thehuffingtonpost--2020-04-24--Parents Worry New School Waivers Could Unravel Special Ed Protections. Districts Say They're Necessa

Parents Worry New School Waivers Could Unravel Special Ed Protections. Districts Say They're Necessary.

“ What do you think schools are going to do ?
They ’ re not going to meet [ the law ’ s requirements ] .
Some are not going to even try , ” said Miriam Rollin , director of the Education Civil Rights Alliance at the National Center for Youth Law .
“ That ’ s potentially creating irreparable harm for kids with disabilities and it ’ s not fair .
It ’ s not right.
” About 7 million children , 14 % of all public school students , received special education services under IDEA in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for these students are laid out in precise legal documents , called individualized education programs .
Written in collaboration between districts and parents , the IEPs detail the modifications necessary to meet each student ’ s needs .
IDEA includes dozens of mandates around how these documents should be devised .
Jurupa Unified School District serves about 19,000 students , 11 % of whom have IEPs .
During California ’ s coronavirus lockdown , the district is aiming to provide its students with disabilities with about one-third of the services they would normally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 ― the federal law forbidding discrimination based on disability , which is also up for waivers ― school districts are required to provide kids with disabilities with an education analogous to that of their peers .
But current circumstances , where most families are conducting school via remote learning , mean that districts will inevitably run afoul of some students ’ legally binding IEPs .
Students with disabilities may normally receive a range of supports , from minor add-ons like modified instruction to more substantial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one-on-one aide .
Some of these services are naturally getting watered down , if they ’ re still being offered at all .
“ We certainly care about our special education kids but right now everybody is behind , ” said Duchon .
“ We ’ re doing really as much as we can remotely and hoping really there ’ s a waiver and some coverage , so we don ’ t get sued .
... California is a very litigious state.
” Civil rights groups and parents of these students say that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ predicament schools are in ― they ’ re not looking to sue over a service that it would be impossible to offer virtually and understand that it would be irresponsible to send out one-on-one aides during social distancing .
But they say that doesn ’ t mean districts can ’ t do their best to serve a student ’ s needs , without the intervention of waivers .
A range of civil rights groups ― from the NAACP to the Muslim Caucus Education Collective ― sent a letter to DeVos in early April @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most vulnerable students , like those with disabilities , the letter said learning loss in these next few months could be irreparable .
Absolving school districts of their responsibilities , particularly for children whose educational progress is especially tenuous , is not the solution , the groups argued .
“ There ’ s a reason why we have all of these provisions in IDEA .
They ’ re pretty specific , and the reason for that specificity is the schools weren ’ t doing that on their own , ” said Rollin .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with a promise of ‘ Hey , we ’ ll really do what ’ s right for kids with disabilities , ’ I ’ m sorry , but I don ’ t believe that promise.
” A letter they sent to the Education Department in late March asks for waivers that last until 45 days after in-person instruction resumes .
It urges the department to take action specifically in the areas of timelines ( as the law has a multitude of timeliness requirements for evaluations and testing ) , procedures ( like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Off the top of her head , Karina Becerra-Murillo , who runs special education services at Jurupa Unified School District , can tick off a list of situations in which the district could be held legally liable for its distance learning efforts .
If a physical or occupational therapist provides instructions on at-home activities to a parent , for example , and then the parent accidentally hurts the student .
“ There are a lot of groups out there , a lot of parent groups , stirring the pot on this , for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Becerra-Murillo said .
“ We have always done the best we can to support our students , regardless of whether or not we have a waiver.
” Farnsworth , a member of a military family who has moved around the country , has seen both conscientious districts and lazy ones .
There are some districts that would always go above and beyond , she said .
It ’ s the rest of the schools that worry her .
The public education community is typically distrustful of the secretary , particularly when it comes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hearing , she famously suggested that enforcing IDEA , a federal law , might be best left to the states .
On this issue now , Sasha Pudelski , advocacy director of the School Superintendents Association , is optimistic that DeVos may hand over the reins to seasoned career staff at the department ’ s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services .
Concerns have circulated that DeVos might try to include support for voucher programs in her report , which opponents say could reduce funding for public schools .
“ I don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her assumed lack of knowledge of IDEA , having too much input on this report , frankly , ” said Pudelski , whose organization is pushing for the waivers .
“ I think this is going to be a very reasonable report , and I ’ m very worried about how , because her name is associated with it , it will be perceived politically.
” Statements like that are not enough to assuage Rollin ’ s worries .
She fears that opening the door to these waivers could lead to a slow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protections .
Over the past few weeks , she said , she ’ s heard enough stories about districts doing right by students with disabilities to know it ’ s possible to educate these kids fairly and appropriately even under the most difficult of circumstances .

Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is expected to make a recommendation to Congress regarding potential temporary IDEA waivers within days. Joshua Roberts / Reuters
The leaders of Jurupa Unified School District in Southern California are terrified of getting sued for running afoul of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the sprawling federal law that requires schools to provide disabled students with an equal education. They are already anticipating deep budget shortfalls, after a state revenue nosedive. Potential lawsuits could deplete the district’s strapped coffers.
That’s why superintendent Elliott Duchon is hoping that Congress grants schools temporary waivers under the law. The March coronavirus relief legislation granted Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos 30 days to make a recommendation to Congress regarding potential temporary IDEA waivers for states and school districts amid the nation’s widespread school closures.
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But even as school administrators and school leadership groups are advocating for enhanced flexibility, parents and civil rights groups worry that DeVos’ recommendations, set to be released soon, could unravel key protections for students with disabilities and give schools cover to stop providing even basic services.
“What do you think schools are going to do? They’re not going to meet [the law’s requirements]. Some are not going to even try,” said Miriam Rollin, director of the Education Civil Rights Alliance at the National Center for Youth Law. “That’s potentially creating irreparable harm for kids with disabilities and it’s not fair. It’s not right.”
About 7 million children, 14% of all public school students, received special education services under IDEA in the 2017-18 school year. The provisions made for these students are laid out in precise legal documents, called individualized education programs. Written in collaboration between districts and parents, the IEPs detail the modifications necessary to meet each student’s needs. IDEA includes dozens of mandates around how these documents should be devised.
Jurupa Unified School District serves about 19,000 students, 11% of whom have IEPs. During California’s coronavirus lockdown, the district is aiming to provide its students with disabilities with about one-third of the services they would normally receive. Under laws like IDEA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 ― the federal law forbidding discrimination based on disability, which is also up for waivers ― school districts are required to provide kids with disabilities with an education analogous to that of their peers.
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But current circumstances, where most families are conducting school via remote learning, mean that districts will inevitably run afoul of some students’ legally binding IEPs. Students with disabilities may normally receive a range of supports, from minor add-ons like modified instruction to more substantial services like occupational therapy or a full-time one-on-one aide. Some of these services are naturally getting watered down, if they’re still being offered at all.
“We certainly care about our special education kids but right now everybody is behind,” said Duchon. “We’re doing really as much as we can remotely and hoping really there’s a waiver and some coverage, so we don’t get sued. ... California is a very litigious state.”
Civil rights groups and parents of these students say that fear is misguided. They understand the predicament schools are in ― they’re not looking to sue over a service that it would be impossible to offer virtually and understand that it would be irresponsible to send out one-on-one aides during social distancing. But they say that doesn’t mean districts can’t do their best to serve a student’s needs, without the intervention of waivers.
A range of civil rights groups ― from the NAACP to the Muslim Caucus Education Collective ― sent a letter to DeVos in early April warning against potential flexibilities. For the most vulnerable students, like those with disabilities, the letter said learning loss in these next few months could be irreparable. Absolving school districts of their responsibilities, particularly for children whose educational progress is especially tenuous, is not the solution, the groups argued.
“There’s a reason why we have all of these provisions in IDEA. They’re pretty specific, and the reason for that specificity is the schools weren’t doing that on their own,” said Rollin. “If you take away those requirements, with a promise of ‘Hey, we’ll really do what’s right for kids with disabilities,’ I’m sorry, but I don’t believe that promise.”
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Groups like the National Association of State Directors of Special Education and the Council of Administrators of Special Education see it differently.
A letter they sent to the Education Department in late March asks for waivers that last until 45 days after in-person instruction resumes. It urges the department to take action specifically in the areas of timelines (as the law has a multitude of timeliness requirements for evaluations and testing), procedures (like data collection) and fiscal management.
“Federal laws were not written anticipating a global pandemic that has closed a large majority of schools across the country,” says the letter.
Off the top of her head, Karina Becerra-Murillo, who runs special education services at Jurupa Unified School District, can tick off a list of situations in which the district could be held legally liable for its distance learning efforts. If a physical or occupational therapist provides instructions on at-home activities to a parent, for example, and then the parent accidentally hurts the student.
“There are a lot of groups out there, a lot of parent groups, stirring the pot on this, for lack of a better word,” Becerra-Murillo said. “We have always done the best we can to support our students, regardless of whether or not we have a waiver.”
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Vicki Farnsworth, an Oregon parent of a 12-year-old child with autism, is sympathetic to the schools’ arguments. “Obviously, a lot of our children’s IEPs, especially the support services, aren’t going to be able to be given during this time,” she said.
But in some cases, without the fear of consequences, “there will be schools that don’t even try,” she said.
Farnsworth, a member of a military family who has moved around the country, has seen both conscientious districts and lazy ones. There are some districts that would always go above and beyond, she said. It’s the rest of the schools that worry her.
“Waivers are there to protect the system, not the people,” she said, noting that dealing with her son’s instruction via distance learning has only illuminated for her how few supports he was receiving in the first place.
DeVos is expected to make her recommendations to Congress in a matter of days.
The public education community is typically distrustful of the secretary, particularly when it comes to special education. During her confirmation hearing, she famously suggested that enforcing IDEA, a federal law, might be best left to the states. On this issue now, Sasha Pudelski, advocacy director of the School Superintendents Association, is optimistic that DeVos may hand over the reins to seasoned career staff at the department’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. Concerns have circulated that DeVos might try to include support for voucher programs in her report, which opponents say could reduce funding for public schools.
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“I don’t see Secretary DeVos, given her assumed lack of knowledge of IDEA, having too much input on this report, frankly,” said Pudelski, whose organization is pushing for the waivers. “I think this is going to be a very reasonable report, and I’m very worried about how, because her name is associated with it, it will be perceived politically.”
In an earlier statement on the waivers issue, a spokesperson for DeVos said, “The Department takes seriously its responsibility to protect the rights of all students. We are working to provide schools with the flexibilities they will need to serve students throughout this national emergency.”
Statements like that are not enough to assuage Rollin’s worries. She fears that opening the door to these waivers could lead to a slow whittling down of the law’s protections. Over the past few weeks, she said, she’s heard enough stories about districts doing right by students with disabilities to know it’s possible to educate these kids fairly and appropriately even under the most difficult of circumstances.
“It’s all scary and possible,” said Rollin, of a potential chipping away at the disability rights law. “The secretary of education is now going to be responsible for sending to Congress potential waivers for IDEA, for a law she apparently didn’t even know existed.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-04-24--From Bleach To Warm Weather: Trump's Dangerous Coronavirus 'Cures'

Trump has tried as hard as he can to pretend the coronavirus is not a crisis .
He ’ s tried to ignore it , downplay it , suggested that perhaps the government should just let the illness wash over the country and kill people , and used it as an opportunity to push his political agenda .
He ’ s also repeatedly suggested quick , ready-made solutions as cures , no matter how untested or lethal they might be .
“ Supposing we hit the body with a tremendous — whether it ’ s ultraviolet or just very powerful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that hasn ’ t been checked , but we ’ re going to test it ?
And then I said , supposing you brought the light inside the body , either through the skin or some other way.
” [ 4/24/20 ] “ And then I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute — one minute — and is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside , or almost a cleaning ?
Because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it would be interesting to check that.
” [ 4/24/20 ] RB , the makers of Lysol and Dettol , even put out a statement Friday morning imploring people not to ingest its cleaning products : “ As a global leader in health and hygiene products , we must be clear that under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body ( through injection , ingestion or any other route ) .
” “ What do you have to lose ?
And a lot of people are saying that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if you ’ re a doctor , a nurse , a first responder , a medical person going into hospitals , they say taking it before the fact is good .
But what do you have to lose ?
They say , ‘ Take it.
’ I ’ m not looking at it one way or the other , but we want to get out of this .
If it does work , it would be a shame if we didn ’ t do it early .
But we have some very good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and azithromycin.
” [ 4/5/20 ] “ Now , the virus that we ’ re talking about having to do ― you know , a lot of people think that goes away in April with the heat ― as the heat comes in .
Typically , that will go away in April .
We ’ re in great shape though .
We have 12 cases ― 11 cases , and many of them are in good shape now.
” [ 2/10/20 ] “ This is a very brilliant enemy .
You know , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They develop drugs like the antibiotics .
You see it .
Antibiotics used to solve every problem .
Now one of the biggest problems the world has is the germ has gotten so brilliant that the antibiotic can ’ t keep up with it.
” [ 4/10/20 ]

President Donald Trump is not a doctor, but he has lots of ideas about how to cure the coronavirus ― and they’re horrifying.
The White House holds daily press briefings about the work it’s doing to combat the coronavirus, which so far has killed more than 50,000 people in the United States.
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On Thursday, Trump used this opportunity to speculate whether ultraviolet light and disinfectant ― in other words, sunlight and household cleaning products ― might be a cure.
White House coronavirus coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx was sitting off to the side when Trump made this scientifically absurd suggestion, and her “oh, dear” reaction was caught on camera as she thought about what she could possibly say in response.
Trump has tried as hard as he can to pretend the coronavirus is not a crisis. He’s tried to ignore it, downplay it, suggested that perhaps the government should just let the illness wash over the country and kill people, and used it as an opportunity to push his political agenda. He’s also repeatedly suggested quick, ready-made solutions as cures, no matter how untested or lethal they might be.
Here are some of the things Trump has suggested will cure the coronavirus:
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Sunlight
“Supposing we hit the body with a tremendous — whether it’s ultraviolet or just very powerful light. And I think you said that hasn’t been checked, but we’re going to test it? And then I said, supposing you brought the light inside the body, either through the skin or some other way.” [4/24/20]
Sunlight does not cure coronavirus. Neither does a tanning bed. Medical experts have long warned against too much unprotected exposure to UV rays, which can cause skin cancer. No experts have linked UV light to curing coronavirus.
At Thursday’s press briefing, Trump asked Birx whether she agreed with him about sunlight as a cure.
“Not as a treatment,” she said trying not to completely put down the president, adding that “fever is a good thing” and “helps your body respond.”
But, she went on, “not as — I have not seen heat or ―”
“I think that’s a great thing to look at,” Trump jumped in, cutting her off.
Cleaning Products
dem10 via Getty Images
“And then I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute — one minute — and is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside, or almost a cleaning? Because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it would be interesting to check that.” [4/24/20]
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Please do not put cleaning products into your body as a coronavirus cure.
RB, the makers of Lysol and Dettol, even put out a statement Friday morning imploring people not to ingest its cleaning products: “As a global leader in health and hygiene products, we must be clear that under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route).”
“This notion of injecting or ingesting any type of cleansing product into the body is irresponsible, and it’s dangerous,” Dr. Vin Gupta, a pulmonologist and global health policy expert, told NBC. “It’s a common method that people utilize when they want to kill themselves.”
On Friday, Trump claimed he was being sarcastic with his comments, although there was absolutely no indication that he was joking during the press briefing.
Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin
ASSOCIATED PRESS
“HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE & AZITHROMYCIN, taken together, have a real chance to be one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine.” [3/21/20]
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“The hydroxychloroquine and the Z-pack, I think, as a combination, probably, it’s looking very, very good.” [3/23/20]
“What do you have to lose? And a lot of people are saying that when — and are taking it — if you’re a doctor, a nurse, a first responder, a medical person going into hospitals, they say taking it before the fact is good. But what do you have to lose? They say, ‘Take it.’ I’m not looking at it one way or the other, but we want to get out of this. If it does work, it would be a shame if we didn’t do it early. But we have some very good signs. So that’s hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin.” [4/5/20]
Trump has repeatedly promoted hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug, and azithromycin, an antibiotic, as potential miracle drugs for coronavirus. It’s very convenient ― pre-existing medications that just need to be used for a different group of patients. No need to wait months for a different vaccine!
But hydroxychloroquine has not been fully tested, and medical experts are uncomfortable with Trump promoting it as a cure.
Rick Bright, who led the federal agency in charge of coming up with a vaccine, recently said he was demoted from his job after pressing for more vetting of hydroxychloroquine, saying the administration had put “politics and cronyism ahead of science.”
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A panel of experts put together by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has also warned against using the combination of drugs to treat coronavirus, because it appears to increase the risk of sudden cardiac arrest.
For hydroxychloroquine alone, the panel said there was “insufficient clinical data to recommend either for or against.”
Trump’s unscientific advice is getting noticed, and for one couple, it had deadly consequences. After hearing about the potential “cure” on TV last month, a couple in Arizona noticed that their fish tank cleaner also contained chloroquine. They took it, believing it would prevent them from getting COVID-19.
It immediately made them sick. The husband passed away, and the wife was in the hospital under critical care.
Miracles
No, the coronavirus will not go away on its own "like a miracle." NikkiZalewski/Getty Images
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“It’s going to disappear. One day — it’s like a miracle — it will disappear.” [2/28/20]
If the coronavirus disappears, it won’t just disappear on its own, like a miracle. It will disappear because of vaccines or because people observed scientifically relevant measures like social distancing.
Warm Weather
The coronavirus will not disappear because it is a bit warmer. Peter Cade/Getty Images
“Now, the virus that we’re talking about having to do ― you know, a lot of people think that goes away in April with the heat ― as the heat comes in. Typically, that will go away in April. We’re in great shape though. We have 12 cases ― 11 cases, and many of them are in good shape now.” [2/10/20]
“Looks like by April, you know, in theory, when it gets a little warmer, it miraculously goes away.” [2/10/20]
“I really believe they are going to have it under control fairly soon. You know in April, supposedly, it dies with the hotter weather. And that’s a beautiful date to look forward to.” [2/10/20]
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April is here, and the coronavirus pandemic is still raging. While some viruses are more widespread in colder months, no experts believe that the coronavirus will simply go away because the weather gets hotter.
Antibiotics
President Donald Trump says that the coronavirus has outsmarted antibiotics — which aren't used to treat viruses. Oivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images
“This is a very brilliant enemy. You know, it’s a brilliant enemy. They develop drugs like the antibiotics. You see it. Antibiotics used to solve every problem. Now one of the biggest problems the world has is the germ has gotten so brilliant that the antibiotic can’t keep up with it.” [4/10/20]
The implication in Trump’s statement that the coronavirus has outsmarted antibiotics is that with a better antibiotic, everything would be fine.
Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections, not viruses. The coronavirus is a virus.
Many coronavirus patients are being treated with antibiotics to treat secondary infections that result from the illness or hospitalization. But that does not mean they are a cure for COVID-19.
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Flu Vaccine
vladans via Getty Images
“You take a solid flu vaccine, you don’t think that would have an impact, or much of an impact, on corona?” [3/2/20]
“We’ve had horrible flus. I mean, think of it. We average 36,000 people. Death, death. I’m not talking about cases. I’m talking about death. 36,000 deaths a year. People die, 36 — from the flu. But we’ve never closed down the country for the flu.” [3/24/20]
Early on, Trump frequently compared the coronavirus to the seasonal flu, in an effort to downplay the virus. During a March 2 meeting with pharmaceutical executives, Trump asked whether the regular flu vaccine would work. They told him it would not.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-04-24--Health Care Workers Turn To GoFundMe To Pay For Vital Safety Equipment

“ It was heartbreaking to me , to think of these poor men and women that are going into the front lines and they ’ re having to wear Glad bags .
It made me so fucking angry , ” he said .
“ America loves to pat itself on the back , ‘ We ’ re the greatest country.
’ And at that point , I was like , yeah , you know what ?
I don ’ t think so .
Not right now .
I mean , our health care system is a joke .
And look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health care workers.
” Lei doesn ’ t think her husband ’ s employer is adequately looking after workers or being transparent with staff about supplies of PPE , and she felt she needed to step in on their behalf .
“ We understand that , in some ways , they ’ re trying to save their own ass .
There are other reasons that are unknown .
But to me , the reason I started this campaign was knowing we needed to have N95 masks for everyone at the hospital , ” @ @ @

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Medical personnel treating COVID-19 patients across the United States, faced with personal protective equipment shortages that are causing unsafe working conditions, illnesses and even deaths, have been forced to do what was once unthinkable: crowdsource money to buy their own masks, gowns and other supplies.
It’s a sobering twist on the recent trend that has led hundreds of thousands of Americans to seek charity on the internet to cover their medical expenses.
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A simple search for “PPE,” as the equipment is known, on GoFundMe returns thousands of results from the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland. A subcategory of these fundraisers are those started by health care workers, their family members and their friends, who are trying to help with the national pandemic response and keep health care workers safe.
There’s a group of emergency room doctors in Detroit nearing their $35,000 goal to buy themselves and their colleagues masks, gowns and face shields. In Hawaii, a nurse has raised more than $20,000 to buy thousands of masks. A pediatrician’s office in Colorado has collected more than $10,000 to purchase PPE from a veterinary supplier to donate to the state.
The dire need for equipment like N95 masks, face shields and gowns has become a major concern amid an unprecedented pandemic that has stretched the capacity of hospitals around the world. Supply chain problems, partly related to much of this equipment being manufactured in China, make restocking challenging for hospitals. Hospital procurement systems involve a lot of red tape that makes swift action, like finding additional suppliers, difficult.
And hospitals are facing major financial problems due to the high costs of preparing for and treating COVID-19 patients and because they have been forced to postpone lucrative elective surgeries. Worse, a lack of coordination and even competition among the federal government, states and hospitals have sparked bidding wars that drive up prices and deplete supplies.
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Health care workers are being forced to reuse disposable N95 masks for days and to resort to trash bags and other ersatz gowns. These workers also have to fear retaliation from their employers for speaking out or for acquiring their own PPE supplies.
According to survey findings the International Brotherhood of Teamsters released Wednesday, 85% of 1,300 health care workers in the union say PPE is being rationed in their workplaces and 64% said they don’t have access to N95 masks. The survey also found close to half of workers are dissatisfied with their employers’ communications and safety procedures, and 30% are afraid of being punished for asking about safety issues. A Service Employees International Union survey of health care workers produced similar findings.
Unions representing health care workers, such as the SEIU, National Nurses United, the AFL-CIO and the Teamsters are pressuring the government and hospitals to do more to protect workers. National Nurses United members protested about worker safety in front of the White House this week. The New York State Nurses Association filed a lawsuit this week against the state and several hospitals alleging inadequate safety procedures and supplies. And the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating safety issues at hospitals and other health care facilities.
Even if the pleas from health care unions prove successful, front-line health care workers need personal protective equipment now, and are seeking help from the public. HuffPost spoke with the leaders of several GoFundMe campaigns to learn why they had gone this route.
Brooklyn, New York
Physician Charles Kim treated COVID-19 patients early last month at the Brooklyn Veterans Affairs Medical Center and witnessed firsthand how the coronavirus outbreak was taxing the health care system.
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“There’s a lot of fear in our people, in the physicians,” Kim said. “In the beginning time, there weren’t too many PPEs available,” he said. The Brooklyn VA is one of many veterans hospitals struggling through the coronavirus outbreak.
Since then, Kim’s uncle became hospitalized with COVID-19 in New York City.
Kim isn’t seeing COVID-19 patients now because he’s been rotated to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. But he wanted to help his comrades on the front lines, and started a GoFundMe campaign last month that’s already raised more than $100,000, including a $25,000 donation from former ConAgra Foods CEO Gary Rodkin and his wife, Barbara Rodkin. All of the money is earmarked to buy PPE for Kim’s colleagues at the State University of New York Downstate Hospital in Brooklyn, which normally is his primary workplace.
Kim is reluctant to criticize hospital administrators who are struggling to keep up supplies of PPE. “I don’t want to talk bad about anything, because I know people are trying their best,” he said. He’s also seen and heard about significant improvements in the safety of New York City’s health care workers in recent weeks.
Nevertheless, it’s been frustrating for Kim to devote what little spare time he has after treating cancer patients all day to locating and identifying valid PPE suppliers, a task normally handled by the hospitals themselves.
“It’s just crazy. It’s not my job to raise money and to buy these things and to try to vet them to the best of my abilities in my off times. I’m stressed, too. The administrators that are being paid for this should be doing the job that I’m doing,” Kim said.
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Boston
In less than a month, Lily Ganz has raised more than $20,000 on GoFundMe, enough money to buy a lot of PPE for workers at Boston Medical Center. Ganz is part of a group effort going by the name “BMC need PPE,” which already has collected donations of more than 10,000 N95 masks, 25,000 surgical masks, 100,000 gloves and additional supplies like hand sanitizer, gowns and caps from area businesses and other organizations.
Ganz, who is in her third year studying to be a physician assistant at Boston University School of Medicine, is part of a team of students, alumni and Boston Medical Center employees trying to collect at least $25,000 to boost the PPE supplies for the medical center, the largest safety net hospital in New England.
“This is an unprecedented situation that calls for far more PPE than hospitals normally use, and hospitals across the nation are trying to address that gap,” Ganz said. “We saw these other countries around the world like China and Italy, and more recently states like New York, that have struggled with the overwhelmed health care systems and insufficient PPE, and we really wanted to get ahead of the problem.”
Now, the group is moving the fundraiser from GoFundMe to a special website Boston Medical Center set up to collect more donations. This will allow them to avoid GoFundMe’s fees and to have direct access to the funds, which the hospital will use to increase its own PPE orders. An anonymous donor has pledged to match contributions up to a total of $50,000, Ganz said.
“The reason this cause matters to us so much is that health care workers are incredibly valuable. We need to protect our incredibly brave front-line staff. They have a higher risk contracting and transmitting COVID-19, so keeping them healthy helps everyone stay healthy,” Ganz said.
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New York City
Mark Albert’s cosmetic surgery practice is all but shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic. But the physician is still spending enough time in hospitals treating patients with injuries who need hand or plastic surgery to know how dangerous the situation is in New York, the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak so far.
That’s why he decided to help out his fellow health care workers who are on the front lines by raising money to buy PPE.
“We’ve never been through something like this before, so to have the knowledge of the volume of equipment necessary, we’re learning as we go. And I’m sure if something like this were to ever happen again that the stockpiles would be greater than they were in preparation for this one,” Albert says.
Albert’s GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $30,000 so far. He’s offering a free botox treatment to a randomly selected donor, too. By using his professional contacts and doing a lot of legwork, Albert identified suppliers who sold him 3,000 N95 respirator masks and has another order of the same size in process.
Albert also reached out to a friend to help him promote the campaign, the actor Dean Winters, known for roles in television shows including “Oz,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “30 Rock,” and as the “Mayhem” character in Allstate Insurance ads for the past decade. Albert and Winters have been publicizing their campaign on Instagram, and Albert’s Instagram posts include photos and videos of health care workers at Lenox Hill Hospital, Harlem Hospital Center and North Central Bronx Hospital receiving the masks donors helped buy.
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Winters met Albert last November when the doctor performed plastic surgery on the actor after a head injury. A lifetime of injuries and a harrowing incident 11 years ago that left Winters dead for several minutes motivated him to participate in the campaign, he said.
“My mom tells me that I was training for ‘Mayhem’ my whole life,” Winters said.
When Albert asked for help, it was a “no-brainer,” Winters said. “My life has been saved time and time again by doctors and nurses, and just doing this little campaign for $30,000 doesn’t really seem like any kind of a payback,” he said. “I wish there was more that I could do.”
The underlying problem of health care workers being forced to endure unsafe conditions also is a strong motivator, Winters said.
“It was heartbreaking to me, to think of these poor men and women that are going into the front lines and they’re having to wear Glad bags. It made me so fucking angry,” he said. “America loves to pat itself on the back, ‘We’re the greatest country.’ And at that point, I was like, yeah, you know what? I don’t think so. Not right now. I mean, our health care system is a joke. And look at how we take care of our health care workers.”
Washington, D.C.
At the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, two students set to graduate and become physicians this year have found a different way to help. Amy Tronnier and Moena Nishikawa have raised more than $2,400 for a GoFundMe campaign to purchase materials that they’re using to put together homemade face shields for hospital workers in Washington and New York.
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“We’ve turned my one-bedroom med school apartment into a PPE factory,” Tronnier said. Nishikawa has done the same in her home.
Like most people, Tronnier and Nishikawa are staying home these days. As medical students, though, they have a different perspective on the working conditions medical personnel and other hospital workers are enduring.
“This is obviously a very personal thing for us because the people who are currently in the hospitals and who are facing this every day, these are our teachers, they’re our mentors, they’re our friends, and they’re ultimately our future colleagues,” Tronnier said. “When we graduate medical school in a year, we could very easily find ourselves in the same situation.”
Initially, Tronnier and Nishikawa sought to raise $1,000 to pay for materials to assemble the face shields for workers at Washington hospitals. They broadened their aims after hitting that target in less than a day, and raised their goal to $2,000 and started making face shields for New York personnel, too. The students have paid for the materials using their own money while they wait for GoFundMe to transfer the donations they received.
Although the face shields are only built for a single use, Tronnier explained that in addition to protecting a worker’s entire face, they guard N95 masks, allowing them to be used for a longer period of time.
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So far, Tronnier and Nishikawa have made more than 800 face shields and plan to assemble 1,000 more by the time they’re done. And their campaign is part of a small trend. Tronnier and Nishikawa were inspired by workers at Providence St. Joseph Health in Washington state, who also made face shields for colleagues, and in turn inspired a GoFundMe campaign from a group of medical students at Nova Southeastern University in Florida.
Oakland, California
Michelle Lei isn’t a doctor, but her husband is, and she knows what he’s been going through at the Bay Area hospital where he works as an anesthesiologist. Lei’s biggest concern is for his safety and the safety of his colleagues, who don’t have enough PPE to prevent infection by the coronavirus.
“Nobody was actually really out there fending for those on the front line,” so she decided to take matters into her own hands and create a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to purchase N95 masks for hospital workers in her area. (Lei declined to name her husband or his employer for fear of retaliation from the hospital.)
So far, she’s raised more than $20,000, which she estimates will be enough to buy 4,000 N95 masks, on top of 500 KN95 masks, which are similar to N95 masks, that she’s already delivered to a New York hospital.
“What they want to know is that they’re just going to be protected, that people have their backs,” she said. “The fact that they’re not only fighting this virus right now, that they’re actually having to fight for their own safety and protection, that’s a layer of worry that should not exist.”
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Lei needed to take a crash course in medical equipment and suppliers, and she quickly discovered how chaotic the market for PPE is right now. “I’m not a PPE expert. I work on ads,” she said. “You have to start playing detective.” Lei has put a lot of work into researching legitimate suppliers, avoiding scams and counterfeit materials, and has run into the same bidding wars and supply backlogs as the hospitals themselves.
Lei doesn’t think her husband’s employer is adequately looking after workers or being transparent with staff about supplies of PPE, and she felt she needed to step in on their behalf. “We understand that, in some ways, they’re trying to save their own ass. There are other reasons that are unknown. But to me, the reason I started this campaign was knowing we needed to have N95 masks for everyone at the hospital,” she said.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-04-25--New York Daily News Hits Donald Trump With A Caustic New Nickname

The New York Daily News has a new nickname for President Donald Trump .
After the president mused about injecting people with disinfectant to fight off the coronavirus during Thursday ’ s task force briefing ( and then walked back the idea just 24 hours later , claiming he was being sarcastic ) , the tabloid newspaper declared him to be a “ TOTAL BLEACH BUM ” on its Saturday cover .
Check out the new moniker , at the bottom of the front page , here : YOU SON OF A MITCH !
Cuomo : ‘ I dare you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in scathing new attack on GOPhttps : //t.co/cpmXavGwiC pic.twitter.com/aLMqFxc7W7 — New York Daily News ( @ NYDailyNews ) April 25 , 2020 The Daily News ’ main headline , however , was a swipe at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-Ky. ) , who has suggested states hit by the pandemic could file for bankruptcy instead of seeking federal financial aid .
Earlier this month , the newspaper slapped a face mask on Trump for saying he likely would not follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines asking people to wear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ WERE A MUZZLE Trump urges Americans to wear face masks in public to fight coronavirus — but says he ‘ won ’ t be doing it ’ https : //t.co/K4YxYt58O7 pic.twitter.com/6Mzy5GT7tG — New York Daily News ( @ NYDailyNews ) April 4 , 2020

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The New York Daily News has a new nickname for President Donald Trump.
After the president mused about injecting people with disinfectant to fight off the coronavirus during Thursday’s task force briefing (and then walked back the idea just 24 hours later, claiming he was being sarcastic), the tabloid newspaper declared him to be a “TOTAL BLEACH BUM” on its Saturday cover.
Check out the new moniker, at the bottom of the front page, here:
YOU SON OF A MITCH!
Cuomo: ‘I dare you’ to let states declare coronavirus bankruptcy in scathing new attack on GOPhttps://t.co/cpmXavGwiC pic.twitter.com/aLMqFxc7W7 — New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) April 25, 2020
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The Daily News’ main headline, however, was a swipe at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who has suggested states hit by the pandemic could file for bankruptcy instead of seeking federal financial aid.
“YOU SON OF A MITCH!” it read.
Earlier this month, the newspaper slapped a face mask on Trump for saying he likely would not follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines asking people to wear them in public:
IF ONLY IT WERE A MUZZLE
Trump urges Americans to wear face masks in public to fight coronavirus — but says he ‘won’t be doing it’https://t.co/K4YxYt58O7 pic.twitter.com/6Mzy5GT7tG — New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) April 4, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-04-24--White House Could Alter Virus Briefings To Limit Trump Role

WASHINGTON ( AP ) — For the first time , President Donald Trump cut off his daily coronavirus task force briefing on Friday without taking any questions from reporters .
It may not be the last time .
There have been discussions within the White House about changing the format of the briefings to curtail the president ’ s role , according to four White House officials and Republicans close to the White House who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly .
The briefings often stretch well beyond an hour and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Trump was angry after a day of punishing headlines Friday , largely about his comment at the previous evening ’ s briefing wondering if it would be helpful to inject disinfectant into people to fight the coronavirus .
That idea drew loud warnings from health experts who said the idea was dangerous and sharp criticism from Democrats .
Trump did answer questions from reporters earlier Friday and claimed that his suggestion about disinfectant had been “ sarcastic.
” That doesn ’ t square with a transcript of his remarks .
For weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to scale back his appearances at the briefings , saying that he should come before the cameras only when there is major news or a positive development to discuss , according to the officials .
Otherwise , they suggested , he should leave it to Vice President Mike Pence and health officials to take the lead .
Trump has been reluctant to cede the spotlight at the briefings , which are the closest thing he currently has to his beloved political rallies .
He has talked up their robust television ratings and his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drown out his likely general election opponent , Democrat Joe Biden .
But advisers have argued that while the briefings may appeal to his most loyal base of supporters , they could be alienating some viewers , including senior citizens worried about their health .
Officials at Trump ’ s reelection campaign have also noted a slip in Trump ’ s support in some battleground states and have expressed concerns that the briefings , which often contain inaccurate information , may be playing a role .
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” earlier in the day from reporters in the Oval Office .
“ The accessibility and transparency of this President is unprecedented , ” she said .
Trump , who is known for changing his mind , has not committed to any permanent change in the briefing format , the officials said .
It was unclear if Trump ’ s decision not to take questions on Friday was connected to a kerfuffle in the briefing room moments before the task force presentation began .
A White House official had asked that two reporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the CNN correspondent farther back in the room .
CNN is a frequent target of Trump ’ s criticism .

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WASHINGTON (AP) — For the first time, President Donald Trump cut off his daily coronavirus task force briefing on Friday without taking any questions from reporters. It may not be the last time.
There have been discussions within the White House about changing the format of the briefings to curtail the president’s role, according to four White House officials and Republicans close to the White House who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. The briefings often stretch well beyond an hour and feature combative exchanges between Trump and reporters.
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Trump was angry after a day of punishing headlines Friday, largely about his comment at the previous evening’s briefing wondering if it would be helpful to inject disinfectant into people to fight the coronavirus. That idea drew loud warnings from health experts who said the idea was dangerous and sharp criticism from Democrats.
Trump did answer questions from reporters earlier Friday and claimed that his suggestion about disinfectant had been “sarcastic.” That doesn’t square with a transcript of his remarks.
For weeks, advisers have been urging the president to scale back his appearances at the briefings, saying that he should come before the cameras only when there is major news or a positive development to discuss, according to the officials. Otherwise, they suggested, he should leave it to Vice President Mike Pence and health officials to take the lead.
Trump has been reluctant to cede the spotlight at the briefings, which are the closest thing he currently has to his beloved political rallies. He has talked up their robust television ratings and his ability to dominate the news cycle and drown out his likely general election opponent, Democrat Joe Biden.
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But advisers have argued that while the briefings may appeal to his most loyal base of supporters, they could be alienating some viewers, including senior citizens worried about their health. Officials at Trump’s reelection campaign have also noted a slip in Trump’s support in some battleground states and have expressed concerns that the briefings, which often contain inaccurate information, may be playing a role.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the president had taken “countless questions” earlier in the day from reporters in the Oval Office. “The accessibility and transparency of this President is unprecedented,” she said.
Trump, who is known for changing his mind, has not committed to any permanent change in the briefing format, the officials said.
It was unclear if Trump’s decision not to take questions on Friday was connected to a kerfuffle in the briefing room moments before the task force presentation began. A White House official had asked that two reporters switch seats, which would have sent the CNN correspondent farther back in the room. CNN is a frequent target of Trump’s criticism.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-04-25--Melania Trump Sparks Angers With 'Thoughts And Prayers' For Coronavirus Victims

Melania Trump faced backlash after she offered “ our thoughts and prayers ” to the victims of the coronavirus pandemic in a tweet on Friday : Our thoughts & prayers continue to be w/ each person suffering & fighting to recover from this terrible virus , & with all of the families who have lost loved ones .
Even though we are physically apart , we are all in this fight together .
— Melania Trump ( @ FLOTUS ) April 24 , 2020 Critics slammed the first lady ’ s post , noting the slow and haphazard way in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ handled the public health crisis that has now killed more than 52,000 people nationwide .
President Donald Trump downplayed the risk posed by the virus for weeks and has since taken to hyping unproven and potentially deadly cures during his daily coronavirus task force briefings .
The U.S. is now the epicenter of the pandemic with more than 925,000 confirmed cases .
Worldwide , the contagion has sickened more than 2.8 million people and killed almost 200,000 .
The criticism of the tweet echoed that leveled at political leaders who often call for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mass shootings , but then fail to enact any meaningful gun control measures .
Some called for the president to show empathy for those who had died or lost loved ones during the outbreak .
No , no we 're not .
Over 50,000 dead Americans because that genocidal gaslighting ghoul you married for love , of course , brushed it off as a hoax and a flu .
Now It has suggested that maybe people can inject disinfectant and UV rays to kill it.Your empty words are toxic too .
# BeBest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ April 24 , 2020 You might want to share this with your *husband* as he has yet to extend his sympathies to families hit by this virus .
Your family really needs to get your priorities straight .
— B.E.C .
( @ SLOnonnie ) April 24 , 2020 The First Lady assuming the role of comforter in chief .
The president today was tweeting about his hatred of @ CNN https : //t.co/COGUHVNHZB — Nick Weig ( @ tbweig ) April 24 , 2020 Ah , thoughts and prayers for the long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the financial institutions which cause our suffering .
Your empty words move us .
We 'd like to move you as well , back to Mordor or where ever you hail from .
https : //t.co/XKsaKZpTCX — Arturo Hammer ( @ ArtAHammer ) April 24 , 2020 If you really care , and I believe you do ... 1 .
Tell your husband @ realDonaldTrump to stop doing updates let the scientists speak .
2 .
Either ask him to # ResignNow and leave him if he does n't .
You are a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tony borruso ( @ kagnew66 ) April 24 , 2020 Not that I believe the sentiment , would you mind asking your husband to express something similar at even one press conference ... to show an ounce of humanity ?
?
https : //t.co/yatrjNgXnR — Cathal Kennedy ( @ CathalKennedy1 ) April 24 , 2020

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Melania Trump faced backlash after she offered “our thoughts and prayers” to the victims of the coronavirus pandemic in a tweet on Friday:
Our thoughts & prayers continue to be w/ each person suffering & fighting to recover from this terrible virus, & with all of the families who have lost loved ones. Even though we are physically apart, we are all in this fight together. — Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) April 24, 2020
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Critics slammed the first lady’s post, noting the slow and haphazard way in which her husband’s administration has handled the public health crisis that has now killed more than 52,000 people nationwide.
President Donald Trump downplayed the risk posed by the virus for weeks and has since taken to hyping unproven and potentially deadly cures during his daily coronavirus task force briefings.
The U.S. is now the epicenter of the pandemic with more than 925,000 confirmed cases. Worldwide, the contagion has sickened more than 2.8 million people and killed almost 200,000.
The criticism of the tweet echoed that leveled at political leaders who often call for “thoughts and prayers” following deadly mass shootings, but then fail to enact any meaningful gun control measures.
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Some called for the president to show empathy for those who had died or lost loved ones during the outbreak.
No, no we're not. Over 50,000 dead Americans because that genocidal gaslighting ghoul you married for love, of course, brushed it off as a hoax and a flu. Now It has suggested that maybe people can inject disinfectant and UV rays to kill it.Your empty words are toxic too. #BeBest — Lesley Abravanel🆘 (@lesleyabravanel) April 24, 2020
Thank you to whoever wrote this tweet.https://t.co/ibBgW1Wcv0 — Adam Rifkin 🐼 (@ifindkarma) April 24, 2020
You might want to share this with your *husband* as he has yet to extend his sympathies to families hit by this virus. Your family really needs to get your priorities straight. — B.E.C. (@SLOnonnie) April 24, 2020
The First Lady assuming the role of comforter in chief. The president today was tweeting about his hatred of @CNN https://t.co/COGUHVNHZB — Nick Weig (@tbweig) April 24, 2020
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Empty words .....
Empty prayers ....... https://t.co/Iys1KTmBYx — A view from afar (@Aviewfromafar17) April 24, 2020
Ah, thoughts and prayers for the long suffering citizens, trillions of dollars for the financial institutions which cause our suffering. Your empty words move us. We'd like to move you as well, back to Mordor or where ever you hail from. https://t.co/XKsaKZpTCX — Arturo Hammer (@ArtAHammer) April 24, 2020
If you really care, and I believe you do...
1. Tell your husband @realDonaldTrump to stop doing updates let the scientists speak.
2. Either ask him to #ResignNow and leave him if he doesn't. You are a mother who cares.. https://t.co/GrWVWu4Iq8 — tony borruso (@kagnew66) April 24, 2020
Not that I believe the sentiment, would you mind asking your husband to express something similar at even one press conference... to show an ounce of humanity?? https://t.co/yatrjNgXnR — Cathal Kennedy (@CathalKennedy1) April 24, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-04-24--Trump Tells West Point He's Speaking To Graduates; Now Cadets Must Return To Campus

President Donald Trump made a surprise announcement to officials of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point last week that he ’ s speaking at graduation , requiring that the school recall 1,000 cadets who had left their New York campus as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19 , The New York Times reported .
West Point officials had postponed commencement , initially scheduled for May 23 , and it was unclear when , or even if , the ceremony would be held , according to the Times .
The academy ’ s 4,000 cadets were told to stay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ studies online , The Military Times reported .
The president ’ s plan means graduating cadets will have to travel from hometowns across the nation to the state with the highest number of coronavirus deaths .
The campus is about an hour ’ s drive north of New York City .
It will be the first time Trump has spoken at West Point .
The commencement is now scheduled for June 13 .
She said cadets are “ certainly excited about the opportunity to have something like the classic graduation , standing together @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” She added : “ But everyone is leery about bringing 1,000 cadets into the New York metropolitan area for a ceremony .
It ’ s definitely a risk.
” Lt. Gen. Darryl Williams , West Point ’ s superintendent , issued a statement Wednesday that West Point is “ honored to host the commander in chief as we celebrate the many accomplishments of our graduating class.
” The Army plans to mass test and quarantine returning cadets , the Army Times reported Friday .
Cadets will return in small , staggered groups @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shelters in the summer training area and await test results there .
“ If they come back clean , they ’ ll come on campus to their dorm room , and we ’ re calling it a soft quarantine , ” Lt. Col. Christopher Ophardt , a West Point spokesperson , told the Army Times .
A planning committee has been working on contingency plans for a possible commencement ceremony beginning in mid-March , according to the newspaper .
Trump talked about attending the commencement April 17 at a news conference at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like “ the look ” of social distancing required for the ceremony .
“ I understand they ’ ll have distancing .
They ’ ll have some big distances , ” the president said .
“ So it ’ ll be very different than it ever looked .
Do I like the look ?
No , I don ’ t .
Eventually , next year , they ’ ll have a commencement which will be like it ’ s been ... nice and tight.
” West Point said on its website that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recent graduation ceremonies due to current force health protection requirements ” and the “ severity of the danger facing our community ” from the coronavirus outbreak .
The “ size and scope of the graduation ceremony will be determined by safety considerations for cadets and the entire West Point community , and the academy leadership is conducting a thorough analysis and plan for the safe return of the Corps of Cadets , ” the statement added .
Vice President Mike Pence spoke last week at the Air Force Academy ’ s commencement .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ feet of social distance , and chairs for the ceremony were positioned 8 feet apart .
Trump incorrectly said that cadets stayed 10 feet from one another — and appeared to slight the distance as “ politically correct.
“ Friends and family were not allowed to attend but could watch the live-streamed event online .

President Donald Trump made a surprise announcement to officials of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point last week that he’s speaking at graduation, requiring that the school recall 1,000 cadets who had left their New York campus as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19, The New York Times reported.
West Point officials had postponed commencement, initially scheduled for May 23, and it was unclear when, or even if, the ceremony would be held, according to the Times. The academy’s 4,000 cadets were told to stay home after spring break and continue their studies online, The Military Times reported.
The president’s plan means graduating cadets will have to travel from hometowns across the nation to the state with the highest number of coronavirus deaths. The campus is about an hour’s drive north of New York City.
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It will be the first time Trump has spoken at West Point. The commencement is now scheduled for June 13.
“He’s the commander in chief, that’s his call,” Sue Fulton, a West Point graduate and former chairwoman of the academy’s Board of Visitors, told the Times.
She said cadets are “certainly excited about the opportunity to have something like the classic graduation, standing together, flinging their hats in the air.” She added: “But everyone is leery about bringing 1,000 cadets into the New York metropolitan area for a ceremony. It’s definitely a risk.”
Lt. Gen. Darryl Williams, West Point’s superintendent, issued a statement Wednesday that West Point is “honored to host the commander in chief as we celebrate the many accomplishments of our graduating class.”
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The Army plans to mass test and quarantine returning cadets, the Army Times reported Friday. Cadets will return in small, staggered groups. They’ll be placed in shelters in the summer training area and await test results there.
“If they come back clean, they’ll come on campus to their dorm room, and we’re calling it a soft quarantine,” Lt. Col. Christopher Ophardt, a West Point spokesperson, told the Army Times. A planning committee has been working on contingency plans for a possible commencement ceremony beginning in mid-March, according to the newspaper.
Trump talked about attending the commencement April 17 at a news conference at the White House and said he would not like “the look” of social distancing required for the ceremony.
“I understand they’ll have distancing. They’ll have some big distances,” the president said. “So it’ll be very different than it ever looked. Do I like the look? No, I don’t. Eventually, next year, they’ll have a commencement which will be like it’s been ... nice and tight.”
West Point said on its website that the graduation ceremony will “look different from recent graduation ceremonies due to current force health protection requirements” and the “severity of the danger facing our community” from the coronavirus outbreak.
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The “size and scope of the graduation ceremony will be determined by safety considerations for cadets and the entire West Point community, and the academy leadership is conducting a thorough analysis and plan for the safe return of the Corps of Cadets,” the statement added.
Vice President Mike Pence spoke last week at the Air Force Academy’s commencement. Cadets had to maintain at least 6 feet of social distance, and chairs for the ceremony were positioned 8 feet apart. Trump incorrectly said that cadets stayed 10 feet from one another — and appeared to slight the distance as “politically correct.“ Friends and family were not allowed to attend but could watch the live-streamed event online.
The Naval Academy will hold an entirely virtual commencement, according to The Military Times.
Critics on Twitter blasted the move as a life-risking stunt by Trump to serve his vanity and his campaign.
NEW. Trump is forcing 1000 West Point cadets to come back to NY area so he can hear applause from them when he gives a speech.#SuperSpreaderhttps://t.co/yRiGuNX9Np — Jesse Ferguson (@JesseFFerguson) April 24, 2020
.@realDonaldTrump likes military pomp. So 1000 West Point seniors, who had left campus, will have to return in June to hear his speech. That means returning to New York, a center of #COVID19 pandemic. 🙄https://t.co/gV7m9mlssG — Steven Pifer (@steven_pifer) April 24, 2020
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So the president wants to put the lives of 1000 West Point cadets at risk to serve his ego and his political needs. How do you feel about that? https://t.co/OMa2TUUYcn — David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) April 24, 2020
Trump is putting West Point grads at risk for a campaign commercial. That pretty much sums up the deep disrespect he has for the service he dodged. https://t.co/duyGF3ZXkY — stuart stevens (@stuartpstevens) April 24, 2020
A HuffPost Guide To Coronavirus


thehuffingtonpost--2020-04-24--White House Corrects Transcript To Show Dr. Birx Denied Sunlight Treats COVID-19

The White House amended its transcript Friday of President Donald Trump ’ s highly controversial Thursday press briefing , clarifying that health adviser Dr. Deborah Birx had said sunlight and heat are not a treatment for COVID-19 .
The transcript change followed Trump ’ s comments Thursday that it would be “ interesting to check ” if an “ injection ” of disinfectant might be used to battle the disease .
He also suggested that sunlight or ultraviolet light and heat could be used to battle the coronavirus .
“ Suppose that we hit the body with tremendous — whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ powerful — light ... suppose you brought the light inside the body ?
” The president mused .
Moments later , he asked Birx : “ Deborah , have you ever heard of that ?
That heat and the light , relative to certain viruses , yes , but relative to this virus ?
” It was clear from the video of the press conference that Birx had responded , “ Not as a treatment.
” Initially , the transcript had her saying : “ That is a treatment ” before the language @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I think it ’ s a great thing to look at .
I mean , you know .
OK ?
” The first transcript the White House sent had Birx bolstering Trump 's idea of applying `` light and heat to cure . ''
`` That is a treatment , '' it quoted her saying .
The transcript has now been corrected to say , `` Not as a treatment . ''
pic.twitter.com/ao1znYh1ep — Aaron Blake ( @ AaronBlake ) April 24 , 2020 Birx became a Twitter favorite Friday for the look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ideas Thursday .
She later defended Trump , however , telling Fox News in a clip from a longer interview airing Saturday that the president was still “ digesting ” new information about COVID-19 .
“ When he gets new information , he likes to talk that through out loud and really have that dialogue , and so that ’ s what dialogue he was having , ” she said .
Dr. Birx defends the President : When he gets new information , he likes to talk that through out loud and really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s what dialogue he was having .
I think he just saw the information at the time immediately.. and he was still digesting that information pic.twitter.com/3XrNvs8UjX — Acyn Torabi ( @ Acyn ) April 24 , 2020 Health experts have since warned that ingesting or injecting disinfectants is toxic and can be fatal .
“ Under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body through injection , ingestion or any other route , ” RB , the company that manufactures disinfectant Lysol , stated .
Following the uproar over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he insisted Friday he made the comments “ sarcastically to reporters ... to see what would happen .
”

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The White House amended its transcript Friday of President Donald Trump’s highly controversial Thursday press briefing, clarifying that health adviser Dr. Deborah Birx had said sunlight and heat are not a treatment for COVID-19.
The transcript change followed Trump’s comments Thursday that it would be “interesting to check” if an “injection” of disinfectant might be used to battle the disease. He also suggested that sunlight or ultraviolet light and heat could be used to battle the coronavirus.
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“Suppose that we hit the body with tremendous — whether it’s ultraviolet or just very powerful — light ... suppose you brought the light inside the body?” The president mused. Moments later, he asked Birx: “Deborah, have you ever heard of that? That heat and the light, relative to certain viruses, yes, but relative to this virus?”
It was clear from the video of the press conference that Birx had responded, “Not as a treatment.” Initially, the transcript had her saying: “That is a treatment” before the language was corrected.
Trump responded: “I think it’s a great thing to look at. I mean, you know. OK?”
The first transcript the White House sent had Birx bolstering Trump's idea of applying "light and heat to cure."
"That is a treatment," it quoted her saying.
The transcript has now been corrected to say, "Not as a treatment." pic.twitter.com/ao1znYh1ep — Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) April 24, 2020
Birx became a Twitter favorite Friday for the look on her face as Trump expressed his ideas Thursday.
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She later defended Trump, however, telling Fox News in a clip from a longer interview airing Saturday that the president was still “digesting” new information about COVID-19. “When he gets new information, he likes to talk that through out loud and really have that dialogue, and so that’s what dialogue he was having,” she said.
Dr. Birx defends the President: When he gets new information, he likes to talk that through out loud and really have that dialogue and so that’s what dialogue he was having. I think he just saw the information at the time immediately.. and he was still digesting that information pic.twitter.com/3XrNvs8UjX — Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) April 24, 2020
Health experts have since warned that ingesting or injecting disinfectants is toxic and can be fatal. “Under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body through injection, ingestion or any other route,” RB, the company that manufactures disinfectant Lysol, stated.
Following the uproar over Trump’s comments concerning disinfectants, he insisted Friday he made the comments “sarcastically to reporters ... to see what would happen.”
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-04-25--Celebrities Take Donald Trump's Sarcasm Defense, Fire It Right Back At Him

`` I was asking the question sarcastically to reporters like you just to see what would happen . ''
is @ @ @ @ @ What you 're seeing & what you 're reading is not what 's happening .
@ @ @ @ @ to reject the evidence of our eyes & ears .
Is that too much to @ @ @ @ @

"I was asking the question sarcastically to reporters like you just to see what would happen." is my favorite quote since "What you're seeing & what you're reading is not what's happening." He just wants us to reject the evidence of our eyes & ears. Is that too much to ask? https://t.co/Ym4XnZK08V


thehuffingtonpost--2020-04-25--Ex-GOP Lawmaker Rips 'Dangerous' Donald Trump: Less We Hear From Him, Safer We Are

Former Rep. David Jolly ( R-Fla. ) on Friday pulled no punches with his withering assessment of President Donald Trump ’ s widely criticized handling of the coronavirus pandemic .
Jolly , in particular , called out Trump ’ s penchant for peddling falsehoods and touting unproven cures for COVID-19 , the disease caused by the virus , during the White House ’ s daily task force updates .
On Thursday , Trump suggested injecting disinfectant to fight off the virus .
Following widespread outrage , anger and disbelief among public health officials , he claimed Friday that he was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comments .
“ The reality is the message from Donald Trump is dangerous , ” said Jolly , a GOP member of Congress from 2014 to 2017 .
“ It conflicts with that of our public health officials and the less we hear from the president the safer we are , ” he told MSNBC ’ s Nicole Wallace , noting how Trump has “ spoken and tweeted more about his own approval ratings than he has about the 50,000 Americans who died under his watch.
” “ So if we need an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as he has locked himself in his room , watching TV so he can make a self-assessment of his own ratings , perhaps we just go forward ignoring the guy , ” he added .
`` The message from Donald Trump is dangerous ...
The less we hear from the president , the safer we are ...
This is a man since the outbreak of Covid-19 has spoken more about his own approval ratings than he has about the 50,000 Americans who died '' - @ DavidJollyFL w/ @ NicolleDWallace pic.twitter.com/0gAy4937OA — Deadline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 24 , 2020

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Former Rep. David Jolly (R-Fla.) on Friday pulled no punches with his withering assessment of President Donald Trump’s widely criticized handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Jolly, in particular, called out Trump’s penchant for peddling falsehoods and touting unproven cures for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, during the White House’s daily task force updates.
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On Thursday, Trump suggested injecting disinfectant to fight off the virus. Following widespread outrage, anger and disbelief among public health officials, he claimed Friday that he was just being “sarcastic” with his comments.
“The reality is the message from Donald Trump is dangerous,” said Jolly, a GOP member of Congress from 2014 to 2017.
“It conflicts with that of our public health officials, and the less we hear from the president the safer we are,” he told MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace, noting how Trump has “spoken and tweeted more about his own approval ratings than he has about the 50,000 Americans who died under his watch.”
“So if we need an assessment of the president’s character as he has locked himself in his room, watching TV so he can make a self-assessment of his own ratings, perhaps we just go forward ignoring the guy,” he added.
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Check out the interview here:


thehuffingtonpost--2020-04-25--Anderson Cooper Chokes Up In Heartbreaking Interview With Coronavirus Victim's Wife

CNN ’ s Anderson Cooper at times struggled for words during a heartbreaking interview with the wife of a man who died this week from COVID-19 .
On Friday ’ s broadcast of “ Anderson Cooper 360° , ” Katie Coelho recalled the gut-wrenching month-long lead up to the death Wednesday of her 32-year-old husband Jonathan from the disease caused by the coronavirus .
Coelho remembered the way they ’ d first met , the poignant note he left on his phone that has since garnered global attention and expressed her fears that their two young children will “ only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ memories and videos ” and “ won ’ t feel the love that I felt for the past 10 years.
” Cooper noted the death of his own father , Wyatt Cooper , when the future broadcaster was just 10-year-old , saying “ they will know him through you and the love you have for him , it will feel like they know him.
” Cooper ’ s mother , Gloria Vanderbilt , died last year at age 95 .
Cooper ’ s CNN colleagues Don Lemon and Brooke Baldwin have similarly choked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic , which has now killed more than 52,000 people nationwide .
With upwards of 935,000 confirmed cases , the U.S. is now the epicenter of the global public health crisis .

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CNN’s Anderson Cooper at times struggled for words during a heartbreaking interview with the wife of a man who died this week from COVID-19.
On Friday’s broadcast of “Anderson Cooper 360,” Katie Coelho recalled the gut-wrenching monthlong lead-up to the death Wednesday of her 32-year-old husband, Jonathan, from the disease caused by the coronavirus.
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Coelho remembered the way they first met, the poignant note he left on his phone that has since garnered global attention, and expressed her fears that their two young children will “only ever know their dad through pictures and memories and videos” and “won’t feel the love that I felt for the past 10 years.”
Cooper noted the death of his own father, Wyatt Cooper, when the future broadcaster was just 10 years old, saying, “They will know him through you and the love you have for him ― it will feel like they know him.” Cooper’s mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, died last year at age 95.
Watch the segment here:
Cooper’s CNN colleagues Don Lemon and Brooke Baldwin have similarly choked up during segments and interviews on the pandemic, which has now killed more than 52,000 people nationwide. With upwards of 935,000 confirmed cases, the U.S. is now the epicenter of the global public health crisis.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-04-24--Joe Biden Needs To Stay Away From Larry Summers

While at Harvard , Summers wooed Epstein as a donor , and apparently was successfully counter-wooed into Epstein ’ s social circle .
Epstein gave $ 9 million to Harvard over the years , beginning with a $ 6.5 million donation in 2003 .
The two men remained friends for years , long after Summers had been forced out of his university perch .
In 2011 , about eight months after Epstein was released from prison and classified as a class-three sex offender for soliciting an underaged prostitute , Summers attended a party at Epstein ’ s palatial Manhattan mansion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Epstein , billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates and James E. Staley , a former JPMorgan Chase executive .
Throughout the past year , as Epstein ’ s second criminal trial dragged this shameful past back into public view , Summers has been conspicuously close-mouthed about what he knew and when he knew it .
There are , after all , few flattering things to be said about one ’ s connection to an international sex criminal .
Epstein ’ s first arrest was in 2006 .
His prosecution was amply covered by Florida newspapers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Times .
One of his defense attorneys was Harvard Professor Alan Dershowitz , whom Summers knew well .
And shortly after Summers resigned as Harvard ’ s president ( he remained on the economics faculty ) , the school ’ s own newspaper reported that the university had decided against returning Epstein ’ s gift .
Conversations were underway about what to do about the Epstein problem .
All of which raises two distinct possibilities : Either Summers was ignorant of Epstein ’ s wrongdoing , itself an act of staggering incompetence , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ simply didn ’ t care .
Is Larry Summers a fool or an enabler ?
Joe Biden seems to be satisfied with whatever the answer to that question might be .
On Thursday , Bloomberg News reported what had been rumored for weeks : Summers has been advising Biden on economic recovery strategies for the ongoing coronavirus collapse .
This prompted immediate outrage from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party , where Summers is loathed for , well , just about everything he has ever said or done .
But Summers isn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Democratic nominee trying to win over reluctant progressives .
There are plenty of neoliberal economists out there .
But none of them are nearly as toxic as Summers .
He is someone you only turn to if you don ’ t give an iota about your own reputation .
Over the past three decades , Summers has amassed a policy record of almost unrivaled social ruin .
As a Clinton Treasury official in the early 1990s , Summers advocated for the rapid privatization of Soviet assets after the fall of the U.S.S.R. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ few oligarchs to seize control of the country and led to the enthronement of Vladimir Putin .
Summers ’ protege in that debacle — another Harvard man , economist Andrei Shleifer — was eventually sued by the U.S. Department of Justice for allegedly abusing his position to defraud both the American and Russian governments .
Harvard paid $ 26.5 million to dismiss the charges in 2005 , ten years after Summers had blurbed Shleifer ’ s book , ” Privatizing Russia ” : “ The authors did remarkable things in Russia , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The “ tawdry Shleifer affair , ” as it became known around Harvard , was instrumental in spurring Summers ’ downfall as Harvard president .
But the straw that broke the camel ’ s back was a speech Summers gave in which he argued that women are biologically predisposed to mediocrity in the sciences .
Two years after Summers was forced to resign as university president , the global economy collapsed ― led to disaster by a slate of financial deregulation Summers had helped force through during his tenure as Clinton ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2008 crash ravaged Summers ’ intellectual reputation , his political prowess remained strong enough to land him a job as chair of President Barack Obama ’ s National Economic Council , where he overruled other experts and undershot the size of the economic stimulus package ― a decision that ultimately allowed the unemployment rate to hit 9.8 % .
By 2013 , the Democratic Party seemed to have finally had enough of the guy .
When Obama tried to name Summers as chairman of the Federal Reserve , five Democratic senators on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nomination .
The list included Elizabeth Warren ( D-Mass . )
and her fellow progressives Sherrod Brown ( D-Ohio ) and Jeff Merkley ( D-Ore. ) .
Obama was furious about the liberal opposition .
In a private meeting with Democrats on the Hill , he chastised lawmakers for letting Summers become “ a progressive whipping boy , ” telling them “ not to believe everything you read in The Huffington Post.
” But his argument didn ’ t really make sense .
Summers insisted that the wealth tax was a bad idea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ putting money to good use than the government does ― after all , he told one forum in September , the rich were “ smart enough to accumulate it in the first place.
” Summers also simultaneously insisted that he truly , madly , deeply wanted to tax rich people ― just in different , less clearly defined ways than Warren and Sanders had proposed .
But when you are Larry Summers , your arguments don ’ t have to make sense .
You don ’ t have to keep decent company or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ All you have to do is keep telling politicians that what the rich want is exactly what the country needs , and the most powerful figures in the Democratic Party will never stop hiring you to say it .

Last July, a series of stories detailed the long, disquieting relationship between alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and Larry Summers, a prominent economist, hedge fund adviser, former Clinton and Obama administration official and one-time president of Harvard University.
While at Harvard, Summers wooed Epstein as a donor, and apparently was successfully counter-wooed into Epstein’s social circle. Epstein gave $9 million to Harvard over the years, beginning with a $6.5 million donation in 2003. The two men remained friends for years, long after Summers had been forced out of his university perch. In 2011, about eight months after Epstein was released from prison and classified as a class-three sex offender for soliciting an underaged prostitute, Summers attended a party at Epstein’s palatial Manhattan mansion, where he was photographed grinning alongside Epstein, billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates and James E. Staley, a former JPMorgan Chase executive.
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Throughout the past year, as Epstein’s second criminal trial dragged this shameful past back into public view, Summers has been conspicuously close-mouthed about what he knew and when he knew it. There are, after all, few flattering things to be said about one’s connection to an international sex criminal. Epstein’s first arrest was in 2006. His prosecution was amply covered by Florida newspapers and national outlets including The New York Times. One of his defense attorneys was Harvard Professor Alan Dershowitz, whom Summers knew well. And shortly after Summers resigned as Harvard’s president (he remained on the economics faculty), the school’s own newspaper reported that the university had decided against returning Epstein’s gift. Conversations were underway about what to do about the Epstein problem.
All of which raises two distinct possibilities: Either Summers was ignorant of Epstein’s wrongdoing, itself an act of staggering incompetence, or he knew what had transpired and simply didn’t care. Is Larry Summers a fool or an enabler?
Joe Biden seems to be satisfied with whatever the answer to that question might be. On Thursday, Bloomberg News reported what had been rumored for weeks: Summers has been advising Biden on economic recovery strategies for the ongoing coronavirus collapse.
Advertisement
This prompted immediate outrage from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, where Summers is loathed for, well, just about everything he has ever said or done. But Summers isn’t just a bad choice for a Democratic nominee trying to win over reluctant progressives. There are plenty of neoliberal economists out there. But none of them are nearly as toxic as Summers. He is someone you only turn to if you don’t give an iota about your own reputation.
Over the past three decades, Summers has amassed a policy record of almost unrivaled social ruin. As a Clinton Treasury official in the early 1990s, Summers advocated for the rapid privatization of Soviet assets after the fall of the U.S.S.R. ― a disastrous policy that allowed a few oligarchs to seize control of the country and led to the enthronement of Vladimir Putin. Summers’ protege in that debacle — another Harvard man, economist Andrei Shleifer — was eventually sued by the U.S. Department of Justice for allegedly abusing his position to defraud both the American and Russian governments. Harvard paid $26.5 million to dismiss the charges in 2005, ten years after Summers had blurbed Shleifer’s book, ”Privatizing Russia”: “The authors did remarkable things in Russia, and now they have written a remarkable book.”
The “tawdry Shleifer affair,” as it became known around Harvard, was instrumental in spurring Summers’ downfall as Harvard president. But the straw that broke the camel’s back was a speech Summers gave in which he argued that women are biologically predisposed to mediocrity in the sciences. Two years after Summers was forced to resign as university president, the global economy collapsed ― led to disaster by a slate of financial deregulation Summers had helped force through during his tenure as Clinton’s Treasury Secretary.
But while the 2008 crash ravaged Summers’ intellectual reputation, his political prowess remained strong enough to land him a job as chair of President Barack Obama’s National Economic Council, where he overruled other experts and undershot the size of the economic stimulus package ― a decision that ultimately allowed the unemployment rate to hit 9.8%.
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By 2013, the Democratic Party seemed to have finally had enough of the guy. When Obama tried to name Summers as chairman of the Federal Reserve, five Democratic senators on the Banking Committee teamed up to block the nomination. The list included Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and her fellow progressives Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.). Obama was furious about the liberal opposition. In a private meeting with Democrats on the Hill, he chastised lawmakers for letting Summers become “a progressive whipping boy,” telling them “not to believe everything you read in The Huffington Post.”
But it was not only progressives who revolted against the Summers pick. The nomination fell apart when dyed-in-the-wool moderates Jon Tester of Montana and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota joined the opposition.
Summers spent most of the 2020 primary joining former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other very rich people in railing against the wealth taxes on billionaires and ultra-millionaires proposed by Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
But his argument didn’t really make sense. Summers insisted that the wealth tax was a bad idea, because rich people know more about putting money to good use than the government does ― after all, he told one forum in September, the rich were “smart enough to accumulate it in the first place.” Summers also simultaneously insisted that he truly, madly, deeply wanted to tax rich people ― just in different, less clearly defined ways than Warren and Sanders had proposed.
But when you are Larry Summers, your arguments don’t have to make sense. You don’t have to keep decent company or explain your relationships with notorious scoundrels. All you have to do is keep telling politicians that what the rich want is exactly what the country needs, and the most powerful figures in the Democratic Party will never stop hiring you to say it.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-04-25--Vegas Mayor Draws On Trump, Cites 'Extreme Warmth' As COVID-19 Protection For City

Controversial Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman on Friday cited the city ’ s “ extreme warmth ” as a powerful protection against coronavirus as businesses re-open .
Goodman was apparently relying on a perspective championed by President Donald Trump Thursday at a controversial press briefing that sunlight , heat , humidity and even “ injections ” of disinfectants could possibly impact the battle against coronavirus .
But scientists have pointed out that COVID-19 has thrived in the warm climates of Singapore — and Georgia and Florida .
And even if a higher temperature might slow the growth of the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would halt an outbreak .
Although the effect of extreme warmth on the virus “ has not been clearly determined ... it is assumed that it will deter its ferocity , ” Goodman said in a statement .
“ We certainly are looking forward to having our desert heat provide that substantiation .
Our hot summer coupled with our unique economy compel us to be at the forefront of America ’ s ‘ reopening.
’ ” The mayor is eager for the hotels and casinos to get back to business , but will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so .
Goodman had a wild interview Wednesday with CNN ’ s Anderson Cooper in which she seemed to dismiss the threat of COVID-19 .
“ I ’ d love everything open because I think we ’ ve had viruses for years that have been here , ” she told Cooper .
She said she also offered up Las Vegas as a “ control group ” to track what happens as the city opens for business .

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Controversial Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman on Friday cited the city’s “extreme warmth” as a powerful protection against the coronavirus as businesses reopen.
Goodman was apparently relying on a perspective championed by President Donald Trump at a controversial press briefing Thursday in which he suggested sunlight, heat, humidity and even “injections” of disinfectants could possibly impact the battle against the coronavirus.
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But scientists have pointed out that COVID-19 has thrived in the warm climates of Singapore — and Georgia and Florida. And even if a higher temperature might slow the growth of the virus, that doesn’t mean it would halt an outbreak.
Although the effect of “extreme warmth” on the virus “has not been clearly determined ... it is assumed that it shall deter its ferocity,” Goodman said in a statement. “We certainly are looking forward to having our desert heat provide that required substantiation. Our hot summer coupled with our unique economy compel us to be at the forefront of America’s ‘reopening.’” The mayor is eager for the city’s hotels and casinos to get back to business, but will let the operations decide when to do so.
Goodman had a wild interview Wednesday with CNN’s Anderson Cooper in which she seemed to dismiss the threat of COVID-19. “I’d love everything open because I think we’ve had viruses for years that have been here,” she told Cooper.
She said she also offered up Las Vegas as a “control group” to track what happens as the city opens for business.
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My statement on safely reopening Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/3nDKzco0HO — Carolyn G. Goodman (@mayoroflasvegas) April 24, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-04-24--Poll: A Pandemic Hasn't Done Much To Change Americans' Views On Immigration

ASSOCIATED PRESS An 83 % majority of Americans currently say social distancing is at least somewhat effective in helping to control the nation ’ s coronavirus outbreak , compared to 55 % who say the same of limiting immigration .
By a more than two-to-one margin , Americans see immigration into the U.S. as mostly a good thing for the country , a new HuffPost/YouGov survey finds .
The poll was taken after President Donald Trump announced he would suspend some immigration into the U.S. for 60 days .
The Wednesday order , which will temporarily halt the issuing of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outside the U.S. , includes broad exceptions and is likely to face legal challenges .
Although the White House has cited health concerns to justify its previous immigration limits , the president cast this week ’ s order primarily as an economic decision .
“ By pausing immigration , we ’ ll help put unemployed Americans first in line for jobs as America reopens , ” Trump said Tuesday .
“ We must first take care of the American worker.
” Public attitudes on immigration , however , don ’ t appear to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the coronavirus pandemic .
Americans say , 54 % to 21 % , that immigration into the U.S. is a good thing for the country .
Just 15 % say immigration has a negative effect on them personally , with one-quarter seeing a positive personal effect and the rest unaffected or unsure .
Roughly three-quarters say they believe the U.S. is a nation of immigrants , and a 58 % majority support providing a legal way for undocumented immigrants already in the United States to become citizens .
All those results are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ survey in which Americans said , 56 % to 20 % , that immigration to the country was , on the whole , a good thing .
An 83 % majority of Americans currently say social distancing is at least somewhat effective in helping to control the nation ’ s coronavirus outbreak , compared to 55 % who say the same of limiting immigration .
Forty-six percent say social distancing is very effective , with 29 % saying the same of immigration restrictions .
Use the widget below to further explore the results @ @ @ @ @ @ @ menu at the top to select survey questions and the buttons at the bottom to filter the data by subgroups : The HuffPost/YouGov poll consisted of 1,000 completed interviews conducted April 22-24 among U.S. adults , using a sample selected from YouGov ’ s opt-in online panel to match the demographics and other characteristics of the adult U.S. population .
HuffPost has teamed up with YouGov to conduct daily opinion polls .
You can learn more about this project and take part in YouGov ’ s nationally representative opinion polling .
More details @ @ @ @ @ @ @ here .
Most surveys report a margin of error that represents some but not all potential survey errors .
YouGov ’ s reports include a model-based margin of error , which rests on a specific set of statistical assumptions about the selected sample rather than the standard methodology for random probability sampling .
If these assumptions are wrong , the model-based margin of error may also be inaccurate .

An 83% majority of Americans currently say social distancing is at least somewhat effective in helping to control the nation’s coronavirus outbreak, compared to 55% who say the same of limiting immigration. ASSOCIATED PRESS
By a more than two-to-one margin, Americans see immigration into the U.S. as mostly a good thing for the country, a new HuffPost/YouGov survey finds.
The poll was taken after President Donald Trump announced he would suspend some immigration into the U.S. for 60 days. The Wednesday order, which will temporarily halt the issuing of green cards to immigrants who are currently outside the U.S., includes broad exceptions and is likely to face legal challenges.
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Although the White House has cited health concerns to justify its previous immigration limits, the president cast this week’s order primarily as an economic decision.
“By pausing immigration, we’ll help put unemployed Americans first in line for jobs as America reopens,” Trump said Tuesday. “We must first take care of the American worker.”
Public attitudes on immigration, however, don’t appear to have been substantially affected by the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Americans say, 54% to 21%, that immigration into the U.S. is a good thing for the country. Just 15% say immigration has a negative effect on them personally, with one-quarter seeing a positive personal effect and the rest unaffected or unsure.
Roughly three-quarters say they believe the U.S. is a nation of immigrants, and a 58% majority support providing a legal way for undocumented immigrants already in the United States to become citizens.
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All those results are broadly similar to a November 2019 HuffPost/YouGov survey in which Americans said, 56% to 20%, that immigration to the country was, on the whole, a good thing.
An 83% majority of Americans currently say social distancing is at least somewhat effective in helping to control the nation’s coronavirus outbreak, compared to 55% who say the same of limiting immigration. Forty-six percent say social distancing is very effective, with 29% saying the same of immigration restrictions.
Use the widget below to further explore the results of the HuffPost/YouGov survey, using the menu at the top to select survey questions and the buttons at the bottom to filter the data by subgroups:
The HuffPost/YouGov poll consisted of 1,000 completed interviews conducted April 22-24 among U.S. adults, using a sample selected from YouGov’s opt-in online panel to match the demographics and other characteristics of the adult U.S. population.
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HuffPost has teamed up with YouGov to conduct daily opinion polls. You can learn more about this project and take part in YouGov’s nationally representative opinion polling. More details on the polls’ methodology are available here.