thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-10--Students' Positive Views Of Liberals Increased During College Years, Study Finds

Students ’ personal political identities didn ’ t seem to shift significantly during their four years at college , according to data collected from the fall of 2015 to the spring of 2019 for the Interfaith Diversity Experiences and Attitudes Longitudinal Survey , led by researchers at North Carolina State University , Ohio State University and the nonprofit Interfaith Youth Core .
What did change , however , is how students felt about political liberals .
The survey suggested that students ’ appreciation for both conservatives and liberals increased during freshman year .
But by the time they graduated , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ freshman-year levels , while opinions about liberals continued to improve .
The survey was supported by Interfaith Youth Core , which promotes interfaith cooperation in higher education , and was led by Matthew J. Mayhew from Ohio State and Alyssa N. Rockenbach from North Carolina State .
It surveyed students when they entered university in 2015 , after their first year , and near the end of their senior year .
The most recent data from this survey , published on Aug. 24 , compiles the responses of 3,486 students from public , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to all three queries .
Mayhew and Rockenbach found only small shifts in students ’ political worldviews over the four years .
Students who identified as “ liberal ” or “ very liberal ” grew from 44 % at the beginning of college to 53 % during senior year , according to the survey .
Students identifying as “ conservative ” or “ very conservative ” dipped from 16 % to 14 % during that same time period .
Previous studies have found that college students ’ movement toward the left falls in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experience between the ages of 18 and 24 .
Researchers also have suggested that college graduates tend to be more liberal because people going to college are more likely to be liberal in the first place .
Overall , students had less favorable attitudes toward political conservatives than liberals when they first started college , the researchers found .
But during their freshman year , students gained more positive views of both conservatives and liberals ― possibly because of how colleges create opportunities for freshmen to learn how to navigate differences and form @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such programming as orientation and first-year seminars .
Two religious groups that traditionally have strong ties to the Republican Party ― evangelical Christians and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints , more commonly known as Mormons ― exhibited an uptick in positive attitudes toward liberals .
Sixty-three percent of evangelical students held positive views about liberals in 2019 , an increase of 9 percentage points from 2016 .
Sixty-nine percent of Latter-Day Saints held positive views of liberals in their senior year , a 4-point increase from 2016 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ start-of-college levels after the first year .
Forty-two percent of students began college with positive attitudes toward conservatives , increasing to 50 % in 2016 .
But those positive attitudes slumped to 42 % in their senior year , the researchers found .
About 50 % of evangelical students expressed positive views of conservatives in 2019 , an 8-point decline from 2016 .
Latter-Day Saints ’ transformation over this time period was much more stark .
Their positive views about conservatives declined 18 percentage points from 2016 to 2019 , ending at 53 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actually appreciated political conservatives less by the end of college than they did in their first year .
The survey also looked at how comfortable students felt expressing their views .
The majority of all religious groups surveyed agreed that their campuses and classes were safe places to express their worldviews .
Atheist and nonreligious students were particularly likely to say they felt safe expressing their views on campus ( 84 % ) , while Jewish students were the most likely to say the same about sharing their views in class ( 83 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 75 % said they felt safe sharing their views on campus and 65 % said they felt safe doing so in their classrooms .
Buddhists were the least likely to agree that their campuses ( 67 % ) and classrooms ( 53 % ) were safe places to share their views .
Overall , Buddhists , Hindus , and students from other minority religions , such as Daoism , Jainism , and Native American traditions , consistently reported less support on campus than their peers , whether it was being offered religious accommodations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they felt they could express their views .
One of the survey ’ s main goals was to determine how colleges can bridge religious divides and counter polarization in American society .
Mayhew and Rockenbach found that certain groups of students— atheists , evangelical Christians , political conservatives , STEM majors , and men — appeared less inclined to value interfaith bridge-building by the time they reached their final year of college .
Because members of these groups are often influential on campus and in society , the researchers said it was important @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increasing interfaith programming and making interfaith experiences mandatory .
Students majoring in the arts and humanities were the least likely to grow in their appreciation toward political conservatives , the researchers said .
Mayhew and Rockenbach said it was important for professors in these fields to include diverse perspectives in their courses and to model how to appreciate political conservatives ― even if they disagree with their politics .
Educators should be trained to minimize hostile exchanges across political perspectives , while facilitating tough but productive conversations , they said .

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Conservative activists and politicians have long argued that colleges indoctrinate and brainwash students into becoming liberals. On Wednesday, the Trump administration fed into these complaints, threatening to cut funding from public universities that don’t support religious student clubs ― a move lauded by Christian groups that insist conservative students face discrimination on college campuses.
A new nationwide survey that followed students at 116 colleges from their freshman to senior years suggests that what actually shapes political views during their education is much more complex.
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Students’ personal political identities didn’t seem to shift significantly during their four years at college, according to data collected from the fall of 2015 to the spring of 2019 for the Interfaith Diversity Experiences and Attitudes Longitudinal Survey, led by researchers at North Carolina State University, Ohio State University and the nonprofit Interfaith Youth Core.
What did change, however, is how students felt about political liberals. The survey suggested that students’ appreciation for both conservatives and liberals increased during freshman year. But by the time they graduated, positive attitudes toward conservatives dropped back to freshman-year levels, while opinions about liberals continued to improve.
Students’ attitudes toward political conservatives declined more sharply during college than their attitudes toward any other identity group the researchers asked about.
The Interfaith Diversity Experiences and Attitudes Longitudinal Survey found that positive attitudes toward conservatives declined during college years, while positive opinions about liberals generally improved. monkeybusinessimages via Getty Images
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The survey was supported by Interfaith Youth Core, which promotes interfaith cooperation in higher education, and was led by Matthew J. Mayhew from Ohio State and Alyssa N. Rockenbach from North Carolina State. It surveyed students when they entered university in 2015, after their first year, and near the end of their senior year. The most recent data from this survey, published on Aug. 24, compiles the responses of 3,486 students from public, private, and religious schools who responded to all three queries.
Mayhew and Rockenbach found only small shifts in students’ political worldviews over the four years. Students who identified as “liberal” or “very liberal” grew from 44% at the beginning of college to 53% during senior year, according to the survey. Students identifying as “conservative” or “very conservative” dipped from 16% to 14% during that same time period.
These shifts aren’t significant enough to support the much-touted claim that colleges indoctrinate students against political conservatism, Mayhew and Rockenbach said.
“Such modest shifts do not definitively point to college as a ‘liberalizing’ force in students’ lives (as many national narratives suggest) given that many students did not appear to change their political leanings appreciably,” Mayhew and Rockenbach told HuffPost in a joint statement.
Previous studies have found that college students’ movement toward the left falls in line with the political shifts most Americans experience between the ages of 18 and 24. Researchers also have suggested that college graduates tend to be more liberal because people going to college are more likely to be liberal in the first place.
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With some exceptions, students' positive attitudes toward political liberals generally increased during college, researchers found. Tom Werner via Getty Images
In addition to looking at students’ personal political views, Mayhew and Rockenbach measured positive views of liberals and conservatives. To collect this data, they asked students how strongly they agreed with four statements for 13 different identity groups, including political liberals and political conservatives:
In general, people in this group make positive contributions to society.
People in this group are ethical.
I have things in common with people in this group.
I have a positive attitude toward people in this group.
If students agreed at least somewhat with all four statements for a particular group, they were classified as “highly appreciative” of that group.
Overall, students had less favorable attitudes toward political conservatives than liberals when they first started college, the researchers found. But during their freshman year, students gained more positive views of both conservatives and liberals ― possibly because of how colleges create opportunities for freshmen to learn how to navigate differences and form relationships with people of diverse worldviews during such programming as orientation and first-year seminars.
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However, a split emerged after that first year.
Overall, positive attitudes toward politically liberal people continued to increase. When they entered college in 2015, 58% of the students reported “high” positive attitudes toward liberals. This increased to 70% by the time they graduated in 2019.
Two religious groups that traditionally have strong ties to the Republican Party ― evangelical Christians and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, more commonly known as Mormons ― exhibited an uptick in positive attitudes toward liberals. Sixty-three percent of evangelical students held positive views about liberals in 2019, an increase of 9 percentage points from 2016. Sixty-nine percent of Latter-Day Saints held positive views of liberals in their senior year, a 4-point increase from 2016.
Positive attitudes toward conservatives generally declined to start-of-college levels after the first year. Forty-two percent of students began college with positive attitudes toward conservatives, increasing to 50% in 2016. But those positive attitudes slumped to 42% in their senior year, the researchers found. About 50% of evangelical students expressed positive views of conservatives in 2019, an 8-point decline from 2016.
Latter-Day Saints’ transformation over this time period was much more stark. Their positive views about conservatives declined 18 percentage points from 2016 to 2019, ending at 53%. Both evangelicals and Latter-Day Saints actually appreciated political conservatives less by the end of college than they did in their first year.
Catholic students’ positive views of liberals declined by 4 percentage points from 2016 to 2019, landing at 63%. But their views of conservatives fell more sharply, declining by 11 points to 34% in 2019.
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Mayhew and Rockenbach pointed out that this cohort of students entered college during a particularly volatile political period. President Donald Trump’s “highly polarizing” administration could have affected the students’ attitudes about conservatives, the researchers said.
“Although we can’t know for certain the extent to which the national context contributed to the decline, we presume it played a role,” the researchers said.
An illustration from the survey shows how students' appreciation of political conservatives declined during their college years from 2016 to 2019. Interfaith Youth Core
The survey also looked at how comfortable students felt expressing their views. The majority of all religious groups surveyed agreed that their campuses and classes were safe places to express their worldviews. Atheist and nonreligious students were particularly likely to say they felt safe expressing their views on campus (84%), while Jewish students were the most likely to say the same about sharing their views in class (83%).
Among evangelical students, 75% said they felt safe sharing their views on campus and 65% said they felt safe doing so in their classrooms. Buddhists were the least likely to agree that their campuses (67%) and classrooms (53%) were safe places to share their views.
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Overall, Buddhists, Hindus, and students from other minority religions, such as Daoism, Jainism, and Native American traditions, consistently reported less support on campus than their peers, whether it was being offered religious accommodations or having a place on campus where they felt they could express their views.
Sixty-five percent of evangelical Christian students said they felt safe sharing their worldviews in classrooms. AnnaStills via Getty Images
One of the survey’s main goals was to determine how colleges can bridge religious divides and counter polarization in American society. Mayhew and Rockenbach found that certain groups of students— atheists, evangelical Christians, political conservatives, STEM majors, and men — appeared less inclined to value interfaith bridge-building by the time they reached their final year of college. Because members of these groups are often influential on campus and in society, the researchers said it was important for universities to address this gap by increasing interfaith programming and making interfaith experiences mandatory.
In order to help all students appreciate political conservatives, Mayhew and Rockenbach advised colleges to be more intentional about expanding intellectual and viewpoint diversity on campus.
Students majoring in the arts and humanities were the least likely to grow in their appreciation toward political conservatives, the researchers said. Mayhew and Rockenbach said it was important for professors in these fields to include diverse perspectives in their courses and to model how to appreciate political conservatives ― even if they disagree with their politics. Educators should be trained to minimize hostile exchanges across political perspectives, while facilitating tough but productive conversations, they said.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-10--Survey: Most Americans Would Support Teachers Going On Strike For School Safety

More than half of Americans would support educators going on strike to protest unsafe working conditions at schools , a new HuffPost/YouGov survey finds .
The survey comes as teachers unions around the country have started taking action to protest school reopening plans in their districts .
According to the survey , 55 % of Americans would either strongly or somewhat support teachers going on strike because they feel school conditions are unsafe .
Only 31 % of Americans would oppose such actions , and 14 % said they ’ re unsure .
“ If authorities don ’ t protect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ represent and those we serve , as our executive council voted last week , nothing is off the table , ” Randi Weingarten , president of the AFT , said during the union ’ s annual convention .
The union represents around 1.7 million members .
Members of the teachers union , parents and students participate in a march through Brooklyn , New York , on Sept. 1 to demand a safer teaching environment for themselves and students during the COVID-19 pandemic .
Since that time , Arizona teachers held a sickout over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Detroit teachers voted to allow union leadership to call a strike if their safety demands went unmet .
In New York City , the largest school district in the country , teachers discussed voting to authorize a strike before reaching a deal with City Hall .
While these teachers were threatening to abandon their classrooms if key safety conditions went unmet , Mayor Bill de Blasio made clear his displeasure .
“ Unless folks have a medical accommodation , their job is to come in and serve our kids , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those with and without school-age kids both indicated they would support striking teachers .
A 61 % majority of those with school-age kids said they would support these actions , compared to a smaller 53 % of those without school-age kids .
There was no difference in opposition , with those without children more likely to say they were unsure .
Instead , the issue was highly partisan .
While 78 % of Democrats said they would strongly or somewhat support striking teachers , only 37 % of Republicans said the same .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ strongly or somewhat oppose such actions .
Most Americans still said they think schools should only partially reopen or be closed this fall .
About one-fifth of Americans say they think schools should fully reopen , a number that ’ s largely unchanged since a July HuffPost/YouGov survey .
Another 26 % currently say schools should partially reopen , with 38 % saying they should remain online-only or closed .
Both Republicans and Democrats report similarly positive views of teachers , with 63 % and 64 % , respectively , rating their local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 19 % of Republicans , and one-quarter of Democrats , rate their local public school teachers as fair or poor .
About half of school districts around the country reopened fully in-person this year , per research from the Center on Reinventing Public Education .
However , rural and affluent districts were more likely to open .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
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 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be inaccurate .
Click here for a more detailed explanation of the model-based margin of error .

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More than half of Americans would support educators going on strike to protest unsafe working conditions at schools, a new HuffPost/YouGov survey finds. The survey comes as teachers unions around the country have started taking action to protest school reopening plans in their districts.
According to the survey, 55% of Americans would either strongly or somewhat support teachers going on strike because they feel school conditions are unsafe. Only 31% of Americans would oppose such actions, and 14% said they’re unsure.
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In July, the American Federation of Teachers, one of the nation’s major national teachers unions, announced it would back such actions as a last resort and on a case-by-case basis.
“If authorities don’t protect the safety and health of those we represent and those we serve, as our executive council voted last week, nothing is off the table,” Randi Weingarten, president of the AFT, said during the union’s annual convention. The union represents around 1.7 million members.
Members of the teachers union, parents and students participate in a march through Brooklyn, New York, on Sept. 1 to demand a safer teaching environment for themselves and students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Spencer Platt via Getty Images
Since that time, Arizona teachers held a sickout over concerns about the safety of their classrooms and Detroit teachers voted to allow union leadership to call a strike if their safety demands went unmet. In New York City, the largest school district in the country, teachers discussed voting to authorize a strike before reaching a deal with City Hall. While these teachers were threatening to abandon their classrooms if key safety conditions went unmet, Mayor Bill de Blasio made clear his displeasure. “Unless folks have a medical accommodation, their job is to come in and serve our kids,” he said at the time.
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Generally, those with and without school-age kids both indicated they would support striking teachers. A 61% majority of those with school-age kids said they would support these actions, compared to a smaller 53% of those without school-age kids. There was no difference in opposition, with those without children more likely to say they were unsure.
Instead, the issue was highly partisan. While 78% of Democrats said they would strongly or somewhat support striking teachers, only 37% of Republicans said the same. Roughly half of Republicans said they would strongly or somewhat oppose such actions.
Additionally, 56% of Republicans said they think teachers should be required to teach in-person this fall, compared to only 17% of Democrats.
Most Americans still said they think schools should only partially reopen or be closed this fall. About one-fifth of Americans say they think schools should fully reopen, a number that’s largely unchanged since a July HuffPost/YouGov survey. Another 26% currently say schools should partially reopen, with 38% saying they should remain online-only or closed.
Both Republicans and Democrats report similarly positive views of teachers, with 63% and 64%, respectively, rating their local teachers as good or excellent. Another 19% of Republicans, and one-quarter of Democrats, rate their local public school teachers as fair or poor.
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About half of school districts around the country reopened fully in-person this year, per research from the Center on Reinventing Public Education. However, rural and affluent districts were more likely to open.
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 Sept. 1-3 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 on the polls’ methodology are available here.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-10--Joe Biden: 'I Hope I Don't Take The Bait' When Debating Trump

WILMINGTON , Del .
( AP ) — Joe Biden has said he ’ d “ beat the hell out of ” President Donald Trump over his comments about women if they were in high school .
But on the debate stage , as opponents for the presidency , it ’ s a different story .
When Biden and Trump meet in their first presidential debate later this month , Biden says he has one goal : “ I hope I don ’ t take the bait.
” “ I hope I don ’ t get baited into a brawl @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s the only place he ’ s comfortable , ” Biden said Thursday during a fundraiser .
His comments offer a hint at how the former vice president is looking at the upcoming debate on September 29 , in Cleveland , Ohio .
Biden has previously said he plans to be a “ fact checker ” on the debate stage , and hold Trump accountable for any misstatements or falsehoods .
But on Thursday night , Biden said that “ people know what a liar ” Trump is .
“ This is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tasteless .
So pointing it out doesn ’ t do much , ” he said .
But Biden acknowledged that he expects the president to “ say awful things about me and my family ” during the debate to try to get a rise out of him — and the debate is almost certain to feature clashes about the two candidates ’ families , as such attacks have been central themes that have already played out on the campaign trail .
The Trump campaign in particular has targeted Biden ’ s son Hunter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ companies .
And Biden has grown visibly angry at events in recent days about Trump ’ s reported comments calling fallen Marines “ suckers ” and “ losers , ” speaking about his son Beau , who served in the Delaware Army National Guard .
Beau Biden died from brain cancer in 2015 .
And Democrats often criticize Trump for the use of his children in government positions and policy negotiations , as well as the financial benefit his family ’ s business has seen from the presidency .
While Biden said he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Trump , he did express confidence that “ I know how to handle bullies.
” But Biden suggested his strategy in the debate will be focused more on drawing a contrast with Trump on competency and policy , and offering Americans an alternative to the Trump presidency .
“ The place he is most uncomfortable is on the facts .
The place he ’ s most uncomfortable is in the area of what he ’ s going to do .
The place he ’ s most uncomfortable is knowing the policy .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ill-informed presidents substantively that I ’ ve ever worked with , ” Biden said .

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WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Joe Biden has said he’d “beat the hell out of” President Donald Trump over his comments about women if they were in high school. But on the debate stage, as opponents for the presidency, it’s a different story.
When Biden and Trump meet in their first presidential debate later this month, Biden says he has one goal: “I hope I don’t take the bait.”
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“I hope I don’t get baited into a brawl with this guy, because that’s the only place he’s comfortable,” Biden said Thursday during a fundraiser.
His comments offer a hint at how the former vice president is looking at the upcoming debate on September 29, in Cleveland, Ohio. Biden has previously said he plans to be a “fact checker” on the debate stage, and hold Trump accountable for any misstatements or falsehoods. But on Thursday night, Biden said that “people know what a liar” Trump is.
“This is a guy who is absolutely tasteless. Completely tasteless. So pointing it out doesn’t do much,” he said.
But Biden acknowledged that he expects the president to “say awful things about me and my family” during the debate to try to get a rise out of him — and the debate is almost certain to feature clashes about the two candidates’ families, as such attacks have been central themes that have already played out on the campaign trail.
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The Trump campaign in particular has targeted Biden’s son Hunter for his ties to Chinese and Ukranian companies. And Biden has grown visibly angry at events in recent days about Trump’s reported comments calling fallen Marines “suckers” and “losers,” speaking about his son Beau, who served in the Delaware Army National Guard. Beau Biden died from brain cancer in 2015. And Democrats often criticize Trump for the use of his children in government positions and policy negotiations, as well as the financial benefit his family’s business has seen from the presidency.
While Biden said he doesn’t want to get baited by Trump, he did express confidence that “I know how to handle bullies.”
But Biden suggested his strategy in the debate will be focused more on drawing a contrast with Trump on competency and policy, and offering Americans an alternative to the Trump presidency.
“The place he is most uncomfortable is on the facts. The place he’s most uncomfortable is in the area of what he’s going to do. The place he’s most uncomfortable is knowing the policy. He’s one of the most ill-informed presidents substantively that I’ve ever worked with,” Biden said.
Biden added: “Everybody knows who Donald Trump is. I plan to tell them who I am.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-10--These Are The Towns Destroyed By The West Coast Wildfires

The extent of the destruction is not yet clear as firefighters continue to work on containing the blazes , but photos show entire neighborhoods leveled and smoldering .
As of Thursday night , there had been at least seven reported deaths .
In downtown Malden , Washington , the former post office at lower left and another historic building at lower right still smolder Tuesday , a day after a fast-moving wildfire swept through the tiny town west of Rosalia .
The Babbs Road fire consumed at least 80 % of Malden , a small town in eastern Washington state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a Tuesday news conference that the fire spread to more than 330,000 acres of the region within 24 hours .
While touring the town on Tuesday , KHQ News reporter Bradley Warren tweeted , “ most everything is gone but their church is still standing.
” The fire that tore through Malden , which has a population of 200 , is just one of 58 fires that burned across the state , many of which were sparked on Labor Day , according to state Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz .
Noelle Crombie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drove through the Barnum Road subdivision in Phoenix on Thursday and found blocks of homes that had burned to the ground with the skeletons of cars in driveways .
This photo taken by Talent , Oregon , resident Kevin Jantzer shows the destruction of his hometown Wednesday after wildfires ravaged the central Oregon area .
Heather Marshall stands amid what remains of her home at Coleman Creek Estates mobile home park in Phoenix , Oregon , on Thursday .
The area was destroyed when a wildfire swept through on Tuesday .
The Marshalls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years .

Across the West Coast, raging wildfires have destroyed small towns and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes in California, Washington and Oregon.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said Thursday afternoon that wildfires were still burning more than 900,000 acres in the state and 80,000 people have had to evacuate their homes.
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California breached a grim record on Thursday when the August Complex fire became the state’s largest-ever recorded wildfire, burning an estimated 471,185 acres north of Sacramento.
The extent of the destruction is not yet clear as firefighters continue to work on containing the blazes, but photos show entire neighborhoods leveled and smoldering. As of Thursday night, there had been at least seven reported deaths.
Here are the towns that have been destroyed by the fires this week.
Berry Creek, California
Devastation from the Bear fire in Berry Creek, California, is shown on Wednesday. Fred Greaves / Reuters
At least three people were found dead after the North Complex fire, previously known as the Bear fire, moved quickly through Berry Creek, a small town in Northern California’s Butte County.
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About 2,000 structures were also destroyed as the North Complex fire spread to more than 250,000 acres of the region, including in Plumas County, by Wednesday evening.
Videos filmed in Butte County show charred cars and gas stations, downed power lines and smoldering forests. Local filmmaker Nancy Hamilton recorded video of fires surrounding both sides of a road in Berry Creek as cars drove by.
At least 12 people have been reported missing in the areas affected by the North Complex fire, CBS San Francisco reported.
“Our situation over the last 36 hours has been dangerous, it’s been deadly, it’s been extremely destructive,” Cal Fire Chief John Messina told reporters on Wednesday.
On Tuesday night, fire crews had to rescue more than 100 people, fire officials told The Mercury News. About 20,000 people are under evacuation orders in Butte County.
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Winds and hot temperatures have exacerbated the fires. Meanwhile, the August Complex fire burning in Tehama County, west of Plumas and Butte Counties, became California’s largest-ever wildfire, sprawling over 471,000 acres, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Malden, Washington
In downtown Malden, Washington, the former post office at lower left and another historic building at lower right still smolder Tuesday, a day after a fast-moving wildfire swept through the tiny town west of Rosalia. Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review via Associated Press
The Babbs Road fire consumed at least 80% of Malden, a small town in eastern Washington state. Gov. Jay Inslee told reporters at a Tuesday news conference that the fire spread to more than 330,000 acres of the region within 24 hours.
“Everything around me is gone,” Larry Frick, a Malden resident, told NBC News on Wednesday. “All my neighbors, everything. There’s no standing structure.”
Frick was able to save his home with hoses and a sprinkler system. He was later joined by volunteer firefighters after his deck started to burn, NBC News reported.
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Vehicles are destroyed by a wildfire that swiftly moved through Maldin, Washington, on Tuesday. ASSOCIATED PRESS
A service station is destroyed Tuesday after Malden, Washington, is overrun by wildfire. High winds kicked up flames across the Pacific Northwest on Monday and Tuesday, burning hundreds of thousands of acres. Jed Conklin/ASSOCIATED PRESS
While touring the town on Tuesday, KHQ News reporter Bradley Warren tweeted, “most everything is gone but their church is still standing.”The fire that tore through Malden, which has a population of 200, is just one of 58 fires that burned across the state, many of which were sparked on Labor Day, according to state Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz.
Inslee noted that officials believe the fires were caused by humans.
Several Towns In Oregon
The ruins of a shopping mall in Phoenix, Oregon, are seen Thursday after fire swept through the area Tuesday. Gillian Flaccus/Associated Press
Brown said that several towns in Oregon, including Phoenix, Talent, Detroit and Blue River, were “substantially destroyed” in wildfires across the state.
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“This could be the greatest loss of human life and property due to wildfire in our state’s history,” the governor told reporters Wednesday.
At least two people were found dead: a 12-year-old boy and his grandmother, near Lyons, Oregon, west of Detroit, the Salem Statesman Journal and KHQ reported.
On Tuesday, the Almeda fire spread across the towns of Phoenix and Talent in southern Oregon, where an estimated 11,000 people live, according to CNN.
Noelle Crombie, a reporter for The Oregonian, drove through the Barnum Road subdivision in Phoenix on Thursday and found blocks of homes that had burned to the ground with the skeletons of cars in driveways.
Barnum Road subdivision, once the site of about 200 homes. Nothing is left. pic.twitter.com/Ejpyhsc75M — Noelle Crombie (@noellecrombie) September 10, 2020
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Talent city officials said in a news release that the fire caused “widespread property damage with loss of hundreds of structures.”
Early reports on the destruction estimate 600 residences were burned in the Almeda fire, which is under criminal investigation.
Police said they discovered a body near the origin of the fire, according to local station NewsWatch 12.
Detroit Mayor Jim Trett told Oregon Public Broadcasting that residents of the lakeside resort town were forced to evacuate their residences late Monday night and early Tuesday morning.
This is video from the fire that ravaged Detroit, Oregon. He didn't want us to share his name, but you can hear the pain in his voice describing his family's loss. #OregonWildfire pic.twitter.com/gyfiBVNUQz — Dan Tilkin (@DanTilkinKOIN6) September 10, 2020
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Trett described the evacuation as “frantic” and said he and other residents haven’t been allowed to visit the town, though video filmed in the area shows homes that have completely burned.
Trett told OPB that “pretty much all of our businesses,” except for one store, and “a majority of our homes” have been destroyed.
The Holiday Farm fire in western Oregon burned 145,000 acres and moved toward the towns of Blue River, which faced destruction, and Vida, which remains under evacuation orders.
Melanie Stanley, a Blue River resident who is known as the town’s “unofficial mayor,” told KTVZ that the town had completely burned down.
“The town of Blue River is 100% gone,” Stanley told the news station. “Our area was beautiful, and it’s nothing but burnt sticks right now.”
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This photo taken by Talent, Oregon, resident Kevin Jantzer shows the destruction of his hometown Wednesday after wildfires ravaged the central Oregon area. Kevin Jantzer via Associated Press


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-10--Court Frees Up $490 Million To Aid San Francisco In Homelessness Crisis

The California Supreme Court issued a ruling Wednesday letting San Francisco take control of more than $ 490 million in homelessness funds that have been tied up in legal challenges for more than a year .
The windfall will come from Proposition C , an initiative San Francisco voters passed in 2018 that immediately provoked a lawsuit from an anti-tax group .
The measure sought to raise $ 250 million to $ 300 million a year for homelessness services ― roughly double the typical funding ― by taxing all businesses in the city that have annual revenues above $ 50 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the “ tech tax ” because of the number of rich tech companies in San Francisco .
Those companies have been blamed for helping to fuel growing income inequality in a city that , despite its enormous wealth , has one of the worst homelessness crises in the country .
Rectangles on the ground encourage homeless people to observe social distancing at a city-sanctioned homeless encampment across from San Francisco City Hall in May .
“ We ’ re pleased that this legal victory will free up millions of dollars to provide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for those in our City who most desperately need it , ” City Attorney Dennis Herrera said in a statement .
“ That is what the voters wanted when they passed Proposition C in November 2018 .
That is what this victory secures.
” The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and other business-backed groups that fought the law have argued that , like other increases in taxes , Prop C couldn ’ t be approved without a two-thirds vote ( Prop C passed with 61 % support . )
The California Supreme Court agreed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wednesday that the two-thirds rule only applies to taxes proposed by a government body , not to initiatives proposed by private citizens , as Prop C was .
“ From the beginning , this case has been about upholding the will of the voters , ” Herrera said .
“ San Francisco voters have the right to direct democracy and self-government.
” The $ 492 million raised from several hundred businesses since the tax went into effect has been sitting in reserve throughout the legal challenges .
The city will is now free @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : half toward permanent housing ; one-quarter toward mental health and addiction services ; 15 % toward homelessness prevention programs such as rent assistance and eviction defense ; and 10 % toward emergency shelters and hygiene programs .

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The California Supreme Court issued a ruling Wednesday letting San Francisco take control of more than $490 million in homelessness funds that have been tied up in legal challenges for more than a year.
The windfall will come from Proposition C, an initiative San Francisco voters passed in 2018 that immediately provoked a lawsuit from an anti-tax group. The measure sought to raise $250 million to $300 million a year for homelessness services ― roughly double the typical funding ― by taxing all businesses in the city that have annual revenues above $50 million.
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The policy is widely known as the “tech tax” because of the number of rich tech companies in San Francisco. Those companies have been blamed for helping to fuel growing income inequality in a city that, despite its enormous wealth, has one of the worst homelessness crises in the country.
Rectangles on the ground encourage homeless people to observe social distancing at a city-sanctioned homeless encampment across from San Francisco City Hall in May. JOSH EDELSON via Getty Images
“We’re pleased that this legal victory will free up millions of dollars to provide services, housing and mental health treatment for those in our City who most desperately need it,” City Attorney Dennis Herrera said in a statement. “That is what the voters wanted when they passed Proposition C in November 2018. That is what this victory secures.”
The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and other business-backed groups that fought the law have argued that, like other increases in taxes, Prop C couldn’t be approved without a two-thirds vote (Prop C passed with 61% support.) The California Supreme Court agreed with several lower courts in its ruling Wednesday that the two-thirds rule only applies to taxes proposed by a government body, not to initiatives proposed by private citizens, as Prop C was.
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“From the beginning, this case has been about upholding the will of the voters,” Herrera said. “San Francisco voters have the right to direct democracy and self-government.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-10--Sunrise Movement Unveils 2020 Endorsements To Defeat Climate Change Deniers

Richard Vogel/ASSOCIATED PRESS Climate change activists rally in support of the Green New Deal in Los Angeles ' Pershing Square on May 24 , 2019 .
The Sunrise Movement , the youth-powered climate activist group , is putting its organizing skills to the test against climate-change-denying Republicans by unveiling a slate of congressional endorsements — several in the nation ’ s most contested districts this election cycle .
Some of the names on the list are expected and will likely win their races .
Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( N.Y. ) , Ilhan Omar ( Minn. ) and Rashida Tlaib ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ represent Democratic strongholds .
Other endorsements go to the victors in hard-fought primaries that Sunrise activists got behind this year , including Sen. Ed Markey ( Mass . )
, who last week fended off a challenge from a Kennedy in large part due to Sunrise ’ s organizing , and Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman , who upset entrenched incumbents in Missouri and New York , respectively .
Markey , Bush and Bowman are also strongly favored to win their general elections .
But after making waves in Democratic primary politics , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sitting Republicans as well .
Notably , the group is looking to unseat Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan with its only endorsement in a House district that is also on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ’ s Red-to-Blue list of targeted races .
Sunrise is backing Upton ’ s Democratic challenger , state Rep. Jon Hoadley .
Upton was reelected in 2018 by less than 5 percentage points amid a blue wave that swept across Michigan .
Also on Sunrise ’ s list are two House seats in Texas held by Republicans Roger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ industry worker Julie Oliver in a district that stretches between Austin and Fort Worth , and Michael McCaul , who represents the suburbs and small towns between Austin and Houston .
Both districts have strong conservative roots , but Democrats have come within striking distance before .
This will be the second time that Mike Siegel , an Austin attorney , takes on McCaul with a Green New Deal and “ Medicare for All ” platform .
Siegel shocked the state when he came within 5 points of ousting McCaul in 2018 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican ” according to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report , with a 9 point advantage for Republicans .
The Sunrise Movement , which has helped transform the Democratic Party ’ s discourse on climate change , has established a formidable political operation this cycle — especially for progressives challenging sitting Democrats in primaries .
For first-time candidates without substantial networks , the young activists have filled the often campaign-breaking resource gaps , investing in big phone-banking operations and digital communications .
Bowman , who defeated high-ranking Rep. Eliot Engel ( N.Y. ) in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Sunrise activists made 865,000 of 1.2 million phone calls during his campaign .
Bush ’ s campaign , which largely flew under the radar , also benefited from Sunrise ’ s get-out-the-vote operation .
But those were Democratic primaries , and Sunrise is now facing uphill battles in almost all the red-to-blue districts where it has chosen to endorse a candidate .
In California , for example , Sunrise is throwing its support behind Audrey Denney , who works in the agricultural industry , in a race against longtime climate change denier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the district where the Camp fire , the deadliest wildfire in California history , devastated communities just two years ago .
As the state is once again ablaze with wildfires , Sunrise is hoping their message will be especially salient , despite LaMalfa ’ s electoral strength .
“ People are dying and losing their homes and jobs , ” Sunrise co-founder Varshini Prakash said in a statement .
“ But politicians in D.C. are sitting on their hands , and the president of the United States is telling people that the solution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Weber said , “ It ’ s time for us to show the political establishment that voters in swing districts around the country ― from Big Oil ’ s backyard in Texas to fire-scorched California to coal-industry-abandoned West Virginia and industrial Michigan ― want a Green New Deal to bring us out of the recession and take on climate change .
”

Climate change activists rally in support of the Green New Deal in Los Angeles' Pershing Square on May 24, 2019. Richard Vogel/ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Sunrise Movement, the youth-powered climate activist group, is putting its organizing skills to the test against climate-change-denying Republicans by unveiling a slate of congressional endorsements — several in the nation’s most contested districts this election cycle.
The organization plans to announce later on Thursday that it is throwing its weight behind 18 Democratic candidates, aiming to make 2.5 million calls, mail 180,000 personalized postcards and send 1.2 million texts.
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Some of the names on the list are expected and will likely win their races. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (Mich.), for example, already represent Democratic strongholds.
Other endorsements go to the victors in hard-fought primaries that Sunrise activists got behind this year, including Sen. Ed Markey (Mass.), who last week fended off a challenge from a Kennedy in large part due to Sunrise’s organizing, and Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman, who upset entrenched incumbents in Missouri and New York, respectively. Markey, Bush and Bowman are also strongly favored to win their general elections.
But after making waves in Democratic primary politics, Sunrise has turned its attention to ousting sitting Republicans as well. Notably, the group is looking to unseat Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan with its only endorsement in a House district that is also on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s Red-to-Blue list of targeted races. Sunrise is backing Upton’s Democratic challenger, state Rep. Jon Hoadley. Upton was reelected in 2018 by less than 5 percentage points amid a blue wave that swept across Michigan.
Also on Sunrise’s list are two House seats in Texas held by Republicans Roger Williams, who is facing health care industry worker Julie Oliver in a district that stretches between Austin and Fort Worth, and Michael McCaul, who represents the suburbs and small towns between Austin and Houston. Both districts have strong conservative roots, but Democrats have come within striking distance before.
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This will be the second time that Mike Siegel, an Austin attorney, takes on McCaul with a Green New Deal and “Medicare for All” platform. Siegel shocked the state when he came within 5 points of ousting McCaul in 2018. The district has been rated “leans Republican” according to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, with a 9 point advantage for Republicans.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez addresses the final event of the Road to the Green New Deal Tour at Howard University in Washington on May 13, 2019. Cliff Owen/ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Sunrise Movement, which has helped transform the Democratic Party’s discourse on climate change, has established a formidable political operation this cycle — especially for progressives challenging sitting Democrats in primaries. For first-time candidates without substantial networks, the young activists have filled the often campaign-breaking resource gaps, investing in big phone-banking operations and digital communications.
Most recently in Markey’s heated Senate primary against Rep. Joe Kennedy (Mass.), Sunrise’s digital advertising campaign reached 4 million viewers on social media, helping deliver the Green New Deal co-author a decisive victory.
Bowman, who defeated high-ranking Rep. Eliot Engel (N.Y.) in a July primary, told The Intercept that Sunrise activists made 865,000 of 1.2 million phone calls during his campaign. Bush’s campaign, which largely flew under the radar, also benefited from Sunrise’s get-out-the-vote operation.
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But those were Democratic primaries, and Sunrise is now facing uphill battles in almost all the red-to-blue districts where it has chosen to endorse a candidate.
“Most of these races aren’t going to be easy, and we’re up against millions in corporate PAC money,” Sunrise political director Evan Weber said in a statement.
In California, for example, Sunrise is throwing its support behind Audrey Denney, who works in the agricultural industry, in a race against longtime climate change denier Doug LaMalfa. The Republican incumbent represents the district where the Camp fire, the deadliest wildfire in California history, devastated communities just two years ago.
As the state is once again ablaze with wildfires, Sunrise is hoping their message will be especially salient, despite LaMalfa’s electoral strength.
“People are dying and losing their homes and jobs,” Sunrise co-founder Varshini Prakash said in a statement. “But politicians in D.C. are sitting on their hands, and the president of the United States is telling people that the solution is to clean up their yards.”
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In addition to 10 already mentioned ― Ocasio-Cortez, Markey, Omar, Tlaib, Bush, Bowman, Hoadley, Oliver, Siegel and Denney ― the full list of Sunrise general election endorsements also includes these eight:
Mondaire Jones, who is likely to succeed Democratic Rep. Nita Lowey in New York;
Rep. Mike Levin, who represents San Diego’s coastal district;
Marie Newman, who beat the House’s most conservative Democrat, Rep. Dan Lipinski, in the Illinois primary;
Beth Doglio, who is in a top-two race against another Democrat in Washington state;
Cathy Kunkel, who is challenging Republican Rep. Alex Mooney, an advocate for defunding the Environmental Protection Agency;
Marquita Bradshaw, who is running to fill retiring GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander’s open seat;
Paula Jean Swearengin, a coal miner’s daughter who failed to oust West Virginia’s Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin two years ago and is now running against Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito; and
Qasim Rashid, who is running against Republican Rep. Rob Wittman in Virginia.
Weber said, “It’s time for us to show the political establishment that voters in swing districts around the country ― from Big Oil’s backyard in Texas to fire-scorched California to coal-industry-abandoned West Virginia and industrial Michigan ― want a Green New Deal to bring us out of the recession and take on climate change.”
We want to know what you’re hearing on the ground from the candidates. If you get any interesting ― or suspicious! ― campaign mailers, robocalls or hear anything else you think we should know about, email us at scoops@huffpost.com.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-10--George R.R. Martin Can’t Build Castle Library In New Mexico

SANTA FE , N.M. ( AP ) — “ Game of Thrones ” author George R.R .
Martin won ’ t be able to build a seven-sided , castle-style library at his compound in Santa Fe that drew objections from neighbors .
The city ’ s Historic Districts Review Board on Tuesday denied a request to allow Martin to exceed the building height limit in the historic district where he lives , the Santa Fe New Mexican reported .
The project included a roof deck and an elevator tower .
“ It is a medieval castle , and I don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ approve it in this style , ” board member Frank Katz said .
Mark Graham lives south of the property and said residents couldn ’ t “ support having a castle in the neighborhood.
” “ With the notoriety of Mr. Martin and ‘ Game of Thrones , ’ we absolutely fear that our neighborhood will become the next treasure hunt , that his fans will be looking to find the castle that ’ s in the middle of Santa Fe , ” Graham said .
Officials also denied a similar proposal early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t meet height and style standards and didn ’ t fit in with the character of the historic district .
Alexander Dzurec with the architecture firm Autotroph Inc. filed the application for the height exemption and said Tuesday that the library was intended to house “ a very sizable collection ” of literature and “ other collectibles.
” More than 40 neighbors had signed a letter urging the Historic Districts Review Board to reject the request .
Guy Gronquist signed the letter and read it at the meeting , saying the architect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ draw comparisons with existing medieval-style structures in Santa Fe.
” But those buildings aren ’ t surrounded by houses , he said .
“ The fact remains that the proposed building is still a prominent castle in the middle of a residential neighborhood in Santa Fe , ” the letter said .
“ It WILL BE VISIBLE .
”

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SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — “Game of Thrones” author George R.R. Martin won’t be able to build a seven-sided, castle-style library at his compound in Santa Fe that drew objections from neighbors.
The city’s Historic Districts Review Board on Tuesday denied a request to allow Martin to exceed the building height limit in the historic district where he lives, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported. The project included a roof deck and an elevator tower.
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“It is a medieval castle, and I don’t understand how we could possibly approve it in this style,” board member Frank Katz said.
Mark Graham lives south of the property and said residents couldn’t “support having a castle in the neighborhood.”
“With the notoriety of Mr. Martin and ‘Game of Thrones,’ we absolutely fear that our neighborhood will become the next treasure hunt, that his fans will be looking to find the castle that’s in the middle of Santa Fe,” Graham said.
Officials also denied a similar proposal early this year, saying the project didn’t meet height and style standards and didn’t fit in with the character of the historic district.
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Alexander Dzurec with the architecture firm Autotroph Inc. filed the application for the height exemption and said Tuesday that the library was intended to house “a very sizable collection” of literature and “other collectibles.”
More than 40 neighbors had signed a letter urging the Historic Districts Review Board to reject the request.
Guy Gronquist signed the letter and read it at the meeting, saying the architect had gone to “great pains to draw comparisons with existing medieval-style structures in Santa Fe.” But those buildings aren’t surrounded by houses, he said.
“The fact remains that the proposed building is still a prominent castle in the middle of a residential neighborhood in Santa Fe,” the letter said. “It WILL BE VISIBLE.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-10--Feds Accuse Police Chief Of Rigging Hiring Process So He'd Get The Job

BRIDGEPORT , Conn. ( AP ) — The police chief of Connecticut ’ s largest city was arrested Thursday on federal charges that he teamed with Bridgeport ’ s personnel director to rig the hiring process to make sure he would get his job .
Federal prosecutors in New York and FBI officials in Connecticut announced the arrest of Bridgeport Police Chief Armando “ A.J.
” Perez along with David Dunn , the city ’ s acting personnel director .
Perez , 64 , of Trumbull , Connecticut , and Dunn , 72 , of Stratford , Connecticut , were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to commit wire fraud and with making false statements to investigators .
Both appeared via videoconference before a federal judge in Bridgeport and were allowed to remain free on $ 150,000 bail .
A criminal complaint alleged they defrauded the city of 144,000 people by rigging the 2018 police chief examination to put Perez in position to secure the post as head of a police department with an annual budget of over $ 100 million and more than 400 officers .
Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss in New York City said the men @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impartial and objective search for a permanent police chief “ and then repeatedly lied to federal agents in order to conceal their conduct.
” According to a criminal complaint in Connecticut , Dunn gave confidential examination questions in advance to Perez , had two police officers secretly write Perez ’ s written exam and tailored the examination scoring criteria to favor Perez .
Dunn also instructed officials there should be no requirement that the chief candidates have bachelor ’ s degrees , and Perez was the only applicant without one , authorities said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to ensure Perez , who has been with the police department nearly four decades , was ranked among the top three candidates and could thus qualify to be awarded a five-year contract as chief .
Perez and Dunn both were voluntarily interviewed during the FBI ’ s investigation , but they lied to agents to conceal what they did to corrupt the examination process , the complaint said .
Mayor Joe Ganim ’ s office released a statement saying city officials are reviewing the allegations and deciding whether to make any personnel changes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ directly respond to the accusations .
“ These allegations are extremely troubling and , unfortunately , the latest in a string of incidents that have undermined public confidence in the leadership of our police department , ” said state Reps. Andre Baker Jr. , Antonio Felipe , Jack Hennessy , Christopher Rosario , Steve Stafstrom , and Charlie Stallworth .
Ganim , a close friend of Perez ’ s , served nearly seven years in prison himself after he was convicted of corruption for steering city contracts in exchange for private gifts during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which ran from 1991 until his resignation in 2003 .
He was released from prison in 2010 and elected mayor again in 2015 , after apologizing and asking residents for a second chance .

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — The police chief of Connecticut’s largest city was arrested Thursday on federal charges that he teamed with Bridgeport’s personnel director to rig the hiring process to make sure he would get his job.
Federal prosecutors in New York and FBI officials in Connecticut announced the arrest of Bridgeport Police Chief Armando “A.J.” Perez along with David Dunn, the city’s acting personnel director.
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Perez, 64, of Trumbull, Connecticut, and Dunn, 72, of Stratford, Connecticut, were each charged with wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and with making false statements to investigators. Both appeared via videoconference before a federal judge in Bridgeport and were allowed to remain free on $150,000 bail.
A criminal complaint alleged they defrauded the city of 144,000 people by rigging the 2018 police chief examination to put Perez in position to secure the post as head of a police department with an annual budget of over $100 million and more than 400 officers.
The previous police chief had resigned in March 2016.
Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss in New York City said the men corrupted what was supposed to be an impartial and objective search for a permanent police chief “and then repeatedly lied to federal agents in order to conceal their conduct.”
According to a criminal complaint in Connecticut, Dunn gave confidential examination questions in advance to Perez, had two police officers secretly write Perez’s written exam and tailored the examination scoring criteria to favor Perez.
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Dunn also instructed officials there should be no requirement that the chief candidates have bachelor’s degrees, and Perez was the only applicant without one, authorities said.
It said the maneuvers were designed to ensure Perez, who has been with the police department nearly four decades, was ranked among the top three candidates and could thus qualify to be awarded a five-year contract as chief.
The terms of his contract included a $300,000 payout for accrued leave, the complaint said.
Perez and Dunn both were voluntarily interviewed during the FBI’s investigation, but they lied to agents to conceal what they did to corrupt the examination process, the complaint said.
A phone message seeking comment was left with Perez’s lawyer, Robert Frost Jr. Dunn’s lawyer, Frederick Paoletti, declined to comment.
Mayor Joe Ganim’s office released a statement saying city officials are reviewing the allegations and deciding whether to make any personnel changes in response. The statement did not directly respond to the accusations.
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Several state representatives from Bridgeport also released a statement.
“These allegations are extremely troubling and, unfortunately, the latest in a string of incidents that have undermined public confidence in the leadership of our police department,” said state Reps. Andre Baker Jr., Antonio Felipe, Jack Hennessy, Christopher Rosario, Steve Stafstrom, and Charlie Stallworth.
Ganim, a close friend of Perez’s, served nearly seven years in prison himself after he was convicted of corruption for steering city contracts in exchange for private gifts during his first tenure of Bridgeport mayor, which ran from 1991 until his resignation in 2003.
He was released from prison in 2010 and elected mayor again in 2015, after apologizing and asking residents for a second chance.
___
Associated Press writer Larry Neumeister in New York contributed to this report.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-10--Hollywood Has Made 'No Meaningful Change' In Representation On Screen, New Study Finds

Analyses of diversity and representation in Hollywood often play out like an endless blockbuster movie franchise or a long-running , past-its-prime television series .
Year after year , the entertainment industry has faced very public criticism over its lack of diversity and pledged to make changes , but progress has been incremental at best .
For more than a decade , Hollywood has made “ no meaningful change ” in ensuring equitable on-screen representation , according to a study published Thursday by the University of Southern California ’ s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative , which has produced annual reports scrutinizing diversity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2007 .
Examining the characters in each of the 100 highest-grossing movies annually from 2007 to 2019 , the researchers found that the percentage of female characters in speaking roles has inched up and down , hovering between 28 % and 34 % each year — a statistic that ’ s been essentially unchanged for 13 years .
Last year , just 14 of the 100 top-grossing films had a gender-balanced cast ( defined as having girls or women in 45-55 % of a film ’ s speaking roles ) , an increase @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was only a slight increase over 2007 , when 12 films did .
In 2019 , 43 of the top 100 films featured a woman in a leading or co-leading role , an increase from 2018 and a substantial increase from 2007 .
Seventeen of those lead actors were women of color , an all-time high — but still an abysmally low percentage of those roles , given how long the entertainment industry has pledged to make representation a priority .
Among the 100 top-grossing movies of 2019 , only 34.3 % of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Fifteen films still had no Black actors in speaking roles , 36 had no Asian actors in speaking roles , and 44 had no Hispanic or Latino actors in speaking roles .
The study , which examined representation in gender , race/ethnicity , LGBTQ identity and disability , stresses that Hollywood has fared even worse in intersectional representation .
For example , while the industry has made strides in featuring LGBTQ characters overall , there are still relatively few stories about queer women and queer people of color .
Transgender people in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the study found .
In the 100 top-grossing movies from 2014 to 2019 , only four speaking characters were trans .
All were “ inconsequential to the story , and had a total screentime of 2 minutes , ” the researchers wrote .
Only 2.3 % of all speaking roles in 2019 ’ s top movies involved characters with disabilities , among several underrepresented groups that have been essentially “ erased ” in major films , the study found .
Native , Pacific Islander or Middle Eastern/North African characters and performers have also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As many studies about Hollywood have pointed out time and time again , on-screen representation goes hand-in-hand with representation behind the camera .
Ensuring equitable representation has to start from the very beginning of the production process , which means institutions and gatekeepers have to hire , promote and value the careers of people of color and other underrepresented groups in producing , directing , writing and casting .
The study is a snapshot of some of the deep issues exposed by the racial reckoning unfolding in industries and institutions across society right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lack of sustained progress in Hollywood is even more glaring because the entertainment industry had already been publicly grappling with these problems , spurred in part by # OscarsSoWhite more than five years ago .
This week , the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , which awards the Oscars , announced a set of new representation and inclusion standards for films vying for Best Picture , which will go into effect in 2024 .
But some industry observers noted that the standards are a fairly low bar and provide a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , while they might help to keep these issues in mind during awards season , they may not amount to meaningful changes .
For example , to meet the on-screen representation requirement , a film only has to do one of the following things : cast at least one person of color in a lead or “ significant supporting ” role , ensure that 30 % of the cast comes from two underrepresented groups ( women , people of color , LGBTQ+ or disabled people ) , or make the story about one @ @ @ @

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Analyses of diversity and representation in Hollywood often play out like an endless blockbuster movie franchise or a long-running, past-its-prime television series. Year after year, the entertainment industry has faced very public criticism over its lack of diversity and pledged to make changes, but progress has been incremental at best.
The newest report from one of the leading research groups on the issue concludes that 2019 was yet another abysmal installment in the saga.
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For more than a decade, Hollywood has made “no meaningful change” in ensuring equitable on-screen representation, according to a study published Thursday by the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, which has produced annual reports scrutinizing diversity, inclusion and representation in Hollywood since 2007.
Our annual report on top-grossing films is out today. We’ll be sharing findings— while there is some progress there is much more work to be done to see inclusion in popular movies. Read the full study: https://t.co/48uZa7h2JQ pic.twitter.com/X4H9uXSDY2 — Annenberg Inclusion Initiative (@Inclusionists) September 10, 2020
Examining the characters in each of the 100 highest-grossing movies annually from 2007 to 2019, the researchers found that the percentage of female characters in speaking roles has inched up and down, hovering between 28% and 34% each year — a statistic that’s been essentially unchanged for 13 years.
Last year, just 14 of the 100 top-grossing films had a gender-balanced cast (defined as having girls or women in 45-55% of a film’s speaking roles), an increase from nine in 2018. But it was only a slight increase over 2007, when 12 films did.
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“These numbers illuminate that Hollywood continues to fail girls and women on screen by reducing their visibility across the entire ecosystem of stories year after year,” the researchers wrote in their report.
In 2019, 43 of the top 100 films featured a woman in a leading or co-leading role, an increase from 2018 and a substantial increase from 2007. Seventeen of those lead actors were women of color, an all-time high — but still an abysmally low percentage of those roles, given how long the entertainment industry has pledged to make representation a priority.
“Last year, just 14 of the 100 top-grossing films had a gender-balanced cast (defined as having girls or women in 45-55% of a film’s speaking roles).”
Among the 100 top-grossing movies of 2019, only 34.3% of the speaking characters were people of color. Fifteen films still had no Black actors in speaking roles, 36 had no Asian actors in speaking roles, and 44 had no Hispanic or Latino actors in speaking roles.
Over the last 13 years, “there has been no meaningful increase in Black, Hispanic/Latino, or Asian characters,” the researchers wrote.
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The study, which examined representation in gender, race/ethnicity, LGBTQ identity and disability, stresses that Hollywood has fared even worse in intersectional representation. For example, while the industry has made strides in featuring LGBTQ characters overall, there are still relatively few stories about queer women and queer people of color.
Transgender people in major films are rendered practically nonexistent, the study found. In the 100 top-grossing movies from 2014 to 2019, only four speaking characters were trans. All were “inconsequential to the story, and had a total screentime of 2 minutes,” the researchers wrote.
Only 2.3% of all speaking roles in 2019’s top movies involved characters with disabilities, among several underrepresented groups that have been essentially “erased” in major films, the study found. Native, Pacific Islander or Middle Eastern/North African characters and performers have also been almost nonexistent in major films.
As many studies about Hollywood have pointed out time and time again, on-screen representation goes hand-in-hand with representation behind the camera. Ensuring equitable representation has to start from the very beginning of the production process, which means institutions and gatekeepers have to hire, promote and value the careers of people of color and other underrepresented groups in producing, directing, writing and casting.
For instance, the researchers found that 71% of casting directors working on the films included in the study were white women.
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The study is a snapshot of some of the deep issues exposed by the racial reckoning unfolding in industries and institutions across society right now. But in some ways, the lack of sustained progress in Hollywood is even more glaring because the entertainment industry had already been publicly grappling with these problems, spurred in part by #OscarsSoWhite more than five years ago.
“Only 2.3% of all speaking roles in 2019’s top movies involved characters with disabilities. Native, Pacific Islander or Middle Eastern/North African characters and performers have also been almost nonexistent in major films.”
This week, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which awards the Oscars, announced a set of new representation and inclusion standards for films vying for Best Picture, which will go into effect in 2024.
Films have to demonstrate inclusivity in two of four categories: on-screen representation or story; leadership or behind-the-camera roles; interns or apprentices; and marketing, publicity or distribution teams.
But some industry observers noted that the standards are a fairly low bar and provide a pretty generous amount of flexibility. Therefore, while they might help to keep these issues in mind during awards season, they may not amount to meaningful changes.
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For example, to meet the on-screen representation requirement, a film only has to do one of the following things: cast at least one person of color in a lead or “significant supporting” role, ensure that 30% of the cast comes from two underrepresented groups (women, people of color, LGBTQ+ or disabled people), or make the story about one of those groups.
On Wednesday, the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s researchers ran the numbers on the Oscars’ new standards, using data from 2019’s top 100 highest-grossing movies. They found that 95 of the films would have met the on-screen representation or story requirement, and 71 would have met the leadership or behind-the-camera requirement.
“If everyone meets the criteria, then how is it a challenge to do better?” the researchers tweeted, noting that these low standards will likely just maintain the status quo.