thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-27--Protester Who Hanged Effigy Of Kentucky Governor Fired From Job

An anti-quarantine protester seen hoisting an effigy of Kentucky Gov .
Andy Beshear ( D ) at the state Capitol in Frankfort last weekend has been dismissed from his job .
Frankfort ’ s Neil Huffman Auto Group on Tuesday tweeted that a company employee had been terminated following an internal investigation , noting , “ There is no place for hate or intolerance at any of our dealerships.
” By Wednesday , the Louisville Courier-Journal identified the employee as Terry Bush , president of the Kentucky Three Percenters group .
Though Bush had no comment on the matter , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ newspaper , “ He was fired because this governor is more important than the regular joe out in this state trying to put food on their tables.
” According to the group ’ s website , the Three Percenters are “ committed to standing against and exposing corruption and injustice.
” The Southern Poverty Law Center identifies the anti-government , pro-gun organization as part of the right-wing militia movement .
Patsy Kays Bush said the group was not involved in the creation of the effigy , though her husband helped hang it from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been promoted as a “ Patriot Day 2nd Amendment Rally , ” drawing demonstrators angered by restrictions Beshear implemented to curb the spread of COVID-19 , the disease caused by the coronavirus .
Photographer Gerry Seavo , who covered the protest , said the effigy was brought out by the event ’ s organizer , Ben Kennedy .
“ It was eerie to me because as an African American , there ’ s these intergenerational trauma triggers , ” he told HuffPost .
“ It ’ s a lynching .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my mind and I thought , ‘ What am I doing here ?
’ ” The act was lambasted by Beshear , who called it a “ celebration of assassination on our capitol grounds.
” “ Doing this in front of our Capitol , just a short walk from where the Governor , First Lady , and their two young children live , is an act that reeks of hate and intimidation and does nothing but undermine our leading work to battle this deadly disease and restore our economy safely , ” Kentucky @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

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An anti-quarantine protester seen hoisting an effigy of Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) at the state Capitol in Frankfort last weekend has been dismissed from his job.
Frankfort’s Neil Huffman Auto Group on Tuesday tweeted that a company employee had been terminated following an internal investigation, noting, “There is no place for hate or intolerance at any of our dealerships.”
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By Wednesday, the Louisville Courier-Journal identified the employee as Terry Bush, president of the Kentucky Three Percenters group.
A statement from Neil Huffman Auto Group on May 26, 2020. pic.twitter.com/SkElCl0KhH — Huffman Chevy Buick GMC of Frankfort (@NeilHuffmanGM1) May 26, 2020
Though Bush had no comment on the matter, his wife Patsy Kays Bush told the newspaper, “He was fired because this governor is more important than the regular joe out in this state trying to put food on their tables.”
According to the group’s website, the Three Percenters are “committed to standing against and exposing corruption and injustice.” The Southern Poverty Law Center identifies the anti-government, pro-gun organization as part of the right-wing militia movement.
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Patsy Kays Bush said the group was not involved in the creation of the effigy, though her husband helped hang it from a tree.
Sunday’s protest had been promoted as a “Patriot Day 2nd Amendment Rally,” drawing demonstrators angered by restrictions Beshear implemented to curb the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Photographer Gerry Seavo, who covered the protest, said the effigy was brought out by the event’s organizer, Ben Kennedy.
“It was eerie to me because as an African American, there’s these intergenerational trauma triggers,” he told HuffPost. “It’s a lynching. It’s a lynching. That popped into my mind and I thought, ‘What am I doing here?’”
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The act was lambasted by Beshear, who called it a “celebration of assassination on our capitol grounds.”
Lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle felt similarly.
“Doing this in front of our Capitol, just a short walk from where the Governor, First Lady, and their two young children live, is an act that reeks of hate and intimidation and does nothing but undermine our leading work to battle this deadly disease and restore our economy safely,” Kentucky state House Democrats said in a statement.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-27--Trump Threatens Twitter After Presidential Tweets Get Fact Check

WASHINGTON ( AP ) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened social media companies with new regulation or even shuttering a day after Twitter added fact checks to two of his tweets .
The president can ’ t unilaterally regulate or close the companies , which would require action by Congress or the Federal Communications Commission .
But that didn ’ t stop Trump from angrily issuing a strong warning .
Claiming tech giants “ silence conservative voices , ” Trump tweeted , “ We will strongly regulate , or close them down , before we can ever allow this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Media Platforms totally silence conservatives voices .
We will strongly regulate , or close them down , before we can ever allow this to happen .
We saw what they attempted to do , and failed , in 2016 .
We can ’ t let a more sophisticated version of that ... .
— Donald J. Trump ( @ realDonaldTrump ) May 27 , 2020 ... .happen again .
Just like we can ’ t let large scale Mail-In Ballots take root in our Country .
It would be a free for all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Ballots .
Whoever cheated the most would win .
Likewise , Social Media .
Clean up your act , NOW !
!
!
!
— Donald J. Trump ( @ realDonaldTrump ) May 27 , 2020 Twitter has now shown that everything we have been saying about them ( and their other compatriots ) is correct .
Big action to follow !
— Donald J. Trump ( @ realDonaldTrump ) May 27 , 2020 And he repeated his unsubstantiated claim — which sparked his latest showdown with Silicon Valley — that expanding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for all on cheating , forgery and the theft of Ballots.
” Trump and his campaign angrily lashed out Tuesday after Twitter added a warning phrase to two Trump tweets that called mail-in ballots “ fraudulent ” and predicted that “ mail boxes will be robbed , ” among other things .
Under the tweets , there is now a link reading “ Get the facts about mail-in ballots ” that guides users to a Twitter “ moments ” page with fact checks and news stories about Trump ’ s unsubstantiated claims .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ platform of “ interfering in the 2020 Presidential Election ” and insisting that “ as president , I will not allow this to happen.
” His 2020 campaign manager , Brad Parscale , said Twitter ’ s “ clear political bias ” had led the campaign to pull “ all our advertising from Twitter months ago.
” Twitter has banned all political advertising since last November .
Trump did not explain his threat Wednesday , and the call to expand regulation appeared to fly in the face of long-held conservative principles on deregulation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have alleged bias on the part of tech companies , have questioned whether platforms like Twitter and Facebook should continue to enjoy liability protections as “ platforms ” under federal law — or be treated more like publishers , which could face lawsuits over content .
The protections have been credited with allowing the unfettered growth of the internet for more than two decades , but now some Trump allies are advocating that social media companies face more scrutiny .
“ Big tech gets a huge handout from the federal government , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ They get this special immunity , this special immunity from suits and from liability that ’ s worth billions of dollars to them every year .
Why are they getting subsidized by federal taxpayers to censor conservatives , to censor people critical of China .
”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened social media companies with new regulation or even shuttering a day after Twitter added fact checks to two of his tweets.
The president can’t unilaterally regulate or close the companies, which would require action by Congress or the Federal Communications Commission. But that didn’t stop Trump from angrily issuing a strong warning.
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Claiming tech giants “silence conservative voices,” Trump tweeted, “We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen.”
Republicans feel that Social Media Platforms totally silence conservatives voices. We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen. We saw what they attempted to do, and failed, in 2016. We can’t let a more sophisticated version of that.... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 27, 2020
....happen again. Just like we can’t let large scale Mail-In Ballots take root in our Country. It would be a free for all on cheating, forgery and the theft of Ballots. Whoever cheated the most would win. Likewise, Social Media. Clean up your act, NOW!!!! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 27, 2020
Twitter has now shown that everything we have been saying about them (and their other compatriots) is correct. Big action to follow! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 27, 2020
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And he repeated his unsubstantiated claim — which sparked his latest showdown with Silicon Valley — that expanding mail-in voting “would be a free for all on cheating, forgery and the theft of Ballots.”
Trump and his campaign angrily lashed out Tuesday after Twitter added a warning phrase to two Trump tweets that called mail-in ballots “fraudulent” and predicted that “mail boxes will be robbed,” among other things. Under the tweets, there is now a link reading “Get the facts about mail-in ballots” that guides users to a Twitter “moments” page with fact checks and news stories about Trump’s unsubstantiated claims.
Trump replied on Twitter, accusing the platform of “interfering in the 2020 Presidential Election” and insisting that “as president, I will not allow this to happen.” His 2020 campaign manager, Brad Parscale, said Twitter’s “clear political bias” had led the campaign to pull “all our advertising from Twitter months ago.” Twitter has banned all political advertising since last November.
Trump did not explain his threat Wednesday, and the call to expand regulation appeared to fly in the face of long-held conservative principles on deregulation.
But some Trump allies, who have alleged bias on the part of tech companies, have questioned whether platforms like Twitter and Facebook should continue to enjoy liability protections as “platforms” under federal law — or be treated more like publishers, which could face lawsuits over content.
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The protections have been credited with allowing the unfettered growth of the internet for more than two decades, but now some Trump allies are advocating that social media companies face more scrutiny.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-27--Christian Cooper Urges An End To Threats Targeting White Woman Who Accosted Him

Christian Cooper wants others to show the type of grace to Amy Cooper that she didn ’ t want to give to him Monday morning in Central Park .
As documented in a now-famed viral video , the 41-year-old white woman called police on the 57-year-old Black birdwatcher after he asked her to put a leash on her dog in an area where such restraints are required .
On the call , Amy Cooper said “ an African American man in Central Park ... is recording me and threatened myself and my dog.
” She continued , “ Please send @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the encounter went viral on social media , Amy Cooper voluntarily gave her dog back to the group she had adopted it from and then was fired from her job at Franklin Templeton , an asset management firm .
Her employers said the company does not “ tolerate racism of any kind.
” She also has been targeted with a barrage of criticism and attacks , including death threats .
Christian Cooper told CNN ’ s Don Lemon on Tuesday that he didn ’ t want to make a situation worse and said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actions , people should remain civil .
“ I am told there has been death threats and that is wholly inappropriate and abhorrent and should stop immediately , ” he said .
“ I find it strange that people who were upset that ... that she tried to bring death by cop down on my head , would then turn around and try to put death threats on her head .
Where is the logic in that ?
Amy Cooper apologized to Christian Cooper in a public statement , saying she “ reacted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intentions when , in fact , I was the one who was acting inappropriately by not having my dog on a leash.
” “ I am well aware of the pain that misassumptions and insensitive statements about race cause and would never have imagined that I would be involved in the type of incident that occurred with Chris.
” Cooper , in his comments on CNN , said that though he viewed her actions as “ definitely racist , ” he did “ think her apology is sincere.
” “ I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recognizes that while she may not be or consider herself a racist , that particular act was definitely racist.
” “ And the fact that that was her recourse at that moment ― granted , it was a stressful situation , a sudden situation ― you know , maybe a moment of spectacularly poor judgment .
But she went there and had this racist act that she did .
”

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Christian Cooper wants others to show the type of grace to Amy Cooper that she didn’t want to give to him Monday morning in Central Park.
As documented in a now-famed viral video, the 41-year-old white woman called police on the 57-year-old Black birdwatcher after he asked her to put a leash on her dog in an area where such restraints are required.
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On the call, Amy Cooper said “an African American man in Central Park ... is recording me and threatened myself and my dog.” She continued, “Please send a cop! Immediately!”
After the encounter went viral on social media, Amy Cooper voluntarily gave her dog back to the group she had adopted it from and then was fired from her job at Franklin Templeton, an asset management firm. Her employers said the company does not “tolerate racism of any kind.”
She also has been targeted with a barrage of criticism and attacks, including death threats.
Christian Cooper told CNN’s Don Lemon on Tuesday that he didn’t want to make a situation worse and said as offensive as the woman’s actions, people should remain civil.
“I am told there has been death threats and that is wholly inappropriate and abhorrent and should stop immediately,” he said. “I find it strange that people who were upset that ... that she tried to bring death by cop down on my head, would then turn around and try to put death threats on her head. Where is the logic in that?
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Amy Cooper apologized to Christian Cooper in a public statement, saying she “reacted emotionally and made false assumptions about his intentions when, in fact, I was the one who was acting inappropriately by not having my dog on a leash.”
She added:
“I am well aware of the pain that misassumptions and insensitive statements about race cause and would never have imagined that I would be involved in the type of incident that occurred with Chris.”
Cooper, in his comments on CNN, said that though he viewed her actions as “definitely racist,” he did “think her apology is sincere.”
He said:
“I’m not sure that in that apology she recognizes that while she may not be or consider herself a racist, that particular act was definitely racist.” “And the fact that that was her recourse at that moment ― granted, it was a stressful situation, a sudden situation ― you know, maybe a moment of spectacularly poor judgment. But she went there and had this racist act that she did.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-27--More Than 100,000 People Have Now Died From COVID-19 In The U.S.

The development falls in line with a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention projection in mid-May that the U.S. would reach that milestone by June 1 .
Three New York City counties with a combined total of more than 13,000 deaths round out the top of JHU ’ s list .
The U.S. continues to have the greatest coronavirus death toll of any country in the world — around triple that of the United Kingdom , which ranks second in total deaths .
Though the U.S. ranks ninth in deaths per capita , varying methodology between countries may obscure the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported the greatest mortality rate , is including all deaths suspected of being linked to the COVID-19 in its tally , regardless of whether the deceased patient was tested for the virus .
Less than four months ago , President Donald Trump baselessly claimed that the coronavirus ― then concentrated in China ’ s Wuhan province ― would probably disappear “ in April as the heat comes in.
” Infectious disease experts warned him not to be so sure .
Nearly 59,000 Americans died from COVID-19 during the month of April alone .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the U.S. death toll upward as the pandemic sweeps the country , an act that ’ s allowed him to boast of the job he ’ s doing regardless of how bad things get .
A New York Times analysis of all Trump ’ s public comments on the pandemic from March 9 to April 17 found that he congratulated himself on the U.S. response to coronavirus roughly 600 times .
He rarely expresses any empathy for the victims but dedicates lots of time to attacking his critics .
The U.S. would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had it acted earlier , one analysis concluded .
A recent Columbia University study found that if the country had put broad social distancing measures in place just a week earlier than it did in March , roughly 36,000 deaths could have been prevented .
The Trump administration is under more fire than ever for brushing off the advice of medical experts early on before the disease began spreading on U.S. soil .
Rick Bright , the recently ousted government vaccine official , testified before Congress this month that he “ pushed for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China and to secure more funding ... to get started quickly on the development of critical medical countermeasures , ” only to be fired from his job .
The 100,000 deaths milestone comes as Trump , public health officials and state leaders remain divided on how quickly to reopen the economy .
While some governors have heeded advice from infectious disease experts and are taking a slower approach to reopening their states , others have resumed more normal business operations with encouragement from Trump .

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The confirmed COVID-19 death toll in the United States has surpassed 100,000, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
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The development falls in line with a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention projection in mid-May that the U.S. would reach that milestone by June 1.
Three New York City counties with a combined total of more than 13,000 deaths round out the top of JHU’s list.
The U.S. continues to have the greatest coronavirus death toll of any country in the world — around triple that of the United Kingdom, which ranks second in total deaths.
Though the U.S. ranks ninth in deaths per capita, varying methodology between countries may obscure the real picture. Belgium, which has reported the greatest mortality rate, is including all deaths suspected of being linked to the COVID-19 in its tally, regardless of whether the deceased patient was tested for the virus.
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Less than four months ago, President Donald Trump baselessly claimed that the coronavirus ― then concentrated in China’s Wuhan province ― would probably disappear “in April as the heat comes in.” Infectious disease experts warned him not to be so sure. Nearly 59,000 Americans died from COVID-19 during the month of April alone.
Workers move a deceased coronavirus patient in New Jersey. Mike Segar / Reuters
The president has repeatedly revised his predictions of the U.S. death toll upward as the pandemic sweeps the country, an act that’s allowed him to boast of the job he’s doing regardless of how bad things get. A New York Times analysis of all Trump’s public comments on the pandemic from March 9 to April 17 found that he congratulated himself on the U.S. response to coronavirus roughly 600 times. He rarely expresses any empathy for the victims but dedicates lots of time to attacking his critics.
The U.S. would not be hitting 100,000 deaths this soon had it acted earlier, one analysis concluded. A recent Columbia University study found that if the country had put broad social distancing measures in place just a week earlier than it did in March, roughly 36,000 deaths could have been prevented.
The Trump administration is under more fire than ever for brushing off the advice of medical experts early on before the disease began spreading on U.S. soil. Rick Bright, the recently ousted government vaccine official, testified before Congress this month that he “pushed for our government to obtain virus samples from China and to secure more funding ... to get started quickly on the development of critical medical countermeasures,” only to be fired from his job.
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The 100,000 deaths milestone comes as Trump, public health officials and state leaders remain divided on how quickly to reopen the economy. While some governors have heeded advice from infectious disease experts and are taking a slower approach to reopening their states, others have resumed more normal business operations with encouragement from Trump.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-27--Mitt Romney Calls On Trump To Stop Pushing Baseless Theory On Dead Intern

Mitt Romney is joining calls for President Donald Trump to quit pushing an unsubstantiated conspiracy theory about the woman who died nearly two decades ago while working for Joe Scarborough , former U.S. congressman from Florida and current MSNBC host .
“ I know Joe Scarborough .
Joe is a friend of mine .
I don ’ t know T.J. Klausutis , ” the Republican senator from Utah wrote in a Wednesday morning tweet , referencing the deceased woman ’ s husband .
“ Joe can weather vile , baseless accusations but T.J. ?
His heart is breaking .
Enough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commander in chief of this nation .
It ’ s causing great pain to the family of the young woman who died , so I would urge him to stop it , ” she said .
Klausutis ’ wife , Lori Kaye Klausutis , had an undiagnosed heart condition that led to her 2001 death at age 28 .
She fell and hit her head on a desk at Scarborough ’ s Florida office and was found the next morning .
Trump has repeatedly characterized the accident as a “ cold case , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anyone else was culpable .
On May 12 , he tweeted : “ When will they open a Cold Case on the Psycho Joe Scarborough matter in Florida .
Did he get away with murder ?
Some people think so.
” Trump doubled down on the conspiracy theory during a Tuesday afternoon press conference , falsely claiming the woman ’ s family wanted to “ get to the bottom of it.
” A medical examiner determined that “ there is no doubt that the head injury is as a result of a fall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the head by a moving object , ” citing the specific injuries she had sustained .
“ I ’ m a research engineer and not a lawyer , but I ’ ve reviewed all of Twitter ’ s rules and terms of service , ” Klausutis wrote to Dorsey .
“ The President ’ s tweet that suggests that Lori was murdered — without evidence ( and contrary to the official autopsy ) — is a violation of Twitter ’ s community rules and terms of service .
An ordinary user like me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such a tweet but I am only asking that these tweets be removed.
” Trump ’ s relentless theorizing has added to the family ’ s suffering , Klausutis said , writing that his wife ’ s sudden death is “ the single most painful thing that I have ever had to deal with in my 52 years and continues to haunt her parents and sister.
” Twitter , which has long ignored criticism about allowing many of Trump ’ s tweets to stand in apparent violation of its code of conduct , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kaye Klausutis .
On Tuesday evening , however , the company tagged misinformation in unrelated tweets posted by Trump ― for the first time ever .
( Those tweets had to do with mail-in voting .
The president has noted his displeasure . )
Both Scarborough and his “ Morning Joe ” co-host , Mika Brzezinski , are outspoken critics of Trump , who has clashed with them repeatedly since the 2016 election .
Trump defended his baseless commentary about the former congressman later on Tuesday , writing , “ The opening of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was not a Donald Trump original thought , this has been going on for years , long before I joined the chorus.
” “ What a little man .
He ’ s just a little man .
He ’ s the leader of the free world , and he is a little , little man , ” Cooper said .
“ A self-proclaimed wartime leader — a leader in the midst , he says , of a transition to greatness for the country ― spreading falsehoods about a dead woman , despite the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and family and doesn ’ t have the guts to say he doesn ’ t care about what they think .
”

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Mitt Romney is joining calls for President Donald Trump to quit pushing an unsubstantiated conspiracy theory about the woman who died nearly two decades ago while working for Joe Scarborough, former U.S. congressman from Florida and current MSNBC host.
“I know Joe Scarborough. Joe is a friend of mine. I don’t know T.J. Klausutis,” the Republican senator from Utah wrote in a Wednesday morning tweet, referencing the deceased woman’s husband. “Joe can weather vile, baseless accusations but T.J.? His heart is breaking. Enough already.”
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Another Republican lawmaker, Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, expressed agreement in an unprompted exchange with reporters.
“He’s the commander in chief of this nation. It’s causing great pain to the family of the young woman who died, so I would urge him to stop it,” she said.
I know Joe Scarborough. Joe is a friend of mine. I don't know T.J. Klausutis. Joe can weather vile, baseless accusations but T.J.? His heart is breaking. Enough already. — Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) May 27, 2020
Timothy Klausutis has pleaded with Twitter to remove the president’s ugly tweets about his family’s loss, saying, “My wife deserves better.”
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Klausutis’ wife, Lori Kaye Klausutis, had an undiagnosed heart condition that led to her 2001 death at age 28. She fell and hit her head on a desk at Scarborough’s Florida office and was found the next morning.
Trump has repeatedly characterized the accident as a “cold case,” despite any evidence suggesting Scarborough or anyone else was culpable. On May 12, he tweeted: “When will they open a Cold Case on the Psycho Joe Scarborough matter in Florida. Did he get away with murder? Some people think so.” Trump doubled down on the conspiracy theory during a Tuesday afternoon press conference, falsely claiming the woman’s family wanted to “get to the bottom of it.”
A medical examiner determined that “there is no doubt that the head injury is as a result of a fall rather than a blow being delivered to the head by a moving object,” citing the specific injuries she had sustained.
Joe Scarborough (right) and Mika Brzezinski (left) are outspoken critics of Trump. Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
Last week, Timothy Klausutis sent a letter to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, asking Dorsey to remove Trump’s tweets. New York Times technology columnist Kara Swisher obtained and published a copy of it on Tuesday.
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“I’m a research engineer and not a lawyer, but I’ve reviewed all of Twitter’s rules and terms of service,” Klausutis wrote to Dorsey. “The President’s tweet that suggests that Lori was murdered — without evidence (and contrary to the official autopsy) — is a violation of Twitter’s community rules and terms of service. An ordinary user like me would be banished from the platform for such a tweet but I am only asking that these tweets be removed.”
Trump’s relentless theorizing has added to the family’s suffering, Klausutis said, writing that his wife’s sudden death is “the single most painful thing that I have ever had to deal with in my 52 years and continues to haunt her parents and sister.”
Twitter, which has long ignored criticism about allowing many of Trump’s tweets to stand in apparent violation of its code of conduct, declined to remove the tweets about Lori Kaye Klausutis. On Tuesday evening, however, the company tagged misinformation in unrelated tweets posted by Trump ― for the first time ever. (Those tweets had to do with mail-in voting. The president has noted his displeasure.)
Both Scarborough and his “Morning Joe” co-host, Mika Brzezinski, are outspoken critics of Trump, who has clashed with them repeatedly since the 2016 election.
Trump defended his baseless commentary about the former congressman later on Tuesday, writing, “The opening of a Cold Case against Psycho Joe Scarborough was not a Donald Trump original thought, this has been going on for years, long before I joined the chorus.”
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The episode prompted CNN anchor Anderson Cooper to tear into the president Tuesday night.
“What a little man. He’s just a little man. He’s the leader of the free world, and he is a little, little man,” Cooper said. “A self-proclaimed wartime leader — a leader in the midst, he says, of a transition to greatness for the country ― spreading falsehoods about a dead woman, despite the pain and the pleas of her husband and family and doesn’t have the guts to say he doesn’t care about what they think.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-27--The Coming Battle Over That Extra $600 In Unemployment Benefits

When lawmakers added $ 600 per week to unemployment benefits in March , it was a lifeline to the millions of workers who had been laid off — and would be laid off — due to the coronavirus pandemic .
Now , with the extra money set to expire in July and the pandemic far from over , there are real questions whether Congress will extend those federal dollars — and how hard Democrats are willing to fight Republicans who are seemingly dead-set against it .
Grothman added that , when the House voted on the bill , many Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 600 would mean some workers receive more in unemployment than they earned at their jobs .
He predicted Republicans would push back forcefully against an extension of those benefits .
Senate Republican leaders and the Trump administration agreed with Democrats on the $ 600 as part of a roughly $ 2 trillion package of coronavirus relief measures in March .
Democrats pushed for full wage replacement for anyone who lost their job .
The administration argued it would be too tricky for states to calculate exact wage replacements , so it settled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every week to the unemployment checks paid by states .
The sum is roughly the difference between the average wage and the average weekly unemployment payment .
With an extra $ 600 on top of the unemployment benefits that states already pay , millions of workers have been able to ride out the pandemic at home ― which is what public health experts have recommended to slow the spread of the virus .
While the expanded benefits have helped individual families , Democrats view them as a key public health measure as well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House Ways and Means Committee .
“ It allows workers to follow individual and community medical orders during the pandemic , ” this Democratic aide said .
Rather than promote public health , Republicans feel they ’ ve only discouraged work , because so many people can earn more , the same , or only slightly less by just collecting unemployment .
Republicans want to force people back to their jobs , reopening the economy , the virus be damned .
When House Democrats passed their latest round of coronavirus economic relief in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Act — they extended the $ 600 unemployment benefits through the end of the year .
It was just one part of a sprawling bill that also included hazard pay for essential workers and another round of stimulus payments for most households .
If Democrats can ’ t cajole Republicans into another economic relief bill before the end of July , the looming expiration of the extra $ 600 will likely add significant pressure .
That amount seems to be a nonstarter with Republicans , whose support is needed to get a bill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump .
It ’ s possible , however , that lawmakers could compromise on a lower sum .
“ It ’ s important for Democrats to understand the Republican argument that there are a handful of people who are making more at home and don ’ t want to go back to their jobs where they make less money , ” Beyer said .
“ The notion with stepping it down was to create some political goodwill across the ideological spectrum for the automatic stabilizers , ” Beyer said , adding that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a top priority after making sure state and local governments can avoid massive layoffs .
Republicans have been generally noncommittal about another economic relief bill .
A spokesperson for Senate Finance Committee Chair Chuck Grassley ( R-Iowa ) said that it ’ s too early to predict economic conditions come July , but that committee members “ have heard from employers that the beefed up unemployment payments can be a disincentive for hiring.
” Republicans have been grumbling about the benefits even as the state-federal unemployment system struggles with the basic task @ @ @ @ @ @ @ owed .
That ’ s due partly to an unprecedented surge in claims , with nearly 40 million Americans applying for benefits within the past few months .
When people do receive the money , however , it can be a lifesaver .
In March , she got laid off from her maintenance job at a fast food franchise in Fresno , California .
She applied for unemployment , but it took a month for the claim to go through .

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When lawmakers added $600 per week to unemployment benefits in March, it was a lifeline to the millions of workers who had been laid off — and would be laid off — due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Now, with the extra money set to expire in July and the pandemic far from over, there are real questions whether Congress will extend those federal dollars — and how hard Democrats are willing to fight Republicans who are seemingly dead-set against it.
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“You cannot operate an economy when you’re going to pay people more to not work than to work,” Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) told HuffPost, echoing the complaint of Senate Republicans who voted unsuccessfully to cut the extra $600 from the March relief bill.
Grothman added that, when the House voted on the bill, many Republicans may have been unaware that the extra $600 would mean some workers receive more in unemployment than they earned at their jobs. He predicted Republicans would push back forcefully against an extension of those benefits.
Senate Republican leaders and the Trump administration agreed with Democrats on the $600 as part of a roughly $2 trillion package of coronavirus relief measures in March. Democrats pushed for full wage replacement for anyone who lost their job. The administration argued it would be too tricky for states to calculate exact wage replacements, so it settled on adding $600 in federal money every week to the unemployment checks paid by states. The sum is roughly the difference between the average wage and the average weekly unemployment payment.
With an extra $600 on top of the unemployment benefits that states already pay, millions of workers have been able to ride out the pandemic at home ― which is what public health experts have recommended to slow the spread of the virus.
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While the expanded benefits have helped individual families, Democrats view them as a key public health measure as well, according to a spokesperson for the House Ways and Means Committee. “It allows workers to follow individual and community medical orders during the pandemic,” this Democratic aide said.
But the $600 benefit has left some businesses, now eager to reopen, without workers willing to risk getting sick for low wages.
Rather than promote public health, Republicans feel they’ve only discouraged work, because so many people can earn more, the same, or only slightly less by just collecting unemployment. Republicans want to force people back to their jobs, reopening the economy, the virus be damned.
In fact, in some states, Republican governors are cutting benefits to anyone who won’t return to their previous job, regardless of whether it’s safe.
When House Democrats passed their latest round of coronavirus economic relief in May — the $3 trillion HEROES Act — they extended the $600 unemployment benefits through the end of the year. It was just one part of a sprawling bill that also included hazard pay for essential workers and another round of stimulus payments for most households.
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The hazard pay proposal would give grocery store and public safety workers an extra $13 per hour ― a way to make work more rewarding than receiving unemployment benefits.
If Democrats can’t cajole Republicans into another economic relief bill before the end of July, the looming expiration of the extra $600 will likely add significant pressure. That amount seems to be a nonstarter with Republicans, whose support is needed to get a bill through the Senate and signed by President Donald Trump. It’s possible, however, that lawmakers could compromise on a lower sum.
In an earlier proposal to extend the benefits past July, Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), a Ways and Means member, suggested phasing down the weekly amount as conditions improve.
“It’s important for Democrats to understand the Republican argument that there are a handful of people who are making more at home and don’t want to go back to their jobs where they make less money,” Beyer said.
A key element of Beyer’s proposal was that extra benefits would be reduced automatically according to specific metrics, such as unemployment rates and social distancing guidelines under the formal national emergency declaration.
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“The notion with stepping it down was to create some political goodwill across the ideological spectrum for the automatic stabilizers,” Beyer said, adding that preserving some form of extra unemployment compensation is a top priority after making sure state and local governments can avoid massive layoffs.
Grothman seemed open to the idea of a lower number. ”Maybe $200,” he said.
Republicans have been generally noncommittal about another economic relief bill. A spokesperson for Senate Finance Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said that it’s too early to predict economic conditions come July, but that committee members “have heard from employers that the beefed up unemployment payments can be a disincentive for hiring.”
Republicans have been grumbling about the benefits even as the state-federal unemployment system struggles with the basic task of paying people what they’re owed. That’s due partly to an unprecedented surge in claims, with nearly 40 million Americans applying for benefits within the past few months. When people do receive the money, however, it can be a lifesaver.
Just take the story of Marie Ramirez.
In March, she got laid off from her maintenance job at a fast food franchise in Fresno, California. She applied for unemployment, but it took a month for the claim to go through.
“Every time I tried to reach out it would say the system is not working,” she said. “I just kept on it.”
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Ramirez, 55, said she called her mortgage lender and asked for forbearance. She fell behind on her car insurance payments.
“I was starting to panic. How am I going to pay my bills? How am I going to pay my house payment?”
But then she got paid. Ramirez said she received a lump sum for weeks she’d missed ― more than $2,000 altogether. She paid her car insurance and even made the mortgage payments that weren’t due until July because of the forbearance plan.
She said her employer called her back to work earlier this month, then furloughed her again after one of her co-workers got sick.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-27--Guy Who Suggested Injecting Lysol Is Trying To Make Opponent’s Gaffes A Big Deal

ASSOCIATED PRESS Trump ’ s attacks against his opponents appeared to work for him in the 2016 primary and general election , but it is unclear whether attacking Biden for his verbal slips is helping Trump or having the opposite effect .
The strategy is obvious , said David Axelrod , who led former President Barack Obama ’ s 2008 campaign .
“ He can ’ t win a referendum on his own performance and so he has to try and disqualify Biden , ” he said .
“ And his fundamental argument appears to be that Biden lacks the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country and restore the economy.
” Trump campaign officials would not respond to queries about their efforts to question Biden ’ s mental fitness , which has been a major component of their overall attack against the former vice president ever since Trump himself recycled the “ Sleepy Joe ” insult he had originally used against former Indiana Sen. Joe Donnelly .
On April 28 , the Trump campaign ’ s rapid response director Matt Wolking posted a video clip of Biden ’ s interview with a Miami television station in which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s business dealings [ in China ] were not anything what everybody that he ’ s talking about , not even remotely.
” Wolking added the comment : “ I ’ ve watched this approximately 15 times now and it cracks me up every .
single .
time.
” “ So , supposing we hit the body with a tremendous — whether it ’ s ultraviolet or just very powerful light — and I think you said that that hasn ’ t been checked , but you ’ re going to test it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you brought the light inside the body , which you can do either through the skin or in some other way , ” Trump said .
“ And then I see the disinfectant , where it knocks it out in a minute .
One minute .
And is there a way we can do something like that , by injection inside or almost a cleaning .
Because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs.
” The next day , he stated : “ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the contagion is so contagious , nobody ’ s ever seen anything like this where large groups of people all of a sudden have it just by being in the presence of somebody who has it .
The flu has never been like that.
” On May 8 , he expressed surprise at how a medical test might show different results at different times .
“ Katie , she tested very good for a long period of time and then all of the sudden today she tested positive , ” Trump said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is why the whole concept of tests aren ’ t necessarily great.
” Trump ’ s misstatements , of course , began long before the coronavirus outbreak .
He has repeatedly claimed his father was born in Germany , when in fact it was his paternal grandfather .
He called the CEO of Apple “ Tim Apple ” during a White House meeting , rather than Tim Cook , and then spent days claiming he had not made a mistake but was just using shorthand .
Another time , he appeared unable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ correctly , continually pronouncing it “ oranges.
” He has claimed that wind turbines cause cancer and that the F-35 fighter plane is literally invisible , when in fact it is merely difficult to see on radar .
Related reports of Trump ’ s inability to focus or understand details about topics even led him to take an Alzheimer ’ s screening test during his 2018 physical exam , which he then claimed he had aced with a perfect score .
The White House did not mention Trump retaking that screening at his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sudden , unexplained visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in November .
Rick Tyler , a Republican political consultant who worked on Texas Sen. Ted Cruz ’ s presidential campaign in 2016 , said medical tests are not necessary to see what ’ s plainly visible each time Trump speaks .
“ Trump is not only in physical decline , which is obvious , he is in mental decline .
He ’ s not sharp .
He gets details wrong , ” Tyler said .
George Conway , the husband of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and himself a prominent Trump critic , said the president ’ s attacks on Biden ’ s mental acuity should not be considered a strategy because Trump is not capable of one .
“ I wouldn ’ t call it a tactic .
He lies and projects because that ’ s what narcissistic psychopaths do , ” Conway said .
“ Fish swim , dogs bark , and Trump lies and projects.
” Indeed , that Trump “ projects ” his own failings on his rivals and critics has been a widespread observation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign schedule of any of the Republican candidates running in 2016 , Trump called former Florida Gov .
Jeb Bush — known for his 16-hour workdays — “ low energy.
” Despite running a charity that enriched himself and facing numerous lawsuits for fraud , Trump called Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton “ crooked.
” And despite near-daily dishonesties on matters large and small , Trump called Cruz “ Lying Ted.
” Cruz addressed that himself the day he ended his presidential candidacy in 2016 .
“ Whatever he does , he accuses everyone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in an extended critique .
“ This man is a pathological liar , he doesn ’ t know the difference between truth and lies .
...
In a pattern that is straight out of a psychology textbook , his response is to accuse everyone else of lying .
”

Trump’s attacks against his opponents appeared to work for him in the 2016 primary and general election, but it is unclear whether attacking Biden for his verbal slips is helping Trump or having the opposite effect. ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON – Less than six months from Election Day, the Trump campaign is deeply concerned that the president of the United States next year could be suffering from dementia.
No, not the 73-year-old who confuses his father and his grandfather, claims his actions during the pandemic have saved “billions” of Americans and even suggested people should inject themselves with disinfectants to cure the coronavirus.
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It’s the other guy, 77-year-old presumed Democratic nominee Joe Biden, whose gaffes and verbal miscues are apparently proof that he is not mentally fit to occupy the nation’s highest office.
“I don’t think he remembers what he did yesterday,” Trump said of Biden in a recent interview with Sinclair Broadcasting. “He’s not mentally sharp enough to be president.”
The strategy is obvious, said David Axelrod, who led former President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign. “He can’t win a referendum on his own performance and so he has to try and disqualify Biden,” he said. “And his fundamental argument appears to be that Biden lacks the mental acuity and physical stamina to lead the country and restore the economy.”
Biden, for his part, has laughed off the suggestion that he has “lost a step.” In a CNN interview Tuesday, Biden turned the question back toward Trump: “Talk about a guy who’s missing a step. He’s missing something.”
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Trump campaign officials would not respond to queries about their efforts to question Biden’s mental fitness, which has been a major component of their overall attack against the former vice president ever since Trump himself recycled the “Sleepy Joe” insult he had originally used against former Indiana Sen. Joe Donnelly.
“He can’t win a referendum on his own performance and so he has to try and disqualify Biden.” - David Axelrod, leader of Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign
On May 15, Trump campaign staffer Abigail Marone ridiculed Biden’s interview on Snapchat in a press release. “He can barely get through an appearance without getting lost or telling people not to vote for him,” she wrote.
On April 28, the Trump campaign’s rapid response director Matt Wolking posted a video clip of Biden’s interview with a Miami television station in which he states: “My son’s business dealings [in China] were not anything what everybody that he’s talking about, not even remotely.” Wolking added the comment: “I’ve watched this approximately 15 times now and it cracks me up every. single. time.”
In an April 23 interview on Fox News, Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale called Biden a “gaffe machine” and claimed he couldn’t remember when the Sept. 11 attacks had taken place. “We almost can’t decide what gaffes to put up every day, there are so many of them,” Parscale said.
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As it happens, April 23 was also the day of Trump’s infamous soliloquy from the White House briefing room in which he suggested that injecting disinfectants and inserting lights into a COVID-19 patient might cure the disease.
“So, supposing we hit the body with a tremendous — whether it’s ultraviolet or just very powerful light — and I think you said that that hasn’t been checked, but you’re going to test it. And then I said, supposing you brought the light inside the body, which you can do either through the skin or in some other way,” Trump said. “And then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute. One minute. And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning. Because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs.”
Trump initially received a bump in his approval rating as the pandemic struck the country, but his remarks that day were followed by a quick decline. His approval ratings are now back to the low 40s, where they have been much of his presidency.
The Lysol and lights comments, though, were just the most well-known in a large and growing collection of nonsensical and erroneous statements he has made about COVID-19.
On April 1, Trump said, “Other countries tried to use the herd mentality,” when he likely meant “herd immunity.”
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The next day, he stated: “I think also in looking at the way that the contagion is so contagious, nobody’s ever seen anything like this where large groups of people all of a sudden have it just by being in the presence of somebody who has it. The flu has never been like that.”
On April 15, he said his favored drug, hydroxychloroquine, “prevents the immune system from overreaching to the virus.”
On May 8, he expressed surprise at how a medical test might show different results at different times. “Katie, she tested very good for a long period of time and then all of the sudden today she tested positive,” Trump said of press aide Katie Miller. “This is why the whole concept of tests aren’t necessarily great.”
And through the whole period, he has continually referred to the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic as having taken place in 1917.
President Donald Trump speaks with members of the coronavirus task force in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Friday, April 10, 2020. Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images
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Trump’s misstatements, of course, began long before the coronavirus outbreak. He has repeatedly claimed his father was born in Germany, when in fact it was his paternal grandfather. He called the CEO of Apple “Tim Apple” during a White House meeting, rather than Tim Cook, and then spent days claiming he had not made a mistake but was just using shorthand. Another time, he appeared unable to say the word “origins” correctly, continually pronouncing it “oranges.” He has claimed that wind turbines cause cancer and that the F-35 fighter plane is literally invisible, when in fact it is merely difficult to see on radar.
Related reports of Trump’s inability to focus or understand details about topics even led him to take an Alzheimer’s screening test during his 2018 physical exam, which he then claimed he had aced with a perfect score. The White House did not mention Trump retaking that screening at his 2019 physical in February or during his sudden, unexplained visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in November.
Rick Tyler, a Republican political consultant who worked on Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign in 2016, said medical tests are not necessary to see what’s plainly visible each time Trump speaks. “Trump is not only in physical decline, which is obvious, he is in mental decline. He’s not sharp. He gets details wrong,” Tyler said.
“He lies and projects because that’s what narcissistic psychopaths do. Fish swim, dogs bark, and Trump lies and projects.” - George Conway
George Conway, the husband of a top White House aide to Trump and himself a prominent Trump critic, said the president’s attacks on Biden’s mental acuity should not be considered a strategy because Trump is not capable of one. “I wouldn’t call it a tactic. He lies and projects because that’s what narcissistic psychopaths do,” Conway said. “Fish swim, dogs bark, and Trump lies and projects.”
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Indeed, that Trump “projects” his own failings on his rivals and critics has been a widespread observation for years. Despite keeping the lightest campaign schedule of any of the Republican candidates running in 2016, Trump called former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush — known for his 16-hour workdays — “low energy.” Despite running a charity that enriched himself and facing numerous lawsuits for fraud, Trump called Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton “crooked.” And despite near-daily dishonesties on matters large and small, Trump called Cruz “Lying Ted.”
Cruz addressed that himself the day he ended his presidential candidacy in 2016. “Whatever he does, he accuses everyone else of doing,” he said in an extended critique. “This man is a pathological liar, he doesn’t know the difference between truth and lies. ... In a pattern that is straight out of a psychology textbook, his response is to accuse everyone else of lying.”
Trump’s attacks against his opponents appeared to work for him in the 2016 primary and general election, but it is unclear whether attacking Biden for his verbal slips is helping Trump or having the opposite effect.
Recent polling shows Trump losing support from voters over 65, particularly among women in that cohort. Trump comfortably carried that age group against Clinton in 2016, 53% to 44%.
“If the Trump campaign thinks the answer to their precipitously falling support is to bank on a smear that’s failed for over a year and double down on the subject of mental acuity after all of this, then frankly, maybe it’s not just Donald Trump who’s ‘missing something,’ as the vice president said yesterday,” said Biden campaign spokesperson Andrew Bates.
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And former Obama aide Axelrod said all of the time and energy Trump has invested in questioning Biden’s mental sharpness could be quickly undone.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-27--Internet Spying Reform In Deep Trouble After Privacy Advocates Pull Support

This month , a majority of the GOP-controlled Senate voted for an amendment barring the federal government from spying on Americans ’ internet browsing and search histories without a warrant .
It received bipartisan support and failed by just one vote .
Yet the Democratic-controlled House has decided to introduce the amendment with a key change that offers fewer protections .
On Tuesday , the Democratic sponsor of the Senate amendment , Ron Wyden of Oregon , pulled his support for the House provision , and progressive privacy advocates sent a letter to members of the House calling on them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ larger bill to reauthorize lapsed provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act .
The turn of events has threatened to scuttle reauthorization of the law and left many progressive advocates frustrated that the Democratic-controlled House changed a provision that received such widespread support in the Senate .
The House version of the amendment , sponsored by Reps. Zoe Lofgren ( D-Calif. ) and Warren Davidson ( R-Ohio ) , changed the Senate proposal , sponsored by Wyden and Sen. Steve Daines ( R-Mont . )
, in one critical way : The House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surveillance to U.S. persons , thereby allowing warrantless searches for non-U.S. persons ’ data .
Lofgren said the change was made in order to secure a vote on the amendment in the House , where Democratic leadership has been reluctant to pursue privacy measures so far — and , in earlier negotiations , explicitly rejected this proposal to require warrants for searching internet browsing history .
Wyden said he could no longer support the House version of the amendment because of a statement Rep. Adam Schiff ( D-Calif. ) , chairman of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York Times that Wyden said undermined the measure ’ s purpose .
Specifically , the senator said Schiff ’ s reading of the amendment allowed for the possibility of warrantless government surveillance of Americans ’ internet browsing history so long as that surveillance was not deliberate .
“ It is now clear that there is no agreement with the House Intelligence Committee to enact true protections for Americans ’ rights against dragnet collection of online activity , which is why I must oppose this amendment , along with the underlying bill , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the original Wyden-Daines amendment , ” Wyden said in a statement .
For the government to continue surveillance without a warrant , “ the FISA court would have to adopt a reading of this amendment that says , ‘ Even though you know for a fact that asking for the IP addresses of everyone that visits a website is going to capture substantial U.S. persons ’ web-browsing information , since you didn ’ t say you wanted U.S. persons ’ web-browsing information , then it doesn ’ t count.
’ That doesn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s an absurd interpretation , ” Lofgren said during a meeting with the House Rules Committee , which ultimately decides which amendments get a vote .
She said while both she and Davidson think the ideal path forward would be for the House to take up the Senate amendment , their version would be effective , too .
“ Let ’ s not be mistaken : This amendment does offer real protections .
...
This is a blanket prohibition on collecting the web browsing and search history of U.S. persons , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drama has left the House ’ s vote on FISA reauthorization in jeopardy .
Democrats were expecting to pass the legislation on a bipartisan basis this week , but with Republicans balking , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-Calif. ) will need to figure out a way to do it on her own .

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff leaves the Senate chamber, followed by Rep. Zoe Lofgren. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
This month, a majority of the GOP-controlled Senate voted for an amendment barring the federal government from spying on Americans’ internet browsing and search histories without a warrant. It received bipartisan support and failed by just one vote.
Yet the Democratic-controlled House has decided to introduce the amendment with a key change that offers fewer protections. On Tuesday, the Democratic sponsor of the Senate amendment, Ron Wyden of Oregon, pulled his support for the House provision, and progressive privacy advocates sent a letter to members of the House calling on them to vote against the amendment and the larger bill to reauthorize lapsed provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
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Complicating matters even further, President Donald Trump signaled his opposition to the House legislation and his Justice Department recommended he veto it.
The turn of events has threatened to scuttle reauthorization of the law and left many progressive advocates frustrated that the Democratic-controlled House changed a provision that received such widespread support in the Senate.
The House version of the amendment, sponsored by Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), changed the Senate proposal, sponsored by Wyden and Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), in one critical way: The House version would limit the restrictions around internet surveillance to U.S. persons, thereby allowing warrantless searches for non-U.S. persons’ data. Lofgren said the change was made in order to secure a vote on the amendment in the House, where Democratic leadership has been reluctant to pursue privacy measures so far — and, in earlier negotiations, explicitly rejected this proposal to require warrants for searching internet browsing history.
Privacy advocates are concerned this change undercuts the intent of the provision altogether, giving the federal government a loophole to continue spying on Americans’ internet browsing activity without explicit reason.
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Wyden said he could no longer support the House version of the amendment because of a statement Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, made to The New York Times that Wyden said undermined the measure’s purpose. Specifically, the senator said Schiff’s reading of the amendment allowed for the possibility of warrantless government surveillance of Americans’ internet browsing history so long as that surveillance was not deliberate.
“It is now clear that there is no agreement with the House Intelligence Committee to enact true protections for Americans’ rights against dragnet collection of online activity, which is why I must oppose this amendment, along with the underlying bill, and urge the House to vote on the original Wyden-Daines amendment,” Wyden said in a statement.
A spokesman for Schiff declined to comment.
On Wednesday, Lofgren called this interpretation of her amendment “absurd.”
For the government to continue surveillance without a warrant, “the FISA court would have to adopt a reading of this amendment that says, ‘Even though you know for a fact that asking for the IP addresses of everyone that visits a website is going to capture substantial U.S. persons’ web-browsing information, since you didn’t say you wanted U.S. persons’ web-browsing information, then it doesn’t count.’ That doesn’t make any sense at all. It’s an absurd interpretation,” Lofgren said during a meeting with the House Rules Committee, which ultimately decides which amendments get a vote.
She said while both she and Davidson think the ideal path forward would be for the House to take up the Senate amendment, their version would be effective, too.
“Let’s not be mistaken: This amendment does offer real protections. ... This is a blanket prohibition on collecting the web browsing and search history of U.S. persons,” the congresswoman said.
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The last-minute drama has left the House’s vote on FISA reauthorization in jeopardy. Democrats were expecting to pass the legislation on a bipartisan basis this week, but with Republicans balking, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will need to figure out a way to do it on her own.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-27--Senate GOP Has No Plan To Help Millions Of Americans Losing Health Insurance During Pandemic

More than 36 million people have filed for unemployment benefits due to the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic , meaning millions will be left without health insurance .
In mid May , left-leaning think tank Economic Policy Institute estimated 16.2 million people have lost health insurance once provided by their employer — how roughly half of Americans get their health insurance .
That number could be as high as 26.8 million if those who lost their jobs don ’ t sign up for other coverage , the Kaiser Family Foundation found .
“ I ’ d like us to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the one we have , the Obamacare program , but getting that in place for the country to take advantage of in the next few weeks is just not very likely , ” Sen. Mitt Romney ( R-Utah ) said .
“ I think that the enrollment period should have been reopened , ” Collins said in the interview .
“ One of the reasons that I pushed the paycheck protection program so hard is that if we can keep people on their regular payroll , many more people will continue to receive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s office declined to comment on what Congress should do on health care , saying they had “ nothing to add ” at this time .
The Tennessee Republican is the chairman of the Health , Education , Labor , and Pensions committee in the senate .
Offices for Sens .
Bill Cassidy ( La . )
, Tim Scott ( S.C. ) , Lisa Murkowski ( Alaska ) , Mike Braun ( Indiana ) and Rob Portman ( Ohio ) , who sit on either the HELP committee or the Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over Obamacare , Medicaid and Medicare , did not respond to requests for comment .
“ The good news is that if you lose your employer-provided coverage , which covers about a 180 million Americans , that is a significant life event , which makes you then eligible to sign up for the Affordable Care Act , ” Cornyn said in a PBS Austin interview .
“ As you know , it has a sliding scale of subsidies up to 400 % of poverty .
So that ’ s an option for people.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ are 5.7 million people who are not eligible for financial subsidies under Obamacare , and who would have to pay for the entirety of their private insurance plan .
COBRA too is cost-prohibitive for many families .
The average monthly cost for individual coverage in an employer-sponsored plan is $ 490 , amounting to nearly $ 6,000 a year — a steep cost for someone without an income .
“ Unlike in past recessions , most of those who lose their job-based coverage will be eligible for health coverage because of the Affordable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coverage unaffordable even with subsidies , ” Larry Levitt , who runs health policy at KFF , said in a statement .
“ As unemployment benefits expire , however , about two million more people in states that did not expand their Medicaid programs under the ACA will move into the Medicaid coverage gap and have no affordable option.
” “ Even at a time when doctors offices are closed and elective procedures are not going on — though as time goes on those things are going to be open — even being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where having insurance versus not having insurance is going to make a big difference , ” Miller said .
If you ’ re caught in an insurance trap , where COBRA is too expensive , you live in a state that didn ’ t expand Medicaid , and aren ’ t eligible for subsidized private insurance through Obamacare , what happens when you need to go to the ER , Miller asked rhetorically : “ You lose your labor market income and you can potentially face some financial hits if you need necessary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ER — that can have an impact on your credit score.
” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( Ky. ) and many Republicans have pushed back against the need for additional stimulus during the pandemic , saying they see no “ urgency ” in passing a fifth relief package .
But among the ideas Republicans have put forward , like expanding the PPP program , implementing tax credits for hiring workers or bonuses for rehired workers , health care has largely been left out of the emergency relief debate .
Health care has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who before the pandemic repeatedly attempted to repeal Obamacare , end Medicaid expansion and significantly cut Medicaid funding .
The Trump administration has continued to support a GOP lawsuit to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and pushed an effort to add work requirements for Medicaid .
Since the pandemic , the Trump administration promised to use some of the coronavirus stimulus funds to reimburse hospitals treating uninsured patients with COVID-19 , but there has been no plan to address the growing millions of uninsured Americans more generally .
Progressives have balked at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to private insurance companies and big corporations that run their own health insurance plans .
Subsidizing COBRA would direct federal funds toward private companies that pay higher rates than public programs like Medicare and Medicaid .
Other health care proposals that have been championed by progressives in both the House and Senate would have Medicare cover Americans ’ out-of-pocket medical costs during the pandemic , or allow Americans who have filed for unemployment to be eligible for Medicare .

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) says he feels no urgency in pursuing further coronavirus relief legislation. AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
As millions of Americans slip into unemployment and lose their health insurance during a public health crisis, Senate Republicans still see no need to act on health care.
More than 36 million people have filed for unemployment benefits due to the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, meaning millions will be left without health insurance. In mid May, left-leaning think tank Economic Policy Institute estimated 16.2 million people have lost health insurance once provided by their employer — how roughly half of Americans get their health insurance. That number could be as high as 26.8 million if those who lost their jobs don’t sign up for other coverage, the Kaiser Family Foundation found.
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But the Republican majority in the Senate isn’t interested in pursuing additional emergency relief for those who suddenly find themselves uninsured.
“I’d like us to put in place a better program than the one we have, the Obamacare program, but getting that in place for the country to take advantage of in the next few weeks is just not very likely,” Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said.
Staff for Susan Collins referred HuffPost to previous comments the Maine senator made to Bangor Daily News that she was “disappointed” in President Donald Trump for not allowing a special enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act, but did not comment on Congress taking further action on health care specifically.
“I think that the enrollment period should have been reopened,” Collins said in the interview. “One of the reasons that I pushed the paycheck protection program so hard is that if we can keep people on their regular payroll, many more people will continue to receive their health insurance.”
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The Paycheck Protection Program gives employers loans primarily to keep workers on payroll during the pandemic. Collins is part of a bipartisan push advocating an extension of these loans.
Sen. Lamar Alexander’s office declined to comment on what Congress should do on health care, saying they had “nothing to add” at this time. The Tennessee Republican is the chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee in the senate. Offices for Sens. Bill Cassidy (La.), Tim Scott (S.C.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Mike Braun (Indiana) and Rob Portman (Ohio), who sit on either the HELP committee or the Senate Finance Committee, which collectively have purview over Obamacare, Medicaid and Medicare, did not respond to requests for comment.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who has repeatedly voted to repeal the ACA, encouraged Americans to sign up for Obamacare if they lose their health insurance.
“The good news is that if you lose your employer-provided coverage, which covers about a 180 million Americans, that is a significant life event, which makes you then eligible to sign up for the Affordable Care Act,” Cornyn said in a PBS Austin interview. “As you know, it has a sliding scale of subsidies up to 400% of poverty. So that’s an option for people.”
Visitors to the Department of Labor March 18 are turned away at the door by personnel due to closures over coronavirus concerns in New York. A record-high number of people applied for unemployment benefits as layoffs engulfed the United States. ASSOCIATED PRESS
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To get covered, Americans will have to navigate the country’s fragmented health care system ― there’s the ACA, known as Obamacare, public options like Medicaid, and COBRA, the federal program that lets individuals continue their former employer’s health care plan at personal cost. As HuffPost’s Jeffrey Young explained, there are barriers to all these options.
The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates there are 5.7 million people who are not eligible for financial subsidies under Obamacare, and who would have to pay for the entirety of their private insurance plan. COBRA too is cost-prohibitive for many families. The average monthly cost for individual coverage in an employer-sponsored plan is $490, amounting to nearly $6,000 a year — a steep cost for someone without an income.
And not all Americans will qualify for Medicaid, the public health program for low-income Americans.
“Unlike in past recessions, most of those who lose their job-based coverage will be eligible for health coverage because of the Affordable Care Act, though some may find coverage unaffordable even with subsidies,” Larry Levitt, who runs health policy at KFF, said in a statement. “As unemployment benefits expire, however, about two million more people in states that did not expand their Medicaid programs under the ACA will move into the Medicaid coverage gap and have no affordable option.”
The implication of leaving millions uninsured is a matter of life and death. A 2019 report on Medicaid expansion found there could have been 15,600 fewer deaths if all 50 states expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. There’s a growing body of research that has shown expanded public insurance has improved health outcomes, increasing preventative care and saving patients with chronic illnesses, like kidney disease.
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To be sure, it’s hard to make a clear comparison between Medicaid expansion and growing numbers of uninsured, especially because health care providers have only recently begun loosening restrictions around preventative care checkups and other services that were deemed “nonessential” during the early weeks of the pandemic.
“You want a social safety net that gives you things when you lose your job — that’s why we have unemployment insurance. It would be nice if your health side also looked more like that across the U.S.” - Sarah Miller, health economist at University of Michigan
That said, Sarah Miller, a health economist with University of Michigan, pointed out there are still real financial and health impacts.
“Even at a time when doctors offices are closed and elective procedures are not going on — though as time goes on those things are going to be open — even being able to pay for your prescriptions is where having insurance versus not having insurance is going to make a big difference,” Miller said.
Miller also described the potential for a downward financial and health spiral for some Americans, calling it a “double hit.”
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If you’re caught in an insurance trap, where COBRA is too expensive, you live in a state that didn’t expand Medicaid, and aren’t eligible for subsidized private insurance through Obamacare, what happens when you need to go to the ER, Miller asked rhetorically: “You lose your labor market income and you can potentially face some financial hits if you need necessary medical care — you go to the ER — that can have an impact on your credit score.”
“You want a social safety net that gives you things when you lose your job — that’s why we have unemployment insurance,” Miller said. “It would be nice if your health side also looked more like that across the U.S.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and many Republicans have pushed back against the need for additional stimulus during the pandemic, saying they see no “urgency” in passing a fifth relief package. But among the ideas Republicans have put forward, like expanding the PPP program, implementing tax credits for hiring workers or bonuses for rehired workers, health care has largely been left out of the emergency relief debate.
Health care has been a politically damaging issue for Republicans, who before the pandemic repeatedly attempted to repeal Obamacare, end Medicaid expansion and significantly cut Medicaid funding. The Trump administration has continued to support a GOP lawsuit to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and pushed an effort to add work requirements for Medicaid. Since the pandemic, the Trump administration promised to use some of the coronavirus stimulus funds to reimburse hospitals treating uninsured patients with COVID-19, but there has been no plan to address the growing millions of uninsured Americans more generally.
For weeks, Democrats have been in an internal policy debate around the issue of health insurance. House Democrats’ latest relief package included several health care provisions, expanding how much the federal government chips in on Medicaid payments, and subsidizing COBRA at 100%. In other words, it would have the federal government temporarily foot the bill for the health insurance plans employers were once covering.
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Progressives have balked at the idea, calling it a giveaway to private insurance companies and big corporations that run their own health insurance plans. Subsidizing COBRA would direct federal funds toward private companies that pay higher rates than public programs like Medicare and Medicaid. Other health care proposals that have been championed by progressives in both the House and Senate would have Medicare cover Americans’ out-of-pocket medical costs during the pandemic, or allow Americans who have filed for unemployment to be eligible for Medicare.
But for now, Republicans aren’t interested in another health care fight.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-27--Amy Klobuchar's Treatment Of Her Staff Likely To Be An Issue In VP Vetting

“ The vetters will feel like they have to take this seriously , certainly recycle the reporting , push her on it in an interview , demand to see any complaints filed if they exist and probably talk to people who worked for her , ” said a prominent Democrat familiar with the vice presidential vetting process .
Biden has confirmed that he asked Klobuchar to undergo formal vetting to be his running mate , and she ’ s widely considered as being a top contender .
Klobuchar dropped her presidential bid in early March , after pulling out a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New Hampshire primary ― coming out ahead of Biden .
But undergoing vetting is an intensive , invasive process .
In 2016 , Hillary Clinton ’ s team had finalists turn over passwords for all their social media accounts ( and those of family members ) , copies of every resume they ’ d put out over the past 10 years , and list every property they ’ d ever owned .
As HuffPost first reported last year , some former Klobuchar staffers described the senator as habitually demeaning and prone to bursts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work for her .
They said she ground down morale with constant and degrading late-night emails and claimed staff was required to perform personal duties for her — such as washing dishes in her home — in violation of Senate rules and federal laws against personal use of the office .
“ It would be extremely disappointing to see a vice presidential vetting process that didn ’ t take a serious look at Sen. Klobuchar ’ s treatment of staff , ” said one person who once worked for her .
“ With @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t make any sense to select someone who has proven time and time again that she treats the people who work for her terribly behind closed doors.
” “ One can always do better , and that means you want to be sure that you are listening to people if they felt that something was unfair , or they felt bad about something .
But I still think that you have to demand good product , ” she said .
“ I would expect any vetting process for ANY candidate , not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many ― if not all ― current and former staff .
... Having known and worked with her for more than 16 years , I ’ d certainly be prepared to have that vetting conversation if called .
I count myself as one of many former staffers who not only supported her presidential run , but who also think she would make a great Vice President , ” said Andrea Mokros , who has worked for Klobuchar ’ s Senate office and campaigns , as well as her presidential run .
“ My @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is just really phenomenal .
It was a great campaign , ” said Scott Merrick , who was Klobuchar ’ s New Hampshire state director for her presidential campaign .
“ I loved working for her , ” he added .
“ I loved the time we spent together .
She ’ s really an incredible person , and I think her work , in terms of building consensus and getting things done and being an effective leader , speaks for itself.
” Biden has stated publicly that he will be choosing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his potential choices , like Warren or former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams , could help him shore up parts of the Democratic base ― such as young people and progressives ― with whom he did not perform well in the primary .
“ I ’ m going to pick someone who is simpatico with me philosophically , ” he said last year .
“ Agrees with me .
Now if you ’ re not , that ’ s O.K.
, I have great respect .
But you ’ ve got to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your vice president , ‘ This is your responsibility.
’ Because the job is too big anymore for any one man or woman.
” And at the end of the day , when it comes to allegations that Klobuchar mistreated her staff , “ I don ’ t think this will matter much , ” said the prominent Democrat familiar with the vetting process .
CORRECTION : A previous version of this story misattributed Scott Merrick ’ s quote .

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Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) will likely have to answer questions about whether she mistreated her staff over the years as she undergoes vetting to be Joe Biden’s running mate.
“The vetters will feel like they have to take this seriously, certainly recycle the reporting, push her on it in an interview, demand to see any complaints filed if they exist and probably talk to people who worked for her,” said a prominent Democrat familiar with the vice presidential vetting process.
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Biden has confirmed that he asked Klobuchar to undergo formal vetting to be his running mate, and she’s widely considered as being a top contender. Klobuchar dropped her presidential bid in early March, after pulling out a surprisingly strong showing in the Feb. 20 New Hampshire primary ― coming out ahead of Biden.
Klobuchar is charismatic on the trail, has a strong record of winning in her midwestern state, and is more ideologically aligned with Biden than other potential contenders, such as Sens. Kamala Harris (Calif.) and Elizabeth Warren (Mass.).
“It would be extremely disappointing to see a vice presidential vetting process that didn’t take a serious look at Sen. Klobuchar’s treatment of staff.” - Former Klobuchar staffer
But undergoing vetting is an intensive, invasive process. In 2016, Hillary Clinton’s team had finalists turn over passwords for all their social media accounts (and those of family members), copies of every resume they’d put out over the past 10 years, and list every property they’d ever owned.
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The vetters will also want to scrutinize any potential problems or weaknesses ― past scandals, electoral vulnerabilities and, in Klobuchar’s case, the treatment of her staff over the years.
As HuffPost first reported last year, some former Klobuchar staffers described the senator as habitually demeaning and prone to bursts of cruelty that made it difficult to work for her. They said she ground down morale with constant and degrading late-night emails and claimed staff was required to perform personal duties for her — such as washing dishes in her home — in violation of Senate rules and federal laws against personal use of the office.
BuzzFeed reported that she even sometimes hurled objects when furious at staffers, and one aide was “accidentally hit with a flying binder, according to someone who saw it happen.”
Multiple sources also told HuffPost that in 2015, then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) spoke privately to Klobuchar and asked her to change her behavior toward her staff.
“It would be extremely disappointing to see a vice presidential vetting process that didn’t take a serious look at Sen. Klobuchar’s treatment of staff,” said one person who once worked for her. “With so many qualified candidates, it doesn’t make any sense to select someone who has proven time and time again that she treats the people who work for her terribly behind closed doors.”
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In response to the allegations last year, Klobuchar said she had “high standards for myself, high standards for our staff.”
“One can always do better, and that means you want to be sure that you are listening to people if they felt that something was unfair, or they felt bad about something. But I still think that you have to demand good product,” she said.
On Wednesday, Klobuchar’s office referred HuffPost to several former staffers who praised the senator and said they’d welcome her as vice president.
“I would expect any vetting process for ANY candidate, not just Senator Klobuchar, to talk to many ― if not all ― current and former staff. ... Having known and worked with her for more than 16 years, I’d certainly be prepared to have that vetting conversation if called. I count myself as one of many former staffers who not only supported her presidential run, but who also think she would make a great Vice President,” said Andrea Mokros, who has worked for Klobuchar’s Senate office and campaigns, as well as her presidential run.
“My experience with her and with the campaign is just really phenomenal. It was a great campaign,” said Scott Merrick, who was Klobuchar’s New Hampshire state director for her presidential campaign.
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“I loved working for her,” he added. “I loved the time we spent together. She’s really an incredible person, and I think her work, in terms of building consensus and getting things done and being an effective leader, speaks for itself.”
The Biden campaign declined to comment on vetting.
Biden has stated publicly that he will be choosing a woman as his running mate. Some of his potential choices, like Warren or former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, could help him shore up parts of the Democratic base ― such as young people and progressives ― with whom he did not perform well in the primary.
He has also said he wants someone who is ready to govern and is in line with him ideologically.