thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-02--The Coronavirus-Denier-In-Chief Proves His Strategy Doesn’t Work

From calling the whole thing a hoax to claiming it would go away in the warm weather to dismissing it as milder than the flu to discouraging mask use among his staff to mocking Democratic challenger Joe Biden for wearing one , Trump has made downplaying the disease a cornerstone of his reelection effort .
Trump even pushed ahead with a campaign fundraiser at his New Jersey golf resort Thursday , despite knowing that a top aide with whom he spent many hours in recent days had just tested positive — a direct violation of CDC protocols that potentially infected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was only after midnight Friday , after 7 million Americans had already contracted the disease and some 208,000 had died , did Trump make the announcement that could finally force a course correction : “ Tonight , @ FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19 .
We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately .
We will get through this TOGETHER !
” Trump wrote in a 12:54 a.m. Twitter post .
Many workplaces where employees still must come to an office had long ago adapted by requiring them to wear face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House , where staff for the most part did not wear them , even as they interacted closely with one another .
Their justification had been the daily coronavirus tests that anyone who may be in the same room as Trump must undergo — a rationale that from the outset has ignored the window of hours or days in which a person could be contagious but not yet have enough of a viral load to be detected by a test .
This mindset has endangered not just staff who want to work for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not political loyalists , such as career staff who work in the building and Secret Service agents — many of whom have fallen ill — who guard him day and night .
Trump even tried to push his anti-mask bias on journalists .
During a Rose Garden news conference this spring , White House staff moved chairs that had been set up six feet apart so that they were closer to each other because of Trump ’ s dislike of social distancing .
Secret Service agents and staff who travel aboard Air Force @ @ @ @ @ @ @ masks .
At Joint Base Andrews , where most personnel have been wearing masks as a matter of course to help slow the spread of the virus , those involved with the ceremony of welcoming Trump during his transfer from the Marine 1 helicopter to the airplane conspicuously have not .
Chief of staff Mark Meadows , during his frequent visits to the press in the aft section of the plane , has not been wearing a mask .
He has explained that he is tested regularly and therefore does not need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minnesota ’ s rally back to Andrews , on which Hope Hicks , the aide who tested positive the next morning was also flying , Meadows visited the traveling pool for some 15 minutes , maskless , and indeed physically touched one reporter at one point .
That attitude comes from the top , as Trump made clear during a visit he made to the press section on a recent trip to greet a reporter he is fond of .
After saying hello , he frowned and said to him : “ You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been asked about the wisdom of holding an event indoors and the potential risk to rallygoers , but Trump only addressed the health risk to himself .
That defiance was also evident at a rally the campaign staged in Tulsa in June , which it claimed would attract as many as 100,000 .
In the end , only 6,200 showed up — including former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain , who wound up dying after he was diagnosed with COVID-19 not long afterward .
Neither the Trump campaign nor the White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protocols .
The campaign did put out a statement that all in-person events by Trump were canceled or postponed for the time being .

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WASHINGTON — For months, President Donald Trump seeded and nurtured a culture of coronavirus denial. Early Friday, the coronavirus proved his strategy does not work.
From calling the whole thing a hoax to claiming it would go away in the warm weather to dismissing it as milder than the flu to discouraging mask use among his staff to mocking Democratic challenger Joe Biden for wearing one, Trump has made downplaying the disease a cornerstone of his reelection effort.
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Trump even pushed ahead with a campaign fundraiser at his New Jersey golf resort Thursday, despite knowing that a top aide with whom he spent many hours in recent days had just tested positive — a direct violation of CDC protocols that potentially infected dozens of high-dollar Republican donors.
It was only after midnight Friday, after 7 million Americans had already contracted the disease and some 208,000 had died, did Trump make the announcement that could finally force a course correction: “Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!” Trump wrote in a 12:54 a.m. Twitter post.
The crowd cheers as Air Force One arrives with President Donald Trump at Duluth International Airport on Wednesday, Sept. 30, for Trump's campaign appearance in Duluth, Minnesota. AP Photo/Jack Rendulich
Whether the announcement, coupled with the cancellation of multiple fundraisers and rallies the president had planned in the coming days, forces long-term changes in Trump’s and his staff’s behavior is unclear.
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White House staff on Friday were wearing masks indoors, a change from the general practice since the start of the pandemic.
Many workplaces where employees still must come to an office had long ago adapted by requiring them to wear face masks. Not so at the White House, where staff for the most part did not wear them, even as they interacted closely with one another.
Their justification had been the daily coronavirus tests that anyone who may be in the same room as Trump must undergo — a rationale that from the outset has ignored the window of hours or days in which a person could be contagious but not yet have enough of a viral load to be detected by a test.
This mindset has endangered not just staff who want to work for him, but also those who are not political loyalists, such as career staff who work in the building and Secret Service agents — many of whom have fallen ill — who guard him day and night. Trump even tried to push his anti-mask bias on journalists. During a Rose Garden news conference this spring, White House staff moved chairs that had been set up six feet apart so that they were closer to each other because of Trump’s dislike of social distancing.
And when Trump traveled, that anti-mask culture has traveled with him.
Secret Service agents and staff who travel aboard Air Force 1 as a rule have not worn masks. At Joint Base Andrews, where most personnel have been wearing masks as a matter of course to help slow the spread of the virus, those involved with the ceremony of welcoming Trump during his transfer from the Marine 1 helicopter to the airplane conspicuously have not.
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Chief of staff Mark Meadows, during his frequent visits to the press in the aft section of the plane, has not been wearing a mask. He has explained that he is tested regularly and therefore does not need to. On Wednesday’s flight from Minnesota’s rally back to Andrews, on which Hope Hicks, the aide who tested positive the next morning was also flying, Meadows visited the traveling pool for some 15 minutes, maskless, and indeed physically touched one reporter at one point.
That attitude comes from the top, as Trump made clear during a visit he made to the press section on a recent trip to greet a reporter he is fond of. After saying hello, he frowned and said to him: “You look better without the mask.”
Trump’s cavalier attitude toward the disease came despite being at high risk for suffering potentially deadly symptoms because of at least two comorbidities.
Trump is 74 years old, and the elderly are far more prone to serious consequences from the illness than younger people. His weight also likely increases his risk. Trump is borderline obese for his height, according to his most recent physical, and one former White House aide has suggested that the president’s true weight is considerably higher than advertised.
Trump has occasionally expressed awareness of his vulnerability. “I’m on a stage and it’s very far away,” Trump told the Las Vegas Journal-Review after violating Nevada rules by staging an indoor rally last month. “And so I’m not at all concerned.”
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Trump had been asked about the wisdom of holding an event indoors and the potential risk to rallygoers, but Trump only addressed the health risk to himself. That defiance was also evident at a rally the campaign staged in Tulsa in June, which it claimed would attract as many as 100,000. In the end, only 6,200 showed up — including former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain, who wound up dying after he was diagnosed with COVID-19 not long afterward.
Neither the Trump campaign nor the White House responded to HuffPost queries about changes in protocols. The campaign did put out a statement that all in-person events by Trump were canceled or postponed for the time being.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-02--Here's What Trump Did In The Week Leading Up To His COVID-19 Diagnosis

WASHINGTON ( AP ) — With just a month to go until the election , President Donald Trump had a busy schedule during the week the coronavirus hit home with him .
Trump tweeted early Friday that he and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive for the coronavirus .
The two , who are regularly tested , took a test after aide Hope Hicks tested positive Thursday .
The New York Times reports that White House officials have known of Hicks ’ diagnosis since Wednesday evening , when she traveled with Trump to Minnesota and began showing symptoms while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accompanied Trump to the first 2020 presidential debate on Tuesday .
The Times and Bloomberg report Trump appeared lethargic to aides on Wednesday .
Still , Trump attended a fundraiser on Thursday , and during a press briefing that day , White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany made no mention of Hicks ’ results or Trump ’ s symptoms .
According to MIT Medical , coronavirus symptoms develop five to six days after exposure , on average .
Because of that , MIT does not recommend making decisions about activities based on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after possible exposure .
— Trump surveys a truck produced by Lordstown Motors on the White House South Lawn at an event attended by two members of Congress and three representatives from the Lordstown , Ohio , manufacturer .
— Trump holds a Rose Garden event to announce an administration effort to distribute millions of coronavirus test kits to states .
The event is attended by administration officials including Vice President Mike Pence , members of Congress and state officials .
— Trump travels to Cleveland for a 90-minute presidential debate against Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are both tested ahead of the debate and stand behind lecterns positioned a good distance from one another .
They do not wear masks during the faceoff .
— White House aide Hope Hicks is part of a large entourage that travels to Ohio with Trump aboard Air Force One for the debate , including members of the Trump family .
Trump ’ s adult children and senior staff do not wear masks during the debate , violating host rules .
— Hicks is among the White House aides who accompany Trump on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the return trip and isolates herself aboard Air Force One .
— Trump flies to his Bedminster resort in New Jersey for a private fundraiser .
Several aides who were in proximity to Hicks scrap plans to accompany Trump .
— Trump announces in an evening interview on Fox News that he and the first lady are being tested for the coronavirus .
He later tweets that they will “ begin our quarantine process !
” — Trump tweets shortly before 1 a.m. that he and the first lady have tested positive for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quarantine and recovery process immediately.
” — Dr. Sean Conley , physician to the president , releases a statement that the president and first lady “ are both well at this time , and they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence .
”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — With just a month to go until the election, President Donald Trump had a busy schedule during the week the coronavirus hit home with him.
Trump tweeted early Friday that he and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive for the coronavirus. The two, who are regularly tested, took a test after aide Hope Hicks tested positive Thursday.
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The New York Times reports that White House officials have known of Hicks’ diagnosis since Wednesday evening, when she traveled with Trump to Minnesota and began showing symptoms while at a campaign rally. Hicks also accompanied Trump to the first 2020 presidential debate on Tuesday.
The Times and Bloomberg report Trump appeared lethargic to aides on Wednesday. Still, Trump attended a fundraiser on Thursday, and during a press briefing that day, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany made no mention of Hicks’ results or Trump’s symptoms.
According to MIT Medical, coronavirus symptoms develop five to six days after exposure, on average. Because of that, MIT does not recommend making decisions about activities based on the results of a negative test taken shortly after possible exposure.
Below, a timeline of events Trump attended this week:
Monday
— Trump surveys a truck produced by Lordstown Motors on the White House South Lawn at an event attended by two members of Congress and three representatives from the Lordstown, Ohio, manufacturer.
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President Donald Trump chatting with Steve Burns, Lordstown Motors CEO, on the south lawn of the White House on Monday. Tasos Katopodis via Getty Images
— Trump holds a Rose Garden event to announce an administration effort to distribute millions of coronavirus test kits to states. The event is attended by administration officials including Vice President Mike Pence, members of Congress and state officials.
Tuesday
— Trump travels to Cleveland for a 90-minute presidential debate against Democratic rival Joe Biden. The two men are both tested ahead of the debate and stand behind lecterns positioned a good distance from one another. They do not wear masks during the faceoff.
Trump holds up a face mask during the first presidential debate on Tuesday. ASSOCIATED PRESS
— White House aide Hope Hicks is part of a large entourage that travels to Ohio with Trump aboard Air Force One for the debate, including members of the Trump family. Trump’s adult children and senior staff do not wear masks during the debate, violating host rules.
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Wednesday
— Trump travels to Minnesota for a fundraiser at a private home in suburban Minneapolis and an outdoor rally in Duluth.
Trump tosses a cap to supporters in Duluth, Minnesota, on Wednesday. MANDEL NGAN via Getty Images
— Hicks is among the White House aides who accompany Trump on the trip. She feels unwell on the return trip and isolates herself aboard Air Force One.
Thursday
— Hicks tests positive for the coronavirus.
— Trump flies to his Bedminster resort in New Jersey for a private fundraiser. Several aides who were in proximity to Hicks scrap plans to accompany Trump.
Trump walks from Marine One toward Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on Thursday. ASSOCIATED PRESS
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— Trump announces in an evening interview on Fox News that he and the first lady are being tested for the coronavirus. He later tweets that they will “begin our quarantine process!”
Friday
— Trump tweets shortly before 1 a.m. that he and the first lady have tested positive for the virus and “will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately.”
— Dr. Sean Conley, physician to the president, releases a statement that the president and first lady “are both well at this time, and they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-02--Joe Biden Wishes Trump, First Lady 'Swift Recovery' From COVID

Trump announced in a tweet early Friday that he and Melania Trump had been diagnosed .
In response to the @ @ @ @ @ morning that he and his wife , Jill Biden , were sending well-wishes for the @ @ @ @ @ swift recovery.
” “ We will continue to pray for the health and safety of @ @ @ @ @ , ” he wrote .

Trump announced in a tweet early Friday that he and Melania Trump had been diagnosed.
In response to the news, Biden tweeted Friday morning that he and his wife, Jill Biden, were sending well-wishes for the duo to have a “swift recovery.”
“We will continue to pray for the health and safety of the president and his family,” he wrote.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-02--FBI, DOJ Prepping For Potential Election Day Violence: Report

“ There have been concerns raised about the possibility of civil unrest , and those are concerns raised on both sides , for different reasons , and because of that , we ’ re paying particularly close attention to that possibility , ” one official told the publication .
“ I think that we would be remiss if we didn ’ t take the monitoring of election security and integrity particularly seriously.
” During Thursday ’ s presidential debate , President Donald Trump called on his own supporters to monitor polling locations and “ watch very closely ” for cheating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do it , ” he added .
Trump “ wasn ’ t talking about poll watching , ” Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford tweeted after the debate .
“ He was talking about voter intimidation .
FYI ― voter intimidation is illegal in Nevada .
Believe me when I say it : You do it , and you will be prosecuted.
” During the debate , Trump also called on a violent hate group to “ stand by.
” The FBI told The Washington Post in a statement that this year ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ account the current climate of the country.
” Read the full report at The Washington Post.

“There have been concerns raised about the possibility of civil unrest, and those are concerns raised on both sides, for different reasons, and because of that, we’re paying particularly close attention to that possibility,” one official told the publication. “I think that we would be remiss if we didn’t take the monitoring of election security and integrity particularly seriously.”
During Tuesday’s presidential debate, President Donald Trump called on his own supporters to monitor polling locations and “watch very closely” for cheating.
“I am urging them to do it,” he added.
Trump “wasn’t talking about poll watching,” Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford tweeted after the debate. “He was talking about voter intimidation. FYI ― voter intimidation is illegal in Nevada. Believe me when I say it: You do it, and you will be prosecuted.”
During the debate, Trump also called on a violent hate group to “stand by.”
The FBI told The Washington Post in a statement that this year’s preparations for Election Day “take into account the current climate of the country.”
Read the full report at The Washington Post.
CORRECTION: This article previously misstated the day of the week on which the presidential debate occurred.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-02--Future Presidential Debates In Doubt After Trump Comes Down With COVID-19

The revelation that President Donald Trump has tested positive for COVID-19 has cast a cloud of uncertainty over the final month of the presidential campaign , beginning with the remaining three presidential and vice presidential debates .
Trump announced early Friday morning that he and Melania Trump , the first lady , tested positive for the disease , which is caused by the novel coronavirus sweeping the globe .
Both Trump and his wife are experiencing mild symptoms of COVID-19 , which attacks the respiratory system .
Trump has two more scheduled debates with former Vice President Joe Biden , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nov. 3 election : one in Miami on Oct. 15 and another in Nashville on Oct. 22 .
Vice President Mike Pence , who has tested negative for COVID-19 , is also due to face off with Sen. Kamala Harris ( D-Calif. ) , the Democratic vice presidential nominee , this coming Wednesday in Salt Lake City .
Former Vice President Joe Biden , left , and President Donald Trump participated in their first in-person debate on Tuesday .
Given Trump 's illness , it may also be their last joint appearance .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ as well as the Trump and Biden campaigns , whether they planned to cancel the debates in light of Trump ’ s illness , or otherwise modify their campaign schedules .
The Trump campaign did not respond to HuffPost ’ s inquiries either , but campaign manager Bill Stepien issued a statement announcing that all currently scheduled campaign events are either being temporarily postponed or moved to a virtual setting .
Pence , by contrast , will be resuming his normal campaign schedule .
“ All other campaign events will be considered on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any relevant announcements in the days ahead , ” Stepien said .
Biden appeared alongside Trump onstage in Cleveland on Tuesday night for their first in-person debate .
The joint appearance was a chaotic and bitter affair primarily due to Trump ’ s constant interruptions of both Biden and the debate moderator , Chris Wallace of Fox News .
Trump has consistently downplayed the severity of COVID-19 and the ease with which it spreads , holding large political rallies , even as Biden has kept a much more scaled-back campaign schedule out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speak dismissively about the virus ’ s spread on Tuesday night , insisting that his rallies had not produced an uptick in COVID-19 cases and disputing the science behind mask-wearing as a form of disease prevention .
The president ’ s family members declined to wear masks while sitting in the live debate audience in contravention of official debate rules .
On Thursday , prior to Trump ’ s positive test results , he had already announced that he planned to quarantine after it emerged that Hope Hicks , a top Trump aide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The White House is now scrambling to ensure that the virus has not spread more widely among White House personnel and the traveling press corps , including S.V .
Daté , HuffPost ’ s White House correspondent , who was aboard Air Force One with the president for pool duty on Wednesday .

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The revelation that President Donald Trump has tested positive for COVID-19 has cast a cloud of uncertainty over the final month of the presidential campaign, beginning with the remaining three presidential and vice presidential debates.
Trump announced early Friday morning that he and Melania Trump, the first lady, tested positive for the disease, which is caused by the novel coronavirus sweeping the globe. Both Trump and his wife are experiencing mild symptoms of COVID-19, which attacks the respiratory system.
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Trump has two more scheduled debates with former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, before the Nov. 3 election: one in Miami on Oct. 15 and another in Nashville on Oct. 22. Vice President Mike Pence, who has tested negative for COVID-19, is also due to face off with Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), the Democratic vice presidential nominee, this coming Wednesday in Salt Lake City.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, left, and President Donald Trump participated in their first in-person debate on Tuesday. Given Trump's illness, it may also be their last joint appearance. JIM WATSON/Getty Images
The Biden campaign revealed early Friday afternoon that Biden had tested negative for COVID-19.
Biden on Friday delivered an economic policy-focused speech in the parking lot of a union hall in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Biden subsequently told a Grand Rapids NBC affiliate that he wanted the opportunity to debate Trump again before the election.
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“I hope for two reasons there are more debates: One, it means the president is ... healthy; he’s able to debate,” he said. “And secondly, I think it’s important that we make our case as to why we should be elected the next president of the United States.”
Earlier on Friday, Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien issued a statement announcing that all currently scheduled campaign events are either being temporarily postponed or moved to a virtual setting. Pence, by contrast, will be resuming his normal campaign schedule.
“All other campaign events will be considered on a case-by-case basis and we will make any relevant announcements in the days ahead,” Stepien said.
The vice presidential debate will continue as scheduled, the presidential debate commission told The Associated Press.
Biden appeared alongside Trump onstage in Cleveland on Tuesday night for their first in-person debate. The joint appearance was a chaotic and bitter affair primarily due to Trump’s constant interruptions of both Biden and the debate moderator, Chris Wallace of Fox News.
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Trump has consistently downplayed the severity of COVID-19 and the ease with which it spreads, holding large political rallies, even as Biden has kept a much more scaled-back campaign schedule out of public health concerns.
Trump continued to speak dismissively about the virus’s spread on Tuesday night, insisting that his rallies had not produced an uptick in COVID-19 cases and disputing the science behind mask-wearing as a form of disease prevention. The president’s family members declined to wear masks while sitting in the live debate audience in contravention of official debate rules.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-02--Democratic Senate Candidate Matt Lieberman Hosted Fundraiser For Lindsey Graham In 2013

Matt Lieberman campaign Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Matt Lieberman self-published a novel , `` Lucius , '' in 2018 in reaction to the white supremacist violence in Charlottesville , Virginia .
HuffPost obtained the invitation for the event , which took place at the home of Lieberman and his wife , Elizabeth , on Aug. 18 , 2013 .
Campaign finance records show that Elizabeth Lieberman donated $ 500 to Graham ’ s campaign that day , and Matt Lieberman donated $ 1,000 four days later .
Elizabeth also gave $ 1,000 to Graham in April that year .
Matt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Democrats over the years , with some exceptions , including Graham , the late Sen. John McCain ( Ariz. ) and former Sen. Johnny Isakson ( Ga. ) .
His wife was giving much more heavily to Republicans around the time of the fundraiser .
Lieberman ’ s family connections to Graham are also well-known .
His father , Joe Lieberman , the former moderate Democratic Connecticut senator and vice presidential candidate , was famously close friends with both Graham and McCain .
So the fundraiser is likely a result of those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long been and will continue to be a strong supporter of the America-Israel alliance , and I have supported candidates ― almost all Democrats ― who also support that alliance .
It is an alliance of shared democratic values and an alliance of strategic importance in arguably the world ’ s most challenging region .
Second , that was a very different Lindsey Graham in 2013 , a Lindsey Graham that had some backbone and independence to him , and not the Trump flunky we have all witnessed these last few years .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ serious Democratic opponent at the time .
I wouldn ’ t give Lindsey Graham a dime today .
In fact , I contributed months ago to Jaime Harrison , and I ’ m rooting for him .
Lieberman is now trying to win Georgia ’ s open Senate seat in an all-party election .
He has presented himself as a progressive outsider , not a moderate like his father .
Graham , meanwhile , is a close ally of President Donald Trump and is high on the wish list of GOP senators Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elections .
Lieberman is facing heavy pressure to drop out of the race .
The top-polling candidates in the contest right now are two Republicans — Sen. Kelly Loeffler , who was appointed to Isakson ’ s seat after he retired , and Rep. Doug Collins ― and Democrat Raphael Warnock , the senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church , the famous Atlanta church where the Rev .
Martin Luther King Jr. preached .
If no candidate gets a majority in November , the race proceeds to a run-off .
Lieberman is not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worry that he could siphon enough votes away from Warnock that Collins and Loeffler head to the run-off .
Without Lieberman in the race , they say , Warnock could possibly consolidate Democratic support and win outright next month .
Some of the pressure centers around the racist tropes in a novel Lieberman self-published in 2018 , which was first reported on by HuffPost .
“ I ’ ve been deeply disturbed by the information that has come about not only from his book , but also some of his comments , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I think that Matt may be a good person , but he is not the right candidate .
I think the best result for all is for Matt to step back and realize that Rev .
Warnock is the right candidate for the state of Georgia.
” In response to the calls for him to drop out , Lieberman has accused Abrams of “ candidate suppression , ” said Warnock is “ using race to divide Georgia ” and claimed that all his rivals are “ already owned by power brokers @ @ @ @ @ @

Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Matt Lieberman self-published a novel, "Lucius," in 2018 in reaction to the white supremacist violence in Charlottesville, Virginia. Matt Lieberman campaign
Democrat Matt Lieberman hosted a fundraiser for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) in 2013, a tough look as he tries to win over Democratic voters in Georgia’s Senate race.
HuffPost obtained the invitation for the event, which took place at the home of Lieberman and his wife, Elizabeth, on Aug. 18, 2013.
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In 2013, Matt Lieberman hosted a fundraiser for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). Huffington Post
Campaign finance records show that Elizabeth Lieberman donated $500 to Graham’s campaign that day, and Matt Lieberman donated $1,000 four days later. Elizabeth also gave $1,000 to Graham in April that year.
Matt Lieberman has, however, overwhelmingly donated to Democrats over the years, with some exceptions, including Graham, the late Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and former Sen. Johnny Isakson (Ga.). His wife was giving much more heavily to Republicans around the time of the fundraiser.
Lieberman’s family connections to Graham are also well-known. His father, Joe Lieberman, the former moderate Democratic Connecticut senator and vice presidential candidate, was famously close friends with both Graham and McCain. So the fundraiser is likely a result of those family ties.
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Lieberman replied in an email to HuffPost:
First, I have long been and will continue to be a strong supporter of the America-Israel alliance, and I have supported candidates ― almost all Democrats ― who also support that alliance. It is an alliance of shared democratic values and an alliance of strategic importance in arguably the world’s most challenging region. Second, that was a very different Lindsey Graham in 2013, a Lindsey Graham that had some backbone and independence to him, and not the Trump flunky we have all witnessed these last few years. He also didn’t have any serious Democratic opponent at the time. I wouldn’t give Lindsey Graham a dime today. In fact, I contributed months ago to Jaime Harrison, and I’m rooting for him.
Lieberman is now trying to win Georgia’s open Senate seat in an all-party election. He has presented himself as a progressive outsider, not a moderate like his father.
Graham, meanwhile, is a close ally of President Donald Trump and is high on the wish list of GOP senators Democrats would like to unseat in the 2020 elections.
Lieberman is facing heavy pressure to drop out of the race. The top-polling candidates in the contest right now are two Republicans — Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who was appointed to Isakson’s seat after he retired, and Rep. Doug Collins ― and Democrat Raphael Warnock, the senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church, the famous Atlanta church where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. preached.
If no candidate gets a majority in November, the race proceeds to a run-off. Lieberman is not in the top tier, but Democrats worry that he could siphon enough votes away from Warnock that Collins and Loeffler head to the run-off. Without Lieberman in the race, they say, Warnock could possibly consolidate Democratic support and win outright next month.
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If elected, Warnock would be the first Black senator from Georgia.
Warnock has shored up heavy party support from former Georgia gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams, former President Barack Obama, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
Some of the pressure centers around the racist tropes in a novel Lieberman self-published in 2018, which was first reported on by HuffPost.
“I’ve been deeply disturbed by the information that has come about not only from his book, but also some of his comments,” Abrams said during a recent press conference. “I think that Matt may be a good person, but he is not the right candidate. I think the best result for all is for Matt to step back and realize that Rev. Warnock is the right candidate for the state of Georgia.”
In response to the calls for him to drop out, Lieberman has accused Abrams of “candidate suppression,” said Warnock is “using race to divide Georgia” and claimed that all his rivals are “already owned by power brokers in Atlanta & DC.”
This story has been updated with a statement from Matt Lieberman.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-02--Trump Railed Against Masks At Debate Days Before Testing Positive For COVID-19

Trump made the comments during the first presidential debate in response to a question about the efficacy of masks , posed by moderator Chris Wallace .
“ I wear masks when needed , ” Trump claimed .
“ I don ’ t wear masks like him .
Every time you see him he ’ s got a mask .
He could be speaking 200 feet away from him and he shows up with the biggest mask I ’ ve ever seen.
” “ Masks make a big difference , ” Biden responded .
“ [ Trump ’ s ] own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Control and Prevention ] said if we just wore masks ... if everybody wore masks and social distanced between now and January , we ’ d probably save up to 100,000 lives .
It matters.
” WATCH : Trump mocks Biden for wearing masks often '' Every time you see him , he 's got a mask , ” Trump said as Biden laughed .
“ He could be speaking 200 feet away from it .
And he shows up with the biggest mask I 've ever seen.
” https : //t.co/hd7mk7U6Wz pic.twitter.com/rQ8dfHM13V @ @ @ @ @ @ @ September 30 , 2020 Despite recent claims to the contrary , Trump has long derided masks and encouraged spectators at his rallies not to wear them .
That ’ s despite privately knowing as early as February that COVID-19 was “ more deadly than even your strenuous flus ” and “ you just breathe the air and that ’ s how it ’ s passed , ” according to a conversation with journalist Bob Woodward at the time .
Few of the Republican attendees at Tuesday ’ s debate wore masks , video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Ivanka , Lara and Tiffany Trump all posed in masks for photos on social media , then removed them for the debate itself .
Several of Trump ’ s guests reportedly refused to put on a mask after a Cleveland Clinic doctor asked them to do so .
An observation from inside the debate hall : Everyone in Biden ’ s side of the hall is wearing a mask .
More than half on Trump ’ s side , including his four children , are not wearing masks .
According to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ requirement that all guests wear masks .
— Tyler Pager ( @ tylerpager ) September 30 , 2020 No one who spent time in a small room with Trump prepping him for Tuesday ’ s debate wore masks , either .
That ’ s according to former New Jersey Gov .
Chris Christie ( R ) , who was a member of Trump ’ s prep team .
Christie told CNN neither Trump nor adviser Hope Hicks , both of whom have tested positive , exhibited any COVID-19 symptoms at the time .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ tested positive ― and while he was potentially infectious ― Trump attended a rally in Duluth , Minnesota , where he threw hats into the crowd : After Trump held an indoor rally in June in Tulsa , Oklahoma ― where few , if any attendees wore masks ― Tulsa City-County Health Department Director Dr. Bruce Dart said the event “ likely contributed ” to a dramatic surge in coronavirus cases in the following weeks .
It ’ s possible Herman Cain , who died from COVID-19 in July , contracted the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about attending without wearing a mask .

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Days before he tested positive for COVID-19, President Donald Trump openly mocked Democratic opponent Joe Biden for wearing masks.
Trump made the comments during the first presidential debate in response to a question about the efficacy of masks, posed by moderator Chris Wallace.
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“I wear masks when needed,” Trump claimed. “I don’t wear masks like him. Every time you see him he’s got a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet away from him and he shows up with the biggest mask I’ve ever seen.”
The former vice president laughed dismissively at the claim.
“Masks make a big difference,” Biden responded. “[Trump’s] own head of the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] said if we just wore masks ... if everybody wore masks and social distanced between now and January, we’d probably save up to 100,000 lives. It matters.”
WATCH: Trump mocks Biden for wearing masks often
"Every time you see him, he's got a mask,” Trump said as Biden laughed. “He could be speaking 200 feet away from it. And he shows up with the biggest mask I've ever seen.” https://t.co/hd7mk7U6Wz pic.twitter.com/rQ8dfHM13V — Yahoo News (@YahooNews) September 30, 2020
Despite recent claims to the contrary, Trump has long derided masks and encouraged spectators at his rallies not to wear them. That’s despite privately knowing as early as February that COVID-19 was “more deadly than even your strenuous flus” and “you just breathe the air and that’s how it’s passed,” according to a conversation with journalist Bob Woodward at the time.
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Few of the Republican attendees at Tuesday’s debate wore masks, video filmed before the event shows. Eric, Ivanka, Lara and Tiffany Trump all posed in masks for photos on social media, then removed them for the debate itself.
Several of Trump’s guests reportedly refused to put on a mask after a Cleveland Clinic doctor asked them to do so.
An observation from inside the debate hall: Everyone in Biden’s side of the hall is wearing a mask. More than half on Trump’s side, including his four children, are not wearing masks. According to the Cleveland Clinic, it’s a requirement that all guests wear masks. — Tyler Pager (@tylerpager) September 30, 2020
No one who spent time in a small room with Trump prepping him for Tuesday’s debate wore masks, either. That’s according to former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), who was a member of Trump’s prep team.
Christie told CNN neither Trump nor adviser Hope Hicks, both of whom have tested positive, exhibited any COVID-19 symptoms at the time.
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On Wednesday, the day before he tested positive ― and while he was potentially infectious ― Trump attended a rally in Duluth, Minnesota, where he threw hats into the crowd:
WEDNESDAY: President Trump throws MAGA hats to the crowd at his rally in Duluth, Minnesota. pic.twitter.com/RdMzLe0C2E — The Hill (@thehill) October 2, 2020
After Trump held an indoor rally in June in Tulsa, Oklahoma ― where few, if any attendees wore masks ― Tulsa City-County Health Department Director Dr. Bruce Dart said the event “likely contributed” to a dramatic surge in coronavirus cases in the following weeks.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-02--Federal Judge Orders Census To Continue Through Oct. 31, After Agency Violates Order

ORLANDO , Fla. ( AP ) — A federal judge is ordering the Census Bureau to text every 2020 census worker by Friday , letting them know the head count of every U.S. resident is continuing through the end of the month and not ending next week , as the agency previously had announced in violation of her court order .
The new order issued late Thursday by U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose , California , instructs the Census Bureau to send out a mass text saying an Oct. 5 target data for finishing the nation ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that people can still answer the questionnaire and census takers can still knock on doors through Oct. 31 .
The judge also ordered Census Bureau director Steven Dillingham to file with the court a declaration by the start of next week confirming his agency was following a preliminary injunction she had issued last week .
Judge Koh wrote in Thursday ’ s decision that the Census Bureau and Commerce Department , which oversees the agency , had violated her injunction “ in several ways.
” She threatened them with sanctions or contempt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Defendants ’ dissemination of erroneous information ; lurching from one hasty , unexplained plan to the next ; and unlawful sacrifices of completeness and accuracy of the 2020 Census are upending the status quo , violating the Injunction Order , and undermining the credibility of the Census Bureau and the 2020 Census , ” the judge wrote .
“ This must stop.
” Koh ’ s injunction last week suspended a Sept. 30 deadline for ending the head count and also a Dec. 31 deadline for turning in numbers used to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gets in a process known as apportionment .
By doing this , the deadlines reverted back to a previous Census Bureau plan that had field operations ending Oct. 31 and the reporting of apportionment figures at the end of April .
By issuing the injunction , the judge sided with civil rights groups and local governments that had sued the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Commerce , arguing that minorities and others in hard-to-count communities would be missed if the counting ended in September .
Koh referred to a tweet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last Monday that they now were targeting Oct. 5 as the date to end the census as “ a hasty and unexplained change to the Bureau ’ s operations that was created in 4 days.
” Besides deciding how many congressional seats and Electoral College votes each state gets , the census also determines how $ 1.5 trillion in federal spending is distributed annually .
Earlier this week , Koh had told attorneys for the civil rights groups and local governments that she would be open to a contempt motion against the government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to find the Trump administration in contempt , the plaintiff attorneys said in a motion that they were not seeking a contempt finding at this time .
Instead , they said they wanted full compliance with the judge ’ s order , arguing the Trump administration had violated it “ several times over.
” “ An unrushed , full and fair count is paramount to ensuring the accuracy of the 2020 Census , ” said Melissa Sherry , one of the plaintiff attorneys .
“ This ruling brings us one step closer to @ @ @ @ @ @

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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge is ordering the Census Bureau to text every 2020 census worker by Friday, letting them know the head count of every U.S. resident is continuing through the end of the month and not ending next week, as the agency previously had announced in violation of her court order.
The new order issued late Thursday by U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California, instructs the Census Bureau to send out a mass text saying an Oct. 5 target data for finishing the nation’s head count is not in effect and that people can still answer the questionnaire and census takers can still knock on doors through Oct. 31.
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The judge also ordered Census Bureau director Steven Dillingham to file with the court a declaration by the start of next week confirming his agency was following a preliminary injunction she had issued last week.
Judge Koh wrote in Thursday’s decision that the Census Bureau and Commerce Department, which oversees the agency, had violated her injunction “in several ways.” She threatened them with sanctions or contempt proceedings if they violated the injunction again.
“Defendants’ dissemination of erroneous information; lurching from one hasty, unexplained plan to the next; and unlawful sacrifices of completeness and accuracy of the 2020 Census are upending the status quo, violating the Injunction Order, and undermining the credibility of the Census Bureau and the 2020 Census,” the judge wrote. “This must stop.”
Koh’s injunction last week suspended a Sept. 30 deadline for ending the head count and also a Dec. 31 deadline for turning in numbers used to determine how many congressional seats each state gets in a process known as apportionment. By doing this, the deadlines reverted back to a previous Census Bureau plan that had field operations ending Oct. 31 and the reporting of apportionment figures at the end of April.
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By issuing the injunction, the judge sided with civil rights groups and local governments that had sued the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Commerce, arguing that minorities and others in hard-to-count communities would be missed if the counting ended in September.
Koh referred to a tweet by the Commerce Department and Census Bureau last Monday that they now were targeting Oct. 5 as the date to end the census as “a hasty and unexplained change to the Bureau’s operations that was created in 4 days.”
“The decision also risks further undermining trust in the Bureau and its partners, sowing more confusion, and depressing Census participation,” Koh wrote.
Besides deciding how many congressional seats and Electoral College votes each state gets, the census also determines how $1.5 trillion in federal spending is distributed annually.
Earlier this week, Koh had told attorneys for the civil rights groups and local governments that she would be open to a contempt motion against the government.
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While the court has the authority to find the Trump administration in contempt, the plaintiff attorneys said in a motion that they were not seeking a contempt finding at this time. Instead, they said they wanted full compliance with the judge’s order, arguing the Trump administration had violated it “several times over.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-02--Kushner Biz Won $850 Million In U.S.-Backed Loans At Special Terms: Report

The Kushner family real estate company , partly owned by White House senior adviser Jared Kushner , was granted $ 850 million in government-backed loans with “ unusually good terms , ” New York Public Radio and ProPublica reported .
The loans backed by the government-sponsored Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. — known as Freddie Mac — granted last year to Kushner Companies made it possible for the business to purchase thousands of apartments in Maryland and Virginia in its largest deal in a decade , according to the joint investigation by WNYC and ProPublica .
Jared Kushner gave up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump gave him a job as White House adviser .
But he remains a key stakeholder in the company , and has made millions of dollars from the business , including from operations linked to the Freddie Mac-backed deals , according to his financial disclosure filings .
Sixteen of the loans were first reported last year by Bloomberg , but the details of the Kushner Companies ’ favorable terms were not revealed until now .
A total of 18 loans the company obtained with Freddie Mac last year allowed more borrowing and lower @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loans , the investigation found .
The arrangement allows the company to pay only interest for 10 years , postponing payments on the principal for a decade , according to the articles .
That increases the risk to investors who buy bonds that include the Kushner mortgages , and to Freddie Mac and taxpayers in the event of a default .
Only 6 % of the 3,600 loans backed by the agency last year were interest-only for a decade or more , the WNYC and ProPublica investigation found .
In addition , Freddie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ properties ’ profitability —the foundation of the rationale for the loans — appeared to be overly optimistic .
All of the first 16 properties purchased with the aid of Freddie Mac backing delivered smaller profits in 2019 than Freddie Mac expected , despite a then-strong economy now battered by COVID-19 .
Freddie Mac insisted in a statement that it does “ not consider the political affiliations of borrowers or their family members , ” and that the deal terms “ fit squarely within our publicly available credit and underwriting standards.
” After the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Sen. Elizabeth Warren ( D-Mass . )
and Sen. Tom Carper ( D-Delaware ) wrote to Freddie Mac ’ s CEO expressing concerns about the transaction “ because of Kushner Companies ’ history of seeking to engage in deals that raise conflicts of interest issues ” with Jared Kushner .
Nothing apparently changed .

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The Kushner family real estate company, partly owned by White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, was granted $850 million in government-backed loans with “unusually good terms,” New York Public Radio and ProPublica reported.
The loans backed by the government-sponsored Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. — known as Freddie Mac — granted last year to Kushner Companies made it possible for the business to purchase thousands of apartments in Maryland and Virginia in its largest deal in a decade, according to the joint investigation by WNYC and ProPublica.
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Jared Kushner gave up running the company after father-in-law President Donald Trump gave him a job as White House adviser. But he remains a key stakeholder in the company, and has made millions of dollars from the business, including from operations linked to the Freddie Mac-backed deals, according to his financial disclosure filings.
Sixteen of the loans were first reported last year by Bloomberg, but the details of the Kushner Companies’ favorable terms were not revealed until now.
A total of 18 loans the company obtained with Freddie Mac last year allowed more borrowing and lower monthly payments than was typical for similar loans, the investigation found.
The arrangement allows the company to pay only interest for 10 years, postponing payments on the principal for a decade, according to the articles. That increases the risk to investors who buy bonds that include the Kushner mortgages, and to Freddie Mac and taxpayers in the event of a default. Only 6% of the 3,600 loans backed by the agency last year were interest-only for a decade or more, the WNYC and ProPublica investigation found.
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In addition, Freddie Mac’s estimates of the Kushner properties’ profitability —the foundation of the rationale for the loans — appeared to be overly optimistic. All of the first 16 properties purchased with the aid of Freddie Mac backing delivered smaller profits in 2019 than Freddie Mac expected, despite a then-strong economy now battered by COVID-19.
Freddie Mac insisted in a statement that it does “not consider the political affiliations of borrowers or their family members,” and that the deal terms “fit squarely within our publicly available credit and underwriting standards.”
Neither Kushner nor Kushner Companies has commented.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-02--GOP Sen. Thom Tillis, Judiciary Committee Member, Tests Positive For COVID-19

Sen. Thom Tillis ( R-N.C. ) , a member of the Judiciary Committee , said Friday that he ’ d tested positive for COVID-19 , becoming the latest Republican figure to contract the coronavirus ― and at least the second committee member to do so .
Tillis is one of at least five people who have tested positive for the virus since attending a Saturday event at the White House celebrating the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court .
BREAKING — Sen Thom Tillis also tests positive for covid-19 , his office says .
Tillis is also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was at the White House SCOTUS event Saturday , met with Barrett on Wednesday .
pic.twitter.com/FMGFWkOiFA — Seung Min Kim ( @ seungminkim ) October 3 , 2020 Lee , who is also a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee , said Friday that he ’ d started experiencing COVID-19 symptoms on Thursday morning ― at around the same time he attended a Judiciary Committee hearing where he spoke without wearing a mask .
Most members of the committee attended the Thursday hearing , including Sens .
Ted Cruz ( R-Texas ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Grassley ( R-Iowa ) .
It ’ s unclear , however , whether Tillis was present .
In a statement , Tillis said he had “ no symptoms ” and was feeling “ well.
” He added that he ’ d be “ self-isolating at home for 10 days and notifying those I ’ ve been in close contact with.
” Tillis , who is up for reelection in November , engaged in an in-person debate with his Democratic rival Cal Cunningham on Thursday night .
The two men bumped elbows during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cunningham wished Tillis a “ quick recovery ” in a tweet and said he too would get tested for the virus after his potential exposure .
3 things to know about the Thom Tillis COVID-19 infection : -He attended the event for Amy Barrett last weekend ( along with Sen. Mike Lee , who also tested positive ) .
-He has no symptoms .
-He debated Cal Cunningham last night .
They bumped elbows and stood this far apart # ncpol pic.twitter.com/I3lJZxUTuk — Andy Specht ( @ AndySpecht ) October 3 , 2020 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive COVID-19 results add further complications to Barrett ’ s Supreme Court confirmation hearing , which was scheduled to begin in 10 days .
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ( D-N.Y. ) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein ( D-Calif. ) , ranking member of the Judiciary Committee , said Friday morning that it was “ premature ... to commit to a hearing schedule ” when the full extent of lawmakers ’ exposure to COVID-19 is unknown .

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Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a member of the Judiciary Committee, said Friday that he’d tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the latest Republican figure to contract the coronavirus ― and at least the second committee member to do so.
Tillis is one of at least five people who have tested positive for the virus since attending a Saturday event at the White House celebrating the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.
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BREAKING — Sen Thom Tillis also tests positive for covid-19, his office says. Tillis is also a member of the Judiciary Committee, was at the White House SCOTUS event Saturday, met with Barrett on Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/FMGFWkOiFA — Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) October 3, 2020
Lee, who is also a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Friday that he’d started experiencing COVID-19 symptoms on Thursday morning ― at around the same time he attended a Judiciary Committee hearing where he spoke without wearing a mask.
Most members of the committee attended the Thursday hearing, including Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). It’s unclear, however, whether Tillis was present.
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In a statement, Tillis said he had “no symptoms” and was feeling “well.” He added that he’d be “self-isolating at home for 10 days and notifying those I’ve been in close contact with.”
Tillis, who is up for reelection in November, engaged in an in-person debate with his Democratic rival Cal Cunningham on Thursday night. The two men bumped elbows during the event and stood several feet apart.
Cunningham wished Tillis a “quick recovery” in a tweet and said he too would get tested for the virus after his potential exposure.
3 things to know about the Thom Tillis COVID-19 infection:
-He attended the event for Amy Barrett last weekend (along with Sen. Mike Lee, who also tested positive).
-He has no symptoms.
-He debated Cal Cunningham last night. They bumped elbows and stood this far apart #ncpol pic.twitter.com/I3lJZxUTuk — Andy Specht (@AndySpecht) October 3, 2020
Tillis’s and Lee’s positive COVID-19 results add further complications to Barrett’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing, which was scheduled to begin in 10 days.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-02--13 Amazing Photos You Missed This Week

13 Amazing Photos You Missed This Week

We ’ re highlighting exceptional photos from around the world for the week that ended Friday .
Check them out @ @ @ @ @ Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through St. Helena , California , @ @ @

We’re highlighting exceptional photos from around the world for the week that ended Friday.
Check them out below.
Above: The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through St. Helena, California, on Sunday.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-02--James Bond Film ‘No Time To Die’ Won't Be Released Until April 2021

The release of the James Bond film “ No Time to Die ” has been delayed again , this time to 2021 , because of the effects of COVID-19 on the theatrical business .
MGM , Universal and Bond producers , Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli , said on Twitter on Friday that the 25th installment in the franchise will now open globally on April 2 , 2021 .
“ No Time To Die ” was originally supposed to open in April 2020 but was pushed back to Nov. 12 in the U.K. and Nov. 20 in the U.S @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hollywood films to abandon its release before cinemas in the U.S. shut down in mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic .
The film from director Cary Joji Fukunaga stars Daniel Craig as 007 , Rami Malek , Lashana Lynch and Ana de Armas .
Other major studios have made similar decisions over the past few weeks .
Cinemas remain closed in New York and Los Angeles , two of North America ’ s biggest markets .
Ticket sales for Warner Bros. ’ “ Tenet , ” the first blockbuster to open in theaters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have not been as strong as hoped for in the U.S .
The Walt Disney Co. last week delayed the planned 2020 releases of a handful of major movies until 2021 .
Some major releases are still planned for 2020 .
They include “ Wonder Woman 1984 , ” which was pushed back to Christmas after multiple delays and Kenneth Branagh ’ s mystery “ Death on the Nile.
” It is now set for Dec. 18 .

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The release of the James Bond film “No Time to Die” has been delayed again, this time to 2021, because of the effects of COVID-19 on the theatrical business.
MGM, Universal and Bond producers, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, said on Twitter on Friday that the 25th installment in the franchise will now open globally on April 2, 2021.
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“No Time To Die” was originally supposed to open in April 2020 but was pushed back to Nov. 12 in the U.K. and Nov. 20 in the U.S. It was one of the first Hollywood films to abandon its release before cinemas in the U.S. shut down in mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic. The film from director Cary Joji Fukunaga stars Daniel Craig as 007, Rami Malek, Lashana Lynch and Ana de Armas.
Other major studios have made similar decisions over the past few weeks.
Cinemas remain closed in New York and Los Angeles, two of North America’s biggest markets.
Ticket sales for Warner Bros.’ “Tenet,” the first blockbuster to open in theaters worldwide after months of coronavirus-related closures, have not been as strong as hoped for in the U.S.
The Walt Disney Co. last week delayed the planned 2020 releases of a handful of major movies until 2021.
They include Marvel’s “Black Widow” and Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story.” Universal Pictures delayed “Candyman” to next year.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-02--Sexual, Gender Minorities Much Likelier To Be Crime Victims: Study

PHOENIX ( AP ) — The first study of its kind found that people who are gay , lesbian , bisexual , transgender , queer or gender non-confirming are nearly four times as likely to be victims of violent crime than those outside such communities .
Although other research has long shown that LGBTQ people and gender minorities are disproportionately affected by crime , the study published in Science Advances , a multidisciplinary journal , on Friday looked at data that has only been collected since 2016 , making for the first comprehensive and national study to examine the issue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ communities , referred to as sexual and gender minorities , experienced a rate of 71.1 violent victimizations per 1,000 persons a year , compared with 19.2 per 1,000 a year among non-sexual and gender minorities .
But it was the fact that sexual and gender minorities are victims of such a variety of crimes at such disparate rates — and who they ’ re victimized by — that surprised researchers , said lead author Andrew R. Flores , an assistant professor at American University .
For example , researchers found that such a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ victimized by someone they know well than a person who is a non-sexual and gender minority .
The fact that sexual and gender minorities are victimized by people close to them at such higher rates “ does kind of raise questions hopefully future research can address about the nature of these incidents and the nature of these relationships , ” Flores said .
“ There are certain socializations that goes in that .
I think many people are socialized and have a certain disdain for trans and queer people , ” said Tori @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a national organization that advocates for the LGBTQ community .
Cooper is the director of community engagement for the organization ’ s Transgender Justice Initiative .
A survey of more than 12,000 LGBTQ teens around the country released in 2018 by the Human Rights Campaign found that 67 % report they ’ ve heard family members make negative comments about LGBTQ people .
Cooper said transgender people are particularly vulnerable , especially by partners or people close to them .
The HRC has documented the killings of at least 29 transgender or non-gender @ @ @ @ @ @ @ majority were Black and Latina transgender women .
The new study didn ’ t have a large enough sample of surveys by transgender people to come to a conclusion about their specific victimization rates , but Flores said other research has shown they are particularly vulnerable .
The study also found that sexual and gender minorities are burglarized at twice the rate of other households , and that they ’ re more likely to be victims of other types of property theft .
The study is based on a national crime survey conducted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which until 2016 had not asked respondents about their sexual orientation and gender identity .
Researchers examined responses to the 2017 survey , which was released last year .
But it may be a while before researchers can look at the data in this way again .
The Trump administration , without seeking public comment , announced that it was moving the sexual orientation and gender identity questions from the general demographic section of its national crime survey to a part of the survey only pertaining to victims .
This will limit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because asking only victims about their sexual or gender identification makes it impossible to compare those rates of violence to the general population .

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PHOENIX (AP) — The first study of its kind found that people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer or gender non-confirming are nearly four times as likely to be victims of violent crime than those outside such communities.
Although other research has long shown that LGBTQ people and gender minorities are disproportionately affected by crime, the study published in Science Advances, a multidisciplinary journal, on Friday looked at data that has only been collected since 2016, making for the first comprehensive and national study to examine the issue.
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It found that members of such communities, referred to as sexual and gender minorities, experienced a rate of 71.1 violent victimizations per 1,000 persons a year, compared with 19.2 per 1,000 a year among non-sexual and gender minorities.
But it was the fact that sexual and gender minorities are victims of such a variety of crimes at such disparate rates — and who they’re victimized by — that surprised researchers, said lead author Andrew R. Flores, an assistant professor at American University.
For example, researchers found that such a population is much more likely to be victimized by someone they know well than a person who is a non-sexual and gender minority.
The fact that sexual and gender minorities are victimized by people close to them at such higher rates “does kind of raise questions hopefully future research can address about the nature of these incidents and the nature of these relationships,” Flores said.
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“There are certain socializations that goes in that. I think many people are socialized and have a certain disdain for trans and queer people,” said Tori Cooper of the Human Rights Campaign, a national organization that advocates for the LGBTQ community. Cooper is the director of community engagement for the organization’s Transgender Justice Initiative.
A survey of more than 12,000 LGBTQ teens around the country released in 2018 by the Human Rights Campaign found that 67% report they’ve heard family members make negative comments about LGBTQ people.
Cooper said transgender people are particularly vulnerable, especially by partners or people close to them. The HRC has documented the killings of at least 29 transgender or non-gender conforming people in 2020 alone. The majority were Black and Latina transgender women.
“There’s an incalculable amount of transphobia ... that plays into these relationships,” Cooper said.
The new study didn’t have a large enough sample of surveys by transgender people to come to a conclusion about their specific victimization rates, but Flores said other research has shown they are particularly vulnerable.
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The study also found that sexual and gender minorities are burglarized at twice the rate of other households, and that they’re more likely to be victims of other types of property theft.
The study is based on a national crime survey conducted by the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics, which until 2016 had not asked respondents about their sexual orientation and gender identity. Researchers examined responses to the 2017 survey, which was released last year.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-02--Trump’s Presidency Will Impact Refugees Long After He Leaves Office

President Donald Trump has spent years dismantling the refugee system and now has dealt what could be his final blow on Wednesday when he proposed cutting the already record-low admissions cap to 15,000 for the next fiscal year .
And even if he loses the election in November , it will be hard to quickly undo the damage .
Joe Biden , Trump ’ s Democratic challenger , pledged to raise the maximum number of refugee admissions to 125,000 a year if he wins .
While he could change the target number for admissions with comparative ease , Biden would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restoring a resettlement infrastructure that has faced layoffs and closures due to cuts forced by the Trump administration .
Before the beginning of each fiscal year , the president , who must first consult Congress , determines the yearly refugee cap .
Trump ’ s proposal , which was submitted quietly before the start of the new fiscal year at midnight Wednesday night , “ reflects the Administration ’ s continuing commitment to prioritize the safety and well-being of Americans , especially in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic , ” the State @ @ @ @ @ @ @ line with Trump ’ s longtime animosity toward refugees , whom he has accused of being dangerous , without evidence .
At a campaign rally in Minnesota on Wednesday , he said that “ another massive issue for Minnesota is the election of Joe Biden ’ s plan to inundate your state with a historic flood of refugees.
” Refugees have become a political pawn , demonized by those in the White House , while in reality most refugees are escaping humanitarian crises and even death .
Since Trump took office and severely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of thousands of families have been kept apart , people seeking medical attention have been denied entry , and some families have been forced to make the difficult decision to leave the U.S. just to be with their families .
The number of admitted refugees has since steadily declined under the Trump administration , with 2020 marking a historic low .
Trump slashed the refugee admissions cap from 110,000 ― a number set by President Barack Obama during his last year in office ― to a mere 45,000 during the 2018 fiscal year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 30,000 in the 2019 fiscal year and 18,000 in the 2020 fiscal year .
The U.S. only admitted roughly 11,000 refugees in 2020 due to border closures during the first few months of the pandemic ― and even before the pandemic , the number of actual admissions has been well below the caps set under Trump .
We ’ ll see the ultimate deathblow to a system that has literally saved millions of lives for more than four decades .
Krish O'Mara Vignarajah , president and CEO of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comes at a time when global displacement trends are at an all-time high .
Nearly 80 million people around the world have been forcibly displaced , and 26 million of them are refugees .
In 2017 , more than two-thirds of all refugees worldwide came from five countries ― Syria , Afghanistan , South Sudan , Myanmar and Venezuela ― all of which Trump has restricted entry from through his multiple travel bans .
The current plan also proposes not admitting any refugees from Somalia , Syria and Yemen , with exceptions for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a well-founded fear of persecution on account of religion ” ― essentially only allowing Christian minorities , a move that advocates say is discriminatory .
“ For refugees who have felt the instability of years of relocating with anxiety waiting for good news , for America to essentially shut the door in their faces is exactly what we ’ re doing through this kind of presidential determination number , ” said Vignarajah .
If Biden wins , he would not only need to deal with staffing issues , but would also need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups who want to challenge new admissions in the courts , especially if Trump is able to nominate a conservative Supreme Court justice ― all of which could hinder or delay changes set by Biden .
“ There ’ s a lot he needs to do to get this system up and running , because the people in there now are not interested in facilitating refugee resettlement in a good way , ” said Yael Schacher , the senior U.S. advocate at Refugees International .
Schacher noted there is already a pipeline of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but are not able to physically relocate , a situation that can be addressed fairly quickly during a Biden presidency .
She also said she hopes Biden will ease restrictions on asylum-seekers and refugees alike in order streamline the immigration maze that ’ s currently stacked against them .
“ Vulnerability hasn ’ t decreased .
The scale of the crisis hasn ’ t decreased .
The needs of these populations haven ’ t decreased , ” said Ash .
“ Nothing about their vulnerability has changed .
They have followed all the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the security checks .
They have been proceeding through the process and they wake up tomorrow and they ’ re Somali or Syrian and they ’ re no longer eligible for the program .
”

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President Donald Trump has spent years dismantling the refugee system and now has dealt what could be his final blow on Wednesday when he proposed cutting the already record-low admissions cap to 15,000 for the next fiscal year. And even if he loses the election in November, it will be hard to quickly undo the damage.
Joe Biden, Trump’s Democratic challenger, pledged to raise the maximum number of refugee admissions to 125,000 a year if he wins. While he could change the target number for admissions with comparative ease, Biden would face a series of challenges, including restoring a resettlement infrastructure that has faced layoffs and closures due to cuts forced by the Trump administration.
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“It’s a system that has experienced death by a thousand cuts. Year after year, the infrastructure is decimated,” said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, the president and CEO of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.
Before the beginning of each fiscal year, the president, who must first consult Congress, determines the yearly refugee cap. Trump’s proposal, which was submitted quietly before the start of the new fiscal year at midnight Wednesday night, “reflects the Administration’s continuing commitment to prioritize the safety and well-being of Americans, especially in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” the State Department website noted.
This is in line with Trump’s longtime animosity toward refugees, whom he has accused of being dangerous, without evidence. At a campaign rally in Minnesota on Wednesday, he said that “another massive issue for Minnesota is the election of Joe Biden’s plan to inundate your state with a historic flood of refugees.”
Refugees have become a political pawn, demonized by those in the White House, while in reality most refugees are escaping humanitarian crises and even death. Since Trump took office and severely limited the entry of refugees, hundreds of thousands of families have been kept apart, people seeking medical attention have been denied entry, and some families have been forced to make the difficult decision to leave the U.S. just to be with their families.
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The number of admitted refugees has since steadily declined under the Trump administration, with 2020 marking a historic low. Trump slashed the refugee admissions cap from 110,000 ― a number set by President Barack Obama during his last year in office ― to a mere 45,000 during the 2018 fiscal year. That number was sliced again to 30,000 in the 2019 fiscal year and 18,000 in the 2020 fiscal year. The U.S. only admitted roughly 11,000 refugees in 2020 due to border closures during the first few months of the pandemic ― and even before the pandemic, the number of actual admissions has been well below the caps set under Trump.
“We’ll see the ultimate deathblow to a system that has literally saved millions of lives for more than four decades.” - Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.
Refugee agencies are concerned that if Trump is reelected, those numbers will continue to take a hit, further decimating the federal program and continuing to keep out vulnerable populations who are fleeing persecution and humanitarian crises.
“We’ll see the ultimate deathblow to a system that has literally saved millions of lives for more than four decades,” Vignarajah added.
The low number of refugees comes at a time when global displacement trends are at an all-time high. Nearly 80 million people around the world have been forcibly displaced, and 26 million of them are refugees. In 2017, more than two-thirds of all refugees worldwide came from five countries ― Syria, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Myanmar and Venezuela ― all of which Trump has restricted entry from through his multiple travel bans.
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The current plan also proposes not admitting any refugees from Somalia, Syria and Yemen, with exceptions for “those who have been persecuted or have a well-founded fear of persecution on account of religion” ― essentially only allowing Christian minorities, a move that advocates say is discriminatory.
The proposal also makes exceptions for refugees from Iraq who helped the United States; and for refugees from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Cuba and Venezuela.
“For refugees who have felt the instability of years of relocating with anxiety waiting for good news, for America to essentially shut the door in their faces is exactly what we’re doing through this kind of presidential determination number,” said Vignarajah.
If Biden wins, he would not only need to deal with staffing issues, but would also need to prepare for any resistance from anti-immigrant groups who want to challenge new admissions in the courts, especially if Trump is able to nominate a conservative Supreme Court justice ― all of which could hinder or delay changes set by Biden.
“There’s a lot he needs to do to get this system up and running, because the people in there now are not interested in facilitating refugee resettlement in a good way,” said Yael Schacher, the senior U.S. advocate at Refugees International.
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Schacher noted there is already a pipeline of people who have been approved for resettlement but are not able to physically relocate, a situation that can be addressed fairly quickly during a Biden presidency. She also said she hopes Biden will ease restrictions on asylum-seekers and refugees alike in order streamline the immigration maze that’s currently stacked against them.
Ultimately, those who are being disproportionately affected by these binary limitations are refugees from Muslim and Black populations, said Nazanin Ash the vice president of global policy and advocacy for the International Rescue Committee.
Refugee agencies on the ground are ready to receive and process refugees with the support of their local politicians and communities, Ash added.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-02--Harvey Weinstein Charged With Six More Counts Of Sexual Assault In Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES , Oct 2 ( Reuters ) - Disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein has been charged with six more counts of forcible sexual assault in Los Angeles , the Los Angeles District Attorney said on Friday .
The charges involve two victims and stem from incidents that occurred more than a decade ago , District Attorney Jackie Lacey said in a statement .
Weinstein , who was convicted earlier this year in New York of sex crimes , now faces a total of four counts each of forcible rape and forcible oral copulation , two counts of sexual battery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ penetration by use of force , involving five victims for crimes that span from 2004 to 2013 in the Los Angeles area , Lacey said .
Representatives for Weinstein , who is serving 23 years in prison in New York , had no immediate comment on the new charges .
Weinstein has always denied having nonconsensual sex with anyone .
If convicted as charged in Los Angeles , the once powerful Hollywood mogul faces up to 140 years to life in state prison , according to Friday ’ s statement .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported these crimes and whose courage have given strength to others to come forward , ” Lacey said in a statement .
“ The willingness of these latest victims to testify against a powerful man gives us the additional evidence we need to build a compelling criminal case , ” she added .
Weinstein , 68 , was originally charged in January by Los Angeles prosecutors with sexually assaulting two women during separate incidents in 2013 .
His conviction in New York for sexual assault and rape in a criminal case was hailed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ movement against sexual misconduct by powerful men .
Prosecutors in Los Angeles have initiated a request for temporary custody of Weinstein from New York .
An extradition hearing is set for December .
( Reporting by Jill Serjeant and Lisa Richwine ; editing by Diane Craft and Cynthia Osterman )

LOS ANGELES, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein has been charged with six more counts of forcible sexual assault in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles District Attorney said on Friday.
The charges involve two victims and stem from incidents that occurred more than a decade ago, District Attorney Jackie Lacey said in a statement.
Weinstein, who was convicted earlier this year in New York of sex crimes, now faces a total of four counts each of forcible rape and forcible oral copulation, two counts of sexual battery by restraint and one count of sexual penetration by use of force, involving five victims for crimes that span from 2004 to 2013 in the Los Angeles area, Lacey said.
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Representatives for Weinstein, who is serving 23 years in prison in New York, had no immediate comment on the new charges. Weinstein has always denied having nonconsensual sex with anyone.
If convicted as charged in Los Angeles, the once powerful Hollywood mogul faces up to 140 years to life in state prison, according to Friday’s statement.
“I am thankful to the first women who reported these crimes and whose courage have given strength to others to come forward,” Lacey said in a statement.
“The willingness of these latest victims to testify against a powerful man gives us the additional evidence we need to build a compelling criminal case,” she added.
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Weinstein, 68, was originally charged in January by Los Angeles prosecutors with sexually assaulting two women during separate incidents in 2013.
His conviction in New York for sexual assault and rape in a criminal case was hailed as a victory for the #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct by powerful men.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-03--How To Prevent Suicide Among Tweens

How To Prevent Suicide Among Tweens

Minesh Bacrania for HuffPost From left , program director Erin Sibley Doerwald , office manager Marisol Peña and executive director Apryl Miller in the hallway with Otis the therapy dog at the Sky Center in Santa Fe , New Mexico .
Forget the volleyball team or chess club .
This group , which has been meeting weekly since 2015 , was formed in the spirit of Project Semicolon , an international movement that began when activist Amy Bleuel shared her mental health struggles on social media .
“ [ E ] veryone who self harms , is suicidal , depressed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going through a broken heart , just lost a loved one , etc .
draw a semicolon on your wrist , ” she posted to Twitter in 2013 .
“ [ A ] semicolon represents a sentence the author could ’ ve ended , but chose not to .
[ T ] he author is you and the sentence is your life.
” “ We ’ ve crossed a threshold , ” said Apryl Miller , executive director of the Sky Center and an innovator in youth mental health services .
“ All @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issues we used to see with 16- , 17- , 18-year-olds , now we see those exact same stressors in younger kids .
We regularly get parents calling up with the kind of situation that used to be unimaginable .
They say , ‘ I ’ m worried about my 10-year-old and they mentioned suicide.
’ ” A young trans boy , with bleached bangs and rainbow laces woven into his black high-tops , also rated himself as a “ 10.
” His mother disapproves of his identity and they are in frequent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and out of shelters .
The boy pulled up his left sleeve to show the group where , earlier in the day , he had burned five holes into his skin using the pointy ears of a plastic Yoda toy .
Koehler is careful to intervene when necessary .
She told the trans boy , for example , that they needed to speak privately afterward , so she could assess how best to address his self-harm .
But her primary focus is acknowledging the magnitude of the students ’ experiences in the present @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problem to be hurriedly solved .
“ You ’ ve had a really rough week , ” she said .
“ I just want to say how happy I am that you guys survived your 10-ness.
” As the rates of youth with mental health problems reach record levels , and the number of kids diagnosed with developmental disorders continues to grow , researchers have been clamoring to identify the root causes .
The proliferation of mobile phones , social media and other digital technologies is often blamed , although as scientists are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not equal causation .
But a recent report from Common Sense Media , “ Tweens , Teens , Tech , and Mental Health : Coming of Age in an Increasingly Digital , Uncertain , and Unequal World 2020 , ” documents the prominent and multifaceted role that tech plays in children ’ s lives , influencing nearly every aspect of their relationships and development .
According to Boisvert and other experts , the decline of face-to-face communication is having a direct effect on how our brains learn to process feelings and emotions .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ disrupts critical brain functions that are responsible for emotional activation and regulation , ” she said .
One such function is memory consolidation , the process by which neurons collect and store information into a cohesive , reliable body of emotional and intellectual knowledge .
By receiving so many fragments of decontextualized information , the consolidation process is essentially being hijacked .

SANTA FE, N.M. ― As with most after-school clubs, the meeting inside Ortiz Middle School begins with kids bumping and jostling into a classroom. A boy with green hair grabs a bag of chips off a table, taking a seat next to a girl. He invites her to share the snack. Another student adjusts the tie-dye bandana she’s using as a headband and shows her friend a funny meme on her phone.
The adult advisers, Robert Kristy and Katrina Koehler, ask everyone to take a seat on the floor in a circle, assuring them that pizza has been ordered and will be delivered shortly.
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Koehler asks, “So, on a scale of happy to crappy, how’s your suicide?”
Forget the volleyball team or chess club. This group, which has been meeting weekly since 2015, was formed in the spirit of Project Semicolon, an international movement that began when activist Amy Bleuel shared her mental health struggles on social media. “[E]veryone who self harms, is suicidal, depressed, has anxiety, is unhappy, going through a broken heart, just lost a loved one, etc. draw a semicolon on your wrist,” she posted to Twitter in 2013. “[A] semicolon represents a sentence the author could’ve ended, but chose not to. [T]he author is you and the sentence is your life.”
All over the world, people embraced the punctuation mark, with many acquiring real semicolon tattoos. The Sky Center, an independent mental health clinic that operates out of Ortiz Middle School, also adopted the semicolon for a suicide survivors group created as part of its effort to provide free, in-person support to a growing number of distressed young people.
A sign for the Sky Center on the campus of Ortiz Middle School in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Minesh Bacrania for HuffPost
For years, experts across the United States have been working to address the mental health crisis among teens and young adults. But a growing number of indicators suggest that the same emotional problems ― anxiety, depression and even suicide ― are affecting children at increasingly younger ages.
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Even before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, there were worrying signs. The number of anxiety disorders diagnosed by health care providers in children as young as 6 has gone up 17% in just five years, according to the most recent data.
Self-injury, or intentional cutting, scratching, burning or hitting, has been measured as high as 30% in some populations of girls, with the age of onset around 12 or 13.
These intentional self-harming behaviors ― often separate from suicidal intentions ― have become so widespread that a new disorder, non-suicidal self-injury (NSSID), was added to the 2013 DSM-5.
Bark, an app that alerts parents when their children encounter worrisome content online, analyzed the online activity of more than a million tweens in 2019. A staggering 55% of them had conversations about depression, and 35% were involved in self-harm or suicide situations.
“We’ve crossed a threshold,” said Apryl Miller, executive director of the Sky Center and an innovator in youth mental health services. “All of the emotional difficulties and peer relationship issues we used to see with 16-, 17-, 18-year-olds, now we see those exact same stressors in younger kids. We regularly get parents calling up with the kind of situation that used to be unimaginable. They say, ‘I’m worried about my 10-year-old and they mentioned suicide.’”
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is now the second leading cause of death among children ages 10 to 14, killing more Americans those ages than every type of cancer combined.
Surviving Their ‘10-Ness’
The Sky Center, a cozy area tucked away at the rear of a school where over 90% of students identify as Hispanic and 100% of the students qualify for free lunch, glows with fairy lights nestled within a forest of construction-paper trees. Each week, the Semicolon kids gather here, arranging themselves in a loose circle on couches and pillows to talk about their week, and experience something increasingly hard to come by in the modern world: community connection.
In a session I attended in March, the students took turns answering Koehler’s question about their current suicidal status, with “10” meaning close to suicide and “1” being not suicidal at all. A 12-year-old boy who was referred to the center said he was feeling “10” — describing how someone he’d considered a friend had been bullying him over Instagram and Snapchat. “It really, really affected me bad,” he said.
“I’m so sorry!” came the sympathetic reply from Koehler, who has a beatific presence and has spent nearly 20 years running Gerard’s House, a grief counseling center that co-sponsors the Semicolon group.
Construction paper leaves from the Forest of Gratitude at the Sky Center. Minesh Bacrania for HuffPost
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Between bites of a McDonald’s cheeseburger, an eighth grade girl also assessed herself at “10.” She had been raped the previous year, and was feeling anxious and stressed as the trial date approached, becoming increasingly fearful about leaving her house. “I’m afraid of going outside,” she said. “Even if I’m with friends, I feel like there are men watching me, and they could rape me.”
A young trans boy, with bleached bangs and rainbow laces woven into his black high-tops, also rated himself as a “10.” His mother disapproves of his identity and they are in frequent conflict; he has also been in and out of shelters. The boy pulled up his left sleeve to show the group where, earlier in the day, he had burned five holes into his skin using the pointy ears of a plastic Yoda toy.
Throughout the meeting, Koehler and the students gave their full attention to each speaker, offering compassionate nods and words of understanding. They shared inside jokes and, occasionally, hugs or commiserating laughs. Having repeated this ritual many times, becoming familiar with the intimate details of one another’s stories, the group provides safety and connection, a place where these kids, and all their feelings, are accepted unconditionally — no matter how dark or messy.
“There are so many screens everywhere. Our brains and bodies aren’t able to process the constant onslaught of media and information.” - Heidi Boisvert, City University of New York
Koehler is careful to intervene when necessary. She told the trans boy, for example, that they needed to speak privately afterward, so she could assess how best to address his self-harm. But her primary focus is acknowledging the magnitude of the students’ experiences in the present ― not treating their pain as a problem to be hurriedly solved. “You’ve had a really rough week,” she said. “I just want to say how happy I am that you guys survived your 10-ness.”
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As the rates of youth with mental health problems reach record levels, and the number of kids diagnosed with developmental disorders continues to grow, researchers have been clamoring to identify the root causes. The proliferation of mobile phones, social media and other digital technologies is often blamed, although as scientists are quick to remind us, correlation does not equal causation. But a recent report from Common Sense Media, “Tweens, Teens, Tech, and Mental Health: Coming of Age in an Increasingly Digital, Uncertain, and Unequal World 2020,” documents the prominent and multifaceted role that tech plays in children’s lives, influencing nearly every aspect of their relationships and development.
“There are so many screens everywhere. Our brains and bodies aren’t able to process the constant onslaught of media and information,” says Heidi Boisvert, a researcher and creative technologist at the City University of New York.
Boisvert has been working for more than a decade to understand how media consumption affects humans on a neurobiological level, measuring limbic and parasympathetic nervous system responses to various types of digital content. What she’s discovered is alarming: “All the time we spend online is causing us to be in a near-constant state of fight or flight.”
Leaves from the Forest of Gratitude with messages on them at the Sky Center. Minesh Bacrania for HuffPost
At the same time we’re all spending more hours online, we’re spending fewer hours sharing experiences with other people in real life. From the shift away from community groups that Robert Putnam described in 1995 as “bowling alone,” to the Gallup-measured drop of 20 percentage points since 1999 in the number of adults who belong to a church, synagogue or mosque, it would be hard to overstate how profoundly the social fabric of American life has changed.
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“All this stuff that keeps human beings human, that’s all disappearing,” says Nathan Morell, a staff therapist at Stockton University, referring to real-life social networks, the method by which humans have built and sustained emotional well-being for millennia. Undergirding this “crisis of connection,” as New York University psychologist Niobe Way describes it, are historic rates of poverty and the grinding consequences of racism, each of which already causes toxic stress.
According to Boisvert and other experts, the decline of face-to-face communication is having a direct effect on how our brains learn to process feelings and emotions. “All of this grazing on content disrupts critical brain functions that are responsible for emotional activation and regulation,” she said. One such function is memory consolidation, the process by which neurons collect and store information into a cohesive, reliable body of emotional and intellectual knowledge. By receiving so many fragments of decontextualized information, the consolidation process is essentially being hijacked.
“Because we’re grazing content, it’s actually not imprinting on the brain,” Boisvert explained. “It’s light learning instead of deep processing. The more time we spend watching screens,” she added, “the more we are unconsciously training ourselves to be socially and emotionally incompetent.”
A Few Gentle Words
Of course, digital technologies can provide new lifelines, too. Common Sense Media’s mental health report notes how social media and online communities offer “distinct benefits for young people who are excluded or feel stigmatized in their offline peer groups due to ethnic, racial, or gender or sexual minority status,” such as resource sharing and emotional support. But marginalized groups face other factors that render those benefits uneven.
“Adolescents growing up in lower-income households not only have less reliable devices and means of connecting to online spaces” — a deprivation that’s been underscored during the pandemic — “they also tend to receive less supervision, support, and scaffolding in their online activities, and report more spillover of negative online experiences,” the report notes. Crucially, for youngsters with pre-existing vulnerabilities, time spent online presents exacerbated risks.
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The report concludes with recommendations for parents and caregivers that are similar to how mental health experts treat anxiety and depression: Initiate discussions, be emotionally present, and share these moments not via text, but in real life — a type of engagement that provides emotional nourishment beyond the fleeting dopamine hit of a “like.”
A therapy room at the Sky Center. Minesh Bacrania for HuffPost
Authentic shared experiences are what occur at the Sky Center, which relies on donations to keep services free for anyone in need. Rather than treat individual children, the center utilizes what’s known as family systems therapy, an approach that helps everyone in a family unit recognize the impact of their behavior on others and develop healthy, productive problem-solving strategies.
In the 12-month period ending June, the center provided counseling to 371 at-risk youth and their families, about triple the number during the 2010-11 school year. Those figures don’t include scores of parents, siblings, relatives and other adults who also attended therapy, receiving lessons in self-regulation and empathetic social interaction ― what the Sky Center calls “inner and outer life skills.” (A growing number of educators refer to this as “SEL,” or social and emotional learning.)
On any given day, students come and go, counselors lead dual midday group meetings for at-risk sixth- and eighth-grade girls, a dozen families rotate in and out of session rooms, and Miller oversees Natural Helpers, a peer support training program the Center operates for students from eight area middle and high schools. Erin Sibley Doerwald, the program director, might lead a one-hour check-in session with the staff of graduate interns to make sure they are tending to their own well-being so as to minimize the effects of secondary trauma. Otis, a therapy dog, walks around and nuzzles visitors. Koehler and Kristy might be making calls to struggling children or their family members, whether to inquire about an absence or just to check in.
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Kristy, an affable 59-year-old social worker and one of the advisers, has worked at the Sky Center since 2011. He says he believes children with mental health issues are indicators of larger problems in families, communities and our nation. “The kids are symptom bearers,” Kristy said. “Suicidal feelings are a lightning rod. It’s their way of saying ‘Something is rotten in Denmark.’”
Instead of ending their lives, however, these children have decided to work for change, and they are changing and healing their families alongside themselves. With nothing more simple ― or more profound ― than a few gentle words or an acknowledgement of pain, lives are transformed, and, often, saved.
One teen, the one with green hair, right before the meeting started, said of the Semicolon group: “I’ve absolutely fallen in love with it. It’s given me a place to escape when things aren’t great.”
If you or someone you know needs help, call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. You can also text HOME to 741-741 for free, 24-hour support from the Crisis Text Line. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention for a database of resources.
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