thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-17--William Barr: Black Lives Matter Movement 'Not Interested In Black Lives'

Attorney General William Barr on Wednesday disparaged the Black Lives Matter movement against police brutality and systemic racism , claiming supporters are “ not interested in Black lives ” and seek only to push a political agenda .
Barr , whose Justice Department has aggressively pursued charges against those who commit violence or vandalism during the protests , discussed the movement during an event at conservative Hillsdale College in Michigan .
“ Who can quarrel with the proposition Black lives matter ?
But they ’ re not interested in Black lives , ” Barr told the audience .
“ They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ small number of Blacks who were killed by police during conflict with police , usually less than a dozen a year ― who they can use as props to achieve a much broader political agenda.
” Barr ’ s claim that “ less than a dozen ” Black people are killed by police each year is false .
According to The Washington Post , which tracks every fatal shooting in the U.S. by a police officer , at least 250 Black people were killed by an officer last year .
Though Black people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. population , they are killed by police at more than twice the rate of white Americans , reported The Post .
The FBI began tracking uses of police force last year , but only 40 % of law enforcement agencies reported submitted data for 2019 , according to the Post .
It ’ s likely Barr was referring to the number of unarmed Black men killed by police , which totaled 14 last year , the Post reported .
At a forum last night , AG William Barr says elected officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , not scientists .
Barr also said stay-at-home orders were the “ greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history ” other than slavery .
@ CBS_Herridge has more .
pic.twitter.com/rxY37r4O5u — CBS This Morning ( @ CBSThisMorning ) September 17 , 2020 Though Black Lives Matter is a massive , decentralized movement whose supporters ’ demands on how to address police brutality vary , there is a national organization with more than a dozen official chapters .
The organization was created as “ a call to action in response to state-sanctioned violence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on creating a world where “ every Black person has the social , economic , and political power to thrive , ” according to its website .
Last month , Barr accused Black Lives Matter supporters of being “ a revolutionary group that is interested in some form of socialism , communism.
” In June , Trump vowed that his administration would crack down on “ terrorist ” demonstrators following episodes of looting during the massive , largely peaceful protests that erupted nationwide following the police killing of George Floyd .
During the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ criticized stay-at-home orders issued during the pandemic to prevent the spread of the coronavirus .
“ Other than slavery , which was a different kind of restraint , this is the greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history , ” he said , drawing applause from the audience .

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Attorney General William Barr on Wednesday disparaged the Black Lives Matter movement against police brutality and systemic racism, claiming supporters are “not interested in Black lives” and seek only to push a political agenda.
Barr, whose Justice Department has aggressively pursued charges against those who commit violence or vandalism during the protests, discussed the movement during an event at conservative Hillsdale College in Michigan.
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“Who can quarrel with the proposition Black lives matter? But they’re not interested in Black lives,” Barr told the audience. “They’re interested in props ― a small number of Blacks who were killed by police during conflict with police, usually less than a dozen a year ― who they can use as props to achieve a much broader political agenda.”
Barr’s claim that “less than a dozen” Black people are killed by police each year is false. According to The Washington Post, which tracks every fatal shooting in the U.S. by a police officer, at least 250 Black people were killed by an officer last year. Though Black people account for less than 13% of the U.S. population, they are killed by police at more than twice the rate of white Americans, reported The Post.
The FBI began tracking uses of police force last year, but only 40% of law enforcement agencies reported submitted data for 2019, according to the Post.
It’s likely Barr was referring to the number of unarmed Black men killed by police, which totaled 14 last year, the Post reported.
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At a forum last night, AG William Barr says elected officials should decide the response to the pandemic, not scientists.
Barr also said stay-at-home orders were the “greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history” other than slavery.@CBS_Herridge has more. pic.twitter.com/rxY37r4O5u — CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) September 17, 2020
Though Black Lives Matter is a massive, decentralized movement whose supporters’ demands on how to address police brutality vary, there is a national organization with more than a dozen official chapters.
The organization was created as “a call to action in response to state-sanctioned violence and anti-Black racism” and is focused on creating a world where “every Black person has the social, economic, and political power to thrive,” according to its website.
President Donald Trump and his allies, including Barr, have attacked Black Lives Matter protesters as “left-wing extremists” and “thugs.”
Last month, Barr accused Black Lives Matter supporters of being “a revolutionary group that is interested in some form of socialism, communism.”
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“They’re essentially Bolsheviks,” he told Fox News at the time, referring to the early 20th-century Marxist political party in Russia.
In June, Trump vowed that his administration would crack down on “terrorist” demonstrators following episodes of looting during the massive, largely peaceful protests that erupted nationwide following the police killing of George Floyd.
During the event Wednesday at Hillsdale College, Barr criticized stay-at-home orders issued during the pandemic to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-17--GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn Mocked After Vowing To Never Rewrite U.S. Constitution

Did ... .did she take any US history classes ?
Does she not know it 's been rewritten almost 30 @ @ @ @ @ know that the entirety of Articles 2 and 3 have been ignored by Trump and @ @ @ @ @ she doesnt .
That would require Martha to read rather than watch Fox .
https @ @

Did....did she take any US history classes? Does she not know it's been rewritten almost 30 times? Does she not know that the entirety of Articles 2 and 3 have been ignored by Trump and the GOP?
Of course she doesnt. That would require Martha to read rather than watch Fox. https://t.co/vGBmOIO46G


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-17--How OSHA Failed Its Biggest Test Ever With COVID-19

Shannon Stapleton / reuters Workers at a Smithfield Food plant in Sioux Falls , South Dakota , experienced one of @ @ @ @ @ the country early in the pandemic .
OSHA fined the company just $ 13,494 .

Last week, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Smithfield Foods for failing to protect workers at its Sioux Falls, South Dakota pork processing plant from coronavirus. The plant had been the site of one of the country’s worst COVID-19 hotspots in the country. Four workers died and more than 1,200 others were infected.
When Sandra Sibert clocked-in at the pork plant after the fine became public, she was curious to know what her colleagues thought of the long-awaited penalty.
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“They said, ‘It seems like a joke,’” said Sibert, 47, who works in the ham-bone department and serves as a union shop steward. “Thirteen thousand dollars? That’s nothing for Smithfield.”
Indeed, the fine is nothing more than a rounding error ― budget dust ― for an operation of Smithfield’s size, whose parent company, China-based WH Group, had profits of nearly $1.4 billion last year.
Nonetheless, a Smithfield spokeswoman called the OSHA fine “wholly without merit,” and said the company plans to appeal.
The coronavirus pandemic has confronted OSHA with its biggest test since the agency was created in 1971. But workplace safety experts say that under the Trump administration’s leadership, the agency is shirking its oversight of employers and leaving workers to fend for themselves amid a health crisis that has killed roughly 200,000 Americans, many of whom contracted the virus at work.
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“This is far and away the most significant worker safety crisis in OSHA’s history, and OSHA has failed to step up to the plate,” said David Michaels, who ran the agency during the Obama administration. “OSHA has failed to use really any of its powers to address it.... It’s hard to take OSHA seriously.”
The agency, part of the Labor Department, has declined to issue any temporary emergency standards to deal with the pandemic, despite pleas from experts like Michaels. Such standards would help OSHA crack down on dangerous employers. The guidance it has put out is essentially voluntary, with few legal ramifications for companies that disregard it.
Nor do employers need to worry much about an OSHA inspector banging on their doors. The agency has received 8,856 complaints related to coronavirus, according to Labor Department data through Sept. 15, but has opened only 184 workplace inspections as a result of them. That’s one inspection for every 48 complaints.
The announcement of several relatively tiny fines against employers has done little to quell the uproar over OSHA’s performance. In addition to citing Smithfield, last week the agency levied two fines against Brazil-based JBS, the largest meat producer in the world. The JBS plant in Greeley, Colorado, lost eight workers to COVID-19. The penalties amounted to just $15,615. Family members of one worker who died, Saul Sanchez, told CBS Denver they spent a greater sum on his funeral.
A Labor Department spokesperson said the agency has been working around the clock to protect workers, and that it’s using the rules that are already on the books to hold employers accountable. The inspections done during the pandemic have helped keep 605,000 workers safe, according to the agency. OSHA has issued 21 coronavirus-related citations so far.
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“OSHA inspectors will not close a case if they have identified any potential citations,” the spokesperson said. “OSHA will continue to enforce the law and offer guidance to employers and employees to keep America’s workplaces safe.”
According to Mark Lauritsen, head of the food processing division at the United Food and Commercial Workers union, the minor fines send the message that even when inspections occur, no real consequences will result for deep-pocketed corporations that put workers at risk. Lauritsen’s union represents workers at both the Smithfield and JBS plants, and COVID-19 has claimed the lives of more than 120 meatpacking members nationwide since March.
The meager penalties are “not going to change the habits of anybody, and that’s the point of a fine from OSHA: To change habits,” said Lauritsen. “This is a further abdication of its responsibility.”
“This is far and away the most significant worker safety crisis in OSHA’s history, and OSHA has failed.” - David Michaels, former head of OSHA
***
OSHA struggles to fulfill its mission even in good times. At its current funding level, it would take 165 years for the agency to inspect every workplace under its jurisdiction even once, according to the AFL-CIO, the labor federation that advocates for its 55 member unions. Due to attrition under the Trump administration, OSHA’s roster of inspectors fell to its lowest level in decades at the start of this year ― just 862 to monitor the private sector throughout most of the country.
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Experts say those shortcomings make it all the more important that the agency act aggressively and creatively with the resources it has ― something they haven’t seen it do six months into the pandemic.
“All these things they could be doing, they’re not,” said Peg Seminario, who served as head of the AFL-CIO’s safety and health department for nearly 30 years before retiring in 2019. “This is not a resource issue on COVID. They’re not using the basic tools that they have.”
It would be impossible for OSHA to send out an inspector to look at every workplace for which they receive a complaint, especially when the volume of hazards has exploded. And while initiating just 184 inspections based on complaints so far looks bad, Michaels, the former OSHA head, cautioned that the agency has no choice but to pick and choose where to use limited staff, and must still investigate hazards not involving coronavirus.
But Debbie Berkowitz, a former policy advisor at OSHA during the Obama years, said she’s troubled by how many of the agency’s investigations appear to be of the “phone and fax” variety. That’s when investigators ask a company to respond in writing to a complaint, rather than visit a worksite and poke around. Such cases are typically closed quickly without an on-the-ground inspection.
“OSHA is not doing what OSHA usually does, which is get a complaint, knock on the door and go in,” said Berkowitz, now a work safety expert at the Washington-based National Employment Law Project. “They’re not going onsite and talking to workers.”
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That was the scenario that played out after Maria Martinez, a McDonald’s worker in Chicago, sent OSHA a complaint in July.
She and a co-worker got help from the Fight for $15, the union-backed campaign to improve working conditions in the fast-food industry, as they reported a host of alleged problems at their site. They said that management provided them with a single mask each day that they would quickly sweat through, and that they had been charged $5 apiece for additional masks. They said they worked on top of one another in the crowded kitchen, and employees’ temperatures weren’t always checked before their shifts.
In June, a Cook County judge had ruled that McDonald’s wasn’t enforcing its mask policies and training workers in line with Illinois’ social-distancing rules. The judge ordered the stores to adopt certain safety measures.
Martinez told HuffPost that her supervisor told her not to worry about the virus even though several of her colleagues had tested positive.
The workers asked OSHA for an immediate inspection. But documents show the agency categorized the complaint as “non-formal” ― a category unlikely to result in an inspector coming onsite. Instead, OSHA sent McDonald’s a letter asking it to address the claims. The company denied the allegations in a five-page letter laying out its policies and asserting that all workers were wearing masks and gloves and following social-distancing guidelines.
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OSHA seemed satisfied. “With this information,” an official wrote in a followup letter to Martinez’s representative, “OSHA feels the case can be closed.”
McDonald’s said in a statement to HuffPost that “the safety of employees and customers at McDonald’s has been, and continues to be, a top priority. We are pleased that OSHA found in its review that these allegations are without merit, and as a result, closed the complaint.”
Getting inspections have proved difficult even at meatpacking plants, which have been home to some of the country’s biggest COVID-19 clusters. The UFCW estimated that more than 17,000 meatpacking workers have been infected by or exposed to the virus.
An April 13 OSHA memo prioritized inspections for “high” or “very-high” risk workplaces, which included nursing homes and health care facilities. Meat processing facilities were placed in the “medium” risk bucket, which meant that complaints “will not normally result in an on-site inspection.”
Mourners attend the funeral for Saul Sanchez, a worker at the JBS meatpacking plant in Greeley, Colorado, who died of COVID-19. OSHA fined the plant $15,615 for coronavirus-related hazards -- an example of the meager fines the agency is issuing in response to inadequate safety conditions amid the pandemic. Jim Urquhart / reuters
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***
More than 130 employees at Smithfield’s pork plant in Crete, Nebraska, had tested positive for coronavirus by May 6. One worker’s daughter grew so concerned that she filed a complaint with OSHA on his behalf.
Workers dressed in crowded locker rooms and sat too close to one another in the cafeteria, she wrote in the May 27 complaint. Social-distancing wasn’t enforced during temperature checks, and workers across from one another along the conveyor belt had less than six feet between them.
“I don’t know that I had really high hopes or expectations filing the complaint, but I understand the importance of documenting things that happen,” said the daughter, who asked not to be named for fear management could retaliate against her dad. She provided HuffPost with a copy of the OSHA complaint and the notes she took from a call with an agency investigator.
According to her notes, the investigator told her that if the company had instituted safety rules for coronavirus, it was on the workers to follow them: “The employer can’t sit there and watch them all day.” The investigator said OSHA had been in contact with Smithfield and the company appeared to be following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
The daughter said the investigator told her to advise her dad to wear a mask and keep his distance from other workers.
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“I thought that a complaint was something serious ― that they would take it seriously,” she said. “It sounded like calling me back was something they needed to do to check off their list.”
OSHA records show that the Crete plant is the subject of two ongoing inspections opened three weeks after she filed her complaint. They are categorized as “fatality/catastrophe,” meaning a worker died or several were hospitalized ― situations OSHA regularly investigates. (In addition to the 184 inspections OSHA has begun based on complaints, it has opened 614 COVID-19 inspections due to fatalities or catastrophes, and another 79 based on referrals from local health departments and other sources.)
Keira Lombardo, a Smithfield spokesperson, told HuffPost in a statement that throughout the pandemic the company has had “two priorities, and two priorities only. First, keep our people healthy and safe. And, second, keep our nation fed.” She said the company spent $350 million in the second quarter on COVID-19 measures, including increased health benefits, pay boosts and providing protective equipment and physical barriers in plants.
“We have adopted a series of stringent and detailed processes, protocols and protective measures that follow, and [in] many cases exceed” the guidance from OSHA and the CDC, she said. “Industry facilities are not designed for social distancing; that is an incontrovertible, if not inconvenient, fact. And yet, we have adapted our facilities where possible, as fast as possible, to accommodate social distancing.”
People like Edgar Fields don’t see much use in filing complaints, even at meatpacking plants. Fields is president of the Southeast Council of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which represents thousands of poultry processing workers at risk of contracting COVID-19. Early in the pandemic, Fields’ union lost three members to the disease who worked at a Tyson poultry plant in Camilla, Georgia.
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In April, OSHA provided Fields’ union with a copy of a lengthy letter Tyson had sent the agency, detailing what the company was doing to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Tyson blamed the deaths on the virus’ prevalence outside its plant walls: “The evidence suggests that the deaths of our team members are the tragic result of the pandemic that has spread through the Southwest Georgia community where many of our team members live. ... There simply is no objective evidence that our team members’ deaths were work-related.”
OSHA did not say whether the Camilla plant is the subject of an ongoing inspection. Fields said he would rather use his collective bargaining agreement and deal directly with employers like Tyson than get regulators involved.
“I’m not wasting my time with OSHA,” he said. “They don’t have any teeth. They don’t have the personnel. And the bottom line is they don’t want to go into these facilities and investigate. All they’re going to do is call up the company. And the company will say, ‘We’re going to fix it.’”
Of course, the vast majority of U.S. workers don’t have a union like Fields’ looking out for them.
“I thought that a complaint was something serious — that they would take it seriously.” - Daughter of a Smithfield Foods worker in Crete, Nebraska
***
Occupational health experts said several of the strategic decisions the Labor Department has made during the pandemic have been disconcerting.
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A month into the national emergency, OSHA leaders announced that employers outside of the health care field generally would not have to report coronavirus cases to the agency. The rationale was that it would be too difficult to determine whether the transmission happened at work. But it meant that in most cases, employers wouldn’t even have to try to figure out how their workers got sick.
Marcy Goldstein-Gelb, co-director of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, said the policy gave up “critical information needed to prevent the spread” of the virus.
OSHA reversed the original guidance five weeks later under pressure from the AFL-CIO and others, and now requires employers to determine whether a transmission was work-related.
“They talk about tracing and tracking,” Goldstein-Gelb said. “Here was a golden opportunity to document what was happening in the workplace.”
Such moves are consistent with the Trump-era Labor Department. The agency seemed reluctant to come down hard on employers even before the pandemic began. Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia previously worked as a management-side attorney. Under Trump, the agency has rolled back workplace regulations and emphasized “compliance assistance” over tough enforcement.
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Well-meaning employers certainly need guidance from OSHA as they navigate an extraordinary crisis and try to keep their workers safe. But the light regulatory touch has left companies with little to fret if their workers end up endangered.
Rather than put out new, emergency regulations that employers must follow, OSHA has put out a steady stream of voluntary guidance and tips that lack any legal force. The agency collaborated with the CDC on guidelines for the meatpacking industry, but they come with weak qualifiers, like the recommendation that workers space out at least six feet ”if feasible.”
Some jurisdictions, like Virginia, have pursued their own, stronger rules specific to the pandemic in order to limit the virus’ spread in workplaces. Virginia is one of 21 states, along with Puerto Rico, that handle workplace safety inspections themselves, through OSHA-approved state plans.
OSHA levied its fines against Smithfield and JBS based upon the ”general duty” clause, which states employers have to provide a workplace free from hazards likely to cause harm or death. Unlike most OSHA rules, the general duty clause is broadly worded; using it often invites lengthy legal fights from employers. OSHA could have cited more specific rules for coronavirus ― except, it hasn’t instituted any.
The Smithfield fine was the maximum allowed for a “serious” violation under the law, but OSHA still could have boosted the penalty, if it wanted to, by issuing separate fines for multiple failures or for every worker who got sick or died.
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It also could have cited “willful” or “repeat” violations, which come with a higher price tag of $134,937 apiece. The agency can run up a tab when it really wants to: BP, for example, reached a $50.6 million penalty settlement with it stemming from a 2005 Texas refinery blast that killed 15 workers.
But so far, that kind of fear-inducing fine hasn’t materialized during the pandemic. In addition to the meatpacking fines, OSHA also issued citations against three hospitals in Louisiana and New Jersey last week, ranging from $9,639 to $28,070. The five fines totaled $80,312.
Two earlier COVID-related fines against nursing homes initially came to $40,482 and $6,506. The latter has been dropped to $3,904.
Under Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia, shown here with President Donald Trump, the department has been reluctant to crack down on employers over coronavirus hazards. ASSOCIATED PRESS
***
Despite the constraints that hamstring onsite inspections by OSHA, the agency has a less work-intensive way to save workers from infection and death: make a show of criticizing bad actors.
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Matthew Johnson, a labor economist at Duke University, studied OSHA’s use of press releases to publicize notable fines against employers. He found that embarrassing a company in such a manner had the same impact as more than 200 inspections as far as encouraging other employers to follow safety guidelines. The Trump administration scaled back those press releases when it took over from the Obama administration.
“Overwhelming evidence paints a pretty clear picture that if OSHA was having more of a presence right now ... you would probably be seeing fewer work-related problems,” Johnson said.
OSHA did issue press releases on its coronavirus-related fines. But for the most part, shaming employers doesn’t seem to be in the agency’s playbook these days. The news release announcing the fine against JBS went out after 7:00 p.m. ET on a Friday night, when it was likely to get less media attention. OSHA has not hosted press conferences on the recent fines.
“They should be cranking out citations in a very public way, and in a way that’s most impactful,” Michaels said.
Sibert, the Smithfield worker, wishes the fine against her company had come much sooner. OSHA has six months from the date of an alleged hazard to issue a citation, and often uses much of that time to build its case. But Sibert ― like former OSHA officials interviewed for this story ― said she believes the penalty would have had a greater impact if it came early in the crisis and sent a message to the rest of the industry.
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The CDC studied how rapidly coronavirus tore through Smithfield’s Sioux Falls workforce, infecting an average of 67 workers per day at the peak of the outbreak. To protect her family, Sibert sequestered herself from her husband and their 7- and 9-year-old daughters each night, afraid she would bring the virus home. She ultimately did, testing positive in early April. She recovered and returned to work.
Sibert said she sent emails to the White House and the office of South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) expressing her concerns about the conditions at the plant, hoping someone would put pressure on management. But she said all those she dealt with ― from Smithfield to state leaders to regulators under the Trump administration ― seemed more concerned with the meat supply than with the workers on the processing lines.
“They could have saved lives,” she said.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-17--Democrats Win Major Pennsylvania Case Extending Mailed Ballot Receipt Deadline

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court extended the receipt deadline for mailed absentee ballots in that state to three days after Election Day in a ruling issued Thursday .
Mailed ballots that are postmarked by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3 will count so long as they arrive by 5 p.m. on Nov. 6 .
The decision is a victory for the state ’ s Democratic Party , which brought a challenge to state election laws that it said place burdens on voters trying to cast ballots safely during the coronavirus pandemic .
It is a loss for President Donald Trump , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election only if there is fraud , which he falsely says will be rampant thanks to mail-in voting .
Trump and Republicans in the state legislature intervened to oppose the extension of the ballot receipt deadline .
It is also a major ruling in the context of the 2020 presidential election , as Pennsylvania is viewed as one of the key swing states in the Electoral College .
The extension of its ballot receipt deadline is among the most pivotal changes sought as part of a record-breaking number of election-related legal challenges across @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that tens of thousands of votes that would have otherwise been judged void will now be counted .
When courts extended the ballot receipt deadline in Wisconsin ahead of its April 7 primary election , tens of thousands of ballots were counted that otherwise would have been discarded for arriving too late .
Trump won Pennsylvania by just 44,000 votes in 2016 .
A majority of the state Supreme Court agreed that the pandemic “ equates to a natural disaster ” and that voters should not be impeded from casting ballots based on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ court stated that the anticipated flood of mailed ballots and the U.S .
Postal Service ’ s admission in an August letter to 46 states that it may not be able to deliver those ballots on time justified extending the ballot receipt deadline .
The court ’ s ruling also allows the state to count ballots that arrive up to three days after Election Day even if they do not have a postmark or have an illegible postmark .
These ballots will be treated as though they were postmarked on time unless there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case arrived at the Pennsylvania Supreme Court after Kathy Boockvar , secretary of the commonwealth and officially a target of the original complaint , filed an “ extraordinary ” petition asking the court to review the matter at hand .
Boockvar wanted the court to sort out the diametrically opposed interpretations of state election law in filings from the Democrats and Trump in a timely manner so that the law would be clear for voters before Nov. 3 .
Boockvar further stated her support for a version of the relief sought by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wanted to extend the ballot receipt deadline to 10 days after the election , she told the court that an extension to three days after would be sufficient .
The court adopted Boockvar ’ s recommendation .
The court ruled in favor of Democrats ’ requests to allow county election officials to deploy drop boxes where voters can deposit their ballots in places other than election offices and to maintain the current law that mandates volunteer poll watchers working for political parties observe voting only at sites within the counties where they reside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ key issues .
The court ruled against their request that voters be provided the opportunity to fix , or “ cure , ” any minor errors on their mailed ballots , like a mismatched signature , and that ballots not sent in the required secrecy envelope still be counted as valid .
We want to know what you ’ re hearing on the ground from the candidates .
If you get any interesting ― or suspicious !
― campaign mailers , robocalls or hear anything else you think we should know about , @ @ @ @ @ @ @

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The Pennsylvania Supreme Court extended the receipt deadline for mailed absentee ballots in that state to three days after Election Day in a ruling issued Thursday. Mailed ballots that are postmarked by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3 will count so long as they arrive by 5 p.m. on Nov. 6.
The decision is a victory for the state’s Democratic Party, which brought a challenge to state election laws that it said place burdens on voters trying to cast ballots safely during the coronavirus pandemic. It is a loss for President Donald Trump, who has claimed that he will lose the election only if there is fraud, which he falsely says will be rampant thanks to mail-in voting. Trump and Republicans in the state legislature intervened to oppose the extension of the ballot receipt deadline.
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It is also a major ruling in the context of the 2020 presidential election, as Pennsylvania is viewed as one of the key swing states in the Electoral College. The extension of its ballot receipt deadline is among the most pivotal changes sought as part of a record-breaking number of election-related legal challenges across the country.
The decision likely means that tens of thousands of votes that would have otherwise been judged void will now be counted. When courts extended the ballot receipt deadline in Wisconsin ahead of its April 7 primary election, tens of thousands of ballots were counted that otherwise would have been discarded for arriving too late. Trump won Pennsylvania by just 44,000 votes in 2016.
Previously, ballots cast by mail in Pennsylvania had to arrive by 8 p.m. on Election Day to be counted. Any ballots arriving after that time became invalid.
Democrats argued that this cutoff was unreasonable due to the pandemic and the mail delivery slowdowns caused by both the virus and the efficiency reforms instituted by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.
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A majority of the state Supreme Court agreed that the pandemic “equates to a natural disaster” and that voters should not be impeded from casting ballots based on the obstacles that nature imposes. The court stated that the anticipated flood of mailed ballots and the U.S. Postal Service’s admission in an August letter to 46 states that it may not be able to deliver those ballots on time justified extending the ballot receipt deadline.
“[W]e conclude that the timeline built into the Election Code cannot be met by the USPS’s current delivery standards,” the majority opinion says.
Benjamin Graff (center) and son Jacob Graff, 19, drop off their mail-in ballots for the Pennsylvania primary election in Philadelphia on June 2, 2020. MATT ROURKE/ASSOCIATED PRESS
The court’s ruling also allows the state to count ballots that arrive up to three days after Election Day even if they do not have a postmark or have an illegible postmark. These ballots will be treated as though they were postmarked on time unless there is evidence to show otherwise.
“We refuse ... to disenfranchise voters for the lack or illegibility of a postmark resulting from the USPS processing system, which is undeniably outside the control of the individual voter,” the opinion states.
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The case arrived at the Pennsylvania Supreme Court after Kathy Boockvar, secretary of the commonwealth and officially a target of the original complaint, filed an “extraordinary” petition asking the court to review the matter at hand. Boockvar wanted the court to sort out the diametrically opposed interpretations of state election law in filings from the Democrats and Trump in a timely manner so that the law would be clear for voters before Nov. 3.
Boockvar further stated her support for a version of the relief sought by the Democratic Party. Where the original challenge wanted to extend the ballot receipt deadline to 10 days after the election, she told the court that an extension to three days after would be sufficient. The court adopted Boockvar’s recommendation.
“[T]his extension of the received-by deadline protects voters’ rights while being least at variance with Pennsylvania’s permanent election calendar, which we respect and do not alter lightly, even temporarily,” the opinion states.
Aside from the ballot receipt deadline, Democrats and Trump had asked the court to review other aspects of Pennsylvania’s election law.
The court ruled in favor of Democrats’ requests to allow county election officials to deploy drop boxes where voters can deposit their ballots in places other than election offices and to maintain the current law that mandates volunteer poll watchers working for political parties observe voting only at sites within the counties where they reside.
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Democrats did lose on two other key issues. The court ruled against their request that voters be provided the opportunity to fix, or “cure,” any minor errors on their mailed ballots, like a mismatched signature, and that ballots not sent in the required secrecy envelope still be counted as valid.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-17--University Of Georgia Approves Voting Site After Suppression Allegations

The University of Georgia reversed its field on Thursday , approving on-campus early voting for the Nov. 3 election after students and others accused the school of voter suppression .
The polling site will be in the basketball arena .
The university , located in Athens , had initially rejected options for voting at the school over coronavirus fears , prompting critics to call out UGA ’ s hypocrisy because it ’ s expected to host football games with thousands of fans .
UGA Votes , a student voting rights group , tweeted Wednesday that the university had rejected possible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
UGA Votes wrote that it had proposed the school ’ s basketball arena for safer social distancing , but said that was nixed .
UGA said in response it would provide shuttles to a voting location near the school .
We are deeply saddened to announce that there will be no on-campus early voting location for the 2020 Presidential Election .
However , students registered to vote in Athens can still vote early at the board of elections downtown starting October 12 !
pic.twitter.com/HOXZOWMmHy — UGA Votes ( @ UGAvotes ) September @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Critics online said the university was sending wildly mixed messages about its pandemic precautions because in-class learning was already in progress and UGA has been preparing for its football team ’ s home opener on Oct. 3 against rival Auburn University .
Around 20,000 fans could be allowed , according to a previously reported plan .
Critics said the University of Georgia was being hypocritical because it initially denied an on-campus voting site while planning to host football games with fans .
School spokesman Greg Trevor defended the football schedule , writing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the games took place outdoors .
But on Thursday the university appeared to completely walk back its initial stance on school voting .
It offered Stegeman Coliseum , where the Bulldogs basketball team plays , as a polling station .
Election authorities approved the site later in the day .
“ We are pleased to announce that Stegeman Coliseum at the University of Georgia has been approved by state and local officials to serve as an early voting site on the UGA campus , ” Trevor said in a statement to HuffPost .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in this large , indoor venue .
”

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The University of Georgia reversed its field on Thursday, approving on-campus early voting for the Nov. 3 election after students and others accused the school of voter suppression. The polling site will be in the basketball arena.
The university, located in Athens, had initially rejected options for voting at the school over coronavirus fears, prompting critics to call out UGA’s hypocrisy because it’s expected to host football games with thousands of fans.
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UGA Votes, a student voting rights group, tweeted Wednesday that the university had rejected possible campus voting locations over health liability concerns. UGA Votes wrote that it had proposed the school’s basketball arena for safer social distancing, but said that was nixed. UGA said in response it would provide shuttles to a voting location near the school.
We are deeply saddened to announce that there will be no on-campus early voting location for the 2020 Presidential Election. However, students registered to vote in Athens can still vote early at the board of elections downtown starting October 12! pic.twitter.com/HOXZOWMmHy — UGA Votes (@UGAvotes) September 16, 2020
The outcry was swift. Critics online said the university was sending wildly mixed messages about its pandemic precautions because in-class learning was already in progress and UGA has been preparing for its football team’s home opener on Oct. 3 against Auburn University. Around 20,000 fans could be allowed, according to a previously reported plan.
Critics said the University of Georgia was being hypocritical because it initially denied an on-campus voting site while planning to host football games with fans. USA TODAY USPW / reuters
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School spokesman Greg Trevor defended the football schedule, writing that safety protocols were established and that the games took place outdoors. But on Thursday the university appeared to completely walk back its initial stance on school voting. It offered Stegeman Coliseum, where the Bulldogs basketball team plays, as a polling station. Election authorities approved the site later in the day.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-17--Lincoln Project Co-Founder Names Trump's 'Greatest Lie In American History'

Longtime Republican strategist Steve Schmidt says President Donald Trump ’ s admission that he knowingly downplayed the coronavirus threat early in the pandemic has no other parallel in the nation ’ s history .
“ Bob Woodward induced a confession of the greatest lie in American history , bar none , ” Schmidt said on MSNBC Wednesday .
“ There ’ s nothing that frankly comes even close.
” Later in the interview , he added : “ It is a catastrophic leadership failure .
But more than that , there ’ s no equivalent in the country ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ greatest malfeasance in the history of the United States.
” Schmidt , who quit the GOP in 2018 over its support for Trump , is one of the cofounders of The Lincoln Project , a group of “ never Trump ” conservatives working against the president ’ s reelection .
He said Trump ’ s efforts to downplay the virus made the United States the world ’ s epicenter of coronavirus death and suffering , and pointed to a shattered economy , mass unemployment , interrupted education and a still-rising death toll .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ have meant 140,000 fewer deaths in the United States .
Instead , Trump seems to be pushing for herd immunity , which Schmidt described as “ the most immoral plan ever articulated in the history of the country by a president.
” Schmidt cited estimates that a herd immunity approach without a vaccine could lead to nearly 3 million deaths .
See his full comments above .

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Longtime Republican strategist Steve Schmidt says President Donald Trump’s admission that he knowingly downplayed the coronavirus threat early in the pandemic has no other parallel in the nation’s history.
“Bob Woodward induced a confession of the greatest lie in American history, bar none,” Schmidt said on MSNBC Wednesday. “There’s nothing that frankly comes even close.”
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Later in the interview, he added:
“It is a catastrophic leadership failure. But more than that, there’s no equivalent in the country’s history to it. It is the greatest malfeasance in the history of the United States.”
Schmidt, who quit the GOP in 2018 over its support for Trump, is one of the cofounders of The Lincoln Project, a group of “never Trump” conservatives working against the president’s reelection.
He said Trump’s efforts to downplay the virus made the United States the world’s epicenter of coronavirus death and suffering, and pointed to a shattered economy, mass unemployment, interrupted education and a still-rising death toll.
A death rate similar to Germany would have meant 140,000 fewer deaths in the United States. Instead, Trump seems to be pushing for herd immunity, which Schmidt described as “the most immoral plan ever articulated in the history of the country by a president.”
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Schmidt cited estimates that a herd immunity approach without a vaccine could lead to nearly 3 million deaths.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-17--House Passes Legislation Condemning Wave Of Anti-Asian Racism

Introduced this spring by Rep. Grace Meng ( D-N.Y. ) , the non-binding , mostly symbolic resolution “ calls on all public officials to condemn and denounce any and all anti-Asian sentiment in any form ” and urges federal , state and local officials to document , investigate and collect data on any reports of anti-Asian hate incidents .
The vote , largely along party lines , was met with fierce criticism from Republicans .
During more than two hours of debate on the House floor , they claimed the legislation was simply meant to attack Trump and repeatedly dismissed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ response , Rep. Mark Takano ( D-Calif. ) said it was “ a disgrace ” that the legislation did not pass unanimously and that Republicans had made it a partisan issue and perpetuated Trump ’ s racist rhetoric .
“ Rather than condemning this divisive language and unifying our nation in response to the pandemic , my Republican colleagues are blindly following suit .
This partisanship is so pervasive that Congresswoman Meng ’ s simple resolution , condemning this anti-Asian sentiment , could not be passed unanimously out of this chamber , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The COVID-19 pandemic has become a defining moment in our nation ’ s history .
Instead of unifying to confront this disease head-on , Republicans have instead weaponized this.
” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-Calif. ) said that many members of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities are essential workers “ fighting on the frontlines against the COVID-19 virus , ” calling it “ particularly unconscionable ” that “ instead of being celebrated as heroes , they are fighting violence and bigotry.
” Since January , Asian Americans around the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ harassment and attacks because of the COVID-19 pandemic , which began in China at the start of 2020 .
Trump has further thrown gasoline on the fire , regularly referring to the virus using racial slurs and epithets and blaming China to deflect attention from his own shambolic response to the pandemic .
In March , a coalition of Asian American advocacy groups and scholars , Stop AAPI Hate , began collecting reports of these racist incidents in an online database .
As of last month , they have received reports of 2,583 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Columbia .
The respondents ’ stories include being called racial slurs , being spat on and/or physically assaulted , as well as being denied services , experiencing workplace discrimination , and other potential civil rights violations .
The groups have stressed that their data are likely an undercount , as the database is self-reported and voluntary .
They ’ re also concerned that these kinds of attacks against Asian Americans will only continue as the November election draws closer , and as schools and other public spaces reopen .
In some states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ York City , officials have taken some steps to specifically address the problem , after documenting similar increases in anti-Asian racism .
The federal government , however , has done little if anything to dedicate specific resources to the problem .
Beginning in March , federal officials had warned of a potential surge in hate crimes and extremism tied to the pandemic .
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill , mostly Democrats , have urged the Department of Justice to develop specific plans to address the surge in anti-Asian racism and xenophobia , which the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ response to past crises under both Democratic and Republican presidents .
In April , the Center for Public Integrity reported that the DOJ ’ s Civil Rights Division devoted concerted efforts to address the surge in racism and Islamophobia against South Asians and American Muslims after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001 .
In 2003 , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also had a detailed plan to combat anti-Asian harassment and discrimination in response to the SARS outbreak .

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The House on Thursday passed legislation condemning the wave of anti-Asian racism catalyzed by the COVID-19 pandemic and fueled in part by racist rhetoric from President Donald Trump.
Introduced this spring by Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), the non-binding, mostly symbolic resolution “calls on all public officials to condemn and denounce any and all anti-Asian sentiment in any form” and urges federal, state and local officials to document, investigate and collect data on any reports of anti-Asian hate incidents.
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Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y. speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, May 27, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) ASSOCIATED PRESS
The vote, largely along party lines, was met with fierce criticism from Republicans. During more than two hours of debate on the House floor, they claimed the legislation was simply meant to attack Trump and repeatedly dismissed the magnitude of the issue.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) claimed “there is no kitchen in America that thinks this is the priority.”
Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) claimed the bill wasn’t “really about” racism, but “Democrats ignoring the real issues plaguing Americans just for the opportunity to criticize President Trump.”
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In response, Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) said it was “a disgrace” that the legislation did not pass unanimously and that Republicans had made it a partisan issue and perpetuated Trump’s racist rhetoric.
“Rather than condemning this divisive language and unifying our nation in response to the pandemic, my Republican colleagues are blindly following suit. This partisanship is so pervasive that Congresswoman Meng’s simple resolution, condemning this anti-Asian sentiment, could not be passed unanimously out of this chamber,” he said on the House floor. “The COVID-19 pandemic has become a defining moment in our nation’s history. Instead of unifying to confront this disease head-on, Republicans have instead weaponized this.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said that many members of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities are essential workers “fighting on the frontlines against the COVID-19 virus,” calling it “particularly unconscionable” that “instead of being celebrated as heroes, they are fighting violence and bigotry.”
“Yet instead of being celebrated as heroes, they are fighting violence and bigotry,” she said.
Since January, Asian Americans around the country have reported a sharp increase in racist harassment and attacks because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in China at the start of 2020. Trump has further thrown gasoline on the fire, regularly referring to the virus using racial slurs and epithets and blaming China to deflect attention from his own shambolic response to the pandemic.
In March, a coalition of Asian American advocacy groups and scholars, Stop AAPI Hate, began collecting reports of these racist incidents in an online database. As of last month, they have received reports of 2,583 attacks in 47 states and the District of Columbia. The respondents’ stories include being called racial slurs, being spat on and/or physically assaulted, as well as being denied services, experiencing workplace discrimination, and other potential civil rights violations.
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The groups have stressed that their data are likely an undercount, as the database is self-reported and voluntary. They’re also concerned that these kinds of attacks against Asian Americans will only continue as the November election draws closer, and as schools and other public spaces reopen.
In some states and cities, such as in New York City, officials have taken some steps to specifically address the problem, after documenting similar increases in anti-Asian racism.
The federal government, however, has done little if anything to dedicate specific resources to the problem. Beginning in March, federal officials had warned of a potential surge in hate crimes and extremism tied to the pandemic.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill, mostly Democrats, have urged the Department of Justice to develop specific plans to address the surge in anti-Asian racism and xenophobia, which the DOJ and federal agencies have done in response to past crises under both Democratic and Republican presidents.
In April, the Center for Public Integrity reported that the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division devoted concerted efforts to address the surge in racism and Islamophobia against South Asians and American Muslims after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001. In 2003, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also had a detailed plan to combat anti-Asian harassment and discrimination in response to the SARS outbreak.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-17--'Pissing Contest' Escalates As Trump's Jobless Benefits Plan Runs Dry

Trump called Democrats “ heartless ” in a tweet and said Republicans should “ go for the much higher numbers.
” But Republicans have generally balked at extra unemployment benefits , as well as money for state and local governments and another round of stimulus checks , while Democrats have been the ones pushing for $ 3 trillion in spending .
Davidson echoed the Republican position that unemployment benefits should be a percentage of what a worker was making before the job loss , rather than a flat sum .
But Davidson didn ’ t seem too bothered by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which was a sentiment expressed by plenty of GOP members .
Spanberger was a bit more deferential on Wednesday .
She told HuffPost she was continuing to work on putting forth “ the framework of a deal , ” pointing to a proposal that the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus proposed Tuesday .
But it ’ s clear there are some moderate Democrats ready to accept less than what House Democrats passed in May ― just as there are some Democrats standing by leadership and the House ’ s initial demands .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to complain that unemployed folks got some money , ” said Michele Evermore , an unemployment insurance expert with the National Employment Law Project who has criticized Trump ’ s executive action .
“ It ’ s just that this could have been a lot easier if Congress had gotten its act together.
” She said she ’ s received two $ 300 payments from Trump ’ s initiative and expects one more .
The program was intended to last through December , but FEMA told states they would initially receive enough money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with additional disbursements coming on a weekly basis while the money lasts .
Janes said she ’ s in a better position than many , but she ’ s furious with lawmakers on both sides for failing to reauthorize the benefits .
Congress can ’ t snap its fingers and make her house safe from wildfires or reopen her son ’ s school , but it has already shown it can pass a bill and put money in her bank account .
She thinks Pelosi ought to cut a deal .

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WASHINGTON ― As Donald Trump’s stopgap partial replacement for expanded unemployment benefits runs dry in several states, Congress and the president feuded Wednesday over a coronavirus relief package that appears to be going nowhere.
Trump called Democrats “heartless” in a tweet and said Republicans should “go for the much higher numbers.” But Republicans have generally balked at extra unemployment benefits, as well as money for state and local governments and another round of stimulus checks, while Democrats have been the ones pushing for $3 trillion in spending.
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) welcomed Trump’s message, if a bit sarcastically.
“We look forward to hearing from the president’s negotiators that they will finally meet us halfway with a bill that is equal to the massive health and economic crises gripping our nation,” the Democrats said in a joint statement.
For months, the two sides have failed to reach a deal on another coronavirus relief deal. Democrats have held out for a continuation of the $600 per week unemployment supplement, which Congress created in March but which expired at the end of July.
Republicans and the Trump administration have suggested they would support some amount of supplemental benefits, but talks collapsed at the beginning of August when neither side moved much from their original position.
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At that point, Trump signed a memorandum redirecting Federal Emergency Management Agency dollars that states could use to give laid-off workers an extra $300 per week.
For many Republicans, no new congressional deal is just fine with them.
“They should quit negotiating against themselves,” Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) said of his fellow Republicans on Wednesday. “It’s obvious the Democrats don’t want to deal.”
Davidson echoed the Republican position that unemployment benefits should be a percentage of what a worker was making before the job loss, rather than a flat sum. But Davidson didn’t seem too bothered by the prospect of not reaching a deal, which was a sentiment expressed by plenty of GOP members.
Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) told HuffPost on Wednesday he was still concerned that some workers were making more money than they were before losing their jobs, even on the reduced supplemental unemployment. “We can’t get people to come back,” he said.
“I know it’s a trillion-dollar pissing contest, but it’s a pissing contest nonetheless.” - Jami Janes, an unemployed Californian
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For those Republicans who want to help the unemployed, it’s Pelosi who’s standing in the way.
“The only reason Democrats are saying no is politics,” Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) said Wednesday. “If it’s not done, it’s a decision made, to me, by Nancy Pelosi and the powers that be that they don’t want Trump to get something done.”
Some moderate Democrats are also becoming increasingly frustrated with Pelosi’s unwillingness to accept the proverbial half loaf.
Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), who represents a Republican-leaning district, expressed exasperation on a call Tuesday with Democratic members.
“My conviction is to actually do my goddamn job and come up with a solution for the American people,” Spanberger said, according to Politico. “We have to bring something to the floor.”
Spanberger was a bit more deferential on Wednesday. She told HuffPost she was continuing to work on putting forth “the framework of a deal,” pointing to a proposal that the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus proposed Tuesday. But it’s clear there are some moderate Democrats ready to accept less than what House Democrats passed in May ― just as there are some Democrats standing by leadership and the House’s initial demands.
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“I mean, I’m going to hold strong,” Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) told HuffPost, raising the point that plenty of people were struggling to survive even on the extra $600 a week.
Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), chairman of the House Democrats’ messaging arm, said Democrats needed to pass a bill that “actually responds to the serious health care and economic challenges we face.”
“And I have confidence that we’re going to get there,” Cicilline said.
But that confidence seems to be founded on very little. At this point, congressional Democrats and the White House are barely talking about a coronavirus package ― even as Trump’s temporary expansion of unemployment aid begins to expire in many states.
As Trump has done repeatedly during his presidency, he used questionable executive authority to sidestep Congress, using disaster relief to fund the $300-a-week payments — a significant cut from $600 but still some support for the many Americans barely making it right now.
The program had a rocky rollout, as state labor departments had to set up new payment schemes since the money technically isn’t an unemployment benefit and legally can’t be paid through existing programs. Many states still haven’t managed to make a payment.
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At the same time, limited funding means benefits are already ending in Texas, Montana, Tennessee, Iowa, Utah, Arizona, New Hampshire and Florida.
The Senate’s top Democrat on unemployment policy, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), told HuffPost this week that Republicans deliberately used the benefits to deflect from their refusal to go along with more assistance.
“The fact is, the Trump administration has always stonewalled on real help for the unemployed,” Wyden said.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) says the Trump administration has "stonewalled" on help for workers who've lost jobs during the pandemic. Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
A senior Democratic aide said the wage scheme itself was a ruse to kill a broader deal and lay blame, pointing to the White House chief of staff, one of the main negotiators.
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“Its chief architect was Mark Meadows, who was simultaneously alleging to be negotiating in good faith while coming up with executive orders to undermine the talks he was party to,” the aide said.
Despite the program’s problems, it’s been a help for many jobless workers.
“I’m never going to be one to complain that unemployed folks got some money,” said Michele Evermore, an unemployment insurance expert with the National Employment Law Project who has criticized Trump’s executive action. “It’s just that this could have been a lot easier if Congress had gotten its act together.”
What was particularly vexing, Evermore said, was that the initial legislation with $600 a week was “one of the greatest expansions of unemployment insurance in history, and it happened in a fully bipartisan way with regular negotiations.”
Economists have credited the $600 with propping up the economy by giving more than 25 million workers enough money to pay their bills ― and they’ve said dropping the benefit could hurt the economy badly, since consumer spending amounts to 70% of gross domestic product.
Jami Janes of Meadow Vista, California, said the extra $600 pushed her weekly unemployment payment to nearly $900, which allowed her to pay all her bills. After the $600 went away, she started putting expenses on credit cards.
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“The credit card bills are piling up, and I’m not sure how I will make rent next month,” Janes said.
She said she’s received two $300 payments from Trump’s initiative and expects one more. The program was intended to last through December, but FEMA told states they would initially receive enough money for just three weeks of payments, with additional disbursements coming on a weekly basis while the money lasts.
Janes said she’s in a better position than many, but she’s furious with lawmakers on both sides for failing to reauthorize the benefits. Congress can’t snap its fingers and make her house safe from wildfires or reopen her son’s school, but it has already shown it can pass a bill and put money in her bank account. She thinks Pelosi ought to cut a deal.
“It is just beyond my understanding of why, when there are so many things that cannot be fixed or solved quickly, the one thing our government could do to help immediately they have decided to have a pissing contest over,” Janes said.
“I know it’s a trillion-dollar pissing contest, but it’s a pissing contest nonetheless,” she said.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-17--Barack Obama's Memoir Is Finally Here — At Least The First Part Of It

Long kept under wraps and reportedly delayed by his meticulous writing process , former President Barack Obama ’ s presidential memoir is finally complete — or at least the first part of it .
The first volume of Obama ’ s behemoth autobiography “ A Promised Land ” will be released Nov. 17 , two weeks after Election Day , publisher Penguin Random House announced early Thursday .
The book will be published simultaneously in 25 languages around the world , as well as in audiobook format read by Obama himself .
The cover of the first volume of former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A Promised Land , '' which will be released on Nov. 17 .
According to the publisher , “ A Promised Land ” will cover Obama ’ s life through the first term of his presidency , coming in at a whopping 768 pages and selling at $ 45 a copy .
The second volume is forthcoming , with no announced publication date .
“ There ’ s no feeling like finishing a book , and I ’ m proud of this one , ” Obama said in a statement .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accounting of my presidential campaign and my time in office : the key events and people who shaped it ; my take on what I got right and the mistakes I made ; and the political , economic , and cultural forces that my team and I had to confront then — and that as a nation we are grappling with still .
In the book , I ’ ve also tried to give readers a sense of the personal journey that Michelle and I went through during those years , with all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ finally , at a time when America is going through such enormous upheaval , the book offers some of my broader thoughts on how we can heal the divisions in our country going forward and make our democracy work for everybody — a task that won ’ t depend on any single president , but on all of us as engaged citizens.
” Obama went to say he believes the book will be “ a fun and informative read ” and will embolden “ young people across the country — and around the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , lift up their voices , and play their part in remaking the world for the better.
” The memoir is being published by Crown , an imprint of Penguin Random House , which also published former first lady Michelle Obama ’ s blockbuster memoir “ Becoming.
” That bestseller spawned a wildly popular book tour — with sold-out arenas — as well as a Netflix documentary .
The former president also plans a book tour , but details are unclear because of the COVID-19 pandemic .
Penguin Random House said it would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to their books , the Obamas have built an ever-expanding media empire since leaving the White House .
In 2018 , they started a production company Higher Ground Productions , and signed a major deal with Netflix to produce movies and television .
The first project the Obamas ’ company acquired last year , “ American Factory , ” won the Oscar for Best Documentary .

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Long kept under wraps and reportedly delayed by his meticulous writing process, former President Barack Obama’s presidential memoir is finally complete — or at least the first part of it.
The first volume of Obama’s behemoth autobiography “A Promised Land” will be released Nov. 17, two weeks after Election Day, publisher Penguin Random House announced early Thursday. The book will be published simultaneously in 25 languages around the world, as well as in audiobook format read by Obama himself.
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The cover of the first volume of former President Barack Obama's memoir, "A Promised Land," which will be released on Nov. 17. Pari Dukovic/Penguin Random House
According to the publisher, “A Promised Land” will cover Obama’s life through the first term of his presidency, coming in at a whopping 768 pages and selling at $45 a copy. The second volume is forthcoming, with no announced publication date.
“There’s no feeling like finishing a book, and I’m proud of this one,” Obama said in a statement. “I’ve tried to provide an honest accounting of my presidential campaign and my time in office: the key events and people who shaped it; my take on what I got right and the mistakes I made; and the political, economic, and cultural forces that my team and I had to confront then — and that as a nation we are grappling with still. In the book, I’ve also tried to give readers a sense of the personal journey that Michelle and I went through during those years, with all the incredible highs and lows. And finally, at a time when America is going through such enormous upheaval, the book offers some of my broader thoughts on how we can heal the divisions in our country going forward and make our democracy work for everybody — a task that won’t depend on any single president, but on all of us as engaged citizens.”
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Obama went to say he believes the book will be “a fun and informative read” and will embolden “young people across the country — and around the globe — to take up the baton, lift up their voices, and play their part in remaking the world for the better.”
The memoir is being published by Crown, an imprint of Penguin Random House, which also published former first lady Michelle Obama’s blockbuster memoir “Becoming.” That bestseller spawned a wildly popular book tour — with sold-out arenas — as well as a Netflix documentary.
The former president also plans a book tour, but details are unclear because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Penguin Random House said it would announce plans this fall.
In addition to their books, the Obamas have built an ever-expanding media empire since leaving the White House. In 2018, they started a production company Higher Ground Productions, and signed a major deal with Netflix to produce movies and television. The first project the Obamas’ company acquired last year, “American Factory,” won the Oscar for Best Documentary.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-17--Newt Gingrich Just Had The Most Uncomfortable 30 Seconds Ever On Fox News

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich got called out on live TV for spreading a conspiracy theory about billionaire philanthropist and activist George Soros , leading to several awkward breaks in the conversation .
Speaking on “ Outnumbered ” on Fox News , Gingrich blamed violence in some cities on “ George Soros-elected , left-wing , anti-police , pro-criminal district attorneys who refuse to keep people locked up.
” He invoked Soros ’ name again moments later , when he slammed Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris for supporting progressive district attorneys : “ Progressive district @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elected with George Soros ’ money , and they ’ re a major cause of the violence we ’ re seeing because they keep putting the violent criminals back on the street , ” Gingrich said .
Several other members of the “ Outnumbered ” panel interjected to say Soros ’ name doesn ’ t need the be part of the conversation , which led to this awkward exchange : Newt Gingrich : `` The number one problem in almost all the cities is George Soros-elected , left-wing , antipolice pro-criminal district attorneys @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m not sure we need to bring George Soros into this . ''
Newt : `` Okay ...
So , it ’ s verboten ? ''
Long awkward silence .
pic.twitter.com/tl4CgGcrzI — Justin Baragona ( @ justinbaragona ) September 16 , 2020 Soros conspiracies are often shared on Fox News , especially during the evening shows hosted by Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson .
In some cases , his name has been used to evoke anti-Semitic tropes .

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Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich got called out on live TV for spreading a conspiracy theory about billionaire philanthropist and activist George Soros, leading to several awkward breaks in the conversation.
Speaking on “Outnumbered” on Fox News, Gingrich blamed violence in some cities on “George Soros-elected, left-wing, anti-police, pro-criminal district attorneys who refuse to keep people locked up.”
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He invoked Soros’ name again moments later, when he slammed Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris for supporting progressive district attorneys:
“Progressive district attorneys are anti-police, pro-criminal and overwhelmingly elected with George Soros’ money, and they’re a major cause of the violence we’re seeing because they keep putting the violent criminals back on the street,” Gingrich said.
Several other members of the “Outnumbered” panel interjected to say Soros’ name doesn’t need the be part of the conversation, which led to this awkward exchange:
Newt Gingrich: "The number one problem in almost all the cities is George Soros-elected, left-wing, antipolice pro-criminal district attorneys..."
Fox hos: "I’m not sure we need to bring George Soros into this."
Newt: "Okay... So, it’s verboten?"
Long awkward silence. pic.twitter.com/tl4CgGcrzI — Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) September 16, 2020
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-17--Portland Proud Boys Rally Promoted On Facebook Pages Despite Extremist Ban

Maranie Staab / reuters Proud Boys and supporters of the police participate in a protest in Portland , Oregon , on Aug. 22 .
Members of the Proud Boys and other far-right groups were using Facebook this week to promote and raise funds for an upcoming rally in Portland , Oregon , despite recent assurances from the social media giant that such extremist organizations would not be able to organize on its platform , and after a summer marred by political violence linked to the company .
“ Proud Boys and promoting their events are banned from Facebook , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve already removed Events , Pages and accounts tied to the upcoming rally for this reason and our work to disrupt these efforts is ongoing.
” But according to Katie Paul , director of the TTP , Facebook ’ s response is just yet another example of the company doing too little too late to combat extremism on its platform , removing harmful content only after being alerted to it by journalists .
“ Facebook has focused more effort on its public relations for cleaning up after a tragic event than it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facilitating these events in the first place , ” Paul told HuffPost .
Among the pages removed by Facebook on Thursday was one called “ Proud Security , ” which was replete with Proud Boys symbols and imagery .
The Proud Boys are a Trump-supporting , neo-fascist street gang infamous for attacking leftists at political rallies across the country , often in Portland .
On Sept. 8 , the Proud Security page promoted the upcoming Proud Boys rally by posting a video montage of recent anti-racist protests in Portland , and imploring “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come to “ take a stand ” in the city .
Two other pages removed Thursday belonged to far-right groups called the Patriot Coalition of Oregon and the Patriots of Washington .
Both groups had posted a video montage of what is essentially Proud Boys riot porn , inviting supporters to come “ smash antifa ” in Portland at the Sept. 26 rally .
That page was also removed by Facebook on Thursday .
Facebook ’ s rules indicate that the company takes a fee from such fundraisers on its platform .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ question as to whether it had taken a fee from the Proud Boys fundraiser .
On Wednesday , multiple celebrities took part in a highly publicized “ Stop Hate For Profit ” boycott of Instagram , which is owned by Facebook .
It was the latest action in a monthslong campaign by a coalition of social justice groups to pressure the tech company into confronting extremism on its various platforms .
Late last month the company had been warned that a militia group was using its platform to organize an armed counter-demonstration against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but failed to remove the militia group ’ s page .
Earlier this summer , a report from TTP detailed how slow Facebook had been in responding to the proliferation of “ Boogaloo ” accounts on its platform .
TTP found over 100 pages devoted to the idea of the “ Boogaloo , ” a term popular among far-right paramilitary groups in the U.S. to describe an imminent civil war in this country .

Proud Boys and supporters of the police participate in a protest in Portland, Oregon, on Aug. 22. Maranie Staab / reuters
Members of the Proud Boys and other far-right groups were using Facebook this week to promote and raise funds for an upcoming rally in Portland, Oregon, despite recent assurances from the social media giant that such extremist organizations would not be able to organize on its platform, and after a summer marred by political violence linked to the company.
On Wednesday multiple Facebook pages were active showing persons affiliated with the Proud Boys or other far-right groups promoting a rally against “antifa” and Black Lives Matter scheduled for Sept. 26 in Portland.
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Links to these Facebook pages were provided to HuffPost by the Tech Transparency Project, a watchdog group. The links showed far-right groups posting propaganda videos promoting the upcoming rally, and included a page utilizing Facebook’s own fundraising tool to collect money for the event.
HuffPost asked Facebook about the pages on Wednesday evening and by early Thursday afternoon all had been removed.
“Proud Boys and promoting their events are banned from Facebook,” a Facebook spokesperson said. “We’ve already removed Events, Pages and accounts tied to the upcoming rally for this reason and our work to disrupt these efforts is ongoing.”
But according to Katie Paul, director of the TTP, Facebook’s response is just yet another example of the company doing too little too late to combat extremism on its platform, removing harmful content only after being alerted to it by journalists.
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“Facebook has focused more effort on its public relations for cleaning up after a tragic event than it has to address how its platform is facilitating these events in the first place,” Paul told HuffPost.
Among the pages removed by Facebook on Thursday was one called “Proud Security,” which was replete with Proud Boys symbols and imagery. The Proud Boys are a Trump-supporting, neo-fascist street gang infamous for attacking leftists at political rallies across the country, often in Portland.
A Facebook page promoting a neo-fascist Proud Boys rally scheduled for Sept. 26 in Portland included a propaganda video for the event. Tech Transparency Project
On Sept. 8, the Proud Security page promoted the upcoming Proud Boys rally by posting a video montage of recent anti-racist protests in Portland, and imploring “patriots” from around the country to come to “take a stand” in the city.
Two other pages removed Thursday belonged to far-right groups called the Patriot Coalition of Oregon and the Patriots of Washington. Both groups had posted a video montage of what is essentially Proud Boys riot porn, inviting supporters to come “smash antifa” in Portland at the Sept. 26 rally.
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The Proud Security page — run by a man named Daniel Tooze — utilized Facebook’s own fundraising tool to collect money for the event. Nearly $2,000 had been raised toward a $10,000 goal as of Wednesday evening.
That page was also removed by Facebook on Thursday. Facebook’s rules indicate that the company takes a fee from such fundraisers on its platform. The company did not respond to a HuffPost question as to whether it had taken a fee from the Proud Boys fundraiser.
A Facebook page raising funds for the neo-fascist Proud Boys rally scheduled for Sept. 26 in Portland. Facebook removed the page after an inquiry from HuffPost. Tech Transparency Project
On Wednesday, multiple celebrities took part in a highly publicized “Stop Hate For Profit” boycott of Instagram, which is owned by Facebook. It was the latest action in a monthslong campaign by a coalition of social justice groups to pressure the tech company into confronting extremism on its various platforms.
This summer has seen a series of damning reports detailing Facebook’s ties to right-wing violence in the U.S. and across the globe.
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Late last month the company had been warned that a militia group was using its platform to organize an armed counter-demonstration against anti-racist protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, but failed to remove the militia group’s page.
A 17-year-old marching with a militia group in Kenosha later shot and killed two protesters, severely injuring another.
Earlier this summer, a report from TTP detailed how slow Facebook had been in responding to the proliferation of “Boogaloo” accounts on its platform. TTP found over 100 pages devoted to the idea of the “Boogaloo,” a term popular among far-right paramilitary groups in the U.S. to describe an imminent civil war in this country.
These self-identifying “Boogaloo bois” used Facebook to discuss weapons, combat medicine and how to develop explosives.
Later TTP connected multiple members of these Facebook groups to real-world acts or plots of violence, including three men arrested by the FBI for allegedly planning to attack Black Lives Matter protesters in Las Vegas with Molotov cocktails.
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Paul, the director of TTP, said she’s worried Facebook’s recent failure to remove the pages promoting the upcoming Proud Boys event in Portland could mean “even more extremists” show up in the city.
Portland is already reeling from months of escalating political tensions, which has seen far-right extremists show up to often harass and attack ongoing anti-racist demonstrators there.
Earlier this month a caravan of Trump supporters drove trucks through the city, firing pepper spray and paintball guns at counter-demonstrators in the streets. The event ended with a self-identifying anti-fascist named Michael Reinoehl shooting and killing a Trump supporter named Aaron “Jay” Danielson.
Reinoehl, who told Vice News that he shot Danielson in self-defense, was later killed by law enforcement in Washington state. The circumstances surrounding his death remain murky, although one witness claims Reinohl did not pose a threat to law enforcement officers when they shot him.
The upcoming Proud Boys event in Portland was announced in the wake of Reinohl’s and Danielson’s deaths and is being billed as a rally to “end antifa.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-17--Pulitzer-Winning Historian Dismantles William Barr's COVID-19 Lockdown Claims

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham dismantled Attorney General William Barr ’ s claim that coronavirus lockdowns are “ the greatest intrusion on civil liberties ” in U.S. history other than slavery .
“ You know , putting a national lockdown , stay at home orders , is like house arrest , ” Barr said at a Constitution Day celebration hosted by the conservative Hillsdale College in Hillsdale , Michigan , on Wednesday .
“ Other than slavery , which was a different kind of restraint , this is the greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feed a sense of paranoia and fear on behalf of an administration that is relying not on a message or an agenda of hope , grounded in traditional American understandings of liberty , and is instead is betting on finding just the right number of Americans in the right number of states who will say ‘ yeah , we ’ re scared , we ’ re mad , we want a tough guy , ’ ” he added .
“ If you think that this is akin to slavery , you obviously never @ @ @ @ @ @ @ real time or in its longtime system of segregation and the denial of the suffrage and voting rights that grew out of it , ” Meacham explained .
The historian reeled off a long list of other intrusions on civil liberties in U.S. history — far worse than the lockdowns aimed at mitigating the spread of COVID-19 ― from the Alien and Sedition Acts to the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II .
“ We ’ re talking about scientifically uncontroversial public health measures , ” Meacham reminded host Don Lemon .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ plot ” to change American lives , he noted , but instead a plan to save them .
AG William Barr suggests that the calls for a nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of Covid-19 were the “ greatest intrusion on civil liberties ” in history “ other than slavery.
” Presidential historian Jon Meacham fact checks what he called “ incendiary hyperbole.
” pic.twitter.com/YPmgFm3i7F — CNN Tonight ( @ CNNTonight ) September 17 , 2020

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Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham dismantled Attorney General William Barr’s claim that coronavirus lockdowns are “the greatest intrusion on civil liberties” in U.S. history other than slavery.
“You know, putting a national lockdown, stay at home orders, is like house arrest,” Barr said at a Constitution Day celebration hosted by the conservative Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan, on Wednesday. “Other than slavery, which was a different kind of restraint, this is the greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history,” he added.
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On Wednesday’s broadcast of “CNN Tonight,” Meacham described Barr’s comments as “incendiary hyperbole.”
They were “designed to feed a sense of paranoia and fear on behalf of an administration that is relying not on a message or an agenda of hope, grounded in traditional American understandings of liberty, and is instead is betting on finding just the right number of Americans in the right number of states who will say ‘yeah, we’re scared, we’re mad, we want a tough guy,’” he added.
“If you think that this is akin to slavery, you obviously never suffered under the burden of slavery in real time or in its longtime system of segregation and the denial of the suffrage and voting rights that grew out of it,” Meacham explained.
The historian reeled off a long list of other intrusions on civil liberties in U.S. history — far worse than the lockdowns aimed at mitigating the spread of COVID-19 ― from the Alien and Sedition Acts to the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.
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“We’re talking about scientifically uncontroversial public health measures,” Meacham reminded host Don Lemon. It is “not some ideologically driven plot” to change American lives, he noted, but instead a plan to save them.
Check out Meacham’s comments here:


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-17--House Passes Key Protections For Pregnant Workers

First introduced in 2012 , the legislation would require employers to provide reasonable accommodations at work to pregnant women , or women who ’ ve just given birth , who have a medical need .
The act is modeled on the 30-year-old Americans with Disabilities Act , which requires employers to work with disabled employees to find reasonable fixes at work so they can continue to do their jobs .
Rep. Jerry Nadler ( D-NY ) sponsored the bill , along with Reps. John Katko ( R-N.Y. ) , Lucy McBath ( D-Ga. ) , Herrera Beutler ( R-Wa .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) .
The right of pregnant women to certain medical accommodations at work has become even more crucial during the pandemic , and is critical for women in the kinds of low-paying jobs deemed “ essential ” in the pandemic .
Indeed , 65 % of frontline workers are women and 41 % are nonwhite , according to recent research from the Center for Economic Policy and Research .
Still , their needs were an issue long before COVID-19 .
The accommodations pregnant women require at work are fairly simple : a stool @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working the register , light-lifting duty for warehouse workers , a water bottle for a retail worker on the shop floor or a different-sized uniform for a pregnant police officer .
Sometimes pregnant women just need a few more bathroom breaks or time to go to the doctor .
No mother to be or mother in this country should have to choose between being a parent and keeping her job .
Rep. John Katko ( R-N.Y. ) one of the bill 's cosponsor's Incredibly , women get fired or sent on unpaid leave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reveal .
That means they ’ re left without income just when they really need a paycheck .
The consequences can be devastating : Bakst mentioned a woman who wound up homeless when she was in her third trimester and others forced to apply for food stamps .
The bill has a surprising array of support : Both the ACLU and the Chamber of Commerce are backing it .
( Neither the White House or Ivanka Trump , who often says she supports women , has said anything yet about the legislation .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ have passed with bipartisan support ; there are currently 30 states with laws like this on the books .
Advocates are optimistic about its chances in the Senate , though it ’ s unclear if it ’ ll come up for a vote there this year .
Through a spokesperson , Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden applauded the bill ’ s passage and urged the Senate to take it up .
“ While President Trump called pregnancy ‘ an inconvenience ’ for businesses , Vice President Biden believes that pregnant workers shouldn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and their work , ” said Mariel Sáez , the women ’ s media director for the Biden campaign .
“ He strongly supports the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and included it in his agenda to build America back better for women .
The bill ’ s protections for pregnant workers are commonsense and vital — especially in the face of this pandemic.
” This isn ’ t some niche bill either .
Three-quarters of women entering the workforce will become pregnant at least once while they ’ re working , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Progress .
Most will continue to work into their ninth month and nearly half will be back to work less than three months later .
Under the bill passed Thursday , women would instead need to work with their employers to figure out a reasonable accommodation in a good-faith process — just like the ADA .
If the woman ’ s needs put a big burden on an employer , they don ’ t have to do anything .

The House on Thursday passed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which would provide key workplace protections for women, particularly those working in physically demanding jobs.
The rights of pregnant women proved hard to oppose. The vote was 329-73, with 226 Democrats and 103 Republicans voting for the bill. Only one Republican spoke against it during the floor debate. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) said the bill didn’t protect employers’ religious rights, though didn’t explain exactly how.
First introduced in 2012, the legislation would require employers to provide reasonable accommodations at work to pregnant women, or women who’ve just given birth, who have a medical need. The act is modeled on the 30-year-old Americans with Disabilities Act, which requires employers to work with disabled employees to find reasonable fixes at work so they can continue to do their jobs. Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) sponsored the bill, along with Reps. John Katko (R-N.Y.), Lucy McBath (D-Ga.), Herrera Beutler (R-Wa.), and Bobby Scott (D-Va.).
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“This is about maternal health, this is about racial justice, this is about economic justice,” said Dina Bakst, the co-founder and co-president of A Better Balance, a nonprofit legal organization that fought for the bill. “It couldn’t come at a more important time.”
The right of pregnant women to certain medical accommodations at work has become even more crucial during the pandemic, and is critical for women in the kinds of low-paying jobs deemed “essential” in the pandemic. Indeed, 65% of frontline workers are women and 41% are nonwhite, according to recent research from the Center for Economic Policy and Research.
Still, their needs were an issue long before COVID-19. The accommodations pregnant women require at work are fairly simple: a stool for a cashier to sit on while working the register, light-lifting duty for warehouse workers, a water bottle for a retail worker on the shop floor or a different-sized uniform for a pregnant police officer. Sometimes pregnant women just need a few more bathroom breaks or time to go to the doctor.
“No mother to be or mother in this country should have to choose between being a parent and keeping her job.” - Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.) one of the bill's cosponsor's
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Incredibly, women get fired or sent on unpaid leave in those situations, years of lawsuits reveal. That means they’re left without income just when they really need a paycheck. The consequences can be devastating: Bakst mentioned a woman who wound up homeless when she was in her third trimester and others forced to apply for food stamps.
“No mother to be or mother in this country should have to choose between being a parent and keeping her job,” said Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.) on Thursday morning during the House debate over the bill.
“When companies refuse to accommodate for pregnancy-related needs it doesn’t just hurt the person being discriminated against it hurts the entire family,” said Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) on the House floor Thursday.
Other times, women have little choice to keep working, putting their lives and their pregnancies at risk. A few years ago at a warehouse in Memphis, several women had miscarriages after they were denied lighter lifting duties.
The bill has a surprising array of support: Both the ACLU and the Chamber of Commerce are backing it. (Neither the White House or Ivanka Trump, who often says she supports women, has said anything yet about the legislation.) And similar laws in the states have passed with bipartisan support; there are currently 30 states with laws like this on the books. Advocates are optimistic about its chances in the Senate, though it’s unclear if it’ll come up for a vote there this year.
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“When it was first introduced we had concerns with the language. In past years, we would’ve said, ‘We don’t like it, move on,’” said Glenn Spencer, vice president of employment policy at the Chamber. Instead, the pro-business group met with advocates to modify the bill.
“It was a good example of sitting down with people you might not talk to and figuring out how to make it work for both sides,” said Spencer. “In D.C. that’s very unusual these days.”
Through a spokesperson, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden applauded the bill’s passage and urged the Senate to take it up. “While President Trump called pregnancy ‘an inconvenience’ for businesses, Vice President Biden believes that pregnant workers shouldn’t have to choose between their health and their work,” said Mariel Sáez, the women’s media director for the Biden campaign. “He strongly supports the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and included it in his agenda to build America back better for women. The bill’s protections for pregnant workers are commonsense and vital — especially in the face of this pandemic.”
This isn’t some niche bill either. Three-quarters of women entering the workforce will become pregnant at least once while they’re working, according to a report from the Center for American Progress. Most will continue to work into their ninth month and nearly half will be back to work less than three months later.
Congress did pass a Pregnancy Discrimination Act in 1978 that prohibits firing a woman who is pregnant. At the time, women would typically lose their jobs as soon as they started showing or when they told their boss about pregnancy.
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But the challenges in the workplace had changed quite a bit by the 2010s when Bakst and her organization noticed a flood of women seeking out legal advice because they were getting forced out of jobs when pregnant.
Activists for women hoped change would follow a 2015 Supreme Court decision on a case involving a UPS driver, but it’s been a disappointment. The ruling, essentially, required women to provide mountains of evidence to prove to an employer that their needs were reasonable.
Under the bill passed Thursday, women would instead need to work with their employers to figure out a reasonable accommodation in a good-faith process — just like the ADA. If the woman’s needs put a big burden on an employer, they don’t have to do anything.
The bill passed Thursday would also prohibit employers from firing women simply for asking for accommodations or not hiring a woman because she’s pregnant and might need some temporary fixes to work.
“It’s common sense,” said Vania Leveille, senior legislative counsel at the ACLU.
Spencer said the Chamber will now look at getting the legislation through the Senate, adding that it’s an appealing bill for lawmakers to support in an election year.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-17--Jupiter And Its Moon Europa Shine In NASA's New Hubble Photo

CAPE CANAVERAL , Fla. ( AP ) — Jupiter and its enticing moon Europa shine in a new photo by the Hubble Space Telescope .
Hubble snapped the picture last month when the planet was 406 million miles ( 653 million kilometers ) away , and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore released it Thursday .
Europa , which is smaller than our own moon , appears as a pale dot alongside its giant , color-streaked gas planet .
A bright white splotch in Jupiter ’ s northern latitudes indicates a new storm barreling around the planet at 350 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Great Red Spot , meanwhile , is unusually red in the photo .
While gradually shrinking , the massive storm is still big enough to swallow Earth .
As for Europa , scientists believe an ocean is flowing beneath its frigid surface .
NASA plans to launch a spacecraft , the Europa Clipper , later this decade to see if conditions there might be ripe for life .
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute ’ s Department of Science Education .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Jupiter and its enticing moon Europa shine in a new photo by the Hubble Space Telescope.
Hubble snapped the picture last month when the planet was 406 million miles (653 million kilometers) away, and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore released it Thursday.
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Europa, which is smaller than our own moon, appears as a pale dot alongside its giant, color-streaked gas planet. A bright white splotch in Jupiter’s northern latitudes indicates a new storm barreling around the planet at 350 mph (560 kph).
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot, meanwhile, is unusually red in the photo. While gradually shrinking, the massive storm is still big enough to swallow Earth.
As for Europa, scientists believe an ocean is flowing beneath its frigid surface. NASA plans to launch a spacecraft, the Europa Clipper, later this decade to see if conditions there might be ripe for life.
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