Trump news: Under-fire postmaster general says he has 'no intention' of returning mail sorting machines
Senate committee interrogates US Postal Service chief as GOP prepares for 2020 convention
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Donald Trump said he would send law enforcement officers to polling locations for this November's presidential election in comments branded "an attack on America" by a former White House ethics chief.
“We're going to have sheriffs, and we're going to have law enforcement, and we're going to have hopefully US attorneys, and we're going to have everybody and attorney generals (sic),” Mr Trump told Fox News after host Sean Hannity asked if he would have "poll watchers".
Meanwhile, his Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said on Friday there was “no intention” to return mail sorting machines that were removed in recent weeks, after it was reported that at least 671 machines were removed in critical voting states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Florida, Wisconsin and Georgia, among others.
The postmaster general said those machines were “not needed”, while adding that he supports vote-by-mail efforts amid the pandemic.
Mr DeJoy, who has overseen sweeping cuts at the agency following his appointment by the president in June, told a US Senate committee he would be voting by mail in fall elections and insisted that the "American people should feel comfortable that the Postal Service will deliver on this election" despite the president's constant threats to undermine the agency.
On Friday, the president and his family held a funeral service for his brother Robert Trump, who died on 16 August. He was 71. The president held a service in the East Room of the White House.
A group of anti-Trump Republicans have meanwhile seized on the arrest of former Trump campaign chief and senior White House adviser Steve Bannon, who has pleaded not guilty to fraud in an an alleged US-Mexico border wall crowdfunding scheme. He is the subject of an advert targeting Fox News views during next week's 2020 Republican National Convention.
GOP officials and the president are preparing for the event following Joe Biden's official nomination as the Democrats' nominee after his party's week-long convention, during which Democrats and several Republicans condemned the current administration and the president's response to the coronavirus pandemic and economic fallout.
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How Steve Bannon allegedly duped Trump's supporters into funding 'lavish lifestyle' with a 'fraudulent' border wall campaign
Thousands of Donald Trump's supporters were duped by his former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon and others into supporting an online crowdfunding effort to build the president's long-promised border wall, federal prosecutors have alleged.
The indictment of Mr Bannon, Brian Kolfage, Andrew Badolato and Timothy Shea was the result of what prosecutors described as an illegal scheme which "defrauded hundreds of thousands of donors, capitalizing on their interest in funding a border wall to raise millions of dollars, under the false pretense that all of that money would be spent on construction" along the US-Mexico border.
Instead, the four men were accused of setting up the "We Build the Wall" crowdfunding campaign, which raised over $25 million, to fund their own lavish lifestyles – funnelling that money through sham nonprofits created with the sole purpose of concealing payments the men were making to themselves.
Chris Riotta has the report:
Trump boasts 51 per cent approval rating in tweet
Donald Trump has boasted he has a 51 per cent approval rating in office.
The rating he was using comes from Rasmussen, his polling place of choice that leans towards the right. According to the poll, 48 per cent of those surveyed disapprove of the president's job in office.
In comparison, the FiveThirtyEight rating tracker has Mr Trump at 42.1 per cent approval and 53.8 per cent disapproval as of Thursday morning.
Dr Anthony Fauci recovering after undergoing surgery on his vocal cords
Dr Anthony Fauci recovering after undergoing surgery on his vocal cordsDr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and the White House's top doctor responding to coronavirus, was operated on today to have a polyp removed from his vocal cord.
According to CNN's Dr Sanjay Gupta, Dr Fauci was given general anaesthesia during the operation. Dr Gupta said that following the procedure, Dr Fauci texted him to let him know he was "doing ok."
Dr Gupta said that Dr Fauci's doctors have asked him to refrain from speaking for awhile to allow his vocal cords time to recover.
Greg Graziosi reports:
White House says Trump has 'no involvement' in Bannon's crowdfunding border wall scheme
Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany addressed the reports of Steve Bannon arrest and indictment on Thursday morning.
"As everyone knows, President Trump has no involvement in this project and felt it was only being done in order to showboat, and perhaps raise funds," Ms McEnany said, per White House pool.
"President Trump has previously and publicly stated the following: 'I disagreed with doing this very small (tiny) section of wall, in a tricky area, by a private group which raised money by ads. It was only done to make me look bad, and perhaps it now doesn't even work. Should have been built like rest of Wall, 500 plus miles,'" she added. The quote comes from the president in July 2020.
"President Trump has always felt the Wall must be a government project and that it is far too big and complex to be handled privately. The Trump administration has already built over 300 miles of border wall, thanks to the great work of our Army Corps of Engineers, and will have almost 500 miles completed by the end of the year. Our southern border is more secure than it has ever been," she continued.
"President Trump has not been involved with Steve Bannon since the campaign and the early part of the Administration, and he does not know the people involved with this project."
Mr Bannon and three other people were indicted on charges relating to money laundering and wire fraud. They allegedly funnelled money from a crowdfunding border wall campaign into other areas for personal gain, federal prosecutors said.
Trump says he thought Bannon's Mexico crowdfunding campaign was 'inappropriate' and 'showboating'
Donald Trump distanced himself from Steve Bannon on Thursday following the news of his former adviser's arrest and indictment by federal prosecutors.
"I haven't been dealing with him for a very long period of time," Mr Trump said. "... Haven't been dealing with him at all."
He added: "I don't like that project. I thought it was being done for showboating reasons. It was something I very much thought was inappropriate to be doing. "
Despite distancing himself from Mr Bannon, the president did say that his former adviser had a "great career" previously. But Mr Trump made sure to add he hasn't worked with Mr Bannon in a "long time".
Mr Trump also said he did not know the other three men who were indicted by federal prosecutors.
But the New York Times previously reported that Kris Kobach, a conservative who served on the advisory board for the border wall campaign, said the president supported the initiative.
Mr Kobach said the president gave his "blessing" to the crowdfunding campaign. The conservative was not indicted by federal prosecutors and he was not listed as being involved in the money laundering scheme.
New Yorkers can now vote by mail for November election if concerned about coronavirus, governor says
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Thursday that he signed legislation ensuring any resident could request an absentee ballot for the November election if they want one.
This decision was made in an effort to prevent large crowding at polling places on 3 November.
Voters can request absentee ballots starting today, and anything postmarked "before or on Election Day" or received "within seven days after Election Day" must be counted, Mr Cuomo said.
Trump says he has 'no idea' why multiple former advisers have been indicted
Donald Trump was asked by NBC White House correspondent Geoff Bennett about why what his judgement says about him after Steve Bannon, Roger Stone, Rick Gates, Paul Manafort, and Michael Cohen have all faced indictments.
All of the men have previously worked with Mr Trump in his presidential campaign or in the White House.
"Well, I have no idea," Mr Trump said.
He then pivoted the conversation to claim that President Barack Obama and his administration was more corrupt and spied on his presidential campaign.
Mr Trump's claims that the Obama administration spied on his campaign have been unfounded.
Bannon is taken into custody while aboard a 150-foot yacht, law enforcement officials say
Steve Bannon was reportedly taken into custody on Thursday morning while aboard a 150-foot yacht off the coast of Westbrook, Connecticut, three law enforcement officials told NBC News.
Mr Bannon is expected to appear in New York federal court later today to address the money laundering and wire fraud charges he faces for a crowdfunding border wall scheme.
Roger Stone says 'karma is a b***h' when asked about Bannon indictment
Roger Stone has commented on the news of Steve Bannon's arrest and indictment when asked by New York Magazine's Olivia Nuzzi.
"Karma is a b***h, but I am praying for him," Mr Stone said.
Mr Stone has faced an arrest and indictment of his own. The conservative political consultant served Donald Trump as an adviser for his presidential campaign run in 2016.
In November 2019, following Robert Mueller's investigation into the Trump campaign's involvement in Russia hacking the 2016 election, Mr Stone was indicted on seven counts, including witness tampering and lying to federal investigators, while working for the Trump campaign. He was found guilty and sentenced to 40 months in federal prison.
Mr Trump commuted Mr Stone's sentence on 10 July 2020.
American Airlines to suspend service to 15 cities due to low demand
American Airlines announced on Thursday its plans to suspend service in 15 cities across the United States starting in October due to "low demand".
The airline industry was blocked from halting services to any city after they accepted funding from the CARES Act passed by Congress. But those restrictions are set to expire on 1 October. Congress has yet to reach an agreement about extended funding.
American Airlines will now cut the cities from its rotation in the October schedule, but confirmed it would not be permanent. These suspensions would start on 7 October.
Here are the the 15 cities impacted: Del Rio, Texas; Dubuque, Iowa; Florence, South Carolina; Greenville, North Carolina; Huntington, West Virginia; Joplin, Missouri; Kalamazoo/Battle Creek, Michigan; Lake Charles, Louisiana; New Haven, Connecticut; New Windsor, New York; Roswell, New Mexico; Sioux City, Iowa; Springfield, Illinois; Stillwater, Oklahoma; Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
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