2020 US elections. What's the status of pindostan and their 2nd civil war?

calripson wrote:
The functionality exists precisely to allow voter fraud. America has a long tradition of voter fraud of the old fashioned variety - in cities like Philadelphia and Chicago people used to be bused around to vote at multiple locations. The problem is large cities run themselves with little state oversight and states run themselves with essentially no federal oversight.

Moving with the times they probably thought it would be more efficient not to move people but to just move ballots. More fit in a truck for a start.

I see today that whilst SCOTUS has accepted the Michigan fraud case they are running out the clock by tabling it on 14th Jan.Three of those judges may have been appointed by Trump but they certainly don't seem to want to put their heads above the parapet for him.

THE $900 BILLION COVID RELIEF SENDS $453m TO UKRAINE AND MORE THAN $3 BILLION TO ISRAEL:

Pork City: Here Are The Most Ridiculous Pet Projects In $900 Billion Stimulus Package:

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/pork-city-here-are-most-ridiculous-pet-projects-900-billion-spending-package

Trump vetoes the National Defense Authorization Act for 2021, sends it back to Congress

https://www.rt.com/usa/510585-trump-veto-ndaa-2021/

Shutdown looms as Democrat bid for $2000 relief checks fails House:

House Democrats on Thursday failed to replace the $600 direct checks in the latest pandemic relief bill with $2,000 payments demanded by President Trump this week - which House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) sought to pass by unanimous…

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/shutdown-looms-democrat-bid-2000-relief-checks-fails-house-heres-what-happens-next?utm_campaign=&utm_content=Zerohedge%3A+The+Durden+Dispatch&utm_medium=email&utm_source=zh_newsletter

@George1: Sorry! Could you please redirect the thread to International Politics? Thanks in advance!

Congress Blocks Trump's Request to Increase COVID Relief Aid Amid Looming Government Shutdown

Earlier, Donald Trump attacked the new coronavirus relief package cobbled together by lawmakers, calling it "disgraceful" and suggesting it had "almost nothing to do with COVID." Trump asked Congress to increase what he said was a "ridiculously low" direct relief payment to Americans from $600 to $2,000, and to cut out pork barrel spending.

https://sputniknews.com/us/202012241081560519-congress-blocks-trumps-request-to-alter-coronavirus-bill-increase-relief-spending/

Hunter Biden Reportedly Continues to Own 10% Stake in Government-Funded Chinese Company.

The revelation comes as his father, President-elect Joe Biden once again promised that there will be no conflict of interests caused by his son's foreign business dealings

https://sputniknews.com/us/202012251081569066-hunter-biden-reportedly-continues-to-own-10-stake-in-government-funded-chinese-company/

This means that under Biden the US will most likely improve its relations with China.

Presidential veto: why Trump blocked the US defense budget project
07:22 Irina Taran, Elizaveta Komarova

The United States Congress plans to overcome the presidential veto on the country's draft defense budget. This was stated by the Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi. She considered Trump's refusal to sign the corresponding document "a manifestation of astounding recklessness." Earlier, the head of the White House blocked the defense budget approved by Congress, calling it a "gift to China and Russia" and noting that many provisions are contrary to the course of the current administration. According to experts, Trump in his decision was guided mainly by domestic political motives. Analysts believe that the president intends to change the bill.

The lower house of the American Congress intends to overcome the veto on the draft defense budget imposed by US President Donald Trump. This was announced by the speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi.

"Next week, December 28, the House will decide to overcome the president's veto with the support of representatives of both parties," the politician said in a statement.

Trump's refusal to sign the defense budget is, according to Pelosi, "a manifestation of astounding recklessness."

“The president’s veto of the defense budget bill is an astounding recklessness that damages our military forces, jeopardizes our security and runs counter to the will of bipartisan congressional representatives,” she said, recalling that the relevant law has been in force for 60 years "was adopted on the basis of approval by both parties and both chambers."

The former head of the White House vetoed the country's defense budget approved by Congress.

“Unfortunately, this bill does not include critical national security measures, but it does contain provisions that undermine respect for our veterans and the history of our armed forces, and also contradicts my administration's efforts to prioritize US interests in implementing national security measures. security and foreign policy. This is a "gift" to China and Russia, "Trump said in a statement to the House of Representatives.

At the same time, as the president noted, the draft defense budget "does not make any significant changes to paragraph 230 of the law" On the observance of decency in the field of communications, "despite the fact that representatives of both parties called for the abolition of this provision."

“Paragraph 230 promotes the spread of misinformation on the Internet by foreign actors, which poses a serious threat to our national security and the security of the electoral process. It should be canceled, "the head of the White House stressed.

As a reminder, this paragraph states that technology companies are not responsible for the materials that are posted on their sites.

In addition, according to Trump, the draft defense budget limits the president's ability to ensure the security of the United States by "unduly cutting back funds allocated to the construction of military facilities that can be used to respond to a national emergency."

“Numerous provisions of this bill directly contradict the foreign policy of my administration, in particular my efforts to return our military personnel to their homeland. I, like the American public, oppose endless wars. However, due to objections from representatives of both parties, the bill provides for limiting the president's ability to withdraw military contingent from Afghanistan, Germany and South Korea. Such a policy is not only vicious, but also unconstitutional, ”the American leader said.

"A very weak law"

We will remind, on December 11, the US Senate overwhelmingly approved the draft national defense budget (National Defense Authorization Act, NDAA) for the 2021 financial year.

Earlier, the relevant bill was also approved by the House of Representatives by a majority vote .

The draft defense budget assumes that most of it - $ 635.5 billion (out of more than $ 740 billion) will be spent on basic needs of the Pentagon, including on operations abroad and the modernization of nuclear weapons of the United States.

In addition, it is indicated in the budget that salaries and equipment will be increased for servicemen.

The bill includes provisions on the need for a more thorough analysis before the withdrawal of the American military from Germany, Afghanistan and South Korea. The document also limits the amount of funds allocated for the construction of the wall on the border with Mexico. In addition, the draft defense budget involves the renaming of military bases named after leaders of the Confederate States.

In addition, it provides for tougher sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 and Turkish Stream gas pipelines , and restrictions on Ankara for the purchase of Russian S-400 air defense systems.

The document notes that in the interests of the US national security, including "restrain aggression against NATO allies" from Russia. In addition, the bill prescribes "to create opportunities for enhancing the potential of NATO member states in the field of countering Russian malicious influence."

We will remind, earlier Trump has repeatedly spoken about plans to block the draft defense budget. So, even before the vote in the lower house of Congress on his Twitter, he called this document "very weak."

“I hope the Republicans in the House of Representatives will vote against the very weak National Defense Budget Act, which I will veto. The law should spell out the abolition (in the interests of national security) of section 230 (the law "On the observance of decency in the field of communications. - RT ), the preservation of national monuments, permission to use 5G technology and reduction in the number of military personnel abroad," - wrote the head of the White House ...

Trump announced his intention to veto the bill in his microblog on December 4. He stressed that he was "very sad" for the United States, since maintaining paragraph 230 would negatively affect the country's national security and the integrity of the American elections.

"Will give more authority"

Analyzing Trump's statements that accompanied his decision to block the bill, experts draw attention to the fact that the head of the White House did not go without mentioning Russia and China.

“Thus, he wants to show that, from his point of view, the provisions contained in the bill play only into the hands of the Russian Federation and China. However, this is exclusively Trump's interpretation, the authors of the document clearly did not set such a goal for themselves, "said Yuri Rogulyov, director of the Franklin Roosevelt Foundation for the Study of the United States at Moscow State University, in an interview with RT.

In his opinion, having vetoed the document, Trump, among other things, is trying to get it changed.

“To leave the bill in its current form, both houses of Congress will need to vote for it with a qualified majority. Considering that the document was supported by the overwhelming majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the veto is likely to be overcome, ”Rogulyov predicts.

However, the analyst does not rule out a situation when some of the congressmen who previously voted for the bill now do not want to go against the will of the president.

As Vladimir Vasiliev, chief researcher at the Institute of the USA and Canada of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted in a conversation with RT, the vote will show the degree of support for Trump from his fellow party members.

"Of course, the president will try to make sure that a significant part of the Republicans in Congress supported him and did not allow him to overcome the veto," Vasiliev said.

From his point of view, now Trump "was profitable to block the document, so he found a reason for this."

“Hence his PR statement about a“ gift ”to Russia and China,” Vasiliev says.

In fact, Trump, when deciding to block the document, was most likely guided by "internal political motivation," Vasiliev believes.

"If the veto is never overcome ... it will give him more powers that he can use until Biden's inauguration," Vasilyev said.

https://russian.rt.com/world/article/816104-oboronnyi-byudzhet-ssha-tramp-veto-preodolenie-kongress

Americans consider what is happening as a "coup." Will there be martial law, by Victoria Nikiforova

08:00 26.12.2020


In recent days , a number of significant events and reshuffles have taken place at the Pentagon . "Not so sat down," as they say. President Trump sacked the Secretary of Defense along with three of his deputies. Ten people flew out of the Defense Policy Council, nine from the Defense Business Council. Instead, Trump's henchmen came there. One of them, Scott O'Grady, tweeted Biden's electoral victory "an attempted military coup . "
The Pentagon leadership announced that it is ending cooperation with the Biden team. Then he denied this information. Then it turned out that cooperation was still suspended, but this is due to the Christmas holidays, which threaten to drag on well if not until the inauguration on January 20.

In parallel, on the ground, Trump's supporters began to call on the president to introduce martial law in the country. The head of the Tea Party branch, Tom Zawistovski, bought an entire page in the pro-Trump newspaper Washington Times and published an appeal of his associates to the president. In it, the We the People movement asks the head of state to introduce martial law and hold elections again. The basic idea is to vote only with paper ballots and present a photo ID before voting.

Finally, on the air of the Maxnews TV channel, General Michael Flynn , ex-Trump's security adviser and ex-director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, proposed to introduce martial law . "They say martial law is something that we never had," he said in an interview. "In fact, martial law has been introduced here 64 times."


Disputes immediately flared up about what can be considered martial law, in which case it can be applied by the president, in which - by the state authorities, how all this is connected with the law of rebellion. However, whatever you call it, historical facts are a stubborn thing: throughout the 20th century, American soldiers, with the support of tanks and aircraft, regularly occupied American cities and states, establishing a wartime regime there.
In 1919, the army and militia of the states were sent to suppress the striking workers, in the 1930s - to crush food riots, in the 1960s - to racial conflicts. The latest high-profile incident occurred in Los Angeles in 1992, when the National Guard forces, with air support, took the city in the midst of an interracial massacre.

Regular use of military force against one's own citizens is a rather sensitive topic in America . Usually they don't like to talk about her. But the 2020 elections tore all the templates. The topic of a possible military coup and the imposition of martial law is openly debated by citizens and in the leading media.

This shows how high the stakes are. It seems that before our very eyes the line between public politics and private life, which has long been a strong point of democracy in America, is being destroyed. No matter how political rivals fought during the election campaign, after the elections, everything usually settled down. Former enemies buried the ax of war in the ground and sat down peacefully on the boards of directors.

Not so today. Trump supporters on the ground are seriously wary of retaliation by Biden's supporters. Frightened parents ask to support their children , who are bullied by classmates for a cap with the words "Make America Great Again".
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a petrel of the left revolution, asks her Democratic associates: “Is anyone archiving the records of Trump's henchmen, or will they soon deny or downplay their complicity? ". "Twitter screenshots will mean the end of a career and a jail time, " her commentator enthusiastically supports.

Post-election squabbles and revenge of democrats are feared not only by ordinary citizens, but also by the powerful. No wonder it is Michael Flynn who campaigns for martial law. Trump just saved him from prison with his pardon for unproven participation in the never-existed "Russian" conspiracy. Come to power Biden, and Flynn will once again be in jail.

The American political elite loves to cosplay Ancient Rome , and today it looks as if the Democrats, having seized the Capitol , are going to carry out the good old practice of repression and lustration. In ancient Rome, the severed heads of their political enemies were presented to the victors in the civil war. I would like to hope that it will not reach their heads and for the Trumpists everything will cost only a resignation and prison.

This personal hatred and thirst for revenge, which today tears apart the entire fabric of political tradition and decency, explains the strange behavior of President Trump. On the one hand, he makes a monumental reshuffle in the leadership of the Pentagon and negotiates something with the military. On the other hand, he rejects the idea of ​​introducing martial law. Either he calls his supporters to rallies, then he ignores these rallies. Now he makes fiery speeches, promising to fight to the end, then he goes to rest.

Its inconsistency is due to banal human fright. After all, he lives in a country where the tradition of killing unwanted presidents is quite strong - from Lincoln to Kennedy . And this is not to mention the large family of Donald Trump - his children, grandchildren and other relatives. The fierce bullying that his youngest son Barron has been exposed to on social networks for all four years would have scared anyone.

It is not so important whether Trump dares to impose martial law in the country or chooses not to risk his life and health - his own and those of his loved ones. Over the past month, the United States, positioning itself as the gold standard of democracy, has demonstrated a style of political struggle that previously flourished only in the poorest and most disadvantaged countries of the Third World.

The intervention of the military, mass protests, smoothly developing into massacres, threats and promises of revenge, an open discussion of the coup topic - all this testifies to the deep archaization of the American political system. A striking detail: American voters are only now realizing that it would be good to show a photo ID when voting at polling stations. Hopefully, for the next elections they will realize the need to invite foreign observers. Spoiler alert: it works.
Donald Trump's predecessor Barack Obama has repeatedly called America an exceptional country. The current presidential elections prove him right. Perhaps nowhere in the world is the election of the head of state accompanied by such excesses today.

Only in Honduras, after the presidential elections on November 27, the authorities imposed a curfew and military patrols. In the Central African Republic, there is also a lot of gunfire on the eve of the December national elections. The CAR authorities have already asked Russia for help. Maybe the American authorities should consider this option?

https://ria.ru/20201226/amerika-1590963774.html

Trump Rips McConnell, GOP Senators for 'Not Fighting' for Him Amid ‘Biggest Scam in US History’ by Lilia Dergacheva:

After the Electoral College vote on 14 December, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for the first time addressed Joe Biden as "president-elect", congratulating him on the win and lauding him as “no stranger to the Senate”. A number of other top GOP members followed suit, triggering Trump’s disdain.

Incumbent US President Donald Trump has taken aim at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other top-ranking Republicans, accusing them of failing the GOP’s fight against the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, which Trump insists was “rigged and stolen”.

As only a 6 January joint session on Capitol Hill separates Trump from vacating the White House, in the run-up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, Donald Trump suggested that Senate Republicans had done “nothing” to counter the alleged voter fraud, which had been "proved at a level never seen before".

He further drew parallels with the reactions of Democrats, were they to face a similar situation:

“The Democrat Senators would consider it an act of war, and fight to the death", Trump tweeted his disappointment. "Mitch & the Republicans do NOTHING, just want to let it pass. NO FIGHT!" he proceeded in his emotional tweets on Saturday.

In follow-up posts, the incumbent head of state also called out the Justice Department and FBI, accusing them of turning a blind eye to “the biggest SCAM in our nation’s history, despite overwhelming evidence”.

"They should be ashamed. History will remember. Never give up. See everyone in D.C. on January 6th”, POTUS said.

Attorney General William Barr, who led the DOJ, notably spent his final day in the role on Wednesday, having earlier announced his intention to step down.

Calling for Republican Senators to finally “step up and fight for the presidency”, like the Democrats would do “if they had actually won”, Trump cited “irrefutable” proof of the purported fraud, including “massive late night mail-in ballot drops in swing states” featuring Biden’s name, stuffed ballot boxes, double voters, dead voters, etc. He also retweeted a video from 24 December initially posted by his team that featured a compilation of CCTV records from polling stations and people’s accounts of voter fraud, such as discrepancies between sent-out ballot papers and the number of those received by electoral commissions, etc.

Trump’s tweets on Saturday all had a disclaimer attached to them saying "This claim about election fraud is disputed" - something that POTUS’ team has deemed as blatant censorship.

Also, on Saturday, Trump defended his legal team after reports that potential sanctions against them were being pursued by Dana Nessel, Michigan's attorney general, after the Trump campaign disputed the swing state’s election results, which were in the Democratic candidate’s favour.

"These lawyers are true patriots who are fighting for the truth and, obviously, getting very close", Trump wrote. "AG should be sanctioned. Fight on!"

Electoral College Gathers to Cast Official Votes
After the Electoral College vote on 14 December, which confirmed 306 votes for Biden and 232 for Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell referred to Biden as "president-elect" for the first time, suggesting he was ready to accept the Democrat becoming the nation’s chief executive in less than a month.

A few other Republicans quickly followed in his footsteps.

"At some point, you have to face the music", Sen. John Thune of South Dakota told the Associated Press on Monday. "Once the Electoral College settles the issue today, it’s time for everybody to move on".

Trump and his team have been legally challenging the results of the election in key battleground states since the preliminary results started to come in.

Despite most of the court cases being rejected due to “lack of evidence”, and the Supreme Court also blocking the Republicans’ efforts, Trump has so far refused to concede, continuing to claim “massive election fraud” and asserting that the only thing he is after is a fair count of legal ballots. However, he recently instructed White House officials to get ready for the upcoming transition of power.

https://sputniknews.com/us/202012271081579858-trump-rips-mcconnell-gop-senators-for-not-fighting-for-him-amid-biggest-scam-in-us-history/

Trump Signs COVID-19 Relief Bill With $600 Checks, Asks Congress To Approve Increase Later

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/trump-signs-covid-19-relief-bill-600-checks-asks-congress-approve-increase-later?utm_campaign=&utm_content=Zerohedge%3A+The+Durden+Dispatch&utm_medium=email&utm_source=zh_newsletter

US House Passes Measure to Increase Second Round of Stimulus Checks to $2,000

https://sputniknews.com/us/202012281081592503-us-house-passes-measure-to-increase-second-round-of-stimulus-checks-to-2000/

GOP Georgia Senators Loeffler, Perdue Throw Weight Behind Boosted $2,000 Coronavirus Stimulus Aid

A strong push for increased stimulus cheques has been made recently by outgoing President Donald Trump, who lambasted the coronavirus relief package previously passed by the Congress as “ridiculously low” and a sheer “disgrace”.

POTUS' calls even put him at loggerheads with the Senate GOP leadership, who strictly opposed the increase, while Democrats, Loeffler’s and Perdue’s opponents Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff among them, have readily supported it.

"I've stood by the president 100% of the time. I'm proud to do that and I've said, absolutely, we need to get relief to Americans now and I will support that", Loeffler told Fox News in an interview, when asked if she would back the motion.

Perdue tweeted, stating along the same lines:

"President @realDonaldTrump is right — I support this push for $2,000 in direct relief for the American people".

The duo will take on Democrats Jon Ossoff and Reverend Raphael Warnock in two Senate runoff votes scheduled to take place in Georgia on 5 January, and at least one of the Republicans needs to win for the GOP to retain its Senate majority

The lawmakers’ remarks came a day after the House moved to adopt the measure to increase the amount offered in the second round of stimulus cheques to $2,000, in the wake of sitting President Donald Trump’s lamentation that the greenlit $600 direct payments are “ridiculously low”. He referred to the relief aid passed by the US Congress as a “disgrace”, thundering that it would provide little funding for Americans, but rather for foreigners.

There were, however, questions raised about the fate of the measure as it heads to the US Senate floor, with the Republican-majority chamber having earlier opposed the legislation.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has not yet indicated whether he will bring the measure to the Senate floor for a vote.

After Trump had his say, several GOP senators, including Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), as well as co-sponsor Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), expressed determination to vote in favour of the $2,000 cheques. 60 votes are needed in the Senate to pass the bill.

In the new round of stimulus cheques since the first virus outbreak, Americans eligible for the $600 payments include individuals with an adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less on their 2019 tax files, couples who filed jointly and made $150,000 or less, and heads of households who made $112,500 or less.

At least 1,899 new coronavirus deaths and 189,044 new cases were reported in the United States on 28 December, with the total tally hitting 19.3 million, according to state and local health agencies.

Over the past week, there has been an average of 183,140 new cases per day, a decrease of 13 percent from the average two weeks earlier. The most affected state is still California, where the worsening outbreak has overtaken progress made in other parts of the country.

https://sputniknews.com/us/202012291081602519-gop-georgia-senators-loeffler-perdue-throw-weight-behind-boosted-2000-coronavirus-stimulus-aid/

Donald Trump Files Appeal in US Supreme Court Seeking to Ensure Election Integrity in Wisconsin

https://sputniknews.com/us/202012311081620403-donald-trump-files-appeal-in-us-supreme-court-seeking-to-ensure-election-integrity-in-wisconsin/

Senate votes to override Trump’s veto of defense spending bill

The Senate joined the House of Representatives on Friday by overriding President Donald Trump’s veto of a $740 billion annual spending bill with a 81-13 vote, reaching the two thirds majority needed.
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was passed by both chambers of Congress earlier this month, but the president objected to the bill on multiple fronts, including it preventing him from bringing troops in Afghanistan and Iraq home and it not including a veto of Section 230, which provides legal protection for social media companies from the content posted.

With less than 20 days left in the White House, this marks the first override of a veto from Congress in Trump’s four-year presidency.

The House previously voted 322-87 to override Trump’s veto. In the Senate, support for the spending bill gained both Republican and Democrat support, as it did in the House, and quickly reached the two thirds majority needed when 81 voted in favor of the override and 13 voted against.

Trump promised for months to veto the bill, saying it puts “the interests of the Washington, DC establishment over those of the American people.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), who also publicly broke from Trump when he halted higher Covid-19 stimulus checks to citizens multiple times, made it clear on Friday that the NDAA would pass, despite the president’s objections.

“We’ve passed this legislation 59 years in a row. And one way or another, we’re going to complete the 60th annual NDAA and pass it into law before this Congress concludes on Sunday,” he said.

Some Senate Democrats, like Bernie Sanders, tried demanding a vote on increased stimulus checks before a vote on the NDAA, but that effort failed with further stimulus check payments now up to a new Congress to pass in the coming days.

https://www.rt.com/usa/511338-defense-bill-ndaa-veto-override-senate/

New US Senators Sworn In to 117th Congress

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - New members of the US Senate, who were elected in the November vote, are being sworn in on Capitol Hill on Sunday noon as lawmakers convened to form the 117th Congress.

The House of Representatives and the Senate have convened their first sessions. Democrats have retained control over the lower house of Congress with a 222-to-211 advantage. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to be re-elected to a new two-year term.

"To say the 117th Congress convenes at a challenging time would indeed be an understatement," US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said during remarks on the floor, adding "from political division to a deadly pandemic to adversaries around the world the hurdles before us are many and they are serious. But there's also plenty of reason for hope."

The new Congress convened shortly before a joint session on January 6 to confirm the Electoral College votes and certify Joe Biden's victory in the presidential election. Biden's inauguration is scheduled for January 20. Some Republicans in both chambers are expected to object to Biden's victory, although they have no practical chance of success. Incumbent President Donald Trump, however, has refused to concede, alleging voter fraud, despite his campaign losing nearly all of some 60 legal challenges filed within the past month.

https://sputniknews.com/us/202101031081639827-new-us-senators-sworn-in-to-117th-congress/