thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-23--Roger Stone Prosecutor Says DOJ Leaders Applied ‘Heavy Pressure' To Cut Him A Break

Top Justice Department leadership put “ heavy pressure ” on a top federal prosecutor to cut former Donald Trump adviser Roger Stone a break in his sentencing , a former prosecutor on the case plans to tell the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday .
Aaron S.J .
Zelinsky will tell Congress that he repeatedly heard that Stone “ was being treated differently from any other defendant because of his relationship to the President , ” according to prepared testimony .
Zelinksy will say that Stone ’ s case was handled in an “ unusual and unprecedented way ” and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ line prosecutors to “ obscure the correct Sentencing Guidelines calculation to which Roger Stone was subject ― and to water down and in some cases outright distort the events that transpired in his trial and the criminal conduct that gave rise to his conviction.
” Zelinsky will tell the House Judiciary Committee that acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Timothy Shea , a close associate of Attorney General William Barr , “ was receiving heavy pressure from the highest levels of the Department of Justice to cut Stone a break , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sentencing instructions to us were based on political considerations.
” “ I was also told that the acting U.S. Attorney was giving Stone such unprecedentedly favorable treatment because he was ‘ afraid of the President , ’ ” Zelinsky will testify .
“ To be clear , my concern is not with this sentencing outcome , ” Zelinsky will tell lawmakers .
“ It is about the process and the fact that the Department of Justice treated Roger Stone differently and more leniently in ways that are virtually , if not entirely , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. Attorney ’ s Office for the District of Columbia thanked Zelinsky for his work on the case , Zelinsky ’ s prepared testimony says he responded that he continued to believe that “ changing a sentencing recommendation based on political considerations and the fact that the U.S. attorney was ‘ afraid of the President ’ ( in your words ) was wrong , contrary to DOJ policy , and unethical , at a minimum.
” Kerri Kupec , a spokesperson for Barr , said in a statement on Tuesday evening that Barr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the line prosecutors in the Roger Stone case was excessive and inconsistent with similar cases ” and directed Shea to leave the sentencing to the judge ’ s discretion in “ the interest of ensuring the imposition of a fair sentence.
” Kupec reiterated that Barr “ did not discuss the sentencing of Roger Stone with the President or anyone else at the White House and had made the decision to correct the filing before the President tweeted about the case.
” Kupec ’ s statement called Zelinsky ’ s allegations “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he lacks first-hand knowledge of the political leadership ’ s actions in the Stone case .
She said Barr “ has and will continue to approach all cases at the Department of Justice with that commitment to the rule of law and the fair and impartial administration of justice.
” The statement did not explain why Barr chose to get involved in the Stone case and whether he made a regular habit of reviewing the thousands upon thousands of sentencing recommendations that the Justice Department makes each year .
Kupec did not immediately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether she could point to any other case where the attorney general intervened to advocate for a more lenient sentence .
At Wednesday ’ s hearing , another Justice Department official in the antitrust division will testify that Barr intervened in cases involving marijuana company mergers because “ the cannabis industry is unpopular ‘ on the fifth floor , ’ a reference to Attorney General Barr ’ s offices in the DOJ headquarters building .
”

Roger Stone leaves federal court after a sentencing hearing on Feb. 20 in Washington, D.C. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI via Getty Images
Top Justice Department leadership put “heavy pressure” on a top federal prosecutor to cut former Donald Trump adviser Roger Stone a break in his sentencing, a former prosecutor on the case plans to tell the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
Aaron S.J. Zelinsky will tell Congress that he repeatedly heard that Stone “was being treated differently from any other defendant because of his relationship to the President,” according to prepared testimony.
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Stone, who was convicted of lying to Congress and witness tampering, ultimately received a sentence of 40 months in prison after DOJ leadership intervened in the case.
Zelinksy will say that Stone’s case was handled in an “unusual and unprecedented way” and that leadership put “significant pressure” on line prosecutors to “obscure the correct Sentencing Guidelines calculation to which Roger Stone was subject ― and to water down and in some cases outright distort the events that transpired in his trial and the criminal conduct that gave rise to his conviction.”
Zelinsky will tell the House Judiciary Committee that acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Timothy Shea, a close associate of Attorney General William Barr, “was receiving heavy pressure from the highest levels of the Department of Justice to cut Stone a break, and that the U.S. Attorney’s sentencing instructions to us were based on political considerations.”
“I was also told that the acting U.S. Attorney was giving Stone such unprecedentedly favorable treatment because he was ‘afraid of the President,’” Zelinsky will testify.
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“To be clear, my concern is not with this sentencing outcome,” Zelinsky will tell lawmakers. “It is about the process and the fact that the Department of Justice treated Roger Stone differently and more leniently in ways that are virtually, if not entirely, unprecedented.”
Zelinsky will say that he has “never seen political influence play any role in prosecutorial decision making ... with one exception: United States v. Roger Stone.”
When a supervisor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia thanked Zelinsky for his work on the case, Zelinsky’s prepared testimony says he responded that he continued to believe that “changing a sentencing recommendation based on political considerations and the fact that the U.S. attorney was ‘afraid of the President’ (in your words) was wrong, contrary to DOJ policy, and unethical, at a minimum.”
Kerri Kupec, a spokesperson for Barr, said in a statement on Tuesday evening that Barr had “determined the high sentence proposed by the line prosecutors in the Roger Stone case was excessive and inconsistent with similar cases” and directed Shea to leave the sentencing to the judge’s discretion in “the interest of ensuring the imposition of a fair sentence.”
Kupec reiterated that Barr “did not discuss the sentencing of Roger Stone with the President or anyone else at the White House and had made the decision to correct the filing before the President tweeted about the case.”
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Kupec’s statement called Zelinsky’s allegations “hearsay (at best)” because he lacks first-hand knowledge of the political leadership’s actions in the Stone case. She said Barr “has and will continue to approach all cases at the Department of Justice with that commitment to the rule of law and the fair and impartial administration of justice.”
The statement did not explain why Barr chose to get involved in the Stone case and whether he made a regular habit of reviewing the thousands upon thousands of sentencing recommendations that the Justice Department makes each year. Kupec did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s question about whether she could point to any other case where the attorney general intervened to advocate for a more lenient sentence.
At Wednesday’s hearing, another Justice Department official in the antitrust division will testify that Barr intervened in cases involving marijuana company mergers because “the cannabis industry is unpopular ‘on the fifth floor,’ a reference to Attorney General Barr’s offices in the DOJ headquarters building.”
Read Zelinsky’s opening statement below.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-23--Noose Found In Garage Used By NASCAR’s Bubba Wallace Was There In 2019: FBI

“ On Monday , fifteen FBI special agents conducted numerous interviews regarding the situation at Talladega Superspeedway .
After a @ @ @ @ @ and evidence surrounding this event , we have concluded that no federal crime was committed @ @ @ @ @ is now known to have been in garage number 4 in 2019 , nobody could @ @ @ @ @ be assigned to garage number 4 last week .
”

“On Monday, fifteen FBI special agents conducted numerous interviews regarding the situation at Talladega Superspeedway. After a thorough review of the facts and evidence surrounding this event, we have concluded that no federal crime was committed.
“Although the noose is now known to have been in garage number 4 in 2019, nobody could have known Mr. Wallace would be assigned to garage number 4 last week.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-23--4 Years Later, Only 3 New Miles of 'Wall' And Not A Single Peso From Mexico

WASHINGTON ― Four years after promising a 2,000-mile “ Great Wall ” made of reinforced concrete and paid for by Mexico , President Donald Trump took a victory lap for securing three new miles of steel fence that was paid for by raiding the military budget .
“ This is the most powerful and comprehensive border wall structure anywhere in the world , ” Trump said Tuesday during a visit to the Mexican border at Yuma , Arizona , where he said 212 miles have been built and that close to 500 would be finished by the end of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been more secure.
” In fact , only three of those 212 miles are along parts of the border that previously had no barrier .
The rest have replaced existing fencing , a process that began under President George W. Bush and continued under President Barack Obama .
“ I would build a great wall , and nobody builds walls better than me , believe me , and I ’ ll build them very inexpensively , ” Trump said in his Trump Tower announcement .
“ I will build a great , great @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I will have Mexico pay for that wall .
Mark my words.
” Over the coming 17 months , Trump promised many hundreds of times that he would build the wall quickly and at no cost to U.S. taxpayers .
Trump said that his wall would be at least 30 feet tall and extend deep underground to prevent people from tunneling beneath it .
At a December 2015 visit to Manassas , Virginia , Trump even went into construction details .
“ It ’ s going to be made of hardened concrete , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made out of rebar .
That ’ s steel , ” Trump said to a question from a young boy in the audience .
“ And we ’ re going to set it in nice , heavy foundations.
” President Donald Trump tours a section of the border wall on Tuesday in San Luis , Arizona , accompanied by Arizona Gov .
Doug Ducey ( R ) , second from right , and Rep. Debbie Lesko ( R-Ariz ) , third from right .
But upon taking office , Trump has not tried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the wall ― although he has frequently lied that the revised North American Free Trade Agreement or remittances sent back to Mexico from workers here are somehow funding it .
Indeed , Trump did nothing about the wall at all for more than a year after entering the White House , and only seemed to realize it would not simply build itself after Fox News personalities began criticizing him in the spring of 2018 .
Trump briefly considered vetoing a $ 1.3 trillion spending bill because it did not contain the $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but ultimately signed it , even though it contained only $ 641 million for new fencing .
The same exercise was repeated nearly a year later , after a partial government shutdown Trump forced , but then backed away from .
Instead , he declared a national emergency and raided the military construction budget ― diverting money from dozens of projects at bases all over the country and overseas ― to instead build his wall .
Democrats in 2017 , however , offered to support $ 25 billion for Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legal status for some 800,000 undocumented immigrants who entered the country as children .
Trump refused that deal .
Bush famously angered many in his party by stating that “ family values don ’ t stop at the Rio Grande river , ” but also won 40 % of the Latino vote during his 2004 reelection .
That percentage has fallen into the 20s for Republican candidates in subsequent presidential contests .

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WASHINGTON ― Four years after promising a 2,000-mile “Great Wall” made of reinforced concrete and paid for by Mexico, President Donald Trump took a victory lap for securing three new miles of steel fence that was paid for by raiding the military budget.
“This is the most powerful and comprehensive border wall structure anywhere in the world,” Trump said Tuesday during a visit to the Mexican border at Yuma, Arizona, where he said 212 miles have been built and that close to 500 would be finished by the end of the year. “Our border has never been more secure.”
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In fact, only three of those 212 miles are along parts of the border that previously had no barrier. The rest have replaced existing fencing, a process that began under President George W. Bush and continued under President Barack Obama.
And that fencing, between 18 and 30 feet tall, has proven vulnerable to smugglers and human traffickers using portable, battery-powered saws.
“As Ted Cruz said, Donald Trump is a pathological liar,” said Republican consultant Stuart Stevens, referring to the Texas GOP senator’s lengthy critique of Trump’s mental health at the end of the 2016 Republican presidential primaries.
Trump promised from the day he began his campaign in June 2015 that he would build a “great wall” to end illegal immigration from Mexico.
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“I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and I’ll build them very inexpensively,” Trump said in his Trump Tower announcement. “I will build a great, great wall on our southern border. And I will have Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words.”
Over the coming 17 months, Trump promised many hundreds of times that he would build the wall quickly and at no cost to U.S. taxpayers. Trump said that his wall would be at least 30 feet tall and extend deep underground to prevent people from tunneling beneath it. At a December 2015 visit to Manassas, Virginia, Trump even went into construction details.
“It’s going to be made of hardened concrete, and it’s going to be made out of rebar. That’s steel,” Trump said to a question from a young boy in the audience. “And we’re going to set it in nice, heavy foundations.”
President Donald Trump tours a section of the border wall on Tuesday in San Luis, Arizona, accompanied by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R), second from right, and Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz), third from right. ASSOCIATED PRESS
But upon taking office, Trump has not tried even once to get Mexico to pay for the wall ― although he has frequently lied that the revised North American Free Trade Agreement or remittances sent back to Mexico from workers here are somehow funding it.
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Indeed, Trump did nothing about the wall at all for more than a year after entering the White House, and only seemed to realize it would not simply build itself after Fox News personalities began criticizing him in the spring of 2018. Trump briefly considered vetoing a $1.3 trillion spending bill because it did not contain the $25 billion he wanted for the wall, but ultimately signed it, even though it contained only $641 million for new fencing.
The same exercise was repeated nearly a year later, after a partial government shutdown Trump forced, but then backed away from. Instead, he declared a national emergency and raided the military construction budget ― diverting money from dozens of projects at bases all over the country and overseas ― to instead build his wall.
Trump on Tuesday blamed Democrats for doing “everything they could to block us” and claimed they supported “open borders.”
Democrats in 2017, however, offered to support $25 billion for Trump’s wall in exchange for his support for legal status for some 800,000 undocumented immigrants who entered the country as children. Trump refused that deal.
“The Republican Party has fully embraced white grievance politics,” said Stevens, who worked for George W. Bush’s 2000 and 2004 campaigns. “The opposite of what we aspired to under President Bush.”
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-23--Republicans Think The U.S. Should Speed Up — Not Slow Down — Coronavirus Testing

Republicans say the U.S. should expand its testing capacity for the coronavirus , breaking with President Donald Trump who said over the weekend that he had ordered staff to “ slow the testing down.
” “ We need the tests .
They help us contain the disease and they build confidence so we can go back to work , back to school , ” Sen. Lamar Alexander ( R-Tenn. ) , who chairs the Senate health committee , told HuffPost on Tuesday .
At his rally in Tulsa , Oklahoma , on Saturday , Trump appeared to suggest the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus pandemic if it slowed down testing .
Specifically , the president said : “ When you do testing to that extent , you ’ re going to find ... more cases .
So I said to my people , ’ Slow the testing down , please.
’ ” Though his top aides tried to downplay his remarks by claiming he was simply joking , Trump doubled down afterward in an interview with a Scripps News reporter .
“ If we did slow it down , we wouldn ’ t show nearly as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And in an exchange with reporters on Tuesday , the president contradicted his staff , including his press secretary , by saying , “ I don ’ t kid.
” Trump has repeatedly made claims suggesting that less testing would mean fewer COVID-19 cases , when in fact less testing would simply mean that fewer cases would be publicly reported .
The U.S. has reported over 2.3 million cases and 123,000 deaths ― and counting ― from the coronavirus .
“ No .
Nope .
Nope , ” added Sen. Lisa Murkowski ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Trump on testing .
“ We ’ re being pretty aggressive in the state of Alaska.
” But other Republican senators suggested reporters simply didn ’ t understand the way Trump communicates and that he was in fact joking about coronavirus testing for some reason .
“ Once again Donald Trump in his comedic way references the fact that we test more than any other country , ” Sen. Kevin Cramer ( R-N.D. ) said Tuesday .
Testifying before a House committee on Tuesday , four top U.S. health officials ― National @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Anthony Fauci , FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield , and the Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Brett Giroir ― all said that the president had not asked them to slow down the testing .

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“We need the tests. They help us contain the disease and they build confidence so we can go back to work, back to school,” Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), who chairs the Senate health committee, told HuffPost on Tuesday.
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At his rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Saturday, Trump appeared to suggest the U.S. would fare better in response to the coronavirus pandemic if it slowed down testing. Specifically, the president said: “When you do testing to that extent, you’re going to find ... more cases. So I said to my people, ’Slow the testing down, please.’”
Though his top aides tried to downplay his remarks by claiming he was simply joking, Trump doubled down afterward in an interview with a Scripps News reporter.
“If we did slow it down, we wouldn’t show nearly as many cases,” Trump said.
And in an exchange with reporters on Tuesday, the president contradicted his staff, including his press secretary, by saying, “I don’t kid.”
Trump has repeatedly made claims suggesting that less testing would mean fewer COVID-19 cases, when in fact less testing would simply mean that fewer cases would be publicly reported. The U.S. has reported over 2.3 million cases and 123,000 deaths ― and counting ― from the coronavirus.
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“We have to increase our testing,” Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) told HuffPost on Tuesday.
“No. Nope. Nope,” added Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) when asked if she agreed with Trump on testing. “We’re being pretty aggressive in the state of Alaska.”
But other Republican senators suggested reporters simply didn’t understand the way Trump communicates and that he was in fact joking about coronavirus testing for some reason.
“Once again Donald Trump in his comedic way references the fact that we test more than any other country,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said Tuesday.
“I don’t take him literally, I take him seriously,” Cramer added.
Testifying before a House committee on Tuesday, four top U.S. health officials ― National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield, and the Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Brett Giroir ― all said that the president had not asked them to slow down the testing.
“It’s the opposite. We’re going to be doing more testing, not less,” Fauci said.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-23--Donald Trump Is Using The Pandemic To Push His Anti-Immigration Agenda

Trump has claimed these policies are necessary to prevent the spread of COVID-19 from other countries and to protect American workers from competition for jobs during the pandemic-related financial crisis .
But several of the immigration policies rammed through in recent months have been on the president ’ s to-do list since his first year in office .
The pandemic didn ’ t create a need for nativist immigration policies ; it simply provided an excuse for them .
That includes the Mexican border wall , an extremely costly campaign promise that Trump continues to push even during an economic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Arizona , where COVID-19 cases are spiking , to visit border wall construction and falsely boast that his pet project had protected Americans from COVID-19 .
“ I built the wall and it worked 100 % , ” Trump said .
The border wall , the president falsely claimed , “ stopped COVID , it stopped everything , it stopped the whole deal.
” During his first address to the nation on COVID-19 in March , Trump made it clear that his primary response to the coronavirus would be to blame other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He repeatedly characterized the coronavirus as a “ foreign virus ” and argued that banning people from other countries was key to containing the outbreak in the U.S .
Since then , the Trump administration has issued at least 48 policy changes related to the U.S. immigration system , according to a count by the National Immigration Forum , including several that have an indefinite timeline .
At the same time , the U.S. has failed to reduce its number of daily new COVID-19 cases , as other countries hard-hit by the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the most sweeping changes came via executive order on Monday .
The new order bans multiple kinds of new work visas and will go into effect this week , lasting through the end of the year .
The policy stops the issuance of the H-1B visa for skilled workers ― a longtime target for immigration hard-liners ― the H-2B visa for seasonal workers in industries like hospitality and food processing , the J-1 visa allowing foreigners to participate in summer internships or jobs and the L visa permitting companies to temporarily transfer employees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ urged the government to release people held in crowded federal detention facilities , suspend civil immigration enforcement and provide testing and treatment to all , regardless of immigration status , the ACLU said .
“ Instead , while ignoring these recommendations , the Trump administration has banned asylum seekers at the border , green card applicants , foreign students , and now even more immigrants , who are instrumental to our nation ’ s economic recovery.
” In addition to those visa restrictions , the Trump administration made it harder for asylum-seekers already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a move that could coerce “ poor asylum seekers into giving up their claims or pushing them into starvation and abusive work in the underground economy , ” Yael Schacher , a senior advocate with Refugees International , tweeted on Monday .
Trump and his aides say the policies are essential to help American workers .
But the Trump administration has been promoting the idea that foreigners were stealing American jobs long before the spread of the virus ― and experts have refuted it for years , saying immigrant workers make the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. citizens are unwilling or unable to take .
In requesting an H-1B visa , for instance , companies have to advertise open positions and demonstrate to the government that they need to hire a foreign worker because no American citizen is suitable .
The new order also undermines the president ’ s repeated claims that he wants the most qualified foreigners , particularly international students , to contribute to the U.S .
Even some of his allies highlighted the inconsistency : “ Legal immigration is a positive for the American economy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote on Twitter .
“ Like all Americans , I want to recreate the strong economy we had before coronavirus… .
President Trump built it once and he can build it again , but not if the tools that helped create the strongest economy in generations are not available.
” “ Imagine if Real Madrid Or Barcelona could only hire players from Spain .
They probably wouldn ’ t be the best in the world anymore .
This is what the new executive orders will do to American technology companies , ” DuoLingo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the U.S. from Guatemala , wrote on Twitter .

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President Donald Trump has been pushing measures to restrict immigration to the United States for years. Now he’s using the coronavirus pandemic to justify a crackdown on immigration that puts vulnerable migrants — including children — at risk and separates families, and could deepen the current economic crisis.
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Trump has claimed these policies are necessary to prevent the spread of COVID-19 from other countries and to protect American workers from competition for jobs during the pandemic-related financial crisis. But several of the immigration policies rammed through in recent months have been on the president’s to-do list since his first year in office. The pandemic didn’t create a need for nativist immigration policies; it simply provided an excuse for them.
That includes the Mexican border wall, an extremely costly campaign promise that Trump continues to push even during an economic downturn. On Tuesday, Trump traveled to Arizona, where COVID-19 cases are spiking, to visit border wall construction and falsely boast that his pet project had protected Americans from COVID-19. “I built the wall and it worked 100%,” Trump said. The border wall, the president falsely claimed, “stopped COVID, it stopped everything, it stopped the whole deal.”
This isn’t true, but it does fit a pattern for the president, whose focus during the pandemic frequently turns to blaming other countries for it.
During his first address to the nation on COVID-19 in March, Trump made it clear that his primary response to the coronavirus would be to blame other countries and close off U.S. borders. He repeatedly characterized the coronavirus as a “foreign virus” and argued that banning people from other countries was key to containing the outbreak in the U.S.
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Since then, the Trump administration has issued at least 48 policy changes related to the U.S. immigration system, according to a count by the National Immigration Forum, including several that have an indefinite timeline. At the same time, the U.S. has failed to reduce its number of daily new COVID-19 cases, as other countries hard-hit by the virus have managed to do.
Some of the most sweeping changes came via executive order on Monday. The new order bans multiple kinds of new work visas and will go into effect this week, lasting through the end of the year. The policy stops the issuance of the H-1B visa for skilled workers ― a longtime target for immigration hard-liners ― the H-2B visa for seasonal workers in industries like hospitality and food processing, the J-1 visa allowing foreigners to participate in summer internships or jobs and the L visa permitting companies to temporarily transfer employees into the U.S.
President Donald Trump signs an executive order to revamp the H-1B visa guest worker program and spur U.S. job growth during an April 2017 visit to the Snap-On tool headquarters in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Trump's goal to cut immigration was firmly set before the coronavirus disrupted the economy. Scott Olson via Getty Images
By also extending Trump’s earlier ban on many new green cards, the latest order is expected to affect 525,000 people, officials told reporters.
“This is not a COVID-19 response or an economic response. It’s the exploitation of a pandemic to institute divisive policies and reshape immigration law, while superseding Congress,” the American Civil Liberties Union said in a statement on Monday.
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Public health experts have urged the government to release people held in crowded federal detention facilities, suspend civil immigration enforcement and provide testing and treatment to all, regardless of immigration status, the ACLU said. “Instead, while ignoring these recommendations, the Trump administration has banned asylum seekers at the border, green card applicants, foreign students, and now even more immigrants, who are instrumental to our nation’s economic recovery.”
In addition to those visa restrictions, the Trump administration made it harder for asylum-seekers already in the country to get work permits, a move that could coerce “poor asylum seekers into giving up their claims or pushing them into starvation and abusive work in the underground economy,” Yael Schacher, a senior advocate with Refugees International, tweeted on Monday.
Trump and his aides say the policies are essential to help American workers. But the Trump administration has been promoting the idea that foreigners were stealing American jobs long before the spread of the virus ― and experts have refuted it for years, saying immigrant workers make the country wealthier and often fill roles that U.S. citizens are unwilling or unable to take. In requesting an H-1B visa, for instance, companies have to advertise open positions and demonstrate to the government that they need to hire a foreign worker because no American citizen is suitable.
Anti-migrant policies may make for good politics by stoking racism and providing a scapegoat for economic pain, but many experts agree they’re not beneficial to the economy.
“This is not how labor markets work,” analyst Alex Nowrasteh of the libertarian Cato Institute wrote on Twitter in reference to the Trump administration’s claims that the order would provide 500,000 jobs to Americans.
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Past government attempts to help U.S. workers by making it harder for immigrants to get jobs slowed down the national growth in wages, Nowrasteh noted in a Monday blog post, arguing that such policies reduce innovation and demand in the economy.
The new order also undermines the president’s repeated claims that he wants the most qualified foreigners, particularly international students, to contribute to the U.S. Even some of his allies highlighted the inconsistency: “Legal immigration is a positive for the American economy,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) wrote on Twitter. “Like all Americans, I want to recreate the strong economy we had before coronavirus…. President Trump built it once and he can build it again, but not if the tools that helped create the strongest economy in generations are not available.”
Business leaders condemned Trump’s change ― while competitors to the U.S. saw an opportunity.
“Imagine if Real Madrid Or Barcelona could only hire players from Spain. They probably wouldn’t be the best in the world anymore. This is what the new executive orders will do to American technology companies,” DuoLingo CEO Luis von Ahn, who immigrated to the U.S. from Guatemala, wrote on Twitter.
Imagine if Real Madrid Or Barcelona could only hire players from Spain. They probably wouldn’t be the best in the world anymore. This is what the new executive orders will do to American technology companies. — Luis von Ahn (@LuisvonAhn) June 23, 2020
Bessma Momani, a professor at the University of Waterloo in Canada, suggested the “short-sighted Trump measure” could produce “a brain gain” for her country.
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For thousands of people considering working in the U.S. or already dealing with the American immigration system after, say, studying in the country, Trump’s move stirred panic and made their futures uncertain.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-23--Dr. Cameron Webb Wins Democratic Nomination For U.S. House In Virginia

RICHMOND , Va. ( AP ) — Democrat B. Cameron Webb won a primary election Tuesday and will face Republican @ @ @ @ @ represent Virginia ’ s 5th Congressional District .
Webb defeated three other Democrats for the @ @ @ @ @ district stretches along the western part of the state from northern Virginia to the North @ @ @ @ @ for President Donald Trump four years ago .
But Democrats are bullish on their chances @ @ @ @ @ sitting incumbent U.S. Rep. Denver Riggleman in a convention earlier this month .
Riggleman lost @ @ @ @ @ Trump and evangelical leader Jerry Falwell Jr. , the president of Liberty University .
Riggleman @ @ @ @ @ district when he officiated a gay wedding last summer .
Good has pledged to restore @ @ @ @ @ Congress .
He ’ s also a hardliner on immigration and wants English to be @ @ @ @ @ U.S. Webb is a Charlottesville physician who also holds a law degree .

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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Democrat B. Cameron Webb won a primary election Tuesday and will face Republican Bob Good this fall to represent Virginia’s 5th Congressional District.
Webb defeated three other Democrats for the nomination. The mostly rural district stretches along the western part of the state from northern Virginia to the North Carolina border and went heavily for President Donald Trump four years ago.
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But Democrats are bullish on their chances this year after Good defeated sitting incumbent U.S. Rep. Denver Riggleman in a convention earlier this month.
Riggleman lost despite having the backing of Trump and evangelical leader Jerry Falwell Jr., the president of Liberty University. Riggleman angered social conservatives in his district when he officiated a gay wedding last summer.
Good has pledged to restore “Judeo-Christian” values to Congress. He’s also a hardliner on immigration and wants English to be the official language of the U.S.
Webb is a Charlottesville physician who also holds a law degree.
Read HuffPost’s profile on Webb here.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-23--Winona Ryder Says Keanu Reeves Refused To Yell Insults At Her To Make Her Cry

Winona Ryder has shed light on the roots of her lifelong friendship with Keanu Reeves .
In an interview with The Sunday Times , Ryder recounted shooting a scene for the 1992 film “ Dracula , ” which involved Gary Oldman ’ s Dracula transforming into a pile of rats .
Ryder ’ s character , Mina Harker , was expected to be shocked and cry .
When she had trouble producing enough tears , she said director Francis Ford Coppola , the Oscar-winning director behind “ The Godfather ” trilogy , repeatedly shouted offensive verbal abuse ― including “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effort to elicit tears .
He also asked her male co-stars to join in , Ryder said , but Reeves refused to participate .
“ To put it in context , I ’ m supposed to be crying , ” Ryder said .
“ Literally , Richard E. Grant , Anthony Hopkins , Keanu [ Reeves ] … Francis was trying to get all of them to yell things that would make me cry .
But Keanu wouldn ’ t , Anthony wouldn ’ t .
“ It just didn ’ t work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
It kind of did the opposite.
” Ryder said the incident led to a long-lasting friendship with Reeves , who played her fiancé , Jonathan Harker , in the film .
“ Me and Francis are good now , ” she noted .
A representative of Coppola did not immediately return a request for comment .
And it might not just be their friendship that ’ s endured since the 1992 movie .
Back in 2018 , Ryder told Entertainment Weekly she might even technically be married to Reeves after their very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by a real Romanian priest .
“ We actually got married in ‘ Dracula , ’ ” Ryder said at the time .
“ No , I swear to God , I think we ’ re married in real life.
” Since “ Dracula , ” Ryder and Reeves have reunited onscreen for “ A Scanner Darkly ” in 2006 , “ The Private Lives of Pippa Lee ” in 2009 , and 2018′s “ Destination Wedding .

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Winona Ryder has shed light on the roots of her lifelong friendship with Keanu Reeves.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Ryder recounted shooting a scene for the 1992 film “Dracula,” which involved Gary Oldman’s Dracula transforming into a pile of rats. Ryder’s character, Mina Harker, was expected to be shocked and cry. When she had trouble producing enough tears, she said director Francis Ford Coppola, the Oscar-winning director behind “The Godfather” trilogy, repeatedly shouted offensive verbal abuse ― including “You whore!” ― in an effort to elicit tears. He also asked her male co-stars to join in, Ryder said, but Reeves refused to participate.
“To put it in context, I’m supposed to be crying,” Ryder said. “Literally, Richard E. Grant, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu [Reeves]… Francis was trying to get all of them to yell things that would make me cry. But Keanu wouldn’t, Anthony wouldn’t.
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“It just didn’t work. I was, like, really? It kind of did the opposite.”
Ryder said the incident led to a long-lasting friendship with Reeves, who played her fiancé, Jonathan Harker, in the film. “Me and Francis are good now,” she noted. A representative of Coppola did not immediately return a request for comment.
And it might not just be their friendship that’s endured since the 1992 movie. Back in 2018, Ryder told Entertainment Weekly she might even technically be married to Reeves after their very authentic on-screen wedding, which was officiated by a real Romanian priest.
“We actually got married in ‘Dracula,’” Ryder said at the time. “No, I swear to God, I think we’re married in real life.”
Since “Dracula,” Ryder and Reeves have reunited onscreen for “A Scanner Darkly” in 2006, “The Private Lives of Pippa Lee” in 2009, and 2018′s “Destination Wedding.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-23--First Patient To Receive Gene Editing Treatment For Sickle Cell Doing Well In 2020

Victoria Gray , 34 , whose story has been chronicled by NPR for the past year , was the first person with a genetic disorder in the U.S. to receive the cutting-edge treatment known as CRISPR , which stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats .
CRISPR allows scientists to directly alter a cell ’ s genome , and a 2019 Wired guide to the technology called it “ the genetic equivalent of Microsoft Word , ” enabling scientists to “ edit DNA almost as easily as software engineers modify code ” ― potentially leading to cures for diseases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 100,000 Americans affected by sickle cell disease , which predominantly emerges in people with ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa , CRISPR holds the possibility of a new lease on life .
The disease is caused by a mutation in hemoglobin , the protein in red blood cells that transports oxygen throughout the body and expels carbon dioxide .
A sickle cell patient ’ s red blood cells deform into a “ sickle ” shape , limiting their ability to carry oxygen and leading to issues such as anemia and an increased risk of stroke @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by a bone marrow transfusion , which requires a donor .
CRISPR technology , however , can theoretically edit a patient ’ s cells to produce normal hemoglobin , and Gray , who has suffered from sickle cell disease since infancy , underwent treatment last July .
Doctors removed bone marrow from her body , used CRISPR to modify the marrow ’ s blood cells , and then transferred the cells back into Gray .
Nearly a year later , Gray , who lives in Forest , Mississippi , is responding well to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s latest update , and hasn ’ t suffered major pain or needed emergency room treatment or blood transfusions .
Relapses may still be possible , and it is too early to tell if CRISPR can serve as a definitive treatment for sickle cell disease .
Nevertheless , 2020 is a noticeable improvement for Gray compared to the previous two years , when she visited the hospital seven times on average and frequently took pain medication .
Gray told NPR that “ it hasn ’ t been easy ” caring for three children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well as racial injustice protests throughout the United States , but she added that without CRISPR , she would have likely been hospitalized amid the pandemic and been unable to provide for her family .
“ Since my treatment , I ’ ve been able to do everything for myself , everything for my kids .
And so it ’ s been joy not only for me but for the people around me that ’ s in my life , ” she said .
“ High school graduations , college graduations , weddings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t see none of that ... .
Now I ’ ll be there to help my daughters pick out their wedding dresses and we ’ ll be able to take family vacations , and they ’ ll have their mom every step of the way .
”

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The first patient to receive a special gene editing treatment for sickle cell disease is surviving ― and even thriving ― a year later.
Victoria Gray, 34, whose story has been chronicled by NPR for the past year, was the first person with a genetic disorder in the U.S. to receive the cutting-edge treatment known as CRISPR, which stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats.
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CRISPR allows scientists to directly alter a cell’s genome, and a 2019 Wired guide to the technology called it “the genetic equivalent of Microsoft Word,” enabling scientists to “edit DNA almost as easily as software engineers modify code” ― potentially leading to cures for diseases such as cancer.
For the estimated 100,000 Americans affected by sickle cell disease, which predominantly emerges in people with ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa, CRISPR holds the possibility of a new lease on life. The disease is caused by a mutation in hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that transports oxygen throughout the body and expels carbon dioxide. A sickle cell patient’s red blood cells deform into a “sickle” shape, limiting their ability to carry oxygen and leading to issues such as anemia and an increased risk of stroke. It can normally only be cured by a bone marrow transfusion, which requires a donor.
CRISPR technology, however, can theoretically edit a patient’s cells to produce normal hemoglobin, and Gray, who has suffered from sickle cell disease since infancy, underwent treatment last July. Doctors removed bone marrow from her body, used CRISPR to modify the marrow’s blood cells, and then transferred the cells back into Gray.
Nearly a year later, Gray, who lives in Forest, Mississippi, is responding well to the treatment, according to NPR’s latest update, and hasn’t suffered major pain or needed emergency room treatment or blood transfusions. Relapses may still be possible, and it is too early to tell if CRISPR can serve as a definitive treatment for sickle cell disease. Nevertheless, 2020 is a noticeable improvement for Gray compared to the previous two years, when she visited the hospital seven times on average and frequently took pain medication.
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Gray told NPR that “it hasn’t been easy” caring for three children during a year shaken by COVID-19 as well as racial injustice protests throughout the United States, but she added that without CRISPR, she would have likely been hospitalized amid the pandemic and been unable to provide for her family.
“Since my treatment, I’ve been able to do everything for myself, everything for my kids. And so it’s been joy not only for me but for the people around me that’s in my life,” she said.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-23--Segway Hits The Brakes On Its Flagship Product

Segway , which boldly claimed its two-wheeled personal transporter would revolutionize the way people get around , is ending production of its namesake vehicle .
The Segway PT , popular with tourists and police officers but perhaps better known for its high-profile crashes , will be retired on July 15 , the company said in a statement .
“ Within its first decade , the Segway PT became a staple in security and law enforcement , viewed as an effective and efficient personal vehicle , ” said Judy Cai , Segway president , in a statement , noting that in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vacationers in major cities in North America , Europe , Asia , South America , and the Middle East .
But the Segway , which carries a standing passenger on a wide platform , accounted for less than 1.5 % of the company ’ s revenue last year .
The company said 21 employees will be laid off , another 12 employees will stay on for two months to a year and five will remain at the Bedford , New Hampshire facility .
“ This decision was not made lightly , and while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and production , it was not a deciding factor in our decision , ” Cai said .
The transportation revolution that inventor Dean Kamen envisioned when he founded the company in 1999 never took off .
The Segway ’ s original price tag of around $ 5,000 was a hurdle for many customers .
It also was challenging to ride because the rider had to be balanced at a specific angle for the vehicle to move forward .
If the rider ’ s weight shifted too much in any direction , it could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rider off .
They were banned in some cities because users could easily lose control if they were not balanced properly .
“ What did they think the market was when they built this , when they designed it ?
” asked Maryann Keller , principal at Maryann Keller & Associates .
“ My impression was they were talking about this as personal mobility .
How could you think that something this large and expensive would be personal mobility ?
” Ten months after buying the company in 2009 , British self-made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was riding careened off a 30-foot cliff not far from his country estate north of London .
He was 62 years old .
A cameraman riding a Segway ran over Usain Bolt in 2015 as the Jamaican sprinter did a victory lap after winning a 200-meter race in Beijing .
Bolt wasn ’ t injured and later joked about the incident .
In 2017 , Segway got into the scooter business , just as the light , inexpensive and easy-to-ride two-wheelers took over urban streets .
Riders took 38.5 million trips on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the National Association of City Transportation Officials .
“ It was probably over-hyped before it was launched , and when it was launched , it was like , this is not going to work on city sidewalks , ” Keller said .

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Segway, which boldly claimed its two-wheeled personal transporter would revolutionize the way people get around, is ending production of its namesake vehicle.
The Segway PT, popular with tourists and police officers but perhaps better known for its high-profile crashes, will be retired on July 15, the company said in a statement.
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“Within its first decade, the Segway PT became a staple in security and law enforcement, viewed as an effective and efficient personal vehicle,” said Judy Cai, Segway president, in a statement, noting that in the past decade it gained popularity with vacationers in major cities in North America, Europe, Asia, South America, and the Middle East.
But the Segway, which carries a standing passenger on a wide platform, accounted for less than 1.5% of the company’s revenue last year. The company said 21 employees will be laid off, another 12 employees will stay on for two months to a year and five will remain at the Bedford, New Hampshire facility.
“This decision was not made lightly, and while the current global pandemic did impact sales and production, it was not a deciding factor in our decision,” Cai said.
The transportation revolution that inventor Dean Kamen envisioned when he founded the company in 1999 never took off. The Segway’s original price tag of around $5,000 was a hurdle for many customers. It also was challenging to ride because the rider had to be balanced at a specific angle for the vehicle to move forward. If the rider’s weight shifted too much in any direction, it could easily spin out of control and throw the rider off. They were banned in some cities because users could easily lose control if they were not balanced properly.
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“What did they think the market was when they built this, when they designed it?” asked Maryann Keller, principal at Maryann Keller & Associates. “My impression was they were talking about this as personal mobility. How could you think that something this large and expensive would be personal mobility?”
Ten months after buying the company in 2009, British self-made millionaire Jim Heselden died after the Segway he was riding careened off a 30-foot cliff not far from his country estate north of London. He was 62 years old.
In 2003, President George W. Bush avoided injury after tumbling off a Segway at his parents’ summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine.
A cameraman riding a Segway ran over Usain Bolt in 2015 as the Jamaican sprinter did a victory lap after winning a 200-meter race in Beijing. Bolt wasn’t injured and later joked about the incident.
In 2017, Segway got into the scooter business, just as the light, inexpensive and easy-to-ride two-wheelers took over urban streets. Riders took 38.5 million trips on shared electric scooters in 2018, according to the National Association of City Transportation Officials.
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Segway’s foray into lightweight scooters may have been a sign that its original PT’s days were numbered.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-23--Google Workers Call For Company To Cease Selling Technology To Police Departments

Over 1,600 Google employees have signed a letter distributed internally to CEO Sundar Pichai urging him to cease the company ’ s business dealings with police departments across the United States .
The letter , published in full by Business Insider and confirmed by HuffPost , was signed by “ Googlers Against Racism , ” and reportedly began disseminating last week .
It stresses that “ Google is profiting off of ... racist systems , ” referring to the company ’ s donations to police foundations and continual supplying of technology to law enforcement departments across the nation .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Google is still selling to police forces , and advertises its connection with police forces as somehow progressive , and seeks more expansive sales rather than severing ties with police and joining the millions who want to defang and defund these institutions , ” the letter reads .
“ Why help the institutions responsible for the knee on George Floyd ’ s neck to be more effective organizationally ?
Not only that , but the same Clarkstown police force being advertised by Google as a success story has been sued multiple times for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The aforementioned police force is the focus of a Google Cloud “ Customer Story ” article highlighting how switching to G Suite and other Google products helped the police department of Clarkstown , New York , save “ $ 20K to $ 30K a year on IT licensing costs alone.
” According to local outlet The Journal News , in 2019 the Clarkstown Police settled a civil rights lawsuit filed two years prior alleging that the department had racially profiled and unlawfully surveilled members of Black Lives Matter , including putting snipers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also expresses disappointment with the company “ helping law enforcement track down immigrants with drone surveillance footage.
” This is a reference to Cogniac , a company funded via Google ’ s Gradient Ventures venture fund that has provided software to identify individuals crossing the border between the U.S. and Mexico .
In a statement issued to HuffPost by a Google spokesperson , the tech giant will not be ending its dealings with the police .
“ We ’ re committed to work that makes a meaningful difference to combat systemic racism , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ product suggestions in recent weeks , which we are reviewing , ” the spokesperson said .
“ On this one , we were the first major company to decide , years ago , to not make general purpose facial recognition commercially available and we have very clear AI Principles that prohibit its use or sale for surveillance .
We have long standing terms of use for generally available computing platforms like Gmail , G Suite and Google Cloud Platform , and these products will remain available for governments and local authorities , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s statement refers to its lengthy explanation of facial recognition technology which argues that the company has been “ cautious about deploying face recognition in [ its ] products , or as services for others to use.
” In an early June interview with The New York Times , Timnit Gebru , technical co-lead of Google ’ s Ethical Artifical Intelligence Team , argued that such technology was dangerous , since it could “ still be used in a way that is detrimental to certain groups of people , ” but added @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be banned , she “ didn ’ t know about the future .
”

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Over 1,600 Google employees have signed a letter distributed internally to CEO Sundar Pichai urging him to cease the company’s business dealings with police departments across the United States.
The letter, published in full by Business Insider and confirmed by HuffPost, was signed by “Googlers Against Racism,” and reportedly began disseminating last week. It stresses that “Google is profiting off of ... racist systems,” referring to the company’s donations to police foundations and continual supplying of technology to law enforcement departments across the nation.
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“We’re disappointed to know that Google is still selling to police forces, and advertises its connection with police forces as somehow progressive, and seeks more expansive sales rather than severing ties with police and joining the millions who want to defang and defund these institutions,” the letter reads. “Why help the institutions responsible for the knee on George Floyd’s neck to be more effective organizationally? Not only that, but the same Clarkstown police force being advertised by Google as a success story has been sued multiple times for illegal surveillance of Black Lives Matter organizers.”
The aforementioned police force is the focus of a Google Cloud “Customer Story” article highlighting how switching to G Suite and other Google products helped the police department of Clarkstown, New York, save “$20K to $30K a year on IT licensing costs alone.” According to local outlet The Journal News, in 2019 the Clarkstown Police settled a civil rights lawsuit filed two years prior alleging that the department had racially profiled and unlawfully surveilled members of Black Lives Matter, including putting snipers on rooftops during rallies.
The letter also expresses disappointment with the company “helping law enforcement track down immigrants with drone surveillance footage.” This is a reference to Cogniac, a company funded via Google’s Gradient Ventures venture fund that has provided software to identify individuals crossing the border between the U.S. and Mexico.
In a statement issued to HuffPost by a Google spokesperson, the tech giant will not be ending its dealings with the police.
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“We’re committed to work that makes a meaningful difference to combat systemic racism, and our employees have made over 500 product suggestions in recent weeks, which we are reviewing,” the spokesperson said. “On this one, we were the first major company to decide, years ago, to not make general purpose facial recognition commercially available and we have very clear AI Principles that prohibit its use or sale for surveillance. We have long standing terms of use for generally available computing platforms like Gmail, G Suite and Google Cloud Platform, and these products will remain available for governments and local authorities, including police departments, to use.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-24--I've Been Sick With COVID-19 For Over 3 Months. Here's What You Should Know.

Since I started speaking out publicly , many people have reached out to me with concerns about their own health .
Others , who are sick with COVID-19 themselves , wanted to relay their own experiences .
As the rates of infection begin to surge again around the country due to many states reopening businesses , as well as individuals and groups who refuse to wear masks and practice social distancing , I want to share four somewhat common and , honestly , remarkably upsetting sentiments that I ’ ve recently encountered .
We need to drop the stigma that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no one , and , if you are sick , you may need a large network to support you .
I know this firsthand : For week upon week of my illness , I was not capable of preparing a meal or doing a load of laundry .
Even speaking was difficult because it required oxygen I did not have .
Three months in , simple tasks can still make my oxygen levels drop and leave me short of breath .
Now is not the time to choose privacy ; even though you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you ’ re sick , you may need them to provide you with food or medicine and run errands for you .
You never know whose life you might affect , or even save , by sharing your experience .
If you ’ re too embarrassed or ashamed to tell your story , you could be missing an opportunity to help others .
I have had many health problems throughout my life ― from fighting ovarian cancer in my 20s to being diagnosed with MS before I turned 40 to , now , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my 50th birthday in the emergency room .
I study , teach and write about illness , and I live by the belief that our stories matter .
But , if your test comes back negative , do not assume the test is correct .
By the time my daughter was tested , she was on day 15 of her symptoms and her test results were negative .
By that point , she had already shed most , if not all , of the virus , even though she had another week of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ none of our doctors believed her test results , but we might have been tempted to believe it if my test ( given the same day as Molly ’ s , but on day five of my symptoms ) had not been positive .
Due to the lack of robust scientific information about COVID-19 or the difficulty of finding reputable sources for it , patients are sharing their experiences and compiling data through online support groups , such as the Body Politic COVID-19 Support Group and the Long Haul COVID Fighters on Facebook @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those experiencing the long course of this disease , dubbed “ long-haul ” patients , tend to be younger and otherwise healthy .
Even though I have MS , my autoimmune disease does not limit my life .
Prior to contracting COVID-19 I was active and fully ambulatory , worked a demanding job , and was fortunate to have what I consider above-average stamina .
It ’ s time to dispel the myth that the coronavirus is just a bad flu that only kills older individuals who were near death anyway and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those claims is true .
Those who do not survive COVID-19 can not be easily lumped together or dismissed .
What ’ s more , there is a huge swath of people who fall in the middle of these extremes and who are sick from four weeks up to several months .
Most of us long-haul patients have been diagnosed with “ mild ” or “ moderate ” cases because we don ’ t need intubation or prolonged hospitalization , but don ’ t be misled by that .
Just two weeks ago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fourth time with reoccurring flulike symptoms and an uncomfortable tingling in my arms and legs .
A few days later I had the energy to work in my garden for several hours , but two days after that I almost passed out before breakfast .
When I checked my blood oxygen using my fingertip oximeter , I saw my level had dropped to 88 .
I learned early in my illness that oxygen saturation is measured as a percentage ( 100 is perfect ) and that any reading below the low 90s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ room for supplemental oxygen .
After weeks of dropping levels , I was able to get an oxygen concentrator at home , so I can now turn on the machine , insert the nasal cannula tubing , and rest on my couch until my level has rebounded .
For me , there is nothing “ mild ” or predictable about this disease , even three months in .
I can not tell you how many phone calls I have made in the past three months figuring out first how to get tested and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and services that I need .
The nurse case manager at my doctor ’ s office has helped with these calls as well .
Even with her help , it hasn ’ t been easy .
We have even been told conflicting information by different people at the same facility .
In fact , in April I lost valuable time when I followed a hospital ’ s very specific instructions and went to an ER for a preauthorized CT scan ordered by my doctor , only to have the ER doctor decide that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ send me home .
Ann E. Wallace , PhD writes of her experiences with cancer and MS , motherhood , love , and the realities of living in contemporary America .
She has a new poetry collection , “ Counting by Sevens , ” available from Main Street Rag .
Her recently published pieces in journals such as Mom Egg Review , Wordgathering , Snapdragon , Riggwelter , and Rogue Agent , can be found on her website AnnWallacePhD.com .
She lives in Jersey City , New Jersey , where she is an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
You can follow her on Twitter @ annwlace409 .

The author on her couch receiving oxygen in June 2020. Courtesy of Ann E. Wallace
Today marks my 100th day being sick with COVID-19. My symptoms began on March 17, two days after I published an essay on HuffPost Personal about facing difficulties getting my 16-year-old daughter Molly tested for the virus.
Despite the strict criteria for testing in my home state of New Jersey at that time, Molly and I were finally both tested on March 22 because we were deemed high-risk: me, because I have multiple sclerosis, and Molly, because she had been displaying symptoms for two weeks and was therefore a health risk to me.
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Back then, two weeks sounded like a very long time to be sick with COVID-19.
We had no idea.
From the start of our journey, I’ve shared our experiences on social media and via various publications in the hopes of helping others navigate the uncharted waters of this virus. Reliable information about everything ranging from risk factors to testing facilities was difficult to find in March, so I knew that whatever I learned could be valuable to others.
Since I started speaking out publicly, many people have reached out to me with concerns about their own health. Others, who are sick with COVID-19 themselves, wanted to relay their own experiences. As the rates of infection begin to surge again around the country due to many states reopening businesses, as well as individuals and groups who refuse to wear masks and practice social distancing, I want to share four somewhat common and, honestly, remarkably upsetting sentiments that I’ve recently encountered.
1. “I’m afraid to tell people that I have COVID-19.”
We need to drop the stigma that comes with having COVID-19. Shame serves no one, and, if you are sick, you may need a large network to support you. I know this firsthand: For week upon week of my illness, I was not capable of preparing a meal or doing a load of laundry. Even speaking was difficult because it required oxygen I did not have. Three months in, simple tasks can still make my oxygen levels drop and leave me short of breath. Now is not the time to choose privacy; even though you should not be near other people while you’re sick, you may need them to provide you with food or medicine and run errands for you.
More important, because COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus, we are all still actively learning about it, and any new information we receive can be hugely important ― that includes scientific studies, but also personal anecdotes too.
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“If you’re too embarrassed or ashamed to tell your story, you could be missing an opportunity to help others.”
You never know whose life you might affect, or even save, by sharing your experience. If you’re too embarrassed or ashamed to tell your story, you could be missing an opportunity to help others. I have had many health problems throughout my life ― from fighting ovarian cancer in my 20s to being diagnosed with MS before I turned 40 to, now, COVID-19, which caused me to spend my 50th birthday in the emergency room. I study, teach and write about illness, and I live by the belief that our stories matter.
2. “My COVID test was negative. Now what? People don’t believe I’m sick.”
First, it’s important to understand that as many as 15-30% of COVID-19 tests performed may return a false negative. What’s more, many experts believe that tests are most reliable when done between three and six days after symptoms first appear. Many people, especially in areas where tests are not readily available, are unable to get tested that quickly.
If you suspect you were infected or have symptoms, do not delay in getting tested. A positive test result will make your life easier in a multitude of ways, from securing priority treatment, sick leave from work, inclusion in long-term medical studies that may help find a vaccine or better treatment for the disease, and, quite frankly, the right to be “counted.”
But, if your test comes back negative, do not assume the test is correct. By the time my daughter was tested, she was on day 15 of her symptoms and her test results were negative. By that point, she had already shed most, if not all, of the virus, even though she had another week of symptoms to fight through. Fortunately, none of our doctors believed her test results, but we might have been tempted to believe it if my test (given the same day as Molly’s, but on day five of my symptoms) had not been positive.
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I know many people who have “presumed positive” cases, who had symptoms and were aware of having been exposed to COVID-19, yet who were not able to get tested or received negative test results. Absent a definitive test, other possibilities need to be ruled out, but do not hesitate to push your health care provider to do that work.
3. “It’s been two months. No one believes that I’m still sick.”
I’ve been fortunate that no one in my network has doubted that I’ve been sick for this long. For three months, I have been sharing my story online, and I suppose my friends don’t think of me as the type to orchestrate such a finely wrought long con.
The fact is that many COVID-19 patients are sick for months, and they are struggling to educate others about this reality even as they are navigating daily life with a terrifyingly relentless, debilitating and deadly disease. Believe them. Their stories are true and they are more common than you probably expect.
Due to the lack of robust scientific information about COVID-19 or the difficulty of finding reputable sources for it, patients are sharing their experiences and compiling data through online support groups, such as the Body Politic COVID-19 Support Group and the Long Haul COVID Fighters on Facebook. It is becoming increasingly clear that those experiencing the long course of this disease, dubbed “long-haul” patients, tend to be younger and otherwise healthy. Even though I have MS, my autoimmune disease does not limit my life. Prior to contracting COVID-19 I was active and fully ambulatory, worked a demanding job, and was fortunate to have what I consider above-average stamina.
The author, masked and with her oximeter around her neck, on a walk in her Jersey City neighborhood with the Freedom Tower in the background in June 2020. Courtesy of Ann E. Wallace
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I recently joined the Long Haul COVID Fighters group, where there are over 4,000 members who have been sick for 80 days or longer. Others in the group are marathoners, dancers, fitness buffs and parents of young children. These are not the types of people we hear about as being especially susceptible to COVID-19.
It’s time to dispel the myth that the coronavirus is just a bad flu that only kills older individuals who were near death anyway and that everyone else recovers quickly. Neither of those claims is true. Those who do not survive COVID-19 cannot be easily lumped together or dismissed. What’s more, there is a huge swath of people who fall in the middle of these extremes and who are sick from four weeks up to several months.
Most of us long-haul patients have been diagnosed with “mild” or “moderate” cases because we don’t need intubation or prolonged hospitalization, but don’t be misled by that. Just two weeks ago, I was in the ER for the fourth time with reoccurring flulike symptoms and an uncomfortable tingling in my arms and legs. A few days later I had the energy to work in my garden for several hours, but two days after that I almost passed out before breakfast. When I checked my blood oxygen using my fingertip oximeter, I saw my level had dropped to 88.
I learned early in my illness that oxygen saturation is measured as a percentage (100 is perfect) and that any reading below the low 90s might warrant a trip to the emergency room for supplemental oxygen. After weeks of dropping levels, I was able to get an oxygen concentrator at home, so I can now turn on the machine, insert the nasal cannula tubing, and rest on my couch until my level has rebounded. For me, there is nothing “mild” or predictable about this disease, even three months in.
If you see your employer or friends doubting or denying the long-haul course of this disease or the long-term effects, please speak up. We need your voices and your advocacy.
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No one who is sick should have to worry that their boss or spouse or doctor doesn’t believe them.
4. “My doctor said I have a mild case and to rest at home, but that was a month ago and I’m not getting better. I’m really worried.”
My final point ― and it’s an important one ― is that if you or anyone you know is sick with COVID-19, you must be vigilant about seeking out and demanding the best health care.
It may not be easy to make appointments or get medical tests where you live right now. In different regions, healthcare professionals may be still, again, or newly inundated with patients.
I cannot tell you how many phone calls I have made in the past three months figuring out first how to get tested and then how to get the other tests and services that I need. The nurse case manager at my doctor’s office has helped with these calls as well. Even with her help, it hasn’t been easy. We have even been told conflicting information by different people at the same facility. In fact, in April I lost valuable time when I followed a hospital’s very specific instructions and went to an ER for a preauthorized CT scan ordered by my doctor, only to have the ER doctor decide that I didn’t need it and send me home.
Two weeks later, I got the test at a different hospital as an outpatient. A nurse met me, with my oxygen tank in hand, at the curb, put me in a wheelchair, covered me a sheet from head to toe, and wheeled me directly into the CT room. I could not enter the building unescorted, I could not use the restroom, I could not see where I was going, but I got the test.
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The point is you need to be vocal and persistent about what you need, even if you aren’t entirely sure what that is. COVID-19 can seem or start off mild but it can worsen quickly and become deadly in just a matter of days, so be proactive. Your primary care doctor should be helping you. If he or she is not, I cannot say this firmly enough, you need to find a new doctor.
COVID-19 is nowhere near done with us, and our leaders and neighbors are not necessarily making decisions with your health as their top priority. If they were, we would have widespread free testing, health care support, and contact tracing in every town in the nation. If they were, we would not have people coming to blows or worse over mask-wearing requirements or closed bars and restaurants.
Until that changes, be prepared to advocate for yourself and your loved ones. It could be a matter of life and death and your life is surely worth it.
Ann E. Wallace, PhD writes of her experiences with cancer and MS, motherhood, love, and the realities of living in contemporary America. She has a new poetry collection, “Counting by Sevens,” available from Main Street Rag. Her recently published pieces in journals such as Mom Egg Review, Wordgathering, Snapdragon, Riggwelter, and Rogue Agent, can be found on her website AnnWallacePhD.com. She lives in Jersey City, New Jersey, where she is an English professor at New Jersey City University. You can follow her on Twitter @annwlace409.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-24--Trump's Bizarre COVID-19 Question Gets Plenty Of Answers On Twitter

President Donald Trump on Tuesday indicated that he didn ’ t know what the “ 19 ” in COVID-19 stands for .
In the middle of a riff in which he also made racist jokes about the coronavirus , Trump said he wondered about the infection ’ s official name .
“ COVID-19 , COVID , I said what ’ s the 19 ?
” he asked at an event in Arizona .
“ COVID-19 , some people can ’ t explain the 19.
” The President uses the term “ Kung Flu ” again and says “ COVID , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s the 19 .
COVID-19 , some people can ’ t explain the 19.
” pic.twitter.com/9tD6dC8aGB — Acyn Torabi ( @ Acyn ) June 23 , 2020 That 19 refers to 2019 , the year the specific coronavirus behind the current pandemic was identified .
But Trump isn ’ t the only one in his administration confused by the moniker .
In April , counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway slammed the World Health Organization ’ s response to the pandemic and suggested it should have been better prepared because of all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 ― not COVID-1 , folks , ” Conway said .
“ And so you would think the people charged with the World Health Organization would be on top of that.
” Trump ’ s out-loud musings about the “ 19 ” part of the illness ’ s name received the treatment on Twitter : I liked 2001 : A Space Oddysey , but I think I should have watched the first 2000 to get the full context .
— Pete the Gateway Meat ( @ BaconGrillin123 ) June 23 , 2020 And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't we hear more about them ?
And where the hell are the first 98 luft balloons ?
— Khashoggi ’ s Ghost ( @ UROCKlive1 ) June 24 , 2020 President* Trump can not remember the year the 1918 Flu Pandemic happened , so it makes sense that he has no clue that the 19 in # COVID19 is for 2019 .
President* Trump ’ s aggressive ignorance is causing more American # COVID19 deaths , and Republican Senators refuse to remove him .
— Adam Rifkin 🐼 ( @ ifindkarma ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Acyn : The President uses the term “ Kung Flu ” again and says “ COVID , COVID-19 , COVID , I said what ’ s the 19 .
COVID-19 , some people can ’ t explain the 19.
” pic.twitter.com/WSu3ssXc3n ” — John Cusack ( @ johncusack ) June 23 , 2020

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President Donald Trump on Tuesday indicated that he didn’t know what the “19” in COVID-19 stands for.
In the middle of a riff in which he also made racist jokes about the coronavirus, Trump said he wondered about the infection’s official name.
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“COVID-19, COVID, I said what’s the 19?” he asked at an event in Arizona. “COVID-19, some people can’t explain the 19.”
The President uses the term “Kung Flu” again and says “COVID, COVID-19, COVID, I said what’s the 19. COVID-19, some people can’t explain the 19.” pic.twitter.com/9tD6dC8aGB — Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) June 23, 2020
That 19 refers to 2019, the year the specific coronavirus behind the current pandemic was identified. But Trump isn’t the only one in his administration confused by the moniker.
In April, counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway slammed the World Health Organization’s response to the pandemic and suggested it should have been better prepared because of all the previous COVIDs.
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“This is COVID-19 ― not COVID-1, folks,” Conway said. “And so you would think the people charged with the World Health Organization would be on top of that.”
Trump’s out-loud musings about the “19” part of the illness’s name received the treatment on Twitter:
Trump: “Wonder Woman 1984? I never saw the first 1,983 of them!”#COVIDIOT https://t.co/bNFsQy10s1 — Santa Claus, CEO (@SantaInc) June 23, 2020
Some people can’t explain what happened to the first 181 Blinks https://t.co/p6CyoqRoPT — Decoherence (@DecoherenceWave) June 23, 2020
I liked 2001: A Space Oddysey, but I think I should have watched the first 2000 to get the full context. — Pete the Gateway Meat (@BaconGrillin123) June 23, 2020
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And the first 22 skidoos? Why don't we hear more about them? And where the hell are the first 98 luft balloons? — Khashoggi’s Ghost (@UROCKlive1) June 24, 2020
President* Trump cannot remember the year the 1918 Flu Pandemic happened, so it makes sense that he has no clue that the 19 in #COVID19 is for 2019.
President* Trump’s aggressive ignorance is causing more American #COVID19 deaths, and Republican Senators refuse to remove him. — Adam Rifkin 🐼 (@ifindkarma) June 24, 2020
Bumbling deranged criminal@Acyn: The President uses the term “Kung Flu” again and says “COVID, COVID-19, COVID, I said what’s the 19. COVID-19, some people can’t explain the 19.” pic.twitter.com/WSu3ssXc3n” — John Cusack (@johncusack) June 23, 2020
Shut The Eff Up About Biden's Gaffes: "What's The 19?" Edition. https://t.co/7ElrZswaQF — Bob Cesca (@bobcesca_go) June 24, 2020
"What's the 19" SAYS THE MAN IN CHARGE OF THE NATIONAL COVID19 RESPONSE https://t.co/7JGouw4t02 — rabia O'chaudry (@rabiasquared) June 24, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-23--Jamaal Bowman Ahead With Results Too Close To Call In Key New York House Race

YONKERS , N.Y. ― As of late Tuesday night , there was no declared winner in the closely watched Democratic primary for New York ’ s 16th Congressional District , where Bronx middle school principal Jamaal Bowman is challenging Rep. Eliot Engel .
But with nearly 16,000 votes counted as of late Tuesday night , less than 20 % of the precincts reporting , Bowman held a lead of more than 25 percentage points over Engel .
“ Eliot Engel ― and I ’ ll say his name once ― used to say that he was a thorn in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know what Donald Trump is more afraid of than anything else ?
A Black man with power , ” he said , prompting cheers from the crowd .
“ So if the results continue to bear out , as they are bearing out this evening , and we get to Congress , it will be our job to hold Donald Trump accountable and to hold every elected official accountable that continues to be beholden to corporate interests , that continues to be beholden to the wealthy , and is not fighting for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working class in our country.
” “ I am fired up !
” he added .
“ I can not wait to get to Congress and cause problems.
” Bronx middle school principal Jamaal Bowman talks with a voter in Mt .
Vernon , New York , on Tuesday .
The results of his bid to unseat Rep. Eliot Engel ( D ) are still unsettled .
The unclear outcome was in line with what many New York poll watchers had been predicting , given the expansion of mail-in voting in the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the COVID-19 pandemic .
New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo ( D ) issued an executive order in March allowing New Yorkers to vote absentee without needing any excuse beyond concerns over the spread of the coronavirus .
More than 700,000 New York City residents requested absentee ballots , but the city ’ s bureaucracy has had trouble processing the unprecedented volume .
As of Friday , 29,000 city residents had not received them .
Absentee ballots will be eligible to be counted as long as they are postmarked by Tuesday .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to wait as much as eight days before counting absentee ballots , raising the prospect that the final outcome won ’ t be known for weeks .

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YONKERS, N.Y. ― As of late Tuesday night, there was no declared winner in the closely watched Democratic primary for New York’s 16th Congressional District, where Bronx middle school principal Jamaal Bowman is challenging Rep. Eliot Engel.
But with almost all of the in-person votes counted, Bowman held a lead of more than 25 percentage points over Engel. Absentee ballots have yet to be counted.
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At about 10:30 p.m. local time, Bowman delivered a triumphant speech to supporters gathered at an outdoor riverside restaurant.
“Eliot Engel ― and I’ll say his name once ― used to say that he was a thorn in the side of Donald Trump. But you know what Donald Trump is more afraid of than anything else? A Black man with power,” he said, prompting cheers from the crowd. “So if the results continue to bear out, as they are bearing out this evening, and we get to Congress, it will be our job to hold Donald Trump accountable and to hold every elected official accountable that continues to be beholden to corporate interests, that continues to be beholden to the wealthy, and is not fighting for the poor and is not fighting for the working class in our country.”
“I am fired up!” he added. “I cannot wait to get to Congress and cause problems.”
Bronx middle school principal Jamaal Bowman talks with a voter in Mt. Vernon, New York, on Tuesday. The results of his bid to unseat Rep. Eliot Engel (D) are still unsettled. Spencer Platt/Getty Images
The unclear outcome was in line with what many New York poll watchers had been predicting, given the expansion of mail-in voting in the state to minimize the public health risk during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) issued an executive order in March allowing New Yorkers to vote absentee without needing any excuse beyond concerns over the spread of the coronavirus.
More than 700,000 New York City residents requested absentee ballots, but the city’s bureaucracy has had trouble processing the unprecedented volume. As of Friday, 29,000 city residents had not received them.
Absentee ballots will be eligible to be counted as long as they are postmarked by Tuesday. And New York election law allows county authorities to wait as many as eight days before counting absentee ballots, raising the prospect that the final outcome won’t be known for weeks.
A spokesperson for Engel said his team was waiting on the absentee ballot results. The Bronx and Westchester County are due to begin counting them next week.
Bowman and his allies nonetheless declared victory on Wednesday.
“I’m a Black man who was raised by a single mother in a housing project,” he said in a statement. “That story doesn’t usually end in Congress But today, that 11-year old boy who was beaten by police is about to be your next representative.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-24--'Mass Murder': Trump's Coronavirus Confession Is Already Being Used In Attack Ads

President Donald Trump ’ s own words from this weekend ’ s rally in Tulsa , Oklahoma are being used against him in a series of new attack ads from his critics on both the left and the right .
On Saturday , Trump said he ordered his advisers to “ slow the testing down ” for coronavirus infections so the U.S. wouldn ’ t have so many cases ― an order that would fly in the face of medical advice .
MeidasTouch was founded by Ben Meiselas ― the lawyer who represented former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and his two brothers .
On the right , conservative anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project also featured the president ’ s testing comments in its latest video .
“ The most deceptive , lying president in history finally told the truth , ” a voiceover in the spot said .
“ Somehow , it was more shocking than all his deceptions.
” Priorities USA , the preferred Super PAC for the campaign of former Vice President Joe Biden , used Trump ’ s own words in at least two new ads .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is to protect the American people , but not to Donald Trump , ” the narrator said in one of the spots .
“ Instead of working to slow the spread , Donald Trump says he slowed down the testing .
Now , over 120,000 dead.
” Trump ’ s team has been struggling to explain his testing comments , with White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany and campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh claiming they were “ tongue-in-cheek , ” “ made in jest ” and “ ironic humor.
” But on Tuesday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at all .
“ I don ’ t kid , ” he said .
“ Let me just tell you .
Let me make it clear.
” Despite Trump ’ s comments , testing for COVID-19 is on the rise in the U.S .
So are the number of new cases and not just because of the increased testing .
The percentage of positive tests has also steadily increased over recent weeks .

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President Donald Trump’s own words from this weekend’s rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma are being used against him in a series of new attack ads from his critics on both the left and the right.
On Saturday, Trump said he ordered his advisers to “slow the testing down” for coronavirus infections so the U.S. wouldn’t have so many cases ― an order that would fly in the face of medical advice.
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Progressive PAC MeidasTouch called it “mass murder on a national scale”:
MeidasTouch was founded by Ben Meiselas ― the lawyer who represented former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in his settlement with the NFL ― and his two brothers.
On the right, conservative anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project also featured the president’s testing comments in its latest video.
“The most deceptive, lying president in history finally told the truth,” a voiceover in the spot said. “Somehow, it was more shocking than all his deceptions.”
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Priorities USA, the preferred Super PAC for the campaign of former Vice President Joe Biden, used Trump’s own words in at least two new ads.
“The most important job of a president is to protect the American people, but not to Donald Trump,” the narrator said in one of the spots. “Instead of working to slow the spread, Donald Trump says he slowed down the testing. Now, over 120,000 dead.”
Trump’s team has been struggling to explain his testing comments, with White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany and campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh claiming they were “tongue-in-cheek,” “made in jest” and “ironic humor.”
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But on Tuesday, Trump said that was not the case at all.
“I don’t kid,” he said. “Let me just tell you. Let me make it clear.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-24--Donald Trump Jr. Desperately Tries To Spin His Dad's 'Walk Of Shame' Picture

Donald Trump Jr. is trying to spin the narrative on that picture taken of President Donald Trump following his underwhelming and underattended rally in Tulsa , Oklahoma .
On Wednesday , Trump ’ s eldest son posted the photograph of his father walking back to the White House from Marine One to Instagram .
He copied and pasted what he claimed was a “ perfect description ” of the image of his bedraggled dad from another account .
“ This picture is not a fraud .
The Left is attempting to use it as a negative , ” read the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Trump Jr. “ Its not .
This is the look far too many of us that have worked a night shift or a 48 hour shift or a third job are tooo familiar with , ” it continued .
“ This is , been working my ass off for the American people , good old fashion exhaustion , born of love ; not for what your doing , but who your doing it for.
” “ This isnt an attempt to say anything , ” the caption concluded .
“ This is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do anything for my country !
’ ” The president ’ s critics have dubbed the image Trump ’ s “ Walk of Shame ” after his flopped rally and turned it into a meme .

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Donald Trump Jr. is trying to spin the narrative on that picture taken of President Donald Trump following his underwhelming and underattended rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
On Wednesday, Trump’s eldest son posted the photograph of his father walking back to the White House from Marine One to Instagram. He copied and pasted what he claimed was a “perfect description” of the image of his bedraggled dad from another account.
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“This picture is not a fraud. The Left is attempting to use it as a negative,” read the caption filled with misspellings and illiteracies shared by Trump Jr.
“Its not. This is the look far too many of us that have worked a night shift or a 48 hour shift or a third job are tooo familiar with,” it continued. “This is, been working my ass off for the American people, good old fashion exhaustion, born of love; not for what your doing, but who your doing it for.”
“This isnt an attempt to say anything,” the caption concluded. “This is a candidd shot that screams ‘Ill do anything for my country!’”
Check out Trump Jr.’s post here:
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-24--Ex-Trump Aide Sebastian Gorka Boasts About Not Wearing 'COVID Burqas'

Right-wing radio host Sebastian Gorka , a former aide to President Donald Trump , described face masks aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus as “ COVID burqas ” on his show Tuesday .
Gorka , who reportedly is under consideration for a top role overseeing the Voice of America , agreed with a caller in California who ’ d labeled the face masks mandated by the state as “ Democrat Islamo-Maoist masks.
” “ You mean the COVID burqas , the COVID masks ?
” responded Gorka , who has a history of making offensive , anti-Islamic remarks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something inhuman ” about the idea of covering the face .
“ Not only does it dehumanize the individual in that interaction with another human being , ” Gorka continued , making a reference to being challenged for not wearing a mask in the post office .
“ But also , it is , you ’ re right , an act of submission and as I said to that lady , clearly a Democrat voter in the post office who said , ‘ Where ’ s your mask ?
’ I said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ An anti-mask stance has become a billboard for some right-wingers in recent weeks , following President Donald Trump ’ s refusal to wear one .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people wear “ cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain ” and many states require them in public .
Gorka says that masks are `` covid burqas '' , then brags about how he refused to wear a mask at a post office pic.twitter.com/7X0kMtw26g — Brendan Karet 🚮 ( @ bad_takes ) @ @ @ @

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Right-wing radio host Sebastian Gorka, a former aide to President Donald Trump, described face masks aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus as “COVID burqas” on his show Tuesday.
Gorka, who reportedly is under consideration for a top role overseeing the Voice of America, agreed with a caller in California who’d labeled the face masks mandated by the state as “Democrat Islamo-Maoist masks.”
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“You mean the COVID burqas, the COVID masks?” responded Gorka, who has a history of making offensive, anti-Islamic remarks. He added that there was “something inhuman” about the idea of covering the face.
“Not only does it dehumanize the individual in that interaction with another human being,” Gorka continued, making a reference to being challenged for not wearing a mask in the post office. “But also, it is, you’re right, an act of submission and as I said to that lady, clearly a Democrat voter in the post office who said, ‘Where’s your mask?’ I said, ‘My body my choice.’”
An anti-mask stance has become a billboard for some right-wingers in recent weeks, following President Donald Trump’s refusal to wear one. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people wear “cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain” and many states require them in public.
Check out Gorka’s comments here:
Gorka says that masks are "covid burqas", then brags about how he refused to wear a mask at a post office pic.twitter.com/7X0kMtw26g — Brendan Karet 🚮 (@bad_takes) June 23, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-24--Trump Family Moves To Block Tell-All Written By President’s Niece

President Donald Trump ’ s family has asked a judge to block the publication of his niece Mary Trump ’ s tell-all , which is set to be released next month .
The president ’ s younger brother , Robert Trump , filed for a temporary restraining order Tuesday , saying Mary Trump is violating a nondisclosure agreement she signed in 2001 following a bitter court battle over the estate of Trump ’ s father .
“ Her attempt to sensationalize and mischaracterize our family relationship after all of these years for her own financial gain is both a travesty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ late brother , Fred , and our beloved parents , ” Robert Trump said in a statement to The New York Times , which first reported the news .
“ I and the rest of my entire family are so proud of my wonderful brother , the president , and feel that Mary ’ s actions are truly a disgrace.
” The book , “ Too Much and Never Enough : How My Family Created the World ’ s Most Dangerous Man , ” is scheduled to be released on July 28 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the book is expedited to include “ salacious ” stories about the president and reveal Mary Trump as the source behind a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation by The New York Times into a series of financial schemes Donald Trump was involved in in the 1990s .
A lawyer for Mary Trump , daughter of the president ’ s older brother , Fred Trump Jr. , accused her family members of attempting to violate the First Amendment “ because they do not want the public to know the truth.
” The president has maintained that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saying she wasn ’ t honoring the terms of the nondisclosure agreement .
“ She ’ s not allowed to write a book , ” Donald Trump told Axios last week .
“ You know , when we settled with her and her brother , who I do have a good relationship with — she ’ s got a brother , Fred , who I do have a good relationship with , but when we settled , she has a total ... signed a nondisclosure.
” The president also rejected assertions reportedly included @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and derided ” his father , Fred Trump Sr. , when he began suffering from Alzheimer ’ s disease .
“ It ’ s totally false ; the opposite , ” Trump told Axios .
“ Actually , the opposite .
I always had a great relationship .
I didn ’ t know that she said that .
That ’ s a disgraceful thing to say.
” The book would be the latest publishing hit to the president .
Former national security adviser John Bolton published a memoir of his tenure in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ damning claims about Trump ’ s behavior while in office .
Bolton ’ s book includes allegations that Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping for help to win reelection later this year as well as accounts of the president urging Xi to build facilities similar to concentration camps to hold Uighur Muslims .
Trump , for his part , has lambasted his former aide as a “ dope ” and a “ sick puppy , ” saying he fired Bolton while claiming the book was a “ compilation of lies.
” Bolton has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not forced out .
The Trump administration attempted to stop the publication of Bolton ’ s book as well , but a judge rejected those calls , citing the fact that hundreds of thousands of copies had already been printed and shipped .

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President Donald Trump’s family has asked a judge to block the publication of his niece Mary Trump’s tell-all, which is set to be released next month.
The president’s younger brother, Robert Trump, filed for a temporary restraining order Tuesday, saying Mary Trump is violating a nondisclosure agreement she signed in 2001 following a bitter court battle over the estate of Trump’s father.
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“Her attempt to sensationalize and mischaracterize our family relationship after all of these years for her own financial gain is both a travesty and injustice to the memory of my late brother, Fred, and our beloved parents,” Robert Trump said in a statement to The New York Times, which first reported the news. “I and the rest of my entire family are so proud of my wonderful brother, the president, and feel that Mary’s actions are truly a disgrace.”
The book, “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man,” is scheduled to be released on July 28. The Daily Beast reported last week that the book is expedited to include “salacious” stories about the president and reveal Mary Trump as the source behind a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation by The New York Times into a series of financial schemes Donald Trump was involved in in the 1990s.
A lawyer for Mary Trump, daughter of the president’s older brother, Fred Trump Jr., accused her family members of attempting to violate the First Amendment “because they do not want the public to know the truth.”
“President Trump and his siblings are seeking to suppress a book that will discuss matters of utmost public importance,” the attorney, Ted Boutros, told NBC News.
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The president has maintained that the book should not be published, saying she wasn’t honoring the terms of the nondisclosure agreement.
“She’s not allowed to write a book,” Donald Trump told Axios last week. “You know, when we settled with her and her brother, who I do have a good relationship with — she’s got a brother, Fred, who I do have a good relationship with, but when we settled, she has a total ... signed a nondisclosure.”
The president also rejected assertions reportedly included in the book that he “dismissed and derided” his father, Fred Trump Sr., when he began suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
“It’s totally false; the opposite,” Trump told Axios. “Actually, the opposite. I always had a great relationship. I didn’t know that she said that. That’s a disgraceful thing to say.”
The book would be the latest publishing hit to the president. Former national security adviser John Bolton published a memoir of his tenure in the White House this week, which included damning claims about Trump’s behavior while in office. Bolton’s book includes allegations that Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping for help to win reelection later this year as well as accounts of the president urging Xi to build facilities similar to concentration camps to hold Uighur Muslims.
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Trump, for his part, has lambasted his former aide as a “dope” and a “sick puppy,” saying he fired Bolton while claiming the book was a “compilation of lies.” Bolton has maintained he resigned last September and was not forced out.