thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-26--Venezuelan Judge Convicts 6 American Oil Executives On Corruption Charges

Ariana Cubillos/Associated Press Jesus Loreto , an attorney representing Tomeu Vadell , one of six U.S. oil executives jailed for three years in Venezuela , shows a letter written by Vadell in Caracas , Venezuela , on Nov. 25 , 2020 .
In the letter , provided to the Associated Press , Vadell pleads for freedom , reflects on his past and shares the pain he feels over being separated from his wife , three adult children and a newborn grandson he 's never held .
Five of the men were sentenced to prison terms of 8 years and 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a 13-year sentence .
Defense attorney Jesus Loreto said the five with lesser terms could be released on parole in a couple of years .
One of the men , Tomeu Vadel , has said in a letter written in a Caracas jail and provided exclusively to The Associated Press before the verdict that he had hopes for a fair trial so he could walk free with his name cleared and go home to his family in the United States .
“ I ’ m now reaching an intersection where if justice is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rebuild my life and try to compensate my family for all the lost moments , ” he added .
“ The light is intense ― the hope is great ― give me freedom.
” The men were summoned to the headquarters of PDVSA for what they were told was a budget meeting on Nov. 21 , 2017 .
A corporate jet shuttled them to Caracas and they were told they would be home for Thanksgiving .
Instead , military intelligence officers swarmed into the boardroom and hauled them off to jail .
Loreto @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caught up in a “ geopolitical conflict ” of which he was not a part .
He said Vadell ’ s name never appeared on any of the documents prosecutors read into evidence .
Richardson told AP that conversations with the Venezuelan government continue despite his meeting with Maduro being “ a little stormy.
” He said he he believes there is an opening tied to President-elect Joe Biden and a desire by Maduro to improve relations with Washington .
During his 35-year career with PDVSA and Citgo , Vadell ended up running @ @ @ @ @ @ @ became vice president of refining .
The letter attempts to expose this side of his life , she said .
“ I think he was willing to take some risks and open some hearts to allow him to come home , ” she said .
“ I think he ’ s still wondering ‘ What happened ?
’ He went to a work meeting and never came home .
”

Jesus Loreto, an attorney representing Tomeu Vadell, one of six U.S. oil executives jailed for three years in Venezuela, shows a letter written by Vadell in Caracas, Venezuela, on Nov. 25, 2020. In the letter, provided to the Associated Press, Vadell pleads for freedom, reflects on his past and shares the pain he feels over being separated from his wife, three adult children and a newborn grandson he's never held. Ariana Cubillos/Associated Press
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Six American oil executives held for three years in Venezuela were found guilty of corruption charges by a judge Thursday and immediately sentenced to prison, defense lawyers said, dashing hopes of a quick release that would send them home to their families in the United States.
Some relatives had been bracing for the disheartening outcome, which came on the evening of Thanksgiving Day.
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Alirio Rafael Zambrano, brother to two of the men, said they were “undeniably innocent” and victims of “judicial terrorism.” No evidence in the case supports a guilty conviction, he said.
“We, the family, are heartbroken to be separated even further from our loved ones,” Zambrano said. “We pray that the leaders of our nation step forward and continue to fight unceasingly for their freedom and human rights.”
Attorney María Alejandra Poleo, who helped represent three of the men, said the case was “void of evidence.” “Of course, the defense will appeal the decision,” she said.
The so-called Citgo 6 are employees of Houston-based Citgo refining company, which is owned by Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA. They had been lured to Venezuela three years ago for a business meeting and were arrested on corruption charges.
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Their arrest launched a purge by President Nicolás Maduro’s government of PDVSA and at a time when relations between Caracas and Washington were crumbling as Venezuela plummeted into economic and social crisis.
Five of the men were sentenced to prison terms of 8 years and 10 months, while one of them received a 13-year sentence. Defense attorney Jesus Loreto said the five with lesser terms could be released on parole in a couple of years.
Venezuelan officials did not immediately comment.
One of the men, Tomeu Vadel, has said in a letter written in a Caracas jail and provided exclusively to The Associated Press before the verdict that he had hopes for a fair trial so he could walk free with his name cleared and go home to his family in the United States.
Despite his circumstances, Vadell held out hope.
“During the trial, the truth has proven undeniable,” Vadell said in the four-page hand-written letter. “It proves that I am innocent.”
“I’m now reaching an intersection where if justice is done, I will be able to rebuild my life and try to compensate my family for all the lost moments,” he added. “The light is intense ― the hope is great ― give me freedom.”
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Videll said it was especially painful to be separated during the Thanksgiving season from his wife, three adult children and a newborn grandson he has never held.
“Before living this tragedy, these celebrations were very special times for our family,” Vadell wrote, saying he embraced the traditional American holiday after moving in 1999 from Caracas to Lake Charles, Louisiana, for a job with Citgo. “Now, they bring me a lot of sadness.”
It’s the first time Vadell, or any of the so-called Citgo 6, had spoken publicly since being arrested and charged with in a purported big corruption scheme. He has been held at a feared Caracas jail called El Helicoide.
This undated file photo shows CITGO oil executives Jose Angel Pereira, from left to right, Gustavo Cardenas, Jorge Toledo, Jose Luis Zambrano, Tomeu Vadell and Alirio Jose Zambrano, standing outside the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service, in Caracas, Venezuela. Posted on Twitter by Jorge Arreaza/Venezuela's Foreign Ministry via AP File
The others convicted are Gustavo Cárdenas, Jorge Toledo, brothers Jose Luis Zambrano and Alirio Zambrano, all now U.S. citizens. Jose Pereira, a permanent resident, received the longest sentence.
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They were also charged with embezzlement stemming from a never-executed proposal to refinance some $4 billion in Citgo bonds by offering a 50% stake in the company as collateral. Maduro at the time accused them of “treason.”
They all pleaded innocence.
The men were summoned to the headquarters of PDVSA for what they were told was a budget meeting on Nov. 21, 2017. A corporate jet shuttled them to Caracas and they were told they would be home for Thanksgiving. Instead, military intelligence officers swarmed into the boardroom and hauled them off to jail.
Their trial started four months ago and closing arguments took place Thursday. The judge immediately announced her verdict.
The proceeding played out one day a week in a downtown Caracas court. Due to the pandemic, sessions were held in front of a bank of dormant elevators in a hallway, apparently to take advantage of air flowing through open windows.
News media and rights groups were denied access to the hearings. There was no response to a letter addressed to Judge Lorena Cornielles seeking permission for The Associated Press to observe.
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The office of Venezuela’s chief prosecutor said prior to the verdict in a statement to AP that investigators found “serious evidence” that corroborated financial crimes potentially damaging to the state-run company.
“The Citgo case has developed normally during all the stages established by the Venezuelan criminal process,” the statement said.
Loreto said his client appeared to have been caught up in a “geopolitical conflict” of which he was not a part. He said Vadell’s name never appeared on any of the documents prosecutors read into evidence.
“There’s nothing that refers to Tomeu in any way ― directly or indirectly,” the lawyer said. “This is the story of a good guy being held against his will for all the wrong reasons.”
Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who has negotiated the release of other Americans held by hostile governments, traveled to Caracas in July and met with Maduro.
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He didn’t win their freedom, but days later two of them — Cárdenas and Toledo — were freed from jail and put in house detention. Two weeks later, the long-delayed trial began.
Richardson told AP that conversations with the Venezuelan government continue despite his meeting with Maduro being “a little stormy.” He said he he believes there is an opening tied to President-elect Joe Biden and a desire by Maduro to improve relations with Washington.
“I think the Venezuelans have been straight with me, but more progress needs to be made,” Richardson said before the verdict. “My hope is to have something positive by Christmas.”
It is not clear what approach Biden will take toward Maduro. Trump aggressively pressed to remove Maduro through sweeping financial sanctions and the U.S. Justice Department has indicted Maduro as a “narcoterrorist,” offering a $15 million reward for his arrest.
Vadell’s letter steered clear of politics. He didn’t mention Maduro or speak about his jailers, though he did express concern about the “consequences of repercussions” of speaking out.
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With encouragement from his family, Vadell broke his silence, taking a risk relatives said was necessary.
“I believe it’s more important that the light of hope illuminates us,” Vadell wrote. “May the light of hope put an end to the sadness of my family.”
The five other men did not respond to invitations AP made through their lawyers to comment.
Vadell’s daughter, Cristina Vadell, said in a phone interview from Lake Charles that her father isn’t the kind of person who seeks attention. Rather, he prefers to focus on work and his family.
During his 35-year career with PDVSA and Citgo, Vadell ended up running a refinery in Lake Charles and then became vice president of refining. The letter attempts to expose this side of his life, she said.
“I think he was willing to take some risks and open some hearts to allow him to come home,” she said. “I think he’s still wondering ‘What happened?’ He went to a work meeting and never came home.”
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-26--The Best Tweets About All The Good Boys And Girls At The National Dog Show

Many people are forced to celebrate Thanksgiving differently this year or forgo it altogether , but let ’ s be thankful that the National Dog Show endures despite the COVID-19 pandemic .
And even better ?
Instead of spectators , organizers filled the stands with cardboard cutouts of ― wait for it ― MORE DOGS .
The iconic annual show , hosted by the Kennel Club of Philadelphia , is an American Kennel Club-sanctioned event in which purebred dogs across more than 200 breeds and varieties vie for the spot of the nation ’ s top dog .
Following coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place without spectators , vendors , sponsors or media present , and the number of dogs allowed to compete was reduced to 600 from the usual nearly 2,000 .
This year ’ s best In show was a shaggy Scottish deerhound named Claire .
She first won the hound group , then claimed the top spot over six other group winners .
They were an English springer spaniel , who was named reserve best in show ; a miniature American shepherd ; a standard poodle ; a wire fox terrier ; an affenpinscher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ People ( and pooches ) celebrating Thanksgiving with their families or at home alone entertained themselves with this year ’ s gloriously quirky , cute and fabulous competitors .
And then , of course , tweeted about it .
Today , in Not Everything Is A Flaming Hellscape , I give you Claire the Scottish Deerhound who just won Best in Show at the 2020 National Dog Show !
Bonus : Last night I met a Labrador-Labradoodle cross puppy outside a shop and she was so soft and floofy and I loved her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( @ EmmaLGraney ) November 26 , 2020 The fact that the national dog show thought to use cutouts of dogs as the audience makes me so happy I can barely handle it .
pic.twitter.com/LJhwJUYtAL — David Jester ( @ Bleagueballer ) November 26 , 2020 GUYS I AM SPENDING THANKGIVING ALONE IN MY APARTMENT AND SO OH BOY AM I EVER GON NA RENAME SOME DOGS ( from the National Dog Show in NBC if you want to play along ) — Jill Twiss ( @ jilltwiss ) November 26 , 2020 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he has chewed up all the toilet paper pic.twitter.com/TJWo6E05Ju — Jill Twiss ( @ jilltwiss ) November 26 , 2020 Chief Justice Milo Spaghetti will turn in approximately 73 circles before he lays down thank you very much pic.twitter.com/pPsu6YhCMC — Jill Twiss ( @ jilltwiss ) November 26 , 2020

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Many people are forced to celebrate Thanksgiving differently this year or forgo it altogether, but let’s be thankful that the National Dog Show endures despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
And even better? Instead of spectators, organizers filled the stands with cardboard cutouts of ― wait for it ― MORE DOGS.
Advertisement
The iconic annual show, hosted by the Kennel Club of Philadelphia, is an American Kennel Club-sanctioned event in which purebred dogs across more than 200 breeds and varieties vie for the spot of the nation’s top dog.
Following coronavirus safety guidelines, the NBC-televised event took place without spectators, vendors, sponsors or media present, and the number of dogs allowed to compete was reduced to 600 from the usual nearly 2,000.
This year’s best In show was a shaggy Scottish deerhound named Claire. She first won the hound group, then claimed the top spot over six other group winners. They were an English springer spaniel, who was named reserve best in show; a miniature American shepherd; a standard poodle; a wire fox terrier; an affenpinscher; and a Portuguese water dog.
People (and pooches) celebrating Thanksgiving with their families or at home alone entertained themselves with this year’s gloriously quirky, cute and fabulous competitors. And then, of course, tweeted about it.
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Enjoy!
Today, in Not Everything Is A Flaming Hellscape, I give you Claire the Scottish Deerhound who just won Best in Show at the 2020 National Dog Show!
Bonus: Last night I met a Labrador-Labradoodle cross puppy outside a shop and she was so soft and floofy and I loved her instantly. pic.twitter.com/FLMBf40wEI — Emma Graney 🇦🇺🤷🏻♀🇨🇦 (@EmmaLGraney) November 26, 2020
Honey is watching the dog show intently and now I’m worried she’s learning unrealistic beauty standards. pic.twitter.com/UR73gJxN0J — Glennon Doyle (@GlennonDoyle) November 26, 2020
This National Dog show about to be straight comedy. pic.twitter.com/dYdAIHEDa2 — Roy Wood Jr- Ex Jedi (@roywoodjr) November 26, 2020
The fact that the national dog show thought to use cutouts of dogs as the audience makes me so happy I can barely handle it. pic.twitter.com/LJhwJUYtAL — David Jester (@Bleagueballer) November 26, 2020
Someone would like to speak with a manager at the National Dog Show. pic.twitter.com/0gunbIHXd7 — Colonel Nathan Rager (@kjvpolice) November 26, 2020
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Every live TV event should fill the audience with cardboard cutouts of dogs like the National Dog Show pic.twitter.com/DhZmbrQaxB — Elsa Brenner (@elsamkb) November 26, 2020
GUYS I AM SPENDING THANKGIVING ALONE IN MY APARTMENT AND SO OH BOY AM I EVER GONNA RENAME SOME DOGS (from the National Dog Show in NBC if you want to play along) — Jill Twiss (@jilltwiss) November 26, 2020
Miss Elspeth Marmalade, Grand Duchess of Noodles pic.twitter.com/TULeRVuRL5 — Jill Twiss (@jilltwiss) November 26, 2020
Bernard Crouton regrets to inform you that he has chewed up all the toilet paper pic.twitter.com/TJWo6E05Ju — Jill Twiss (@jilltwiss) November 26, 2020
Chief Justice Milo Spaghetti will turn in approximately 73 circles before he lays down thank you very much pic.twitter.com/pPsu6YhCMC — Jill Twiss (@jilltwiss) November 26, 2020
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Fritter McBean at your service, friends pic.twitter.com/fyaSdyhgBh — Jill Twiss (@jilltwiss) November 26, 2020
Duke Aloysius T. Chowder will be barking at a bird he saw six hours ago pic.twitter.com/5AwIw7mF9E — Jill Twiss (@jilltwiss) November 26, 2020
Dr. Edward Pancakes prescribes treats and toys all day long. pic.twitter.com/0S8khI4X93 — Jill Twiss (@jilltwiss) November 26, 2020
Dame Eleanor C. Fluffernutter (ahem. The “C” is for Cannonball) pic.twitter.com/cIgH1Dk44s — Jill Twiss (@jilltwiss) November 26, 2020
Bunsen Pickles, Viscount of Squeakers pic.twitter.com/vn0D4orFCE — Jill Twiss (@jilltwiss) November 26, 2020
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-26--'Jeopardy!' Shares Thanksgiving Message Alex Trebek Recorded Before His Death

Trebek had hosted the beloved ABC show since its relaunch in 1984 .
He was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic @ @ @ @ @ “ I ’ m going to fight this , and I ’ m going to @ @ @ @ @ said at the time .
The show paused production earlier this year because of the @ @ @ @ @ the summer .
It returned for its 37th season in September .
New episodes featuring @ @ @ @ @ until Christmas Day .
Trebek continued working in the final weeks of his life and @ @ @ @ @ on Oct. 29 , just 10 days before his death .

Trebek had hosted the beloved ABC show since its relaunch in 1984. He was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in March 2019. “I’m going to fight this, and I’m going to keep working,” he said at the time.
The show paused production earlier this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic but resumed over the summer. It returned for its 37th season in September.
New episodes featuring Trebek as host will air until Christmas Day. Trebek continued working in the final weeks of his life and was last in the studio on Oct. 29, just 10 days before his death.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-26--Joe And Jill Biden's Thanksgiving Op-Ed: 'We’re Going To Get Through This Together'

“ We are grateful for the frontline workers who have never sopped showing up over these long and confusing months , making sure our food is harvested and shipped , keeping our grocery stores stocked , picking up our trash , and keeping our cities and towns safe .
We are grateful for the health care workers who put in long shifts and isolate themselves from their loved ones , the nurses who comfort and help people say one last goodbye , and the doctors who fight for every breath .
We are grateful for the educators who learned to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who did extra work to reach families without adequate technology or who took late-night phone calls from parents on the verge of tears .
We are grateful for the parents who have carried their families through the chaos , working or searching for a job , while navigating childcare and remote learning .
We are grateful for the researchers and scientists who have spent this year learning everything they can to understand how to fight this pandemic and are working tirelessly to find a vaccine and therapeutics .
We are grateful for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do not cower in the face of crisis and hardship but instead come together to lift up one another .
All those who lost jobs but not heart , who donated to food banks or asked their neighbors , What can I do ?
How can I help ?
We ’ re grateful for everyone who reminded us that we are bigger than the challenges we face .
”

“We are grateful for the frontline workers who have never sopped showing up over these long and confusing months, making sure our food is harvested and shipped, keeping our grocery stores stocked, picking up our trash, and keeping our cities and towns safe.
We are grateful for the health care workers who put in long shifts and isolate themselves from their loved ones, the nurses who comfort and help people say one last goodbye, and the doctors who fight for every breath.
We are grateful for the educators who learned to teach in virtual classrooms almost overnight, who did extra work to reach families without adequate technology or who took late-night phone calls from parents on the verge of tears.
We are grateful for the parents who have carried their families through the chaos, working or searching for a job, while navigating childcare and remote learning.
We are grateful for the researchers and scientists who have spent this year learning everything they can to understand how to fight this pandemic and are working tirelessly to find a vaccine and therapeutics.
We are grateful for the American spirit of our people, who do not cower in the face of crisis and hardship but instead come together to lift up one another. All those who lost jobs but not heart, who donated to food banks or asked their neighbors, What can I do? How can I help? We’re grateful for everyone who reminded us that we are bigger than the challenges we face.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-27--Suspected North Korean Hackers Target COVID-19 Vaccine Maker AstraZeneca

LONDON , Nov 27 ( Reuters ) - Suspected North Korean hackers have tried to break into the systems of British drugmaker AstraZeneca in recent weeks , two people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters , as the company races to deploy its vaccine for the COVID-19 virus .
The hackers posed as recruiters on networking site LinkedIn and WhatsApp to approach AstraZeneca staff with fake job offers , the sources said .
They then sent documents purporting to be job descriptions that were laced with malicious code designed to gain access to a victim ’ s computer .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ set of people ” including staff working on COVID-19 research , said one of the sources , but are not thought to have been successful .
The North Korean mission to the United Nations in Geneva did not respond to a request for comment .
Pyongyang has previously denied carrying out cyberattacks .
It has no direct line of contact for foreign media .
The sources , who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss-public information , said the tools and techniques used in the attacks showed they were part of an ongoing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ researchers have attributed to North Korea .
The campaign has previously focused on defense companies and media organizations but pivoted to COVID-related targets in recent weeks , according to three people who have investigated the attacks .
Cyberattacks against health bodies , vaccine scientists and drugmakers have soared during the COVID-19 pandemic as state-backed and criminal hacking groups scramble to obtain the latest research and information about the outbreak .
Western officials say any stolen information could be sold for profit , used to extort the victims , or give foreign governments a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contain a disease that has killed 1.4 million people worldwide .
Microsoft said this month it had seen two North Korean hacking groups target vaccine developers in multiple countries , including by “ sending messages with fabricated job descriptions.
” Microsoft did not name any of the targeted organizations .
Reuters has previously reported that hackers from Iran , China and Russia have attempted to break into leading drugmakers and even the World Health Organisation this year .
Tehran , Beijing and Moscow have all denied the allegations .
Some of the accounts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ registered to Russian email addresses , one of the sources said , in a possible attempt to mislead investigators .
North Korea has been blamed by U.S. prosecutors for some of the world ’ s most audacious and damaging cyberattacks , including the hack and leak of emails from Sony Pictures in 2014 , the 2016theft of $ 81 million from the Central Bank of Bangladesh , and unleashing the Wannacry ransomware virus in 2017 .

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LONDON, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Suspected North Korean hackers have tried to break into the systems of British drugmaker AstraZeneca in recent weeks, two people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, as the company races to deploy its vaccine for the COVID-19 virus.
The hackers posed as recruiters on networking site LinkedIn and WhatsApp to approach AstraZeneca staff with fake job offers, the sources said. They then sent documents purporting to be job descriptions that were laced with malicious code designed to gain access to a victim’s computer.
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The hacking attempts targeted a “broad set of people” including staff working on COVID-19 research, said one of the sources, but are not thought to have been successful.
The North Korean mission to the United Nations in Geneva did not respond to a request for comment. Pyongyang has previously denied carrying out cyberattacks. It has no direct line of contact for foreign media.
AstraZeneca, which has emerged as one of the top three COVID-19 vaccine developers, declined to comment.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss public information, said the tools and techniques used in the attacks showed they were part of an ongoing hacking campaign that U.S. officials and cybersecurity researchers have attributed to North Korea.
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The campaign has previously focused on defense companies and media organizations but pivoted to COVID-related targets in recent weeks, according to three people who have investigated the attacks.
Cyberattacks against health bodies, vaccine scientists and drugmakers have soared during the COVID-19 pandemic as state-backed and criminal hacking groups scramble to obtain the latest research and information about the outbreak.
Western officials say any stolen information could be sold for profit, used to extort the victims, or give foreign governments a valuable strategic advantage as they fight to contain a disease that has killed 1.4 million people worldwide.
Microsoft said this month it had seen two North Korean hacking groups target vaccine developers in multiple countries, including by “sending messages with fabricated job descriptions.” Microsoft did not name any of the targeted organizations.
South Korean lawmakers said on Friday that the country’s intelligence agency had foiled some of those attempts.
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Reuters has previously reported that hackers from Iran, China and Russia have attempted to break into leading drugmakers and even the World Health Organisation this year.
Tehran, Beijing and Moscow have all denied the allegations.
Some of the accounts used in the attacks on AstraZeneca were registered to Russian email addresses, one of the sources said, in a possible attempt to mislead investigators.
North Korea has been blamed by U.S. prosecutors for some of the world’s most audacious and damaging cyberattacks, including the hack and leak of emails from Sony Pictures in 2014, the 2016 theft of $81 million from the Central Bank of Bangladesh, and unleashing the Wannacry ransomware virus in 2017.
Pyongyang has described the allegations as part of attempts by Washington to smear its image.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-26--U.S. National Security Adviser Reportedly Gets Typhoid Mary Treatment In Vietnam

White House national security adviser Robert O ’ Brien and his entourage were treated like COVID-19 contagion threats in Vietnam at the start of his travels to Southeast Asia , Bloomberg reported .
He and his aides were relegated to a single floor in the Metropole Hotel in Hanoi , where they stayed last weekend , and were tested by people in “ head-to-toe ” protective gear , according to Bloomberg .
Meals were left outside their hotel rooms for them to retrieve .
The Air Force flight crew that delivered O ’ Brien was sent out of the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ready to leave .
Later in the trip , in the Philippines , a member of the crew tested positive for COVID-19 .
Two national security aides who were apparently in close contact with them self-quarantined in a Manila hotel and skipped O ’ Brien ’ s flight home , according to Bloomberg .
The U.S. has the highest number of coronavirus cases — and deaths — in the world , and cases are surging .
The nation recorded more than 140,000 new cases a day the week of O ’ Brien ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a million Americans have died of COVID-19 .
Ironically , in a teleconference call with the press on Monday , O ’ Brien attacked China for “ releasing ” COVID-19 on the world , apparently oblivious to other nations ’ views of America ’ s loose controls regarding the pandemic .
The “ release of the COVID virus on the whole world , either if it was accidental or even if it was natural , the Chinese covered up the virus and they silenced those who tried to raise the alarm in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the call .
“ They bullied the WHO to give false information about the virus not being transmittable from human-to-human , or by aerosol.
” When Trump learned of the virus in early 2020 , he said in January : “ We have it totally under control .
It ’ s one person coming in from China .
It ’ s going to be just fine.
” Later he declared that COVID-19 “ miraculously goes away ” in warmer weather .
In February , the president said the then 15 cases in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days is going to be down to close to zero .
”

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White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien and his entourage were treated like COVID-19 contagion threats in Vietnam at the start of his travels to Southeast Asia, Bloomberg reported.
He and his aides were relegated to a single floor in the Metropole Hotel in Hanoi, where they stayed last weekend, and were tested by people in “head-to-toe” protective gear, according to Bloomberg. Meals were left outside their hotel rooms for them to retrieve.
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The Air Force flight crew that delivered O’Brien was sent out of the country to Thailand until O’Brien was ready to leave. Later in the trip, in the Philippines, a member of the crew tested positive for COVID-19. Two national security aides who were apparently in close contact with them self-quarantined in a Manila hotel and skipped O’Brien’s flight home, according to Bloomberg.
Two other members of the flight crew later tested positive for the coronavirus, Bloomberg reported.
Philippines officials required O’Brien’s team to wear a plastic shield over face masks in any public indoor spaces, according to Bloomberg.
The U.S. has the highest number of coronavirus cases — and deaths — in the world, and cases are surging. The nation recorded more than 140,000 new cases a day the week of O’Brien’s departure. More than a quarter of a million Americans have died of COVID-19.
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Vietnam has reported just over 1,300 cases since the pandemic began.
Ironically, in a teleconference call with the press on Monday, O’Brien attacked China for “releasing” COVID-19 on the world, apparently oblivious to other nations’ views of America’s loose controls regarding the pandemic.
The “release of the COVID virus on the whole world, either if it was accidental or even if it was natural, the Chinese covered up the virus and they silenced those who tried to raise the alarm in China,” O’Brien said on the call. “They bullied the WHO to give false information about the virus not being transmittable from human-to-human, or by aerosol.”
When Trump learned of the virus in early 2020, he said in January: “We have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China. It’s going to be just fine.” Later he declared that COVID-19 “miraculously goes away” in warmer weather.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-27--People Can’t Believe Donald Trump’s Tiny-Looking Desk For His Thanksgiving Rant Isn’t A Joke

President Donald Trump sat at a small-looking desk to baselessly rant about election fraud on Thanksgiving , and Twitter users had a field day with the furniture .
Trump flipped out at a reporter , whined about the media and refused to say if he ’ ll attend President-elect Joe Biden ’ s inauguration while taking questions from the press after a video chat with service members on Thursday .
President Donald Trump spoke with reporters following a video chat with members of the military , and the tiny desk he sat at became a meme .
Photographs from Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Twitter users joked the president had been moved to the kids ’ table for Thanksgiving .
Maybe if you behave yourself , stop lying to undermine a fair election & start thinking of what 's good for the country instead of whining about how unfairly you are treated , you 'll be invited to sit at the big boy 's table .
# DiaperDon pic.twitter.com/nnNOoOI1gl — Mark Hamill ( @ HamillHimself ) November 27 , 2020 It ’ s like one of those “ just like Mommy ” mini kitchen sets they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Resolute Desk .
I can ’ t stop looking at it .
— Celeste Ng ( @ pronounced_ing ) November 27 , 2020 Awww , look what Trump got for Christmas : Fisher Price ’ s ‘ I ’ m still President ’ Miniature Desk Playset !
So cute ... 😊 pic.twitter.com/P0yoSLKltF — Caffeinated , Creative Mammal { Jon Carter } 🇺🇸 ( @ MongolianMisfit ) November 27 , 2020 I still can ’ t quite believe this happened today .
Whoever suggested that desk … thank you.
# tinydesk # TinyDeskDonald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( @ noahsparc ) November 27 , 2020 May this be how we remember the Trump presidency : a baby at his tiny little desk throwing a tantrum pic.twitter.com/T26DjF1fL4 — Parker Molloy ( @ ParkerMolloy ) November 27 , 2020 Donald Trump was moved to the kiddie table this Thanksgiving .
Watch out , the grown ups are here now .
# Thanksgiving # trump # tinydesk # BidenTransition pic.twitter.com/tAeQ1ZjnCN — Rachel Wilder ( @ RachelWilder_ ) November 27 , 2020 When Donald Trump learned President Obama had a tiny desk concert at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Fitting .
https : //t.co/oa5QfPS75K — Charles Booker ( @ Booker4KY ) November 27 , 2020 Just want to give an extra Thanksgiving shout-out to the person in Trump ’ s camp who walked out to look at that desk prior to today ’ s presser and went , “ Yeah , looks good .
Bring him in.
” # hero pic.twitter.com/wR4TnBmZOg — Richard Marx ( @ richardmarx ) November 27 , 2020 Speaking of # DiaperDon , whichever staffer tricked him into sitting at that tiny desk is a f'ing hero @ @ @ @ @ @ @ name someday so we can properly celebrate them .
pic.twitter.com/FkjJ6ubkva — David Roberts ( @ drvox ) November 27 , 2020 I used to love Lily Tomlin ’ s big chair bit , but Prez ’ s tiny desk gag was even better pic.twitter.com/Z8CwR0FfzS — Eric Stangel ( @ EricStangel ) November 27 , 2020 The best part about the tiny desk is this is where he got mad at a reporter and snapped “ I ’ m the president of the United States .
Don ’ t talk to me that way.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ imagined it better .
— Helen Kennedy ( @ HelenKennedy ) November 27 , 2020 Aha I think I figured out where they did that tiny desk presser pic.twitter.com/ZVWbpT0LCV — Jess Zimmerman ( @ j_zimms ) November 27 , 2020 There was an apparent explanation for the desk , however , which some people noted was usually used by the president when surrounded by others : Here ’ s the thing about the small desk Trump is sitting at .
It ’ s like ... a bill-signing desk .
It ’ s meant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around it .
I think it might be small so that more people can cram in for a photo op .
It is not intended to be a desk you sit at alone .
pic.twitter.com/LOc0M1bImE — 📌 Pinned Tweet ( @ Mantia ) November 27 , 2020 Really , it ’ s not the desk that ’ s weird .
This small desk has been used many , many times when Presidents sign bills into law .
pic.twitter.com/71NSvgFJ71 — 📌 Pinned Tweet ( @ Mantia ) November 27 , 2020 Seriously .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at this kind of desk for decades in signing ceremonies .
What ’ s *weird* is that Trump would want to sit at this desk to answer questions from the press .
Get up .
Go to another room .
Like the Press Briefing Room , for instance .
pic.twitter.com/G4550kVOCA — 📌 Pinned Tweet ( @ Mantia ) November 27 , 2020

Here’s the thing about the small desk Trump is sitting at. It’s like... a bill-signing desk. It’s meant to have a dozen or so people around it. I think it might be small so that more people can cram in for a photo op.
It is not intended to be a desk you sit at alone. pic.twitter.com/LOc0M1bImE


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-26--Trump Flips Out At Reporter: 'Don't Ever Talk To The President That Way'

Donald Trump lashed out during a Thanksgiving press conference at a reporter who pushed back against his false claims of election fraud , calling the journalist a “ lightweight ” and telling him , “ I ’ m the president of the United States.
” Reuters White House correspondent Jeff Mason asked Trump if he will concede when the Electoral College votes for President-elect Joe Biden .
“ Well if they do , they made a mistake , because this election was a fraud , ” Trump replied , before launching into a tirade about the number of votes Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
When Mason interrupted this lengthy digression , Trump snapped , “ Don ’ t talk to me that way.
” ″You ’ re just a lightweight .
Don ’ t talk to me that way .
I ’ m the president of the United States .
Don ’ t ever talk to the president that way , ” he added .
JUST IN : President Trump snaps at reporter objecting to the President 's false claims about the election : `` You 're just a lightweight .
Do n't talk to me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the United States .
Do n't ever talk to the President that way . ''
pic.twitter.com/RbTKItjs9L — The Hill ( @ thehill ) November 26 , 2020 This tone typified much of the press conference , in which the president evaded questions about whether he will attend Biden ’ s inauguration , persistently alleged widespread voter fraud , attacked election officials , and complained that his successor shouldn ’ t be allowed to take credit for a COVID-19 vaccine .
The president ’ s outburst sparked much chatter on Twitter from other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ often insulted and demeaned journalists who ask questions that he doesn ’ t like .
CNN ’ s chief Washington correspondent Jake Tapper tweeted that Mason is an “ excellent journalist ” who will “ still be working at the White House after January 20 , 2021 .
”

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Donald Trump lashed out during a Thanksgiving press conference at a reporter who pushed back against his false claims of election fraud, calling the journalist a “lightweight” and telling him, “I’m the president of the United States.”
Reuters White House correspondent Jeff Mason asked Trump if he will concede when the Electoral College votes for President-elect Joe Biden.
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“Well if they do, they made a mistake, because this election was a fraud,” Trump replied, before launching into a tirade about the number of votes Biden got compared to former President Barack Obama.
When Mason interrupted this lengthy digression, Trump snapped, “Don’t talk to me that way.”
″You’re just a lightweight. Don’t talk to me that way. I’m the president of the United States. Don’t ever talk to the president that way,” he added.
JUST IN: President Trump snaps at reporter objecting to the President's false claims about the election: "You're just a lightweight. Don't talk to me that way. I'm the President of the United States. Don't ever talk to the President that way." pic.twitter.com/RbTKItjs9L — The Hill (@thehill) November 26, 2020
This tone typified much of the press conference, in which the president evaded questions about whether he will attend Biden’s inauguration, persistently alleged widespread voter fraud, attacked election officials, and complained that his successor shouldn’t be allowed to take credit for a COVID-19 vaccine.
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The president’s outburst sparked much chatter on Twitter from other members of the press. Trump has often insulted and demeaned journalists who ask questions that he doesn’t like.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-27--Jake Tapper Hits Donald Trump With A Blunt Reminder After President’s Rant At Reporter

CNN ’ s Jake Tapper responded to Donald Trump ’ s outburst at a reporter on Thursday with a stark reminder for the president ― that he won ’ t be in office for much longer .
Trump snapped at Reuters White House correspondent Jeff Mason for interrupting him during one of his lengthy , conspiracy theory-filled rambles in a press conference that followed the president ’ s video chat with service members for Thanksgiving .
“ Don ’ t talk to me that way , ” Trump told Mason .
“ You ’ re just a lightweight .
Don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I ’ m the president of the United States .
Don ’ t ever talk to the president that way.
” JUST IN : President Trump snaps at reporter objecting to the President 's false claims about the election : `` You 're just a lightweight .
Do n't talk to me that way .
I 'm the President of the United States .
Do n't ever talk to the President that way . ''
pic.twitter.com/RbTKItjs9L — The Hill ( @ thehill ) November 26 , 2020 Tapper on Twitter named Mason @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was “ on the other end of this spectacle.
” He then dinged the president with this line : “ Jeff will still be working at the White House after January 20 , 2021.
” The excellent journalist @ jeffmason1 is on the other end of this spectacle .
Jeff will still be working at the White House after January 20 , 2021. https : //t.co/OJoGCvzUrG — Jake Tapper ( @ jaketapper ) November 27 , 2020 Tapper ’ s tweet has gone viral , receiving more than 40,000 likes on the platform @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to acknowledge his defeat in the 2020 election , repeated baseless conspiracy theories about election fraud and did not acknowledge whether he ’ d attend Biden ’ s inauguration .

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CNN’s Jake Tapper responded to Donald Trump’s outburst at a reporter on Thursday with a stark reminder for the president ― that he won’t be in office for much longer.
Trump snapped at Reuters White House correspondent Jeff Mason for interrupting him during one of his lengthy, conspiracy theory-filled rambles in a press conference that followed the president’s video chat with service members for Thanksgiving.
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“Don’t talk to me that way,” Trump told Mason. “You’re just a lightweight. Don’t talk to me that way. I’m the president of the United States. Don’t ever talk to the president that way.”
Check out the exchange here:
JUST IN: President Trump snaps at reporter objecting to the President's false claims about the election: "You're just a lightweight. Don't talk to me that way. I'm the President of the United States. Don't ever talk to the President that way." pic.twitter.com/RbTKItjs9L — The Hill (@thehill) November 26, 2020
Tapper on Twitter named Mason as the “excellent journalist” who was “on the other end of this spectacle.”
He then dinged the president with this line:
“Jeff will still be working at the White House after January 20, 2021.”
The excellent journalist @jeffmason1 is on the other end of this spectacle.
Jeff will still be working at the White House after January 20, 2021. https://t.co/OJoGCvzUrG — Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) November 27, 2020
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Tapper’s tweet has gone viral, receiving more than 40,000 likes on the platform.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-27--Trump Loss Conspiracies Spark GOP Talk Of Senate Vote Boycott In Georgia

Wild GOP election conspiracies could end up delivering a stinging backlash to Republicans .
Because of their conspiracy theories , some GOP voters are considering boycotting crucial runoff elections in Georgia for a pair of Senate seats , Politico reports .
According to ongoing conspiracy theories being gobbled up by some Make America Great Again disciples , the Republican candidates — Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Sen. David Perdue — are letting Georgia ’ s alleged electoral fraud slide .
There ’ s absolutely no evidence of any fraud , nor is there proof that Perdue and Loeffler had anything to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Georgia lawyer Lin Wood , who filed a lawsuit challenging the state ’ s presidential election results , asked last week why Loeffler and Perdue aren ’ t doing more to jettison election results ( which got them to a runoff ) .
He vowed he won ’ t vote in the Senate race unless something is done — and asked who else was with him .
Let ’ s speak truth about @ SenLoeffler & @ sendavidperdue .
Why are they doing little or nothing to support efforts by GA citizens to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ BrianKempGA to order special session of legislature ?
If not fixed , I will NOT vote in GA runoff .
Will you ?
— Lin Wood ( @ LLinWood ) November 21 , 2020 There are also claims that the two don ’ t support President Donald Trump enough .
Both have inexplicably been called “ liberal DemoRats ” on social media , according to Politico .
The conspiracies are also being inflamed by attorney Sidney Powell , who recently claimed without evidence that Loeffler had somehow conspired with a voting technology company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Doug Collins .
( Loeffler ’ s race is a runoff without Collins . )
Powell was initially described as a key member of Trump ’ s legal “ strike force ” against the results of the presidential election .
But last Sunday the campaign distanced itself from Powell after she baselessly claimed in a press conference that Venezuela , Cuba , Antifa , George Soros , the Clinton Foundation and the late Hugo Chávez , among others , were responsible for rigging the election .
The current conspiracies are giving Republicans — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He pleaded Monday in a tweet to “ IGNORE ” the claims , and the call to boycott the vote .
I ’ m seeing a lot of talk from people that are supposed to be on our side telling GOP voters not to go out & vote for @ KLoeffler and @ PerdueSenate .
That is NONSENSE .
IGNORE those people .
We need ALL of our people coming out to vote for Kelly & David.
# MAGA # GASEN — Donald Trump Jr. ( @ DonaldJTrumpJr ) November 23 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and clearly lots of Biden supporters — urged followers not to believe him .
Wo n't back the @ GOP when 90 % of them refuse to fight for your father who got them elected in the first place .
Either the whole party comes together and fights this , or the party dies .
Sick of cowards .
— a4xMining ( @ a4xMining ) November 23 , 2020 “ Whenever you have a close election , any distraction can be decisive , and by all accounts , the runoffs in Georgia are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they were in November , ” Republican political strategist Alex Conant told Politico .
If the Senate race is “ about Trump and conspiracy theories , that only divides our party and emboldens Democrats , ” he added .

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Wild GOP election conspiracies could end up delivering a stinging backlash to Republicans. Because of their conspiracy theories, some GOP voters are considering boycotting crucial runoff elections in Georgia for a pair of Senate seats, Politico reports.
The runoff races Jan. 5 will determine which party controls the Senate.
According to ongoing conspiracy theories being gobbled up by some Make America Great Again disciples, the Republican candidates — Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Sen. David Perdue — are letting Georgia’s alleged electoral fraud slide. There’s absolutely no evidence of any fraud, nor is there proof that Perdue and Loeffler had anything to do with the nonexistent fraud.
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But Georgia lawyer Lin Wood, who filed a lawsuit challenging the state’s presidential election results, asked last week why Loeffler and Perdue aren’t doing more to jettison election results (which got them to a runoff). He vowed he won’t vote in the Senate race unless something is done — and asked who else was with him.
Let’s speak truth about @SenLoeffler & @sendavidperdue.
Why are they doing little or nothing to support efforts by GA citizens to address unlawful election & need for @BrianKempGA to order special session of legislature?
If not fixed, I will NOT vote in GA runoff.
Will you? — Lin Wood (@LLinWood) November 21, 2020
There are also claims that the two don’t support President Donald Trump enough. Both have inexplicably been called “liberal DemoRats” on social media, according to Politico.
The conspiracies are also being inflamed by attorney Sidney Powell, who recently claimed without evidence that Loeffler had somehow conspired with a voting technology company to suppress votes for Republican challenger Rep. Doug Collins. (Loeffler’s race is a runoff without Collins.)
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Powell was initially described as a key member of Trump’s legal “strike force” against the results of the presidential election. But last Sunday the campaign distanced itself from Powell after she baselessly claimed in a press conference that Venezuela, Cuba, Antifa, George Soros, the Clinton Foundation and the late Hugo Chávez, among others, were responsible for rigging the election.
The current conspiracies are giving Republicans — like Donald Trump Jr. — the willies. He pleaded Monday in a tweet to “IGNORE” the claims, and the call to boycott the vote.
I’m seeing a lot of talk from people that are supposed to be on our side telling GOP voters not to go out & vote for @KLoeffler and @PerdueSenate.
That is NONSENSE.
IGNORE those people.
We need ALL of our people coming out to vote for Kelly & David.#MAGA #GASEN — Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) November 23, 2020
Some true GOP conspiracy believers — and clearly lots of Biden supporters — urged followers not to believe him.
Won't back the @GOP when 90% of them refuse to fight for your father who got them elected in the first place. Either the whole party comes together and fights this, or the party dies. Sick of cowards. — a4xMining (@a4xMining) November 23, 2020
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IGNORE DON JR. He's an agent of Hugo Chavez trying to bring down his father so he can run for President in 2024! — Paul 👻 (@pablo_honey1) November 23, 2020
This makes ZERO sense. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue are DEEP STATE and CANNOT BE TRUSTED.
True Patriots BOYCOTT the Georgia Runoffs. — Jake and The Derg Win Georgia ⚖💛🐝 (@JakeReif) November 23, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-27--Democrats Got Trounced In Kentucky, But Charles Booker Hasn’t Lost Hope

That ’ s how we were able to have a Green New Deal tour in eastern Kentucky .
We didn ’ t just succumb to the narrative that the words “ Green New Deal ” are scary .
We sat down with folks .
And we talked to them about their own challenges with high utility bills , having water that irritates their skin and not being able to use it to fill bottles to feed their children , and not having sustainable jobs , and their livelihoods being taken away .
And then we talked about what a Green @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in addressing crumbling infrastructure , and making sure that they have adequate health care and sustainable housing .
And when you do that , people say , “ Wait a minute , not only do we want the Green New Deal , we want a Kentucky New Deal .
We want to lead on that.
” It gives us the chance to redefine the narrative .
And I think that ’ s the moment we ’ re in .
But I ’ m also making it clear that this ain ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we need to get rid of the Mitch McConnells and the Rand Pauls and anyone else that looks to exploit our pain , or ignore our cries for change and continue on with the status quo .
Poverty is being passed down from generation to generation .
Folks are rationing their insulin , and dying because they don ’ t have a roof over their head .
The fact that all of those things are still happening is proof that we should all feel a sense of urgency to do all we can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work means to me , and why I ’ m doubling down on Hood to the Holler and trying to build the infrastructure in Kentucky so that we can show proof of concept .
If you can do it here in Kentucky , you can do it anywhere .
I ’ m focused on that now .
I don ’ t believe I ’ ve run my last race , but it was never just about one race .

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Kentucky Democrats took a shellacking in November, as voters dashed any potential hope the beleaguered party had wanted to take out of the 2020 election cycle.
President-elect Joe Biden lost all but two of the state’s 120 counties on his way to a 27-point loss to President Donald Trump. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell cruised to a 20-point victory over Democratic candidate Amy McGrath, the second-largest margin of his 36-year Senate career. The GOP expanded its supermajorities in both chambers of the state legislature. Democrats barely register in the state now: Gov. Andy Beshear is the only Democratic officeholder statewide, and Rep. John Yarmuth is alone in its Republican-heavy Washington delegation.
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Kentucky is not the place to go looking for Democratic enthusiasm. Rather, it seems like every challenge the party faces has coalesced there at once: a base increasingly concentrated in major metro areas; a struggle to reach rural and working-class white voters; atrophied party infrastructure; and intra-party disputes over its direction that have left Democrats without a coherent message on the economy, racial justice, the environment or anything else.
To state Rep. Charles Booker, who narrowly lost the Democratic Senate primary to McGrath in June, that also makes Kentucky the perfect laboratory in which to rebuild the Democratic Party from the ground up.
“Just because someone is terrible ― and everyone knows how terrible Mitch McConnell is ― that isn’t enough to overcome generations of people feeling left behind, feeling like nothing will ever change, being very directly disenfranchised,” Booker told HuffPost earlier this month. “[McConnell’s victory] was shocking to a lot of folks nationally, but the truth is, if people still feel like no one’s listening to them, and then nothing matters, then how do you expect things to dramatically change?”
“This is a moment to not turn away from places like Kentucky, but to actually invest more on the ground,” he said. “And not just in candidates, not just around election time, but in people, year-round. There is no substitute for that type of work.”
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Kentucky state Rep. Charles Booker nearly pulled off a progressive upset in the state's 2020 Democratic Senate primary, fueling speculation that he will challenge Republican Sen. Rand Paul in 2022. AP Photo/Bryan Woolston
Booker, who in 2018 became the youngest Black lawmaker elected to the Kentucky state legislature in a century, is already widely considered a likely candidate to take on GOP Sen. Rand Paul in 2022. His progressive primary challenge ― which focused heavily on the need for a Green New Deal to address climate change and modernize the economy, and “Medicare for All” to further expand health care coverage ― ultimately fell short, but his hope for Kentucky stems from the ways that he feels his campaign succeeded: Booker was massively outspent but lost by just a few points, in part because he spoke to the urgency many Kentuckians felt as the pandemic spread devastation and Black Lives Matter protests erupted after the police killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.
Democrats, he said, need to overhaul their entire approach to political engagement ― to “get back on offense” and develop a platform and a message that addresses the problems voters face and matches their own desperation. But they also need to actually show up in the places they’ve “written off,” and develop the sort of organizing infrastructure that allows them to reach voters who feel like nothing can change. (After his primary defeat, Booker launched Hood to the Holler, a nonprofit organizing group named after a campaign slogan that seeks to link Kentuckians from urban and rural areas.)
“It’s not rocket science,” he said, and it’s perhaps too optimistic about a place that hasn’t voted for a Democratic senator since 1992 or the party’s presidential candidate since 1996. But given that Democrats have lost everything in Kentucky and many places like it, there’s also little reason to expect things to change if Democrats keep reading from the same playbook.
“You can use a crisis to either fall back in your corners, or you can use it to chart a new course forward,” Booker said. “And I’m proposing we finally chart the new course.”
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The rest of his conversation with HuffPost follows.
What’s your view of the 2020 elections in Kentucky, and the race Amy McGrath ran against Mitch McConnell in particular?
I think the biggest takeaway from 2020 and our race for Senate here in Kentucky is that the deeper structural challenges that we’re facing are unavoidable. I think there is nothing short of a movement that is going to allow the type of change that would beat a Mitch McConnell. He’s an institution and anyone that was running against him was gonna have a tough time beating him, because he’s woven into the fabric. He’s been screwing us my entire life. Any campaign that doesn’t do that type of deep organizing, that doesn’t give voters a vision for the future, that doesn’t give people a reason to believe that anything can actually be different — no matter how much money you have, you’re not going to be successful.
People put a whole lot of money into races, not only in Kentucky, but in other places where Democrats weren’t successful. I think it should drum home the point you cannot buy your way out of the trauma and despair and hopelessness that has been there for generations. You’ve got to organize out of it. So as opposed to having a critique of McGrath, I think it really is an indictment of our whole model of political engagement. This should be crystal clear to everybody that we need to do things differently.
What does doing things differently look like, at least in a way that will make up for such a comprehensive defeat?
The overarching lesson that I take from all of this is how critical it is, especially as Democrats, that we have an agenda and a vision for people that inspires and mobilizes them, because the model that we’ve been using, particularly on the Democratic side, for so long, has been focused on tearing down an opponent like McConnell, and not really [presenting] a message about how we must address the structural challenges people are facing.
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“We’ll talk about issues. We’ll have positions. But we haven’t done the relationship building that gives us the chance to build a bigger, broader coalition. You can’t ignore the challenges people are facing and expect things to change.”
You’ll see a whole lot of ads, but you don’t see a whole lot of investment in people. You don’t see the infrastructure. And I think that point is what we need to really galvanize around: How do we invest in people? How do we do the work of connecting in those places that we had forgotten, that we had written off, that we didn’t think were worth it?
I think it manifested itself in us continuing to see a sense of hopelessness at the ballot box. We have to transform that expectation that all we can expect is McConnell. That’s why I’m so urgent about this work, because I know it’s there. People are demanding it. And now we’ve got to listen to them.
When you say invest in people, can you explain what you mean?
One of the things that I’ve seen a lot as an organizer, and as someone who’s worked all across Kentucky, is that when it comes to politics, especially on the Democratic side, we’ll talk about issues. We’ll have positions. But we haven’t done the relationship building that gives us the chance to build a bigger, broader coalition.
Our common bonds are so prevalent ― poverty is so pervasive for so many of us, so many of us are fighting to keep food on the table, we’re fighting to afford our medication, we’re fighting to take care of our families. We have to go to those rural places in far eastern or far western Kentucky, to the urban areas, and start to go back to our foundation of getting on offense; telling people what we believe in, what our core values are, listening to them, and lifting up our common bonds, showing up and continuing to show up, and then training more folks to do the same thing.
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It’s the type of thing that you typically expect a party apparatus to do. But we haven’t done it for years here. You can’t ignore the challenges people are facing and expect things to change.
You say that the people of Kentucky are ready for this. But the results on Nov. 3 suggest that the people of Kentucky are ready to go in the exact opposite direction. Is the electoral lens the wrong one? Or is there something to look at beyond the results?
People are demanding structural change, just no one ever listens to them. And even when you think about who voted for Trump, in a lot of cases we know that he weaponized hate and racism. But he also spoke to the fact that the system is broken. And he engaged people in a lot of parts of Kentucky that felt abandoned for a long time, as the coal industry declines and they’re being left behind and people are losing their livelihoods.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) and President Donald Trump notched massive victories in Kentucky on Nov. 3. Democrats haven't won a Senate seat in Kentucky since 1994, or a presidential race there since 1996. ASSOCIATED PRESS
For me, it’s understanding that there’s a populist message there, it speaks to these challenges that people are facing ― that they feel left behind and are left behind. That gives us a chance to cast a vision forward and not fall into our fears and succumb to division, but to understand that we are fighting the same battles, and that if we join together, we can actually change them.
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It’s a matter of being realistic. People in Kentucky are desperate for change. They’re so desperate that as soon as the opportunity came or someone was speaking to the challenges in a real way, they took the chance. A lot of folks who took the chance on Trump, they realized that they were burned. But then they felt like, “Well, how is anything ever going to change?” We have to answer that for them.
In a place that looks essentially like two different states, how do you go into these areas where Democrats have been almost entirely wiped out, where they seem to have a pretty big brand problem, and reach voters?
We have to be able to redefine our politics here, especially now. Things are so extreme. We are so far in our corners. And the Republicans have built so much infrastructure around their message of using these wedge issues to divide folks and using fear as a means to keep power at all of our expense. They’ve been able to create a message that has given people the idea that the only way that we protect our future is by succumbing to our fears.
The responsibility for us as Democrats is to build those relationships and show up not when you’re just asking for a vote, but to show up every day, and to say, this is what fighting for our future means. This is what fighting for our future can look like. What are the issues that are important to you? And this is how we help meet those concerns you have.
The bottom has fallen out for so many people. I cannot stress enough how much this pandemic has caused more Kentuckians to look around and ask more questions and to really begin to think about what our future is actually gonna look like. We have to be the ones to have the answer: that the future looks brighter for us when we stand together. The future looks bright for us if we fight poverty, and quit allowing corrupt politicians to rob us blind.
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You used the phrase ‘infrastructure around their messaging’ regarding Republicans. There has been a pretty lengthy debate among House Democrats over the last few weeks about whether the party has a messaging issue or an infrastructure problem. But it sounds to me like you think they have both.
It’s both. We have essentially allowed Republicans like McConnell to define the narrative, and then we just play defense within it. And instead, it’s time that we get on the offense and begin to lift up our common bonds and values, and then cast our own agenda about how we help meet those common concerns and challenges that we’re all facing.
That’s how we were able to have a Green New Deal tour in eastern Kentucky. We didn’t just succumb to the narrative that the words “Green New Deal” are scary. We sat down with folks. And we talked to them about their own challenges with high utility bills, having water that irritates their skin and not being able to use it to fill bottles to feed their children, and not having sustainable jobs, and their livelihoods being taken away. And then we talked about what a Green New Deal represents in a sustainable economy, in addressing crumbling infrastructure, and making sure that they have adequate health care and sustainable housing. And when you do that, people say, “Wait a minute, not only do we want the Green New Deal, we want a Kentucky New Deal. We want to lead on that.” It gives us the chance to redefine the narrative. And I think that’s the moment we’re in.
I know that Democrats have been tussling back and forth on, “Well, our slogans are too extreme,” or, “Our slogans are causing people to go away from us.” I think the point of having the message, defining our own narrative and activating people in the off years and in places that we have given up on ― if you do both of those things, you can build winning coalitions.
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What if it doesn’t work? What if large segments of rural white Kentuckians, in particular, have decided what team they’re on, and aren’t aren’t going to switch?
My actual response to that is that it already is working. We’re building the foundations for this movement. We’re doing the deeper work that doesn’t always rise to getting news coverage. But what Hood to the Holler ― and there are a lot of partners across Kentucky that are doing this type of work ― has done in just the last two months is build a network of volunteers, with over 5,000 Kentuckians that have signed up to volunteer. A lot of these folks are in places that we haven’t gone in years as Democrats. A lot of them voted for the first time this year. They never thought politics was for them. They didn’t think that democracy really meant anything for them. They’re just trying to survive.
“If we can own the message of what we’re fighting for, people can disagree on the slogans all they want. It gives people the chance to step back and take in what we’re really talking about, not just a narrative that Republicans want.”
We’re doing digital organizing training where we have thousands of people across Kentucky signing up to become organizers and citizen lobbyists, and building curriculum for folks to run for office. And we’re [trying to] build sustainable change that makes our ability to not only to win back more seats at the local level possible, but actually creates coalitions that can prioritize fighting and ending poverty. It’s not about one election, or two or three, it’s about the work of lifetimes. But the fact is, because so many people are feeling the urgency, we’ll be able to see immediate results if we lean into it. And I’m excited to prove a lot of folks wrong about what we’re gonna do in Kentucky.
Speaking of 2022, are you planning to run against Rand Paul?
I never thought I’d be in politics personally — certainly didn’t think I’d ever run for U.S. Senate. I’m praying on what’s next for me because I know my work isn’t done. I’m committed to Kentucky, and we need change at the statewide level. So I am evaluating what that means in a potential run.
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But I’m also making it clear that this ain’t about me. The fact is that we need to get rid of the Mitch McConnells and the Rand Pauls and anyone else that looks to exploit our pain, or ignore our cries for change and continue on with the status quo. Poverty is being passed down from generation to generation. Folks are rationing their insulin, and dying because they don’t have a roof over their head. The fact that all of those things are still happening is proof that we should all feel a sense of urgency to do all we can. That’s really what this work means to me, and why I’m doubling down on Hood to the Holler and trying to build the infrastructure in Kentucky so that we can show proof of concept. If you can do it here in Kentucky, you can do it anywhere. I’m focused on that now. I don’t believe I’ve run my last race, but it was never just about one race.
Rev. Raphael Warnock is running in Georgia. You often talk about your Christian upbringing as the son of two ministers. Do Democrats, broadly speaking, need to do better about talking about God and their faith?
I’m glad you asked that question; when I talk about how we’ve conceded the narrative, that applies to our faith too. Faith is not partisan. Faith has been co-opted by the right in a lot of ways. For a lot of Kentuckians, as far as how their faith translates into their politics, they’re only getting one side of the conversation. And that’s where showing up and building relationships is important too. It’s showing up and explaining my convictions and why I fight for what I fight for. It helps give people a sense of connection in ways that they may not have thought existed.
I think it gives us a chance to talk about how the issues we believe in are the truest embodiment of faith, and not counter to it. Making sure that everyone has health care and has the ability to eat healthy food, and gets to be safe in their homes ― that is our way of honoring our faith.
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You took a frontline role in Black Lives Matter protests after the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, but there’s been a lot of talk among Democrats that “defund the police” and other calls that came out of those demonstrations hurt the party at the polls. How do you react to the suggestion that it hurt Democrats politically?
We collectively don’t grapple with what racism means at a structural level. It’s not a conversation we often have. When we deal with issues of race and racism, it tends to stop at the individual level and it doesn’t go to the system. And so a lot of people aren’t used to even having the conversation. This is not about slogans ― the idea of being safe in your home and having public safety actually mean something. When you’re having a mental health crisis; when you’ve lost your home because your job went away and you’re on the street; when you have a need — an armed officer coming to hurt you is not the answer.
Booker's 2020 campaign surged after he took a leading role in protests over the police killing of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman from Louisville. Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images
Those are common responses that everyone can wrap their minds around if we dig deeper and have the conversation about these structural and institutional challenges that we’re facing. It’s another example of us showing up in our values, and not succumbing to the narrative and trying to defend or explain away which slogan we support or which slogan we don’t support. I think Congresswoman-elect Cori Bush said correctly that the concern is not about slogans. The concern is about Black people dying. The concern is about people not being safe.
If we can own the message of what we’re fighting for, people can disagree on the slogans all they want. But I do think us owning our own narrative gives us the chance to explain that we want to fully fund public safety. That’s what we’re trying to accomplish. We want public safety to actually mean something, and here’s how we do it. I think by doing those types of things, it gives people the chance to step back and take in what we’re really talking about and fighting for, and not just a narrative that Republicans want to lift up to keep people afraid.
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The Green New Deal was similar. That was popular across party lines early on, but the rollout and the GOP’s weaponization of it made it something a lot of Democrats chose to avoid. Can it be reframed or reclaimed, especially in places like Kentucky, as an opportunity to rebuild?
First of all, you have to meet people where they are and honor the humanity in the space that they’re in. And part of that includes deeply appreciating and understanding the pain and trauma of a lot of folks in Kentucky, and in a lot of parts of the country where industries have declined and people have lost everything.
But then what you do in addition to that is you listen to folks. When you talk to folks and ask them what’s important to them, and ask them what they need, you start to talk through the core tenets of what is represented in the Green New Deal. I think that’s why we were able to build a brand of saying, look, let’s have a Kentucky New Deal. Let’s own this.
Because when you listen to folks, they want sustainable housing; they want clean water; they want clean air; they want infrastructure that is safe; they want to be able to access hospitals in rural areas; they want new industries and more opportunities to create ownership, good paying jobs, and wealth in their communities. They want it and when you listen to them, and we have those conversations, and you have to point out that that’s what we’re trying to accomplish with the Green New Deal, the response is, ‘Why don’t we have it?’
That’s why there’s no substitute for that deep organizing. When you create the types of relationship and trust, you can have deeper conversations, so that these slogans and catchphrases don’t shake the whole discussion because people know you, they know what you stand for, and they’re going to listen to you and give you a chance because they know who you are.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-27--California Air, Climate Regulator Mary Nichols Hopes To Run Biden's EPA

SACRAMENTO , Calif. ( AP ) — Over four decades , Mary Nichols has been the regulator behind some of the nation ’ s most ambitious climate policies and , in recent years , she ’ s been their staunchest defender against President Donald Trump ’ s effort to dismantle them .
Nichols , 75 , ends her second tenure as chair of the California Air Resources Board next month , a job that ’ s made her the top air and climate regulator for the nation ’ s most populous and economically influential state .
She is viewed as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden ’ s administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency .
Biden ’ s transition team hasn ’ t said when he ’ ll announce environmental and energy nominees , and Nichols hadn ’ t been interviewed as of mid-week .
Nichols has worked before with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris , who was previously California ’ s attorney general .
If Republicans hold the Senate , she may have a tough road to confirmation due to their opposition to environmental and business regulation .
Republicans loyal to Trump are sure to oppose her , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to his administration .
To her allies , Nichols ’ decades of experience implementing climate policy and her long relationships make her an ideal candidate to lead the agency as it goes through the arduous process of reversing Trump administration actions .
During Trump ’ s tenure , she fought to preserve California ’ s ability to set its own auto-emissions standards and resisted his efforts to roll back power plant pollution regulations .
“ There ’ s no one in America who combines both the technical and political work and experience as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ California Gov .
Jerry Brown , who first made Nichols chair of the California board in the late 1970s .
“ Having that wide scope of time and experience is invaluable , totally unique , and absolutely essential to deal with the complexities of climate.
” But environmental groups are not united behind Nichols .
Cities like Los Angeles and Fresno have some of the nation ’ s dirtiest air and high childhood asthma rates .
Critics of California ’ s climate approach say the state ’ s policies have left low-income communities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Friends of the Earth sent a letter to Biden ’ s transition team Tuesday saying Nichols has ignored their suggestions and backed policies that favor industry over people .
Transportation makes up the largest portion of the nation ’ s greenhouse gas emissions , and no state has had more power in reducing them than California , which holds a major share of the American car market .
The state won the power decades ago to implement its own emissions standards as smog choked Southern California .
But the automakers sensed a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the time President Barack Obama took office in 2009 , Nichols was already in talks with car makers and federal officials about setting one national emissions standard , built off California ’ s rules .
Three years later , Obama announced a requirement for the new fleet of vehicles to get 36 miles per gallon real-world driving by 2025 , a major step forward .
On the hood of an electric car , California Gov .
Gavin Newsom signs an executive order requiring all new passenger vehicles sold in the state to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Sept. 23 , 2020 , at Cal Expo in Sacramento .
Just months into his tenure , Trump moved to roll back those standards and revoke California ’ s authority to set its own .
Nichols helped persuade five companies — Ford , Honda , Volkswagen , Volvo and BMW — to buck Trump .
A lawsuit is still winding through the courts , but on Monday , General Motors pulled out and joined with California .
Other auto makers may soon do the same , and Biden is likely to end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 , which he says will mean a transition away from fossil fuels , though he is not calling for a ban .
Nichols said banning oil production or refining could be an effective strategy but it would need to be coupled with major efforts to help the workforce adapt .
California is one of the nation ’ s main oil-producing states .

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Over four decades, Mary Nichols has been the regulator behind some of the nation’s most ambitious climate policies and, in recent years, she’s been their staunchest defender against President Donald Trump’s effort to dismantle them.
With Joe Biden heading to the White House, Nichols hopes she is not done yet.
Nichols, 75, ends her second tenure as chair of the California Air Resources Board next month, a job that’s made her the top air and climate regulator for the nation’s most populous and economically influential state. She is viewed as a leading contender to be named as Biden’s administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency.
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Heather McTeer Toney, senior director of Moms Clean Air Force, and Mustafa Santiago Ali of the National Wildlife Federation, both former EPA officials, also have support for the job. Biden has signaled climate change will be a top priority.
For Nichols, it would cap a career of championing stringent air pollution rules, negotiating landmark vehicle emissions standards and implementing California’s carbon trading system. She worked at the EPA from 1993 to 1997 as head of the Office of Air and Radiation.
“Not everybody has actually run a climate action program, or an air program for that matter. And I like working with large bureaucracies,” Nichols told The Associated Press. “If they offered it, I would take it.”
Biden’s transition team hasn’t said when he’ll announce environmental and energy nominees, and Nichols hadn’t been interviewed as of mid-week. Nichols has worked before with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, who was previously California’s attorney general. If Republicans hold the Senate, she may have a tough road to confirmation due to their opposition to environmental and business regulation. Republicans loyal to Trump are sure to oppose her, as California styled itself as the resistance to his administration.
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California Air Resources Board Chair Mary Nichols, flanked by Gov. Gavin Newsom, left, discusses the Trump administration's pledge to revoke California's authority to set vehicle emissions standards that are different than the federal standards, during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., on Sept. 18, 2019. ASSOCIATED PRESS
To her allies, Nichols’ decades of experience implementing climate policy and her long relationships make her an ideal candidate to lead the agency as it goes through the arduous process of reversing Trump administration actions. During Trump’s tenure, she fought to preserve California’s ability to set its own auto-emissions standards and resisted his efforts to roll back power plant pollution regulations.
“There’s no one in America who combines both the technical and political work and experience as Mary Nichols has,” said former California Gov. Jerry Brown, who first made Nichols chair of the California board in the late 1970s. “Having that wide scope of time and experience is invaluable, totally unique, and absolutely essential to deal with the complexities of climate.”
David Pettit, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council in Los Angeles, called her “the most important actor in the climate change movement in California.”
But environmental groups are not united behind Nichols. Cities like Los Angeles and Fresno have some of the nation’s dirtiest air and high childhood asthma rates. Critics of California’s climate approach say the state’s policies have left low-income communities behind. The California Environmental Justice Alliance and Friends of the Earth sent a letter to Biden’s transition team Tuesday saying Nichols has ignored their suggestions and backed policies that favor industry over people.
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“There are just numerous examples of how Mary Nichols has neglected environmental justice and communities of color,” said Gladys Limon, CEJA’s executive director.
Washington-based Food and Water Action isn’t taking a position on Nichols as a potential nominee, but senior energy policy analyst Jim Walsh said California has pursued a “flawed model that says that we can just make fossil fuels better.”
Nichols began her fight against air pollution in the 1970s, when she brought a lawsuit under the Clean Air Act over dirty air in Southern California. Her current stint on the air board began in 2007 under then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican.
Transportation makes up the largest portion of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, and no state has had more power in reducing them than California, which holds a major share of the American car market. The state won the power decades ago to implement its own emissions standards as smog choked Southern California.
But in 2007, the Bush administration denied California’s request to set higher vehicle emissions standards, which in turn dictate gas mileage.
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But the automakers sensed a political change was coming, and by the time President Barack Obama took office in 2009, Nichols was already in talks with car makers and federal officials about setting one national emissions standard, built off California’s rules. Three years later, Obama announced a requirement for the new fleet of vehicles to get 36 miles per gallon real-world driving by 2025, a major step forward.
On the hood of an electric car, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs an executive order requiring all new passenger vehicles sold in the state to be zero-emission by 2035 after a press conference on Sept. 23, 2020, at Cal Expo in Sacramento. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Just months into his tenure, Trump moved to roll back those standards and revoke California’s authority to set its own. Nichols helped persuade five companies — Ford, Honda, Volkswagen, Volvo and BMW — to buck Trump. A lawsuit is still winding through the courts, but on Monday, General Motors pulled out and joined with California. Other auto makers may soon do the same, and Biden is likely to end the efforts.
Nichols said she never spoke to Trump throughout the ordeal.
The Trump administration also targeted California’s cap-and-trade program, which requires polluters to buy or hold credits to emit carbon, though it lost in court. Some environmental groups oppose the market-based system, arguing it gives polluters too much leeway to continue spewing emissions.
Nichols said the air board is working to reduce pollution in the most polluted areas, but acknowledged there’s more work to be done.
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As Nichols prepares to leave the air board, California is pursuing more ambitious goals, including net-zero carbon emissions by 2045 and ending sales of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035. They are aggressive targets that Nichols sees as necessary to “avoid catastrophe.”
Biden has proposed net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, which he says will mean a transition away from fossil fuels, though he is not calling for a ban. Nichols said banning oil production or refining could be an effective strategy but it would need to be coupled with major efforts to help the workforce adapt. California is one of the nation’s main oil-producing states.
Even a hint at moving away from those industries will bring sharp political fights in Washington. To Brown, the former California governor, Nichols has the experience to navigate them.
“The politics of regulating emissions from all the powerful industries in California is not straightforward, are not harmonious or easy,” Brown said. “She’s been able to work through the challenges.”
__
Associated Press writers Tom Krisher in Detroit and Ellen Knickmeyer and Matthew Daly in Washington contributed.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-27--Could Matthew Perry's Confirmation Of His Engagement BE Any Cuter?

“ Friends ” star Matthew Perry is engaged to his long-term girlfriend Molly Hurwitz .
The actor , 51 , confirmed the news to People on Thursday with a sweet compliment about his future wife , who is 29 .
“ I decided to get engaged , ” Perry told the magazine .
“ Luckily , I happened to be dating the greatest woman on the face of the planet at this time.
” It ’ s not clear how Perry proposed to Hurwitz , a literary manager whom he reportedly began dating in 2018 .
His representatives did not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for further information .
Perry has not posted about the engagement on his Twitter or Instagram accounts .
But it hints at a busy 2021 for the star .
Earlier this month , Perry revealed on Twitter that the highly anticipated “ Friends ” reunion had been “ rescheduled for the beginning of March.
” Friends reunion being rescheduled for the beginning of March .
Looks like we have a busy year coming up .
And that 's the way I like it !
— matthew perry ( @ MatthewPerry ) November 12 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the special in March because of the coronavirus pandemic .
Perry and co-stars Courteney Cox , Lisa Kudrow , Matt LeBlanc , David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston are reportedly each receiving $ 3 million to $ 4 million for the gig .

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Oh. My. God.
“Friends” star Matthew Perry is engaged to his long-term girlfriend Molly Hurwitz.
The actor, 51, confirmed the news to People on Thursday with a sweet compliment about his future wife, who is 29.
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“I decided to get engaged,” Perry told the magazine. “Luckily, I happened to be dating the greatest woman on the face of the planet at this time.”
It’s not clear how Perry proposed to Hurwitz, a literary manager whom he reportedly began dating in 2018. His representatives did not immediately reply to HuffPost’s request for further information. Perry has not posted about the engagement on his Twitter or Instagram accounts.
But it hints at a busy 2021 for the star. Earlier this month, Perry revealed on Twitter that the highly anticipated “Friends” reunion had been “rescheduled for the beginning of March.”
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Friends reunion being rescheduled for the beginning of March. Looks like we have a busy year coming up. And that's the way I like it! — matthew perry (@MatthewPerry) November 12, 2020
HBO Max postponed the taping of the special in March this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.