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National

Bill Hemmer Reports-3 43 48 Pm - 3 45 52 Pm-2020-10-19

President Trump attacked CNN for continuing to cover the coronavirus pandemic, calling the network "dumb b*stards" at a campaign rally in Prescott, Arizona on Monday. 

Why it matters: The president's attacks on the media and Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious-disease expert, come as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are again surging across the country, just two weeks out from Election Day.

It's an unusual closing argument in an election campaign that has been dominated this year by the pandemic, which has infected more than 8.1 million Americans, killed over 219,000, and massively disrupted the U.S. and global economy.

Over 65% of Americans are either "very" or "somewhat" concerned about contracting the coronavirus, while 57.5% say they disapprove of Trump's handling of the pandemic, according to FiveThirtyEight's average of polls.

What he's saying: “You turn on CNN, that’s all they cover: COVID, COVID, pandemic, COVID, COVID … that’s all they cover. You know why? They’re trying to talk everyone out of voting. People are not buying it CNN, you dumb b*stards," Trump said to a crowd of cheering supporters. 

Turning to Joe Biden, Trump accused his Democratic challenger of wanting to "listen to Dr. Fauci" — a riff on an apparent attack on Saturday in which the president said Biden will "listen to the scientists" if elected. 

Trump also questioned whether CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, whom the president calls "Fredo," really had the coronavirus. Cuomo tested positive for the virus in late March.

Trump attacks CNN as "dumb b*stards" for continuing to cover pandemic

"People are not buying it CNN, you dumb b*stards," Trump said.

Politics

Health Care

Media

Coronavirus

Donald Trump

2020 election

The U.S. health system faces critical questions about cost, access and equity. Technological advances and new discoveries about diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s are transforming patient care and reshaping public health.

Health

2024 will be an election year like no other, as President Biden seeks re-election amid economic uncertainty, two wars and questions about his age. His likely foe, former President Trump, faces felony charges and vows revenge on his political enemies. Meanwhile, Americans generally are dissatisfied with those choices and are divided over immigration, race, education and more.

Politics & Policy

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) meets with Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok in Khartmoum. Photo: Handout via Getty Images

President Trump announced Monday that he will be removing Sudan from the State Department’s state sponsors of terrorism list after the Sudanese government agreed to pay $335 million in compensation for families of American victims of terrorism.

The big picture: Trump's announcement is part of a wider agreement that is expected to include moves from Sudan toward normalizing relations with Israel. 

Sudanese, Israeli and U.S. officials say more steps toward such a deal are expected to be announced later this week.

The designation as a sponsor of terrorism restricts Sudan's access to investment, and the transitional government that replaced dictator Omar al-Bashir — who was listed in 1993 for harboring al-Qaeda — has made its removal a top priority.

What’s next: The Sudanese government will transfer the money to a designated account set up for the compensation fund in the next few hours, Sudanese sources say.

Once the money is transferred, Trump is expected to sign an executive order to remove Sudan from the state sponsors of terrorism list.

The next step, the Sudanese sources say, is expected to be a bipartisan announcement from U.S. senators about a bill to protect Sudan from future lawsuits in America by terror victims.

 Sudan is also expecting the U.S. to announce an aid package in coming days. It will include financial aid and wheat, medicine and oil shipments. Also in the mix are commitments by the Trump administration to mobilize private sector investments in Sudan and to organize a Sudan donors conference, according to Israeli and Sudanese sources. 

The big picture: Trump’s tweet comes after two months of talks between Sudanese leaders and officials from the White House and State Department.

The talks aimed at a deal with multiple components: the U.S. would remove Sudan from the terror sponsor list, the U.S. and UAE would provide Sudan with a big aid package, and Sudan would agree to normalize relations with Israel.

Behind the scenes: Sudan's transitional government has been split on the issue of normalization with Israel, which could lead to domestic blowback amid the country's fragile transition to democracy.

The top military official, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has supported the idea, but Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has been more resistant and demanded $3 billion in aid to Sudan in exchange for normalization with Israel.

For weeks, Hamdok has opposed the U.S. proposal despite heavy pressure from the U.S. and UAE, as well as from Burhan. 

But he appeared to change his mind in the last few days, Sudanese sources say, after receiving assurances from the U.S. that Sudan would be removed from the terror list and receive an aid package first, and only then would be expected to announce steps forward on normalization.

What to watch: If and when those hurdles are cleared, Israeli sources say the normalization process could begin with a phone call between Trump, Burhan, Hamdok and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Trump wrote on Twitter: “GREAT news! New government of Sudan, which is making great progress, agreed to pay $335 MILLION to U.S. terror victims and families. Once deposited, I will lift Sudan from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list. At long last, JUSTICE for the American people and BIG step for Sudan!”

Burhan welcomed Trump’s tweet: “I would like to express my deep appreciation and that of the Sudanese people to President Trump and to the U.S. Administration for the constructive step taken to remove Sudan off the Terror List in recognition of the historic change that has taken place in Sudan and for the struggle of the Sudanese people for Freedom, Peace and Justice."

Hamdok tweeted: “Thank you so much, President Trump! We very much look forward to your official notification to Congress rescinding the designation of Sudan as a state-sponsor of terrorism, which has cost Sudan too much. This Tweet and that notification are the strongest support to Sudan’s transition to democracy and to the Sudanese people. As we’re about to get rid of the heaviest legacy of Sudan’s previous, defunct regime, I should reiterate that we are  peace-loving people and have never supported terrorism."

Deal to remove Sudan as terror sponsor paves way for Israel move

The U.S. has been pressuring Sudan to recognize Israel.

World

Sudan

Israel

Conflicts, policies and powers are intersecting and shaping the world. Breaking news and analysis of national security, foreign policy and global crises.

Leftist candidate Luis Arce won an "overwhelming and clear" victory in Bolivia's presidential election, his chief opponent said Monday in a concession speech.

Why it matters: Looming over Sunday's vote were the events of one year ago, when then-president Evo Morales was ousted and fled into exile following a disputed election. He was controversially succeeded by a right-wing senator, Jeanine Añez, deepening a political crisis which appears to have ended with an emphatic mandate for Morales' party, the Movement for Socialism.

Setting the scene: Arce had long led centrist former president Carlos Mesa in the polls, but needed either an outright majority or a 10% margin of victory to avoid a runoff.

Some feared a contested outcome that could further imperil Bolivia's democracy, given the polarization and sporadic violence of the past year.

The crisis began when official results in last year's election showed Morales barely clearing the 10% threshold to avoid a runoff, kicking off a chaotic period in which the Organization of American States said it found evidence of fraud, and Morales fled the country under pressure from the military — an outcome his supporters labeled a coup.

Añez was declared acting president under constitutionally questionable circumstances, and was accused of misusing her interim role to target the left and seek election herself (she dropped out in September out after polls showed her in fourth place).

The state of play: This time, the fight was effectively over as soon as polls closed.

While the official results haven't been declared, two independent exit polls showed Arce winning a convincing first-round victory. Añez acknowledged Arce's victory on election night and Mesa conceded the following day.

Between the lines: Arce is a far different figure from his charismatic former boss, who was seen by supporters as the founding father of a new Bolivia and by opponents as a would-be authoritarian.

Arce served as Morales' economy minister for 12 years, overseeing robust economic growth and earning a reputation as a pragmatic technocrat.

Arce distanced himself from Morales at times during the campaign, and his allies have insisted he will govern as his own man and not as a stand-in for the former president.

“I think the Bolivian people want to retake the path we were on,” he said at an election night event.

Socialists win Bolivia election one year after controversial Morales ouster

After a chaotic year, a resounding victory.

Arce (center, with badge) celebrates on election night. Photo: Javier Mamani/Getty Images

Bolivia

During a campaign call on Monday, President Trump slammed infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci, calling him a "disaster" and claiming that "people are tired of COVID," according to multiple reporters who listened to the call. 

Why it matters: Fauci, who considers himself apolitical, is one of the most trusted voices in the country on the coronavirus. Trump's escalating attacks on the government's top infectious-disease expert come as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are again surging across the country, just two weeks out from Election Day.

Driving the news: CBS's "60 Minutes" aired an interview Sunday night with the NIAID director, where he said he was "absolutely not" surprised Trump contracted COVID-19 after seeing him on TV in a crowded place with "almost nobody wearing a mask."

What he's saying: "Every time he goes on television there's always a bomb, but there's a bigger bomb if you fire him. This guy's a disaster," Trump said on a campaign call. 

"People are tired of COVID. I have these huge rallies," Trump said. "People are saying whatever. Just leave us alone. They're tired of it. People are tired of hearing Fauci and all these idiots ... Fauci is a nice guy. He's been here for 500 years."

"If I listened to him, we'd have 500,000 deaths," before later saying it would be 700,000 or 800,000. "If there's a reporter on, you can have it just the way I said it, I couldn't care less," Trump added.

The president later tweeted: "Dr. Tony Fauci says we don’t allow him to do television, and yet I saw him last night on @60Minutes, and he seems to get more airtime than anybody since the late, great, Bob Hope. All I ask of Tony is that he make better decisions. He said “no masks & let China in”. Also, Bad arm!"

In a second tweet, Trump appeared to mock Fauci for a ceremonial first pitch he threw out for the Washington Nationals earlier this year.

The big picture: The White House has repeatedly blocked Fauci from making television appearances or doing interviews, which the top health expert pointed out during his "60 minutes" appearance. "There has been a restriction… but, it isn't consistent," Fauci said.

Fauci has also clashed with the president over a political ad put out by the Trump campaign, saying a clip of him appearing to praise Trump's coronavirus response was used out of context and without his permission. 

Fauci has insisted there's "not a chance" that he would resign even if the Trump campaign continued to feature him in ads, but argued: "By doing this against my will, they are in effect harassing me."

Trump escalates attacks on Fauci as Election Day nears, COVID cases surge

"Every time he goes on television there's always a bomb," Trump said.

Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Las Vegas

Anthony Fauci

A federal grand jury has returned a 7-count indictment against six Russian military intelligence officers for major hacking operations targeting foreign elections, the Olympics and computer systems worldwide that resulted in nearly $1 billion in losses, the Justice Department announced Monday.

The big picture: The officers are members of the same GRU unit indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller for interference in the 2016 election. It's unlikely that they will ever face trial in the U.S.

Worth noting: One GRU officer charged in the Mueller investigation for hacking Democratic emails, Anatoliy Sergeyevich Kovalev, was also charged in Monday's indictment.

Details: The indictment accuses the hackers of ...

Unleashing destructive malware attacks on Ukraine's power grid in 2015 through 2016

Engaging in hack-and-leak efforts targeting the 2017 French elections

Infecting computers around the world in 2017 with destructive malware called NotPetya, which also affected U.S. hospitals

Targeting the PyeongChang Winter Olympics after Russian athletes were banned from participating under their country's flag in 2017 and 2018

Attempting to disrupt chemical weapons investigations into the poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal on U.K. soil in 2018

Targeting Georgian companies and government entities in 2018 and 2019

What they're saying: "These are not acts of traditional spying against governments," U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania Scott Brady said at a press briefing. "Instead these are crimes committed by Russian government officials against real victims who suffered real harm." 

FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich thanked Google, Cisco, Facebook and Twitter "for all stepping up and helping us with this investigation," adding: "This is more common that we work together with our private sector partners than ever before." 

Go deeper: The missed cyber opportunity in the Senate Intel report on Russia

U.S. charges Russian intelligence officers for cyberattacks beginning in 2015

The hackers are accused of acting on Russia's behalf to attack France, Ukraine, and the Winter Olympics.

Putin at an event celebrating the Russian military. Photo: Alexei Druzhinin\TASS via Getty Images

Cyberwarfare by Russia

Russia

Several officials at the Fed are beginning to worry about asset bubbles and excessive risk-taking as a result of their extraordinary policy interventions, James Politi writes for the Financial Times, citing interviews with multiple Fed presidents and members of the Board of Governors.

Details: Some are now pushing for "tougher financial regulation" as concerns grow that monetary policy is "encouraging behavior detrimental to economic recovery and creating pressure for additional bailouts."

What they're saying: “I don’t know what the best policy solution is, but I know we can’t just keep doing what we’ve been doing,” Minneapolis Fed president Neel Kashkari told the FT. 

“As soon as there’s a risk that hits, everybody flees and the Federal Reserve has to step in and bail out that market, and that’s crazy. And we need to take a hard look at that.”

Boston Fed president Eric Rosengren called for a “rethink” of “financial stability” issues in the U.S., and Fed governor Lael Brainard said in a speech last month that expectations of extended low-interest rates were boosting “imbalances” in the U.S. financial system, Politi reported.

Why it matters: Economists, strategists and fund managers on Wall Street have said for months that the Fed has effectively killed price discovery by "nationalizing" the bond market with its actions and is artificially holding up the price of financial assets.

That has elevated U.S. economic inequality, and while market participants have cheered, the Fed's popularity has sunk among most Americans.

Much of the U.S. economy, including jobs and spending at small businesses and firms not dedicated to e-commerce, continues to be weak.

The big picture: The latest comments from Brainard, Rosengren, Kashkari and others suggest that influential members of the Fed's policy-setting committee may be pushing back against the so-called Fed put — a belief among investors that if stock prices fall enough, the Fed will bail them out by lowering interest rates or by pushing trillions of dollars in liquidity into financial markets through quantitative easing.

That has been the underlying principle of bullish stock market strategies over the past decade, including BTFD (Buy The F*cking Dip) and TINA (There Is No Alternative), that have emboldened traders to continue buying U.S. stocks despite grim economic conditions.

But, but, but: The tough talk may simply be a call for someone else to step up as the Fed continues to backstop markets.

“For me, monetary policy is a very poor tool to address financial stability risks,” Kashkari told FT. 

And Rosengren added that the central bank lacks the tools to “stop firms and households” from taking on “excessive leverage.”

The Fed is starting to question its own policies

"I know we can’t just keep doing what we’ve been doing."

Axios

Monday's top stories

Trump attacks CNN as "dumb b*stards" for continuing to cover pandemic

Deal to remove Sudan as terror sponsor paves way for Israel move

Socialists win Bolivia election one year after controversial Morales ouster

Trump escalates attacks on Fauci as Election Day nears, COVID cases surge

U.S. charges Russian intelligence officers for cyberattacks beginning in 2015

The Fed is starting to question its own policies

Why education technology can’t save remote learning

Coronavirus hospitalizations are on the rise

The pandemic is destroying energy efficiency

China threatens to detain U.S. citizens if DOJ prosecutes scholars

Judge blocks Trump administration plan to cut food stamps to unemployed Americans

Trump says if Biden's elected, "he'll listen to the scientists"