thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-29--The Plot To Steal Your Unemployment Benefits

Kristina Kozak of Salt Lake City started receiving unemployment benefits in April after she was furloughed from her job at REI .
This month , with stores reopening in a limited capacity , the company asked her to come back .
But she has asthma , upper respiratory issues and a compromised immune system due to a rare form of lipodystrophy that causes problems with her internal organs .
Going back as the pandemic continues seemed like a risk .
She said she called the Utah Department of Workforce Services and explained her health problem but was still told she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ refused the job .
The agency sent a form for her health care provider to fill out to document her health problems .
But they said they needed it back by May 31 , and she couldn ’ t get a medical appointment until June 3 .
Now she ’ s trying to decide whether to take medical leave , which would allow her to keep her health insurance but with substantially less income , or to return to work and risk exposure to the coronavirus .
The other option would be to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ insurance and probably also her unemployment benefits .
The Department of Labor has specifically said that someone is eligible for benefits under the new rules if they refuse to return to their job because a health provider has advised them to self-quarantine due to a “ serious health condition ” causing a compromised immune system .
It ’ s one of several criteria requiring self-certification , meaning the applicant attests to their doctor ’ s advice and a note from the doctor shouldn ’ t be necessary .
But many states have failed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a letter to Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia last week , Senate Democrats said the department ought to make sure states “ proactively ” help people switch from regular to pandemic benefits if they have to turn down an offer due to an underlying health condition .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said people with moderate to severe asthma or compromised immune systems are at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 , the disease caused by the coronavirus .
The department has not responded to the letter .
A spokesperson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provided guidance to states on administering regular unemployment insurance in the context of the pandemic and that “ good cause ” provisions allowing people to refuse work and keep their benefits are a matter of state law .
The spokesperson also acknowledged that workers may still be eligible for the PUA benefits if they refuse work , depending on “ fact-specific circumstances.
” Some states are less strict .
The California Employment Development Department , for instance , has said workers can refuse to go back to work and keep their regular unemployment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ essential .
The Texas Workforce Commission has outlined legitimate reasons for job refusal for anyone at risk of serious illness or who lives with someone who is .
Several workers around the country have told HuffPost they just don ’ t know whether they can keep their benefits if they refuse to go back to their jobs , despite their health conditions .
When they try to call their state workforce agency , they can ’ t get an answer ― and often can ’ t get an actual human being on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she filed an unemployment claim in April and has spent hours on the phone trying to reach someone at the Maine Department of Labor but was told that because she ’ d voluntarily quit , she couldn ’ t get benefits .
She said she received a letter this week notifying her the department had scheduled an interview to review her case ― on July 21 .

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President Donald Trump wants workers to be “warriors” willing to risk their lives returning to their jobs, even though officials in his own administration fear a coronavirus resurgence if people let up on social distancing.
Trump can’t force states to reopen, and he can’t force people to go out to restaurants. But he does have some leverage over workers.
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Congress created expansive new unemployment benefits that Trump’s Department of Labor, in concert with state workforce agencies, is trying to withhold from people who won’t return to their jobs ― even if it’s not safe.
Kristina Kozak of Salt Lake City started receiving unemployment benefits in April after she was furloughed from her job at REI. This month, with stores reopening in a limited capacity, the company asked her to come back. But she has asthma, upper respiratory issues and a compromised immune system due to a rare form of lipodystrophy that causes problems with her internal organs. Going back as the pandemic continues seemed like a risk.
“Any sickness I get goes right to my chest,” said Kozak, 46. “I tend to get a lot sicker than other people.”
She said she called the Utah Department of Workforce Services and explained her health problem but was still told she’d probably lose benefits if she refused the job. The agency sent a form for her health care provider to fill out to document her health problems. But they said they needed it back by May 31, and she couldn’t get a medical appointment until June 3.
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Now she’s trying to decide whether to take medical leave, which would allow her to keep her health insurance but with substantially less income, or to return to work and risk exposure to the coronavirus. The other option would be to quit the job and lose her health insurance and probably also her unemployment benefits.
Her attempts to get hold of anyone at the state office who might be better able to clarify her options have been unsuccessful.
There are supposed to be exceptions for people like Kozak.
When Congress passed the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act in March, it added $600 per week to unemployment benefits and broadened eligibility to include people who are not eligible for regular benefits, such as the self-employed, gig workers and people who quit their jobs because of the pandemic.
The extra money and new criteria were supposed to help people stay home to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The Department of Labor has specifically said that someone is eligible for benefits under the new rules if they refuse to return to their job because a health provider has advised them to self-quarantine due to a “serious health condition” causing a compromised immune system. It’s one of several criteria requiring self-certification, meaning the applicant attests to their doctor’s advice and a note from the doctor shouldn’t be necessary. But many states have failed to make this policy clear.
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An unprecedented 40 million Americans have applied for unemployment benefits over the past few months, and the vast majority of the claims are for regular benefits rather than the special Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), the formal name of the benefits with the broader eligibility criteria.
Kozak is receiving regular state-funded unemployment insurance, which typically bars eligibility to people who quit their jobs. If she’s deemed ineligible for the regular benefits, she would theoretically become eligible for the pandemic benefits, which would pay the same amount, including the extra $600.
Kevin Burt, director of the unemployment insurance division at the Utah Department of Workforce Services, said someone with underlying health problems wouldn’t necessarily lose their state benefits for turning down work ― contrary to what Kozak said she was told.
Burt said the department considers someone’s health risks if they say they had good cause to refuse employment, “and those that are verified as high risk are approved for good cause and can remain on their state unemployment benefits with no need to apply” for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance.
In a letter to Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia last week, Senate Democrats said the department ought to make sure states “proactively” help people switch from regular to pandemic benefits if they have to turn down an offer due to an underlying health condition. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said people with moderate to severe asthma or compromised immune systems are at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
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Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia, right, joins President Donald Trump during a daily coronavirus briefing last month at the White House. Senate Democrats have asked the Labor Department to help eligible people switch from regular jobless benefits to special pandemic unemployment aid. Alex Wong via Getty Images
The department has not responded to the letter. A spokesperson noted to HuffPost that the department has provided guidance to states on administering regular unemployment insurance in the context of the pandemic and that “good cause” provisions allowing people to refuse work and keep their benefits are a matter of state law. The spokesperson also acknowledged that workers may still be eligible for the PUA benefits if they refuse work, depending on “fact-specific circumstances.”
But the spokesperson declined to comment on whether the department should make sure eligible workers don’t miss out on benefits for no good reason.
Scalia boasted in April that he had made sure Uber and Lyft drivers would qualify for the new pandemic unemployment assistance. But as of last week, nine states had not managed to start paying the PUA benefits to anyone at all.
Scalia has seemed more concerned that there might be loafers abusing the system. The Labor Department’s most recent guidance to states told them to encourage employers to notify them of anyone refusing to return to their job, since cracking down on fraud is a “top priority” for the department.
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Millions of people who think they’re eligible for pandemic unemployment assistance are going to be disappointed, said Indivar Dutta-Gupta, co-director of the Georgetown Center on Poverty & Inequality in Washington, D.C.
“If this were a Clinton or Biden administration we wouldn’t be having this conversion,” Dutta-Gupta said. “They would have issued guidance to states saying, ’You can’t take people’s benefits away if they don’t feel safe.”
“I don’t want to think about drowning in my own lung fluids or renal failure.” - Nancy Russell
Utah put out a press release encouraging employers to notify the state of such job refusers while burying information about possible exceptions in a document answering frequently asked questions for employees, which specifies that anyone who claims they’re at high risk of serious illness better have some medical documentation to prove it.
Some states are less strict. The California Employment Development Department, for instance, has said workers can refuse to go back to work and keep their regular unemployment benefits if their job isn’t essential. The Texas Workforce Commission has outlined legitimate reasons for job refusal for anyone at risk of serious illness or who lives with someone who is.
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Several workers around the country have told HuffPost they just don’t know whether they can keep their benefits if they refuse to go back to their jobs, despite their health conditions. When they try to call their state workforce agency, they can’t get an answer ― and often can’t get an actual human being on the line.
Nancy Russell said she resigned in April from her job at an AIDS service organization near her home in Waterville, Maine. She said she’s HIV-positive and recently finished radiation for breast cancer. She loved her job but thought it would be too risky to continue being around co-workers and clients.
Russell, 77, said she filed an unemployment claim in April and has spent hours on the phone trying to reach someone at the Maine Department of Labor but was told that because she’d voluntarily quit, she couldn’t get benefits. She said she received a letter this week notifying her the department had scheduled an interview to review her case ― on July 21.
“If I was younger and didn’t have Social Security, what would I do? Lose my house?” she said.
Still, the decision to quit working wasn’t that difficult.
“I don’t want to think about drowning in my own lung fluids or renal failure,” she said. “No, thank you.”
The first person to tell someone whether they’ll be able to keep their unemployment benefits is often their own employer, since employers are notified of claims each week and have the power to contest them.
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Mark Sheets of Lisbon, Ohio, works for a company that repairs high-tech gadgets inside people’s homes. He’d been furloughed and receiving unemployment since April, but his employer has asked him to return to work, which involves house calls. Since he has diabetes, he didn’t think that was a good idea ― but he said his manager told him he’d be fired and lose his benefits if he didn’t come back.
“I believed him, and then I decided to go to a couple different websites and researched what my rights were,” Sheets said.
He said he’d got a note from his doctor ordering him to stay home but spent hours on the phone trying to figure out how to get the note to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. He said that when he most recently logged on to the department website, where he certifies his continued eligibility each week, there was a form for his doctor to fill out. So he called his doctor’s office and filled out the form with the doctor’s secretary on the phone.
“I want to work,” he said in an email. “I just don’t want to be laying in a hospital bed on a ventilator, near death, wishing I had made a better choice.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-29--Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner: George Floyd's Death Was 'A Murder'

A top law enforcement official in Minnesota on Friday declared George Floyd ’ s killing at the hands of Minneapolis police “ a murder , ” shortly before prosecutors finally charged one of the police officers with murder and manslaughter , four days after Floyd ’ s death .
“ We ’ ll call it a murder .
That ’ s what it looked like to me , ” Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington said at a press conference with state officials Friday morning .
“ I don ’ t want to prejudice this from a criminal perspective , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what I see it.
” John Harrington , commissioner of Minnesota 's Department of Public Safety , called the death of George Floyd a murder .
“ That 's what it looked like to me .
I do n't want to prejudice this from a criminal perspective , but I ’ m just calling it [ as ] I see it.
” https : //t.co/TrmxXvIOhv pic.twitter.com/Gf3zFHs7ZT — CNN Newsroom ( @ CNNnewsroom ) May 29 , 2020 The four officers involved in Floyd ’ s death Monday were fired Tuesday , and on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the officers had been taken into custody .
Protesters in Minneapolis have taken to the streets for three consecutive nights , and similar demonstrations have taken place in cities across the country .
On Friday , Gov .
Tim Walz urged “ swift justice , ” saying he is in close contact with the Hennepin County Attorney ’ s office , which said Thursday that it ’ s still investigating the incident , despite the gruesome video that captured the incident and has been viewed widely around the world .
“ These @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of murder and given the death penalty , ” Floyd ’ s brother , Philonise Floyd , told CNN .
“ They need to .
They took my brother ’ s life .
He will never get that back .
I will never see him again .
My family will never see him again .
His kids will never see him again .
”

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A top law enforcement official in Minnesota on Friday declared George Floyd’s killing at the hands of Minneapolis police “a murder,” shortly before prosecutors finally charged one of the police officers with murder and manslaughter, four days after Floyd’s death.
“We’ll call it a murder. That’s what it looked like to me,” Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington said at a press conference with state officials Friday morning. “I don’t want to prejudice this from a criminal perspective, but I’m just calling it what I see it.”
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John Harrington, commissioner of Minnesota's Department of Public Safety, called the death of George Floyd a murder. “That's what it looked like to me. I don't want to prejudice this from a criminal perspective, but I’m just calling it [as] I see it.” https://t.co/TrmxXvIOhv pic.twitter.com/Gf3zFHs7ZT — CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) May 29, 2020
The four officers involved in Floyd’s death Monday were fired Tuesday, and on Friday afternoon, Harrington announced that one of the officers had been taken into custody.
Protesters in Minneapolis have taken to the streets for three consecutive nights, and similar demonstrations have taken place in cities across the country.
On Friday, Gov. Tim Walz urged “swift justice,” saying he is in close contact with the Hennepin County Attorney’s office, which said Thursday that it’s still investigating the incident, despite the gruesome video that captured the incident and has been viewed widely around the world.
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Floyd’s family publicly called for charges on Thursday.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-29--Initially Denied Protection, Yemeni Men's Cases Reversed After HuffPost Investigation

Handout Osamah Mahyoub , left , and Emad Al-Azabi , right , have been detained since November 2019 and have been fighting to prove their asylum cases since .
After six months in U.S. immigration custody and initially being denied protection from deportation , Yemeni national Emad Al-Azabi will be released from custody next week .
Both men had escaped Yemen due to threats of violence , fleeing through eight Latin American countries and encountering armed rebels , thick jungles and sinister smugglers on their way to the U.S .
They believed they would be killed if they were deported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ initially determined they did not have a “ credible fear ” — reason to fear persecution or torture in their home countries — which is required for asylum in the U.S. After HuffPost published its story , however , U.S .
Citizenship and Immigration Services granted both men new interviews .
A few days later , USCIS reversed its decision and noted that both men did indeed have a credible fear , according to a letter reviewed by HuffPost .
Both men were then required to undergo a bond hearing , in which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if they prove they are not a flight risk , do not pose harm to the community , and will attend all court hearings as their cases are processed .
On Thursday , immigration officials granted Al-Azabi ’ s bond .
Mahyoub is awaiting his bond hearing .
Both men are still in immigration proceedings , but they have a chance to keep their protections and live freely in the U.S .
The decisions by USCIS are potentially life-changing for both men , and demonstrate the unpredictability of the U.S. immigration system .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to remain in America or effectively doom them for deportation , and public attention may lead to the reversal of private decisions .
USCIS did not explain to HuffPost what prompted the change , stating it does not comment on individual cases .
But Mahyoub and Al-Azabi said they were both asked extensive questions about HuffPost ’ s report during their new credible fear interviews .
They and their lawyers believe public attention may have played a role in USCIS ’ s reversal of its initial decisions .
“ Once this article was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said Assma Ali , the Mississippi-based immigration lawyer who represents Mahyoub .
“ They heard , they read , and they acted.
” Ali said he almost did not believe the decision until he received the paperwork in his hands at the detention center on May 23 ― one day before the Eid , the Islamic holiday .
He said it was the best Eid gift he could have ever received .
“ I told myself I finally finished my job , ” Abdullah told HuffPost .
“ I can sleep without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ugly place anymore .
”

Osamah Mahyoub, left, and Emad Al-Azabi, right, have been detained since November 2019 and have been fighting to prove their asylum cases since. Handout
After six months in U.S. immigration custody and initially being denied protection from deportation, Yemeni national Emad Al-Azabi will be released from custody next week.
It’s a major victory for Al-Azabi, whom HuffPost featured along with fellow Yemeni national Osamah Mahyoub in an investigation last month.
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Both men had escaped Yemen due to threats of violence, fleeing through eight Latin American countries and encountering armed rebels, thick jungles and sinister smugglers on their way to the U.S. They believed they would be killed if they were deported back to Yemen. But U.S. officials initially determined they did not have a “credible fear” — reason to fear persecution or torture in their home countries — which is required for asylum in the U.S.
After HuffPost published its story, however, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services granted both men new interviews. A few days later, USCIS reversed its decision and noted that both men did indeed have a credible fear, according to a letter reviewed by HuffPost.
Both men were then required to undergo a bond hearing, in which a detainee can become eligible for release if they prove they are not a flight risk, do not pose harm to the community, and will attend all court hearings as their cases are processed.
On Thursday, immigration officials granted Al-Azabi’s bond. Mahyoub is awaiting his bond hearing. Both men are still in immigration proceedings, but they have a chance to keep their protections and live freely in the U.S.
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The decisions by USCIS are potentially life-changing for both men, and demonstrate the unpredictability of the U.S. immigration system. Immigration officers’ decisions can allow people to remain in America or effectively doom them for deportation, and public attention may lead to the reversal of private decisions.
USCIS did not explain to HuffPost what prompted the change, stating it does not comment on individual cases.
But Mahyoub and Al-Azabi said they were both asked extensive questions about HuffPost’s report during their new credible fear interviews. They and their lawyers believe public attention may have played a role in USCIS’s reversal of its initial decisions.
“Once this article was published, the changes immediately started,” said Assma Ali, the Mississippi-based immigration lawyer who represents Mahyoub. “They heard, they read, and they acted.”
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Without the national coverage, Ali said, “this would have not been possible.”
Ali said he almost did not believe the decision until he received the paperwork in his hands at the detention center on May 23 ― one day before the Eid, the Islamic holiday. He said it was the best Eid gift he could have ever received.
In New York, Al-Azabi’s cousin Abdullah broke into tears when he learned that his cousin was coming home.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-29--Chris Hayes Turns Donald Trump’s Own Campaign Claims Against Him

Chris Hayes on Thursday took Donald Trump ’ s 2016 campaign claims and lobbed them right back at the president , lamenting “ the carnage and chaos we are living through now.
” The host of MSNBC ’ s “ All In ” pointed out that Trump had essentially campaigned on the idea that the United States was a “ hellhole ” and later promised to “ stop the American carnage ” during his 2017 inauguration address .
Hayes acknowledged that the United States had its fair share of problems before Trump became president .
But Trump , he argued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ especially during the coronavirus pandemic .
“ There is no plan from the president , who warned against American carnage , with the carnage and chaos we are living through now , ” Hayes said .
“ Not the pandemic .
Not the economic crisis .
Not the societal inequities .
Not predatory policing .
Not the protests in Minnesota , ” he continued .
“ Nothing except to make it all worse , to sell chaos and discord and bigotry and hope the smaller part of the country that follows him is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ This is what Donald Trump ’ s America has wrought , ” he said .
.
@ chrislhayes : “ There is no plan from the President ... Not the pandemic .
Not the economic crisis .
Not the societal inequities .
Not predatory policing .
Not the protests in Minnesota .
Nothing except to make it all worse ...
This is what Donald Trump ’ s America has wrought . ''
pic.twitter.com/WAzOgTZ7Ne — All In with Chris Hayes ( @ allinwithchris ) May 29 , 2020

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Chris Hayes on Thursday took Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign claims and lobbed them right back at the president, lamenting “the carnage and chaos we are living through now.”
The host of MSNBC’s “All In” pointed out that Trump had essentially campaigned on the idea that the United States was a “hellhole” and later promised to “stop the American carnage” during his 2017 inauguration address.
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Hayes acknowledged that the United States had its fair share of problems before Trump became president. But Trump, he argued, has only made things worse, especially during the coronavirus pandemic.
“There is no plan from the president, who warned against American carnage, with the carnage and chaos we are living through now,” Hayes said.
“Not the pandemic. Not the economic crisis. Not the societal inequities. Not predatory policing. Not the protests in Minnesota,” he continued. “Nothing except to make it all worse, to sell chaos and discord and bigotry and hope the smaller part of the country that follows him is enough to win an election again.”
“This is what Donald Trump’s America has wrought,” he said.
Check out Hayes’ monologue above.
.@chrislhayes: “There is no plan from the President...Not the pandemic. Not the economic crisis. Not the societal inequities. Not predatory policing. Not the protests in Minnesota. Nothing except to make it all worse...This is what Donald Trump’s America has wrought." pic.twitter.com/WAzOgTZ7Ne — All In with Chris Hayes (@allinwithchris) May 29, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-29--Twitter Users Erupt Over Donald Trump’s Latest Baseless Voter Fraud Claims

President Donald Trump drew scorn and ridicule on Twitter with his latest bizarre and baseless attack on mail-in voting .
Trump has repeatedly attacked voting-by-mail in recent weeks as states push to expand the process in a bid to ensure the safety of citizens amid the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 103,000 people nationwide .
The president ’ s tweets with baseless attacks on mail-in balloting have earned him fact-check labels on Twitter .
He ’ s also gotten a blunt fact-check from Fox News host Chris Wallace .
The president ’ s latest claim , made in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an executive order on social media , suggested children in California were raiding mailboxes and handing ballots “ to people that are signing the ballots down the end of the street.
” “ They grab the ballots , ” said Trump .
“ You don ’ t think that happens ?
There ’ s ballot harvesting , ” later adding : “ You don ’ t think they rip them out of mailboxes ?
It ’ s all the time , you read about it , you can read about it .
Take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , been no reports of that happening .
Instances of serious fraud from mail-in voting are also very rare .
Twitter users were quick to debunk and poke fun at Trump ’ s statement : Yep .
I live here and it ’ s all the rage with the kids .
Raiding mailboxes for ballots .
I tell them , “ go play video games ” , but all they wan na do is go outside and raid mailboxes .
https : //t.co/pAFwJzsH4K — andy lassner ( @ andylassner ) May 28 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I did as a young ’ un in the Midwest .
Cow-tippin ’ and ballot-stealin ’ .
Right after watermelon-spikin ’ .
What terrific memories .
— Mark Hertling ( @ MarkHertling ) May 28 , 2020 CA mail-in voter here .
I received a text when I updated my registration , when my ballot left the Registrar 's office , when it hit my mailbox , when it left my post office , when it was received by the Registrar 's office and when it was counted .
SIX texts for one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Charlene E. ( @ u2charlene ) May 28 , 2020 Next week it will be dogs opening the mailboxes and chewing up the ballots .
— Denise Shearin 🌊 ( @ DeniseShearin ) May 28 , 2020 Again , the data suggests voter fraud is exceptionally rare .
Trump can make stuff up all day long but it does n't change the facts .
This does , however , make clear he will do anything , including putting your life & your family 's at risk to win in November .
https : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) May 28 , 2020 Glad that someone 's FINALLY talking about the epidemic of lawless kids who turned their backs on booze and reefer and now get their teenage kicks by stealing ballots from mailboxes and distributing them specifically to people who ... are n't registered to vote .
Wait , what ?
https : //t.co/2jr0KzNvBr — Michael Marshall Smith ( @ ememess ) May 28 , 2020

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President Donald Trump drew scorn and ridicule on Twitter with his latest bizarre and baseless attack on mail-in voting.
Trump has repeatedly attacked voting-by-mail in recent weeks as states push to expand the process in a bid to ensure the safety of citizens amid the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 103,000 people nationwide.
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The president’s tweets with baseless attacks on mail-in balloting have earned him fact-check labels on Twitter. He’s also gotten a blunt fact-check from Fox News host Chris Wallace.
The president’s latest claim, made in the Oval Office on Thursday after signing an executive order on social media, suggested children in California were raiding mailboxes and handing ballots “to people that are signing the ballots down the end of the street.”
“They grab the ballots,” said Trump. “You don’t think that happens? There’s ballot harvesting,” later adding: “You don’t think they rip them out of mailboxes? It’s all the time, you read about it, you can read about it. Take a look.”
Check out the video here:
President Trump: "Anybody in California that breathing gets a ballot."
Reporter: "Mr. President, that's not true." pic.twitter.com/OjfccRD6EU — The Hill (@thehill) May 28, 2020
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There have, however, been no reports of that happening.
Instances of serious fraud from mail-in voting are also very rare.
Twitter users were quick to debunk and poke fun at Trump’s statement:
Californian here. 🙋🏻♀
No they do not do this. — Lisa Guerrero 💃🏽 (@4lisaguerrero) May 28, 2020
Imagine if he spent this much time talking about the GRU. https://t.co/tfwf2ShGGs — Sam Vinograd (@sam_vinograd) May 28, 2020
Yep.
I live here and it’s all the rage with the kids.
Raiding mailboxes for ballots.
I tell them, “go play video games”, but all they wanna do is go outside and raid mailboxes. https://t.co/pAFwJzsH4K — andy lassner (@andylassner) May 28, 2020
I know that’s what I did as a young’un in the Midwest. Cow-tippin’ and ballot-stealin’. Right after watermelon-spikin’. What terrific memories. — Mark Hertling (@MarkHertling) May 28, 2020
CA mail-in voter here. I received a text when I updated my registration, when my ballot left the Registrar's office, when it hit my mailbox, when it left my post office, when it was received by the Registrar's office and when it was counted. SIX texts for one ballot. He's LYING. — Charlene E. (@u2charlene) May 28, 2020
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It's been well-known for years that teens' misbehavior centers on their overwhelming desire to vote. — JRehling (@JRehling) May 28, 2020
Next week it will be dogs opening the mailboxes and chewing up the ballots. — Denise Shearin 🌊 (@DeniseShearin) May 28, 2020
STAFFER: “Who let the President watch Little Rascals again?!” https://t.co/W6o0AtMGrq — Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) May 28, 2020
Again, the data suggests voter fraud is exceptionally rare. Trump can make stuff up all day long but it doesn't change the facts. This does, however, make clear he will do anything, including putting your life & your family's at risk to win in November. https://t.co/Feqw0s7MY7 — Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) May 28, 2020
Glad that someone's FINALLY talking about the epidemic of lawless kids who turned their backs on booze and reefer and now get their teenage kicks by stealing ballots from mailboxes and distributing them specifically to people who... aren't registered to vote. Wait, what? https://t.co/2jr0KzNvBr — Michael Marshall Smith (@ememess) May 28, 2020
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-29--Vaccine Politics Take Center Stage In Competitive Democratic Primaries

“ Why it is more potent now is because you ’ re seeing the real-life consequences of ‘ Do you believe science or do you not believe science ?
Do you believe in following medical advice to avoid all these things or are you going to be a skeptic ?
’ ” said Lis Smith , a Democratic communications consultant , who advised Patel during his first unsuccessful bid to unseat Maloney in 2018 .
A New York Congresswoman ’ s Concerns About Vaccines And Autism Maloney , who has represented parts of New York City in Congress since 1993 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the unsubstantiated link between vaccines and autism .
In 2007 , and again in 2009 , Maloney introduced a bill that would have required the federal government to study whether “ vaccines or vaccine components play a role in the development of autism spectrum or other neurological conditions.
” She even teamed up with Rep. Chris Smith ( R-N.J. ) in 2009 to ask Health and Human Services to take some of the $ 300 million allotted by the stimulus bill for vaccine purchase and distribution , and put it toward conducting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Maloney has spent 3 years mischaracterizing and attacking an immigrant-family-owned small business because she doesn ’ t understand the difference between a franchise and a big corporation , ” Patel campaign spokesperson Cassie Moreno said in a statement .
“ Suraj is proud of his family , their come-from-nothing American Dream story , and is happy to compare it with that of one of the wealthiest Members of Congress who has never had to make payroll a day in her life .
”

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Two Democrats facing long odds in competitive primaries are hoping that their opponents’ past skepticism of vaccines will prompt voters to give them a shot during a pandemic that has heightened awareness of scientific protocols.
The issue is most prominent in Vermont, where former state Education Secretary Rebecca Holcombe is battling Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in the Aug. 11 primary. Holcombe has blasted Zuckerman for questioning the need for vaccines to be mandatory in 2018 and supporting a “philosophical” exemption to vaccination in 2015.
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Suraj Patel, an attorney challenging New York Rep. Carolyn Maloney in the June 23 primary, has crafted a video documenting Maloney’s past interest in a link between vaccines and the instance of autism. The idea that vaccines can account for an increase in the documented cases of child autism always lacked credible evidence and the work of a British scientist promoting the theory has been debunked and discredited.
Both Zuckerman and Maloney claim they are staunch supporters of vaccination and say their opponents are distorting their records on the matter.
President Donald Trump's dismissive attitude toward science, including toward childhood vaccines, has made vaccine skepticism of any kind radioactive in Democratic circles. Alex Wong/Getty Images
But Holcombe and Patel maintain that their rivals’ histories are enough to disqualify them. And in contemporary Democratic politics, anything resembling the science-illiterate approach of President Donald Trump is quite often radioactive.
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“Why it is more potent now is because you’re seeing the real-life consequences of ‘Do you believe science or do you not believe science? Do you believe in following medical advice to avoid all these things or are you going to be a skeptic?’” said Lis Smith, a Democratic communications consultant, who advised Patel during his first unsuccessful bid to unseat Maloney in 2018.
As a presidential candidate, Trump pandered to anti-vaxxers in Sept. 2015 by expressing concern that the higher “doses” and frequency of vaccines were creating more autism cases. (During a resurgence of measles cases in April 2019, however, Trump urged parents to vaccinate their children.)
Trump’s fact-free statements about the COVID-19 pandemic, endorsement of untested for the virus, and rocky relationship with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, makes the matter that much more relevant.
“We’re seeing the consequences every day of a president who ignores scientific and medical advice with all the COVID stuff,” Smith said.
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Vermont Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, a front-runner for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, fought to preserve exemptions from vaccine mandates in 2015. David Zuckerman/Facebook
A Vermont Candidate Who Called Vaccines ‘Disputed’ Science
As a Vermont state senator in 2015, Zuckerman tried to preserve a “philosophical” exemption to vaccines by introducing an amendment that would have made the exemption’s elimination contingent on the development of a DNA test to determine whether someone had a genetic predisposition to an allergic reaction to a vaccine. He was unsuccessful.
At the time, he also said that vaccine science was “disputed.”
During his 2018 reelection run for lieutenant governor, Zuckerman, who is an organic farmer, also used arguments typically wielded by anti-vaxxers to explain his skepticism. He questioned the integrity of the CDC’s infectious disease board, claiming it had a “number of conflicts of interest.” And he maintained that while he supported vaccination personally, he was unsure that the “government should be forcing that on to individuals.”
Efforts to turn vaccination mandates into a question of personal freedom fail to account for the need to establish “herd immunity,” a term for when vaccination rates are so high that even individuals who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons are safe from contracting a disease. Parts of the United States where anti-vaxxer sentiment is high have seen resurgences of dangerous childhood illnesses, such as measles, mumps and whooping cough.
And despite the insinuations of anti-vaxxers, the CDC does not profit from the production or dissemination of vaccines and its officials are prohibited from accepting gifts from outside groups worth more than $20.
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Dr. Walter Orenstein, a former head of the CDC’s immunization program who now runs vaccine policy and development at Emory University, noted that the CDC has a record of withdrawing its endorsement of vaccines if they spark a medical problem that was not detected during the approval process. For example, in 1999, the agency recommended suspension of the rotavirus vaccine after it emerged that 15 people who took it suffered intestinal blockages.
“I don’t think Vermont will elect somebody who disputes the basic public health research behind childhood immunization.” - Rebecca Holcombe, former Vermont Secretary of Education
Holcombe put Zuckerman on the defensive about the comments in her opening statement during a May 11 debate.
“In the midst of a pandemic, when it is so important that we replace [Republican] Gov. [Phil] Scott, disputing the science behind immunization is both misguided and dangerous,” she said.
In a Wednesday interview with HuffPost, she was more blunt, arguing that nominating Zuckerman after his comments would effectively preclude Democrats from retaking the governorship. “I don’t think Vermont will elect somebody who disputes the basic public health research behind childhood immunization,” she said.
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During the May debate, Zuckerman accused Holcombe of taking his legislative record and comments out of context. He noted that he has vaccinated his daughter and introduced a bill making the HPV vaccine mandatory. And he promised he would “trust the scientists” when a COVID-19 vaccine comes out.
Reached for comment, Zuckerman’s campaign referred HuffPost to a statement he issued after the debate with Holcombe. “I think everyone should get vaccines unless it is medically contraindicated,” he said.
Garrison Nelson, a retired political scientist at the University of Vermont, said Zuckerman’s superior name recognition virtually assured him the nomination, notwithstanding any damage Holcombe manages to inflict. But he was equally certain that Zuckerman would lose to Scott in the general election, who has presided over one of the country’s more moderate outbreaks of the pandemic.
“The Vermont COVID-19 death toll is minuscule and Governor Scott will get credit for it,” Nelson said. “David Zuckerman’s anti-vaxxer stance is a non-winner in a state as enlightened as Vermont.”
In the meantime, Zuckerman’s proximity to leading national progressives has raised questions for them. Zuckerman, who ardently supported Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential run, has the endorsements of all four of Sanders’ 2020 campaign co-chairs: Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner (D), San Juan, Puerto Rico, Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, and Ben & Jerry’s founder Ben Cohen. (Sanders himself has not endorsed.)
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“Lt. Governor David Zuckerman has assured me he believes 110% in vaccines and supports the science behind them,” Khanna said in a statement. “Attacks like this against him during the primary undermines not only the Democratic party in Vermont but across the country.”
For years, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) used her platform to raise questions about the link between vaccines and autism. She has not disavowed her past statements. Tom Williams/Getty Images
A New York Congresswoman’s Concerns About Vaccines And Autism
Maloney, who has represented parts of New York City in Congress since 1993, for years pursued an interest in the unsubstantiated link between vaccines and autism. In 2007, and again in 2009, Maloney introduced a bill that would have required the federal government to study whether “vaccines or vaccine components play a role in the development of autism spectrum or other neurological conditions.” She even teamed up with Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) in 2009 to ask Health and Human Services to take some of the $300 million allotted by the stimulus bill for vaccine purchase and distribution, and put it toward conducting the vaccine safety studies.
Maloney also co-sponsored a 2007 bill that would have prohibited the use of mercury-based chemicals in vaccines. Due to opposition from anti-vaxxers, vaccines with mercury-based chemicals were already almost entirely no longer in circulation at the time, despite the absence of scientific evidence of their harm.
At the time of the bills’ introduction, there were already multiple academic studies that had concluded there was no link between vaccines and autism, including vaccines with thimerosal, a compound that contains mercury.
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“No reputable science supports a role for vaccines in autism,” Orenstein said. “One of the problems is that if 90% of the people are vaccinated, then 90% of the bad things that were going to happen anyway will happen to vaccinated people, purely by coincidence.”
During the late 2000s, as she was introducing bills about baseless vaccine health threats, Maloney kept the company of the anti-vaxxer movement’s more notorious figures. Maloney spoke at a 2008 “Green Our Vaccines” rally in Washington headlined by anti-vaxxer actors Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey, where she praised them for “all they have done to protect our nation’s children.”
McCarthy, who has an autistic son, was one of the anti-vaxxer movement’s leading spokespeople. She promoted the research of quack British doctor Andrew Wakefield, whose 1998 study fueling the anti-vaxxer movement was retracted in 2010. That same year, Wakefield’s shady practices led the United Kingdom to strip him of his medical license.
Maloney also had kind words for then-Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.) in a 2012 hearing about the health risks of vaccines. Burton, who had an autistic grandchild, was Congress’s leading anti-vaxxer in the 2000s, holding an infamous hearing on the alleged ties of autism to vaccines in 2000 that featured Wakefield. (After retiring from Congress at the end of 2012, Burton took up work as a lobbyist for an alternative medicine group affiliated with Scientology.)
In a Nov. 2012 hearing convened by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on rising autism rates, Maloney praised Burton for “his leadership” on the issue of vaccines and autism, crediting him for making “some progress.”
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Maloney repeatedly pressed Dr. Coleen Boyle, director of the CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, on whether the agency had adequately studied the possible link between vaccines and autism. Boyle began to explain that the CDC had already studied the issue, but Maloney cut her off to deliver a speech on her suspicions of the current regimen of vaccines.
“I’m for vaccinations. They prevent disease. I’m totally for it,” she said. “But why do you have to cram nine, six at one time when the verbal evidence seems so strong from so many people that they had a healthy child until they got vaccinated?”
Patel challenged Maloney from the left in 2018. Her past vaccine skepticism came up, but it wasn’t central.
But as Patel mounts another bid to unseat Maloney in the national epicenter of the pandemic, he has made vaccine policy a far more dominant theme. It’s part of a larger effort to paint himself as a science-minded progressive in better touch with residents of New York’s 12th Congressional District, which includes Manhattan’s East Side, Queens’ Long Island City neighborhood and northwest Brooklyn.
In mid-May, his campaign released a 90-second video on social media documenting all of Maloney’s dabbling with the anti-vaxxer movement. The video notes that some prominent anti-vaxxers have touted quotes by Maloney.
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“It’s a live issue because the damage around this has been done and they refuse to acknowledge that.” - Suraj Patel, hotel executive and House candidate
It’s evidence, Patel maintains, that Maloney’s legitimization of vaccine skepticism has had a lasting, negative impact.
“We’re looking at emboldening an anti-vaccine movement that has created the false narrative that vaccine safety is in question,” Patel said. “It’s a live issue because the damage around this has been done and they refuse to acknowledge that.”
Patel, who also teaches business ethics at New York University, worries that the same anti-vaxxer movement that Maloney once legitimized could erode public confidence in a vaccine for COVID-19 when it arrives.
“It’s going to be terrifying when we finally do get a vaccine and these folks make it harder to build up herd immunity,” he said.
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Without commenting on individual elected officials, Orenstein said it would be “great” if politicians who have reconsidered their past skepticism of vaccines could “tell people they have and why they have and encourage people to be vaccinated.”
Maloney’s campaign did not address any of her past flirtations with the anti-vaxxer movement. Campaign spokesman Bob Liff instead noted that Maloney and her children are vaccinated, and that she has routinely voted for legislation mandating and funding vaccination. In the wake of a measles outbreak in New York last May, Maloney hosted a community forum in Manhattan with Florida congresswoman and former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala (D) about the importance of vaccines.
She has also “fought” for COVID-19 vaccine research funding and called for the vaccine, once approved, to “be provided freely to every single person regardless of their ability to pay,” according to Liff.
“The Congresswoman’s record as a fierce advocate for science-based policy, for universal health care and vaccinations, and for oversight of the Trump administration’s many abuses, more than speaks for itself,” Liff said.
Referring to Patel, Liff scoffed at “one of her opponents’ attempts to gain relevancy” and pointed to the “anti-union practices by his family’s hotel empire.”
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Some of the hotels founded by Patel’s parents have been the subject of federal complaints for labor abuses such as wage theft.
“Rep. Maloney has spent 3 years mischaracterizing and attacking an immigrant-family-owned small business because she doesn’t understand the difference between a franchise and a big corporation,” Patel campaign spokesperson Cassie Moreno said in a statement. “Suraj is proud of his family, their come-from-nothing American Dream story, and is happy to compare it with that of one of the wealthiest Members of Congress who has never had to make payroll a day in her life.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-29--Trump Calls George Floyd Protesters ‘THUGS,' Threatens Violent Intervention In Minneapolis

President Donald Trump raged against those demonstrating in Minneapolis over the death of George Floyd , a Black man who died after a police officer knelt on his neck .
Trump called protesters “ thugs ” and threatened a violent intervention in a series of after-midnight tweets early Friday .
“ Either the very weak Radical Left Mayor , Jacob Frey , get his act together and bring the City under control , or I will send in the National Guard & get the job done right , ” Trump wrote on Twitter .
“ These THUGS are dishonoring the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ won ’ t let that happen .
Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way.
” I can ’ t stand back & watch this happen to a great American City , Minneapolis .
A total lack of leadership .
Either the very weak Radical Left Mayor , Jacob Frey , get his act together and bring the City under control , or I will send in the National Guard & get the job done right ... .. — Donald J. Trump ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ... .These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd , and I won ’ t let that happen .
Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way .
Any difficulty and we will assume control but , when the looting starts , the shooting starts .
Thank you !
— Donald J. Trump ( @ realDonaldTrump ) May 29 , 2020 Trump ’ s remarks are a stark contrast to those made during another demonstration , one involving white nationalists in Charlottesville @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resulted in the killing of counterprotester Heather Heyer .
Trump expressed sympathy for the right-wing extremist protesters at the time , saying there were “ some very fine people ” on both sides .
His comments sparked widespread controversy .
The president ’ s new threats came during the third day of protests in Minneapolis over Floyd ’ s death .
The demonstrations broke out after the release of a shocking video showing Floyd ’ s arrest .
In the clip , Officer Derek Chauvin is seen holding the handcuffed man to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s neck as Floyd pleads , “ Please , man , I can ’ t breathe .
I can not breathe .
I can not breathe.
” Floyd ’ s eyes are seen closed later in the video , and he appears unresponsive after he has been pinned on the ground for nearly eight minutes .
Officers later called an ambulance , but he was declared dead at the hospital .
Paramedics said they spent nearly an hour trying to revive him but said he had arrived without a pulse .
In addition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thomas Lane , Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng — were at the scene , but they made no apparent effort to intervene .
All four were fired on Tuesday .
Protests grew increasingly violent in the Minneapolis region on Thursday and some demonstrators broke into a police station , setting it on fire and forcing personnel to evacuate .
Minnesota Gov .
Tim Walz activated the state ’ s National Guard , which said it was sending 500 troops to the city to help quell the protests .
Trump said he had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the Military is with him all the way.
” It ’ s unclear if the president intends to send more troops to the city should demonstrations continue .
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey , whom Trump targeted in his message early Friday , has urged residents to protest peacefully and called for charges to be brought against the officers in the case .
“ If you ’ re feeling that sadness , that anger , it ’ s not only understandable , it ’ s right .
It ’ s a reflection of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lived , ” Frey said at a news conference Thursday .
“ We must believe that we can be better than we have been .
”

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President Donald Trump raged against those demonstrating in Minneapolis over the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a police officer knelt on his neck. Trump called protesters “thugs” and threatened a violent intervention in a series of after-midnight tweets early Friday.
“Either the very weak Radical Left Mayor, Jacob Frey, get his act together and bring the City under control, or I will send in the National Guard & get the job done right,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way.”
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“Any difficulty and we will assume control,” he continued, “but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”
I can’t stand back & watch this happen to a great American City, Minneapolis. A total lack of leadership. Either the very weak Radical Left Mayor, Jacob Frey, get his act together and bring the City under control, or I will send in the National Guard & get the job done right..... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 29, 2020
....These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 29, 2020
Twitter later applied a “glorifying violence” label to Trump’s second tweet, which it said had violated its rules.
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We have placed a public interest notice on this Tweet from @realdonaldtrump. https://t.co/6RHX56G2zt — Twitter Comms (@TwitterComms) May 29, 2020
Trump’s remarks are a stark contrast to those made during another demonstration, one involving white nationalists in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, which resulted in the killing of counterprotester Heather Heyer. Trump expressed sympathy for the right-wing extremist protesters at the time, saying there were “some very fine people” on both sides. His comments sparked widespread controversy.
The president’s new threats came during the third day of protests in Minneapolis over Floyd’s death. The demonstrations broke out after the release of a shocking video showing Floyd’s arrest. In the clip, Officer Derek Chauvin is seen holding the handcuffed man to the ground with his knee on Floyd’s neck as Floyd pleads, “Please, man, I can’t breathe. I cannot breathe. I cannot breathe.”
Floyd’s eyes are seen closed later in the video, and he appears unresponsive after he has been pinned on the ground for nearly eight minutes. Officers later called an ambulance, but he was declared dead at the hospital. Paramedics said they spent nearly an hour trying to revive him but said he had arrived without a pulse.
In addition to Chauvin, three other officers — Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng — were at the scene, but they made no apparent effort to intervene. All four were fired on Tuesday.
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Protests grew increasingly violent in the Minneapolis region on Thursday and some demonstrators broke into a police station, setting it on fire and forcing personnel to evacuate. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz activated the state’s National Guard, which said it was sending 500 troops to the city to help quell the protests.
Trump said he had spoken with Walz and “told him that the Military is with him all the way.” It’s unclear if the president intends to send more troops to the city should demonstrations continue.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, whom Trump targeted in his message early Friday, has urged residents to protest peacefully and called for charges to be brought against the officers in the case.
“If you’re feeling that sadness, that anger, it’s not only understandable, it’s right. It’s a reflection of the truth that our Black community has lived,” Frey said at a news conference Thursday. “We must believe that we can be better than we have been.”
Earlier Thursday, Trump said he felt “very, very badly” about Floyd’s death, noting the video was a “very shocking sight.”
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This story has been updated with Twitter’s response to Trump’s tweet.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-28--One Of The First California Counties To Reopen Is Closing Again (UPDATE)

Lassen County , a county of 30,000 people in the far reaches of Northern California , was one of the first places in the state to reopen in early May .
But this week , it became the first to reverse course because of a resulting coronavirus outbreak .
The county ’ s public health officer , Dr. Kenneth Korver , announced the decision on Tuesday after confirming the county ’ s first four cases of COVID-19 .
“ While Lassen County had no confirmed cases for the past three months , we were fully aware of the risk that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he wrote .
“ Unfortunately , this did happen and we now have a serious problem.
” Lassen County began reopening with Democratic Gov .
Gavin Newsom ’ s blessing in early May , far sooner than the state ’ s denser communities could even consider .
In the weeks that followed , the county opened retail stores , restaurant dining rooms , shopping malls and other businesses .
Now , businesses in Lassen County may only operate curbside pickup and delivery services , and the county won ’ t proceed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which most California counties just got Newsom ’ s approval to do .
Earlier this month , before Newsom gave Lassen County the go-ahead to reopen , lawmakers from the area complained there shouldn ’ t be a “ one size fits all ” policy for ending social distancing orders and argued that small communities without coronavirus cases should be able to reopen sooner .
“ We ’ re not like Los Angeles or San Francisco .
Let ’ s get back to cooler heads , ” Republican state Sen. Brian Dahle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the time .
“ Let the people free.
” Lassen County ’ s recent outbreak is testing that thinking .
County officials are hoping they can contain the virus before it spreads any further and are planning to use contact tracing to track transmission .
Korver said it ’ s his “ intention for this to be a very temporary situation.
” The same day Lassen County announced it was scaling back reopenings , the public health officer in California ’ s Santa Clara County warned that she thought the state was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ modifications are being made without a real understanding of the consequences of what the last move has been , ” the health officer , Dr. Sara Cody , said at a Board of Supervisors meeting .
Not taking time to evaluate the safety of social distancing modifications , she continued , risks “ an exponential growth in cases , and therefore a risk to social and economic wellbeing.
” Cody ’ s remarks came after Newsom gave counties permission to reopen salons and resume some gatherings of up to 100 people .
However @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their own rules stricter than state-level ones .
UPDATE : May 29 — Lassen County on Thursday terminated its order to scale back reopening , which was initially intended to remain in effect for seven days .
Korver cited “ contact tracing investigations ” in his decision .

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Lassen County, a county of 30,000 people in the far reaches of Northern California, was one of the first places in the state to reopen in early May. But this week, it became the first to reverse course because of a resulting coronavirus outbreak.
The county’s public health officer, Dr. Kenneth Korver, announced the decision on Tuesday after confirming the county’s first four cases of COVID-19.
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“While Lassen County had no confirmed cases for the past three months,
we were fully aware of the risk that the virus could come to our community,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, this did happen and we now have a serious problem.”
Lassen County began reopening with Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s blessing in early May, far sooner than the state’s denser communities could even consider. In the weeks that followed, the county opened retail stores, restaurant dining rooms, shopping malls and other businesses.
Now, businesses in Lassen County may only operate curbside pickup and delivery services, and the county won’t proceed with opening salons and places of worship, which most California counties just got Newsom’s approval to do.
Earlier this month, before Newsom gave Lassen County the go-ahead to reopen, lawmakers from the area complained there shouldn’t be a “one size fits all” policy for ending social distancing orders and argued that small communities without coronavirus cases should be able to reopen sooner.
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“We’re not like Los Angeles or San Francisco. Let’s get back to cooler heads,” Republican state Sen. Brian Dahle, who represents the county, said at the time. “Let the people free.”
Lassen County’s recent outbreak is testing that thinking. County officials are hoping they can contain the virus before it spreads any further and are planning to use contact tracing to track transmission. Korver said it’s his “intention for this to be a very temporary situation.”
The same day Lassen County announced it was scaling back reopenings, the public health officer in California’s Santa Clara County warned that she thought the state was reopening too quickly.
“The state modifications are being made without a real understanding of the consequences of what the last move has been,” the health officer, Dr. Sara Cody, said at a Board of Supervisors meeting. Not taking time to evaluate the safety of social distancing modifications, she continued, risks “an exponential growth in cases, and therefore a risk to social and economic wellbeing.”
Cody’s remarks came after Newsom gave counties permission to reopen salons and resume some gatherings of up to 100 people. However, county officials are allowed to make their own rules stricter than state-level ones.
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UPDATE: May 29 — Lassen County on Thursday terminated its order to scale back reopening, which was initially intended to remain in effect for seven days. Korver cited “contact tracing investigations” in his decision.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-29--Another Trump Trip To The Cape, At Least $1.1 Million More In Costs For Taxpayers

WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump is heading back to Florida on Saturday to watch a space launch , a trip that will cost taxpayers at least another $ 1.1 million and may potentially add pressure on NASA officials to lift off in marginal conditions ― but it will almost certainly give Trump some cool video footage for campaign ads .
Trump already attended Wednesday ’ s initial launch attempt for SpaceX ’ s very first flight of its Crew Dragon capsule intended to carry two astronauts to the International Space Station .
He had been scheduled to deliver a speech @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back to Washington after the launch was called off because of bad weather .
He vowed a return on the flight back to Joint Base Andrews : “ Thank you to @ NASA and @ SpaceX for their hard work and leadership .
Look forward to being back with you on Saturday !
” On Wednesday , Trump ’ s presence did not prevent launch managers from scrubbing the launch .
However , NASA has historically been aware that the attendance of top-level political officials can add subtle pressure to launch even when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also been an awareness through the years that the presence of the president can complicate matters if there is an emergency or accident .
In almost six decades of human spaceflight , presidents have attended launches only twice : In 1998 , when Bill Clinton was on hand for a space shuttle launch that included former Mercury astronaut John Glenn , and in 1969 , when Richard Nixon attended the launch of Apollo 12 ( that flight nearly ended in disaster when the Saturn 5 rocket was struck by lightning triggered by its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has ever attended the inaugural flight of any crewed vehicle ― not John F. Kennedy for Mercury-Redstone 3 , not Lyndon Johnson for Gemini 3 or Apollo 7 , not Ronald Reagan for the first space shuttle flight in 1981 , although Reagan was convalescing after having been shot two weeks earlier .
Reagan did not attend the shuttle ’ s “ return to flight ” launch in 1988 following the 1986 Challenger disaster , and George W. Bush did not attend a second return to flight in 2005 following the 2003 breakup @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spokesperson Allard Beutel said the fact that launch officials called off Wednesday ’ s attempt despite Trump ’ s presence speaks for itself .
“ Having both the president and vice president come to witness in person this NASA SpaceX launch of American astronauts on an American rocket and spacecraft from American soil to the International Space Station shows what a historic moment in spaceflight history it really is , ” he said .
“ Having Trump present will be a distraction for senior NASA folks , but the launch team operates on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their bosses into the go-no-go loop , ” he said .
His campaign , however , has not been shy about turning around video from purportedly “ official ” events ― those paid for entirely by taxpayers and , in theory , done on behalf of all Americans ― into reelection videos .
Trump ’ s multimillion-dollar July 4th extravaganza on the National Mall last year later appeared in his videos .
And Trump ’ s March 28 visit to Norfolk , Virginia , for the sailing of the hospital ship Comfort made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ May 4 .
Jordan Libowitz , with the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington watchdog group , said Trump is not the first president to use footage from official events in campaign ads , and it does not appear to be illegal .
“ The presence of top campaign surrogates and quick turnaround for an ad certainly could make people question whether the trip was done for the purpose of the ad , which is not what official business is for , ” he said .
Each hour that the modified 747 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Force One is in the air costs $ 273,063 , according to a General Accountability Office analysis , meaning a round trip to Kennedy Space Center runs $ 1.1 million .
That figure does not include the $ 58,000 that his helicopter trip from the White House to Joint Base Andrews and back costs , nor the several hundreds of thousands of dollars that ferrying his motorcade aboard C-17 cargo planes costs .
That amount varies with the starting location of the planes and the cars and vans , which differs with each @ @

President Donald Trump tours NASA facilities with Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson before the scheduled SpaceX launch Wednesday at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The Wednesday launch was scrubbed. Evan Vucci/ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump is heading back to Florida on Saturday to watch a space launch, a trip that will cost taxpayers at least another $1.1 million and may potentially add pressure on NASA officials to lift off in marginal conditions ― but it will almost certainly give Trump some cool video footage for campaign ads.
Trump already attended Wednesday’s initial launch attempt for SpaceX’s very first flight of its Crew Dragon capsule intended to carry two astronauts to the International Space Station. He had been scheduled to deliver a speech after liftoff but left immediately to fly back to Washington after the launch was called off because of bad weather.
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He vowed a return on the flight back to Joint Base Andrews: “Thank you to @NASA and @SpaceX for their hard work and leadership. Look forward to being back with you on Saturday!”
The forecast for Saturday afternoon’s launch time again includes a chance of poor weather, including rain and thunderclouds in the area.
On Wednesday, Trump’s presence did not prevent launch managers from scrubbing the launch. However, NASA has historically been aware that the attendance of top-level political officials can add subtle pressure to launch even when conditions are not optimal. There has also been an awareness through the years that the presence of the president can complicate matters if there is an emergency or accident.
In almost six decades of human spaceflight, presidents have attended launches only twice: In 1998, when Bill Clinton was on hand for a space shuttle launch that included former Mercury astronaut John Glenn, and in 1969, when Richard Nixon attended the launch of Apollo 12 (that flight nearly ended in disaster when the Saturn 5 rocket was struck by lightning triggered by its own ionized exhaust).
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No president has ever attended the inaugural flight of any crewed vehicle ― not John F. Kennedy for Mercury-Redstone 3, not Lyndon Johnson for Gemini 3 or Apollo 7, not Ronald Reagan for the first space shuttle flight in 1981, although Reagan was convalescing after having been shot two weeks earlier. Reagan did not attend the shuttle’s “return to flight” launch in 1988 following the 1986 Challenger disaster, and George W. Bush did not attend a second return to flight in 2005 following the 2003 breakup of Columbia during reentry.
NASA headquarters spokesperson Allard Beutel said the fact that launch officials called off Wednesday’s attempt despite Trump’s presence speaks for itself. “Having both the president and vice president come to witness in person this NASA SpaceX launch of American astronauts on an American rocket and spacecraft from American soil to the International Space Station shows what a historic moment in spaceflight history it really is,” he said.
John Logsdon, the founder of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, said he doubted Trump’s attendance would hamper sound decision-making, even if it meant a second scrubbed launch.
“Having Trump present will be a distraction for senior NASA folks, but the launch team operates on its own and are unlikely to allow their bosses into the go-no-go loop,” he said.
Neither the White House nor the Trump campaign would return HuffPost queries about whether footage from a successful launch would make its way into a campaign ad.
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His campaign, however, has not been shy about turning around video from purportedly “official” events ― those paid for entirely by taxpayers and, in theory, done on behalf of all Americans ― into reelection videos. Trump’s multimillion-dollar July 4 extravaganza on the National Mall last year later appeared in his videos. And Trump’s March 28 visit to Norfolk, Virginia, for the sailing of the hospital ship Comfort made it into a Trump campaign ad released May 4.
Jordan Libowitz, with the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington watchdog group, said Trump is not the first president to use footage from official events in campaign ads, and it does not appear to be illegal. “The presence of top campaign surrogates and quick turnaround for an ad certainly could make people question whether the trip was done for the purpose of the ad, which is not what official business is for,” he said.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-29--Trump Campaign Ad Takes Credit For Unemployment Benefit Republicans Seek To End

ASSOCIATED PRESS President Donald Trump at the Capitol earlier this month , speaking to reporters .
Behind him are ( center ) Sen. John Barrasso ( R-Wyo . )
and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-Ky. ) .
“ It takes a Donald Trump to demand truth from China , shut down foreign travel , get ventilators and tests , raise unemployment benefits and cash benefits to families , ” the narrator says in the ad .
The U.S. has had a disjointed response to the coronavirus pandemic , which has killed more than 100,000 Americans as of this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the virus between January and March , missing a crucial window to contain its spread , and still doesn ’ t have a nation-wide testing and tracing strategy as states and cities begin to loosen stay-at-home orders .
Meanwhile , as the pandemic continues to take an economic toll in the country , with more than 40 million Americans newly unemployed , Republican lawmakers are reluctant to expand emergency relief benefits .
Trump ’ s poll numbers have suffered amid the pandemic .
In Fox News surveys , Trump ’ s approval @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fell by eight percentage points between April and May among registered voters .
An Economist/YouGov poll in May found that 52 % of voting-aged Americans were uneasy with Trump ’ s handling of the pandemic .
Trump himself suggested last week that he would be open to letting the expanded federal unemployment benefits expire — even as his new ad touts the aid .
In March , Congress passed a $ 600 weekly increase in federally funded unemployment benefits , which Americans would receive on top of their state payments — a deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration .
The expanded benefits are set to run out in July and so far GOP congressional leaders have shown no interest in extending them .
Instead , they have expressed concerns that some low-wage workers are making more through the benefits than they did in their previous jobs , making the aid a disincentive to find new work .
“ Donald Trump is the new chairman of the chutzpah caucus , attempting to take credit for supercharged unemployment in his whopper of a campaign ad , ” Sen. Ron Wyden ( D-Ore. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behind the unemployment benefit , said in a statement .
“ To be clear , Donald Trump had nothing to do with boosting unemployment benefits .
Supercharging unemployment benefits was a top priority of Senate Democrats , and Donald Trump ’ s administration fought against it .
Going forward , Donald Trump ’ s plan is to cut off the boost in unemployment benefits he ’ s falsely claiming as his own and shower his wealthy buddies with more tax cuts.
” Senate Democrats initially wanted states to match the wages newly unemployed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Secretary Eugene Scalia argued state agencies , which have been overwhelmed with unemployment claims , wouldn ’ t be able to do the administrative work to match an individual ’ s wages .
Instead , Senate Democrats , the administration and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-Ky. ) struck a deal : for four months , the federal government would fund an additional $ 600 a week to make up the gap between the average state unemployment benefit of $ 360 and the average weekly wage of about $ 980 .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Democratic win in exchange for tax cuts and benefits for big businesses .
Sen. Lindsey Graham ( R-S.C. ) , a close Trump ally who argues the benefit disincentivizes work , asked the president to oppose any continued expansion of unemployment insurance last week .
Some Republican senators have been putting forward ideas to replace the federal unemployment insurance with “ return to work ” bonuses , or cash rewards for gaining employment , The Washington Post reported .
Those proposals come as public health officials continue to warn against sending Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cautioned against rosy expectations for a rebound of labor markets .

President Donald Trump at the Capitol earlier this month, speaking to reporters. Behind him are (center) Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). ASSOCIATED PRESS
President Donald Trump’s presidential campaign released a new TV ad this week claiming credit for coronavirus relief efforts, including boosted unemployment insurance, that his fellow Republicans are now trying to undercut.
“It takes a Donald Trump to demand truth from China, shut down foreign travel, get ventilators and tests, raise unemployment benefits and cash benefits to families,” the narrator says in the ad.
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The U.S. has had a disjointed response to the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 100,000 Americans as of this week. The nation lagged in testing for the virus between January and March, missing a crucial window to contain its spread, and still doesn’t have a nation-wide testing and tracing strategy as states and cities begin to loosen stay-at-home orders.
Meanwhile, as the pandemic continues to take an economic toll in the country, with more than 40 million Americans newly unemployed, Republican lawmakers are reluctant to expand emergency relief benefits.
Trump’s poll numbers have suffered amid the pandemic. In Fox News surveys, Trump’s approval rating on his handling of the crisis fell by eight percentage points between April and May among registered voters. An Economist/YouGov poll in May found that 52% of voting-aged Americans were uneasy with Trump’s handling of the pandemic.
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Trump himself suggested last week that he would be open to letting the expanded federal unemployment benefits expire — even as his new ad touts the aid.
In March, Congress passed a $600 weekly increase in federally funded unemployment benefits, which Americans would receive on top of their state payments — a deal negotiated between Senate Democrats and the Trump administration. The expanded benefits are set to run out in July and so far GOP congressional leaders have shown no interest in extending them. Instead, they have expressed concerns that some low-wage workers are making more through the benefits than they did in their previous jobs, making the aid a disincentive to find new work.
Democrats were quick to scoff at the new ad.
“Donald Trump is the new chairman of the chutzpah caucus, attempting to take credit for supercharged unemployment in his whopper of a campaign ad,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), one of the lead negotiators behind the unemployment benefit, said in a statement. “To be clear, Donald Trump had nothing to do with boosting unemployment benefits. Supercharging unemployment benefits was a top priority of Senate Democrats, and Donald Trump’s administration fought against it. Going forward, Donald Trump’s plan is to cut off the boost in unemployment benefits he’s falsely claiming as his own and shower his wealthy buddies with more tax cuts.”
Senate Democrats initially wanted states to match the wages newly unemployed workers had lost. But Trump Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia argued state agencies, which have been overwhelmed with unemployment claims, wouldn’t be able to do the administrative work to match an individual’s wages.
Instead, Senate Democrats, the administration and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) struck a deal: for four months, the federal government would fund an additional $600 a week to make up the gap between the average state unemployment benefit of $360 and the average weekly wage of about $980. The agreement on unemployment benefits was seen as a Democratic win in exchange for tax cuts and benefits for big businesses.
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Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a close Trump ally who argues the benefit disincentivizes work, asked the president to oppose any continued expansion of unemployment insurance last week. Some Republican senators have been putting forward ideas to replace the federal unemployment insurance with “return to work” bonuses, or cash rewards for gaining employment, The Washington Post reported. Those proposals come as public health officials continue to warn against sending Americans back to work, and economists have cautioned against rosy expectations for a rebound of labor markets.
“It’s telling how unpopular Donald Trump’s economic agenda is that he’s touting unemployment benefits and not the tax breaks for multinational corporations and wealthy real estate investors that were Republican priorities,” Wyden said.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-29--Some Say If Retail Stores Are Open, Churches Should Be Too. Here's Why It's Not So Simple.

Conservative Christian activists have largely framed the debate over whether houses of worship should resume in-person worship as a matter of defending religious freedom .
But tucked into these arguments about religious liberty , some have also been pushing a claim that doesn ’ t seem to stand up to scrutiny ― the claim that if businesses like grocery stores , laundromats , and warehouses can safely remain open , churches can do the same .
Health experts say that comparing churches to the essential businesses that remained open throughout the pandemic is misleading , especially as researchers begin to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus that causes COVID-19 , spreads during mass gatherings .
Still , these comparisons have been repeated by pastors across the country , as well as law firms that spearhead the conservative Christian legal movement .
Last week , President Donald Trump called on governors to reopen houses of worship , calling it an “ injustice ” that that “ liquor stores and abortion clinics ” were open when churches were not .
Some studies have suggested that SARS-CoV-2 could potentially spread through tiny , aerosolized respiratory droplets .
Aerosolized particles can linger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for some time , Winslow said .
Loud singing , a common element of religious services , is particularly efficient in producing these aerosolized particles .
Winslow pointed to a choir practice that took place in Washington state on March 10 , where one sick singer is suspected to have infected 53 people , two of whom died .
Unlike liquor stores , where the population is transient , religious services can last for more than an hour , which increases the risk of infection .
The churchgoing population also generally tends to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , is more likely to be at risk for complications if they contract the virus .
Chin-Hong said that he understands that attending religious services can be therapeutic for people of faith , especially those who are sick and looking for spiritual comfort .
He said it ’ s important not to forget that there are health benefits that people get from going to houses of worship and having their spiritual needs addressed .
“ I ’ m worried people are just blocking out the science just because they say , ‘ Those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of why I want to go to church , ’ ” Chin-Hong said .
“ From a scientific perspective , people are just worried that if people forget about protecting themselves , that we ’ ll see a surge and all the public health measures everyone was so good about , that we ’ ll lose some of that progress.
” Comparisons between houses of worship and businesses started circulating during some of the earliest public standoffs in the U.S. around in-person worship during the pandemic .
Lawyers for Rodney Howard-Browne , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defying local restrictions on church services , lambasted the fact that an Amazon warehouse in the same county was allowed to remain open .
Tony Spell , the Louisiana pastor who gained notoriety for repeatedly ignoring local police ’ s attempts to enforce restrictions on religious services , has been comparing going to church to going to Walmart .
The argument picked up steam in the following weeks , with some conservative Christian legal groups complaining that houses of worship were being unfairly singled out and treated differently from secular businesses .
Then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ courts .
A federal judge in Kansas issued an order in mid-April arguing that it was unconstitutional for the state to restrict religious services , while allowing other establishments ― airports , offices , production facilities ― to remain open with safety measures .
In Kentucky , another federal judge asserted in early May that “ if social distancing is good enough for Home Depot and Kroger , it is good enough for in-person religious services.
” “ No one is immune to illness and death from this virus and I would encourage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ science , as much as possible , drive these decisions , particularly about reopening businesses and houses of worship , ” he said .
“ It really should not be a culture wars issue .
”

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Conservative Christian activists have largely framed the debate over whether houses of worship should resume in-person worship as a matter of defending religious freedom. But tucked into these arguments about religious liberty, some have also been pushing a claim that doesn’t seem to stand up to scrutiny ― the claim that if businesses like grocery stores, laundromats, and warehouses can safely remain open, churches can do the same.
Health experts say that comparing churches to the essential businesses that remained open throughout the pandemic is misleading, especially as researchers begin to learn more about how SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, spreads during mass gatherings. Still, these comparisons have been repeated by pastors across the country, as well as law firms that spearhead the conservative Christian legal movement. Last week, President Donald Trump called on governors to reopen houses of worship, calling it an “injustice” that that “liquor stores and abortion clinics” were open when churches were not.
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With a slew of churches set to open their doors this weekend, some health experts are warning that these comparisons ignore the fact that worship services are substantially different from gatherings that take place in grocery stores and even in restaurants.
Dr. Dean Winslow, an infectious disease specialist at the Stanford University Medical Center, told HuffPost he’s worried that the tussle over religious liberty during the pandemic is overshadowing genuine public health concerns.
“Decisions around opening churches shouldn’t be a culture war issue,” Winslow said. “SARS-CoV-2 is a lethal pathogen which doesn’t discriminate. Restrictions on large indoor assemblies are meant to save lives.”
President Donald Trump called on governors to allow houses of worship to reopen during a press conference on May 22. “Some governors have deemed liquor stores and abortion clinics as essential, but have left out houses of worship. It’s not right,” Trump said. Alex Wong via Getty Images
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Why Houses Of Worship Are Different
Some studies have suggested that SARS-CoV-2 could potentially spread through tiny, aerosolized respiratory droplets. Aerosolized particles can linger in the air inside poorly ventilated buildings for some time, Winslow said. Loud singing, a common element of religious services, is particularly efficient in producing these aerosolized particles. Winslow pointed to a choir practice that took place in Washington state on March 10, where one sick singer is suspected to have infected 53 people, two of whom died.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a report earlier this month that suggested the spread of COVID-19 during the Washington choir practice was likely “augmented by the act of singing.”
High-powered speaking, such as what happens during a religious testimony or when people yell out a “Hallelujah,” has also been connected to COVID-19 spread, Neysa Ernst, a nurse manager at the Johns Hopkins Biocontainment Unit, told HuffPost.
In addition, people in houses of worship behave differently toward each other than they would towards strangers they see at grocery stores, Ernst said.
“Before COVID-19 and certainly now in this pandemic, people are usually uncomfortable with others in close physical proximity in places such as grocery stores, liquor stores, laundromats, restaurants, and malls,” Ernst told HuffPost. “Church is a place we are more comfortable in close proximity with people who share a common faith.”
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Unlike liquor stores, where the population is transient, religious services can last for more than an hour, which increases the risk of infection. The churchgoing population also generally tends to skew older and, as a result, is more likely to be at risk for complications if they contract the virus.
At the same time, houses of worship are likely more manageable than concerts and other massive gatherings in stadiums, since people in religious settings tend to be much more controlled and respectful of others nearby, according to Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco.
Chin-Hong said that he understands that attending religious services can be therapeutic for people of faith, especially those who are sick and looking for spiritual comfort. He said it’s important not to forget that there are health benefits that people get from going to houses of worship and having their spiritual needs addressed.
But as a physician, he said he’s concerned that the debates over reopening houses of worship have become “polarized.”
“I’m worried people are just blocking out the science just because they say, ‘Those people don’t get my experience of why I want to go to church,’” Chin-Hong said. “From a scientific perspective, people are just worried that if people forget about protecting themselves, that we’ll see a surge and all the public health measures everyone was so good about, that we’ll lose some of that progress.”
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Maria and Siggi Birkis attend a service in the First Lutheran Church in Boston on May 24. They had to make reservations to attend. Photo by Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
How False Comparisons Bolster Religious Liberty Claims
Comparisons between houses of worship and businesses started circulating during some of the earliest public standoffs in the U.S. around in-person worship during the pandemic. Lawyers for Rodney Howard-Browne, the Florida pastor arrested on March 30 for defying local restrictions on church services, lambasted the fact that an Amazon warehouse in the same county was allowed to remain open. Tony Spell, the Louisiana pastor who gained notoriety for repeatedly ignoring local police’s attempts to enforce restrictions on religious services, has been comparing going to church to going to Walmart.
“If you’re going to persecute our church for staying open, don’t go to Walmart, don’t go to Planned Parenthood, don’t go to the liquor store because you’re a hypocrite,” Spell said during a service on March 29.
The argument picked up steam in the following weeks, with some conservative Christian legal groups complaining that houses of worship were being unfairly singled out and treated differently from secular businesses. Then, these faulty comparisons began appearing in courts. A federal judge in Kansas issued an order in mid-April arguing that it was unconstitutional for the state to restrict religious services, while allowing other establishments ― airports, offices, production facilities ― to remain open with safety measures. In Kentucky, another federal judge asserted in early May that “if social distancing is good enough for Home Depot and Kroger, it is good enough for in-person religious services.”
The Department of Justice has also waded in to the issue, arguing that allowing gatherings of workers in “retail businesses, including liquor stores, dry cleaners and department stores,” while restricting church meetings amounted to “unlawful discrimination.”
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Despite the CDC’s report on the hazards of singing, the Trump administration removed warnings about restricting singing from the CDC’s guidelines for faith communities on Friday. The updated guidelines also added language stating that the CDC’s recommendations are “not intended to infringe on rights protected by the First Amendment.”
Worshipers participate in a service at Hopeful Baptist Church on Sunday, May 17, in Montpelier, Virginia. Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Houses of worship have already started to reopen in parts of the country, many with significant changes in place to try to combat the spread of the virus ― requiring reservations, adding more worship services to reduce crowding, and increasing cleaning efforts.
In California, hundreds of churches plan to reopen on May 31, as part of a campaign led by a Christian legal firm. Some are attempting to abide by guidelines recently put in place by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) for houses of worship. But others, like Fresno’s Cornerstone Church, are planning to ignore key instructions, such as reducing attendance, claiming that these limits violate religious freedom rights.
“We will be safe,” Cornerstone’s Pastor Pastor Jim Franklin told the Fresno Bee ahead of the reopening this weekend. “We just want to be treated fairly. If a big-box store can do this, so can we.”
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Comparing churches to retail stores is like comparing apples to oranges, Winslow said, since certain risky behaviors are much more likely to take place during religious services.
“People are making these false comparisons, saying that Christians are victims and being singled out,” he said.
As an “enthusiastic” Christian who loves going to church, Winslow said he personally can’t wait to go back. But right now, he said he knows it’s “probably not the smartest thing to do.”
“I would be thinking about going very slowly and very carefully with reopening services,” he said.
The Rev. Praveen Lakkisettit, left, wears a face mask as he delivers communion to parishioners during an in-person Mass at Christ the King Catholic Church in San Antonio, Tuesday, May 19, 2020. ASSOCIATED PRESS
How To Tell If Your House Of Worship Is Prepared For COVID-19
Chin-Hong suggested that people who are determined to attend services this weekend take some time to evaluate how well their house of worship seems to have understood the risks of COVID-19.
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“I think of it as assessing the [house of worship’s] COVID-19 IQ,” Chin-Hong said. “How much do they actually know about COVID-19 and are they being intelligent about reducing the risk for their congregation?”
A house of worship with a good COVID-19 “IQ” would be reducing attendance significantly, disinfecting surfaces and keeping hand sanitizers available, and maybe even doing symptom screenings at the door, Chin-Hong said. They may think about reducing the number of singers in the choir, or ensuring that the choir members are spaced out. It’s also important for people to socially distance from others in the pews behind, in front, and horizontally to where one is sitting, he said.
Outdoor worship services are the best choice for now, Winslow said. If the service takes place indoors, he believes face masks shouldn’t be optional, as some churches have suggested, but “absolutely mandatory” to reduce the generation of aerosols, Winslow said.
“No one is immune to illness and death from this virus and I would encourage people to focus on that and let science, as much as possible, drive these decisions, particularly about reopening businesses and houses of worship,” he said. “It really should not be a culture wars issue.”