thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-22--How To Know If Kids Have COVID-19 When They Can't Explain Their Symptoms

It ’ s often hard , as a parent , to know how sick or hurt your kid really is .
Like when you think they have a mild stomach bug and it turns out to be appendicitis .
Or you ’ re awoken by a hair-raising barking cough and rush to the ER , only to be told that your toddler has mild croup that you could have treated at home .
All of this gets even trickier during a global pandemic ― particularly when the virus in question is one that doctors and researchers still don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ range of possible outcomes is so extreme .
This coronavirus has so many possible symptoms , leaving parents to wonder : Does my kid have a cold ?
Allergies ?
Could it be COVID-19 ?
It ’ s hard to tell , especially if you have a child who can ’ t communicate their pain precisely enough to help you with a tentative diagnosis .
Kids might have slightly different symptoms than adults .
In general , the signs of COVID-19 in grownups and children are fairly similar : fever , chills , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , cough , shortness of breath and a new loss of taste or smell , according to the American Academy of Pediatrics .
But there ’ s also some evidence that kids are less likely to have a fever , cough or shortness of breath , the AAP states .
Also , kids might be more likely to experience stomach troubles — although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now says that gastrointestinal issues are a common sign of the disease for people of all ages .
“ Children may be more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and diarrhea or poor feeding and decreased appetite , ” said Dr. Margaret Aldrich , director of pediatric infection control with Children ’ s Hospital at Montefiore in New York City .
She cautioned , however , against overstating how different symptoms can be in adults and kids because at this point we still just don ’ t really know .
As long as the virus is still widespread , assume it ’ s COVID-19 .
Kids , particularly young kids , get sick a lot .
Otherwise healthy babies and toddlers can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which means they are sniffling and coughing more often than not .
And yes , a lot of cold symptoms overlap exactly with the symptoms of COVID-19 .
“ If you are living in a high-risk area , with lots of COVID cases , and your child develops a respiratory viral illness , I would presume that they have COVID and touch base with your pediatrician to get further guidance , ” Aldrich recommended .
Definitely keep them away from others , she said .
Remind your kid that being sick isn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ notes .
Darzynkiewicz said that sometimes little kiddos get the idea that being sick is their fault , which can make them reluctant to talk about it because they don ’ t want to get in trouble .
“ Kids can sometimes experience frustration or guilt when they get sick because they think it means they did something wrong , ” he said .
“ If you explain to them that everyone gets sick and there ’ s no need to be upset or sad , they may be more forthcoming with their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make a list of some general symptoms their child is experiencing before seeing a doctor , this will help the doctor understand more what is going on , ” Darzynkiewicz said .
“ Pictures and video help as well.
” Remember : When it comes to kids and COVID-19 , the news is pretty good .
Although kids can certainly be affected by the coronavirus , relatively few children have been hospitalized or died because of the virus .
There is also some emerging evidence that young children are less likely to spread @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t fully understood .

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It’s often hard, as a parent, to know how sick or hurt your kid really is. Like when you think they have a mild stomach bug and it turns out to be appendicitis. Or you’re awoken by a hair-raising barking cough and rush to the ER, only to be told that your toddler has mild croup that you could have treated at home.
All of this gets even trickier during a global pandemic ― particularly when the virus in question is one that doctors and researchers still don’t understand all that well and when the range of possible outcomes is so extreme.
Advertisement
This coronavirus has so many possible symptoms, leaving parents to wonder: Does my kid have a cold? Allergies? Could it be COVID-19? It’s hard to tell, especially if you have a child who can’t communicate their pain precisely enough to help you with a tentative diagnosis.
So if you’re stressing over whether your young child has the coronavirus or not, here are a few things to keep in mind.
Kids might have slightly different symptoms than adults.
In general, the signs of COVID-19 in grownups and children are fairly similar: fever, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, cough, shortness of breath and a new loss of taste or smell, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. But there’s also some evidence that kids are less likely to have a fever, cough or shortness of breath, the AAP states.
Also, kids might be more likely to experience stomach troubles — although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now says that gastrointestinal issues are a common sign of the disease for people of all ages.
Advertisement
“Children may be more likely to have gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea and diarrhea or poor feeding and decreased appetite,” said Dr. Margaret Aldrich, director of pediatric infection control with Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in New York City. She cautioned, however, against overstating how different symptoms can be in adults and kids because at this point we still just don’t really know.
One other important note: Kids are continuing to develop multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children. MISC remains rare, but it’s still something parents should be aware of.
If you notice any “extreme tiredness, difficulty breathing, confusion, bluish lips, vomiting, diarrhea and/or fever lasting more than three days,” call your pediatrician right away, said Dr. Rob Darzynkiewicz, chief medical officer at telehealth provider Hazel Health.
As long as the virus is still widespread, assume it’s COVID-19.
Kids, particularly young kids, get sick a lot. Otherwise healthy babies and toddlers can get up to 10 colds a year, which means they are sniffling and coughing more often than not. And yes, a lot of cold symptoms overlap exactly with the symptoms of COVID-19.
“The challenge really is that viral illnesses are very common in children and often present with fever, cough, congestion and/or gastrointestinal symptoms,” Aldrich said.
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“If you are living in a high-risk area, with lots of COVID cases, and your child develops a respiratory viral illness, I would presume that they have COVID.” - Dr. Margaret Aldrich, Children’s Hospital at Montefiore
For now, Aldrich said, it’s a good idea to err on the side of caution.
“If you are living in a high-risk area, with lots of COVID cases, and your child develops a respiratory viral illness, I would presume that they have COVID and touch base with your pediatrician to get further guidance,” Aldrich recommended. Definitely keep them away from others, she said.
This is all especially true if you have a young baby at home.
Remind your kid that being sick isn’t their fault. And take notes.
Darzynkiewicz said that sometimes little kiddos get the idea that being sick is their fault, which can make them reluctant to talk about it because they don’t want to get in trouble.
“Kids can sometimes experience frustration or guilt when they get sick because they think it means they did something wrong,” he said. “If you explain to them that everyone gets sick and there’s no need to be upset or sad, they may be more forthcoming with their symptoms.”
Also, taking good notes about what you think you’re noticing in your child can help health care professionals make a speedy diagnosis.
Advertisement
“If parents can help make a list of some general symptoms their child is experiencing before seeing a doctor, this will help the doctor understand more what is going on,” Darzynkiewicz said. “Pictures and video help as well.”
Remember: When it comes to kids and COVID-19, the news is pretty good.
Although kids can certainly be affected by the coronavirus, relatively few children have been hospitalized or died because of the virus. There is also some emerging evidence that young children are less likely to spread the disease for reasons that aren’t fully understood.
Which isn’t to say that parents shouldn’t continue to take the virus very, very seriously and to be cautious about any symptoms they notice.
But as many children head back into childcare settings and schools this fall and beyond, parents shouldn’t panic.
“Don’t forget to keep checking in with your child,” Darzynkiewicz said. “Ask them how they are feeling and address their concerns. Children are resilient.”
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-22--Halsey Pinpoints The Problem With Jokes About Kanye West's Mental Health

Halsey is urging her fans to show compassion toward people who show symptoms of a mental health condition — regardless of how you may feel about them .
“ You can hate someone ’ s actions or opinions without contributing to stigma that damages an entire community of sometimes vulnerable people all for a couple of laughs , ” she tweeted Monday .
The “ Without You ” singer posted the tweet after many people slammed and mocked rapper Kanye West— who recently had a controversial debut political rally in South Carolina and posted a series of troubling and now-deleted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made seemingly outlandish claims , declaring that Harriet Tubman “ never actually freed the slaves , she just had them work for other white people ” ; that “ NBC locked up Bill Cosby ” ; and that the movie “ Get Out ” is about his life .
In one tweet , West also claimed that his wife “ Kim [ Kardashian West ] was trying to fly to Wyoming with a doctor to lock me up.
” Although Halsey never mentions West by name in her tweet , both have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Plus , West ’ s recent actions have been making headlines — and are certainly at the forefront of public attention .
Some on Twitter have called West “ crazy ” — a word that perpetuates mental health stigma .
Others have cracked jokes about his mental state .
“ No jokes right now , ” Halsey also tweeted Monday , noting her work to educate the public on her bipolar condition and discrimination .
“ I ’ m so disturbed by what I ’ m seeing .
Personal opinions about someone aside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t ] a joke .
If you can ’ t offer understanding or sympathy , offer your silence.
” No jokes right now .
I have dedicated my career to offering education and insight about bipolar disorder and I ’ m so disturbed by what I ’ m seeing .
Personal opinions about someone aside , a manic episode isnt a joke .
If you can ’ t offer understanding or sympathy , offer your silence .
— h ( @ halsey ) July 21 , 2020 “ I think it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases , ” therapist Racine Henry recently told HuffPost .
“ We don ’ t know what that person struggles with every day .
We don ’ t know what their traumas are , even though we assume to know everything about public figures and we don ’ t know what kind of progress they are making.
” Ignorance about mental health also often contributes to fatal outcomes for people with mental health conditions , including but not limited to police violence .
This ignorance also contributes to stigma that prevents people with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they need or accepting their diagnosis .
“ A lot of people you know probably have bipolar disorder and you aren ’ t aware of it , ” Halsey pointed out in another tweet .
A lot of people you know probably have bipolar disorder and you aren ’ t aware of it .
Taking this opportunity to make offensive remarks and villify people with mental illnesses is really not the way to go ... this is the exact triggering shit that causes people to keep quiet about it — h ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Taking this opportunity to make offensive remarks and [ vilify ] people with mental illnesses is really not the way to go ... this is the exact triggering shit that causes people to keep quiet about it , ” she wrote .

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Halsey is urging her fans to show compassion toward people who show symptoms of a mental health condition — regardless of how you may feel about them.
“You can hate someone’s actions or opinions without contributing to stigma that damages an entire community of sometimes vulnerable people all for a couple of laughs,” she tweeted Monday.
Advertisement
you can hate someone’s actions or opinions without contributing to stigma that damages an entire community of sometimes vulnerable people all for a couple of laughs. — h (@halsey) July 21, 2020
The “Without You” singer posted the tweet after many people slammed and mocked rapper Kanye West— who recently had a controversial debut political rally in South Carolina and posted a series of troubling and now-deleted tweets.
In both situations, West made seemingly outlandish claims, declaring that Harriet Tubman “never actually freed the slaves, she just had them work for other white people”; that “NBC locked up Bill Cosby”; and that the movie “Get Out” is about his life.
In one tweet, West also claimed that his wife “Kim [Kardashian West] was trying to fly to Wyoming with a doctor to lock me up.”
Advertisement
Although Halsey never mentions West by name in her tweet, both have been open about being diagnosed as bipolar. Plus, West’s recent actions have been making headlines — and are certainly at the forefront of public attention.
Some on Twitter have called West “crazy” — a word that perpetuates mental health stigma. Others have cracked jokes about his mental state.
“No jokes right now,” Halsey also tweeted Monday, noting her work to educate the public on her bipolar condition and discrimination. “I’m so disturbed by what I’m seeing. Personal opinions about someone aside, a manic episode [isn’t] a joke. If you can’t offer understanding or sympathy, offer your silence.”
No jokes right now. I have dedicated my career to offering education and insight about bipolar disorder and I’m so disturbed by what I’m seeing. Personal opinions about someone aside, a manic episode isnt a joke. If you can’t offer understanding or sympathy, offer your silence. — h (@halsey) July 21, 2020
Mental health experts advise non-experts to avoid posting about mental health on social media.
“I think it’s better to not comment, in most cases,” therapist Racine Henry recently told HuffPost. “We don’t know what that person struggles with every day. We don’t know what their traumas are, even though we assume to know everything about public figures and we don’t know what kind of progress they are making.”
Advertisement
Ignorance about mental health also often contributes to fatal outcomes for people with mental health conditions, including but not limited to police violence.
This ignorance also contributes to stigma that prevents people with mental health conditions from getting the treatment they need or accepting their diagnosis.
“A lot of people you know probably have bipolar disorder and you aren’t aware of it,” Halsey pointed out in another tweet.
A lot of people you know probably have bipolar disorder and you aren’t aware of it. Taking this opportunity to make offensive remarks and villify people with mental illnesses is really not the way to go...this is the exact triggering shit that causes people to keep quiet about it — h (@halsey) July 21, 2020
“Taking this opportunity to make offensive remarks and [vilify] people with mental illnesses is really not the way to go ... this is the exact triggering shit that causes people to keep quiet about it,” she wrote.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-22--Trump's Pick To Run The Consumer Product Safety Commission Has Stalled, Says Senator

She ’ s drawn particular criticism over her record on perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances , or PFAS , a class of toxic chemicals found in many consumer products and in firefighting foam used at military bases .
They are linked to various cancers and other diseases , decreased fertility and birth defects .
According to documents obtained and released by Sen. Tom Carper ( D-Del . )
, Beck was the driving force behind a White House effort to weaken a final EPA rule on PFAS .
She even asked the agency to create a special loophole for importers of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Capito is opposing her .
“ Dr .
Nancy Beck ’ s record as it relates to PFAS chemicals , as well as her responses to my questions and the questions of other Senators at yesterday ’ s Commerce Committee hearing have led me to conclude that she is not the right person to lead the Consumer Product Safety Commission , ” Capito said in a statement last month .
“ The CPSC chairman should be someone who applies the proper balance between protecting public health and the environment and the needs of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dr. Beck ’ s confirmation in both the Commerce Committee and on the Senate floor.
” Beck may not have the support of other Republicans on the committee , either .
Aides to Republican Sens .
Thom Tillis ( N.C. ) , Cory Gardner ( Colo. ) and Dan Sullivan ( Alaska ) , all of whom are committee members and some of whom are in tough reelection campaigns , did not respond to HuffPost ’ s repeated requests for comment on whether they plan to vote for Beck .

She’s drawn particular criticism over her record on perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, a class of toxic chemicals found in many consumer products and in firefighting foam used at military bases. They are linked to various cancers and other diseases, decreased fertility and birth defects. According to documents obtained and released by Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), Beck was the driving force behind a White House effort to weaken a final EPA rule on PFAS. She even asked the agency to create a special loophole for importers of PFAS-tainted products.
That’s why Capito is opposing her.
“Dr. Nancy Beck’s record as it relates to PFAS chemicals, as well as her responses to my questions and the questions of other Senators at yesterday’s Commerce Committee hearing have led me to conclude that she is not the right person to lead the Consumer Product Safety Commission,” Capito said in a statement last month. “The CPSC chairman should be someone who applies the proper balance between protecting public health and the environment and the needs of our economy. I will vote against Dr. Beck’s confirmation in both the Commerce Committee and on the Senate floor.”
Beck may not have the support of other Republicans on the committee, either. Aides to Republican Sens. Thom Tillis (N.C.), Cory Gardner (Colo.) and Dan Sullivan (Alaska), all of whom are committee members and some of whom are in tough reelection campaigns, did not respond to HuffPost’s repeated requests for comment on whether they plan to vote for Beck.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-22--How Sweden And Portugal Went From Pandemic Role Models To Record Infections

“ It seems a bit arrogant , doesn ’ t it ?
” says Manuel Felices , a Spanish surgeon and head of the surgery department at the NÄL hospital , north of Gothenburg , Sweden .
The country is also accused of arrogance by its other Scandinavian neighbours , where there has been a total of 1,200 deaths out of a population of 17 million , while in Sweden there have been over 5,000 deaths out of a population of 10 million .
“ The virus has been underestimated , ” says Felices .
This statement , which could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , is perhaps more appropriate in Sweden , taking into account that the government not only refused from the start to lock down the population , but also that at this point it is still not recommending the use of face masks nor extending the quarantine to those who live with infected people .
“ It has been , and is , a huge mistake , in my opinion , to fail to consider the contagious potential of presymptomatic or asymptomatic patients , whose role in spreading is still not officially admitted in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The recommendations are based on ‘ if you have symptoms , stay at home.
’ So much so that family members who have a confirmed case among them , but who do not have symptoms , are not obliged to quarantine , ” he explains .
The Portuguese attitude could not be more different from the Swedish one in this sense .
Portugal did lock down its population in mid-March , just 11 days after recording the first case of COVID-19 , and it “ reopened ” the country two months later , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under control .
The reopening of economic activity and relaxation of the restrictive measures resulted in a rise in cases of the virus , mainly in the Lisbon region , where last week 19 districts in the Lisbon metropolitan area were ordered to quarantine .
The appearance of outbreaks with the economic reactivation is not new , but the act of locking down 700,000 people – who for two weeks ( June 29 - July 12 ) will only be able to leave their homes to work , buy food and medicine , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shock to Europe , and especially to Spain .
While continuing to look at its neighbour out of the corner of its eye , in case the story could be repeated there , Spain has seen its worst fears come true after the El Segrià district in Lleida and A Mariña district in Lugo went back into lockdown last weekend .
“ What we ’ re seeing in Portugal is going to become the norm in most countries , ” João Júlio Cerqueira said in an email to HuffPost Spain .
According to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ occupational medicine and creator of the Evidence-Based Medicine Project ( SCIMED ) , “ there will be outbreaks of infections that will have to be dealt with by the authorities to mitigate the spread of the illness following the reopening of the economy .
In that sense , there ’ s nothing abnormal.
” For Cerqueira , “ everything depends on how the government acts to contain those outbreaks , ” and although the measures taken by Portugal seem “ sufficient to mitigate them , ” in his opinion , he considers that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Lisbon region , ” adding , “ we still need some time to see the results.
” He believes the government ’ s reaction to put the population back into lockdown is important , but even more so is the capacity for testing that will detect those outbreaks .
And here , Portugal can set an example .
“ Portugal has always had an outstanding capacity for testing .
It can give the impression that the country has lots more infections in comparison with other places , when that probably isn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out Cerqueira .
It is worth noting that to date , Portugal has recorded more than 45,277 cases of coronavirus and 1,644 deaths , compared to 319,075 infections and over 44,000 deaths in the UK .
“ Test , test , and test some more ” is one of the leitmotivs of Manuel Felices and the so-called Group of 22 scientists of which the Spanish surgeon is a part .
This group , created in March by a group of internationally renowned researchers and doctors , has tried , “ from the strictly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help change the Swedish strategy against the coronavirus .
Felices considers that the “ active tracing of possibly infected people ” is not sufficient in his host country , where he has lived and worked since 2012 .
Nevertheless , now the Group of 22′s main bone of contention is face masks , which are still not recommended in Sweden , something these experts deem a mistake .
“ We ’ re fighting to get the use of face masks recommended , in hospitals and nursing homes of course , but also on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possible to keep the social distance , on public transit , in restaurants , etc , ” Felices says .
Despite Sweden ’ s controversial stance and data that proves its strategy has failed to stem infections , Swedish citizens have mostly supported this strategy and , until very recently , it was difficult to hear criticism of the government ’ s management .
In mid-April , 73 % of Swedes supported the country ’ s health strategy , according to a survey by the independent agency Novus .
However , for some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are suggesting that the government – even though it has not openly acknowledged this – has tried to follow a herd immunity strategy , allowing a high percentage of the population to get infected .
“ From my point of view – and this is an opinion – the strategy has been based on allowing a rate of ‘ controlled ’ infection , thinking about herd immunity , ” Felices says .
“ The measures speak for themselves : They ’ ve only recommended that over-70s stay at home , while schools , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ open , ” he explains .
Nonetheless , antibody studies only show a prevalence rate between 5 % and 7 % among the Swedish population , similar to Spain and the rest of Europe , while the Swedish government “ was hoping for around 40 % in June , ” notes Felices .
To achieve herd immunity , at least 60 % of the population would have to be immunised .
Finally , it seems that a bit of humility is also something important in this crisis , as the WHO indicated this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there ’ s a problem , the better .
The sooner we contain the virus , the less the economy and the country ’ s image abroad will suffer , ” says João Júlio Cerqueira .
“ Right now , it ’ s not only a question of the virus , but of the image the country conveys to the world .
Some countries , like Norway and the UK , have excluded Portugal from the reopening of their borders for this reason .
It ’ s happened in Portugal , but it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he says .

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On June 24th, the only two countries in Europe with areas where there were more than 120 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the previous 14 days were Sweden and, far behind it, Portugal.
Confirmed cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the two weeks to June 24. In red, the areas where there are more than 120 infections per 100,000 inhabitants ECDC
While the WHO recently praised the action of Spain and Italy for turning around the bad epidemiological situation they had started from, just a few days ago the agency included Sweden on a list of 11 European countries where the coronavirus had recently made a resurgence.
Sweden, far from making efforts to try to reverse the situation, replied that the WHO report was a ”total misinterpretation of the data” since the Scandinavian country is now testing more, hence more cases are being detected, argued Anders Tegnell, the Swedish state epidemiologist.
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“It seems a bit arrogant, doesn’t it?” says Manuel Felices, a Spanish surgeon and head of the surgery department at the NÄL hospital, north of Gothenburg, Sweden. The country is also accused of arrogance by its other Scandinavian neighbours, where there has been a total of 1,200 deaths out of a population of 17 million, while in Sweden there have been over 5,000 deaths out of a population of 10 million.
“The virus has been underestimated,” says Felices. This statement, which could apply to almost everywhere in the world, is perhaps more appropriate in Sweden, taking into account that the government not only refused from the start to lock down the population, but also that at this point it is still not recommending the use of face masks nor extending the quarantine to those who live with infected people. “It has been, and is, a huge mistake, in my opinion, to fail to consider the contagious potential of presymptomatic or asymptomatic patients, whose role in spreading is still not officially admitted in Sweden,” says Felices. “The recommendations are based on ‘if you have symptoms, stay at home.’ So much so that family members who have a confirmed case among them, but who do not have symptoms, are not obliged to quarantine,” he explains.
Daily cases of coronavirus recorded per million inhabitants in Sweden, Portugal and Spain in the last month
The Portuguese attitude could not be more different from the Swedish one in this sense. Portugal did lock down its population in mid-March, just 11 days after recording the first case of COVID-19, and it “reopened” the country two months later, when the situation was considered to be under control. The reopening of economic activity and relaxation of the restrictive measures resulted in a rise in cases of the virus, mainly in the Lisbon region, where last week 19 districts in the Lisbon metropolitan area were ordered to quarantine.
The appearance of outbreaks with the economic reactivation is not new, but the act of locking down 700,000 people – who for two weeks (June 29 - July 12) will only be able to leave their homes to work, buy food and medicine, and exercise – came as quite a shock to Europe, and especially to Spain. While continuing to look at its neighbour out of the corner of its eye, in case the story could be repeated there, Spain has seen its worst fears come true after the El Segrià district in Lleida and A Mariña district in Lugo went back into lockdown last weekend.
“What we’re seeing in Portugal is going to become the norm in most countries,” João Júlio Cerqueira said in an email to HuffPost Spain. According to the Portuguese doctor, a specialist in occupational medicine and creator of the Evidence-Based Medicine Project (SCIMED), “there will be outbreaks of infections that will have to be dealt with by the authorities to mitigate the spread of the illness following the reopening of the economy. In that sense, there’s nothing abnormal.”
For Cerqueira, “everything depends on how the government acts to contain those outbreaks,” and although the measures taken by Portugal seem “sufficient to mitigate them,” in his opinion, he considers that the government “was a little slow in the Lisbon region,” adding, “we still need some time to see the results.”
He believes the government’s reaction to put the population back into lockdown is important, but even more so is the capacity for testing that will detect those outbreaks. And here, Portugal can set an example. “Portugal has always had an outstanding capacity for testing. It can give the impression that the country has lots more infections in comparison with other places, when that probably isn’t the case,” points out Cerqueira. It is worth noting that to date, Portugal has recorded more than 45,277 cases of coronavirus and 1,644 deaths, compared to 319,075 infections and over 44,000 deaths in the UK.
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Tests done each day in Portugal, Sweden and Spain per thousand inhabitants since mid-April
“Test, test, and test some more” is one of the leitmotivs of Manuel Felices and the so-called Group of 22 scientists of which the Spanish surgeon is a part. This group, created in March by a group of internationally renowned researchers and doctors, has tried, “from the strictly scientific point of view,” to help change the Swedish strategy against the coronavirus.
Felices considers that the “active tracing of possibly infected people” is not sufficient in his host country, where he has lived and worked since 2012. Nevertheless, now the Group of 22′s main bone of contention is face masks, which are still not recommended in Sweden, something these experts deem a mistake. “We’re fighting to get the use of face masks recommended, in hospitals and nursing homes of course, but also on the street if it’s not possible to keep the social distance, on public transit, in restaurants, etc,” Felices says.
Despite Sweden’s controversial stance and data that proves its strategy has failed to stem infections, Swedish citizens have mostly supported this strategy and, until very recently, it was difficult to hear criticism of the government’s management. In mid-April, 73% of Swedes supported the country’s health strategy, according to a survey by the independent agency Novus. However, for some time now, more and more people are suggesting that the government – even though it has not openly acknowledged this – has tried to follow a herd immunity strategy, allowing a high percentage of the population to get infected.
“From my point of view – and this is an opinion – the strategy has been based on allowing a rate of ‘controlled’ infection, thinking about herd immunity,” Felices says. “The measures speak for themselves: They’ve only recommended that over-70s stay at home, while schools, gyms, etc, have always stayed open,” he explains. Nonetheless, antibody studies only show a prevalence rate between 5% and 7% among the Swedish population, similar to Spain and the rest of Europe, while the Swedish government “was hoping for around 40% in June,” notes Felices. To achieve herd immunity, at least 60% of the population would have to be immunised.
Advertisement
Finally, it seems that a bit of humility is also something important in this crisis, as the WHO indicated this week. “The sooner we assume there’s a problem, the better. The sooner we contain the virus, the less the economy and the country’s image abroad will suffer,” says João Júlio Cerqueira. “Right now, it’s not only a question of the virus, but of the image the country conveys to the world. Some countries, like Norway and the UK, have excluded Portugal from the reopening of their borders for this reason. It’s happened in Portugal, but it might also happen in Spain,” he says.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-22--Let's Talk About Kink: Join A Conversation About Love, Sex And The Meaning Of 'Normal'

When it comes to sex and our fantasies , is there anything that ’ s off limits ?
Should there be ?
What ’ s normal ?
Who gets to decide ?
And how can we learn to broaden our erotic and romantic horizons in hopes of gaining more and deeper intimacy with the people we love ... or just lust after ?
These are just a few of the questions that “ D Is For Desire , ” HuffPost ’ s new love and sex podcast , is exploring during its first season .
As the host of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opportunity to chat with a wide variety of guests , from sex witches to a doctor dedicating his life to performing plastic surgery on assholes to a woman happily in a 20-year marriage , even though she ’ s never experienced romantic attraction .
I ’ ve already learned a lot about what desire can look and feel like for lots of different people who ’ ve had lots of different urges and experiences , and now I want to chat with you !
Please join me and HuffPost Executive Editor Hillary Frey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , July 30 , at 1:30 p.m .
ET .
We ’ ll go behind the scenes of the podcast and tackle all of the sticky questions about love and sex and relationships that might be lurking in your head , your heart or your pants .
Bring all your questions ― especially the ones you ’ ve been too afraid to ask before ― and I ’ ll see you on Zoom !
“ D Is For Desire ” is produced and edited by Nick Offenberg , Sara Patterson , Becca DeGregorio @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or a comment about the show or a story you think might make a good episode ?
Send us an email at desire @ huffpost.com .

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When it comes to sex and our fantasies, is there anything that’s off limits? Should there be? What’s normal? Who gets to decide? And how can we learn to broaden our erotic and romantic horizons in hopes of gaining more and deeper intimacy with the people we love ... or just lust after?
These are just a few of the questions that “D Is For Desire,” HuffPost’s new love and sex podcast, is exploring during its first season.
Advertisement
As the host of the podcast, I’ve had the opportunity to chat with a wide variety of guests, from sex witches to a doctor dedicating his life to performing plastic surgery on assholes to a woman happily in a 20-year marriage, even though she’s never experienced romantic attraction.
I’ve already learned a lot about what desire can look and feel like for lots of different people who’ve had lots of different urges and experiences, and now I want to chat with you!
Please join me and HuffPost Executive Editor Hillary Frey for a free virtual conversation on Thursday, July 30, at 1:00 p.m. ET. We’ll go behind the scenes of the podcast and tackle all of the sticky questions about love and sex and relationships that might be lurking in your head, your heart or your pants.
Bring all your questions ― especially the ones you’ve been too afraid to ask before ― and I’ll see you on Zoom!
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-22--Anna Camp Warns That She Likely Got COVID-19 By Not Wearing A Mask Once

Actor Anna Camp believes all it took was one time without a mask to contract the coronavirus .
In a cautionary Instagram post on Tuesday , the “ Pitch Perfect ” star wrote that she was always vigilant ― until she wasn ’ t .
“ I was incredibly safe , ” she said .
“ I wore a mask .
I used hand sanitizer .
One time , when the world was starting to open up , I decided to forgo wearing my mask in public .
One .
Time .
And I ended up getting it .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that one time.
” Camp says she has somewhat recovered from being “ extremely sick ” but that symptoms such as fatigue , vomiting and fever persist .
“ Please wear ur mask , ” she urged .
“ It can happen any time .
And it can happen to anyone .
Even that one time you feel safe.
” Other entertainment figures such as Jennifer Aniston have been using their celebrity clout to persuade people to wear masks as COVID-19 surges in much of the country .
This week , the former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ image of a friend who had no underlying conditions in a hospital ICU bed hooked up to tubes after becoming infected .
Even President Donald Trump has encouraged mask-wearing recently and admitted on Tuesday that the outbreak will worsen .

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Actor Anna Camp believes all it took was one time without a mask to contract the coronavirus.
In a cautionary Instagram post on Tuesday, the “Pitch Perfect” star wrote that she was always vigilant ― until she wasn’t.
“I was incredibly safe,” she said. “I wore a mask. I used hand sanitizer. One time, when the world was starting to open up, I decided to forgo wearing my mask in public. One. Time. And I ended up getting it. I believe it may have been because of that one time.”
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Camp says she has somewhat recovered from being “extremely sick” but that symptoms such as fatigue, vomiting and fever persist.
“Please wear ur mask,” she urged. “It can happen any time. And it can happen to anyone. Even that one time you feel safe.”
Other entertainment figures such as Jennifer Aniston have been using their celebrity clout to persuade people to wear masks as COVID-19 surges in much of the country.
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This week, the former “Friends” star shared the terrifying image of a friend who had no underlying conditions in a hospital ICU bed hooked up to tubes after becoming infected.
“This is real,” Aniston wrote.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-22--I Have An Eating Disorder You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

ValentynVolkov via Getty Images `` I can look at a food and know instantly , by the way my body reacts , whether or not it ’ s something I will be able to eat without gagging . ''
Picky eating is common enough among children , but when I became a mother myself and I didn ’ t know anyone else like me , I started looking for answers .
I contacted a university professor who conducted research on picky eating in children .
He referred me to one of his graduate students who had done research on picky @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I read about adults whose entire diet consisted of fewer than 10 foods .
I knew I wasn ’ t a normal eater , but I wasn ’ t quite that restrictive .
She also found statistically significant associations between her subjects and a range of neurological and psychological issues , such as autism and OCD , from which I did not suffer .
Her dissertation was interesting , but it didn ’ t represent me or give me any insight into my own behavior .
Then , a few years ago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group for picky eaters .
I was astonished by what I discovered there .
Not only were there other adults like me , there was a whole community of us .
There was an actual name for the behavior I thought was so idiosyncratic .
Naming it was a great relief .
Once I found the Facebook support group , I knew for certain that my physical inability to swallow certain foods , and the anxious feeling I have around them , are proof positive that what I ’ ve long thought of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an actual diagnosis .
I don ’ t need a clinician , who likely knows less about ARFID than I do , to confirm that .
Decades of being faced with foods I can ’ t physically eat even if I want to are all the confirmation I need .
Other safe foods for me are idiosyncratic .
For example , chicken breast is a safe food for me , but wings , legs or thighs are not .
Yellow and orange peppers are safe , but not red .
Dishes made with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being safe , but steak or lamb chops are never safe foods for me .
Most kinds of ice cream are not safe foods for me ; only plain vanilla is always safe and only if it ’ s rock hard .
Broccoli and onions are safe but mushrooms , asparagus , beets , tomatoes , olives and turnips all invoke the tightening of the throat .
If there ’ s a pattern to which foods are consistently safe for me , I ’ ve never been able to identify it .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instantly , by the way my body reacts , whether or not it ’ s something I will be able to eat without gagging .
Close friends all know that I “ eat weird.
” Some friends make it a point to always have yellow peppers available whenever we ’ re invited over .
Some will make dishes I ’ ve been known to eat in the past .
If I feel close enough to someone , I will tell them specifically what they could make that I would be able to eat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you don ’ t eat and I ’ ll work around that .
Me : The list of foods I don ’ t eat is quite long .
I ’ ll just bring my own food .
I don ’ t want you to go to any trouble .
Host : I want to make something you ’ ll enjoy .
I don ’ t want you to have to bring your own food .
Me : ( feeling squeamish and embarrassed ) OK , here are the foods I do eat , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to cause you extra work .
( I then proceed to share a limited and very specific list of safe foods , hoping that the host is not rolling their eyes and wishing they had never invited me in the first place ) .

"I can look at a food and know instantly, by the way my body reacts, whether or not it’s something I will be able to eat without gagging." ValentynVolkov via Getty Images
I’m a grown woman and I’ve never eaten sushi. I’ve never tasted avocado or grapefruit or chicken wings or pickles or yogurt and, not to rock your world, but I’ve never had a cup of coffee. In fact, the list of foods I’ve never eaten is far, far longer than the list of those I have.
For most of my life, I had no idea why the thought of eating many foods would make me gag. I knew I wasn’t a garden-variety picky eater, but until very recently, I wasn’t aware that there was a name for it.
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Now I know better. I have ARFID (avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder), an eating disorder that used to be called SED (selective eating disorder). In simple terms, it’s a food phobia in which swallowing certain foods, or even thinking of swallowing them, leads to undesirable outcomes like the throat involuntarily closing, retching and vomiting.
My eating disorder began when I was a child. My family would go out for Chinese food and I would only eat white rice. Slightly older, I graduated to egg rolls, but only the outside. I have vivid memories of my father scraping out the cabbage filling and handing me the empty shell.
I have a particularly traumatic memory of facing off with my father over some pan-fried liver. I was young, probably no more than 6 or 7. I was anemic and my mother prepared the liver to help with my anemia. But I refused to eat it.
As I sat across the table from my father, he told me, “We’re going to sit here until you eat this. And if you don’t eat it tonight, I’ll serve it to you for breakfast. And it will be cold.”
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He eventually gave in, but my victory was not sweet. I had no way to explain what I was feeling at the time. I wasn’t a willful child, but I knew I’d never be able to swallow the liver.
As I grew, more foods were added to my repertoire, but the list of foods I refused to eat was always longer.
Significantly longer.
Picky eating is common enough among children, but when I became a mother myself and I didn’t know anyone else like me, I started looking for answers. I contacted a university professor who conducted research on picky eating in children. He referred me to one of his graduate students who had done research on picky eating in adults.
“As I grew, more foods were added to my repertoire, but the list of foods I refused to eat was always longer. Significantly longer.”
In her dissertation, I read about adults whose entire diet consisted of fewer than 10 foods. I knew I wasn’t a normal eater, but I wasn’t quite that restrictive. She also found statistically significant associations between her subjects and a range of neurological and psychological issues, such as autism and OCD, from which I did not suffer. Her dissertation was interesting, but it didn’t represent me or give me any insight into my own behavior.
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Then, a few years ago, I stumbled on a Facebook support group for picky eaters. I was astonished by what I discovered there. Not only were there other adults like me, there was a whole community of us. There was an actual name for the behavior I thought was so idiosyncratic. Naming it was a great relief.
ARFID is a relatively recent addition to the DSM-V, the fifth edition of The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which health care providers use to assist with diagnosis. However, since the vast majority of health care providers are not yet familiar with ARFID, patients are often unable to get a clinical diagnosis.
Once I found the Facebook support group, I knew for certain that my physical inability to swallow certain foods, and the anxious feeling I have around them, are proof positive that what I’ve long thought of as a quirky relationship with food has an actual diagnosis. I don’t need a clinician, who likely knows less about ARFID than I do, to confirm that. Decades of being faced with foods I can’t physically eat even if I want to are all the confirmation I need.
People with ARFID refer to foods they can eat comfortably as “safe foods.” My list of safe foods is more extensive than many others who suffer with this eating disorder, but that doesn’t mean I don’t experience an anxious dread when faced with the prospect of having to swallow many conventional foods.
Every person with ARFID has their own individualized list of safe foods. As is common, but not universal, many of my safe foods are carbs, like pizza, pasta and white potatoes or calorie dense foods like nuts. That complicates efforts to maintain a healthy weight.
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Other safe foods for me are idiosyncratic. For example, chicken breast is a safe food for me, but wings, legs or thighs are not. Yellow and orange peppers are safe, but not red. Dishes made with ground beef have a high chance of being safe, but steak or lamb chops are never safe foods for me. Most kinds of ice cream are not safe foods for me; only plain vanilla is always safe and only if it’s rock hard. Broccoli and onions are safe but mushrooms, asparagus, beets, tomatoes, olives and turnips all invoke the tightening of the throat.
If there’s a pattern to which foods are consistently safe for me, I’ve never been able to identify it. I can look at a food and know instantly, by the way my body reacts, whether or not it’s something I will be able to eat without gagging.
Over the past few decades, I’ve adapted to my quirky palate. I learned to cook and have introduced dozens of new foods into my repertoire of safe foods. But I’m still not a normal eater. And ARFID still interferes with my social life.
I’ve had significant relationships in which my limited palate has created tension, either because I’ve refused to try certain cuisines or specific foods or because I won’t eat at particular restaurants where there are no safe foods on the menu. When I do identify a safe food at a restaurant, I’ll usually order the same thing every time.
My husband, whose palate is as wide as mine is narrow, is remarkably accepting and accommodating. On our honeymoon 23 years ago, we stepped into a takeout restaurant with a U-shaped buffet. Dozens of dishes were displayed. I quickly scanned the entire buffet. Finding no safe foods there, I turned to my new husband and said, simply, “Nah.”
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Today, we laughingly refer to foods that are unsafe for me as “nah foods.” I consider it a big blessing that my children do not suffer from ARFID, since living with it can be something of a buzzkill.
“On our honeymoon 23 years ago, we stepped into a takeout restaurant with a U-shaped buffet. Dozens of dishes were displayed. I quickly scanned the entire buffet. Finding no safe foods there, I turned to my new husband and said, simply, 'Nah.'”
Close friends all know that I “eat weird.” Some friends make it a point to always have yellow peppers available whenever we’re invited over. Some will make dishes I’ve been known to eat in the past. If I feel close enough to someone, I will tell them specifically what they could make that I would be able to eat.
It’s still awkward with new friends and I’m not comfortable dwelling on it. I don’t mention ARFID. I usually just acknowledge that I eat weird or call myself a picky eater. Then I cross my fingers and hope they aren’t interested enough to ask any follow-up questions.
Being invited to a meal at someone’s home for the first time remains a challenge. I’ve been to dinner parties where people comment uncomfortably on what I’m eating (or not eating) and I’ve been to meals where the only safe foods for me were, quite literally, bread and water.
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Even though it’s a lot more work, I generally prefer to host than to be a guest because it avoids the predictable, albeit uncomfortable dance that ensues if I tell the host in advance that I’m a picky eater.
Host: Just tell me what you don’t eat and I’ll work around that.
Me: The list of foods I don’t eat is quite long. I’ll just bring my own food. I don’t want you to go to any trouble.
Host: I want to make something you’ll enjoy. I don’t want you to have to bring your own food.
Me: (feeling squeamish and embarrassed) OK, here are the foods I do eat, but I really don’t want to cause you extra work. (I then proceed to share a limited and very specific list of safe foods, hoping that the host is not rolling their eyes and wishing they had never invited me in the first place).
Although I don’t know how or why this food phobia started for me, there are a few things I do know. ARFID goes way beyond ordinary picky eating. And the majority of people with ARFID don’t just outgrow it.
The support group has been genuinely helpful. I am now aware there are clinical hypnotherapy treatments reported to be highly successful with adults like me. The treatment is an investment. I haven’t tried it yet, but neither have I ruled it out.
Turns out, there might yet be sushi in my future.
Rivkah Lambert Adler is a freelance journalist, book reviewer and adult educator, specializing in Jewish and Israel content. She is the editor of “Ten From The Nations: Torah Awakening Among Non-Jews” and the creator of “100 Days of Thanking Hashem: A Jewish Gratitude Journal.” Raised in the U.S., she now lives in Israel.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-22--Trump And Barr Expand Surge In Federal Officers To Chicago, Albuquerque

Hundreds of federal agents already have been sent to Kansas City , Missouri , to help quell a record rise in violence after the shooting death of a young boy there .
Sending federal agents to help localities is not uncommon .
Barr announced a similar surge effort in December for seven cities that had seen spiking violence .
Usually , the Justice Department sends agents under its own umbrella , like agents from the Bureau of Alcohol , Tobacco , Firearms and Explosives or the Drug Enforcement Agency .
But this surge effort will include at least 100 Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the region who generally conduct drug trafficking and child exploitation investigations .
Trump has linked the growing violence in the streets with protests over racial injustice , though criminal justice experts say the spike defies easy explanation , pointing to the unprecedented moment the country is living through — a pandemic that has killed more than 140,000 Americans , historic unemployment , stay-at-home orders , a mass reckoning over race and police brutality , intense stress and even the weather .
And compared with other years , crime is down overall .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cities is playing out at a hyper-politicized moment when Trump is trying to show he is a “ law-and-order ” president and painting Democratic-led cities as out of control .
With less than four months to go before Election Day , Trump has been serving up dire warnings that the violence would worsen if his Democratic rival Joe Biden is elected in November , as he tries to win over voters who could be swayed by that message .
The spike in crime has hit hard in some cities with resources already stretched @ @ @ @ @ @ @ move to send in federal forces was initially rejected by local leaders .
“ I ’ ve been very clear that we welcome actual partnership , ” the Democratic mayor said Tuesday after speaking with federal officials .
“ But we do not welcome dictatorship .
We do not welcome authoritarianism , and we do not welcome unconstitutional arrest and detainment of our residents .
That is something I will not tolerate.
” In New Mexico , meanwhile , Democratic elected officials were cautioning Trump against any possible plans to send federal agents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Martin Heinrich calling on Bernalillo County Sheriff Manny Gonzales , who will be at the White House on Wednesday , to resign .
Two dozen agents will be sent to Albuquerque , and the administration made available $ 1.5 million in funding for the Bernalillo County Sheriff ’ s Department for five new deputies and $ 9.4 million for 40 new Albuquerque officers .
In Kansas City , the top federal prosecutor said any agents involved in an operation to reduce violent crime in the area will be clearly identifiable when making arrests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Portland .
The Trump administration is facing growing pushback in Portland .
Multiple lawsuits have been filed questioning the federal government ’ s authority to use broad policing powers in cities .
One suit filed Tuesday says federal agents are violating protesters ’ 10th Amendment rights by engaging in police activities designated to local and state governments .
Oregon ’ s attorney general sued last week , asking a judge to block federal agents ’ actions .
The state argued that masked agents had arrested people on the streets without probable cause and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s become a target of vandalism .

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr announced Wednesday that federal agents will surge into Chicago and Albuquerque to help combat rising crime, expanding the administration’s intervention in local enforcement as Trump runs for reelection under a “law-and-order” mantle.
Hundreds of federal agents already have been sent to Kansas City, Missouri, to help quell a record rise in violence after the shooting death of a young boy there. Sending federal agents to help localities is not uncommon. Barr announced a similar surge effort in December for seven cities that had seen spiking violence.
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Usually, the Justice Department sends agents under its own umbrella, like agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives or the Drug Enforcement Agency. But this surge effort will include at least 100 Department of Homeland Security Investigations officers working in the region who generally conduct drug trafficking and child exploitation investigations.
DHS officers have already been dispatched to Portland, Oregon, and other localities to protect federal property and monuments as Trump has lambasted efforts by protesters to knock down Confederate statutes.
Trump has linked the growing violence in the streets with protests over racial injustice, though criminal justice experts say the spike defies easy explanation, pointing to the unprecedented moment the country is living through — a pandemic that has killed more than 140,000 Americans, historic unemployment, stay-at-home orders, a mass reckoning over race and police brutality, intense stress and even the weather. And compared with other years, crime is down overall.
Local authorities have complained that the surges in federal agents have only exacerbated tensions on the streets.
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The decision to dispatch federal agents to American cities is playing out at a hyper-politicized moment when Trump is trying to show he is a “law-and-order” president and painting Democratic-led cities as out of control. With less than four months to go before Election Day, Trump has been serving up dire warnings that the violence would worsen if his Democratic rival Joe Biden is elected in November, as he tries to win over voters who could be swayed by that message.
But civil unrest in Portland only escalated after federal agents there were accused of whisking people away in unmarked cars without probable case.
The spike in crime has hit hard in some cities with resources already stretched thin from the pandemic. But the move to send in federal forces was initially rejected by local leaders.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot later said she and other local officials had spoken with federal authorities and come to an understanding.
“I’ve been very clear that we welcome actual partnership,” the Democratic mayor said Tuesday after speaking with federal officials. “But we do not welcome dictatorship. We do not welcome authoritarianism, and we do not welcome unconstitutional arrest and detainment of our residents. That is something I will not tolerate.”
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In New Mexico, meanwhile, Democratic elected officials were cautioning Trump against any possible plans to send federal agents to the state, with U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich calling on Bernalillo County Sheriff Manny Gonzales, who will be at the White House on Wednesday, to resign.
“Instead of collaborating with the Albuquerque Police Department, the Sheriff is inviting the President’s stormtroopers into Albuquerque,” the Democratic senator said in a statement.
But federal gun crimes generally carry much stiffer penalties than state crimes — and larger-scale federal investigations that can cross state lines tend to make a big impact.
The Justice Department will reimburse Chicago $3.5 million for local law enforcement’s work on the federal task force. Through a separate federal fund, Chicago received $9.3 million to hire 75 new officers.
Two dozen agents will be sent to Albuquerque, and the administration made available $1.5 million in funding for the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department for five new deputies and $9.4 million for 40 new Albuquerque officers.
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In Kansas City, the top federal prosecutor said any agents involved in an operation to reduce violent crime in the area will be clearly identifiable when making arrests, unlike what has been seen in Portland.
“These agents won’t be patrolling the streets,” U.S. Attorney Timothy Garrison said. “They won’t replace or usurp the authority of local officers.”
Operation Legend — named after 4-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was fatally shot while sleeping in a Kansas City apartment late last month — was announced on July 8. The first arrest came earlier this week.
Garrison has said that the additional 225 federal agents from the FBI, DEA, ATF and the U.S. Marshals Service join 400 agents already working and living in the Kansas City area.
The Trump administration is facing growing pushback in Portland. Multiple lawsuits have been filed questioning the federal government’s authority to use broad policing powers in cities. One suit filed Tuesday says federal agents are violating protesters’ 10th Amendment rights by engaging in police activities designated to local and state governments.
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Oregon’s attorney general sued last week, asking a judge to block federal agents’ actions. The state argued that masked agents had arrested people on the streets without probable cause and far from the U.S. courthouse that’s become a target of vandalism.
Federal authorities, however, said state and local officials had been unwilling to work with them to stop the vandalism and violence against federal officers and the U.S. courthouse.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-22--Ted Yoho 'Apologizes' On House Floor For Outburst Against Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Florida Republican Rep. Ted Yoho expressed some contrition on the floor of the House for “ the abrupt manner ” of an outburst he unleashed on New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D ) on Tuesday .
The Hill reported that Yoho said “ f**king bitch ” in reference to Ocasio-Cortez after the confrontation .
Yoho initially denied the allegations and claimed he ’ d only told the New York representative she was “ bullshit ” while accosting her over claims she made linking economic insecurity to a rise in crime in New York City .
In his statement Wednesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make the all-too-familiar claim that having women in his family makes him conscious of the ways women are belittled .
“ Having been married for 45 years with two daughters , I ’ m very cognizant of my language , ” Yoho claimed .
Yoho said his offensive words were not spoken directly to the congresswoman .
“ The offensive name-calling words attributed to me by the press were never spoken to my colleagues , ” Yoho claimed .
“ And if they were construed that way , I apologize for their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offering some contrition , Yoho said he would not apologize for his “ passion , loving my God , my family or my country.
” Rep. Yoho apologizes for `` abrupt manner of the conversation I had '' with Rep. Ocasio-Cortez , but adds `` the offensive name-calling words attributed to me by the press were never spoken to my colleagues and if they were construed that way , I apologize for their misunderstanding . ''
pic.twitter.com/m3NRkFUbsh — ABC News Politics ( @ ABCPolitics ) July 22 , 2020 CORRECTION : A previous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confirmed that Yoho called her a “ fucking bitch.
” That comment was overheard and reported by The Hill , and Ocasio-Cortez told NBC News that she did not hear Yoho say that .

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Florida Republican Rep. Ted Yoho expressed some contrition on the floor of the House for “the abrupt manner” of an outburst he unleashed on New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) on Tuesday.
The Hill reported that Yoho said “f**king bitch” in reference to Ocasio-Cortez after the confrontation.
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Yoho initially denied the allegations and claimed he’d only told the New York representative she was “bullshit” while accosting her over claims she made linking economic insecurity to a rise in crime in New York City.
In his statement Wednesday, Yoho invoked his wife and daughters to make the all-too-familiar claim that having women in his family makes him conscious of the ways women are belittled.
“Having been married for 45 years with two daughters, I’m very cognizant of my language,” Yoho claimed.
Yoho said his offensive words were not spoken directly to the congresswoman.
“The offensive name-calling words attributed to me by the press were never spoken to my colleagues,” Yoho claimed. “And if they were construed that way, I apologize for their misunderstanding,” he added.
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While offering some contrition, Yoho said he would not apologize for his “passion, loving my God, my family or my country.”
Rep. Yoho apologizes for "abrupt manner of the conversation I had" with Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, but adds "the offensive name-calling words attributed to me by the press were never spoken to my colleagues and if they were construed that way, I apologize for their misunderstanding." pic.twitter.com/m3NRkFUbsh — ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) July 22, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-22--Russian Allies Helping Trump Win Reelection Have A Partner In Wisconsin Republican

SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images President Donald Trump and Sen. Ron Johnson ( R-Wis. ) leave Air Force One upon arrival in Green Bay , Wisconsin , on April 27 , 2019 , before a Trump campaign rally .
Johnson , a second-term senator from Wisconsin who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee , is leading an investigation into the former vice president nearly identical to the one Trump pushed for in Ukraine that led to his impeachment earlier this year , and which echoes allegations being made in Russian-owned propaganda outlets .
On Wednesday , Johnson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ This is all being fabricated by Democrats .
Have them point to something that we ’ ve released that ’ s Russian disinformation , ” he told HuffPost .
“ We ’ re gathering information , but I ’ m not aware of anything that is Russian disinformation.
” One former pro-Russian Ukrainian lawmaker , though , told The Washington Post that material showing the former vice president ’ s efforts to get a Ukrainian prosecutor fired has been turned over to Johnson ’ s committee .
Oleksandr Onyshchenko is among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one graduate of a KGB school , who have ramped up claims against Biden and released batches of edited audiotapes .
They have said more material would be released closer to the election , when it would be more useful to Trump .
The effort mirrors Putin ’ s role in 2016 , when emails stolen by his intelligence services from the Democratic National Committee and from a top campaign aide to nominee Hillary Clinton were released through WikiLeaks on a near daily basis in the final month before the election .
Then-candidate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ August intelligence briefing that Russia was behind the email thefts , and that connection was announced publicly on Oct. 7 by the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence .
Clinton and her campaign , while occasionally pointing out that Putin would prefer a Trump presidency , never made a serious effort to publicize Russia ’ s role in the WikiLeaks material .
Four years later , the Biden campaign is taking a much more aggressive stance .
“ I am putting the Kremlin and other foreign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I will treat foreign interference in our election as an adversarial act that significantly affects the relationship between the United States and the interfering nation ’ s government , ” Biden said in a statement Monday .
“ If any foreign power recklessly chooses to interfere in our democracy , I will not hesitate to respond as president to impose substantial and lasting costs.
” “ As Ron Johnson demonstrated over the last 24 hours , he is complicit in a foreign attack against the very sovereignty of our elections , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can not stand , ” Biden spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement to HuffPost .
“ Donald Trump himself has attempted to launch several foreign influence operations , including when he got himself impeached trying to force Ukraine to spread this same long-debunked , hardcore rightwing conspiracy theory.
” Trump in 2019 , through his emissaries in the State Department and his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani , tried to coerce the new Ukrainian president into announcing investigations of Biden , whom he and his campaign feared would be the strongest Democratic challenger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 391 million in military aid to the country , which remains under siege from Russia , as leverage but released the funds after the hold became public .
Trump wound up getting impeached by the House for abusing his power and then trying to cover it up , but Johnson and every other Republican senator except Utah ’ s Mitt Romney permitted Trump to remain in office .
Trump and his campaign continue to push a claim that Biden , during his years as vice president , tried to protect his son ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by getting a prosecutor who was investigating the company and its owner fired .
In fact , the prosecutor , Viktor Shokin , was widely viewed as corrupt , and his dismissal was a priority for the Obama administration , the European Union , the International Monetary Fund and others who saw it as a necessary step to increasing Western investment into the former Soviet republic .
Indeed , Shokin had dropped an investigation into the energy company , Burisma , by the time he was fired ― meaning that Biden ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ son ’ s income stream rather than protected it .
Fiona Hill , a Russia expert on Trump ’ s National Security Council , said a related claim by Trump ― that it had been Ukraine that had interfered in the 2016 election , and on behalf of Clinton ; not Russia on Trump ’ s behalf ― was Russian propaganda .
“ In the course of this investigation , I would ask that you please not promote politically driven falsehoods that so clearly advance Russian interests , ” Hill testified during a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who were trying to protect Trump .

President Donald Trump and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) leave Air Force One upon arrival in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on April 27, 2019, before a Trump campaign rally. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images
WASHINGTON ― Allies of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin hoping to give President Donald Trump a second term in office appear to have a new partner: Republican Ron Johnson, who is using his Senate committee to renew debunked allegations against presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
Johnson, a second-term senator from Wisconsin who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, is leading an investigation into the former vice president nearly identical to the one Trump pushed for in Ukraine that led to his impeachment earlier this year, and which echoes allegations being made in Russian-owned propaganda outlets.
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On Wednesday, Johnson denied being part of any Russian effort. “This is all being fabricated by Democrats. Have them point to something that we’ve released that’s Russian disinformation,” he told HuffPost. “We’re gathering information, but I’m not aware of anything that is Russian disinformation.”
One former pro-Russian Ukrainian lawmaker, though, told The Washington Post that material showing the former vice president’s efforts to get a Ukrainian prosecutor fired has been turned over to Johnson’s committee. Oleksandr Onyshchenko is among a group of pro-Russian Ukrainians, including one graduate of a KGB school, who have ramped up claims against Biden and released batches of edited audiotapes. They have said more material would be released closer to the election, when it would be more useful to Trump.
The effort mirrors Putin’s role in 2016, when emails stolen by his intelligence services from the Democratic National Committee and from a top campaign aide to nominee Hillary Clinton were released through WikiLeaks on a near daily basis in the final month before the election. Then-candidate Trump had been informed starting with an August intelligence briefing that Russia was behind the email thefts, and that connection was announced publicly on Oct. 7 by the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Despite this, Trump began using the material anyway, starting with his Oct. 10 rally straight through Election Day, citing it in his rally speeches and news interviews as proof that Clinton was corrupt.
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Clinton and her campaign, while occasionally pointing out that Putin would prefer a Trump presidency, never made a serious effort to publicize Russia’s role in the WikiLeaks material. Four years later, the Biden campaign is taking a much more aggressive stance.
“I am putting the Kremlin and other foreign governments on notice. If elected president, I will treat foreign interference in our election as an adversarial act that significantly affects the relationship between the United States and the interfering nation’s government,” Biden said in a statement Monday. “If any foreign power recklessly chooses to interfere in our democracy, I will not hesitate to respond as president to impose substantial and lasting costs.”
On Wednesday, his campaign hit Johnson directly.
“As Ron Johnson demonstrated over the last 24 hours, he is complicit in a foreign attack against the very sovereignty of our elections, and that kind of assault against our democracy cannot stand,” Biden spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement to HuffPost. “Donald Trump himself has attempted to launch several foreign influence operations, including when he got himself impeached trying to force Ukraine to spread this same long-debunked, hardcore rightwing conspiracy theory.”
Trump in 2019, through his emissaries in the State Department and his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, tried to coerce the new Ukrainian president into announcing investigations of Biden, whom he and his campaign feared would be the strongest Democratic challenger against him. Trump eventually withheld $391 million in military aid to the country, which remains under siege from Russia, as leverage but released the funds after the hold became public.
Trump wound up getting impeached by the House for abusing his power and then trying to cover it up, but Johnson and every other Republican senator except Utah’s Mitt Romney permitted Trump to remain in office.
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Trump and his campaign continue to push a claim that Biden, during his years as vice president, tried to protect his son’s role at a Ukrainian energy company by getting a prosecutor who was investigating the company and its owner fired. In fact, the prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, was widely viewed as corrupt, and his dismissal was a priority for the Obama administration, the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and others who saw it as a necessary step to increasing Western investment into the former Soviet republic. Indeed, Shokin had dropped an investigation into the energy company, Burisma, by the time he was fired ― meaning that Biden’s push to remove him actually endangered his son’s income stream rather than protected it.
During House hearings leading to Trump’s impeachment, officials from Trump’s own administration testified that Biden was carrying out both United States and Western European policy when he pressured the Ukrainian leader at the time into dismissing Shokin.
Fiona Hill, a Russia expert on Trump’s National Security Council, said a related claim by Trump ― that it had been Ukraine that had interfered in the 2016 election, and on behalf of Clinton; not Russia on Trump’s behalf ― was Russian propaganda.
“In the course of this investigation, I would ask that you please not promote politically driven falsehoods that so clearly advance Russian interests,” Hill testified during a House impeachment hearing, addressing Republican members who were trying to protect Trump.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-22--Trump ‘Chaos & Violence’ Scare Ad Is Actually Just An Old Picture Of Ukraine

The photo shows a crowd of helmeted protesters , gathered around a downed police officer desperately clutching his nightstick .
A caption below , written in ALL CAPS to maximize the effect , warns of “ CHAOS & VIOLENCE.
” It is shock advertising at its most routine , designed to stoke fear and provoke a retreat to the safe and familiar .
It popped up on Facebook on Tuesday and , as with so many whoppers of the Trump era , it ’ s also a lie .
This image that President Donald Trump ’ s reelection campaign desperately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a “ Democrat-run ” U.S. city is ... actually a photo from 2014 of a pro-democracy protest in Ukraine .
Jesse Lehrich , a former Hillary Clinton spokesperson , pointed out the misrepresentation on Twitter , noting that the Trump campaign seemingly downloaded the original file from Wikipedia , which clearly states it was taken in Kyiv , Ukraine , in 2014 : LOL a new Trump ad warning of chaos & violence depicts a cop being attacked by protesters ... ... only it 's a pic from Kyiv in 2014 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a democratic uprising.https : //t.co/VfJujT50Lm pic.twitter.com/QBrlwauo6s — Jesse Lehrich ( @ JesseLehrich ) July 22 , 2020 Photographer Mstyslav Chernov confirmed to HuffPost that he took the photo in Ukraine in 2014 but declined to comment further .
At the time , much of the country was rebelling against Kremlin-backed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych .
A Ukrainian court convicted Yanukovitch of treason in 2019 for fleeing the capital for Russia and urging Putin to invade the country to put him back in power .
Incidentally , before he was Trump ’ s campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Yanukovitch from 2006 through 2015 and was paid tens of millions of dollars by the Ukrainian president .
Facebook ’ s ad library lists three “ inactive ” copies of the ad , all of which were taken offline after they started running yesterday .

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The photo shows a crowd of helmeted protesters, gathered around a downed police officer desperately clutching his nightstick. A caption below, written in ALL CAPS to maximize the effect, warns of “CHAOS & VIOLENCE.”
It is shock advertising at its most routine, designed to stoke fear and provoke a retreat to the safe and familiar. It popped up on Facebook on Tuesday and, as with so many whoppers of the Trump era, it’s also a lie.
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This image that President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign desperately wants you to believe is of anarchy in a “Democrat-run” U.S. city is ... actually a photo from 2014 of a pro-democracy protest in Ukraine.
Jesse Lehrich, a former Hillary Clinton spokesperson, pointed out the misrepresentation on Twitter, noting that the Trump campaign seemingly downloaded the original file from Wikipedia, which clearly states it was taken in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 2014:
LOL
a new Trump ad warning of chaos & violence depicts a cop being attacked by protesters...
...only it's a pic from Kyiv in 2014, when Yanukovich's thugs fought to quash a democratic uprising.https://t.co/VfJujT50Lm pic.twitter.com/QBrlwauo6s — Jesse Lehrich (@JesseLehrich) July 22, 2020
Photographer Mstyslav Chernov confirmed to HuffPost that he took the photo in Ukraine in 2014 but declined to comment further.
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At the time, much of the country was rebelling against Kremlin-backed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. A Ukrainian court convicted Yanukovitch of treason in 2019 for fleeing the capital for Russia and urging Putin to invade the country to put him back in power. Incidentally, before he was Trump’s campaign manager in 2016, Paul Manafort worked for Yanukovitch from 2006 through 2015 and was paid tens of millions of dollars by the Ukrainian president.
Facebook’s ad library lists three “inactive” copies of the ad, all of which were taken offline after they started running yesterday.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-22--Sean Hannity Contradicts Donald Trump On Coronavirus Crisis

Sean Hannity may be one of President Donald Trump ’ s most reliable sycophants , but the Fox News personality appeared to contradict the president on Tuesday .
On the same day Trump finally admitted the coronavirus pandemic will get worse before it gets better , Hannity declared “ the situation is getting better , not worse.
” ( See the clip below . )
Hmm .
Tuesday saw more than 1,000 deaths and 65,000 new cases .
The total U.S. death toll has surpassed 142,000 and the confirmed number of infections nears a staggering 4 million .
Trump for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experts on mask-wearing ( until very recently ) and pushed for states and schools to reopen , even as outbreaks raged .
During his first coronavirus briefing in months , Trump on Tuesday seemed to acknowledge the reality .
He even urged people to wear face masks .
“ President Trump never stopped working , ” the host said .
“ The pandemic is not spiraling out of control as they projected nightly .
“ It is the worst pandemic since 1918 .
Losing one life is way too many .
The situation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hannity continued to attack Democrats and mainstream news outlets for criticizing Trump ’ s handling of the outbreak , claiming they ’ ve ignored positive developments like progress on a vaccine .
He also parrotted some old White House themes .
“ And by the way , none of these people on TV and no Democrats supported the travel ban 10 days after the first identified case of coronavirus , then the subsequent travel bans and the first quarantine in over 50 years , ” he said .
“ That alone ― huge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has fulfilled every request from every state governor .
”

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Sean Hannity may be one of President Donald Trump’s most reliable sycophants, but the Fox News personality appeared to contradict the president on Tuesday.
On the same day Trump finally admitted the coronavirus pandemic will get worse before it gets better, Hannity declared “the situation is getting better, not worse.” (See the clip below.)
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Hmm. Tuesday saw more than 1,000 deaths and 65,000 new cases. The total U.S. death toll has surpassed 142,000 and the confirmed number of infections nears a staggering 4 million.
Trump for months downplayed the pandemic, defied medical experts on mask-wearing (until very recently) and pushed for states and schools to reopen, even as outbreaks raged. During his first coronavirus briefing in months, Trump on Tuesday seemed to acknowledge the reality. He even urged people to wear face masks.
But Hannity struck to his loyalist script.
“President Trump never stopped working,” the host said. “The pandemic is not spiraling out of control as they projected nightly.
“It is the worst pandemic since 1918. Losing one life is way too many. The situation is getting better, not worse.”
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Hannity continued to attack Democrats and mainstream news outlets for criticizing Trump’s handling of the outbreak, claiming they’ve ignored positive developments like progress on a vaccine. He also parrotted some old White House themes.
“And by the way, none of these people on TV and no Democrats supported the travel ban 10 days after the first identified case of coronavirus, then the subsequent travel bans and the first quarantine in over 50 years,” he said. “That alone ― huge decisions that save lives. This administration has fulfilled every request from every state governor. ”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-22--Congress Holds The Economy In Its Hands As Millions Face 'Income Cliff'

Congress created the extra benefits in March so that people who lost their jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic would be able to stay home and not feel desperate to go out and make money , as social distancing remains the best way to fight the contagion .
But lawmakers set the benefits to expire on July 31 ― a policy choice that will result in an across-the-board collapse of incomes and reverberate through the economy if it is not renewed .
Many workers will receive their final federal checks next week with rent and mortgage payments coming due .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , worked as a server in a restaurant before the pandemic shut things down in March .
She said 10 weeks lapsed between when she filed for unemployment and when she started receiving the extra $ 600 , a major boost to the $ 269 she gets in state benefits .
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated that business closures and job losses shrank people ’ s work incomes by as much as 9 % from February to May , but that thanks to the new government spending ― especially the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people ’ s overall incomes actually rose by 5 % .
The expiration of that spending , however , will crater incomes by 4 % from current levels in August , and 2 % from February levels .
The CRFB , which opposes excessive government deficits in nonemergency situations , described the spending cut as an “ income cliff ” ― one that would occur in what is clearly a national emergency .
If Republicans are feeling a sense of urgency about the situation , they haven ’ t acted like it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) pumped the brakes on another round of fiscal stimulus in April , even as House Democrats pressed ahead with the passage of another $ 3 trillion relief measure that would have extended benefits through the end of the year .
Now , with the expiration of key safety net programs only days away , Senate Republicans can ’ t even seem to agree among themselves on what their opening offer ought to be in negotiations with the Democrats .
During a closed-door GOP lunch on Tuesday , several senators vented about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the forthcoming proposal , which is expected to be unveiled this week .
The Congressional Budget Office projected that the extra $ 600 would cost $ 176 billion from April through July , a tiny fraction of the total cost of the broader coronavirus legislation .
There may be less interparty disagreement about keeping some amount of extra jobless pay than other issues , such as school funding and shielding employers from coronavirus-related lawsuits .
Unless lawmakers start to rush , Congress almost certainly won ’ t act on a broader bill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expire at the end of the month , including a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures in federally funded housing .
Even if the Senate can get its act together before July 31 , the House would need to sign off before sending a bill to the president ’ s desk , something that is likely to bleed into the first few weeks of August .
The coronavirus case count is now surging in most states across the country , and economists worry that the recovery of jobs lost from the initial lockdown layoffs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been preoccupied with the possibility that high jobless pay prevents people from returning to work , though there ’ s not much evidence that the extra benefits are holding back hiring on a large scale .
Janes said she returned to her job waiting tables in June when Placer County allowed restaurants to reopen .
She said business tapered off after three weeks and she returned to unemployment .
It wasn ’ t clear how people were supposed to abide by social distancing and other public health guidelines inside a restaurant , she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surge of coronavirus cases since the beginning of June .

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More than 25 million Americans are about to lose most of their income thanks to the looming expiration of the $600-per-week expanded federal unemployment benefits.
Congress created the extra benefits in March so that people who lost their jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic would be able to stay home and not feel desperate to go out and make money, as social distancing remains the best way to fight the contagion.
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But lawmakers set the benefits to expire on July 31 ― a policy choice that will result in an across-the-board collapse of incomes and reverberate through the economy if it is not renewed. Many workers will receive their final federal checks next week with rent and mortgage payments coming due.
Jami Janes of Meadow Vista, California, worked as a server in a restaurant before the pandemic shut things down in March. She said 10 weeks lapsed between when she filed for unemployment and when she started receiving the extra $600, a major boost to the $269 she gets in state benefits.
“I could pay my rent, I could pay the electricity,” Janes, 53, said in an interview. “It’s not like we’re rolling around in money.”
If Congress drops the benefits, Janes will still receive her state benefits. But they won’t cover her expenses, so she’ll have to pull out her credit cards and cross her fingers.
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“I will just start to live off the credit, which really sucks,” Janes said. “I just got out of debt last year.”
As state and local governments started shutting down schools and businesses earlier this year, Congress passed a $2 trillion relief package that included the unemployment benefits, bailouts for businesses big and small, plus direct rebate payments to most households.
State benefits average about $360. Democrats pushed for the extra $600 to try to make up the difference between the average unemployment benefit and the average weekly wage.
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated that business closures and job losses shrank people’s work incomes by as much as 9% from February to May, but that thanks to the new government spending ― especially the extra unemployment benefits and the rebates ― people’s overall incomes actually rose by 5%.
The expiration of that spending, however, will crater incomes by 4% from current levels in August, and 2% from February levels. The CRFB, which opposes excessive government deficits in nonemergency situations, described the spending cut as an “income cliff” ― one that would occur in what is clearly a national emergency.
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“Two percent doesn’t seem like that much, but that’s a one-month drop,” the CRFB’s Marc Goldwein said. “In a normal year income grows 4% over the entire year.”
The Congressional Budget Office has said that letting the benefits lapse would probably reduce growth this year.
(A separate federal expansion of unemployment benefits, including to independent contractors, will not expire until the end of the year.)
If Republicans are feeling a sense of urgency about the situation, they haven’t acted like it. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) pumped the brakes on another round of fiscal stimulus in April, even as House Democrats pressed ahead with the passage of another $3 trillion relief measure that would have extended benefits through the end of the year.
“They can barely cobble together a partisan bill in their own conference,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said of Republicans on Wednesday. ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Now, with the expiration of key safety net programs only days away, Senate Republicans can’t even seem to agree among themselves on what their opening offer ought to be in negotiations with the Democrats. During a closed-door GOP lunch on Tuesday, several senators vented about the party’s strategy and the cost of the forthcoming proposal, which is expected to be unveiled this week.
“They’re talking about spending another trillion dollars. It’s fiscally irresponsible and they should be ashamed of themselves,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) told reporters afterward.
But on Wednesday, Republicans began conversations with the White House about passing a bill solely focused on preserving the extra benefits in some form until Congress reaches a deal on the broader package.
“The question is length and price in total dollars,” Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) told reporters. In the aftermath of the Great Recession a decade ago, Congress repeatedly approved short-term reauthorizations of extended benefits, sometimes allowing benefits to lapse for weeks.
The Congressional Budget Office projected that the extra $600 would cost $176 billion from April through July, a tiny fraction of the total cost of the broader coronavirus legislation. There may be less interparty disagreement about keeping some amount of extra jobless pay than other issues, such as school funding and shielding employers from coronavirus-related lawsuits.
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Republicans and even some Democrats have previously talked about keeping the extra benefits, but at a lower weekly dollar amount.
In a speech on the Senate floor on Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) slammed Republicans as “disorganized” and “unprepared,” warning their dithering would harm Americans who won’t be able to afford to pay bills or rent next month.
“They can barely cobble together a partisan bill in their own conference,” Schumer said.
Unless lawmakers start to rush, Congress almost certainly won’t act on a broader bill before major portions of the CARES Act expire at the end of the month, including a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures in federally funded housing. Even if the Senate can get its act together before July 31, the House would need to sign off before sending a bill to the president’s desk, something that is likely to bleed into the first few weeks of August.
The coronavirus case count is now surging in most states across the country, and economists worry that the recovery of jobs lost from the initial lockdown layoffs has begun to stall. Republicans have been preoccupied with the possibility that high jobless pay prevents people from returning to work, though there’s not much evidence that the extra benefits are holding back hiring on a large scale.
Janes said she returned to her job waiting tables in June when Placer County allowed restaurants to reopen. She said business tapered off after three weeks and she returned to unemployment. It wasn’t clear how people were supposed to abide by social distancing and other public health guidelines inside a restaurant, she said. The county has seen a surge of coronavirus cases since the beginning of June.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-22--GOP Sen. Ron Johnson Blocks Bill To Make Juneteenth A Federal Holiday

Johnson , a conservative who takes hardline stances of federal spending , said that while he supported honoring the day that has come to mark slavery ’ s end in the U.S. , said doing so with a new holiday would “ give federal workers a paid day off that the rest of America has to pay for.
” Senate Democrats , joined by Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas , proposed the federal holiday in June , one of the responses to nationwide protests spurred by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis .
House Democrats also won @ @ @ @ @ @ @ similar bill offered by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee ( D-Texas ) .
Momentum surged for a Juneteenth holiday amid nationwide Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality and a broader reckoning with the historic economic injustices suffered by Black Americans .
Just before the date this year , New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo ( D ) declared it a holiday for state workers , and said he would push for legislation making it a holiday throughout the state as of next year .
New Your City Mayor Bill de Blasio ( D @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the nation ’ s largest city , starting next year .
Black communities have long have celebrated June 19 as the symbolic end of slavery , commemorating the day in 1865 that slaves in Texas belatedly learned from the Union Army that President Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation two years earlier .
Cornyn , in a speech Wednesday advocating for the federal holiday , said it presented Congress an opportunity to “ demonstrate our nonpartisan support for this act of racial reconciliation in our country.
” Johnson proposed a compromise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his amendment to the holiday bill sponsored by Sen. Ed Markey ( D-Mass . )
bill that would subtract a day of paid leave from federal workers to compensate for the Juneteenth off-day .
Markey objected to that idea .
“ We shouldn ’ t be penalizing our workers by taking away benefits , especially not in the current environment , and especially not as the price to pay for recognizing a long-overdue federal holiday , ” he said , alluding to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic .
Ten federal holidays are commemorated in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ King Jr. Day the most recent addition .
But only federal workers benefit from all of them , as private employers are not required to abide by each one .
For instance , only 24 % of private-sector workers got MLK Day in 2018 .

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A bipartisan effort to make Juneteenth a federal holiday failed in the Senate on Wednesday after Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) blocked it from advancing.
Johnson, a conservative who takes hardline stances of federal spending, said that while he supported honoring the day that has come to mark slavery’s end in the U.S., said doing so with a new holiday would “give federal workers a paid day off that the rest of America has to pay for.”
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He also estimated that creating another federal holiday would cost the private sector “up to $600 million a year.”
Momentum surged for a Juneteenth holiday amid nationwide Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality and a broader reckoning with the historic economic injustices suffered by Black Americans. Just before the date this year, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) declared it a holiday for state workers, and said he would push for legislation making it a holiday throughout the state as of next year. New Your City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) has declared it an official holiday in the nation’s largest city, starting next year.
Johnson’s objection appears to have effectively killed for now the federal effort.
Black communities have long have celebrated June 19 as the symbolic end of slavery, commemorating the day in 1865 that slaves in Texas belatedly learned from the Union Army that President Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation two years earlier.
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Cornyn, in a speech Wednesday advocating for the federal holiday, said it presented Congress an opportunity to “demonstrate our nonpartisan support for this act of racial reconciliation in our country.”
Johnson proposed a compromise. He asked the Senate to adopt his amendment to the holiday bill sponsored by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) bill that would subtract a day of paid leave from federal workers to compensate for the Juneteenth off-day.
“Why don’t we take away one of their days of paid leave?” Johnson asked.
Markey objected to that idea. “We shouldn’t be penalizing our workers by taking away benefits, especially not in the current environment, and especially not as the price to pay for recognizing a long-overdue federal holiday,” he said, alluding to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Ten federal holidays are commemorated in the U.S. annually, with Martin Luther King Jr. Day the most recent addition. But only federal workers benefit from all of them, as private employers are not required to abide by each one. For instance, only 24% of private-sector workers got MLK Day in 2018.
President Ronald Reagan initially opposed a national MLK holiday for the same reason Johnson broached about Juneteenth. Reagan relented in 1983.