thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-11--A Firm Aimed At Fighting Disinformation In Political Texting Has Trump Ties, Serious Conflicts

But text messaging is also a minimally regulated space and , like any platform , there is the potential for malfeasance .
Who is really on the other end of that random number that just reached out ?
Bad actors have already bought phone numbers with which to bombard people with spam or disinformation .
In 2018 , someone falsely claiming to be affiliated with then-Democratic Senate candidate Beto O ’ Rourke texted voters with a request for help transporting undocumented immigrants to polling booths so they could vote , a message seemingly designed to legitimize Republican fearmongering around voter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be Republican congressional candidate Byron Donalds texted voters that Donalds was dropping out of the race on the day of the primary , an apparent effort to discourage people from voting for him .
Campaign Verify gives customer campaigns a secret PIN code via mail or email , and campaigns are supposed to use those codes to generate “ secure authorization tokens ” that texting platforms then use to show wireless carriers the messages are coming from legitimate political actors .
Campaign Verify charges hundreds to thousands of dollars for its verification @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee ( DSCC ) started urging its candidates ’ campaigns to sign up with the company as soon as possible or risk having their texts filtered as spam by the carriers .
The email alarmed campaign staffers , many of whom had never heard of Campaign Verify .
It was unclear how the company had the authority to set protocols for political text operations — and whether the wireless carriers had actually agreed to implement the verification tool as part of their spam filtering efforts .
Getting answers to those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time-consuming process , according to the political professionals who spoke to HuffPost — and in the meantime , campaigns worried about having their communication with voters interrupted during the critical final stretch before the election .
When Campaign Verify first launched its website in August , the organization claimed it had been “ formed in collaboration with the DNC , RNC , and U.S. wireless carriers.
” But the reference to the DNC and RNC was eventually removed .
As Democratic political professionals who spoke to HuffPost learned about Coby , Lansing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ came to view Campaign Verify as an initiative that would benefit Opn Sesame and Hustle , the board members ’ respective companies , over their competitors .
Campaign Verify did not disclose the names of its board members on its website until Friday , after HuffPost asked why their names were not public .
For the past two weeks , political operatives on the left wondered why the DNC didn ’ t issue any guidance to campaigns on whether they actually needed to register with Campaign Verify , despite the DNC ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the edict from the DSCC .
“ By not publicly rejecting the notion that Campaign Verify is a legitimate organization , the DNC allowed a misinformation to spread at near astronomic levels , ” a Democratic operative in the SMS industry told HuffPost .
“ With less than 60 days to go until the single most important election in our lifetime , campaigns have spent weeks asking whether they needed to pay Campaign Verify or not.
” “ Unfortunately , with less than eight weeks prior to Election Day , Campaign Verify ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for 2020 .
The proposal has not been adopted or technically vetted , and is simply not mature enough to solve the problem it has set out to tackle , ” the DNC official said .
“ We are working closely with our SMS vendors to ensure we have robust plans around disinformation for the 2020 cycle , and we look forward to continuing to work with Campaign Verify and other stakeholders on a path forward beyond 2020 that is beneficial for everyone , not just the Trump campaign and financial stakeholders , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Verify spokesperson disputed the DNC ’ s characterization of events .
According to the spokesperson , the DNC has had a board observer with Campaign Verify since June , made a recommendation about the board ’ s composition , and had the opportunity to provide feedback on a draft of the website in early August .
( The RNC has also had a board observer . )
Campaign Verify also said it provided “ implementation guidance ” earlier this month that would allow any texting vendor to use the nonprofit ’ s verification @ @ @ @ @ @ @ systems .
The fact that Campaign Verify did not at first publicly disclose who was running the company should have been a red flag right away , several critics told HuffPost .
“ If it really were the case that this was an effort by ombudsman-like actors , I would think they would want to be public about who is behind their entity , ” said Lucy Caldwell , a political strategist who ran former Illinois GOP Rep. Joe Walsh ’ s primary challenge against Trump .
“ I think that this is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of industry capture , dressed up in the clothing of a nonprofit , ” Caldwell added .
For two weeks , political campaign operatives tried to figure out if they really needed to register with the nonprofit — and if the texting platform they used was even technologically compatible with the nonprofit ’ s authentication protocol .
It was surprisingly difficult for campaigns to get a clear answer , in part because the SMS platforms who were unsure had no incentive to admit it and risk scaring off clients and the wireless carriers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ verification would be required .
The DNC official told HuffPost on Wednesday that Hustle , the texting company co-founded by board member Lindsay , is the only platform on the left that is technologically compatible with Campaign Verify .
Earlier this year , Hustle lost its contract with the DNC to a competitor called GetThru , which declined to comment .
( The DNC also manages presidential nominee Joe Biden ’ s texting operation . )
Lindsay , who referred to himself as a Campaign Verify co-founder in a previous version of his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mention of Campaign Verify from the site .
AT & T and Verizon did not respond to requests for comment .
( HuffPost is owned by Verizon Media , a subsidiary of Verizon . )
T-Mobile updated its code of conduct earlier this month with language that suggested it would require political campaigns to use Campaign Verify or another third-party verification service , but later clarified that requirement only applied to text messages traveling through a specific channel .
“ We do not block any political messages , and existing political messaging campaigns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or not they are registered with Campaign Verify , ” T-Mobile ’ s media relations team wrote in an email .
Like social media platforms , wireless carriers are under pressure to help stop the spread of misinformation leading up to the November election .
But blocking political communications is a fraught enterprise .
“ The phone companies really don ’ t want to be in the position of Twitter and having conservatives say , ‘ How come you blocked our text and not someone else ’ s ?
’ And have the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you guys uploaded millions of names at once and broke our spam rules and Democrats aren ’ t doing that on the same scale , ’ ” the Democratic political strategist said .

Illustration: Damon Dahlen/HuffPost; Photos: Getty
With Election Day only 53 days away, campaigns are scrambling to contact every voter they can. Text messaging has become an indispensable tool in the desperate quest to reach people, bypassing email inboxes cluttered with promotions and spam, and breaking through amid the flashing ads of the internet and promoted posts on social media. Text messaging can be more personal, and it’s direct.
But text messaging is also a minimally regulated space and, like any platform, there is the potential for malfeasance. Who is really on the other end of that random number that just reached out? Bad actors have already bought phone numbers with which to bombard people with spam or disinformation. In 2018, someone falsely claiming to be affiliated with then-Democratic Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke texted voters with a request for help transporting undocumented immigrants to polling booths so they could vote, a message seemingly designed to legitimize Republican fearmongering around voter fraud. Last month, someone pretending to be Republican congressional candidate Byron Donalds texted voters that Donalds was dropping out of the race on the day of the primary, an apparent effort to discourage people from voting for him.
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Wireless carriers do filter spam, but they are understandably reluctant to referee what is or is not a legitimate political communication. So this year, a group called Campaign Verify stepped into the breach. The nonprofit describes itself as a nonpartisan service that provides identity verification to federal campaigns, parties and PACs to protect them from being spoofed by bad actors or filtered as spam by wireless carriers.
Campaign Verify gives customer campaigns a secret PIN code via mail or email, and campaigns are supposed to use those codes to generate “secure authorization tokens” that texting platforms then use to show wireless carriers the messages are coming from legitimate political actors. Campaign Verify charges hundreds to thousands of dollars for its verification service. Late last month, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) started urging its candidates’ campaigns to sign up with the company as soon as possible or risk having their texts filtered as spam by the carriers.
But HuffPost spoke with 10 people, all working in the political texting and campaign world, who accused Campaign Verify of pushing an ineffective service on risk-averse campaigns with minimal transparency and misleading claims. The DSCC’s sudden announcement created widespread panic and confusion among Democratic campaign staff. Most spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of losing their jobs.
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Moreover, a HuffPost investigation found that Campaign Verify’s board of six directors includes three people who have direct ties to texting vendors that would be impacted by a new verification standard: Roddy Lindsay, a co-founder of Hustle, a texting platform used by the left; and Gary Coby and Gerrit Lansing, the co-founders of Opn Sesame, a texting platform used by the right.
Both Coby and Lansing are also currently working to reelect President Donald Trump: Coby is the Trump campaign’s digital director and Lansing is the president of WinRed, the Republican National Committee’s fundraising platform. And Hustle is the only company serving Democrats that is technologically compatible with the verification requirements put forth by Campaign Verify, according to the Democratic National Committee.
These three men have obvious conflicts of interest: They are pushing standards for an industry in which they have a clear stake in the success of specific players.
An Alarming Message
On Aug. 26, the DSCC emailed the digital directors for the Democratic Party’s 2020 Senate campaigns: “The DNC reached out and asked us to have folks verify your texting program with Campaign Verify,” the email read. Failure to get verified within the following week or two could result in their campaign text messages — an especially critical form of voter outreach during the pandemic — being blocked or filtered by wireless carriers, the DSCC warned.
The email alarmed campaign staffers, many of whom had never heard of Campaign Verify. It was unclear how the company had the authority to set protocols for political text operations — and whether the wireless carriers had actually agreed to implement the verification tool as part of their spam filtering efforts. Getting answers to those questions proved to be a circuitous and time-consuming process, according to the political professionals who spoke to HuffPost — and in the meantime, campaigns worried about having their communication with voters interrupted during the critical final stretch before the election.
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When Campaign Verify first launched its website in August, the organization claimed it had been “formed in collaboration with the DNC, RNC, and U.S. wireless carriers.” But the reference to the DNC and RNC was eventually removed. As Democratic political professionals who spoke to HuffPost learned about Coby, Lansing, and Lindsay’s role, they came to view Campaign Verify as an initiative that would benefit Opn Sesame and Hustle, the board members’ respective companies, over their competitors. Campaign Verify did not disclose the names of its board members on its website until Friday, after HuffPost asked why their names were not public.
A Campaign Verify spokesperson defended the board as a bipartisan mix of experts from the wireless industry and political campaigns, but did not address HuffPost’s specific questions about the three board members.
For the past two weeks, political operatives on the left wondered why the DNC didn’t issue any guidance to campaigns on whether they actually needed to register with Campaign Verify, despite the DNC’s brief branding association with the company and the edict from the DSCC. “By not publicly rejecting the notion that Campaign Verify is a legitimate organization, the DNC allowed a misinformation to spread at near astronomic levels,” a Democratic operative in the SMS industry told HuffPost. “With less than 60 days to go until the single most important election in our lifetime, campaigns have spent weeks asking whether they needed to pay Campaign Verify or not.”
On Wednesday, after inquiries from HuffPost, the DNC moved to distance itself from the group. “Campaign Verify was effectively radio silent with the DNC on their technical plans for implementation between March and the end of August,” a DNC official told HuffPost. “They put our logo on their website without informing us.”
“Unfortunately, with less than eight weeks prior to Election Day, Campaign Verify’s proposal is not the path forward for 2020. The proposal has not been adopted or technically vetted, and is simply not mature enough to solve the problem it has set out to tackle,” the DNC official said. “We are working closely with our SMS vendors to ensure we have robust plans around disinformation for the 2020 cycle, and we look forward to continuing to work with Campaign Verify and other stakeholders on a path forward beyond 2020 that is beneficial for everyone, not just the Trump campaign and financial stakeholders,” the official continued.
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A Campaign Verify spokesperson disputed the DNC’s characterization of events. According to the spokesperson, the DNC has had a board observer with Campaign Verify since June, made a recommendation about the board’s composition, and had the opportunity to provide feedback on a draft of the website in early August. (The RNC has also had a board observer.) Campaign Verify also said it provided “implementation guidance” earlier this month that would allow any texting vendor to use the nonprofit’s verification services manually without updating its own technical systems.
“The insinuation that this would benefit any individual campaign or ‘financial stakeholder’ is disproven by this timing and the simplicity of our officially suggested implementation: anyone can manage a spreadsheet of their customer information,” the Campaign Verify spokesperson wrote.
‘The Kind Of Age-Old Story Of Industry Capture’
The fact that Campaign Verify did not at first publicly disclose who was running the company should have been a red flag right away, several critics told HuffPost. “If it really were the case that this was an effort by ombudsman-like actors, I would think they would want to be public about who is behind their entity,” said Lucy Caldwell, a political strategist who ran former Illinois GOP Rep. Joe Walsh’s primary challenge against Trump. “I think that this is more like the kind of age-old story of industry capture, dressed up in the clothing of a nonprofit,” Caldwell added.
For two weeks, political campaign operatives tried to figure out if they really needed to register with the nonprofit — and if the texting platform they used was even technologically compatible with the nonprofit’s authentication protocol. It was surprisingly difficult for campaigns to get a clear answer, in part because the SMS platforms who were unsure had no incentive to admit it and risk scaring off clients and the wireless carriers were evasive in providing guidance around whether verification would be required.
The DNC official told HuffPost on Wednesday that Hustle, the texting company co-founded by board member Lindsay, is the only platform on the left that is technologically compatible with Campaign Verify. Earlier this year, Hustle lost its contract with the DNC to a competitor called GetThru, which declined to comment. (The DNC also manages presidential nominee Joe Biden’s texting operation.) Lindsay, who referred to himself as a Campaign Verify co-founder in a previous version of his personal website, has since removed any mention of Campaign Verify from the site.
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It’s “a pretty obvious conflict of interest,” a Democratic political strategist said. “Letting Campaign Verify propose regulatory standards for political SMS is like putting ExxonMobil in charge of the EPA,” the Democratic operative in the SMS industry added.
The Requirement That Wasn’t
Internal Campaign Verify documents aimed at potential clients and obtained by HuffPost show that the nonprofit initially overstated the need for campaigns to use its services. A Campaign Verify presentation stated that verification is “required” and that failure to comply “risks increased filtration rates or message traffic stopped entirely.” A Campaign Verify one-pager claims, “Two Tier-1 U.S. wireless carriers have adopted Campaign Verify as a requirement for Federal campaigns and committees who want to text voters in 2020.”
In fact, the nonprofit has no official authority and none of the major wireless carriers have publicly stated that they plan to block text messages before the election from political entities that fail to enlist Campaign Verify’s services.
AT&T and Verizon did not respond to requests for comment. (HuffPost is owned by Verizon Media, a subsidiary of Verizon.) T-Mobile updated its code of conduct earlier this month with language that suggested it would require political campaigns to use Campaign Verify or another third-party verification service, but later clarified that requirement only applied to text messages traveling through a specific channel. “We do not block any political messages, and existing political messaging campaigns are not filtered as spam, whether or not they are registered with Campaign Verify,” T-Mobile’s media relations team wrote in an email.
Campaign Verify framing its services as required when they’re really optional “comes off as a little scammy and leaves more questions than answers,” said another Democratic operative in the SMS industry.
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The DSCC sent out updated guidance as soon as they learned campaigns did not need to use a third-party vendor to continue reaching voters, DSCC communications director Lauren Passalacqua said in an email.
The Campaign Verify spokesperson told HuffPost that the nonprofit was under the impression that two wireless carriers planned to require the use of its services before the election. “The fact that the requirement was later updated does not change the fact that we were operating under accurate (to the best of our knowledge) information at that time when we made these communications,” the spokesperson wrote.
Like social media platforms, wireless carriers are under pressure to help stop the spread of misinformation leading up to the November election. But blocking political communications is a fraught enterprise. “The phone companies really don’t want to be in the position of Twitter and having conservatives say, ‘How come you blocked our text and not someone else’s?’ And have the answer be, ‘Well, because you guys uploaded millions of names at once and broke our spam rules and Democrats aren’t doing that on the same scale,’” the Democratic political strategist said.
Campaigns and carriers’ fears of how this would all play out created an opening for Campaign Verify and its verification promise.
Now, Campaign Verify’s operation appears to be on hold. No campaign, PAC or texting platform has paid the fee for its services, according to the group. “We welcome the DNC’s and the wireless industry’s input and participation in securing the texting channel against disinformation attacks in 2020 and beyond, and hearing more about their specific plans to prevent the systemic issue around SMS election disinformation,” the Campaign Verify spokesperson wrote.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-11--Former Judge's New Brief Blasts 'Corrupt' DOJ Move To Dismiss Michael Flynn Charges

A searing new legal brief rips the “ corrupt ” and “ politically motivated ” move by the Department of Justice to dismiss criminal charges against the Trump administration ’ s former national security adviser Michael Flynn .
“ In the United States , Presidents do not orchestrate pressure campaigns to get the Justice Department to drop charges against defendants who have pleaded guilty — twice , before two different judges — and whose guilt is obvious , ” stated the friend-of-the-court brief by retired federal Judge John Gleeson .
Gleeson was appointed to examine the case and write the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the wake of the Justice Department ’ s motion to dismiss charges against Flynn .
Flynn pleaded guilty three years ago to lying to the FBI about secret negotiations with Russia ’ s ambassador to the U.S. weeks before Donald Trump ’ s election .
When Flynn later changed his mind , the DOJ suddenly decided to support him against a case their own prosecutors had won .
“ To describe the Government ’ s Motion to Dismiss as irregular would be a study in understatement , ” Gleeson wrote .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ motion as “ riddled with legal and factual error.
” The government ’ s failure to “ defend its own ... reasoning is matched by its silence on the subject of abuse of power , ” Gleeson noted .
“ The Government makes little effort to refute ( or even address ) the evidence exposing its abuses.
” Gleeson attributed pressure from Trump for the “ corrupt and politically motivated favor for the president ’ s friend and ally.
” For the court to accede to the DOJ ’ s demand would “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he concluded .
Gleeson not only strongly argued against dismissing the case , he also urged that Flynn should be punished for additional “ perjurious ” statements during earlier proceedings in the case .
Sullivan has set a hearing for Sept. 29 to hear arguments from Flynn , Gleeson and prosecutors on whether the case should be dismissed .

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A searing new legal brief rips the “corrupt” and “politically motivated” move by the Department of Justice to dismiss criminal charges against the Trump administration’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
“In the United States, Presidents do not orchestrate pressure campaigns to get the Justice Department to drop charges against defendants who have pleaded guilty — twice, before two different judges — and whose guilt is obvious,” stated the friend-of-the-court brief by retired federal Judge John Gleeson.
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Gleeson was appointed to examine the case and write the brief by U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan in the wake of the Justice Department’s motion to dismiss charges against Flynn.
Flynn pleaded guilty three years ago to lying to the FBI about secret negotiations with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. weeks before Donald Trump’s election. When Flynn later changed his mind, the DOJ suddenly decided to support him against a case their own prosecutors had won.
“To describe the Government’s Motion to Dismiss as irregular would be a study in understatement,” Gleeson wrote.
He slammed Attorney General William Barr’s motion as “riddled with legal and factual error.” The government’s failure to “defend its own ... reasoning is matched by its silence on the subject of abuse of power,” Gleeson noted. “The Government makes little effort to refute (or even address) the evidence exposing its abuses.”
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Gleeson attributed pressure from Trump for the “corrupt and politically motivated favor for the president’s friend and ally.” For the court to accede to the DOJ’s demand would “reduce the Court to a rubber stamp,” he concluded.
Gleeson not only strongly argued against dismissing the case, he also urged that Flynn should be punished for additional “perjurious” statements during earlier proceedings in the case.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-12--Los Angeles Times Slams ‘Calamity’ Trump With Early Endorsement Of Biden

The Los Angeles Times editorial board has announced its early endorsement of Democratic nominee Joe Biden in the 2020 election .
In a column published Thursday , the newspaper ’ s board said it was compelled to make the announcement before the televised debates had even taken place because “ it ’ s inconceivable that anything that will be said on the debate stage will close the cavernous fitness gap between ” Biden and President Donald Trump .
“ So stark is the contrast , ” it wrote .
It warned Trump ’ s reelection would be “ a calamity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rhetoric .
It also acknowledged Trump ’ s record “ easily justifies a position of ’ Anybody but Trump ” but said “ Biden isn ’ t just preferable to Trump ; in many respects he is Trump ’ s antithesis.
” Biden is “ poised not only to wrest the White House from an unfit incumbent but also to take the nation in a progressive direction , ” the board concluded .
“ We enthusiastically endorse his election.
” Important conversations are happening now .
Add your voice !
Join HuffPost Today @

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The Los Angeles Times editorial board has announced its early endorsement of Democratic nominee Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
In a column published Thursday, the newspaper’s board said it was compelled to make the announcement before the televised debates had even taken place because “it’s inconceivable that anything that will be said on the debate stage will close the cavernous fitness gap between” Biden and President Donald Trump.
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“So stark is the contrast,” it wrote.
It warned Trump’s reelection would be “a calamity,” citing his lies and divisive rhetoric. It also acknowledged Trump’s record “easily justifies a position of ’Anybody but Trump’” but said “Biden isn’t just preferable to Trump; in many respects he is Trump’s antithesis.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-11--Democratic Senate Candidate Adrian Perkins Backs Abolishing The Filibuster

Adrian Perkins Senate campaign Perkins , 34 , is the mayor of Shreveport , Louisiana , and is running for Senate as a Democrat .
Louisiana Democratic Senate candidate Adrian Perkins is in favor of abolishing the filibuster , giving extra momentum to the growing call to remove the 60-vote threshold required to pass legislation .
“ The filibuster is not in our Constitution , ” he told HuffPost in an interview .
“ It isn ’ t something that we should be anchored to .
And we ’ ve seen the detriment of the filibuster , and we shouldn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disrupt our government in the way that it has .
So I am about abolishing.
” Perkins , 34 , was elected the mayor of Shreveport in 2018 .
If he wins his race for the Senate , he would be the youngest member in the chamber .
The grandson of a sharecropper , Perkins graduated from West Point and served three tours in the Army in Iraq and Afghanistan , earning the Bronze Star and the rank of captain .
He later graduated from Harvard Law School .
Two other Democratic Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Montana ’ s Steve Bullock , have also said they want to see the filibuster gone .
Besides Jamie Harrison in South Carolina , nearly every other Democratic Senate candidate is at least open to abolishing it .
In July , Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ( D-N.Y. ) had not committed to getting rid of the filibuster if Democrats take the majority , but he also refused to rule it out .
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden , a longtime defender of the rule , said in July that “ you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ” and it would “ depend on how obstreperous they become , ” referring to Senate Republicans .
But the biggest boost for eliminating the filibuster came recently from former President Barack Obama .
During the July 30 funeral for Rep. John Lewis ( D-Ga. ) , Obama said that getting rid of the procedural hurdle would be a fitting way to pay homage to the civil rights icon .
“ You want to honor John ?
Let ’ s honor him by revitalizing the law he was willing to die for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it the John Lewis Voting Rights Act is a fine tribute , but John wouldn ’ t want us to stop there , just getting back to where we already were.
” “ If all this takes eliminating the filibuster , another Jim Crow relic , in order to secure the God-given rights of every American , then that ’ s what we should do , ” he added .
Segregationist southern Democrats regularly used the filibuster in the first half of the 20th century to block civil rights and anti-lynching legislation .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for most presidential nominees , and Republicans more recently abolished the 60-vote requirement for Supreme Court picks .
Democrats would need 51 votes to get rid of the filibuster .
Perkins immediately picked up the backing of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee when he entered the race in late July , and if elected , he would be the first black senator from Louisiana .
( There have been only 10 black senators ever . )
Perkins said he didn ’ t plan to run when the year started , but watching the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to jump in .
“ As I put my head down and I worked as hard as I could with my team around me , I realized that we couldn ’ t do it alone , ” he said .
“ And I realized that the leadership in Washington , D.C. , was absent .
Our federal delegation was absent .
And , you know , that was annoying enough .
But then I looked even closer and realized that as this pandemic started to play itself out , they were being harmful.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ crisis .
... That made the virus even more potent in our community when people didn ’ t want to wear a face mask and people didn ’ t want to adhere to the things that we were putting out to keep our community safe , ” Perkins added .
Louisiana has an open election , meaning that Perkins and every other candidate , regardless of party , will be competing against Sen. Bill Cassidy ( R ) in November .
If no candidate receives a majority of the vote , the top @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Perkins, 34, is the mayor of Shreveport, Louisiana, and is running for Senate as a Democrat. Adrian Perkins Senate campaign
Louisiana Democratic Senate candidate Adrian Perkins is in favor of abolishing the filibuster, giving extra momentum to the growing call to remove the 60-vote threshold required to pass legislation.
“The filibuster is not in our Constitution,” he told HuffPost in an interview. “It isn’t something that we should be anchored to. And we’ve seen the detriment of the filibuster, and we shouldn’t let a Senate procedural tool disrupt our government in the way that it has. So I am about abolishing.”
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Perkins, 34, was elected the mayor of Shreveport in 2018. If he wins his race for the Senate, he would be the youngest member in the chamber. The grandson of a sharecropper, Perkins graduated from West Point and served three tours in the Army in Iraq and Afghanistan, earning the Bronze Star and the rank of captain. He later graduated from Harvard Law School.
Two other Democratic Senate challengers, Maine’s Sara Gideon and Montana’s Steve Bullock, have also said they want to see the filibuster gone. Besides Jamie Harrison in South Carolina, nearly every other Democratic Senate candidate is at least open to abolishing it.
In July, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) had not committed to getting rid of the filibuster if Democrats take the majority, but he also refused to rule it out.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, a longtime defender of the rule, said in July that “you have to just take a look at it” and it would “depend on how obstreperous they become,” referring to Senate Republicans.
But the biggest boost for eliminating the filibuster came recently from former President Barack Obama. During the July 30 funeral for Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), Obama said that getting rid of the procedural hurdle would be a fitting way to pay homage to the civil rights icon.
“You want to honor John? Let’s honor him by revitalizing the law he was willing to die for,” Obama said. “Naming it the John Lewis Voting Rights Act is a fine tribute, but John wouldn’t want us to stop there, just getting back to where we already were.”
“If all this takes eliminating the filibuster, another Jim Crow relic, in order to secure the God-given rights of every American, then that’s what we should do,” he added. Segregationist southern Democrats regularly used the filibuster in the first half of the 20th century to block civil rights and anti-lynching legislation. Under Obama, Democrats removed the filibuster for most presidential nominees, and Republicans more recently abolished the 60-vote requirement for Supreme Court picks. Democrats would need 51 votes to get rid of the filibuster.
Perkins immediately picked up the backing of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee when he entered the race in late July, and if elected, he would be the first black senator from Louisiana. (There have been only 10 black senators ever.)
Perkins said he didn’t plan to run when the year started, but watching the federal response to the coronavirus spurred him to jump in.
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“As I put my head down and I worked as hard as I could with my team around me, I realized that we couldn’t do it alone,” he said. “And I realized that the leadership in Washington, D.C., was absent. Our federal delegation was absent. And, you know, that was annoying enough. But then I looked even closer and realized that as this pandemic started to play itself out, they were being harmful.”
“They politicized a public health crisis. ... That made the virus even more potent in our community when people didn’t want to wear a face mask and people didn’t want to adhere to the things that we were putting out to keep our community safe,” Perkins added.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-12--California Fire Crews Battling Massive Wildfires Head to Devastated Areas

BERRY CREEK , Calif. ( AP ) —Smoke from massive wildfires that painted California skies orange was also helping crews corral the deadliest blaze of the year , but despite the progress there was concern that the death toll could mount as crews reach devastated areas .
Crews made progress Friday in chopping or bulldozing brush-free lines to control lne North Complex fire .
In addition , gusting winds that whipped up the flames days earlier eased while smoke blocked out the sun and lowered previously scorching temperatures .
Saturday ’ s high temperature was expected to top out at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Complex remained the deadliest this year , with nine confirmed deaths .
Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea had said 10 bodies were found but on Friday lowered the figure .
Honea said remains found in a burned storage shed turned out to be from a resin model of a human skeleton that was used by an anthropology student .
More victims could be found when search-and-rescue teams join sheriff ’ s detectives in the rugged mountain area but firefighters said it was too dangerous to immediately begin work in some places .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for his life , ” his mother , Jessica Williams , told CBS13 Sacramento .
“ My son was a good , smart , caring young boy that died alone and it kills me thinking about what he was going through.
” The body of Millicent Catarancuic , 77 , of Berry Creek was found by a car on Wednesday , and two other people who may have been associated with her were found in the same area , the sheriff said .
He did not release their names .
Catarancuic ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reno Gazette-Journal his family had been packed up and ready to leave before deciding to wait when it appeared the fire threat was easing .
Then , it made an explosive run .
“ At the last minute they decided to stay , ” Roe-Zurz said .
“ They decided they would wing it if they had to and that proved to be a really fatal mistake.
” This year already has seen shattered California records for the most area burned — more land than the state of Connecticut — and recorded the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state .
Five of the top 10 biggest blazes in state history are still burning and fire season often gets worse in the fall .
Some 4,000 homes and other buildings have been destroyed .
In Berry Creek , most homes were reduced to smoldering piles of ash , twisted metal and blackened appliances , although some were unscathed .
Chimneys poked from rubble and burned-out cars and pickup trucks dotted the landscape .
Scorched utility poles and fallen wires lined the roads .
A bar , laundromat and two stores were gone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ station were a pair of pumps and a sign listing prices .
The school and volunteer fire station — with the engine still inside — were destroyed .
John Sykes fled his cabin when the winds started howling Tuesday and the skies became so dark from smoke that he had to turn on his lights at midday .
He , his wife and a friend left with only a change of clothes each .
“ All I could do is look in the rearview mirror and see orange sky and a mushroom cloud @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and to keep going , ” Sykes said Friday .
“ It was a terrifying feeling.
” “ The debate is over around climate change .
Just come to the state of California , observe it with your own eyes , ” he said , citing the hottest August in state history , 14,000 dry lightning strikes in three days , record-breaking temperatures , drought and millions of dead trees .

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BERRY CREEK, Calif. (AP) —Smoke from massive wildfires that painted California skies orange was also helping crews corral the deadliest blaze of the year, but despite the progress there was concern that the death toll could mount as crews reach devastated areas.
Nine people, including a 16-year-old boy, have been confirmed dead since lightning-caused fires that started weeks ago fused into a monster that largely destroyed Berry Creek, a tiny hamlet in the Sierra Nevada foothills northeast of San Francisco.
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Crews made progress Friday in chopping or bulldozing brush-free lines to control lne North Complex fire. In addition, gusting winds that whipped up the flames days earlier eased while smoke blocked out the sun and lowered previously scorching temperatures. Saturday’s high temperature was expected to top out at 80 degrees or less.
Nearly 15,000 firefighters were battling 28 major wildfires across California, although 24 were sparked Thursday and quickly contained.
The North Complex remained the deadliest this year, with nine confirmed deaths. Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea had said 10 bodies were found but on Friday lowered the figure. Honea said remains found in a burned storage shed turned out to be from a resin model of a human skeleton that was used by an anthropology student.
A search continued for 19 people who remained unaccounted for.
More victims could be found when search-and-rescue teams join sheriff’s detectives in the rugged mountain area but firefighters said it was too dangerous to immediately begin work in some places.
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“Right now, the areas that we need to search are too hot,” Honea said.
The sheriff said the victims included Josiah Williams, 16, of Berry Creek, who apparently died while trying to flee the flames in a vehicle.
“He was alone, terrified and ran for his life,” his mother, Jessica Williams, told CBS13 Sacramento. “My son was a good, smart, caring young boy that died alone and it kills me thinking about what he was going through.”
The body of Millicent Catarancuic, 77, of Berry Creek was found by a car on Wednesday, and two other people who may have been associated with her were found in the same area, the sheriff said. He did not release their names.
“We have information that those subjects were aware of the fire but chose not to immediately evacuate,” he said.
Catarancuic’s nephew, Zygy Roe-Zurz, told the Reno Gazette-Journal his family had been packed up and ready to leave before deciding to wait when it appeared the fire threat was easing. Then, it made an explosive run.
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“At the last minute they decided to stay,” Roe-Zurz said. “They decided they would wing it if they had to and that proved to be a really fatal mistake.”
The couple lived in the home with his mother, Suzan Violet Zurz, a painter and former model, who remained missing, he said.
This year already has seen shattered California records for the most area burned — more land than the state of Connecticut — and recorded the largest fire of all time in the state. Five of the top 10 biggest blazes in state history are still burning and fire season often gets worse in the fall. Some 4,000 homes and other buildings have been destroyed.
In Berry Creek, most homes were reduced to smoldering piles of ash, twisted metal and blackened appliances, although some were unscathed. Chimneys poked from rubble and burned-out cars and pickup trucks dotted the landscape. Scorched utility poles and fallen wires lined the roads.
A bar, laundromat and two stores were gone. All that remained of a gas station were a pair of pumps and a sign listing prices. The school and volunteer fire station — with the engine still inside — were destroyed.
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John Sykes fled his cabin when the winds started howling Tuesday and the skies became so dark from smoke that he had to turn on his lights at midday. He, his wife and a friend left with only a change of clothes each.
“All I could do is look in the rearview mirror and see orange sky and a mushroom cloud and that told me it was hot and to keep going,” Sykes said Friday. “It was a terrifying feeling.”
“There was no fighting this fire,” he said. “Those who tried to fight it are probably not here.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom toured the fire-ravaged region Friday, strongly asserted that climate change was evident and pledged to redouble efforts to “decarbonize” the economy.
“The debate is over around climate change. Just come to the state of California, observe it with your own eyes,” he said, citing the hottest August in state history, 14,000 dry lightning strikes in three days, record-breaking temperatures, drought and millions of dead trees.
Neighboring Oregon and Washington also have been besieged and air pollution is a major problem across the West. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said Friday “dozens of people” are missing from the large wildfires that have burned across the state.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-12--College Students Test Positive For Coronavirus, Throw Party Anyway

A college student house held a party over the Labor Day weekend that included people who had recently tested positive for the coronavirus , according to police body camera footage .
Oxford police cited six men who attended a house party near Miami University on Saturday for violating the state ’ s mass gathering and quarantine ordinance .
Bodycam footage shows an officer arriving at a home near the campus and finding men without masks on the porch .
One of the men tells police that 20 people have gathered at the house , twice the amount of people allowed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asks the group to disperse while he runs the ID of one of the residents .
“ I ’ ve never seen this before , ” the officer is heard saying to the student after running his ID .
“ There ’ s an input on the computer that you tested positive for COVID ?
” “ Yes , ” the student answers .
He goes on to disclose that he tested positive a week before and that every single person at the party has COVID-19 , including two people from the house @ @ @ @ @ @ @ God .
This is what we ’ re trying to prevent , ” the officer responds .
“ We want to keep this town open.
” The officer questioned why the students weren ’ t practicing a self-imposed quarantine for 14 days , as recommended by state and federal health officials .
More than 1,000 Miami University students have tested positive for COVID-19 since classes started this fall , according to WKRC .
Gov .
Mike DeWine said in a briefing Thursday that cases at Miami are the reason why Butler County remains @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s public health advisory system .
The university still plans to start in-person classes on Sept. 21 .
But school officials have warned that students who refuse to take a test will be denied access to campus services and will have to return to remote learning .

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A college student house held a party over the Labor Day weekend that included people who had recently tested positive for the coronavirus, according to police body camera footage.
Oxford police cited six men who attended a house party near Miami University on Saturday for violating the state’s mass gathering and quarantine ordinance.
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Bodycam footage shows an officer arriving at a home near the campus and finding men without masks on the porch.
One of the men tells police that 20 people have gathered at the house, twice the amount of people allowed to congregate in Ohio. The officer asks the group to disperse while he runs the ID of one of the residents.
“I’ve never seen this before,” the officer is heard saying to the student after running his ID. “There’s an input on the computer that you tested positive for COVID?”
“Yes,” the student answers. He goes on to disclose that he tested positive a week before and that every single person at the party has COVID-19, including two people from the house across the street.
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WATCH: While hosting a large house party, Miami University students admit to police they recently tested positive for COVID-19 https://t.co/7LbUJvHSw5 pic.twitter.com/lW3gDqByYj — CBS News (@CBSNews) September 11, 2020
“Oh, God. This is what we’re trying to prevent,” the officer responds. “We want to keep this town open.”
The officer questioned why the students weren’t practicing a self-imposed quarantine for 14 days, as recommended by state and federal health officials.
More than 1,000 Miami University students have tested positive for COVID-19 since classes started this fall, according to WKRC.
Gov. Mike DeWine said in a briefing Thursday that cases at Miami are the reason why Butler County remains at a level 3 on the state’s public health advisory system.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-12--Samuel L. Jackson Hits Donald Trump's Supporters With A Damning Question

Samuel L. Jackson — never shy about slamming Donald Trump — asked a damning question about the president ’ s @ @ @ @ @ episode of “ Jimmy Kimmel Live !
” The actor , who was standing in @ @ @ @ @ guest host , listed just some of the scandals that Trump has caused in only @ @ @ @ @ then asked : “ Who can still be voting for this guy after all the @ @ @ @ @ on his watch ?
” “ The fact of the matter is that Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ , ” Jackson later added , cutting to a spoof Trump campaign ad detailing the @ @ @ @ @ for the president .
Important conversations are happening now .
Add your voice !
Join @ @ @

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Samuel L. Jackson — never shy about slamming Donald Trump — asked a damning question about the president’s supporters on Friday’s episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
The actor, who was standing in for comedian Jimmy Kimmel as guest host, listed just some of the scandals that Trump has caused in only the last week.
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He then asked: “Who can still be voting for this guy after all the stuff that has gone down on his watch?”
“The fact of the matter is that Donald Trump is dangerous for our country,” Jackson later added, cutting to a spoof Trump campaign ad detailing the possible side effects of voting for the president.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-12--Dakotas Lead US In Virus Growth As Both Reject Mask Rules

SIOUX FALLS , S.D .
( AP ) — Coronavirus infections in the Dakotas are growing faster than anywhere else in the nation , fueling impassioned debates over masks and personal freedom after months in which the two states avoided the worst of the pandemic .
The argument over masks raged this week in Brookings , South Dakota , as the city council considered requiring face coverings in businesses .
The city was forced to move its meeting to a local arena to accommodate intense interest , with many citizens speaking against it , before the mask requirement ultimately passed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic , health experts warn that the infections must be contained before care systems are overwhelmed .
North Dakota and South Dakota lead the country in new cases per capita over the last two weeks , ranking first and second respectively , according to Johns Hopkins University researchers .
South Dakota has also posted some of the country ’ s highest positivity rates for COVID-19 tests in the last week — over 17 percent — an indication that there are more infections than tests are catching .
“ It is not a surprise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ highest ( COVID-19 ) reproduction rates in the country , ” Brookings City Council member Nick Wendell said as he commented on the many people who forgo masks in public .
The Dakotas were not always a hot spot .
For months , the states appeared to avoid the worst of the pandemic , watching from afar as it raged through large cities .
But spiking infection rates have fanned out across the nation , from the East Coast to the Sun Belt and now into the Midwest , where states like Iowa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ People have a tendency to become complacent , ” he said .
“ Then they start to relax the things that they were doing properly , and that ’ s when the increase in cases starts to go up.
” Health officials point out that the COVID-19 case increases have been among younger groups that are not hospitalized at high rates .
But infections have not been contained to college campuses .
“ College students work in places where the vulnerable live , such as nursing homes , ” said Dr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ North Dakota , city and county health officer .
“ Some of them are nursing students who are doing rotations where they ’ re going to see people who are really at risk .
I worry about that.
” Over 1,000 students at the states ’ four largest universities ( the University of North Dakota , North Dakota State University , South Dakota State University and University of South Dakota ) left campus to quarantine after being exposed to the virus , according to data released by the schools .
The Sturgis rally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with health officials in 12 states reporting over 300 cases among people who attended the event .
But requiring masks has been controversial .
In Brookings , opponents said they believed the virus threat was not as serious as portrayed and that a mandate was a violation of civil liberties .
“ There are a lot of things we have in life that we have to deal with that cause death , ” business owner Teresa Holloman told the council .
“ We live in America , and we have certain inalienable rights.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ another hot spot — North Dakota ’ s Morton County , just west of the capital city of Bismarck — soundly rejected a mask requirement after citizens spoke against it .
Brookings may be the lone municipality with such an order in the Dakotas outside of Native American reservations , which have generally been more vigilant in adopting coronavirus precautions .
Native Americans have disproportionately died from COVID-19 , accounting for 24 % of deaths statewide .
North Dakota Gov .
Doug Burgum and South Dakota Gov .
Kristi Noem have resisted mask @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tried to encourage masks with a social media campaign .
Noem has discouraged mask requirements , saying she doubts a broad consensus in the medical community that they help prevent infections .
Noem , who has yet to appear at a public event with a mask , carved out a reputation as a staunch conservative when she defied calls early in the pandemic for lockdown orders .

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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Coronavirus infections in the Dakotas are growing faster than anywhere else in the nation, fueling impassioned debates over masks and personal freedom after months in which the two states avoided the worst of the pandemic.
The argument over masks raged this week in Brookings, South Dakota, as the city council considered requiring face coverings in businesses. The city was forced to move its meeting to a local arena to accommodate intense interest, with many citizens speaking against it, before the mask requirement ultimately passed.
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Amid the brute force of the pandemic, health experts warn that the infections must be contained before care systems are overwhelmed. North Dakota and South Dakota lead the country in new cases per capita over the last two weeks, ranking first and second respectively, according to Johns Hopkins University researchers.
South Dakota has also posted some of the country’s highest positivity rates for COVID-19 tests in the last week — over 17 percent — an indication that there are more infections than tests are catching.
Infections have been spurred by schools and universities reopening and mass gatherings like the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which drew hundreds of thousands of people from across the country.
“It is not a surprise that South Dakota has one of the highest (COVID-19) reproduction rates in the country,” Brookings City Council member Nick Wendell said as he commented on the many people who forgo masks in public.
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The Republican governors of both states have eschewed mask requirements, tapping into a spirit of independence hewn from enduring the winters and storms of the Great Plains.
The Dakotas were not always a hot spot. For months, the states appeared to avoid the worst of the pandemic, watching from afar as it raged through large cities. But spiking infection rates have fanned out across the nation, from the East Coast to the Sun Belt and now into the Midwest, where states like Iowa and Kansas are also dealing with surges.
When the case count stayed low during the spring and early summer, people grew weary of constantly taking precautions, said Dr. Benjamin Aaker, president of the South Dakota State Medical Association.
“People have a tendency to become complacent,” he said. “Then they start to relax the things that they were doing properly, and that’s when the increase in cases starts to go up.”
Health officials point out that the COVID-19 case increases have been among younger groups that are not hospitalized at high rates. But infections have not been contained to college campuses.
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“College students work in places where the vulnerable live, such as nursing homes,” said Dr. Joel Walz, the Grand Forks, North Dakota, city and county health officer. “Some of them are nursing students who are doing rotations where they’re going to see people who are really at risk. I worry about that.”
Over 1,000 students at the states’ four largest universities (the University of North Dakota, North Dakota State University, South Dakota State University and University of South Dakota) left campus to quarantine after being exposed to the virus, according to data released by the schools. The Sturgis rally also spread infections across the region, with health officials in 12 states reporting over 300 cases among people who attended the event.
But requiring masks has been controversial. In Brookings, opponents said they believed the virus threat was not as serious as portrayed and that a mandate was a violation of civil liberties.
“There are a lot of things we have in life that we have to deal with that cause death,” business owner Teresa Holloman told the council. “We live in America, and we have certain inalienable rights.”
Though Brookings passed its ban, another hot spot — North Dakota’s Morton County, just west of the capital city of Bismarck — soundly rejected a mask requirement after citizens spoke against it. Brookings may be the lone municipality with such an order in the Dakotas outside of Native American reservations, which have generally been more vigilant in adopting coronavirus precautions. Native Americans have disproportionately died from COVID-19, accounting for 24% of deaths statewide.
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North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem have resisted mask requirements. Burgum promotes personal choice but tried to encourage masks with a social media campaign. Noem has discouraged mask requirements, saying she doubts a broad consensus in the medical community that they help prevent infections.
At a press briefing, Burgum displayed a slide that showed active cases in neighboring Minnesota rising to record levels since implementing a mask mandate July 25.
“In the end, it’s about individual decisions, not what the government does,” he said.
Noem, who has yet to appear at a public event with a mask, carved out a reputation as a staunch conservative when she defied calls early in the pandemic for lockdown orders.
But both governors face increasing pressure to step up their approach.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, infectious disease chief at the National Institutes of Health, told MSNBC that the states’ virus levels were “disturbing,” especially as fall weather arrives and Americans begin spending more time indoors.
“You don’t want to start off already with a baseline that’s so high,” Fauci said.
Neither governor appears ready to yield any ground.
“We will not be changing that approach,” Noem spokesman Ian Fury said Thursday, citing a low hospitalization rate and the fact that only 3% of intensive-care beds are occupied by COVID patients.
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Doctors in both states warn that their health care systems remain vulnerable. Small hospitals in rural areas depend on just a handful of large hospitals to handle large inflows of patients or complex procedures, said Dr. Misty Anderson, president of the North Dakota Medical Association.
Aaker, the president of the South Dakota physician’s group, said medical practices have seen patients delaying routine care during the pandemic, meaning that doctors could soon see an uptick in patients needing more serious attention.
“Now we are adding a surge in coronavirus cases potentially,” he said. “They are worried about being overwhelmed.”
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-12--Science Magazine Editor Pens Scathing Critique Of Trump's 'Shameful' COVID-19 Lies

The editor in chief of Science magazine , one of the world ’ s leading academic journals , published a harsh denouncement of President Donald Trump on Friday , laying into him for lying to the American people and demoralizing the scientific community about the deadliness of COVID-19 .
In his editorial for Science , which has been in publication since 1880 , Herbert Holden Thorp addressed Trump ’ s admission that he intentionally downplayed the coronavirus to journalist Bob Woodward , as revealed in Woodward ’ s upcoming book , “ Rage.
” “ We can hear Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ precisely that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 ... was deadly and spread through the air , ” Thorp wrote .
“ As he was playing down the virus to the public , Trump was not confused or inadequately briefed : He flat-out lied , repeatedly , about science to the American people .
These lies demoralized the scientific community and cost countless lives in the United States.
” Thorp argued that Trump ’ s comments to Woodward demonstrated that he clearly understood the lethal , airborne nature of COVID-19 , as well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affect both young and old .
Since his conversations with Woodward went public , Trump has claimed that these efforts were intended to prevent panic among the general public .
Thorp alluded to such attitudes and said that Trump ’ s actions regarding the coronavirus hit a new low .
“ Over the years , [ Science ] has commented on the scientific foibles of U.S. presidents , ” Thorp said .
“ Inadequate action on climate change and environmental degradation during both Republican and Democratic administrations [ has ] been criticized frequently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president has deliberately lied about science in a way that was imminently dangerous to human health and directly led to widespread deaths of Americans .
This may be the most shameful moment in the history of U.S. science policy.
” HuffPost reached out to the White House for comment on this story .

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The editor in chief of Science magazine, one of the world’s leading academic journals, published a harsh denunciation of President Donald Trump on Friday, laying into him for lying to the American people and demoralizing the scientific community about the deadliness of COVID-19.
In his editorial for Science, which has been in publication since 1880, Herbert Holden Thorp addressed Trump’s admission that he intentionally downplayed the coronavirus to journalist Bob Woodward, as revealed in Woodward’s upcoming book, “Rage.”
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“We can hear Trump’s own voice saying that he understood precisely that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 ... was deadly and spread through the air,” Thorp wrote. “As he was playing down the virus to the public, Trump was not confused or inadequately briefed: He flat-out lied, repeatedly, about science to the American people. These lies demoralized the scientific community and cost countless lives in the United States.”
Thorp argued that Trump’s comments to Woodward demonstrated that he clearly understood the lethal, airborne nature of COVID-19, as well as the virus’s ability to affect both young and old.
Since his conversations with Woodward went public, Trump has claimed that these efforts were intended to prevent panic among the general public.
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A banner protests President Donald Trump's pandemic and climate change response at the Republican National Convention's headquarters on Aug. 24. Jemal Countess via Getty Images
Thorp alluded to such attitudes and said that Trump’s actions regarding the coronavirus hit a new low.
“Over the years, [Science] has commented on the scientific foibles of U.S. presidents,” Thorp said. “Inadequate action on climate change and environmental degradation during both Republican and Democratic administrations [has] been criticized frequently. ... But now, a U.S. president has deliberately lied about science in a way that was imminently dangerous to human health and directly led to widespread deaths of Americans. This may be the most shameful moment in the history of U.S. science policy.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-12--Antarctica Is Still Free Of COVID-19. Can It Stay That Way?

That world is Antarctica , the only continent without COVID-19 .
Now , as nearly 1,000 scientists and others who wintered over on the ice are seeing the sun for the first time in weeks or months , a global effort wants to make sure incoming colleagues don ’ t bring the virus with them .
“ In general , the freedoms afforded to us are more extensive than those in the U.K. at the height of lockdown , ” said Taylor , who arrived in October and has missed the pandemic entirely .
“ We can ski , socialize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , all within reason.
” Like teams across Antarctica , including at the South Pole , Taylor and his 26 colleagues must be proficient in all sorts of tasks in a remote , communal environment with little room for error .
They take turns cooking , make weather observations and “ do a lot of sewing , ” he said .
At New Zealand ’ s Scott Base , rounds of mini-golf and a filmmaking competition with other Antarctic bases have been highlights of the Southern Hemisphere ’ s winter , which ended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the sun last Friday .
It had been away since April .
O ’ Connor said they will be able to test for the virus once colleagues start arriving as soon as Monday , weeks late because a huge storm dumped 20-feet ( 6-meter ) snowdrifts .
Any virus case will spark a “ red response level , ” he said , with activities stripped down to providing heating , water , power and food .
The U.S. is sending a third of its usual summer staff .
Research will be affected , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can transmit data from the field will help greatly , said Alexandra Isern , head of Antarctic sciences for the U.S. program with the National Science Foundation .
“ Do I ask a friend to pick me up ?
I don ’ t know if I ’ m comfortable doing that , ” he said as he imagined stepping off the plane .
“ It will be super weird , to be honest , to be coming from what feels like another planet .
”

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JOHANNESBURG (AP) — At this very moment a vast world exists that’s free of the coronavirus, where people can mingle without masks and watch the pandemic unfold from thousands of miles away.
That world is Antarctica, the only continent without COVID-19. Now, as nearly 1,000 scientists and others who wintered over on the ice are seeing the sun for the first time in weeks or months, a global effort wants to make sure incoming colleagues don’t bring the virus with them.
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From the U.K.’s Rothera Research Station off the Antarctic peninsula that curls toward the tip of South America, field guide Rob Taylor described what it’s like in “our safe little bubble.”
In this handout photo provided by British Antarctic Survey, field guides Sarah Crowsley, left, and Sam Hunt, right, pose for a photo after digging out the caboose, a container used for accommodation that can be moved by a tractor, at Adelaide island, in Antarctica on Friday, June 19, 2020. Robert Taylor/British Antarctic Survey via AP
In pre-coronavirus days, long-term isolation, self-reliance and psychological strain were the norm for Antarctic teams while the rest of the world saw their life as fascinatingly extreme.
How times have changed.
“In general, the freedoms afforded to us are more extensive than those in the U.K. at the height of lockdown,” said Taylor, who arrived in October and has missed the pandemic entirely. “We can ski, socialize normally, run, use the gym, all within reason.”
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Like teams across Antarctica, including at the South Pole, Taylor and his 26 colleagues must be proficient in all sorts of tasks in a remote, communal environment with little room for error. They take turns cooking, make weather observations and “do a lot of sewing,” he said.
Good internet connections mean they’ve watched closely as the pandemic circled the rest of the planet. Until this year, conversations with incoming colleagues focused on preparing the newcomers. Now the advice goes both ways.
“I’m sure there’s a lot they can tell us that will help us adapt to the new way of things,” Taylor said. “We haven’t had any practice at social distancing yet!”
A frozen section of the Ross Sea at the Scott Base is pictured in Antarctica Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016. Mark Ralston/Pool Photo via AP
At New Zealand’s Scott Base, rounds of mini-golf and a filmmaking competition with other Antarctic bases have been highlights of the Southern Hemisphere’s winter, which ended for the Scott team when they spotted the sun last Friday. It had been away since April.
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“I think there’s a little bit of dissociation,” Rory O’Connor, a doctor and the team’s winter leader, said of watching the pandemic from afar. “You acknowledge it cerebrally, but I don’t think we have fully factored in the emotional turmoil it must be causing.”
His family in the U.K. still wouldn’t trade places with him. “They can’t understand why I came down here,” he joked. “Months of darkness. Stuck inside with a small group of people. Where’s the joy in that?”
O’Connor said they will be able to test for the virus once colleagues start arriving as soon as Monday, weeks late because a huge storm dumped 20-feet (6-meter) snowdrifts. Any virus case will spark a “red response level,” he said, with activities stripped down to providing heating, water, power and food.
While COVID-19 has rattled some diplomatic ties, the 30 countries that make up the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs teamed up early to keep the virus out. Officials cited unique teamwork among the United States, China, Russia and others.
As a frightened world was locking down in March, the Antarctic programs agreed the pandemic could become a major disaster. With the world’s strongest winds and coldest temperatures, the continent roughly the size of the United States and Mexico is already dangerous for workers at 40 year-round bases.
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“A highly infectious novel virus with significant mortality and morbidity in the extreme and austere environment of Antarctica with limited sophistication of medical care and public health responses is High Risk with potential catastrophic consequences,” according to a COMNAP document seen by The Associated Press.
Since Antarctica can only be reached through a few air gateways or via ship, “the attempt to prevent the virus from reaching the continent should be undertaken IMMEDIATELY,” it said.
No more contact with tourists, COMNAP warned. “No cruise ships should be disembarking.” And for Antarctic teams located near each other, “mutual visits and social events between stations/facilities should be ceased.”
Antarctic workers have long been trained in hand-washing and “sneeze etiquette,” but COMNAP slipped in that reminder, adding, “Don’t touch your face.”
In those hurried weeks of final flights, the U.S. “thankfully” augmented medical and other supplies for winter and beyond, said Stephanie Short, head of logistics for the U.S. Antarctic program.
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“We re-planned an entire research season in a matter of weeks, facing the highest level of uncertainty I’ve seen in my 25-year government career,” she said.
Antarctic bases soon slipped into months of isolation known as winter. Now, with the glimmer of spring, the next big test has begun.
Everyone is sending fewer people to the ice for the summer, COMNAP executive secretary Michelle Finnemore said.
In the gateway city of Christchurch, New Zealand, Operation Deep Freeze is preparing to airlift some 120 people to the largest U.S. station, McMurdo. To limit contact between Antarctic workers and flight crew, the plane contains a separate toilet mounted on a pallet.
The Americans’ bubble began before leaving the U.S. in early August and continues until they reach the ice. They’ve been isolated in hotel rooms well beyond New Zealand’s 14-day quarantine. Bad weather has delayed their departure for weeks. It’s now planned for Monday.
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“We’re trying to do a really good job keeping up their spirits,” said Anthony German, the U.S. Antarctic program’s chief liaison there.
The U.S. is sending a third of its usual summer staff. Research will be affected, though investment in robotics and instrumentation that can transmit data from the field will help greatly, said Alexandra Isern, head of Antarctic sciences for the U.S. program with the National Science Foundation.
The COVID-19 disruptions are causing some sadness, she said. “In some cases, we’re going to have to have contingents digging instruments out of the snow to make sure we can still find it.”
Like other countries, New Zealand will prioritize long-term data sets, some begun in the 1950s, which measure climate, ozone levels, seismic activity and more, said Sarah Williamson, chief executive of Antarctica New Zealand. It’s sending 100 people to the ice instead of 350, she said.
Some programs are deferring Antarctic operations to next year or even 2022, said Nish Devanunthan, South Africa’s director of Antarctic support.
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“I think the biggest concern for every country is to be the one that is fingered for bringing the virus,” he said. “Everyone is safeguarding against that.”
Precautions extend to the gateway cities — Cape Town, Christchurch, Hobart in Australia, Punta Arenas in Chile and Ushuaia in Argentina. Each has quarantine and testing protocols for workers boarding planes or ships heading south.
Antarctica always has its challenges, Devanunthan said, but when it comes to COVID-19 and the international community as a whole, “I would say this is on the top of the list.”
A few weeks ago at McMurdo Station, workers carried out a drill to simulate what the rest of the world knows too well: mask-wearing and social distancing. “It will be difficult not to run up and hug friends” once they arrive, station manager Erin Heard said.
He and the others will start wearing masks two days before the newcomers fly in, he said, “to help us get muscle memory.” For the masks, the team plundered McMurdo’s craft room, stocked with fabric, and found designs online.
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As colleagues arrive, Heard will leave Antarctica. He once might have planned to thaw out on a beach. Now he’s weighing the new normal.
“Do I ask a friend to pick me up? I don’t know if I’m comfortable doing that,” he said as he imagined stepping off the plane. “It will be super weird, to be honest, to be coming from what feels like another planet.”
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Perry reported from Wellington, New Zealand.
___


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-11--For 3rd Consecutive Day, Portland's Air Quality Is The Worst In The World

For the third consecutive day , Portland , Oregon , on Saturday recorded the worst air quality in the world among major cities as deadly wildfires continue to rage in Oregon , Washington and California .
Seattle , Los Angeles and San Francisco also recorded some of the world ’ s worst air pollution , according to IQAir , a Swiss air quality technology company that operates a real-time air pollution monitoring platform .
Since Thursday , Portland ’ s air quality index has been the highest among all major world cities , per IQAir data .
The city ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , has remained over 200 , which is considered very unhealthy .
An AQI measurement of zero to 50 is considered good .
One of 50 to 100 is moderate .
An index of 100 to 150 is unhealthy for sensitive groups , and over 150 is unhealthy for everyone .
On Saturday , Vancouver , Canada , ranked second on IQAir ’ s list , with an AQI of 199 .
Seattle was third , with an AQI of around 180 .
Officials have urged residents in polluted areas to stay indoors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much as possible while air quality remains poor .
Smoke is creating poor air quality conditions for much of the west coast .
Take steps to minimize the health impacts .
Stay inside and close windows and doors.Do n't rely on cloth face coverings or surgical masks to prevent breathing in wildfire smoke .
More : https : //t.co/lzg2OC54VY pic.twitter.com/Xo9tehH5xP — National Weather Service ( @ NWS ) September 11 , 2020 This story has been updated to reflect Saturday ’ s data .

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For the third consecutive day, Portland, Oregon, on Saturday recorded the worst air quality in the world among major cities as deadly wildfires continue to rage in Oregon, Washington and California.
Seattle, Los Angeles and San Francisco also recorded some of the world’s worst air pollution, according to IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company that operates a real-time air pollution monitoring platform.
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IQAir.com
Since Thursday, Portland’s air quality index has been the highest among all major world cities, per IQAir data. The city’s AQI, or air quality index, has remained over 200, which is considered very unhealthy.
An AQI measurement of zero to 50 is considered good. One of 50 to 100 is moderate. An index of 100 to 150 is unhealthy for sensitive groups, and over 150 is unhealthy for everyone.
On Saturday, Vancouver, Canada, ranked second on IQAir’s list, with an AQI of 199. Seattle was third, with an AQI of around 180.
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Officials have urged residents in polluted areas to stay indoors with the doors and windows closed as much as possible while air quality remains poor.
Smoke is creating poor air quality conditions for much of the west coast. Take steps to minimize the health impacts. Stay inside and close windows and doors.Don't rely on cloth face coverings or surgical masks to prevent breathing in wildfire smoke. More: https://t.co/lzg2OC54VY pic.twitter.com/Xo9tehH5xP — National Weather Service (@NWS) September 11, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-12--Mike Pence Drops Plan To Go To QAnon-Backed Fundraiser

BILLINGS , Mont .
( AP ) — Vice President Mike Pence has canceled plans to attend a Trump campaign fundraiser in Montana following revelations that the event ’ s hosts had expressed support for the QAnon conspiracy theory .
President Donald Trump ’ s reelection campaign told The Associated Press on Saturday that Pence ’ s schedule had been changed , but the campaign did not provide a reason or say whether the fundraiser might be held at a later time .
The change comes after the AP reported Wednesday that hosts Cayrn and Michael Borland in Bozeman , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ retweeted posts from QAnon accounts .
Three Republicans seeking election in Montana also had been scheduled to attend the fundraiser : U.S. Sen. Steve Daines , who faces a November challenge from Democratic Gov .
Steve Bullock ; U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte , a Republican running for governor ; and state auditor Matt Rosendale , a candidate for the U.S. House .
Pence , Daines and the other Republican candidates are still scheduled to hold a campaign rally Monday afternoon in Belgrade , just east of Bozeman .
Daines campaign spokesperson Julia Doyle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Borlands nor “ does he know what QAnon even is.
” She referred questions on whether the event would be rescheduled to the Trump campaign .
The Borlands have donated over $ 220,000 to Trump ’ s reelection bid , the bulk of which was made in Caryn Borland ’ s name , and they were guests at the national GOP convention last month .
The QAnon narrative has grown to include other long-standing conspiracy theories , gaining traction among some extreme Trump supporters .
The movement is often likened to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for office , primarily in the Republican Party , though some have been independent or run as third-party candidates .
Trump has refused to say QAnon is false .
Pence has said it ’ s a conspiracy theory and last month told CBS , “ I don ’ t know anything about QAnon , and I dismiss it out of hand.
” ″ Michael Borland prominently featured several QAnon “ Q ” logos on his Facebook page .
Caryn Borland has retweeted or engaged with QAnon Twitter accounts .
In April , she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ QAnon account by replying “ Always ” with a praying hands emoji .

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BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence has canceled plans to attend a Trump campaign fundraiser in Montana following revelations that the event’s hosts had expressed support for the QAnon conspiracy theory.
President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign told The Associated Press on Saturday that Pence’s schedule had been changed, but the campaign did not provide a reason or say whether the fundraiser might be held at a later time. The change comes after the AP reported Wednesday that hosts Cayrn and Michael Borland in Bozeman, Montana, had shared QAnon memes and retweeted posts from QAnon accounts.
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The baseless conspiracy theory alleges Trump is battling an entrenched bureaucracy and sex trafficking ring run by pedophiles.
Three Republicans seeking election in Montana also had been scheduled to attend the fundraiser: U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, who faces a November challenge from Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock; U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte, a Republican running for governor; and state auditor Matt Rosendale, a candidate for the U.S. House.
Pence, Daines and the other Republican candidates are still scheduled to hold a campaign rally Monday afternoon in Belgrade, just east of Bozeman.
Daines campaign spokesperson Julia Doyle said the first-term senator does not know the Borlands nor “does he know what QAnon even is.” She referred questions on whether the event would be rescheduled to the Trump campaign.
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The Borlands have donated over $220,000 to Trump’s reelection bid, the bulk of which was made in Caryn Borland’s name, and they were guests at the national GOP convention last month.
The QAnon narrative has grown to include other long-standing conspiracy theories, gaining traction among some extreme Trump supporters. The movement is often likened to a right-wing cult. Some followers have run for office, primarily in the Republican Party, though some have been independent or run as third-party candidates. Trump has refused to say QAnon is false.
Pence has said it’s a conspiracy theory and last month told CBS, “I don’t know anything about QAnon, and I dismiss it out of hand.”″
The Borlands have shared multiple QAnon social media posts, as well as other discredited conspiracies.
Michael Borland prominently featured several QAnon “Q” logos on his Facebook page. Caryn Borland has retweeted or engaged with QAnon Twitter accounts. In April, she responded to a pro-Trump Tweet from a QAnon account by replying “Always” with a praying hands emoji.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-12--New Mail Wrinkle: USPS Sending Out Inaccurate Mail Ballot Info, Warns State Official

The U.S .
Postal Service is sending out inaccurate mail ballot information to residents of several states , which could further snarl a system already facing overwhelming demand amid the COVID-19 crisis , Colorado ’ s secretary of state said Friday .
The USPS is sending postcard notices to addresses and post office boxes of registered voters , urging them to request mail-in ballots early .
But several states already have a system in place that automatically sends ballots to all registered voters , noted Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold in a series of tweets .
For residents in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not just confusing , it ’ s WRONG , ” she said .
She said that Postmaster General Louis DeJoy ignored requests from secretaries of state to review any notices to ensure their accuracy before they went out .
The notices also tell people to get their ballots back at least seven days before Election Day — while Colorado tells its voters to do so at least eight days in advance .
In addition , the USPS urges voters to request a mail-in ballot at least 15 days before Nov. 3 , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which actually is cutting it close , given mounting delays in mail service .
Griswold called the latest tangle “ beyond suspect , ” adding : “ Confusing voters about mail ballots in the middle of a pandemic is unacceptable .
It can undermine confidence in the election & suppress votes.
” I just found out the @ USPS is sending this postcard to every household and PO Box in the nation .
For states like Colorado where we send ballots to all voters , the information is not just confusing , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pic.twitter.com/RoTTeJRJVl — Jena Griswold ( @ JenaGriswold ) September 12 , 2020 Here in Colorado ( and also in CA , DC , HI , NJ , NV , OR , UT , WA , & VT ) voters don ’ t request ballots because a ballot is mailed to every registered voter .
But the @ USPS is confusing our voters by telling them to request a ballot .
— Jena Griswold ( @ JenaGriswold ) September 12 , 2020 This may have started off as a well-intentioned effort by @ USPS @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election experts combined with the recent postal slowdown in some parts of the country is beyond suspect .
— Jena Griswold ( @ JenaGriswold ) September 12 , 2020 Confusing voters about mail ballots in the middle of a pandemic is unacceptable .
It can undermine confidence in the election & suppress votes .
I will do everything in my power to stop @ USPS from sending misinformation to voters .
— Jena Griswold ( @ JenaGriswold ) September 12 , 2020 Confusing voters about mail ballots in the middle of a pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the election & suppress votes .
I will do everything in my power to stop @ USPS from sending misinformation to voters .
— Jena Griswold ( @ JenaGriswold ) September 12 , 2020 I got one of these today .
Implying you can wait until 15 days before the election to request a ballot is insane !
Not only is timely delivery both ways uncertain , what kind of pressure does that put on the registrar 's office which will be swamped by that time ?
— Woodswoman ( @ MadamZolar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spokesperson told Denver NBC affiliate KUSA Channel 9 TV that the postcards mailed to all voters are part of an information campaign .
“ The non-partisan campaign neither encourages nor discourages mail-in voting , ” said representative David Rupert .
“ Rather , it is designed to reach and inform all voters about the importance of planning ahead if they plan to vote by mail.
” He did not address the inaccuracies in the postcard information , but added that voters who choose to use the mail are encouraged to contact their states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Donald Trump has already declared , without any evidence , that the election will be the “ most corrupt ” in U.S. history because of the anticipated wide use of mail-in ballots as voters seek to avoid the risk of contracting COVID-19 .
Trump and first lady Melania Trump , however , recently voted by mail in the Florida primary .
Critics accuse Trump of attacking mail-in balloting as part of his strategy to manipulate the election in his favor by suppressing the vote .
But the president is also sowing doubts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ event of his loss to Democratic nominee Joe Biden , he could challenge the result by claiming widespread fraud , critics predict .
In the meantime , DeJoy — a prominent Trump campaign contributor — appears to be crippling the U.S .
Postal Service operation ahead of the election by ripping out hundreds of mail-sorting machines and letter collection boxes , and eliminating overtime and extended mail deliveries .

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The U.S. Postal Service is sending out inaccurate mail ballot information to residents of several states, which could further snarl a system already facing overwhelming demand amid the COVID-19 crisis, Colorado’s secretary of state said Friday.
The USPS is sending postcard notices to addresses and post office boxes of registered voters, urging them to request mail-in ballots early. But several states already have a system in place that automatically sends ballots to all registered voters, noted Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold in a series of tweets. For residents in those states, the “information is not just confusing, it’s WRONG,” she said.
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She said that Postmaster General Louis DeJoy ignored requests from secretaries of state to review any notices to ensure their accuracy before they went out.
The notices also tell people to get their ballots back at least seven days before Election Day — while Colorado tells its voters to do so at least eight days in advance. In addition, the USPS urges voters to request a mail-in ballot at least 15 days before Nov. 3, which it terms “early,” but which actually is cutting it close, given mounting delays in mail service.
Griswold called the latest tangle “beyond suspect,” adding: “Confusing voters about mail ballots in the middle of a pandemic is unacceptable. It can undermine confidence in the election & suppress votes.”
I just found out the @USPS is sending this postcard to every household and PO Box in the nation. For states like Colorado where we send ballots to all voters, the information is not just confusing, it’s WRONG. (Thread) pic.twitter.com/RoTTeJRJVl — Jena Griswold (@JenaGriswold) September 12, 2020
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Here in Colorado (and also in CA, DC, HI, NJ, NV, OR, UT, WA, & VT) voters don’t request ballots because a ballot is mailed to every registered voter. But the @USPS is confusing our voters by telling them to request a ballot. — Jena Griswold (@JenaGriswold) September 12, 2020
Secretaries of State asked @USPS Postmaster General DeJoy to review a draft before election information was sent to voters to ensure accuracy. But he refused. Now millions of postcards with misinformation are printed & being mailed to voters. — Jena Griswold (@JenaGriswold) September 12, 2020
When we asked @USPS not to send the postcard with misinformation to voters in Colorado they flat out refused — Jena Griswold (@JenaGriswold) September 12, 2020
This may have started off as a well-intentioned effort by @USPS, but their refusal to listen to election experts combined with the recent postal slowdown in some parts of the country is beyond suspect. — Jena Griswold (@JenaGriswold) September 12, 2020
Confusing voters about mail ballots in the middle of a pandemic is unacceptable. It can undermine confidence in the election & suppress votes. I will do everything in my power to stop @USPS from sending misinformation to voters. — Jena Griswold (@JenaGriswold) September 12, 2020
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Confusing voters about mail ballots in the middle of a pandemic is unacceptable. It can undermine confidence in the election & suppress votes. I will do everything in my power to stop @USPS from sending misinformation to voters. — Jena Griswold (@JenaGriswold) September 12, 2020
I got one of these today. Implying you can wait until 15 days before the election to request a ballot is insane! Not only is timely delivery both ways uncertain, what kind of pressure does that put on the registrar's office which will be swamped by that time? — Woodswoman (@MadamZolar) September 12, 2020
A USPS spokesperson told Denver NBC affiliate KUSA Channel 9 TV that the postcards mailed to all voters are part of an information campaign.
“The non-partisan campaign neither encourages nor discourages mail-in voting,” said representative David Rupert. “Rather, it is designed to reach and inform all voters about the importance of planning ahead if they plan to vote by mail.”
He did not address the inaccuracies in the postcard information, but added that voters who choose to use the mail are encouraged to contact their states or “visit our educational website.”
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President Donald Trump has already declared, without any evidence, that the election will be the “most corrupt” in U.S. history because of the anticipated wide use of mail-in ballots as voters seek to avoid the risk of contracting COVID-19. Trump and first lady Melania Trump, however, recently voted by mail in the Florida primary.
Critics accuse Trump of attacking mail-in balloting as part of his strategy to manipulate the election in his favor by suppressing the vote.
But the president is also sowing doubts about the process so that in the event of his loss to Democratic nominee Joe Biden, he could challenge the result by claiming widespread fraud, critics predict.
In the meantime, DeJoy — a prominent Trump campaign contributor — appears to be crippling the U.S. Postal Service operation ahead of the election by ripping out hundreds of mail-sorting machines and letter collection boxes, and eliminating overtime and extended mail deliveries.