thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-18--Inside Tennessee's Push To Bring Thousands Of NASCAR Fans Together During A Pandemic

‘ We Were On The Road A Lot ’

This article is published in partnership with Newsy.
Worried officials in Sullivan County, Tennessee, called a press conference on July 10 to address the county’s spiking number of COVID-19 cases. “Only this week have we seen those double-digit increases,” said Mayor Richard Venable, who instituted a mask mandate to try to slow the spread. “We find it necessary for government to take this action.”
What state and local leaders didn’t do, however, was change their plans for hosting NASCAR’s All-Star Race. Just five days away, the event was slated to bring up to 30,000 people to Bristol Motor Speedway.
Advertisement
The race would be the largest gathering in the U.S. since the coronavirus pandemic began, held at a time when other sports leagues like the NBA, MLB and NHL were all preparing to operate in hermetic bubbles or stuffed-animal lined stadiums. But to Tennessee officials, the speedway touted the potential of a multimillion-dollar economic boost from the 19,800 fans it estimated would come from out of state.
New documents and emails obtained through public records requests paint the clearest picture yet of how Tennessee brought thousands of fans back to large live events — and raise questions about whether officials prioritized possible economic benefits over health risks.
Making The Switch
The All-Star Race was originally scheduled to take place in Charlotte, North Carolina, which had been home to the event for over three decades. As of early June, the race was still set to be held there. But North Carolina was restricting outdoor public gatherings to no more than 25 people.
By June 10, records show that Bristol Motor Speedway had started discussing the event with officials in Tennessee. On June 15, the speedway formally announced that it would host the All-Star Race, with as many as 30,000 fans in attendance.
Advertisement
What unfolded to enable the shift in venue is murky. In the June 15 press release announcing the change, Marcus Smith, the president and CEO of Speedway Motorsports, which owns both the Charlotte and Bristol racetracks, said he was grateful to “Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Sullivan County officials” for allowing fans to come.
Multiple state and local agencies in Tennessee have not responded to specific questions about the process, including who set or approved the speedway’s capacity limit. The state’s Department of Tourist Development has also withheld potentially relevant documents “on the basis of the deliberative process and/or attorney-client privilege.” And Gary Mayes, director of the Sullivan County Regional Health Department, told the Bristol Herald Courier in July that his office did not have input on the decision.
What is clear is that Tennessee and the speedway invited tens of thousands of fans back to Bristol during a pandemic. According to Dr. David Kirschke, the northeast regional medical director for the Tennessee Department of Health, “events where people travel from areas with more coronavirus to our area where we may have less — that’s definitely a risk for importing cases.”
A Newsy analysis of Twitter data found that fans traveled from far and wide for the NASCAR All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee on July 15, 2020. Andrew Lawler/Newsy
Local residents, in emails to the Sullivan County health department, also addressed the possibility of outsiders carrying the virus into the community. “No doubt the visitors could bring a boost to our economy,” said one skeptical citizen, “but what else might they bring with them?”
Advertisement
While there is no record of county health officials responding to those complaints, Mayes told a local reporter in an email that he thought the speedway’s initial written event plan ― which he received on the day the race was announced ― was “comprehensive.”
That plan called for reducing the stadium’s capacity from 120,000 to 30,000, eliminating public shuttle buses, and directing social distancing of 6 feet, as well as temperature checks for staff and guests in suites ― but not in general seating. Spectators were “allowed and encouraged,” but not required, to use masks.
A voluntary directive has limited effect, said Brian Labus, an assistant professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, School of Public Health. “For masks to be effective, everyone must be wearing them,” he said. “This is analogous to allowing a few people to smoke in the non-smoking section.”
By early July, when Sullivan County was seeing community spread of the coronavirus, the speedway had made a few adjustments to its safety protocols. Most notably, masks became mandatory for all fans in common areas — though the speedway also sent the state’s tourist development commissioner, Mark Ezell, an email the day before the race stating that it “strongly suggests” mask use.
As the daily number of new COVID-19 cases climbed in Sullivan County, a family medicine doctor urged the local health department to stop the race. “I work daily to limit the spread of this disease,” said the email, “but this one event could undermine much of the hard work by local physicians.”
Advertisement
The only evidence of a real threat to the event, however, revolved around whether the state would meet the racetrack owner’s demand for tax incentives.
Driving For Dollars
Two days before announcing the All-Star Race, Bristol Motor Speedway had applied for public tax dollars to help pay for the event. Under the Event Tourism Act, a state law the speedway says it helped pass in 2018, organizers of state-certified events can recoup costs of up to half the value of all taxes on sales and alcohol collected at the event. The law had never been put to use.
“I am supportive of our tourism partners and their efforts to attract guests and tax dollars to the state,” Ezell said in a statement to state officials deliberating the speedway’s request. He emphasized that hosting the race this year could position the state to host it for “years to come.”
On June 22, when the process of certifying the event hit a roadblock, speedway general manager Jerry Caldwell sent a terse email to Butch Eley, the commissioner of the state Department of Finance and Administration, threatening to relocate the race.
“If our company needs to reconsider the decision to move the All-Star Race to Bristol due to narrow, and we believe incorrect, reading of the statute, please let us know as soon as possible,” wrote Caldwell, adding that Texas, where another Speedway Motorsports track is located, “has been especially aggressive in the past to offer incentives to attract major sporting events.”
Advertisement
Neither Caldwell nor Eley agreed to interviews or addressed questions asking for more details about the impasse referenced in the exchange. But the state did ultimately certify the event, making the speedway eligible for reimbursements.
Eley’s department has not responded to repeated requests to disclose the amount of money the speedway could receive from the race ― which Gov. Lee personally kicked off on July 15 with more than 20,000 fans in attendance.
Unsafe At Any Speed
Josh Miller, 27, of Roanoke, Virginia, was among those in the stands. When making the calculus to brave the event, he had assumed fans would be subject to strict temperature checks and other safety protocols like the ones he had seen drivers and crew posting about on social media. Instead, he said he was greeted by a parking attendant whose mask was pulled down to the chin, smoking a vape pen.
As Miller donned his mask and headed toward the track, he said conditions improved, at least marginally. Masks were fairly prevalent in common areas, he said, but social distancing was a bit more inconsistent in lines at concession stands and tight seating in some areas. Entire sections of the bleachers were also blocked off, which he found odd if people were meant to spread out.
The speedway declined multiple requests for interviews and did not address written questions about safety protocols at the race.
Advertisement
“It’s been an honor for Bristol Motor Speedway to play a role in welcoming a limited number of race fans back to live sporting events,” said Caldwell in a statement, “and it’s been a responsibility we’ve taken very seriously.”
While there haven’t been any COVID-19 clusters directly linked to the All-Star Race, the counties surrounding the speedway all saw their COVID-19 counts jump in the weeks following the event. The area went from averaging a few dozen new cases each day to over a hundred.
No cases of COVID-19 have been directly linked to the NASCAR All-Star Race held at Bristol Motor Speedway on July 15, 2020. But new cases did rise rapidly in the counties around the track after the event. Andrew Lawler/Newsy
Sullivan County health officials attributed the increase in numbers shortly before the race to people visiting local beaches. Dr. Andrew Stephen May, the medical director of the county health department, told The Charlotte Observer that after the race, “the upswing continued at a pretty steady rate.” Contact tracers asked about large events and travel, though not about the All-Star Race specifically.
Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, finds it unlikely that beachgoers alone, and not NASCAR fans, sustained that surge. “It makes little biological sense,” said Chin-Hong. “In fact, I would assert that NASCAR COVID risk is likely several-fold higher than the beach.”
Advertisement
NASCAR confirmed that, like most businesses, it does not do its own fan contact tracing. And the Tennessee Department of Health said that its contact tracing identifies the source of less than half of all infections. Kirschke, the department’s northeast regional medical director, said it’s likely that any race-related cases locally would have been “kind of buried in the whole increase of the cases we had going on at that time.”
Part of the difficulty with contract tracing around a large event like the All-Star Race, he added, is all the people coming and going from the area. “Unfortunately,” he said, “there’s no way to really track that.”
Bristol Motor Speedway has been inconsistent in what it’s said about where it expected fans to be coming from for the All-Star Race. As part of the application for Event Tourism Act funding, the speedway predicted that 78% of attendees would be traveling from out of state and would use area hotels or lodging. Only a third of visitors, it said, would be “local/regional.”
Then, one day before the race, Caldwell assured racegoers in a safety public service announcement that “we know most [fans] are coming from right here in this region.”
When asked to explain the apparent discrepancy, the speedway said that its earlier estimate had been based on data from “traditional race weekends” and that Caldwell’s video was filmed closer to the event when “actual data on ticket sales” was available.
Advertisement
The speedway, however, has not released any of that data and its Event Tourism Act estimate specifies that “travel restrictions associated with the global pandemic” were taken into consideration.
A review of tweets from the All-Star Race indicates that attendees appear to have come from at least 10 different states. “Traveling 6 states by truck with your brother and brother in-law was an absolute blast,” a fan from Florida wrote. “550+ miles of good times. #AllStarRace.”
‘We Were On The Road A Lot’
NASCAR was one of the first professional sports leagues in the world to reopen its stadiums to fans, when Homestead-Miami Speedway hosted local military personnel at a June 14 race. And Trey Asbridge, a NASCAR fan from just outside Memphis, Tennessee, said his spectating has actually picked up during the pandemic.
“We were on the road a lot” this summer, he said, including for the All-Star Race in Tennessee and events in Texas, Florida and Alabama. The Talladega Superspeedway race was supposed to have a 150-mile-radius cap on ticket purchases to “limit travel and reduce risk,” but Asbridge, who lives almost twice as far away, was able to use an address for a second home in Alabama to secure seats.
Asbridge said he follows safety precautions, such as mask-wearing, and has generally felt safe going to races. NASCAR, which has seen crew members test positive for COVID-19 and employees criticize its commitment to safety, defends its reopening.
Advertisement
“All events with fans are hosted at huge open air facilities and include significantly scaled-back attendance allowances, temperature checks, face mask mandates and social distancing,” said a NASCAR spokesperson in a statement. “NASCAR’s protocols for both its competitors and its fans will continue to evolve to ensure we deliver the safest environment possible.”
But, as in Tennessee, some health officials in other states say they weren’t involved in safety planning for races. Health officials in Texas and Alabama, for instance, confirmed that they had no contact with NASCAR or the venues before races were held in their jurisdictions.
At least one track, Daytona International Speedway, sent fans a survey after hosting a race in which it asked for feedback on safety protocols but did not inquire if spectators had since developed COVID-19 symptoms or tested positive for the virus. It has not released the results of that survey.
Miller, the Virginia fan, said he is not yet convinced NASCAR is taking all the steps it could for fan safety. “As someone who’s spent tens and tens of thousands of dollars over the course of my life on NASCAR,” he said, “I would hope that the organization would care about its fan base enough to protect their health.”
How NASCAR adapts to the pandemic, Miller said, will dictate whether he uses his tickets to another race in Virginia in November. It’s one of a number of races set to host fans this fall.
Advertisement
Bristol Motor Speedway plans to hold another NASCAR event this weekend. It announced last week that it had already sold all 30,000 tickets for the main event on Saturday night, plus many of the 20,000 tickets for a lower-level race on Friday.
The speedway has updated some safety plans since the July race, including codifying a mask mandate in common areas and expanding temperature checks to all guests. But fans with a low-grade fever will still be allowed in without requiring further screening by medical personnel. Experts at New York University and Harvard have said a low-grade fever is a symptom of COVID-19.
Chin-Hong called the idea of thousands of people flocking to a speedway “scary.” “We hem and haw in our community about whether or not people in groups of five or 10 could get together,” he said.
Another person unlikely to visit the racetrack anytime soon is Kirschke.
“It’s a perfect opportunity to watch it on TV,” he said. “That’s definitely the safest thing.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-18--Twitter Users Not Impressed With Van Morrison's Anti-Lockdown Anthems

Van Morrison is a certified rock legend , but Twitter users aren ’ t exactly singing the praises of his newest compositions .
The 75-year-old singer is about to release three new songs protesting coronavirus lockdowns and accusing the British government of “ making up crooked facts ” to “ enslave ” its citizens , according to the BBC .
No more taking of our freedom When it ’ s really to enslave You can see the full lyrics to the new songs in the tweet below .
The songs are attracting a lot of attention , but it may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ records fly up the sales charts .
Northern Ireland ’ s minister of health , Robin Swann , told the BBC that the new songs were “ dangerous.
” “ I don ’ t know where he gets his facts , ” Swann said .
“ I know where the emotions are on this , but I will say that sort of messaging is dangerous.
” Other Twitter users had their doubts as well .
I love scientists and I love Van Morrison so now I do n't know who to trust when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ //t.co/oSz8oahwP2 — Jemaine Clement ( @ AJemaineClement ) September 18 , 2020 I want to hear Van Morrison ’ s crackpot views about Covid to precisely the same extent that I wish to hear Anthony Fauci try to sing “ Tupelo Honey.
” https : //t.co/ZhSPGkz12c — Timothy Noah ( @ TimothyNoah1 ) September 18 , 2020 I ’ ll continue to trust Van Morrison when it comes to thoughts about going Into The Mystic , and maybe about an individual brown-eyed girl , but when it comes to the genetics of brown-eyed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ https : //t.co/9uhaQrzvFX — Aaron Sagers # BlackLivesMatter ( @ aaronsagers ) September 18 , 2020 Others imagined how Morrison might update his more well-known songs such as “ Brown Eyed Girl.
” Possible Van Morrison lyrics ... “ Hey , where did masks go ?
Days when the plagues came No social distancing Playin ' a daft game Coughin and a wheezin hey , hey Spreading and infecting On a hospital ventilator with Our hearts a stoppin ' and you , my ... 5G girl ” https : //t.co/DGhrAOuaPZ — Sarah O'Connell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 Another person pointed out the many prominent musicians who have died from the coronavirus .
One man said that Morrison has written songs about diseases before so the new ditties aren ’ t totally unprecedented .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Van Morrison is a certified rock legend, but Twitter users aren’t exactly singing the praises of his newest compositions.
The 75-year-old singer is about to release three new songs protesting coronavirus lockdowns and accusing the British government of “making up crooked facts” to “enslave” its citizens, according to the BBC.
Advertisement
Morrison’s pandemic pop songs don’t pull any punches, especially “No More Lockdown.”
No more lockdown No more government overreach No more fascist bullies Disturbing our peace No more taking of our freedom And our God given rights Pretending it’s for our safety When it’s really to enslave
You can see the full lyrics to the new songs in the tweet below.
Inbox: "Van Morrison to release three new anti-lockdown protest songs". The lyrics are... 😟 pic.twitter.com/uLQhYTH2na — Stuart Dredge (@stuartdredge) September 18, 2020
The songs are attracting a lot of attention, but it may not be the kind that usually helps records fly up the sales charts.
Northern Ireland’s minister of health, Robin Swann, told the BBC that the new songs were “dangerous.”
Advertisement
“I don’t know where he gets his facts,” Swann said. “I know where the emotions are on this, but I will say that sort of messaging is dangerous.”
Other Twitter users had their doubts as well.
I love scientists and I love Van Morrison so now I don't know who to trust when it comes to science. https://t.co/oSz8oahwP2 — Jemaine Clement (@AJemaineClement) September 18, 2020
Van Morrison writing anti-lockdown protest songs based on dubious viral Facebook posts is absolute peak boomer. https://t.co/U498KfmINh pic.twitter.com/Y0NIaXR7gG — Jim Waterson (@jimwaterson) September 18, 2020
I want to hear Van Morrison’s crackpot views about Covid to precisely the same extent that I wish to hear Anthony Fauci try to sing “Tupelo Honey.” https://t.co/ZhSPGkz12c — Timothy Noah (@TimothyNoah1) September 18, 2020
I’ll continue to trust Van Morrison when it comes to thoughts about going Into The Mystic, and maybe about an individual brown-eyed girl, but when it comes to the genetics of brown-eyed women, the scientists still win. https://t.co/9uhaQrzvFX — Aaron Sagers #BlackLivesMatter (@aaronsagers) September 18, 2020
Advertisement
Others imagined how Morrison might update his more well-known songs such as “Brown Eyed Girl.”
Possible Van Morrison lyrics...
“Hey, where did masks go?
Days when the plagues came
No social distancing
Playin' a daft game
Coughin and a wheezin hey, hey
Spreading and infecting
On a hospital ventilator with
Our hearts a stoppin' and you, my... 5G girl” https://t.co/DGhrAOuaPZ — Sarah O'Connell (@SarahO_Connell) September 18, 2020
Another person pointed out the many prominent musicians who have died from the coronavirus.
These are among the musicians who have died of #COVID19:
John Prine
Toots Hibbert
Ellis Marsalis Jr.
Adam Schlesinger
Bruce Williamson
Nick Cordero
Trini Lopez
Lee Konitz
Wallace Roney
Waddup, Van Morrison?https://t.co/EExlo80rRJ — David Beard (@dabeard) September 18, 2020
One man said that Morrison has written songs about diseases before so the new ditties aren’t totally unprecedented.
Counterpoint: @vanmorrison was correct in raising awareness of Ring Worm and Tuberculosis so maybe we hear the new songs with that in mind. https://t.co/UAS3DjmMOe — Lance Bangs (@lancebangs) September 18, 2020
But one tweeter managed to put the proper perspective on Morrison’s new songs.
So sad that 200,000 Americans aren’t alive to hear Van Morrison’s new material - via @JahHills & @sterlewine https://t.co/1esa6bR2KX — Damon K (@dada_drummer) September 18, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-18--CDC Backtracks On Guidance About COVID-19 Testing For Asymptomatic People

Backtracking on earlier guidance that had provoked widespread criticism , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends that everyone who ’ s had close contact with a person infected with COVID-19 should get tested for the virus , including those who aren ’ t exhibiting any symptoms .
The CDC updated its testing guidelines on Friday ― a day after the publication of a scorching report by The New York Times that said the agency ’ s earlier guidance had not been written by CDC scientists and had been posted on the agency ’ s website despite their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had said people who ’ ve had close contact with a COVID-19 “ do not necessarily need a test ” if they are asymptomatic .
“ Suggesting that asymptomatic people don ’ t need testing is just a prescription for community spread and further disease and death , ” Dr. Susan Bailey , president of the American Medical Association , told the Times .
In contrast to its earlier guidance , the CDC ’ s latest recommendation is unequivocal in its stance .
Even with no symptoms , “ you need a test @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now reads , “ if you have been in close contact , such as within 6 feet of a person with documented SARS-CoV-2 infection for at least 15 minutes .
”

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Backtracking on earlier guidance that had provoked widespread criticism, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends that everyone who’s had close contact with a person infected with COVID-19 should get tested for the virus, including those who aren’t exhibiting any symptoms.
The CDC updated its testing guidelines on Friday ― a day after the publication of a scorching report by The New York Times that said the agency’s earlier guidance had not been written by CDC scientists and had been posted on the agency’s website despite their “serious objections.”
Advertisement
The earlier guidance had said people who’ve had close contact with a COVID-19 “do not necessarily need a test” if they are asymptomatic.
Public health experts had excoriated the recommendation.
“Suggesting that asymptomatic people don’t need testing is just a prescription for community spread and further disease and death,” Dr. Susan Bailey, president of the American Medical Association, told the Times.
In contrast to its earlier guidance, the CDC’s latest recommendation is unequivocal in its stance.
Even with no symptoms, “you need a test,” the agency’s website now reads, “if you have been in close contact, such as within 6 feet of a person with documented SARS-CoV-2 infection for at least 15 minutes.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-18--My Smile Is Medically Necessary. It's Time For The Federal Government To Realize This.

To avoid eating in front of peers and superiors would be to exclude myself from an integral part of my profession ’ s culture and , some days , entirely miss my opportunity to eat .
Instead , I make sure I have a stack of napkins at the ready to wipe my runny nose before anyone notices , and I discretely slip away to blow my nose in the bathroom when I ’ ve finished eating .
Though my fistula is visually imperceptible , food and saliva slowly seep from my nose during meals .
While some foods are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ am selective about what I eat in front of colleagues , it ’ s an issue I endure at every meal ― and it can only be corrected through an expensive surgical intervention .
Depending on who insures me at the time of the procedure , I could be denied insurance coverage for my care , as I have been many times before .
This is especially true now that I am an adult .
Insurers routinely deny coverage for the care of patients with congenital diagnoses , including children .
The basis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is deemed not medically necessary by the insurer , despite being recommended by expert health care professionals on the patient ’ s care team .
The underlying reason is that interventions necessary to care for us , including plastic surgery and dental braces , are considered cosmetic when treating the general population , despite being the cornerstone of cleft and craniofacial care .
Although at least 18 states have some type of mandate requiring insurers to cover cleft and craniofacial care , families and adult patients living in states with no mandate are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the states only extend the mandate to pediatric patients , which ignores the reality of cleft and craniofacial care as a lifelong need .
The Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act ( ELSA ) is a bipartisan federal bill under consideration in Congress that would mandate insurance coverage of the medically necessary care of adult and pediatric patients with congenital anomalies , thereby putting a definitive end to the coverage denials .
About 120,000 children are born with birth anomalies each year , with cleft lip and palate among the most common .
Care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into adulthood .
People with cleft lip and palate , like me , undergo a series of surgical and non-surgical interventions as our faces grow .
The timing of our procedures is imperative to successful outcomes , and poorly timed interventions can mean a host of problems , including that a person could lose their adult teeth around the area of the cleft .
Coverage denials force families to suffer extreme out-of-pocket costs , risk poor outcomes by delaying care while they contest the denial , or forgo care entirely .
My mother @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the exception for my non-surgical care and nearly 20 surgeries .
Though my family managed the out-of-pocket costs while we waited for my provider to argue for coverage , not every family has the means to float such large expenses .
Once I reached adulthood , coverage was more limited , and a vast portion of the expenses for the reconstructive surgeries I underwent in college was ultimately paid for by my parents rather than our insurer .
Much of the care for individuals with clefts or craniofacial anomalies is functionally critical , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , speak , sleep and even swim normally .
In addition to surgeries , orthodontic appliances and speech-language therapy are vital to achieving good outcomes in these areas .
However , it is important to realize that even interventions aimed at normalizing facial appearance are essential to care ; they are not merely cosmetic but are medically necessary for complete psychosocial habilitation .
One would be wrong to assume that , with my law degree or role as a medical student at a respected program , I am immune to such discrimination .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ law job two weeks after starting because one of the partners of the firm pulled me into her office to tell me , in a longwinded speech , that she was worried judges would not take me seriously because of whatever is going on with my face .
This was in the midst of the Great Recession , and I spent the next five months unemployed .
If I had stayed , I doubt I would have thrived in an environment where so little was expected of me .
It is also a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end at age 18 , perhaps reinforced by the fact that patients graduate from craniofacial team care upon reaching adulthood .
One ’ s face continues to change throughout the aging process , and new complications , like my fistula , can emerge .
Moreover , technologies change and improve , and adults should be able to avail themselves of those advancements .
For example , when I was a pediatric patient , bone adhered hearing aids ( BAHA ) did not exist .
I am mostly deaf on my right side , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bestow bilateral hearing , enabling me to better hear patients and colleagues calling out to me in the busy emergency department environment where I dream of one day working .
ELSA , if enacted , would require that medically necessary care of individuals with congenital anomalies be covered by insurers and would eliminate the problem of routine coverage denials .
The language of the statute is ideal in that it explicitly mandates coverage for patients of any age , and it defines medically necessary to mean prescribed by a provider or care team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ battles to determine necessity .
As a federal solution to a national problem , ELSA will provide long-overdue protections to Americans living with congenital anomalies , ensuring lasting smiles for current and future patients alike .

The author Courtesy of Kristin Pfeifauf
Communal meals, at least in the pre-COVID-19 world, are a big part of the medical profession. We share pastries at morning conferences, bond with colleagues over lunch in the hospital cafeteria and attend an endless series of talks where food is usually provided.
To avoid eating in front of peers and superiors would be to exclude myself from an integral part of my profession’s culture and, some days, entirely miss my opportunity to eat. Instead, I make sure I have a stack of napkins at the ready to wipe my runny nose before anyone notices, and I discretely slip away to blow my nose in the bathroom when I’ve finished eating.
Advertisement
I was born with cleft lip, cleft palate and hemifacial microsomia, a constellation of symptoms that, for me, includes a smaller right jaw and missing right ear. In the past few years, my nasolabial fistula, a common complication of cleft lip and palate, has worsened, and there is now a sizable gaping hole connecting my nasal and oral cavities.
Though my fistula is visually imperceptible, food and saliva slowly seep from my nose during meals. While some foods are more problematic than others, and I am selective about what I eat in front of colleagues, it’s an issue I endure at every meal ― and it can only be corrected through an expensive surgical intervention. Depending on who insures me at the time of the procedure, I could be denied insurance coverage for my care, as I have been many times before. This is especially true now that I am an adult.
Insurers routinely deny coverage for the care of patients with congenital diagnoses, including children. The basis for these denials is that the care is deemed not medically necessary by the insurer, despite being recommended by expert health care professionals on the patient’s care team. The underlying reason is that interventions necessary to care for us, including plastic surgery and dental braces, are considered cosmetic when treating the general population, despite being the cornerstone of cleft and craniofacial care.
The author at age 3 in 1986. "I have always loved to eat, despite the challenges my birth anomalies have created for me in that area. This is a normal-sized cookie I am holding; I was born small." Courtesy of Kristin Pfeifauf
Advertisement
Insurance companies have done the math and determined it is advantageous to routinely deny coverage and wait for the family or provider to battle that determination, rather than cover what is most certainly medically necessary care.
Although at least 18 states have some type of mandate requiring insurers to cover cleft and craniofacial care, families and adult patients living in states with no mandate are left to grapple with denials. Some of the states only extend the mandate to pediatric patients, which ignores the reality of cleft and craniofacial care as a lifelong need. The Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act (ELSA) is a bipartisan federal bill under consideration in Congress that would mandate insurance coverage of the medically necessary care of adult and pediatric patients with congenital anomalies, thereby putting a definitive end to the coverage denials.
About 120,000 children are born with birth anomalies each year, with cleft lip and palate among the most common. Care for these conditions is interdisciplinary and spans into adulthood. People with cleft lip and palate, like me, undergo a series of surgical and non-surgical interventions as our faces grow. The timing of our procedures is imperative to successful outcomes, and poorly timed interventions can mean a host of problems, including that a person could lose their adult teeth around the area of the cleft.
Coverage denials force families to suffer extreme out-of-pocket costs, risk poor outcomes by delaying care while they contest the denial, or forgo care entirely. My mother recalls denials being the norm rather than the exception for my non-surgical care and nearly 20 surgeries. Though my family managed the out-of-pocket costs while we waited for my provider to argue for coverage, not every family has the means to float such large expenses. Once I reached adulthood, coverage was more limited, and a vast portion of the expenses for the reconstructive surgeries I underwent in college was ultimately paid for by my parents rather than our insurer.
The author with her husband, Darrel Pfeifauf, in the fall of 2019. "Darrel has been there for me during a number of my surgeries and clinic visits." Courtesy of Kristin Pfeifauf
Advertisement
Much of the care for individuals with clefts or craniofacial anomalies is functionally critical, ensuring the ability to eat, breathe, speak, sleep and even swim normally. In addition to surgeries, orthodontic appliances and speech-language therapy are vital to achieving good outcomes in these areas. However, it is important to realize that even interventions aimed at normalizing facial appearance are essential to care; they are not merely cosmetic but are medically necessary for complete psychosocial habilitation.
Individuals with facial differences are discriminated against in education and employment and stigmatized or bullied by members of the communities in which we live and work. We are often perceived as less smart or capable than our peers.
One would be wrong to assume that, with my law degree or role as a medical student at a respected program, I am immune to such discrimination. In fact, I quit my first law job two weeks after starting because one of the partners of the firm pulled me into her office to tell me, in a longwinded speech, that she was worried judges would not take me seriously because of whatever is going on with my face. This was in the midst of the Great Recession, and I spent the next five months unemployed. If I had stayed, I doubt I would have thrived in an environment where so little was expected of me.
Normalizing one’s appearance is not a mere vanity for people with congenital anomalies. Discrimination against people with facial differences can impact not only one’s happiness and self-esteem, but career and financial prospects, as well. Surgeries and orthodontics mitigate that harm.
It is also a common misconception that cleft and craniofacial care end at age 18, perhaps reinforced by the fact that patients graduate from craniofacial team care upon reaching adulthood. One’s face continues to change throughout the aging process, and new complications, like my fistula, can emerge. Moreover, technologies change and improve, and adults should be able to avail themselves of those advancements. For example, when I was a pediatric patient, bone adhered hearing aids (BAHA) did not exist. I am mostly deaf on my right side, but a surgically implanted BAHA would instantly bestow bilateral hearing, enabling me to better hear patients and colleagues calling out to me in the busy emergency department environment where I dream of one day working.
Advertisement
The author in Guatemala in 2019. "I am an avid sailor and did an offshore passage from Costa Rica to Guatemala last year." Courtesy of Kristin Pfeifauf
Incredible innovations are in the pipeline for patients with facial differences; adults should not be excluded from their life-changing benefits on the basis of age, nor anyone denied coverage due to an inaccurate determination that their care is unnecessary.
ELSA, if enacted, would require that medically necessary care of individuals with congenital anomalies be covered by insurers and would eliminate the problem of routine coverage denials. The language of the statute is ideal in that it explicitly mandates coverage for patients of any age, and it defines medically necessary to mean prescribed by a provider or care team, thereby eliminating the potential for future battles to determine necessity. As a federal solution to a national problem, ELSA will provide long-overdue protections to Americans living with congenital anomalies, ensuring lasting smiles for current and future patients alike.
Kristin Pfeifauf is a medical student at Washington University in St. Louis. Prior to medical school, she practiced transactional law. She completed two years of research fellowship with the Cleft & Craniofacial Institute of Washington University. She is also co-founder and director of LouHealth, a student-run advocacy coalition formed in response to COVID-19. Growing up, she underwent most of her cleft and craniofacial care at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
Do you have a compelling personal story you’d like to see published on HuffPost? Find out what we’re looking for here and send us a pitch!


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-18--Report: Detained Migrant Women Say They Didn’t Approve Surgeries

The 39-year-old woman from Cuba was told only that she would undergo an operation to treat her ovarian cysts , but a month later , she ’ s still not sure what procedure she got .
After Cardentey repeatedly requested her medical records to find out , Irwin County Detention Center gave her more than 100 pages showing a diagnosis of cysts but nothing from the day of the surgery .
An Associated Press review of medical records for four women and interviews with lawyers revealed growing allegations that Amin performed surgeries and other procedures on detained immigrants that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understand .
Although some procedures could be justified based on problems documented in the records , the women ’ s lack of consent or knowledge raises severe legal and ethical issues , lawyers and medical experts said .
Amin has performed surgery or other gynecological treatment on at least eight women detained at Irwin County Detention Center since 2017 , including one hysterectomy , said Andrew Free , an immigration and civil rights lawyer working with attorneys to investigate medical treatment at the detention center .
Doctors on behalf of the attorneys are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coming forward to report their treatment by Amin , Free said .
But a lawyer who helped file the complaint said she never spoke to any women who had hysterectomies .
Priyanka Bhatt , staff attorney at the advocacy group Project South , told The Washington Post that she included the hysterectomy allegations because she wanted to trigger an investigation to determine if they were true .
Wooten did not answer questions at a press conference Tuesday .
Amin told The Intercept , which first reported Wooten ’ s complaint , that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the past three years .
His attorney , Scott Grubman , said in a statement : “ We look forward to all of the facts coming out , and are confident that once they do , Dr. Amin will be cleared of any wrongdoing.
” Records reviewed by the AP show one woman was given a psychiatric evaluation the same day she refused to undergo a surgical procedure known as dilation and curettage .
Commonly known as a D & C , it removes tissue from the uterus and can be used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A note written on letterhead from Amin ’ s office said the woman was concerned .
When she woke up from the surgery , Huynh said , she was told Amin had removed one of her two fallopian tubes , which connect the uterus to the ovaries and are necessary to conceive a child .
Binam ’ s medical records indicate that the doctor discovered the tube was swollen .
“ She was shocked and sort of confronted him on that — that she hadn ’ t given her consent for him to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ The reply that he gave was they were in there anyway and found there was this problem .
”

HOUSTON (AP) — Sitting across from her lawyer at an immigration detention center in rural Georgia, Mileidy Cardentey Fernandez unbuttoned her jail jumpsuit to show the scars on her abdomen. There were three small, circular marks.
The 39-year-old woman from Cuba was told only that she would undergo an operation to treat her ovarian cysts, but a month later, she’s still not sure what procedure she got. After Cardentey repeatedly requested her medical records to find out, Irwin County Detention Center gave her more than 100 pages showing a diagnosis of cysts but nothing from the day of the surgery.
“The only thing they told me was: ‘You’re going to go to sleep and when you wake up, we will have finished,’” Cardentey said this week in a phone interview.
Advertisement
Cardentey kept her hospital bracelet. It has the date, Aug. 14, and part of the doctor’s name, Dr. Mahendra Amin, a gynecologist linked this week to allegations of unwanted hysterectomies and other procedures done on detained immigrant women that jeopardize their ability to have children.
An Associated Press review of medical records for four women and interviews with lawyers revealed growing allegations that Amin performed surgeries and other procedures on detained immigrants that they never sought or didn’t fully understand. Although some procedures could be justified based on problems documented in the records, the women’s lack of consent or knowledge raises severe legal and ethical issues, lawyers and medical experts said.
Amin has performed surgery or other gynecological treatment on at least eight women detained at Irwin County Detention Center since 2017, including one hysterectomy, said Andrew Free, an immigration and civil rights lawyer working with attorneys to investigate medical treatment at the detention center. Doctors on behalf of the attorneys are examining new records and more women are coming forward to report their treatment by Amin, Free said.
“The indication is there’s a systemic lack of truly informed and legally valid consent to perform procedures that could ultimately result — intentionally or unintentionally — in sterilization,” he said.
Advertisement
The AP’s review did not find evidence of mass hysterectomies as alleged in a widely shared complaint filed by a nurse at the detention center. Dawn Wooten alleged that many detained women were taken to an unnamed gynecologist whom she labeled the “uterus collector” because of how many hysterectomies he performed.
The complaint sparked a furious reaction from congressional Democrats and an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general. It also evoked comparisons to previous government-sanctioned efforts in the U.S. to sterilize people to supposedly improve society — victims who were disproportionately poor, mentally disabled, American Indian, Black, or other people of color. Thirty-three states had forced sterilization programs in the 20th century.
But a lawyer who helped file the complaint said she never spoke to any women who had hysterectomies. Priyanka Bhatt, staff attorney at the advocacy group Project South, told The Washington Post that she included the hysterectomy allegations because she wanted to trigger an investigation to determine if they were true. Wooten did not answer questions at a press conference Tuesday.
Project South did not respond to a request for an interview with Bhatt. The Government Accountability Project, another advocacy group involved in the complaint, declined to make Wooten available for an interview.
Amin told The Intercept, which first reported Wooten’s complaint, that he has only performed one or two hysterectomies in the past three years. His attorney, Scott Grubman, said in a statement: “We look forward to all of the facts coming out, and are confident that once they do, Dr. Amin will be cleared of any wrongdoing.”
Advertisement
Grubman did not respond to new questions Thursday.
Since 2018, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it found records of two referrals for hysterectomies at the jail, which is in Ocilla, Georgia, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) from Atlanta.
“Detainees are afforded informed consent, and a medical procedure like a hysterectomy would never be performed against a detainee’s will,” Dr. Ada Rivera, medical director of the ICE Health Service Corps that oversees health care in detention, said in a statement.
LaSalle Corrections, which operates the jail, said it “strongly refutes these allegations and any implications of misconduct.”
Women housed at Irwin County Detention Center who needed a gynecologist were typically taken to Amin, according to medical records provided to the AP by Free and lawyer Alexis Ruiz, who represents Cardentey. Interviews with detainees and their lawyers suggest some women came to fear the doctor.
Records reviewed by the AP show one woman was given a psychiatric evaluation the same day she refused to undergo a surgical procedure known as dilation and curettage. Commonly known as a D&C, it removes tissue from the uterus and can be used as a treatment for excessive bleeding. A note written on letterhead from Amin’s office said the woman was concerned.
Advertisement
According to a written summary of her psychiatric evaluation, the woman said, “I am nervous about my upcoming procedure.”
The summary says she denied needing mental health care and added: “I am worried because I saw someone else after they had surgery and what I saw scared me.”
The AP also reviewed records for a woman who was given a hysterectomy. She reported irregular bleeding and was taken to see Amin for a D&C. A lab study of the tissue found signs of early cancer, called carcinoma. Amin’s notes indicate the woman agreed 11 days later to the hysterectomy.
Free, who spoke to the woman, said she felt pressured by Amin and “didn’t have the opportunity to say no” or speak to her family before the procedure.
Doctors told the AP that a hysterectomy could have been appropriate due to the carcinoma, though there may have been less intrusive options available.
Advertisement
Lawyers for both women asked that their names be withheld for fear of retaliation by immigration authorities.
In another case, Pauline Binam, a 30-year-old woman who was brought to the U.S. from Cameroon when she was 2, saw Amin after experiencing an irregular menstrual cycle and was told to have a D&C, said her attorney, Van Huynh.
When she woke up from the surgery, Huynh said, she was told Amin had removed one of her two fallopian tubes, which connect the uterus to the ovaries and are necessary to conceive a child. Binam’s medical records indicate that the doctor discovered the tube was swollen.
“She was shocked and sort of confronted him on that — that she hadn’t given her consent for him to proceed with that,” Huynh said. “The reply that he gave was they were in there anyway and found there was this problem.”
While women can potentially still conceive with one intact tube and ovary, doctors who spoke to the AP said removal of the tube was likely unnecessary and should never have happened without Binam’s consent.
Advertisement
The doctors also questioned how Amin discovered the swollen tube because performing a D&C would not normally involve exploring a woman’s fallopian tubes.
Dr. Julie Graves, a family medicine and public health physician in Florida, called the process “absolutely abhorrent.”
“It’s established U.S. law that you don’t operate on everything that you find,” she said. “If you’re in a teaching hospital and an attending physician does something like that, it’s a scandal and they are fired.”
Binam was on the verge of deportation Wednesday, but ICE delayed it after calls from members of Congress and a request for an emergency stay by her lawyer.
Grubman, Amin’s lawyer, said in a statement that the doctor “has dedicated his adult life to treating a high-risk, underserved population in rural Georgia.”
Advertisement
Amin completed medical school in India in 1978 and his residency in gynecology in New Jersey. He has practiced in rural Georgia for at least three decades, according to court filings. State corporate records also show Amin is the executive of a company that manages Irwin County Hospital.
In 2013, state and federal investigators sued Amin, the hospital authority of Irwin County and a group of other doctors over allegations they falsely billed Medicare and Medicaid.
The lawsuit alleged that nurses at Irwin County Hospital were trained to follow a doctor’s “standing orders” — described as “scripted procedures based on the nurse’s diagnosis.” That meant nurses often decided treatment plans, but they were billed to Medicaid and Medicare as if they doctor did, the lawsuit said.
Investigators linked a standing order to Amin, alleging he required “certain tests always be run on pregnant patients, without any medical evaluation and regardless of her condition.”
The lawsuit was settled in 2015 with no known sanctions against Amin. The hospital paid a $520,000 settlement, saying no doctor paid any of it and had been “released from any and all liability.”
Advertisement
The Georgia Medical Board lists Amin as a doctor in good standing with no public disciplinary action. Board executive director LaSharn Hughes said records of investigations were confidential under state law.
State prosecutors didn’t refer Amin to the medical board after the billing lawsuit because it didn’t involve specific allegations of patient harm, said Katie Byrd, a spokeswoman for Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr.
___


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-18--Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Dead At 87

Ginsburg , who was once passed over for a clerkship on the Supreme Court because of her gender , was the second woman to sit on the nation ’ s highest court after Sandra Day O ’ Connor , and the first Jewish woman to do so .
President Bill Clinton nominated her to the Supreme Court in 1993 after she had served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit since 1980 .
From 2006 until 2009 , she was the only woman on the Supreme Court .
With Ginsburg , who was one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ justices , now gone , the court is split between three liberal justices and five conservative ones .
If President Donald Trump is able to nominate and get another conservative justice confirmed , that would cement conservatives ’ hold on the nation ’ s most powerful court , likely for years to come .
Ginsburg ’ s opinions for the court were influential , regardless of whether she was writing for the majority or dissenting .
In the 2007 case Lilly Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. , for example , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could not sue her former employer for paying her male counterparts more than her because she had not filed suit claiming discrimination within a 180-day period required by law .
In an opinion joined by three other justices , Ginsburg dissented vociferously , arguing that such a requirement was nonsensical because it might take a female employee longer than 180 days to find out that she was being paid less than her male counterparts .
In her dissent , she directly appealed to Congress to change the law .
Ginsburg wrote forcefully on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women .
In 1996 , she wrote the majority opinion in a case in which the court ruled that the Virginia Military Institute ’ s policy of only admitting men violated the equal protection clause of the Constitution .
She also wrote powerful dissents in Gonzales v. Carhart , in which the court upheld a federal ban on so-called “ partial-birth ” abortions , and Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores , which allowed closely held corporations to refuse to provide certain contraceptive coverage to employees for religious reasons .
“ Women , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , capacity , and right ‘ to participate equally in the economic and social life of the Nation .
Their ability to realize their full potential , the Court recognized , is intimately connected to their ability to control their reproductive lives , ’ ” Ginsburg wrote in her dissent in Gonzales v. Carhart .
“ Thus , legal challenges to undue restrictions on abortion procedures do not seek to vindicate some generalized notion of privacy ; rather , they center on a woman ’ s autonomy to determine her life ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ citizenship stature.
” Born Ruth Joan Bader in Brooklyn , New York , in 1933 , Ginsburg earned her B.A .
from Cornell University , where she met her future husband , Martin Ginsburg .
The two married in 1954 , the same year Ginsburg graduated from college .
Ginsburg then enrolled at Harvard Law School , where she was one of nine women in a class of 500 and cared for her daughter while completing her coursework .
Following two years at Harvard , Ginsburg finished her degree at Columbia University after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Even though she had completed most of her coursework at Harvard , the law school dean there reportedly refused to grant her a degree , so she earned her law degree from Columbia , where she tied for valedictorian .
Harvard eventually gave Ginsburg an honorary degree in 2011 .
Ginsburg eventually secured a clerkship with a federal judge in New York and went on to teach at Rutgers Law School before becoming the first female tenured professor at Columbia in 1972 .
That same year , she founded the ACLU ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and from 1972 to 1980 she served as general counsel for the ACLU , a role in which she pushed courts to strike down laws that discriminated on the basis of sex .
In the early 1970s , Ginsburg authored the ACLU legal brief for a Supreme Court case on behalf of an Idaho woman claiming that a state law that gave men preference in becoming the administrator of an estate after a family member died was unconstitutional .
Ginsburg argued that the law violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ equal protection ” under all laws , because it treated men and women differently .
The Supreme Court agreed with Ginsburg in the case , called Reed v. Reed , and ruled in favor of the woman , 7-0 .
It was the first time the court had applied the 14th Amendment to determine discrimination on the basis of sex .
As a litigator , Ginsburg took an incremental approach before the Supreme Court .
She carefully chose cases and plaintiffs toward which she thought the justices ― all men ― were likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , for example , Ginsburg successfully convinced the Supreme Court that an Oklahoma law that allowed women to buy alcohol at age 18 but forced men to wait until they were 21 was unconstitutional .
In the opinion in the case , called Craig v. Boren , the Court established an “ intermediate scrutiny ” standard for gender discrimination laws , meaning that the state had to prove that the law furthered an “ important government interest ” in a way that was “ substantially related to that interest.
” “ Throughout her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ individual , the person less well-off , the outsider in society , and has given those people greater hope by telling them that they have a place in our legal system , by giving them a sense that the Constitution and the laws protect all the American people , not simply the powerful , ” Clinton said .
While she was a crusader for women in front of the Supreme Court , Ginsburg was critical of the court ’ s decision in Roe v. Wade , the landmark 1973 decision that struck down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a constitutional right to an abortion .
While Ginsburg supported a woman ’ s right to choose , she said the court in Roe went “ too far , too fast ” and lent fuel to the anti-abortion movement .
Instead of ruling broadly in Roe , Ginsburg said , the Supreme Court should have taken a narrower approach , striking down the Texas law in question and allowing states to build on political momentum and pass laws that protected access to abortions .
Despite her status as one of the court ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her best friends on the Supreme Court was her ideological opposite : the late Justice Antonin Scalia .
While the two could forcefully disagree with one another in opinions that they authored for the Supreme Court , they shared a mutual love of opera , and even had an opera written about them .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the liberal icon who had served on the Supreme Court since 1993 and who crusaded for women’s rights before that, died on Friday at the age of 87.
Ginsburg died from complications of cancer, according to the Supreme Court. She was surrounded by her family at her home in Washington, D.C.
Advertisement
The justice dictated a statement to her granddaughter in the days before her death, NPR reported. Ginsburg said: “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.”
Chief Justice John Roberts said in a statement: “Our nation has lost a justice of historic stature. We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague. Today we mourn but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her, a tireless and resolute champion of justice.”
Ginsburg, who was once passed over for a clerkship on the Supreme Court because of her gender, was the second woman to sit on the nation’s highest court after Sandra Day O’Connor, and the first Jewish woman to do so. President Bill Clinton nominated her to the Supreme Court in 1993 after she had served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit since 1980. From 2006 until 2009, she was the only woman on the Supreme Court.
Advertisement
With Ginsburg, who was one of the Supreme Court’s more liberal justices, now gone, the court is split between three liberal justices and five conservative ones. If President Donald Trump is able to nominate and get another conservative justice confirmed, that would cement conservatives’ hold on the nation’s most powerful court, likely for years to come.
When conservative Justice Antonin Scalia — a close friend of Ginsburg’s — died in February 2016, Republicans in the Senate blocked former President Barack Obama’s nominee, Judge Merrick Garland of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, saying the president shouldn’t make the selection in a presidential election year.
Now, just over six weeks before the 2020 election, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) confirmed on Friday: “President Trump’s nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate.”
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg participates in a discussion at the Georgetown University Law Center on Feb. 10 in Washington, D.C. In a final statement she dictated to her granddaughter, she asked to not be replaced before the election. Sarah Silbiger via Getty Images
Ginsburg’s opinions for the court were influential, regardless of whether she was writing for the majority or dissenting. In the 2007 case Lilly Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., for example, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that a woman could not sue her former employer for paying her male counterparts more than her because she had not filed suit claiming discrimination within a 180-day period required by law. In an opinion joined by three other justices, Ginsburg dissented vociferously, arguing that such a requirement was nonsensical because it might take a female employee longer than 180 days to find out that she was being paid less than her male counterparts. In her dissent, she directly appealed to Congress to change the law.
Advertisement
In 2009, Congress did just that and passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which President Barack Obama signed into law that year. The law said that after each new paycheck, employees had a new 180-day period to file for discrimination.
Ginsburg wrote forcefully on a number of cases that directly impacted women. In 1996, she wrote the majority opinion in a case in which the court ruled that the Virginia Military Institute’s policy of only admitting men violated the equal protection clause of the Constitution. She also wrote powerful dissents in Gonzales v. Carhart, in which the court upheld a federal ban on so-called “partial-birth” abortions, and Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, which allowed closely held corporations to refuse to provide certain contraceptive coverage to employees for religious reasons.
“Women, it is now acknowledged, have the talent, capacity, and right ‘to participate equally in the economic and social life of the Nation. Their ability to realize their full potential, the Court recognized, is intimately connected to their ability to control their reproductive lives,’” Ginsburg wrote in her dissent in Gonzales v. Carhart. “Thus, legal challenges to undue restrictions on abortion procedures do not seek to vindicate some generalized notion of privacy; rather, they center on a woman’s autonomy to determine her life’s course, and thus to enjoy equal citizenship stature.”
Even though she was small in stature, her toughness and hard workout routine, combined with her fierce rhetoric, earned her the nickname “Notorious R.B.G.” ― something in which she seemed to take great pleasure.
Born Ruth Joan Bader in Brooklyn, New York, in 1933, Ginsburg earned her B.A. from Cornell University, where she met her future husband, Martin Ginsburg. The two married in 1954, the same year Ginsburg graduated from college. Ginsburg then enrolled at Harvard Law School, where she was one of nine women in a class of 500 and cared for her daughter while completing her coursework. Following two years at Harvard, Ginsburg finished her degree at Columbia University after Martin received a job in New York. Even though she had completed most of her coursework at Harvard, the law school dean there reportedly refused to grant her a degree, so she earned her law degree from Columbia, where she tied for valedictorian. Harvard eventually gave Ginsburg an honorary degree in 2011.
Advertisement
Despite her qualifications, Ginsburg was unable to find work after she graduated from law school in 1959. A Harvard dean even sent a letter to Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter recommending Ginsburg as a law clerk, but the justice replied that while he was impressed by Ginsburg, he simply was not ready to hire a woman.
Ginsburg eventually secured a clerkship with a federal judge in New York and went on to teach at Rutgers Law School before becoming the first female tenured professor at Columbia in 1972. That same year, she founded the ACLU’s Women’s Rights Project, and from 1972 to 1980 she served as general counsel for the ACLU, a role in which she pushed courts to strike down laws that discriminated on the basis of sex.
In the early 1970s, Ginsburg authored the ACLU legal brief for a Supreme Court case on behalf of an Idaho woman claiming that a state law that gave men preference in becoming the administrator of an estate after a family member died was unconstitutional. Ginsburg argued that the law violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment, which entitles all persons to “equal protection” under all laws, because it treated men and women differently. The Supreme Court agreed with Ginsburg in the case, called Reed v. Reed, and ruled in favor of the woman, 7-0. It was the first time the court had applied the 14th Amendment to determine discrimination on the basis of sex.
As a litigator, Ginsburg took an incremental approach before the Supreme Court. She carefully chose cases and plaintiffs toward which she thought the justices ― all men ― were likely to be sympathetic. In one case, for example, Ginsburg successfully convinced the Supreme Court that an Oklahoma law that allowed women to buy alcohol at age 18 but forced men to wait until they were 21 was unconstitutional. In the opinion in the case, called Craig v. Boren, the Court established an “intermediate scrutiny” standard for gender discrimination laws, meaning that the state had to prove that the law furthered an “important government interest” in a way that was “substantially related to that interest.”
When he nominated her to the Supreme Court in 1993, Clinton noted the profound legacy that Ginsburg brought to the bench.
Advertisement
“Throughout her life she has repeatedly stood for the individual, the person less well-off, the outsider in society, and has given those people greater hope by telling them that they have a place in our legal system, by giving them a sense that the Constitution and the laws protect all the American people, not simply the powerful,” Clinton said.
While she was a crusader for women in front of the Supreme Court, Ginsburg was critical of the court’s decision in Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that struck down a Texas law prohibiting abortion and established a constitutional right to an abortion. While Ginsburg supported a woman’s right to choose, she said the court in Roe went “too far, too fast” and lent fuel to the anti-abortion movement. Instead of ruling broadly in Roe, Ginsburg said, the Supreme Court should have taken a narrower approach, striking down the Texas law in question and allowing states to build on political momentum and pass laws that protected access to abortions.
Despite her status as one of the court’s more liberal justices, one of her best friends on the Supreme Court was her ideological opposite: the late Justice Antonin Scalia. While the two could forcefully disagree with one another in opinions that they authored for the Supreme Court, they shared a mutual love of opera, and even had an opera written about them.
Ginsburg’s husband of 56 years, Martin, died in 2010. She is survived by two children, four grandchildren, two step-grandchildren and one great-grandchild.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-18--Mitch McConnell Is About To Doom One Of Trump's Attempts To 'End Endless War'

The Republican-led Senate will likely fail to advance Ruger ’ s nomination in the brief period left before the chamber adjourns until after the November election , according to people familiar with the situation .
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee , which must vote on Ruger before the full body does , has not scheduled a hearing for him and the chances it will do so are diminishing , though administration officials say they are still trying to put him on the committee ’ s calendar .
“ Having somebody who has been firmly , clearly and publicly committed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very few preconditions , not withdrawal as some kind of aspiration ― that ’ s a big change , ” said Gil Barndollar , a researcher at the Catholic University of America who is personally close to Ruger .
( The Charles Koch Institute , where Ruger currently works , has funded projects that Barndollar has worked on . )
The Afghanistan ambassador job would give Ruger responsibility for helping to achieve one of Trump ’ s top priorities .
The president is pulling more than 4,000 troops out of Afghanistan before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the Taliban militia the U.S. is fighting , all American forces will withdraw by the middle of next year ― if negotiations proceed as planned .
Ruger has worked with many progressives and influential advocacy groups as one of a handful of crucial conservative allies for the campaign to end U.S. support for the brutal Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen .
Combine that with his relatively dovish views , and his supporters could envision his nomination passing with some Democratic votes even if a few hardline Republicans opposed it , handing Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president waited more than a month , according to a source familiar with the process , to send the nomination to Capitol Hill after he settled on it .
He hasn ’ t described it as a priority .
Sealing the deal has fallen to lower-level legislative staff at the White House and State Department .
Some of Ruger ’ s supporters are prodding Senate Republicans publicly and privately but they are mostly deferring to Trump ’ s aides out of respect .
To trust the current administration to implement a complex @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to expect it to do so as part of an effort to change the GOP ’ s orthodoxy is a big gamble .
Ruger ’ s positions are far less bellicose than those of top lawmakers who will determine his fate , like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-Ky. ) and Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch ( R-Idaho ) .
Those lawmakers may not want a public fight with the president over the nomination ― and they almost certainly blessed Trump ’ s choice behind closed doors before he sent it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also decide the easiest option is to simply never consider the matter at all .
Proponents of a less activist foreign policy , particularly in the Middle East , have repeatedly been accused of disregarding or even opposing U.S. ally Israel .
( And there is , of course , a history of American isolationism flirting with anti-Semitism . )
But for Ruger ’ s critics to bring up that charge now shows how heated the GOP ’ s internal fight over its future foreign policy has become .
In taking over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican president , George W. Bush , and a broad array of ambitious American projects abroad .
His election offered an opportunity for conservatives who want a more restrained posture abroad to gain greater sway than they have had in decades .
His harshest Republican opponents are figures associated with the party ’ s neoconservative school of thought , which has promoted aggressive U.S. efforts to try to reshape the world ― and many of them have now left the GOP .
But more militaristic thinking still persists among many of the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an approach to Trump ’ s own narrative about looming foreign threats .
The tussle between these factions plays out in proxy fights .
Ruger ’ s nomination is one .
And it ’ s especially important because he is connected to another : the clash over the Quincy Institute , a nascent think tank whose funders include the Charles Koch Institute .
Sen. Tom Cotton ( R-Ark . )
has bashed the Quincy Institute on the Senate floor and the Free Beacon suggested in January that it is “ dogged by charges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it have previously criticized the pro-Israel lobby in Washington .
This take on anti-intervention conservatives seems especially unfair in Ruger ’ s case ; the aide quoted by the Free Beacon last week notably included no evidence for their claims about the nominee .
Ruger has spoken of supporting and defending Israel ― and , in fact , visited the country on a trip organized by American supporters of a strong U.S.-Israel bond , said a source involved in his confirmation who would only discuss the sensitive process on the grounds of anonymity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part of a growing restraint-oriented foreign policy consensus that ’ s gaining strength because it ’ s representative of where a strong majority of the American people actually are .
If pro-war voices are anonymously criticizing him in the press , that ’ s only a point in his favor , ” said Matt Duss , the foreign policy adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders ( I-Vt. ) .
Sanders has said he would be open to speaking with Ruger about his vision to end the Afghanistan War .
Should Ruger actually secure the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chance to demonstrate that relatively unconventional figures with strong anti-intervention views can succeed in important foreign policy roles .
“ He ’ s not frequently seen as part of the Afghan expert community , ” said a former senior State Department official who requested anonymity to offer context on diplomatic matters .
The former official said specialists in the agency were surprised by Trump ’ s selection , particularly the timing of it ― and wondered if it was connected to a political desire to court the well-funded Koch network .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Last week, President Donald Trump bolstered his shaky reelection claims to being a peace candidate with a striking nomination for a key foreign policy job: He tapped William Ruger, a scholar who wants a full U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, to be the new American ambassador in Kabul. This week, Trump’s own party is set to doom his latest gambit to “end endless war.”
The Republican-led Senate will likely fail to advance Ruger’s nomination in the brief period left before the chamber adjourns until after the November election, according to people familiar with the situation. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which must vote on Ruger before the full body does, has not scheduled a hearing for him and the chances it will do so are diminishing, though administration officials say they are still trying to put him on the committee’s calendar.
Advertisement
The whole situation highlights two big problems with the president’s attempt to convince voters that he will end unpopular American wars: Trump’s own incompetence and the GOP’s ideological muddle on national security.
Ruger is well-respected by many lawmakers and foreign policy analysts; bringing him onto Trump’s team didn’t have to be a reach. And Ruger’s presence would help Trump argue that he was challenging hawks who have traditionally dominated Washington policy-making by giving more power to people who advocate a more restrained approach internationally.
“Having somebody who has been firmly, clearly and publicly committed to withdrawal as soon as feasible and with very few preconditions, not withdrawal as some kind of aspiration ― that’s a big change,” said Gil Barndollar, a researcher at the Catholic University of America who is personally close to Ruger. (The Charles Koch Institute, where Ruger currently works, has funded projects that Barndollar has worked on.)
The Afghanistan ambassador job would give Ruger responsibility for helping to achieve one of Trump’s top priorities. The president is pulling more than 4,000 troops out of Afghanistan before the election. Under a deal he authorized with the Taliban militia the U.S. is fighting, all American forces will withdraw by the middle of next year ― if negotiations proceed as planned.
Advertisement
Ruger has worked with many progressives and influential advocacy groups as one of a handful of crucial conservative allies for the campaign to end U.S. support for the brutal Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen. Combine that with his relatively dovish views, and his supporters could envision his nomination passing with some Democratic votes even if a few hardline Republicans opposed it, handing Trump a rare bipartisan victory.
Instead, the president waited more than a month, according to a source familiar with the process, to send the nomination to Capitol Hill after he settled on it. He hasn’t described it as a priority. Sealing the deal has fallen to lower-level legislative staff at the White House and State Department. Some of Ruger’s supporters are prodding Senate Republicans publicly and privately but they are mostly deferring to Trump’s aides out of respect.
To trust the current administration to implement a complex strategy is always a risky choice; to expect it to do so as part of an effort to change the GOP’s orthodoxy is a big gamble. Ruger’s positions are far less bellicose than those of top lawmakers who will determine his fate, like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch (R-Idaho). Those lawmakers may not want a public fight with the president over the nomination ― and they almost certainly blessed Trump’s choice behind closed doors before he sent it to Capitol Hill ― but they may also decide the easiest option is to simply never consider the matter at all.
Ruger and a White House spokesman declined to comment for this story. Spokespeople for McConnell did not respond to requests for comment.
Meanwhile, supporters of a more hawkish foreign policy are attacking Ruger. The Washington Free Beacon published a story last week alleging that three Hill staffers had said he could not be confirmed. One of its sources, described as “a senior Republican congressional aide,” called the nominee “an anti-Israel, pro-open borders, hardcore isolationist.”
Advertisement
The report also tied Ruger to Douglas Macgregor, a retired colonel known for violent and racist commentary whom Trump wants to appoint as the U.S. ambassador to Germany.
Proponents of a less activist foreign policy, particularly in the Middle East, have repeatedly been accused of disregarding or even opposing U.S. ally Israel. (And there is, of course, a history of American isolationism flirting with anti-Semitism.) But for Ruger’s critics to bring up that charge now shows how heated the GOP’s internal fight over its future foreign policy has become.
President Donald Trump speaks to workers in front of tanks on display at the Lima Army Tank Plant Joint Systems Manufacturing Center, the country's only remaining tank manufacturing plant, in Lima, Ohio, on March 20, 2019. Carlos Barria/Reuters
In taking over the party, Trump loudly criticized the last Republican president, George W. Bush, and a broad array of ambitious American projects abroad. His election offered an opportunity for conservatives who want a more restrained posture abroad to gain greater sway than they have had in decades. His harshest Republican opponents are figures associated with the party’s neoconservative school of thought, which has promoted aggressive U.S. efforts to try to reshape the world ― and many of them have now left the GOP. But more militaristic thinking still persists among many of the most powerful Republicans, who have connected such an approach to Trump’s own narrative about looming foreign threats.
The tussle between these factions plays out in proxy fights. Ruger’s nomination is one. And it’s especially important because he is connected to another: the clash over the Quincy Institute, a nascent think tank whose funders include the Charles Koch Institute. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) has bashed the Quincy Institute on the Senate floor and the Free Beacon suggested in January that it is “dogged by charges of anti-Semitism” because people connected to it have previously criticized the pro-Israel lobby in Washington.
Advertisement
This take on anti-intervention conservatives seems especially unfair in Ruger’s case; the aide quoted by the Free Beacon last week notably included no evidence for their claims about the nominee. Ruger has spoken of supporting and defending Israel ― and, in fact, visited the country on a trip organized by American supporters of a strong U.S.-Israel bond, said a source involved in his confirmation who would only discuss the sensitive process on the grounds of anonymity.
The source also challenged any association between Ruger and Macgregor, who while calling for drawing down American troop deployments in places like Europe, has also urged U.S. officials to institute martial law at the border with Mexico and potentially “shoot people,” per CNN.
Ruger’s “work is part of a growing restraint-oriented foreign policy consensus that’s gaining strength because it’s representative of where a strong majority of the American people actually are. If pro-war voices are anonymously criticizing him in the press, that’s only a point in his favor,” said Matt Duss, the foreign policy adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Sanders has said he would be open to speaking with Ruger about his vision to end the Afghanistan War.
Proponents of a more restrained foreign policy note that no high-profile Republicans have openly disparaged Ruger’s nomination. But the slow nature of the process is also diminishing their hopes of a move toward more dovish policy.
“Even in this putatively populist Republican politics, there’s ... a very small bench” of elected conservatives who question hawkishness, Barndollar said. The trend is “advancing in fits and starts. ... Hopefully Will’s confirmation will be one of those.”
Advertisement
Should Ruger actually secure the ambassador job, he would have the chance to demonstrate that relatively unconventional figures with strong anti-intervention views can succeed in important foreign policy roles. “He’s not frequently seen as part of the Afghan expert community,” said a former senior State Department official who requested anonymity to offer context on diplomatic matters. The former official said specialists in the agency were surprised by Trump’s selection, particularly the timing of it ― and wondered if it was connected to a political desire to court the well-funded Koch network.
The former official also suggested Ruger could have a tough time from the outset because of his past statements, like describing Afghanistan as far less strategically important to the U.S. than the way it’s been treated, which could make Afghans wary.
For Barndollar, a fellow supporter of a U.S. withdrawal, that would be a benefit to having Ruger as ambassador: “There’s no sense of false promises or being misled by the Americans if you have an emissary who’s somebody like Will.”
UPDATE: Sept. 25 — A week after this story published, Ruger’s nomination remained in limbo even as some conservatives continued to promote it. Suzanne Wrasse, a spokesperson for Risch’s Foreign Relations Committee, told HuffPost the responsibility for the delay lies with Trump’s team.
“Before the [committee] vets any nomination, we need a complete file from the nominee and the White House, and as of today, we still don’t have that,” Wrasse wrote in an email on Sept. 25. “Once we do, we can move forward on vetting and meetings with senators before a hearing could be held. That said, [the presidential personnel office] needs to complete its work before we can begin to consider when we might hold a hearing.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-18--Kayleigh McEnany Receives Searing Reminder After Latest Reality-Defying Defense Of Trump

Kayleigh McEnany stunned social media users with her latest reality-defying defense of President Donald Trump on Friday morning .
The White House press secretary claimed in a tweet that the president “ has consistently put the health of all Americans first.
” Her statement was in response to a Vanity Fair investigation published Thursday that laid bare the initial stages of the Trump administration ’ s catastrophic response to the coronavirus pandemic .
This Vanity Fair story is another inaccurate and disgusting partisan hit job .
President Trump has consistently put the health of all Americans first .
— Kayleigh @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 2020 Critics on Twitter hit back at McEnany with a series of blunt reminders .
Many pointed out the rising death toll from the public health crisis , as COVID-19 has killed nearly 200,000 people nationwide .
Some recalled how the president himself admitted in an early February interview with journalist Bob Woodward that he understood the dangers posed by COVID-19 .
In public , however , Trump chose to mislead the American public by downplaying the threat of the disease .
Meanwhile , others mentioned the fact that Trump earlier this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death toll would be far lower if “ blue ” states were not taken into account , and how he has attempted to gut the Affordable Care Act without announcing a replacement .
Is that why he lied about Covid and went to SCOTUS to fight against Obamacare and introduced no new plan about health care ?
Because he was putting the health of all Americans first ?
Just stop Kayleigh .
https : //t.co/oOJvXa5s6q — Touré ( @ Toure ) September 18 , 2020 He knew in January covid was airborne and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nation .
200,000 are dead , over 6 million sick and suffering .
He STILL has no national strategy .
— Jenifer ( @ jenifer__5 ) September 18 , 2020 LIES !
How can you honestly say that about President Trump ?
The man who mislead our nation on purpose about the # coronavirus and also called it a hoax .
HOW IS THAT PUTTING AMERICANS FIRST ?
https : //t.co/sQwwb0wRQ2 — Kim Mangone for Congress 2020 ( @ KimMangone ) September 18 , 2020 Then why is he trying to strike down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he has no replacement plan ?
— Devin Nunes ' Alt-Mom ( @ NunesAlt ) September 18 , 2020 I 'm an RN and just read this aloud to all my work colleagues .
They ca n't stop laughing .
— Susan ( @ CriticSusan ) September 18 , 2020 Apart from that time he killed 200,000 of them — Dexter Tempest ( @ DexterTempest ) September 18 , 2020 The article was quite accurate .
It ’ s amazing y ’ all want to keep spinning his failure and narcissism into “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when he holds supersoreader events , downplays the virus , contradicts scientists and has turned the cdc into a propaganda machine .
— Jen Wells ( @ jwellsie ) September 18 , 2020 In a recorded conversation with Woodward on February 7 , Trump said the coronavirus was `` more deadly than even your strenuous flus '' and that people could contract the virus just by breathing in air .
— Sassy T ( @ Sassyt1274 ) September 18 , 2020

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Kayleigh McEnany stunned social media users with her latest reality-defying defense of President Donald Trump on Friday morning.
The White House press secretary claimed in a tweet that the president “has consistently put the health of all Americans first.” Her statement was in response to a Vanity Fair investigation published Thursday that laid bare the initial stages of the Trump administration’s catastrophic response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Advertisement
This Vanity Fair story is another inaccurate and disgusting partisan hit job. President Trump has consistently put the health of all Americans first. — Kayleigh McEnany (@PressSec) September 18, 2020
Critics on Twitter hit back at McEnany with a series of blunt reminders. Many pointed out the rising death toll from the public health crisis, as COVID-19 has killed nearly 200,000 people nationwide.
Some recalled how the president himself admitted in an early February interview with journalist Bob Woodward that he understood the dangers posed by COVID-19. In public, however, Trump chose to mislead the American public by downplaying the threat of the disease.
Meanwhile, others mentioned the fact that Trump earlier this week had inaccurately claimed that the U.S. death toll would be far lower if “blue” states were not taken into account, and how he has attempted to gut the Affordable Care Act without announcing a replacement.
Advertisement
*offer not available in blue states https://t.co/A7xgWhcvoq — Sarah McQuade (@sarahwhelmed) September 18, 2020
Is that why he lied about Covid and went to SCOTUS to fight against Obamacare and introduced no new plan about health care? Because he was putting the health of all Americans first? Just stop Kayleigh. https://t.co/oOJvXa5s6q — Touré (@Toure) September 18, 2020
He knew in January covid was airborne and deadly He never warned or prepared the nation. 200,000 are dead, over 6 million sick and suffering. He STILL has no national strategy. — Jenifer (@jenifer__5) September 18, 2020
LIES! How can you honestly say that about President Trump? The man who mislead our nation on purpose about the #coronavirus and also called it a hoax. HOW IS THAT PUTTING AMERICANS FIRST? https://t.co/sQwwb0wRQ2 — Kim Mangone for Congress 2020 (@KimMangone) September 18, 2020
Then why is he trying to strike down Obamacare in the Supreme Court even though he has no replacement plan? — Devin Nunes' Alt-Mom (@NunesAlt) September 18, 2020
Advertisement
Your first lie was that you wouldn’t lie. — Jo (@JoJoFromJerz) September 18, 2020
200,000 dead. — Bob Davidson (@oybay) September 18, 2020
I'm an RN and just read this aloud to all my work colleagues. They can't stop laughing. — Susan (@CriticSusan) September 18, 2020
Apart from that time he killed 200,000 of them — Dexter Tempest (@DexterTempest) September 18, 2020
The article was quite accurate. It’s amazing y’all want to keep spinning his failure and narcissism into “he puts health of Americans first” when he holds supersoreader events, downplays the virus, contradicts scientists and has turned the cdc into a propaganda machine. — Jen Wells (@jwellsie) September 18, 2020
Advertisement
KayLie makes Baghdad Bob look credible. — Chidi® (@ChidiNwatu) September 18, 2020
You misspelled health. It should be death. https://t.co/a9wXMXztrG — Mark T. Dickins. (@MarkDickins) September 18, 2020
In a recorded conversation with Woodward on February 7, Trump said the coronavirus was "more deadly than even your strenuous flus" and that people could contract the virus just by breathing in air. — Sassy T (@Sassyt1274) September 18, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-18--Idaho Pastor Who Criticized Mask Mandate Is Hospitalized With COVID-19

Candlelight Christian Fellowship in Coeur d ’ Alene , Idaho , confirmed in a Monday statement on its website that senior pastor Paul Van Noy remained in a local hospital ’ s intensive care unit after testing positive for the coronavirus more than two weeks ago .
Van Noy ’ s wife , Brenda , and five other church staff members also tested positive , but were able to recover at home , according to the statement .
“ They tell me it will be a few more days in ICU and then I will move back to a regular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then to recover at home , ” Van Noy is quoted as saying .
“ At present I feel OK but still need quite a bit of oxygen support — especially if and when I try to get up out of the bed.
” “ I am watching in prayer that there are no new cases and we can all be back together — worshipping together as called — very soon , ” he added .
“ Please pray for health and strength for all.
” “ It has been clearly and scientifically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the prevention of COVID-19 transmission , ” he wrote on Facebook July 17 .
“ It is true that COVID-19 cases are in escalation here in our community and that the virus is real .
However , the panic to ‘ stop the world ’ or mandate public compliance with less that free exercise is causing untold problems and pushback that will not be helpful.
” He doubled down on this stance in a July 22 sermon , footage of which was uploaded to YouTube and can be found below .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he said .
“ I do not mind if people wear masks .
I want people to be encouraged if they want to wear a mask , to wear a mask .
But I don ’ t want to be told I have to wear a mask.
” In an interview with The Spokesman-Review published Wednesday , Candlelight Christian Fellowship ’ s body ministry coordinator Eric Reade said he and other church officials did not know how Van Noy contracted the coronavirus .
Idaho ’ s Kootenai County , where Candlelight Christian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mandate in July .
Even so , Reade reiterated that parishioners will not be required to wear masks if they attend services .
“ The position is , if you feel comfortable wearing a mask , you can .
If you ’ re not comfortable wearing a mask , you don ’ t have to , ” he said .
“ Nobody is going to be criticized for whatever decision they make .
We all have different opinions and approaches about things.
” According to Johns Hopkins University , there have been more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the state of Idaho , and more than 434 deaths .
The state ’ s positivity rate stands at 12.87 % .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
An Idaho pastor who told his parishioners they didn’t have to wear masks while attending church services has been hospitalized with COVID-19.
Candlelight Christian Fellowship in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, confirmed in a Monday statement on its website that senior pastor Paul Van Noy remained in a local hospital’s intensive care unit after testing positive for the coronavirus more than two weeks ago.
Advertisement
Van Noy’s wife, Brenda, and five other church staff members also tested positive, but were able to recover at home, according to the statement.
“They tell me it will be a few more days in ICU and then I will move back to a regular room for a couple of days and then to recover at home,” Van Noy is quoted as saying. “At present I feel OK but still need quite a bit of oxygen support — especially if and when I try to get up out of the bed.”
“I am watching in prayer that there are no new cases and we can all be back together — worshipping together as called — very soon,” he added. “Please pray for health and strength for all.”
According to The Spokesman-Review, the Candlelight Christian Fellowship has about 1,200 members and reopened for in-person services in May.
Advertisement
Van Noy’s diagnosis came weeks after the pastor declared himself a “no-masker” and implied that he was was skeptical of social distance measures.
“It has been clearly and scientifically proven that many masks do not aid in the prevention of COVID-19 transmission,” he wrote on Facebook July 17. “It is true that COVID-19 cases are in escalation here in our community and that the virus is real. However, the panic to ‘stop the world’ or mandate public compliance with less that free exercise is causing untold problems and pushback that will not be helpful.”
He doubled down on this stance in a July 22 sermon, footage of which was uploaded to YouTube and can be found below.
“I am a no-masker, personally,” he said. “I do not mind if people wear masks. I want people to be encouraged if they want to wear a mask, to wear a mask. But I don’t want to be told I have to wear a mask.”
(Van Noy’s comments on masks start at 7:41.)
Advertisement
In a follow-up statement published on the church’s website Thursday, Van Noy said he remained in the ICU.
“I will be continuing recovery and will be stronger yet,” he wrote. “We all will!”
In an interview with The Spokesman-Review published Wednesday, Candlelight Christian Fellowship’s body ministry coordinator Eric Reade said he and other church officials did not know how Van Noy contracted the coronavirus.
Idaho’s Kootenai County, where Candlelight Christian Fellowship is based, implemented a mask mandate in July. Even so, Reade reiterated that parishioners will not be required to wear masks if they attend services.
“The position is, if you feel comfortable wearing a mask, you can. If you’re not comfortable wearing a mask, you don’t have to,” he said. “Nobody is going to be criticized for whatever decision they make. We all have different opinions and approaches about things.”
According to Johns Hopkins University, there have been more than 36,489 confirmed cases of COVID-19 cases in the state of Idaho, and more than 434 deaths. The state’s positivity rate stands at 12.87%.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-18--Chuck Schumer Throws Mitch McConnell's Words About Supreme Court In His Face

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ’ s message for the Republican-majority Senate in light of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg ’ s death Friday is something Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said four years ago : “ The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court justice.
” Schumer tweeted that Ginsburg ’ s seat should not be filled until after the election , repeating word for word what the Kentucky Republican had said in light of the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February 2016 as the presidential campaign was underway .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice .
Therefore , this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president .
— Chuck Schumer ( @ SenSchumer ) September 18 , 2020 McConnell confirmed Friday he has no intention of waiting for the election to confirm whomever Trump puts forward .
“ President Trump ’ s nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate , ” McConnell said in a statement .
He justified the change in his stance by simply stating that Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Americans reelected our majority in 2016 and expanded in 2018 because we pledged to work with President Trump and support his agenda .
particularly his outstanding appointments to the federal judiciary.
” Ginsburg died Friday after a battle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 87 .
In her final days Ginsburg dictated a statement to her granddaughter : “ My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.
” In February 2016 , McConnell said clearly that the Republican-led Senate would not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Merrick Garland , President Barack Obama ’ s pick to replace Scalia .
His tune has changed , telling the press that he would move to fill a Supreme Court vacancy if it happened this year .
Trump is expected to put forward a nominee quickly .
It ’ s 46 days before Election Day .
Sen. Lisa Murkowski ( R-Alaska ) has said she will not vote to confirm a Supreme Court justice before the election .
All eyes will be on vulnerable Republican senators up for reelection in the days ahead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Senate to stop a confirmation .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s message for the Republican-majority Senate in light of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death Friday is something Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said four years ago: “The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court justice.”
Schumer tweeted that Ginsburg’s seat should not be filled until after the election, repeating word for word what the Kentucky Republican had said in light of the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February 2016 as the presidential campaign was underway.
Advertisement
The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president. — Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) September 18, 2020
McConnell confirmed Friday he has no intention of waiting for the election to confirm whomever Trump puts forward.
“President Trump’s nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate,” McConnell said in a statement.
He justified the change in his stance by simply stating that Republicans have maintained a majority in the Senate.
Advertisement
“Americans reelected our majority in 2016 and expanded in 2018 because we pledged to work with President Trump and support his agenda. particularly his outstanding appointments to the federal judiciary.”
McConnell statement in: "President Trump’s nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate." — Tal Kopan (@TalKopan) September 19, 2020
Ginsburg died Friday after a battle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 87. In her final days Ginsburg dictated a statement to her granddaughter: “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.”
In February 2016, McConnell said clearly that the Republican-led Senate would not proceed with Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Merrick Garland, President Barack Obama’s pick to replace Scalia.
His tune has changed, telling the press that he would move to fill a Supreme Court vacancy if it happened this year. Trump is expected to put forward a nominee quickly.
Advertisement