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Trump counters Harris media blitz by ripping Bob Woodward, Howard Stern and her hurricane briefing

Trump counters Harris media blitz by ripping Bob Woodward, Howard Stern and her hurricane briefing

On one point, at least, the Kremlin has sided with Bob Woodward against Donald Trump. Woodward is coming out with a new book, and among its headline-making disclosures is his report on what happened when the pandemic struck, when the death toll was soaring and people could not get home testing kits for Covid-19. FROM KISSY-FACE SITDOWN ON ‘THE VIEW’ TO A TOUGHER GRILLING ON ‘60 MINUTES,’ KAMALA HARRIS IS MAKING NEWS President Trump, at that point in 2020, secretly sent Vladimir Putin a number of Abbott Point of Care Covid test machines “for his personal use.” The Trump campaign said Woodward’s book, an advance copy of which was obtained by CNN, consisted entirely of made-up stories. But Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov confirmed the receipt of the Covid machines. “As for the tests, when the pandemic began, countries did not have enough equipment,” Peskov said. “And many countries then exchanged such gestures of support and sent each other shipments of various equipment they had.”  In fact, during that spring of 2020, Russia sent the Trump administration 60 tons of medical equipment. Woodward also quotes the Russian dictator as telling Trump: “I don’t want you to tell anybody because people will get mad at you, not me. They don’t care about me.” KAMALA 2.0’S CHALLENGE? MAKING MORE NEWS, AND NOT JUST WITH ULTRA-FRIENDLY HOSTS But Peskov disputed another assertion by Woodward, that Trump has stayed in touch with Putin since he left the White House, with as many as seven calls between them. “As for the calls, that’s a lie,” Peskov said.   In the book “War,” however, the Washington Post sleuth recounts a scene where Trump tells a top aide to leave the room so “he could have what he said was a private phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.” Trump officials now say they’re not aware of any such conversations. The former president granted Woodward 18 taped interviews for his previous book, but they had a falling out after the veteran reporter wrote that Trump was unfit for office – and was sued by his subject for releasing the recordings. I know Woodward’s work extremely well, and while any journalist can be misled by sources, he does not make things up. Other parts of the book deal with Joe Biden confronting Putin about the coming invasion of Ukraine, had Kamala Harris warn a skeptical Volodomyr Zelenskyy, and – with officials assuming a 50 percent chance that he might use a tactical nuclear weapon against the Ukrainians, called the Kremlin boss the “epitome of evil.”   The president repeatedly cursed out Bibi Netanyahu, calling him an SOB and, later, a “f***ing liar” after the Israeli prime minister invaded the crowded area called Rafah despite American pressure. WHY VANCE EASILY BEAT WALZ IN DEBATE, SOFTENING HIS IMAGE IN THE PROCESS In the statement from Trump’s spokesman, which sounds like it was dictated by the boss, Woodward is described as “a truly demented and deranged man who suffers from a debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome. Woodward is an angry, little man and is clearly upset because President Trump is successfully suing him because of the unauthorized publishing of recordings he made previously. President Trump gave him absolutely no access for this trash book that either belongs in the bargain bin of the fiction section of a discount bookstore or used as toilet tissue. Woodward is a total sleazebag who has lost it mentally, and he’s slow, lethargic, incompetent and overall a boring person with no personality.” Why stop there? Trump, who prides himself on being a counter-puncher, wastes little time before swinging away. After Harris’ friendly radio interview with Howard Stern, who said it would be insanity to vote for Trump, this post appeared on Truth Social: “BETA MALE Howard Stern made a fool of himself on his low-rated radio show when he ‘interviewed’ Lyin’ Kamala Harris, and hit her with so many SOFTBALL questions that even she was embarrassed. “He looked like a real fool, working so hard to make a totally incompetent and ill-equipped person look as good as possible, which wasn’t very good. I dropped Howard a long time ago, like most others, and have since been credited with very good judgment!”  Donald and Howard were, of course, once New York pals, and Trump attended his wedding.  Trump also had campaign manager Chris LaCivita take a swipe at Fox News for covering (along with other networks) a government briefing, featuring both Biden and Harris, on Hurricane Milton as the monster storm was heading toward Florida.  “@FoxNews ⁩just as bad as every other ‘cable news’ network …running literally propaganda and @KamalaHarris ⁩TV ads disguised as a news conference,” Chris LaCivita posted on X.  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Of course there’s a political benefit for Harris showing that she and FEMA are working hard to prepare for the Florida storm, just as there is when Ron DeSantis holds a presser on the Category 5 threat. But with Kamala’s media blitz finally making some news after weeks in which Trump has dominated the campaign coverage, this reflects his determination to insert himself into every story that surfaces, no matter how negative.

Biden blasts Trump over misinformation about Hurricanes Milton and Helene

Biden blasts Trump over misinformation about Hurricanes Milton and Helene

US president accuses predecessor of leading ‘onslaught of lies’ about government’s response to the storms. United States President Joe Biden has condemned misinformation about Hurricanes Milton and Helene as “un-American”, singling out his predecessor for making false claims about the government’s rescue and recovery efforts. Speaking as Hurricane Milton was on the verge of making landfall in Florida on Wednesday, Biden said people in need of help were being put at risk by the “reckless, irresponsible and relentless” promotion of disinformation about the government’s response to the storms. “Quite frankly, these lies are un-American,” Biden said in remarks at the White House. “Former President Trump has led this onslaught of lies.” Biden signalled out a number of baseless claims made by Trump, including that disaster relief funds had been diverted to migrants. “What a ridiculous thing to say. It’s not true,” Biden said. Asked by reporters why he thought Trump was spreading false claims about the government’s response, Biden said he did not know. “I simply don’t know. You can speculate, but I just find it – I’ve used the phrase more than I’ve ever used it in my career – it’s un-American. It’s un-American. It’s not who the hell we are,” he said. Biden also condemned the promotion of “even more bizarre” claims by Republican House of Representatives member Marjorie Taylor Greene, a close Trump ally. “Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a congresswoman from Georgia, is now saying the federal government is literally controlling the weather – we’re controlling the weather,” he said. “It’s beyond ridiculous. It’s got to stop.” Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for November’s presidential election, levelled similar criticism at Trump in an interview with CNN, branding his behaviour “unconscionable”. “We all know it’s dangerous, and the gamesmanship has to stop at some point, the politics have to end, especially in a moment of crisis,” Harris said. Trump on Wednesday reiterated his criticism of the Biden administration’s handling of the crisis. “This administration has not done a proper job at all. Terrible, terrible,” Trump said at a campaign rally in the key swing state of Pennsylvania. “We just pray for everybody,” he said. “We hope that God will keep them safe.” Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida at about 8:30pm (01:30 GMT Thursday) local time, battering the coastal state with winds of up to 193km/h (120mph). Milton, which the National Hurricane Center has described as “extremely dangerous” and “life-threatening”, comes less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene killed at least 230 people across Florida and several other southern states. Adblock test (Why?)

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 958

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 958

As the war enters its 958th day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Thursday, October 10, 2024. Fighting At least six people were killed and eight injured after a Russian ballistic missile attack on the port infrastructure of Ukraine’s southern Odesa region. Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba said a Panamanian-flagged container ship, the Shui Spirit, was damaged in the attack, the third in the region in the past four days. Ukraine’s military said it struck a base in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region where Shahed drones were being stored. A statement by the General Staff said the attack was carried out jointly by naval forces and the SBU intelligence service. There was no official comment from Russia, although emergency services reported a large fire around the location of the alleged attack. Ukraine said it also hit a Russian weapons arsenal in the Bryansk region where ammunition for missile and artillery weapons, including those delivered from North Korea, was stored. Bryansk authorities later declared a state of emergency following “detonations of explosive objects”. Russia’s air defence units destroyed 47 Ukrainian drones targeting its western regions, the Ministry of Defence said. Regional officials said there were no reports of casualties. Russia’s Defence Ministry said it had retaken the villages of Novaya Sorochina and Pokrovsky in its Kursk region after they were captured by Ukraine in a surprise August offensive. Politics and diplomacy Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told a summit of southeast European leaders in Croatia that there was an “opportunity” to take “decisive action” to end the war in 2025. The Ukrainian president did not spell out how and why he saw such an opportunity. Zelenskyy, who is urging Ukraine’s Western allies to allow it to use long-range weapons on military targets deep inside Russia, is due to hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as well as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in meetings across Europe on Thursday. European Union envoys approved a plan to loan Ukraine as much as 35 billion euros ($38bn) backed by frozen Russian central bank assets. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Hungary was putting European security at risk as a result of its close ties with Russia. Speaking at a debate with populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the European Parliament, von der Leyen took aim at Budapest’s reluctance to join EU partners in helping Ukraine against Russia’s invasion. “The world has witnessed the atrocities of Russia’s war. And yet, there are still some who blame this war not on the invader but the invaded,” she said. Ukrainian investigators said they arrested 24-year-old Serhiy Gnezdilov, a soldier who fled his army unit in protest over the lack of term limits for long-serving troops, for desertion. Gnezdilov faces as many as 12 years in prison if found guilty. A Russian court found Trevor Reed, a former US Marine who was freed in a 2022 prisoner swap, guilty in absentia of serving as a mercenary for Ukraine and handed him a 14.5-year prison sentence. Investigators said Reed had joined Ukraine’s military in July 2023. A Russian court sentenced activist Yevgeny Mishchenko to 12 years in a penal colony for allegedly planning to join the Freedom of Russia Legion, a banned unit of Russians supporting Ukraine. Mishchenko was one of a handful of volunteers guarding a makeshift Moscow memorial to Boris Nemtsov, an opposition politician killed in 2015. The case was based on evidence from a security agent who posed as a volunteer at the memorial and recorded conversations with Mishchenko. Ukraine aims to organise a new peace summit by the end of this year and wants Russia to attend this time, Vasyl Bodnar, its ambassador to Turkey said. He ruled out any direct bilateral talks with Moscow at the meeting, saying any discussions were likely to take place through third-party intermediaries. Adblock test (Why?)

Taiwan’s President Lai says will ‘resist annexation or encroachment’

Taiwan’s President Lai says will ‘resist annexation or encroachment’

In his first National Day speech, new president stresses ‘thriving’ democracy of island claimed by Beijing. Taiwan’s President William Lai Ching-te has said he will stand against any attempt at annexation or encroachment into the island’s territory. China claims the self-ruled democracy as its own and has not ruled out the use of force to achieve its goal of unification. It has ratcheted up pressure on Taiwan since Lai, who it portrays as a “separatist”, was elected president in January. Addressing the island’s 23 million people, Lai began his first National Day speech by expressing his pride in Taiwan’s democracy. “Our democracy is growing and thriving,” he said, standing at a podium set up in front of the presidential office. “The People’s Republic of China [China’s official name] has no right to represent the people of Taiwan.” He said Taiwanese people were able to work together despite disagreements and urged them to look to the future. “I will uphold the commitment to resist annexation or encroachment on our sovereignty,” he said. Still, Lai’s tone for much of the speech was pragmatic. He indicated a willingness to cooperate with Beijing on issues such as climate change, tackling contagious diseases and “maintaining regional security to pursue peace and mutual prosperity for the wellbeing of the people on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait”. Lai also urged Beijing to use its influence in diplomatic efforts to resolve the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. Adblock test (Why?)