INSIGHT--Sunday Resend: America's Biggest Story in News Avalanche. Heroes in Belarus. Mexico Mayor’s Tightrope Walk. World Markets' Message about U.S.
If you missed this week's edition, here's your chance to catch up during your Sunday read.
A TORRENT OF NEWS TO TRIAGE
If it weren’t for the pandemic, newsrooms today might look like the news version of hospital emergency rooms, with new urgent cases pushing through the door in quick succession, demanding attention, competing for limited resources. Because of the virus, media operations take place mostly online now, but the flow of important news is extraordinary. Any of a dozen stories this week would have easily qualified as a major, top story in normal times; each would have warranted huge headlines. Many did.
The Highlights:
Trump on the Defensive, Battling his Own Words, and those of his own appointees.
If We Weren’t Focused on the US, Belarusian Heroes Would Fill the Airwaves.
In Mexico, a Woman Mayor Plays Three-Dimensional Chess.
Bonus: Finance – What the Dollar’s Fall is Telling Us.
A Firestorm of News Puts Trump on the Defensive
Trump Misled on COVID
The top story of the week, the one most likely to take a prominent place in the many history books that will cover this era, is the revelation that Trump deliberately misled the American people when he claimed dozens of times that the virus was not very serious, was totally under control, and would go away quickly.
In 18 interviews with Bob Woodward, of Watergate fame, Trump revealed that his national security advisor warned him in January that the coronavirus “will be the biggest national security threat you face in your presidency.”
Woodward taped the interviews for his book “Rage” and the clips are now everywhere, with Trump’s own voice, admitting “I wanted to always play it down,” and spelling out he clearly understood how lethal the virus is.
Trump says he wanted to avoid panic, a curious claim for a man who built his political career by stoking fear. He could have chosen to face what was a genuine threat, and emerge as a hero. But instead he lied. And we have it on tape.
Woodward’s Watergate partner, Carl Bernstein, called the tapes a “smoking gun,” saying they offer evidence of “homicidal negligence” which is “graver than Watergate.”
Is Bernstein exaggerating?
Consider this: a Columbia University study in May concluded that if the U.S. had imposed measures two weeks earlier, it could have prevented 84% of COVID-19 deaths. If that holds, it means that out of the more than 190,000 who have died in the US, 164,000 would be alive today.
The latest forecast from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, IMHE, whose work the White House task force uses, predicts — brace yourself — more than 410,000 deaths in the United States by the end of this year. At that rate, an 84% reduction would mean that 344,400 lives could have been saved.
Trump Revealed Super-Secret National Security
Another eye-popping revelation from the interviews: Trump bragged to Woodward about a super-secret U.S. defense program. “I have built a nuclear – a weapons systems that nobody’s ever had in this country before,” Trump said, according to the book. Defense officials understatedly declared themselves surprised that Trump had talked about it.
Senior Admin. Official Says He Was Told to Go Quiet on Russia Interference, Jeopardizing National Security
Separately, a senior official in Trump’s Department of Homeland Security filed an official whistleblower complaint charging that DHS Secretary Chad Wolf instructed him to alter intelligence reports about Russia’s ongoing interference in the 2020 elections. He said he was ordered to stop reporting his findings and bring them in line with Trump’s own comments about Russia. The reason, according to Brian Murphy, who was until recently in charge on intelligence analysis at DHS, is that the facts, “made the president look bad.” Murphy says the order constitutes a threat to national security.
In normal times, this would trigger a political earthquake.
Biden Campaign Hacked by Russians
The Trump administration may be downplaying Russia’s activities, but Microsoft alerted the Biden campaign that the campaign's main advisory firm has been targeted by suspected Russian hackers. It looks like the Kremlin has barely bothered to change its 2016 election interference plan.
Should I keep going?
Here are some more stories that would swallow the headlines in normal times: California and the Western U.S. are suffering the worst fires in their history, more than 2.2 million acres burned so far. Global warming is worsening fire seasons.
Trump’s Justice Department is taking over citizen Trump’s defense in a case pitting the president against one of the many women who accuse him of sexual assault, making taxpayers foot the bill.
Trump fulminated against the top generals running the U.S. military, in an unprecedented attack on the character of leaders that in many cases he selected. It was a curious twist in his defense against accusations that he called injured and killed members of the military, “losers and suckers,” and holds those who choose to serve in contempt. I wrote about how he has trouble grasping patriotism.
Heroes beyond America: Belarus
Given the situation at home, it’s understandable that the American public, and many around the world, are focusing sharply on developments in the United States with less than two months left until the November election. But much is happening elsewhere.
As I wrote on CNN:
“If Americans weren't consumed with the historic political contest at home, they would be riveted to the drama unfolding in Belarus.”
What’s happening in Belarus, where three women led a national uprising against a dictator, is one of the truly gripping stories of our time.
“The daily events in Belarus, a former Soviet Republic, are worthy of a Netflix drama, full of unexpected twists, spearheaded by heroic protagonists and driven by a righteous cause. But it's real life. The stakes could not be higher, and the lessons more poignant for the rest of the world -- including for Americans, concerned about their own democracy.”
The entire story of what has transpired just in the past few days, is amazing. Here’s my article. If you won’t read it all, at least catch the ending.
Political Tightrope-Walking in Mexico
Speaking of women in politics, another fascinating political drama is playing out in Mexico City, this one involving the city’s mayor, Claudia Sheinbaum, and President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
Sheinbaum is the first woman and the first Jew to lead the capital, one of the world’s largest cities, with a population of more than 20 million people.
Her career has been boosted by her close relationship with the president, known as AMLO. Her position is so prominent and her closeness to the president so well known, that she is often touted as AMLO’s successor. But in order for her to become president in 2024, an endorsement by the current president would be key.
The problem for Sheinbaum is that AMLO, a leftist populist leader, has handled the coronavirus disastrously. And she knows it. He started out by bluntly minimizing the risk, publicly embracing people in crowds, and mostly refusing to impose measures recommended by scientists. As a result, Mexico has some of the world’s highest numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths.
This put Sheinbaum in an awkward situation. She has a background in science and is responsible for policies affecting millions of lives. She has opted to walk a thin line, implementing measures she found imperative, while making sure to refrain from publicly contradicting the president.
The subtle approach, and the careful distancing, became clear in a photograph where the president stands with his allies, shoulder to shoulder, without face masks. She stands off to the side.
More on Sheinbaum’s dilemma in this New York Times article.
Bonus: World Currency Markets and the US Dollar
What do the movements in currency markets tell us? Many factors affect exchange rates, but there is one pattern that became evident starting in late March: the dollar went into a steep and steady decline.
I wrote about this in my weekly column in World Politics Review, where I explain how
“A close look at the behavior of currency markets over the past six months strongly suggests that the sinking fortunes of the once-reliable greenback represent a global vote of no-confidence in the actions of the current U.S. government.”
That’s it for this week.
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Frida