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Democrats on the attack after Trump tax return revelations – US politics live Democrats on the attack after Trump tax return revelations – US politics live
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Biden campaign ad compares tax paid by Trump to that paid by nurses, teachers and firefightersBiden campaign ad compares tax paid by Trump to that paid by nurses, teachers and firefighters
The White House press secretary dismissed the New York Times story on Trump’s tax returns as a “hit piece” that was meant to hurt the president’s credibility before the first debate tomorrow.
“We’ve seen this play out before, where there was a hit piece about the president’s taxes just before a debate,” Kayleigh McEnany said.
“This is the same playbook they tried in 2016, the same playbook that the American people rejected.”
The president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, justified his father paying almost nothing in federal income taxes in recent years by saying he merely took advantage of existing tax law.
“It’s ridiculous. My father’s paid tens of millions of taxes,” Trump told Fox News. “That’s the reality. People don’t understand what goes into a business.”
What looks like a coronavirus vaccine setback here, for at least one company, anyway. Reuters report that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has put a hold on Inovio’s plans to start final trials of its coronavirus vaccine. The agency seeks more information, including details on a delivery device used to inject genetic material into cells.What looks like a coronavirus vaccine setback here, for at least one company, anyway. Reuters report that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has put a hold on Inovio’s plans to start final trials of its coronavirus vaccine. The agency seeks more information, including details on a delivery device used to inject genetic material into cells.
Inovio’s shares fell 33% before the opening bell this morning. The company was expecting to start the trial this month. The company said on the FDA’s “partial clinical hold” was not due to any side effects in its early-stage study of the vaccine.Inovio’s shares fell 33% before the opening bell this morning. The company was expecting to start the trial this month. The company said on the FDA’s “partial clinical hold” was not due to any side effects in its early-stage study of the vaccine.
Inovio said it would answer the FDA’s questions this month, after which the agency would have 30 days to decide whether the trial should proceed.Inovio said it would answer the FDA’s questions this month, after which the agency would have 30 days to decide whether the trial should proceed.
The company planned to administer the vaccine to study participants through a battery-operated device called Cellectra. It has received $71 million in funding from the US Department of Defense to scale up manufacturing of Cellectra.The company planned to administer the vaccine to study participants through a battery-operated device called Cellectra. It has received $71 million in funding from the US Department of Defense to scale up manufacturing of Cellectra.
Inovio’s development timeline is already lagging behind those of rivals such as Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZeneca, all of which have begun late-stage studies of their coronavirus vaccine candidates.Inovio’s development timeline is already lagging behind those of rivals such as Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZeneca, all of which have begun late-stage studies of their coronavirus vaccine candidates.
The editorial board at Washington Post have this morning published their endorsement of Joe Biden for president. The piece opens “In order to expel the worst president of modern times, many voters might be willing to vote for almost anybody. Fortunately, to oust president Trump in 2020, voters do not have to lower their standards.”The editorial board at Washington Post have this morning published their endorsement of Joe Biden for president. The piece opens “In order to expel the worst president of modern times, many voters might be willing to vote for almost anybody. Fortunately, to oust president Trump in 2020, voters do not have to lower their standards.”
They go on to write:They go on to write:
They describe Trump’s description of Biden as a socialist as a “preposterous slander”, and state that the president has “few accomplishments in his first term and no agenda for his second”. In contrast, they posit that Biden’s “competence and honor are more important in this cycle than any particular stand on any particular issue.”They describe Trump’s description of Biden as a socialist as a “preposterous slander”, and state that the president has “few accomplishments in his first term and no agenda for his second”. In contrast, they posit that Biden’s “competence and honor are more important in this cycle than any particular stand on any particular issue.”
Read it here: Washington Post – Joe Biden for presidentRead it here: Washington Post – Joe Biden for president
And that’s it from me this morning, Joan Greve will be here presently…And that’s it from me this morning, Joan Greve will be here presently…
Speaking of Amy Coney Barrett, we also have this piece today from Jill Filipovic. It did not go without notice that on Sunday the press pool following the president reported that he went golfing, while the press pool following Joe Biden reported that he attended mass. Filipovic argues that Democrats aren’t anti-Catholic bigots for questioning her:Speaking of Amy Coney Barrett, we also have this piece today from Jill Filipovic. It did not go without notice that on Sunday the press pool following the president reported that he went golfing, while the press pool following Joe Biden reported that he attended mass. Filipovic argues that Democrats aren’t anti-Catholic bigots for questioning her:
Read it here: Jill Filipovic – Democrats aren’t anti-Catholic bigots for questioning Amy Coney BarrettRead it here: Jill Filipovic – Democrats aren’t anti-Catholic bigots for questioning Amy Coney Barrett
We are repeatedly being told that there is a lot at stake in this election, and with Trump’s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the supreme court, reproductive rights have been moved to the forefront of the campaign. Will Samson, a former Republican operative whose research on changes to American Evangelicalism is published in the New Evangelical Social Engagement, writes for us today about anti-abortion Republicans who cannot face voting for Trump this time around:We are repeatedly being told that there is a lot at stake in this election, and with Trump’s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the supreme court, reproductive rights have been moved to the forefront of the campaign. Will Samson, a former Republican operative whose research on changes to American Evangelicalism is published in the New Evangelical Social Engagement, writes for us today about anti-abortion Republicans who cannot face voting for Trump this time around:
Read it here: Will Samson – Meet the anti-abortion Republicans defecting from Trump and voting Biden this yearRead it here: Will Samson – Meet the anti-abortion Republicans defecting from Trump and voting Biden this year
Martin Pengelly has a little more on that story that a forthcoming book by Donald Trump’s former campaign deputy Rick Gates claims that the president wanted Ivanka Trump as his running mate in 2016.Martin Pengelly has a little more on that story that a forthcoming book by Donald Trump’s former campaign deputy Rick Gates claims that the president wanted Ivanka Trump as his running mate in 2016.
Read it here: Donald Trump wanted daughter Ivanka to be running mate in 2016, book saysRead it here: Donald Trump wanted daughter Ivanka to be running mate in 2016, book says
Kentucky state Rep. Lisa Willner, a Louisville Democrat, has said she will propose changing Kentucky’s legal definition of rioting after Democratic state Rep. Attica Scott was charged with the felony while participating in Louisville protests for racial justice.Kentucky state Rep. Lisa Willner, a Louisville Democrat, has said she will propose changing Kentucky’s legal definition of rioting after Democratic state Rep. Attica Scott was charged with the felony while participating in Louisville protests for racial justice.
Associated Press report that Willner she plans to file a new bill request today that would redefine the criminal charge.Associated Press report that Willner she plans to file a new bill request today that would redefine the criminal charge.
Scott, the state’s only Black woman representative, was arrested and charged Thursday night with first-degree rioting, unlawful assembly and failure to disperse. Scott has called the charges “ludicrous” and said she was arrested by officers who surrounded her as she walked with her daughter to the sanctuary of a church.Scott, the state’s only Black woman representative, was arrested and charged Thursday night with first-degree rioting, unlawful assembly and failure to disperse. Scott has called the charges “ludicrous” and said she was arrested by officers who surrounded her as she walked with her daughter to the sanctuary of a church.
Kentucky law defines a riot as a public disturbance involving five or more people “which by tumultuous and violent conduct creates grave danger of damage or injury to property or persons or substantially obstructs law enforcement or other government function.”Kentucky law defines a riot as a public disturbance involving five or more people “which by tumultuous and violent conduct creates grave danger of damage or injury to property or persons or substantially obstructs law enforcement or other government function.”
The law defines first-degree rioting as knowingly participating in a riot that causes injury to a person who is not rioting, or causes substantial property damage.The law defines first-degree rioting as knowingly participating in a riot that causes injury to a person who is not rioting, or causes substantial property damage.
Willner said what happened to Scott while she was seeking sanctuary “cannot happen again.”Willner said what happened to Scott while she was seeking sanctuary “cannot happen again.”
Meanwhile, a man who authorities accuse of requesting $30,000 to shoot police officers in Louisville in a live Facebook social media video while he was brandishing a gun has been arrested.Meanwhile, a man who authorities accuse of requesting $30,000 to shoot police officers in Louisville in a live Facebook social media video while he was brandishing a gun has been arrested.
Federal and local authorities executed a search warrant on Cortez Lamont Edwards’s home on Sunday. An investigation revealed that Edwards was a convicted felon, and he has been charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. If convicted, Edwards could face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.Federal and local authorities executed a search warrant on Cortez Lamont Edwards’s home on Sunday. An investigation revealed that Edwards was a convicted felon, and he has been charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. If convicted, Edwards could face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
As so often is the case, the 2020 US presidential election outcome will hinge on who can capture a handful of battleground states that will swing the Electoral College votes one way or another.As so often is the case, the 2020 US presidential election outcome will hinge on who can capture a handful of battleground states that will swing the Electoral College votes one way or another.
We’ve got a little interactive that has launched this morning that allows you to plot a path to victory for either Donald Trump or Joe Biden. Or, if you are feeling less optimistic, you can worry yourself by working out how the guy you don’t want to win can still end up in the White House if they manage to nab somewhere like New Hampshire or Michigan.We’ve got a little interactive that has launched this morning that allows you to plot a path to victory for either Donald Trump or Joe Biden. Or, if you are feeling less optimistic, you can worry yourself by working out how the guy you don’t want to win can still end up in the White House if they manage to nab somewhere like New Hampshire or Michigan.
Try it here: Build your own US election: plot a path to victory for Biden or TrumpTry it here: Build your own US election: plot a path to victory for Biden or Trump
David Remnick at New Yorker magazine won’t be the only writer today asking the question – will anybody actually care about Trump’s taxes? He writes:David Remnick at New Yorker magazine won’t be the only writer today asking the question – will anybody actually care about Trump’s taxes? He writes:
Remnick ponders whether the danger for Trump is that the revelations are too easily made personal for voters in a way that, say, revelations in a Bob Woodward or John Bolton book about shenanigans in DC just aren’t.Remnick ponders whether the danger for Trump is that the revelations are too easily made personal for voters in a way that, say, revelations in a Bob Woodward or John Bolton book about shenanigans in DC just aren’t.
Read it here: New Yorker – Donald Trump barely pays any taxes: will anyone care?Read it here: New Yorker – Donald Trump barely pays any taxes: will anyone care?
Donald Trump’s estranged former lawyer Michael Cohen had his say on Trump’s taxes last night in a phone interview with MSNBC. Cohen said:Donald Trump’s estranged former lawyer Michael Cohen had his say on Trump’s taxes last night in a phone interview with MSNBC. Cohen said:
Cohen recently published Disloyal, his memoir of his time as Donald Trump’s fixer. It was greeted by a White House statement calling him a “disgraced felon and disbarred lawyer”.Cohen recently published Disloyal, his memoir of his time as Donald Trump’s fixer. It was greeted by a White House statement calling him a “disgraced felon and disbarred lawyer”.
Cohen was convicted of lying to Congress in order to protect Trump over his links to Russia and payments to women which may have violated campaign finance law. He was also convicted of lying to a financial institution and tax fraud and is currently serving his three-year sentence – at home in New York because of the coronavirus.Cohen was convicted of lying to Congress in order to protect Trump over his links to Russia and payments to women which may have violated campaign finance law. He was also convicted of lying to a financial institution and tax fraud and is currently serving his three-year sentence – at home in New York because of the coronavirus.
The polls have been looking good for Joe Biden, with him nationally ahead by seven or eight points, and with a lead in several key swing states. However, the polls didn’t predict a Donald Trump Electoral College victory in 2016, and Tom McCarthy reports for us today: can we trust them this time around?
Of course, one thing they will still struggle to factor in this year is voter behaviour during a pandemic, especially when the view of the American public about the coronavirus outbreak – and the steps they are taking to mitigate it – have become so partisan.
Read it here: US election polls look good for Joe Biden. But can they be trusted?
Away from taxes for a second, NBC News have a story this morning about an overheard phone call from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Robert Redfield where he appeared to be raising concerns about Dr. Scott Atlas. They report:
Prior joining the White House team reacting to the pandemic Atlas had been a frequent guest on Fox News where he had pushed to reopen the country, and as NBC News put it, “espoused views that more closely align with Trump’s opinions during the health crisis.”
There were 267 new coronavirus deaths and 37,332 new Covid cases reported in the US yesterday. The country has been averaging around 43,000 new cases per day during the last week, a level which is a 23% increase on where the country stood a fortnight ago.
Read it here: NBC News – Redfield voices alarm over influence of Trump’s new coronavirus task force adviser
I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot more from the president about his taxes in the days to come. But it has become one of those truisms that whatever this president does while in office, he will have previously complained on Twitter about his predecessor doing something similar. Tax, it turns out, is no exception.
In among the tax details revealed yesterday, was the claim that on one hand Donald Trump’s companies were writing off losses because they were paying “consultancy fees” on deals, and on the other hand, a consultancy co-owned by Ivanka Trump was profiting from, yes, you’ve guessed it, consultancy fees that seem to be from the same deal.
That’s not the only Ivanka Trump revelation floating around today, as this morning the Washington Post report that a new book will suggest that Donald wanted Ivanka to be his VP pick in 2016. The paper reports that the claim is in a forthcoming book by Trump’s deputy campaign manager Rick Gates. Rosalind S. Helderman and Tom Hamburger write:
Gates book is set to be published on 13 October.
Read it here: Washington Post – Trump suggested naming his daughter Ivanka as his running mate in 2016, according to new book by Rick Gates
It’s not just going to be all about Trump’s taxes today. Oregon’s Gov. Kate Brown has asked authorities to review “any alleged incidents” involving their officers after video emerged which appeared to show a physical assault on a journalist in Portland, a city which has seen months of continuous protest for racial justice.
Associated press report that a videos from the demonstration in downtown Portland showed police grabbing a news photographer and pushing him to ground, as he was trying to document them tackling and detaining a person on a sidewalk
In a series of tweets last night, Brown said:
In the incident, freelance photographer John Rudoff was wearing a helmet with “PRESS” stickers affixed to it. He told the Oregonian/Oregon Live on Sunday that he’s “physically OK but am quite annoyed”. One video appears to show an officer push a journalist into a tree, causing the journalist to drop the camera.
Oregon Public Broadcasting Editor Anna Griffin retweeted the video, writing, “I’d also love to hear elected officials explain why a reporter from my organization was subject to violence at the hands of law enforcement when judges have made it very clear this is not acceptable.”
Another online video showed an officer apparently deploying a chemical spray in the face of a man who was yelling at police and waving a sign toward them.
Several arrests were made and an unlawful assembly was again declared by the authorities. Sheriff’s spokesperson Chris Liedle told the Oregonian/Oregon Live that anyone who believes officers acted unjustly or excessively can file a complaint with the agency or corresponding review board.
David Smith in Washington had this analysis for us of what the Trump tax revelations might mean in the longer term. Will the Democratic party be able to get as much energy around “but his taxes…” as the phrase “but her emails…” reverberated for the Trump campaign in 2016 against Hillary Clinton?
Read it here: Will the New York Times taxes report sink Donald Trump?
Other comments from the progressive wing of the Democratic wing of the party have attempted to make the Trump taxes issue not so much about him personally, but about the structure of the US economy and tax regime.
Senator Elizabeth Warren said that Trump was “taking advantage of a broken, corrupt, and unequal system that’s built for people like him to do what he did.”
Bernie Sanders returned to a consistent theme of which he has provided many examples over the years, that wealthy individuals and corporates love “corporate socialism” for themselves, but prescribe “rugged capitalism for everyone else”.
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar also had a very simple comment on the situation go viral. She needed no words to make her point – just the number 750.
Not unexpectedly, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is one of the Democratic figures who has weighed in on Trump’s taxes overnight, comparing his $750 bill with the taxes she paid in the same years while working as a bartender.
The New York congresswoman also highlighted the hypocrisy of her critics over the amount she spent styling her hair compared to that spent by Donald Trump. She pointed to this part of the New York Times report:
Here’s that attack ad from Joe Biden over Donald Trump’s taxes which was posted overnight. It seeks to unfavourably compare the $750 which the New York Times claims is what Donald Trump paid in federal taxes in the year he was elected president, with the taxes paid by teachers, firefighters and nurses that same year. It has already had over 1 million views on social media.
Donald Trump has dismissed the whole New York Times story as “fake news”, saying:
Good morning, and welcome to what is no doubt set to be a lively day on the US politics blog following a weekend of bombshell revelations about the president’s finances.
The New York Times published Trump’s tax returns. The self-proclaimed billionaire paid just $750 in federal income taxes in the year he was elected.
Overnight senior Democratic figure have sought to press home the revelations, with Joe Biden comparing what Trump paid to the tax paid by teachers, firefighters and nurses in a video which has already gained over one million views on social media.
Trump has dismissed the New York Times revelation of his tax information as “fake news”. He said he didn’t know the story was going to be published, although his attorney is on record in the NYT piece.
Trump said overturning Roe v Wade would be ‘possible’ with his nominee Amy Coney Barrett on supreme court. The 1973 ruling made abortion legal in the US.
Trump stepped up his wild attacks on Joe Biden ahead of tomorrow’s opening debate. Without any evidence, the president accused his rival of using ‘performance enhancing drugs’.
A judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration order banning video-sharing app TikTok from Apple and Google stores.
A Kentucky legislator who was arrested during demonstrations over the Breonna Taylor case has accused Louisville police of detaining her and about 20 allies on false pretences.
The Kenosha police officer who shot Jacob Blake in the back seven times last month told investigators he thought Blake was trying to abduct one of his own children.
Secretary of state Mike Pompeo is in Greece today as part of a mini-tour which will also see him visit Italy, the Vatican and Croatia.
The only thing in the president’s diary for today is that Donald Trump is due to give an update on the US coronavirus testing strategy from the White House at 2pm.
I’m Martin Belam – you can get in touch with me at martin.belam@theguardian.com