Tag Archives: authoritarians

Axios reports: A number of prominent Republican lawmakers addressed President Trump’s refusal on Wednesday to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses November’s presidential election. Worth noting: None of the statements issued so far directly mention Trump by name — or why they’re speaking out on the issue now. The big picture: Trump has baselessly claimed that …

The Hill reports: Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) pushed back on Wednesday against President Trump, who refused to commit to a peaceful transition of power should he lose the election in November. Romney, who is one of the GOP senators most willing to publicly criticize Trump, is the first Republican lawmaker to weigh in on the president’s comments made from the …

CNN reports: President Donald Trump would not commit to saying he would provide a peaceful transition of power after Election Day. “Well, we’re going to have to see what happens. You know that I’ve been complaining very strongly about the ballots and the ballots are a disaster,” Trump said at a press briefing at the White House on Wednesday evening, …

The Washington Post reports: Hours before law enforcement forcibly cleared protesters from Lafayette Square in early June amid protests over the police killing of George Floyd, federal officials began to stockpile ammunition and seek devices that could emit deafening sounds and make anyone within range feel like their skin is on fire. The technology, also called a “heat ray,” was …

“The unreality of the left, they try to make it our reality. And I have a sneaking suspicion — and no I have no firsthand knowledge, but a sneaking suspicion — should our president be reelected, God willing, that he will dust off the Insurrection Act. “And he will have to use it to put down the enemy. The enemy …

Raw Story reports: Discussing the recent police killing of a self-described anti-fascist suspected of fatally shooting a far-right activist in Portland, Oregon, President Donald Trump openly endorsed extrajudicial executions in a Fox News interview Saturday, declaring that “there has to be retribution.” “I put out, ‘When are you going to go get him?’ And the U.S. Marshals went in to …

Politico reports: President Donald Trump threatened Thursday to “put … down very quickly” riots on election night should aggrieved Democrats take to the streets in the wake of his potential victory. The remarks from the president came in an interview with Fox News host Jeanine Pirro set to air Saturday, in which he was asked how he would respond to …

Mediaite reports: President Donald Trump ignited a tempest online for clarifying that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had been “very good” to him, while talking to a Christian pastor who had been imprisoned by Erdogan, during the first night of the Republican National Convention. That Trump would take time out of a hostage’s story to actually praise the man who …

The Insider reports: The Republican Party in a statement said it will not be announcing a new platform of policies to voters at this year’s Republican National Convention, but will instead pledge to “enthusiastically” support President Donald Trump. In a statement released on Sunday, the RNC announced that instead of pursuing a range of new policy goals should their candidate …

CNN reports: President Donald Trump on Thursday said he would send law enforcement officials to polling locations to guard against voter fraud in November’s election, although it’s not clear he has the authority to do so. “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 …

Reuters reports: Authorities in Belarus on Saturday detained Maria Kolesnikova, a prominent member of the opposition campaign challenging President Alexander Lukashenko in a presidential election, the campaign team said. Human rights groups say more than 1,300 people have been detained in a crackdown ahead of Sunday’s election in an attempt to clamp down on street protests that pose the biggest …

CNN reports: Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro said on Thursday he felt weak and might have “mold in the lung” having spent weeks in isolation after catching Covid-19. In his first Facebook live video since recovering from Covid-19, Bolsonaro said: “I’ve just taken a blood exam. I was a bit weak yesterday. They have also found a bit of an infection. …

Law & Crime reports: President Donald Trump on Wednesday morning posted a series of tweets and re-tweets featuring an array of articles and videos maligning his political opponents and praising his own leadership. But stashed between four re-tweets which originated from Fox Business News’s Jim Varney, Trump also retweeted a Washington Times op-ed which virulently denounced the president’s deployment of …

Reuters reports: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday he caught the coronavirus and recovered “on his feet” without showing any symptoms, sounding a defiant tone as he addressed military leaders in Minsk. Lukashenko, 65, has resisted calls for strict lockdown measures to contain the pandemic, dismissing fears about COVID-19 as a “psychosis” and suggesting remedies such as drinking vodka, …

The Boston Globe reports: What if President Trump refuses to concede a loss, as he publicly hinted recently he might do? How far could he go to preserve his power? And what if Democrats refuse to give in? “All of our scenarios ended in both street-level violence and political impasse,” said Rosa Brooks, a Georgetown law professor and former Defense …

Reuters reports: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Saturday that he has tested negative for the novel coronavirus after weeks quarantined in his residence due to an infection. In a photo posted to social media, Bolsonaro appeared with a box of hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug he credited for his recovery despite a lack of scientific evidence about its effectiveness. In …

Mediaite reports: President Donald Trump threatened to deploy tens of thousands of Department of Homeland Security agents to “solve the problems” in cities with high crime rates and civil unrest, he said in an interview with Sean Hannity Thursday night. Trump, frustrated that cities like Chicago and New York City have denied and denounced his usage of federal force, have …

Via press release from the Justice Department: Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz announced today that: In response to Congressional requests, complaints received by the OIG, and a referral from the U.S. Attorney in Oregon, the DOJ Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has opened an investigation into use of force allegations involving DOJ law enforcement personnel …

The Chicago Tribune reports: President Donald Trump, who once bragged he could solve Chicago’s crime problem within a week, announced plans Wednesday to flood American cities with a “surge of federal law enforcement” to address ongoing violence, beginning with Chicago. Trump singled out the city as the one in the most critical in need of more resources to help drive …

Reuters reports: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has had another positive result for the novel coronavirus in the third test he has taken since falling ill on July 7, a secretariat of the Communications Ministry said on Wednesday. “The test carried out on the president yesterday, on the 21st, showed a positive result,” a statement said. “President Bolsonaro is still in …