thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-19--Trump Calls It A 'Beautiful Thing' That Cops Struck Journalist Ali Velshi With Rubber Bullet

President Donald Trump called it “ the most beautiful thing ” that MSNBC journalist Ali Velshi was struck in the knee with a rubber bullet while he was covering a peaceful protest in Minneapolis in May .
Trump inexplicably deemed it “ law and order ” as a campaign rally crowd in Minnesota cheered him on Friday .
Velshi was breaking no law — nor were protesters — when he was injured by police .
Trump mistakenly recounted in his tale that Velshi was painfully struck by a tear gas canister and complained afterward .
“ Oh my knee , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mocked .
Velshi was taken aback that Trump considered his injury “ law and order.
” He asked : “ What law did I break while covering an entirely peaceful ( yes , entirely peaceful ) march ?
” So , @ realDonaldTrump , you call my getting hit by authorities in Minneapolis on 5/30/20 ( by a rubber bullet , btw , not a tear gas cannister ) a “ beautiful thing ” called “ law and order ” .
What law did I break while covering an entirely peaceful ( yes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ali Velshi ( @ AliVelshi ) September 19 , 2020 MSNBC also lashed out after Trump ’ s comment .
“ Freedom of the press is a pillar of our democracy , ” the network said in a statement .
“ When the president mocks a journalist for the injury he sustained while putting himself in harm ’ s way to inform the public , he endangers thousands of other journalists and undermines our freedoms.
” He also boasted that his overwhelmingly white supporters at the rally in Bemidji ( Minnesota is 84 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” raising an ominous Aryan specter from the 1940s .
“ You have good genes , you know that , right ?
A lot of it is about the genes , isn ’ t it , don ’ t you believe ?
The racehorse theory , ” Trump said .
`` You have good genes , you know that , right ?
You have good genes .
A lot of it is about the genes , is n't it , do n't you believe ?
The racehorse theory .
You think we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ genes in Minnesota . ''
-- Trump pic.twitter.com/OiF63qZaKx — Aaron Rupar ( @ atrupar ) September 19 , 2020 He also asked sarcastically if Bemidji was “ having a good time with your refugees ” — then pivoted to Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar , who is Muslim American .
“ How the hell did she win ?
” he asked .
He suggested Omar and two other female lawmakers of color , Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D-N.Y. ) and Rashida Tlaib ( D-Mich. ) , be prosecuted for “ buying dresses ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We ’ ll prosecute them , yeah , why not ?
” he mused .
He also claimed with absolutely no evidence that the FBI is hiding Hillary Clinton ’ s emails from the time she was secretary of state , and he threatened to “ pull licenses ” from broadcasters , which he doesn ’ t have the power to do .
Trump also indicated Minneapolis would have been totally destroyed had he not called out the National Guard during protests .
“ You wouldn ’ t have Minneapolis , ” the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ call for the National Guard .
He also praised “ great ” Gen. Robert E. Lee , who battled to separate the Confederacy from the U.S. government to maintain slavery .

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President Donald Trump called it “the most beautiful thing” that MSNBC journalist Ali Velshi was struck in the knee with a rubber bullet while he was covering a peaceful protest in Minneapolis in May.
Trump inexplicably deemed it “law and order” as a campaign rally crowd in Minnesota cheered him on Friday. Velshi was breaking no law — nor were protesters — when he was injured by police.
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Trump mistakenly recounted in his tale that Velshi was painfully struck by a tear gas canister and complained afterward. “Oh my knee, oh my knee,” the president mocked.
"It was the most beautiful thing ... it's called law and order" -- Trump gloats about @AliVelshi getting hit by a rubber bullet in Minneapolis. Sick stuff. pic.twitter.com/bgKSmmL8O7 — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 18, 2020
Velshi was taken aback that Trump considered his injury “law and order.” He asked: “What law did I break while covering an entirely peaceful (yes, entirely peaceful) march?”
So, @realDonaldTrump, you call my getting hit by authorities in Minneapolis on 5/30/20 (by a rubber bullet, btw, not a tear gas cannister) a “beautiful thing” called “law and order”. What law did I break while covering an entirely peaceful (yes, entirely peaceful) march? — Ali Velshi (@AliVelshi) September 19, 2020
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MSNBC also lashed out after Trump’s comment. “Freedom of the press is a pillar of our democracy,” the network said in a statement. “When the president mocks a journalist for the injury he sustained while putting himself in harm’s way to inform the public, he endangers thousands of other journalists and undermines our freedoms.”
The Velshi slam wasn’t the only jaw-dropping comment Trump made at the rally.
He also boasted that his overwhelmingly white supporters at the rally in Bemidji (Minnesota is 84% white) have “good genes,” raising an ominous Aryan specter from the 1940s. “You have good genes, you know that, right? A lot of it is about the genes, isn’t it, don’t you believe? The racehorse theory,” Trump said.
"You have good genes, you know that, right? You have good genes. A lot of it is about the genes, isn't it, don't you believe? The racehorse theory. You think we're so different? You have good genes in Minnesota." -- Trump pic.twitter.com/OiF63qZaKx — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 19, 2020
He also asked sarcastically if Bemidji was “having a good time with your refugees” — then pivoted to Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, who is Muslim American. “How the hell did she win?” he asked.
"Are you having a good time with your refugees?" -- Trump immediately pivots to full blown racism pic.twitter.com/ds9UEpLf9v — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 18, 2020
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He suggested Omar and two other female lawmakers of color, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), be prosecuted for “buying dresses” — but offered no details. “We’ll prosecute them, yeah, why not?” he mused.
"We'll prosecute 'em. Yeah. Why not?" -- Trump suggests congress members AOC, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib should be prosecuted pic.twitter.com/3Sz4c5B8al — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 18, 2020
He also claimed with absolutely no evidence that the FBI is hiding Hillary Clinton’s emails from the time she was secretary of state, and he threatened to “pull licenses” from broadcasters, which he doesn’t have the power to do.
Trump also indicated Minneapolis would have been totally destroyed had he not called out the National Guard during protests. “You wouldn’t have Minneapolis,” the president said. He didn’t call for the National Guard.
He also praised “great” Gen. Robert E. Lee, who battled to separate the Confederacy from the U.S. government to maintain slavery.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-19--Meghan Markle On Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Death: 'Honor Her, Remember her, Act for Her'

“ We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague , ” he said Friday .
“ Today we @ @ @ @ @ future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her , a tireless and @ @ @ @ @ In the days before her death , Ginsburg told her granddaughter that her “ most @ @ @ @ @ will not be replaced until a new president is installed , ” according to NPR @ @ @ @ @ that he wished to nominate Ginsburg ’ s replacement “ without delay.
” “ We @ @ @ @ @ of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly elected us @ @ @ @ @ which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme Court Justices @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We have this obligation , without delay !
” Following Ginsburg ’ s @ @ @ @ @ five conservative judges , all appointed by Republicans , and three liberal judges , all @ @ @ @

“We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague,” he said Friday. “Today we mourn but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her, a tireless and resolute champion of justice.”
In the days before her death, Ginsburg told her granddaughter that her “most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed,” according to NPR.
President Donald Trump said that he wished to nominate Ginsburg’s replacement “without delay.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-19--'RBG' Directors Recall How Ruth Bader Ginsburg Wanted People To Remember Her

Ruth Bader Ginsburg had a humble wish when it came to how she wanted to be remembered , according to the directors of “ RBG , ” the Oscar-nominated documentary about her life .
Co-directors Betsy West and Julie Cohen recalled that wish in a joint statement they released following the news of the 87-year-old Supreme Court justice ’ s death on Friday .
“ When we asked her several years ago how she wanted to be remembered , she said with characteristic modesty , ‘ Just as someone who did whatever she could , with whatever limited talent she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the direction I would like it to be for my children and grandchildren , ’ ” they wrote , per Deadline .
The two also said that “ like so many Americans , ” they were “ crushed ” by Ginsburg ’ s death , and nodded to her lifetime of work championing women ’ s rights .
“ Even had she not become a Supreme Court justice , Ginsburg earned a place in history for what she did to win equality for American women , ” they said .
Betsy West ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 91st Annual Academy Awards in February 2019 , where `` RBG '' was nominated for Best Documentary Feature .
Cohen and West also tweeted about their memories shooting the film with her .
“ Surely the smartest and toughest person I ’ ll ever have the privilege to know , ” Cohen wrote alongside a picture of Ginsburg with the two directors .
The 2018 feature-length documentary will be airing multiple times over the weekend on CNN , anchor Christiane Amanpour said on Twitter .

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Ruth Bader Ginsburg had a humble wish when it came to how she wanted to be remembered, according to the directors of “RBG,” the Oscar-nominated documentary about her life.
Co-directors Betsy West and Julie Cohen recalled that wish in a joint statement they released following the news of the 87-year-old Supreme Court justice’s death on Friday.
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“When we asked her several years ago how she wanted to be remembered, she said with characteristic modesty, ‘Just as someone who did whatever she could, with whatever limited talent she had, to move society along in the direction I would like it to be for my children and grandchildren,’” they wrote, per Deadline.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg spoke after a screening of "RBG" in Jerusalem in 2018. AP Photo/Caron Creighton
The two also said that “like so many Americans,” they were “crushed” by Ginsburg’s death, and nodded to her lifetime of work championing women’s rights.
“Even had she not become a Supreme Court justice, Ginsburg earned a place in history for what she did to win equality for American women,” they said.
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Betsy West (left) and Julie Cohen at the 91st Annual Academy Awards in February 2019, where "RBG" was nominated for Best Documentary Feature. MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images
Cohen and West also tweeted about their memories shooting the film with her.
“Surely the smartest and toughest person I’ll ever have the privilege to know,” Cohen wrote alongside a picture of Ginsburg with the two directors.
Surely the smartest and toughest person I'll ever have the privilege to know. Rest in Peace, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. pic.twitter.com/TV7DpPQCk0 — Julie Cohen (@FilmmakerJulie) September 19, 2020
Accompanying another photo of the trio, West wrote, “Women’s rights, human rights, decency, integrity. Thank you.”
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The 2018 feature-length documentary will be airing multiple times over the weekend on CNN, anchor Christiane Amanpour said on Twitter.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-19--'Notorious RBG' Co-Author Honors 'Optimistic' Ginsburg Who Believed We Could Be Better

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was honored in a moving tribute Friday by “ Notorious RBG ” co-author Irin Carmon as a dedicated , optimistic feminist and jurist who believed in our better selves .
But upon her death on Friday , Ginsburg ’ s accomplishments are now haunted by the dark shadow of an administration intent on laying waste to her work , the journalist said .
“ Only someone so stubborn and single-minded , someone so in love with the work , could have accomplished what she did — as a woman , survived discrimination and loss ; as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that women were people ; as a justice , inspired millions of people in dissent , ” Carmon wrote in New York Magazine .
Despite her dedicated toil , Ginsburg “ lived long enough ” to see President Donald Trump and the “ Federalist Society tear away the thin veneer of the Court ’ s legitimacy , ” Carmon lamented , referring to the organization that has helped place staunch conservatives throughout the federal judiciary .
“ The feminist with a fundamentally optimistic view , who believed that people , especially men , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ replaced by the rankest misogynist , ” Carmon warned .
Ginsburg ’ s work is “ not only unfinished , but at risk of being undone , ” she added .
Carmon delves into Ginsburg ’ s life in the article , including the loss of her little sister , her mother before her high school graduation , and later her husband .
She reveals Ginsburg ’ s focus , steady work and ideals .
Ginsburg discovered in her extensive reading of legal decisions that the law “ had for a century enshrined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the same thing she ’ d been told her whole life , ” Carmon wrote .
Ginsburg would co-found the Women ’ s Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union and launch a lifetime of work to “ transform the constitutional understanding of gender , ” Carmon noted .
Ginsburg ’ s perspective on reproductive choice and women ’ s right to abortion stands as memorably succinct .
When asked about it during her Supreme Court nomination hearings in 1993 , she responded : “ This is something central to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dignity .
It ’ s a decision that she must make for herself .
When government controls that decision for her , she ’ s being treated as less than a fully adult human responsible for her own choices .
”

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Ruth Bader Ginsburg was honored in a moving tribute Friday by “Notorious RBG” co-author Irin Carmon as a dedicated, optimistic feminist and jurist who believed in our better selves.
But upon her death on Friday, Ginsburg’s accomplishments are now haunted by the dark shadow of an administration intent on laying waste to her work, the journalist said.
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“Only someone so stubborn and single-minded, someone so in love with the work, could have accomplished what she did — as a woman, survived discrimination and loss; as a lawyer, compelled the Constitution to recognize that women were people; as a justice, inspired millions of people in dissent,” Carmon wrote in New York Magazine.
Despite her dedicated toil, Ginsburg “lived long enough” to see President Donald Trump and the “Federalist Society tear away the thin veneer of the Court’s legitimacy,” Carmon lamented, referring to the organization that has helped place staunch conservatives throughout the federal judiciary.
“The feminist with a fundamentally optimistic view, who believed that people, especially men, could be better, might soon be replaced by the rankest misogynist,” Carmon warned. Ginsburg’s work is “not only unfinished, but at risk of being undone,” she added.
Carmon delves into Ginsburg’s life in the article, including the loss of her little sister, her mother before her high school graduation, and later her husband. She reveals Ginsburg’s focus, steady work and ideals.
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Ginsburg discovered in her extensive reading of legal decisions that the law “had for a century enshrined discrimination by treating it as a favor, the same thing she’d been told her whole life,” Carmon wrote. Ginsburg would co-found the Women’s Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union and launch a lifetime of work to “transform the constitutional understanding of gender,” Carmon noted.
Ginsburg’s perspective on reproductive choice and women’s right to abortion stands as memorably succinct. When asked about it during her Supreme Court nomination hearings in 1993, she responded: “This is something central to a woman’s life, to her dignity. It’s a decision that she must make for herself. When government controls that decision for her, she’s being treated as less than a fully adult human responsible for her own choices.”
Carmon’s co-author of “Notorious RBG,” public defender Shana Knizhnik, reacted with a single word to Ginsburg’s death, “Gutted.”
Gutted. — Shana Knizhnik (@shanakn) September 18, 2020
Read Carmon’s full article here.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-19--Trump Says He'll Announce Supreme Court Nominee 'Next Week'

Amid chants of “ Fill that seat !
” at a rally in North Carolina , President Donald Trump announced Saturday that he will nominate a new Supreme Court justice “ next week ” to fill Ruth Bader Ginsburg ’ s seat .
Ginsburg , 87 , died Friday from complications of cancer .
She reportedly told her family just before her death that her “ most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.
” Election Day is now 45 days away .
Trump , who ’ d vowed earlier Saturday to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” told rally-goers that he “ will be putting forth a nominee next week.
” “ It will be a woman , ” he said , adding that “ we have plenty of time ” to fill the seat .
`` We have plenty of time '' to fill the vacancy on # SCOTUS , says @ POTUS .
`` Fill that seat , fill that seat , '' chants rally crowd in # NorthCarolina .
`` I will put forth a nominee next week .
It will be a woman , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Steve Herman ( @ W7VOA ) September 19 , 2020 Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( Ky. ) promised Friday that Trump ’ s nominee would “ receive a vote on the floor ” of the Republican-majority Senate .
Democratic lawmakers and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden have , however .
vehemently opposed the Republicans ’ plan to fast-track a nomination .
“ There is no doubt ― let me be clear ― that the voters should pick the president , and the president should pick the justice for the Senate to consider @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ This was the position that the Republican Senate took in 2016 , when there were almost 10 months to go before the election , ” he added , referring to Republicans ’ controversial refusal to consider President Barack Obama ’ s nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia .
“ That ’ s the position the United States Senate must take today .
”

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Amid chants of “Fill that seat!” at a rally in North Carolina, President Donald Trump announced Saturday that he will nominate a new Supreme Court justice “next week” to fill Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat.
Ginsburg, 87, died Friday from complications of cancer. She reportedly told her family just before her death that her “most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.” Election Day is now 45 days away.
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Trump, who’d vowed earlier Saturday to nominate a new justice “without delay,” told rally-goers that he “will be putting forth a nominee next week.”
“It will be a woman,” he said, adding that “we have plenty of time” to fill the seat.
"We have plenty of time" to fill the vacancy on #SCOTUS, says @POTUS.
"Fill that seat, fill that seat," chants rally crowd in #NorthCarolina.
"I will put forth a nominee next week. It will be a woman," continues @realDonaldTrump. pic.twitter.com/TGodweymtx — Steve Herman (@W7VOA) September 19, 2020
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) promised Friday that Trump’s nominee would “receive a vote on the floor” of the Republican-majority Senate.
Democratic lawmakers and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden have, however. vehemently opposed the Republicans’ plan to fast-track a nomination.
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“There is no doubt ― let me be clear ― that the voters should pick the president, and the president should pick the justice for the Senate to consider,” Biden said on Friday night.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-19--Underwater And On Fire: U.S. Climate Change Magnifies Extremes

The already parched West is getting drier and suffering deadly wildfires because of it , while the much wetter East keeps getting drenched in mega-rainfall events , some hurricane-related and others not .
Climate change is magnifying both extremes , but it may not be the only factor , several scientists told The Associated Press .
“ The story in the West is really going to be ... these hot dry summers getting worse and the fire compounded by decreasing precipitation , ” said Columbia University climate scientist Richard Seager .
“ But in the eastern part more of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be more intense precipitation .
We see it in Sally.
” “ The things I worry about are completely different now , ” Dello said .
“ We know the West has had fires and droughts .
It ’ s hot and dry .
We know the East has had hurricanes and it ’ s typically more wet .
But we ’ re amping up both of those.
” Since 1980 , the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has tracked billion-dollar disasters , adjusting for inflation , with four happening in August including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Adam Smith said that this year , with at least 14 already , has a high likelihood of being a record .
For more than a century scientists have looked at a divide — at the 100th meridian — that splits the country with dry and brown conditions to the west and wet and green ones to the east .
Nearly three-quarters of the West is now in drought , according to the U.S. Drought Monitor .
Scientists say the West is in about the 20th year of what they call a “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Europeans came to North America .
Meager summer rains are down 26 % in the last 30 years west of the Rockies .
California ’ s anemic summer rain has dropped 41 % in the past 30 years .
In the past three years , California hasn ’ t received more than a third of an inch ( 0.8 centimeters ) of rain in June , July and August , according to NOAA records .
California also is suffering its worst fire year on record , with more than 5,300 square miles ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s more than double the area of the previous record set in 2018 .
People have been fleeing unprecedented and deadly fires in Oregon and Washington with Colorado also burning this month .
During the western wildfires , more than a foot rain fell on Alabama and Florida as Hurricane Sally parked on the Gulf Coast , dropping as much as 30 inches ( 76 centimeters ) of rain at Orange Beach , Alabama .
Studies say hurricanes are slowing down , allowing them to deposit more rain .
The week before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ half a foot of rain on a Washington , D.C. , suburb in just a few hours .
Bigger downpours are becoming more common in the East , where the summer has gotten 16 % wetter in the last 30 years .
In August 2016 , a non-tropical storm dumped 31 inches ( nearly 79 centimeters ) of rain in parts of Louisiana , killing dozens of people and causing nearly $ 11 billion in damage .
Louisiana and Texas had up to 20 inches ( 51 centimeters ) of rain in March @ @ @ @ @ @ @ torrential rain caused a $ 1 billion in flood damage in West Virginia .
In the 1950s , areas east of the Rockies averaged 87 downpours of five inches or more a year .
In the 2010s , that had soared to 149 a year , according to data from NOAA research meteorologist Ken Kunkel .
It ’ s simple physics .
With each degree Celsius ( 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit ) that the air warms , it holds 7 % more moisture that can come down as rain .
The East has warmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NOAA .
Pennsylvania State University climate scientist Michael Mann said that La Nina — a temporary natural cooling of parts of the equatorial Pacific that changes weather worldwide — is partly responsible for some of the drought and hurricane issues this summer .
But that ’ s on top of climate change , so together they make for “ dual disasters playing out in the U.S. , ” Mann said .

America’s worsening climate change problem is as polarized as its politics. Some parts of the country have been burning this month while others were underwater in extreme weather disasters.
The already parched West is getting drier and suffering deadly wildfires because of it, while the much wetter East keeps getting drenched in mega-rainfall events, some hurricane-related and others not. Climate change is magnifying both extremes, but it may not be the only factor, several scientists told The Associated Press.
“The story in the West is really going to be ... these hot dry summers getting worse and the fire compounded by decreasing precipitation,” said Columbia University climate scientist Richard Seager. “But in the eastern part more of the climate change impact story is going to be more intense precipitation. We see it in Sally.”
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North Carolina State climatologist Kathie Dello, a former deputy state climatologist in Oregon, this week was talking with friends abut the massive Oregon fires while she was huddled under a tent, dodging 4 inches (10 centimeters) of rain falling on the North Carolina mountains.
“The things I worry about are completely different now,” Dello said. “We know the West has had fires and droughts. It’s hot and dry. We know the East has had hurricanes and it’s typically more wet. But we’re amping up both of those.”
In the federal government’s 2017 National Climate Assessment, scientists wrote a special chapter warning of surprises due to global warming from burning of coal, oil and natural gas. And one of the first ones mentioned was “compound extreme events.”
“We certainly are getting extremes at the same time with climate change,” said University of Illinois climate scientist Donald Wuebbles, one of the main authors.
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Since 1980, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has tracked billion-dollar disasters, adjusting for inflation, with four happening in August including the western wildfires. NOAA applied meteorologist Adam Smith said that this year, with at least 14 already, has a high likelihood of being a record.
Fifteen of the 22 billion-dollar droughts in the past 30 years hit states west of the Rockies, while 23 of the 28 billion-dollar non-hurricane flooding events were to the east.
For more than a century scientists have looked at a divide — at the 100th meridian — that splits the country with dry and brown conditions to the west and wet and green ones to the east.
Seager found that the wet-dry line has moved about 140 miles (225 kilometers) east — from western Kansas to eastern Kansas — since 1980.
And it’s getting more extreme.
Nearly three-quarters of the West is now in drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Scientists say the West is in about the 20th year of what they call a “megadrought,” the only one since Europeans came to North America.
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Meager summer rains are down 26% in the last 30 years west of the Rockies. California’s anemic summer rain has dropped 41% in the past 30 years. In the past three years, California hasn’t received more than a third of an inch (0.8 centimeters) of rain in June, July and August, according to NOAA records.
California also is suffering its worst fire year on record, with more than 5,300 square miles (13,760 square kilometers) burned. That’s more than double the area of the previous record set in 2018. People have been fleeing unprecedented and deadly fires in Oregon and Washington with Colorado also burning this month.
“Climate change is a major factor behind the increase in western U.S. wildfires,” said A. Park Williams, a Columbia University scientist who studies fires and climate.
“Since the early 1970s, California’s annual wildfire extent increased fivefold, punctuated by extremely large and destructive wildfires in 2017 and 2018,” a 2019 study headed by Williams said, attributing it mostly to “drying of fuels promoted by human‐induced warming.”
During the western wildfires, more than a foot rain fell on Alabama and Florida as Hurricane Sally parked on the Gulf Coast, dropping as much as 30 inches (76 centimeters) of rain at Orange Beach, Alabama. Studies say hurricanes are slowing down, allowing them to deposit more rain.
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The week before Sally hit, a non-tropical storm dumped half a foot of rain on a Washington, D.C., suburb in just a few hours. Bigger downpours are becoming more common in the East, where the summer has gotten 16% wetter in the last 30 years.
In August 2016, a non-tropical storm dumped 31 inches (nearly 79 centimeters) of rain in parts of Louisiana, killing dozens of people and causing nearly $11 billion in damage. Louisiana and Texas had up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain in March of 2016. In June 2016, torrential rain caused a $1 billion in flood damage in West Virginia.
In the 1950s, areas east of the Rockies averaged 87 downpours of five inches or more a year. In the 2010s, that had soared to 149 a year, according to data from NOAA research meteorologist Ken Kunkel.
It’s simple physics. With each degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) that the air warms, it holds 7% more moisture that can come down as rain. The East has warmed that much since 1985, according to NOAA.
While climate change is a factor, Seager and Williams said what’s happening is more extreme than climate models predict and there must be other, possibly natural weather phenomenon also at work.
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Pennsylvania State University climate scientist Michael Mann said that La Nina — a temporary natural cooling of parts of the equatorial Pacific that changes weather worldwide — is partly responsible for some of the drought and hurricane issues this summer. But that’s on top of climate change, so together they make for “dual disasters playing out in the U.S.,” Mann said.
As for where you can go to escape climate disasters, Dello said, “I don’t know where you can go to outrun climate change anymore.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-19--Walmart, Amazon Donate To QAnon-Promoting Tennessee Politician

Walmart , Amazon , and other corporate giants donated money to the reelection campaign of a Tennessee state lawmaker who had used social media to amplify and promote the QAnon conspiracy theory , according to an Associated Press review of campaign finance records and the candidate ’ s posts .
Dozens of QAnon-promoting candidates have run for federal or state offices during this election cycle .
Collectively , they have raised millions of dollars from thousands of donors .
Individually , however , most of them have run poorly financed campaigns with little or no corporate or party backing .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ chairs the Tennessee House finance committee , few are incumbents who can attract corporate PAC money .
Walmart did not respond to repeated requests for comment made by email and through its website .
An Amazon spokeswoman declined to comment .
A spokeswoman for another donor to Lynn ’ s campaign , Kentucky-based distillery company Brown-Forman , which has a facility in Tennessee , said the company didn ’ t know about Lynn ’ s QAnon posts and wouldn ’ t have donated to her campaign through its Jack Daniel ’ s PAC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our awareness is raised , we will reevaluate our criteria for giving to help identify affiliations like this in the future , ” Elizabeth Conway said in a statement .
“ In many instances , you don ’ t have any kind of corporate board oversight or any kind of accountability in terms of review of contributions before they ’ re made , ” Corrado said .
“ Some corporations now have adopted policies about the supervision of PAC contributions because of the reputational risks involved in this.
” At least 81 current @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conspiracy theory or promoted QAnon content , with at least 24 qualifying for November ’ s general election ballot , according to the liberal watchdog Media Matters for America .
As of Friday , the candidates collectively had raised nearly $ 5 million in contributions for this election cycle , but only eight had raised over $ 100,000 individually , according to the AP ’ s review of Federal Election Commission data .
The FEC ’ s online database doesn ’ t have any fundraising reports for 30 of the candidates , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans .
Congress is virtually certain to have at least one QAnon-supporting member next year .
Marjorie Taylor Greene , whose campaign has raised over $ 1 million , appeared to be coasting to victory in a deep-red congressional district in Georgia even before her Democratic opponent dropped out of the race .
QAnon centers on the baseless belief that President Donald Trump is waging a secret campaign against enemies in the “ deep state ” and a child sex trafficking ring run by satanic pedophiles and cannibals .
Trump has praised QAnon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the conspiracy theory .
“ This is the United States of America , and I am absolutely free to tweet or retweet anything I want , ” she said .
“ I don ’ t understand why this is even an issue .
Believe me , I am not in the inside of some QAnon movement.
” In April , Lynn updated her Facebook page with a cover photo that included a flag with stars forming a “ Q ” above the abbreviation “ WWG1WGA , ” which stands for the QAnon slogan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go all.
” In May and June , Lynn punctuated several tweets with the same abbreviation .
Lynn said she viewed “ Where we go one , we go all ” as a “ very unifying slogan ” and didn ’ t know it was a QAnon motto .
However , a handful of Facebook users who replied to her updated cover photo in April commented on the QAnon connection .
The flag is no longer her cover photo but could still be seen in the feed on her page on Friday .

Walmart, Amazon, and other corporate giants donated money to the reelection campaign of a Tennessee state lawmaker who had used social media to amplify and promote the QAnon conspiracy theory, according to an Associated Press review of campaign finance records and the candidate’s posts.
The corporate support for a QAnon-promoting politician is another example of how the conspiracy theory has penetrated mainstream politics, spreading beyond its origins on internet message boards popular with right-wing extremists.
Dozens of QAnon-promoting candidates have run for federal or state offices during this election cycle. Collectively, they have raised millions of dollars from thousands of donors. Individually, however, most of them have run poorly financed campaigns with little or no corporate or party backing. Unlike state Rep. Susan Lynn, who chairs the Tennessee House finance committee, few are incumbents who can attract corporate PAC money.
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Though she repeatedly posted a well-known QAnon slogan on her Twitter and Facebook accounts, Lynn told the AP in an interview Friday that she does not support the conspiracy theory.
Walmart did not respond to repeated requests for comment made by email and through its website. An Amazon spokeswoman declined to comment. A spokeswoman for another donor to Lynn’s campaign, Kentucky-based distillery company Brown-Forman, which has a facility in Tennessee, said the company didn’t know about Lynn’s QAnon posts and wouldn’t have donated to her campaign through its Jack Daniel’s PAC if it had.
“Now that our awareness is raised, we will reevaluate our criteria for giving to help identify affiliations like this in the future,” Elizabeth Conway said in a statement.
Corporate PAC managers typically decide which candidates to support on the basis of narrow, pragmatic policy issues rather than broader political concerns, said Anthony Corrado, a Colby College government professor and campaign finance expert.
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“In many instances, you don’t have any kind of corporate board oversight or any kind of accountability in terms of review of contributions before they’re made,” Corrado said. “Some corporations now have adopted policies about the supervision of PAC contributions because of the reputational risks involved in this.”
At least 81 current or former congressional candidates have supported the conspiracy theory or promoted QAnon content, with at least 24 qualifying for November’s general election ballot, according to the liberal watchdog Media Matters for America.
As of Friday, the candidates collectively had raised nearly $5 million in contributions for this election cycle, but only eight had raised over $100,000 individually, according to the AP’s review of Federal Election Commission data. The FEC’s online database doesn’t have any fundraising reports for 30 of the candidates, the vast majority of whom are running as Republicans.
Congress is virtually certain to have at least one QAnon-supporting member next year. Marjorie Taylor Greene, whose campaign has raised over $1 million, appeared to be coasting to victory in a deep-red congressional district in Georgia even before her Democratic opponent dropped out of the race.
At the state level, the AP and Media Matters have identified more than two dozen legislative candidates who have expressed some support or interest in QAnon.
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QAnon centers on the baseless belief that President Donald Trump is waging a secret campaign against enemies in the “deep state” and a child sex trafficking ring run by satanic pedophiles and cannibals. Trump has praised QAnon supporters and often retweets accounts that promote the conspiracy theory.
QAnon has been linked to killings, attempted kidnappings and other crimes. In May 2019, an FBI bulletin mentioning QAnon warned that conspiracy theory-driven extremists have become a domestic terrorism threat.
Lynn said her social media posts do not indicate any support for the conspiracy theory.
“This is the United States of America, and I am absolutely free to tweet or retweet anything I want,” she said. “I don’t understand why this is even an issue. Believe me, I am not in the inside of some QAnon movement.”
But in October 2019, Lynn retweeted posts by QAnon-promoting accounts with tens of thousands of followers. One of the posts she retweeted praised Trump and included the hashtag #TheGreatAwakening, a phrase commonly invoked by QAnon followers.
Between Oct. 31, 2019, and Jan. 9, 2020, her campaign received $4,750 in donations from Amazon.com Services LLC, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee’s PAC, health insurer Humana, the Southwest Airlines Co. Freedom Fund and Walmart Inc.
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“Like many other companies, our PAC periodically contributes to elected officials in Tennessee, including those serving in leadership like Rep. Lynn,” BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee spokeswoman Dalya Qualls said in a statement.
In April, Lynn updated her Facebook page with a cover photo that included a flag with stars forming a “Q” above the abbreviation “WWG1WGA,” which stands for the QAnon slogan “Where we go one, we go all.” In May and June, Lynn punctuated several tweets with the same abbreviation.
And when a leading QAnon supporter nicknamed “Praying Medic” tweeted the message, “Is it time to Q the Trump rallies?” Lynn responded, “It is time!” in a May 31 tweet of her own.
Lynn said she viewed “Where we go one, we go all” as a “very unifying slogan” and didn’t know it was a QAnon motto. However, a handful of Facebook users who replied to her updated cover photo in April commented on the QAnon connection. The flag is no longer her cover photo but could still be seen in the feed on her page on Friday.
In July, AT&T Tennessee PAC, Cigna Corporation PAC and Jack Daniel’s PAC contributed a total of $4,000 to Lynn’s campaign.
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The PACs linked to BlueCross BlueShield, AT&T Tennessee, Cigna, Southwest Airlines and Jack Daniel’s had also previously donated to Lynn’s campaign before she amplified QAnon-promoting Twitter accounts last year.
AP contacted all of the companies mentioned in this story. Some did not respond to requests for comment and others declined to comment.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-20--Supreme Court Hypocrite Lindsey Graham Blistered By Own Words In Lincoln Project Ad

The conservative Lincoln Project launched Sen. Lindsey Graham ’ s own words against him in a scathing new “ Lindsey Must Go ” ad Saturday .
It attacks his hypocrisy in his push to quickly confirm a new Supreme Court justice to replace the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg .
The South Carolina Republican and other GOP senators blocked the confirmation of Merrick Garland , Barack Obama ’ s nomination for the Supreme Court , in February 2016 , Obama ’ s final year in the White House .
Graham swore he would do the same for a Republican president .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ opening in the “ last year of President Trump ’ s term , and the primary process has started , we ’ ll wait ’ til the next election ” to confirm a new justice , Graham swore in a 2018 Atlantic interview featured in the ad .
If he ever contradicted that vow , “ I want you to use my words against me , ” Graham challenged the media and the public .
In light of these two events , I will support President @ realDonaldTrump in any effort to move @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the passing of Justice Ginsburg .
# 3 — Lindsey Graham ( @ LindseyGrahamSC ) September 19 , 2020 The Lincoln Project , which was founded by a group of Republicans last year with the goal of preventing Trump ’ s reelection , has joined with the Lindsey Must Go Super PAC on a substantial TV ad buy targeting the senator in his tight race against Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison .
“ We knew Lindsey Graham was a hypocrite , but he really secured his place in the Hypocrite Hall of Fame , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said in a statement .
“ Senator Graham once again confirmed to the people of South Carolina that he ’ s willing to break his promises when it is politically convenient for him and his political party.
” You asked us to use your own words against you .
Here you go .
pic.twitter.com/voxoR8Nvb9 — MeidasTouch.com ( @ MeidasTouch ) September 19 , 2020

The conservative Lincoln Project launched Sen. Lindsey Graham’s own words against him in a scathing new “Lindsey Must Go” ad Saturday. It attacks his hypocrisy in his push to quickly confirm a new Supreme Court justice to replace the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
The South Carolina Republican and other GOP senators blocked the confirmation of Merrick Garland, Barack Obama’s nomination for the Supreme Court, in February 2016, Obama’s final year in the White House. Graham swore he would do the same for a Republican president.
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If there’s a Supreme Court opening in the “last year of President Trump’s term, and the primary process has started, we’ll wait ’til the next election” to confirm a new justice, Graham swore in a 2018 Atlantic interview featured in the ad.
If he ever contradicted that vow, “I want you to use my words against me,” Graham challenged the media and the public.
He got his wish.
Check out the ad above.
In light of these two events, I will support President @realDonaldTrump in any effort to move forward regarding the recent vacancy created by the passing of Justice Ginsburg.
#3 — Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) September 19, 2020
The Lincoln Project, which was founded by a group of Republicans last year with the goal of preventing Trump’s reelection, has joined with the Lindsey Must Go Super PAC on a substantial TV ad buy targeting the senator in his tight race against Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison.
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“We knew Lindsey Graham was a hypocrite, but he really secured his place in the Hypocrite Hall of Fame,” Lauren Harper of the LMG PAC said in a statement. “Senator Graham once again confirmed to the people of South Carolina that he’s willing to break his promises when it is politically convenient for him and his political party.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-19--Trump Can't Recall Boasting He Has 'World's Best Memory' In Awkward Deposition Video

Donald Trump pulled a hilarious self-own when he told a lawyer questioning him about accusations of fraud against Trump University that he couldn ’ t “ remember ” his boast that he had the “ world ’ s greatest memory ” — which was captured in a deposition video obtained by Mother Jones magazine .
In the 26-minute video , recorded in December 2015 in Trump Tower , Trump answers questions regarding a class-action suit against his “ university.
” Trump agreed to pay $ 25 million shortly after he moved into the White House to settle claims against the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paid as much as $ 35,000 for Trump University seminars contended that they had been lured by false promises that they would learn Trump ’ s investing “ secrets ” from his “ hand-picked ” instructors .
Trump ’ s lawyers battled to keep the deposition video secret as Trump campaigned for the presidency — though transcripts and hundreds of pages of court documents were released in 2016 .
During his campaign , Trump bashed the judge in the case , U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel , as biased because of his Mexican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in his speeches .
In the video , Trump never admits to lying and claims nothing he has said is “ false.
” But he does concede statements were “ innocent ” exaggerations and “ hyperbole.
” He also claims he can ’ t recall several details about university operations — despite his purported world-class memory .
At one point in the video ( check it out above ) , the attorney for the plaintiffs , Jason Forge , asks Trump if he believes he has “ one of the best memories in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump had stated on NBC just weeks earlier that he had the “ world ’ s greatest memory.
” There were other similarities in the deposition to Trump ’ s statements during his presidency .
He insisted the “ university ” had “ a lot of very good instructors ” — yet was unable to name one .
A source provided Mother Jones with the video .
Its authenticity was confirmed by Art Cohen , a lead plaintiff in one of the lawsuits against Trump University and Trump .
“ On this video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dishonest character are exposed when he is faced with questions that demand the truth , ” Cohen told the magazine .

Donald Trump pulled a hilarious self-own when he told a lawyer questioning him about accusations of fraud against Trump University that he couldn’t “remember” his boast that he had the “world’s greatest memory” — which was captured in a deposition video obtained by Mother Jones magazine.
In the 26-minute video, recorded in December 2015 in Trump Tower, Trump answers questions regarding a class-action suit against his “university.” Trump agreed to pay $25 million shortly after he moved into the White House to settle claims against the shuttered operation. Thousands of customers who paid as much as $35,000 for Trump University seminars contended that they had been lured by false promises that they would learn Trump’s investing “secrets” from his “hand-picked” instructors.
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Trump’s lawyers battled to keep the deposition video secret as Trump campaigned for the presidency — though transcripts and hundreds of pages of court documents were released in 2016. During his campaign, Trump bashed the judge in the case, U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, as biased because of his Mexican ancestry as Trump was attacking Mexican immigrants in his speeches.
Mother Jones is the first to publish Trump’s videotaped deposition.
In the video, Trump never admits to lying and claims nothing he has said is “false.” But he does concede statements were “innocent” exaggerations and “hyperbole.” He also claims he can’t recall several details about university operations — despite his purported world-class memory.
At one point in the video (check it out above), the attorney for the plaintiffs, Jason Forge, asks Trump if he believes he has “one of the best memories in the world.”
A bored, annoyed Trump replies: “That I can’t tell you.”
Forge then notes that Trump had stated on NBC just weeks earlier that he had the “world’s greatest memory.”
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Trump responds: “As good as my memory is, I don’t remember that.”
There were other similarities in the deposition to Trump’s statements during his presidency. He insisted the “university” had “a lot of very good instructors” — yet was unable to name one.
He then added: “I’ve heard good things” about them.
A source provided Mother Jones with the video. Its authenticity was confirmed by Art Cohen, a lead plaintiff in one of the lawsuits against Trump University and Trump.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-20--Trump Implies At Rally That He's Already Won The Nobel Peace Prize

President Donald Trump falsely declared at a North Carolina rally Saturday that he and his supporters are being honored with the Nobel Peace Prize .
Trump was nominated for the prize by a far-right Norwegian politician — but it ’ s highly unlikely he ’ ll get the award .
Adolf Hitler was nominated for the peace prize in 1939 by a member of the Swedish parliament .
“ You love your president , and your president gets honored , ” Trump told the crowd in Fayetteville .
“ I ’ m not being honored , you ’ re being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Israel , what we did with Israel.
” '' Your love your president , and your president gets honored -- because I 'm being not honored , you are being honored -- with the Nobel Peace Prize '' -- Trump is now talking as though he has actually won a Nobel and not merely been nominated pic.twitter.com/dOCrg3uwJK — Aaron Rupar ( @ atrupar ) September 19 , 2020 Tybring-Gjedde has repeatedly expressed anti-Islam and anti-immigration views over the years .
He nominated Trump for what he called the president ’ s efforts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the United Arab Emirates .
Tybring-Gjedde and a party colleague also nominated Trump for the 2019 Peace Prize for his talks with North Korea , which went nowhere .
Trump also received two nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize — in 2017 and 2018 — that the Norwegian Nobel Committee determined were both forged .
Whoever wrote the nominations — believed to be the same person — assumed the identity of a qualified nominator , Olav Njolstad , secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee , said at the time .
The committee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the legitimate nominator whose name was used .
According to several press reports , an unidentified American nominated Trump for the 2017 prize , saying he should be honored for his “ ideology of peace through force.
” The same argument appeared in the nomination the following year , Deutsche Welle reported .
Njolstad told The Washington Post that unqualified people are often recommended for the peace prize , but that “ as far as I know , this [ was ] the first example of someone nominating someone by stealing another person @ @ @ @ @

President Donald Trump falsely declared at a North Carolina rally Saturday that he and his supporters are being honored with the Nobel Peace Prize.
Trump was nominated for the prize by a far-right Norwegian politician — but it’s highly unlikely he’ll get the award. Adolf Hitler was nominated for the peace prize in 1939 by a member of the Swedish parliament.
“You love your president, and your president gets honored,” Trump told the crowd in Fayetteville. “I’m not being honored, you’re being honored, with the Nobel Peace Prize for Israel, what we did with Israel.”
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"Your love your president, and your president gets honored -- because I'm being not honored, you are being honored -- with the Nobel Peace Prize" -- Trump is now talking as though he has actually won a Nobel and not merely been nominated pic.twitter.com/dOCrg3uwJK — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 19, 2020
Trump was nominated for the 2021 prize by Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of Norway’s far-right Progress Party.
Tybring-Gjedde has repeatedly expressed anti-Islam and anti-immigration views over the years. He nominated Trump for what he called the president’s efforts to help establish diplomatic ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
Tybring-Gjedde and a party colleague also nominated Trump for the 2019 Peace Prize for his talks with North Korea, which went nowhere.
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Trump also received two nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize — in 2017 and 2018 — that the Norwegian Nobel Committee determined were both forged. Whoever wrote the nominations — believed to be the same person — assumed the identity of a qualified nominator, Olav Njolstad, secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said at the time. The committee discovered the forgery after reaching out to the legitimate nominator whose name was used.
According to several press reports, an unidentified American nominated Trump for the 2017 prize, saying he should be honored for his “ideology of peace through force.” The same argument appeared in the nomination the following year, Deutsche Welle reported.
Njolstad told The Washington Post that unqualified people are often recommended for the peace prize, but that “as far as I know, this [was] the first example of someone nominating someone by stealing another person’s identity.”
Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009.
Presidents Jimmy Carter (2002), Woodrow Wilson (1919) and Theodore Roosevelt (1906) were also awarded the peace prize.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-19--RBG’s Fight For Women’s Rights Is More Urgent Than Ever

Ruth Bader Ginsburg , who died Friday at the age of 87 , spent her life building a world in which women and men were on equal footing , at home and beyond .
Through careful , strategic legal work , first as a litigator and later as a Supreme Court justice , Ginsburg helped turn the idea of gender equality into a fundamental right ― and she did it while raising two kids and facing down the same discrimination she spent her career dismantling .
Now her battle for gender equality is under threat .
Women stand to lose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ access to birth control and adequate health care if Obamacare is overturned .
The right of pregnant women to be free from discrimination at work is not settled , with Democratic lawmakers trying to pass better protections .
Women are still being forced out of work or denied jobs because they ’ re expecting , just as Ginsburg was when she was living with her husband in Oklahoma after they were first married .
Recently , “ progressive ” employer SoulCycle was sued for demoting a pregnant executive and then firing her shortly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Education under President Donald Trump wants to roll back civil rights protections for college students who ’ ve been sexually assaulted or harassed .
Women are still paid less than men to do the same jobs , and the gap is even larger for Black and Hispanic women .
Meanwhile , the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to derail an entire generation of women , pushing them out of the workforce to handle caregiving responsibilities in the home while schools operate virtually or only intermittently .
Caregiving duties , despite Ginsburg ’ s long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sphere , remain largely viewed as the primary responsibility of women .
“ I pray that I may be all that she would have been , had she lived in an age when women could aspire and achieve , and daughters are cherished as much as sons , ” she said .
There ’ s no question that Celia Bader , who died when Ginsburg was in high school , would be proud .
Ginsburg ’ s work at the ACLU opened up new paths for women and helped girls see that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ become a Supreme Court justice or president .
When Ginsburg began the Women ’ s Rights Project in 1972 , there were more than 1,000 laws on the books that disadvantaged women , who could be denied a credit card or refused a mortgage on their own .
These patriarchal constrictions assumed that men called the shots and that women belonged at home .
Ginsburg did this not just by representing women who were facing discrimination but by representing men .
One of her notable cases involved Stephen Wiesenfeld , who wanted time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Jason , after his wife , Paula , died in childbirth .
At the time , Social Security wouldn ’ t pay out full benefits to widowers because they weren ’ t supposed to need them like widows did .
“ In order for women to achieve full equality outside of the home , men have to take on their fair share in the home , ” Mar explained , “ and denying men the opportunity to do this harms both men and women .
All of us should have a deep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if we so choose.
” The majority of college graduates are now women , as are the majority of students enrolled in law school .
That was close to unimaginable when Ginsburg was one of just nine women in her law school class at Harvard .
COVID-19 is just the most recent obstacle to women ’ s progress , as an ineffective government response and shuttered schools threaten to push thousands of highly educated , mid-career women out of the workforce .
Women are nearly three times more likely to leave the workforce @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Census Bureau surveys .
And it ’ s not clear when they can get back to work .
Ginsburg knew how much sex discrimination and gender stereotyping around caregiving held women back .
She faced it herself , over and over .
After she finished tied for first in her class at Columbia Law School , getting a job was a struggle .
The top firms and the best judges didn ’ t see the need for a female lawyer .
When she landed a teaching role at Rutgers , Ginsburg was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When she confronted the dean about it , he said that “ it was only fair that she receive a lower salary than a man with a family to support , ” wrote Jane Sherron De Hart in her sweeping biography “ Ruth Bader Ginsburg : A Life.
” Like so many women , Ginsburg struggled in those early years to balance caring for a young daughter and an ailing father-in-law while her husband , Marty , was putting in long hours at work .
“ Trapped by the needs of two generations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died Friday at the age of 87, spent her life building a world in which women and men were on equal footing, at home and beyond. Through careful, strategic legal work, first as a litigator and later as a Supreme Court justice, Ginsburg helped turn the idea of gender equality into a fundamental right ― and she did it while raising two kids and facing down the same discrimination she spent her career dismantling.
Now her battle for gender equality is under threat. Women stand to lose not only access to abortion but even access to birth control and adequate health care if Obamacare is overturned. The right of pregnant women to be free from discrimination at work is not settled, with Democratic lawmakers trying to pass better protections. Women are still being forced out of work or denied jobs because they’re expecting, just as Ginsburg was when she was living with her husband in Oklahoma after they were first married. Recently, “progressive” employer SoulCycle was sued for demoting a pregnant executive and then firing her shortly after she gave birth.
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The Department of Education under President Donald Trump wants to roll back civil rights protections for college students who’ve been sexually assaulted or harassed. Women are still paid less than men to do the same jobs, and the gap is even larger for Black and Hispanic women.
Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to derail an entire generation of women, pushing them out of the workforce to handle caregiving responsibilities in the home while schools operate virtually or only intermittently. Caregiving duties, despite Ginsburg’s long efforts to include men in the domestic sphere, remain largely viewed as the primary responsibility of women.
“This moment is so very high-stakes,” said Emily Martin, a vice president at the National Women’s Law Center and former deputy director at the American Civil Liberties Union’s Women’s Rights Project, where Ginsburg was a founding director.
Trump said on Saturday that he would pick a woman to fill Ginsburg’s seat, but the women on his Supreme Court list are extremely conservative. The threat to equality from the right is severe.
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“There is a right-wing movement out there that is definitely interested in busting norms and challenging laws and precedents that seem to be well-established,” said Martin.
President Bill Clinton escorts his newly named Supreme Court nominee, Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg, from the podium following the Rose Garden announcement on June 14, 1993. Win McNamee/Reuters
Fighting For Women ― And Men
At the end of her speech accepting President Bill Clinton’s nomination to the Supreme Court in 1993, Ginsburg thanked her late mother, Celia Bader.
“I pray that I may be all that she would have been, had she lived in an age when women could aspire and achieve, and daughters are cherished as much as sons,” she said.
There’s no question that Celia Bader, who died when Ginsburg was in high school, would be proud. Ginsburg’s work at the ACLU opened up new paths for women and helped girls see that they, too, could grow up to become a Supreme Court justice or president.
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When Ginsburg began the Women’s Rights Project in 1972, there were more than 1,000 laws on the books that disadvantaged women, who could be denied a credit card or refused a mortgage on their own. These patriarchal constrictions assumed that men called the shots and that women belonged at home.
“They were perfectly lawful and the Supreme Court had never said otherwise until she got involved,” said Ria Tabacco Mar, the current director of the Women’s Rights Project. “She went after those laws and attacked them.”
Ginsburg did this not just by representing women who were facing discrimination but by representing men. One of her notable cases involved Stephen Wiesenfeld, who wanted time to stay home with his baby boy, Jason, after his wife, Paula, died in childbirth. At the time, Social Security wouldn’t pay out full benefits to widowers because they weren’t supposed to need them like widows did.
“One of her favorite things to do was to [represent] men who wanted more caregiving responsibilities,” said Mar. That’s an ongoing project, she added, pointing to a recent case the ACLU filed against JP Morgan for giving men less parental leave than women.
“In order for women to achieve full equality outside of the home, men have to take on their fair share in the home,” Mar explained, “and denying men the opportunity to do this harms both men and women. All of us should have a deep and meaningful home life and work life if we so choose.”
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The pandemic is making that goal seem ever more remote.
Until the coronavirus struck, the U.S. was coming closer to Ginsburg’s vision in some areas: The gender pay gap had narrowed. The Me Too movement brought heightened attention to the discrimination women face at work.
The majority of college graduates are now women, as are the majority of students enrolled in law school. That was close to unimaginable when Ginsburg was one of just nine women in her law school class at Harvard.
And yet, 25 women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct, and his administration is bent on rolling back women’s rights and gender equality in a number of ways, from abortion rights to health care to equal pay to LGBTQ rights.
A Lost Generation
COVID-19 is just the most recent obstacle to women’s progress, as an ineffective government response and shuttered schools threaten to push thousands of highly educated, mid-career women out of the workforce. Women are nearly three times more likely to leave the workforce because of coronavirus child-care demands, according to Census Bureau surveys. And it’s not clear when they can get back to work.
The economic fallout from the pandemic is creating a lost generation, said Michael Madowitz, an economist at the Center for American Progress. And that generation “is arguably the most educated demographic in America.”
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Ginsburg knew how much sex discrimination and gender stereotyping around caregiving held women back. She faced it herself, over and over. After she finished tied for first in her class at Columbia Law School, getting a job was a struggle. The top firms and the best judges didn’t see the need for a female lawyer.
When she landed a teaching role at Rutgers, Ginsburg was paid less than her male peers. When she confronted the dean about it, he said that “it was only fair that she receive a lower salary than a man with a family to support,” wrote Jane Sherron De Hart in her sweeping biography “Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life.”
Like so many women, Ginsburg struggled in those early years to balance caring for a young daughter and an ailing father-in-law while her husband, Marty, was putting in long hours at work. “Trapped by the needs of two generations” is how De Hart put it.
But Ginsburg never considered taking time away from work, De Hart wrote: “Ever the realist, she knew that asking for special consideration could jeopardize her prospects for tenure.”
Once you get knocked out of the workforce, it’s hard to get back on track. So Ginsburg hung on.
In the weeks ahead, civil rights lawyers are gearing up to fight for her legacy.
“She deserved a period of mourning and it seems profoundly unfair that this time which should be about remembering her legacy has to be a time of fear and fighting,” said Martin.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-20--The Nightmare Scenario That Keeps Election Lawyers Up At Night -- And Could Hand Trump A Second Term

It Was All A Dream

Americans will almost certainly go to bed on Nov. 3 without knowing who won the presidential election. Since millions of people will vote by mail, constraints on time and resources will slow ballot counting into potentially a weeks-long process. Voting patterns suggest it’s likely that President Donald Trump could end Election Day in the lead in certain key states, only to be overtaken by Democratic opponent Joe Biden when more votes are tallied.
This could create a nightmare scenario during the three months stretching from Election Day to the Jan. 20 inauguration: a battle on the state and congressional level over who is the legitimate winner. This could include Congress reconvening on Jan. 6, presided over by Vice President Mike Pence, with no consensus over its potential role in choosing the next president.
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This is arguably the most likely of the contested-election narratives, and now the Supreme Court — which would likely have to rule on the legal arcana at issue in this epic battle — has been thrown into its own nightmare scenario with the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Trump is already setting the stage to declare that anything but a victory for himself means the election is rigged. His penchant for conspiracism and open contempt for American democracy, combined with this procedural confusion, could lead to a genuine democratic crisis. That may not lead to the sort of authoritarian takeover that some, such as Trump’s former top political adviser Roger Stone, have dreamed of. But Trump could use the courts, along with Republican allies at the state level and in Congress, to cling to power.
“Trump is a norm breaker,” Rick Hasen, an election law expert at University of California-Irvine and the author of “Election Meltdown.” “He has lied repeatedly about the security of mail-in balloting. He has made numerous unsupported claims about how the only way he could lose his election is if it is rigged against him. And so, he’s been actively casting doubt on the election process and creating the conditions where I think both sides believe the other side is primed to steal the election.”
Here’s how it could play out.
The Nightmare
A record number of mail-in ballots are expected to be cast in the 2020 election. This could create the prelude to a constitutional crisis. ASSOCIATED PRESS
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At the end of Nov. 3, hundreds of thousands of ballots will likely remain left to count in key states, particularly Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
It will be nearly impossible for election clerks on Election Day to count the record number of absentee and provisional ballots that are anticipated to be cast in those three states, as well as in other crucial battlegrounds. Election officials in many states are underfunded and under-resourced, and in some by law are not allowed to begin counting ballots until Election Day.
Polling and absentee ballot request data from some states show that Democratic voters are far more likely to cast their ballots via the mail during the coronavirus pandemic and that Republicans are more inclined to vote in-person. In Pennsylvania, for example, 70% of all absentee ballot requests were made by registered Democrats, as of Sept. 14.
A dynamic known as the “Blue Shift” already has shown that ballots counted after an election day tend to favor Democratic candidates, as their voters are more likely to cast provisional ballots in-person or return their absentee ballots closer to the receipt deadline.
Combine the existing “Blue Shift” with the pandemic-induced jump in absentee voting and it becomes clear that a great divergence could emerge between the Nov. 3 returns and the actual final tally when late-arriving absentee and provisional ballots are counted. Trump could easily go to bed with a lead in key states based on an incomplete tally on election night and wake up to see that lead eroding based on the totally normal counting of valid ballots ― a “red mirage,” as one political consultant called it in an interview with Axios.
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“It’s easy to see those normal corrections and calibrations that happen after Election Day being fodder for conspiracy theorists like Trump,” Hasen said.
This nightmare scenario continues as lawsuits are filed by both parties over which votes should or should not be counted. But as the late-counted ballots begin to turn the three key Rust Belt states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in Biden’s favor, Trump can be expected to declare the whole vote-counting process illegitimate.
Perhaps some irregularities will occur ― a high number of rejected ballots due to normal voter errors, or maybe too many of Trump’s voters try to vote twice, as he has encouraged, something he could point to as election fraud. But Trump could also call the election tainted even if there is no reason to do so ― a notably disturbing possibility.
“There is this risk that the parties start fighting over the vote tallies even when there’s no problem with the vote tallies,” said Ned Foley, an election law expert at Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law who wrote a paper in 2019 about this exact scenario. “We could see a situation where they’re fighting even when the system is working properly.”
Trump has already prepared for this potential situation. He says mailing ballots to voters is “unfair.” He boasts, without evidence, that the 2020 election will be “INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT,” and “the most rigged election in history.” Foreign governments will “forge” mailed ballots, he asserts, again without foundation. “People that aren’t citizens, illegals, anybody that walks in California is gonna get a ballot,” he tweets, incorrectly.
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And he has set a bar for when the outcome is declared. “Must know Election results on the night of the Election, not days, months, or even years later!” Trump tweeted in July.
This is just an update of what Trump said in 2018 after the Florida Senate race came down to ballots counted after Election Day. “An honest vote count is no longer possible-ballots massively infected. Must go with Election Night!” Trump declared. (Republican challenger Rick Scott prevailed over Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson in that race.)
Assuming Trump exhausts legal avenues in the courts, the scenario continues. Trump says, “Must go with Election Night,” again.
Since Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin ― as well as North Carolina ― have divided government with Democratic governors and GOP-controlled legislatures, Trump calls on Republicans in those legislatures to stop votes from being counted and to certify him the winner of their electoral votes ahead of the scheduled Electoral College vote on Dec. 14. They bend to his request, citing Article II of the Constitution and early examples in U.S. history of state legislatures certifying electors to justify their action, and announce that they view the “blue shift” as evidence of fraud ― even if there has been nothing fraudulent about it.
Meanwhile, the state courts and Democratic governors of these states certify the final vote total for Biden and his electors, declaring that the approval of Trump electors by the GOP-controlled legislatures is unconstitutional. Two sets of electors ― one for Trump, the other for Biden ― are sent to Congress.
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The Precedent
In the controversial presidential election of 1876, the outcomes in four states were in dispute, creating a stalemate that took weeks to resolve before a winner was declared. Bettmann via Getty Images
American presidential elections are oddly not decided by which candidate receives the most votes. Instead, each state is apportioned a number of electoral votes based on its number of senators and representatives ― the lowest number being three and the highest being California, with 55. When a candidate wins a given state, it is a slate of electors that is being approved by the popular vote.
Elections rarely end with the winner of the overall popular vote and electoral vote diverging. It happened three times in the 19th century and twice in the 21st. But it’s been more than a century since an election ended with a dispute in Congress over competing slates of electors.
In 2000, the disputed election of Republican George W. Bush over Democrat Al Gore, determined by a margin of 537 votes in Florida, never moved outside of a fight within the state because the Supreme Court halted the recount.
“If you thought Bush vs. Gore was an anxiety-provoking dispute, the kind that jumps the state boundaries and goes to the Congress is a much bigger deal,” Foley said.
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The last time multiple slates of electors were sent to Congress does not provide much help in how it could be sorted out in 2020. The disputed 1876 election between Republican Rutherford Hayes and Democrat Samuel Tilden came down to who won Florida, Louisiana, Oregon and South Carolina. Complicating matters, the three former Confederate states ― Florida, Louisiana and South Carolina ― sent two separate slates of electors to Congress. At the time, Congress was split between Democrats, who controlled the House of Representatives, and Republicans, who controlled the Senate.
As one would expect to happen in the hyper-partisan post-Civil War environment, Democrats in the House affirmed the Tilden electors and Republicans accepted the Hayes electors. An argument ensued over which body got to choose, based on each chamber’s preferred interpretation of the Constitution’s 12th Amendment (which was enacted after the disputed election of 1800 to clarify the process of electing the president and vice president).
The 12th Amendment, unfortunately, didn’t have anything to say about the 1876 impasse. The two chambers eventually decided to appoint a commission made up of 15 members ― five each from the House, Senate and Supreme Court. The end result was the Compromise of 1877, which handed Hayes the presidency in exchange for him pulling federal troops out of the former Confederacy, leaving formerly enslaved Blacks to fend for themselves against white terrorism and a new system of racial apartheid. The resolution did not occur until two days before Inauguration Day (which then was in early March).
In response to this barely averted constitutional crisis, Congress enacted the Electoral Count Act of 1887 in an attempt to formalize procedures for how Congress should handle future Electoral College disputes. But the law, like so many other late-19th century laws, was poorly written, cryptic in its meaning and riddled with ambiguities and inconsistencies. Even today, scholars cannot agree on a shared reading of the law. And that hazy law will undergird the entire process by which Biden or Trump would ultimately prevail in the nightmare scenario.
The Process
Then-Vice President Al Gore was put in the uncomfortable position of certifying before Congress in early January of 2001 that George W. Bush had defeated him in the hotly contested and controversial election two months earlier. Marshall via Getty Images
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Congress has a clearly defined role in accepting the results of a presidential election. Both congressional chambers will meet on Jan. 6 in a session presided over by the President of the Senate, who at that point will remain Vice President Mike Pence. His job is to open the certifications from each state in alphabetical order, which are then read aloud by “tellers.” He will then ask whether members of Congress have any objections to the submitted slate of electors ― objections that must be made by at least one House member and one Senate member.
In general, objections aren’t made ― lawmakers are supposed to do so only if they believe a state’s submission of electors was corrupted in some way. It’s not unprecedented, however: In 2005, then-Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-Ohio) and then-Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) objected to Ohio’s certification of electors for Bush’s reelection win over Democrat John Kerry. The House and Senate then separated to their respective chambers for two hours of debate before both voted down the objection. In both 2001 and 2017, Democrats in the House attempted to object to the submission of certain state electors, but were not joined by a senator.
If Congress is faced with multiple competing slates of electors ― such as a set certified by a Democratic governor based on a popular vote for Biden and one certified by GOP state legislators for Trump ― matters become more complicated. Near-total agreement exists that if both chambers of Congress vote in favor of one of the two competing slates, that one will be the slate accepted. The problem emerges if the House and the Senate split on which slate to accept.
The predominant view among legal experts is that the law requires Congress to accept the electors certified by the governor. This is the interpretation affirmed in a report by the National Task Force on Election Crises, a cross-partisan ad hoc group of experts across a range of disciplines related to elections.
But there are dissenting opinions. A handful of scholars, including one writing for the Congressional Research Service, interpret the law as nullifying the electors of a state that submits competing slates if Congress cannot agree to accept one of them. Even if legally dubious, that could be enough to nullify electors of a given state if a Republican-controlled Senate adopts this interpretation.
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If a divided Congress were to go down this path, two potential scenarios could result ― each with potential for chaos.
In the case where Congress nullifies the electors of a given state or multiple states, neither Trump nor Biden may meet the necessary threshold of 270 electoral votes to win the presidency. This would throw the election to the House of Representatives, where each state delegation would vote for the president.
The candidate who wins the most state delegation votes would become president. As of now, Republicans have a majority in 26 state delegations, Democrats control 22 and two ― Michigan and Pennsylvania ― are evenly divided. That would, most likely, hand the election to Trump, though the outcome of this year’s House races could change the math.
Alternately, a Democratic-controlled House could pull out of the electoral vote count after rejecting any effort by a Republican-controlled Senate to nullify a state’s electors or appoint electors for Trump. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) could declare that the chamber will only accept the electors certified by governors, based on a full vote that includes late-arriving absentee ballots.
If the Senate refuses to agree, Pelosi could then say that since Congress has not approved a White House winner, that kickstarts the 20th Amendment that details what happens when there is no president-elect. Pelosi ranks as next in line after Trump and Pence, and she could say that she would serve as acting president starting on Jan. 20, when the first term for the GOP duo expires.
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All of this could be adjudicated by the Supreme Court ― which could soon hold a 6-3 conservative majority if Republicans appoint a new Trump nominee before the inauguration of a president. If not, though, it would create an existential crisis.
“That’s a genuine constitutional crisis,” Foley said. “Because if that is protracted all the way to noon on Jan. 20 ― we know President Trump’s first term ends on Jan. 20 ― and then the military needs to know who gets the nuclear codes, starting at noon, who’s the new commander in chief?”
Whether the parties end up in such a situation will be heavily influenced by the actions of Trump, as well as the demands of protesters in the street.
During the 2000 recount in Florida, Republican operatives contrived protests, including the infamous Brooks Brothers Riot, to pressure state election officials to stop counting ballots. Democrats have already said they will not cede protest activity to the GOP, as they did in 2000.
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Trump has primed these supporters to potentially reject the election results with his false statements about voter fraud and absentee voting. He also routinely celebrates violence against his opponents, casting them as subversive, alien threats to the American way of life. The Republican National Convention featured a married couple as primetime speakers solely because they pointed guns at a peaceful protest that they imagined threatened their property. The calls for violence coming from some Trump supporters, such as Stone and disgraced Health and Human Services official Michael Caputo, likely will only increase as the election draws closer.
Public pressure, including violence in the streets, could push reluctant Republicans in power to yield to Trump’s most wild demands, even if he has no legitimate case to question the election.
It Was All A Dream
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, lead in the polls with less than two months before the election. But President Donald Trump is creating the potential for a constitutional crisis by insisting an election he loses must have been "rigged." ASSOCIATED PRESS
Such an election meltdown nightmare that could paralyze the nation remains an edge-case scenario.
It requires a massive confluence of factors in which many different actors with different political and personal desires follow Trump’s chaotic lead. Republican state legislatures may choose to not fulfill a Trump request to certify electors. Senate Republicans may choose not to accept those electors.
A state-level version of this scenario occurred in Kentucky in 2019 when then-Gov. Matt Bevin, a Trump-endorsed Republican, declared that he only lost to Democrat Andy Beshear due to voter fraud in “urban areas,” an accusation the incumbent made up out of whole cloth. Bevin called on the Republican-controlled Legislature to overrule the election and install him in power, which GOP leaders considered. But after Bevin failed to produce any evidence of voter fraud, these Republicans, along with U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), refused to accede to his bid.
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Democrats could simply win control of the incoming Senate in November’s vote, smothering this entire scenario early on. The Supreme Court could settle any number of questions, from disputed vote counts to the proper interpretation of the Electoral Count Act ― although any potential court ruling on these topics now leans more in Trump’s favor after Ginsburg’s death. Or the election could be outside the margin of cheating.
“The most likely scenario is still: The election takes place and we have a winner and it’s clear and that’s that,” Hasen said. “But, you know, there’s a non-negligible chance of a meltdown like this.”
The election results may very well be known the night of the election. For instance, Florida allows officials to canvass absentee ballots ahead of Election Day, meaning the state’s results will be known much faster than those in the three Rust Belt states on which the nightmare scenario likely hinges. If Biden wins Florida, the biggest electoral-vote prize among the closest swing states, he has almost certainly won the presidency.
In the end, it may come down to whether a higher power answers the Election Administrator’s Prayer, a pithy saying passed down from election to election by the people who run them. In November 2000, the director of the National Association of Election Officials provided his version of the prayer in a USA Today report that explained how machines help to tabulate and count votes: “God, please let the winner win in a landslide.”
But God didn’t answer the prayer that time.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-20--Greg Gianforte, Montana’s Pseudoscience Gubernatorial Candidate

In the remote eastern Montana town of Glendive , a stone ’ s throw from the Yellowstone River , sits the Glendive Dinosaur and Fossil Museum ― a seemingly scientific attraction for curious tourists .
But inside this “ museum ” you won ’ t find factual descriptions of the reptiles and other creatures that roamed the planet millions of years ago .
Its exhibits are presented “ in the context of Biblical history , ” dedicated to discrediting Charles Darwin ’ s theory of evolution and promoting the idea that the Earth is just 6,000 years old , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same time and that dinosaurs were on Noah ’ s Ark .
“ The Biblical record of the beginning of the world is authentic history , ” the museum ’ s website said .
Gianforte rejects evolution and dismisses the scientific consensus that humans are the primary drivers of global climate change .
More recently , the supporter of President Donald Trump promoted the idea that so-called “ herd immunity ” — when enough of a population becomes immune to a disease that it can longer spread effectively — is the solution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said in a July 1 webcast that he received “ encouraging ” news from Dr. Scott Gottlieb , the former head of the Food and Drug Administration , that “ by the end of this year , at current infection rates , if we do nothing , we will have built sufficient herd immunity that will stop the expansion of the COVID.
” Gianforte made similar comments in a separate remote town hall that same day .
Gottlieb has since said the U.S is “ probably a long way from herd immunity.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mass COVID-19 infection , which would likely result in at least 1 million deaths in the U.S and other unknown consequences .
One Montana health expert warned such an approach would lead to at least 10,000 deaths in just his state .
Asked for comment , a representative of Gianforte ’ s campaign who identified only as a “ press intern , ” said , “ HuffPo is not an objective news organization .
It ’ s an extension of the Democratic Party .
It ’ s clear you haven ’ t done @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intend to .
Thanks for reaching out , but we ’ re not participating in your story or your coverage of this race .
Feel free to run this in full as our response.
” ( HuffPost is not affiliated with the Democratic Party and is an independent news organization . )
“ I believe that God created the Earth , ” he said .
“ I wasn ’ t there .
I don ’ t know how long it took .
I don ’ t know how he did it exactly , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grandeur in the state , and I believe that God created the Earth.
” On climate change , Gianforte has resorted to a favorite talking point of climate contrarians .
“ The climate has been changing for millennia , ” he said in letters to at least two constituents .
“ Over the last few decades , the Earth has been getting warmer .
While the climate is changing , we still do not know how much of that change is due to human activities.
” An ever-growing , all-but-irrefutable body of scientific @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by human carbon emissions .
A federal climate report released by the Trump administration in 2017 , for example , concluded that “ it is extremely likely that human activities , especially emissions of greenhouse gases , are the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century.
” Gianforte also faced recent criticism for his support of Turning Point USA , the right-wing student nonprofit founded by Charlie Kirk , who spread numerous conspiracy theories about the coronavirus .
He was briefly banned from Twitter earlier this year for falsely claiming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” against the virus .
Gianforte spoke alongside Kirk at a Turning Point USA event in Montana last year .
Gianforte also voiced opposition to mask mandates and COVID-19 stay-at-home orders and said that when a coronavirus vaccine becomes available , it is “ going to be an individual choice for individuals whether they take it or not.
” This election cycle , Gianforte donated to at least two anti-vaccine candidates for state office , according to state campaign data .
He gave the maximum $ 180 to state Rep. Theresa Manzella ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anti-vaccine bills , one of which would have eliminated nearly all immunization requirements for children in day care .
Manzella is now running for Montana state Senate .

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In the remote eastern Montana town of Glendive, a stone’s throw from the Yellowstone River, sits the Glendive Dinosaur and Fossil Museum ― a seemingly scientific attraction for curious tourists. But inside this “museum” you won’t find factual descriptions of the reptiles and other creatures that roamed the planet millions of years ago.
Its exhibits are presented “in the context of Biblical history,” dedicated to discrediting Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and promoting the idea that the Earth is just 6,000 years old, that humans and dinosaurs roamed the planet at the same time and that dinosaurs were on Noah’s Ark. “The Biblical record of the beginning of the world is authentic history,” the museum’s website said.
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One of the biggest bankrollers of this pseudoscience outfit is Greg Gianforte, the 2020 Republican nominee for governor. Through his family foundation, the millionaire technology entrepreneur donated at least $290,000 to the museum.
Gianforte is a first-term Republican congressman from Montana who infamously body-slammed a reporter on the eve of the state’s special election in 2017. Gianforte pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor assault charge, and a judge gave him a six-month deferred sentence and ordered him to pay a $385 fine, perform community service and attend anger management counseling.
Gianforte rejects evolution and dismisses the scientific consensus that humans are the primary drivers of global climate change. More recently, the supporter of President Donald Trump promoted the idea that so-called “herd immunity” — when enough of a population becomes immune to a disease that it can no longer spread effectively — is the solution to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Gianforte said in a July 1 webcast that he received “encouraging” news from Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former head of the Food and Drug Administration, that “by the end of this year, at current infection rates, if we do nothing, we will have built sufficient herd immunity that will stop the expansion of the COVID.” Gianforte made similar comments in a separate remote town hall that same day. Gottlieb has since said the U.S is “probably a long way from herd immunity.”
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Rep. Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.) appears with President Donald Trump at a "Make America Great Again" rally in Bozeman, Montana, in November 2018. William Campbell via Getty Images
Achieving herd immunity without a vaccine requires mass COVID-19 infection, which would likely result in at least 1 million deaths in the U.S and other unknown consequences. One Montana health expert warned such an approach would lead to at least 10,000 deaths in just his state.
Asked for comment, a representative of Gianforte’s campaign who identified only as a “press intern,” said, “HuffPo is not an objective news organization. It’s an extension of the Democratic Party. It’s clear you haven’t done any meaningful research and don’t intend to. Thanks for reaching out, but we’re not participating in your story or your coverage of this race. Feel free to run this in full as our response.” (HuffPost is not affiliated with the Democratic Party and is an independent news organization.)
Montana Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, slammed his opponent’s herd immunity comments in a statement earlier this month.
Gianforte’s “unwillingness to follow basic science” on the coronavirus, climate change and evolution “is nothing short of disqualifying,” Cooney’s campaign spokeswoman Ronja Abel told HuffPost via email. “Montanans simply can’t trust a man who believes dinosaurs walked the Earth with humans to lead our state through a once-in-a-lifetime public health emergency,” she added.
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Montana Public Radio asked Gianforte three times during his 2017 congressional campaign if he believed in the scientific consensus that species evolved over time through the process of natural selection.
“I believe that God created the Earth,” he said. “I wasn’t there. I don’t know how long it took. I don’t know how he did it exactly, but I look around me at the grandeur in the state, and I believe that God created the Earth.”
Pressed again, Gianforte said, “I think I’ve answered your question.”
On climate change, Gianforte has resorted to a favorite talking point of climate contrarians. “The climate has been changing for millennia,” he said in letters to at least two constituents. “Over the last few decades, the Earth has been getting warmer. While the climate is changing, we still do not know how much of that change is due to human activities.”
An ever-growing, all-but-irrefutable body of scientific research shows that climate change is driven by human carbon emissions. A federal climate report released by the Trump administration in 2017, for example, concluded that “it is extremely likely that human activities, especially emissions of greenhouse gases, are the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century.”
Gianforte also faced recent criticism for his support of Turning Point USA, the right-wing student nonprofit founded by Charlie Kirk, who spread numerous conspiracy theories about the coronavirus. He was briefly banned from Twitter earlier this year for falsely claiming that hydroxychloroquine is “100% effective” against the virus. Gianforte spoke alongside Kirk at a Turning Point USA event in Montana last year.
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In April, Montana’s attorney general and then-Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim Fox accused Gianforte of insider trading on the coronavirus by investing in the manufacturer of hydroxychloroquine. Gianforte disputed the claim.
Gianforte also voiced opposition to mask mandates and COVID-19 stay-at-home orders and said that when a coronavirus vaccine becomes available, it is “going to be an individual choice for individuals whether they take it or not.”
This election cycle, Gianforte donated to at least two anti-vaccine candidates for state office, according to state campaign data. He gave the maximum $180 to state Rep. Theresa Manzella (R-Hamilton), who sponsored two failed anti-vaccine bills, one of which would have eliminated nearly all immunization requirements for children in day care. Manzella is now running for Montana state Senate.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-19--Cops Arrest Man Who Allegedly Beat Gas Station Worker For Social Distancing Request

Police have finally arrested a customer who they say fractured the skull of a 67-year-old Long Island gas station worker who had asked the man to socially distance himself .
Hiram Vega beat the worker with a metal pipe , Nassau County police said .
Vega , a 41-year-old Queens resident , was arrested Friday for the alleged assault at the gas station in Freeport , New York , in April .
According to police , when Vega handed the station worker a $ 10 bill to pay for the gas , he was asked to back up to maintain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ height of the coronavirus outbreak in the area .
Instead , Vega allegedly grabbed a metal bar from his vehicle and beat the victim in the head , ribs and right leg , The Associated Press reported .
The worker was hospitalized with a fractured skull , a “ large laceration ” and bruises on his body , officials said .
Vega was arraigned Saturday on one count of first-degree assault and two counts of second-degree assault .
He was unable to post bail and remained in jail , according to AP .

dowell via Getty Images
Police have finally arrested a customer who they say fractured the skull of a 67-year-old Long Island gas station worker who had asked the man to socially distance himself. Hiram Vega beat the worker with a metal pipe, Nassau County police said.
Vega, a 41-year-old Queens resident, was arrested Friday for the alleged assault at the gas station in Freeport, New York, in April. According to police, when Vega handed the station worker a $10 bill to pay for the gas, he was asked to back up to maintain social distancing. It was then the height of the coronavirus outbreak in the area.
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Instead, Vega allegedly grabbed a metal bar from his vehicle and beat the victim in the head, ribs and right leg, The Associated Press reported.
The worker was hospitalized with a fractured skull, a “large laceration” and bruises on his body, officials said.