thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-10--Second Wave Of COVID-19 Infections Sweeps Over Europe

Spain this week declared a state of emergency for Madrid amid increasing tensions between local and national authorities over virus containment measures .
Germany offered up soldiers to help with contact tracing in newly flaring hotspots .
Italy mandated masks outdoors and warned that for the first time since the country became the European epicenter of the pandemic , the health system was facing “ significant critical issues ” as hospitals fill up .
The Czech Republic ’ s “ Farewell Covid ” party in June , when thousands of Prague residents dined outdoors at a 500-meter long table across @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the virus , seems painfully naive now that the country has the highest per-capita infection rate on the continent , at 398 per 100,000 residents .
“ When the state of alarm was abandoned , it was time to invest in prevention , but that hasn ’ t been done , ” lamented Margarita del Val , viral immunology expert with the Severo Ochoa Molecular Biology Center , part of Spain ’ s top research body , CSIC .
“ We are in the fall wave without having resolved the summer wave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this week .
“ We were closed for six months , the restaurants didn ’ t work and yet the number of cases still rose , ” said Moaghin Marius Ciprian , owner of the popular Grivita Pub n Grill who took part in the protest .
“ I ’ m not a specialist but I ’ m not stupid either .
But from my point of view it ’ s not us that have the responsibility for this pandemic.
” As infections rise in many European countries , some — including Belgium @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Spain and France — are diagnosing more new cases every day per capita than the United States , according to the seven-day rolling averages of data kept by Johns Hopkins University .
On Friday , France , with a population of about 70 million , reported a record 20,300 new infections .
It ’ s also worrisome given many countries still lack the testing , tracing and treating capacity to deal with a second wave of pandemic when the first wave never really ended , said Dr. Martin McKee , professor of European @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hygiene and Tropical Medicine .
“ They should have been using the time to put in place really robust ‘ find , test , trace , isolate ’ support systems .
Not everybody did , ” McKee said .
“ Had they done that , then they could have identified outbreaks as they were emerging and really gone for the sources.
” Even Italy is struggling , after it won international praise for having tamed the virus with a strict 10-week lockdown and instituted a careful , conservative reopening and aggressive screening and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new clusters .
Anesthesiologists have warned that without new restrictions , ICUs in Lazio around Rome and Campania around Naples could be saturated within a month .
There is some good news , however .
Dr. Luis Izquierdo , assistant director of emergencies at the Severo Ochoa Hospital in Madrid said at least now , doctors know what therapies work .
During the peak of the epidemic in March and April , doctors in hardest-hit Spain and Italy threw every drug they could think of at patients — hydroxychloroquine , lopinavir , ritonavir @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we hardly use those drugs as they hardly have any effect , ” he said .
“ So in this sense we have had a victory because we know so much more now.
” But treating the virus medically is only half the battle .
Public health officials are now dealing with a surge in anti-mask protests , virus negationists and residents who are simply sick and tired of being told to keep their distance and refrain from hugging their loved ones .
The WHO this week put out new advice for governments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emotional factors when deciding on lockdowns , closures or other restrictions — a nod to some in the field who say the mental health toll of lockdowns is worse than the virus itself .
That data , Butler said , “ is going to become more important because we have to understand what restrictions we can put in place that will be sustained and adhered to , and acceptable to our populations .
”

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ROME (AP) — Europe’s second wave of coronavirus infections has struck well before flu season even started, with intensive care wards filling up again and bars shutting down. Making matters worse, authorities say, is a widespread case of “COVID-fatigue.”
Record high daily infections in several eastern European countries and sharp rebounds in the hard-hit west have made clear that Europe never really crushed the COVID-19 curve as hoped, after springtime lockdowns.
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Spain this week declared a state of emergency for Madrid amid increasing tensions between local and national authorities over virus containment measures. Germany offered up soldiers to help with contact tracing in newly flaring hotspots. Italy mandated masks outdoors and warned that for the first time since the country became the European epicenter of the pandemic, the health system was facing “significant critical issues” as hospitals fill up.
The Czech Republic’s “Farewell Covid” party in June, when thousands of Prague residents dined outdoors at a 500-meter long table across the Charles Bridge to celebrate their victory over the virus, seems painfully naive now that the country has the highest per-capita infection rate on the continent, at 398 per 100,000 residents.
“I have to say clearly that the situation is not good,” the Czech interior minister, Jan Hamacek, acknowledged this week.
Epidemiologists and residents alike are pointing the finger at governments for having failed to seize on the summertime lull in cases to prepare adequately for the expected autumn onslaught, with testing and ICU staffing still critically short.
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In Rome this week, people waited in line for 8-10 hours to get tested, while front-line medics from Kiev to Paris found themselves once again pulling long, short-staffed shifts in overcrowded wards.
“When the state of alarm was abandoned, it was time to invest in prevention, but that hasn’t been done,” lamented Margarita del Val, viral immunology expert with the Severo Ochoa Molecular Biology Center, part of Spain’s top research body, CSIC. “We are in the fall wave without having resolved the summer wave,” she told an online forum this week.
Tensions are rising in cities where new restrictions have been re-imposed, with hundreds of Romanian hospitality workers protesting this week after Bucharest once again shut down the capital’s indoor restaurants, theaters and dance venues.
“We were closed for six months, the restaurants didn’t work and yet the number of cases still rose,” said Moaghin Marius Ciprian, owner of the popular Grivita Pub n Grill who took part in the protest. “I’m not a specialist but I’m not stupid either. But from my point of view it’s not us that have the responsibility for this pandemic.”
As infections rise in many European countries, some — including Belgium, Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Spain and France — are diagnosing more new cases every day per capita than the United States, according to the seven-day rolling averages of data kept by Johns Hopkins University. On Friday, France, with a population of about 70 million, reported a record 20,300 new infections.
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Experts say Europe’s high infection rate is due in large part to expanded testing that is turning up far more asymptomatic positives than during the first wave, when only the sick could get a test.
But the trend is nevertheless alarming, given the flu season hasn’t even begun, schools are open for in-person learning and the cold weather hasn’t yet driven Europeans indoors, where infection can spread more easily.
“We’re seeing 98,000 cases reported in the last 24 hours. That’s a new regional record. That’s very alarming,” said Robb Butler, executive director of the WHO’s Europe regional office. While part of that is due to increased testing, “It’s also worrisome in terms of virus resurgence.”
It’s also worrisome given many countries still lack the testing, tracing and treating capacity to deal with a second wave of pandemic when the first wave never really ended, said Dr. Martin McKee, professor of European public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
“They should have been using the time to put in place really robust ‘find, test, trace, isolate’ support systems. Not everybody did,” McKee said. “Had they done that, then they could have identified outbreaks as they were emerging and really gone for the sources.”
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Even Italy is struggling, after it won international praise for having tamed the virus with a strict 10-week lockdown and instituted a careful, conservative reopening and aggressive screening and contact-tracing effort when summer vacation travelers created new clusters. Anesthesiologists have warned that without new restrictions, ICUs in Lazio around Rome and Campania around Naples could be saturated within a month.
As it is, Campania has only 671 hospital beds destined for COVID-19, and 530 are already occupied, said Campania Gov. Vincenzo De Luca. Half of Campania’s 100 ICU virus beds are now in use.
For now, the situation is manageable. “But if we get to 1,000 infections a day and only 200 people cured, it’s lockdown. Clear?” he warned this week.
The ICU alarm has already sounded in France, where Paris public hospital workers staged a protest this week to demand more government investment in staffing ICUs, which they said haven’t significantly increased capacity even after France got slammed during the initial outbreak.
“We did not learn the lessons of the first wave,” Dr. Gilles Pialoux, head of infectious diseases at the Tenon Hospital in Paris, told BFM television. “We are running after (the epidemic) instead of getting ahead of it.”
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There is some good news, however. Dr. Luis Izquierdo, assistant director of emergencies at the Severo Ochoa Hospital in Madrid said at least now, doctors know what therapies work. During the peak of the epidemic in March and April, doctors in hardest-hit Spain and Italy threw every drug they could think of at patients — hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir, ritonavir — with limited success.
“Now we hardly use those drugs as they hardly have any effect,” he said. “So in this sense we have had a victory because we know so much more now.”
But treating the virus medically is only half the battle. Public health officials are now dealing with a surge in anti-mask protests, virus negationists and residents who are simply sick and tired of being told to keep their distance and refrain from hugging their loved ones.
The WHO this week shifted gears from giving medical advice to combat infections to giving psychological advice on how to nudge virus-weary Europeans to keep up their guard amid “COVID-fatigue” that is sweeping the continent.
“Fatigue is absolutely natural. It’s to be expected where we have these prolonged crises or emergencies,” said the WHO’s Butler.
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The WHO this week put out new advice for governments to consider more social, psychological and emotional factors when deciding on lockdowns, closures or other restrictions — a nod to some in the field who say the mental health toll of lockdowns is worse than the virus itself.
That data, Butler said, “is going to become more important because we have to understand what restrictions we can put in place that will be sustained and adhered to, and acceptable to our populations.”
___


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-10--Therapists Predict How This Year Will Shape Our Mental Health

People will experience grief and loss in ways we haven ’ t had to contend with before .
Stress will rise as some follow restrictions and others don ’ t .
But seeing those who aren ’ t following proper health and safety guidelines can cause psychological harm .
For example , observing family and friends acting in an unsafe manner can evoke particular stress if you are an essential worker doing all you can to protect your loved ones from the virus , Kulshreshtha said .
There may be conflict about what is safe when it comes to social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even more burned out .
Anxiety will likely also increase .
The colder months could contribute to mental health struggles .
This is especially true for those working in the medical field fighting COVID-19 and those in the Black community dealing with continued social injustice and police brutality .
But it ’ s also a risk for many people just living through this pandemic .
Peterkin added that when it comes to trauma , the system becomes overloaded with stressors , and that can become overwhelming .
The return of some certainty may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to improve their well-being .
Communities may become more connected .
“ These can help us come to the end of 2020 as a stronger community , and that can help people feel more connected , although we are taught to socially distance , ” she said .
“ This will be helpful when it comes to our mental health .
”

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For the first time in my life, I’ve started seeing a therapist. My mental health had never seriously affected my day-to-day functioning before this year, even when it took a hit in 2019 after an immediate family member was diagnosed with late-stage cancer. But in 2020, the addition of COVID-19 means anxiety and hopelessness now take a starring role.
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Further, in the United States, the pandemic isn’t the sole contributor to the poor mental well-being of Americans. The country’s political turmoil has elicited distress in many marginalized groups. For the Black community, police brutality and the microscope on racism can negatively impact mental health.
Americans’ symptoms of deteriorating mental health haven’t improved from May to August 2020, according to a recent COVID Response Tracking Study poll from the National Opinion Research Center.
So, what will people’s mental health look like by the end of the year? What challenges will we face? Are there any positives? In honor of World Mental Health Day, we asked therapists to share their thoughts:
People will experience grief and loss in ways we haven’t had to contend with before.
Ever since our sense of normalcy has been upended by COVID-19, people have experienced astounding loss and grief ― even if they may not recognize it.
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People are not only grieving loved ones who have died, but also the loss of jobs, special events, travel plans and routines. Sima Kulshreshtha, a mental health therapist in Seattle supporting Therapy Aid Coalition, said she anticipates grief will rise each time individuals encounter an aspect of their lives that cannot look as it did pre-pandemic.
Stress will rise as some follow restrictions and others don’t.
“By this point, people know what to do to be safe and are making decisions for themselves around risks that they’re willing to take,” Kulshreshtha said.
But seeing those who aren’t following proper health and safety guidelines can cause psychological harm. For example, observing family and friends acting in an unsafe manner can evoke particular stress if you are an essential worker doing all you can to protect your loved ones from the virus, Kulshreshtha said. There may be conflict about what is safe when it comes to social or family gatherings.
martinedoucet via Getty Images Therapists are concerned about parents' stress as they monitor their children’s virtual learning while working.
People could become even more burned out.
Ashley Ertel, a therapist at Talkspace, said she’s concerned about the well-being of health care workers, who may be burned out due to the demands of their jobs. Ertel said they are likely sacrificing downtime, relationships or other calming parts of their lives to fight the coronavirus.
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Those with school-aged children also face an extra stressor. Christina Hong Huber, a postdoctoral psychology resident and therapist at Arlington/DC Behavior Therapy Institute, is concerned about the stress parents will carry from having to monitor their children’s virtual learning while working. Meanwhile, parents who had already been looking after their children full-time no longer have kid-free hours anymore.
Students may also face a unique emotional toll.
Akeera Peterkin, a licensed clinical social worker and owner of Amani Nia Therapeutic Services, worries about young adults’ lack of socialization from not being in school or on campus.
Socialization assists in identity growth and identity realization and is a way for young people to manage stress, Peterkin said. A lack of proper outlets or resources through school and being around peers may hurt their emotional growth.
“They might feel hopeless, helpless or overthink,” Peterkin said. “They might try to control every little thing. Some may not be as vulnerable with others ― not opening up or asking for help as much ― to try to create a sense of safety for themselves.”
Rates of depression may increase.
Experiencing ongoing, prolonged difficulties ― like what’s happening with the pandemic ― can increase a person’s risk of depression, according to research.
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“Having interrupted routines, being stuck at home and having fewer distractions have led to increased attention to and rumination on negative thoughts and feelings,” Hong Huber said. “The sense of isolation can contribute to an increase in depressive and anxious symptoms, and the associated social withdrawal can maintain this distress.”
Justin Paget via Getty Images “Either individuals will want to protect themselves and create a sense of safety and control, or they feel like they don’t have the ability to control or feel safe," says Akeera Peterkin, a licensed clinical social worker.
Anxiety will likely also increase.
Many people are feeling extreme anxiety due to this year’s unpredictability, fear of COVID, police brutality and social injustice, a lack of leadership and more. That’s likely to continue through the rest of 2020, Peterkin said.
Peterkin is particularly concerned about the last few months of 2020, as the holidays can bring additional anxiety around family gatherings and gift-giving, especially if people have lost their jobs.
“We also have a very big election year, so the holidays might bring up a lot of political discussions or separation from family members depending on political views,” Peterkin said.
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Essential workers who aren’t in health care may also be anxious about their own well-being. Kulshreshtha said restaurant workers or retail employees might distrust their employers if they’re not taking COVID-19 as seriously as they did at the beginning of the pandemic.
Those working in health care face a different challenge. They may be overwhelmed as more people get sick in the winter thanks to the flu and other illnesses on top of COVID-19.
Finally, Kulshreshtha anticipates anxiety will increase if pandemic restrictions are eased ― whenever that may be ― as people worry about re-engaging in social situations that they have always found stressful, such as work meetings or being in public spaces, or getting back into a routine where there is a possibility of exposure.
The colder months could contribute to mental health struggles.
“For some, extreme weather can exacerbate mental health difficulties and contribute to a sense of gloominess,” Hong Huber said.
Each year, as the weather turns with the coming of fall and winter, at least 5% of Americans experience seasonal affective disorder and approximately 14% experience milder winter blues. A decrease in people socializing with others outdoors, which is one of the ways individuals are coping with the pandemic, may make this issue worse.
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Some people may develop post-traumatic stress disorder.
Being surrounded by constant trauma places people at a higher risk for mental health troubles, Ertel said. “And for some people, that could develop into acute stress disorder or even PTSD,” she added.
This is especially true for those working in the medical field fighting COVID-19 and those in the Black community dealing with continued social injustice and police brutality. But it’s also a risk for many people just living through this pandemic. Peterkin added that when it comes to trauma, the system becomes overloaded with stressors, and that can become overwhelming.
“The body tends to respond in a hyper-vigilant way,” Peterkin said. “Either individuals will want to protect themselves and create a sense of safety and control, or they feel like they don’t have the ability to control or feel safe. It is those who tend toward the second response that often display symptoms of PTSD.”
These symptoms can include emotional numbness, persistent avoidance of reminders of the trauma, difficulty sleeping and concentrating and feeling jumpy and irritable.
Drazen Zigic via Getty Images 2020 has taught people how to maintain connections with loved ones, have honest conversations, and lend a helping hand.
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The return of some certainty may help.
“Now that we’re realizing the vaccines won’t be ready until probably next year and the virus will be around at least until next year, there’s a little more certainty that allows us to feel a little bit more prepared for the second half of the year,” Hong Huber said.
Additionally, we know what to expect when it comes to possible lockdowns and what we need to do to stay as healthy as possible. That can make the pandemic feel a little more certain than it did when it started.
By the end of the year, Kulshreshtha also anticipates that people who may not have connected with others virtually at the beginning of the pandemic will come to rely on it more, which may also help improve some mental health outcomes.
More people will consider therapy to improve their well-being.
Throughout the year, “folks who are more financially and socially privileged have had more time, motivation and commitment to use this period to work on themselves, their families and partners,” Hong Huber said.
More individuals and couples have been attending therapy regularly to learn how to manage mental health issues, and that’s likely to continue. You’ll likely see less of a stigma — finally! — attached to seeking professional help.
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Peterkin said resilience will also be key to positive mental health outcomes. Therapy and other professional resources can help with that.
Communities may become more connected.
Peterkin said there is one notable silver lining of 2020: It has taught people how to maintain connections with loved ones, have honest conversations about issues like systemic racism, and lend a helping hand to strangers.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-10--45 Hilarious And Relatable Period Tweets

I would 100 % sign up for a period app that sends me push notifications leading up to my period @ @ @ @ @ anxiety is hormonal ” or “ do you might feel like the world is ending @ @ @ @ @ ’ s 2 am on the 27th day of your cycle , maybe wait until @ @ @ @ @ text ”

I would 100% sign up for a period app that sends me push notifications leading up to my period that are like “this anxiety is hormonal” or “do you might feel like the world is ending,” or “it’s 2 am on the 27th day of your cycle, maybe wait until morning to send that snippy text”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-10--White House Blocked CDC Mask Mandate For Public Transportation: Report

The White House blocked a national mask mandate for public transportation drafted last month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , The New York Times reported Friday .
The CDC planned to issue an order requiring that face masks be worn by passengers and employees on planes , trains , buses and subways — and at transit networks , including airports , train stations and bus depots — two federal health officials told the newspaper .
The order , reportedly drafted under the agency ’ s quarantine powers , was supported by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But Mike Pence ’ s coronavirus task force , which would have needed to sign off on the mandate before it could go into effect , refused to discuss the issue , sources said .
The administration ’ s position was reportedly to allow localities to set their own regulations .
Masks are considered by scientists and medical experts to be one of the most effective ways to prevent transmission of the coronavirus .
“ We are not defenseless against COVID-19 , ” CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said in an editorial this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Medical Association .
“ Cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus — particularly when used universally within a community setting .
All Americans have a responsibility to protect themselves , their families , and their communities.
” The Trump administration , on the other hand , is proving to be ineffective in battling the coronavirus that has already killed more than 210,000 Americans .
More than 35 cases are linked to a White House event at the end of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court .
The gathering , where almost no one wore a mask or observed social distancing guidelines , has been called a superspreader event by Dr. Anthony Fauci , the nation ’ s top infectious disease expert .
Health officials in Minnesota , meanwhile , have reported that nine people who attended a Trump campaign rally last month in Bemidji have also tested positive .
Again , few wore masks or observed social distancing guidelines that help stem the spread of COVID-19 .

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The White House blocked a national mask mandate for public transportation drafted last month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The New York Times reported Friday.
The CDC planned to issue an order requiring that face masks be worn by passengers and employees on planes, trains, buses and subways — and at transit networks, including airports, train stations and bus depots — two federal health officials told the newspaper.
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The order, reportedly drafted under the agency’s quarantine powers, was supported by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, according to the Times. But Mike Pence’s coronavirus task force, which would have needed to sign off on the mandate before it could go into effect, refused to discuss the issue, sources said. The administration’s position was reportedly to allow localities to set their own regulations.
Masks are considered by scientists and medical experts to be one of the most effective ways to prevent transmission of the coronavirus.
“We are not defenseless against COVID-19,” CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said in an editorial this summer in the Journal of the American Medical Association. “Cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus — particularly when used universally within a community setting. All Americans have a responsibility to protect themselves, their families, and their communities.”
The Trump administration, on the other hand, is proving to be ineffective in battling the coronavirus that has already killed more than 210,000 Americans.
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More than 35 cases are linked to a White House event at the end of September, when President Donald Trump announced the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. The gathering, where almost no one wore a mask or observed social distancing guidelines, has been called a superspreader event by Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert.
Health officials in Minnesota, meanwhile, have reported that nine people who attended a Trump campaign rally last month in Bemidji have also tested positive. Again, few wore masks or observed social distancing guidelines that help stem the spread of COVID-19.
Read the entire New York Times piece here.
A HuffPost Guide To Coronavirus


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-10--9 People At Trump's Minnesota Campaign Rally Have Tested Positive For The Coronavirus

Nine people who attended President Donald Trump ’ s campaign rally in Minnesota last month have tested positive for the coronavirus , and one remains in intensive care , state health officials reported Friday .
All nine were at the Sept. 18 rally in Bemidji , weeks before Trump tested positive for the coronavirus .
But few people attending the rally wore face masks or followed social distancing guidelines , which are recommended by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
Two of the nine were hospitalized , reported The Duluth News Tribune .
Minnesota Health Department officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nine contracted COVID-19 at the rally , but they have confirmed they all attended the event , spokesperson Doug Schultz told Politico .
The stricken Trump supporters were at the event at a time “ when they were likely to have been exposed to the virus that made them ill ( 14 days prior to illness onset ) , ” Schultz wrote in an email .
Trump reported that he and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for the coronavirus early Oct. 1 after his close aide Hope Hicks tested positive Thursday morning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ golf resort in Bedminster , New Jersey , hours before his positive test result was reported .
He also attended a rally in Duluth , Minnesota , the previous day , when Hicks was reportedly experiencing COVID-19 symptoms .
Three Republican Minnesota congressmen traveled with Trump on Air Force One from Washington to Duluth for the rally and back .
When they headed back to their state Oct. 2 , they skirted regulations and hopped aboard a commercial flight despite concerns they may have been exposed to COVID-19 through Trump and his staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of time until the dangerous , mask-less campaign events staged by Donald Trump and Minnesota Republicans landed Minnesotans in the hospital , ” Ken Martin , chairman of Minnesota ’ s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party , said in a statement .
Trump campaign spokesperson Tim Murtaugh said that tying the Bemidji cases to the rally is “ a stretch , ” adding : “ We wish them all speedy recoveries.
” Trump lost Minnesota in 2016 .
Trump ’ s Democratic rival , Joe Biden , has been leading by several percentage points in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
News of the Minnesota illnesses comes after more than 35 COVID-19 cases have been linked to a Sept. 26 event at the White House Rose Garden when Trump announced his nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg .
Almost no one wore masks or followed social distance guidelines at the nomination event .
Trump tested positive for the coronavirus just days later .
Trump reportedly plans to speak to a crowd on the South Lawn of the White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a week after he was airlifted to Walter Reed hospital for treatment of COVID-19 .
He is also planning a “ very BIG ” campaign rally on Monday in Sanford , Florida .

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Nine people who attended President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Minnesota last month have tested positive for the coronavirus, and one remains in intensive care, state health officials reported Friday.
All nine were at the Sept. 18 rally in Bemidji, weeks before Trump tested positive for the coronavirus. But few people attending the rally wore face masks or followed social distancing guidelines, which are recommended by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two of the nine were hospitalized, reported The Duluth News Tribune.
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Minnesota Health Department officials can’t say definitively that all nine contracted COVID-19 at the rally, but they have confirmed they all attended the event, spokesperson Doug Schultz told Politico. The stricken Trump supporters were at the event at a time “when they were likely to have been exposed to the virus that made them ill (14 days prior to illness onset),” Schultz wrote in an email.
Three Republican Minnesota congressmen traveled with Trump on Air Force One from Washington to Duluth for the rally and back. When they headed back to their state Oct. 2, they skirted regulations and hopped aboard a commercial flight despite concerns they may have been exposed to COVID-19 through Trump and his staff.
“It was only a matter of time until the dangerous, mask-less campaign events staged by Donald Trump and Minnesota Republicans landed Minnesotans in the hospital,” Ken Martin, chairman of Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, said in a statement.
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Trump campaign spokesperson Tim Murtaugh said that tying the Bemidji cases to the rally is “a stretch,” adding: “We wish them all speedy recoveries.”
Trump lost Minnesota in 2016. Trump’s Democratic rival, Joe Biden, has been leading by several percentage points in the latest polls for November’s election.
News of the Minnesota illnesses comes after more than 35 COVID-19 cases may have been triggered by a Sept. 26 event at the White House Rose Garden when Trump announced his nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Almost no one wore masks or followed social distance guidelines at the nomination event. Trump tested positive for the coronavirus just days later.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, has called the Rose Garden gathering a “superspreader event.”
"We had a superspreader event at the White House," Fauci tells @CBSNewsRadio. "The data speak for themselves." pic.twitter.com/svnwkfr6Ag — Steven Portnoy (@stevenportnoy) October 9, 2020
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Trump reportedly plans to speak to a crowd on the South Lawn of the White House on Saturday from a balcony just a week after he was airlifted to Walter Reed hospital for treatment of COVID-19. He is also planning a “very BIG” campaign rally on Monday in Sanford, Florida.
Will be in Sanford, Florida on Monday for a very BIG RALLY! https://t.co/TTOlHJT8kr — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 9, 2020
Minnesota’s current surge in COVID-19 cases continues to climb. The state tallied 1,401 more cases and 14 more deaths on Friday.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-10--CNN's Brianna Keilar Expertly Dismantles Trump’s Idea Of Fox Sycophants As Moderators

President Donald Trump this week suggested that some of his favorite fawning Fox News hosts — like Sean Hannity , Laura Ingraham and Tucker Carlson and others — would be “ fair ” hosts of a 2020 presidential debate .
On Friday ’ s broadcast of CNN ’ s “ Newsroom , ” anchor Brianna Keilar examined how the highly unlikely scenario could play out .
“ Seems like he ’ s kidding , but these are the people he flocks to , people he says are fair , ” Keilar said .
“ If his wish came true and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think they ’ d really press him on the administration ’ s failed response to the coronavirus ?
” Keilar aired footage of various personalities on the widely watched conservative network stumping for Trump , defending the government ’ s catastrophic handling of the pandemic , and criticizing Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden .
“ Clearly these prominent voices on that network won ’ t be moderating any debate other than amongst themselves , ” Keilar acknowledged toward the end of the segment .
“ But we show you this because these are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” she said .
“ These people are giving the president a daily briefing and it appears this is the one he ’ s actually listening to.
” President Trump said he wants Fox News hosts to moderate a debate .
@ brikeilarCNN shows how that might turn out in today ’ s # RollTheTape .
pic.twitter.com/MrKAinKEEI — CNN Newsroom ( @ CNNnewsroom ) October 9 , 2020

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President Donald Trump this week suggested that some of his favorite fawning Fox News hosts — like Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham and Tucker Carlson and others — would be “fair” hosts of a 2020 presidential debate.
On Friday’s broadcast of CNN’s “Newsroom,” anchor Brianna Keilar examined how the highly unlikely scenario could play out.
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“Seems like he’s kidding, but these are the people he flocks to, people he says are fair,” Keilar said. “If his wish came true and they moderated a debate, do you think they’d really press him on the administration’s failed response to the coronavirus?”
Keilar aired footage of various personalities on the widely watched conservative network stumping for Trump, defending the government’s catastrophic handling of the pandemic, and criticizing Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
“Clearly these prominent voices on that network won’t be moderating any debate other than amongst themselves,” Keilar acknowledged toward the end of the segment.
“But we show you this because these are the people the president is listening to,” she said. “These people are giving the president a daily briefing and it appears this is the one he’s actually listening to.”
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Check out the video here:


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-10--Donald Trump Is The ‘Superspreader-In-Chief’ In Republican Group’s Cutting New Ad

President Donald Trump ’ s continued disregard for safety measures designed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus ― even after contracting COVID-19 himself ― is the subject of two damning news ads from groups on both sides of the aisle .
A video released by Republican Voters Against Trump on Friday pours scorn on Trump ’ s claim that he ’ s “ better ” and perhaps now immune , following his release from the hospital on Monday , after just three days of treatment .
The clip features footage of some of the events that Trump has hosted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been attended by maskless supporters ― and ends with a stark reminder of the more than 210,000 Americans who have died after contracting the virus .
The progressive PAC MeidasTouch , meanwhile , urged voters to “ get rid of the Trump virus ” with its ad that contrasts the prominent Republicans who have tested positive for COVID-19 after ignoring safety measures with the American workers who have contracted the virus and don ’ t have top-level medical care .
Combined , the two videos have more than 1 million views on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unclear if these kind of viral clips ( that seldom appear on television ) have any effect on swing voters .
In his first on-screen interview since becoming sick last week , Trump on Friday night claimed on Tucker Carlson ’ s Fox News show that he felt “ really good , really strong ” and had been “ medication-free ” for the eight previous hours .
Trump avoided answering a question about whether he ’ d been tested earlier in the day by saying , “ I have been retested and I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or anything yet .
I ’ m at either the bottom of the scale or free.
” Amid fears that he may still be contagious , the president plans to hold an in-person event for hundreds of guests at the White House on Saturday .

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President Donald Trump’s continued disregard for safety measures designed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus ― even after contracting COVID-19 himself ― is the subject of two damning news ads from groups on both sides of the aisle.
A video released by Republican Voters Against Trump on Friday pours scorn on Trump’s claim that he’s “better” and perhaps now immune, following his release from the hospital on Monday, after just three days of treatment.
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The clip features footage of some of the events that Trump has hosted amid the pandemic ― many of which have been attended by maskless supporters ― and ends with a stark reminder of the more than 210,000 Americans who have died after contracting the virus.
Check out the video here:
The progressive PAC MeidasTouch, meanwhile, urged voters to “get rid of the Trump virus” with its ad that contrasts the prominent Republicans who have tested positive for COVID-19 after ignoring safety measures with the American workers who have contracted the virus and don’t have top-level medical care.
Check out that video here:
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Combined, the two videos have more than 1 million views on social media, but it’s unclear if these kind of viral clips (that seldom appear on television) have any effect on swing voters.
In his first on-screen interview since becoming sick last week, Trump on Friday night claimed on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show that he felt “really good, really strong” and had been “medication-free” for the eight previous hours.
Trump avoided answering a question about whether he’d been tested earlier in the day by saying, “I have been retested and I haven’t even found out numbers or anything yet. I’m at either the bottom of the scale or free.”
Amid fears that he may still be contagious, the president plans to hold an in-person event for hundreds of guests at the White House on Saturday.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-09--Trump's New Legacy: Biggest U.S. Trade Deficit In 14 Years

Despite massive tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump , the U.S. just chalked up its biggest trade deficit in 14 years .
The gap between the value of goods and services the U.S. buys compared to what it sells abroad climbed 5.9 % in August to $ 67.1 billion .
That ’ s the largest gap since August 2006 .
Imports were up 3.2 % , to $ 239 billion — led by purchases of crude oil , cars and auto parts — compared with exports , which rose just 2.2 % to $ 171.9 billion on shipments mostly of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Economic Analysis .
So far this year , the U.S. has recorded a trade gap of $ 421.8 billion — up 5.7 % from January to August 2019 — even though balancing the trade gap has been a signature promise of Trump ’ s .
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer tried to put a positive spin on the figures , saying that Americans have more money to spend on imports than residents of other nations because the U.S. economy is bouncing back more quickly , MarketWatch reported .
Over the years , Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yet the trade deficit has been consistently attacked by Trump .
A union representative from a Michigan steel plant blasted Trump for the failure of his tariff scheme to save steelworkers ’ jobs , as he had promised .
Trump vowed to revive the steel and coal industries in his 2016 campaign .
But steelmakers have served layoff notices to nearly 2,000 workers since the tariffs took effect , according to Reuters .
Michigan ’ s manufacturing sector now employs 55,100 fewer workers than it did when Trump took office in January 2017 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The battleground state , which Trump won by fewer than 11,000 votes last time , is vital to his reelection .
Employment in the coal industry has dropped 9 % since 2016 , to about 46,000 , as 66 coal plants — nearly 20 % of all operations in the U.S. — have closed .
Trump imposed a 25 % tariff in 2018 on imported steel , and China in turn set retaliatory tariffs .
International demand for U.S. steel dropped due to the retaliatory tariffs , and American businesses that still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ higher costs .
In addition , the price of tariffs tacked onto American consumer goods is costing the average U.S. family an additional $ 1,277 this year , according to a study by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office .
They cost American businesses $ 46 billion at the start of 2020 .
Trump declared as he began to impose his tariffs that trade wars were “ easy to win .
”

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Despite massive tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, the U.S. just chalked up its biggest trade deficit in 14 years.
The gap between the value of goods and services the U.S. buys compared to what it sells abroad climbed 5.9% in August to $67.1 billion. That’s the largest gap since August 2006.
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Imports were up 3.2%, to $239 billion — led by purchases of crude oil, cars and auto parts — compared with exports, which rose just 2.2% to $171.9 billion on shipments mostly of soybeans, reported the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
So far this year, the U.S. has recorded a trade gap of $421.8 billion — up 5.7% from January to August 2019 — even though balancing the trade gap has been a signature promise of Trump’s.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer tried to put a positive spin on the figures, saying that Americans have more money to spend on imports than residents of other nations because the U.S. economy is bouncing back more quickly, MarketWatch reported. Over the years, Americans have generally spent more on imports, yet the trade deficit has been consistently attacked by Trump.
A union representative from a Michigan steel plant blasted Trump for the failure of his tariff scheme to save steelworkers’ jobs, as he had promised.
Advertisement
Trump vowed to revive the steel and coal industries in his 2016 campaign. But steelmakers have served layoff notices to nearly 2,000 workers since the tariffs took effect, according to Reuters.
Michigan’s manufacturing sector now employs 55,100 fewer workers than it did when Trump took office in January 2017, according to U.S. Labor Department statistics. The battleground state, which Trump won by fewer than 11,000 votes last time, is vital to his reelection.
Employment in the coal industry has dropped 9% since 2016, to about 46,000, as 66 coal plants — nearly 20% of all operations in the U.S. — have closed.
Trump imposed a 25% tariff in 2018 on imported steel, and China in turn set retaliatory tariffs. International demand for U.S. steel dropped due to the retaliatory tariffs, and American businesses that still needed to import goods were hit with higher costs.
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In addition, the price of tariffs tacked onto American consumer goods is costing the average U.S. family an additional $1,277 this year, according to a study by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. They cost American businesses $46 billion at the start of 2020.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-10--Tucker Carlson's 'Very Odd' Pronunciation Of 'Ottawa' Has People In Stitches

Tucker Carlson being ignorant of how to pronounce Ottawa and , rather than taking two-seconds to learn , simply making @ @ @ @ @ 's the way it is , is no different from how he approaches and delivers @ @ @ @ @ on his show .

Tucker Carlson being ignorant of how to pronounce Ottawa and, rather than taking two-seconds to learn, simply making it up and pretending that's the way it is, is no different from how he approaches and delivers every other bit of info on his show.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-09--Federal Judge Blocks Texas Order Limiting Ballot Drop-Off Sites

In a 46-page opinion , U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman of Austin said “ the public interest is not served by Texas ’ continued enforcement of a proclamation plaintiffs have shown likely violates their fundamental right to vote .
This factor therefore weighs in favor of a preliminary injunction.
” The move brought swift accusations of voter suppression from Democrats and voting rights groups , including the League of United Latin American Citizens , which filed a lawsuit over the order earlier in October .
Gilberto Hinojosa , Texas Democratic Party chairman , said in a statement that Pitman ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ making up ” election rules after the election started .
“ This important ruling stands up not just for voters but for the Rule of Law , ” he added .
“ This isn ’ t the first time Abbott and Texas Republicans have tried to suppress the vote , and it won ’ t be the last.
” Republicans say the reduction in drop-off sites is necessary to ensure election security .
Abbott ’ s order also emphasized that poll watchers can observe ballot deliveries , which comes as President Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ places and “ watch very carefully , ” raising concerns about possible voter intimidation .
Texas is one of just five states not allowing widespread mail-in voting this year .
Polls show unusually tight races in America ’ s biggest red state and Democrats could take over the state House of Representatives for the first time in 20 years .
Courts have sided with GOP leaders who say fear of catching COVID-19 doesn ’ t qualify voters to receive mail-in ballots .
To qualify for a mail-in ballot in Texas , voters generally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their county on Election Day or disabled .
Nowhere in Texas lost more drop-off sites than Harris County , which includes Houston and is home to 5 million people .
The county - a key battleground in Texas - was forced to close 11 drop-off locations .
On Wednesday , the Texas Supreme Court also ruled that Houston elections officials could not send unsolicited mail ballot applications to 2 million registered voters .
The U.S .
Postal Service informed Texas in July that , given the state ’ s current mail ballot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be delivered to voters by Election Day , and that even if all ballots reached voters on time , there was a “ significant risk ” that completed ballots postmarked on or near Election Day would not be received by the state ’ s Nov. 4 deadline .
The Texas Secretary of State ’ s office has not responded to Associated Press requests for comment on its plans to ensure the timely delivery of ballots .

In a 46-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman of Austin said “the public interest is not served by Texas’ continued enforcement of a proclamation plaintiffs have shown likely violates their fundamental right to vote. This factor therefore weighs in favor of a preliminary injunction.”
The move brought swift accusations of voter suppression from Democrats and voting rights groups, including the League of United Latin American Citizens, which filed a lawsuit over the order earlier in October.
Gilberto Hinojosa, Texas Democratic Party chairman, said in a statement that Pitman’s decision stopped the governor from “making up” election rules after the election started.
“This important ruling stands up not just for voters but for the Rule of Law,” he added. “This isn’t the first time Abbott and Texas Republicans have tried to suppress the vote, and it won’t be the last.”
Republicans say the reduction in drop-off sites is necessary to ensure election security. Abbott’s order also emphasized that poll watchers can observe ballot deliveries, which comes as President Donald Trump urges his supporters to go to polling places and “watch very carefully,” raising concerns about possible voter intimidation.
Texas is one of just five states not allowing widespread mail-in voting this year. Polls show unusually tight races in America’s biggest red state and Democrats could take over the state House of Representatives for the first time in 20 years.
Courts have sided with GOP leaders who say fear of catching COVID-19 doesn’t qualify voters to receive mail-in ballots. To qualify for a mail-in ballot in Texas, voters generally must be 65 years older, out of their county on Election Day or disabled.
Nowhere in Texas lost more drop-off sites than Harris County, which includes Houston and is home to 5 million people. The county - a key battleground in Texas - was forced to close 11 drop-off locations. On Wednesday, the Texas Supreme Court also ruled that Houston elections officials could not send unsolicited mail ballot applications to 2 million registered voters.
The U.S. Postal Service informed Texas in July that, given the state’s current mail ballot request deadline, some ballots may not be delivered to voters by Election Day, and that even if all ballots reached voters on time, there was a “significant risk” that completed ballots postmarked on or near Election Day would not be received by the state’s Nov. 4 deadline.
The Texas Secretary of State’s office has not responded to Associated Press requests for comment on its plans to ensure the timely delivery of ballots.
___


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-09--Child Born Abroad To Gay Couple Is A US Citizen, Federal Court Rules

LOS ANGELES ( AP ) — A federal appeals court has ruled against the U.S. State Department in its quest to deny the citizenship of one of two twins born abroad to a gay married couple .
The 9th U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals said Friday that a Los Angeles trial judge correctly concluded that 4-year-old Ethan Dvash-Banks was an American citizen despite being conceived with sperm of an Israeli father and born in Canada using a surrogate mother .
The boy ’ s other father is a U.S. citizen , and the law does not require a child @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parents were married at the time of their birth , a U.S. District Court judge ruled last year .
The boy was granted a passport after the ruling , but the State Department appealed .
Andrew Dvash-Banks , the father who is a U.S. citizen , said he was thrilled by the ruling that affirms his son ’ s citizenship and removes uncertainty that has hung over the family for nearly four years .
While the twins are still too young to understand what their parents have gone through , the fathers set @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of digital journal the boys can read some day .
Dvash-Banks said he planned to email them tonight with a copy of the ruling and thoughts on the latest development .
“ We want both to know how much we love then and how much we fight for them , ” he said .
“ The fact that they ’ re twins and not being treated equally , we want them to know that we did everything to make that right and we were successful.
” Before the boys were out of diapers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unusual case that arose after the American consulate in Toronto denied his citizenship after requiring DNA tests that showed he was the biological son of Elad Dvash-Banks , an Israeli citizen .
The couple met when Andrew was studying in Israel .
At the time , they couldn ’ t marry legally in the U.S. or Israel , so they moved to Canada and wed in 2010 .
The boys were born by a surrogate in September 2016 using sperm from each of the fathers and donor eggs .
“ We want both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and how much we fight for them , ” Andrew Dvash-Banks ( right ) said .
The lawsuit filed on behalf of the toddler by Immigration Equality , an LGBTQ immigrant rights group , sought the same rights for Ethan as his brother .
The group argued that the children of a U.S. citizen who marries abroad are entitled to citizenship at birth no matter where they are born , even if the other parent is a foreigner .
He said the Department of Justice conceded in its appeal that it would lose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the case .
“ This seems to be an issue they ’ re not willing to budge on , ” Morris said .
“ Every federal court that has heard the government ’ s argument has ruled against them .
”

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal appeals court has ruled against the U.S. State Department in its quest to deny the citizenship of one of two twins born abroad to a gay married couple.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Friday that a Los Angeles trial judge correctly concluded that 4-year-old Ethan Dvash-Banks was an American citizen despite being conceived with sperm of an Israeli father and born in Canada using a surrogate mother.
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The boy’s other father is a U.S. citizen, and the law does not require a child to show a biological relationship if their parents were married at the time of their birth, a U.S. District Court judge ruled last year. The boy was granted a passport after the ruling, but the State Department appealed.
A three-judge panel ruled unanimously that it was bound by precedent from previous decisions and issued a short memorandum without hearing arguments.
Andrew Dvash-Banks, the father who is a U.S. citizen, said he was thrilled by the ruling that affirms his son’s citizenship and removes uncertainty that has hung over the family for nearly four years.
Andrew Dvash-Banks (right) and his husband, Elad, play with their twin sons, Ethan and Aiden. ASSOCIATED PRESS
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While the twins are still too young to understand what their parents have gone through, the fathers set up email accounts to create a sort of digital journal the boys can read some day. Dvash-Banks said he planned to email them tonight with a copy of the ruling and thoughts on the latest development.
“We want both to know how much we love then and how much we fight for them,” he said. “The fact that they’re twins and not being treated equally, we want them to know that we did everything to make that right and we were successful.”
Before the boys were out of diapers, Ethan was a plaintiff in the unusual case that arose after the American consulate in Toronto denied his citizenship after requiring DNA tests that showed he was the biological son of Elad Dvash-Banks, an Israeli citizen.
Ethan’s twin brother, Aiden, was given citizenship because he was the biological son of Andrew Dvash-Banks.
The couple met when Andrew was studying in Israel. At the time, they couldn’t marry legally in the U.S. or Israel, so they moved to Canada and wed in 2010. The boys were born by a surrogate in September 2016 using sperm from each of the fathers and donor eggs.
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“We want both to know how much we love then and how much we fight for them,” Andrew Dvash-Banks (right) said. ASSOCIATED PRESS
The lawsuit filed on behalf of the toddler by Immigration Equality, an LGBTQ immigrant rights group, sought the same rights for Ethan as his brother.
The group argued that the children of a U.S. citizen who marries abroad are entitled to citizenship at birth no matter where they are born, even if the other parent is a foreigner.
District courts in Maryland, Georgia and Washington, D.C., have issued similar rulings, said Aaron Morris, executive director of Immigration Equality and one of the family’s lawyers.
He said the Department of Justice conceded in its appeal that it would lose if the court applied the law in the case.
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“This seems to be an issue they’re not willing to budge on,” Morris said. “Every federal court that has heard the government’s argument has ruled against them.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-09--A Record Number Of LGBTQ Candidates Are Running For Office In 2020

NEW YORK , Oct 9 ( Thomson Reuters Foundation ) - A record number of LGBT+ people will run for office in next month ’ s U.S. election , reflecting stronger support for LGBT+ rights among Americans that is eroding concerns about the electability of gay , bisexual and transgender candidates .
A report by the LGBTQ Victory Fund , which seeks to elect gay , lesbian , bi or trans lawmakers , said this week at least 574 openly LGBT+ candidates would appear on the ballot for the Nov. 3 election .
That would be a third more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elections .
“ LGBTQ people are running for office in numbers thought unthinkable just a decade ago and the impact will be enormous if this growth trend continues , ” Annise Parker , head of the LGBTQ Victory Fund , said in an email .
“ Every LGBTQ candidate who runs chips away at them is conceptions some have toward our community and together these candidates transform our culture and politics , ” Parker said .
If the U.S. primary elections are included too , at least 1,006 openly LGBT+ people ran or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , up 41 % since 2018 , the report found .
Support among Americans for same-sex marriage , largely seen as synonymous with support for wider LGBT+ rights , has risen to 62 % from 36 % in 2007 , according to the Public Religion Research Institute .
The recent success of several high-profile LGBT+ candidates has also encouraged others to run for office , said Gabriele Magni , a professor of political science at Loyola Marymount University who researches LGBT+ representation in U.S. politics .
“ The victory of these LGBTQ candidates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the visibility of LGBTQ people in office and has sent a clear message that LGBTQ candidates can run and win.
” Among the most high-profile LGBT+ candidates in recent months was Pete Buttigieg , the former mayor of South Bend , Indiana , who was a presidential candidate for the Democratic nomination .
After making history for becoming the first openly LGBT+ candidate to win the Iowa caucus , Buttigieg bowed out of the presidential race in March and endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden ’ s candidacy .
Other prominent LGBT+ wins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chicago , the third-largest U.S. city , and Sharice Davids , a U.S. Representative from Kansas , both elected in 2019 .
LGBT+ candidates in 2020 are also more racially and ethnically diverse than the overall U.S. candidate pool , the LGBTQ Victory Fund report said .
The proportion of them who identify as people of color is 31 % , compared with 10 % of the general candidate population .
Alabama is the only state where no openly LGBT+ candidates ran in 2020 , researchers said , while California , Texas and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidates who ran or are running for office .
Despite the progress , advocates noted that the number of transgender people running for office had decreased between 2018 and 2020 from 48 to 34 candidates .

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NEW YORK, Oct 9 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A record number of LGBT+ people will run for office in next month’s U.S. election, reflecting stronger support for LGBT+ rights among Americans that is eroding concerns about the electability of gay, bisexual and transgender candidates.
A report by the LGBTQ Victory Fund, which seeks to elect gay, lesbian, bi or trans lawmakers, said this week at least 574 openly LGBT+ candidates would appear on the ballot for the Nov. 3 election.
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That would be a third more than the number who contested the 2018 midterm elections.
“LGBTQ people are running for office in numbers thought unthinkable just a decade ago and the impact will be enormous if this growth trend continues,” Annise Parker, head of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, said in an email.
“Every LGBTQ candidate who runs chips away at them is conceptions some have toward our community and together these candidates transform our culture and politics,” Parker said.
If the U.S. primary elections are included too, at least 1,006 openly LGBT+ people ran or are running for political office this year, up 41% since 2018, the report found.
The unprecedented number of LGBT+ candidates running thisyear coincides with rising support for LGBT+ people in theUnited States.
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Support among Americans for same-sex marriage, largely seen as synonymous with support for wider LGBT+ rights, has risen to 62% from 36% in 2007, according to the Public Religion Research Institute.
‘ELECTABILITY CONCERNS’
The recent success of several high-profile LGBT+ candidates has also encouraged others to run for office, said Gabriele Magni, a professor of political science at Loyola Marymount University who researches LGBT+ representation in U.S. politics.
“For a long time there were a lot of electability concerns around LGBTQ candidates,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
“The victory of these LGBTQ candidates is important because it’s increased the visibility of LGBTQ people in office and has sent a clear message that LGBTQ candidates can run and win.”
Among the most high-profile LGBT+ candidates in recent months was Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who was a presidential candidate for the Democratic nomination.
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After making history for becoming the first openly LGBT+ candidate to win the Iowa caucus, Buttigieg bowed out of the presidential race in March and endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden’s candidacy.
Other prominent LGBT+ wins include Lori Lightfoot, the mayor of Chicago, the third-largest U.S. city, and Sharice Davids, a U.S. Representative from Kansas, both elected in 2019.
LGBT+ candidates in 2020 are also more racially and ethnically diverse than the overall U.S. candidate pool, the LGBTQ Victory Fund report said.
The proportion of them who identify as people of color is 31%, compared with 10% of the general candidate population.
Alabama is the only state where no openly LGBT+ candidates ran in 2020, researchers said, while California, Texas and Florida had the greatest number of LGBT+ candidates who ran or are running for office.
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Despite the progress, advocates noted that the number of transgender people running for office had decreased between 2018 and 2020 from 48 to 34 candidates.
Previous reports by the LGBTQ Victory Fund have shown that gay and trans people hold 0.17% of elected positions nationwide while making up 4.5% of the U.S. adult population.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-10--Fed Up, These Black Americans Say It’s Time To Get Out Of The U.S.

Above: Devon Kitzo-Creed stands in front of a shipping container in the parking lot of her apartment complex in Wilmington, Delaware, on Oct. 9, 2020. Credit: Meredith Edlow for HuffPost
Devon Kitzo-Creed, a 28-year-old African American woman, always planned on leaving the United States to live abroad. Definitely before she had children, but probably not until she was in her 30s.
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2020 pushed up her timeline.
Now she and her husband, who live in Wilmington, Delaware, are planning on relocating to Ecuador right after the election. She’ll continue her work as a doula and childbirth educator. He can work remotely as a video editor and animator.
Why the rush? “The way things have gone this year, the political climate of our country, and just the way that I do not feel valued at all in this country,” Kitzo-Creed explained.
The day before Kitzo-Creed spoke to HuffPost, a Kentucky grand jury declined to indict police officers for murder after they shot and killed Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, inside her Louisville, Kentucky, apartment.
That no one would face justice for the death of an innocent woman sent a familiar message to Kitzo-Creed: This country doesn’t care about Black people.
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“It’s like the Black woman really is the most disrespected, disregarded person in America,” she said, echoing a Malcolm X quote made even more famous by Beyoncé. “So, I’m leaving.”
Kitzo-Creed is part of a group of African American professionals looking to leave, or who have already left, the United States. HuffPost spoke to several who said they were fed up with the daily drumbeat of racism, discrimination at work, the hostility of police officers, the fear of doing even the most mundane tasks.
Kitzo-Creed recalled how just this summer, she was getting followed around the grocery store. Another man recounted how a police car followed him at night just recently, sending his heart racing. A woman recalled asking a repairman at her home to put on a mask because of the pandemic. He told her, “We won’t need to do this after Trump wins the election.”
Almost every Black professional HuffPost spoke with had a story about a tense encounter with the police. Several said that the killings of Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery (shot while jogging), and George Floyd (killed by a police officer who kept a knee on his neck for eight minutes) were crystallizing moments.
While there is no hard data on the number of African Americans who live abroad or intend to move, anecdotally, discussions about whether to stick around in the U.S. are increasing — particularly among college-educated, relatively well-off Black Americans. USA Today and Condé Nast Traveler noted the trend in August. And after the presidential debate last month, Google saw an increase in searches for how to move to Canada.
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It isn’t just politics and police violence, though. Everyone talked about the pandemic. “The shift really came this year with the pandemic,” said Sienna Brown, a 28-year-old African American woman who moved to Spain six years ago and now runs an online community for women who are interested in moving abroad. She said that initially, she mostly heard from women looking to travel internationally. Now it’s women who want to leave.
“This year was the final turning point for me. There’s something about this country that feels like a weight on me.” - 45-year-old Black professional
Life in the U.S. has always been far more deadly for Black people, who have a lower life expectancy and higher mortality rate. And COVID-19 brought that long-term trend into full relief. Death rates for Black people from the virus are disproportionately high.
But death rates for African Americans were already higher going into the pandemic. Incredibly, even if no one in the Black community had died from the coronavirus, their mortality rate would still be higher than for white Americans in the middle of the pandemic, demographer Elizabeth Wrigley-Field recently explained in Slate. “Racism gave Black people pandemic-level mortality long before COVID,” she writes.
Economically, it’s well-known that African Americans start out way behind white Americans. The pandemic amplified the issue. Right now, the Black unemployment rate is about twice that of white workers — a ratio that has held since the U.S. first started measuring the data.
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A few people mentioned that life abroad would be less expensive, enabling them to retire earlier or afford the kind of housing and lifestyle that is out of reach in the United States. And the need to quarantine has led to increased feelings of isolation and a lack of community.
But the desire to leave the U.S. is not simply about economic opportunity or even mortality rates; it is about a search for self. African Americans spoke of having to leave the U.S. to truly find themselves, free from the weight and stress of living with racism.
“For me, as a Black man, and I tell this to everybody I speak to, I feel more safe in other countries. Every other country I’ve been to, more than my own,” said Terry Williams, a 32-year-old teacher who’s lived abroad, traveling through 26 countries, since 2016. He’s able to teach classes online. “Being abroad is the first time I have felt some kind of privilege, if that makes sense. I’m not looked at as a Black person.”
“Just between the racism and everything that happened as a result of the pandemic, I really don’t want to be here anymore,” a 45-year-old Black professional who lives in Washington, D.C. told HuffPost. She declined to be identified because her employer doesn’t know yet.
“This year was the final turning point for me,” she said. “There’s something about this country that feels like a weight on me.”
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She plans on moving to Cape Verde, an island nation off the west coast of Africa, where she’s looking to build a home and live in semi-retirement. She has a friend already set up there.
Her feelings of unease in the U.S. started in 2008 with the election of the nation’s first Black president. It was a moment to celebrate for the African American community, but it also unleashed virulent racism.
The neo-Nazi website Stormfront saw traffic increase six times its previous rates after Barack Obama’s election, as Ta-Nehisi Coates points out in The Atlantic. Coates draws a line from the racist backlash directly to Donald Trump. Famously, the racist lie of birtherism helped launch Trump’s political career. His time in office has been spent unraveling Obama’s policies, even when that’s at cross-purposes with the success of his administration.
After Obama’s victory, this Washington, D.C., woman noticed white acquaintances of hers, people she’d gone to high school with in Michigan, being openly racist on Facebook. They shared memes about the First Family that were offensive: pictures of monkeys and other abhorrent slurs she thought were a relic of the past. “It’s unsettling when you realize people have these beliefs,” she said.
Of course, she was conscious of racism before that. She was her high school’s valedictorian but had been told by a white guidance counselor that her test scores wouldn’t be good enough for her to get into a top school — “like Michelle Obama,” she recalled. (A guidance counselor also told the future U.S. first lady that she wasn’t “Ivy League material.” She applied and was admitted to Princeton anyway.)
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This was different. “It’s like people had just hidden their true feelings for a long time, so there were reasons for them to let them loose,” she said. “It was very scary.”
In 2016, after spending a year traveling to Brazil, India and South Africa, a light bulb went on. “I didn’t miss the U.S.,” she said. “I’ve seen there are better ways to live in other places.” She acknowledged that there’s racism in these places, too, but nothing as bad as in the United States.
“Being abroad is the first time I have felt some kind of privilege, if that makes sense. I’m not looked at as a Black person.” - Terry Williams, 32
This woman and several others mentioned to HuffPost that when they’re traveling abroad, they’re viewed as Americans in a way that doesn’t happen at home. They feel a sense of privilege denied to them at home because of their skin color.
“I felt seen as a person for the first time,” Chrishan Wright, a 46-year Black woman from New Jersey, said of a solo trip she took to New Zealand three years ago. She recounted how she was speeding while driving in the country and got pulled over. “They were so gracious.”
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During the pandemic, Wright was laid off from a well-paying marketing job in the pharmaceutical industry. She talked about her time working in the corporate world and feeling like a “unicorn,” as one of the few Black women in whatever company she was working in.
“In the corporate world, it can be very isolating; you are not seeing faces that reflect yours,” she said. “If you do something minor, it becomes major. Whereas your [white] counterpart does the same things and it’s not even spoken of. You see the double standard.”
In June, Wright started a Facebook page called Blaxit Global devoted to African Americans who are considering leaving the country. She’d like to be gone in about three years, when her daughter finishes high school.
Blaxit is a term that some are using now to talk about leaving the U.S. It’s also the name of a podcast Wright started up in which she interviews folks who have left or are leaving the country. (It should not be confused with “Blexit,” a term used by conservative commentator Candace Owens to try and get African Americans to leave the Democratic Party.)
“Blaxit doesn’t necessarily mean that you are expected to leave the U.S. and go to the continent of Africa,” said Wright. “It’s to show that members of the African diaspora, our spores, are sprinkled all over this world and we have the opportunity to create an existence that’s unapologetic and unbothered.”
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There’s really nothing new about African Americans seeking to leave the United States to escape the confines of racism and live more freely. A long list of brilliant African American artists and writers have gone abroad to freely pursue their work: Josephine Baker, James Baldwin, Richard Wright, Nina Simone, Paul Robeson.
“I left this country for one reason only. One reason. I didn’t care where I went. I might’ve gone to Hong Kong, I might’ve gone to Timbuktu, I ended up in Paris, on the streets of Paris, with $40 in my pocket on the theory that nothing worse could happen to me there than had already happened to me here,” Baldwin said on “The Dick Cavett Show” in 1969. (Watch the clip below at around 10:15)
More than 200 years ago, Haiti, the first free Black republic in the world, opened its doors to enslaved Africans in the United States. President Abraham Lincoln supported efforts toward creating new “colonies” for formerly enslaved people.
But even then, those efforts were met with resistance. Prominent African Americans like Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass believed that the United States was their country, too, as Georges E. Fouron, a professor of Education and Social Sciences at State University of New York at Stony Brook, recounts in a recent piece published by the Migration Policy Institute.
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“The United States was their country, they said, and they had no intention of leaving it,” Fouron writes. “Instead, they demanded the immediate abolition of slavery and full and equal rights for all in the United States.”
The fight for equal rights and the realization of true freedom continues.
“Black people, African Americans, are always going to be searching for another kind of freedom. A bigger kind of freedom,” said Morgan Jerkins, a senior editor at Zora, a Medium publication for women of color, and the author of “Wandering in Strange Lands: a daughter of the great migration reclaims her roots.”
African Americans are communal. Jerkins points to Black churches, “packed in regular times.” She notes the block parties in her neighborhood in Harlem.
The pandemic has destabilized all of that. “When you don’t have that community, that does something to you.”
“I am proud to be an African American, and I fight for other African Americans. They are the reason I stay.” - Morgan Jerkins, senior editor at Zora
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Jerkins said she understood the impetus to leave but is among the countless African Americans who aren’t going anywhere. “I stay for so many reasons. So much of my work is based in African American culture,” she said. While you can do that work anywhere, it wouldn’t have the same urgency.
Plus, Jerkins points out that not all African Americans can just leave. That it’s a privilege only some can assert.
“I am proud to be an African American, and I fight for other African Americans,” she said. “They are the reason I stay.”
Kitzo-Creed, from Delaware, said she respects that some will stay and fight, but adds there is also strength in leaving and taking care of yourself.
“My grandparents were civil rights activists; just because they fought for my freedom doesn’t mean I have to stay here,” she said, adding she is grateful that because of their activism, she has that choice.
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Kitzo-Creed said that her grandfather, a Baptist minister, actually preached with Martin Luther King Jr. when the icon came out to Los Angeles. And her grandparents together moved from Cleveland to the Watts neighborhood of LA, where they were during the civil unrest in that neighborhood in 1965. “I remember my stories of my grandmother driving past buildings on fire. They lived through all of that.”
She said her grandparents, who died five days apart three years ago, always knew she wanted to travel. “I think they would tell me to do it,” she said.
Kitzo-Creed and her husband Aaron stand in the middle of Brandywine Creek at the First State National Historic Park in Wilmington, Delaware, on Oct. 9, 2020. The park is one of the few places they feel comfortable visiting as political tensions and rates of COVID-19 rise in the United States. Meredith Edlow for HuffPost
Devon Kitzo-Creed’s husband, Aaron, 29, told HuffPost he’s fully onboard to leave.
“I want my family, my wife, to be happy and successful and free to pursue education and wealth and opportunities for any children we may have,” he said. “I want the American dream and I have to leave to get it.”
He added that before he met his wife, he was absolutely aware of racism and knew Black people faced microaggressions. But he didn’t really understand its daily psychological impact. “It wasn’t real,” he said.
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The first time the lightbulb went on, he said, was in his hometown in Maine one summer three years ago. He was excited to take Kitzo-Creed, then his girlfriend, to a local ice cream stand. He used to go there as a kid and even briefly worked there. “It was a childhood paradise,” he said.
He knew the woman behind the counter the day they walked up, and he was disgusted by the way she treated his now-wife when she went to pay for their ice-cream cones — vanilla soft-serve with rainbow sprinkles. Kitzo-Creed pulled out her debit card, which wasn’t signed. This is not uncommon. (Right now, in this white reporter’s wallet, there are two well-used, unsigned debit and credit cards.)
The woman behind the counter insisted Kitzo-Creed show an ID. Her partner fought her, pointing out that the woman wasn’t checking anyone else’s identification to buy ice cream. Kitzo-Creed said that without him there, she probably would’ve left empty-handed since she hadn’t brought her identification that day.
When she finally got her cone, there was a hole in the bottom. The woman fought her again when she spoke up.
Aaron Kitzo-Creed was floored. He remembered customer service being absolutely a priority at this place. It was just so clear that something else was happening.
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“I don’t think I could survive the bullshit that Black Americans walk through daily and succeed,” he says now, looking back.
In a survey of 1,500 professionals by the women’s advocacy group Catalyst, more than 58% of women and men of color reported being often or always on guard against racism. This emotional tax wears away at human beings and leads many professionals to leave the workplace, so it’s not surprising some would take the more extreme leap.
“This experience of having to constantly prepare yourself for the potential of dealing with discrimination, bias, unfair treatment from the moment you leave the house until you come home,” is how Catalyst researcher Dnika Travis explained the phenomenon to HuffPost in an interview this summer.
She’s worked on these types of studies since 2016, and over the next few years. “At the time we thought there was safety within the home, but with Breonna Taylor...” she drifted off.
Many Black women were heartened this week to see Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) take on Vice President Mike Pence in the vice presidential debate.
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“It was a historic moment,” writes HuffPost’s Erin Evans. “To see a woman of color speaking truth to power at another pivotal moment in our nation’s history.”
But the prospect of seeing Harris elected the country’s first Black and Asian American vice president wasn’t enough to persuade Kitzo-Creed to stick around.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-10--These Weird Halloween Costumes Are Perfect For Any Pandemic

`` I want a costume with a little spice .
`` `` How about dressing up as a chili pepper @ @ @ @ @ for me .
`` `` Well , how about a clove of garlic ?
`` @ @ @ @ @ `` Well , you could go as a salt shaker .
i mean , salt @ @ @ @ @ ?
`` `` Yes , but it 's more dependable than other spices .
People @ @ @ @ @ but know how to have fun ... at times .
`` `` Well , that @ @ @ @ @ ''

Salt Shaker
"I want a costume with a little spice.""How about dressing up as a chili pepper?""Too hot for me.""Well, how about a clove of garlic?""That stinks!""Well, you could go as a salt shaker. i mean, salt is a spice, right?""Yes, but it's more dependable than other spices. People will know I'm sensible but know how to have fun ... at times.""Well, that's definitely a message."


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-10--Supercut Exposes Fox News' Hypocrisy On Kamala Harris Debate Criticism

“ The Daily Show with Trevor Noah ” has again exposed Fox News ’ hypocrisy when it comes to President @ @ @ @ @ released Friday showed personalities on the conservative network rushing to condemn Democratic vice presidential nominee @ @ @ @ @ ) and her facial responses to Vice President Mike Pence ’ s lies during Wednesday @ @ @ @ @ alongside was footage of Trump pulling similar expressions during the 2016 debates and beyond .

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thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-10--Samuel L. Jackson Hits Donald Trump, GOP With 'Vote, Dammit, Vote' Video

Samuel L. Jackson urged Americans to “ vote , dammit , vote ” in a new video that calls out @ @ @ @ @ Pulp Fiction ” star accused President Donald Trump and Republicans of carrying out the “ @ @ @ @ @ in the spot released online by Democratic nominee Joe Biden ’ s campaign Friday .
@ @ @ @ @ ’ t matter , they wouldn ’ t try so hard to take it from @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Vote early .
Vote like your life depends on it .
I ’ @ @ @ @ @ vote , and you should too.
” “ Not because I want you to , @ @ @ @ @ images of Trump appeared on the screen .
“ But because he doesn ’ t. @ @ @ @ @ , vote , ” concluded the “ Captain Marvel ” actor , who ’ s @ @ @ @ @ “ motherfucker ” and repeatedly scorched Trump supporters ’ unwavering support for him .

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Samuel L. Jackson urged Americans to “vote, dammit, vote” in a new video that calls out voter suppression.
The “Pulp Fiction” star accused President Donald Trump and Republicans of carrying out the “same old dirty tricks” in the spot released online by Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s campaign Friday.
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“If your vote didn’t matter, they wouldn’t try so hard to take it from you,” said Jackson. “Vote early. Vote like your life depends on it. I’m exercising my right to vote, and you should too.”
“Not because I want you to,” added Jackson, as images of Trump appeared on the screen. “But because he doesn’t.”
“Vote, dammit, vote,” concluded the “Captain Marvel” actor, who’s previously called the president a “motherfucker” and repeatedly scorched Trump supporters’ unwavering support for him.
Check out the ad here:


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-10--2 Students, Teacher Tested Positive At School Attended By Amy Coney Barrett's Children

OLIVIER DOULIERY via Getty Images First Lady Melania Trump sits with the husband of Judge Amy Coney Barrett , Jesse Barrett , and some of the Barrett children in the White House Rose Garden as President Donald Trump announces Barrett 's nomination to the Supreme Court .
Trump and the First Lady tested positive for COVID0-19 days later .
Parents of the private Trinity School in South Bend , Indiana , learned of the positive tests Thursday .
That ’ s 12 days after the Sept. 26 Rose Garden “ superspreader ” COVID event where President Donald Trump formally announced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with her husband and some of their children .
A White House source told the Post that Barrett ’ s children have tested negative , never showed symptoms , and were kept out of school after information emerged that some who had attended the Rose Garden event had tested positive for COVID-19 .
But it wasn ’ t until late Oct. 1 that Trump tweeted that he and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive .
Both were at the Rose Garden event , and Barrett ’ s children sat with the First @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The anonymous White House official did not specify how long the children stayed home from classes , but said school officials approved their return to the classroom , according to the Post .
It was also unclear when the Barrett children were tested .
Rapid-result tests taken too soon after exposure can often be inaccurate .
Others at the school who were in close contact with the two students and teacher who tested positive were notified and asked to quarantine , reported the Post , which obtained emails from the school to parents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ notified , according to the Post source .
“ We understand that this sort of situation can create uncertainty , ” school principal John A. Lee wrote in an email to parents .
“ However , we have been assured at this point that the risk of exposure for other individuals at Trinity School who were not identified as close contacts is no greater than the risk of getting the virus in the general community.
” White House spokesman Judd Deere refused to discuss the situation with the Post or the Times .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Period , ” he said .
At least 35 people linked to the Rose Garden event or those who attended it have tested positive for COVID-19 .
Extremely few people attending wore masks , nor observed social distancing guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help stop the spread of the potentially lethal COVID-19 .
Instead , close to 200 people attending say shoulder to shoulder in the Rose Garden .

First lady Melania Trump sits with the husband of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, Jesse Barrett, and some of the Barrett children in the White House Rose Garden as President Donald Trump announces Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court. Trump and the first lady tested positive for COVID-19 days later. OLIVIER DOULIERY via Getty Images
Parents of students at the private Trinity School in South Bend, Indiana, learned of the positive tests Thursday. That’s 12 days after the Sept. 26 Rose Garden “superspreader” COVID-19 event where President Donald Trump formally announced Barrett’s nomination. Barrett attended with her husband and some of their children.
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A White House source told the Post that Barrett’s children have tested negative, never showed symptoms, and were kept out of school after information emerged that some who had attended the Rose Garden event had tested positive for COVID-19. But it wasn’t until late Oct. 1 that Trump tweeted that he and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive. Both were at the Rose Garden event, and Barrett’s children sat with the first lady without masks or social distancing.
The anonymous White House official did not specify how long the children stayed home from classes, but said school officials approved their return to the classroom, according to the Post. It was also unclear when the Barrett children were tested. Rapid-result tests taken too soon after exposure can often be inaccurate.
Others at the school who were in close contact with the two students and a teacher who tested positive were notified and asked to quarantine, reported the Post, which obtained emails from the school to parents. Barrett’s family was not notified, according to the Post source.
“We understand that this sort of situation can create uncertainty,” school principal John A. Lee wrote in an email to parents. “However, we have been assured at this point that the risk of exposure for other individuals at Trinity School who were not identified as close contacts is no greater than the risk of getting the virus in the general community.”
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White House spokesman Judd Deere refused to discuss the situation with the Post or the Times. “The Barrett children should be off-limits. Period,” he said.
At least 35 people linked to the Rose Garden event or those who attended it have tested positive for COVID-19. Extremely few people attending wore masks, and most were observed not following social distancing guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help stop the spread of the potentially lethal COVID-19. Instead, close to 200 people attending sat shoulder to shoulder in the Rose Garden.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-10--Meghan Markle On 'Almost Unsurvivable' Online Hate She Got While On Maternity Leave

Meghan has been the subject of racist and misogynistic coverage for years and the victim of “ hundreds of thousands @ @ @ @ @ as lawyers for the duchess said in court documents filed in July .
Harry has @ @ @ @ @ online hatred aimed at his wife , dating back to 2016 , when he confirmed @ @ @ @ @ tabloids and trolls that he was dating the former “ Suits ” actor .
During @ @ @ @ @ s Most Powerful Women summit in September , the duchess spoke of the “ one @ @ @ @ @ people can do to stop misinformation .
“ It really just includes not contributing to @ @ @ @ @ , ” Meghan said .
“ And when you know something is wrong , reporting @ @ @ @ @ , ensuring that the facts are getting out there .
I think that is one @ @ @ @ @ could be doing .
”

Meghan has been the subject of racist and misogynistic coverage for years and the victim of “hundreds of thousands of inaccurate articles,” as lawyers for the duchess said in court documents filed in July.
Harry has repeatedly spoken out against the online hatred aimed at his wife, dating back to 2016, when he confirmed in a statement aimed at tabloids and trolls that he was dating the former “Suits” actor.
During an appearance at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women summit in September, the duchess spoke of the “one clear, tangible thing” people can do to stop misinformation.