Coronavirus

Trump denies spreading coronavirus misinformation on “Hannity”

President Trump denied in a Thursday tweet that he told Fox News’ Sean Hannity that people who are feeling sick should continue to go to work amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The state of play: While Trump didn’t explicitly say that sick Americans should go to work, he did state that those with mild coronavirus cases can still recover while going about their daily lives — an assertion that contradicts public health officials’ recommendations on how to manage the illness.

“I NEVER said people that are feeling sick should go to work. This is just more Fake News and disinformation put out by the Democrats, in particular MSDNC. Comcast covers the CoronaVirus situation horribly, only looking to do harm to the incredible & successful effort being made!”

— Trump’s tweet

  • What Trump said on “Hannity”: “If we have thousands or hundreds of thousands of people that get better just by sitting around and even going to work — some of them go to work, but they get better.”
  • What the CDC recommends: “People who are mildly ill with COVID-19 are able to isolate at home during their illness. You should restrict activities outside your home, except for getting medical care. Do not go to work, school, or public areas. Avoid using public transportation, ride-sharing, or taxis.”

In the same interview, Trump contradicted the World Health Organization’s assertion that the virus has a 3.4% mortality rate, calling it “a false number” because of the number of people who have had “very mild” cases and recovered without being diagnosed.

  • “They don’t know about the easy cases because the easy cases don’t go to the hospital. They don’t report to doctors or the hospital in many cases. So I think that number is really high. Personally, I would say that number is way under 1%,” he claimed without evidence.

[Axios]

Reality

Donald Trump tweeted he never told Sean Hannity sick people should go to work.

Watch Donald Trump tell Sean Hannity sick people should go to work: https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1235411751950221312

Trump tells Fox News he’s going after Social Security and Medicare: ‘We’ll be cutting’

At a town hall meeting on Fox News Thursday, President Donald Trump acknowledged that his administration intends to cut Social Security and Medicare.

“We — when these trade deals kick in, you know this economy is the best economy we’ve ever had. It’s nothing to what it’s going to be when the trade deals kick in,” said Trump.

“But if you don’t cut something in entitlements, you’ll never really deal with that,” said the questioner.

“We’ll be cutting, but we’re also going to have growth like you’ve never had before,” said Trump.

The president campaigned on protecting Social Security and Medicare in 2016. However, he has never shown any particular interest in doing so.

[Raw Story]

Media

Trump Complains About Fox News on Hannity: ‘I Think They’re Trying to Be Very Politically Correct’

President Donald Trump ripped into Fox News in an interview Wednesday night with Fox News primetime host Sean Hannity — citing “difficulties” with the cable news giant.

Early on in the 45-minute phone interview, Trump went on an unprovoked riff against Fox News after Hannity asked about Joe Biden’s gaffes.

“Well, look, I don’t want to be too critical, I’ve never seen anything like it, to be honest, and I’m sure that the Democrats are saying the same thing,” Trump said. “But they would rather have him than Bernie [Sanders], and Bernie doesn’t make too many gaffes, but Bernie has his own difficulties.”

The president pivoted to blast the press.

“But the way they push, you know, the media is all on their side, when I say all, all but a little bit, including yourselves and some of the folks on Fox,” Trump told Hannity.

Trump went on to list a few personalities who support him, including radio kingpin Rush Limbaugh (whom Trump incorrectly cited as working at Fox News), Fox News host Mark Levin, and Fox Business host Lou Dobbs. But then he also referenced “little difficulties” with the network at large.

“You have some great people, you have Rush, who is doing I hear really well, much better and Mark Levin. We have a lot of support. You would be amazed, we have a lot of support. The great Lou Dobbs, so many people we have as supporters out of just our Fox News, which, you know, I have my own little difficulties with, if you want to know the truth.”

Trump ripped the network for featuring “inappropriate” people on its air who say “very, very false things.”

The commander-in-chief then doled out the highest of insults among conservatives, billing the network an outfit looking to be “politically correct.”

“They put people on I think are inappropriate and say very, very false things and people don’t challenge them. I think they’re trying to be very politically correct or ‘fair and balanced,’ right, is the term.”

Hannity responded with a chuckle and the affirmative “yeah.”

“But I think they hurt themselves if you want to know the truth,” Trump concluded.

[Mediaite]

Media

https://www.mediamatters.org/donald-trump/donald-trump-praises-fox-hosts-he-considers-supporters-complains-some-are-too-fair-and

Trump Unleashes More Coronavirus Misinformation on National Television

As health experts sound the alarm over the Trump administration’s woefully inadequate response to United States’ unfolding coronavirus outbreak, President Trump continued to push misinformation about the virus while offering dangerous public safety advice.

The president cast doubt on the World Health Organization’s estimate that the global death rate from the virus is 3.4 percent, telling Sean Hannity on Wednesday that “I think the 3.4 percent is really a false number—and this is just my hunch—but based on a lot of conversations with a lot of people that do this because a lot of people will have this and it’s very mild. They’ll get better very rapidly, they don’t even see a doctor, they don’t even call a doctor. You never hear about those people.”

He continued by referring to the coronavirus as the “coronaflu.” Later in the phone appearance, Trump appeared to suggest it was fine for people sick with the coronavirus to go to work, once again undermining the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s urgings that the infected should self-isolate and limit outside contact.

“If we have thousands or hundreds of thousands of people that get better just by sitting around and even going to work—some of them go to work—but they get better. Then when you do have a death, like you’ve had in the state of Washington, like you had one in California, I believe you had one in New York,” Trump said. (New York has not yet reported any deaths from the coronavirus.)

It was the latest in a string of public appearances by the president where he seemed to attempt to minimize the virus’s threat even as documented cases in the US steadily rise. Hours before phoning into Hannity’s Fox News program, Trump debuted a new strategy to combat mounting criticism of his administration’s actions, by falsely claiming that former President Barack Obama, who left office more than 1100 days ago, is to blame for the current delay in testing for the virus. “The Obama administration made a decision on testing that turned out to be very detrimental to what we’re doing,” Trump claimed at a White House meeting on Wednesday. “We undid that decision a few days ago so that the testing can take place in a much more rapid and accurate fashion.”

[Mother Jones]

Trump Calls For Sen. Chuck Schumer To Be Arrested

Trump and Republicans are intentionally distorting Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer’s comments as the president called for Schumer to be impeached and arrested.

After Schumer warned Trump’s Supreme Court justices that an overturn of Roe v. Wade would set off a grassroots political pushback, Trump tweeted:

It is not a surprise that Trump used a tweet from Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Sex Abuse Cover-Up Ohio State) to advance his goal of having his political opponents arrested.

Sen. Schumer’s office called out Trump, Chief Justice Roberts, and the rest of the GOP’s hysterical BS in a statement provided to PoliticusUSA:

Women’s health care rights are at stake and Americans from every corner of the country are in anguish about what the court might do to them.

Sen. Schumer’s comments were a reference to the political price Senate Republicans will pay for putting these justices on the court, and a warning that the justices will unleash a major grassroots movement on the issue of reproductive rights against the decision.

For Justice Roberts to follow the right wing’s deliberate misinterpretation of what Sen. Schumer said, while remaining silent when President Trump attacked Justices Sotomayor and Ginsburg last week, shows Justice Roberts does not just call balls and strikes.

Republicans are clinging on to anything they can to motivate their voters after Joe Biden’s march through Super Tuesday. Trump would love to arrest his political opponents because his heart beats pure authoritarianism.

Trump wants to talk about anything else besides Joe Biden, his bungled coronavirus response, the looming economic slowdown.

The Trump presidency is running on fumes, which is why he is trying to fire up the fake outrage machine at Chuck Schumer.

[Politics USA]

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