Pittsburgh To Trump: Stay Home
Pittsburgh mayor suggests Trump should wait to visit. CNN: "As Pittsburgh prepares to bury the victims of what is believed to be the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in US history, the city's mayor said Monday he thinks President Donald Trump should wait to make a visit. Trump and first lady Melania Trump plan to travel to Pittsburgh on Tuesday, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Monday. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner will accompany the President and the First Lady, CNN has learned. They will make the trip three days after a heavily-armed shooter stormed the Tree of Life Synagogue in the city's Squirrel Hill neighborhood during Sabbath services, killing 11 congregants. Six others were injured, including four police officers, authorities said. They also will make the trip on the day of the first funerals, with burials scheduled to continue through Friday, Mayor William Peduto told CNN's Anderson Cooper. Peduto said he wants the focus to be on families of victims. Law enforcement will be stretched by the funerals and their processions, continuing security at the site of the Saturday shooting and at other Jewish institutions, he said. 'We did try to get the message out to the White House that our priority tomorrow is the first funeral,' Peduto said Monday night. 'I do believe that it would be best to put the attention on the families this week, and if he (Trump) were to visit, choose a different time to be able to do it,' the mayor said."
Plaintiffs Sue Trumps For Fraud
Trump persuaded struggling people to invest in scams, lawsuit says. NYT: "A new lawsuit accuses President Trump, his company and three of his children of using the Trump name to entice vulnerable people to invest in sham business opportunities. The allegations take aim at the heart of Mr. Trump’s personal narrative that he is a successful deal-maker who built a durable business, charging he and his family lent their name to a series of scams. The 160-page complaint alleges that Mr. Trump and his family received secret payments from three business entities in exchange for promoting them as legitimate opportunities, when in reality they were get-rich-quick schemes that harmed investors, many of whom were unsophisticated and struggling financially. Those business entities were ACN, a telecommunications marketing company that paid Mr. Trump millions of dollars to endorse its products; the Trump Network, a vitamin marketing enterprise; and the Trump Institute, which the suit said offered “extravagantly priced multiday training seminars” on Mr. Trump’s real estate 'secrets.' The four plaintiffs, who were identified only with pseudonyms like Jane Doe, depict the Trump Organization as a racketeering enterprise that defrauded thousands of people for years as the president turned from construction to licensing his name for profit. The suit also names Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump and Eric Trump as defendants."
Trump Orders Troops To Border In Election Stunt
Trump sending 5,200 troops to the border in an election-season response to migrants. NYT: "More than 5,000 active-duty military troops will deploy to the southern border by the end of this week, Defense Department officials said on Monday, an escalation of a midterm election show of force against a caravan of Central American migrants that President Trump has characterized as an 'invasion of our country.' The massing of American troops comes as Mr. Trump has seized on the caravan as a closing political message in the final week before the midterms, warning darkly — and without evidence — that “Middle Eastern” people are part of a dangerous mob of migrants threatening to surge into communities here. But the caravan, which has shrunk from 7,000 people to less than 3,500, is still weeks away from reaching the United States. The rare use of the active-duty military to bolster Mr. Trump’s campaign message has intensified criticism that the president is using the military for political gain. 'This is using the troops as props,' said Jason Dempsey, who served as an Army infantry officer in Iraq and Afghanistan and is now an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. 'We’re using a bunch of people to waste their time while they backstop the Border Patrol.'"
WH Wants SCOTUS To Shield Trump Officials From Census Probe
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to delay census citizenship question trial. NPR: "The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to delay the first trial over the controversial citizenship question it added to the 2020 census. The emergency request to the high court comes less than a week before the trial is scheduled to begin on Nov. 5 for the two lead lawsuits in New York City. Last week, lower courts rejected similar requests from the Justice Department, which is representing the administration. Postponing the trial, U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman wrote in his opinion, "could make a timely final decision next to impossible." It would also ratchet up the pressure this legal battle has put on preparations for the constitutionally mandated head count of every person living in the U.S. The Census Bureau has been waiting for a decision on the citizenship question to finalize the census form. Printing of the 2020 census forms is scheduled to begin in May. But in court filings submitted Monday, Solicitor General Noel Francisco argued that delaying the trial is necessary. The administration wants the Supreme Court to review its new request to permanently block lower court orders allowing the plaintiffs' attorneys to question Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. Ross oversees the Census Bureau and approved adding the question. Last week, the high court put Ross' deposition temporarily on hold."
Carter Calls On Georgia AG To Resign
Jimmy Carter says Kemp's controlling election process violates 'most fundamental principle' of Democracy. Common Dreams: "Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who has also spearheaded election monitor in countries across the world for decades, has called on Brian Kemp—the Georgia Republican who is running for governor while also serving as Secretary of State—to resign from his post in order to ensure integrity of the state's upcoming election. With major purges of registered voters from the state's roles sparking widespread condemnation and suppression efforts being challenged in court, Carter warned that Kemp operating as both a candidate and the top election authority is a violation of the "most fundamental principle of democratic elections.' Carter issued his request to Kemp in a letter sent last week, but the Associated Press obtained a copy of the letter and published it Monday. 'In order to foster voter confidence in the upcoming election, which will be especially important if the race ends up very close,' the letter states, 'I urge you to step aside and hand over to a neutral authority the responsibility of overseeing the governor’s election. This would not address every concern, but it would be a sign that you recognize the importance of this key democratic principle and want to ensure the confidence of our citizens in the outcome.'"