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A28 U.s. news
Diamars 27 OctOber 2020

Trump eyes hosting election night party at his DC hotel

and Ethics in Washington. at a moment when cases are
“In some ways, election night spiking in the U.S. Trump
is going to be the pinnacle of was expected to host a cer-
his self dealing.” emony on the South Lawn of
the White House on Monday
The White House referred after an anticipated Senate
questions on the president’s vote to confirm Barrett.
election night plans to the
Trump campaign, which did “You can believe that you can
not respond to requests for go to the White House and
comment. get COVID and that noth-
ing’s going to happen to you.
It’s unclear how big Trump’s Perhaps,” Bowser said. “Or
election night party will be. you can die from it.”
The District of Columbia,
under coronavirus protocols, Trump held his 2016 election
has capped mass gatherings at party in his then-hometown
50 people. of New York. But he booked
his victory party at New
The president has side- York’s Hilton in Midtown
stepped the district’s rules, Manhattan because his own
which hold no weight on fed- nearby Trump International
eral property, at other recent Hotel & Tower didn’t have a
events. The president hosted big enough room.
(AP) — President Don- For Trump, an election night hundreds of people on the
ald Trump has his eye on party at his own hotel is sym- Over the course of his presi- White House grounds for an It’s unclear how much of a
hosting an election night bolic for a businessman who dency, the Trump campaign, Independence Day weekend presence Trump himself will
party at his own hotel in leveraged his celebrity as a re- the RNC and their joint- celebration, for his Repub- be in the election night fes-
the nation’s capital. ality star and New York real fundraising committees have lican National Convention tivities this time. With a sig-
estate magnate to win the na- spent over $7.4 million at speech in August and again nificant portion of the elec-
Over the weekend, the cam- tion's highest office. Trump-branded properties. at last month’s Rose Garden torate opting to mail in their
paign pushed out fundrais- Critics see it as one more re- announcement of the nomi- ballots, that could delay tabu-
ing emails in the president’s minder of how the president The Washington hotel, nation of Judge Amy Co- lation of results.
name offering donors the has used his office to person- which is blocks from the ney Barrett to the Supreme
chance to enter a drawing ally profit as foreign leaders, White House, has been sold Court. Sherman noted that Trump,
“to join Team Trump at the conservative supporters and out for weeks for Election whenever he leaves office,
Election Night Party in my administration officials use Day as well as the days be- Several attendees, including will have a Secret Service de-
favorite hotel,” in Washing- the lobby of fore and after Nov. 3. A basic Trump, tested positive for the tail for the rest of his life like
ton, suggesting he will use room then is going for $1,200 coronavirus in the days fol- other past presidents. With
his luxury hotel as the back- Washington’s Trump Inter- a night, nearly triple the $476 lowing Barrett's event. Few every Trump trip to one of
drop for reacting to election national Hotel as an unoffi- room rate on Monday. guests wore masks. his properties, taxpayers will
results. cial clubhouse for the Trump cover the tab of agents pro-
presidency. “Donald Trump has spent District of Columbia Mayor tecting the 45th president.
“November 3rd will go down Since 2017, the president his entire presidency fun- Muriel Bowser told report-
in history as the night we and Republican National neling taxpayer, campaign, ers on Monday that she had “I have a high level of con-
won FOUR MORE YEARS. Committee have held several special interest and foreign heard of plans for an election fidence that Donald Trump
It will be absolutely EPIC, fundraisers at the president’s government money into the night party and added, “We will find a way to have gov-
and the only thing that could Washington hotel in the his- business that he still owns,” will be in touch with our li- ernment or special interest
make it better is having YOU toric Old Post Office build- said Donald Sherman, dep- censee, which is the hotel." money go to his hotels re-
there,” Trump said in a fund- ing, which the president’s uty director of the nonprofit Bowser also more broadly gardless of the outcome of
raising solicitation. company leases from the fed- government watchdog group questioned Trump’s wisdom next week’s election,” Sher-
eral government. Citizens for Responsibility in holding large gatherings man said.

70,000 in Southern California to evacuate after blaze grows

(AP) — A fast-moving near houses in the sprawling The question was where to the region, including another
wildfire forced evacuation city of Irvine, home to about go in the pandemic. They one in Orange County that North of San Francisco, a
orders for 70,000 people 280,000 residents. There was decided on the home of her prompted evacuation orders Mount St. Helena weather
and seriously injured two no containment. girlfriend’s mother, who has near the city of Yorba Linda. station recorded a hurricane-
firefighters in Southern ample space and lives alone. force gust of 89 mph (143
California on Monday Two firefighters, one 26 and About 355,000 power cus- kph) late Sunday and sus-
as powerful winds across the other 31 years old, were “We literally talked about it tomers — estimated at about tained winds of 76 mph (122
the state prompted power critically injured while bat- this morning,” Brewer said, 1 million people — were in kph). Some Sierra Nevada
to be cut to hundreds of tling the blaze, according to adding that she feels lucky the dark in the northern part peaks registered gusts well
thousands to prevent util- the county's Fire Authority, to have a safe place to go. of the state as officials issued over 100 mph (161 mph).
ity equipment from spark- which didn't provide details “We can only imagine how warnings for what could be
ing new blazes. on how the injuries occurred. screwed everyone else feels. the strongest winds in Cali- The “shut-offs probably did
They each suffered second- There’s nowhere you can go fornia this year. prevent dangerous fires last
The smoky fire exploded in and third-degree burns over to feel safe.” night. It’s almost impossible
size to over 6 square miles large portions of their bodies Firefighting crews that had to imagine that winds of this
(16 square kilometers) with- and were intubated at a hos- Water-dropping helicopters been at the ready overnight magnitude would not have
in a few hours of breaking pital, officials said. were briefly grounded be- quickly contained small blaz- sparked major conflagrations
out around dawn in Orange cause the strong winds made es that broke out Sunday in in years past,” Daniel Swain, a
County, south of Los An- Kelsey Brewer and her three it unsafe to fly. Officials Northern California’s So- climate scientist with UCLA
geles. Strong gusts pushed roommates decided to leave didn't immediately know noma and Shasta counties. and the National Center for
flames along brushy ridges their townhouse before the the cause of the fire, one of The causes were under in- Atmospheric Research, said
in Silverado Canyon and evacuation order came in. several that broke out across vestigation. on Twitter.