thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-25--What It’s Like To Raise A Son With Schizophrenia

But then it didn ’ t pass with Nick .
And with us , the wake-up call was when he cut his wrist and at that point I could not normalize it any more .
So as far as the path to a diagnosis , it was meandering .
First we addressed it as drug abuse and sent him to rehab and a therapist .
Then it progressed from there to anxiety and then depression , and this is over a period of years from , say , 16 to 20 .
Then eventually when he was 18 or almost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even then they told me , “ This is probably not the end of it.
” It ’ s hard because the system is broken .
I ’ m a person who ’ s privileged ; I have a college education , I have a reasonable amount of money .
I ’ m not rich , but I ’ m not poor ; and I ’ m a pit bull — I don ’ t give up .
And even with me at the helm , we almost lost him in the shuffle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to get them to take it seriously , to get them to listen , and then when they finally will acknowledge that he ’ s sick and they give him a diagnosis , there are no beds , there ’ s no treatment .
One of the big problems with schizophrenia is that the medical profession regards it as an act of stabilizing the bad symptoms with medication , and then they ’ re basically done with them .
OK , so now he ’ s not a problem to society .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ running through the street screaming .
So this is a success story ; we ’ re done .
What I ’ ve been fighting for , for all these years of his adulthood , because he ’ s 34 now , is continued treatment .
He needs something to propel him into the next level .
Because for me , it ’ s not OK that he sits in a dark apartment all day and doesn ’ t make a problem for society .
I ’ ve evolved in this and in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like stigma .
Now veterans like me with kids with serious mental illnesses , we all laugh at stigma .
I want research , I want new medications , I want beds in the hospitals .
There hasn ’ t been a new medication for schizophrenia in 35 years .
So then somewhere along the way , I just decided first of all , if I wrote this story , maybe I can make some sense of all of it myself .
But also if I wrote this story , I would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wish had been there for me when I was going through this .
Because I remember talking to people and they are like , “ Oh , so and so , she has a son with this problem .
She ’ s like getting on the phone with these strangers.
” And just wanting to gobble up these anecdotes and this idea that I wasn ’ t the only one .
That ’ s what took hold .
Now , that was like 10 years before I actually started writing .
I kept @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to journal because I ’ ll remember this .
What I ended up doing after 10 , 15 years was about 45 pages of drunken ramblings , and that gave me an armature .
So one day , about five years ago , my husband — by then we ’ d moved up here [ Washington state ] and we ’ re out in the middle of nowhere and it ’ s winter — he said to me , “ If you ’ re going to write a book , go in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” I thought , “ You know what ?
I ’ m going to.
” And I went in and I sat down and I started writing and I spent a whole winter writing , and I would just get up in the morning and I would put in eight hours and I would write .
And I learned how to write .
I started just spilling everything out .
At first I really didn ’ t remember very much , but what happens is you start writing and then it starts coming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in doing this , all these things that you think you don ’ t remember , they ’ re there .
Every time I had a new memory I would stop and I would jot it down on a Post-it and I would stick it on the wall and I wouldn ’ t stop the writing .
Then every morning I would get up and I would organize all the hundreds of Post-its .
And I was just lost in it for months and months and months .
And at the end of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I thought was a book .
I found out that wasn ’ t a book , it was only the beginning because then I workshopped it and edited it and worked with editors and all that .
And finally , I got to the point where we sent it out , but it was an amazing experience to do something completely new at age 60 .
At a certain point , I decided this has to come from truth and not my truth .
The truth .
I ’ m not a believer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there is a hard line between what ’ s true and what isn ’ t .
It had to come from truth and I have to not be afraid .
I had to be braver than I ’ ve ever been because , as you know in the book , you see I spent a lot of my life trying to keep up this facade and this image of trying to fit in and all of that .
Well , it ’ s funny because I was talking to [ my daughter ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ started , and I said to her , “ Who are the two guys in America who are the poster boys for quarantine behavior and haven ’ t had to change your lives a single bit ?
” And she said , “ Dad and Nick.
” My husband loves it .
We live on the top of a mountain here and he ’ s not very social .
And for Nick , it ’ s been interesting .
We have a setup where he has DHS caregivers now who come twice a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And it ’ s so wonderful , it ’ s such an incredible thing for Nick , and also for me to not be in that role of the caregiver , a Nurse Ratched kind of a thing .
He didn ’ t even really know about it back then .
Now he knows about it , but Nick is kind of in his own little world .
He ’ s got a sprinkling of OCD with his schizophrenia ; I doubt if he ’ s touched a doorknob in 10 years .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ so much about him and COVID because he doesn ’ t talk to people .
He doesn ’ t get close to people .
And I decided that rather than put some big head trip on him about it , I just lightly told him .
So he knows there ’ s COVID and he understands that that ’ s why he hasn ’ t seen his dad in months .
My husband is 70 and he ’ s got a heart condition and he ’ s really afraid of getting COVID .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ’ s why things are closed but not much causes him much stress .
You know what I mean ?
He kind of is in the moment , and he seems fine .

This article is part of a series called “How to Human,” interviews with memoirists that explore how we tackle life’s alarms, marvels and bombshells.
Miriam Feldman likes to tell people that the list of red flags for serious mental illness — irrational behavior and mercurial moods — are the same list of behaviors for most teenagers, and it is the reason why it took her family four years to figure out her son Nick had schizophrenia.
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In her new memoir, “He Came In With It: A Portrait of Motherhood and Madness,” which was published on July 22, she describes how when one child “is on fire,” the other siblings are marginalized and how hard it is to navigate a medical system not set up to support people with mental illnesses.
HuffPost spoke to Feldman via a Google Hangout in late June. This interview was condensed and edited for clarity.
Will you walk me through the diagnosis process with Nick? Because, it sounds like it was pretty complicated to actually get there.
It’s very hard in the best of circumstances to get to a good diagnosis and especially with mental illnesses. Also, once you veer into ones like schizophrenia and bipolar, because schizophrenia is a diagnosis of criteria. It’s not like you do a blood test and OK, this is what he has. So they just check off enough boxes and if he exhibits certain behaviors, then that’s what they call it. And it’s basically that with all the mental illnesses.
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The thing that I always say is if you made the list of red flags for serious mental illness and you made the list of normal teenage behavior, you would have virtually the same list. They’re all mercurial and hostile and irrational and ... I would look at him and I would look at his friends and I was like, “OK, they’re all nuts.” You know what I mean? “This too shall pass.”
But then it didn’t pass with Nick. And with us, the wake-up call was when he cut his wrist and at that point I could not normalize it any more. So as far as the path to a diagnosis, it was meandering. First we addressed it as drug abuse and sent him to rehab and a therapist. Then it progressed from there to anxiety and then depression, and this is over a period of years from, say, 16 to 20. Then eventually when he was 18 or almost 19, we got bipolar, but even then they told me, “This is probably not the end of it.”
Then eventually when he was about 20, they said, “Schizophrenia.”
“Streets and prisons have become the defacto mental health providers. And my position on this is that it is not good enough. These are our children. These people deserve a place in our world.”
Nothing is perfect, of course, but why is it so hard to diagnose mental illness?
It’s hard because the system is broken. I’m a person who’s privileged; I have a college education, I have a reasonable amount of money. I’m not rich, but I’m not poor; and I’m a pit bull — I don’t give up. And even with me at the helm, we almost lost him in the shuffle many times. To get him hospitalized, to get them to take it seriously, to get them to listen, and then when they finally will acknowledge that he’s sick and they give him a diagnosis, there are no beds, there’s no treatment. One of the big problems with schizophrenia is that the medical profession regards it as an act of stabilizing the bad symptoms with medication, and then they’re basically done with them.
OK, so now he’s not a problem to society. He’s not smashing things or running through the street screaming. So this is a success story; we’re done. What I’ve been fighting for, for all these years of his adulthood, because he’s 34 now, is continued treatment. He needs something to propel him into the next level. Because for me, it’s not OK that he sits in a dark apartment all day and doesn’t make a problem for society. I’ve evolved in this and in the beginning I used to worry about things like stigma. Now veterans like me with kids with serious mental illnesses, we all laugh at stigma. I want research, I want new medications, I want beds in the hospitals.
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Streets and prisons have become the de facto mental health providers. And my position on this is that it is not good enough. These are our children. These people deserve a place in our world. We’ve created this world, this society, this structure where there’s no place for them. We’ve decided they don’t get to be here with the rest of us — but they’re human beings. They have the same rights that everybody else has and to marginalize them and shove them into dark corners, it’s not acceptable.
When you drive down the street and you see these seriously sick people screaming on the street corners or rolling around in the gutters, that’s not because that’s what they’ve chosen or that’s what their moms have chosen for them, it’s because they had no recourse. And then you have a son like mine who sits alone in a dark apartment all day and the system calls that a success. I don’t want to accept that.
You have described yourself as a pit bull, and in some ways Nick is lucky to have you as his mother because of this quality. But were you ever angry about how hard everything was? Because you too were going through a trauma, but in the book you never talk about that.
I had my moments. In the beginning I was out of control; I was drinking a lot at night, and I was in so much pain. I was doing whatever I could to just move forward. The first few years were bad, but now I’m what I like to call pathologically functional. Whatever happens, I’m the Energizer bunny; I pop up and I deal with it. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t take its toll — it doesn’t mean I don’t feel angry, it doesn’t mean I don’t feel pain. It doesn’t mean I don’t feel grief. Personally, anger is not an emotion that I find particularly useful, it’s just how I’m wired.
A few years ago I just woke up one morning and I said, “No, I haven’t fought this hard and worked this hard and gone through what I’ve gone through to just throw in the towel.” And I don’t mean throw in the towel on success, I mean throw in the towel on joy.
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Because it was just like this capitulation of, “OK, there’s just not going to be any more joy. This horrible thing happened to Nick and joy is done for me.” And I just decided, “Screw it, joy isn’t done for me.” And I became a writer, I wrote a book, I have these beautiful children, including Nick. I travel all over the world, I advocate for mental health. I’m turning 65 in October and I’m freaking on fire.
I’m starting new paintings, I have all these ideas for paintings. I’m already starting another book. I’ve never felt this alive and this full of purpose because my purpose is I’m an artist, I make art. And I really believe that art is pivotal to fighting the despair and the horribleness that we’re seeing around us right now. That’s my job, that’s why I’m here, and now I intend to be around another 25 years to do it. I’ve got stuff to do.
The cover of Miriam Feldman's new book, "He Came In With It: A Portrait of Motherhood and Madness," features a painting made by her son Nick when he was 16 years old. Turner Publishing Company
You are a painter. Could you talk about how you came to writing?
In the first years, I remember sitting in my living room in my beautiful house in Hancock park in LA, looking through the big glass window of my house and seeing people walk down the street and feeling like out there was this whole other world and inside, behind my door was this dirty, shameful, ugly thing. And I wasn’t part of the world anymore. And I was grappling with all this horror and I couldn’t talk to anybody — I felt like I was on an island.
So then somewhere along the way, I just decided first of all, if I wrote this story, maybe I can make some sense of all of it myself. But also if I wrote this story, I would be putting out into the world what I wish had been there for me when I was going through this. Because I remember talking to people and they are like, “Oh, so and so, she has a son with this problem. She’s like getting on the phone with these strangers.” And just wanting to gobble up these anecdotes and this idea that I wasn’t the only one. That’s what took hold. Now, that was like 10 years before I actually started writing. I kept thinking, “Okay, I need to journal because I’ll remember this. What I ended up doing after 10, 15 years was about 45 pages of drunken ramblings, and that gave me an armature.
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“I haven’t fought this hard and worked this hard and gone through what I’ve gone through to just throw in the towel. And I don’t mean throw in the towel on success, I mean throw in the towel on joy.”
So one day, about five years ago, my husband — by then we’d moved up here [Washington state] and we’re out in the middle of nowhere and it’s winter — he said to me, “If you’re going to write a book, go in the room and write the damn book already.” I thought, “You know what? I’m going to.” And I went in and I sat down and I started writing and I spent a whole winter writing, and I would just get up in the morning and I would put in eight hours and I would write. And I learned how to write. I started just spilling everything out. At first I really didn’t remember very much, but what happens is you start writing and then it starts coming back. I learned this amazing lesson in doing this, all these things that you think you don’t remember, they’re there.
Every time I had a new memory I would stop and I would jot it down on a Post-it and I would stick it on the wall and I wouldn’t stop the writing. Then every morning I would get up and I would organize all the hundreds of Post-its. And I was just lost in it for months and months and months. And at the end of that long winter, I had what I thought was a book. I found out that wasn’t a book, it was only the beginning because then I workshopped it and edited it and worked with editors and all that. And finally, I got to the point where we sent it out, but it was an amazing experience to do something completely new at age 60.
I was wondering if you had your family read the book before you sent it out?
At a certain point, I decided this has to come from truth and not my truth. The truth. I’m not a believer in my truth. I think that there is a hard line between what’s true and what isn’t. It had to come from truth and I have to not be afraid. I had to be braver than I’ve ever been because, as you know in the book, you see I spent a lot of my life trying to keep up this facade and this image of trying to fit in and all of that.
Once it was done, I gave it to all three girls to read, and Craig [my husband], and I told them, “If there’s anything in here that you don’t want me to put in the book, tell me and I’ll take it out.” None of them had anything. Rose said to me, “Mom, there’s a lot of things or there’s some things in this book that I remember very differently from how you portrayed it, but this is your book and it’s your experience of it and it’s not my business to touch it.” Isn’t it amazing?
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This story is very much about what happened to your son, but it is also about what happens to siblings who are caught in the middle of the trauma. Could you talk about that?
One of the things that I’ve come to realize, especially even just recently, is the damage to the siblings. You’ve got one kid who’s on fire, and what ends up happening is the other siblings just getting marginalized. If I had it to do all over again I’d find a way to put in place a support structure for the siblings.
I should have assigned each girl an aunt, or a good friend of mine who could have picked up the slack. I think that’s a piece of advice that I’m starting to give people.
I understand Nick is settled in Washington near you. What was it like for you and him during the past few months of quarantine?
Well, it’s funny because I was talking to [my daughter] Lucy on the phone when it first started, and I said to her, “Who are the two guys in America who are the poster boys for quarantine behavior and haven’t had to change your lives a single bit?” And she said, “Dad and Nick.” My husband loves it. We live on the top of a mountain here and he’s not very social. And for Nick, it’s been interesting. We have a setup where he has DHS caregivers now who come twice a day and give him his meds. And it’s so wonderful, it’s such an incredible thing for Nick, and also for me to not be in that role of the caregiver, a Nurse Ratched kind of a thing.
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He didn’t even really know about it back then. Now he knows about it, but Nick is kind of in his own little world. He’s got a sprinkling of OCD with his schizophrenia; I doubt if he’s touched a doorknob in 10 years. So I don’t really worry so much about him and COVID because he doesn’t talk to people. He doesn’t get close to people. And I decided that rather than put some big head trip on him about it, I just lightly told him. So he knows there’s COVID and he understands that that’s why he hasn’t seen his dad in months. My husband is 70 and he’s got a heart condition and he’s really afraid of getting COVID. And Nick understands that and he understands that’s why things are closed but not much causes him much stress. You know what I mean? He kind of is in the moment, and he seems fine.
The end of the book sort of ends on a really hopeful note with Nick where he could either be spiraling or coming out of something. When was that written? Where is Nick now?
The end of the book was written, I would say two to three years ago, he has been hospitalized twice. He had a terrible psychotic break. He’s trashed his apartment. I mean, he got his hands on some medical marijuana and got psychotic. I mean, there’s a lot of bad stuff that happened, but it’s just one thing at a time and you deal with each crisis as it happens. Right now we’re getting ready to change up his meds to clozapine and see if that helps because he’s 34 now. I decided, he’s halfway through his life. If there is a drug that maybe could actually make a difference, why am I not giving it a try?
So, it’s scary to be starting in on this again and you have to monitor this drug very carefully. The reason why it’s out of favor is there’s a rare blood disorder that can develop that actually can be fatal. So, you have to monitor it. They have to have a blood test every week. It’s a big pain in the ass. That’s why doctors don’t like to prescribe it, but it actually has a lot of hope.
That’s what we’re getting ready to do now. He’s OK. He lives in his apartment. He’s recently started painting again. That’s an amazing thing.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-24--Barron Trump's School Won't Fully Open For In-Person Instruction This Fall

St. Andrew ’ s Episcopal School , a private kindergarten-through-12th-grade school in Potomac , Maryland , a Washington suburb , will provide either online-only “ distance learning ” or a hybrid model of students “ learning both on and off campus , ” according to the letter Thursday from Head of School Robert Kosasky .
A final decision will be announced the week of Aug. 10 .
Many school officials , teachers and parents fear that filling classrooms with returning children will put not only the students at risk of contracting the coronavirus , but also will endanger teachers , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s families .
In Germany , Denmark , Norway , Sweden and many other countries , SCHOOLS ARE OPEN WITH NO PROBLEMS .
The Dems think it would be bad for them politically if U.S. schools open before the November Election , but is important for the children & families .
May cut off funding if not open !
— Donald J. Trump ( @ realDonaldTrump ) July 8 , 2020 St. Andrew ’ s has already gotten a handout from taxpayers as part of the federal Payroll Protection Program , enacted to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic .
The loans are forgiven if the funds are used for eligible expenses , such as payroll , utilities and rent .
Despite having an endowment of more than $ 8 million , according to a 2017 tax filing , St. Andrew ’ s told CNN that it applied for the funds to “ ensure retention of our full faculty and staff ... during this very challenging and uncertain time.
” School officials have refused to reveal how much federal aid was obtained , but some similar private schools in the area @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Annual tuition at St. Andrew ’ s for the 2020-2021 school year is $ 44,590 per student , plus fees .
When asked earlier this month if the president and first lady would send their 14-year-old son back to the classroom this fall , White House counselor Kellyanne Conway responded that it was a “ personal decision.
“ He has attended St. Andrew ’ s for the last three years .
In both teaching scenarios being considered at St. Andrew ’ s , “ our top priority is to support the safety and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , faculty and staff , and families , ” Kosasky stated in the letter to parents .
“ We are continuing to pay close attention to current guidance from state and county health officials , as well as the CDC , as the health status of our region evolves.
” The school has continued to improve its online instruction , Kosasky added , but he also noted : “ We are hopeful that public health conditions will support our implementation of the hybrid model in the fall.
” It appears that each student @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for remote learning only .
“ The hybrid model permits students to learn either on campus with rigorous social distancing standards , or remotely , ” Kosasky said .
The hybrid model would “ allow students , families , and faculty and staff with medical concerns to be able to learn , teach , and work remotely throughout the pandemic , while facilitating safe , in-person learning for everyone else.
” The Florida Education Association , a teachers union representing about 140,000 school employees , filed a lawsuit Monday against several state officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instruction .
The rush to open is failing to provide a safe and secure environment as required in the state constitution , the suit argues .
Randi Weingarten , president of the national American Federation of Teachers , told The New York Times after the St. Andrew ’ s news that she hopes now the president will have a “ scintilla of empathy and consideration for what Americans are going through now that he is experiencing it himself .
”

LOADING ERROR LOADING
The school attended by President Donald Trump’s youngest son, Barron, will not fully open for in-person instruction when classes resume, officials announced in a letter to parents.
St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, a private kindergarten-through-12th-grade school in Potomac, Maryland, a Washington suburb, will provide either online-only “distance learning” or a hybrid model of students “learning both on and off campus,” according to the letter Thursday from Head of School Robert Kosasky. A final decision will be announced the week of Aug. 10.
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Many school officials, teachers and parents fear that filling classrooms with returning children will put not only the students at risk of contracting the coronavirus, but also will endanger teachers, staff, community members and children’s families.
In Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and many other countries, SCHOOLS ARE OPEN WITH NO PROBLEMS. The Dems think it would be bad for them politically if U.S. schools open before the November Election, but is important for the children & families. May cut off funding if not open! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 8, 2020
St. Andrew’s has already gotten a handout from taxpayers as part of the federal Payroll Protection Program, enacted to help small businesses pay employees during the pandemic. The loans are forgiven if the funds are used for eligible expenses, such as payroll, utilities and rent.
Advertisement
Despite having an endowment of more than $8 million, according to a 2017 tax filing, St. Andrew’s told CNN that it applied for the funds to “ensure retention of our full faculty and staff ... during this very challenging and uncertain time.”
School officials have refused to reveal how much federal aid was obtained, but some similar private schools in the area have collected millions in PPP funds. Annual tuition at St. Andrew’s for the 2020-2021 school year is $44,590 per student, plus fees.
When asked earlier this month if the president and first lady would send their 14-year-old son back to the classroom this fall, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway responded that it was a “personal decision.“ He has attended St. Andrew’s for the last three years.
Schools in our country should be opened ASAP. Much very good information now available. @SteveHiltonx @FoxNews — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 25, 2020
In both teaching scenarios being considered at St. Andrew’s, “our top priority is to support the safety and well-being of our entire community of students, faculty and staff, and families,” Kosasky stated in the letter to parents. “We are continuing to pay close attention to current guidance from state and county health officials, as well as the CDC, as the health status of our region evolves.”
Advertisement
The school has continued to improve its online instruction, Kosasky added, but he also noted: “We are hopeful that public health conditions will support our implementation of the hybrid model in the fall.”
It appears that each student would still have a choice to opt for remote learning only. “The hybrid model permits students to learn either on campus with rigorous social distancing standards, or remotely,” Kosasky said. The hybrid model would “allow students, families, and faculty and staff with medical concerns to be able to learn, teach, and work remotely throughout the pandemic, while facilitating safe, in-person learning for everyone else.”
Trump has repeatedly said that children must return to their classrooms in the fall.
Florida’s education commissioner earlier this month ordered schools to reopen for in-person instruction in August, even as coronavirus cases jam hospitals in the state.
The Florida Education Association, a teachers union representing about 140,000 school employees, filed a lawsuit Monday against several state officials to block schools from reopening for in-person instruction. The rush to open is failing to provide a safe and secure environment as required in the state constitution, the suit argues.
Randi Weingarten, president of the national American Federation of Teachers, told The New York Times after the St. Andrew’s news that she hopes now the president will have a “scintilla of empathy and consideration for what Americans are going through now that he is experiencing it himself.”
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SCHOOLS MUST OPEN IN THE FALL!!! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 6, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-27--Herman Cain Remains Hospitalized 1 Month After COVID-19 Diagnosis

In the meantime , the doctors say his other organs and systems are strong .
Re-strengthening the lungs is a @ @ @ @ @ and the doctors want to be thorough about it .
We ’ d like him @ @ @ @ @ home now , which is frustrating , but we ’ re glad the doctors are @ @ @ @ @ they do the job right .
Thank you for praying , everyone .
Please keep @ @ @ @ @ is getting better , which means it is working .

In the meantime, the doctors say his other organs and systems are strong. Re-strengthening the lungs is a long and slow process, and the doctors want to be thorough about it.
We’d like him to be able to come home now, which is frustrating, but we’re glad the doctors are being thorough and making sure they do the job right. Thank you for praying, everyone. Please keep doing it. He really is getting better, which means it is working.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-27--Trump Won't Be Paying His Respects To John Lewis At Capitol Hill

Thousands of people are expected to visit Capitol Hill to pay respects to congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis , but President Donald Trump won ’ t be one of them .
`` I wo n't be going . ''
Trump told reporters as he was leaving the White House that he would not go to pay respects to Congressman John Lewis as he lies in state at the Capitol pic.twitter.com/dkcOOvHvsY — Bloomberg QuickTake ( @ QuickTake ) July 27 , 2020 The president made his comment as he was leaving the White House for North Carolina just as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the Capitol carried by a military honor guard into the rotunda .
Lewis , who died July 17 at the age of 80 , will be lying in state at the U.S. Capitol until Thursday ’ s funeral at Atlanta ’ s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church , which the Rev .
Martin Luther King Jr. once led .
Trump did not say why he was declining to visit Lewis .
Lewis was critical of Trump during his time in office .
A week before the 2017 inauguration , Lewis said he did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Both Vice President Mike Pence and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden are expected to pay their respects .
One Twitter user said the president ’ s decision was just another sign he ’ s a racist .
Others considered his presence inappropriate .
Again , we don ’ t need any of these elected white supremacists performing for us .
His presence would be an insult .
https : //t.co/7kQukEDY1j — Bree Newsome Bass ( @ BreeNewsome ) July 27 , 2020 Important conversations are happening now .
Add your voice !
Join @ @ @

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Thousands of people are expected to visit Capitol Hill to pay respects to congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis, but President Donald Trump won’t be one of them.
“No, I won’t be going,” the president told reporters Monday. “No.”
"I won't be going."
Trump told reporters as he was leaving the White House that he would not go to pay respects to Congressman John Lewis as he lies in state at the Capitol pic.twitter.com/dkcOOvHvsY — Bloomberg QuickTake (@QuickTake) July 27, 2020
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The president made his comment as he was leaving the White House for North Carolina just as Lewis’ American flag-draped casket was arriving at the Capitol and being carried into the building by a military honor guard.
Trump did not say why he was declining to visit Lewis.
Lewis was critical of Trump during his time in office. A week before the 2017 inauguration, Lewis said he did not consider Trump a legitimate president.
Both Vice President Mike Pence and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden are expected to pay their respects.
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One Twitter user said the president’s decision was just another sign he’s a racist. Others considered his presence inappropriate.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-27--Republicans Fussing With Unworkable Unemployment Plan As Benefits Lapse

The $ 1 trillion measure is supposed to be a starting point for negotiations with top congressional Democrats .
But already it has divided the GOP and faces stiff opposition from conservatives .
It includes another round of stimulus checks , similar to those paid out earlier this year , as well as aid to schools and smaller businesses , and expanded liability protections .
Under the Republican plan , starting in October states would have to replace the $ 200 with an individualized amount based on workers ’ previous wages , capped at $ 500 , so that a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t exceed 70 % of what they made from work .
The extra benefits would remain until July 2021 .
But there could be a huge problem with the proposal to set the extra benefits according to individual wages , even if it ’ s delayed until October .
The National Association of State Workforce Agencies said it could take as long as 20 weeks for some states to implement .
“ If such a policy solution is chosen , the effective date should be set well in the future , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that future effective date , ” the trade association said in a July 23 document offering guidance to lawmakers .
( Even changing the amount to $ 200 could take as long as five weeks in some states , according to the association . )
It ’ s no surprise that state unemployment agencies would struggle with a new policy .
After all , it took weeks and in some cases months for states to implement the changes Congress enacted in March .
Several unemployed workers have told HuffPost they still can ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they have a problem with their claim .
“ State unemployment offices are operating with ancient technology and struggling to get benefits out the door as is , ” Sen. Ron Wyden ( D-Ore. ) said Monday .
“ Any effort to make the system more complex is sabotage .
It will result in workers losing their benefits and more workers falling through the cracks.
” Meanwhile , more than 25 million Americans receiving benefits got their final payments with the extra $ 600 over the weekend .
Next week , they will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ benefits , which typically amounts to less than $ 400 .
That income loss could have a substantial effect on the broader economy .
Kevin Menard of Gladstone , Michigan , said he and his spouse are “ breaking even ” thanks to the extra $ 600 .
He receives less than he did from his job as a corporate travel agent , but enough to pay his bills .
Without the extra money , he will have to prioritize his mortgage and figure out which obligations have to slide .
“ Somebody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I ’ ve always been on time with everything.
” Menard , 52 , said in an interview .
“ I ’ m seriously going to have those conversations and I ’ ve never been in this situation my entire life .
I ’ ve never not had a job since high school.
” Republicans have complained the extra $ 600 discourages people from taking jobs , even though the pandemic is surging and public health experts say staying home is still the country ’ s best medicine .
Menard said that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to strike up a new career and that he ’ s still technically employed at his old job , on furlough until October .
House Democrats passed their own $ 3 trillion measure in May .
Among its relief provisions , the bill would fully extend the added unemployment benefits until the end of this year .
Republicans , however , decided on a wait-and-see approach to further coronavirus aid , declining to act until just a few weeks before the July 31 deadline .
“ The simple , easiest thing to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Leader Chuck Schumer ( D-N.Y. ) said Monday on MSNBC ’ s “ Morning Joe.
” “ It ’ s been one of the most successful programs at keeping people out of poverty , getting money into the economy quickly .
Had we not done it , we ’ d probably be in a depression .
If we don ’ t do it again we could go into a depression , as bad as this recession is.
” Democrats will have leverage over the final product , and their support is necessary to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s desk .
Half the Senate Republican conference is currently opposed to passing any additional stimulus , Sen. Lindsey Graham ( R-S.C. ) said Sunday on Fox News .
White House officials on Sunday floated an alternative proposal before the broader package had even been unveiled , something that doesn ’ t bode well for this week ’ s expected round of negotiations .
The more narrow package would include only a partial extension of the enhanced unemployment benefits , along with some funding for schools , and expanded liability protections for businesses @

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Senate Republicans on Monday unveiled their long-awaited proposal for another coronavirus economic stimulus package, including big changes to the enhanced unemployment benefits that are set to expire this week for millions of Americans.
Based on Republicans’ previous descriptions of their plan, a trade association for state unemployment agencies said last week it would be an implementation nightmare with wildly different results among states.
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The $1 trillion measure is supposed to be a starting point for negotiations with top congressional Democrats. But already it has divided the GOP and faces stiff opposition from conservatives. It includes another round of stimulus checks, similar to those paid out earlier this year, as well as aid to schools and smaller businesses, and expanded liability protections.
The Republican proposal would reduce the extra federal unemployment benefits that Congress created in March from $600 to $200 until October, then switch to a new payment formula.
Despite the steep reduction, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) boasted that the dollar amount “is eight times what Democrats put in place when they controlled the White House and Congress during the Great Recession.” In 2009, Congress added $25 to weekly unemployment benefits.
Democrats want the extra $600 to remain for the rest of the year.
Under the Republican plan, starting in October states would have to replace the $200 with an individualized amount based on workers’ previous wages, capped at $500, so that a claimant’s combined state-federal benefit doesn’t exceed 70% of what they made from work. The extra benefits would remain until July 2021.
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But there could be a huge problem with the proposal to set the extra benefits according to individual wages, even if it’s delayed until October. The National Association of State Workforce Agencies said it could take as long as 20 weeks for some states to implement.
“If such a policy solution is chosen, the effective date should be set well in the future, with a continuation of a flat amount until that future effective date,” the trade association said in a July 23 document offering guidance to lawmakers. (Even changing the amount to $200 could take as long as five weeks in some states, according to the association.)
It’s no surprise that state unemployment agencies would struggle with a new policy. After all, it took weeks and in some cases months for states to implement the changes Congress enacted in March. Several unemployed workers have told HuffPost they still can’t get anyone on the phone when they have a problem with their claim.
“State unemployment offices are operating with ancient technology and struggling to get benefits out the door as is,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said Monday. “Any effort to make the system more complex is sabotage. It will result in workers losing their benefits and more workers falling through the cracks.”
Meanwhile, more than 25 million Americans receiving benefits got their final payments with the extra $600 over the weekend. Next week, they will receive only the state portion of their benefits, which typically amounts to less than $400. That income loss could have a substantial effect on the broader economy.
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Protesters temporarily block the street to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) house in Washington with a live band on a flatbed truck, demanding the extension of coronavirus-related unemployment aid on July 22. Jonathan Ernst / Reuters
Kevin Menard of Gladstone, Michigan, said he and his spouse are “breaking even” thanks to the extra $600. He receives less than he did from his job as a corporate travel agent, but enough to pay his bills. Without the extra money, he will have to prioritize his mortgage and figure out which obligations have to slide.
“Somebody’s not going to get paid. I’ve always been on time with everything.” Menard, 52, said in an interview. “I’m seriously going to have those conversations and I’ve never been in this situation my entire life. I’ve never not had a job since high school.”
Republicans have complained the extra $600 discourages people from taking jobs, even though the pandemic is surging and public health experts say staying home is still the country’s best medicine. Menard said that he wouldn’t feel safe trying to strike up a new career and that he’s still technically employed at his old job, on furlough until October.
House Democrats passed their own $3 trillion measure in May. Among its relief provisions, the bill would fully extend the added unemployment benefits until the end of this year. Republicans, however, decided on a wait-and-see approach to further coronavirus aid, declining to act until just a few weeks before the July 31 deadline.
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“The simple, easiest thing to do is extend it,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Monday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “It’s been one of the most successful programs at keeping people out of poverty, getting money into the economy quickly. Had we not done it, we’d probably be in a depression. If we don’t do it again we could go into a depression, as bad as this recession is.”
Democrats will have leverage over the final product, and their support is necessary to send the legislation to the president’s desk. Half the Senate Republican conference is currently opposed to passing any additional stimulus, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Sunday on Fox News.
“It’s just shoveling money to her friends and not actually solving the problem,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a separate Sunday interview on CBS.
White House officials on Sunday floated an alternative proposal before the broader package had even been unveiled, something that doesn’t bode well for this week’s expected round of negotiations. The more narrow package would include only a partial extension of the enhanced unemployment benefits, along with some funding for schools, and expanded liability protections for businesses.
But Pelosi has repeatedly rejected that approach, criticizing Republicans for not proposing enough aid to vulnerable Americans, such as additional food assistance.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-27--Trump Claims Twitter's Trending Topics Are Illegal, And 'Very Unfair'

“ Trends are determined by an algorithm and , by default , are tailored for you based on who you @ @ @ @ @ and your location .
“ This algorithm identifies topics that are popular now , rather @ @ @ @ @ popular for a while or on a daily basis , to help you discover the @ @ @ @ @ on Twitter .
”

“Trends are determined by an algorithm and, by default, are tailored for you based on who you follow, your interests, and your location.
“This algorithm identifies topics that are popular now, rather than topics that have been popular for a while or on a daily basis, to help you discover the hottest emerging topics of discussion on Twitter.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-27--Right-Wing MAGA Artist's Weird New Trump Prayer Portrait Gets Hilarious Makeover

Right-wing artist Jon McNaughton , known for his over-the-top portraits of President Donald Trump , is out with a new work showing historical figures gathered around the president while he prays .
And it ’ s brought out Twitter ’ s art critics .
The image , titled “ Legacy of Hope , ” depicts people such as former presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln as well as Harriet Tubman , Frederick Douglass and Robert E. Lee standing around Trump , some with a hand on his shoulders .
In a video explaining the piece , McNaughton said that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like “ Diamond and Silk ” and televangelist Paula White praying over Trump in the Oval Office .
McNaughton has a history of placing Trump in weird situations , including riding a motorcycle past the Capitol and commanding a boat à la Washington crossing the Delaware .
Most of his past images have brought out the critics on Twitter and the latest was no exception , with some offering observations and others making a few alterations to the image : Ive got a theory ...
In years to come , we will discover @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the greatest `` art heists '' of our time , an art world Sacha Baron Cohen , grifting the entire right-wing base & selling them prints that appeal to their dumbest instincts .
pic.twitter.com/zRQTbzqjpO — Duncan Jones ( @ ManMadeMoon ) July 26 , 2020 “ We share a legacy ” is one way to summarize people who literally went to war with one another ( Lincoln and Lee ) with one of these sides seeking to keep the Black people enslaved pic.twitter.com/iRg1km3xmN — Don Moynihan ( @ donmoyn ) July 26 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I must go back to work !
!
pic.twitter.com/LoHz0jGZXD — LynSanity ( @ LynKream ) July 26 , 2020 I get it now .
They are asking Trump to resign .
Well done .
pic.twitter.com/Mq79dVcpgV — Boozy NoBody ( @ tcapotesashes ) July 26 , 2020 Important conversations are happening now .
Add your voice !
Join HuffPost Today !

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Right-wing artist Jon McNaughton, known for his over-the-top portraits of President Donald Trump, is out with a new work showing historical figures gathered around the president while he prays. And it’s brought out Twitter’s art critics.
The image, titled “Legacy of Hope,” depicts people such as former presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln as well as Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass and Robert E. Lee standing around Trump, some with a hand on his shoulders. In a video explaining the piece, McNaughton said that he was inspired by an image of people like “Diamond and Silk” and televangelist Paula White praying over Trump in the Oval Office.
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McNaughton has a history of placing Trump in weird situations, including riding a motorcycle past the Capitol and commanding a boat à la Washington crossing the Delaware.
Most of his past images have brought out the critics on Twitter and the latest was no exception, with some offering observations and others making a few alterations to the image:
"time to step away from the desk" https://t.co/hmq4xVZzUH — Jemaine Clement (@AJemaineClement) July 26, 2020
Ive got a theory... In years to come, we will discover Jon McNaughton has been playing out one of the greatest "art heists" of our time, an art world Sacha Baron Cohen, grifting the entire right-wing base & selling them prints that appeal to their dumbest instincts. pic.twitter.com/zRQTbzqjpO — Duncan Jones (@ManMadeMoon) July 26, 2020
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“We share a legacy” is one way to summarize people who literally went to war with one another (Lincoln and Lee) with one of these sides seeking to keep the Black people enslaved pic.twitter.com/iRg1km3xmN — Don Moynihan (@donmoyn) July 26, 2020
Ok. MUCH improved! Now I must go back to work!! pic.twitter.com/LoHz0jGZXD — LynSanity (@LynKream) July 26, 2020
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I get it now. They are asking Trump to resign. Well done. pic.twitter.com/Mq79dVcpgV — Boozy NoBody (@tcapotesashes) July 26, 2020
This painting is closer to reality... "Legacy of Joke" pic.twitter.com/bSIJYH8IoY — PinkPurpleBlue🌊🌊🌊✊😻🗽 (@PinkPurpleBlu12) July 26, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-27--Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Proposes A Death Blow To Pipelines Like Dakota Access

Shortly after Donald Trump won the presidency in November 2016 , Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , then a 27-year-old activist and bartender , hopped in a 1998 Subaru and roadtripped from New York City to North Dakota to join the frigid protest camp attempting to stop construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline .
Not long after , Trump made completing the pipeline one of his first priorities in the White House .
But the experience , Ocasio-Cortez has often said , inspired her decision to run in New York ’ s 14th congressional district on her vision for a Green New Deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to block the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from permitting oil and gas projects like the Dakota Access Pipeline , HuffPost has learned .
An amendment Ocasio-Cortez proposed for the next budget bill would prohibit the nation ’ s main infrastructure-building agency from using federal money to issue permits under the Section 404 of the Clean Water Act “ for the discharge of dredged or fill material resulting from an activity to construct a pipeline for the transportation of oil or gas.
” Sen. Bernie Sanders ( I-Vt. ) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public housing legislation in the Green New Deal in November .
Ocasio-Cortez is now pushing a legislative amendment that could effectively stop the use and construction of oil and gas pipelines .
In March , U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ordered the Army Corps to carry out a new environmental review of the project , determining that the agency had failed to answer major questions about the possibility of oil spills .
Then , earlier this month , Boasberg pulled the permits to operate the 1,172-mile oil route from North Dakota to Illinois @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and drain by Aug. 5 while the review is carried out .
Energy Transfer , the Texas-based company that owns the pipeline , vowed to challenge the ruling .
Two weeks ago , the Army Corps filed a notice that it would appeal the shutdown order .
If the ruling holds , Ocasio-Cortez ’ s amendment could , in theory , prevent the Army Corps from issuing a new permit to restart the 570,000-barrel-per-day pipeline once it ’ s drained .
The Army Corps ’ s website lists the Section 404 permit among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It ’ s still a long shot .
The amendment could face significant opposition within the House , where the Democratic majority remains split on the urgency of stopping new fossil fuel projects that proponents see as economic boons and opponents say spell climate disaster .
The Republican-controlled Senate would almost certainly reject the measure .
But the proposal highlights an increasingly sophisticated approach by Green New Deal supporters in Congress to hastening the country ’ s transition away from fossil fuels .
Last week , Rep. Ilhan Omar ( D-Minn. ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , key allies of Ocasio-Cortez , proposed a bill to strip virtually all federal funding and tax incentives for oil , gas and coal development .
Pipelines ’ contributions to planet-heating emissions at a moment when an unusually high number of tropical storms are gathering in the Atlantic and the Arctic is sweltering in record heat are only one justification for blocking future permits .
As many Indigenous and environmental activists had warned in 2016 , the Dakota Access Pipeline spilled at least five times in its first year of operation alone .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the increasingly visible peril fossil fuel pollution poses to the environment , are making pipelines look too costly and uncertain for investors seeking reliable profit .
In May , New York state regulators blocked a long-contested gas pipeline proposed under Lower New York Bay .
Just this month , two of the nation ’ s largest private utilities abandoned the Atlantic Coast Pipeline , a gas route from West Virginia to Virginia and North Carolina , despite a favorable Supreme Court ruling and the Trump administration ’ s unwavering support .

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Shortly after Donald Trump won the presidency in November 2016, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, then a 27-year-old activist and bartender, hopped in a 1998 Subaru and roadtripped from New York City to North Dakota to join the frigid protest camp attempting to stop construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
Not long after, Trump made completing the pipeline one of his first priorities in the White House. But the experience, Ocasio-Cortez has often said, inspired her decision to run in New York’s 14th congressional district on her vision for a Green New Deal.
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Now she’s proposing a legal change that would upend thousands of future pipeline projects.
The New York congresswoman is pushing to block the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from permitting oil and gas projects like the Dakota Access Pipeline, HuffPost has learned.
An amendment Ocasio-Cortez proposed for the next budget bill would prohibit the nation’s main infrastructure-building agency from using federal money to issue permits under the Section 404 of the Clean Water Act “for the discharge of dredged or fill material resulting from an activity to construct a pipeline for the transportation of oil or gas.”
That would prevent the Army Corps from constructing, repairing or working on roughly 8,000 projects per year involving oil and gas pipelines that cross waterways.
The House Committee on Rules will consider the proposal at a hearing Tuesday morning.
Ocasio-Cortez was not available for an interview Sunday, but her office confirmed details on the amendment.
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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) announce the inclusion of public housing legislation in the Green New Deal in November. Ocasio-Cortez is now pushing a legislative amendment that could effectively stop the use and construction of oil and gas pipelines. Erin Scott / Reuters
It could also imperil the Dakota Access Pipeline itself.
In March, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ordered the Army Corps to carry out a new environmental review of the project, determining that the agency had failed to answer major questions about the possibility of oil spills. Then, earlier this month, Boasberg pulled the permits to operate the 1,172-mile oil route from North Dakota to Illinois, ordering the pipeline to shut down and drain by Aug. 5 while the review is carried out.
Energy Transfer, the Texas-based company that owns the pipeline, vowed to challenge the ruling. Two weeks ago, the Army Corps filed a notice that it would appeal the shutdown order.
If the ruling holds, Ocasio-Cortez’s amendment could, in theory, prevent the Army Corps from issuing a new permit to restart the 570,000-barrel-per-day pipeline once it’s drained. The Army Corps’s website lists the Section 404 permit among those for which the court required verification.
It’s still a long shot. The amendment could face significant opposition within the House, where the Democratic majority remains split on the urgency of stopping new fossil fuel projects that proponents see as economic boons and opponents say spell climate disaster. The Republican-controlled Senate would almost certainly reject the measure.
Advertisement
But the proposal highlights an increasingly sophisticated approach by Green New Deal supporters in Congress to hastening the country’s transition away from fossil fuels. Last week, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), key allies of Ocasio-Cortez, proposed a bill to strip virtually all federal funding and tax incentives for oil, gas and coal development.
Pipelines’ contributions to planet-heating emissions at a moment when an unusually high number of tropical storms are gathering in the Atlantic and the Arctic is sweltering in record heat are only one justification for blocking future permits. As many Indigenous and environmental activists had warned in 2016, the Dakota Access Pipeline spilled at least five times in its first year of operation alone.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-27--GOP Climate Change Denial Set The Stage For Trump's Coronavirus Conspiracies

There is , and has been , a growing scientific consensus that masks help .
Trump ’ s recent comments were noteworthy because for months he had shunned and mocked masks , saying he personally wouldn ’ t wear one and didn ’ t think they looked presidential .
He also even suggested that wearing one might be harmful .
Trump first wore a mask in public this month .
But Trump ’ s supporters took his previous anti-mask stance to heart .
At a Trump campaign rally in Tulsa , Oklahoma , in June , very few of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a mask , and there was little social distancing .
And while most Americans support wearing masks , not doing so has become a point of pride and political identification for some on the right .
“ When you as a party ... ignore the facts systematically , it becomes easier to do that over and over again , ” said Sen. Martin Heinrich ( D-N.M. ) .
“ Their brand has been science denialism baked in now .
So it ’ s going to be very hard for them , I think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ party that uses facts in the way they did for decades.
” Public confidence in medical scientists is high and has grown since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak , according to findings from the Pew Research Center .
But there is a partisan gap .
Fifty-three percent of Democrats have a great deal of confidence in medical scientists to act in the public interest , up 16 percentage points from January 2019 .
On the GOP side , only 31 % have a great deal of confidence , which is roughly the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experts are gone or discredited , the group with the most influence gets to have its say .
In the case of the coronavirus , that means businesses that want to stay open and not take extra measures to protect employees and customers , and governments that want to stay open to keep up the economy and the appearance that everything is under control .
Naomi Oreskes , a historian of science who co-authored the book “ Merchants of Doubt ” about the orchestration of misinformation around climate change and tobacco , told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when it comes to the denial of science : “ First , one denies the problem , then one denies its severity , and then one says it is too difficult or expensive to fix , and/or that the proposed solution threatens our freedom.
” Trump has , over the past few months , insisted that the coronavirus will simply go away ( he predicted it would be gone by April ) ; only looks bad because the country does so much testing ; made restarting the economy his first priority ; and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the idea that being against masks was part of a culture war .
“ There is no question in my mind that the years of undermining the science of climate change by this administration has conditioned many people to distrust science across the board , especially when it tells them something they don ’ t want to believe or think might inconvenience them , ” Christine Todd Whitman , who served as head of the Environmental Protection Agency under President George W. Bush , told HuffPost .
“ Of course , as with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continued , specific , denial of the science surrounding COVID-19 is confusing policy makers and citizens alike .
”

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President Donald Trump finally told “everybody” in the country to “wear a mask” last week, acknowledging that face coverings help stem the spread of the coronavirus.
“Whether you like the mask or not, they have an impact. They have an effect,” he said. “We need everything we can get.”
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But Trump’s supporters took his previous anti-mask stance to heart. At a Trump campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June, very few of the thousands of people who showed up wore a mask, and there was little social distancing. And while most Americans support wearing masks, not doing so has become a point of pride and political identification for some on the right.
Beyond masks, Trump has openly ignored the advice of medical experts on the coronavirus and injected dangerous conspiracy theories into the public debate ― including pushing bogus “cures” like bleach and sunlight. He continued to push the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine, even after multiple studies concluded it was ineffective or even dangerous as a treatment for the coronavirus.
“I am greatly alarmed that clear scientific facts, such as basic epidemiology, can be negated by ideological rhetoric,” said Robert Brulle, an environmental sociologist at Drexel University. “It is as if we are in the middle ages, with superstition and irrationality ruling public behavior.”
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Trump, however, did not begin the anti-science streak on the right. For years, Republicans have laid the groundwork for Trump’s theories to take hold in the public imagination by attacking science, particularly around climate change.
Bill Mitchell, the radio host and aggressive Trump backer, even called the coronavirus ”climate change 2.0,” reflecting how many on the right view the issue.
“We’ve seen a persistent dismantling of our non-partisan science agencies for years,” Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), the author of a bill to protect public scientific research from political interference, told HuffPost. “It has now become clear that the official policy of the Republican Party is to silence experts and satisfy the whims of their king.”
“The distinction between the COVID emergency and the climate emergency is COVID is killing us quickly, and climate is doing its damage somewhat more slowly ― although at some point it will be catastrophic.” - Andrew Rosenberg, Union of Concerned Scientists
There has been some modest pushback against Trump’s refusal to acknowledge scientific advice from members of his own party. Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s former acting chief of staff, urged the president to tell people to wear masks this month and to step up testing.
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But as a congressman, Mulvaney refused to go along with the scientific consensus on global warming, insisting, ”I’m not yet convinced that it is a direct correlation between man-made activity and the change in the climate.”
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) has repeatedly broken with Trump on how to handle the coronavirus pandemic, and urged people to wear masks and practice social distancing. Yet for years, she was also attacking the science around global warming, calling efforts to regulate the coal industry to help curb carbon emissions ”bad science.”
These Republicans may not like how Trump is reacting to the coronavirus and maybe wish he’d stop undermining medical experts like Anthony Fauci. But they are partly to blame for why Trump’s unscientific pronouncements are catching on with parts of the public, who see rejecting things like masks as a point of political pride.
“When you as a party ... ignore the facts systematically, it becomes easier to do that over and over again,” said Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.). “Their brand has been science denialism baked in now. So it’s going to be very hard for them, I think, to pivot to a constructive governance party that uses facts in the way they did for decades.”
“The key to the success of climate denial was that it became part of the core identity to be a Republican,” Brulle said. “The party leadership maintained this argument and delegitimated climate science, and by extension, science in general.”
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The same thing, he said, is now happening with the coronavirus, with many in the GOP making opposing masks part of the core identity of being a Republican.
“The party faithful, following these elite cues, started viewing mask wearing as something liberals do,” he added. “The science of epidemiology was also attacked as yet another liberal elitist viewpoint, promulgated by liberal scientists. So it parallels the promulgation of climate science denial almost exactly.”
Public confidence in medical scientists is high and has grown since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, according to findings from the Pew Research Center. But there is a partisan gap. Fifty-three percent of Democrats have a great deal of confidence in medical scientists to act in the public interest, up 16 percentage points from January 2019. On the GOP side, only 31% have a great deal of confidence, which is roughly the same from a year ago.
Democrats are also far more likely to say that there needs to be more testing and social distancing, and to believe that the coronavirus spreads more easily than other infectious diseases.
Pushing experts out of the way has a purpose ― and a risk.
When experts are gone or discredited, the group with the most influence gets to have its say. In the case of the coronavirus, that means businesses that want to stay open and not take extra measures to protect employees and customers, and governments that want to stay open to keep up the economy and the appearance that everything is under control.
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“This isn’t about being nice to scientists,” said Andrew Rosenberg, director of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Attempts to undermine science for political or financial gain didn’t start with climate change. Big business and their backers ― from polluters to the tobacco industry ― have been doing it for decades.
“The distinction between the COVID emergency and the climate emergency is COVID is killing us quickly, and climate is doing its damage somewhat more slowly ― although at some point it will be catastrophic,” Rosenberg added.
“Ultimately it costs lives and it costs money,” said Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), chair of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis. “And people hopefully are awake to that fact and get out of the Fox News bubble. I think COVID and climate together are going to hopefully bring a great awakening.”
Naomi Oreskes, a historian of science who co-authored the book “Merchants of Doubt” about the orchestration of misinformation around climate change and tobacco, told Wired that there is a clear pattern when it comes to the denial of science: “First, one denies the problem, then one denies its severity, and then one says it is too difficult or expensive to fix, and/or that the proposed solution threatens our freedom.”
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Vice President Mike Pence faced significant criticism for visiting the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota on April 28 and not wearing a mask, despite the institution's policy requiring one. Jim Mone/Associated Press
Trump has, over the past few months, insisted that the coronavirus will simply go away (he predicted it would be gone by April); only looks bad because the country does so much testing; made restarting the economy his first priority; and has ― until recently ― helped stoke the idea that being against masks was part of a culture war.
And while the GOP laid the groundwork for Trump’s ideas to take hold, he and his administration have intensified the anti-science fight.
“There is no question in my mind that the years of undermining the science of climate change by this administration has conditioned many people to distrust science across the board, especially when it tells them something they don’t want to believe or think might inconvenience them,” Christine Todd Whitman, who served as head of the Environmental Protection Agency under President George W. Bush, told HuffPost. “Of course, as with climate change, the president’s continued, specific, denial of the science surrounding COVID-19 is confusing policy makers and citizens alike.”
At an event at Louisiana State University earlier this month, Vice President Mike Pence openly told people to ignore the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “To be very clear, we don’t want CDC guidance to be a reason why people don’t reopen their schools.”
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Pence, like Trump, has long denied climate change, and their administration is full of people with similar views. Even before Trump took office, climate change skeptics Myron Ebell and Steven Milloy served on the transition team at the EPA.
Trump also publicly pressured the CDC to support school openings, despite an internal document that advised that doing so would pose significant risk. Nevertheless, on Thursday night, the CDC posted a new update on its website downplaying the health risks and fully backing reopening schools in the fall. It turned out that the White House was involved in editing that statement.
The Trump administration’s attempt to ignore science for political gain has sometimes bordered on the absurd, like when the president tried to insist that Hurricane Dorian was headed for Alabama in November. It wasn’t ― but Trump held up a map altered with black marker to make it look like it was. Alabama scientists who continued tweeting that the hurricane would not hit the state were punished by the administration.
“We’re seeing that hoaxism and science denial makes for really bad outcomes that hurt lots of people. And that there are people among us so ignorant and/or stubborn that they will do it anyway,” said Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), a member of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis. “Let’s hope the rest of us are strong enough to take the wheel before they drive us over more cliffs.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-27--How The Fossil Fuel Industry Funds The Police

Black Americans are one and a half times more likely than white Americans to breathe air polluted by burning fossil fuels , three times more likely to die from the lung and heart diseases that such pollutants cause , and six times more likely to be killed by police .
Oil majors Chevron Corporation and Royal Dutch Shell lavish thousands of dollars in donations on police in Houston and New Orleans each year .
Marathon Petroleum , the biggest refinery owner in the U.S. , is a notable sponsor of the Detroit Public Safety Foundation ’ s fundraising events , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ official sits on the foundation ’ s board .
Utility giant Exelon backs police foundations in Baltimore , Chicago and Washington , D.C. JPMorgan Chase , the world ’ s largest financier of fossil fuels , has given millions to police foundations in New York City and New Orleans .
In 2018 alone , Goldman Sachs , the world ’ s 14th-biggest financial backer of fossil fuel , gave $ 250,000 to the Los Angeles Police Foundation and $ 15,000 to the New York City Police Foundation ’ s annual gala .
Private @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supplement funding for big-city forces amid the budget crises stemming from manufacturing decline and white middle-class taxpayers fleeing to the suburbs .
Today police departments typically receive 20 % to 45 % of their city ’ s discretionary budget .
Yet foundations continue as lucrative slush funds for police departments , with little oversight on how the money is spent or which corporate entities donate .
That secrecy makes it difficult to know which oil , gas and related financial companies gave , how much they gave or how many police foundations received @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report is based on tidbits of information disclosed in companies ’ annual charitable giving reports , tax forms and press releases as well as police foundation materials that list sponsors .
“ Over the last three years , Chevron has invested over $ 21.4 million with Houston-area nonprofits focused on education , food and housing security and innovation .
Investments of nearly $ 500,000 have gone to first responders , including the Houston Police Foundation , ” Veronica Flores-Paniagua also said in the email .
“ We review our sponsorships and social investments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ serving our communities.
” Exelon said “ a fraction ” of the $ 52 million it donated to nonprofits last year “ went to police departments through small , safety-focused grants for things such as crash investigations , emergency scene safety improvements , K-9 search and rescue operations , and other programs.
” Goldman Sachs said its donations were through a fund managed on behalf of clients and did not come from the firm itself .
But security at fossil fuel sites in the U.S. has become increasingly militarized following the 2016 protests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pipeline under a sacred Indigenous water source on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in South Dakota .
The monthslong standoff , during which security forces brutalized demonstrators , spurred a wave of industry-backed legislation adding new criminal penalties for protesting at industrial sites .
Lawmakers in at least five states have approved new such measures since March of this year .
“ The degree to which any corporation wants the police to be responsive to them obviously is a vested interest , ” Muhammad said .
“ ‘ Will the police be there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our company gates ?
’ is implied in that relationship .
That ’ s implied in the pattern.
” What this report shows is a strong alignment of big capital and police departments that , in urban settings , is very much at loggerheads with the communities they serve .
Javier Morillo , former president of SEIU Local 26 in the Minneapolis area “ It was to police dissent , it was to police protest , it was to police the imperatives of the wealthy , ” Muhammad said .
Industry support for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he added , is “ a remarkable echo with regard to the reliance on policing of one kind or another to protect corporate interests when it comes to how they make their money.
” The role of police unions , too , has received growing scrutiny since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis ignited a national uprising against racism and police violence earlier this summer .
In June , the largest labor group in the Seattle area expelled the city ’ s police union from its ranks and the president of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such a move “ has to be considered ” on the national level .
The council of the Writers Guild of America , East , voted unanimously last month to call on the nation ’ s largest labor federation to disaffiliate from police unions .
( HuffPost ’ s newsroom is unionized through the Writers Guild , but its union committee did not take a formal position on the resolution . )
Police unions and foundations function similarly , as auxiliary entities that bolster police forces but operate outside the restrictions and accountability @ @ @ @ @ @ @ often coordinate efforts .
But the foundations ’ corporate-backed slush funds boost police power in a way “ that ’ s really quite distinct from what a labor union does , ” said Javier Morillo , the former president of SEIU Local 26 , a 6,000-member union for property service workers in the Minneapolis area .

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Black Americans are one and a half times more likely than white Americans to breathe air polluted by burning fossil fuels, three times more likely to die from the lung and heart diseases that such pollutants cause, and six times more likely to be killed by police.
Those figures have more in common than just the victims.
Oil and gas companies, fossil fuel-burning utilities and the banks that fund drilling donate heavily to police departments’ charity foundations, according to a new report published Monday by the anti-corruption watchdog Public Accountability Initiative and the nonprofit research database LittleSis. That money in many cases directly supports the purchase of weapons and gear.
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Oil majors Chevron Corporation and Royal Dutch Shell lavish thousands of dollars in donations on police in Houston and New Orleans each year. Marathon Petroleum, the biggest refinery owner in the U.S., is a notable sponsor of the Detroit Public Safety Foundation’s fundraising events, and the company’s top security official sits on the foundation’s board. Utility giant Exelon backs police foundations in Baltimore, Chicago and Washington, D.C. JPMorgan Chase, the world’s largest financier of fossil fuels, has given millions to police foundations in New York City and New Orleans. In 2018 alone, Goldman Sachs, the world’s 14th-biggest financial backer of fossil fuel, gave $250,000 to the Los Angeles Police Foundation and $15,000 to the New York City Police Foundation’s annual gala.
“The same oil and gas companies, utilities and financiers that are polluting Black and brown communities in pursuit of profit are also funding and making alliances with the police,” said Derek Seidman, a LittleSis researcher and report co-author. “They’re allying and equipping the very apparatus that’s ensuring their uninterrupted profits.”
Private police foundations emerged in the 1970s to supplement funding for big-city forces amid the budget crises stemming from manufacturing decline and white middle-class taxpayers fleeing to the suburbs. Today police departments typically receive 20% to 45% of their city’s discretionary budget. Yet foundations continue as lucrative slush funds for police departments, with little oversight on how the money is spent or which corporate entities donate.
Police use tear gas amid anti-racist protests in Seattle on May 30. JASON REDMOND/AFP via Getty Images
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That secrecy makes it difficult to know which oil, gas and related financial companies gave, how much they gave or how many police foundations received money from the industry. The new report is based on tidbits of information disclosed in companies’ annual charitable giving reports, tax forms and press releases as well as police foundation materials that list sponsors.
“It’s almost impossible to tell because of the lack of oversight around this,” Seidman said.
It’s also hard to tell how long these companies have contributed to police foundations.
In an email, a Chevron spokeswoman said the company gave $5,000 to the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation, “representing less than 1 percent of the local business unit’s social investment budget” for 2019.
“Over the last three years, Chevron has invested over $21.4 million with Houston-area nonprofits focused on education, food and housing security and innovation. Investments of nearly $500,000 have gone to first responders, including the Houston Police Foundation,” Veronica Flores-Paniagua also said in the email. “We review our sponsorships and social investments annually to ensure our commitments are appropriately serving our communities.”
Exelon said “a fraction” of the $52 million it donated to nonprofits last year “went to police departments through small, safety-focused grants for things such as crash investigations, emergency scene safety improvements, K-9 search and rescue operations, and other programs.” Goldman Sachs said its donations were through a fund managed on behalf of clients and did not come from the firm itself.
JPMorgan said it was looking into HuffPost’s questions about donations. The other companies did not respond to requests for comment on Friday.
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Historically, corporate donations to police foundations were “packaged as ‘we’re giving back to the community,’” Heidi Boghosian, an attorney and civil liberties advocate, previously told HuffPost. Her 2013 book, “Spying on Democracy,” examined how private funding helps expand the reach of law enforcement.
But security at fossil fuel sites in the U.S. has become increasingly militarized following the 2016 protests to stop construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline under a sacred Indigenous water source on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in South Dakota. The monthslong standoff, during which security forces brutalized demonstrators, spurred a wave of industry-backed legislation adding new criminal penalties for protesting at industrial sites. Lawmakers in at least five states have approved new such measures since March of this year.
The fact that these companies have continued to donate to police foundations seven years after the Black Lives Matter movement began exposing racist police violence as widespread “feels more intentional and ideological than accidental or innocent,” said Khalil Gibran Muhammad, a professor of history, race and public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School.
“The degree to which any corporation wants the police to be responsive to them obviously is a vested interest,” Muhammad said. “‘Will the police be there for us when they show up at our company gates?’ is implied in that relationship. That’s implied in the pattern.”
“What this report shows is a strong alignment of big capital and police departments that, in urban settings, is very much at loggerheads with the communities they serve.” - Javier Morillo, former president of SEIU Local 26 in the Minneapolis area
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Historically, in the American South, police forces grew out of the gangs that hunted down enslaved Black people who’d escaped captivity. But modern policing took shape in 19th-century Northern cities as security battalions were formed to break up labor strikes at factories and keep order when immigrant and poor communities grew restive.
“It was to police dissent, it was to police protest, it was to police the imperatives of the wealthy,” Muhammad said. Industry support for private police foundations in the 21st century, he added, is “a remarkable echo with regard to the reliance on policing of one kind or another to protect corporate interests when it comes to how they make their money.”
The role of police unions, too, has received growing scrutiny since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis ignited a national uprising against racism and police violence earlier this summer. In June, the largest labor group in the Seattle area expelled the city’s police union from its ranks and the president of the 2-million-member Service Employees International Union said such a move “has to be considered” on the national level. The council of the Writers Guild of America, East, voted unanimously last month to call on the nation’s largest labor federation to disaffiliate from police unions. (HuffPost’s newsroom is unionized through the Writers Guild, but its union committee did not take a formal position on the resolution.)
Police unions and foundations function similarly, as auxiliary entities that bolster police forces but operate outside the restrictions and accountability of a government agency, and they often coordinate efforts. But the foundations’ corporate-backed slush funds boost police power in a way “that’s really quite distinct from what a labor union does,” said Javier Morillo, the former president of SEIU Local 26, a 6,000-member union for property service workers in the Minneapolis area.
“Big corporations are not generally dying to give janitors money other than what they’re paying in wages and benefits,” Morillo said. “What this report shows is a strong alignment of big capital and police departments that, in urban settings, is very much at loggerheads with the communities they serve.”
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-27--First Presidential Debate Moved To Cleveland Over Coronavirus Concerns

The first presidential debate for the 2020 election will now be held in Cleveland after the University of Notre Dame in Indiana withdrew as a host site for the event due to the coronavirus pandemic .
The debate between President Donald Trump and presumably Democratic rival Joe Biden will now be hosted by Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Clinic .
The event is scheduled to take place at the Samson Pavilion on the university ’ s Health Education Campus on Sept. 29 .
The Rev .
John I. Jenkins , president of Notre Dame , announced Monday that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , noting that the health precautions the campus would have to take “ would have greatly diminished the educational value of hosting the debate on our campus.
” “ The inevitable reduction in student attendance in the debate hall , volunteer opportunities and ancillary educational events undermined the primary benefit of hosting — to provide our students with a meaningful opportunity to engage in the American political process , ” Jenkins said in a statement .
“ In the end , the constraints the coronavirus pandemic put on the event — as understandable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ led us to withdraw , ” he added .
Jenkins made the decision after consulting with St. Joseph County deputy health officer Dr. Mark Fox .
The university ’ s board of trustees ’ executive committee gave its unanimous support , according to a news update from the school .
The second presidential debate , set to take place on Oct. 15 , was also moved to a new location this summer .
The University of Michigan dropped out as host in June , and the second debate was moved to Adrienne Arsht @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

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The first presidential debate for the 2020 election will now be held in Cleveland after the University of Notre Dame in Indiana withdrew as a host site for the event due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The debate between President Donald Trump and presumably Democratic rival Joe Biden will now be hosted by Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Clinic. The event is scheduled to take place at the Samson Pavilion on the university’s Health Education Campus on Sept. 29.
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The Rev. John I. Jenkins, president of Notre Dame, announced Monday that the university was withdrawing as the host, noting that the health precautions the campus would have to take “would have greatly diminished the educational value of hosting the debate on our campus.”
“The inevitable reduction in student attendance in the debate hall, volunteer opportunities and ancillary educational events undermined the primary benefit of hosting — to provide our students with a meaningful opportunity to engage in the American political process,” Jenkins said in a statement.
“In the end, the constraints the coronavirus pandemic put on the event — as understandable and necessary as they are — have led us to withdraw,” he added.
Jenkins made the decision after consulting with St. Joseph County deputy health officer Dr. Mark Fox. The university’s board of trustees’ executive committee gave its unanimous support, according to a news update from the school.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-27--California Child Care Workers Win Biggest Union Organizing Election In Years

Roughly 43,000 child care providers will now be able to negotiate with the state over a contract that could impact the funding and training they receive for their work .
The election was the result of a 17-year campaign waged by public-sector unions to pass state legislation allowing these workers to bargain collectively .
The workers , who provide child care to low- and middle-income families generally in home-based businesses , get subsidies from the state .
They are not technically government employees , but Gov .
Gavin Newsom ( D ) signed a law last September granting them the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their reimbursement rates and other working conditions .
After the union vote tally was announced Monday , Miren Algorri , a child care provider in Chula Vista , noted in an online press conference that the win had taken close to two decades .
Many child care providers joined the Zoom call from their in-home classrooms .
“ This feels surreal , ” said Algorri , who is licensed to care for up to 14 children in her house .
“ But we prevailed because that ’ s what we child care providers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t give up ... and we do it because we care.
” As HuffPost reported in February , providers like Algorri hope bargaining with the state can improve their reimbursement rates and working conditions .
Unlike workers in daycare centers , these providers typically work out of their own homes , alone or with one or two assistants , providing care to families who couldn ’ t afford it without state funding .
Zoila Carolina Toma , who works out of her home in Signal Hill , told HuffPost earlier this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other low-wage small-business owners , doing crucial work but struggling to make ends meet .
They receive no sick days and have to find their own health coverage .
“ We ’ re on our own ― completely on our own , ” Toma said at the time .
The organizing campaign , known as Child Care Providers United , was a joint effort between two heavyweight public-sector unions , the Service Employees International Union and the American Federation of State , County and Municipal Employees .
Local affiliates of those two unions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care providers in California .
They said 97 % of the workers who cast ballots favored unionization .
It appears to be the largest unionization election since at least 2011 when the American Federation of Government Employees was chosen to represent some 44,000 Transportation Security Administration employees .
But due to recent Supreme Court rulings , workers who are represented by the new child care union will not be required to support it financially .
That means the organizers must continue a strong recruitment program in order to build paying membership , potentially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ California ’ s labor movement .
Child care experts say low reimbursement rates from the state have exacerbated a shortage of workers in the field .
Supporters of the union effort hope that collective bargaining can raise earnings enough to attract more providers .
The newly unionized workers are predominantly women and people of color , with Latina providers making up about a third of the workforce , according to Child Care Providers United .
Mary Kay Henry , president of the SEIU , said on Monday ’ s press call that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ invest significantly in child care .
Across the country , child care centers have been forced to shut down and many will likely never come back .
But having viable child care options is essential to a full reopening of the economy once the virus is under control .
Without it , many workers ― particularly women ― will be unable to rejoin the labor force .
Now that they have won a union election , the workers will need to bargain over their first contract with the state .
Nancy Harvey , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of her home in Oakland , said she hopes they can obtain “ livable wages , ” an affordable dental plan and some kind of contribution toward retirement .

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Publicly funded child care providers in California have voted overwhelmingly to form a union, marking what organizers believe is the biggest U.S. union organizing election victory in years.
Roughly 43,000 child care providers will now be able to negotiate with the state over a contract that could impact the funding and training they receive for their work. The election was the result of a 17-year campaign waged by public-sector unions to pass state legislation allowing these workers to bargain collectively.
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The workers, who provide child care to low- and middle-income families generally in home-based businesses, get subsidies from the state. They are not technically government employees, but Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a law last September granting them the right to bargain with the state over their reimbursement rates and other working conditions.
After the union vote tally was announced Monday, Miren Algorri, a child care provider in Chula Vista, noted in an online press conference that the win had taken close to two decades. Many child care providers joined the Zoom call from their in-home classrooms.
“This feels surreal,” said Algorri, who is licensed to care for up to 14 children in her house. “But we prevailed because that’s what we child care providers do. We work tirelessly, we don’t give up ... and we do it because we care.”
As HuffPost reported in February, providers like Algorri hope bargaining with the state can improve their reimbursement rates and working conditions. Unlike workers in daycare centers, these providers typically work out of their own homes, alone or with one or two assistants, providing care to families who couldn’t afford it without state funding.
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Zoila Carolina Toma, who works out of her home in Signal Hill, told HuffPost earlier this year that providers like herself operate like other low-wage small-business owners, doing crucial work but struggling to make ends meet. They receive no sick days and have to find their own health coverage. “We’re on our own ― completely on our own,” Toma said at the time.
The organizing campaign, known as Child Care Providers United, was a joint effort between two heavyweight public-sector unions, the Service Employees International Union and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Local affiliates of those two unions will now represent the publicly funded child care providers in California. They said 97% of the workers who cast ballots favored unionization.
“We prevailed because that’s what we child care providers do. We work tirelessly, we don’t give up.” - Miren Algorri, a child care provider in Chula Vista, California
It appears to be the largest unionization election since at least 2011 when the American Federation of Government Employees was chosen to represent some 44,000 Transportation Security Administration employees. But due to recent Supreme Court rulings, workers who are represented by the new child care union will not be required to support it financially. That means the organizers must continue a strong recruitment program in order to build paying membership, potentially bringing tens of thousands of workers into California’s labor movement.
Child care experts say low reimbursement rates from the state have exacerbated a shortage of workers in the field. Supporters of the union effort hope that collective bargaining can raise earnings enough to attract more providers. The newly unionized workers are predominantly women and people of color, with Latina providers making up about a third of the workforce, according to Child Care Providers United.
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Mary Kay Henry, president of the SEIU, said on Monday’s press call that the coronavirus pandemic has underscored the need to invest significantly in child care. Across the country, child care centers have been forced to shut down and many will likely never come back. But having viable child care options is essential to a full reopening of the economy once the virus is under control. Without it, many workers ― particularly women ― will be unable to rejoin the labor force.
“You have just added 43,000 organized voices into a fighting force that’s going to push back on the worst economic and health crisis of our time,” Henry told the providers on Zoom.
Now that they have won a union election, the workers will need to bargain over their first contract with the state. Nancy Harvey, who runs a child care program out of her home in Oakland, said she hopes they can obtain “livable wages,” an affordable dental plan and some kind of contribution toward retirement.