thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-27--Nashville Police Believe Man Responsible For Christmas Explosion Died In Blast

Officials in Nashville said that the man they believed set off a bomb in a recreational vehicle that shocked downtown Nashville on Christmas morning died in the explosion .
Don Cochran , a U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee , identified Anthony Quinn Warner as the man who bombed the city on Friday .
Warner was “ present when the bomb went off , and then he perished , ” Cochran said Sunday at a news conference .
Investigators linked the 63-year-old Antioch , Tennessee , man to the blast using DNA .
The FBI said it also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number to a registration belonging to Warner .
BREAKING : Law enforcement is now announcing that Anthony Warner , 63 , of Bakertown Rd , is the man believed responsible for Friday 's explosion .
He perished in the blast .
No one else is presently believed to have been involved .
Thank you to our federal & state partners .
pic.twitter.com/PwMa1MwHvd — Metro Nashville PD ( @ MNPDNashville ) December 27 , 2020 Investigators don ’ t believe anyone else was involved in the explosion , according to FBI Special Agent Douglas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ details about a potential motive .
The recreational vehicle exploded early Christmas Day on a street in downtown Nashville , injuring at least three people and damaging dozens of buildings .
The explosion occurred outside an AT & T switching station , causing widespread communication outages .
Police emergency systems in Tennessee , Kentucky and Alabama — as well as Nashville ’ s COVID-19 community hotline and several hospital systems — were out of service after the blast .
“ Given its importance to customers and first responders , we prioritized restoration of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Communications CEO Jeff McElfresh said in a statement Sunday evening .
“ As of now 96 % of our wireless network is restored , 60 % of our business services are restored , and 86 % of our consumer broadband and entertainment services are restored .
It is our goal to restore all service late today.
” Before they confirmed Warner ’ s identity using DNA analysis , authorities investigated him as a person of interest connected to the blast .
Warner had experience with electronics and alarms and worked as a computer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to public records reviewed by The Associated Press .
Investigators from federal and local law enforcement agencies searched Warner ’ s home Saturday in Antioch , a Nashville suburb .
Google Street View images of the home show a white RV parked behind a fence on the property .
Court records reviewed by USA Today showed a quitclaim deed transfer of Warner ’ s residence from the suspect to a person with an address in Los Angeles on Nov. 25 for zero dollars .
Nashville Mayor John Cooper announced on Sunday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the explosion will extend from 4:30 p.m. CT Sunday to noon CT Monday .
Police said the explosion came from the vehicle soon after a speaker system broadcast a warning for people to evacuate the area .
The speakers then switched to Petula Clark ’ s 1964 song “ Downtown.
” Moments before the blast , police recalled hearing the song ’ s lyric about going to the city to seek refuge from sadness : “ The lights are much brighter there.
” “ This is going to tie us together forever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said Nashville Police Officer James Wells , who experienced some hearing loss as a result of the blast , at a news conference Sunday morning .
“ Christmas will never be the same .
”

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Officials in Nashville said that the man they believed set off a bomb in a recreational vehicle that shocked downtown Nashville on Christmas morning died in the explosion.
Don Cochran, the U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee, identified Anthony Quinn Warner as the man who bombed the city on Friday. Warner was “present when the bomb went off, and then he perished,” Cochran said Sunday at a news conference.
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Investigators linked the 63-year-old Antioch, Tennessee, man to the blast using DNA. The FBI said it also matched the RV’s vehicle identification number to a registration belonging to Warner.
BREAKING: Law enforcement is now announcing that Anthony Warner, 63, of Bakertown Rd, is the man believed responsible for Friday's explosion. He perished in the blast. No one else is presently believed to have been involved. Thank you to our federal & state partners. pic.twitter.com/PwMa1MwHvd — Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) December 27, 2020
Investigators don’t believe anyone else was involved in the explosion, according to FBI Special Agent Douglas Korneski.
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation records show that Warner was arrested in January 1978 for marijuana possession but that appears to be the extent of his criminal record.
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TBI Director David Rausch cautioned on Monday that a motive for the explosion may not be easily found.
“We hope to get an answer. Sometimes, it’s just not possible,” Rausch told the “Today” show. “The best way to find motive is to talk to the individual. We will not be able to do that in this case.”
“It does appear that the intent was more destruction than death, but again that’s all still speculation at this point as we continue in our investigation with all our partners,” Rausch added.
“We may never find the exact reasoning behind the activity that took place.”
Watch @craigmelvin’s full interview with David Rausch, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, about the latest developments in the Christmas Day bombing in Nashville. pic.twitter.com/QbUolYLSkN — TODAY (@TODAYshow) December 28, 2020
The recreational vehicle exploded early Christmas Day on a street in downtown Nashville, injuring at least three people and damaging dozens of buildings. The explosion occurred outside an AT&T switching station, causing widespread communication outages.
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Police emergency systems in Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama — as well as Nashville’s COVID-19 community hotline and several hospital systems — were out of service after the blast.
“Given its importance to customers and first responders, we prioritized restoration of wireless service,” AT&T Communications CEO Jeff McElfresh said in a statement Sunday evening. “As of now 96% of our wireless network is restored, 60% of our business services are restored, and 86% of our consumer broadband and entertainment services are restored. It is our goal to restore all service late today.”
Before they confirmed Warner’s identity using DNA analysis, authorities investigated him as a person of interest connected to the blast. Warner had experience with electronics and alarms and worked as a computer consultant for a Nashville real estate agency, according to public records reviewed by The Associated Press.
Investigators from federal and local law enforcement agencies searched Warner’s home Saturday in Antioch, a Nashville suburb. Google Street View images of the home show a white RV parked behind a fence on the property.
Court records reviewed by USA Today showed a quitclaim deed transfer of Warner’s residence from the suspect to a person with an address in Los Angeles on Nov. 25 for zero dollars.
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Nashville Mayor John Cooper announced on Sunday that a curfew in a zone affected by the explosion will extend from 4:30 p.m. CT Sunday to noon CT Monday.
Police said the explosion came from the vehicle soon after a speaker system broadcast a warning for people to evacuate the area. The speakers then switched to Petula Clark’s 1964 song “Downtown.” Moments before the blast, police recalled hearing the song’s lyric about going to the city to seek refuge from sadness: “The lights are much brighter there.”
“This is going to tie us together forever, for the rest of my life,” said Nashville Police Officer James Wells, who experienced some hearing loss as a result of the blast, at a news conference Sunday morning. “Christmas will never be the same.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-27--2 Women, 3 Children Found Dead In Arkansas Home On Christmas Day

thv11 Authorities were called to the home ( pictured ) near the city of Atkins around 5 p.m. Friday .
A homicide investigation is underway after five people were found dead in a northwest Arkansas home on Christmas Day , law enforcement officials said .
The remains of two women and three girls , ranging in age from 8 to 50 , were discovered at the home near the city of Atkins , Arkansas , by a relative who called authorities around 5 p.m. Friday , Pope County Sheriff Shane Jones said at a news conference Saturday .
The victims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next of kin but are believed to be related .
A suspect has not been identified , though the case is believed to have been domestic in nature , Jones said .
“ At this time we believe this is an isolated incident and do not feel that there is any continued danger to the local public , ” he said .
A neighbor told told THV 11 that she was in bed when she heard what sounded like gunshots .
“ It sounded like it was a gun going off .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , pop ’ real fast , ” the unidentified woman said .
Jones said it ’ s too early to speculate on a motive , the victims ’ causes of death or when the deaths occurred .
He added that at least some of the victims appear to have been shot .
Law enforcement officers are still collecting evidence at the scene and expect the investigative process to take “ many days , ” Jones said .
“ This is a tragic incident .
We just need to pray for a family that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .

Authorities were called to the home (pictured) near the city of Atkins around 5 p.m. Friday. thv11
A homicide investigation is underway after five people were found dead in a northwest Arkansas home on Christmas Day, law enforcement officials said.
The remains of two women and three girls, ranging in age from 8 to 50, were discovered at the home near the city of Atkins, Arkansas, by a relative who called authorities around 5 p.m. Friday, Pope County Sheriff Shane Jones said at a news conference Saturday.
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The victims were not publicly identified pending notification of next of kin but are believed to be related. A suspect has not been identified, though the case is believed to have been domestic in nature, Jones said.
“At this time we believe this is an isolated incident and do not feel that there is any continued danger to the local public,” he said.
A neighbor told told THV 11 that she was in bed when she heard what sounded like gunshots.
“It sounded like it was a gun going off. It was going, ‘pop, pop, pop’ real fast,” the unidentified woman said.
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Jones said it’s too early to speculate on a motive, the victims’ causes of death or when the deaths occurred. He added that at least some of the victims appear to have been shot.
Law enforcement officers are still collecting evidence at the scene and expect the investigative process to take “many days,” Jones said.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-27--Police Identify 63-Year-Old Man As Person Of Interest In Nashville RV Bombing

NASHVILLE , Tenn. ( AP ) — Police officers on Sunday provided harrowing details of responding to a Christmas morning explosion in downtown Nashville , at times getting choked up reliving the moments that led up to the blast and offering gratitude that they were still alive .
“ This is going to tie us together forever , for the rest of my life , ” Officer James Wells , who suffered some hearing loss due to the explosion , told a news conference .
“ Christmas will never be the same.
” Meanwhile , Nashville Metro Police spokesman Don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Anthony Q. Warner , a Tennessee resident , was under investigation in relation to the blast .
He did not provide any more details .
However , Warner had experience with electronics and alarms , according to public records , and worked as a computer consultant for a Nashville realtor .
The five responding officers gave their accounts of what happened as investigators continued to chip away at the motive of the bombing of a recreational vehicle that blew up on a mostly deserted street just after it issued a recorded warning advising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see orange and then I hear a loud boom .
As I ’ m stumbling around , I just tell myself to stay on my feet and to stay alive , ” Wells said , at times tearing up and repeating that he believed he heard God tell him to walk away moments before the blast .
Officer Amanda Topping said she initially parked their police car beside the RV while responding to the call before moving it once they heard the recording playing .
Topping said she called her wife to let @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really strange ” as she helped guide people away from the RV .
Officer Brenna Hosey said she and her colleagues knocked on six or seven doors in nearby apartments to warn people to evacuate .
She particularly remembered knocking on a door where a startled mother of four children answered .
“ I don ’ t have kids but I have cousins and nieces , people who I love who are small , ” Hosey said , adding she had to plead with the family to leave the building as quickly as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity , said investigators regard a person associated with the property as a person of interest .
They did not identify the person .
Federal agents could be seen looking around the property , searching the home and the backyard .
A Google Maps image captured in May 2019 had shown a recreational vehicle similar to the one that exploded parked in the backyard .
It was not at the property on Saturday , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There were other signs of progress in the investigation , as the FBI revealed that it was looking at a number of individuals who may be connected to it .
Officials also said no additional explosive devices have been found — “ It ’ s just going to take us some time , ” Douglas Korneski , the special agent in charge of the FBI ’ s Memphis field office , said at a Saturday afternoon news conference .
“ Our investigative team is turning over every stone ” to understand who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ damage , meanwhile , was broadly felt , due to an AT & T central office being affected by the blast .
Police emergency systems in Tennessee , Kentucky and Alabama , as well as Nashville ’ s COVID-19 community hot line and a handful of hospital systems , remained out of service .
AT & T said Sunday it was rerouting service to other facilities as the company worked to restore its heavily damaged building .
The company said in a statement that it was bringing in resources to help recover affected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have 24 additional trailers of disaster recovery equipment at the site by the end of the day .

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Police officers on Sunday provided harrowing details of responding to a Christmas morning explosion in downtown Nashville, at times getting choked up reliving the moments that led up to the blast and offering gratitude that they were still alive.
“This is going to tie us together forever, for the rest of my life,” Officer James Wells, who suffered some hearing loss due to the explosion, told a news conference. “Christmas will never be the same.”
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Meanwhile, Nashville Metro Police spokesman Don Aaron told The Associated Press that 63-year-old Anthony Q. Warner, a Tennessee resident, was under investigation in relation to the blast. He did not provide any more details. However, Warner had experience with electronics and alarms, according to public records, and worked as a computer consultant for a Nashville realtor.
The five responding officers gave their accounts of what happened as investigators continued to chip away at the motive of the bombing of a recreational vehicle that blew up on a mostly deserted street just after it issued a recorded warning advising people to evacuate.
“I just see orange and then I hear a loud boom. As I’m stumbling around, I just tell myself to stay on my feet and to stay alive,” Wells said, at times tearing up and repeating that he believed he heard God tell him to walk away moments before the blast.
Officer Amanda Topping said she initially parked their police car beside the RV while responding to the call before moving it once they heard the recording playing. Topping said she called her wife to let her know that “things were just really strange” as she helped guide people away from the RV.
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That’s when she heard the announcement from the RV switch from a warning to playing the 1964 hit “Downtown” by Petula Clark. Moments later the explosion hit.
“I felt the waves of heat but I kind of just lost it and started sprinting toward (Wells),” Topping said. “I’ve never grabbed someone so hard in my life.”
Officer Brenna Hosey said she and her colleagues knocked on six or seven doors in nearby apartments to warn people to evacuate. She particularly remembered knocking on a door where a startled mother of four children answered.
“I don’t have kids but I have cousins and nieces, people who I love who are small,” Hosey said, adding she had to plead with the family to leave the building as quickly as possible.
The attack, which damaged an AT&T building, has continued to wreak havoc on cellphone service and police and hospital communications in several Southern states as the company worked to restore service.
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Meanwhile, investigators from multiple federal and local law enforcement agencies descended on a home in Antioch, in suburban Nashville, on Saturday after receiving information relevant to the investigation, said FBI Special Agent Jason Pack.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - DECEMBER 26: Law enforcement officers investigate the house belonging to Anthony Quinn Warner, a 63 year-old man who has been reported to be of interest in the Nashville bombing, on December 26, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images) Terry Wyatt via Getty Images
Another law enforcement official, who was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said investigators regard a person associated with the property as a person of interest. They did not identify the person.
Federal agents could be seen looking around the property, searching the home and the backyard. A Google Maps image captured in May 2019 had shown a recreational vehicle similar to the one that exploded parked in the backyard. It was not at the property on Saturday, according to an AP reporter at the scene.
There were other signs of progress in the investigation, as the FBI revealed that it was looking at a number of individuals who may be connected to it. Officials also said no additional explosive devices have been found —
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“It’s just going to take us some time,” Douglas Korneski, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Memphis field office, said at a Saturday afternoon news conference. “Our investigative team is turning over every stone” to understand who did this and why.
Investigators said they were working to identify human remains found at the scene. Beyond that, the only known casualties were three injured people.
The infrastructure damage, meanwhile, was broadly felt, due to an AT&T central office being affected by the blast. Police emergency systems in Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama, as well as Nashville’s COVID-19 community hot line and a handful of hospital systems, remained out of service.
The building contained a telephone exchange, with network equipment in it — but the company has declined to say exactly how many people have been impacted.
Asked whether the AT&T building could have been a possible target, Korneski said: “We’re looking at every possible motive that could be involved.”
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Investigators shut down the heart of downtown Nashville’s tourist scene — an area packed with honky-tonks, restaurants and shops — as they shuffled through broken glass and damaged buildings to learn more about the explosion.
AT&T said Sunday it was rerouting service to other facilities as the company worked to restore its heavily damaged building. The company said in a statement that it was bringing in resources to help recover affected voice and data services and expects to have 24 additional trailers of disaster recovery equipment at the site by the end of the day.
Restoration efforts faced several challenges, which included a fire that forced their teams to work with safety and structural engineers and drilling access holes into the building in order to reconnect power.
Ray Neville, president of technology at T-Mobile, said on Twitter Saturday that service disruptions affected Louisville, Nashville, Knoxville, Birmingham and Atlanta.
The Federal Aviation Administration has since issued a temporary flight restriction around the airport, requiring pilots to follow strict procedures until Dec. 30.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-27--Man Charged In Illinois Bowling Alley Shooting That Killed 3

ROCKFORD , Ill. ( AP ) — A U.S. serviceman from Florida has been charged in a shooting at an Illinois bowling alley that left three people dead and three wounded , authorities said Sunday .
Winnebago County State ’ s Attorney J. Hanley said Duke Webb , 37 , has been charged with three counts of murder and three counts of first-degree attempted murder in the shooting at Don Carter Lanes , in Rockford , on Saturday evening .
Webb was taken into custody shortly after the shooting at around 7 p.m. , Rockford Police Chief Dan O ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ morning .
“ I am very confident the officers that were on the scene in the building were able to stop further violence , ” O ’ Shea said .
He said the three who died were all men , aged 73 , 65 and 69 , but did not provide names .
Additionally , he said , a 14-year-old boy was shot in the face and airlifted to hospital in Madison in stable condition , and a 16-year-old girl who was shot in the shoulder was treated at a hospital and released @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after suffering multiple gunshot wounds and is in critical condition , the chief said .
The bowling alley was closed at the time of the shooting , in accordance with restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus , O ’ Shea said .
But a bar upstairs was open .
The chief said the upstairs venue has double doors that open to the outside , ensuring the bar is in compliance with Illinois ’ COVID-19 mitigation guidance .
Up to 25 people were at Don Carter Lanes when the shooting happened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ O ’ Shea said .
The teens who were wounded were picking up food at the carryout section of the bowling alley , he said .
He said the suspect tried to conceal his weapons before his arrest , and that he was apprehended without officers firing a shot .
Webb is an active military man , and investigators are in touch with the U.S. Army , O ’ Shea said .
The Rockford Register Star reported that 2020 has been the deadliest year on record for homicides in the city of about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 130 kilometers ) northwest of Chicago .
Thirty-five people have been killed in the city this year , breaking the previous record of 31 in 1996 .
“ As we come to the end of this most difficult year and we look ahead at this New Year upon us , we know that this type of violence needs to stop , ” Mayor Tom McNamara said .
“ ... And today , with the eyes of the country upon us , we need to show as Rockfordians how we respond to an incident @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , supporting one another .
”

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ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) — A U.S. serviceman from Florida has been charged in a shooting at an Illinois bowling alley that left three people dead and three wounded, authorities said Sunday.
Winnebago County State’s Attorney J. Hanley said Duke Webb, 37, has been charged with three counts of murder and three counts of first-degree attempted murder in the shooting at Don Carter Lanes, in Rockford, on Saturday evening.
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Webb was taken into custody shortly after the shooting at around 7 p.m., Rockford Police Chief Dan O’Shea said at a news conference Sunday morning.
“I am very confident the officers that were on the scene in the building were able to stop further violence,” O’Shea said.
He said the three who died were all men, aged 73, 65 and 69, but did not provide names.
Additionally, he said, a 14-year-old boy was shot in the face and airlifted to hospital in Madison in stable condition, and a 16-year-old girl who was shot in the shoulder was treated at a hospital and released. A 62-year-old man underwent surgery overnight after suffering multiple gunshot wounds and is in critical condition, the chief said.
The bowling alley was closed at the time of the shooting, in accordance with restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, O’Shea said. But a bar upstairs was open. The chief said the upstairs venue has double doors that open to the outside, ensuring the bar is in compliance with Illinois’ COVID-19 mitigation guidance.
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Up to 25 people were at Don Carter Lanes when the shooting happened, but most escaped or hid, O’Shea said. The teens who were wounded were picking up food at the carryout section of the bowling alley, he said.
He said the suspect tried to conceal his weapons before his arrest, and that he was apprehended without officers firing a shot. Webb is an active military man, and investigators are in touch with the U.S. Army, O’Shea said.
The Rockford Register Star reported that 2020 has been the deadliest year on record for homicides in the city of about 170,000 residents located about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northwest of Chicago. Thirty-five people have been killed in the city this year, breaking the previous record of 31 in 1996.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-28--The Heartbreaking Price My Elderly Parents Are Paying For Staying Safe During This Pandemic

Toa55 via Getty Images `` She seems needy , because she is in need of help .
My father has dementia , and she is his sole caregiver . ''
I ’ ve reminded her , maybe every other day for the past eight months , as gently as I can , that I don ’ t “ look ” for the groceries I bring her twice a week .
I order them online , then retrieve them via something called “ contact-free pick-up.
” I spend hours typing in detailed instructions , for nameless strangers who do their level @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my dad slept half the day , then didn ’ t utter a word the other half .
Maybe he refused to shower again ― has it been two weeks ?
Maybe she broke a dish ― she ’ s dropping things more and more ― and he stared , unmoved , as she cleaned it up , her arthritic joints aching while she seethed at his seeming indifference .
She seems needy , because she is in need of help .
My father has dementia , and she is his sole caregiver @ @ @ @ @ @ @ devising ways to keep him whole , present and connected ― to his identity , to her , to their life together .
“ Only if you have enough for yourselves ; only if you ’ re not too tired to come by , ” she insists .
She still wants to be the caretaker in this relationship , hates to be dependent or a burden .
But she ’ s too depleted by her other chores .
And sick of cooking after almost three-quarters of a century .
Now his only movement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chair .
Her locus is barely larger , extended by the 10 yards she travels from her apartment to the trash chute down the hall .
A journey fraught with peril : She gets up at 6 a.m. to avoid running into neighbors .
Some of them wear masks now .
But many do not .
They are exercising their rights .
And sometimes one of those freedom-loving , mask-less , brisk-walking neighbors comes right at her , passing so near she swears she can feel their breath on her face .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them , because she is slow and old and exactly the type of person whose space they should be respecting .
Still , she resists when I offer to come more often , to take out the trash , to get the mail .
She ’ s loath to increase my exposure , though her risk is much greater .
And it pains her to give up another bit of independence .
Despite stroke , cancer , dementia , crippling arthritis and other ailments , she and my father were pretty self-sufficient .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ also pulls at my heart , because they are fading fast as their pandemic confinement drags on .
My father ’ s cognitive decline has accelerated , in the absence of stimulation from outings and family gatherings with lively conversation and games of Rummikub .
He smiles when he sees my kids on a video call , but can ’ t make sense enough of their virtual presence to engage .
When I visit , he can ’ t hear most of what I say because of the mask .
So I do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; order and disinfect their groceries ; provide cooked meals and jigsaw puzzles .
Engage in this nightly ritual : murmuring reassuring sounds of assent as she relates the highs and lows of her day .
He woke up late , then sat on the bed as if confused about what came next .

"She seems needy, because she is in need of help. My father has dementia, and she is his sole caregiver." Toa55 via Getty Images
Much is predictable in my pandemic-shaped life.
Coronavirus cases and hospitalizations and deaths spiral ever higher, and I wonder if this much fear and fury can cause an aneurism. My daughter fosters another sick dog instead of doing her online college classes, and I think, at least she’s not going to parties.
And my 93-year-old mother calls after dinner with her usual list of complaints about how I’ve screwed up her grocery order.
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“You got me the 8-ounce squeeze bottle of mustard, but I told you I want the 16-ounce jar.”
“Ma, they’ve been out of the jars; it’s the exact same mustard, and I got you two of them.”
“No, you don’t understand. It’s better from the jar. They never run out of them. You’ve just gotta know where to look.”
I’ve reminded her, maybe every other day for the past eight months, as gently as I can, that I don’t “look” for the groceries I bring her twice a week. I order them online, then retrieve them via something called “contact-free pick-up.” I spend hours typing in detailed instructions, for nameless strangers who do their level best to fulfill her wishes.
I’ve explained, again and again, about the shortages. She was a child of the Depression; shouldn’t she understand shortages?
No, she’s still going on about Mustard-gate. So I explain it all again. I’m competing with CNN blasting on her TV, so I speak loudly, slowly, carefully. But my words do not clarify, or placate.
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“Why are you arguing with me?” she sputters, then launches into a rant about other fails in the grocery order: the Nilla wafers are full-sized instead of minis, a loaf of bread is slightly “smushed.”
It seems petty, but I get it. In our Italian family, food means love, so if I mess with her food, she thinks I’m not taking proper care. So I don’t respond; I just listen. She’s always demanding, “Just listen to me!” Yet she’s still getting worked up.
She must be having an especially rough day.
Maybe my dad slept half the day, then didn’t utter a word the other half. Maybe he refused to shower again ― has it been two weeks? Maybe she broke a dish ― she’s dropping things more and more ― and he stared, unmoved, as she cleaned it up, her arthritic joints aching while she seethed at his seeming indifference.
Maybe she wants to scream because watching her husband of 72 years slip away from her is painful. And knowing life is slipping away from both of them as they enter month nine of hunkering down in their one-bedroom apartment is excruciating.
Her mild sniping is the tip of the iceberg of her frustration and helplessness. Letting her vent is the least I can do for her ― for both of them. It helps her stave off anger and despair.
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She seems needy, because she is in need of help. My father has dementia, and she is his sole caregiver. Her every waking moment is spent devising ways to keep him whole, present and connected ― to his identity, to her, to their life together.
Last winter, his diminished functioning and her waning stamina had finally conspired to convince her it was time to explore senior living options, or hire someone to help with his personal care. Then came coronavirus. Senior living was no longer an option; those places were deathtraps in the earliest months.
My husband and I pose less risk, since we’re mostly at home, being high-risk ourselves. Still, our masked visits are brief, when we deliver groceries, and cooked meals when she’ll allow it.
“Only if you have enough for yourselves; only if you’re not too tired to come by,” she insists. She still wants to be the caretaker in this relationship, hates to be dependent or a burden. But she’s too depleted by her other chores. And sick of cooking after almost three-quarters of a century.
“We just need to keep the elderly and high-risk people safe at home,” say those who abdicate responsibility for containing the pandemic. My mother rages at the TV from the living room of her home-turned-prison when she hears such pronouncements.
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Her once-vibrant life is the casualty of this malignant neglect.
Her muscles and joints are weakening from disuse. His arthritic hips are nearly frozen. My parents used to walk up and down the aisles of grocery and department stores, stroll the hallway of their apartment building, walk up and down the steps when they visited my house.
Now his only movement is from bed to bathroom to lounge chair. Her locus is barely larger, extended by the 10 yards she travels from her apartment to the trash chute down the hall. A journey fraught with peril: She gets up at 6 a.m. to avoid running into neighbors. Some of them wear masks now. But many do not. They are exercising their rights.
And sometimes one of those freedom-loving, mask-less, brisk-walking neighbors comes right at her, passing so near she swears she can feel their breath on her face. She cannot move quickly enough to escape them, because she is slow and old and exactly the type of person whose space they should be respecting.
It’s not death she fears, so much as the possibility of extended suffering, she tells me when she calls afterward. Being hooked up to a ventilator, or having some complication, like a stroke, that might render her unable to speak, think, walk. Some unbearable version of death-in-life.
Still, she resists when I offer to come more often, to take out the trash, to get the mail. She’s loath to increase my exposure, though her risk is much greater. And it pains her to give up another bit of independence. Despite stroke, cancer, dementia, crippling arthritis and other ailments, she and my father were pretty self-sufficient. Until this awful year.
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For a decade, she’s gotten a kick out of saying, “Don’t worry about us. You can take care of us … when we’re old.” That quip draws bigger laughs and more admiration with each passing year. It’s golden, kick-ass defiance now, when she’s 93 and he’s 94.
But it also pulls at my heart, because they are fading fast as their pandemic confinement drags on. My father’s cognitive decline has accelerated, in the absence of stimulation from outings and family gatherings with lively conversation and games of Rummikub. He smiles when he sees my kids on a video call, but can’t make sense enough of their virtual presence to engage. When I visit, he can’t hear most of what I say because of the mask.
He doesn’t understand why I don’t stay longer. Why I won’t hug him.
I long to do it, but we all fear it might kill them.
So I do what I can. Anticipate their needs; order and disinfect their groceries; provide cooked meals and jigsaw puzzles. Engage in this nightly ritual: murmuring reassuring sounds of assent as she relates the highs and lows of her day. He woke up late, then sat on the bed as if confused about what came next.
“He’s slowing down,” she whispers, her dread of what lies ahead palpable. “Oh, but he poured his own Cheerios and milk this morning. … And he won when we played gin rummy.”
“I won’t let him forget things,” she insists, defending her relentless quizzing and demands: that he recite his address and his children’s and grandchildren’s names, that he make his own sandwich if she places the bread and lunchmeat and mustard in front of him.
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Yes, it’s tough. Unfair. I am sickened at the thought of what it costs them to live under siege, horrified to think of what will happen if any one of us gets sick.
But for this moment, they are safe; they are together.
I marvel at her fortitude. Her capacity for joy. How she’s fueled by simple gifts ― a meal prepared by her daughter with love, an unexpected call from her granddaughter, a husband who is still himself, after all.
“When we wake up in the morning, I look at him, and I say, Well, we’re still here. So I guess it’s a good day.”
I pray they’ll have many more good days.
Do you have a compelling personal story you’d like to see published on HuffPost? Find out what we’re looking for here and send us a pitch!


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-28--China Jails Citizen-Journalist For 4 Years Over Wuhan Reports On Virus

SHANGHAI ( Reuters ) — A Chinese court handed a four-year jail term on Monday to a citizen-journalist who reported from the central city of Wuhan at the peak of last year ’ s coronavirus outbreak , on grounds of “ picking quarrels and provoking trouble , ” her lawyer said .
Zhang Zhan , 37 , the first such person known to have been tried , was among a handful of people whose firsthand accounts from crowded hospitals and empty streets painted a more dire picture of the pandemic epicenter than the official narrative .
“ I don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say a few true words , and for that she got four years , ” said Shao Wenxia , Zhang ’ s mother , who attended the trial with her husband .
Zhang ’ s lawyer Ren Quanniu told Reuters : “ We will probably appeal , ” adding that the trial at a court in Pudong , a district of the business hub of Shanghai , ended at 12.30 p.m. “ Ms .
Zhang believes she is being persecuted for exercising her freedom of speech , ” he had said before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arranged for Zhang ’ s trial to take place during the Western holiday season so as to minimize Western attention and scrutiny .
“ Beijing ’ s selection of the sleepy period between Christmas and New Year ’ s suggests even it is embarrassed to sentence citizen-journalist Zhang Zhan to four years in prison for having chronicled the uncensored version of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan , ” tweeted Kenneth Roth , the Geneva-based executive director of Human Rights Watch .
Criticism of China ’ s early handling of the crisis has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warned .
State media have credited the country ’ s success in reining in the virus to the leadership of President Xi Jinping .
The virus has spread worldwide to infect more than 80 million people and kill over 1.76 million , paralyzing air travel as nations threw up barriers against it that have disrupted industries and livelihoods .
In Shanghai , police enforced tight security outside the court where the trial opened seven months after Zhang ’ s detention , although some supporters were undeterred .
A man in a wheelchair , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ central province of Henan to demonstrate support for Zhang as a fellow Christian , wrote her name on a poster before police arrived to escort him away .
Her short video clips uploaded to YouTube consist of interviews with residents , commentary and footage of a crematorium , train stations , hospitals and the Wuhan Institute of Virology .
Detained in mid-May , she went on a hunger strike in late June , court documents seen by Reuters say .
Her lawyers told the court that police strapped her hands and force-fed her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she was suffering headaches , giddiness , stomach ache , low blood pressure and a throat infection .
Requests to the court to release Zhang on bail before the trial and livestream the trial went ignored , her lawyer said .
While there has been no news of Fang , Li re-emerged in a YouTube video in April to say he was forcibly quarantined , while Chen , although released , is under surveillance and has not spoken publicly , a friend has said .

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SHANGHAI (Reuters) — A Chinese court handed a four-year jail term on Monday to a citizen-journalist who reported from the central city of Wuhan at the peak of last year’s coronavirus outbreak, on grounds of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” her lawyer said.
Zhang Zhan, 37, the first such person known to have been tried, was among a handful of people whose firsthand accounts from crowded hospitals and empty streets painted a more dire picture of the pandemic epicenter than the official narrative.
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“I don’t understand. All she did was say a few true words, and for that she got four years,” said Shao Wenxia, Zhang’s mother, who attended the trial with her husband.
Zhang’s lawyer Ren Quanniu told Reuters: “We will probably appeal,” adding that the trial at a court in Pudong, a district of the business hub of Shanghai, ended at 12.30 p.m.
“Ms. Zhang believes she is being persecuted for exercising her freedom of speech,” he had said before the trial.
Critics say that China deliberately arranged for Zhang’s trial to take place during the Western holiday season so as to minimize Western attention and scrutiny.
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“Beijing’s selection of the sleepy period between Christmas and New Year’s suggests even it is embarrassed to sentence citizen-journalist Zhang Zhan to four years in prison for having chronicled the uncensored version of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan,” tweeted Kenneth Roth, the Geneva-based executive director of Human Rights Watch.
Criticism of China’s early handling of the crisis has been censored, and whistle-blowers such as doctors warned. State media have credited the country’s success in reining in the virus to the leadership of President Xi Jinping.
The virus has spread worldwide to infect more than 80 million people and kill over 1.76 million, paralyzing air travel as nations threw up barriers against it that have disrupted industries and livelihoods.
In Shanghai, police enforced tight security outside the court where the trial opened seven months after Zhang’s detention, although some supporters were undeterred.
A man in a wheelchair, who told Reuters he came from the central province of Henan to demonstrate support for Zhang as a fellow Christian, wrote her name on a poster before police arrived to escort him away.
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Foreign journalists were denied entry to the court “due to the epidemic”, court security officials said.
A former lawyer, Zhang arrived in Wuhan on Feb. 1 from her home in Shanghai.
Her short video clips uploaded to YouTube consist of interviews with residents, commentary and footage of a crematorium, train stations, hospitals and the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Detained in mid-May, she went on a hunger strike in late June, court documents seen by Reuters say. Her lawyers told the court that police strapped her hands and force-fed her with a tube. By December, she was suffering headaches, giddiness, stomach ache, low blood pressure and a throat infection.
Requests to the court to release Zhang on bail before the trial and livestream the trial went ignored, her lawyer said.
Other citizen-journalists who had disappeared without explanation included Fang Bin, Chen Qiushi and Li Zehua.
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While there has been no news of Fang, Li re-emerged in a YouTube video in April to say he was forcibly quarantined, while Chen, although released, is under surveillance and has not spoken publicly, a friend has said.
(Interactive graphic tracking global spread of coronavirus: https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps)


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-28--Marco Rubio Shredded On Twitter For Bashing Fauci — After Getting COVID-19 Vaccine

Critics didn ’ t miss the hypocrisy as Sen. Marco Rubio ( R-Fla. ) attacked infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci and the science of COVID-19 on Sunday , a week after the senator got a vaccine to protect himself against the coronavirus .
Rubio , who has often downplayed the threat of COVID-19 and has blown off wearing a mask at large gatherings even as cases were spiking , hasn ’ t criticized disinformation about COVID-19 from President Donald Trump .
Yet he slammed Fauci ’ s advice , saying in a tweet that the director of the National @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lied about masks in March ” and “ has been distorting the level of vaccination needed for herd immunity.
” Fauci initially downplayed the importance of the American public wearing face coverings , and said he was concerned at the start of the pandemic that a mask shortage would put health care workers at risk .
But for several months , he has strongly and repeatedly advised that everyone wear a mask .
Health experts have said until recently that up to 70 % of the population would need to get the vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increased that in the past week to between 70 % and 85 % , based on updated estimates .
Dr. Fauci lied about masks in March Dr. Fauci has been distorting the level of vaccination needed for herd immunity It isn ’ t just him Many in elite bubbles believe the American public doesn ’ t know “ what ’ s good for them ” so they need to be tricked into “ doing the right thing ” — Marco Rubio ( @ marcorubio ) December 27 , 2020 Rubio became one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against COVID-19 , getting a shot ahead of many elderly Americans , first responders and health care workers who have a far greater risk of contracting the disease .
I know I looked away from the needle And yes , I know I need a tan But I am so confident that the # Covid19 vaccine is safe & effective that I decided to take it myself pic.twitter.com/TQbog6fu7i — Marco Rubio ( @ marcorubio ) December 19 , 2020 People on Twitter let the Florida senator have it .
Republican ’ s in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mar : Hoax Apr : Hoax May : Hoax Jun : Hoax Jul : Hoax Aug : Hoax Sep : Hoax Oct : Hoax Nov : Hoax Dec : Vaccine are here ... .
ME FIRST , ME FIRST , MOVE OUT OF THE WAY ME FIRST.. — # CountryOverParty 🇺🇸 ( @ n_ymiller ) December 28 , 2020 Rubio to get in boat : I HAVE A CHILD Rubio once on the boat : You dont need these boats you silly fools .
It 's only sea water pic.twitter.com/Bcm5dflYSP — NinjaNewfieInTheGarden ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dr. Fauci is a national hero , while Marco Rubio used his influence to elbow his way to the front of the vaccination line , ahead of the elderly and essential health care workers.https : //t.co/M0IrPzdGRW — Nathan Max ( @ natemax ) December 27 , 2020 When you turned while getting your vaccination shot , was it that you could n't face the needle or because you could n't face the doctors and nurses you cut in front of ?
— Jason😷 ( @ sparky347v ) December 27 , 2020 Marco Rubio @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has guided America through the COVID crisis while the president that Rubio continues to support has spread lies and conspiracies about the virus .
— Kyle Griffin ( @ kylegriffin1 ) December 27 , 2020 You jumped the line as a politician to get the coronavirus vaccine before elderly patients with pre-existing conditions who need it the most .
Then you call Dr. Fauci and everyone else an elitist .
You sir , have no shame .
— Eugene Gu , MD ( @ eugenegu ) December 27 , 2020 Vaccine line cutters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has to live in fear of his life every day They ’ re responsible for the massive disinformation campaign that has destroyed the economy & brainwashed the susceptible Lil Marco stop slanderin and panderin .
You ’ ll never be Prez — Lindy Li ( @ lindyli ) December 27 , 2020 So you elbowed your way to the front of the vaccine line and now you ’ re yelling back that it ’ s not something other people need ?
Is there a Bible verse for that you could hide behind ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) December 27 , 2020 310,000+ dead Americans and you 're tweeting about Dr. Fauci , someone who is trying desperately hard to fight the pandemic .
As opposed your boss , who 's been doing THIS since January : pic.twitter.com/ZOgeYrraqA — Ann Lewis Hamilton ( @ AnnLHamilton ) December 27 , 2020

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Critics didn’t miss the hypocrisy as Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) attacked infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci and the science of COVID-19 on Sunday, a week after the senator got a vaccine to protect himself against the coronavirus.
Rubio, who has often downplayed the threat of COVID-19 and has blown off wearing a mask at large gatherings even as cases were spiking, hasn’t criticized disinformation about COVID-19 from President Donald Trump. Yet he slammed Fauci’s advice, saying in a tweet that the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases “lied about masks in March” and “has been distorting the level of vaccination needed for herd immunity.”
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Fauci initially downplayed the importance of the American public wearing face coverings, and said he was concerned at the start of the pandemic that a mask shortage would put health care workers at risk. But for several months, he has strongly and repeatedly advised that everyone wear a mask.
Health experts have said until recently that up to 70% of the population would need to get the vaccine to reach herd immunity. Fauci has increased that in the past week to between 70% and 85%, based on updated estimates.
Dr. Fauci lied about masks in March
Dr. Fauci has been distorting the level of vaccination needed for herd immunity
It isn’t just him
Many in elite bubbles believe the American public doesn’t know “what’s good for them” so they need to be tricked into “doing the right thing” — Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) December 27, 2020
Rubio became one of the first Americans to receive a vaccine against COVID-19, getting a shot ahead of many elderly Americans, first responders and health care workers who have a far greater risk of contracting the disease.
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I know I looked away from the needle
And yes, I know I need a tan
But I am so confident that the #Covid19 vaccine is safe & effective that I decided to take it myself pic.twitter.com/TQbog6fu7i — Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) December 19, 2020
People on Twitter let the Florida senator have it.
Republican’s in 2020
Jan: Hoax
Feb: Hoax
Mar: Hoax
Apr: Hoax
May: Hoax
Jun: Hoax
Jul: Hoax
Aug: Hoax
Sep: Hoax
Oct: Hoax
Nov: Hoax
Dec: Vaccine are here.... ME FIRST, ME FIRST, MOVE OUT OF THE WAY ME FIRST.. — #CountryOverParty 🇺🇸 (@n_ymiller) December 28, 2020
Now that Marco got the vaccine before the nation's healthcare workers, he's back to work smearing the nation's premiere immunologist. — Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) December 27, 2020
Rubio to get in boat: I HAVE A CHILD
Rubio once on the boat: You dont need these boats you silly fools. It's only sea water pic.twitter.com/Bcm5dflYSP — NinjaNewfieInTheGarden (@NinjaNewfieCA) December 27, 2020
Dr. Fauci is a national hero, while Marco Rubio used his influence to elbow his way to the front of the vaccination line, ahead of the elderly and essential health care workers.https://t.co/M0IrPzdGRW — Nathan Max (@natemax) December 27, 2020
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When you turned while getting your vaccination shot, was it that you couldn't face the needle or because you couldn't face the doctors and nurses you cut in front of ? — Jason😷 (@sparky347v) December 27, 2020
Marco Rubio is casting doubt on the expert that has guided America through the COVID crisis while the president that Rubio continues to support has spread lies and conspiracies about the virus. — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) December 27, 2020
You jumped the line as a politician to get the coronavirus vaccine before elderly patients with pre-existing conditions who need it the most. Then you call Dr. Fauci and everyone else an elitist. You sir, have no shame. — Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) December 27, 2020
If you got a coronavirus vaccine months ahead of everyone else then you shouldn’t allowed to slander Dr. Anthony Fauci.
CC lil Marco — Molly Jong-Fast🏡 (@MollyJongFast) December 27, 2020
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Vaccine line cutters like Marco Rubio are why Dr. Fauci has to live in fear of his life every day
They’re responsible for the massive disinformation campaign that has destroyed the economy & brainwashed the susceptible
Lil Marco stop slanderin and panderin. You’ll never be Prez — Lindy Li (@lindyli) December 27, 2020
So you elbowed your way to the front of the vaccine line and now you’re yelling back that it’s not something other people need?
Is there a Bible verse for that you could hide behind? — Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) December 27, 2020
310,000+ dead Americans and you're tweeting about Dr. Fauci, someone who is trying desperately hard to fight the pandemic.
As opposed your boss, who's been doing THIS since January: pic.twitter.com/ZOgeYrraqA — Ann Lewis Hamilton (@AnnLHamilton) December 27, 2020
You supported the guy who said it would go away when the weather got warm. pic.twitter.com/4CuD2Eufmh — Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) December 27, 2020
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A HuffPost Guide To Coronavirus


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-27--Jake Tapper Slams Kayleigh McEnany For Lying The 'Way Most People Breathe'

Jake Tapper revealed Sunday that he never interviews White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany on CNN because she “ lies the way that most people breathe ” — constantly .
McEnany is among several lying White House officials Tapper said he avoids because they provide “ no value ” to an examination of the news .
Tapper attacked McEnany ’ s veracity as a guest on Brian Stelter ’ s “ Reliable Sources ” for a look back on President Donald Trump ’ s war with the media throughout his term .
Stelter asked Tapper how he decides who to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ information from the White House .
“ There are some people that are so mendacious , I just wouldn ’ t put them on air , ” Tapper responded .
“ Kayleigh McEnany , I never booked her .
Jason Miller from the Trump campaign , I would never book him .
These are just people who tell lies the way that most people breathe .
There was no value in that.
” On the other hand , Tapper said he has interviewed former White House counsel Kellyanne Conway because she ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ subject changer , ” different from McEnany , who “ tells lies all the time ” and “ can ’ t acknowledge reality , ” he explained .
“ I am just not going to put somebody like that on air , ” Tapper emphasized .
McEnany snapped back on Twitter later , calling the Stelter and Tapper interview a “ therapy session for a broken network.
” This is a therapy session for a broken network , and @ jaketapper is lazy enough to participate by lobbing baseless personal attacks , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problem : I do not leak .
I do not lie .
But I DO call out the lies of the media ( i.e .
CNN Russia collusion hoax ! )
https : //t.co/Gz0RWbwhJZ — Kayleigh McEnany ( @ kayleighmcenany ) December 27 , 2020

Jake Tapper revealed Sunday that he never interviews White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany on CNN because she “lies the way that most people breathe” — constantly.
McEnany is among several lying White House officials Tapper said he avoids because they provide “no value” to an examination of the news.
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Tapper attacked McEnany’s veracity as a guest on Brian Stelter’s “Reliable Sources” for a look back on President Donald Trump’s war with the media throughout his term. Stelter asked Tapper how he decides who to interview, and how he handles false information from the White House.
“There are some people that are so mendacious, I just wouldn’t put them on air,” Tapper responded. “Kayleigh McEnany, I never booked her. Jason Miller from the Trump campaign, I would never book him. These are just people who tell lies the way that most people breathe. There was no value in that.”
On the other hand, Tapper said he has interviewed former White House counsel Kellyanne Conway because she’s “more of a filibusterer and a subject changer,” different from McEnany, who “tells lies all the time” and “can’t acknowledge reality,” he explained.
“I am just not going to put somebody like that on air,” Tapper emphasized.
McEnany snapped back on Twitter later, calling the Stelter and Tapper interview a “therapy session for a broken network.”
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She added: “I do not lie,” underscoring Tapper’s point.
This is a therapy session for a broken network, and @jaketapper is lazy enough to participate by lobbing baseless personal attacks, with ZERO evidence.
Jake’s real problem:
I do not leak.
I do not lie.
But I DO call out the lies of the media (i.e. CNN Russia collusion hoax!) https://t.co/Gz0RWbwhJZ — Kayleigh McEnany (@kayleighmcenany) December 27, 2020
Check out Tapper’s comments in the video clip up top.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-27--The New York Post Rips Trump's 'Shameful' Attack On Fair Vote As 'Undemocratic Coup'

The almost consistently Donald Trump-friendly New York Post called the president out in a surprising , scathing editorial Sunday on his attempted “ coup ” attacking a legitimate , democratic election — and told him to get back to work .
“ Mr .
President , it ’ s time to end this dark charade , ” the editorial began in the tabloid , owned by Trump ’ s right-wing backer Rupert Murdoch .
“ We ’ re one week away from an enormously important moment for the next four years of our country , ” which he should be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the double Senate runoff in Georgia on Jan. 5 .
“ Unfortunately , you ’ re obsessed with the next day , Jan. 6 , when Congress will , in a pro forma action , certify the Electoral College vote .
You have tweeted that , as long as Republicans have ’ courage , they can overturn the results and give you four more years in office .
In other words , you ’ re cheering for an undemocratic coup , ” the piece slammed .
“ You had every right to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added .
“ But let ’ s be clear : Those efforts have found nothing.
” The newspaper lashed Trump ’ s fringe attorney ally Sidney Powell , who is challenging election results in court , as “ a crazy person.
” Trump ’ s former national security adviser Michael Flynn “ suggesting martial law ” to keep the president in the White House is “ tantamount to treason , ” the Post wrote .
“ It is shameful.
” The Post urged Trump to set aside his election charade and focus instead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ determine which party controls the Senate .
“ If Georgia falls ... you will leave your party out of power , ” the editorial warned .
“ Democrats will try to write you off as a one-term aberration and , frankly , you ’ re helping them do it : The King Lear of Mar-a-Lago , ranting about the corruption of the world.
” It concluded : “ If you insist on spending your final days in office threatening to burn it all down , that will be how you are remembered .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the anarchist holding the match .
”

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The almost consistently Donald Trump-friendly New York Post called the president out in a surprising, scathing editorial Sunday on his attempted “coup” attacking a legitimate, democratic election — and told him to get back to work.
“Mr. President, it’s time to end this dark charade,” the editorial began in the tabloid, owned by Trump’s right-wing backer Rupert Murdoch.
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“We’re one week away from an enormously important moment for the next four years of our country,” which he should be focusing on, it added, referring to the double Senate runoff in Georgia on Jan. 5.
“Unfortunately, you’re obsessed with the next day, Jan. 6, when Congress will, in a pro forma action, certify the Electoral College vote. You have tweeted that, as long as Republicans have ’courage, they can overturn the results and give you four more years in office. In other words, you’re cheering for an undemocratic coup,” the piece slammed.
“You had every right to investigate the election,” the editorial added. “But let’s be clear: Those efforts have found nothing.”
The newspaper lashed Trump’s fringe attorney ally Sidney Powell, who is challenging election results in court, as “a crazy person.” Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn “suggesting martial law” to keep the president in the White House is “tantamount to treason,” the Post wrote. “It is shameful.”
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The Post urged Trump to set aside his election charade and focus instead on the Georgia races, which will determine which party controls the Senate.
“If Georgia falls ... you will leave your party out of power,” the editorial warned. “Democrats will try to write you off as a one-term aberration and, frankly, you’re helping them do it: The King Lear of Mar-a-Lago, ranting about the corruption of the world.”
It concluded: “If you insist on spending your final days in office threatening to burn it all down, that will be how you are remembered. Not as a revolutionary, but as the anarchist holding the match.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-28--This Year Was A Disaster For The Planet

This Year Was A Disaster For The Planet

Even as global carbon emissions were expected to decrease by about 7 % this year due to coronavirus restrictions on normal activities , this has only “ briefly slowed ― but far from eliminated ― the historic and ever-increasing burden of human activity on the Earth ’ s climate , ” United Nations environmental researchers wrote in a December report .
Throughout President Donald Trump ’ s time in office , his administration rolled back environmental protections around clean water , auto emissions and more .
It remains to be seen what President-elect Joe Biden will do to curb the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ climate , but he and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris have named climate change as a top priority , including a commitment to rejoin the Paris climate accord that Trump pulled the U.S. out of .
Wildfires have been worsening in California , with hotter temperatures and dry conditions often combining with high winds to create a longer , more destructive fire season .
Scientists have linked the worsening fires across the Western U.S. to climate change .
Some regions are being ravaged over and over , year after year , such as Northern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was hit by deadly fires in 2017 only to be the site of the fifth-biggest fire in state history this year , spurring mass evacuations .
In August , the North Complex fire killed 15 people in Butte County — the same county as 2018 ’ s Camp fire , which killed 85 people and burned down nearly the entire town of Paradise .
Globally , the past five years have been the Earth ’ s hottest in recorded history , with 2016 the hottest ever , followed by 2019 , 2017 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be seen if 2020 will usurp 2016 as the hottest year ever , or come in second place .
The 2020 storm season was the most active on record .
Subtropical storm Theta in November was the 29th named storm of the Atlantic season — breaking the record for the highest number of storms in a year .
For only the second time in history , the predetermined list of 21 storm names ran out , leading scientists to use the Greek alphabet to name subsequent storms .
Several of this year ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including tropical storm Isaias , which ravaged the East Coast in August , Hurricane Delta , which tore through the mid-Atlantic in October , and Hurricane Zeta , which destroyed homes across the Southeast U.S. later that month and left over a million people without power .
Hurricane Laura , which made landfall in Louisiana in August , killed over a dozen people and carried with it 150-mph winds , tying an 1856 hurricane for the strongest to make landfall in the state .
Scientists have found that climate change has likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ study published in the journal Nature in November found that in recent decades , hurricanes have increasingly stayed more intense for longer periods , brining higher winds and more flood damage inland as they ’ ve gathered more moisture from warming oceans .
The amount of Arctic sea ice coverage each October has declined about 10 % per decade — losing an area about the size of South Carolina each year , according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center .
Sea ice , or frozen ocean water , is “ a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ influences climate , ” according to the center .
As rising temperatures melt broad swaths of sea ice over time , there are fewer white surfaces to reflect the sunlight and more heat is absorbed at the Earth ’ s surface , leading to temperatures rising even further in a vicious cycle .

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The climate is changing, its effects are deadly, and it’s getting worse every year.
Even as global carbon emissions were expected to decrease by about 7% this year due to coronavirus restrictions on normal activities, this has only “briefly slowed ― but far from eliminated ― the historic and ever-increasing burden of human activity on the Earth’s climate,” United Nations environmental researchers wrote in a December report.
This year has seen record-breaking heat, wildfires and storms. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres urged every country to declare a “climate emergency.”
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Throughout President Donald Trump’s time in office, his administration rolled back environmental protections around clean water, auto emissions and more. It remains to be seen what President-elect Joe Biden will do to curb the nation’s impact on the global climate, but he and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris have named climate change as a top priority, including a commitment to rejoin the Paris climate accord that Trump pulled the U.S. out of.
Here are some of the ways climate change has wreaked havoc on Earth’s inhabitants this year.
Flames rise near homes during the Blue Ridge fire on Oct. 27 in Chino Hills, California. David McNew via Getty Images
Historic fires
Wildfires have been worsening in California, with hotter temperatures and dry conditions often combining with high winds to create a longer, more destructive fire season. Scientists have linked the worsening fires across the Western U.S. to climate change.
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Some regions are being ravaged over and over, year after year, such as Northern California’s wine country, which was hit by deadly fires in 2017 only to be the site of the fifth-biggest fire in state history this year, spurring mass evacuations. In August, the North Complex fire killed 15 people in Butte County — the same county as 2018’s Camp fire, which killed 85 people and burned down nearly the entire town of Paradise.
“CLIMATE. CHANGE. IS. REAL,” tweeted California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) in September, as fires across the state burned millions of acres, a record-breaking heat wave engulfed Southern California, and broad swaths of the state were blanketed with unhealthy levels of smoke.
A man with an umbrella for shade walks past the thermometer at Calvary Church in Woodland Hills, California, as it registers 116 degrees Fahrenheit on Aug. 19. Al Seib via Getty Images
Record-breaking heat
This August — the third hottest August in the nation’s history — Phoenix saw average temperatures of 99 degrees. And in California, a record-breaking heat wave over Labor Day weekend brought Los Angeles County its highest temperature ever, 121 degrees.
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Globally, the past five years have been the Earth’s hottest in recorded history, with 2016 the hottest ever, followed by 2019, 2017, 2015 and 2018. It remains to be seen if 2020 will usurp 2016 as the hottest year ever, or come in second place.
These recent peak temperatures follow decades of warming around the globe, largely caused by human-made emissions. Higher temperatures are linked to a range of dangerous natural disasters including extreme floods, hurricanes, wildfires ― and deaths.
A family walks amid destruction on Nov. 22 in Providencia, Colombia, which was hit by Hurricane Iota as a Category 5 storm, the strongest on record to affect the country. Getty Images via Getty Images
Deadly storms
The 2020 storm season was the most active on record. Subtropical storm Theta in November was the 29th named storm of the Atlantic season — breaking the record for the highest number of storms in a year. For only the second time in history, the predetermined list of 21 storm names ran out, leading scientists to use the Greek alphabet to name subsequent storms.
Several of this year’s hurricanes and tropical storms were deadly, including tropical storm Isaias, which ravaged the East Coast in August, Hurricane Delta, which tore through the mid-Atlantic in October, and Hurricane Zeta, which destroyed homes across the Southeast U.S. later that month and left over a million people without power. Hurricane Laura, which made landfall in Louisiana in August, killed over a dozen people and carried with it 150-mph winds, tying an 1856 hurricane for the strongest to make landfall in the state.
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Scientists have found that climate change has likely increased the intensity of hurricanes. A study published in the journal Nature in November found that in recent decades, hurricanes have increasingly stayed more intense for longer periods, brining higher winds and more flood damage inland as they’ve gathered more moisture from warming oceans.
Sea ice coverage in September 2020. The purple line indicates the previous median ice coverage extent from 1981-2010. National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado, Boulder
Dramatic loss of sea ice
The amount of Arctic sea ice coverage each October has declined about 10% per decade — losing an area about the size of South Carolina each year, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-28--Tony Rice, Master Bluegrass Guitarist, Dies At 69

Tony Rice , the master bluegrass picker who drew fans worldwide for the chance to hear the quick , fluid sounds he conjured from his storied Martin D-28 guitar , has died at age 69 .
Rice died Friday at his home in Reidsville , North Carolina , according to International Bluegrass Music Association spokesperson Casey Campbell , who did not immediately provide additional details .
Rice lived in Reidsville with his wife , Pamela Hodges Rice .
Ricky Skaggs , one of the many musicians who revered Rice and performed and recorded with him , called him “ the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the last 50 years.
” “ Sometime during Christmas morning while making his coffee , our dear friend and guitar hero Tony Rice passed from this life and made his swift journey to his heavenly home , ” Skaggs wrote on Facebook this weekend .
“ Many if not all of the Bluegrass guitar players of today would say that they cut their teeth on Tony Rice ’ s music .
He loved hearing the next generation players play his licks .
I think that ’ s where he got most of his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lean , and with an understated live presence that contrasted with the dynamism of his guitar , Rice had health problems over the past quarter-century .
A muscle disorder around his vocal cords left him unable to sing onstage , and tennis elbow limited his playing .
His last live guitar performance was in 2013 , when he was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame .
“ I am not going to go back out into the public eye until I can be the musician that I was , where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rice told the Greensboro News & Record in 2015 .
“ I have been blessed with a very devout audience all these years , and I am certainly not going to let anybody down.
” Rice released dozens of albums , including several as a member of the David Grisman Quintet ; “ Skaggs & Rice ” with Ricky Skaggs ; “ Manzanita ” as leader of “ The Tony Rice Unit ” ; and such solo efforts as “ Tony Rice ” and “ Me & My Guitar.
” He played with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and received honors including a Grammy in 1993 for best country instrumental performance and citations from the International Bluegrass Music Association as guitarist of the year .
Born David Anthony Rice in Danville , Virginia , Rice grew up in Los Angeles and soon — along with siblings Larry , Wyatt and Ronnie— absorbed his musician-father ’ s love for bluegrass .
By age 20 , Tony Rice was a member of banjo star J.D .
Crowe ’ s band New South and by his mid-20s a co-founder of the Grismen quintet .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ White , a country and bluegrass star who crossed over into rock in the late 1960s as a member of the Byrds .
White was just 29 when he was struck by a car in 1973 , and among the possessions he left behind was a D-28 guitar that he had let Rice play when he was just 9 .
The D-28 , made in 1935 , had a life to rival any of its owners .
White once shot it with a pellet gun and another time ran over it with his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Rice learned that the D-28 had been sold to a friend of White ’ s in Kentucky and purchased it for $ 550 , in cash , although he needed to buy a new set of strings .
In the mid-1990s , he nearly lost the guitar during a tropical storm in Florida .
He was also known to keep rattlesnakes in it , an old musical tradition .

Tony Rice, the master bluegrass picker who drew fans worldwide for the chance to hear the quick, fluid sounds he conjured from his storied Martin D-28 guitar, has died at age 69.
Rice died Friday at his home in Reidsville, North Carolina, according to International Bluegrass Music Association spokesperson Casey Campbell, who did not immediately provide additional details. Rice lived in Reidsville with his wife, Pamela Hodges Rice.
Ricky Skaggs, one of the many musicians who revered Rice and performed and recorded with him, called him “the single most influential acoustic guitar player in the last 50 years.”
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Rice died Friday at his home in Reidsville, North Carolina, according to International Bluegrass Music Association spokesperson Casey Campbell, who did not immediately provide additional details. Stephen A. Ide via Getty Images
“Sometime during Christmas morning while making his coffee, our dear friend and guitar hero Tony Rice passed from this life and made his swift journey to his heavenly home,” Skaggs wrote on Facebook this weekend.
“Many if not all of the Bluegrass guitar players of today would say that they cut their teeth on Tony Rice’s music. He loved hearing the next generation players play his licks. I think that’s where he got most of his joy as a player.”
Others paying tribute included Jason Isbell, Bela Fleck and actor-comedian Steve Martin, a longtime banjo player who tweeted, “Aw, Tony Rice. A name I’ve known my whole life. A great musician.”
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Tall and lean, and with an understated live presence that contrasted with the dynamism of his guitar, Rice had health problems over the past quarter-century. A muscle disorder around his vocal cords left him unable to sing onstage, and tennis elbow limited his playing. His last live guitar performance was in 2013, when he was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.
“I am not going to go back out into the public eye until I can be the musician that I was, where I left off or better,” Rice told the Greensboro News & Record in 2015. “I have been blessed with a very devout audience all these years, and I am certainly not going to let anybody down.”
Rice released dozens of albums, including several as a member of the David Grisman Quintet; “Skaggs & Rice” with Ricky Skaggs; “Manzanita” as leader of “The Tony Rice Unit”; and such solo efforts as “Tony Rice” and “Me & My Guitar.”
Tony Rice of The Tony Rice Unit performs on stage during Day 2 of Angers Bluegrass Festival on June 7, 1987 in Angers, France. Jordi Vidal via Getty Images
He played with everyone from Jerry Garcia to Dolly Parton and received honors including a Grammy in 1993 for best country instrumental performance and citations from the International Bluegrass Music Association as guitarist of the year.
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Born David Anthony Rice in Danville, Virginia, Rice grew up in Los Angeles and soon — along with siblings Larry, Wyatt and Ronnie— absorbed his musician-father’s love for bluegrass. By age 20, Tony Rice was a member of banjo star J.D. Crowe’s band New South and by his mid-20s a co-founder of the Grismen quintet.
A key early influence was guitarist Clarence White, a country and bluegrass star who crossed over into rock in the late 1960s as a member of the Byrds. White was just 29 when he was struck by a car in 1973, and among the possessions he left behind was a D-28 guitar that he had let Rice play when he was just 9.
Alison Krauss and Tony Rice during CMT 2004 Flame Worthy Video Music Awards. Frank Mullen via Getty Images
The D-28, made in 1935, had a life to rival any of its owners. White once shot it with a pellet gun and another time ran over it with his van. After White’s death, Rice learned that the D-28 had been sold to a friend of White’s in Kentucky and purchased it for $550, in cash, although he needed to buy a new set of strings.
In the mid-1990s, he nearly lost the guitar during a tropical storm in Florida. He was also known to keep rattlesnakes in it, an old musical tradition.
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“It’s a beautiful instrument,” he told Fretboard Journal in 2016. “I never pick it up but that I don’t think that. It’s got to be the Holy Grail.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-28--A Divided Nation Asks: What's Holding Our Country Together?

Weeks after the votes have been counted and the winners declared , many Americans remain angry , defiant and despairing .
Millions now harbor new grievances borne of President Donald Trump ’ s baseless claims of election fraud .
Many Democrats are saddened by results that revealed the opposition to be far more powerful than they imagined .
But now , at the end of 2020 , many Americans say the experiences of the past four years have made them look at their neighbors — and their country — in a different light .
Hurtado ’ s wife , Yazmin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days before the election .
The couple drove directly from the immigration office where she became a citizen to the nearest early voting site , so she could register on the spot and cast a ballot for her husband .
But Hurtado still can ’ t shake the feeling that , despite all this , little changed .
He ’ d hoped to be part of a Democratic wave that took back his state legislature , hold seats on the state Supreme Court and win them in the U.S. Senate .
Instead , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ efforts .
Hurtado is struggling to understand how there was a shift among Latinos toward Trump in the election .
The president ’ s strong performance with Cuban Americans in South Florida narrowed the traditional Democratic edge in Miami-Dade County and helped put Florida in Trump ’ s column .
In Texas , Trump won tens of thousands of new supporters in predominantly Mexican American communities along the border .
Republican Mayor Jondavid Longo donated his salary — $ 88 a month after taxes — to help pay for the market that drew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hoped the outdoor event would bring holiday cheer and a much needed injection of cash to the town ’ s struggling businesses .
Perhaps , he figured , a cozy event would also drown out any bitter feelings about the presidential election and the pandemic .
Trump immediately began sowing doubts about the vote , tossing out specious claims of fraud .
The efforts to toss out votes came in heavily Black cities , which to Davis represents an ugly history of trying to repress Black voices .
Tens of millions of Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recent Fox News poll — now believe the claims that the election was rigged and he was the rightful winner .
In suburban Michigan , a coalition of suburban women achieved what they set out to do — help evict Trump from the White House .
But Lori Goldman , in Oakland County , Michigan , who runs the group Fems for Dems , can ’ t shake the sense that their mission now is more critical than it ’ s ever been .

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Elections are meant to resolve arguments. This one inflamed them.
Weeks after the votes have been counted and the winners declared, many Americans remain angry, defiant and despairing. Millions now harbor new grievances borne of President Donald Trump’s baseless claims of election fraud. Many Democrats are saddened by results that revealed the opposition to be far more powerful than they imagined.
And in both groups there are those grappling with larger, more disquieting realizations. The foundations of the American experiment have been shaken — by partisan rancor, disinformation, a president’s assault on democracy and a deadly coronavirus pandemic. There is a sense of loss.
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It burdens even the winners.
In North Carolina, a soon-to-be state lawmaker whose victory made history says he is struck by how little feels changed. In Michigan, a suburban woman found her feminism in the Trump era only to see her family torn by the election outcome.
In a Pennsylvania town, the simple things still feel fraught. Plans for a small-town Christmas market spiraled into a bruising fight over public health and politics.
“What is holding our country together?” wonders Charisse Davis, a school board member in the Atlanta suburbs, where the election has not ended. A pair of Senate runoffs on Jan. 5 will decide which party controls the U.S. Senate.
Davis may get her answer soon. A vaccine has brought hope and a chance for a nation to prove it can do big things again. New leadership in Washington may change the tone.
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But now, at the end of 2020, many Americans say the experiences of the past four years have made them look at their neighbors — and their country — in a different light.
Biden supporters and Trump supporters faced off at the State House in a mostly peaceful confrontation in Boston on Nov. 7, 2020. Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
___
It’s been a tumultuous few months for Ricky Hurtado. The 32-year-old son of Salvadoran immigrants won a seat in the North Carolina state legislature as a Democrat representing a suburban slice of Alamance County.
Hurtado’s wife, Yazmin Garcia, earned her U.S. citizenship six days before the election. The couple drove directly from the immigration office where she became a citizen to the nearest early voting site, so she could register on the spot and cast a ballot for her husband.
But Hurtado still can’t shake the feeling that, despite all this, little changed. He’d hoped to be part of a Democratic wave that took back his state legislature, hold seats on the state Supreme Court and win them in the U.S. Senate. Instead, Democrats fell short in all of those efforts.
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In this March 10, 2020 file photo, Ricky Hurtado poses for a portrait by a mural in Graham, N.C. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
Trump won North Carolina just as he did in 2016.
“It feels like we haven’t moved in any given direction,” Hurtado said.
Hurtado is struggling to understand how there was a shift among Latinos toward Trump in the election. The president’s strong performance with Cuban Americans in South Florida narrowed the traditional Democratic edge in Miami-Dade County and helped put Florida in Trump’s column. In Texas, Trump won tens of thousands of new supporters in predominantly Mexican American communities along the border.
“It shows you, your identities are complex,” he said.
____
In the Pennsylvania college town of Slippery Rock, population 3,600, the annual Christmas market was supposed to be the bright spot in a dismal year.
Republican Mayor Jondavid Longo donated his salary — $88 a month after taxes — to help pay for the market that drew 25 vendors and 500 people. He hoped the outdoor event would bring holiday cheer and a much needed injection of cash to the town’s struggling businesses. Perhaps, he figured, a cozy event would also drown out any bitter feelings about the presidential election and the pandemic.
Trump won Butler County handily in November, evidence of his campaign to supercharge turnout in rural, conservative places as he cedes ground in the cities and suburbs. It wasn’t enough to win Pennsylvania, which helped seal the victory of President-elect Joe Biden.
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Slippery Rock, Pa., Mayor JonDavid Longo, stands outside the Butler County Republican Committee headquarters in Slippery Rock, Pa., on Oct. 15, 2020. AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar
But neither politics nor the pandemic could be escaped.
Things began to devolve on Twitter. Photos surfaced showing few people in masks, leading to criticism that the event might have spread the coronavirus, which has spread in the rural county since the Nov. 3 election.
“We were outside so I thought things were reasonable,” Longo said. “COVID was only an issue for individuals who were trying to stoke the flames of fear and discontent.”
___
In Cobb County, Georgia, Davis popped a bottle of champagne, despite a nagging sense of sadness, then packed the family into the car to head into downtown Atlanta and join thousands dancing in the street.
She decided to just enjoy victory on the Saturday that news organizations called the presidential race for Biden.
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“We’ll go back to worrying about humanity tomorrow,” she said to her family as they climbed in the car. And then tomorrow arrived, and the worry roared back.
Davis, who serves on the school board in suburban Cobb County, was part of a wave of Black women elected to public office in recent years. Women like her led the charge that ushered Biden to an unlikely victory in Georgia.
Trump immediately began sowing doubts about the vote, tossing out specious claims of fraud. The efforts to toss out votes came in heavily Black cities, which to Davis represents an ugly history of trying to repress Black voices. Tens of millions of Americans — 36% of Republicans in a recent Fox News poll — now believe the claims that the election was rigged and he was the rightful winner.
Pamela Allen, 72, worked as a poll watcher in Pasco County, Florida and saw no problems on Election Day. But the Trump supporter still believes the election was fraudulent.
“I think the election was totally paid for and rigged by the Democrats,” said the retiree.
___
In suburban Michigan, a coalition of suburban women achieved what they set out to do — help evict Trump from the White House. But Lori Goldman, in Oakland County, Michigan, who runs the group Fems for Dems, can’t shake the sense that their mission now is more critical than it’s ever been.
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“We got rid of this blight, this cancer,” said Goldman, 61. “We cut him out. But we know that cancer has spread, it’s spread to soft tissue, other organs. And now we have to save the rest of the body.”
Trump called people like her the “suburban housewives of America,” and tried to appeal to them by spreading fear about Black Lives Matter protesters, crime and low-income housing. Still, Biden won 54% of suburban voters, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of the electorate.
Lori Goldman canvasses in Troy, Mich., on Oct. 15, 2020. AP Photo/Paul Sancya
Goldman can’t understand why 74 million Americans voted for Trump. She went on national television and said she was ashamed that most of her own relatives were among them. Now some of her siblings don’t want to talk to her anymore.
To her, this is a microcosm of one of the greatest challenges this country has faced: that tribalized politics has pitted people against each other in a way far more profound than ever before. It is no longer Republicans versus Democrats. It has splintered families and friends.
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She weeps when she talks about the rift.
___


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-28--Doctor Removed From Hospital Schedule After Criticizing Trump Says He Regrets 'Nothing'

The doctor removed from the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center ’ s schedule after criticizing Donald Trump for potentially exposing others to the coronavirus while the president recovered from his infection there said Sunday that he stands by his comments .
Dr. James Phillips expressed gratitude to his colleagues in a tweet Sunday announcing his final shift as an emergency medicine physician at the facility in Bethesda , Maryland .
“ Today , I worked my final shift at Walter Reed ER , ” Phillips wrote .
“ I will miss the patients and my military and civilian coworkers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ m honored to have worked there and I look forward to new opportunities .
I stand by my words , and I regret nothing.
” Today , I worked my final shift at Walter Reed ER .
I will miss the patients and my military and civilian coworkers - they have been overwhelmingly supportive .
I ’ m honored to have worked there and I look forward to new opportunities .
I stand by my words , and I regret nothing .
— James P. Phillips , MD ( @ DrPhillipsMD @ @ @ @ @ @ @ headlines in October for bashing Trump ’ s decision to briefly leave Walter Reed while being treated for COVID-19 and take a joyride in his presidential motorcade to greet supporters gathered outside the hospital .
“ Every single person in the vehicle during that completely unnecessary Presidential ‘ drive-by ’ just now has to be quarantined for 14 days , ” Phillips had tweeted at the time .
“ They might get sick , ” he added .
“ They may die .
For political theater .
Commanded by Trump to put their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is insanity.
” Phillips — the head of Disaster and Operational Medicine in the Emergency Medicine Department of the George Washington University School of Medicine ― worked at Walter Reed on a contract basis .
Earlier this month , CBS News reported that Phillips was being removed from Walter Reed ’ s schedule .
The hospital has denied being behind the decision .
“ As you may know , Dr. Phillips worked as a contract employee at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center ( WRNMMC ) , which provides requirements for contract employees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reed said in a statement to HuffPost on Monday .
“ The contract agency then works together with contract employees to determine individual schedules .
There was no decision made by anyone at WRNMMC to remove Dr. Phillips from the schedule.
” Lisa Anderson , a spokesperson for the George Washington University School of Medicine , told CBS News earlier this month that Phillips remains on staff at GWU Hospital in downtown Washington .
“ While we can not comment on the scheduling assignments of our providers , we can confirm that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Medical Faculty Associates , ” Anderson told CBS News .

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The doctor removed from the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center’s schedule after criticizing Donald Trump for potentially exposing others to the coronavirus while the president recovered from his infection there said Sunday that he stands by his comments.
Dr. James Phillips expressed gratitude to his colleagues in a tweet Sunday announcing his final shift as an emergency medicine physician at the facility in Bethesda, Maryland.
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“Today, I worked my final shift at Walter Reed ER,” Phillips wrote. “I will miss the patients and my military and civilian coworkers ― they have been overwhelmingly supportive. I’m honored to have worked there and I look forward to new opportunities. I stand by my words, and I regret nothing.”
Today, I worked my final shift at Walter Reed ER. I will miss the patients and my military and civilian coworkers - they have been overwhelmingly supportive. I’m honored to have worked there and I look forward to new opportunities. I stand by my words, and I regret nothing. — James P. Phillips, MD (@DrPhillipsMD) December 28, 2020
Phillips made headlines in October for bashing Trump’s decision to briefly leave Walter Reed while being treated for COVID-19 and take a joyride in his presidential motorcade to greet supporters gathered outside the hospital.
“Every single person in the vehicle during that completely unnecessary Presidential ‘drive-by’ just now has to be quarantined for 14 days,” Phillips had tweeted at the time.
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“They might get sick,” he added. “They may die. For political theater. Commanded by Trump to put their lives at risk for theater. This is insanity.”
Dr. James Phillips, attending physician at Walter Reed hospital, talks to @GMA about the potential threat the president’s motorcade ride while diagnosed with COVID-19 posed to the people who were in his car. pic.twitter.com/wNph9mXwDl — Good Morning America (@GMA) October 5, 2020
Phillips — the head of Disaster and Operational Medicine in the Emergency Medicine Department of the George Washington University School of Medicine ― worked at Walter Reed on a contract basis.
Earlier this month, CBS News reported that Phillips was being removed from Walter Reed’s schedule. The hospital has denied being behind the decision.
“As you may know, Dr. Phillips worked as a contract employee at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC), which provides requirements for contract employees to the contract agency,” Walter Reed said in a statement to HuffPost on Monday. “The contract agency then works together with contract employees to determine individual schedules. There was no decision made by anyone at WRNMMC to remove Dr. Phillips from the schedule.”
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Neither Phillips nor his contractor, GW Medical Faculty Associates, immediately returned HuffPost’s requests for comment.
Lisa Anderson, a spokesperson for the George Washington University School of Medicine, told CBS News earlier this month that Phillips remains on staff at GWU Hospital in downtown Washington.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-28--Nearly 1.3 Million People Traveled Through U.S. Airports Sunday, TSA Says

WASHINGTON — Nearly 1.3 million people went through U.S. airports on Sunday , the highest level of air travel in more than nine months , despite fear that travel will lead to more cases of COVID-19 .
The Transportation Security Administration said it screened 1,284,599 on Sunday , the highest total since March 15 .
More than 10 million people have traveled by air since Dec. 18 , including six days with at least 1 million people getting screened .
Figures on road trips aren ’ t available , but AAA predicted that about 85 million Americans would travel during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them by car .
Dr. Anthony Fauci , the government ’ s top expert on infectious disease , said that level of travel could lead to a further increase in COVID-19 cases .
Fauci said crowded airports make it difficult to maintain social distance , and holiday gatherings combine people from different households .
“ As much as we advise against it , nonetheless , it happens , ” he said on CNN .
“ And that ’ s one of the reasons why we ’ re concerned about that being a real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” New cases of COVID-19 have been surging for about two months .
There have been more than 330,000 reported deaths from the virus .

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WASHINGTON — Nearly 1.3 million people went through U.S. airports on Sunday, the highest level of air travel in more than nine months, despite fear that travel will lead to more cases of COVID-19.
The Transportation Security Administration said it screened 1,284,599 on Sunday, the highest total since March 15. More than 10 million people have traveled by air since Dec. 18, including six days with at least 1 million people getting screened.
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Figures on road trips aren’t available, but AAA predicted that about 85 million Americans would travel during the Christmas holiday season, most of them by car.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top expert on infectious disease, said that level of travel could lead to a further increase in COVID-19 cases. Fauci said crowded airports make it difficult to maintain social distance, and holiday gatherings combine people from different households.
“As much as we advise against it, nonetheless, it happens,” he said on CNN. “And that’s one of the reasons why we’re concerned about that being a real risk situation for the spread of infection.”