#TimeMag

[mamavino]

Land of Dragongeim and their Dragonriders

My OC land and more for Black clover

DragongeimDragongeim is a cold, rugged land far to the north of the clover kingdom, where blizzards rage for months and the sun barely graces the skies during the winter months. The land is dotted with towering mountains, vast tundras, and deep forests filled with mythical creatures. The people are tough and resilient, having learned to survive in the harshest of conditions. They are a proud race, some are descendants of dragon-riders and warriors who share a bloodline with these mighty creatures. Dragongeim has a rich history of dragon bonding, but the people’s most revered tradition is the preservation of their ancient bloodline—the Dragonblood, which is thought to give them the strength, courage, and power to survive in the unforgiving world. In Dragongeim people are born withou magic, but have a lot of naturale mana. 

The dragon riders: 

Nyxara Rhys(Leader - Pride)

Appearance: Nyxara stands out with her messy blond hair (she got that from her father Julius, our dear wizard king), in a thick braid, and dark gray eyes. Her Viking-like appearance is marked by a robust, athletic build. She often dons practical, battle-ready attire suited for both dragon riding and combat. She’s rarely without a mischievous grin. She wields a self crafted bow and thin arrows, her preferred weapon. The bow allows her to channel her time magic through it, making her strikes both precise and deadly.

Personality: Nyxara is known for her loud and brash demeanor, qualities stemming from her upbringing in a competitive and wild environment. She is highly intelligent and often challenges authority, particularly in relation to her strained relationship with King Alaric. Despite her tough exterior, Nyxara is fiercely loyal and protective of those she cares about.. Her pride comes from her desire to see her team succeed, and she takes their victories personally.

Dragon: Thalorian is a magnificent dragon with shimmering iridescent scales that reflect deep blue and silver hues. His powerful, broad wings make him swift and agile in flight, while his connection with Nyxara enhances both their abilities. When combined with Nyxara’s time magic, the two become an unstoppable force, striking with both precision and elemental fury. Together, they create chaos in the skies, embodying the wrath of a storm and the flow of time.

Roderick (Second-in-command - Greed)

Appearance: Roderick has platinum blond long hair tight half way up. He has a sharp, piercing eye and a lean, athletic build. He wears an eye patch on his right eye. He lost it when he tried to claim a dragon. Despite his serious appearance, he always has a cheery, naughty expression, showing his softer side for those around him.

Personality: Roderick’s greed isn’t for wealth or power—it's for his comrades’ success. He’s constantly pushing the others to be the best version of themselves. A perfectionist at heart, he wants everything and everyone around him to reach their maximum potential. He’s supportive and often acts like an older brother to the group, always nudging them to try harder. His “greed” is for a stronger, united team.

Dragon: Gullinbursti – This golden dragon may look flashy, but its true wealth is in its unwavering loyalty and strength. Roderick and Gullinbursti are a team that always focuses on pushing limits, always wanting more from each other and from the world around them.

Bjorn (Wrath) -The Giant with a Heart of Gold

Appearance: A giant man with a wide, infectious smile, Bjorn’s bright blue eyes twinkle with warmth and mischief. His large frame might be intimidating, but he’s more like a friendly bear who enjoys making others laugh.

Personality: Despite embodying Wrath, Bjorn is one of the most cheerful and laid-back of the group. He loves telling stories, laughing heartily, and making sure everyone around him is happy. His anger only surfaces when his friends or loved ones are in danger. When that happens, the shift from jovial Bjorn to an unstoppable force is shocking to everyone around him.

Dragon: Surtur – A fiery red dragon with a playful streak, Surtur loves to engage in fiery games of strength. However, when the stakes are high, Surtur’s flame and fury match Bjorn’s fierce loyalty to his friends.

Eamon (Sloth) The Lazy Genius

Appearance: A slender man with shaggy brown hair and a perpetually relaxed demeanor. Eamon always looks like he’s about to take a nap, but his eyes sparkle with quiet intelligence.

Personality: Eamon may seem lazy on the surface, but his "sloth" is actually a form of calculated efficiency. He conserves his energy, waiting for the exact right moment to act. Often found lying in a sunny spot, he’ll surprise everyone when he effortlessly solves problems or fights with incredible precision, as though he’s been planning every move while appearing not to care. He’s strategic in a way that keeps everyone guessing.

Dragon: Nidhogg – A slow-moving, massive dragon that mirrors Eamon’s demeanor. But when called upon, Nidhogg shows incredible power and precision, moving in perfect synchronicity with Eamon’s quiet genius.

Cian (Lust) - The Adventurer

Appearance: Charming and roguishly handsome, Cian has tousled brown hair and piercing blue eyes that always seem to be searching for excitement. He dresses casually but confidently, with a constant playful smirk on his face.

Personality: Cian’s “lust” manifests as a love for adventure, fun, and spontaneity rather than romantic pursuits. He’s the life of the party, always encouraging the group to try new things and live life to the fullest. His passion for experiencing new things can get him into trouble, but it also brings a contagious energy to the team. Cian is all about living in the moment and finding joy in every situation.

Dragon: Fjalar – Sleek and graceful, Fjalar is just as restless and curious as Cian, always ready to dart into action or explore the skies for new adventures.

Thorstein (Gluttony) - The Joyful Giant

Appearance: A giant of a man with a hearty laugh and a broad grin, Thorstein’s size is more due to his towering height than weight. He has a jovial face with a thick beard, and he’s always the first to suggest a feast or celebration.

Personality: Thorstein’s "gluttony" is for life itself. He’s not just obsessed with food and drink (though he loves both), but with enjoying every single aspect of living. He’s the one who encourages the group to relax, celebrate victories, and enjoy downtime together. His energy is infectious, and while he may indulge a bit too much at times, he keeps the team's morale high with his constant joy and larger-than-life personality.

Dragon: Jormungandr – A massive, slow-moving dragon with an insatiable appetite, but like Thorstein, Jormungandr is all about living large. Together, they’re a force of nature, bringing joy and chaos in equal measure wherever they go.

Lachlan (Envy) - The Quiet Learner

Appearance: Lachlan is lean, with dark hair and calculating eyes, but he often has a wistful smile on his face. He tends to stay in the background, always watching and learning from others.

Personality: Rather than being consumed by destructive envy, Lachlan’s envy takes the form of admiration. He constantly strives to better himself by studying and imitating the skills of those around him. While he can sometimes feel insecure about his own abilities, he turns that envy into motivation to grow stronger. He is deeply loyal to the team, often downplaying his own role to push others into the spotlight.

Dragon: Fafnir – A stealthy, dark blue dragon that, like Lachlan, is always observing and learning. Fafnir is cunning and strategic, embodying Lachlan’s quiet desire to improve and outwit any challenge.

Team Dynamic:Nyxara leads with pride in her team’s strength, Roderick greedily pushes for their collective greatness, and each rider brings their own unique energy to the group, creating a tight-knit family of dragon riders who can laugh and joke in one moment and rain fire down on their enemies in the next. Their loud, brash dragonblood heritage shines through, but it’s tempered by an unexpected depth in their quirks and motivations.

Rion Thorne - The Bard of the Dragon Riders

Rion Thorne, the flirtatious and charismatic bard of the Dragon Riders, is a master of balancing chaos with his music and charm. Saved by Nyxara, he was adopted into the group as their bard. Though his role is to soothe and uplift, Rion’s playful demeanor masks deeper emotions, particularly when it comes to Cian, the rider of Lust. The bond between them is intense but unspoken, filled with tension and quiet understanding. They ride side by side, and while Rion flirts with everyone else, there’s something more between him and Cian, though neither speaks of it.

As a bard, Rion uses his music to calm the riders, offering comfort during dark times. His songs are his gift and his curse—full of passion, but hiding a deeper melancholy. Rion is more than just a flirt; he’s the emotional anchor of the Dragon Riders, reminding them that even amidst war, there’s room for balance, joy, and reflection.

Royal Bloodline and the Throne Dragongeim’s monarchy is unlike any other. To sit upon the throne, one must possess the legendary blood of dragons. This powerful legacy comes from an ancient pact between the first Dragon rider and a mighty dragon, who bound their fates together. Only those with dragonblood can be at the throne.

Some fun facts about the land 

Bond Beyond Mana: Dragon riders aren't just bonded to their dragons through mana; they also share a unique emotional connection. When one rider is injured, their dragon feels it, and vice versa. This bond is so strong that some riders have even learned to communicate with their dragons through emotions alone, bypassing words.

Draconic Tattoos: Riders who successfully bond with a dragon receive a special tattoo on their skin, often on their arm or back. 

Rider Training: Becoming a dragon rider isn't just about learning to ride. Riders undergo intense physical and mental training to match their dragons' strength. Only those who pass a series of grueling trials, such as enduring the “Trial of Fire” (surviving a fire-breathing test) or “The Sky’s Challenge” (a high-altitude endurance test), are considered worthy of a dragon.

Ancient Dragon Language: Riders are taught an ancient language that was once spoken by dragons. This language, known as Draken, is said to have been passed down from the first dragon-riders. It’s a secret tongue used for commands or spells that even other magic users can't decipher.

Dragon Rider Festival: Every year, the land of Dragonheim holds a grand festival called "The Dance of the Sky" where they showcase their bond with their dragons through aerial stunts, races, and synchronized flying. It’s a spectacle of skill and bravery, where riders and dragons perform together as one unit.

Riders’ Code: Dragon riders follow a strict code of honor. Among the rules is the vow to never use their dragons as weapons of war against innocent villages. Riders are expected to act as protectors, not conquerors, and are taught to respect the land and creatures around them.

Politics of the land - Dragongeim Royal Council:

King Alaric: The King ultimately presides over the council, but the members hold significant sway over their respective domains. While Alaric rules with absolute power, the influence of his advisors shapes the direction of the kingdom. His ability to manage the ambitions and agendas of each council member is a key part of his rule.

Hand of the King (Gunnar Eriksson) Position: Older and Wise Advisor to the King Role: Gunnar is the King's closest and most trusted advisor. He is a man of advanced age with vast experience in statecraft and diplomacy, having served in the court for many years. 

Master of War (Einar Drakensdóttir) Position: The Elder Dragonrider, Military Strategist Role: Einar is Queen Ginevra's cousin and a seasoned dragonrider. His role in the council is to oversee all matters related to war and defense. Einar has fought in numerous battles, both defending the borders from invaders and participating in internal conflicts. 

Master of Coin (Freyja Skjoldsdóttir) Position: Treasurer, Keeper of the Kingdom's Wealth Role: Freyja is responsible for overseeing the kingdom's finances, including taxes, trade, and the allocation of resources. 

Master of Whispers (Haldor Valdisson) Position: Spymaster, Keeper of Secrets Role: Haldor is the King’s most trusted informant and spy. As the Master of Whispers, he controls the flow of information within the kingdom, including secrets, rumors, and intelligence. 

Master of Laws (Bjarne Thorsson) Position: Keeper of the Kingdom’s Laws and Justice Role: Bjarne oversees the kingdom’s legal system and is tasked with ensuring that laws are properly enforced throughout Dragongeim. He is a scholar of ancient laws and customs, interpreting and applying them in modern times. 

Master of Ships (Kjell Hrafnsson) Position: Admiral of the Fleet, Overseer of Naval Power Role: Kjell is responsible for the kingdom’s naval forces, ensuring that Dragongeim's coastlines and trade routes are protected. 

Lord Commander of the Landsguard (Prince Ragnar) Position: Prince and Commander of the Landsguard Role: Prince Ragnar, the King's son, commands the elite Landsguard, the kingdom’s military forces dedicated to protecting the lands from internal and external threats. Ragnar is the kings son is a highly ambitious, often pushing the boundaries of his authority, and he harbors a strong desire to marry Nyxara (who hates him deeply) and solidify his position. 

Grand Maester (Elrik Sigridsson) Position: Scholar, Advisor on Magical and Religious Matters Role: The Grand Maester is the kingdom's foremost scholar, specializing in magic, ancient texts, and religious matters. He provides the council with advice regarding magical phenomena, the history of the dragons, and the kingdom’s spiritual beliefs. 

[neopronouns]

timepageic | timeknightic timemageic | timeseeric timesylphic | timemaidic timemuseic | timelordeic

timepageic: a gender related to being a page of time

timeknightic: a gender related to being a knight of time

timemageic: a gender related to being a mage of time

timeseeric: a gender related to being a seer of time

timesylphic: a gender related to being a sylph of time

timemaidic: a gender related to being a maid of time

timemuseic: a gender related to being a muse of time

timelordeic: a gender related to being a lord of time

[pt: timepageic: a gender related to being a page of time

timeknightic: a gender related to being a knight of time

timemageic: a gender related to being a mage of time

timeseeric: a gender related to being a seer of time

timesylphic: a gender related to being a sylph of time

timemaidic: a gender related to being a maid of time

timemuseic: a gender related to being a muse of time

timelordeic: a gender related to being a lord of time. end pt]

colors are from the rage aspect and these class gender flags! all other terms of this nature are tagged 'classpectic'. i added the 'e' in 'timelordeic' because 'timelordic' is already a term.

flag id: eight flags with 4 stripes. the top left flag’s stripes, in order, are very dark brown, brown, bright red, and dark red. the top right flag’s stripes, in order, are dark orange, orange, bright red, and dark red. the upper middle left flag’s stripes, in order, are very dark yellow, dark yellow, bright red, and dark red. the upper middle right flag’s stripes, in order, are dark yellow, yellow, bright red, and dark red.

the lower middle left flag’s stripes, in order, are very dark green, faded green, bright red, and dark red. the lower middle right flag’s stripes, in order, are dark green, yellow-green, bright red, and dark red. the bottom left flag’s stripes, in order, are very dark purple, faded dark purple, bright red, and dark red. the bottom right flag’s stripes, in order, are dark purple, purple, bright red, and dark red. end id.

banner id: a 1600x200 teal banner with the words ‘please read my dni before interacting. those on my / dni may still use my terms, so do not recoin them.’ in large white text in the center. the text takes up two lines, split at the slash. end id.

dni link

[science-lings]

I like the idea of link just being in a building (tomb) and just being bathed in light

I know you mean it to be spiritual light but I can't help but imagine it being normal sunlight just magnified on him like when you try to use a magnifying lens to light something on fire. Link is just either too stubborn or using his timemagic to not be set on fire but when Zelda goes to wake him up she is either wearing the twice upgraded flamebraker set or just just on fire

among having a secret stone and being a sage, the natural powers given to him for being Hylia's Hero, and whatever other bs that can explain how weird he is, one of the best powers he has is 'not get sunburned from sitting in direct sunlight for 10k+ years' at least.

[revenant-coining]

heya ! can you help me find gender terms related to time or the colour red ? preferably like, bright red . ty! /nf

here's what i could find !

Mortelum (link) is a term for someone whose identity relates to a variety of concepts centring around death, the passage of time, and the intersection between those two concepts. Mortelum may also relate to the imagery of said concepts, such as vast grandfather clocks or rotting bones. The following concepts all fall under mortelum.

Chronocontrolic (link) a gender related to controlling time. examples include stopping time, speeding it up, slowing it down, or time-travelling. this gender can have a connection to controlling time or feel as if it’s nature is similar to it. this can also be related to possessing the ability to control time.

Timeheiric (link): a gender related to being an heir of time

Timewitchic (link): a gender related to being a witch of time

Timebardic (link): a gender related to being a bard of time

Timeprinceic (link): a gender related to being a prince of time

Timerogueic (link): a gender related to being a rogue of time

Timethiefic (link): a gender related to being a thief of time.

Timepageic (link): a gender related to being a page of time

Timeknightic (link): a gender related to being a knight of time

Timemageic (link): a gender related to being a mage of time

Timeseeric (link): a gender related to being a seer of time

Timesylphic (link): a gender related to being a sylph of time

Timemaidic (link): a gender related to being a maid of time

Timemuseic (link): a gender related to being a muse of time

Timelordeic (link): a gender related to being a lord of time.

Timesacrific (link): a gender related to time and sacrificing yourself to a higher being. or for when you are sacrificing yourself to time / a being of time.

Timegender (link): A xenogender for those with a strong tie to history and the concept of time as a whole. Alternatively, for those who are too occupied trying to understand the concept of time to try and figure out something as inconsequential as their own gender.

Koraigender (link): A gender related to the past

Genzaigender (link): A gender related to the present

Miraigender (link): A gender related to the future

Genderclock (link): a xenogender related with time and clocks.

Dimelumen (link): a neogender term combination between dimensen (link) and mortelum (link). This gender surrounds the intersections between these two identities, such as fate, doom, and afterlives. Inevitability is one of the main aspects of dimelumen, the fated aspect of dimensen and the death aspect of mortelum combining to place an emphasis on doom and the ever-approaching presence of mortality. The dimensional aspect of dimensen also allows for this term to surround all that which is asynchronous to our world, dimensions with present alterations of time such as time loops or slowed down/sped up time. Additionally, dimelumen focuses on afterlives, dimensions of death. Alongside this lies any other intersections or parallel positions between these two terms, anything that is born from the simultaneous existence of them both.

Diffemesen (link): a Dimensen term connected to the difference in time between dimensions

Tempoirine (link): a gender (umbrella) related to the passing of time and any other related things such as mortality and limits, as well as endlessness and the infinite. it also covers themes of life, death, the universe, and nothingness, among other things. however, these are not strict rules, merely loose guidelines for what "counts" as tempoirine. many other things can be considered tempoirine.

Memoriet (link): a mortelum gender related to the meaning of the phrase "memento mori", including such concepts as the inevitability of death and the passage of time.

Begintimion (link): a gender related to the beginning of time.

Geariclockworkphyllian (link): A gender related/connected to gears, clockwork, clocks, and the concept of time

Redgender (link): a gender connected to the color red

Rojocolcomfic (link): Gender related to one or multiple shade(s) of red being one’s comfort color

Rougecomfic (link): A gender related to red being one’s comfort color

Maroongender (link): A gender related to any and/or all shades of maroon

Redgender (link): A type of colorgender; a gender that can be described by the color red, or a gender that feels as though it is red, or a gender that feels related to the color red.

Genderred (link): A gender that is the color red; a gender that, were it to be looked at, would look/be red

Velveredic (link): A gender related to velvety shades of red

--- limit be gone ---

Scarletgender (link) is a subset of redgender connected to the color scarlet. One who is scarletgender might feel as though their gender is validated by the color scarlet, or as though their gender is best described as the color scarlet.

Rubygender (link) is a subset of redgender connected to the color ruby. One who is rubygender might feel as though their gender is validated by the color ruby, or as though their gender is best described as the color ruby.

Crimsongender (link) is a subset of redgender connected to the color crimson. One who is crimsongender might feel as though their gender is validated by the color crimson, or as though their gender is best described as the color crimson.

Gendercoccum (link): a gender that is connected to shades of scarlet, maroon, and red.

Genderphoeniceum (link): a gender that is connected to shades of purple-red.

Genderrobiginosum (link): a gender that is connected to shades of rust/orange-red.

Genderrubicundum (link): a gender that is connected to rubicund colors/red/maroon shades.

Genderrufulum (link): a gender that is connected to shades of red/reddish colors.

[advancedvisualculture]

[creativedep]

“500 SALT”

@ulrichspencer

[lostinthememory13]

OMG SHAWN WRITING ABOUT TAYLOR 😍😭😍 AND TESSA WRITING ABOUT BRIE

[traceymhawk]

#Time #timemagazine #timemagazinecover #timemag @time https://www.instagram.com/p/BuKU9sAAfgC/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=4c0g6rkd43vx

[reduxpictures]

ReduxStock: Photo by Doug Mills/The New York Times/Redux of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris at the White House, in Time magazine, April 11, 2022 issue.

[plusorminuscongress]

New story in Politics from Time: President Trump Sides With Police in Kenosha After Jacob Blake Shooting, Calling Violence ‘Domestic Terror’

(KENOSHA, Wis.) — President Donald Trump stood at the epicenter of the latest eruption over racial injustice Tuesday and came down squarely on the side of law enforcement, blaming “domestic terror” for the violence in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and making no nod to the underlying cause of anger and protests — the shooting of yet another Black man by police.

Trump declared the violence “anti-American.” He did not mention Jacob Blake, who was left paralyzed after being shot in the back seven times by an officer last week in Kenosha.

Soon after arriving in the city, a visit made over the objections of state and local leaders, Trump toured the charred remains of a block besieged by violence and fire. With the scent of smoke still in the air, he spoke to the owners of a century-old store that had been destroyed and continued to link the violence to the Democrats, blaming those in charge of Kenosha and Wisconsin while raising apocalyptic warnings if their party should capture the White House.

“These are not acts of peaceful protest but, really, domestic terror,” said Trump. And he condemned Democratic officials for not immediately accepting his offer of federal enforcement assistance, claiming, “They just don’t want us to come.”

The city has been the scene of protests since the Aug. 23 shooting of Blake, who was shot as he tried to get into a car while police were trying to arrest him. Protests have been concentrated in a small area of Kenosha. While there were more than 30 fires set in the first three nights, the situation has calmed since then.

Trump’s motorcade passed throngs of demonstrators, some holding American flags in support of the president, others jeering while carrying signs that read Black Lives Matter. A massive police presence, complete with several armored vehicles, secured the area, and barricades were set up along several of the city’s major thoroughfares to keep onlookers at a distance from the passing presidential vehicles.

Offering federal resources to help rebuild the city, Trump toured a high school that had been transformed into a heavily fortified law enforcement command post. He said he tried to call Blake’s mother but opted against it after the family asked that a lawyer listen in.

Trump later added he felt “terribly” for anyone who suffered a loss, but otherwise only noted that the situation was “complicated” and “under investigation.” The only words acknowledging the concerns of African Americans came from a pastor who attended Trump’s law enforcement roundtable.

Pressed by reporters, Trump repeatedly pivoted away from assessing any sort of structural racism in the nation or its police departments, instead blasting what he saw as anti-police rhetoric. Painting a dark portrait of parts of the nation he leads, the president predicted that chaos would descend on cities across America if voters elect Democrat Joe Biden to replace him in November.

Biden hit back, speaking to donors on a fundraising call after Trump left Kenosha.

“Donald Trump has failed to protect America. So now he’s trying to scare the hell out of America,” Biden said. “Violence isn’t a problem in Donald Trump’s eyes. It’s a political strategy.”

The election is playing out in “anxious times,” with “multiple crises,” Biden said. He included police violence in the list, along with the coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout, and said Trump refuses to address any of them honestly.

Trump aides believe that his tough-on-crime stance will help him with voters and that the more the national discourse is about anything other than the coronavirus, the better it is for the president.

Biden said after Trump’s Wisconsin visit: “The vast majority of cops are honorable, decent and real. But the idea that he wouldn’t even acknowledge the problem — and white nationalists are raising their heads all across the country.”

Trump condemned unrest in Portland, Oregon, too, where a supporter was shot and killed recently — and an increase in shootings in cities including Chicago and New York — and tried to take credit for stopping the violence in Kenosha with the National Guard. But it was Wisconsin’s Democratic governor, Tony Evers, who deployed the Guard to quell demonstrations in response to the Blake shooting, and he had pleaded with Trump to stay away for fear of straining tensions further.

“I am concerned your presence will only hinder our healing,” Evers wrote in a letter to Trump. “I am concerned your presence will only delay our work to overcome division and move forward together.”

Biden has assailed Trump as an instigator of the deadly protests that have sprung up on his watch. On the eve of his visit, Trump defended a teenager accused of fatally shooting two men at a demonstration in Kenosha last week, though he did not mention the young man Tuesday.

Claiming the mantle of the “law and order” Republican candidate, Trump insists that he, not Biden, is the leader best positioned to keep Americans safe. He said his appearance in Kenosha would “increase enthusiasm” in Wisconsin, perhaps the most hotly contested battleground state in the presidential race.

Blake’s family held a Tuesday “community celebration” at a distance from Trump’s visit.

“We don’t need more pain and division from a president set on advancing his campaign at the expense of our city,” Justin Blake, an uncle, said in a statement. “We need justice and relief for our vibrant community.”

The NAACP said Tuesday neither candidate should visit the Wisconsin city as tension simmers. Biden’s team has considered a visit to Kenosha and had previously indicated that a trip to Wisconsin was imminent but has not offered details.

Protests in Kenosha began the night of Blake’s shooting, Aug. 23, and were concentrated in the blocks around the county courthouse downtown. There was an estimated $2 million in damage to city property, and Kenosha’s mayor has said he is seeking $30 million from the state to help rebuild.

Trump announced Tuesday that his administration was making $5 million available to the city and sending than $42 million to the state, with most of the funding aimed at bolstering law enforcement, he said.

The violence reached its peak the night of Aug. 25, two days after Blake was shot, when police said the 17-year-old armed with an illegal semi-automatic rifle shot and killed two protesters in the streets. Since then marches organized both by backers of police and Blake’s family have all been peaceful with no vandalism or destruction to public property.

Biden, all the while, has tried to refocus the race on what has been its defining theme — Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which has left more than 180,000 Americans dead — after a multi-day onslaught by the president’s team to make the campaign about the violence rattling American cities.

Biden’s wife, Jill, on Tuesday kicked off a multi-week, 10-city tour of schools disrupted by the pandemic in eight battleground states, drawing a direct line from the empty classrooms to the administration’s failures combating COVID-19.

During her tour of a Wilmington, Delaware, school, she spoke with teachers and administrators about doubts that in-person learning will actually resume anytime soon and the challenges — including obtaining new small desks and protective equipment to make sure classrooms can handle social distancing — if they do. She said feelings about heading back to school “have turned from excitement into anxiety, and the playgrounds are still.”

___

Lemire reported from New York. Associated Press writers Will Weissert in Wilmington, Delaware, Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, and Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed reporting.

By Zeke Miller and Jonathan Lemire / AP on September 01, 2020 at 10:25PM

[plusorminuscongress]

New story in Politics from Time: Trump Taps Loyalist Richard Grenell as Acting Head of Intelligence

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced that Richard Grenell, the U.S. ambassador to Germany, will become acting director of national intelligence, a move that puts a staunch Trump ally in charge of the nation’s 17 spy agencies, which the president has only tepidly embraced.

“Rick has represented our Country exceedingly well and I look forward to working with him,” Trump tweeted.

Grenell follows Joseph Maguire, who has been acting national intelligence director since August. It was unclear if Maguire would return to the National Counterterrorism Center. “I would like to thank Joe Maguire for the wonderful job he has done,” Trump tweeted, “and we look forward to working with him closely, perhaps in another capacity within the Administration!”

Grenell, a loyal and outspoken Trump supporter, has been the U.S. ambassador to Germany since 2018. He previously served as U.S. spokesman at the United Nations in the George W. Bush administration, including under then-Ambassador John Bolton.

News of the announcement was quickly criticized by those who said the job should be held by someone with deep experience in intelligence. Trump named Grenell acting national intelligence director, meaning he would not have to be confirmed by the Senate.

Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Trump had “selected an individual without any intelligence experience to serve as the leader of the nation’s intelligence community in an acting capacity.”

Warner accused the president of trying to sidestep the Senate’s constitutional authority to advise and consent on critical national security positions.

“The intelligence community deserves stability and an experienced individual to lead them in a time of massive national and global security challenges,” Warner said in a statement. “… Now more than ever our country needs a Senate-confirmed intelligence director who will provide the best intelligence and analysis, regardless of whether or not it’s expedient for the president who has appointed him.”

Susan Hennessey, a fellow in national security law at Brookings Institution and a former attorney at the National Security Agency, tweeted: “This should frighten you. Not just brazen politicization of intelligence, but also someone who is utterly incompetent in an important security role. The guardrails are gone.”

Trump named Maguire to the position after Texas GOP Rep. John Ratcliffe removed himself from consideration after just five days amid criticism about his lack of intelligence experience and qualifications for the job.

Maguire became acting director the same day that former National Intelligence Director Dan Coats’ resignation took effect. It was also the same day that deputy national intelligence director Sue Gordon walked out the door. Democrats denounced the shake-up at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and accused Trump of pushing out two dedicated intelligence professionals.

By ZEKE MILLER and MATTHEW LEE / AP on February 19, 2020 at 08:42PM

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New story in Politics from Time: NYC Prosecutor Alleges ‘Protracted Criminal Conduct’ at Trump Organization in Quest for President’s Personal Tax Returns

(NEW YORK) — A Manhattan prosecutor trying to get President Donald Trump’s tax returns told a judge Monday that he was justified in demanding them, citing public reports of “extensive and protracted criminal conduct at the Trump Organization.”

Trump’s lawyers last month said the grand jury subpoena for the tax returns was issued in bad faith and amounted to harassment of the president.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. seeks eight years of the Republican president’s personal and corporate tax records, but has disclosed little about what prompted him to request the records, other than part of the investigation relates to payoffs to women to keep them quiet about alleged affairs with Trump.

Read more: New York Is Trying to Release Trump’s State Tax Returns. Here’s Why That Might Not Work

In a court filing Monday, though, attorneys for Vance said Trump’s arguments that the subpoena was too broad stemmed from “the false premise” that the probe was limited to so-called “hush-money” payments.

“This Court is already aware that this assertion is fatally undermined by undisputed information in the public record,” Vance’s lawyers wrote. They said that information confirms the validity of a subpoena seeking evidence related to potentially improper financial transactions by a variety of individuals and entities over a period of years.

They said public reporting demonstrates that at the time the subpoena was issued “there were public allegations of possible criminal activity at Plaintiff’s New York County-based Trump Organization dating back over a decade.”

“These reports describe transactions involving individual and corporate actors based in New York County, but whose conduct at times extended beyond New York’s borders. This possible criminal activity occurred within the applicable statutes of limitations, particularly if the transactions involved a continuing pattern of conduct,” the lawyers said.

The lawyers urged Judge Victor Marrero to swiftly reject Trump’s arguments, saying the baseless claims were threatening the investigation. Marrero, who ruled against Trump last year, has scheduled arguments to be fully submitted by mid-August.

“Every day that goes by is another day Plaintiff effectively achieves the ‘temporary absolute immunity’ that was rejected by this Court, the Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court,” Vance’s lawyers said. “Every such day also increases the prospect of a loss of evidence or the expiration of limitations periods — the precise concerns that the Supreme Court observed justified its rejection of Plaintiff’s immunity claim in the first place.”

The Supreme Court last month rejected claims by Trump’s lawyers that the president could not be criminally investigated while he was in office.

Vance’s lawyers said Trump was not entitled to know the scope and nature of the grand jury investigation. But they said information already in the public domain about Trump’s business dealings provided satisfactory support for the subpoena of his tax records.

They cited several newspaper articles, including one in the Washington Post examining allegations that Trump had a practice of sending out financial statements to potential business partners and banks that inflated the worth of his properties by claiming they were bigger or more potentially lucrative than they were.

Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, described such practices during congressional testimony.

Vance sought the tax records in part for a probe of how Cohen arranged during the 2016 presidential race to keep the porn actress Stormy Daniels and model Karen McDougal from airing claims of extramarital affairs with Trump. Trump has denied the affairs.

Cohen is serving the last two years of a three-year prison sentence in home confinement after pleading guilty to campaign finance violations and lying to Congress, among other charges. He said he plans to publish a book critical of the president before the November election.

By Larry Neumeister / AP on August 03, 2020 at 03:52PM

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New story in Politics from Time: President Trump’s Niece Can Publicize Tell-All Book About Him, Judge Rules

(NEW YORK) — Mary Trump can talk about the highly critical book she wrote about her uncle, President Donald Trump, over the objections of the president’s brother, a judge ruled Monday as he lifted an order that had blocked her from publicizing or distributing her work.

State Supreme Court Judge Hal B. Greenwald in Poughkeepsie, New York, rejected arguments by the brother, Robert Trump, that Mary Trump is blocked from talking about family members publicly by an agreement relatives made to settle the estate of her father after his death.

The judge said the confidentiality clauses in the 2001 agreement, “viewed in the context of the current Trump family circumstances in 2020, would ‘…offend public policy as a prior restraint on protected speech…'”

“Notwithstanding that the Book has been published and distributed in great quantities, to enjoin Mary L. Trump at this juncture would be incorrect and serve no purpose. It would be moot,” the judge wrote.

Greenwald said the confidentiality agreement that settled multiple lawsuits mainly concerned the financial aspect of the deal, which isn’t as interesting now as it might have been two decades ago.

“On the other hand the non-confidential part of the Agreement, the Trump family relationships may be more interesting now in 2020 with a Presidential election on the horizon,” the judge said.

He also wrote that Robert Trump had not shown any damages that the book’s publication would cause himself or the public.

Robert Trump is not frequently mentioned in the book that seeks to trace how family members were affected by the president’s father, a successful real estate owner, and how the president may have developed some of the traits that have been most apparent at the White House.

Mary Trump, a trained psychologist and Donald Trump’s only niece, wrote in the book that she had “no problem calling Donald a narcissist — he meets all nine criteria as outlined in the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.”

The judge reversed orders he had issued temporarily blocking Mary Trump and her publisher, Simon & Schuster, from publishing or distributing a tell-all book about the president. An appeals judge had already lifted the order blocking Simon & Schuster.

The book, “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man,” was originally to be published at the end of July. The publisher announced last week it would be published Tuesday.

Mary Trump’s lawyer, Theodore Boutrous Jr., said the judge “got it right in rejecting the Trump family’s effort to squelch Mary Trump’s core political speech on important issues of public concern.”

“The First Amendment forbids prior restraints because they are intolerable infringements on the right to participate in democracy. Tomorrow, the American public will be able to read Mary’s important words for themselves,” he said in a statement.

In a statement, Simon & Schuster said it was “delighted that the Court has denied the plaintiff’s request for preliminary injunction, and vacated the Temporary Restraining Order against our author, Mary L. Trump.”

It added: “The unfettered right to publish is a sacred American freedom and a founding principle of our republic, and we applaud the Court for affirming well-established precedents against prior restraint and pre-publication injunctions,” it added. “’TOO MUCH AND NEVER ENOUGH’ is a work of great significance, with very real implications for our national discourse, and we look forward to bringing it to a public that is clearly eager to read it.”

Messages seeking comment were left with an attorney for Robert Trump.

On the eve of its publication, Mary Trump’s book was ranked No. 1 on the Amazon.com list of best-selling books.

By Larry Neumeister / AP on July 14, 2020 at 02:05AM

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New story in Politics from Time: Amid Calls for Diversity, Biden Tops Trump on People of Color in Senior Campaign Staff

(WASHINGTON) — Amid a summer of racial unrest and calls for more diversity in leadership, President Donald Trump lags Democratic rival Joe Biden in the percentage of people of color on their campaign staffs, according to data the campaigns provided to The Associated Press.

Twenty-five percent of the Republican president’s senior staff are nonwhite, compared to 36% of Biden’s senior staff. Biden’s overall campaign team is 35% nonwhite; Trump’s campaign did not provide a comparable number.

And neither campaign provided racial breakdowns for their nonwhite staff, nor the total number of staffers who are on their payrolls, including senior staff.

Advocates for minority groups say staff diversity is necessary to ensure political candidates hear a full range of voices and viewpoints to help them understand the concerns of various communities and interest groups — especially at a time when racial injustice is front and center in the national conversation. And while Biden has an edge on Trump, there is plenty more to be done in presidential campaigns overall.

Jennifer Lawless, commonwealth professor of politics at the University of Virginia, said “there are still a lot of milestones that haven’t been hit” by political campaigns, such as a Black man or woman directing — and winning — a presidential campaign. And she said having diverse staff at lower levels in campaigns can help increase the pool of future managers, finance chairs and others.

“It’s all part of the pipeline,” Lawless said.

Trump’s campaign makeup got a double-take in June when Vice President Mike Pence tweeted — and later deleted — a photo from his visit to campaign headquarters. The photo at first drew attention for the lack of social distancing and use of face masks among the staff. But it also was notable for the sea of mostly white faces.

Eric Rodriguez, senior vice president of policy and advocacy at UnidosUS, said the Biden team had more Latinos in senior positions than Trump.

“You need people from those communities to be able to make those connections,” said Rodriguez, whose organization used to be called the National Council of La Raza.

The rival campaigns fared better — and are about even —- on employing women, with females filling more than half of all jobs overall, and more than half of all senior positions.

The president’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, who is white, former White House aide Mercedes Schlapp, who is Cuban American, and Katrina Pierson, who is Black and worked on Trump’s 2016 campaign, are among the highest-profile senior female staffers working to help him get reelected.

Others include former Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle, now a top fundraiser for the reelection effort and the girlfriend of Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., and Hannah Castillo, a Latina and the campaign’s coalitions director. Guilfoyle’s mother is Puerto Rican.

Biden senior adviser Symone Sanders, who is Black, is the campaign’s highest-ranking person of color and, at 30, is the youngest member of his inner circle. The candidate also recently brought on several African Americans who worked for President Barack Obama, including Karine Jean-Pierre, formerly an NBC News and MSNBC political analyst.

Jamal Brown, a spokesperson for Biden, said the former vice president’s campaign reflects the “diversity, breadth and promise of America.”

“He believes our democracy is strongest when people see themselves reflected in their government,” added Brown, who is Black.

The killing in May of George Floyd, who was Black, by a white Minneapolis police officer sparked nationwide protests against racial injustice and calls for greater minority representation across the board in society that brought fresh scrutiny to the presidential campaigns.

Biden had faced questions earlier in the campaign about the lack of diversity on his staff. Along with adding more people of color to his campaign, Biden has promised an administration that “looks like America” if he is elected on Nov. 3.

The U.S. population is about 60% white, 19% Latino and 13% Black, according to Census Bureau estimates.

Trump has not made a similar pledge about a potential second term. His campaign declined to discuss minority representation on the campaign staff.

Four women currently serve in Trump’s Cabinet: CIA Director Gina Haspel and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, both of whom are white; Jovita Carranza, a Latina who leads the Small Business Administration; and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, who was born in Taiwan.

Housing Secretary Ben Carson is the only Black member of the Cabinet.

Rodriguez summed up the Biden campaign strategy as focused on winning support from a diverse pool of voters, especially in battleground states where large numbers of Latino and Black voters live. He characterized Trump’s strategy as being “really all about the base” and attempting to replicate his successful 2016 campaign playbook, which used immigration as a wedge issue.

“The strategy is to run on racial division,” Rodriguez said of the president, who has begun to use the racial tensions that surfaced after Floyd’s killing in his reelection pitch.

Still, Trump and his campaign make regular appeals to Black and Latino voters.

The president regularly cites employment gains for these groups before the coronavirus pandemic struck, and he continues to showcase legislation he signed to overhaul criminal sentencing procedures and provide permanent funding for historically Black colleges and universities.

This week, Trump was surrounded by Latino American leaders as he announced a new advisory commission to help Hispanic Americans with economic and educational opportunities.

But the event also highlighted how far Trump has to go in winning support from people of color. Critics of Trump’s record with Hispanics called for a boycott of the Goya food company after its president praised Trump at the event.

The president does have strong support among some people of Cuban and Venezuelan descent, though, because of his tough stance against authoritarian leaders in those countries.

The Biden campaign said LGBTQ staff and staff of color hold such positions as senior advisers, deputy campaign managers, national coalitions director, chief financial officer, chief operating officer and national press secretary, among others.

Trump’s campaign defined its senior staff as “senior leaders who meet regularly to make decisions. People with authority,” and did not elaborate.

By Darlene Superville / AP on July 11, 2020 at 10:56AM

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New story in Politics from Time: Public Tours of U.S. Capitol Suspended Due to COVID-19

Public tours of the U.S. Capitol will be suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic, a person familiar with the plans said Wednesday.

The House and Senate sergeants-at-arms are preparing to make the announcement, the person said.

Separately, the leaders of the House and Senate have said they have no plans to alter their congressional schedules. Both chambers are scheduled to work Thursday, then leave for a week-long recess.

“We are the captains of the ship. We are the last to leave,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told lawmakers Tuesday, according to a person in the room

By Time on March 11, 2020 at 07:10PM

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New story in Politics from Time: Trump Says He Will Renew Effort to End DACA Protections After Supreme Court Ruling

(PHOENIX) — President Donald Trump said Friday he will renew his effort to end legal protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the United States as children.

Trump denounced a Supreme Court ruling that the administration improperly ended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in 2017. Splitting with Trump and judicial conservatives, Chief Justice John Roberts joined the four liberal justices in the 5-4 vote Thursday.

Through executive action, Trump could still take away the ability of 650,000 young immigrants to live and work legally in the U.S. And with no legislative answer in sight in Congress, uncertainty continues for many immigrants who know no other home except America.

In a tweet Friday, Trump said, “The Supreme Court asked us to resubmit on DACA, nothing was lost or won. They ‘punted,’ much like in a football game (where hopefully they would stand for our great American Flag). We will be submitting enhanced papers shortly.”

Many believe Trump could modify the rescinding of DACA in the same way he changed a travel ban on mostly Muslim countries. The ban was upheld by the Supreme Court after two revisions in over a year, including adding North Koreans and some Venezuelan officials to the ban.

In a 5-4 opinion with a stark rebuke from liberal justices, the high court found that Trump was well within a president’s considerable authority over immigration and the responsibility for keeping the nation safe.

Groups that support DACA said they will remain on guard against further action by Trump.

“What’s important to note: NOTHING has changed since yesterday and won’t change unless SCOTUS decides otherwise,” the immigration legal services provider and advocacy group RAICES, based in Texas, wrote on Twitter. “We’ll remain vigilant & ready to fight anything that may come.”

Hareth Andrade, a national staffer with Mi Familia Vota, an organization that focuses on voter engagement, said the president’s tweet is a “sore loser remark.” Andrade is also a DACA recipient.

“This appeal tactic will only run out the time he has left as president,” he said. “Our movement knows better, we have deeply organized our communities, and for now, have a SCOTUS decision on our side to keep our DACA benefits intact.”

Megan Essaheb, director of immigration advocacy for the Washington-based nonprofit Asian Americans Advancing Justice, said that while Trump can still terminate DACA, he could also choose to support legislation that provides legal status to recipients along with 300,000 people who have temporary status and the estimated 11 million who are in the U.S. without permission.

“If he chooses cruelty, it will be on him,” Essaheb said.

The Trump administration says it’s moving forward against DACA, even though experts say there isn’t enough time to knock down the program before the November election.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the president has vowed to take care of DACA far better than the Democrats ever did.

“We want to find a compassionate way to do this,” McEnany said.

“We’re going to move as quickly as we can to put options in front of the president,” Ken Cuccinelli, acting head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, told “Fox & Friends.”

“That still leaves open the appropriate solution which the Supreme Court mentioned, and that is that Congress step up to the plate,” he said.

Activists are vowing to keep fighting for a long-term solution for young immigrants whose parents brought them to the United States when they were children. They not only face a White House that’s prioritized immigration restrictions but also a divided Congress that is not expected to pass legislation providing a path to citizenship anytime soon.

The high court decision on Thursday elicited surprise, joy and some apprehension from immigrants and advocates who know it’s only a temporary development.

“This is a huge victory for us,” Diana Rodriguez, a 22-year-old DACA recipient, said through tears.

Rodriguez, who works with the New York Immigration Coalition, said she hasn’t been back to Mexico since she was brought to the U.S. at age 2. The ruling means young immigrants can keep working, providing for their families and making “a difference in this country,” she said.

But the work isn’t over, Rodriguez said: “We can’t stop right now, we have to continue fighting.”

Congressional Democrats, meanwhile, appeared satisfied to let the court’s decision stand as the law of the land for now.

While some Republicans asserted that now is the time for Congress to clarify the immigration system, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made it clear that Democrats were done with their legislation before the summer break and had little interest in meeting GOP demands to fund Trump’s long-promised border wall as part of any comprehensive immigration overhaul.

Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden said that if elected, he would send lawmakers proposed legislation on his first day in office to make DACA protections permanent.

For now, immigrants who are part of DACA will keep their protections, but there are tens of thousands of others who could have enrolled if Trump didn’t halt the program three years ago.

The Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, estimates that about 66,000 young immigrants meet the age requirement of 15 to join the program but haven’t been able to do so because the government has only been renewing two-year permits for those already enrolled.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services hasn’t signaled whether it will accept any new applications and it’s unlikely the Trump administration would do so without being forced by the courts. Still, pro-DACA organizations are encouraging those who qualify to file first-time applications.

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Riechmann reported from Washington. Associated Press reporters Lisa Mascaro in Washington and Deepti Hajela in New York contributed to this report.

By Astrid Galvan and Deb Riechmann / AP on June 19, 2020 at 03:57PM