#robert hur

Stephen Robinson at Public Notice:

Donald Trump’s recent interviews with Time and The Atlantic revealed a president who is completely unhinged and incoherent. Sadly, that’s not news. But what stood out is that Trump is consistently confused and disconnected from reality even on issues that are supposedly in his wheelhouse. Trump has always been an ignoramus who masks his intellectual shortcomings with bombast and declarations of his own brilliance, but his rambling nonsensical responses in these latest interviews should set off alarms — especially in light of all the media attention and scrutiny Joe Biden received after his disastrous debate performance or when Special Counsel Robert Hur described him as “a well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory.” Trump, who turns 79 in June, is the oldest person ever elected president. His repetitive speech patterns, frequent use of empty phrases, and overall rambling discourse are too often graded on a curve. White House officials and pandering Republicans might boast about Trump’s boundless energy in a manner that would shame North Korean state media, but the Time and Atlantic interviews tell a very different story.

Rancid word salad

Trump was especially all over the place during his Time interview. Conducted on April 22, he probably could’ve anticipated being asked about his April 9 executive order directing Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Homeland Security to investigate Christopher Krebs, former head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. (Trump has never forgiven Krebs for correctly stating publicly that the 2020 election was secure and not in any way rigged.) Shockingly, however, Trump didn’t a prepare a defense for his abuse of power.

[...] As the transcript shows, Trump didn’t even attempt to answer the question posed to him. He often pretends to have never met someone he believes has spoken ill of him, but his situational amnesia is less effective as an explanation for why he’s weaponizing the government against Krebs. [...] This wasn’t just an off day, either. On April 24, Trump sat for an interview with The Atlantic. Staff writer Michael Scherer asked him bluntly, “Should people be concerned that the nature of the presidency is changing under you?” Trump was unable to leave the answer at “no” without going on a rant about James Comey, Robert Mueller, and the supposed Russia “hoax.” [...] Trump’s cognitive abilities and overall competence have always left a lot to be desired, but these interviews show a president who’s no longer capable of even the veneer of mental acuity. Meanwhile, his cabinet and even congressional Republicans behave like courtiers to a mad king.

Sebastian Murdock at HuffPost:

More than 180 college leaders blasted President Donald Trump’s attempts to cut federal funding for universities if they don’t fall in line with his administration’s demands. The letter, published Tuesday by the American Association of Colleges and Universities and signed by university presidents across the country, warned against “unprecedented government overreach.” “As leaders of America’s colleges, universities, and scholarly societies, we speak with one voice against the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education,” the letter reads. This past month, the Trump administration has halted billions of dollars in federal grants to several universities after accusing the schools of “antisemitism” over campus protests against Israel’s attacks on Gaza. The administration has also cited diversity, equity and inclusion programs at several universities as reasons to cut funding. The signatories come from Ivy League schools like Harvard and Princeton, to large state schools and even smaller liberal arts colleges.

“We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight,” the letter reads. “However, we must oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses.” Harvard University has fought back against the administration’s bully tactics, saying it won’t give in to Trump’s demands at the risk of having $9 billion in federal grants withheld. “The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” lawyers Robert Hur and William Burck wrote to Trump administration officials earlier this month. “Neither Harvard nor any other private university can allow itself to be taken over by the federal government. Accordingly, Harvard will not accept the government’s terms as an agreement in principle.”

More than 180 collegiate leaders sign letter calling out Tyrant 47’s gross overreach of attacking colleges and their academic freedom.

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The Guardian: Over 150 US university presidents sign letter decrying Trump administration

Alex Samuels at Daily Kos:

Add Vice President JD Vance to the long list of MAGA weirdos wasting time spinning conspiracy theories about President Joe Biden hiding a cancer diagnosis while in office. On Monday, Vance was asked by a reporter aboard Air Force Two to comment on the news of Biden’s diagnosis of an aggressive form of prostate cancer. But instead of offering basic human decency—or even facts—he leaned straight into speculation, hinting at a cover-up. “Why didn’t the American people have a better sense of his health picture? Why didn’t the American people have more accurate information about what he was actually dealing with?” Vance said, treating it as some scandal and not a serious medical diagnosis. But he didn’t stop there. “You can separate the desire for him to have the right health outcome with a recognition that whether it was doctors or whether there were staffers around the former president. I don’t think he was able to do a good job for the American people. And that’s not politics. That’s not because I disagreed with him on policy. That’s because I don’t think that he was in good enough health. In some ways, I blame him less than I blame the people around him,” he said.

Vance’s remarks echo broader right-wing baseless claims that Biden—and the Democratic Party—knew about the cancer all along and chose to hide it. Since news of his diagnosis broke on Sunday, conservative influencers—none of them doctors—have been pushing this nonsense.  “What I want to know is how did Dr. Jill Biden miss stage five metastatic cancer or is this yet another cover-up???” Donald Trump Jr. asked. Far-right activist Laura Loomer, meanwhile, alleged that Biden knew he was “terminally ill” and withheld that information from the public while he was president.  Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas, Trump’s ex-White House physician with a well-documented allergy to facts, also chimed in, claiming that Biden’s doctor “was more concerned about assisting with the political cover-up than providing world-class medical care.” Even conservative podcaster Tim Pool jumped in, insisting that “Democrats knew” and suggesting that Biden’s doctors couldn’t have missed the cancer, never mind that he was reportedly diagnosed only after developing symptoms. According to his office, Biden was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer after experiencing urinary issues, and the cancer has metastasized to his bones. His team said the disease is hormone-sensitive, meaning that it can still be treated. The cancer has a Gleason score of 9, one of the most aggressive forms of prostate cancer.

Some medical professionals have pointed out that a cancer this advanced likely developed over time, but there’s still no evidence that Biden or his team knew about it while he was in office, let alone actively hid it. Still, MAGA world has become obsessed with the idea that Biden’s health was secretly deteriorating during his presidency.

The right’s response to Joe Biden’s prostate cancer diagnosis: spread ugly smears about the man.

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