thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-21--Barr Rejects Trump's Reported Push For Hunter Biden Special Counsel, Election Probe

Speaking at a press conference from the Justice Department , Barr said he saw “ no basis ” for seizing voting machines ― a move suggested by Trump campaign attorney Rudy Giuliani during a White House meeting on Friday , according to The New York Times .
Nearly seven weeks after Election Day , Trump still refuses to concede the election to President-elect Joe Biden .
The Electoral College voted last week to confirm the Democrat ’ s victory .
But Trump and his allies continue to argue baseless fraud claims and have falsely accused Democrats of “ rigging ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 14 that Barr had submitted his resignation , effective Dec. 23 .
The attorney general , who often faced backlash from Democrats and legal experts for rubber-stamping Trump ’ s political agenda , reportedly fell out of favor with the president after acknowledging that the Justice Department had found no evidence of widespread election fraud .
During the Friday meeting at the White House , the Trump team weighed several Hail Mary ideas for overturning the election results , according to the Times .
Most alarmingly , Trump reportedly asked about imposing martial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rerun ” the election ― a strategy floated by former national security adviser Michael Flynn , whom the president recently pardoned .
( In a Sunday tweet , Trump appeared to deny that such a discussion took place . )
The president also discussed the idea of appointing attorney Sidney Powell as a special counsel to investigate election fraud .
Powell has promoted unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about Biden ’ s win , including claiming that Georgia Gov .
Brian Kemp , a Republican , helped rig the election against Trump .
There is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Barr said .
“ I think we ’ re too tolerant of it .
And I ’ m sure there was fraud in this election .
But I was commenting on the extent to which we had looked at suggestions or allegations of systemic or broad-based fraud that would affect the outcome of the election , and I already spoke to that and I stand by that statement.
” “ If I thought a special counsel at this stage was the right tool and it was appropriate , I would name @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But I haven ’ t and I ’ m not going to.
” Trump and some top Republicans , including Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina , have also called for a special counsel to investigate Biden ’ s son Hunter and his dealings with China .
The Biden transition team announced earlier this month that the Justice Department was investigating Hunter Biden over tax issues .
But Barr said Monday that he has no plan to appoint a special counsel to look at Hunter Biden ’ s actions either .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s an investigation , I think that it ’ s being handled responsibly and professionally currently within the department , ” he said .
“ And to this point , I have not seen a reason to appoint a special counsel and I have no plan to do so before I leave.
” In addition , the attorney general contradicted Trump ’ s assessment of the recently disclosed , massive cyberattack against U.S. agencies and companies , saying that it “ certainly appears ” as though the Russians were behind it .
Though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ State Mike Pompeo have determined that the Russians carried out the operation , Trump tweeted Saturday without evidence that China ― not Russia ― may have been behind it .

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Attorney General William Barr on Monday again slapped down claims of widespread election fraud pushed by President Donald Trump, rejecting the president’s reported push to appoint a special counsel to investigate the non-issue.
Speaking at a press conference from the Justice Department, Barr said he saw “no basis” for seizing voting machines ― a move suggested by Trump campaign attorney Rudy Giuliani during a White House meeting on Friday, according to The New York Times.
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Nearly seven weeks after Election Day, Trump still refuses to concede the election to President-elect Joe Biden. The Electoral College voted last week to confirm the Democrat’s victory. But Trump and his allies continue to argue baseless fraud claims and have falsely accused Democrats of “rigging” the election.
Trump announced on Dec. 14 that Barr had submitted his resignation, effective Dec. 23. The attorney general, who often faced backlash from Democrats and legal experts for rubber-stamping Trump’s political agenda, reportedly fell out of favor with the president after acknowledging that the Justice Department had found no evidence of widespread election fraud.
Bill Barr says he will not name a special counsel to investigate Trump's (unfounded) claims of election fraud: "If I thought a special counsel at this stage was the right tool, I would name one, but I haven't and I'm not going to." pic.twitter.com/QUAEpKX5D8 — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 21, 2020
During the Friday meeting at the White House, the Trump team weighed several Hail Mary ideas for overturning the election results, according to the Times.
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Most alarmingly, Trump reportedly asked about imposing martial law and deploying the military to “rerun” the election ― a strategy floated by former national security adviser Michael Flynn, whom the president recently pardoned. (In a Sunday tweet, Trump appeared to deny that such a discussion took place.)
The president also discussed the idea of appointing attorney Sidney Powell as a special counsel to investigate election fraud. Powell has promoted unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about Biden’s win, including claiming that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, helped rig the election against Trump.
Barr reiterated on Monday that his department has not found any evidence to support the allegations of widespread fraud.
There is fraud “I think in most elections,” Barr said. “I think we’re too tolerant of it. And I’m sure there was fraud in this election. But I was commenting on the extent to which we had looked at suggestions or allegations of systemic or broad-based fraud that would affect the outcome of the election, and I already spoke to that and I stand by that statement.”
Asked if he felt there was a need for a special counsel to investigate alleged election fraud, Barr said no.
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“If I thought a special counsel at this stage was the right tool and it was appropriate, I would name one,” he said. “But I haven’t and I’m not going to.”
Attorney General William Barr says he has "not seen a reason to appoint a special counsel" to investigate Hunter Biden, and has "no plan to do so" before he steps down https://t.co/Nj065CIsxp pic.twitter.com/My7WnkdTTq — CBS News (@CBSNews) December 21, 2020
Trump and some top Republicans, including Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, have also called for a special counsel to investigate Biden’s son Hunter and his dealings with China. The Biden transition team announced earlier this month that the Justice Department was investigating Hunter Biden over tax issues.
But Barr said Monday that he has no plan to appoint a special counsel to look at Hunter Biden’s actions either.
“I think to the extent that there’s an investigation, I think that it’s being handled responsibly and professionally currently within the department,” he said. “And to this point, I have not seen a reason to appoint a special counsel and I have no plan to do so before I leave.”
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In addition, the attorney general contradicted Trump’s assessment of the recently disclosed, massive cyberattack against U.S. agencies and companies, saying that it “certainly appears” as though the Russians were behind it.
Though the U.S. intelligence community and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have determined that the Russians carried out the operation, Trump tweeted Saturday without evidence that China ― not Russia ― may have been behind it.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-21--More Than 1.4 Million Votes Already Cast In Georgia's Senate Runoffs

More than 1.4 million ballots have already been cast in Georgia ’ s Jan. 5 Senate runoffs , signaling record turnout as voters decide which party will control the upper chamber of Congress , according to the Georgia Secretary of State ’ s office .
As of Sunday , 1,470,764 Georgians had voted in the two contests , featuring Republican Sen. David Perdue against Democrat Jon Ossoff and Sen. Kelly Loeffler against the Rev .
Raphael Warnock , a Democrat .
Of those votes , 569,267 were cast via absentee ballot and 901,497 were cast during early in-person voting , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of state ’ s office told HuffPost on Monday .
The numbers rival turnout at this point in the November general election , though the Democratic edge in turnout is narrower , according to The Washington Post .
The two Senate races triggered runoffs because none of the candidates garnered the majority of votes needed to win outright in their races last month .
Democrats need to win both seats to split the Senate 50-50 with Republicans .
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would cast tie-breaking votes in the Senate after being sworn into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ control of the chamber .
Should Republicans win at least one seat , they will maintain control of the Senate , likely obstructing President-elect Joe Biden ’ s incoming administration from executing its legislative agenda .
Hundreds of millions of dollars have been poured into advertising and get-out-the-vote efforts on each side .
Georgia had been a Republican stronghold for decades until Biden won the state this year , giving Democrats hope they can flip the state ’ s Senate seats as well .
About 36,000 ballots have been cast in the runoffs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t vote in the November election , including people who were too young to vote last month , the Post reported .
“ There ’ s a lot on the line , ” Gabriel Sterling , a top official in the Georgia secretary of state ’ s office , told the Post .
“ People ’ s emotions are raw right now .
One side is elated and celebrating , and the other side is spitting nails .
”

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More than 1.4 million ballots have already been cast in Georgia’s Jan. 5 Senate runoffs, signaling record turnout as voters decide which party will control the upper chamber of Congress, according to the Georgia Secretary of State’s office.
As of Sunday, 1,470,764 Georgians had voted in the two contests, featuring Republican Sen. David Perdue against Democrat Jon Ossoff and Sen. Kelly Loeffler against the Rev. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat.
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Of those votes, 569,267 were cast via absentee ballot and 901,497 were cast during early in-person voting, which began Dec. 14, the secretary of state’s office told HuffPost on Monday.
The numbers rival turnout at this point in the November general election, though the Democratic edge in turnout is narrower, according to The Washington Post. The two Senate races triggered runoffs because none of the candidates garnered the majority of votes needed to win outright in their races last month.
Democrats need to win both seats to split the Senate 50-50 with Republicans. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would cast tie-breaking votes in the Senate after being sworn into office next month, essentially giving Democrats control of the chamber.
Should Republicans win at least one seat, they will maintain control of the Senate, likely obstructing President-elect Joe Biden’s incoming administration from executing its legislative agenda.
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Hundreds of millions of dollars have been poured into advertising and get-out-the-vote efforts on each side. Georgia had been a Republican stronghold for decades until Biden won the state this year, giving Democrats hope they can flip the state’s Senate seats as well.
About 36,000 ballots have been cast in the runoffs so far by Georgians who didn’t vote in the November election, including people who were too young to vote last month, the Post reported.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-21--Here’s What’s In Congress’ $900 Billion COVID-19 Relief Deal

Other major provisions of interest are the changes to unemployment benefits .
Instead of expiring next week , federal benefits for gig workers and the long-term jobless will continue until March 14 — an additional 11 weeks .
Unemployed Americans will be eligible for an additional $ 300 a week in jobless benefits during that time , on top of what they receive from the state or federal program paying their claim .
Democrats did , however , extend the deadline by a full year for states and cities to use the funding Congress granted to them in previous Cares @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local governments was set to expire by the end of year and would have had to have been returned to the federal government if left unspent .
That said , conservatives did win some of their pet provisions , including a tax break for corporate meal expenses spearheaded by Sen. Tim Scott ( R-S.C. ) and lobbied for by President Donald Trump .
Referred to as the “ three-martini lunch deduction , ” Republicans say this tax provision will help the restaurant industry .
Critics argue it ’ s little more than a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to write off their steak dinners — and will do next to nothing for struggling businesses .
Republicans secured at least one policy change that seems designed to head off Democratic demands for more help from Congress next year .
New federal unemployment claims will be disallowed after March 14 , but people already receiving benefits can continue until early April .
The gradual reduction eliminates the kind of sudden cutoff that pressures lawmakers to act .
It shows Republicans are committed to ending the benefits in springtime .
Moran , 50 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a private security firm since March .
He exhausted his state-funded unemployment benefits in November and has been waiting on benefits from the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program , which will remain in place through March 14 under the new legislation .
Congress originally created the program in March to cover people like gig workers who are ineligible for regular unemployment compensation .
Moran should be eligible both because he has a heart condition that puts him at high risk of severe illness from the coronavirus and also because he is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who has been attending school from home .
State workforce agencies have struggled to pay the pandemic benefits .
Moran said he ’ s handed over doctor ’ s notes but has gone six weeks without a payment , which is why he ’ s looking forward to the IRS rebate .

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WASHINGTON — After months of delays, Congress finally has agreed to a $900 billion deal on COVID-19 relief, giving jobless Americans some respite with direct payments and unemployment insurance, as well as funding for public schools and vaccine distribution.
Perhaps of greatest interest to most Americans will be the stimulus checks. The final deal authorizes $600 in direct payments to individuals who made less than $75,000 in 2019. Essentially, if you received a check in the spring or summer, this check should be half as much.
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The good news is that Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said some Americans could see their money directly deposited into their bank accounts by next week, since the Internal Revenue Service had practice sending the rebates earlier this year. Most payments, however, will likely take longer.
The payments will go to every adult and child, meaning a family of four would receive $2,400 from the federal government — as long as a married couple’s collective income is less than $150,000. But immigrants who are not lawful permanent residents and adult dependents are cut out of the deal.
Other major provisions of interest are the changes to unemployment benefits. Instead of expiring next week, federal benefits for gig workers and the long-term jobless will continue until March 14 — an additional 11 weeks. Unemployed Americans will be eligible for an additional $300 a week in jobless benefits during that time, on top of what they receive from the state or federal program paying their claim.
Democrats also won an additional 11 weeks of jobless pay for workers who have now been unemployed for so long they’ve exhausted the state and federal benefits currently available.
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The stimulus checks account for $166 billion and the unemployment provisions cost $120 billion, less than the $180 billion for unemployment the bipartisan group that first negotiated the compromise proposed. Top lawmakers agreed to shorten the duration of the unemployment insurance benefit in order to help make room for the direct payments.
Republicans insisted that the bill cost less than $1 trillion, an arbitrary constraint that explains why the direct payment are $600 instead of $1,200, like last time.
The biggest costs of the bill are the small business sections. The GOP-favored Paycheck Protection Program gets $284 billion for forgivable loans to businesses. In total, business provisions account for $325 billion — once you account for $20 billion in Economic Injury Disaster Loans, $15 billion for live entertainment venues and movie theaters, and several billion for other Small Business Administration programs.
Schools are also big winners in the deal, with K-12 schools, colleges and universities securing $82 billion. More than $54 billion of that will go to public schools, and more than $20 billion will go to public and private colleges.
Nearly $70 billion of the coronavirus relief deal will actually go to fighting the coronavirus. There is $22 billion for testing and tracing, $20 billion for vaccine procurement, and $9 billion for vaccine distribution.
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There is also $45 billion for the transportation industry, $25 billion for rental assistance, $13 billion for increases in food benefits, $13 billion for farmers and ranchers, $10 billion for child care providers, $10 billion for the Postal Service, and $7 billion for broadband access.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) wears a protective face mask as he walks down a hallway of the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, May 12, 2020. Carlos Barria / Reuters
After months of stalemate, key to reaching a deal was what was left out — most notably funding for states and cities.
Democrats wanted aid for those governments, which have seen their revenue dramatically fall because of the pandemic, but Republicans negotiated a compromise in which Democrats would leave out $160 billion in state and local aid on the table in exchange for Republicans dropping their so-called liability shield.
The liability shield would have protected businesses from lawsuits related to coronavirus exposure, but the language Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) pushed for would have also affected unrelated medical malpractice suits and superseded bedrock labor laws that protect workers from wage theft and discrimination.
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Ultimately, Democrats agreed to hold back on state and local funding so that Republicans would drop the liability provisions, though Democrats and progressives are already calling on renewed negotiations over state funding once Joe Biden takes office.
Democrats did, however, extend the deadline by a full year for states and cities to use the funding Congress granted to them in previous Cares Act aid. Funding for state and local governments was set to expire by the end of year and would have had to have been returned to the federal government if left unspent.
That said, conservatives did win some of their pet provisions, including a tax break for corporate meal expenses spearheaded by Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and lobbied for by President Donald Trump. Referred to as the “three-martini lunch deduction,” Republicans say this tax provision will help the restaurant industry. Critics argue it’s little more than a perk for big corporate firms that want to write off their steak dinners — and will do next to nothing for struggling businesses.
The coronavirus deal is hitching a ride on a massive, $1.4 trillion spending bill that funds all departments of the government until October.
And there’s also a surprise medical billing measure that was added to the legislative package. Those provisions would force health providers to work with insurers to settle on a fair price for unexpectedly out-of-network care instead of hitting patients with massive bills.
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Republicans secured at least one policy change that seems designed to head off Democratic demands for more help from Congress next year. New federal unemployment claims will be disallowed after March 14, but people already receiving benefits can continue until early April. The gradual reduction eliminates the kind of sudden cutoff that pressures lawmakers to act. It shows Republicans are committed to ending the benefits in springtime.
“In reality, many workers won’t receive the benefits until well into this short duration, and then the states will be forced to cut it off again.” - Andrew Stettner, The Century Foundation unemployment policy expert
Andrew Stettner, an unemployment policy expert with The Century Foundation, said the bill’s jobless pay provisions are inadequate, and it could take state workforce agencies a while to implement a slate of federal changes for programs that will only exist for another 11 weeks.
“In reality, many workers won’t receive the benefits until well into this short duration, and then the states will be forced to cut it off again,” Stettner said in an email.
Stettner said it would have been better for the extension to “last to a point closer to where the vaccine can roll out and people can go back to their shuttered occupations, and send their kids to day care or school.”
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That’s why Tommy Moran of Greensboro, North Carolina, is so thrilled that he’ll get a direct payment from the IRS. He stands to gain from the increase in unemployment benefits, but the North Carolina Department of Labor has been taking a long time to sort out his claim.
“That’s a great thing because I’ll get that right around new year’s,” he said. “When I heard that was going through I was like ‘Yes.’”
Moran, 50, has been on leave from his job with a private security firm since March. He exhausted his state-funded unemployment benefits in November and has been waiting on benefits from the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which will remain in place through March 14 under the new legislation. Congress originally created the program in March to cover people like gig workers who are ineligible for regular unemployment compensation.
Moran should be eligible both because he has a heart condition that puts him at high risk of severe illness from the coronavirus and also because he is the primary caregiver for his teenage daughter, who has been attending school from home. State workforce agencies have struggled to pay the pandemic benefits. Moran said he’s handed over doctor’s notes but has gone six weeks without a payment, which is why he’s looking forward to the IRS rebate.
Moran’s household should receive $1,800 in direct payments ― $600 each for him, his wife and their daughter. He thinks it’s ridiculous that lawmakers had such a hard time coming up with legislation to help people survive a plague.
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“When it comes to wars, they have all the money in the world,” he said.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-21--Michael Cohen: Here's What's Really Behind Trump's Election Lies

President Donald Trump ’ s motives for fighting the results of the election come down to ego and money , according to Michael Cohen , Trump ’ s former personal attorney and fixer .
“ He knows he lost the election .
He knows it .
But the problem is he has an incredibly fragile ego and his fragile ego will not allow him to acknowledge that he is a loser , that he lost the election to Joe Biden , ” Cohen said in a Vanity Fair interview published Monday .
“ This is a cash grab .
When @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re always thinking about how to reinvent yourself .
That ’ s what Donald Trump is doing right now , ” he said .
With less than a month before Biden ’ s inauguration , Trump still publicly maintains that he actually won the election and was the victim of a widespread conspiracy to rig it against him .
Anyone who disputes those baseless allegations ― including Republican election officials , the Supreme Court and even some conservative Fox News personalities ― has become the target of his ire .
“ He knows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is really going to be predicated around a Trump news network .
It ’ s why he ’ s fighting with Fox every day , ” Cohen said .
“ He ’ s looking to steal their base .
Because with his social media platform of 90 million followers , he knows that of that 90 million , 20 million are die-hard Trump fans.
” Cohen noted that many of Trump ’ s most devout supporters have indicated they would support him no matter what .
“ From them , he just wants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that $ 4.99 a month , you get to listen to all the bullshit and all the far-right-wing conspiracies that Donald Trump can dream up , ” Cohen said .
“ That ’ s what he ’ s going to sell you .
That ’ s $ 100 million a month , $ 1.2 billion a year .
That ’ s going to pay for the gas in his 757.
” Asked about his own 2019 prophecy that Trump would not transition peacefully at the end of his presidential term , Cohen said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did , he was certain of his forecast .
Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to criminal charges that included lying to Congress and campaign finance violations related to hush-money payments made during the 2016 campaign to silence two women ― Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal ― who alleged they had extramarital affairs with Trump .

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President Donald Trump’s motives for fighting the results of the election come down to ego and money, according to Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal attorney and fixer.
“He knows he lost the election. He knows it. But the problem is he has an incredibly fragile ego and his fragile ego will not allow him to acknowledge that he is a loser, that he lost the election to Joe Biden,” Cohen said in a Vanity Fair interview published Monday.
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“This is a cash grab. When you finish a job, you’re always thinking about how to reinvent yourself. That’s what Donald Trump is doing right now,” he said.
With less than a month before Biden’s inauguration, Trump still publicly maintains that he actually won the election and was the victim of a widespread conspiracy to rig it against him. Anyone who disputes those baseless allegations ― including Republican election officials, the Supreme Court and even some conservative Fox News personalities ― has become the target of his ire.
“He knows that his next saga of his story is really going to be predicated around a Trump news network. It’s why he’s fighting with Fox every day,” Cohen said.
“He’s looking to steal their base. Because with his social media platform of 90 million followers, he knows that of that 90 million, 20 million are die-hard Trump fans.”
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Cohen noted that many of Trump’s most devout supporters have indicated they would support him no matter what.
“From them, he just wants $4.99 a month. And for that $4.99 a month, you get to listen to all the bullshit and all the far-right-wing conspiracies that Donald Trump can dream up,” Cohen said. “That’s what he’s going to sell you. That’s $100 million a month, $1.2 billion a year. That’s going to pay for the gas in his 757.”
Asked about his own 2019 prophecy that Trump would not transition peacefully at the end of his presidential term, Cohen said that knowing Trump as well as he did, he was certain of his forecast.
Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to criminal charges that included lying to Congress and campaign finance violations related to hush-money payments made during the 2016 campaign to silence two women ― Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal ― who alleged they had extramarital affairs with Trump.
Now serving the remainder of his three-year prison sentence in home confinement, Cohen has written a deeply critical book about Trump.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-21--Robert E. Lee Statue Removed From U.S. Capitol

The monument of the general who fought to maintain slavery had been part of the National Statuary Hall Collection in the Capitol since 1909 .
The statue , along with one of George Washington , represented the state of Virginia in the collection ; every state gets two statues .
In July , the Commission for Historical Statues in the United States Capitol ― an eight-member commission tasked with deciding whether to recommend the removal of Lee ’ s statue from the Capitol ― unanimously voted to have the monument removed .
Virginia Gov .
Ralph Northam ( D ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in favor of the removal , called the moment an “ important step forward for our Commonwealth and our country ” in a statement on Monday .
“ The Confederacy is a symbol of Virginia ’ s racist and divisive history , and it is past time we tell our story with images of perseverance , diversity , and inclusion , ” he said .
Last night , Virginia removed its statue of Robert E. Lee from the U.S. Capitol .
This is an important step forward—it is past time we tell our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and inclusion .
pic.twitter.com/zyR99ukiIz — Ralph Northam ( @ GovernorVA ) December 21 , 2020 The governor ’ s office noted that Virginia Democrats Sen. Tim Kaine and Rep. Jennifer Wexton were present for the removal , which happened in the wee hours of Monday morning .
Rep. A. Donald McEachin ( D-Va. ) , who had joined Wexton in calling for the statues ’ s removal last year , was among a number of politicians who tweeted about the moment on Monday , writing that the statue had honored “ a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Earlier this month , the eight-member commission voted to replace Lee ’ s statue with one of Barbara Johns , a Black civil rights icon who at age 16 led an all-Black student walkout to protest school segregation in 1951 .
Johns ’ organizing and ultimate court case later became one of the five cases reviewed in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education .
The statue of Johns must be approved by the state ’ s General Assembly , Northam ’ s office said .
Johns would be the only teenager @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the Capitol .
“ I look forward to seeing a trailblazing young woman of color represent Virginia in the U.S. Capitol , where visitors will learn about Barbara Johns ’ contributions to America and be empowered to create positive change in their communities just like she did , ” Northam said elsewhere in his statement .
The Democratic governor ’ s pledge to have another controversial statue of Lee removed on Richmond ’ s historic Monument Avenue , has faced legal challenges since he announced his intention in June .
That monument @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the summer where people protested white supremacy and police brutality in the weeks following the police killing of George Floyd in May .
In July , a hologram of Floyd was projected in front of the statue of Lee before a large crowd , which included some of Floyd ’ s family members .

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A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee was removed from the U.S. Capitol early Monday morning.
The monument of the general who fought to maintain slavery had been part of the National Statuary Hall Collection in the Capitol since 1909. The statue, along with one of George Washington, represented the state of Virginia in the collection; every state gets two statues.
In July, the Commission for Historical Statues in the United States Capitol ― an eight-member commission tasked with deciding whether to recommend the removal of Lee’s statue from the Capitol ― unanimously voted to have the monument removed.
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Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D), who had testified before the commission in favor of the removal, called the moment an “important step forward for our Commonwealth and our country” in a statement on Monday.
“The Confederacy is a symbol of Virginia’s racist and divisive history, and it is past time we tell our story with images of perseverance, diversity, and inclusion,” he said.
Last night, Virginia removed its statue of Robert E. Lee from the U.S. Capitol.
This is an important step forward—it is past time we tell our story with images of perseverance, diversity, and inclusion. pic.twitter.com/zyR99ukiIz — Ralph Northam (@GovernorVA) December 21, 2020
The governor’s office noted that Virginia Democrats Sen. Tim Kaine and Rep. Jennifer Wexton were present for the removal, which happened in the wee hours of Monday morning.
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Earlier this month, the eight-member commission voted to replace Lee’s statue with one of Barbara Johns, a Black civil rights icon who at age 16 led an all-Black student walkout to protest school segregation in 1951.
Johns’ organizing and ultimate court case later became one of the five cases reviewed in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education.
The statue of Johns must be approved by the state’s General Assembly, Northam’s office said. Johns would be the only teenager represented in the National Statuary Hall Collection at the Capitol.
“I look forward to seeing a trailblazing young woman of color represent Virginia in the U.S. Capitol, where visitors will learn about Barbara Johns’ contributions to America and be empowered to create positive change in their communities just like she did,” Northam said elsewhere in his statement.
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The Democratic governor’s pledge to have another controversial statue of Lee removed on Richmond’s historic Monument Avenue, has faced legal challenges since he announced his intention in June.
That monument served as a focal point for gatherings over the summer where people protested white supremacy and police brutality in the weeks following the police killing of George Floyd in May.
In July, a hologram of Floyd was projected in front of the statue of Lee before a large crowd, which included some of Floyd’s family members.
Anti-racism protests have sparked the removal or renaming of more than 100 Confederate symbols since Floyd’s death.
WATCH: A George Floyd hologram lights up in front of Gen. Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond https://t.co/W54gZLrzQT pic.twitter.com/go7XA0HKkr — CBS News (@CBSNews) July 29, 2020
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-21--Biden Gets COVID-19 Vaccine: 'This Is Just The Beginning'

President-elect Joe Biden received the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday , demonstrating on television that the shot is safe and necessary to protect the country from the virus that ’ s already killed hundreds of thousands of Americans .
Biden received the first course of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at ChristianaCare Hospital in Delaware .
The vaccine was administered by Tabe Masa , a nurse practitioner and the head of employee health services at the hospital .
“ We owe these folks a lot , ” Biden said .
“ The scientists and the people who put this together , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ones that did the clinical work.
” Joe Biden gets a coronavirus vaccine shot , then says , `` We owe these folks a lot .
The scientists and the people who put this together , the frontline workers , the people what were the ones that did the clinical work . ''
pic.twitter.com/b3ieZTjxn1 — Aaron Rupar ( @ atrupar ) December 21 , 2020 The president-elect chose to have his vaccination televised in order to instill confidence among Americans that it is safe and effective .
“ I ’ m doing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prepared when it ’ s available to take the vaccine , ” he said on Monday .
“ There ’ s nothing to worry about .
I ’ m looking forward to the second shot .
...
This is just the beginning.
” The Pfizer vaccine requires two doses administered within weeks of each other in order to reach 95 % efficacy .
The transition team has not provided details on when the president-elect would receive the second dose .
Biden ’ s vaccination comes about a week after the first doses of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers , and days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization for Moderna ’ s COVID-19 vaccine .
Incoming first lady Jill Biden received the vaccine earlier on Monday , according to the transition team .
Transition spokesperson Jen Psaki has said that Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and incoming second gentleman Doug Emhoff are expected to receive the vaccine next week .
Psaki told reporters that Biden and Harris were staggering the vaccine because medical experts recommended doing so , saying that if they experience any reported side effects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same day .
Dr. Anthony Fauci , the nation ’ s top infectious disease expert , told ABC last week that he strongly recommends Biden get the vaccine as soon as possible .
He also recommended that President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence receive the vaccine .
Fauci , who is also Biden ’ s incoming chief medical adviser , could get the vaccine himself on Tuesday , according to Politico .
Pence received the vaccine on television last week , also to instill confidence in its safety and efficacy .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and won ’ t until the White House medical team recommends so , a White House official told CNN .

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President-elect Joe Biden received the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, demonstrating on television that the shot is safe and necessary to protect the country from the virus that’s already killed hundreds of thousands of Americans.
Biden received the first course of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at ChristianaCare Hospital in Delaware. The vaccine was administered by Tabe Masa, a nurse practitioner and the head of employee health services at the hospital.
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“We owe these folks a lot,” Biden said. “The scientists and the people who put this together, the frontline workers, the people that were the ones that did the clinical work.”
Joe Biden gets a coronavirus vaccine shot, then says, "We owe these folks a lot. The scientists and the people who put this together, the frontline workers, the people what were the ones that did the clinical work." pic.twitter.com/b3ieZTjxn1 — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 21, 2020
The president-elect chose to have his vaccination televised in order to instill confidence among Americans that it is safe and effective.
“I’m doing this to demonstrate that people should be prepared when it’s available to take the vaccine,” he said on Monday. “There’s nothing to worry about. I’m looking forward to the second shot. ... This is just the beginning.”
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The Pfizer vaccine requires two doses administered within weeks of each other in order to reach 95% efficacy. The transition team has not provided details on when the president-elect would receive the second dose.
Incoming first lady Jill Biden received the vaccine earlier on Monday, according to the transition team. Transition spokesperson Jen Psaki has said that Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and incoming second gentleman Doug Emhoff are expected to receive the vaccine next week.
Psaki told reporters that Biden and Harris were staggering the vaccine because medical experts recommended doing so, saying that if they experience any reported side effects, it would not be on the same day.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, told ABC last week that he strongly recommends Biden get the vaccine as soon as possible. He also recommended that President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence receive the vaccine. Fauci, who is also Biden’s incoming chief medical adviser, could get the vaccine himself on Tuesday, according to Politico.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-21--Here's What's Included In The $900 Billion Stimulus Deal

WASHINGTON ( Reuters ) - U.S. congressional leaders said on Sunday they had reached agreement on a $ 900 billion package to provide the first new aid in months to an economy hammered by the novel coronavirus pandemic , with votes likely on Monday .
Here ’ s what is in the package , according to a summary released by House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer , and interviews with several congressional aides who provided additional details : Checks in the mail : The bill includes $ 166 billion in new direct payments of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ child , for individuals making up to $ 75,000 a year and $ 1,200 for couples making up to $ 150,000 a year .
The bill expands direct payments to mixed-status households .
More unemployment benefits : An additional $ 300 per week for some unemployment recipients , with expanded coverage to the self employed , “ gig ” workers and others in nontraditional situations .
Payroll loans : $ 284 billion for government payroll loans , including expanded eligibility for nonprofits and newspaper and TV and radio broadcasters , $ 15 billion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and cultural institutions and $ 20 billion for targeted disaster grants Back-to-school funding : $ 82 billion for colleges and schools , including for heating-and-cooling system upgrades to mitigate virus transmission and reopen classrooms , and $ 10 billion for childcare assistance .
Includes $ 54.3 billion for K-12 schools and $ 22.7 billion for higher education Ending surprise medical billing : Insured patients only need to pay in-network costs when an emergency or other issue forces them to use a medical provider who isn ’ t covered by their network .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for transportation aid , including $ 15 billion to U.S. passenger airlines for payroll assistance , $ 14 billion for transit systems , $ 10 billion for state highway funding , $ 2 billion for airports , $ 1 billion for airline contractors and $ 1 billion for passenger railroad Amtrak .
Rent and eviction aid : $ 25 billion for rent and utility payment assistance for people struggling to stay in their homes , and an extension of the eviction moratorium until Jan. 31 .
States will receive a minimum of $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aid : $ 30 billion to support procurement and distribution of the vaccine , “ ensuring it ’ s free and rapidly distributed to everyone , ” as Schumer said .
Internet access : $ 7 billion to give more Americans broadband internet access , including $ 1.9 billion to replace telecom network equipment that poses national security risks and $ 3.2 billion for a new temporary benefit program to help low-income Americans get access to broadband service What ’ s not in the bill : Liability protection for companies whose employees get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months , was not including in the final negotiations or bill ; Democrats laid aside sizable funds for state and local governments in return .

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. congressional leaders said on Sunday they had reached agreement on a $900 billion package to provide the first new aid in months to an economy hammered by the novel coronavirus pandemic, with votes likely on Monday.
Here’s what is in the package, according to a summary released by House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, and interviews with several congressional aides who provided additional details:
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Checks in the mail: The bill includes $166 billion in new direct payments of up to $600 per adult and child, for individuals making up to $75,000 a year and $1,200 for couples making up to $150,000 a year. The bill expands direct payments to mixed-status households.
More unemployment benefits: An additional $300 per week for some unemployment recipients, with expanded coverage to the self employed, “gig” workers and others in nontraditional situations.
A U.S. Postal Service grant: Congress agrees to convert a $10 billion loan approved in March into direct funding for USPS without requiring repayment.
Payroll loans: $284 billion for government payroll loans, including expanded eligibility for nonprofits and newspaper and TV and radio broadcasters, $15 billion for live venues, independent movie theaters, and cultural institutions and $20 billion for targeted disaster grants
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Back-to-school funding: $82 billion for colleges and schools, including for heating-and-cooling system upgrades to mitigate virus transmission and reopen classrooms, and $10 billion for childcare assistance. Includes $54.3 billion for K-12 schools and $22.7 billion for higher education
Childcare: $10 billion to provide childcare assistance to families and to help childcare providers cover costs related to pandemic safety.
Business meal write-offs. A new tax break for business meal expenses, nicknamed the “three martini” deduction.
Ending surprise medical billing: Insured patients only need to pay in-network costs when an emergency or other issue forces them to use a medical provider who isn’t covered by their network.
Transport industry help: $45 billion for transportation aid, including $15 billion to U.S. passenger airlines for payroll assistance, $14 billion for transit systems, $10 billion for state highway funding, $2 billion for airports, $1 billion for airline contractors and $1 billion for passenger railroad Amtrak.
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Rent and eviction aid: $25 billion for rent and utility payment assistance for people struggling to stay in their homes, and an extension of the eviction moratorium until Jan. 31. States will receive a minimum of $200 million in assistance.
Vaccine distribution aid: $30 billion to support procurement and distribution of the vaccine, “ensuring it’s free and rapidly distributed to everyone,” as Schumer said.
More to fight hunger: $13 billion for food assistance, including additional funding for food banks and senior nutrition programs, college student access to the federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Farm aid: Another $13 billion for direct payments, purchases and loans to farmers and ranchers.
Expanded Pell Grants: New grants for college tuition, which would reach 500,000 new recipients.
Internet access: $7 billion to give more Americans broadband internet access, including $1.9 billion to replace telecom network equipment that poses national security risks and $3.2 billion for a new temporary benefit program to help low-income Americans get access to broadband service
Global virus alliances: $4 billion for an international vaccine alliance
Tax credits: Enhanced tax credits to encourage low-income housing construction, businesses to keep employees on payroll, employers to provide paid sick leave, and for low income workers.
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Minority-owned businesses: $12 billion for minority owned and very small businesses that struggled to access earlier Payroll Protection Program financing.
What’s not in the bill: Liability protection for companies whose employees get coronavirus, which Republicans have backed for months, was not including in the final negotiations or bill; Democrats laid aside sizable funds for state and local governments in return.
A last-minute attempt by the Republican Party to limit the Federal Reserve’s emergency lending power to small businesses and local governments was also left out.
Reporting by David Shepardson, David Brunnstrom and Andy Sullivan; Editing by Heather Timmons, Richard Pullin


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-21--Undocumented Workers Won't Get Stimulus Checks — Again

Congress has once again left undocumented immigrants out of its COVID-19 stimulus checks , cutting out millions of essential workers and their U.S. citizen children from the much-needed funds .
In the $ 900 billion coronavirus relief package Congress has finally agreed on , Americans are set to receive $ 600 stimulus checks per individual , including adults and children , for those who made less than $ 75,000 in 2019 , or less than $ 150,000 for couples in a household .
But , just as was the case in the first COVID-19 relief deal in the spring , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nonresident aliens ” — or undocumented immigrants — from getting checks .
Unlike the last package , Congress will allow Americans who are married to undocumented people to receive stimulus checks this time around .
However , the U.S. citizen children of undocumented immigrants will get nothing .
“ For Black , Latinx and [ Asian American and Pacific Islander ] families , especially those who may be undocumented and have been hit hard by the virus and the recession , this package is not enough , ” said Ai-jen Poo , executive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Poo noted that undocumented domestic workers — house cleaners , child care and home care workers — “ put their lives on the line to keep us safe , yet continue to be denied government relief.
” Undocumented immigrants are among those hardest hit by the pandemic and its economic fallout .
Undocumented workers are overrepresented in fields that have seen massive layoffs due to COVID-19 restrictions , including the restaurant and hotel industries .
They also make up significant portions of the frontline workers deemed “ essential ” — from grocery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — who are still going to work , risking their lives in a pandemic while millions of Americans stay home .
Latinx and Black people are also around four times as likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 as white people , and nearly three times as likely to die , per the CDC .
Meanwhile , immigrants who filed taxes using an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number ( ITIN ) — because they aren ’ t eligible for a social security number — contributed to government funds used to pay for this coronavirus relief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of stimulus checks .
In 2015 , 4.4 million people , largely immigrants , paid $ 23.6 billion in taxes using an ITIN , per the American Immigration Council .
And of over 11 million undocumented people in the U.S. , over 3 million live with at least one U.S. citizen child , per a Migration Policy Institute analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data .
“ Immigrant families have been on the front lines of this pandemic , ” said Hannah Matthews , deputy executive director and expert on immigrant families at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
While Matthews cheered the inclusion of “ mixed-status ” couples in this round of congressional relief , she slammed the exclusion of American kids of undocumented parents as “ morally wrong .
”

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Congress has once again left undocumented immigrants out of its COVID-19 stimulus checks, cutting out millions of essential workers and their U.S. citizen children from the much-needed funds.
In the $900 billion coronavirus relief package Congress has finally agreed on, Americans are set to receive $600 stimulus checks per individual, including adults and children, for those who made less than $75,000 in 2019, or less than $150,000 for couples in a household.
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But, just as was the case in the first COVID-19 relief deal in the spring, the legislation excludes immigrants who are “nonresident aliens” — or undocumented immigrants — from getting checks.
Unlike the last package, Congress will allow Americans who are married to undocumented people to receive stimulus checks this time around. However, the U.S. citizen children of undocumented immigrants will get nothing.
“For Black, Latinx and [Asian American and Pacific Islander] families, especially those who may be undocumented and have been hit hard by the virus and the recession, this package is not enough,” said Ai-jen Poo, executive director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance.
Poo noted that undocumented domestic workers — house cleaners, child care and home care workers — “put their lives on the line to keep us safe, yet continue to be denied government relief.”
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Undocumented immigrants are among those hardest hit by the pandemic and its economic fallout. Undocumented workers are overrepresented in fields that have seen massive layoffs due to COVID-19 restrictions, including the restaurant and hotel industries.
They also make up significant portions of the frontline workers deemed “essential” — from grocery store and farm workers to building cleaners — who are still going to work, risking their lives in a pandemic while millions of Americans stay home.
Agricultural workers in carrot fields at a farm near Arvin, California on April 3. Shannon Stapleton / Reuters
Latinx and Black people are also around four times as likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 as white people, and nearly three times as likely to die, per the CDC.
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Meanwhile, immigrants who filed taxes using an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) — because they aren’t eligible for a social security number — contributed to government funds used to pay for this coronavirus relief bill, all while being cut out of stimulus checks. In 2015, 4.4 million people, largely immigrants, paid $23.6 billion in taxes using an ITIN, per the American Immigration Council.
And of over 11 million undocumented people in the U.S., over 3 million live with at least one U.S. citizen child, per a Migration Policy Institute analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.
“Immigrant families have been on the front lines of this pandemic,” said Hannah Matthews, deputy executive director and expert on immigrant families at the nonpartisan Center for Law and Social Policy.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-21--Anderson Cooper Says Being A Dad Is 'Truly The Greatest Thing Ever'

“ I don ’ t think I would have made the decision if I didn ’ t feel I was @ @ @ @ @ definitely feel like this is absolutely what I should be doing .
I mean , @ @ @ @ @ it sooner , ” he said .
“ I ’ ve been able to spend @ @ @ @ @ with him really , during this pandemic .
And it ’ s just , it @ @ @ @ @ “ I ’ ve never woken up early in the morning .
I now bolt @ @ @ @ @ without an alarm clock , or 6:30 , and I want to be there when @ @ @ @ @ , ” he continued .
“ I just love every aspect of it .
It @ @ @ @ @ greatest thing ever .
I sort of just feel like ― what was I doing @ @ @ @ @ t know .
”

“I don’t think I would have made the decision if I didn’t feel I was really ready, and I definitely feel like this is absolutely what I should be doing. I mean, I wish I had done it sooner,” he said. “I’ve been able to spend days, all my time with him really, during this pandemic. And it’s just, it’s been amazing.”
“I’ve never woken up early in the morning. I now bolt out of bed at 7 without an alarm clock, or 6:30, and I want to be there when he wakes up at 8:45,” he continued. “I just love every aspect of it. It’s just truly the greatest thing ever. I sort of just feel like ― what was I doing before? I don’t know.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-21--K.T. Oslin, Grammy-Winning Country Singer Of ‘80's Ladies,’ Dies At 78

LOS ANGELES ( AP ) — Country singer K.T .
Oslin , who hit it big with the 1987 hit “ 80′s Ladies ” and won three Grammy awards , has died .
She was 78 .
Oslin ’ s friend Robert K. Oermann said she died in suburban Nashville , Tennessee , on Monday morning .
He learned of Oslin ’ s death from her aunt .
Oermann said Oslin had been suffering from Parkinson ’ s disease and lived in an assisted-living facility since 2016 .
She had triple bypass surgery in 1995 .
He said Oslin tested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ became one of Nashville ’ s most intriguing personalities , launching a country music career in her mid-40s and writing songs from a strong woman ’ s perspective .
“ K.T .
Oslin had one of the most soulful voices in Country Music and was a strong influence for women with her hit ’ 80 ’ s Ladies , ’ ” said Sarah Trahern , CEO of the Country Music Association .
“ I was fortunate to work with K.T .
on a number of television shows in the late 90s .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up-and-coming talent performing alongside her .
She truly had one of the best voices in the history of our format .
Our thoughts go out to her loved ones at this difficult time.
” In 1988 , Oslin unseated Reba McEntire as the Country Music Association ’ s female vocalist of the year .
McEntire had won it four straight times .
Her hit singles included “ I ’ ll Always Come Back , ” “ Hold Me , ” “ Do Ya , ” “ Two Hearts , ” “ Hey Bobby @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It to Go Down This Way ” and “ This Woman.
” She also wrote many of her songs and played keyboard on several of them .
In her memorable music video for her 1990 No .
1 hit “ Come Next Monday , ” Oslin portrayed the bride of Frankenstein .
Always outspoken , she said in a 1990 Associated Press interview that country music was not necessarily her favorite genre .
“ Some of it I like today , some of it I don ’ t , ” she said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ real twangy , hard core , straight ahead old style country music .
I like some of it , but on a steady diet , no.
” The singer won two Grammy Awards in 1988 for her song “ Hold Me.
” In the previous year , she took home a Grammy for her song “ 80′s Ladies.
” Kay Toinette Oslin was born in Crossett , Arkansas , but spent most of her childhood in Mobile , Alabama .
As a teenager , she settled in Houston .
Ending up in New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ girl in theatrical productions and then worked as a studio backup vocalist and ad jingle singer .
Her aunt loaned her $ 7,000 to finance a Nashville showcase performance , which caught the attention of RCA Records .
She signed an RCA recording contract in 1986 at a time when most record companies were looking for singers almost half her age .

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Country singer K.T. Oslin, who hit it big with the 1987 hit “80′s Ladies” and won three Grammy awards, has died. She was 78.
Oslin’s friend Robert K. Oermann said she died in suburban Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday morning. He learned of Oslin’s death from her aunt.
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The actual cause of death has not been released.
Oermann said Oslin had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease and lived in an assisted-living facility since 2016. She had triple bypass surgery in 1995. He said Oslin tested positive for COVID-19 last week.
Oslin became one of Nashville’s most intriguing personalities, launching a country music career in her mid-40s and writing songs from a strong woman’s perspective.
Her albums “80′s Ladies” and “This Woman” both sold more than 1 million copies.
“K.T. Oslin had one of the most soulful voices in Country Music and was a strong influence for women with her hit ’80’s Ladies,’” said Sarah Trahern, CEO of the Country Music Association. “I was fortunate to work with K.T. on a number of television shows in the late 90s. She was always gracious to the crews and up-and-coming talent performing alongside her. She truly had one of the best voices in the history of our format. Our thoughts go out to her loved ones at this difficult time.”
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In 1988, Oslin unseated Reba McEntire as the Country Music Association’s female vocalist of the year. McEntire had won it four straight times.
Her hit singles included “I’ll Always Come Back,” “Hold Me,” “Do Ya,” “Two Hearts,” “Hey Bobby,” “Didn’t Expect It to Go Down This Way” and “This Woman.” She also wrote many of her songs and played keyboard on several of them.
In her memorable music video for her 1990 No. 1 hit “Come Next Monday,” Oslin portrayed the bride of Frankenstein.
Always outspoken, she said in a 1990 Associated Press interview that country music was not necessarily her favorite genre.
“Some of it I like today, some of it I don’t,” she said. “I don’t like the real twangy, hard core, straight ahead old style country music. I like some of it, but on a steady diet, no.”
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The singer won two Grammy Awards in 1988 for her song “Hold Me.” In the previous year, she took home a Grammy for her song “80′s Ladies.”
Kay Toinette Oslin was born in Crossett, Arkansas, but spent most of her childhood in Mobile, Alabama. As a teenager, she settled in Houston.
Ending up in New York City, she was a chorus girl in theatrical productions and then worked as a studio backup vocalist and ad jingle singer.
Her aunt loaned her $7,000 to finance a Nashville showcase performance, which caught the attention of RCA Records. She signed an RCA recording contract in 1986 at a time when most record companies were looking for singers almost half her age.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-21--McDonald’s Selling ‘Spam Burger’ Topped With Oreo Cookie Crumbs In China

BEIJING ( AP ) — McDonald ’ s is selling a sandwich made of Spam topped with crushed Oreo cookies Monday in China in an attention-grabbing move that has raised eyebrows .
Global brands from restaurants to automakers sometimes roll out offbeat products to appeal to Chinese tastes in the populous and intensely competitive market .
This is undoubtedly one of them .
“ I thought it was delicious , ” said a comment signed Feifei Mao Enthusiast on the Sina Weibo microblog service .
“ Is that because I love McDonald ’ s too deeply ?
Or is something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sandwich is made of two slices of Spam , a product of Hormel Foods LLC , and Mondelez International ’ s Oreo cookies , topped with mayonnaise .
McDonald ’ s Corp. said the sandwich was part of a series of “ members only ” promotions to be released on Mondays in China .
“ There is no need to release unnecessary products , ” said a comment left on the company ’ s microblog account .
It received more than 2,000 “ likes.
” McDonald ’ s said it planned to sell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lunchmeat Burgers.
” It wasn ’ t clear how many have been sold or how many people who flooded social media with scathing comments had eaten one .
“ When you hate someone but have to invite him to dinner , you can ask him to eat McDonald ’ s Oreo lunchmeat burger , ” said a separate comment on Sina Weibo .
This story has been edited to correct the spelling of Hormel .

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BEIJING (AP) — McDonald’s is selling a sandwich made of Spam topped with crushed Oreo cookies Monday in China in an attention-grabbing move that has raised eyebrows.
Global brands from restaurants to automakers sometimes roll out offbeat products to appeal to Chinese tastes in the populous and intensely competitive market.
Advertisement
This is undoubtedly one of them.
“I thought it was delicious,” said a comment signed Feifei Mao Enthusiast on the Sina Weibo microblog service. “Is that because I love McDonald’s too deeply? Or is something wrong with my taste?”
The sandwich is made of two slices of Spam, a product of Hormel Foods LLC, and Mondelez International’s Oreo cookies, topped with mayonnaise.
McDonald’s Corp. said the sandwich was part of a series of “members only” promotions to be released on Mondays in China.
“There is no need to release unnecessary products,” said a comment left on the company’s microblog account. It received more than 2,000 “likes.”
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McDonald’s said it planned to sell no more than 400,000 of the “Lunchmeat Burgers.” It wasn’t clear how many have been sold or how many people who flooded social media with scathing comments had eaten one.
“When you hate someone but have to invite him to dinner, you can ask him to eat McDonald’s Oreo lunchmeat burger,” said a separate comment on Sina Weibo.
___


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-21--Beatles Fans Should Find Peter Jackson's New Documentary Truly Fab

Fans of the Beatles just got a big Christmas gift from director Peter Jackson .
“ The Lord of the Rings ” filmmaker is collaborating with the surviving members of the Fab Four on “ The Beatles : Get Back , ” a new documentary made from 55 hours of previously unreleased footage of the “ Let It Be ” sessions .
Although the documentary ’ s release has been delayed because of COVID-19 , Jackson gave fans a sneak peek of the movie on Monday via YouTube .
Jackson stressed the five-minute-plus clip is not a trailer , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those recording sessions .
Based on initial viewings , it appears “ Get Back ” will be a lot more light-hearted than “ Let It Be , ” the 1970 documentary of the making of an album by the same name , showing a band on the verge of breaking up .
In steep contrast , the clips in Jackson ’ s new video show John Lennon and Paul McCartney making jokes while making music .
The clip also has additional scenes from the band ’ s rooftop concert that marked their final @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clip below .
Although “ Get Back ” was originally set for release this past September , no new release date for the film has been set .

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Fans of the Beatles just got a big Christmas gift from director Peter Jackson.
“The Lord of the Rings” filmmaker is collaborating with the surviving members of the Fab Four on “The Beatles: Get Back,” a new documentary made from 55 hours of previously unreleased footage of the “Let It Be” sessions.
Although the documentary’s release has been delayed because of COVID-19, Jackson gave fans a sneak peek of the movie on Monday via YouTube.
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Jackson stressed the five-minute-plus clip is not a trailer, but a montage of the brighter moments from those recording sessions.
Based on initial viewings, it appears “Get Back” will be a lot more light-hearted than “Let It Be,” the 1970 documentary of the making of an album by the same name, showing a band on the verge of breaking up.
In steep contrast, the clips in Jackson’s new video show John Lennon and Paul McCartney making jokes while making music.
The clip also has additional scenes from the band’s rooftop concert that marked their final public performance.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-21--Avowed Pedophile Who Ran For Congress Accused Of Kidnapping Child For Sex

A former Virginia congressional candidate who admitted to being an advocate of pedophilia to HuffPost during his 2018 campaign run , has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping a 12-year-old girl and transporting her across the country for sex .
Nathan Daniel Larson , 40 , was taken into custody at a Denver airport last week after allegedly attempting to fly with the child from her home in California to his home in Virginia while she was disguised with a wig , authorities said Saturday .
Larson ’ s alleged scheme was thwarted after the child was reported missing by her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigation revealed she may have been coerced into running away with an older man , later identified as Larson , whom she met on social media in mid-October , the Fresno County Sheriff ’ s office said .
Nathan Daniel Larson , 40 , was taken into custody last week at a Denver airport while allegedly attempting to transport a child across the country for sex .
He is seen after his arrest and during his 2018 run for congress .
“ During the investigation , detectives uncovered Nathan Larson has a deeply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supremacist and a well-known advocate for pedophilia .
This is a man who runs a website , which encourages the raping of children and sharing of naked photos and video of children being raped , ” the sheriff ’ s office said .
Authorities said Larson had convinced the girl , “ through manipulation and grooming , ” to send him pornographic images of herself over the last two months .
Then on the morning of Dec. 14 , around 2 a.m. , he convinced the girl to sneak out of her Fresno @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him in a ride-share vehicle .
Once at the airport , authorities said Larson instructed the child to wear a wig to alter her appearance and to pretend that she was disabled and unable to speak , to ensure that she would not speak with anyone as they boarded a plane to Washington , D.C. Investigators determined Larson ’ s travel itinerary and during the flight ’ s layover in Denver located him with the girl and placed him under arrest .
The child was uninjured and arrangements were made to have her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that day .
On Thursday , a search warrant was carried out at Larson ’ s Virginia home and electronic devices were taken into custody .
During this search , Larson ’ s father , 69-year-old Arthur Larson , allegedly assaulted a Homeland Security Investigation agent , leading to his arrest on assault and battery charges , the sheriff ’ s office said .
Authorities are warning that they may be other victims out there and have implored parents to monitor their children ’ s internet usage , be aware of the computer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ keep the dialogue open with their children in order to build trust.
” “ Due to the sophisticated nature of how Larson groomed this Fresno girl , detectives believe he has victimized other children in the past , but those cases have never been reported to law enforcement , ” the sheriff ’ s office said .
Due to the sophisticated nature of how Larson groomed this Fresno girl , detectives believe he has victimized other children in the past , but those cases have never been reported to law enforcement .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of it only happening to one person .
It ’ s happened , we ’ re sure , many , many times , across our nation and he ’ s not the only suspect .
We believe there are other people out there trying to commit , if they haven ’ t already committed , the same kind of crimes , so please call your local law enforcement .
Submit your tips to us so that we can save other children , ” she said at a press conference Saturday .
Larson has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at least 2008 when he sent a letter to the Secret Service that detailed plans to assassinate either then-outgoing President George W. Bush or incoming President Barack Obama .
He was sentenced the following year to 16 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release .
After completing his sentence , he moved to Catlett to live with his parents and work as a contract accountant , Virginia ’ s Fauquier Times reported .
In 2018 he unsuccessfully ran as an independent candidate in Virginia ’ s 10th Congressional District .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to supporting the legalization of incestuous marriage , child pornography , the ability to rape and beat women as property , and white supremacy .
“ A lot of people are tired of political correctness and being constrained by it , ” he told HuffPost at the time .
“ People prefer when there ’ s an outsider who doesn ’ t have anything to lose and is willing to say what ’ s on a lot of people ’ s minds.
” In online posts to his website , he bragged of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rape his young daughter who , at the time of his interview , was living with relatives .
He told HuffPost that he relinquished his parental rights during a custody battle .

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A former Virginia congressional candidate who admitted to being an advocate of pedophilia to HuffPost during his 2018 campaign run, has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping a 12-year-old girl and transporting her across the country for sex.
Nathan Daniel Larson, 40, was taken into custody at a Denver airport last week after allegedly attempting to fly with the child from her home in California to his home in Virginia while she was disguised with a wig, authorities said Saturday.
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Larson’s alleged scheme was thwarted after the child was reported missing by her parents that same morning. An ensuing investigation revealed she may have been coerced into running away with an older man, later identified as Larson, whom she met on social media in mid-October, the Fresno County Sheriff’s office said.
Nathan Daniel Larson, 40, was taken into custody last week at a Denver airport while allegedly attempting to transport a child across the country for sex. He is seen after his arrest and during his 2018 run for congress. Fresno Sheriff
“During the investigation, detectives uncovered Nathan Larson has a deeply disturbing background. He is a white supremacist and a well-known advocate for pedophilia. This is a man who runs a website, which encourages the raping of children and sharing of naked photos and video of children being raped,” the sheriff’s office said.
Authorities said Larson had convinced the girl, “through manipulation and grooming,” to send him pornographic images of herself over the last two months. Then on the morning of Dec. 14, around 2 a.m., he convinced the girl to sneak out of her Fresno home and travel to an airport with him in a ride-share vehicle. Once at the airport, authorities said Larson instructed the child to wear a wig to alter her appearance and to pretend that she was disabled and unable to speak, to ensure that she would not speak with anyone as they boarded a plane to Washington, D.C.
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Investigators determined Larson’s travel itinerary and during the flight’s layover in Denver located him with the girl and placed him under arrest. The child was uninjured and arrangements were made to have her reunited with her family in Fresno later that day.
Larson was booked into the Denver County Jail on a misdemeanor charge of harboring a minor. He faces additional felony charges in Fresno County for kidnapping, child abduction, soliciting child pornography from a minor and meeting a child for the intention of sex.
On Thursday, a search warrant was carried out at Larson’s Virginia home and electronic devices were taken into custody. During this search, Larson’s father, 69-year-old Arthur Larson, allegedly assaulted a Homeland Security Investigation agent, leading to his arrest on assault and battery charges, the sheriff’s office said.
Local sheriff's detectives, agents with Homeland Security Investigations, and the Northern Virginia / District of Columbia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force are seen searching Larson's house in Catlett, Virginia, last week. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Authorities are warning that they may be other victims out there and have implored parents to monitor their children’s internet usage, be aware of the computer programs they are using, and to “keep the dialogue open with their children in order to build trust.”
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“Due to the sophisticated nature of how Larson groomed this Fresno girl, detectives believe he has victimized other children in the past, but those cases have never been reported to law enforcement,” the sheriff’s office said.
Fresno Sheriff Margaret Mims asked members of the public to contact their local authorities if they have any suspicions of abuse, by Larson or anyone else.
“Due to the sophisticated nature of how Larson groomed this Fresno girl, detectives believe he has victimized other children in the past, but those cases have never been reported to law enforcement.” - Fresno County Sheriff's Office
“This isn’t a case of it only happening to one person. It’s happened, we’re sure, many, many times, across our nation and he’s not the only suspect. We believe there are other people out there trying to commit, if they haven’t already committed, the same kind of crimes, so please call your local law enforcement. Submit your tips to us so that we can save other children,” she said at a press conference Saturday.
Larson has a disturbing history that stretches back to at least 2008 when he sent a letter to the Secret Service that detailed plans to assassinate either then-outgoing President George W. Bush or incoming President Barack Obama. He was sentenced the following year to 16 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release. After completing his sentence, he moved to Catlett to live with his parents and work as a contract accountant, Virginia’s Fauquier Times reported.
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In 2018 he unsuccessfully ran as an independent candidate in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District. In his campaign manifesto, he admitted to supporting the legalization of incestuous marriage, child pornography, the ability to rape and beat women as property, and white supremacy.
“A lot of people are tired of political correctness and being constrained by it,” he told HuffPost at the time. “People prefer when there’s an outsider who doesn’t have anything to lose and is willing to say what’s on a lot of people’s minds.”
In online posts to his website, he bragged of raping his late ex-wife and wanting to rape his young daughter who, at the time of his interview, was living with relatives. He told HuffPost that he relinquished his parental rights during a custody battle.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-22--Ilhan Omar Defers Vaccine Offer, Says It's 'Shameful’ Congress Gets Priority

Rep. Ilhan Omar ( D-Minn. ) slammed the prioritization of the COVID-19 vaccine for members of Congress , saying she won ’ t get the shot that ’ s being made available to lawmakers because it should first go to “ people who need it most.
” Omar , a first-term lawmaker whose father died from complications of the coronavirus in June , tweeted Sunday it was “ shameful ” that politicians are in line to receive the vaccine before workers on the frontlines of the pandemic “ who are making sacrifices everyday.
” It would makes sense if it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s of importance and its shameful .
We are not more important then frontline workers , teachers etc .
who are making sacrifices everyday .
Which is why I won ’ t take it .
People who need it most , should get it .
Full stop .
https : //t.co/JQgMftm5wX — Ilhan Omar ( @ IlhanMN ) December 20 , 2020 Omar did not say if she will wait to receive the vaccine when the shots become available to all Americans .
Her office did not respond to HuffPost ’ s request @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debate on the social media platform , where some hailed her stance and others suggested the Somali-born lawmaker should have received the shot to set an example .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes “ vaccine hesitancy ” among the Somali American community .
Omar ’ s announcement came in response to a question posed by journalist Anand Giridharadas , who ’ d asked if “ our entire top political leadership ” was receiving the shot “ ahead of others because of their age or their importance.
” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ question .
She said “ the actual answer ” lies in a National Security Council policy from four years ago to establish “ certain requirements for continuity of governance.
” “ If it was within indiv power to ‘ give ’ the vaccine to someone else , I would !
” Ocasio-Cortez wrote in a second tweet .
“ But according to these protocols , there ’ s a chance it could have just been stored.
” “ There ’ s also a real risk in this age of misinfo of how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to take it en masse , ” she added .
The actual answer to your question lies in the National Security Council , which is where that decision was made in compliance with Presidential Policy Directive-40 .
That policy was put in place in 2016 and established certain requirements for continuity of governance — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( @ AOC ) December 20 , 2020 If it was within indiv power to “ give ” the vaccine to someone else , I would !
But according to these protocols , there ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There ’ s also a real risk in this age of misinfo of how it would be weaponized if leaders refused to take it en masse — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( @ AOC ) December 20 , 2020 New Hampshire Gov .
Chris Sununu ( R ) , who downplayed the severity of the virus in the early days of the pandemic , was similarly angered by the prioritization of members of Congress to receive the shot , tweeting Monday it was “ outrageous ” and “ insulting.
” Congress has literally done @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are cutting the line and getting the vaccine ahead of residents in Long Term Care , nurses , and essential workers who stock our shelves .
It ’ s outrageous .
And insulting .
https : //t.co/kQjiqKQCGg — Chris Sununu ( @ GovChrisSununu ) December 21 , 2020 “ Building confidence in the vaccine is what brings us here this morning , ” Pence told reporters afterward .
“ I ’ m doing this to demonstrate that people should be prepared when it ’ s available to take the vaccine , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nothing to worry about .
I ’ m looking forward to the second shot .
...
This is just the beginning .
”

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) slammed the prioritization of the COVID-19 vaccine for members of Congress, saying she won’t get the shot that’s being made available to lawmakers because it should first go to “people who need it most.”
Omar, a first-term lawmaker whose father died from complications of the coronavirus in June, tweeted Sunday that it was “shameful” that politicians are in line to receive the vaccine before workers on the front lines of the pandemic “who are making sacrifices everyday.”
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It would makes sense if it was age, but unfortunately it’s of importance and its shameful.
We are not more important then frontline workers, teachers etc. who are making sacrifices everyday.
Which is why I won’t take it.
People who need it most, should get it.
Full stop. https://t.co/JQgMftm5wX — Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) December 20, 2020
A spokesperson for Omar’s office later clarified that the lawmaker believes Congress should get the vaccine ― but not before front-line workers.
Omar’s tweet prompted debate on the social media platform, where some hailed her stance and others suggested the Somali-born lawmaker should have received the shot to set an example. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes “vaccine hesitancy” among the Somali American community.
Omar’s announcement came in response to a question posed by journalist Anand Giridharadas, who’d asked if “our entire top political leadership” was receiving the shot “ahead of others because of their age or their importance.”
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Serious question. Is seemingly our entire top political leadership getting the vaccine ahead of others because of their age or their importance? — Anand Giridharadas (@AnandWrites) December 20, 2020
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) also replied to Giridharadas’ question. She said “the actual answer” lies in a National Security Council policy from four years ago to establish “certain requirements for continuity of governance.”
“If it was within indiv power to ‘give’ the vaccine to someone else, I would!” Ocasio-Cortez wrote in a second tweet. “But according to these protocols, there’s a chance it could have just been stored.”
“There’s also a real risk in this age of misinfo of how it would be weaponized if leaders refused to take it en masse,” she added.
The actual answer to your question lies in the National Security Council, which is where that decision was made in compliance with Presidential Policy Directive-40.
That policy was put in place in 2016 and established certain requirements for continuity of governance — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 20, 2020
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If it was within indiv power to “give” the vaccine to someone else, I would! But according to these protocols, there’s a chance it could have just been stored.
There’s also a real risk in this age of misinfo of how it would be weaponized if leaders refused to take it en masse — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 20, 2020
Ocasio-Cortez documented receiving her shot Saturday on Instagram.
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R), who downplayed the severity of the virus in the early days of the pandemic, was similarly angered by the prioritization of members of Congress to receive the shot, tweeting Monday that it was “outrageous” and “insulting.”
Congress has literally done nothing these last eight months. Now they are cutting the line and getting the vaccine ahead of residents in Long Term Care, nurses, and essential workers who stock our shelves.
It’s outrageous. And insulting. https://t.co/kQjiqKQCGg — Chris Sununu (@GovChrisSununu) December 21, 2020
Vice President Mike Pence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) received their initial COVID-19 shots on Friday.
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“Building confidence in the vaccine is what brings us here this morning,” Pence told reporters afterward.
President-elect Joe Biden received his first course of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine Monday.
“I’m doing this to demonstrate that people should be prepared when it’s available to take the vaccine,” Biden said. “There’s nothing to worry about. I’m looking forward to the second shot. ... This is just the beginning.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-22--South Dakota’s COVID-19 Surge Is Turning Nursing Homes Into A ‘Battle Zone’

Before October , Tieszen had pandemic challenges but not mass tragedy .
Wilson was forced to hunt for N95 masks on eBay , even though South Dakota is home to a 3M factory that makes them .
She relied on her son , who works at Sam ’ s Club , to buy one pack of disinfecting wipes every day for the nursing home ’ s stockpile .
Back when she was using lab-confirmed tests to screen her staff , she had trouble getting test results back within the time recommended by federal guidelines , as the Sioux Falls lab @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And she says , like always , staffing was a problem : Tieszen told the federal government it was short on nurses and aides every week in October and November .
And this autumn , nearly all of South Dakota has been a hot spot .
For months , the state has ranked at or near the top of all 50 states in new coronavirus cases and deaths per capita in reports issued to governors by the White House Coronavirus Task Force .
During one week prior to Thanksgiving , South Dakota had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — more than double the national average .
It had 19.6 deaths per 100,000 residents — the worst rate in the nation and more than six times the national average .
If they ’ re in virus hot spots , they ’ re going to be at risk .
...
The idea that we have found the secret to preventing nursing home cases and death is a little crazy .
Tamara Konetzka , health researcher at the University of Chicago Wilson said the South Dakota Department of Health was helpful when she called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continued to inspect nursing homes for infection control practices , and just 14 South Dakota nursing homes were cited by inspectors for inadequate infection control between March and October , according to federal data .
The state has a program to recruit retired nurses and doctors to help work in health care settings .
The federal government sent a “ strike team ” to South Dakota in October to help nursing homes tackle the coronavirus , a spokesman for CMS said in an email , and federal officials have offered training and guidance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ else , if anything , South Dakota did to help nursing homes weather the brutal autumn .
For nine weeks in October and November , on average , nearly a quarter of all nursing homes in South Dakota told the federal government they were short on nursing staff , far more than the 16 % that did so nationwide .
On average , more than 40 % of South Dakota nursing homes reported shortages of aides , more than double the nationwide figure .
And 13 % of South Dakota nursing homes during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ roughly the same as they did nationwide .

Illustration: HuffPost; Photo: Getty Images
This story is from the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative media organization in Washington, D.C.
On Oct. 9, an employee in the business office at Tieszen Memorial Home in Marion, South Dakota, tested positive for the coronavirus. She was sent home immediately, but three days later, a nursing aide and a housekeeper both tested positive.
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Marion, a town of fewer than 1,000 residents, was experiencing a sharp uptick in cases — what scientists call community spread. It became more and more likely that the nursing home’s employees had become infected while, for example, grocery shopping.
On Oct. 16, COVID-19 killed its first Tieszen resident. At that point, about 13 of the home’s 55 residents had tested positive.
Nursing home administrator Laura Wilson called the days that followed the worst of her career.
“You almost feel like a battle zone,” she said. “We said, ‘You know, right now, we just need to survive.’”
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, has taken a notably relaxed approach to the pandemic. This fall, nursing homes there saw a larger share of their residents die than in any other state.
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At Jenkins Living Center in Watertown, 24 residents have died from COVID-19 since the last week of October, according to data submitted to the federal government ― about a fifth of the residents there. Thirteen patients at Weskota Manor in Wessington Springs, or more than a third of its patients, died from COVID-19 this autumn, most of them in one week.
Walworth County Care Center in Selby, a 50-bed facility, saw COVID-19 kill 12 patients this autumn, an administrator said. Overall, more than 40% of South Dakota nursing homes have lost a tenth or more of their patients to the coronavirus, according to a Center for Public Integrity analysis of data from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Nationwide, more than 100,000 residents of long-term care facilities have died of COVID-19, according to The Atlantic’s COVID Tracking Project. That figure represents 38% of the nation’s virus deaths in a group that makes up less than 1% of the population.
The federal government has made protecting the elderly a priority, shipping millions of rapid tests to nursing homes across the country. Public health experts spent the first nine months of the pandemic perfecting strategies to keep the virus from spreading in close quarters. But, as researchers have learned, whether nursing home residents die from COVID-19 depends less on what happens inside than outside. Once COVID-19 permeates a town, there’s a limit to what nursing homes alone can do.
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And that has made South Dakota an especially deadly place.
A long string of deaths
During Tieszen’s outbreak, the nursing home was eerily quiet. On a normal day, “The Price Is Right” might blare from a room, echoing down the hallways. But when the coronavirus hit, all the residents’ doors had to be closed to try to control the spread.
Before October, Tieszen had pandemic challenges but not mass tragedy. Wilson was forced to hunt for N95 masks on eBay, even though South Dakota is home to a 3M factory that makes them. She relied on her son, who works at Sam’s Club, to buy one pack of disinfecting wipes every day for the nursing home’s stockpile. Back when she was using lab-confirmed tests to screen her staff, she had trouble getting test results back within the time recommended by federal guidelines, as the Sioux Falls lab she had contracted with was swamped. And she says, like always, staffing was a problem: Tieszen told the federal government it was short on nurses and aides every week in October and November.
“You almost feel like a battle zone. ... We said, ‘You know, right now, we just need to survive.’” - Laura Wilson, nursing home administrator
Wilson, who has worked at the nursing home for 42 years, said her staff did everything it could during the outbreak. Indeed, Tieszen, a small nonprofit that has earned five stars in the federal government’s nursing home quality rankings, passed three state inspections of its infection-control program between May and November, records show. It received roughly $70,000 in CARES Act incentive payments from the federal government in September based on good performance.
When the coronavirus hit, the nursing home dedicated two of its wings to COVID-19 patients, isolating them from other residents, until so many contracted the virus that they had to stay in their rooms. The entire nursing home, essentially, became a COVID-19 ward. Wilson’s own 85-year-old father tested positive. Nurses worked overtime; Wilson put in 80-hour weeks and hired temporary help.
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Staff served residents’ meals on paper plates instead of dishes that might retain the virus. They conducted weekly audits of how often staff were washing their hands. They tested workers and residents at any sign of a sniffle, as well as regularly regardless of symptoms, using equipment shipped to the nursing home from the federal government. They followed up positive rapid test results with lab-confirmed PCR tests.
Despite all of these measures, the virus spread quickly.
The week after Tieszen’s first death on Oct. 16, five more residents died, Wilson said. Among them was 89-year-old Maxine Ortman, a former teacher suffering from dementia whose husband would visit often, before the pandemic, from his home across the street.
The following week, seven more died.
In November, another seven died. They included 68-year-old Larry Johnson, a diabetic and former mechanic whose sense of humor and work ethic drew customers from all over northeastern South Dakota, his family wrote in his obituary.
And they included Randy Wieman, 64. He had Down syndrome, and died a week after testing positive for the virus, said his older sister, Carol Husby. He loved music, dancing and his many nieces and nephews. A normal December would find them celebrating Wieman’s birthday with chocolate cake.
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“He would call me every morning to ask if I was up,” Husby said. “Randy was an amazing individual.”
In total, 20 residents died of the coronavirus — more than a third of those living at the Tieszen nursing home — in the space of five weeks.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem addresses the virtual Republican National Convention on Aug. 26. Noem is believed to have national ambitions and has shunned strict measures to contain the virus. Handout via Getty Images
Out-of-control spread
Tamara Konetzka, a health researcher at the University of Chicago, has been studying the fate of nursing homes in the pandemic since the spring.
Her conclusion: “Nothing much has changed.”
Despite more testing and efforts to hone infection control practices, despite nine months of scientific study of the virus, nursing home residents are still at the mercy of their surrounding communities. “If they’re in virus hot spots, they’re going to be at risk,” Konetzka said. “The idea that we have found the secret to preventing nursing home cases and death is a little crazy.”
And this autumn, nearly all of South Dakota has been a hot spot. For months, the state has ranked at or near the top of all 50 states in new coronavirus cases and deaths per capita in reports issued to governors by the White House Coronavirus Task Force. During one week prior to Thanksgiving, South Dakota had 988 new coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents — more than double the national average. It had 19.6 deaths per 100,000 residents — the worst rate in the nation and more than six times the national average.
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The state’s governor, Noem, is widely believed to have national political ambitions. She has proudly shunned strict measures to curb the virus.
“If they’re in virus hot spots, they’re going to be at risk. ... The idea that we have found the secret to preventing nursing home cases and death is a little crazy.” - Tamara Konetzka, health researcher at the University of Chicago
“Rather than following the pack and mandating harsh rules,” she wrote in The Wall Street Journal earlier this month, “we ask all South Dakotans to take personal responsibility for their health. ... The state hasn’t issued lockdowns or mask mandates. We haven’t shut down businesses or closed churches.”
Many South Dakotans have refused to wear masks or socially distance. In September, Wilson spoke at a meeting of local business owners in Marion and urged them to take mask-wearing seriously. She was met with blank stares.
“When I left that meeting I had basically resigned myself to the fact that I am living in a different world, and they don’t get it,” she said. “I’d be the only person in the grocery store with a mask on.”
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Though limiting community spread is the best way to protect nursing homes, researchers said, measures like having enough staff can affect the severity of outbreaks. Here is where the federal government failed spectacularly, experts said.
“What they needed — damn it — they needed money for more staffing,” said Larry Polivka, executive director of the aging-focused Claude Pepper Center at Florida State University. “And they needed all of the [personal protective equipment]. They needed massive testing capacity as quickly as possible in the spring — they didn’t get it.”
Wilson said the South Dakota Department of Health was helpful when she called or emailed with questions. The state continued to inspect nursing homes for infection control practices, and just 14 South Dakota nursing homes were cited by inspectors for inadequate infection control between March and October, according to federal data. The state has a program to recruit retired nurses and doctors to help work in health care settings. The federal government sent a “strike team” to South Dakota in October to help nursing homes tackle the coronavirus, a spokesman for CMS said in an email, and federal officials have offered training and guidance.
But it’s unclear what else, if anything, South Dakota did to help nursing homes weather the brutal autumn. For nine weeks in October and November, on average, nearly a quarter of all nursing homes in South Dakota told the federal government they were short on nursing staff, far more than the 16% that did so nationwide. On average, more than 40% of South Dakota nursing homes reported shortages of aides, more than double the nationwide figure. And 13% of South Dakota nursing homes during that time reported shortages of PPE — roughly the same as they did nationwide.
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Policymakers of all stripes, even those who embrace a controversial “herd immunity” strategy and wish the virus to run free through the population, stress the need to protect long-term care residents. Noem has not explicitly endorsed a herd immunity approach but has emphasized that the coronavirus is less likely to harm young people. She has acknowledged that the elderly face greater risks from the coronavirus.
Yet the governor’s spokesperson did not answer questions from the Center for Public Integrity regarding nursing homes or respond to requests for comment. Noem’s health secretary did not respond to a request for an interview. The South Dakota Department of Health declined to answer multiple emails sent by Public Integrity over multiple weeks. The state’s long-term care ombudsman refused through an agency spokesman to answer questions. When pressed, the spokesman said he did not know the reason but was given orders to decline the interview.
Even supposed advocates for nursing homes are reluctant to speak about the toll the coronavirus is taking on South Dakota’s elderly. Two trade associations representing nursing homes in the state declined interviews. One of them, the South Dakota Health Care Association, recommended that a reporter speak to the state department of health instead. Another lobbyist, who wished to remain anonymous to avoid angering the Noem administration, said people fear upsetting the governor’s office, known for its guarded approach to dealing with the media.
The state also waited until September to decide how to spend nearly $600 million in CARES Act funding approved by Congress in March. Noem finally set aside $115 million for nursing homes and other local health providers. But nursing homes had to apply for the funding during an 11-day period in October and meet strict qualifications. Tieszen applied but was not granted funds. Documents from the South Dakota Legislature dated Dec. 7 show that 115 health care organizations applied for the funding, and 47 were approved. But just $1.9 million had been handed out as of Dec. 18. The state is now proposing another grant program to distribute the money to health organizations based on bed numbers.
But for many nursing homes, the money is coming too late to save lives. South Dakota may be past the worst of this COVID-19 surge. New coronavirus cases in the state are on the wane; vaccines are perhaps weeks away for nursing home residents at Tieszen and elsewhere.
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All told, the state has lost roughly 1 out of every 10 nursing home residents to COVID-19, according to federal data.
“I don’t understand why people didn’t take it seriously right from the beginning,” Husby said. “It just breaks my heart because it didn’t have to be this way.”