https://edition.cnn.com/2024/10/03/...-hutchinson-matthews-trump-warning/index.html Four prominent previously pro-Trump GOP women to make the case against him in battleground Pennsylvania
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-made-crass-jokes-death-161131641.html Trump Made Crass Jokes About Death of Rally Attendee in Leaked Recording
Okla. is buying schools 55,000 Bibles. Specs match the $60 Trump Bible. The state put out a bid for leather-bound Bibles with U.S. founding documents. Few, if any, such Bibles are currently for sale besides a Bible endorsed by Trump. Ryan Walters, Republican candidate for Oklahoma state superintendent, speaks at a rally in November 2022 in Oklahoma City. (Sue Ogrocki/AP) By Laura Meckler October 4, 2024 https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/10/04/oklahoma-schools-trump-bible/ The state of Oklahoma wants to buy 55,000 classroom Bibles, and the request for proposals includes some specific requirements: The books must include the Declaration of Independence and other founding documents. They may not include commentary. They must be leather-bound, or at least use “leather-like” material. The Bible is the best-selling book in the world, but very few — and maybe just one — will meet these requirements. It’s backed by former president Donald Trump and retails for $60. In March, Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, endorsed the “God Bless the USA Bible,” and he earns money from sales through a licensing agreement. Oklahoma stirred controversy this year when Schools Superintendent Ryan Walters announced that all of the state’s public schools would be required to teach the Bible. Walters has also pushed schools to post the Ten Commandments and fought for a state-funded Catholic charter school, a move found unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court. Walters has called the Bible a “necessary historical document to teach our kids about the history of this country” and has mandated that every school in the state teach it starting this year. Some school districts have said they won’t go along, and the state Supreme Court ruled this summer that decisions about content — in that case, about library books — shall be made locally. But Walters has pressed ahead, this week publishing a request for proposals to supply the state with Bibles for every Oklahoma school. Walters has asked the state legislature for $3 million to buy Bibles, though he also has said he has $3 million already in his agency’s coffers available for buying Bibles. Purchasing 55,000 Trump-endorsed Bibles at the retail rate of $60 would cost $3.3 million. Dan Isett, a spokesman for the state education agency,did not address whether the specifications of the notice were written to favor the Trump-endorsed version. “Superintendent Walters has committed the agency to an open and transparent RFP process, consistent with the norms for state procurement, that will be adequate to meet the needs of Oklahoma classrooms,” Isett said in an email. “There are hundreds of Bible publishers and we expect a robust competition for this proposal.” The requirements for the Bibles, according to bid documents, include that they be the King James version and that they have the Pledge of Allegiance, the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. They must not contain “study guides, publisher narration or additional commentary.” The requirement that the books be bound by leather (or a “leather-like” material), the posting says, is for “durability,” though few if any other school books are leather-bound. Walters has at times said the Bible should be in every classroom — and at other times said it should only be used in meeting academic standards for history or literature. The Oklahoman noted that while he is ordering 55,000 copies of the Bible, there are only 43,000 classroom teachers in the state, and only a slice of them teach history or literature. Critics who have said Walters is inappropriately pushing Christianity into public schools now say he’s trying to line Trump’s pockets, perhaps with an eye toward a job in Trump’s administration if he wins the election in November. “Pretty clear it’s designed to buy Trump Bibles,” state Rep. John Waldron (D) said in an interview. He said it would be a crime if the proposal was proved to have been written for a specific bidder. Regardless, he said, there are political benefits for Walters helping Trump to make money. “That buys him access on the national stage.” Michelle Boorstein contributed to this report.
"watching Trump walk about workers is like watching a Christmas Carol, in reverse" A shame that shorts don't embed like normal clips but... Quite good. https://youtube.com/shorts/r4wQsgnpM30?si=PB69H4kY2UhhCvbA
Trump falsely claims Biden used FEMA funds for migrants -- something Trump did himself Trump used FEMA funds for detaining and transporting undocumented immigrants. Selina Wang, Anne Flaherty, and Luke Barr October 8, 2024, 7:12 AM https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/tru...-fema-funds-migrants-trump/story?id=114577647 Former President Donald Trump has been spreading false claims about the Biden-Harris administration’s response to Hurricane Helene, including the baseless claim that the administration is using Federal Emergency Management Agency money to house illegal migrants. Some of Trump’s allies, including Elon Musk, have been amplifying those claims. Those claims are not true. But ironically, Trump attempted something similar to what he falsely claims the Biden/Harris administration is doing when he was president. Back in 2019, Trump used money from FEMA’s disaster fund for migrant programs at the southern border. In August 2019, the Trump administration told Congress it intended to shift $271 million in funding from DHS -- including $155 million from FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund -- to pay for detaining and transporting undocumented immigrants and temporary hearing locations for asylum-seekers. According to a FEMA monthly report, $38 million was given to Immigration and Customs Enforcement in August of that year. President Donald Trump at a town hall event on September 4, 2024, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images) Anadolu via Getty Images At the time, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called it "backwards and cruel" to divert FEMA money at the start of hurricane season. "Congress appropriated these funds to meet the American people's priorities and I strongly oppose this effort to undermine our constitutional authority," Schumer said at the time. The White House has been hitting back at the misinformation, stressing that funding for migrant services is run through a separate spigot at Customs and Border Patrol and is not related to FEMA’s disaster recovery efforts. FEMA has also created a fact-checking page on its website. As for the Harris campaign, they’re letting the Biden administration take the lead on combating misinformation, while amplifying the official response. But the vice president called Trump out Monday afternoon for pushing falsehoods. “There's a lot of mis- and disinformation being pushed out there by the former president about what is available, in particular, to the survivors of Helene,” Harris said. “And, first of all, it's extraordinarily irresponsible. It's about him. It's not about you.”
Trump blasts China's trade practices, but his Bibles were printed there Thursday, October 10, 2024 Donald Trump Thousands of copies of Donald Trump’s “God Bless the USA” Bible were printed in a country that the former president has repeatedly accused of stealing American jobs and engaging in unfair trade practices—China. Global trade records reviewed by The Associated Press show a printing company in China’s eastern city of Hangzhou shipped close to 120,000 of the Bibles to the United States between early February and late March. The estimated value of the three separate shipments was $342,000, or less than $3 per Bible, according to databases that use customs data to track exports and imports. The minimum price for the Trump-backed Bible is $59.99, putting the potential sales revenue at about $7 million. The Trump Bible’s connection to China, which has not been previously reported, reveals a deep divide between the former president’s harsh anti-China rhetoric and his rush to cash in while campaigning. The Trump campaign did not respond to emails and calls seeking comment. Trump says his Bibles would help America The largest and most recent load of 70,000 copies of Trump’s Bible arrived by container vessel at the Port of Los Angeles on March 28, two days after Trump announced in a video posted on his Truth Social platform that he’d partnered with country singer Lee Greenwood to hawk the Bibles. In the video, Trump blended religion with his campaign message as he urged viewers to buy the Bible, inspired by Greenwood’s ballad, “God Bless the USA.” The Bible includes copies of the U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, and Pledge of Allegiance. The front cover of Donald Trump's "God Bless the USA" Bible mentions the July 13 assassination attempt. “This Bible is a reminder that the biggest thing we have to bring back in America, and to make America great again, is our religion, Trump said. Judeo-Christian values, he added, are “under attack, perhaps as never before.” Trump didn’t say where the “God Bless the USA” Bibles are printed, or what they cost; a copy hand-signed by the former president sells for $1,000. Trump also didn't disclose how much he earns per sale. A version of the $59.99 Bible memorializes the July 13 assassination attempt on the former president in Pennsylvania. Trump’s name is on the cover above the phrase, “The Day God Intervened.” The wording appears to have been stamped on after the Bible was produced. Trump said Saturday his would-be assassin did not succeed “by the hand of providence and the grace of God.” The Bibles are sold exclusively through a website that states it is not affiliated with any political campaign nor is it owned or controlled by Trump. A photo posted on the website shows Trump sitting at his desk in the Oval Office with Greenwood standing beside him. In another photo, the former president smiles broadly while holding a copy of the Bible. Trump's name and image are licensed The website states that Trump’s name and image are used under a paid license from CIC Ventures, a company Trump reported owning in his most recent financial disclosure. CIC Ventures earned $300,000 in Bible sales royalties, according to the disclosure. It’s unclear what period that covers or how much Trump received in additional payments since the disclosure was released in August. AP received no response to questions sent to an email on the Bible website and to a publicist for Greenwood. For years, Trump has castigated Beijing as an obstacle to America’s economic success, slapping hefty tariffs on Chinese imports while president, and threatening even more stringent measures if he’s elected again. He blamed China for the COVID-19 outbreak and recently suggested, without evidence, that thousands of Chinese immigrants are flooding the U.S. to build an “army” and attack America. But Trump also has an eye on his personal finances. Pitching Bibles is one of a dizzying number of for-profit ventures he’s launched or promoted, including diamond-encrusted watches, sneakers, photo books, cryptocurrency and digital trading cards. The web of enterprises has stoked conflict of interest concerns. Selling products at prices that exceed their value may be considered a campaign contribution, said Claire Finkelstein, founder of the nonpartisan Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law and a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania. “You have to assume that everything that the individual does is being done as a candidate and so that any money that flows through to him benefits him as a candidate,” Finkelstein said. “Suppose Vladimir Putin were to buy a Trump watch. Is that a campaign finance violation? I would think so.” Selling Bibles, she added, “strikes me as a profoundly problematic mixing of religion and state.” Potential conflicts of interest As president, Trump would be in a position to influence policies and markets to benefit businesses in which he and his family have financial stakes. While president, his administration exempted Bibles and other religious texts from tariffs imposed on billions of dollars of Chinese goods. There’s a potentially lucrative opportunity for Trump to sell 55,000 of the “God Bless the USA” Bibles to Oklahoma after the state’s top education official ordered public schools to incorporate Scripture into lessons for grades 5 through 12. Oklahoma plans to spend $3 million on Bibles that initially matched Trump’s edition: a King James Version that contains the U.S. founding documents. The request was revised Monday to allow the U.S. historical documents to be bound with the Bible or provided separately. Oklahoma’s Department of Education did not answer AP’s questions about whether the Bibles must be printed in the United States or if any department officials have discussed the proposal with Trump or his representatives. “There are hundreds of Bible publishers and we expect a robust competition for this proposal,” said department spokesman Dan Isett. Chinese printing company confirms shipments China is one of the world’s leading producers of Bibles, so it’s not unusual for the Trump-endorsed version to be printed there. The Pledge of Allegiance is printed in Donald Trump's "God Bless the USA" Bible. The first delivery of Trump Bibles was labeled “God Bless USA,” according to the information from the Panjiva and Import Genius databases. The other two were described as “Bibles.” All the books were shipped by New Ade Cultural Media, a printing company in Hangzhou that describes itself as a “custom Bible book manufacturer.” They were sent to Freedom Park Design, a company in Alabama that databases identified as the importer of the Bibles. Tammy Tang, a sales representative for New Ade, told AP all three shipments were “God Bless the USA” Bibles. She said New Ade received the orders via the WhatsApp messaging service and confirmed they were from Freedom Park Design. The books were printed on presses near the company’s Hangzhou office, she said. Tang did not disclose the sales price or other details, citing customer confidentiality. “They didn’t come to meet us,” Tang said by telephone. “We just do the production.” She declined further comment and referred interview requests to Freedom Park Design. Freedom Park Design was incorporated in Florida on March 1, according to business registration records. An aspiring country singer named Jared Ashley is the company’s president. He also co-founded 16 Creative, a digital marketing firm that uses the same Gulf Shores address and processes online orders for branded merchandise sold by entertainers and authors. Ashley hung up on a reporter who called to ask about the Bibles. Greenwood is a client of 16 Creative, according to the firm’s website. He launched the American-flag emblazoned Bible in 2021. His song, “God Bless the USA,” was released 40 years ago and is a staple at Trump rallies. Greenwood has also appeared at the former president’s campaign events. Critics call Trump Bible a ‘toxic mix’ The King James Version used in the Trump Bible is in the public domain. Greenwood had initially planned to use the best-selling New International Version licensed in North America by HarperCollins Christian Publishing. But the publisher abandoned the arrangement amid pressure from religious scholars and authors who denounced the merger of Scripture and government documents as a “toxic mix” that would fuel Christian nationalism sentiments in evangelical churches. Christian nationalism is a movement that fuses American and Christian values, symbols and identity and seeks to privilege Christianity in public life. Christian nationalists are likely to believe the U.S. Constitution was inspired by God and that the federal government should declare the U.S. a Christian nation. Other critics called the Trump Bible blasphemous. “Taking what has long been understood as a global message religiously and stamping it with the flag of one nation is the type of thing that for centuries theologians would call heresy,” said Brian Kaylor, a Baptist minister and president of the Christian media company Word&Way. ‘Love of money’ Tim Wildsmith, a Baptist minister who reviews Bibles on his YouTube channel, said he quickly noticed the signs of a cheaply made book when his “God Bless the USA” Bible arrived wrapped in plastic inside a padded mailer. It had a faux leather cover, and words were jammed together on the pages, making it hard to read. He also found sticky pages that ripped when pulled apart, and there was no copyright page or information about who printed the Bible, or where. “I was shocked by how poor the quality of it was,” Wildsmith said. “It says to me that it’s more about the love of money than it is the love of our country.”