thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-16--U.S. Says No Financial Bailout For Lebanon, Calls For Systemic Reforms

BEIRUT ( AP ) — There can be no financial bailout for Lebanon , a senior U.S. official said Saturday , calling on the country ’ s political leaders to heed popular calls for change , real reform and an end to endemic corruption .
David Hale , U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs , said the U.S. and its allies will respond to “ systemic reforms with sustained financial support.
” He also called for a thorough and transparent investigation into the Aug. 4 blast that killed nearly 180 people and wounded thousands .
“ America calls on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ respond to the people ’ s longstanding and legitimate demands and create a credible plan – accepted by the Lebanese people – for good governance , sound economic and financial reform , and an end to the endemic corruption that has stifled Lebanon ’ s tremendous potential , ” he said .
Hale ’ s comments were in line with Washington ’ s message before the visit .
But he didn ’ t detail whether the U.S. and Western allies are ready to support a government in which Lebanon ’ s powerful Iran-backed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its allies consider the Iran-backed group Hezbollah a terrorist organization , and have accused it of abusing government funds and undermining state authority .
There was speculation in the local media that Hale would be pushing for a government that excludes the group .
The blast only increased the public ’ s rage .
The cause of the fire that ignited nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate at Beirut ’ s port remains unclear .
Documents have emerged showing the country ’ s top leadership and security officials were aware of the chemicals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are calling for an independent international probe , saying they don ’ t trust the long-entrenched political factions to allow any results to come to light that are damaging to their leadership .
Under pressure , Lebanon ’ s government resigned Aug. 10 and is serving in a caretaker capacity .
So far , there are no formal consultations underway on who will replace Hassan Diab as prime minister and no likely candidate has emerged .
Western leaders have said they will send aid directly to the Lebanese people and that billions of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country before major reforms take place .
Hale said the United States has so far donated $ 18 million to the Lebanese people in terms of food and other essential and is preparing to work with Congress for an additional $ 30 million to ensure the flow of grains after the capital ’ s silos were destroyed in the blast .
The aid , he said , will be handled directly by the World Food Program .
“ This is a moment for Lebanon to define a Lebanese — not a foreign — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ What kind of Lebanon do you have and what kind of Lebanon do you want ?
Only Lebanese can answer that question.
” NGO volunteers hold up placards against Lebanese politicians , as they protest during the visit of U.S .
Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale to the main gathering point for volunteers , near the site of last week 's explosion that hit the seaport of Beirut , Lebanon , Thursday , Aug. 13 , 2020 .
( AP Photo/Hussein Malla , Pool ) Coinciding with Hale @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iranian Foreign Minister Jawad Zarif who said Western nations are exploiting Lebanon ’ s disaster to push their political dictates .
Iran is Hezbollah ’ s main foreign backer and has provided the group with financial and technical support throughout the years .
“ We will be very strict about the use of humanitarian assistance .
We will be monitoring closely every single delivery of our humanitarian assistance , ” she said .
“ We will be accountable not only to donors because our accountability goes also to the affected population .
”

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BEIRUT (AP) — There can be no financial bailout for Lebanon, a senior U.S. official said Saturday, calling on the country’s political leaders to heed popular calls for change, real reform and an end to endemic corruption.
David Hale, U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs, said the U.S. and its allies will respond to “systemic reforms with sustained financial support.” He also called for a thorough and transparent investigation into the Aug. 4 blast that killed nearly 180 people and wounded thousands.
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He said an FBI team is arriving this weekend to take part in the probe at the invitation of Lebanese authorities.
Hale arrived in Beirut on Thursday, where he met with volunteers helping out at the site of the blast, as well as the country’s top political and religious leadership.
“America calls on Lebanon’s political leaders to finally respond to the people’s longstanding and legitimate demands and create a credible plan – accepted by the Lebanese people – for good governance, sound economic and financial reform, and an end to the endemic corruption that has stifled Lebanon’s tremendous potential,” he said.
“But as the dozens of young activists and volunteers I met so bluntly demanded, there can be no bailout,” Hale said in a recorded message posted on the U.S. Embassy website Saturday.
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U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale, center left, and U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea, center right, visit the site of the Aug. 4 explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020. (Nabil Monzer/Pool Photo via AP) ASSOCIATED PRESS
Hale’s comments were in line with Washington’s message before the visit. But he didn’t detail whether the U.S. and Western allies are ready to support a government in which Lebanon’s powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah group has clout.
After visiting the site of the blast, Hale called for the state to exercise control over its borders and ports, in a clear reference to claims Hezbollah group controls them.
“We can never go back to an era in which anything goes at the port or borders of Lebanon,” Hale said.
Washington and its allies consider the Iran-backed group Hezbollah a terrorist organization, and have accused it of abusing government funds and undermining state authority. There was speculation in the local media that Hale would be pushing for a government that excludes the group.
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In a clear message, Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah said his group is pushing for a national unity government that has wide political representation and backing. Seeking a “neutral government,” he said, would be “a waste of time.”
Popular anger has been building up in Lebanon against the ruling elite’s corruption, mismanagement and political uncertainty many blame for pushing the country toward bankruptcy and poverty.
The blast only increased the public’s rage. The cause of the fire that ignited nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate at Beirut’s port remains unclear. Documents have emerged showing the country’s top leadership and security officials were aware of the chemicals stored at the port.
Many Lebanese are calling for an independent international probe, saying they don’t trust the long-entrenched political factions to allow any results to come to light that are damaging to their leadership.
Under pressure, Lebanon’s government resigned Aug. 10 and is serving in a caretaker capacity. So far, there are no formal consultations underway on who will replace Hassan Diab as prime minister and no likely candidate has emerged.
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But the flurry of diplomatic visits appeared designed to influence the forming of the new government.
Western leaders have said they will send aid directly to the Lebanese people and that billions of dollars will not be pumped into the country before major reforms take place.
Hale said the United States has so far donated $18 million to the Lebanese people in terms of food and other essential and is preparing to work with Congress for an additional $30 million to ensure the flow of grains after the capital’s silos were destroyed in the blast. The aid, he said, will be handled directly by the World Food Program.
“This is a moment for Lebanon to define a Lebanese — not a foreign — vision of Lebanon,” Hale said. “What kind of Lebanon do you have and what kind of Lebanon do you want? Only Lebanese can answer that question.”
NGO volunteers hold up placards against Lebanese politicians, as they protest during the visit of U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale to the main gathering point for volunteers, near the site of last week's explosion that hit the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, Pool) ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Coinciding with Hale’s visit was that of the Iranian Foreign Minister Jawad Zarif who said Western nations are exploiting Lebanon’s disaster to push their political dictates. Iran is Hezbollah’s main foreign backer and has provided the group with financial and technical support throughout the years.
On Friday, the United Nations launched a $565 million appeal for Lebanon with immediate humanitarian assistance and initial recovery efforts. Last week, international donors pledged nearly $300 million of emergency assistance to Lebanon.
Najat Rochdi, U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Lebanon, called for more funds to cover the critical needs of shelter, food, health and education.
Rochdi said most donors have asked that aid be channeled through the U.N., which she said would be coordinated with Lebanon’s armed forces to ensure access.
“We will be very strict about the use of humanitarian assistance. We will be monitoring closely every single delivery of our humanitarian assistance,” she said. “We will be accountable not only to donors because our accountability goes also to the affected population.”
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Also on Saturday, families and friends buried Ralph Malahi, a 23-year old firefighter who was among 10 firefighters killed in the explosion.
Malahi was given a hero’s funeral in Beirut. Lifting Malahi’s coffin, thousands paraded through different parts of the city, firing weapons into the air in commemoration.
Malahi is the seventh firefighter to be retrieved from under the debris in the port at the scene of the blast. Three remain missing.
Malahi’s mother, weeping, blamed the government for her son’s death. “Why did you not evacuate the port?” she said, in reference to the government’s knowledge that highly explosive material was stored at the port.
___
Associated Press writer Sarah El Deeb in Beirut contributed to this report.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-16--3 Texas Cops Shot After Responding To Call At Home

CEDAR PARK , Texas ( AP ) — Three police officers were shot Sunday and a person remained barricaded inside a home located in a suburb of Austin , Texas , authorities said .
The Cedar Park Police Department said on Twitter that officers were responding to a call at a home off Natalie Cove when three were shot .
They said one person was barricaded inside the home .
At this time we can confirm three Cedar Park Police Officers have been shot .
They are at a local hospital in stable condition .
This remains a very active @ @ @ @ @ @ @ custody at this time .
https : //t.co/7Doy83CKjN — Cedar Park Police ( @ CedarParkPD ) August 16 , 2020 The officers were in stable condition at a local hospital , Interim Police Chief Mike Harmon said on Twitter .
The scene in Heritage Park Subdivision was still active , he said .
The city of Cedar Park has asked residents to avoid Bagdad Road between Osage Drive and New Hope Drive , the city said on Twitter .
The Cedar Park police and fire departments have closed the southbound lane of Bagdad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Our hearts are with the police officers who were injured while protecting the Cedar Park community this afternoon .
We must never take for granted the service and sacrifice of our law enforcement officers , and the State of Texas stands ready to provide the support and resources needed to bring justice to those involved , ” Republican Gov .
Greg Abbott said in a statement .
A spokesperson for the police department did not immediately respond to messages for comment .
Need help ?
In the U.S. , call 1-800-799-SAFE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Violence Hotline .

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CEDAR PARK, Texas (AP) — Three police officers were shot Sunday and a person remained barricaded inside a home located in a suburb of Austin, Texas, authorities said.
The Cedar Park Police Department said on Twitter that officers were responding to a call at a home off Natalie Cove when three were shot. They said one person was barricaded inside the home.
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At this time we can confirm three Cedar Park Police Officers have been shot. They are at a local hospital in stable condition.
This remains a very active scene, the subject is not in custody at this time. https://t.co/7Doy83CKjN — Cedar Park Police (@CedarParkPD) August 16, 2020
The officers were in stable condition at a local hospital, Interim Police Chief Mike Harmon said on Twitter. The scene in Heritage Park Subdivision was still active, he said.
The city of Cedar Park has asked residents to avoid Bagdad Road between Osage Drive and New Hope Drive, the city said on Twitter. The Cedar Park police and fire departments have closed the southbound lane of Bagdad Road at Heritage, the post said.
“Our hearts are with the police officers who were injured while protecting the Cedar Park community this afternoon. We must never take for granted the service and sacrifice of our law enforcement officers, and the State of Texas stands ready to provide the support and resources needed to bring justice to those involved,” Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement.
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A spokesperson for the police department did not immediately respond to messages for comment.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-17--What Should We Still Be Cleaning And Disinfecting To Prevent COVID-19?

“ I ’ m not going to say there is zero risk ― we know that this virus can be transmitted from surface to surface .
But if you think through the amount of virus that ’ s likely to be on many of these surfaces relative to the amount of virus that is in one cough or sneeze , the surface is relatively small compared to the size of the cloud of particles that someone can generate with one cough or one sneeze , ” Dowdy said .
Mushatt noted the value of the “ Swiss cheese model ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Swiss cheese model ” essentially means that when something bad happens , it is rarely due to one mistake .
It ’ s more commonly a series of things that were done improperly — like the multiple holes in Swiss cheese .
And the way to fix the problem is by fixing the system , or plugging the holes , at all levels .
To get past this pandemic , we need to plug the holes by hand washing , social distancing , mask-wearing and disinfecting , Mushatt said .
“ It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infection control to lower infection rates .
Usually , it ’ s trying to improve every step that you can identify , ” Mushatt said .
“ In the end , it doesn ’ t really matter how much of the virus is spread by door handles or how much is through the air .
It ’ s a matter of addressing all of those areas because we may never know , we still don ’ t know exactly how the flu is spread.
” Consider cleaning your home ’ s main doorknob @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back from shopping and you clean your hands when you get out of the car with hand cleanser and you touch your doorknob , if nobody else has touched the doorknob , then you probably don ’ t need to do anything , ” Mushatt said .
“ But if you have kids and other family members coming and going , then it may behoove you to wipe down the door handle.
” Be sure to disinfect surfaces more diligently if someone in your home has COVID-19 , has symptoms of the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If you have a high suspicion that someone in your household has typical COVID symptoms or they have a known exposure , then they really should be sticking to their rooms , and when they come out , they should wear their mask and clean their hands — they need to take some personal responsibility , ” Mushatt said .
Most importantly , don ’ t just stress over surfaces .
Follow all CDC guidelines to reduce your COVID-19 risk .
Experts are still learning about COVID-19 .
The information in this story @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of publication , but guidance could change as scientists discover more about the virus .
Please check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the most updated recommendations .

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The sales of disinfecting sprays and wipes skyrocketed in recent months as the public scrambled to more frequently disinfect commonly touched surfaces and items that could spread the coronavirus. We were told to wipe down groceries, packages, doorknobs, counters, toilet seat handles ― you name it. People were worried that contaminated objects could be a significant way of contracting COVID-19.
But as time went on, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention clarified that transmission through surfaces might not be as common as originally feared. While disinfecting objects can still help curb the transmission of contaminated droplets, COVID-19 largely spreads from person-to-person contact — meaning that disinfecting your personal items will not totally protect you from contracting the coronavirus.
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“Relative to other things that one might want to do, such as wearing a mask, avoiding large gatherings and maintaining distance from other people, the importance of disinfecting surfaces after being outside is not the highest of priorities,” said David Dowdy, an associate professor of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University.
“I’m not going to say there is zero risk ― we know that this virus can be transmitted from surface to surface. But if you think through the amount of virus that’s likely to be on many of these surfaces relative to the amount of virus that is in one cough or sneeze, the surface is relatively small compared to the size of the cloud of particles that someone can generate with one cough or one sneeze,” Dowdy said.
While other precautions are more crucial to preventing COVID-19, David Mushatt, chief of adult infectious diseases at the Tulane School of Medicine, encouraged the public to continue disinfecting high-touch surfaces in addition to following all the other CDC guidelines.
Mushatt noted the value of the “Swiss cheese model” when considering COVID-19 risk reduction. The “Swiss cheese model” essentially means that when something bad happens, it is rarely due to one mistake. It’s more commonly a series of things that were done improperly — like the multiple holes in Swiss cheese. And the way to fix the problem is by fixing the system, or plugging the holes, at all levels. To get past this pandemic, we need to plug the holes by hand washing, social distancing, mask-wearing and disinfecting, Mushatt said.
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“It’s rare for one change in infection control to lower infection rates. Usually, it’s trying to improve every step that you can identify,” Mushatt said. “In the end, it doesn’t really matter how much of the virus is spread by door handles or how much is through the air. It’s a matter of addressing all of those areas because we may never know, we still don’t know exactly how the flu is spread.”
So the disinfection of surfaces will still help protect you from contracting COVID-19. Below, infectious disease experts share the most important areas to clean, along with the most important precautions to take, to keep yourself and your loved ones healthy.
Disinfect digital screens and surfaces.
We’re arguably spending more time on our phones, computers and tablets than ever ― items that even before the pandemic were known for their germy surfaces. Now they possess a slight risk of COVID-19 transmission.
“As far as common surfaces to clean during the COVID-19 pandemic, the most obvious surfaces are the most touched surfaces such as cellphone screens and covers,” said Avisheh Forouzesh, founder of Advanced Infectious Disease Medical LLC in New Jersey.
She also suggested disinfecting your computer mouse, touchpad and keyboard, since “they are highly touched surfaces throughout the day and we are prone to touching our face, nose and eyes constantly.”
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“If we could keep the surfaces that are repetitively touched throughout the day disinfected, then there is less chance of transmitting germs or viruses if we accidentally touch our eyes, nose or face,” Forouzesh said.
Grace Cary via Getty Images
Consider cleaning your home’s main doorknob more often.
People have been urged to use hand sanitizer when they are out and about and can’t wash their hands. But it’s not a perfect solution ― and not everybody does it.
“If you come back from shopping and you clean your hands when you get out of the car with hand cleanser and you touch your doorknob, if nobody else has touched the doorknob, then you probably don’t need to do anything,” Mushatt said. “But if you have kids and other family members coming and going, then it may behoove you to wipe down the door handle.”
He recommended disinfecting your doorknob once or twice a day if other people in your household or apartment complex are touching the same surface.
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Disinfect the high-touch surfaces inside your car.
From day one of the pandemic, many have used cars to run essential errands while potentially coming into contact with the virus. Forouzesh warned that the high-touch surfaces in vehicles can hold virus-carrying particles that can be transmitted from our hands to our eyes, nose or mouth.
“We may get in and out of the car multiple times a day after having come into contact with other perhaps contaminated objects or surfaces,” Forouzesh said.
She suggested that drivers disinfect the door handles, the steering wheel and the radio inside their car. She also noted that disinfecting these surfaces is more important if the car is used by multiple members of a household.
And if you’re a rider in a car that isn’t your own ― aka an Uber or a Lyft ― be sure to use hand sanitizer or wash your hands after getting out. Wear a mask and don’t touch your face during the ride as well.
Wash your hands frequently.
Dowdy stressed that the surface people need to be most aware of is their hands, which is where the majority of surface-based virus transmission occurs.
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“It’s great to disinfect surfaces that you come into contact with, but the most important surface, by far, is your hands. Keeping your hands clean is going to do far more than disinfecting your cellphone, your glasses, your doorknobs, your grocery cart handles and your keys altogether,” Dowdy said.
He added that he doesn’t want to discourage people from disinfecting surfaces, but that the amount of transmission prevented by disinfecting personal items is small when compared to ― you know this by now ― washing your hands, maintaining distance from others, not attending large gatherings and wearing a mask.
Nontapan Nuntasiri / EyeEm via Getty Images
Be sure to disinfect surfaces more diligently if someone in your home has COVID-19, has symptoms of the virus or is awaiting test results.
The importance of disinfecting increases when someone in your household has, or may have, the coronavirus.
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“If somebody in your house is sick, you have to be more diligent,” Mushatt said. “If they’re a person who might have COVID or are waiting for a test to come back, then you have to clean more.”
If someone is being tested for COVID-19, he said, you should assume they have the illness until they get the results. Moving forward with life as normal when test results are pending could expose other members of the household to the virus.
“If you have a high suspicion that someone in your household has typical COVID symptoms or they have a known exposure, then they really should be sticking to their rooms, and when they come out, they should wear their mask and clean their hands — they need to take some personal responsibility,” Mushatt said.
“But the people they’re living with can also help and take on additional disinfection,” he continued. That includes disinfecting all risky surfaces throughout the home — counters, doorknobs, remote controls, light switches — more frequently. Mask-wearing and distancing should also be enforced.
“It’s all about risk mitigation. You can’t eliminate risk but you minimize it and when you do that, you’re stacking the odds in your favor,” Mushatt said.
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Most importantly, don’t just stress over surfaces. Follow all CDC guidelines to reduce your COVID-19 risk.
“People who do a lot of this disinfection feel a false sense of security as a result. You think, ‘Because I’m doing all of these things to keep all of the surfaces in my home, my car and my pockets clean, I can’t get this disease.’ And that’s just not true,” Dowdy said.
“We are all at risk and every day that we go out into society, we need to be thinking, number one, could I have this disease even if I don’t have any symptoms? Could I be infecting other people? And number two, that the best way for me to avoid getting this disease is to avoid getting in other people’s space,” he continued. “Wiping down your sunglasses, your keys and your cellphone is not going to prevent those events from happening.”
Dowdy stressed that the public must maintain social distance, avoid crowds, wear masks and wash their hands. Disinfecting surfaces is a helpful piece of the puzzle, but not the most crucial step in preventing the spread of the coronavirus.
Experts are still learning about COVID-19. The information in this story is what was known or available as of publication, but guidance could change as scientists discover more about the virus. Please check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the most updated recommendations.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-17--Dr. Anthony Fauci Shows How He Uses A Mask During His Daily 4-Mile Pandemic Runs

Dr. Anthony Fauci , head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , demonstrated how he wears a mask while taking his daily jogs in the midst of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic .
Fauci , 79 , told Rhode Island Gov .
Gina Raimondo ( D ) that he jogs or power-walks 4 miles with his wife every evening , but doesn ’ t wear a mask across his face the entire time .
Instead , he keeps it in chinstrap mode , flipping it up to cover his nose and mouth when someone comes within about 50 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ until they safely pass .
In June , Fauci said he tries to wear a mask when running , but it ’ s not always easy .
“ When you breathe in , it feels like you ’ re waterboarding yourself , ” he said , then again explained how he flips it up and down for more comfort .
“ I think that ’ s reasonable , ” he said .
“ You don ’ t have to have it on if there ’ s nobody around.
” Fauci is a longtime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He ran 7 miles a day in the middle of a punishing daily schedule during the AIDS crisis in the 1980s and ’ 90s , and has participated in marathons .
When the coronavirus pandemic began , Fauci said he was working 19 hours a day , but still managed to find time to squeeze in a 3.5-mile jog .
In the video above , he also revealed how to get outside , see friends and keep active safely during the pandemic .
In the clip below , he shared how he takes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does with used masks .

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Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, demonstrated how he wears a mask while taking his daily jogs in the midst of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Fauci, 79, told Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) that he jogs or power-walks 4 miles with his wife every evening, but doesn’t wear a mask across his face the entire time. Instead, he keeps it in chinstrap mode, flipping it up to cover his nose and mouth when someone comes within about 50 yards, and keeping it in place until they safely pass.
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In June, Fauci said he tries to wear a mask when running, but it’s not always easy.
“When you breathe in, it feels like you’re waterboarding yourself,” he said, then again explained how he flips it up and down for more comfort.
“I think that’s reasonable,” he said. “You don’t have to have it on if there’s nobody around.”
Fauci is a longtime athlete known for his running habit. He ran 7 miles a day in the middle of a punishing daily schedule during the AIDS crisis in the 1980s and ’90s, and has participated in marathons. When the coronavirus pandemic began, Fauci said he was working 19 hours a day, but still managed to find time to squeeze in a 3.5-mile jog.
In the video above, he also revealed how to get outside, see friends and keep active safely during the pandemic. In the clip below, he shared how he takes masks on and off and what he does with used masks.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-17--Mitt Romney Slams Trump Administration On COVID-19: There's No Way To Spin Death Toll

Sen. Mitt Romney ( R-Utah ) lashed the Trump administration ’ s poor record on handling COVID-19 , saying there was no way to spin the high number of deaths .
“ I don ’ t think we really distinguished ourselves in a very positive way by how we responded to the crisis when it was upon us , ” Romney said Friday in an interview with the Sutherland Institute think tank .
President Donald Trump has said that the death toll “ is what it is ” — and repeatedly insisted that America ’ s COVID-19 statistics were impressive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what we ’ ve been able to do , ” Trump said during a press conference last week about his record fighting the pandemic .
Romney took issue with the U.S. death toll , which currently stands at over 170,000 .
“ We have 5 % of the world ’ s population but 25 % of the world ’ s deaths due to COVID-19 , and there ’ s no way to spin that in a positive light , ” he said .
The U.S. has just over 4 % of the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the world ’ s reported COVID-19 deaths , according to data . )
“ From the outset , there was a tendency on the part of the administration to dismiss COVID-19 as a threat not to consider how serious it could become , ” said Romney .
“ There was no immediate action to , if you will , ring all the alarm bells.
” Romney said the federal government should have quickly taken charge by setting safety guidelines , arranging the manufacture of essential supplies and equipment and providing much-needed protective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comments in the video below .
His criticism of the Trump administration begins at 4:11 .

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Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) lashed the Trump administration’s poor record on handling COVID-19, saying there was no way to spin the high number of deaths.
“I don’t think we really distinguished ourselves in a very positive way by how we responded to the crisis when it was upon us,” Romney said Friday in an interview with the Sutherland Institute think tank.
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President Donald Trump has said that the death toll “is what it is” — and repeatedly insisted that America’s COVID-19 statistics were impressive.
“It’s been amazing what we’ve been able to do,” Trump said during a press conference last week about his record fighting the pandemic.
Romney took issue with the U.S. death toll, which currently stands at over 170,000.
“We have 5% of the world’s population but 25% of the world’s deaths due to COVID-19, and there’s no way to spin that in a positive light,” he said.
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“From the outset, there was a tendency on the part of the administration to dismiss COVID-19 as a threat not to consider how serious it could become,” said Romney. “There was no immediate action to, if you will, ring all the alarm bells.”
Romney said the federal government should have quickly taken charge by setting safety guidelines, arranging the manufacture of essential supplies and equipment and providing much-needed protective gear.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-16--Former FDA Chief Calls Out Jared Kushner For Comparing COVID-19 To Common Flu

The former head of the Food and Drug Administration criticized Donald Trump ’ s son-in-law Jared Kushner for casually comparing COVID-19 to the common flu during an interview Sunday .
“ We need to be careful about making comparisons to flu — and the death and disease we see in flu relative to COVID , ” former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said on CBS News ’ “ Face The Nation.
” The number of COVID-19 cases and deaths has remained “ fairly persistent ” over the last few weeks , noted Gottlieb , a Republican who served in both the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s been a fairly persistent level of infection , hospitalizations and deaths over the last couple of weeks , ” he said .
“ We ’ ve had over a thousand deaths a day for at least two weeks now , over 50,000 infections a day on average.
” Gottlieb called out the White House adviser after Kushner said on the same program earlier that he would “ absolutely ” send his children back to school this fall .
His children ’ s school , however , will “ principally use distance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” for “ outdoor education and community building , ” according to the school ’ s plan .
Kushner insisted his children have a “ six times greater risk of dying from the flu as from COVID-19 , adding : “ I don ’ t believe that ’ s a risk.
” Gottlieb said he had no idea where that figure came from , and Kushner didn ’ t mention a source .
Kushner dismissed the significance of COVID-19 for children just as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Saturday that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been “ steadily increasing ” from March to July .
Children can develop severe illness and complications , even if that risk is lower compared to adults , the CDC cautioned .
The CDC also warned that children are just as contagious as adults in spreading the disease — to their friends , family members and teachers .
“ Children likely have the same or higher viral loads ... compared with adults and ... can spread the virus effectively in households and camp settings , ” states the new CDC guidance .
Hospitalizations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to the CDC .
Among those hospitalized , one in three children is admitted to intensive care — the same rate adults .
The true incidence of infection among children is unknown because of a lack of widespread testing , the agency warned .
Two boys , 15 and 7 , died this month of COVID-19 in Georgia , where schools have already reopened .
“ There ’ s a lot we don ’ t understand about COVID in kids , ” Gottlieb cautioned .
The disease does not appear to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the flu is , he noted .
But some 90 children have died from COVID-19 , and there have been 570 cases of a severe inflammatory post-viral syndrome linked to COVID-19 in children , he warned .
Gottlieb estimated that there could be as many as 3 million children who have been infected with COVID-19 .
Trump compared COVID-19 to the flu in late March .
“ We have a lot of people dying from the flu , as you know , ” yet nothing is shut down , he told reporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has estimated a total of 24,000 to 62,000 deaths from the 2019-2020 flu season , including 169 pediatric deaths .
There are now more than 170,000 deaths — and growing — from COVID-19 in America .

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“We need to be careful about making comparisons to flu — and the death and disease we see in flu relative to COVID,” former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said on CBS News’ “Face The Nation.”
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The number of COVID-19 cases and deaths has remained “fairly persistent” over the last few weeks, noted Gottlieb, a Republican who served in both the Obama and Trump administrations.
“There’s been a fairly persistent level of infection, hospitalizations and deaths over the last couple of weeks,” he said. “We’ve had over a thousand deaths a day for at least two weeks now, over 50,000 infections a day on average.”
Gottlieb called out the White House adviser after Kushner said on the same program earlier that he would “absolutely” send his children back to school this fall. His children’s school, however, will “principally use distance learning” with some in-person “opportunities” for “outdoor education and community building,” according to the school’s plan.
“Our school is not opening up five days a week; I wish they were,” Kushner stated.
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Kushner insisted his children have a “six times greater risk of dying from the flu as from COVID-19, adding: “I don’t believe that’s a risk.” Gottlieb said he had no idea where that figure came from, and Kushner didn’t mention a source.
Kushner dismissed the significance of COVID-19 for children just as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Saturday that cases in children 17 and younger have been “steadily increasing” from March to July. Children can develop severe illness and complications, even if that risk is lower compared to adults, the CDC cautioned.
The CDC also warned that children are just as contagious as adults in spreading the disease — to their friends, family members and teachers.
“Children likely have the same or higher viral loads ... compared with adults and ... can spread the virus effectively in households and camp settings,” states the new CDC guidance.
Hospitalizations of children with COVID-19 is also increasing, according to the CDC. Among those hospitalized, one in three children is admitted to intensive care — the same rate adults.
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The true incidence of infection among children is unknown because of a lack of widespread testing, the agency warned. Two boys, 15 and 7, died this month of COVID-19 in Georgia, where schools have already reopened.
“There’s a lot we don’t understand about COVID in kids,” Gottlieb cautioned. The disease does not appear to be as “prevalent” in children as the flu is, he noted. But some 90 children have died from COVID-19, and there have been 570 cases of a severe inflammatory post-viral syndrome linked to COVID-19 in children, he warned.
Gottlieb estimated that there could be as many as 3 million children who have been infected with COVID-19.
@ScottGottliebMD says Americans need to be "careful" in making comparisons of #COVID19 to the flu when it comes to kids, noting flu prevalence is far greater among children:
Flu➡upwards of 400 deaths a year
COVID-19 ➡90 deaths so far pic.twitter.com/xi6McTsN4B — Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) August 16, 2020
Trump compared COVID-19 to the flu in late March. “We have a lot of people dying from the flu, as you know,” yet nothing is shut down, he told reporters at the White House.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-17--Trump Amplifies Ugly Attack On 'Democrat' Cities

President Donald Trump shared a tweet on Sunday that criticized “ Democrat cities ” and called for them to be left to “ rot.
” Originally posted by Brandon Straka , the tweet was a commentary on footage of protesters in New York City yelling at drivers .
Straka , who describes himself as a “ former liberal and former Democratic party supporter who has very publicly walked away from the political left , ” accused Democrats of activating a mental illness that had ruined America ’ s metropolises .
Leave Democrat cities .
Let them rot .
The media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ illness and it ’ s going to get more and more people hurt and killed .
# WalkAway from the radical left .
And do it quickly .
https : //t.co/BIAZliK1Tf — Brandon Straka ( @ BrandonStraka ) August 16 , 2020 Trump retweeted the words of Brandon Straka on Sunday .
In 2018 , Straka renounced liberalism in a viral Facebook video that described Democrats as “ an ambitious , misinformed and dogmatic mob.
” That same year , he founded the # WalkAway Campaign , a self-described grassroots operation that encourages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Straka also achieved notoriety in June for his removal from American Airlines Flight 1263 , from New York City to Dallas , after declining to wear a face mask .
If Obama had retweeted someone saying ‘ leave Republican states .
Let them rot ’ it would have been a multi-week , multi-month political scandal requiring clarifications and apologies from every top Dem .
With Trump , it won ’ t even register in *today ’ s* headlines.
# imagineifObamadidit https : //t.co/Y8vvITaPHQ — Mehdi Hasan ( @ mehdirhasan ) August 16 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twitter followers that cities with Democratic mayors , home to 43mln Americans , should be 'let to rot ' '' is not a headline I 'm seeing in major news outlets , and that 's a problem .
— Dan Murphy ( @ bungdan ) August 16 , 2020 Oddly , the same media apparatus that questioned Barack Obama ’ s patriotism because he commented on the power of guns and religion in rural America has nothing to say when Donald Trump suggests we let American cities rot .
— Matt McDermott ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump—who retweeted someone saying “ Leave Democrat cities .
Let them rot ” —is not and never was the president of the entire United States of America .
He abdicated that role from the beginning .
— Steven Beschloss ( @ StevenBeschloss ) August 17 , 2020 How do @ GOP voters living in Democrat-controlled cities feel about the strategy your leader in D.C. just endorsed : “ Leave Democrat cities .
Let them rot.
” Maybe you should vote # BidenHarris2020 this time round — Keith Devlin ( @ profkeithdevlin ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rhetoric bears similarities to a recent rant by Fox News host Tucker Carlson , who argued that America ’ s cities have been destroyed by liberal elites who need to have their passports seized before they try to flee the country .

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President Donald Trump shared a tweet on Sunday that criticized “Democrat cities” and called for them to be left to “rot.”
Originally posted by Brandon Straka, the tweet was a commentary on footage of protesters in New York City yelling at drivers. Straka, who describes himself as a “former liberal and former Democratic party supporter who has very publicly walked away from the political left,” accused Democrats of activating a mental illness that had ruined America’s metropolises.
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Leave Democrat cities. Let them rot. The media and @TheDemocrats have activated this mental illness and it’s going to get more and more people hurt and killed. #WalkAway from the radical left. And do it quickly. https://t.co/BIAZliK1Tf — Brandon Straka (@BrandonStraka) August 16, 2020
Trump retweeted the words of Brandon Straka on Sunday. HuffPost US
In 2018, Straka renounced liberalism in a viral Facebook video that described Democrats as “an ambitious, misinformed and dogmatic mob.” That same year, he founded the #WalkAway Campaign, a self-described grassroots operation that encourages people to abandon the Democratic Party. Straka also achieved notoriety in June for his removal from American Airlines Flight 1263, from New York City to Dallas, after declining to wear a face mask.
Numerous voices across social media critiqued Trump’s decision to retweet Straka, calling the move unpresidential:
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If Obama had retweeted someone saying ‘leave Republican states. Let them rot’ it would have been a multi-week, multi-month political scandal requiring clarifications and apologies from every top Dem. With Trump, it won’t even register in *today’s* headlines.#imagineifObamadidit https://t.co/Y8vvITaPHQ — Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) August 16, 2020
"Trump tells his 85 million Twitter followers that cities with Democratic mayors, home to 43mln Americans, should be 'let to rot'" is not a headline I'm seeing in major news outlets, and that's a problem. — Dan Murphy (@bungdan) August 16, 2020
Oddly, the same media apparatus that questioned Barack Obama’s patriotism because he commented on the power of guns and religion in rural America has nothing to say when Donald Trump suggests we let American cities rot. — Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) August 16, 2020
Donald Trump—who retweeted someone saying “Leave Democrat cities. Let them rot”—is not and never was the president of the entire United States of America. He abdicated that role from the beginning. — Steven Beschloss (@StevenBeschloss) August 17, 2020
How do @GOP voters living in Democrat-controlled cities feel about the strategy your leader in D.C. just endorsed: “Leave Democrat cities. Let them rot.” Maybe you should vote #BidenHarris2020 this time round — Keith Devlin (@profkeithdevlin) August 16, 2020
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-17--NBA Boots Photographer After He Posts Sexist Meme About Kamala Harris

A photographer working for the National Basketball League got the boot after he posted a sexist meme about vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris ( D-Calif. ) .
Photographer Bill Baptist was ejected from the NBA ’ s competition “ bubble ” in Orlando for sharing an image on his Facebook page of a mock logo for the new Democratic presidential ticket .
It read : “ Joe and the Hoe , ” apparently referring to Joe Biden and Harris .
WNBA Hall-of-Famer and former Houston Comet Sheryl Swoopes shared a screenshot of the slur on her Facebook page and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knew Baptist from when he covered the Comets and the Houston Rockets : An NBA spokesman told CNN that Baptist was an independent contractor , and his services were “ no longer being used in Orlando.
” Baptist later apologized and removed the post .
He called it a “ horrible mistake , ” and said it “ does not reflect my personal view at all.
” “ I deeply regret posting on my Facebook page a phrase that I saw and copied from others as a sample of some people ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senator Harris as his choice for VP , ” Baptist said in a statement to KRPC Channel 2 in Houston .
“ The phrase I posted does not reflect my personal views at all , ” he added .
“ I should not have been so insensitive to post the statements by others .
I sincerely apologize to all of those who have rightfully been offended .
”

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A photographer working for the National Basketball Association got the boot after he posted a sexist meme about vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.).
Photographer Bill Baptist was ejected from the NBA’s competition “bubble” in Orlando for sharing an image on his Facebook page of a mock logo for the new Democratic presidential ticket. It read: “Joe and the Hoe,” apparently referring to Joe Biden and Harris.
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WNBA Hall-of-Famer and former Houston Comet Sheryl Swoopes shared a screenshot of the slur on her Facebook page and demanded that Baptist be fired. She knew Baptist from when he covered the Comets and the Houston Rockets:
Scree Shot/Facebook/Sheryl Swoopes
An NBA spokesman told CNN that Baptist was an independent contractor, and his services were “no longer being used in Orlando.”
Baptist later apologized and removed the post. He called it a “horrible mistake,” and said it “does not reflect my personal view at all.”
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“I deeply regret posting on my Facebook page a phrase that I saw and copied from others as a sample of some people’s reaction to Biden’s selection of Senator Harris as his choice for VP,” Baptist said in a statement to KRPC Channel 2 in Houston.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-17--From Sanders To Kasich: Joe Biden’s Giant And Potentially Fragile Anti-Trump Coalition

HuffPost US Sen. Bernie Sanders ( left ) and former Ohio Gov .
John Kasich ( right ) reveal the breadth of former Vice President Joe Biden ’ s coalition .
On Monday night , both men are scheduled to speak in support of former Vice President Joe Biden at the Democratic National Convention , an intentional pairing that will broadcast the ideological diversity of the anti-Donald Trump coalition lining up behind Biden as he heads into the final months of the 2020 presidential campaign .
But it may also highlight the small cracks that are already beginning to show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as soon as Biden wins and begins trying to pass his agenda and the Democratic Party attempts to secure a sustainable hold on Congress .
“ John will do his thing .
I will do my thing .
I expect they ’ ll be different types of speeches , but we are united , ” Sanders told NBC ’ s “ Meet the Press ” Sunday when asked about sharing the convention spotlight with Kasich .
“ We are united in the understanding that Trump has to be defeated , and Biden has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — with its accompanying recession — and the racial justice reckoning spurred by the death of George Floyd have only increased the urgency of a temporary unification between progressives eager for a massive overhaul of the American economy and conservatives whose complaints about Trump are limited to his behavior and violations of political norms .
“ I think we should be really clear-eyed about the nature of the coalition .
It includes both neoconservatives and Democratic socialists , ” said Maurice Mitchell , the national director of the progressive Working Families Party .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ crises that we ’ re trying to manage have made a lot of the organizing that the Biden campaign has to do easier.
” The Biden campaign continues to reach out to progressives after making several policy shifts to the left following the primary victory over Sanders .
The campaign recently brought on longtime organizer Heather Booth , who helped lead the fight for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau , to bolster its progressive outreach .
But dissent from the left is still prominent , even during a week designed to celebrate Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ signed a petition asking for Kasich to be removed from the program .
There was widespread grumbling about the limited amount of time granted to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( N.Y. ) and other progressives to speak at the convention .
And even establishment-friendly Sanders backers such as Rep. Ro Khanna ( Calif. ) said they plan to vote against the party platform because it does not embrace Medicare for All .
The Biden campaign has so far seen more reason to woo moderate to conservative voters than it has to placate the few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ millions on ads aimed at older voters , a bloc that turns out reliably but isn ’ t typically at the forefront of progressive policies .
It mostly left outreach to younger voters and progressives in the hands of outside groups such as NextGen America .
But the real threat to Biden ’ s coalition could come after Jan. 20 , 2021 , should he win .
That ’ s when Biden and congressional leaders will need to balance the need to confront the immediate pandemic-driven crisis with demands from interest groups to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s immigration system , gun violence , a broken campaign finance system and countless other issues .
“ It ’ s going to be less of a fight between a unified left and a unified middle then a jockeying between lots of different interests , ” Erickson said .
“ It ’ s likely that the emergency will continue to exist .
They ’ re not going to be making decisions about priorities during the pandemic .
The pandemic is going to be making those decisions for them.
” “ Building a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not only critical in our efforts to defeat Donald Trump and unify the country , it is essential to governing successfully , ” said Matt Hill , a Biden campaign spokesman .
“ Joe Biden has brought people of all stripes together throughout his entire career to deliver transformative results , and the Biden coalition will be central to empowering his presidency and achieving the most monumental change we have seen in generations.
” Still , both Erickson and Mitchell agree the key to keeping the coalition together will be actually passing legislation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care , a sputtering economy and racial unrest .
“ A government that can solve those crises will have deep and enthusiastic majorities of people supporting those governments , ” Mitchell said of progressives .
Never-Trump Republicans such as Kasich — who continue to hold right-wing views on most major issues while opposing Trump — are not a major presence in the electorate .
But the college-educated white voters with moderate views who have turned against Republicans in the Trump era were a key reason Democrats were able to make major gains in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 .
Holding on to their political loyalty will likely be key to keeping Biden popular and Democrats in power .
“ They ’ re going to want Democrats to deliver what they promised , which is to get the pandemic under control .
And if they can do that , they ’ re going to have a lot of leeway on a lot of other things , ” Erickson said of suburban moderates .
That would lead to the ultimate test of the durability of a Biden-led coalition : the 2022 midterms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be on the ballot .
While all parties struggle and lose seats during a president ’ s first midterm , Democrats experienced extinction-level events in 2010 and 2014 because of a lack of enthusiasm from their base voters , especially young people and voters of color .

Sen. Bernie Sanders (left) and former Ohio Gov. John Kasich (right) reveal the breadth of former Vice President Joe Biden’s coalition. HuffPost US
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is a democratic socialist who long refused to officially join the Democratic Party, believing it was insufficiently committed to progressive goals. Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich was once a Fox News host and pushed to restrict abortion rights and weaken public employee unions.
On Monday night, both men are scheduled to speak in support of former Vice President Joe Biden at the Democratic National Convention, an intentional pairing that will broadcast the ideological diversity of the anti-Donald Trump coalition lining up behind Biden as he heads into the final months of the 2020 presidential campaign.
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But it may also highlight the small cracks that are already beginning to show and the full-on fractures that could form as soon as Biden wins and begins trying to pass his agenda and the Democratic Party attempts to secure a sustainable hold on Congress.
“John will do his thing. I will do my thing. I expect they’ll be different types of speeches, but we are united,” Sanders told NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday when asked about sharing the convention spotlight with Kasich. “We are united in the understanding that Trump has to be defeated, and Biden has to be elected.”
Nearly every member of the coalition acknowledged that there’s one man holding it together, and his name is not Biden. Sanders, for instance, acknowledged on ABC’s “This Week” that “a lot of my supporters are not enthusiastic about Joe Biden.”
“There’s one word that describes why we’re able to build this coalition, and that’s Trump,” said Lanae Erickson, a senior vice president at the Democratic centrist group Third Way, which often warns Democrats about the political dangers of alienating moderates.
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The coronavirus pandemic — with its accompanying recession — and the racial justice reckoning spurred by the death of George Floyd have only increased the urgency of a temporary unification between progressives eager for a massive overhaul of the American economy and conservatives whose complaints about Trump are limited to his behavior and violations of political norms.
“I think we should be really clear-eyed about the nature of the coalition. It includes both neoconservatives and Democratic socialists,” said Maurice Mitchell, the national director of the progressive Working Families Party. “I think the overlapping and intersecting crises that we’re trying to manage have made a lot of the organizing that the Biden campaign has to do easier.”
In the short term, the coalition seems difficult to break. A Pew Research Center poll released Friday found a 56% majority of Biden backers gave a simple reason for their support: He wasn’t Donald Trump.
Biden and his new running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris (Calif.), have held a consistent and sizable lead in public polling ― the Pew poll gave Biden a 53% to 45% lead among registered voters. While the demographics of some swing states continue to provide Trump with a relative advantage, most surveys of those states show Biden winning.
Mitchell’s group, which backed Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts in the Democratic primaries earlier this year, joined the Center for Popular Democracy ― which supported Sanders ― in announcing its endorsement of Biden on Thursday and announced plans to spend $7 million across seven swing states to help Biden ahead of November.
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The Biden campaign continues to reach out to progressives after making several policy shifts to the left following the primary victory over Sanders. The campaign recently brought on longtime organizer Heather Booth, who helped lead the fight for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, to bolster its progressive outreach.
“We want your intelligence,” Booth told progressive organizers at the Netroots Nation conference last week. “Do you hear something that’s going on? Did we miss something? We want your advice.”
But dissent from the left is still prominent, even during a week designed to celebrate Democratic unity. More than 320 convention delegates signed a petition asking for Kasich to be removed from the program. There was widespread grumbling about the limited amount of time granted to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) and other progressives to speak at the convention. And even establishment-friendly Sanders backers such as Rep. Ro Khanna (Calif.) said they plan to vote against the party platform because it does not embrace Medicare for All.
The Biden campaign has so far seen more reason to woo moderate to conservative voters than it has to placate the few remaining leftist holdouts. The campaign spent millions on ads aimed at older voters, a bloc that turns out reliably but isn’t typically at the forefront of progressive policies. It mostly left outreach to younger voters and progressives in the hands of outside groups such as NextGen America.
But the real threat to Biden’s coalition could come after Jan. 20, 2021, should he win. That’s when Biden and congressional leaders will need to balance the need to confront the immediate pandemic-driven crisis with demands from interest groups to move on long-standing problems with the country’s immigration system, gun violence, a broken campaign finance system and countless other issues.
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“It’s going to be less of a fight between a unified left and a unified middle then a jockeying between lots of different interests,” Erickson said. “It’s likely that the emergency will continue to exist. They’re not going to be making decisions about priorities during the pandemic. The pandemic is going to be making those decisions for them.”
The Biden campaign pointed out that the former vice president has a history of building legislative coalitions and crafting compromise deals and predicted he would do the same as president.
“Building a broad, diverse and enduring coalition is not only critical in our efforts to defeat Donald Trump and unify the country, it is essential to governing successfully,” said Matt Hill, a Biden campaign spokesman. “Joe Biden has brought people of all stripes together throughout his entire career to deliver transformative results, and the Biden coalition will be central to empowering his presidency and achieving the most monumental change we have seen in generations.”
Still, both Erickson and Mitchell agree the key to keeping the coalition together will be actually passing legislation to deal with the pandemic, health care, a sputtering economy and racial unrest. “A government that can solve those crises will have deep and enthusiastic majorities of people supporting those governments,” Mitchell said of progressives.
Never-Trump Republicans such as Kasich — who continue to hold right-wing views on most major issues while opposing Trump — are not a major presence in the electorate. But the college-educated white voters with moderate views who have turned against Republicans in the Trump era were a key reason Democrats were able to make major gains in 2018 and have stuck with Biden in 2020. Holding on to their political loyalty will likely be key to keeping Biden popular and Democrats in power.
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“They’re going to want Democrats to deliver what they promised, which is to get the pandemic under control. And if they can do that, they’re going to have a lot of leeway on a lot of other things,” Erickson said of suburban moderates.
That would lead to the ultimate test of the durability of a Biden-led coalition: the 2022 midterms, when Trump is guaranteed not to be on the ballot. While all parties struggle and lose seats during a president’s first midterm, Democrats experienced extinction-level events in 2010 and 2014 because of a lack of enthusiasm from their base voters, especially young people and voters of color.
Mitchell is already afraid of a repeat.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-17--Kamala Harris May Play A Huge Role In Foreign Policy As Vice President. So What Does She Believe?

Joe Biden has made it clear his vice president would assume some very serious duties if he wins the White House .
“ You ’ ve got to be able to turn and say to your vice president , ‘ This is your responsibility , ’ ’ ’ he said last summer .
“ Because the job is too big anymore for any one man or woman.
” Biden played a similar role in the Obama administration and frequently handled critical foreign policy matters .
Given the roiling global mess Trump has created abroad , from North Korea to Iran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Sen. Kamala Harris ( D-Calif. ) , who Biden selected as his running mate this week , would not be given tough tasks abroad if the ticket wins in November .
Michèle Flournoy , a foreign policy analyst strongly favored to serve as Defense Secretary in a Biden administration , recently told the Washington Post she expects a President Biden to give a Vice President Harris specific national security issues to manage .
But a close examination of Harris ’ Senate career and recent presidential run does yield some clues about her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least , she appears to be gaining familiarity with the subject and searching for footing , susceptible to pressure from both backers of a muscular traditional American approach and the more dovish progressive wing of her party .
The final destination of her evolution matters tremendously , both for the future of a Biden White House but also the party — which Harris could easily be leading herself in four to eight years .
Watching her journey will be a useful way to understand where Democrats are likely to land after years of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foreign policy .
Harris also has close ties to Big Tech from her California days , which could influence her thinking on international affairs .
While some technology firms have pulled back from their past efforts to court repressive regimes like the Chinese government , Silicon Valley has grown closer to other autocracies , notably Saudi Arabia .
Biden and many other leading Democrats are promising to downgrade America ’ s bond with the Saudis , a relationship Harris herself has questioned , and to more vigorously advocate for human rights abroad , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for business interests to operate as freely as they would like .
But Harris has also aligned with progressives on some international issues .
After criticism for speaking off-the-record to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee , the pro-Israel lobby known as AIPAC that ’ s become increasingly associated with Republicans , Harris joined progressives ( and nearly all other Democratic primary contenders in the Senate ) against an AIPAC-backed bill that helped states punish people joining the boycott , divest and sanction movement against Israel .
Harris ’ new chief of staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , helped organize a boycott of this year ’ s AIPAC conference .
Harris was one of two senators to speak at one of the first rallies against President Donald Trump ’ s Muslim ban , Yasmine Taeb of the liberal group Demand Progress , which has been pushing Biden to reject traditional U.S. hawkishness , noted on Twitter , suggesting she is keen to see her as vice president .
Left-leaning campaigners working on other issues believe Harris ’ general lack of ideological definition means they could win her over to some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the intelligence committee has given her experience on an issue nearly all Democrats agree should be a top priority : preventing foreign meddling in American elections , particularly malfeasance originating from Moscow .
As the only freshman Democratic senator on the powerful committee , which was investigating Russian interference in the 2016 vote , Harris helped oversee the U.S. ’ s most sensitive national security choices and became deeply familiar with what was then the biggest story in the news cycle .
Her seriousness even impressed Republican colleagues , BuzzFeed News reported in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( R-N.C. ) called her a “ quick study ” who was “ very effective ” and Sen. Marco Rubio ( R-Fla. ) described her as “ engaged and active.
” She later crafted a bill to boost election security with Sen. James Lankford ( R-Okla. ) .
“ As someone who was new to Congress and new to Washington , you would never know it working for her ― she seemed very comfortable , ” said Soifer , who had previously worked for two other senators and in the Obama administration .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ affairs once she launched her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2019 .
Her pitch cited what had become consensus positions in the party : re-entering the Obama-era nuclear deal with Iran , warning against interventions in places like Venezuela , promising to withdraw from Afghanistan , pledging to be tough on China and Russia while avoiding full-blown conflict , questioning international trade deals and Trump ’ s record-busting military budgets and challenging the historically cozy U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia .
Harris engaged with prominent groups working on updating the party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contact with Rohini Kosoglu , her campaign ’ s chief of staff .
When Soifer left her team , Harris hired a new national security adviser with years of congressional experience and a stint at the Pentagon , Matt Williams .
She is close to some other foreign policy analysts with California ties , a factor that could also portend some degree of change away if she elevates figures outside the circle of former officials who served under Biden and former President Barack Obama .
On climate change , Harris proposed a more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fuel usage than the Paris accord , which was negotiated under Obama and Biden has said he wants to rejoin .
The League of Conservation Voters and the Sunrise Movement , two influential environmental groups , were more supportive of her than Biden during the primary .
When looking at her Senate record , it ’ s important to remember she has only served under a Republican majority in the body and with many Democratic leadership positions on Capitol Hill still filled by hawks .
That may well change in 2021 if the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration will have a much more pro-diplomacy Congress ” than Obama did when he struggled to sell policies like the Iran deal , Sanders advisor Matt Duss wrote on Twitter .
For Harris , deciding how to position herself will mean accounting for those changes and for old challenges like the sexism often lobbed against women taking on national security roles unfairly associated with stereotypes about masculine assertiveness , an issue that Hillary Clinton , the first female nominee for president , decided she had to respond to by seeking to project toughness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ credentials are already part of her new role on Biden ’ s ticket .
In their first joint campaign event , on Wednesday , he mentioned her intelligence committee work and she said they plan to ” bring back critical supply chains so the future is made in America.
” Their rival Trump has already attacked her for supporting cuts to the Pentagon budget .

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Joe Biden has made it clear his vice president would assume some very serious duties if he wins the White House. “You’ve got to be able to turn and say to your vice president, ‘This is your responsibility,’’’ he said last summer. “Because the job is too big anymore for any one man or woman.”
Biden played a similar role in the Obama administration and frequently handled critical foreign policy matters. Given the roiling global mess Trump has created abroad, from North Korea to Iran to China, it’s inconceivable that Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), who Biden selected as his running mate this week, would not be given tough tasks abroad if the ticket wins in November. Michèle Flournoy, a foreign policy analyst strongly favored to serve as Defense Secretary in a Biden administration, recently told the Washington Post she expects a President Biden to give a Vice President Harris specific national security issues to manage.
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Harris does not have anywhere near the international experience Biden had when he became vice president as a longtime chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In fact, she has very little foreign policy experience at all, aside from serving as a junior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
When pressed for clarity about her thoughts on global affairs, Harris supporters offer vague Washington-speak. “She is thoughtful, pragmatic and values-driven and the defense of human rights is fundamental to her worldview,” said Halie Soifer, who was Harris’s national security adviser for more than a year after she entered the Senate, and now heads the Jewish Democratic Council of America.
But a close examination of Harris’ Senate career and recent presidential run does yield some clues about her views on international issues. At the least, she appears to be gaining familiarity with the subject and searching for footing, susceptible to pressure from both backers of a muscular traditional American approach and the more dovish progressive wing of her party. The final destination of her evolution matters tremendously, both for the future of a Biden White House but also the party — which Harris could easily be leading herself in four to eight years. Watching her journey will be a useful way to understand where Democrats are likely to land after years of debating how to overhaul their approach to foreign policy.
For left-leaning Democrats, who gained traction during the primary with the success of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and have successfully rallied the party to their side in recent years on issues like rejecting President Barack Obama’s support for a brutal Saudi military intervention in Yemen, Harris is not a natural ally.
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“From what little track record she does have … it’s consistently moderate and hawkish, so I don’t see her as super different than Biden,” said a well-connected activist who requested anonymity to preserve relationships. “But she has largely avoided taking positions on national security, and only does when pushed despite her perch on the intelligence committee.”
Often described as politically cautious, Harris has been willing to veer to the right of much of the party on foreign policy. She began her Senate career by co-sponsoring a resolution that criticized one of Obama’s marquee final moves on foreign policy, permitting a United Nations resolution condemning Israel for settlements in disputed areas integral to a future Palestine.
Harris also has close ties to Big Tech from her California days, which could influence her thinking on international affairs. While some technology firms have pulled back from their past efforts to court repressive regimes like the Chinese government, Silicon Valley has grown closer to other autocracies, notably Saudi Arabia. Biden and many other leading Democrats are promising to downgrade America’s bond with the Saudis, a relationship Harris herself has questioned, and to more vigorously advocate for human rights abroad, a policy that could make it harder for business interests to operate as freely as they would like.
But Harris has also aligned with progressives on some international issues. After criticism for speaking off-the-record to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the pro-Israel lobby known as AIPAC that’s become increasingly associated with Republicans, Harris joined progressives (and nearly all other Democratic primary contenders in the Senate) against an AIPAC-backed bill that helped states punish people joining the boycott, divest and sanction movement against Israel. Harris’ new chief of staff on the Biden campaign, Karine Jean-Pierre, helped organize a boycott of this year’s AIPAC conference.
Harris was one of two senators to speak at one of the first rallies against President Donald Trump’s Muslim ban, Yasmine Taeb of the liberal group Demand Progress, which has been pushing Biden to reject traditional U.S. hawkishness, noted on Twitter, suggesting she is keen to see her as vice president. Left-leaning campaigners working on other issues believe Harris’ general lack of ideological definition means they could win her over to some degree.
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And Harris’ work on the intelligence committee has given her experience on an issue nearly all Democrats agree should be a top priority: preventing foreign meddling in American elections, particularly malfeasance originating from Moscow. As the only freshman Democratic senator on the powerful committee, which was investigating Russian interference in the 2016 vote, Harris helped oversee the U.S.’s most sensitive national security choices and became deeply familiar with what was then the biggest story in the news cycle. Her seriousness even impressed Republican colleagues, BuzzFeed News reported in 2019; committee chair Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) called her a “quick study” who was “very effective” and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) described her as “engaged and active.” She later crafted a bill to boost election security with Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.).
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden (right) mentioned Kamala Harris' work on the Senate intelligence committee during their first joint campaign event and she said they plan to ”bring back critical supply chains so the future is made in America.” Carlos Barria / reuters
“As someone who was new to Congress and new to Washington, you would never know it working for her ― she seemed very comfortable,” said Soifer, who had previously worked for two other senators and in the Obama administration.
Harris expanded on her view of global affairs once she launched her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2019. Her pitch cited what had become consensus positions in the party: re-entering the Obama-era nuclear deal with Iran, warning against interventions in places like Venezuela, promising to withdraw from Afghanistan, pledging to be tough on China and Russia while avoiding full-blown conflict, questioning international trade deals and Trump’s record-busting military budgets and challenging the historically cozy U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia.
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That combination of stances was still more progressive than that of the Democratic party of even ten years prior ― the very foreign policy environment that Biden helped craft during his many years in the Senate.
Harris engaged with prominent groups working on updating the party’s positions, who were in contact with Rohini Kosoglu, her campaign’s chief of staff. When Soifer left her team, Harris hired a new national security adviser with years of congressional experience and a stint at the Pentagon, Matt Williams. She is close to some other foreign policy analysts with California ties, a factor that could also portend some degree of change away if she elevates figures outside the circle of former officials who served under Biden and former President Barack Obama.
On climate change, Harris proposed a more ambitious international agreement to rein in fossil fuel usage than the Paris accord, which was negotiated under Obama and Biden has said he wants to rejoin. The League of Conservation Voters and the Sunrise Movement, two influential environmental groups, were more supportive of her than Biden during the primary.
When looking at her Senate record, it’s important to remember she has only served under a Republican majority in the body and with many Democratic leadership positions on Capitol Hill still filled by hawks. That may well change in 2021 if the Biden-Harris ticket wins. “A Biden administration will have a much more pro-diplomacy Congress” than Obama did when he struggled to sell policies like the Iran deal, Sanders advisor Matt Duss wrote on Twitter.
Moreover, she may see political value in courting the left on foreign affairs. This summer saw Democratic primary voters re-elect lawmakers whose more liberal foreign policy positions became controversial, like Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and push out a powerful hawk, Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.).
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For Harris, deciding how to position herself will mean accounting for those changes and for old challenges like the sexism often lobbed against women taking on national security roles unfairly associated with stereotypes about masculine assertiveness, an issue that Hillary Clinton, the first female nominee for president, decided she had to respond to by seeking to project toughness.
The senator’s foreign policy credentials are already part of her new role on Biden’s ticket. In their first joint campaign event, on Wednesday, he mentioned her intelligence committee work and she said they plan to ”bring back critical supply chains so the future is made in America.” Their rival Trump has already attacked her for supporting cuts to the Pentagon budget.
Should Harris be elected with Biden, she’ll be defining her profile while addressing a world gripped by crisis and deeply skeptical of the U.S.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-17--Boston Lawmaker, Eying A Mayoral Run, Maps Out A Nordic-Style Climate Haven

Asian Americans in Massachusetts breathe air 26 % more polluted by tiny disease-causing particles from cars and power plants than the state average , a Union of Concerned Scientists study found last year .
Black people in the state breathe air that ’ s 24 % more polluted than average , and Latinos breathe air that is 17 % more polluted .
It ’ s only a glimpse of the crises that today grip New England ’ s largest city .
Rising tides lap at Boston ’ s low-lying coast , already causing more sunny-day flooding than in almost any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ estimates .
Between 2013 and 2017 , Boston became the nation ’ s third-most “ intensely gentrified ” city as aging housing stock failed to keep up with demand and monied newcomers lured by a booming biotech industry displaced working-class residents .
As global warming and its associated economic impacts worsen , the city ’ s own reports seem to suggest that a place that ’ s home to universities producing tomes of research on climate change has been caught flat-footed by the severity of the crisis at hand .
“ I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two boys , they ’ re 3 and 5 , ” Wu , 35 , told HuffPost by phone last Friday .
“ I want more than a coin flip ’ s chance for my two boys to be able to live on this planet and enjoy it.
” The proposal outlines a sweeping rezoning of the city to increase neighborhood density , build cheap cooperative housing and add parks .
It envisions fleets of free-to-ride electric buses , hundreds of intersecting bike lanes and car-free walking districts .
It imagines the kind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in American cities since austerity took hold in the 1970s .
And it could be paid for with new taxes on predatory landlords and excessive water use , a city budget vastly expanded by green bonds , and ― Wu hopes ― a new federal administration in Washington .
The wish list-like manifesto follows a playbook .
Since it entered the national political lexicon last year , the Green New Deal has been an organizing strategy against the decades of cuts to public services , deference to industry and demonization of government that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responding to the threat of climate change .
Her latest document is fastidiously footnoted .
Each section lists one to six examples of policies underway in other , similarly-sized U.S. or European cities .
Portland , Oregon , has an equitable tree-planting plan .
Philadelphia bought vacant lots and turned them into urban farming plots .
Neighboring Lawrence , Massachusetts , offers fare-free bus routes .
Why can ’ t Boston ?
It helps that the plan also bullets out additional ideas that already fall under Boston ’ s municipal purview .
Executing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both a sweeping electoral mandate and help from state and federal agencies .
But much of what ’ s proposed can be done with existing city powers .
I ’ m a mom , and I have two boys , they ’ re 3 and 5 .
I want more than a coin flip ’ s chance for my two boys to be able to live on this planet and enjoy it .
She declined to say whether she plans to run for the city ’ s top job next year .
Mayor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not yet said whether he ’ ll seek a third term next year .
Challenging him could be difficult .
A poll taken amid the pandemic shows he ’ s popular with voters .
Boston has yet to elect a mayor who isn ’ t white and male .
Wu , a Chicago native and daughter of Taiwanese immigrants , has a record of firsts .
She was the first person of Taiwanese descent and the first Asian woman ever elected to the city council , and the first nonwhite woman to serve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We can be thought of as a city that ’ s so proud of traditions and set in our historic , New England ways , ” Wu said .
“ But in fact , our history is one of civic leadership .
”

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Michelle Wu was fuming. The late afternoon June sun roasted the elementary school basketball court in Boston’s Chinatown. There was hardly a tree in sight. But car exhaust seeped down like mist from the towering concrete canopy of a traffic-clogged highway overhead.
This, the Boston city councilwoman thought, was a place where kids were supposed to exercise and play. Instead, it’s where they became statistics.
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Asian Americans in Massachusetts breathe air 26% more polluted by tiny disease-causing particles from cars and power plants than the state average, a Union of Concerned Scientists study found last year. Black people in the state breathe air that’s 24% more polluted than average, and Latinos breathe air that is 17% more polluted. It’s only a glimpse of the crises that today grip New England’s largest city.
Rising tides lap at Boston’s low-lying coast, already causing more sunny-day flooding than in almost any other U.S. city, according to federal estimates. Between 2013 and 2017, Boston became the nation’s third-most “intensely gentrified” city as aging housing stock failed to keep up with demand and monied newcomers lured by a booming biotech industry displaced working-class residents.
As global warming and its associated economic impacts worsen, the city’s own reports seem to suggest that a place that’s home to universities producing tomes of research on climate change has been caught flat-footed by the severity of the crisis at hand.
On Monday, Wu is set to unveil her plan to get out front again.
Michelle Wu speaks to voters at Adams Park in the Roslindale neighborhood of Boston. Boston Globe via Getty Images
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In a 43-page manifesto, Wu sets out what she calls a Boston Green New Deal and pitches a plan to bring the city back from the economic devastation of the coronavirus pandemic and erode age-old racial barriers.
“I’m a mom, and I have two boys, they’re 3 and 5,” Wu, 35, told HuffPost by phone last Friday. “I want more than a coin flip’s chance for my two boys to be able to live on this planet and enjoy it.”
It’s a bold proposal from a third-term progressive firebrand often compared to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and considered a possible candidate for mayor next year.
The proposal outlines a sweeping rezoning of the city to increase neighborhood density, build cheap cooperative housing and add parks. It envisions fleets of free-to-ride electric buses, hundreds of intersecting bike lanes and car-free walking districts. It imagines the kind of New Deal-era public spending unheard of in American cities since austerity took hold in the 1970s. And it could be paid for with new taxes on predatory landlords and excessive water use, a city budget vastly expanded by green bonds, and ― Wu hopes ― a new federal administration in Washington.
“The pandemic has really revealed just how fragile the status quo is,” Wu said.
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A study from the Union of Concerned Scientists shows Asians, African Americans and Latinos in Massachusetts are exposed to far higher rates of lung-damaging particulate matter in the air than white Bay Staters. Union of Concerned Scientists
The wish list-like manifesto follows a playbook. Since it entered the national political lexicon last year, the Green New Deal has been an organizing strategy against the decades of cuts to public services, deference to industry and demonization of government that left the United States systemically incapable of responding to the threat of climate change.
Shortly after Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) introduced a resolution in Congress staking out the Green New Deal’s core, justice-oriented principles, Wu proposed legislation to endorse the national framework. The Boston City Council approved the proposal in April 2019.
Her latest document is fastidiously footnoted. Each section lists one to six examples of policies underway in other, similarly-sized U.S. or European cities. Portland, Oregon, has an equitable tree-planting plan. Philadelphia bought vacant lots and turned them into urban farming plots. Neighboring Lawrence, Massachusetts, offers fare-free bus routes. Why can’t Boston?
It helps that the plan also bullets out additional ideas that already fall under Boston’s municipal purview. Executing the entire plan would almost certainly require both a sweeping electoral mandate and help from state and federal agencies. But much of what’s proposed can be done with existing city powers.
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“I’m a mom, and I have two boys, they’re 3 and 5. I want more than a coin flip’s chance for my two boys to be able to live on this planet and enjoy it.” - Boston City Councilwoman Michelle Wu
On Monday, Wu plans to introduce a resolution calling for City Council hearings on the plan. She’s set to hold online rallies with Sunrise Movement and 350.org ― two grassroots climate groups backing Green New Deal efforts nationally ― as part of the proposal’s rollout.
She declined to say whether she plans to run for the city’s top job next year. Mayor Marty Walsh, a Democrat, has not yet said whether he’ll seek a third term next year. Challenging him could be difficult. A poll taken amid the pandemic shows he’s popular with voters. Boston has yet to elect a mayor who isn’t white and male.
Wu, a Chicago native and daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, has a record of firsts. She was the first person of Taiwanese descent and the first Asian woman ever elected to the city council, and the first nonwhite woman to serve as the body’s president.
“We can be thought of as a city that’s so proud of traditions and set in our historic, New England ways,” Wu said. “But in fact, our history is one of civic leadership.”
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Boston, she said, has the country’s oldest public schools, public parks and public libraries because “we were the first to invest in the common good in that way.”