thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-22--Conservative Preacher Insists The Character Of A Leader Counts In Anti-Trump Diatribe

Piper said he is baffled and bewildered over the fact that some Christians think they are “ saving human lives and freedoms ” by downplaying the destructive effects of a “ self-absorbed , self-exalting ” leader .
Christians ’ biggest priority shouldn ’ t be “ saving America ” but “ exalting Christ with or without America , ” he said .
“ I think it is a drastic mistake to think that the deadly influences of a leader come only through his policies and not also through his person , ” he wrote .
“ This is true not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immorality , and factiousness are self-incriminating , but also because they are nation-corrupting .
They move out from centers of influence to infect whole cultures.
” Piper also suggested that Christians ’ support for Trump is doing a great disservice to one of the core goals of evangelism : bringing new believers into the fold .
“ Christians communicate a falsehood to unbelievers ( who are also baffled ! )
when we act as if policies and laws that protect life and freedom are more precious than being a certain kind of person @ @ @ @ @ @ @ church is paying dearly , and will continue to pay , for our communicating this falsehood year after year.
” Piper didn ’ t refer to Trump or Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden by name in the blog post .
He said he ’ s willing to vote for a “ non-Christian ” if he sees there to be enough overlap between the “ visible outworking of his character and convictions ” and biblical teachings .
But Piper also didn ’ t endorse Biden , writing that there is “ devastation ” in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in December 2012 , writes in a new blog post that he 's baffled about why so many Christians vote for Trump while ignoring his character flaws .
According to the Pew Research Center , Trump is white Christians ’ top choice in the upcoming presidential election .
White evangelical Protestants , long a reliable base for the president , are the religious group most likely to support him , with 78 % saying they intended to vote for Trump next month .
As the election draws closer , leaders in that minority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intend to vote for Trump have been speaking out .
Piper stands apart because he is a prominent voice in conservative reformed Christian circles who has not only expressed disapproval of Trump but has also been open about how those views impact his voting plans .
Piper was the pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis for almost 33 years .
He ’ s still the chancellor of a church-affiliated Christian college .
Piper holds solidly conservative ― and sometimes controversial ― views on feminism , abortion , gender identity and same-sex relationships @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Trump for a long time .
In 2016 , Piper reportedly refused to vote for either major party candidate and told his followers that Christians aren ’ t biblically required to vote .
He called Trump immoral and “ unqualified ” to lead the country before and after the 2016 election .
Piper ’ s calls for Christians to consider Trump ’ s character are reminiscent of the way evangelicals responded when allegations about President Bill Clinton ’ s infidelity emerged in the 1990s .
Back then , the rallying cry among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” But white evangelicals ’ concern about politicians ’ personal morality has dropped dramatically over the years , according to data analyzed by political scientists David Campbell and Geoffrey Layman .
In 2011 , 60 % of white evangelicals said a public official who “ commits an immoral act in their personal life ” can not still “ behave ethically and fulfill their duties in their public and professional life.
” That number dropped to 16.5 % in late 2018 .
“ When a leader models self-absorbed , self-exalting boastfulness , he models @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he wrote .
“ He points his nation to destruction .
Destruction of more kinds than we can imagine .
”

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An influential conservative evangelical preacher has criticized Christians who are voting for President Donald Trump because he enacts conservative policies, insisting that a politician’s character matters, too.
John Piper, a popular author and speaker, made his disapproval of the president clear in a blog post on his website on Thursday.
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Piper said he is baffled and bewildered over the fact that some Christians think they are “saving human lives and freedoms” by downplaying the destructive effects of a “self-absorbed, self-exalting” leader. Christians’ biggest priority shouldn’t be “saving America” but “exalting Christ with or without America,” he said.
“I think it is a drastic mistake to think that the deadly influences of a leader come only through his policies and not also through his person,” he wrote. “This is true not only because flagrant boastfulness, vulgarity, immorality, and factiousness are self-incriminating, but also because they are nation-corrupting. They move out from centers of influence to infect whole cultures.”
“The last five years bear vivid witness to this infection at almost every level of society.”
Piper also suggested that Christians’ support for Trump is doing a great disservice to one of the core goals of evangelism: bringing new believers into the fold.
“Christians communicate a falsehood to unbelievers (who are also baffled!) when we act as if policies and laws that protect life and freedom are more precious than being a certain kind of person,” he wrote. “The church is paying dearly, and will continue to pay, for our communicating this falsehood year after year.”
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Piper didn’t refer to Trump or Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden by name in the blog post. He said he’s willing to vote for a “non-Christian” if he sees there to be enough overlap between the “visible outworking of his character and convictions” and biblical teachings. But Piper also didn’t endorse Biden, writing that there is “devastation” in both choices.
John Piper, here in December 2012, writes in a new blog post that he's baffled about why so many Christians vote for Trump while ignoring his character flaws. (Photo By Bruce Bisping/Star Tribune via Getty Images)
According to the Pew Research Center, Trump is white Christians’ top choice in the upcoming presidential election. White evangelical Protestants, long a reliable base for the president, are the religious group most likely to support him, with 78% saying they intended to vote for Trump next month.
As the election draws closer, leaders in that minority of white evangelicals who don’t intend to vote for Trump have been speaking out. Piper stands apart because he is a prominent voice in conservative reformed Christian circles who has not only expressed disapproval of Trump but has also been open about how those views impact his voting plans.
Piper was the pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis for almost 33 years. He’s still the chancellor of a church-affiliated Christian college. Piper holds solidly conservative ― and sometimes controversial ― views on feminism, abortion, gender identity and same-sex relationships.
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He has also been a critic of Trump for a long time. In 2016, Piper reportedly refused to vote for either major party candidate and told his followers that Christians aren’t biblically required to vote. He called Trump immoral and “unqualified” to lead the country before and after the 2016 election.
Piper’s calls for Christians to consider Trump’s character are reminiscent of the way evangelicals responded when allegations about President Bill Clinton’s infidelity emerged in the 1990s. Back then, the rallying cry among conservative evangelicals was that “character counts.”
But white evangelicals’ concern about politicians’ personal morality has dropped dramatically over the years, according to data analyzed by political scientists David Campbell and Geoffrey Layman. In 2011, 60% of white evangelicals said a public official who “commits an immoral act in their personal life” cannot still “behave ethically and fulfill their duties in their public and professional life.” That number dropped to 16.5% in late 2018.
In his blog post, Piper said he believes a leader’s character shapes the character of his followers.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-22--Rudy Giuliani's 'Borat 2' Moment Is Not 'Revenge Porn': Legal Analyst

The scene takes place in a hotel suite rigged with hidden cameras .
When Giuliani sits on the bed , Bakalova appears to remove his microphone , and then Giuliani lies back and reaches into his pants .
That ’ s when Baron Cohen , playing Borat , bursts into the room and , misstating Bakalova ’ s age , says , “ She ’ s 15 , she ’ s too old for you !
” Conservatives such as Pizzagate troll Jack Posobiec are arguing that Giuliani is a victim of “ revenge porn , ” but actual legal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case .
Although revenge porn has been against the law in New York since last year , the statute only goes after anyone who shares an “ intimate image ” — or photo of someone naked or exposed — without that person ’ s consent , according to Law & Crime .
Since Giuliani isn ’ t seen naked in the movie , the chances he can sue for revenge porn are slim , according to criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor Julie Rendelman .
“ I do not believe that Cohen ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Giuliani with his hand down his pants rises to a violation of New York ’ s revenge porn law , ” she told Law & Crime .
“ To be guilty of violating such a law would require that the posting depict an ‘ unclothed or exposed intimate part ’ of a person .
Further , the word ‘ Intimate ’ is defined in New York Law as ‘ naked genitals , pubic area or anus.
’ ” Therefore , unless the film shows Guiliani ’ s private parts , it doesn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
Another sticking point : If the former mayor does sue for revenge porn , that could be seen as an admission that he was doing something sexual , which he insists didn ’ t happen .
Giuliani told WABC on Wednesday that he was only lying on the bed so he could tuck in his shirt .
“ I had to take off the electronic equipment , ” he told the radio station .
“ And when the electronic equipment came off , some of it was in the back and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ although my clothes were entirely on .
I leaned back , and I tucked my shirt in , and at that point , at that point , they have this picture they take which looks doctored , but in any event , I ’ m tucking my shirt in .
I assure you that ’ s all I was doing.
” Meanwhile , on Thursday evening , the character Borat tweeted an “ official statement ” in which he defended Giuliani .
“ What was an innocent sexy time encounter between a consenting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turned into something disgusting by fake news media , ” he said .

The scene takes place in a hotel suite rigged with hidden cameras. When Giuliani sits on the bed, Bakalova appears to remove his microphone, and then Giuliani lies back and reaches into his pants.
That’s when Baron Cohen, playing Borat, bursts into the room and, misstating Bakalova’s age, says, “She’s 15, she’s too old for you!”
Conservatives such as Pizzagate troll Jack Posobiec are arguing that Giuliani is a victim of “revenge porn,” but actual legal experts say that’s not the case.
Although revenge porn has been against the law in New York since last year, the statute only goes after anyone who shares an “intimate image” — or photo of someone naked or exposed — without that person’s consent, according to Law & Crime.
Since Giuliani isn’t seen naked in the movie, the chances he can sue for revenge porn are slim, according to criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor Julie Rendelman.
“I do not believe that Cohen’s posting of an image or video of Giuliani with his hand down his pants rises to a violation of New York’s revenge porn law,” she told Law & Crime. “To be guilty of violating such a law would require that the posting depict an ‘unclothed or exposed intimate part’ of a person. Further, the word ‘Intimate’ is defined in New York Law as ‘naked genitals, pubic area or anus.’”
Therefore, unless the film shows Guiliani’s private parts, it doesn’t violate the law, Rendelman said.
Another sticking point: If the former mayor does sue for revenge porn, that could be seen as an admission that he was doing something sexual, which he insists didn’t happen.
Giuliani told WABC on Wednesday that he was only lying on the bed so he could tuck in his shirt.
“I had to take off the electronic equipment,” he told the radio station. “And when the electronic equipment came off, some of it was in the back and my shirt came a little out, although my clothes were entirely on. I leaned back, and I tucked my shirt in, and at that point, at that point, they have this picture they take which looks doctored, but in any event, I’m tucking my shirt in. I assure you that’s all I was doing.”
Meanwhile, on Thursday evening, the character Borat tweeted an “official statement” in which he defended Giuliani.
“What was an innocent sexy time encounter between a consenting man and my 15-year-old daughter has been turned into something disgusting by fake news media,” he said.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-22--Man Charged With Child Porn Had Van Full Of Guns, Researched Killing Joe Biden, Feds Say

Kannapolis Police Department Alexander Hillel Treisman , 19 , had a cache of weapons and plans to target presidential nominee Joe Biden , authorities said in a recent court filing .
A Seattle man arrested in North Carolina on child pornography charges had a trove of guns in his car and researched plans to “ execute ” Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden , according to a federal court order .
“ Should I kill joe biden ?
” Alexander Hillel Treisman , 19 , posted online in April , according to an Oct 6. order filed the U.S. District Court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ requesting that Treisman remain jailed over child pornography charges , WBTV first reported Thursday .
Treisman was arrested May 28 after officers from the Kannapolis Police Department in North Carolina responded to reports of an abandoned van outside a Fifth Third Bank .
Through the windows of Triesman ’ s van , officers saw an AR-15 assault weapon , a box for a Taurus .380 handgun , a canister of the explosive material Tannerite and a box of 5.56-caliber ammunition , according to the order .
A search of the vehicle revealed even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rifle , a 9 mm Luger , a .22-caliber rifle and a bolt-action rifle , the order said .
The search also turned up books about bomb making and drawings of swastikas and planes crashing into buildings , the order added .
After officers towed the van , Treisman returned to the Fifth Third Bank in a new vehicle in which police reported finding two more guns .
Officers also found three state ID cards , including a Florida driver ’ s license bearing the name Alexander S. Theiss , with a date @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s , according to the federal filing .
In an interview with authorities later that day , Treisman admitted he “ has an interest in terrorist incidents and mass shootings , ” the filing said .
The FBI obtained a warrant to search his cell phone and other electronic devices , on which investigators said they found more than 6,000 images of child pornography .
They subsequently charged him .
A further search of his devices revealed that Treisman referenced raping and killing children , committing mass shootings and assassinating Biden , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ iFunny meme on April 15 with the caption , “ should I kill joe biden ?
” the order said .
That was just the tip of what investigators found to be a credible threat to the presidential nominee .
“ A timeline of internet searches conducted by Defendant between March and May 2020 seeking information about Joe Biden ’ s home address , state gun laws , rifle parts , and night vision googles , along with actions taken by Defendant , including posting the abovementioned meme about killing Joe Biden , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ traveling to a Wendy ’ s within 4 miles of Joe Biden ’ s home , and writing a checklist note ending with ‘ execute , ’ ” the order said .
Treisman remains in custody but has so far not been charged with any crimes beyond the child pornography charges , WBTV reported .
The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina declined to comment on possible future charges , citing an “ ongoing investigation .
”

Alexander Hillel Treisman, 19, had a cache of weapons and plans to target presidential nominee Joe Biden, authorities said in a recent court filing. Kannapolis Police Department
A Seattle man arrested in North Carolina on child pornography charges had a trove of guns in his car and researched plans to “execute” Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, according to a federal court order.
“Should I kill joe biden?” Alexander Hillel Treisman, 19, posted online in April, according to an Oct 6. order filed the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina requesting that Treisman remain jailed over child pornography charges, WBTV first reported Thursday.
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Treisman was arrested May 28 after officers from the Kannapolis Police Department in North Carolina responded to reports of an abandoned van outside a Fifth Third Bank. Through the windows of Triesman’s van, officers saw an AR-15 assault weapon, a box for a Taurus .380 handgun, a canister of the explosive material Tannerite and a box of 5.56-caliber ammunition, according to the order.
A search of the vehicle revealed even more weapons: a Sig Sauer AR-style rifle, a 9 mm Luger, a .22-caliber rifle and a bolt-action rifle, the order said. The search also turned up books about bomb making and drawings of swastikas and planes crashing into buildings, the order added.
After officers towed the van, Treisman returned to the Fifth Third Bank in a new vehicle in which police reported finding two more guns. Officers also found three state ID cards, including a Florida driver’s license bearing the name Alexander S. Theiss, with a date of birth that differed from Treisman’s, according to the federal filing.
In an interview with authorities later that day, Treisman admitted he “has an interest in terrorist incidents and mass shootings,” the filing said.
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The FBI obtained a warrant to search his cell phone and other electronic devices, on which investigators said they found more than 6,000 images of child pornography. They subsequently charged him.
A further search of his devices revealed that Treisman referenced raping and killing children, committing mass shootings and assassinating Biden, according to law enforcement.
Treisman posted an iFunny meme on April 15 with the caption, “should I kill joe biden?” the order said. That was just the tip of what investigators found to be a credible threat to the presidential nominee.
“A timeline of internet searches conducted by Defendant between March and May 2020 seeking information about Joe Biden’s home address, state gun laws, rifle parts, and night vision googles, along with actions taken by Defendant, including posting the abovementioned meme about killing Joe Biden, purchasing an AR-15 in New Hampshire, traveling to a Wendy’s within 4 miles of Joe Biden’s home, and writing a checklist note ending with ‘execute,’” the order said.
Treisman remains in custody but has so far not been charged with any crimes beyond the child pornography charges, WBTV reported. The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina declined to comment on possible future charges, citing an “ongoing investigation.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-22--Colorado Wildfire Explodes Overnight, Prompts Closure Of National Park

( Reuters ) - An explosive Colorado wildfire that has already forced several evacuations prompted the closure of Rocky Mountain National Park on Thursday as officials expected high winds to give firefighters another challenging day .
“ We anticipate another day of large fire growth , ” incident commander Noel Livingston said at a Thursday morning briefing on the East Troublesome Fire , one of nearly a dozen fires burning across the state .
The windswept blaze raced over about 20 miles ( 32 km ) of rugged terrain on Wednesday , scorching about 100,000 acres ( 40,470 hectares ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conditions , Livingston said .
The fire , which spread into Rocky Mountain National Park , prompted the National Park Service on Thursday to close the entire 415 square-mile ( 668-square-km ) expanse early on Thursday .
The park ’ s west entrance was closed on Wednesday as the fire began encroaching .
The National Weather Service was forecasting continued hot , dry , windy conditions in much of Colorado , but snow and much colder weather are expected this weekend .
Grand County Sheriff Brett Schroetlin has ordered several evacuations in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Grand Lake , which has a population of about 470 .
Jessy Ellenberger made this photo from the deck of her home north of Granby , Colo. , just before sunset on Wednesday , Oct. 21 , 2020 .
Residents in and around a gateway town to Rocky Mountain National Park have evacuated and the park was closed after one of several fires burning in northern Colorado exploded late Wednesday .
The damage to the Grand Lake area from the East Troublesome Fire was not clear as of Thursday morning .
( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which at times spread at a rate of 6,000 acres per hour on Wednesday , has overwhelmed firefighters , Schroetlin said .
“ Today has been an extremely , extremely challenging day for our community , ” he said in a video posted around midnight on Wednesday The East Troublesome Fire , which has consumed 125,600 acres ( 50,830 hectares ) since it started last week , is only 5 % contained , officials said .
The cause is still under investigation .
The blaze is among the latest in a brutal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drought across Colorado .
In the northern part of the state , the Cameron Peak Fire has been burning since mid-August , setting the state record for largest wildfire .
It has burned more than 207,000 acres ( 83770 hectares ) overall and scorched swaths of Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests .
On Tuesday , helicopters rescued 23 hikers and three dogs from San Juan National Forest where the small but dangerous Ice Fire had broken out on Monday in Colorado ’ s southwestern corner near the small former mining town of Silverton @

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(Reuters) - An explosive Colorado wildfire that has already forced several evacuations prompted the closure of Rocky Mountain National Park on Thursday as officials expected high winds to give firefighters another challenging day.
“We anticipate another day of large fire growth,” incident commander Noel Livingston said at a Thursday morning briefing on the East Troublesome Fire, one of nearly a dozen fires burning across the state.
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The windswept blaze raced over about 20 miles (32 km) of rugged terrain on Wednesday, scorching about 100,000 acres (40,470 hectares) of grass and timber in extremely dry conditions, Livingston said.
The fire, which spread into Rocky Mountain National Park, prompted the National Park Service on Thursday to close the entire 415 square-mile (668-square-km) expanse early on Thursday. The park’s west entrance was closed on Wednesday as the fire began encroaching.
The National Weather Service was forecasting continued hot, dry, windy conditions in much of Colorado, but snow and much colder weather are expected this weekend.
Grand County Sheriff Brett Schroetlin has ordered several evacuations in the area, including the tiny lakeside community of Grand Lake, which has a population of about 470.
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Jessy Ellenberger made this photo from the deck of her home north of Granby, Colo., just before sunset on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020. Residents in and around a gateway town to Rocky Mountain National Park have evacuated and the park was closed after one of several fires burning in northern Colorado exploded late Wednesday. The damage to the Grand Lake area from the East Troublesome Fire was not clear as of Thursday morning. (Jessy Ellenberger via AP) ASSOCIATED PRESS
The fire, which at times spread at a rate of 6,000 acres per hour on Wednesday, has overwhelmed firefighters, Schroetlin said.
“Today has been an extremely, extremely challenging day for our community,” he said in a video posted around midnight on Wednesday
The East Troublesome Fire, which has consumed 125,600 acres (50,830 hectares) since it started last week, is only 5% contained, officials said. The cause is still under investigation.
The blaze is among the latest in a brutal fire season following a long period of drought across Colorado.
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In the northern part of the state, the Cameron Peak Fire has been burning since mid-August, setting the state record for largest wildfire. It has burned more than 207,000 acres (83770 hectares) overall and scorched swaths of Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests.
On Tuesday, helicopters rescued 23 hikers and three dogs from San Juan National Forest where the small but dangerous Ice Fire had broken out on Monday in Colorado’s southwestern corner near the small former mining town of Silverton.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-22--Read Live Updates On The Second Presidential Debate

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thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-22--222,000 Dead, But Trump Says America Is 'Learning To Live With' Coronavirus

As he ’ s done before , Trump attempted to paint his administration ’ s botched COVID-19 response as a success by pointing to one of the worst possible death projections — an early estimate by British researchers that found there could be as many as 2.2 million fatalities in the U.S. if no containment measures were taken .
“ This is a worldwide problem , but I ’ ve been congratulated by the heads of many countries on what we ’ ve been able to do , ” Trump said , without disclosing a single specific world leader .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ as I say , we ’ re rounding the turn , we ’ re rounding the corner .
It ’ s going away.
” Trump also claimed that a COVID-19 vaccine is “ coming , that ’ s ready , that ’ s going to be announced within weeks.
” There is nothing to indicate this is true .
Dr. Francis Collins , director of the National Institutes of Health , told NPR on Tuesday that he ’ s “ guardedly optimistic ” that a vaccine could be available by the end of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the election , Trump has campaigned on an unhinged anti-science and conspiratorial platform .
He has talked about the coronavirus pandemic as if it ’ s nearly over ; attacked the nation ’ s top infectious disease expert ; mocked his opponent , Joe Biden , for vowing to listen to scientists ; nominated to the Supreme Court a judge who , like him , refuses to acknowledge the reality of the climate crisis ; and declined to denounce the right-wing QAnon conspiracy theory that a group of Satan-worshiping pedophiles is out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ongoing refusal to wear a mask even after contracting the virus is “ less anti-science than it ’ s more a statement , ” Fauci said : “ a statement of strength , like , we ’ re strong , we don ’ t need a mask , that kind of thing.
” ( Fauci stressed that he personally thinks that makes no sense . )
“ He ’ ll listen to the scientists , ” Trump said , clearly suggesting that he thinks doing so would be a bad move during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If I listened totally to the scientists , we would right now have a country that would be in a massive depression , instead of , we ’ re like a rocket ship .
Take a look at the numbers.
” The numbers , in fact , show that the Trump administration ’ s lethargic response to the pandemic and subsequent push to quickly reopen the economy have come with devastating impacts .
A new report from Columbia University estimates that the “ abject failures ” of government agencies under Trump resulted in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the U.S. “ Joe ’ s not going to screw up testing .
He ’ s not going to call scientists idiots , ” Obama said .
“ He ’ s not going to host a superspreader event at the White House .
Joe will get this pandemic under control with a plan to make testing free and widely available , to get a vaccine to every American cost free and to make sure our frontline heroes never ask other countries for their equipment they need.
” Trump ’ s preelection war @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the pandemic .
He has also continued his long history of peddling conspiracy theories , and has dug in his heels on denying the all-but-irrefutable body of scientific research that shows human carbon emissions are driving global climate change .
We want to know what you ’ re hearing on the ground from the candidates .
If you get any interesting ― or suspicious !
― campaign mailers , robocalls or hear anything else you think we should know about , email us at scoops @ huffpost.com .

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President Donald Trump continued to pitch himself as the anti-science candidate during the final 2020 presidential debate on Thursday, falsely claiming that America is “rounding the turn” and “learning to live with” the coronavirus pandemic, among other things.
As he’s done before, Trump attempted to paint his administration’s botched COVID-19 response as a success by pointing to one of the worst possible death projections — an early estimate by British researchers that found there could be as many as 2.2 million fatalities in the U.S. if no containment measures were taken.
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“This is a worldwide problem, but I’ve been congratulated by the heads of many countries on what we’ve been able to do,” Trump said, without disclosing a single specific world leader. “It will go away, and as I say, we’re rounding the turn, we’re rounding the corner. It’s going away.”
The coronavirus has killed more than 222,000 Americans. And more than 1,100 deaths were reported on Wednesday, the highest daily toll in more than a month.
Trump also claimed that a COVID-19 vaccine is “coming, that’s ready, that’s going to be announced within weeks.” There is nothing to indicate this is true. Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, told NPR on Tuesday that he’s “guardedly optimistic” that a vaccine could be available by the end of the year, but widespread distribution is unlikely until mid- or late-2021.
Former Vice President Joe Biden responded to Trump’s COVID-19 misinformation by pointing to the rapidly rising death toll and arguing that Trump still doesn’t have a comprehensive plan to tackle the crisis.
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“Anyone who is responsible for that many deaths should not remain as president of the United States of America,” Biden said.
“He says we’re learning to live with it? People are learning to die with it.”
President Donald Trump points toward Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden during the second and final presidential debate Thursday at Belmont University in Nashville. ASSOCIATED PRESS
In the weeks ahead of the election, Trump has campaigned on an unhinged anti-science and conspiratorial platform. He has talked about the coronavirus pandemic as if it’s nearly over; attacked the nation’s top infectious disease expert; mocked his opponent, Joe Biden, for vowing to listen to scientists; nominated to the Supreme Court a judge who, like him, refuses to acknowledge the reality of the climate crisis; and declined to denounce the right-wing QAnon conspiracy theory that a group of Satan-worshiping pedophiles is out to get him.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, defended Trump during a wide-ranging interview on “60 Minutes” Sunday, insisting that “deep down, he believes in science” ― a rather stunning statement after Trump’s monthslong war on COVID-19 science.
Trump’s ongoing refusal to wear a mask even after contracting the virus is “less anti-science than it’s more a statement,” Fauci said: “a statement of strength, like, we’re strong, we don’t need a mask, that kind of thing.” (Fauci stressed that he personally thinks that makes no sense.)
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Trump wasted no time proving Fauci wrong. That same day, in front of a largely maskless audience at a campaign rally in Carson City, Nevada, an unmasked Trump said a vote for Biden would be a vote for someone who would embrace science.
“He’ll listen to the scientists,” Trump said, clearly suggesting that he thinks doing so would be a bad move during the worst pandemic in a century. “If I listened totally to the scientists, we would right now have a country that would be in a massive depression, instead of, we’re like a rocket ship. Take a look at the numbers.”
Trump mocks Biden for pledging to listen to scientists. Watch this clip and ask yourself if Trump was trying to kill Americans by infecting them with coronavirus, how would it sound different? pic.twitter.com/aZSugwvoML — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 18, 2020
The numbers, in fact, show that the Trump administration’s lethargic response to the pandemic and subsequent push to quickly reopen the economy have come with devastating impacts. A new report from Columbia University estimates that the “abject failures” of government agencies under Trump resulted in between 130,000 and 210,000 avoidable COVID-19 deaths in the U.S.
In the days since his Nevada rally, Trump has taken to lashing out at Fauci — the person many Americans have come to trust most during the public health crisis.
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“People are tired of Covid,” Trump said Monday during a call with campaign staffers. “People are tired of hearing Fauci and these idiots, all these idiots who got it wrong.”
Biden has essentially sat back and let Trump campaign against himself.
His campaign issued a statement highlighting that Trump’s “closing message” ahead of the election is denying and downplaying science. And in response to a news article about Trump saying Biden would listen to scientists if elected, Biden simply tweeted: “...yes”.
“Listening to scientists is not a bad thing,” the former vice president wrote in a subsequent post on Tuesday. “I can’t believe that has to be said.”
.@realDonaldTrump — if you had listened to the scientists, it wouldn't be this bad. pic.twitter.com/0eNuV4pAMK — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) October 20, 2020
Former President Barack Obama also used Trump’s own words against him while campaigning for Biden in Pennsylvania on Wednesday.
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“Joe’s not going to screw up testing. He’s not going to call scientists idiots,” Obama said. “He’s not going to host a superspreader event at the White House. Joe will get this pandemic under control with a plan to make testing free and widely available, to get a vaccine to every American cost free and to make sure our frontline heroes never ask other countries for their equipment they need.”
Trump’s preelection war on science and facts is not limited to the pandemic. He has also continued his long history of peddling conspiracy theories, and has dug in his heels on denying the all-but-irrefutable body of scientific research that shows human carbon emissions are driving global climate change.
“It will start getting cooler,” he declared, falsely, during a Sept. 14 visit to fire-scorched California. “You just watch.”
When Wade Crowfoot, secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency, told the president that the science disagrees with him, Trump responded: “I don’t think science knows, actually.”
We want to know what you’re hearing on the ground from the candidates. If you get any interesting ― or suspicious! ― campaign mailers, robocalls or hear anything else you think we should know about, email us at scoops@huffpost.com.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-22--Colorado Wildfire Darkens Midday Skies In Unsettling Images

“ It was basically out of a movie .
It was a firestorm in downtown Grand Lake .
Smoke and @ @ @ @ @ was just a chaotic scene , ” Bjorkman said .
“ We locked the door @ @ @ @ @ , house , we ’ ll see you when we get back.
’ ” The @ @ @ @ @ the national park , and , as thousands of residents in nearby Grand County and @ @ @ @ @ roads along the evacuation routes .
Images show jammed roads under orange skies , wildlife @ @ @ @ @ the famous Stanley Hotel in Estes Park ― the inspiration for Stephen King ’ s @ @ @ @ @ ” ― shrouded by smoke .
See a roundup of images from Estes Park below @

“It was basically out of a movie. It was a firestorm in downtown Grand Lake. Smoke and embers flying around. It was just a chaotic scene,” Bjorkman said. “We locked the door and said, ‘Hopefully, house, we’ll see you when we get back.’”
The fire forced the closure of the national park, and, as thousands of residents in nearby Grand County and Estes Park evacuated, clogging roads along the evacuation routes. Images show jammed roads under orange skies, wildlife moving through the smoke and the famous Stanley Hotel in Estes Park ― the inspiration for Stephen King’s bestselling novel “The Shining” ― shrouded by smoke.
See a roundup of images from Estes Park below.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-22--Susan Collins Says She Won't Contest Election Results If She Loses In Ranked-Choice Voting

Sen. Susan Collins ( R-Maine ) on Thursday said she would not contest the outcome of Maine ’ s Senate election in November should she win a plurality of the vote on election night but lose in the state ’ s ranked-choice voting system .
In ranked-choice voting , voters rank candidates in order of preference .
If a candidate receives more than half of the first-choice votes , they win .
If there is no majority winner after counting first-choice votes , the race moves to ranked-choice tabulation rounds .
The candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their first choice will have their votes counted for their next choice .
This process continues until a candidate wins more than half of the votes .
If a voter did not rank more than one candidate ( they ’ re not required to ) then the ballot becomes inactive and is not part of the final round of counting .
For instance , a candidate could receive a plurality ― more votes than any other candidate ― but not a majority of first-choice votes .
This would trigger ranked-choice tabulation .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican Rep. Bruce Poloquin won about 46 % of the first-choice votes on election night but ended up losing to Democrat Jared Golden during subsequent ranked-choice rounds .
Poloquin contested the outcome of the election .
He filed a lawsuit seeking to have ranked-choice voting declared unconstitutional , but a judge denied his request .
He also requested a recount but eventually called it off .
Collins was asked during Maine ’ s Senate debate Thursday whether she would contest the outcome of the election if she , like Poloquin , won a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the final ranked-choice tabulation .
“ I would not , ” Collins said .
“ Ranked-choice voting has been upheld twice by the courts in Maine .
Those are the rules that we have to play by .
I think a fair system would be a true runoff where everyone got to vote twice but that ’ s not what we have in the state of Maine.
” Advocates of ranked-choice voting say the system ensures the candidate with the most broad support wins the race and avoids so-called spoiler candidates who might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voting adds to voter confusion .
In 2018 , Maine became the first state to use ranked-choice voting in statewide elections and , this year , it will become the first state to adopt the method for a presidential election .
Experts have said Maine ’ s ranked-choice voting system could spell trouble for Collins ’ reelection bid , already the toughest she ’ s faced in her career .

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Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) on Thursday said she would not contest the outcome of Maine’s Senate election in November should she win a plurality of the vote on election night but lose in the state’s ranked-choice voting system.
In ranked-choice voting, voters rank candidates in order of preference. If a candidate receives more than half of the first-choice votes, they win. If there is no majority winner after counting first-choice votes, the race moves to ranked-choice tabulation rounds.
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The candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and voters who picked that candidate as their first choice will have their votes counted for their next choice. This process continues until a candidate wins more than half of the votes.
If a voter did not rank more than one candidate (they’re not required to) then the ballot becomes inactive and is not part of the final round of counting.
For instance, a candidate could receive a plurality ― more votes than any other candidate ― but not a majority of first-choice votes. This would trigger ranked-choice tabulation.
This scenario happened in Maine in 2018 when Republican Rep. Bruce Poloquin won about 46% of the first-choice votes on election night but ended up losing to Democrat Jared Golden during subsequent ranked-choice rounds.
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Poloquin contested the outcome of the election. He filed a lawsuit seeking to have ranked-choice voting declared unconstitutional, but a judge denied his request. He also requested a recount but eventually called it off.
Collins was asked during Maine’s Senate debate Thursday whether she would contest the outcome of the election if she, like Poloquin, won a plurality on election night but lost in the final ranked-choice tabulation.
“I would not,” Collins said. “Ranked-choice voting has been upheld twice by the courts in Maine. Those are the rules that we have to play by. I think a fair system would be a true runoff where everyone got to vote twice but that’s not what we have in the state of Maine.”
Advocates of ranked-choice voting say the system ensures the candidate with the most broad support wins the race and avoids so-called spoiler candidates who might splinter the vote. Critics say ranked-choice voting adds to voter confusion.
In 2018, Maine became the first state to use ranked-choice voting in statewide elections and, this year, it will become the first state to adopt the method for a presidential election.
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Experts have said Maine’s ranked-choice voting system could spell trouble for Collins’ reelection bid, already the toughest she’s faced in her career.
Recent GOP internal polls show Collins competitive on a head-to-head ballot, but falling further behind after the ranked-choice voting process.
Watch the entire debate below. Collins’ remarks about ranked-choice voting begin around the 22-minute mark.
Kevin Robillard contributed reporting.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-22--Construction Union Leaders Endorse Joe Biden Ahead Of Final Debate

Aaron Josefczyk/Reuters Joe Biden began his campaign in a union hall in Pittsburgh in April 2019 .
He has prioritized improving on Hillary Clinton 's performance with union members in key states .
Top officials at the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers , a building trades union , endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Thursday , adding momentum to the Biden campaign ’ s outreach to organized labor in the final weeks of the election .
Newton Jones , international president of the Boilermakers ; William Creeden , international secretary-treasurer ; Lawrence McManamon , international vice president , Great Lakes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vice president , Western states , each sent the Biden campaign a letter offering their official endorsement of Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris ( D-Calif. ) , the Democratic vice presidential nominee .
“ As you are all too aware , this is an unprecedented time in our country where differences of opinion have escalated to extreme divides , even among friends and family and among the brothers and sisters of the Boilermakers union , ” Jones wrote in his letter .
“ Now , more than ever , we must find a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ look to you and Senator Harris to be the leaders who will do just that ; so that we , as a nation , can move forward once again to a strong and promising future.
” Despite the endorsements from its top officials , the Boilermakers union itself , which has 60,000 members who often work in the fossil fuel industry or related fields , has still not endorsed Biden ’ s campaign .
And at least one prominent local branch of the union , Pittsburgh ’ s Local 154 , which operates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump in September based on Trump ’ s support for coal-based energy .
At his live town hall a week ago , Biden incorrectly stated that the Boilermakers union had endorsed him because of his embrace of the natural gas industry , including the controversial drilling technique known as fracking .
The Boilermakers ’ officials letters on Thursday were a deliberate effort to respond to the pushback Biden received for this claim .
In his letter , Jones stated that his intention was to “ make abundantly clear my personal position of support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to diminish any confusion in the matter .
”

Joe Biden began his campaign in a union hall in Pittsburgh in April 2019. He has prioritized improving on Hillary Clinton's performance with union members in key states. Aaron Josefczyk/Reuters
Top officials at the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, a building trades union, endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Thursday, adding momentum to the Biden campaign’s outreach to organized labor in the final weeks of the election.
Newton Jones, international president of the Boilermakers; William Creeden, international secretary-treasurer; Lawrence McManamon, international vice president, Great Lakes; and J. Tom Baca, international vice president, Western states, each sent the Biden campaign a letter offering their official endorsement of Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), the Democratic vice presidential nominee.
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“As you are all too aware, this is an unprecedented time in our country where differences of opinion have escalated to extreme divides, even among friends and family and among the brothers and sisters of the Boilermakers union,” Jones wrote in his letter. “Now, more than ever, we must find a way to re-unify our nation. I look to you and Senator Harris to be the leaders who will do just that; so that we, as a nation, can move forward once again to a strong and promising future.”
Despite the endorsements from its top officials, the Boilermakers union itself, which has 60,000 members who often work in the fossil fuel industry or related fields, has still not endorsed Biden’s campaign. And at least one prominent local branch of the union, Pittsburgh’s Local 154, which operates coal-fired power plants, endorsed President Donald Trump in September based on Trump’s support for coal-based energy.
At his live town hall a week ago, Biden incorrectly stated that the Boilermakers union had endorsed him because of his embrace of the natural gas industry, including the controversial drilling technique known as fracking.
The Boilermakers’ officials letters on Thursday were a deliberate effort to respond to the pushback Biden received for this claim.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-22--Judge Urges U.S. To Help Find Parents Deported Without Kids

SAN DIEGO ( AP ) — A federal judge on Thursday urged the Trump administration to do more to help court-appointed researchers find hundreds of parents who were separated from their children after they crossed the U.S.-Mexico border beginning in 2017 .
A court filing revealed this week that researchers have been unable to track down the parents of 545 children — a number much larger than previously known and that drew outcry .
Most of the parents were deported to their Central American homelands , and their children were placed with sponsors in the U.S. , often relatives .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ issuing an order during a hearing in San Diego and instead asked Justice Department attorneys to explore ways the administration can make it easier to find the parents .
Attempts to find families separated from their children have been underway since Sabraw ordered the government in 2018 to end the much-criticized practice under its “ zero tolerance ” policy for people who cross the border illegally .
Sabraw initially ordered the government to reunite more than 2,700 children with their families , believing that to be the total number who were separated .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1,556 children were taken from their parents going back to summer 2017 , including the 545 kids who are still separated .
Attorney Lee Gelernt of the American Civil Liberties Union , which sued over the practice , said the government could provide funding for the search , which now is being conducted by a handful of human rights defenders in Central America .
When the issue was originally brought to their attention , U.S. officials were not interested in looking for the parents , he said , but that changed when outcry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without their children .
“ In light of the backlash , the government is now claiming it wants to assist us in finding these families , ” Gelernt said .
The administration ’ s foot-dragging has made it even tougher to find the parents because of how much time has passed , he said .
Coronavirus restrictions prevented researchers from going into many areas from March until August , but as those measures ease up , researchers hope to make more progress in coming weeks .
Volunteers have searched for their parents by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Honduras and combing public records , the ACLU said in a court filing .
U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro , a Texas Democrat who chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus , said the government needs to allow parents deported without their children to come back to the U.S. and give them a chance to become legal permanent residents and eventually citizens .
Castro also called for a special committee , perhaps in the form of a human rights commission , to investigate the harm done through the mass separation of families in 2017 and 2018 @

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SAN DIEGO (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday urged the Trump administration to do more to help court-appointed researchers find hundreds of parents who were separated from their children after they crossed the U.S.-Mexico border beginning in 2017.
A court filing revealed this week that researchers have been unable to track down the parents of 545 children — a number much larger than previously known and that drew outcry. Most of the parents were deported to their Central American homelands, and their children were placed with sponsors in the U.S., often relatives.
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U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw refrained from issuing an order during a hearing in San Diego and instead asked Justice Department attorneys to explore ways the administration can make it easier to find the parents.
Attempts to find families separated from their children have been underway since Sabraw ordered the government in 2018 to end the much-criticized practice under its “zero tolerance” policy for people who cross the border illegally.
Sabraw initially ordered the government to reunite more than 2,700 children with their families, believing that to be the total number who were separated. But it was later discovered an additional 1,556 children were taken from their parents going back to summer 2017, including the 545 kids who are still separated.
Attorney Lee Gelernt of the American Civil Liberties Union, which sued over the practice, said the government could provide funding for the search, which now is being conducted by a handful of human rights defenders in Central America.
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When the issue was originally brought to their attention, U.S. officials were not interested in looking for the parents, he said, but that changed when outcry spread about the number of parents deported without their children.
“In light of the backlash, the government is now claiming it wants to assist us in finding these families,” Gelernt said.
The administration’s foot-dragging has made it even tougher to find the parents because of how much time has passed, he said.
Coronavirus restrictions prevented researchers from going into many areas from March until August, but as those measures ease up, researchers hope to make more progress in coming weeks.
U.S. authorities have provided telephone numbers for 1,030 children to a court-appointed steering committee, which tracked down the parents of 485 of those children.
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The committee has advertised toll-free phone numbers in Spanish on billboards and other places in Central America to reach families.
Volunteers have searched for their parents by going door to door in Guatemala and Honduras and combing public records, the ACLU said in a court filing.
The judge called for an update on Dec. 2 and set another hearing for Dec. 4 to discuss the progress.
“This, of course, is the most significant piece remaining” in terms of the family separations, Sabraw said.
U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Texas Democrat who chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said the government needs to allow parents deported without their children to come back to the U.S. and give them a chance to become legal permanent residents and eventually citizens.
Just nine parents separated from their children were allowed back in January.
Castro also called for a special committee, perhaps in the form of a human rights commission, to investigate the harm done through the mass separation of families in 2017 and 2018.
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“This was coordinated cruelty, coordinated abuse, at the highest and the lowest levels of the American government,” Castro said.
___


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-22--2nd Breonna Taylor Grand Juror Criticizes Proceedings

LOUISVILLE , Ky. ( AP ) — A second person who served on the Breonna Taylor grand jury is criticizing Kentucky ’ s attorney general for the way the proceedings were conducted .
The anonymous statement released Thursday reiterated another grand juror ’ s earlier publicized complaint that the panel was only able to consider endangerment charges against one officer for shooting into Taylor ’ s neighbor ’ s apartment .
The first grand juror , who has also remained anonymous , won a court fight this week to address the public about the secret proceedings .
In Thursday ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kevin Glogower , the second grand juror said they agree “ wholeheartedly with the statement released by anonymous grand juror # 1.
” The first grand juror said they wanted to consider other charges against the officers , but were told “ there would be none because the prosecutors didn ’ t feel they could make them stick.
” The jurors ’ statements contradict Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron ’ s assertion that the grand jury “ agreed ” the officers who shot Taylor were justified in returning fire after they were shot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The first grand juror said the panel “ didn ’ t agree that certain actions were justified.
” Cameron announced on Sept. 23 that none of the three officers who fired shots at Taylor ’ s apartment were charged by the grand jury in her death .
The 12-member panel charged one officer with wanton endangerment for shooting into a nearby apartment .
Taylor , a Black emergency medical technician , was shot multiple times on March 13 by officers serving a narcotics warrant .
Her boyfriend , Kenneth Walker , said he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he thought an intruder was breaking in .
No drugs or cash were found at Taylor ’ s home .

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A second person who served on the Breonna Taylor grand jury is criticizing Kentucky’s attorney general for the way the proceedings were conducted.
The anonymous statement released Thursday reiterated another grand juror’s earlier publicized complaint that the panel was only able to consider endangerment charges against one officer for shooting into Taylor’s neighbor’s apartment.
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The first grand juror, who has also remained anonymous, won a court fight this week to address the public about the secret proceedings.
In Thursday’s statement, released by Louisville attorney Kevin Glogower, the second grand juror said they agree “wholeheartedly with the statement released by anonymous grand juror #1.”
The first grand juror said they wanted to consider other charges against the officers, but were told “there would be none because the prosecutors didn’t feel they could make them stick.”
The jurors’ statements contradict Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s assertion that the grand jury “agreed” the officers who shot Taylor were justified in returning fire after they were shot at by Taylor’s boyfriend. The first grand juror said the panel “didn’t agree that certain actions were justified.”
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Cameron announced on Sept. 23 that none of the three officers who fired shots at Taylor’s apartment were charged by the grand jury in her death. The 12-member panel charged one officer with wanton endangerment for shooting into a nearby apartment.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-22--Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Of Michael Jackson Sexual Abuse Accuser

LOS ANGELES ( AP ) — A judge has dismissed the lawsuit of one of two men who alleged that Michael Jackson abused them as boys in the HBO documentary “ Leaving Neverland.
” Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mark A .
Young on Tuesday found that James Safechuck , 42 , could not sue the two corporations Jackson owned that are named as defendants in the lawsuit , MJJ Productions Inc. , and MJJ Ventures Inc. Young said Safechuck ’ s lawsuit had not demonstrated that he had a relationship with the corporations that would have required them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We are pleased that the court dismissed Mr. Safechuck ’ s case by ruling that he had no grounds to pursue such a lawsuit , ” Jackson estate attorneys Howard Weitzman and Jonathan Steinsapir said in a statement .
It ’ s the second time Safechuck ’ s case , filed in 2013 , has been thrown out .
A judge dismissed it in 2017 , but an appeals court revived it early this year after California Gov .
Gavin Newsom signed a new law giving those who allege childhood sexual abuse longer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Safechuck ’ s fellow accuser and “ Leaving Neverland ” subject Wade Robson , which was also revived by the appeals court , remains alive .
The Jackson estate has adamantly and repeatedly denied that he abused either of the boys , and it is suing HBO over “ Leaving Neverland.
” The Associated Press does not typically name victims of sexual abuse .
But Robson and Safechuck have repeatedly come forward and approved of the use of their names and faces .

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge has dismissed the lawsuit of one of two men who alleged that Michael Jackson abused them as boys in the HBO documentary “Leaving Neverland.”
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mark A. Young on Tuesday found that James Safechuck, 42, could not sue the two corporations Jackson owned that are named as defendants in the lawsuit, MJJ Productions Inc., and MJJ Ventures Inc.
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Young said Safechuck’s lawsuit had not demonstrated that he had a relationship with the corporations that would have required them to protect him from Jackson.
“We are pleased that the court dismissed Mr. Safechuck’s case by ruling that he had no grounds to pursue such a lawsuit,” Jackson estate attorneys Howard Weitzman and Jonathan Steinsapir said in a statement.
An email seeking comment from Safechuck’s attorney was not immediately returned.
It’s the second time Safechuck’s case, filed in 2013, has been thrown out. A judge dismissed it in 2017, but an appeals court revived it early this year after California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a new law giving those who allege childhood sexual abuse longer to file lawsuits.
The similar lawsuit of Safechuck’s fellow accuser and “Leaving Neverland” subject Wade Robson, which was also revived by the appeals court, remains alive.
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The Jackson estate has adamantly and repeatedly denied that he abused either of the boys, and it is suing HBO over “Leaving Neverland.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-22--Generation Climate Is Making The Crisis An Issue In Local Elections

Nathan Howard via Getty Images In September , the Almeda fire killed three people and burned nearly 3,000 homes in a region of Oregon already grappling with an affordable housing shortage .
Environmentalists and organic farmers in southwestern Oregon ’ s Josephine County launched a grassroots effort to ban local cultivation of genetically modified plants in 2013 .
They collected enough signatures to put the ban on the ballot and fought back when Big Ag corporations like Monsanto and Syngenta shoveled money into a campaign to defeat them .
In May 2014 , voters passed the ban in a 58 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a December 2019 national survey , conducted for the U.S. Conference of Mayors by John Zogby Strategies , 74 % of voters ages 18-29 want state and local governments to do more about climate change , especially in the face of the Trump administration ’ s denial of the crisis and its rollbacks of Obama-era climate policies .
For the past few years , tens of thousands of young people have been turning out at marches , sit-ins and demonstrations to demand that elected officials take climate action .
The candidates this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accountant and nonprofit volunteer who is running for a seat on the Jacksonville City Council in Florida , and Rayonte Bell , a 22-year-old community activist on the ballot in Michigan for the Berrien County Board of Commissioners .
In Oregon , Ogier hopes to become the youngest person on the city council of Grants Pass , the Josephine County seat .
It ’ s different when people start to see [ climate change ] affecting their pockets and their well-being .
They can ’ t avoid it anymore .
Nicole Hamm , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Council in Florida Ogier fears this is only a taste of what ’ s to come if the city council doesn ’ t start to take decisive climate action .
“ We will continue to be plagued by droughts , wildfires and smoke , a lack of snowpack in our mountains , and warming rivers , ” she said .
“ We need to recognize these trends and adapt to them.
” Across the country in Jacksonville , Hamm shares Ogier ’ s hope of flipping a seat in a Republican stronghold .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the city council since 2003 .
But voters have been responsive to her ideas for climate action , she said , which include developing urban green spaces , protecting local waterways from pollution , and investing in resilient infrastructure to defend local homes and businesses from flooding caused by rising sea levels .
When I talk to community members , they ’ re like , ‘ Yeah , we ’ d love to see the erosion stop and our water quality better.
’ Rayonte Bell , a candidate for the Berrien County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and disparities are present in the Berrien County area where Bell is running for a seat on the board of commissioners .
The Michigan county sits on the southeastern shore of Lake Michigan , where the mean water level in July 2019 measured six feet higher than it had just six years earlier — a result of years of warmer temperatures leading to wetter-than-normal conditions , likely due to climate change .
The rising lake levels have created new flooding risks for local homes and businesses .
County residents have also long contended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aggravated by decades of poor regulation of the region ’ s manufacturing industries .
A 2017 report from the state ’ s Department of Environmental Quality revealed that several cities in the county had drinking water lead levels that were the same or higher than those in Flint , Michigan .

In September, the Almeda fire killed three people and burned nearly 3,000 homes in a region of Oregon already grappling with an affordable housing shortage. Nathan Howard via Getty Images
Published in partnership with Drilled News.
Environmentalists and organic farmers in southwestern Oregon’s Josephine County launched a grassroots effort to ban local cultivation of genetically modified plants in 2013. They collected enough signatures to put the ban on the ballot and fought back when Big Ag corporations like Monsanto and Syngenta shoveled money into a campaign to defeat them. In May 2014, voters passed the ban in a 58% to 42% landslide.
“It was an amazing win for the community,” recalled Vanessa Ogier, a 28-year-old Josephine County climate activist who supported the ballot measure.
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But the triumph was brief: In 2015, commercial sugar beet farmers sued the county, which delayed enforcing the ban. In 2017, the Oregon Court of Appeals blocked the measure entirely, ruling that a state law prohibiting county-level bans on genetically modified organisms made it impossible to enforce.
“That radicalized me,” Ogier said. “That’s when I realized that we need climate sympathizers inside the government to get any serious work done.”
According to a December 2019 national survey, conducted for the U.S. Conference of Mayors by John Zogby Strategies, 74% of voters ages 18-29 want state and local governments to do more about climate change, especially in the face of the Trump administration’s denial of the crisis and its rollbacks of Obama-era climate policies. For the past few years, tens of thousands of young people have been turning out at marches, sit-ins and demonstrations to demand that elected officials take climate action.
In 2020, many young people decided to bring the youth climate movement indoors as well. Across the country, they’re running to replace the sorts of local lawmakers who have long downplayed, denied or ignored their demands on a host of progressive reforms, including climate action.
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The candidates this year include Nicole Hamm, a 27-year-old accountant and nonprofit volunteer who is running for a seat on the Jacksonville City Council in Florida, and Rayonte Bell, a 22-year-old community activist on the ballot in Michigan for the Berrien County Board of Commissioners. In Oregon, Ogier hopes to become the youngest person on the city council of Grants Pass, the Josephine County seat.
“It’s different when people start to see [climate change] affecting their pockets and their well-being. They can’t avoid it anymore.” - Nicole Hamm, who is running for the Jacksonville City Council in Florida
Campaigning on climate change in conservative-leaning towns and counties might not seem like the best way to get elected. But each of these candidates believes that voters are ready for local action on climate-aligned issues like resilient infrastructure, clean drinking water and environmental justice.
The effects of climate change are obvious in Grants Pass. In September, the Almeda fire, which started just 30 miles south of the city, killed three people and burned nearly 3,000 homes in a region already grappling with an affordable housing shortage.
Ogier fears this is only a taste of what’s to come if the city council doesn’t start to take decisive climate action. “We will continue to be plagued by droughts, wildfires and smoke, a lack of snowpack in our mountains, and warming rivers,” she said. “We need to recognize these trends and adapt to them.”
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Josephine County is a Republican stronghold where twice as many voters cast ballots for Donald Trump as for Hillary Clinton in 2016.
“Climate is not even a conversation” on the Grants Pass City Council, said Ogier.
But she is campaigning nonetheless on measures to help residents adapt to the region’s increasingly hotter summers and more destructive wildfires. Ogier advocates expanding sustainable housing, developing an “energy action plan” that would reduce the city’s carbon emissions and building a system of shelters to protect people without housing from extreme temperatures.
Across the country in Jacksonville, Hamm shares Ogier’s hope of flipping a seat in a Republican stronghold. Her district has not elected a Democrat to the city council since 2003. But voters have been responsive to her ideas for climate action, she said, which include developing urban green spaces, protecting local waterways from pollution, and investing in resilient infrastructure to defend local homes and businesses from flooding caused by rising sea levels.
“It’s different when people start to see [climate change] affecting their pockets and their well-being,” Hamm said. “They can’t avoid it anymore.”
Hamm also wants to tackle environmental racism in Jacksonville’s northwest quadrant, where communities of color have long lived with failing septic tanks that pollute their local drinking water supply. “When you drive over the bridge there, you can smell the water and sewage,” she said.
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Sewage spills are becoming common across Florida, often prompted by extreme weather events. When Hurricane Matthew caused multiday power outages in Jacksonville in 2016, sewer system overflows dumped an estimated 11 million gallons of raw sewage onto neighborhood streets and into local waterways. Increasingly heavy rainfall, also the result of climate change, has at times overwhelmed the area’s sewers.
So Hamm is also calling for restoring overgrown and inoperable storm drains as part of her overall plan to create climate-resilient infrastructure.
“When I talk to community members, they’re like, ‘Yeah, we’d love to see the erosion stop and our water quality better.’” - Rayonte Bell, a candidate for the Berrien County Board of Commissioners in Michigan
Similar issues and disparities are present in the Berrien County area where Bell is running for a seat on the board of commissioners. The Michigan county sits on the southeastern shore of Lake Michigan, where the mean water level in July 2019 measured six feet higher than it had just six years earlier — a result of years of warmer temperatures leading to wetter-than-normal conditions, likely due to climate change. The rising lake levels have created new flooding risks for local homes and businesses.
County residents have also long contended with poor air and water quality, aggravated by decades of poor regulation of the region’s manufacturing industries. A 2017 report from the state’s Department of Environmental Quality revealed that several cities in the county had drinking water lead levels that were the same or higher than those in Flint, Michigan.
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Bell advocates investing in climate-resilient infrastructure and otherwise pursuing sustainable solutions for these increasingly complex climate impacts and environmental problems.
“Using environmentally safe practices is the best approach” to these problems, he said. “Rather than trying to put a band-aid on them, we need to think long term.”
The city with the worst water quality in Berrien County according to the 2017 report was Benton Harbor, a majority Black community located just a few miles north of where Bell is campaigning in St. Joseph.
“We need to acknowledge and address that inequity,” Bell said. “If we don’t, Black people are going to continue to be the most vulnerable to climate change.”
Bell credits conversations with other young Michigan Democrats for his decision to get into electoral politics. Joey Andrews, a 2018 candidate for the Michigan House of Representatives, suggested that he run for the county board. Chokwe Pitchford, a current candidate for the Michigan House, has also helped shape his campaign.
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Although conservative white men have historically dominated the board, Bell said voters are responding positively to his climate action platform. “When I talk to community members, they’re like, ‘Yeah, we’d love to see the erosion stop and our water quality better,’” he said.
Bell acknowledges that voters also tell him they’re concerned about the costs, but he said, “I think, for the most part, we’re working towards the same goals. And I think that’s what matters most.”
Ogier, Hamm and Bell are all in challenging races. But each is hopeful that voters will set aside partisan politics in this election and unite behind climate action.
As the local and regional impacts become impossible to ignore, Bell said, “people want to see someone” in local office “fighting on their behalf against climate change.”
We want to know what you’re hearing on the ground from the candidates. If you get any interesting ― or suspicious! ― campaign mailers, robocalls or hear anything else you think we should know about, email us at scoops@huffpost.com.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-22--Chelsea Handler Offers To Pay 50 Cent's Taxes If He Votes For Joe Biden

Chelsea Handler is willing to go to drastic measures to help elect Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden ― she ’ ll even pay the taxes for her ex-boyfriend 50 Cent .
Earlier this week , the rapper-turned-entertainment mogul announced he was voting for Donald Trump — even though the president “ doesn ’ t like black people ” — due to Biden ’ s tax plan .
Handler and 50 Cent ( whose real name is Curtis Jackson ) dated for a few months back in 2010 and have remained friendly ever since , according to Yahoo .
But things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a tweet the comedian sent to her ex on Wednesday , telling him , “ You used to be my favorite ex-boyfriend.
” She deleted the tweet , but 50 Cent got the message .
🤦♂oh my God this is effecting my love life now .
@ chelseahandler I love ya Gator , don ’ t let Trump and Joe Biden come between us girl .
# starzgettheapp pic.twitter.com/PctWkzrqCP — 50cent ( @ 50cent ) October 21 , 2020 Handler later tweeted an offer to her ex : She will pay 50 Cent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to his senses , which presumedly means if he votes for Biden .
Hey fucker !
I will pay your taxes in exchange for you coming to your senses .
Happily !
Black lives matter .
That ’ s you , fucker !
Remember ?
https : //t.co/uQsu7DHrRQ — Chelsea Handler ( @ chelseahandler ) October 21 , 2020 So far , 50 Cent hasn ’ t said whether he will take up Handler on her generous offer .

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Chelsea Handler is willing to go to drastic measures to help elect Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden ― she’ll even pay the taxes for her ex-boyfriend 50 Cent.
Earlier this week, the rapper-turned-entertainment mogul announced he was voting for Donald Trump — even though the president “doesn’t like black people” — due to Biden’s tax plan.
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Handler and 50 Cent (whose real name is Curtis Jackson) dated for a few months back in 2010 and have remained friendly ever since, according to Yahoo.
But things seem to have cooled, based on a tweet the comedian sent to her ex on Wednesday, telling him, “You used to be my favorite ex-boyfriend.”
She deleted the tweet, but 50 Cent got the message.
🤦♂oh my God this is effecting my love life now. @chelseahandler I love ya Gator, don’t let Trump and Joe Biden come between us girl. #starzgettheapp pic.twitter.com/PctWkzrqCP — 50cent (@50cent) October 21, 2020
Handler later tweeted an offer to her ex: She will pay 50 Cent’s additional taxes if he comes to his senses, which presumedly means if he votes for Biden.
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Hey fucker! I will pay your taxes in exchange for you coming to your senses. Happily! Black lives matter. That’s you, fucker! Remember? https://t.co/uQsu7DHrRQ — Chelsea Handler (@chelseahandler) October 21, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-22--NYU Strips Sackler Name From Biomedical Science Program

New York University is expunging the Sackler name from its Graduate Biomedical Institute , a decision the school attributed to the family ’ s role in the ongoing opioid epidemic .
The Sackler family owns Purdue Pharma , manufacturer of the painkiller OxyContin .
The drug generated billions of dollars for the Sacklers thanks in part to a marketing campaign that deliberately and severely downplayed OxyContin ’ s addictive qualities .
Purdue on Wednesday agreed to an $ 8.3 billion settlement with the Department of Justice and pleaded guilty to three federal criminal charges , including conspiracy to defraud the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by paying doctors to write more prescriptions for OxyContin .
NYU Langone Medical Center spokesperson Lisa Greiner told HuffPost the Sackler name was “ inconsistent with our institution ’ s values and incompatible with our mission , which is dedicated to patient care , education , and research to improve human health.
” More than 232,000 Americans have died from overdoses involving prescription opioids in the last two decades .
In addition to the Graduate Biomedical Institute , the Sackler name will be removed from all other named programs at the school , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Purdue documents are released they will show the company ’ s history and that members of the Sackler family who served on the board of directors always acted ethically and lawfully , ” Connolly said in an emailed statement , “ so it is disappointing that NYU is rushing to judgment.
” The decision follows in the footsteps of Tufts University , which announced plans to scrub its Sackler-branded health sciences campus last December .
Connolly at the time called Tufts ’ decision “ disturbing and intellectually dishonest ” in an interview with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Tufts endowment came from Arthur M. Sackler , a deceased member of the family who played no part in the development of OxyContin .
Numerous other medical institutes at universities and major cultural institutions still bear the Sackler name , including Cornell , Columbia , Harvard , Yale and the University of Cambridge .
In 2019 , Yale pledged to cease accepting donations from the family , but stopped short of stripping the family name .
Paris ’ Louvre Museum scrubbed the Sackler name from its walls last July .
The settlement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ become a public benefit company owned by a trust and “ function entirely in the public interest , ” according to a Wednesday statement by the DOJ .
Any profits Purdue yields by selling OxyContin and other drugs must be directed toward “ state and local opioid abatement programs , ” the statement said .
Several state attorneys general criticized the details of the settlement , saying the DOJ let the Sacklers off the hook and failed to deliver justice .
“ This settlement provides a mere mirage of justice for the victims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Connecticut Attorney General William Tong ( D ) said in a statement .
“ The federal government had the power here to put the Sacklers in jail , and they didn ’ t .
Instead , they took fines and penalties that [ Purdue ] likely will never fully pay .
”

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New York University is expunging the Sackler name from its Graduate Biomedical Institute, a decision the school attributed to the family’s role in the ongoing opioid epidemic.
The Sackler family owns Purdue Pharma, manufacturer of the painkiller OxyContin. The drug generated billions of dollars for the Sacklers thanks in part to a marketing campaign that deliberately and severely downplayed OxyContin’s addictive qualities.
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Purdue on Wednesday agreed to an $8.3 billion settlement with the Department of Justice and pleaded guilty to three federal criminal charges, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and violating federal anti-kickback laws by paying doctors to write more prescriptions for OxyContin.
NYU Langone Medical Center spokesperson Lisa Greiner told HuffPost the Sackler name was “inconsistent with our institution’s values and incompatible with our mission, which is dedicated to patient care, education, and research to improve human health.”
More than 232,000 Americans have died from overdoses involving prescription opioids in the last two decades.
In addition to the Graduate Biomedical Institute, the Sackler name will be removed from all other named programs at the school, Greiner said.
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Daniel S. Connolly, an attorney representing the Sackler family, called the decision “disappointing.”
“As soon as Purdue documents are released they will show the company’s history and that members of the Sackler family who served on the board of directors always acted ethically and lawfully,” Connolly said in an emailed statement, “so it is disappointing that NYU is rushing to judgment.”
The decision follows in the footsteps of Tufts University, which announced plans to scrub its Sackler-branded health sciences campus last December.
Connolly at the time called Tufts’ decision “disturbing and intellectually dishonest” in an interview with The New York Times. Connolly noted the Tufts endowment came from Arthur M. Sackler, a deceased member of the family who played no part in the development of OxyContin.
Numerous other medical institutes at universities and major cultural institutions still bear the Sackler name, including Cornell, Columbia, Harvard, Yale and the University of Cambridge.
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In 2019, Yale pledged to cease accepting donations from the family, but stopped short of stripping the family name.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-22--8 Years After Sandy, New York City Lags On Climate. Will The 2021 Election Change That?

Five years later , Superstorm Sandy hit , killing 44 across the five boroughs , wiping out entire pockets of the city ’ s working-class waterfront and leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power for weeks .
But that first taste of a chaotic climate future prompted the city ’ s leaders to retreat to a mishmash of policies to adapt to the worst effects of global warming ― rather than working to avoid them .
While the looming presidential race has captivated attention , New York City ’ s most important municipal election in nearly a decade is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters will choose a new mayor , comptroller and a majority of the City Council , after already replacing several longtime incumbents in Congress and the state Legislature with Green New Deal backers in the last two years .
Candidates are already signaling that climate change will be a major theme , even as the city deals with an ongoing pandemic and budget shortfall .
The effects could be far-reaching as other cities look to New York as a model for how municipalities with limited control of their economic destinies rebuild in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ idea of pairing massive amounts of good jobs with reducing air pollution and fixing society ’ s inequalities , encapsulated in the Green New Deal vision , is so compelling to blue-state primary voters , ” said Pete Sikora , a climate policy expert and senior adviser to the grassroots group New York Communities for Change .
“ In New York City , the bluest of the blue , I would be stunned if large numbers of candidates at all levels don ’ t run hard on a Green New Deal.
” His @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issue .
Maya Wiley , the former mayoral counsel and MSNBC host who announced her candidacy two weeks ago , would place “ making New York more resilient in the face of climate change ” among “ her top priorities as mayor , ” a spokesperson said .
Shaun Donovan , the Obama administration ’ s former Housing and Urban Development secretary , is expected to announce his own climate platform as part of a bid for sometime after the anniversary of Sandy .
Roughly 60 % of the 51-seat City Council is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Caban , the leftist firebrand from Queens now running in a district that includes many of the city ’ s power plants .
The next City Council speaker will likely emerge from a crop of incumbents that includes Brooklyn councilman Justin Brannan , who chairs the committee on waterfront resiliency , and Carlina Rivera , the Manhattan legislator behind a new proposal to spur a wave of green jobs in the city .
The solution , counterintuitively , could be to throw money at the problem .
A 40-page proposal unveiled Tuesday calls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years to expand bike lanes , retrofit city buildings and public housing with solar panels and energy efficiency upgrades , and boost green manufacturing on the city ’ s industrial waterfront .
An estimate made using the Political Economy Research Institute ’ s methodology pegged the number of jobs that would be created as part of the plan at more than 101,000 .
NYC is heavily dependent on oil and gas for its electricity and heating , and is expected to become more so next year when its last remaining nuclear plant north @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a subway system unrivaled by any other American municipality , cars dominate the city and massive aging highways built in the middle of the last century divide and pollute dense residential neighborhoods .
The city can wield some control over the electrical generation in its limits and take significant steps to increase lanes for bikes and buses .
Yet power plants and thoroughfares fall largely outside City Hall ’ s jurisdiction , requiring action by state regulators .
There ’ s an opportunity , particularly for the comptroller and mayor , to expand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ require developers to forgo oil burners and gas appliances in favor of all-electric and geothermal systems .
Swapping electric alternatives for heating and cooking would save the average NYC home $ 6,800 and 46 tons of carbon dioxide emissions over a 15-year period , according to an analysis the nonprofit Rocky Mountain Institute published this month .
That view of the bigger picture could help New York reset its climate politics .
After Sandy , New York traded a “ decarbonization-focused tentative cosmopolitanism ” for an inward-looking defensive “ fortress of solitude ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ described it in a study published last month in the journal Environmental Politics .
In what may be a side effect of that retreat , more than half of the country ’ s 100 most populous cities have yet to even set targets to cut emissions ― and of the ones that have , two-thirds are lagging far behind their goals , according to a Brookings Institution study released Thursday .

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In 2007, then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed a blueprint to transform New York into “the first environmentally sustainable 21st-century city,” a lofty vision for change in an increasingly hot and urbanized world.
Five years later, Superstorm Sandy hit, killing 44 across the five boroughs, wiping out entire pockets of the city’s working-class waterfront and leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power for weeks. But that first taste of a chaotic climate future prompted the city’s leaders to retreat to a mishmash of policies to adapt to the worst effects of global warming ― rather than working to avoid them.
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Now a historic election offers a chance to propel the nation’s largest and most economically influential city back to the vanguard of climate action.
While the looming presidential race has captivated attention, New York City’s most important municipal election in nearly a decade is just getting underway. Next year, voters will choose a new mayor, comptroller and a majority of the City Council, after already replacing several longtime incumbents in Congress and the state Legislature with Green New Deal backers in the last two years.
Candidates are already signaling that climate change will be a major theme, even as the city deals with an ongoing pandemic and budget shortfall. The effects could be far-reaching as other cities look to New York as a model for how municipalities with limited control of their economic destinies rebuild in the wake of the coronavirus.
Mounting climate disasters, including another record year of billion-dollar wildfires and storms, have amplified an increasingly organized movement calling for dramatic policy efforts to address climate change. Calls for a Green New Deal, a progressive framework for a green industrial plan to phase out fossil fuels and transition workers to new jobs, reshaped the Democratic presidential primary this year, and helped win more than half a dozen seats in New York’s Legislature for left-wing progressives this summer.
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A thunderstorm passes over the skyline of lower Manhattan. Gary Hershorn via Getty Images
“The idea of pairing massive amounts of good jobs with reducing air pollution and fixing society’s inequalities, encapsulated in the Green New Deal vision, is so compelling to blue-state primary voters,” said Pete Sikora, a climate policy expert and senior adviser to the grassroots group New York Communities for Change. “In New York City, the bluest of the blue, I would be stunned if large numbers of candidates at all levels don’t run hard on a Green New Deal.”
An Emerging Theme
The most comprehensive climate proposal so far is from Brad Lander, the progressive city councilman from Brooklyn running for comptroller. In a detailed plan shared with HuffPost, the candidate for New York City’s chief financial post laid out steps to divest the city’s pension funds of fossil fuels, expand public financing for clean infrastructure and create a new auditing department to hold city agencies and companies accountable to climate goals.
But Scott Stringer, the sitting comptroller and early front-runner for mayor, is aligning himself with the various grassroots fights that climate activists are waging across the city, publicly opposing new fossil fuel infrastructure and protesting plans to upgrade old power plants with natural gas turbines.
His opponents seem likely to make climate an issue. Maya Wiley, the former mayoral counsel and MSNBC host who announced her candidacy two weeks ago, would place “making New York more resilient in the face of climate change” among “her top priorities as mayor,” a spokesperson said. Shaun Donovan, the Obama administration’s former Housing and Urban Development secretary, is expected to announce his own climate platform as part of a bid for sometime after the anniversary of Sandy.
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Roughly 60% of the 51-seat City Council is term-limited, and new candidates include Tiffany Caban, the leftist firebrand from Queens now running in a district that includes many of the city’s power plants. The next City Council speaker will likely emerge from a crop of incumbents that includes Brooklyn councilman Justin Brannan, who chairs the committee on waterfront resiliency, and Carlina Rivera, the Manhattan legislator behind a new proposal to spur a wave of green jobs in the city.
Greening The COVID-19 Recovery
COVID-19 dealt a heavy blow to New York City’s economy, causing restaurants, shops and museums ― including some iconic institutions ― to close. The unemployment rate in September was 14.1%, more than double the 6.5% rate outside the five boroughs. The city government now finds itself staring down a deficit projected to grow to nearly $5 billion in the next fiscal year.
The solution, counterintuitively, could be to throw money at the problem. A 40-page proposal unveiled Tuesday calls for spending $16 billion over three years to expand bike lanes, retrofit city buildings and public housing with solar panels and energy efficiency upgrades, and boost green manufacturing on the city’s industrial waterfront. An estimate made using the Political Economy Research Institute’s methodology pegged the number of jobs that would be created as part of the plan at more than 101,000.
About half the plan could be paid for through state and federal funds, its authors said, but it would still require about $8.4 billion of the city’s $92.5 billion budget. But it has strong backing from environmental groups, labor unions and about one-fifth of the City Council.
Homes sit under construction one year after being destroyed by Superstorm Sandy in the Breezy Point neighborhood of Queens, New York City. Andrew Burton via Getty Images
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“We have a long way to go, and this report is a road map to help us get there,” Rivera said during a press conference announcing the proposal. “We also need the state to step up and pass revenue-generating bills, like a wealth tax, pied-a-terre tax, increased gas tax, stock transfer tax. There are options.”
Limitations On The City’s Power
While the plan highlights the limits of the city’s financing powers, it does aggregate much of what the municipality has the power to do on its own.
NYC is heavily dependent on oil and gas for its electricity and heating, and is expected to become more so next year when its last remaining nuclear plant north of the Bronx shuts down. Despite a subway system unrivaled by any other American municipality, cars dominate the city and massive aging highways built in the middle of the last century divide and pollute dense residential neighborhoods. The city can wield some control over the electrical generation in its limits and take significant steps to increase lanes for bikes and buses. Yet power plants and thoroughfares fall largely outside City Hall’s jurisdiction, requiring action by state regulators.
However, the city does control its own building codes. And the more than 1 million towers, brownstones and houses that form the city’s sawtooth skyline happen to produce the vast majority of its carbon dioxide emissions.
Last summer, lawmakers took the biggest step since 2007 toward cutting emissions, passing a law that required the city’s largest buildings, structures over 25,000 square feet, to install enough new windows, heating systems and insulation to cut emissions 40% by 2030. The legislation also tweaked building codes to encourage property owners to install solar panels and small wind turbines and cover rooftops with plants, and made new loans available for renewable energy purchases.
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“We’re drawn to the idea that austerity thinking is smart thinking, and that’s just not the case. You’ve got to look at the whole picture.” - New York City Comptroller candidate Brad Lander
There’s an opportunity, particularly for the comptroller and mayor, to expand on those incentives. New rules could require developers to forgo oil burners and gas appliances in favor of all-electric and geothermal systems. Swapping electric alternatives for heating and cooking would save the average NYC home $6,800 and 46 tons of carbon dioxide emissions over a 15-year period, according to an analysis the nonprofit Rocky Mountain Institute published this month.
Lander has proposed creating new “climate loans” to help fund solar panels and wind turbines on private property. Drawing on researcher Saul Griffith’s work on financing the transition to clean energy, Lander said the city could, in theory, invest in a vast network of rooftop renewables and batteries that would ultimately amount to a municipal electric utility, drawing in additional revenue for the city.
A Powerful Pulpit
Changes in the city could resonate far beyond the shores of the Hudson and East rivers. Stringer began the process of divesting the city’s roughly $5 billion in pension funds from fossil fuels, and the move prompted other large cities to follow suit.
He also used the city’s strength as a major shareholder to pressure JPMorgan Chase to demote former Exxon Mobil CEO Lee Raymond ― the executive who helped build the propaganda apparatus that poisoned public discourse on climate science for decades ― from his lead director role on its board in May.
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Lander said he wants to use the comptroller’s office to press New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) for more leeway to make sustainable investments and direct more financing back to New Yorkers as the pandemic-induced recession worsens, pushing back against Albany’s belt-tightening instincts.
“We’re drawn to the idea that austerity thinking is smart thinking, and that’s just not the case,” Lander said. “You’ve got to look at the whole picture.”
That view of the bigger picture could help New York reset its climate politics. After Sandy, New York traded a “decarbonization-focused tentative cosmopolitanism” for an inward-looking defensive “fortress of solitude” approach, as sociologist Daniel Aldana Cohen described it in a study published last month in the journal Environmental Politics. In what may be a side effect of that retreat, more than half of the country’s 100 most populous cities have yet to even set targets to cut emissions ― and of the ones that have, two-thirds are lagging far behind their goals, according to a Brookings Institution study released Thursday.
For Eddie Bautista, the Brooklyn-based community organizer who leads the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, the victories that climate hard-liners won in the election this year are signs of good things to come in 2021.
“The last six months have shone a light,” he said. “We now have the political muscle at the same historic moment that the political machines are dead or dying out. When I look at where we are positioned as a movement, I am optimistic.”