Trump Archives - guccionline

The Energy 202: In an unusual move, Trump administration will protect a pine tree due to climate change

December 2, 2020 [email protected]_84 administration, change, climate, due, energy, move, pine, protect, Tree, Trump, unusual

Granting federal protections to the tree is a “watershed decision,” said Diana Tomback, professor of integrative biology at the University of Colorado at Denver who has studied the tree for decades.

The whitebark pine’s habitat spans over 80 million acres across seven states and Canada. In its official filing, the agency acknowledged that rising temperatures are pushing the high-elevation tree’s habitat up to higher altitudes, hurting the chances of survival for a pine whose nutritious seeds provide sustenance for everything from red squirrels to black bears.

“It’s found over the largest geographic area of any other tree listed,” she added.

The decision to declare the tree endangered due to climate change is an unusual one for an administration that often dismisses that threat.

“It tells you how significant and obvious the threat is,” said Rebecca Riley, legal director of the nature program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, which first petitioned for the pine to be protected in 2008.

The tree is also a key food source for grizzlies that raid pine seeds stored by squirrels when bulking up for winter. Giving threatened status to the pine could complicate efforts to remove grizzly bears around Yellowstone National Park from the endangered species list.

In 2017, wildlife officials said the bear had recovered. But a federal judge in Montana reversed that decision the following year.

The listing may also have implications for loggers who would have to work around the protected pine on U.S. Forest Service land. About 88 percent of the tree’s range in the United States is on land managed by the federal government.

Several other factors weigh against the long-term survival of the species.

The trees are vulnerable to a foreign fungal infection, which took root in North America a century ago, as well as to native beetles that burrow into the bark of pine trees.

And more frequent and ferocious fires — themselves fueled by climate change — are also scorching the pine and its habitat.

Declaring a species endangered without designating critical habitat for it is “just inconsistent with the Endangered Species Act,” said Riley with the Natural Resources Defense Council.

But the Fish and Wildlife Service said doing so was “not prudent” in this case because “the primary stressor” for the pine is the fungus — not habitat loss.

“A cynical view might be that they pushed this listing forward to dictate how this listing happens,” said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center for Biological Diversity, noting that Joe Biden will become president next month.

Power plays

Trump is looking to support mining through a loan program the administration had previously tried to nix.

The Energy Department announced Tuesday that it would give preference to projects involving the mining of critical minerals for an existing loan program meant for clean energy. The move is part of a broad push by the Trump administration to expand domestic production of minerals such as lithium, chromium, cobalt, helium and vanadium, Bloomberg News reports.

“The loan program

college

For this College Football Playoff, length of schedule might trump strength of schedule

December 1, 2020 [email protected]_84 college, football, length, Playoff, schedule, Strength, Trump

There will be an announcement Tuesday night, another unnecessary midstream assessment of where a handful of hopeful teams rank as they trudge toward the College Football Playoff. Unbeaten Ohio State, as is the case more often than not, will be in the discussion. And thus comes a question more pertinent than “What’s your record?” or “Who have you beaten?” It’s this: “How many games have you been able to play?”

a man holding a stop sign: Ryan Day and Ohio State have played just once since Nov. 7. (Barry Reeger/AP)

© Barry Reeger/AP
Ryan Day and Ohio State have played just once since Nov. 7. (Barry Reeger/AP)

The handwringing around college football’s postseason selection process seems peak 2020, and the Buckeyes are the bell cow. The coronavirus has canceled or postponed more than 100 games nationwide, including two for Ohio State. The sport has a desperate, contortionist feel to it that seems unique to this season because the virus has ripped through programs and programs have subsequently had to rip up their schedules.

That leaves the following: 4-0 Ohio State, having played once since Nov. 7 and with only hopes of completing its schedule, being compared with, say, 6-1 Texas A&M and 7-1 Florida. Cue the cries of injustice.

Once obvious and thrilling, three college football coaching hires have lost their luster

This kind of virus-necessitated inequity perfectly encapsulates the chaos of a year defined by a pandemic. It was predictable when the ACC began its season Sept. 10, the SEC on Sept. 26 and the Big Ten not until Oct. 23. But let’s be clear: Unfairness has always been baked into the process of determining college football’s national champion. That was true when the champ was determined by voters sitting behind keyboards and debating over beers. That remains true now, when the teams invited to participate in a three-game playoff are determined by men and women weekly rubbing elbows in a Texas conference room.

It’s all just different versions of the same argument. But there is some form of perceived injustice every year. The entire sport has long been built on figuring out which matchups would be attractive for television — and then executing them. It’s as much a part of the tradition as dotting the “i” in Ohio or rubbing Howard’s Rock on the way to the field at Clemson. To some extent, deservedness be damned.

Which brings us to three elements of this year’s quagmire: the Big Ten’s bungled start to a disjointed season; Ohio State’s role in limiting its own schedule and therefore, perhaps, its opportunity; and the potential scenarios going forward.

Go back to August, when the Big Ten boldly announced it would cancel its fall sports season because of the global pandemic, the first Power Five conference to do so. At the time, Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren — on the job all of eight months — said, “It became abundantly clear that there was too much uncertainty regarding potential medical risks to allow our student-athletes to compete this fall.”

The decision, to these eyes, seemed prudent. To the football-playing and -watching community, it

education

Carter Estes: Effort to ban Trump officials from Harvard is a dangerous attack on free speech and education

November 30, 2020 [email protected]_84 attack, ban, Carter, dangerous, education, effort, Estes, Free, Harvard, officials, speech, Trump

My fi

My first year at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government hasn’t been what I expected — and I’m not just talking about all the restrictions to guard against the spread of COVID-19. I couldn’t have predicted that I’d be delivering a speech to my peers urging them to uphold free speech at one of America’s most prestigious centers of learning.

Unfortunately, I recently found myself on Zoom urging members of the Harvard Kennedy School Student Government to reject a student-led effort to restrict Trump administration officials from speaking at Harvard.

While I am relieved that the student government ultimately rejected the restrictions, I remain disturbed that my peers would propose this action and that it actually could have passed. An education underpinned by conditions of censorship is not a real education. And those who seek an education should never demand protection from ideas.

SOME HARVARD STUDENTS SAY NOT SO FAST ON TRUMP BAN

I came to Harvard to learn. But institutions of higher education that allow for restrictions on information and dialogue —whether imposed by students or administrators — forfeit the title of “educational institution” in exchange for the title “indoctrination center.” The latter is not what I signed up for. I want Harvard to deliver the education it claims to offer.

More from Opinion

I am shocked and disappointed that some of my fellow graduate students — who surely came to one of the world’s top government affairs graduate programs to grow intellectually and professionally—would make these demands. The authors of the letter calling for banning Trump officials from campus said the reason for the ban was to, ironically, stop the “subversion of democratic principles” by the Trump administration. But free speech is a democratic principle.

The authors of this letter seek to cancel debate and silence political opposition. They are terrified of having their world views challenged. But that’s exactly why earnest minds have traditionally come to Harvard.

The Kennedy School has hosted many controversial figures, including members of the Clinton and Nixon administrations, former Obama Attorney General Eric Holder, and the late secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Saeb Erekat.

We students are adults and we are fully capable of hearing uncomfortable and offensive information and arguments. It will only make us better.

I am a conservative. Harvard is an overwhelmingly liberal institution. I have only benefitted by having my ideas and values challenged while studying here. But more than that, Harvard owes it to students like me to be honest about what it claims to offer — a rigorous intellectual environment and access to top leaders.

Whether you agree with Trump policies or not, those who served in Trump administration have firsthand knowledge and experience in the highest levels of domestic and foreign policy. These players have impacted the world and we students can decide if their marks were good or bad, and conclude the missteps for ourselves.

But the onus is on universities to uphold their missions. They need to teach their students

college

Donald Trump says he will leave White House if electoral college votes for Joe Biden | US news

November 28, 2020 [email protected]_84 Biden, college, Donald, Electoral, House, Joe, leave, News, Trump, Votes, White

Donald Trump has said that he will leave the White House in January if the electoral college votes for Democratic president-elect Joe Biden, in the closest the outgoing president has come to conceding defeat.

Biden won the presidential election with 306 electoral college votes – many more than the 270 required – to Trump’s 232. Biden also leads Trump by more than 6 million in the popular vote tally.

Trump has so far defied tradition by refusing to concede defeat, instead making a series of baseless claims about alleged ballot fraud and launching legal attempts to challenge the outcomes in several states such Pennsylvania and Michigan.

But desperate efforts by Trump and his aides to overturn results in key states, either by lawsuits or by pressuring state legislators, have failed.

Speaking to reporters on the Thanksgiving holiday, Trump said if Biden – who is due to be sworn in on 20 January – was certified the election winner by the electoral college, he would depart the White House.

Trump’s comments, made to reporters at the White House after speaking to troops during the traditional Thanksgiving Day address to US service members, appear to take him one step nearer to admitting defeat.

Asked if he would leave the White House if the college vote went against him, Trump said: “Certainly I will. And you know that,” adding that: “If they do, they’ve made a mistake.”

Donald Trump arrives for the event on Thursday night. Photograph: Erin Scott/Reuters

However, Trump said it would be “a very hard thing to concede” and declined to say whether he would attend Biden’s inauguration, which is due to take place on 20 January.

It was the first time he had taken questions from reporters since election day, and at times he turned combative, calling one reporter a “lightweight” and telling him “don’t talk to me like that”.

Trump’s administration has already given the green light for a formal transition to get underway. But Trump took issue with Biden moving forward.

“I think it’s not right that he’s trying to pick a Cabinet,” Trump said, even though officials from both teams are already working together to get Biden’s team up to speed.

At one point he urged reporters not to allow Biden the credit for pending coronavirus vaccines.

“Don’t let him take credit for the vaccines because the vaccines were me and I pushed people harder than they’ve ever been pushed before,” he said.

As for whether or not he plans to formally declare his candidacy to run again in 2024 – as he has discussed with aides – Trump he didn’t “want to talk about 2024 yet.”

In late-night tweets, Trump complained that the media had not covered his news conference in the way he had wanted, saying the main point he had tried to make was that he won the election. Twitter flagged his comments.

The electoral college is due to meet on 14 December when each state’s nominated electors will cast their votes

college

Donald Trump, Joe Biden, political updates

November 28, 2020 [email protected]_84 Biden, Donald, Joe, political, Trump, Updates

President Trump acknowledged for the first time that he would leave the White House when the Electoral College casts its formal vote for Joe Biden.

Associated Press

USA TODAY’S coverage of the 2020 election and President-elect Joe Biden’s transition continues this week as states certify their vote counts. President Donald Trump has yet to concede the race but his administration cleared the way this week for Biden’s team to have access to federal resources and briefings during the transition.

Be sure to refresh this page often to get the latest information on the election and the transition.

Trump says he would ‘certainly’ leave White House once Electoral College votes for Biden

President Donald Trump acknowledged for the first time Thursday that he would leave the White House if the Electoral College votes – as it will – to make Democrat Joe Biden the next president, but said it would be “very hard” to concede the contest.

“Certainly I will, and you know that,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday when asked if he would leave the presidency once Biden is formally chosen by the electors.Taking questions from reporters for the first time since he lost the Nov. 3 election to Biden, Trump used the Thanksgiving appearance to level a new round of baseless claims about voting fraud, arguing without evidence that Republicans were “robbed.”

Though he indicated he would continue to fight the outcome in states such as Pennsylvania and Michigan, Trump’s remarks were the first time he recognized the need for a peaceful handover of power. States must certify their votes before the Electoral College meets on Dec. 14 — many already have — and resolve all challenges to the outcome by Dec. 8.

Trump, who appeared as part of an annual holiday tradition of speaking to U.S. troops, said he did not want to say yet whether he would attend Biden’s inauguration.

The president also said he plans to get back on the campaign trail soon to help Republicans running in two critical runoff elections. Trump said he would likely get out to campaign for Georgia Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue on December 5.

“It’s going to be a very hard thing to concede,” Trump told reporters when asked about what he will do if the Electoral College elects Biden.

“If they do, they made a mistake,” Trump said of that outcome.

— John Fritze

Bidens thank frontline workers battling COVID pandemic

President-elect Joe Biden and future first lady Jill Biden said in a message to Americans on Thanksgiving Day that though 2020 has had increased challenges for many across the country and families may not be able to gather as usual, there is still much to be grateful for.

“We’re going to get through this together, even if we have to be apart,” the Bidens wrote in an op-ed published by CNN Thursday.

They acknowledged families who will have an “empty chair” during the holiday because they have lost a loved one

college

Trump says for first time he’ll leave office if Electoral College votes for Biden

November 27, 2020 [email protected]_84 Biden, college, Electoral, Hell, leave, office, Time, Trump, Votes

President Donald Trump said for the first time Thursday he will leave office if the Electoral College votes for President-elect Joe Biden but made clear he’s not prepared to concede.

Donald Trump wearing a suit and tie sitting at a table

© POOL

“Certainly I will, and you know that,” Trump said when asked by a reporter about leaving the White House if Biden is declared the winner on December 14. “I will and, you know that.”

“It’s going to be a very hard thing to concede because we know there was massive fraud,” Trump said without evidence.

“As to whether or not we can get this apparatus moving quickly — because time isn’t on our side, everything else is on our side, facts are on our side, this was a massive fraud.”

The President falsely added that if Biden is declared the winner, the Electoral College, “made a mistake, cause this election was a fraud.” Pressed on his comments, Trump snapped at the reporter. “Don’t talk to me that way. I’m the President of the United States. Don’t ever talk to the president that way,” he said.

Video: Here’s what Giuliani’s former colleagues say about him now (CNN)

Here’s what Giuliani’s former colleagues say about him now

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Thursday was the first time Trump has taken questions from reporters since the election.

Since CNN and other outlets projected Biden as the winner earlier this month, Trump has refused to accept the results, instead pushing baseless conspiracies that his second term is being stolen and launching a legal effort to overturn results.

This includes falsely claiming during an election night address that he had already won reelection, that he had already won states that were actually still up in the air at the time and that his opponents were perpetuating a fraud.

In response, Biden campaign spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement earlier this month, “the United States government is perfectly capable of escorting trespassers out of the White House.”

To this point, the Trump campaign’s lawsuits have been repeatedly dismissed or dropped, and earlier this week, the General Services Administration informed Biden that the Trump administration is ready to begin the formal transition process.

The GSA letter marked the first step the administration has taken to acknowledge Trump’s defeat. The President, however, tweeted moments after the letter was reported: “Our case STRONGLY continues, we will keep up the good fight, and I believe we will prevail!”

He echoed that message throughout his rambling news conference Thursday following a Thanksgiving teleconference call with military members — an event US Presidents traditionally use to boost morale of service members stationed abroad during the holidays and remind the country of their service.

Source Article …

college

Trump says he’ll leave if Electoral College seats Biden | National politics

November 27, 2020 [email protected]_84 Biden, college, Electoral, Hell, leave, National, politics, seats, Trump

As for the Electoral College, Trump made clear that he will likely never formally concede, even if he said he would leave the White House.

“It’s gonna be a very hard thing to concede. Because we know there was massive fraud,” he said, noting that, “time isn’t on our side.”

“If they do,” vote against him, Trump added, “they’ve made a mistake.”

Asked whether he would attend Biden’s inauguration, Trump said he knew the answer but didn’t want to share it yet.

But there were some signs that Trump was coming to terms with his loss.

At one point he urged reporters not to allow Biden the credit for pending coronavirus vaccines. “Don’t let him take credit for the vaccines because the vaccines were me and I pushed people harder than they’ve ever been pushed before,” he said.

As for whether or not he plans to formally declare his candidacy to run again in 2024 — as he has discussed with aides — Trump said he didn’t “want to talk about 2024 yet.”

All states must certify their results before the Electoral College meets on Dec. 14, and any challenge to the results must be resolved by Dec. 8. States have already begun that process, including Michigan, where Trump and his allies tried and failed to delay the process, and Georgia and Pennsylvania.

Source Article …

college

Trump says he would ‘certainly’ leave White House once Electoral College votes for Biden

November 27, 2020 [email protected]_84 Biden, certainly, college, Electoral, House, leave, Trump, Votes, White

Pres. Trump tweets ‘full pardon’ for ex-national security adviser Michael Flynn

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Donald Trump wearing a suit and tie: President Trump defended his administration's child separation and immigration policies during the final 2020 presidential debate.

© Provided by USA TODAY
President Trump defended his administration’s child separation and immigration policies during the final 2020 presidential debate.

Be sure to refresh this page often to get the latest information on the election and the transition.

Trump says he would ‘certainly’ leave White House once Electoral College votes for Biden

Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.

Trump, who appeared as part of an annual holiday tradition of speaking to U.S. troops, said he did not want to say yet whether he would attend Biden’s inauguration.

“It’s going to be a very hard thing to concede,” Trump told reporters when asked about what he will do if the Electoral College elects Biden.

“If they do, they made a mistake,” Trump said of that outcome.

— John Fritze

Bidens thank frontline workers battling COVID pandemic

“We’re going to get through this together, even if we have to be apart,” the Bidens wrote in

college

Trump says he’ll leave if the electoral college seats Biden

November 27, 2020 [email protected]_84 Biden, college, Electoral, Hell, leave, seats, Trump

President Trump said Thursday that he will leave the White House if the electoral college formalizes President-elect Joe Biden’s victory — even as he insisted such a decision would be a “mistake” — as he spent his Thanksgiving renewing baseless claims that “massive fraud” and crooked officials in battleground states caused his election defeat.

“Certainly I will. But you know that,” Trump said Thursday when asked whether he would vacate the building, allowing a peaceful transition of power in January. But Trump — taking questions for the first time since election day — insisted that “a lot of things” would happen between now and then that might alter the results.

“This has a long way to go,” he said.

The fact that a sitting American president even had to address whether or not he would leave office after losing reelection underscores the extent to which Trump has smashed one convention after another over the last three weeks. While there is no evidence of the kind of considerable fraud Trump has been alleging that would affect the outcome, he and his legal team have nonetheless been working to cast doubt on the integrity of the election and trying to overturn voters’ will in an unprecedented breach of democratic norms.

Trump spoke to reporters in the White House’s ornate Diplomatic Reception Room after holding a teleconference with U.S. military leaders stationed across the globe. He thanked them for their service and jokingly warned them not to eat too much turkey, then turned to the election after ending the call. He repeated grievances and angrily denounced officials in Georgia and Pennsylvania, two key swing states that helped give Biden the win.

Trump claimed, despite the results, that this may not be his last Thanksgiving at the White House. And he insisted that there had been “massive fraud,” even though state officials and international observers have said no such evidence exists and Trump’s campaign has repeatedly failed in court.

Trump’s administration has already given the green light for a formal transition to get underway. But Trump took issue with Biden moving forward.

“I think it’s not right that he’s trying to pick a Cabinet,” Trump said, even though officials from both teams are already working together to get Biden’s team up to speed.

And as he refused to concede, Trump announced that he will be traveling to Georgia to rally supporters ahead of two Senate runoff elections that will determine which party controls the Senate. Trump said the rally for Republican Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler would probably be held Saturday. The White House later clarified he had meant Dec. 5.

One of the reasons Republicans have stood by Trump and his baseless claims of fraud has been to keep his loyal base energized ahead of those runoffs on Jan. 5. But Trump, in his remarks, openly questioned whether that election would be fair, a move that could dampen Republican turnout.

“I think you’re dealing with a very fraudulent system. I’m very worried

college

Trump says he’ll leave office if Electoral College seats Biden

November 27, 2020 [email protected]_84 Biden, college, Electoral, Hell, leave, office, seats, Trump

WASHINGTON — President Trump said Thursday that he will leave the White House if the Electoral College formalizes President-Elect Joe Biden’s victory — even as he insisted such a decision would be a “mistake” — as he spent his Thanksgiving renewing baseless claims that “massive fraud” and crooked officials in battleground states caused his election defeat.

“Certainly I will. But you know that,” Trump said Thursday when asked whether he would vacate the building, allowing a peaceful transition of power in January. But Trump — taking questions for the first time since Election Day — insisted that “a lot of things” would happen between now and then that might alter the results.

“This has a long way to go,” Trump said, even though he lost.

The fact that a sitting American president even had to address whether or not he would leave office after losing reelection underscores the extent to which Trump has smashed one convention after another over the last three weeks. While there is no evidence of the kind of widespread fraud Trump has been alleging, he and his legal team have nonetheless been working to cast doubt on the integrity of the election and trying to overturn voters’ will in an unprecedented breach of Democratic norms.

Trump claimed, despite the results, that this may not be his last Thanksgiving at the White House. And he insisted there had been “massive fraud,” even though state officials and international observers have said no evidence of that exists and Trump’s campaign has repeatedly failed in court.

Trump’s administration has already given the green light for a formal transition to get underway. But Trump took issue with Biden moving forward.

“I think it’s not right that he’s trying to pick a Cabinet,” Trump said, even though officials from both teams are already working together to get Biden’s team up to speed.

And as he refused to concede, Trump announced that he will be traveling to Georgia to rally supporters ahead of two Senate runoff elections that will determine which party controls the Senate. Trump said the rally for Republican Sens. David Perdue and Sen. Kelly Loeffler would likely be held Saturday. The White House later clarified he had meant Dec. 5.

“I think you’re dealing with a very fraudulent system.

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