thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-16--Court Rules Ohio Must Allow Gender Changes On Birth Certificates

In response to a lawsuit brought by four transgender people , the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio found Ohio ’ s birth certificate rule imposed by the state Department of Health and the Office of Vital Statistics is unconstitutional .
Judge Michael Watson rejected the state of Ohio ’ s arguments that the policy helped prevent fraud and maintain a historically accurate record of its citizenry .
He called such justifications “ nothing more than thinly veiled post-hoc rationales to deflect from the discriminatory impact of the policy.
” The court sided with the American Civil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Lambda Legal , which argued on behalf of plaintiffs that the state ’ s requirement prevents transgender people from obtaining a document essential to everyday living and subjects them to discrimination and potential violence .
“ This is truly a victory for the LGBT community , in every aspect , ” plaintiff Stacie Ray said in a statement .
“ Today ’ s ruling affirms that the state must recognize the dignity and true identity of every transgender Ohioan , ” she said in a statement .
“ It is incredibly frustrating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discrimination , but today we celebrate this victory as an acknowledgement to their commitment to justice.
” The lawsuit , which listed the plaintiffs as three females and one male , claimed the birth certificate rule imposed by the Ohio Department of Health and the state Office of Vital Statistics is inconsistent with the state ’ s practice of permitting transgender people to correct gender markers on their driver ’ s licenses and state identification cards .
The plaintiffs in the case were Ray , Jane Doe and Ashley Breda , women whose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and Basil Argento , a man whose birth certificate indicates his sex as female .
“ Ohio ’ s refusal to correct my birth certificate is a constant reminder that my home state does not recognize me as a woman , ” she said .
Ray said a co-worker threatened her with violence when a human resources employee questioned the gender listing on her birth certificate loudly enough for others to hear .
Lacking a birth certificate that matches her gender identity also caused delays in her obtaining a hazardous-materials endorsement needed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The conservative Citizens for Community Values has criticized the lawsuit for wasting taxpayer dollars and sacrificing birth certificate information they say is essential to protecting citizens ’ health , safety and privacy .

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio can’t keep refusing to allow people to change the gender listings on their birth certificates, a federal court ruled Wednesday.
In response to a lawsuit brought by four transgender people, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio found Ohio’s birth certificate rule imposed by the state Department of Health and the Office of Vital Statistics is unconstitutional.
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The state was weighing an appeal.
Judge Michael Watson rejected the state of Ohio’s arguments that the policy helped prevent fraud and maintain a historically accurate record of its citizenry. He called such justifications “nothing more than thinly veiled post-hoc rationales to deflect from the discriminatory impact of the policy.”
The court sided with the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Ohio and Lambda Legal, which argued on behalf of plaintiffs that the state’s requirement prevents transgender people from obtaining a document essential to everyday living and subjects them to discrimination and potential violence.
“This is truly a victory for the LGBT community, in every aspect,” plaintiff Stacie Ray said in a statement.
Elizabeth Bonham, staff attorney for the ACLU of Ohio, called Watson’s ruling validating.
“Today’s ruling affirms that the state must recognize the dignity and true identity of every transgender Ohioan,” she said in a statement. “It is incredibly frustrating that our clients faced years of unlawful discrimination, but today we celebrate this victory as an acknowledgement to their commitment to justice.”
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The lawsuit, which listed the plaintiffs as three females and one male, claimed the birth certificate rule imposed by the Ohio Department of Health and the state Office of Vital Statistics is inconsistent with the state’s practice of permitting transgender people to correct gender markers on their driver’s licenses and state identification cards.
Spokesperson Melanie Amato said the Health Department was reviewing the decision.
The plaintiffs in the case were Ray, Jane Doe and Ashley Breda, women whose birth certificates indicate their sex as male, and Basil Argento, a man whose birth certificate indicates his sex as female.
At a March 2019 news conference announcing the suit, Ray insisted “I am a woman” and called the lack of an accurate birth certificate “humiliating.”
“Ohio’s refusal to correct my birth certificate is a constant reminder that my home state does not recognize me as a woman,” she said.
Ray said a co-worker threatened her with violence when a human resources employee questioned the gender listing on her birth certificate loudly enough for others to hear. Lacking a birth certificate that matches her gender identity also caused delays in her obtaining a hazardous-materials endorsement needed for her promotion as a truck driver.
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The conservative Citizens for Community Values has criticized the lawsuit for wasting taxpayer dollars and sacrificing birth certificate information they say is essential to protecting citizens’ health, safety and privacy.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost had not yet decided whether to appeal, said spokeswoman Bethany McCorkle.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-16--Fox News' Geraldo Rivera Lets Loose On Republicans Still Denying Election Results

Looks like Fox News ’ Geraldo Rivera might be getting the cold shoulder from President Donald Trump for the foreseeable future .
The conservative commentator said last week that Trump , an old friend of his , wasn ’ t taking his calls because he acknowledged that President-elect Joe Biden won the Nov. 3 election .
In a video posted Wednesday on Twitter , Rivera stated : “ Joe Biden won .
Donald Trump lost .
The Electoral College has now decided .
It is over.
” On Monday , 306 electoral votes were cast for Biden and 232 for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Congress still refused to accept Biden ’ s victory , and Trump continued to tweet lies about voter fraud and claim he won in a “ landslide.
” Rivera urged Republicans to focus instead on the Georgia Senate runoff vote next month , which will decide control of the Senate .
“ Those people who continue to promote some fantastic legislative or judicial or constitutional , you know , magic wand that ’ s going to save the Trump presidency : You are wrong .
You are misleading the American people , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the fabric of the American republic.
” More than four dozen lawsuits filed by Trump or his allies have failed to produce any evidence of widespread electoral fraud .
“ We can ’ t keep this divisive rhetoric going , ” Rivera continued .
“ Some of the nonsense I ’ m hearing is just beyond the pale .
So let ’ s stop that , let ’ s get it together , let ’ s remember we ’ re one country.
” On Monday , Rivera sent a similar message to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , urging him on Fox News to accept the loss and move on in the interest of protecting the country .
The comments are particularly stark from Rivera , who had stood by his friendship with Trump even after some of the president ’ s most racist comments and had repeatedly praised Trump ’ s handling of the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 300,000 people in the U.S .

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Looks like Fox News’ Geraldo Rivera might be getting the cold shoulder from President Donald Trump for the foreseeable future.
The conservative commentator said last week that Trump, an old friend of his, wasn’t taking his calls because he acknowledged that President-elect Joe Biden won the Nov. 3 election.
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In a video posted Wednesday on Twitter, Rivera stated: “Joe Biden won. Donald Trump lost. The Electoral College has now decided. It is over.”
On Monday, 306 electoral votes were cast for Biden and 232 for Trump. Yet many Republican members of Congress still refused to accept Biden’s victory, and Trump continued to tweet lies about voter fraud and claim he won in a “landslide.”
Rivera urged Republicans to focus instead on the Georgia Senate runoff vote next month, which will decide control of the Senate.
“Those people who continue to promote some fantastic legislative or judicial or constitutional, you know, magic wand that’s going to save the Trump presidency: You are wrong. You are misleading the American people,” he said. “You are tearing at the fabric of the American republic.”
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More than four dozen lawsuits filed by Trump or his allies have failed to produce any evidence of widespread electoral fraud.
In the words of the unforgettable Kenny Rogers, Know when to hold em, know when to fold em. pic.twitter.com/eE9reqLIWz — Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) December 16, 2020
“We can’t keep this divisive rhetoric going,” Rivera continued. “Some of the nonsense I’m hearing is just beyond the pale. So let’s stop that, let’s get it together, let’s remember we’re one country.”
On Monday, Rivera sent a similar message to the president after the Electoral College vote, urging him on Fox News to accept the loss and move on in the interest of protecting the country.
The comments are particularly stark from Rivera, who had stood by his friendship with Trump even after some of the president’s most racist comments and had repeatedly praised Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 300,000 people in the U.S.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-16--10 States Slam Google With Antitrust Lawsuit

WASHINGTON ( Reuters ) - Backed by nine other states , Texas filed a lawsuit against Alphabet Inc-owned Google on Wednesday , accusing it of breaking antitrust law in how it runs its online advertising business .
The Texas lawsuit is the second major complaint from regulators against Google and the fourth in a series of federal and state lawsuits aimed at reining in alleged bad behavior by the big tech platforms that have grown significantly in the past two decades .
The lawsuit was filed in the Eastern District of Texas .
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had previously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawsuit against the company in October , which accused the $ 1 trillion California-based company of illegally using its market power to hobble rivals , and was joined by 11 other states when it was filed .
FILE - This July 19 , 2016 , file photo shows the Google logo at the company 's headquarters in Mountain View , Calif. Software developer Tim Chevalier , a former Google employee who is transgender , is suing the tech company over issues of diversity .
Chevalier 's lawsuit was filed Wednesday , Feb. 21 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court .
( AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez , File ) In its lawsuit , Texas argues that Google dominates the path of getting an advertisement from the agency that produces it to a Web page or mobile app that attracts the consumer ’ s eyeballs .
“ Google repeatedly used its monopolistic power to control pricing ( and ) engage in market collusions to rig auctions in a tremendous violation of justice , ” Paxton said in a Facebook video .
The company “ eliminated its competition and crowned itself the king of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We will strongly defend ourselves from his baseless claims in court , ” a Google spokeswoman said , referring to Paxton .
“ Digital ad prices have fallen over the last decade .
Ad tech fees are falling too .
Google ’ s ad tech fees are lower than the industry average .
These are the hallmarks of a highly competitive industry.
” The complaint filed in the Eastern District of Texas was not immediately available to download , delaying publication of some of the lawsuit ’ s details .
Google ad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alphabet ’ s revenue .
But most of the sales and the bulk of Alphabet ’ s profits come from Google ’ s high-margin operation of placing text ads above search results .

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Backed by nine other states, Texas filed a lawsuit against Alphabet Inc-owned Google on Wednesday, accusing it of breaking antitrust law in how it runs its online advertising business.
The Texas lawsuit is the second major complaint from regulators against Google and the fourth in a series of federal and state lawsuits aimed at reining in alleged bad behavior by the big tech platforms that have grown significantly in the past two decades. The lawsuit was filed in the Eastern District of Texas.
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had previously joined the U.S. Justice Department’s lawsuit against the company in October, which accused the $1 trillion California-based company of illegally using its market power to hobble rivals, and was joined by 11 other states when it was filed.
FILE - This July 19, 2016, file photo shows the Google logo at the company's headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. Software developer Tim Chevalier, a former Google employee who is transgender, is suing the tech company over issues of diversity. Chevalier's lawsuit was filed Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, in San Francisco County Court. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File) ASSOCIATED PRESS
In its lawsuit, Texas argues that Google dominates the path of getting an advertisement from the agency that produces it to a Web page or mobile app that attracts the consumer’s eyeballs.
“Google repeatedly used its monopolistic power to control pricing (and) engage in market collusions to rig auctions in a tremendous violation of justice,” Paxton said in a Facebook video.
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The company “eliminated its competition and crowned itself the king of online advertising,” he added.
“We will strongly defend ourselves from his baseless claims in court,” a Google spokeswoman said, referring to Paxton. “Digital ad prices have fallen over the last decade. Ad tech fees are falling too. Google’s ad tech fees are lower than the industry average. These are the hallmarks of a highly competitive industry.”
The nine states that joined Texas are Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, South Dakota, North Dakota, Utah, and Idaho.
The complaint filed in the Eastern District of Texas was not immediately available to download, delaying publication of some of the lawsuit’s details.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-16--Japanese Man Selling Hyper-Realistic Masks Featuring Faces Of Strangers

TOKYO , Dec 16 ( Reuters ) - A year into the coronavirus epidemic , a Japanese retailer has come up with a new take on the theme of facial camouflage - a hyper-realistic mask that models a stranger ’ s features in three dimensions .
Shuhei Okawara ’ s masks won ’ t protect you or others against the virus .
But they will lend you the exact appearance of an unidentified Japanese adult whose features have been printed onto them .
“ Mask shops in Venice probably do not buy or sell faces .
But that is something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fantasy stories , “ Okawara told Reuters .
“ I thought it would be fun to actually do that.
” The masks will go on sale early next year for 98,000 yen ( $ 950 ) apiece at his Tokyo shop , Kamenya Omote , whose products are popular as accessories for parties and theatrical performance .
Okawara chose his model , whom he paid 40,000 yen , from more than 100 applicants who sent him their photos when he launched the project in October .
An artisan then reworked the winning image @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Initial inquiries suggest demand for the masks will be strong , Okawara said .
“ As is often the case with the customers of my shop , there are not so many people who buy ( face masks ) for specific purposes .
Most see them as art pieces , ” Okawara said .
He plans to gradually add new faces , including some from overseas , to the lineup .

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TOKYO, Dec 16 (Reuters) - A year into the coronavirus epidemic, a Japanese retailer has come up with a new take on the theme of facial camouflage - a hyper-realistic mask that models a stranger’s features in three dimensions.
Shuhei Okawara’s masks won’t protect you or others against the virus. But they will lend you the exact appearance of an unidentified Japanese adult whose features have been printed onto them.
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“Mask shops in Venice probably do not buy or sell faces. But that is something that’s likely to happen in fantasy stories,“ Okawara told Reuters.
“I thought it would be fun to actually do that.”
The masks will go on sale early next year for 98,000 yen ($950) apiece at his Tokyo shop, Kamenya Omote, whose products are popular as accessories for parties and theatrical performance.
Okawara chose his model, whom he paid 40,000 yen, from more than 100 applicants who sent him their photos when he launched the project in October. An artisan then reworked the winning image, created on a 3D printer.
Initial inquiries suggest demand for the masks will be strong, Okawara said.
“As is often the case with the customers of my shop, there are not so many people who buy (face masks) for specific purposes. Most see them as art pieces,” Okawara said.
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He plans to gradually add new faces, including some from overseas, to the lineup.
($1 = 103.4300 yen)


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-16--Baby Yoda Is The Cutest New Christmas Tree Topper Trend

People on Twitter are sharing pictures of the breakout character from the Disney+ “ Star Wars ” spinoff “ The @ @ @ @ @ of their trees for the holidays .

People on Twitter are sharing pictures of the breakout character from the Disney+ “Star Wars” spinoff “The Mandalorian” perched on top of their trees for the holidays.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-17--Big Tobacco: Trust Us To Solve The Smoking Epidemic

“ I ’ ve been working on tobacco issues for 40 years , ” Myers said .
“ During that @ @ @ @ @ Morris has on multiple occasions conducted campaigns to assert that they care about consumers ’ @ @ @ @ @ a responsible company that is a critical part of the solution .
In the past @ @ @ @ @ campaigns has in fact been nothing more than a disguise to allow them to continue @ @ @ @ @ is astonishing to anyone who has followed the tobacco industry ’ s decadeslong campaign to @ @ @ @ @ health risks of smoking ― a scheme that seems only to rival the oil industry @ @ @ @ @ climate change .
The two industries have worked collaboratively for half a century , sharing @ @ @ @ @ research institutes , PR firms and even scientists , according to documents the Washington-based Center @ @ @ @ @ in 2016 .

In April 1999, a full-page color advertisement for Carlton cigarettes appeared in the metro section of The New York Times, featuring a woman in a dark blue suit, listening to vinyl and holding a lit cigarette. “It’s the Ultra ultra light,” it read.
It would be the last cigarette ad to run in the influential newspaper, as later that month the Times joined other major print outlets in banning tobacco ads. “We don’t want to expose our readers to advertising that may be dangerous to their health,” a Times spokesperson said then.
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But two decades later, apparent loopholes to that policy remain. Now, big tobacco is rebranding itself as the solution to a public health crisis it created and continues to profit from, with ads touting development of “smoke-free,” “better” and “less-risky” alternatives to conventional tobacco products like cigarettes, cigars or chewing tobacco. The ads are everywhere ― including a sizable buy in the Times by tobacco giant Philip Morris International.
The company, best known for its Marlboro brand, pledged in 2016 to eventually stop selling cigarettes. Since September, it has published two digital ads in the Times promoting its efforts to “deliver a smoke-free future.” In one, published last month and titled “We’re Delivering Better Choices,” CEO André Calantzopoulos writes that “better alternatives are at the heart of our commitment to a smoke-free future, and our goal is they will replace cigarettes for good.”
That ad drew the attention of representatives of Corporate Accountability, a corporate watchdog group, who noted the tobacco industry’s long history of deceptive marketing tactics and slammed the NYT for accepting such an ad amid a respiratory disease pandemic. Smoking increases a person’s chance of severe COVID-19 infection and death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Times spokesperson Eileen Murphy told HuffPost the PMI advertisement is an “advocacy ad” and does not violate the company’s policy because it “does not promote or link to a product.”
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“This isn’t new,” Murphy said via email. “We’ve accepted advocacy ads from PMI and from JUUL promoting a smoke free future for some time.” (JUUL, a manufacturer of top-selling vaping products, faced backlash over ads that appeared to target teens and young adults; the company has since reportedly described such advertising as “intended for adults” and “short-lived.”)
The recent Philip Morris International ads don’t name or directly link to any of the company’s products, but they are clearly meant to pitch the IQOS, a device that looks much like an e-cigarette and heats leaf tobacco without burning it, allowing it to deliver nicotine in aerosol form rather than smoke. In fact, the ad featuring Calantzopoulos links to a page on Philip Morris International’s website that includes a link to the company’s 2020 proxy statement, which mentions IQOS multiple times.
Altria Group Inc., the parent company of Philip Morris USA, sells the IQOS in the United States through an exclusive licensing agreement with Philip Morris International. PMI, spun off from Altria in 2008, sells Marlboro, IQOS and other Philip Morris brands globally.
Philip Morris International's IQOS, a heated tobacco device, with a charger and "Heets" tobacco cartridges. picture alliance via Getty Images
The IQOS is marketed as a “better alternative” to smoking, but the device has not been scientifically shown to reduce smoking-related health risks overall or to help smokers quit. In July, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration concluded that IQOS does reduce a person’s exposure to harmful chemicals, but denied Philip Morris’ application to market it as a product that reduces the risk of tobacco-related disease.
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“Even with this action, these products are not safe nor ‘FDA approved,’” the regulator noted.
Philip Morris International’s advertising could be read as suggesting otherwise. In the Times ad, Calantzopoulos touts that “better alternatives, backed by science, are real, and they have the potential to deliver a huge public health opportunity.”
Smoke Screen
It’s hard to argue the ads aren’t meant to help Phillip Morris International sell its newest products. Search on Google for the company name and “smoke free” and you’ll get a slew of information about IQOS.
“It’s an invitation to learn more, which is a marketing tactic used all the time,” said Jesse Bragg, media director of Corporate Accountability. “If McDonald’s ran an ad that had their logo and language about antibiotics in their supply chain, the objective of that ad is still selling burgers and fries.”
Robert Jackler, a Stanford University professor and tobacco industry expert, called the ads “hypocritical and gratuitous” and said the Times should have never run them.
“This is part of a campaign that the New York Times should not be complicit with,” said Jackler, the co-founder and director of Stanford’s Research Into the Impact of Tobacco Advertising. “I am deeply disappointed that The New York Times chose to run paid propaganda from a tobacco company.”
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In a lengthy email statement, Philip Morris International spokesperson Corey Henry said that the company’s goal is “to switch those of the world’s 1 billion smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke to better alternatives as quickly as possible,” and that it is “disrupting” its business in order to make it happen.
“We are doing everything we can to move as fast as we can,” Henry said. “We are the only tobacco company that has made this commitment.
Among other things, Henry noted that IQOS is now available in 61 international markets; that 98% of the company’s research and development dollars in 2019 ― some $460 million ― was spent on “smoke-free products”; and that in the past five years, approximately 11.7 million people globally have stopped smoking and switched to IQOS.
A man uses an IQOS, a heated tobacco device made by Philip Morris International. picture alliance via Getty Images
In 2017, Philip Morris International launched the “Foundation for a Smoke-Free World,” which it claims is an “independent” nonprofit whose mission is “to end smoking in this generation.” The company has pledged to spend $1 billion over 12 years on the project.
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But anti-smoking groups and public health advocates see the foundation as little more than the tobacco giant’s latest attempt to burnish its image. The World Health Organization, which prohibits tobacco companies from attending international tobacco treaty negotiations, has refused to partner with the foundation, citing “a number of clear conflicts of interest involved with a tobacco company funding a purported health foundation.” WHO called on governments and the public health community writ large to follow its lead.
The American Cancer Society also dismissed the foundation as “a continuation of a decades-long effort to paint over tobacco’s role in spreading death and misery around the globe.”
“This attempt by Philip Morris International to paint itself as a public health partner is manipulative and dangerous,” the cancer society said when the foundation launched in September 2017. “It is a new twist out of the tobacco industry’s deadly playbook, but nobody should be fooled.”
Jackler said the company’s ongoing “smoke-free” campaign, which he and his team at Stanford closely track, seeks to protect revenues amid declining cigarette sales, make smoking socially acceptable and circumvent regulations that restrict where people can smoke. If Philip Morris International was serious about achieving a smoke-free future, it would invest in developing cessation products to help people quit, he said ― but that’s not a profitable business model.
“Their products kill millions of people around the world every year,” Jackler said. “If they really were a noble protector of health, they would stop selling Marlboro.”
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“The dark secret is that they are selling addiction and continued addiction.”
Last year, “smoke-free products” accounted for 19% of Philip Morris International’s nearly $30 billion in net global revenue and 8% of its shipped products. Those percentages are up from 3% of revenue and 1% of product volume in 2016, according to company data.
Although the growth of these products has been rapid, more than three-quarters of the company’s global revenue in 2019 came from conventional cigarettes. And Philip Morris International continues to market conventional cigarettes around the globe and fight stricter regulations on tobacco.
Much like the oil and gas industry characterizes natural gas as a “bridge fuel” to achieve a renewable energy future, Philip Morris International says the “combustible category” of tobacco ― cigarettes ― must remain part of the nicotine mix.
“It is the fuel, both financially and as a matter of maintaining relationships with adults who smoke, for the engine of our smoke-free transformation,” Henry said.
The New Industry ‘Science’
Messaging about reducing tobacco-related health risks is nothing new for the industry.
Beginning in the 1960s, so-called light and ultra light cigarettes were tobacco companies’ answer to public concern about the impacts of smoking. Later came marketing campaigns promoting brands low in tar and nicotine. Science would ultimately prove that such products were no less hazardous than smoking regular cigarettes, and the U.S. passed a law in 2009 banning tobacco companies from using terms like “light” and “mild” in their advertising.
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IQOS and similar heated tobacco products are the light cigarettes of today, said Matt Myers, president of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
“I’ve been working on tobacco issues for 40 years,” Myers said. “During that period of time, Philip Morris International has on multiple occasions conducted campaigns to assert that they care about consumers’ health and that they are a responsible company that is a critical part of the solution. In the past, every one of those campaigns has in fact been nothing more than a disguise to allow them to continue marketing Marlboro.”
There is no reason to believe this time is any different, Myers said. And the company’s actions overseas, which include aggressively marketing its existing cigarette brands, launching a new one in Indonesia and rolling out new flavors like Marlboro Splash Mega Purple, further undermine those claims.
“What they are counting on is people not noticing what else they’re doing,” Myers said.
A commuter rides his bike past an advertisement for L&M cigarettes, a Philip Morris International brand, at a kiosk along a road in Karachi, Pakistan in May 2018. Akhtar Soomro / Reuters
Unlike Jackler, Myers doesn’t blame the Times for running the Philip Morris International ads. It is often hard to differentiate between an industry ad aimed at pitching a new product and one that promotes a company as a whole or participates in a public debate, he said. As Myers sees it, Philip Morris International’s target audience in this particular case is not consumers, but policymakers and regulators.
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“It is designed in large part to give visibility to their claim that they are a legitimate stakeholder who deserves to be at the table, at a point in time where most governments no longer see the tobacco companies as legitimate stakeholders,” Myers said.
Henry, of Philip Morris International, acknowledged that the ads are part of its effort “to inform key opinion leaders of our mission to achieve a science-based smoke-free future” and said “governments and public authorities have a big role to play.”
‘A Better Tomorrow’
Other tobacco industry players have taken a similar tack. In March, British American Tobacco, whose defunct U.S. subsidiary Brown & Williamson Tobacco manufactured Carlton cigarettes, unveiled a new logo, retiring its signature tobacco leaf, and adding the slogan “a better tomorrow.”
The company notes on its website that its “purpose has evolved as we aim to reduce the health impact of our business through offering a greater choice of enjoyable and less risky products for our consumers.”
Both companies are leading the charge on heated tobacco technology. Philip Morris International has sought to corner the market through a sophisticated advertising campaign that “with the sole exception of the change/switch theme ... faithfully recapitulate the techniques used by the tobacco industry during the 20th century,” Jackler and other Stanford researchers concluded in a lengthy study of IQOS released in February.
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The campaign has included enlisting celebrities and social media influencers, sponsoring parties and festivals, and partnering with bars and restaurants to establish “IQOS friendly” spaces where the devices are permitted but cigarettes are not. Last year, Philip Morris International suspended a social media campaign for IQOS after a Reuters investigation found that it had violated its own policy against using models and online personalities younger than 25 to promote the device.
A woman sits in an IQOS lounge at the Papastratos tobbacco company facilities in Aspropyrgos, Greece. Philip Morris International bought Papastratos, Greece's largest tobacco company, in 2003. LOUISA GOULIAMAKI via Getty Images
Meanwhile, Philip Morris International has turned to major media outlets to paint itself as a champion of science. In 2019, it struck a $6 million deal with Vice Media for the company to produce sponsored content promoting its products. In a full-page ad in The Washington Post in September, its CEO slammed unnamed public health organizations for “allowing disinformation to supplant legitimate science” and called for “science, not rhetoric, to inform policies and regulations.”
And in a similar September ad in the Times, Moira Gilchrist, Philip Morris International’ vice president of strategic and scientific communications, lamented how “the absence of accurate scientific information creates the conditions for ‘junk’ or bad science to gain prominence.”
“We have great challenges ahead of us ― climate change and the novel coronavirus pandemic, to name just two ― so ensuring science takes precedence over ideology, politics, and unsubstantiated beliefs is of pressing importance,” Gilchrist wrote.
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The statement is astonishing to anyone who has followed the tobacco industry’s decadeslong campaign to undermine the science about the health risks of smoking ― a scheme that seems only to rival the oil industry’s cover-up of global climate change. The two industries have worked collaboratively for half a century, sharing marketing and advertising strategies, research institutes, PR firms and even scientists, according to documents the Washington-based Center for International Environmental Law released in 2016.
“When you don’t have the scientific argument, when responsible scientific consensus is opposed to your business, you manufacture doubt,” said Jackler. “You manufacture doubt by commissioning scientists to find alternative facts … And then you of course smirch the legitimate scientists by calling it ‘junk science.’”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-17--The 7 Most Common Places COVID-19 Is Spreading Right Now

The data shows that when it comes to COVID-19 , the locations where people contract the virus run the gamut .
Most commonly , cases can be traced back to places where people spend a lot of time congregating together — such as your house or work — and crowded , indoor spaces like restaurants or gyms .
“ Try to avoid [ these places ] if you can , but if you can ’ t and are compelled to still go out , definitely wear your mask , wear it the right way , and make sure the place @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a high volume where people are really mixing , ” Daniel Fagbuyi , an emergency physician who served as a biodefense expert in the Obama administration , told HuffPost .
COVID-19 is spreading like crazy in our own homes .
Much of how sick a person gets boils down to how much of the coronavirus they were exposed to and how long they were exposed to it , making our homes home a potential breeding ground .
First , the infected person should strictly isolate from the rest of the family .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ spaces like the bathroom or kitchen .
If you must enter a shared space , wear as many layers of personal protective equipment as possible — masks , gloves , face shields , whatever you can .
If that ’ s not an option , contact tracers in select cities ( like New York ) are offering the opportunity to quarantine in a hotel at no cost .
According to Bershteyn , not many people are taking contact tracers up on this offer , but it ’ s a great way to keep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In general , the risk of a gathering depends on the odds an infectious person is in the group , and if so , the chance they could transmit the virus to you , according to Bershteyn .
Smaller gatherings are generally safer because there ’ s a lower chance someone in the group could be infected .
Experts are still learning about COVID-19 .
The information in this story is what was known or available as of publication , but guidance can change as scientists discover more about the virus .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Prevention for the most updated recommendations .

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Through their many conversations with newly infected and recently exposed individuals, contact tracers have gleaned some valuable insights about the types of places that seem to carry the greatest risk for coronavirus spread.
The data shows that when it comes to COVID-19, the locations where people contract the virus run the gamut. Most commonly, cases can be traced back to places where people spend a lot of time congregating together — such as your house or work — and crowded, indoor spaces like restaurants or gyms.
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Sometimes, though, it’s not so obvious. Even people who have played it safe at home, albeit with the occasional run to the grocery store, are testing positive, suggesting that retail stores may have a bigger role in community transmission than originally thought.
Since it’s difficult to pin down the point of exposure for each and every case, contact tracers and health experts recommend avoiding crowded places with poor air ventilation.
“Try to avoid [these places] if you can, but if you can’t and are compelled to still go out, definitely wear your mask, wear it the right way, and make sure the place you’re going doesn’t have a high volume where people are really mixing,” Daniel Fagbuyi, an emergency physician who served as a biodefense expert in the Obama administration, told HuffPost.
Here are some of the most common places where COVID-19 is spreading right now, according to experts:
Your House
COVID-19 is spreading like crazy in our own homes. Much of how sick a person gets boils down to how much of the coronavirus they were exposed to and how long they were exposed to it, making our homes home a potential breeding ground.
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One report found that if there’s an infected person living in your house, you have an 18% chance of getting infected yourself.
“A majority of people catch it from a family member, either in their household or visiting another family member’s household,” said Michelle Krasowski, a librarian in the San Francisco Bay Area who is contact tracing. This is especially true for lower-income families living in smaller spaces with more people, Krasowski added.
It’s not at all realistic for people to avoid their homes if a family member is sick, but there are ways to reduce your risk, said Anna Bershteyn, an associate professor in the department of population health at NYU and an expert in COVID-19 modeling and health care surveillance.
First, the infected person should strictly isolate from the rest of the family. If possible, they should avoid sharing spaces like the bathroom or kitchen. If you must enter a shared space, wear as many layers of personal protective equipment as possible — masks, gloves, face shields, whatever you can.
If that’s not an option, contact tracers in select cities (like New York) are offering the opportunity to quarantine in a hotel at no cost. According to Bershteyn, not many people are taking contact tracers up on this offer, but it’s a great way to keep your family members safe while you recover.
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Social Gatherings
Krasowski said gatherings of all shapes and sizes have popped up in her contact tracing work.
“People have caught it at small gatherings of less than six people, both indoors and outdoors. People have caught it going to family gatherings,” Krasowski said.
In general, the risk of a gathering depends on the odds an infectious person is in the group, and if so, the chance they could transmit the virus to you, according to Bershteyn. Smaller gatherings are generally safer because there’s a lower chance someone in the group could be infected.
“When cases in an area are really high, though, even a relatively small gathering ends up having a significant risk of having an infected person,” Bershteyn stressed.
Kar-Tr via Getty Images If you’re dining indoors or in a tent where people’s masks are off and airflow is stifled, that risk of COVID-19 infection grows exponentially.
Restaurants And Bars
Much of the contact tracing data published online has consistently found that bars and restaurants have played a role in transmission.
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In Louisiana, several COVID-19 outbreaks have been linked back to restaurants and bars. In Maryland, a high percentage of newly infected people visited restaurants and bars during the time frame they were contagious. Similar data has come out of Washington, D.C., Illinois, and Connecticut.
Bershteyn said not all dining experiences are equivalent. The risk is likely lower with outdoor dining that’s generously spaced out. If you’re dining indoors or in a tent where people’s masks are off and airflow is stifled, that risk grows exponentially.
“It’s a law of numbers,” Fagbuyi added. Regardless of whether you’re dining indoors or outdoors, as the number of people nearby increases, so does your risk.
Gyms And Fitness Studios
Multiple states have also found indoor gyms to be linked to exposures and outbreaks. Plus, a recent study evaluating cell phone and transmission data determined that gyms were the second-riskiest place for catching COVID-19, after restaurants.
When people work out, they huff and puff more than usual, shooting respiratory droplets out across the room. If there’s not much airflow, their droplets can hang in the air for hours and later be inhaled.
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“It’s difficult to wear a mask properly, people may be breathing or [generating] particles, you have shared surfaces and shared air, you have people who are not in your pod — that all contributes to the risk,” Bershteyn said.
Religious Services
At churches and religious gatherings, people tend to sing or pray — expelling droplets into the air — and congregate together indoors for a lengthy period of time.
“Everything is coming from the lungs, literally, you’re kind of spewing all that stuff out of your mouth into the air,” Fagbuyi said.
Throw in the fact that people from different households are mixing together in close proximity, and the risk of attending a religious service shoots up.
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Luis Alvarez via Getty Images Some contact tracing data suggests that around half of people diagnosed with COVID-19 have no idea where they could have picked it up.
Certain Workplaces
Montana’s contact tracers estimate that 1 in 6 people are exposed at work, and Vermont’s data shows workplaces have been connected to multiple outbreaks. Krasowski said workplace exposure is definitely an issue she’s seeing in her area on the West Coast as well.
“The fact that the infectious period peaks before the symptomatic period means that people are going to work when they’re already contagious, but they would have no way of knowing that,” Krasowski said.
Remember: COVID-19 is airborne, so simply being in the same office as an infected person comes with some level of risk.
Contact tracers have found manufacturing plants and warehouses to be the source of several outbreaks.
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“We’ve seen the data and it’s definitely out there … in industries where people are in close proximity and where there’s loud noise where they have to yell and speak over each other,” Fagbuyi said.
Stores And Shops
It’s generally thought that a quick visit to the store isn’t too risky, but as contact tracers collect more data on potential exposures in retail environments, people are beginning to question the safety of retail stores.
A study from Boston also found that grocery store workers have a substantial risk since they interact with so many customers, many of whom don’t wear masks properly.
Additionally, some contact tracing data suggests that around half of people diagnosed with COVID-19 have no idea where they could have picked it up. Krasowski said she’s spoken to some people who are very cautious — they work out of their homes and have only gone to the grocery store, but they’ve still caught it.
“That really makes you wonder whether some of these seemingly necessarily things like going out for grocery may be contributing, to some extent, to transmission,” Bershteyn said.
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Though work and gatherings in our homes are thought to be riskier, COVID-19 currently seems to be everywhere. The virus is highly contagious, Krasowski stressed, so no matter where you go, try to limit how much time you spend with others who could potentially be infected and keep the air well ventilated.
“It can be complex and scary,” Fagbuyi added. “We’re not telling people to not live their life, but I think they should understand their risk.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-16--U.S. Angling To Secure More Of Pfizer's Coronavirus Vaccine After Passing On Earlier Chance

WASHINGTON ( AP ) — U.S. officials say they ’ re actively negotiating for additional purchases of Pfizer ’ s coronavirus vaccine after passing up a chance to lock in a contract this summer since it was still unclear how well the shots would work .
There was no immediate comment from the company , whose CEO Albert Bourla told CNN this week it is “ working very collaboratively ” with the government to deliver additional vaccine through the federal Operation Warp Speed .
That ’ s a White House-backed , taxpayer-funded effort to quickly develop coronavirus vaccines and treatments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to secure an adequate supply of vaccines will needlessly prolong the COVID-19 pandemic in this country , causing further loss of life and economic devastation , ” a group of senators led by Patty Murray of Washington and Ron Wyden of Oregon wrote HHS .
“ We fear this is yet another instance in which the Trump administration ’ s failure to develop a comprehensive national vaccines plan in a timely manner could jeopardize efforts to get people vaccinated and ultimately end this pandemic.
” Azar sought to rebut that concern Wednesday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of manufacturers will ensure enough vaccine for all Americans by around the middle of next year .
A second vaccine from Moderna appears headed for Food and Drug Administration approval within days , and more vaccine candidates are advancing through clinical trials .
But the one from Pfizer and German pharmaceutical BioNTech was first into the arms of Americans , raising hopes of taming a pandemic that has killed more than 300,000 people in the U.S. and hobbled much of the national economy .
Health care workers and nursing home residents top the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country are broadcasting scenes of the first vaccinations .
Some polls show skepticism about getting vaccinated may be easing .
After early failures with testing , Trump administration officials are hoping to write a very different ending with vaccines .
Operation Warp Speed has financed the development , manufacture and distribution of millions of doses , with the goal of providing a free vaccine to any American who wants one .
Pfizer was not as closely involved with Operation Warp Speed as other manufacturers , preferring to retain control over its own development @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enter into a contract to buy 100 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine , the first of which were shipped this week .
Slaoui , a world-renowned vaccine scientist who is helping lead the federal effort , said the goal all along was to have several promising vaccines in development , with taxpayers assuming the financial risk if any given vaccine failed to secure FDA approval .
“ We built a portfolio of vaccines to ensure one of them at least would make it to the finish line , ” he said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Operation Warp Speed ’ s arm ’ s length relationship with Pfizer , officials had less of a window into the company ’ s manufacturing and any potential problems that might develop .
“ We of course would welcome having another 100 million doses , ” said Slaoui , adding that it ’ s his expectation that negotiations with Pfizer will be successful .
With at least one other vaccine appearing headed for approval , they ’ re already talking about a surplus that could be sent out to the rest of @ @ @

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WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials say they’re actively negotiating for additional purchases of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine after passing up a chance to lock in a contract this summer since it was still unclear how well the shots would work.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and special adviser Dr. Moncef Slaoui also told reporters Wednesday that Pfizer had been unable to commit to a firm delivery date. Azar called that “the core issue.”
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There was no immediate comment from the company, whose CEO Albert Bourla told CNN this week it is “working very collaboratively” with the government to deliver additional vaccine through the federal Operation Warp Speed. That’s a White House-backed, taxpayer-funded effort to quickly develop coronavirus vaccines and treatments.
The Trump administration has come under scathing criticism from congressional Democrats after news leaked out last week about the foregone vaccine opportunity.
“We are concerned the failure to secure an adequate supply of vaccines will needlessly prolong the COVID-19 pandemic in this country, causing further loss of life and economic devastation,” a group of senators led by Patty Murray of Washington and Ron Wyden of Oregon wrote HHS. “We fear this is yet another instance in which the Trump administration’s failure to develop a comprehensive national vaccines plan in a timely manner could jeopardize efforts to get people vaccinated and ultimately end this pandemic.”
Azar sought to rebut that concern Wednesday, saying that pending contracts with a number of manufacturers will ensure enough vaccine for all Americans by around the middle of next year. A second vaccine from Moderna appears headed for Food and Drug Administration approval within days, and more vaccine candidates are advancing through clinical trials.
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But the one from Pfizer and German pharmaceutical BioNTech was first into the arms of Americans, raising hopes of taming a pandemic that has killed more than 300,000 people in the U.S. and hobbled much of the national economy. Health care workers and nursing home residents top the list as local TV stations across the country are broadcasting scenes of the first vaccinations. Some polls show skepticism about getting vaccinated may be easing.
After early failures with testing, Trump administration officials are hoping to write a very different ending with vaccines. Operation Warp Speed has financed the development, manufacture and distribution of millions of doses, with the goal of providing a free vaccine to any American who wants one.
Pfizer was not as closely involved with Operation Warp Speed as other manufacturers, preferring to retain control over its own development and manufacturing. But the government did enter into a contract to buy 100 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the first of which were shipped this week.
At issue is the purchase of another 100 million doses for delivery as early as the middle of next year.
“We are engaged in active negotiations,” said Azar.
Slaoui, a world-renowned vaccine scientist who is helping lead the federal effort, said the goal all along was to have several promising vaccines in development, with taxpayers assuming the financial risk if any given vaccine failed to secure FDA approval.
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“We built a portfolio of vaccines to ensure one of them at least would make it to the finish line,” he said.
Back in the summer, “it wouldn’t make sense to preorder more from a manufacturer before we knew how a vaccine worked.”
Although initial signals were positive about the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the full FDA review did not take place until earlier this month.
Slaoui and Azar also said that because of Operation Warp Speed’s arm’s length relationship with Pfizer, officials had less of a window into the company’s manufacturing and any potential problems that might develop.
“We of course would welcome having another 100 million doses,” said Slaoui, adding that it’s his expectation that negotiations with Pfizer will be successful.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-17--Anthony Fauci Issues Christmas COVID-19 Warning: 'We Have A Big Problem'

Dr. Anthony Fauci , the nation ’ s top infectious diseases expert , on Wednesday urged Americans to have a low-key Christmas to avoid spreading the coronavirus .
“ I ’ m going to be with my wife — period , ” Fauci told The Washington Post .
“ The Christmas holiday is a special holiday for us because Christmas Eve is my birthday .
And Christmas Day is Christmas Day .
And they are not going to come home .
That ’ s painful .
We don ’ t like that .
But that ’ s just one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have to accept as we go through this unprecedented challenging time.
” Fauci turns 80 on Dec. 24 .
He has three adult daughters and none will visit him or his wife Christine Grady over the holidays .
The United States currently has “ a big problem ” as daily new infections , hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 continue to surge , Fauci continued .
“ Look at the numbers — the numbers are really quite dramatic.
” The pandemic has now killed more than 300,000 people nationwide .
Wednesday saw 244,365 new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last week revealed that the 32-year-old brother of his daughter ’ s boyfriend died after contracting COVID-19 .
He encouraged people to “ stay at home as much as you can , keep your interactions to the extent possible to members of the same household.
” “ This can not be business as usual this Christmas because we ’ re already in a very difficult situation , and we ’ re going to make it worse , if we don ’ t do something about it , ” he added .

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Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, on Wednesday urged Americans to have a low-key Christmas to avoid spreading the coronavirus.
“I’m going to be with my wife — period,” Fauci told The Washington Post. “The Christmas holiday is a special holiday for us because Christmas Eve is my birthday. And Christmas Day is Christmas Day. And they are not going to come home. That’s painful. We don’t like that. But that’s just one of the things you’re going to have to accept as we go through this unprecedented challenging time.”
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Fauci turns 80 on Dec. 24. He has three adult daughters and none will visit him or his wife Christine Grady over the holidays.
The United States currently has “a big problem” as daily new infections, hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 continue to surge, Fauci continued. “Look at the numbers — the numbers are really quite dramatic.”
The pandemic has now killed more than 300,000 people nationwide. Wednesday saw 244,365 new cases reported and 3,607 deaths.
Fauci last week revealed that the 32-year-old brother of his daughter’s boyfriend died after contracting COVID-19.
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He encouraged people to “stay at home as much as you can, keep your interactions to the extent possible to members of the same household.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-17--Laura Ingraham Urges Christmas Family Gatherings Despite Soaring COVID-19 Cases

Laura Ingraham on Wednesday encouraged viewers of her Fox News show to spend Christmas with their families , even though the government advises people to limit contact with others to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 .
“ Of course , act cautiously , ” said Ingraham .
“ But Christmas is meant to be spent with your family , not isolated and locked down.
” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says on its website that “ the safest way to celebrate the winter holidays is to celebrate at home with people who live with you .
Gatherings with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with you can increase the chances of getting or spreading COVID-19 or the flu.
” Ingraham ridiculed predictions that the United States would experience another coronavirus surge because of people traveling and meeting up with friends and relatives for the holidays .
But Johns Hopkins University noted that “ an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases or hospitalizations will not be seen a week or even two weeks later .
It seems to take much longer , perhaps as many as six to eight weeks , for effects of a policy or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ population-level data.
” Ingraham , who recently signed a new multi-year deal with Fox News , also interviewed Dr. Scott Atlas , the controversial former White House adviser who promoted the idea of herd immunity to President Donald Trump .
Atlas has no expertise in public health and his notions about the pandemic have been widely discredited by scientists .
Ingraham ’ s encouragement of viewers to ignore safety guidelines came on the same day that Dr. Anthony Fauci , the nation ’ s top infectious diseases expert , warned the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soaring new infections , hospitalizations and deaths resulting from the virus .
More than 300,000 Americans have now died from COVID-19 .
“ This can not be business as usual this Christmas because we ’ re already in a very difficult situation , and we ’ re going to make it worse , if we don ’ t do something about it , ” Fauci told The Washington Post , noting that his three adult children will not be visiting him over the holidays .

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Laura Ingraham on Wednesday encouraged viewers of her Fox News show to spend Christmas with their families, even though the government advises people to limit contact with others to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
“Of course, act cautiously,” said Ingraham. “But Christmas is meant to be spent with your family, not isolated and locked down.”
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says on its website that “the safest way to celebrate the winter holidays is to celebrate at home with people who live with you. Gatherings with family and friends who do not live with you can increase the chances of getting or spreading COVID-19 or the flu.”
Ingraham ridiculed predictions that the United States would experience another coronavirus surge because of people traveling and meeting up with friends and relatives for the holidays.
But Johns Hopkins University noted that “an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases or hospitalizations will not be seen a week or even two weeks later. It seems to take much longer, perhaps as many as six to eight weeks, for effects of a policy or widespread behavior change to appear in the population-level data.”
Ingraham, who recently signed a new multi-year deal with Fox News, also interviewed Dr. Scott Atlas, the controversial former White House adviser who promoted the idea of herd immunity to President Donald Trump. Atlas has no expertise in public health and his notions about the pandemic have been widely discredited by scientists.
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Ingraham’s encouragement of viewers to ignore safety guidelines came on the same day that Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, warned the United States has “a big problem” with soaring new infections, hospitalizations and deaths resulting from the virus. More than 300,000 Americans have now died from COVID-19.
“This cannot be business as usual this Christmas because we’re already in a very difficult situation, and we’re going to make it worse, if we don’t do something about it,” Fauci told The Washington Post, noting that his three adult children will not be visiting him over the holidays.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-17--Trump's Hatred Of Water-Restricting Showerheads Prompts New Ruling

WASHINGTON ( AP ) — The Trump administration has relaxed a regulation restricting water flow from showerheads , a pet peeve of President Donald Trump , who complained that he wanted more water to make his hair “ perfect.
” Since 1992 , federal law has dictated that showerheads shouldn ’ t spew more than 2.5 gallons ( 9.5 liters ) of water a minute .
As newer shower fixtures came out with multiple nozzles , the Obama administration updated the ruling , stating that 2.5 gallons was still the limit regardless of how many nozzles were running .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now says each showerhead can emit 2.5 gallons a minute .
“ So showerheads — you take a shower , the water doesn ’ t come out , ” Trump said last summer .
“ You want to wash your hands ?
The water doesn ’ t come out .
So what do you do ?
You just stand there longer or you take a shower longer ?
Because my hair — I don ’ t know about you , but it has to be perfect .
Perfect.
” Also this week , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sets no limits on energy or water use for new washers and dryers with short cycle times in their “ normal ” setting .
The rule sets up separate product classifications for residential clothes washers and dryers with cycle times of fewer than 30 minutes and 45 minutes for front-loading washers .
The Energy Department said the rule on washers and dryers lets manufacturers offer new products that meet consumer demand for products with shorter cycle times .
Environmental advocates had a different response .
“ With millions of washers and dryers sold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rule announced today could lead to higher utility bills and additional carbon emissions from powering them , ” said the Natural Resources Defense Council .
“ It also comes at a time when areas of the country are increasingly subject to extended droughts and can ’ t afford to waste water through unnecessary regulatory loopholes like the one just created by DOE .
”

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has relaxed a regulation restricting water flow from showerheads, a pet peeve of President Donald Trump, who complained that he wanted more water to make his hair “perfect.”
Since 1992, federal law has dictated that showerheads shouldn’t spew more than 2.5 gallons (9.5 liters) of water a minute. As newer shower fixtures came out with multiple nozzles, the Obama administration updated the ruling, stating that 2.5 gallons was still the limit regardless of how many nozzles were running. The new ruling, issued on Tuesday, now says each showerhead can emit 2.5 gallons a minute.
“So showerheads — you take a shower, the water doesn’t come out,” Trump said last summer. “You want to wash your hands? The water doesn’t come out. So what do you do? You just stand there longer or you take a shower longer? Because my hair — I don’t know about you, but it has to be perfect. Perfect.”
Also this week, the Energy Department issued a ruling that sets no limits on energy or water use for new washers and dryers with short cycle times in their “normal” setting. The rule sets up separate product classifications for residential clothes washers and dryers with cycle times of fewer than 30 minutes and 45 minutes for front-loading washers.
The Energy Department said the rule on washers and dryers lets manufacturers offer new products that meet consumer demand for products with shorter cycle times. Environmental advocates had a different response.
“With millions of washers and dryers sold in the United States every year, the rule announced today could lead to higher utility bills and additional carbon emissions from powering them,” said the Natural Resources Defense Council. “It also comes at a time when areas of the country are increasingly subject to extended droughts and can’t afford to waste water through unnecessary regulatory loopholes like the one just created by DOE.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-17--Donald Trump’s Atlantic City Casino To Be Blown Up And You Can Push The Button

ATLANTIC CITY , N.J. ( AP ) — One of President Donald Trump ’ s former Atlantic City casinos will be blown up next month , and for the right amount of money , you could be the one to press the button that brings it down .
The demolition of the former Trump Plaza casino will become a fundraiser to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City that the mayor hopes will raise in excess of $ 1 million .
Opened in 1984 , Trump ’ s former casino was closed in 2014 and has fallen into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work began earlier this year .
The remainder of the structure will be dynamited on Jan. 29 .
“ Some of Atlantic City ’ s iconic moments happened there , but on his way out , Donald Trump openly mocked Atlantic City , saying he made a lot of money and then got out , ” said Mayor Marty Small .
“ I wanted to use the demolition of this place to raise money for charity.
” The Boys & Girls Club has hired a professional auction company to solicit bids from Thursday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bids will be revealed and a live auction will determine a winner .
Trump , then a real-estate developer , opened the casino in a prime spot at the center of Atlantic City ’ s Boardwalk where the Atlantic City Expressway deposited cars entering the resort .
It was the site of many high-profile boxing matches , which Trump would regularly attend .
It closed in 2014 , one of four Atlantic City casinos to shut down that year , followed by another former Trump casino , the Taj Mahal , in 2016 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Hard Rock casino .
The third casino Trump used to own here , Trump Marina , was sold to Texas billionaire Tilman Fertitta in 2011 and is now the Golden Nugget .
Trump cut most ties with Atlantic City in 2009 aside from a 10 % fee for the use of his name on what were then three casinos in the city .
That stake was extinguished when billionaire Carl Icahn took ownership of the company out of bankruptcy court in February 2016 .
Earlier this year , large pieces of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hotel towers and came crashing to the ground .
In one storm , additional debris fell from the structure onto the Boardwalk .
Small said he is eager to discuss potential uses for the land with Icahn once the casino is gone , including some sort of family attraction .
The last casino implosion in Atlantic City was in Oct. 2007 when the former Sands casino was dynamited to make way for a new casino-hotel project that ultimately was never built .

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ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — One of President Donald Trump’s former Atlantic City casinos will be blown up next month, and for the right amount of money, you could be the one to press the button that brings it down.
The demolition of the former Trump Plaza casino will become a fundraiser to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City that the mayor hopes will raise in excess of $1 million.
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Opened in 1984, Trump’s former casino was closed in 2014 and has fallen into such a state of disrepair that demolition work began earlier this year. The remainder of the structure will be dynamited on Jan. 29.
“Some of Atlantic City’s iconic moments happened there, but on his way out, Donald Trump openly mocked Atlantic City, saying he made a lot of money and then got out,” said Mayor Marty Small. “I wanted to use the demolition of this place to raise money for charity.”
The Boys & Girls Club has hired a professional auction company to solicit bids from Thursday through Jan. 19, when the top bids will be revealed and a live auction will determine a winner.
The organization provides after-school and summer recreation, education and career-training programs for Atlantic City children and teens.
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Trump, then a real-estate developer, opened the casino in a prime spot at the center of Atlantic City’s Boardwalk where the Atlantic City Expressway deposited cars entering the resort. It was the site of many high-profile boxing matches, which Trump would regularly attend.
It closed in 2014, one of four Atlantic City casinos to shut down that year, followed by another former Trump casino, the Taj Mahal, in 2016. That property has since reopened as the Hard Rock casino. The third casino Trump used to own here, Trump Marina, was sold to Texas billionaire Tilman Fertitta in 2011 and is now the Golden Nugget.
Trump cut most ties with Atlantic City in 2009 aside from a 10% fee for the use of his name on what were then three casinos in the city. That stake was extinguished when billionaire Carl Icahn took ownership of the company out of bankruptcy court in February 2016.
Trump Plaza has sat empty for six years, and has been deteriorating.
Earlier this year, large pieces of the facade broke loose from one of the hotel towers and came crashing to the ground. In one storm, additional debris fell from the structure onto the Boardwalk.
Icahn owns the former Trump Plaza building and has agreed to the demolition.
Small said he is eager to discuss potential uses for the land with Icahn once the casino is gone, including some sort of family attraction.
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“Not often does inner-city oceanfront land open up,” the mayor said. “We have one chance to get this right.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-17--MSNBC's Chris Hayes Defines Trump’s COVID-19 Failings With Damning 4-Word Epithet

Those are the same words that former Health and Human Services science adviser Paul Alexander , a Trump appointee , used in emails advocating for the Trump administration to pursue a herd immunity strategy during the public health crisis , Politico reported earlier in the day .
“ Infants , kids , teens , young people , young adults , middle aged with no conditions etc .
have zero to little risk….so we use them to develop herd…we want them infected… ” Alexander wrote in his emails , per the news outlet .
Hayes said the emails were “ the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the very people at the center ” of tackling the virus wanted COVID-19 to spread .
“ The thing to understand about that is it is not an accident , and it is not bungling , ” Hayes said .
“ Donald Trump , his administration as backed by Republicans in his party , in Congress , explicitly pursued a strategy that would lead to more Americans getting sick and more Americans dying , and they did this despite the fact they kept denying they were pursuing the so-called ‘ herd immunity ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were.
” “ If that ’ s what they wanted , is that the reason behind what they did ?
” Cuomo asked .
“ Ignoring the reality of the pandemic , telling you it wasn ’ t real , mocking masks , telling people to come together , holding the rallies ?
” “ It ’ s the stuff of a horror film .
Did Trump and Co. really sabotage safety because they wanted people sick ?
” the anchor continued .
“ It ’ s not me saying it .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it sure does explain the reaction that Trump had.
” “ How can we call you honorable when we now know the reason you ’ re making a deal right now , if it happens , after months , is not because of your recognition of the needy but of your political needs.
” @ ChrisCuomo calls out Trump and his allies over their handling of the pandemic .
pic.twitter.com/2pqhEvgH1V — Cuomo Prime Time ( @ CuomoPrimeTime ) December 17 , 2020

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Chris Hayes on Wednesday summed up President Donald Trump’s catastrophic handling of the coronavirus pandemic with a four-word epithet:
“We want them infected.”
Those are the same words that former Health and Human Services science adviser Paul Alexander, a Trump appointee, used in emails advocating for the Trump administration to pursue a herd immunity strategy during the public health crisis, Politico reported earlier in the day.
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“Infants, kids, teens, young people, young adults, middle aged with no conditions etc. have zero to little risk….so we use them to develop herd…we want them infected…” Alexander wrote in his emails, per the news outlet.
Hayes said the emails were “the smoking gun evidence” that showed “the very people at the center” of tackling the virus wanted COVID-19 to spread.
“The thing to understand about that is it is not an accident, and it is not bungling,” Hayes said. “Donald Trump, his administration as backed by Republicans in his party, in Congress, explicitly pursued a strategy that would lead to more Americans getting sick and more Americans dying, and they did this despite the fact they kept denying they were pursuing the so-called ‘herd immunity’ approach. It was always clear they were.”
CNN’s Chris Cuomo was equally outraged by the content of the emails.
“If that’s what they wanted, is that the reason behind what they did?” Cuomo asked. “Ignoring the reality of the pandemic, telling you it wasn’t real, mocking masks, telling people to come together, holding the rallies?”
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“It’s the stuff of a horror film. Did Trump and Co. really sabotage safety because they wanted people sick?” the anchor continued. “It’s not me saying it. It’s one of theirs. Boy, it sure does explain the reaction that Trump had.”
Watch Hayes’ monologue above and Cuomo’s comments below:


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-16--Interior Secretary David Bernhardt Tests Positive For COVID-19

“ He is currently asymptomatic and will continue to work on behalf of the American people while in quarantine , ” a spokesperson for the agency confirmed to The Washington Post .
Bernhardt , 51 , was tested earlier in the day before a Cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump , when he did not then attend .
A testing blitz among agency officials is ongoing , and the Department of the Interior ’ s holiday party , scheduled for Thursday , has been canceled .
Many federal employees that work at the Interior Department have been doing so remotely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been going into the office regularly .
BREAKING : @ SecBernhardt tested positive for COVID on Wednesday .
The diagnosis has set off a wave of testing since Bernhardt has met for the past two days with DOI appointees , and prompted cancellation of Interior 's holiday party .
@ bydarrylfears @ eilperin https : //t.co/BhK3YWU2Y3 — Matt Viser ( @ mviser ) December 17 , 2020 E & E News noted that Bernhardt attended a large , indoor event last week for the unveiling of a portrait of former Interior Secretary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crowd were seen wearing masks .
At least two other top Interior Department officials have contracted the coronavirus in recent weeks , including the agency ’ s top attorney and the director of the U.S .
Fish and Wildlife Service .
The COVID-19 pandemic has grown more dire in recent weeks .
The country reported more than 244,000 cases and more than 3,600 deaths in a 24-hour period ending Wednesday , both records .
The first doses of a new vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech are being administered around the nation to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it will be months before vaccination levels reach the point that infection rates will begin to taper off .
“ We should celebrate the fact that the science has come through , ” Dr. Anthony Fauci , the nation ’ s top infectious disease expert , told CBS on Wednesday , “ but it is not over yet .
We have a ways to go .
We have to abide by the public health measures that we talk about all the time .
”

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Interior Secretary David Bernhardt tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, according to several media reports.
“He is currently asymptomatic and will continue to work on behalf of the American people while in quarantine,” a spokesperson for the agency confirmed to The Washington Post.
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Bernhardt, 51, was tested earlier in the day before a Cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump, when he did not then attend. A testing blitz among agency officials is ongoing, and the Department of the Interior’s holiday party, scheduled for Thursday, has been canceled.
Many federal employees that work at the Interior Department have been doing so remotely, but some, including Bernhardt, had been going into the office regularly.
HuffPost has reached out to the Interior Department for comment.
BREAKING: @SecBernhardt tested positive for COVID on Wednesday. The diagnosis has set off a wave of testing since Bernhardt has met for the past two days with DOI appointees, and prompted cancellation of Interior's holiday party. @bydarrylfears @eilperin https://t.co/BhK3YWU2Y3 — Matt Viser (@mviser) December 17, 2020
E&E News noted that Bernhardt attended a large, indoor event last week for the unveiling of a portrait of former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. Few members in the crowd were seen wearing masks.
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At least two other top Interior Department officials have contracted the coronavirus in recent weeks, including the agency’s top attorney and the director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The COVID-19 pandemic has grown more dire in recent weeks. The country reported more than 244,000 cases and more than 3,600 deaths in a 24-hour period ending Wednesday, both records.
The first doses of a new vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech are being administered around the nation to health workers and the elderly, but it will be months before vaccination levels reach the point that infection rates will begin to taper off.
“We should celebrate the fact that the science has come through,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, told CBS on Wednesday, “but it is not over yet. We have a ways to go. We have to abide by the public health measures that we talk about all the time.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-17--Georgia Clinched Biden’s Victory. Now It Will Decide His Climate Agenda’s Fate.

The weeks leading up to the November election produced one of the most hopeful periods for the future of American legislation in a decade as polls gave Democrats a solid chance of flipping Senate seats in Georgia , Iowa , Maine , Montana , North Carolina and South Carolina .
Come 2021 , the new Senate majority leader , Chuck Schumer , could sacrifice some of the more conservative fossil fuel supporters in his caucus and still pass the sort of sweeping climate legislation the world needed the U.S. to adopt a decade ago .
So it was that even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over President Donald Trump , becoming the first nominee from his party to win in Georgia in three decades , the prospect of a GOP-controlled Senate tempered expectations for the next four years .
Biden ’ s climate agenda , the new conventional wisdom posited , would be largely limited to the executive actions and regulations he could enact without seeking an obstructionist Senate ’ s consent .
In an unusual twist of electoral fate , voters in the Peach State will decide the fate of both of Georgia ’ s Senate seats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ failed to hit a 51 % threshold for victory in November ’ s vote .
Polls show the GOP incumbents neck and neck with the Democratic nominees : the Rev .
Raphael Warnock , an Atlanta pastor challenging Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler , and Jon Ossoff , the millennial filmmaker and businessman taking on the dynastic Sen. David Perdue .
Neither Warnock nor Ossoff have endorsed the Green New Deal , a movement and policy framework advocating federal interventions in the U.S. economy the likes of which haven ’ t occurred since the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s vision of a “ clean energy revolution.
” If they both win , the Senate will be split between the parties 50-50 , making Vice President-elect Kamala Harris the deciding vote on bills where support cleaves neatly along partisan lines .
Even as some Republicans timidly shake off the yoke of outright climate change denial , advocates and longtime observers of Congress ’ failure to deal with an increasingly chaotic and tangible planetary crisis see the narrow pathway in the Senate as the best hope of averting catastrophe with a mandate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ― who last year declared himself “ the Grim Reaper ” to any Green New Deal bill ― has signaled plans to block any major bill to lower emissions and reduce fossil fuel use .
“ The stakes are high for climate , ” said Pete Maysmith , the senior vice president of campaigns at the League of Conservation Voters .
“ Time after time , Mitch McConnell has thrown his body in front of any forward-looking legislation to address climate change and the impacts on people throughout @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get ] hit first and worst , which are often Black and brown .
That ’ s just a fact.
” Perdue has voted three times against resolutions that would even acknowledge the reality that humans are causing climate change , even as the waterfront community where he owns a mansion takes steps to protect itself against rising sea levels .
While his votes to deregulate fossil fuels and block efforts to reduce power plant pollution earned him a paltry 3 % lifetime score on the League of Conservation Voters ’ ranking , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ industry to donate nearly $ 500,000 to his reelection campaigns .
Other than to depict policies to address climate change as part of a Marxist conspiracy to end the U.S. way of life , Loeffler has rarely even acknowledged the phenomenon since she was appointed to her office this year .
She sat on the board of directors of Georgia Power , the state ’ s largest utility and a major coal burner .
In the Senate , she touted Southern Company , Georgia Power ’ s corporate parent and one of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a partner on energy policy .
Nearly three-quarters of American adults recognize the climate is changing , and 57 % understand that humans are the main cause of it , according to the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication ’ s annual polling .
At 79 % , an even higher portion of U.S. adults want the country to develop non-fossil fuel sources of energy , such as wind and solar , a Pew Research Center poll found earlier this year , while just 20 % support expanding production of oil , coal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remain starkly divided .
Democrats and those who lean toward the Democratic Party say human activity is contributing a great deal to climate change at a rate of 72 % , compared to just 22 % of Republicans and those who lean toward the Republican Party , Pew found .
That same breakdown was evident on questions of whether climate change had an impact on the local community ( 83 % to 37 % ) and if the government is doing too little to reduce the effects of warming ( 89 % to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a powerful force .
In December 2018 , researchers at Yale and George Mason University found 64 % of Republicans , including 75 % of moderate-to-liberal Republicans and 57 % of self-identified conservative Republicans , supported the Green New Deal ’ s policies without yet knowing the political slogan .
But Fox News spent the next few months airing more than three times as many segments about the Green New Deal as CNN and MSNBC combined , many of them filled with false claims that the framework would ban hamburgers and air travel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2019 , just 4 % of Republicans who ’ d heard of the policy supported it , compared to 96 % of Democrats , according to a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change .
Surveys in Georgia suggest the state is a microcosm of those national trends .
While a majority of registered voters in the state listed climate and environmental issues as a top priority last year , partisanship largely determined who those Georgians trusted and what kinds of policies they ’ d support , according to a League of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Democrats trusted Democrats to handle climate change better , 82 % of Republicans in the state said the same of their own party .
Likewise , 61 % of Democrats supported generating 100 % of Georgia ’ s electricity from zero-carbon sources by 2050 , compared to 52 % of Republicans who opposed it .
Biden could try to bargain with a Republican Senate majority and find common ground on some of the few technological solutions to planet-heating emissions that conservatives and their industry donors have rallied behind .
Yet enacting laws @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capture and store carbon emissions from fossil fuel plants would be a “ limited slice of climate policy , ” energy writer David Roberts wrote last week in his newsletter , Volts .

President-elect Joe Biden speaks during a drive-in rally for U.S. Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock in Atlanta. Drew Angerer via Getty Images
The weeks leading up to the November election produced one of the most hopeful periods for the future of American legislation in a decade as polls gave Democrats a solid chance of flipping Senate seats in Georgia, Iowa, Maine, Montana, North Carolina and South Carolina. Come 2021, the new Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, could sacrifice some of the more conservative fossil fuel supporters in his caucus and still pass the sort of sweeping climate legislation the world needed the U.S. to adopt a decade ago.
Election Day awakened progressives from that daydream. Unusually high voter turnout favored incumbents, and the blue tsunami Democrats hoped would secure the party’s control of two full branches of the federal government crashed as a small wave on the White House lawn.
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So it was that even before Democrat Joe Biden officially claimed victory over President Donald Trump, becoming the first nominee from his party to win in Georgia in three decades, the prospect of a GOP-controlled Senate tempered expectations for the next four years. Biden’s climate agenda, the new conventional wisdom posited, would be largely limited to the executive actions and regulations he could enact without seeking an obstructionist Senate’s consent.
Georgia’s runoff election next month could reverse the planet’s fortunes yet again.
In an unusual twist of electoral fate, voters in the Peach State will decide the fate of both of Georgia’s Senate seats after both first-term Republicans currently holding them failed to hit a 51% threshold for victory in November’s vote. Polls show the GOP incumbents neck and neck with the Democratic nominees: the Rev. Raphael Warnock, an Atlanta pastor challenging Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler, and Jon Ossoff, the millennial filmmaker and businessman taking on the dynastic Sen. David Perdue.
Warnock delivers remarks during a campaign rally. The pastor is challenging Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler. Drew Angerer via Getty Images
Neither Warnock nor Ossoff have endorsed the Green New Deal, a movement and policy framework advocating federal interventions in the U.S. economy the likes of which haven’t occurred since the 1930s. But both men embrace Biden’s vision of a “clean energy revolution.” If they both win, the Senate will be split between the parties 50-50, making Vice President-elect Kamala Harris the deciding vote on bills where support cleaves neatly along partisan lines.
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Even as some Republicans timidly shake off the yoke of outright climate change denial, advocates and longtime observers of Congress’ failure to deal with an increasingly chaotic and tangible planetary crisis see the narrow pathway in the Senate as the best hope of averting catastrophe with a mandate for the federal government to act. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ― who last year declared himself “the Grim Reaper” to any Green New Deal bill ― has signaled plans to block any major bill to lower emissions and reduce fossil fuel use.
“The stakes are high for climate,” said Pete Maysmith, the senior vice president of campaigns at the League of Conservation Voters. “Time after time, Mitch McConnell has thrown his body in front of any forward-looking legislation to address climate change and the impacts on people throughout the country, including communities that [get] hit first and worst, which are often Black and brown. That’s just a fact.”
‘Extreme Contrasts’
The gap between the Democratic and Republican Senate candidates on climate could hardly be wider.
Perdue has voted three times against resolutions that would even acknowledge the reality that humans are causing climate change, even as the waterfront community where he owns a mansion takes steps to protect itself against rising sea levels. While his votes to deregulate fossil fuels and block efforts to reduce power plant pollution earned him a paltry 3% lifetime score on the League of Conservation Voters’ ranking, they also compelled the oil and gas industry to donate nearly $500,000 to his reelection campaigns.
Ossoff, Perdue’s Democratic challenger, has vowed to push for a vast infrastructure program to fund efforts to help farmers adapt to a hotter climate and deploy clean energy and energy efficiency in a state that generates three-quarters of its power from fossil fuels and pays some of the highest electricity prices in the nation.
Ossoff at a campaign rally this month. He's facing GOP Sen. David Perdue in a runoff election on Jan. 5. Drew Angerer via Getty Images
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Other than to depict policies to address climate change as part of a Marxist conspiracy to end the U.S. way of life, Loeffler has rarely even acknowledged the phenomenon since she was appointed to her office this year. She sat on the board of directors of Georgia Power, the state’s largest utility and a major coal burner. In the Senate, she touted Southern Company, Georgia Power’s corporate parent and one of the dirtiest utilities in the country, as a partner on energy policy.
Loeffler’s opponent, the Atlanta pastor Warnock, offers what Inside Climate News called “extreme contrasts” on climate. He pitched a climate plan centered on aiding the poor communities across his state dealing with disproportionate air and water pollution, including from the toxic coal ash Georgia Power produces. He also backed Biden’s bid to neutralize the U.S. carbon footprint by 2050.
Partisan Power
With the margin for control of the Senate as thin as a single seat, individual candidates’ legislative visions for climate change may matter less than the partisan letters after their names.
Nearly three-quarters of American adults recognize the climate is changing, and 57% understand that humans are the main cause of it, according to the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication’s annual polling. At 79%, an even higher portion of U.S. adults want the country to develop non-fossil fuel sources of energy, such as wind and solar, a Pew Research Center poll found earlier this year, while just 20% support expanding production of oil, coal and natural gas.
Yet political partisans remain starkly divided. Democrats and those who lean toward the Democratic Party say human activity is contributing a great deal to climate change at a rate of 72%, compared to just 22% of Republicans and those who lean toward the Republican Party, Pew found. That same breakdown was evident on questions of whether climate change had an impact on the local community (83% to 37%) and if the government is doing too little to reduce the effects of warming (89% to 35%).
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Right-wing media, unbound to traditional journalism ethics and lavished with billionaire support, has long warped the debate over climate change, and will almost certainly continue to do so next year.
It’s a powerful force. In December 2018, researchers at Yale and George Mason University found 64% of Republicans, including 75% of moderate-to-liberal Republicans and 57% of self-identified conservative Republicans, supported the Green New Deal’s policies without yet knowing the political slogan. But Fox News spent the next few months airing more than three times as many segments about the Green New Deal as CNN and MSNBC combined, many of them filled with false claims that the framework would ban hamburgers and air travel. The campaign worked: By April 2019, just 4% of Republicans who’d heard of the policy supported it, compared to 96% of Democrats, according to a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change.
A digital sign urging people to vote for Republican senators facing critical runoff races on Jan. 5, 2021, during a rally for President Donald Trump in Valdosta, Georgia, on Dec. 5. Nathan Layne / Reuters
Surveys in Georgia suggest the state is a microcosm of those national trends. While a majority of registered voters in the state listed climate and environmental issues as a top priority last year, partisanship largely determined who those Georgians trusted and what kinds of policies they’d support, according to a League of Conservation Voters poll. While 86% of Democrats trusted Democrats to handle climate change better, 82% of Republicans in the state said the same of their own party. Likewise, 61% of Democrats supported generating 100% of Georgia’s electricity from zero-carbon sources by 2050, compared to 52% of Republicans who opposed it.
Biden could try to bargain with a Republican Senate majority and find common ground on some of the few technological solutions to planet-heating emissions that conservatives and their industry donors have rallied behind. Yet enacting laws to benefit the development of technology to capture and store carbon emissions from fossil fuel plants would be a “limited slice of climate policy,” energy writer David Roberts wrote last week in his newsletter, Volts.
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“For the next two years, Republicans will have control of the Senate. They might have control for the next four years. They might have control f’ing forever,” he wrote. “That means no big climate legislation. Period.”
In lieu of the sheer political muscle to implement Democrats’ agenda, Biden should, according to Roberts, go on a blitz of ambitious executive actions.
But any serious attempt to zero out emissions across the U.S. economy “will be hampered” without legislation, said David Goldwyn, a former State Department special envoy on energy affairs during Barack Obama’s first term.
“Without control of the Senate, the toolkit is very limited,” said Goldwyn, who now runs the energy consultancy Goldwyn Global Strategies.
Still, there’s no shortage of ideas for what he can do on that front as advocacy groups pump out wish lists and proposals for reversing Trump-era regulatory changes, banning new oil and gas leases on federal lands, and beefing up financial regulations on fossil fuel investments.
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Most activist organizations had those demands in the hopper before the Senate’s fate seemed decided. Despite mobilizing voters and spending big ahead of Nov. 3 on what many dubbed the most important climate election in history, few groups expected a pivotal election redux less than two months later in a politically fraught state where Republicans have long dominated.
Some of the most influential climate groups are making a big push in the week ahead. 350 Action said it’s ramping up its phone banking. The Sierra Club said it had more than 10,000 active volunteers on track to make more than 1 million phone calls in Georgia, and vowed to spend “in the 6+ figure range, but TBD on final amount.”
Last week, former Vice President Al Gore hosted a fundraiser with the groups Cleantech Party and Clean Energy for Biden for the Democratic Senate candidate, encouraging donor to contribute as much as $10,000 to be split between the campaigns.
The League of Conservation Voters’ campaign arm has already spent “mid-low six figures” in the state, Maysmith said.
“We’re going to double that,” he said. “We’ll be putting hundreds of thousands more dollars into the race beyond what we’ve already done.”
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He declined to share a specific figure.
Sunrise Movement, the youth campaign behind the Green New Deal, said it planned to direct over $75,000 to its five local hubs across Georgia in the coming weeks, marking a “significantly” bigger investment than what the group spent in the state during the general election.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-17--Stephen Colbert Spots What’s ‘Even More Pathetic’ About Trump's 'People Are Angry' Rant

“ People are angry .
Are people feeling a little isolated , maybe people are a little sad ?
Now @ @ @ @ @ be feeling a little lonely and scared right now , and I ’ m sure @ @ @ @ @ the people didn ’ t vote for people .
Maybe people are stress-eating a can @ @ @ @ @ a spoon right now .
It would be nice if people ’ s wife was @ @ @ @ @ to be around people .
But regardless of how angry people are , people need @ @ @ @ @ .
”

“People are angry. Are people feeling a little isolated, maybe people are a little sad? Now I understand how people must be feeling a little lonely and scared right now, and I’m sure people are upset that we the people didn’t vote for people. Maybe people are stress-eating a can of Duncan Hines frosting with a spoon right now. It would be nice if people’s wife was maybe more understanding and wanted to be around people. But regardless of how angry people are, people need to grow the fuck up.”