thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-25--What You Should Know About Reopened Gyms And Coronavirus

In addition to following the day-to-day prevention guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — staying 6 feet away from people outside of your household , wearing cloth masks , frequent hand washing and more — it is imperative that those returning to the gym take extra precautions to protect their own health and the health of other gym-goers and gym staff .
“ It ’ s important to remember that even though gyms are open , it doesn ’ t mean the virus is gone , ” explained Amesh Adalja , a senior scholar at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ And no activity in the absence of a vaccine is going to be without risk .
That being said , people that want to go to the gym can do so in a manner that is relatively safe ― but there is not going to be zero risk.
” Figure out your gym ’ s precautions before going back .
If they have those protocols in place , then that ’ s a good sign .
But don ’ t just take the gym ’ s word for it , Hassig @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when you get there to see if what you were told aligns with the way the gym looks and the way the staff acts .
“ If your gym told you that people are supposed to be wearing masks in their facility and the staff are not wearing masks , I would turn around and walk out , ” Hassig said .
“ If you ’ re being told one thing and then you see something else , I would be concerned about what else they told you.
” Wear a face covering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Although we realize some people might not want to wear a face cover while exercising , we do recommend that gym-goers wear one when interacting with others not from your household to minimize the risk of transmitting the virus , ” said Kate Grusich , a CDC spokesperson .
“ This may depend on activity type and intensity , and is most important when physical distancing is difficult.
” Skip the group workout classes for now .
She noted that classes will likely be held in an enclosed space with a number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be really difficult — and if it ’ s aerobic , you won ’ t want to be masked .
Also , due to the movement throughout the room , there is too much of a possibility of shared breathing areas and potentially contaminated particles .
“ I would strongly urge people not to use saunas or steam rooms at this point in time .
They ’ re small , contained spaces — and how do you clean them in between uses ?
They ’ re just really problematic , ” Hassig said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in to keep steam inside is not going to allow the kind of air flow necessary , it ’ s instead going to allow for the suspension of particles.
” Remember that there is a risk associated with going to the gym until there is a vaccine .
Adalja stressed that there is a common misconception right now that it ’ s fine to do things like go to the gym , and more people are throwing caution to the wind as states reopen .
He noted that there will be no completely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ normal pre-pandemic activities until there ’ s a vaccine available .
“ The risk of this virus isn ’ t going to go away until there ’ s a vaccine .
Nothing is going to change ...
This is a new normal , ” Adalja said .
“ That ’ s important for people to know as they start to get back into their life — they have to find a way to pursue whatever activities and values they have knowing that there ’ s a risk.
” If you are heading out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ OK to do so , you should still evaluate your personal risk and consider the risk of others in your circle .
Adalja stressed the importance of being safe and weighing your options ; ignoring the existence of the coronavirus isn ’ t an option .
Stay home if you don ’ t feel well or are unsure .

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For the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began, gyms across the country are beginning to reopen. The exact timelines and rules vary by state, but precautions are necessary no matter where you live.
In addition to following the day-to-day prevention guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — staying 6 feet away from people outside of your household, wearing cloth masks, frequent hand washing and more — it is imperative that those returning to the gym take extra precautions to protect their own health and the health of other gym-goers and gym staff.
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Like any space that is open to the public during the pandemic, going back to the gym comes with its own set of concerns.
“It’s important to remember that even though gyms are open, it doesn’t mean the virus is gone,” explained Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security. “And no activity in the absence of a vaccine is going to be without risk. That being said, people that want to go to the gym can do so in a manner that is relatively safe ― but there is not going to be zero risk.”
If you’re going to head out to your fitness center, take caution. Below, public health experts from across the country share their warnings and suggestions.
Figure out your gym’s precautions before going back.
“I would recommend calling the gym and asking them what they are doing to reduce the likelihood of transmission and acquisition of coronavirus in their facilities,” said Susan Hassig, associate professor in epidemiology at Tulane University.
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Hassig said that the gym should have spaced out equipment, specified procedures for decontamination and disinfection of equipment in between uses, an established face mask policy, and perhaps require reservations for entry.
If they have those protocols in place, then that’s a good sign. But don’t just take the gym’s word for it, Hassig said. You should do an assessment when you get there to see if what you were told aligns with the way the gym looks and the way the staff acts.
“If your gym told you that people are supposed to be wearing masks in their facility and the staff are not wearing masks, I would turn around and walk out,” Hassig said. “If you’re being told one thing and then you see something else, I would be concerned about what else they told you.”
stockstudioX via Getty Images
Avoid congregation points.
To comply with the CDC’s 6 feet apart recommendation, it is important to keep space between you and other gym-goers while working out and while making your way through the gym.
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“You should avoid places in the gym where people might congregate — for example, where people are filling up their water bottles or where people are in line to get into a room for a class, if gyms are having classes,” Adalja said.
For those who want to be even more careful, Adalja recommended going to the gym at off hours to further avoid groups of people.
Wear a face covering and consider keeping vigorous exercises outside.
“Although we realize some people might not want to wear a face cover while exercising, we do recommend that gym-goers wear one when interacting with others not from your household to minimize the risk of transmitting the virus,” said Kate Grusich, a CDC spokesperson. “This may depend on activity type and intensity, and is most important when physical distancing is difficult.”
She added that the CDC recommends people do more vigorous exercises — like running and biking — outside whenever possible. Additionally, those going back to the gym should consider going to gyms that have outdoor facilities for working out.
Skip the group workout classes for now.
“I would not, at this point in time anywhere in the United States, engage in any kind of group activity,” Hassig said. “Maybe yoga if the mats are spaced apart, or pilates, but anything aerobic or cardiovascular in a group setting I would not recommend.”
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She noted that classes will likely be held in an enclosed space with a number of people, so keeping distance will be really difficult — and if it’s aerobic, you won’t want to be masked. Also, due to the movement throughout the room, there is too much of a possibility of shared breathing areas and potentially contaminated particles.
Disinfect shared equipment before use.
Even if your gym is disinfecting equipment, it pays to be vigilant and to take extra precautions for your own safety and peace of mind.
“Ensure equipment is clean and disinfected. Wipe down machines and equipment with disinfecting wipes and use hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol before using machines,” Grusich said.
She added items that cannot be cleaned, sanitized or disinfected between use — like resistance bands and weightlifting belts — should not be shared.
svetikd via Getty Images
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Avoid saunas and steam rooms until future notice.
It should go without saying, but hot, enclosed spaces are not a place anyone should be before there is a coronavirus vaccine.
“I would strongly urge people not to use saunas or steam rooms at this point in time. They’re small, contained spaces — and how do you clean them in between uses? They’re just really problematic,” Hassig said. “A room that is closed in to keep steam inside is not going to allow the kind of air flow necessary, it’s instead going to allow for the suspension of particles.”
Remember that there is a risk associated with going to the gym until there is a vaccine.
Adalja stressed that there is a common misconception right now that it’s fine to do things like go to the gym, and more people are throwing caution to the wind as states reopen. He noted that there will be no completely safe time to take part in your normal pre-pandemic activities until there’s a vaccine available.
“The risk of this virus isn’t going to go away until there’s a vaccine. Nothing is going to change ... This is a new normal,” Adalja said. “That’s important for people to know as they start to get back into their life — they have to find a way to pursue whatever activities and values they have knowing that there’s a risk.”
If you are heading out once your state deems it’s OK to do so, you should still evaluate your personal risk and consider the risk of others in your circle. Adalja stressed the importance of being safe and weighing your options; ignoring the existence of the coronavirus isn’t an option.
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“People have to find a middle way to cope with it or learn to live with the virus because it’s not going anywhere,” Adalja said.
PeopleImages via Getty Images
Stay home if you don’t feel well or are unsure.
“As a reminder, if you have COVID-19, have symptoms consistent with COVID-19, or have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19, it is important to stay home and away from other people,” Grusich said.
Signs of infection include fever, body aches, loss of taste or smell, and trouble breathing. Many people, however, can be asymptomatic so keep that in mind as well.
It is crucial to prioritize your own health and the health of those around you. Do not go to the gym if you are not feeling 100% healthy or if you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus.
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Experts are still learning about the coronavirus. The information in this story is what was known or available as of press time, but it’s possible guidance around COVID-19 could change as scientists discover more about the virus. Please check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the most updated recommendations.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-25--5 Coronavirus Questions To Ask Before Meeting Up With A Date In Person

Kaitlyn McQuin , a 28-year-old writer and actor living in New Orleans , said she ’ s been keeping her dating circle “ very small ” during the pandemic .
She had one phone date in March and then went on her first in-person date ( they hung out at a park where they could keep their distance ) in early June .
To feel safe meeting up with someone IRL these days , certain conversations need to happen that weren ’ t necessary in a pre-COVID-19 world .
“ I ’ d like to know how many people they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve been wearing masks when they ’ re out in public — pro tip : do this !
— and if they ’ ve had symptoms or have been ill , ” McQuin told HuffPost .
“ This is a freaking pandemic , so I don ’ t see anything wrong with declining a date if the person you ’ re talking to doesn ’ t respect your personal and health-related boundaries.
” “ Tactful conversations are about honesty , ” said Janet Brito , a psychologist and sex therapist in Honolulu @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not being mean .
How you say it is key though .
So be aware of your tone and body language to create a feeling of safety for your prospective date to be willing to be free with their thoughts and feelings on what seems to bring up divided feelings for some.
” “ This will give you a good idea of what the person ’ s risk factors are — are they working at home ?
Or are they going to a space that puts them at risk for getting infected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an infectious diseases physician and vice chair of the IDSA Global Health Committee .
“ You can also find out if you both have similar or different interests , which is important.
” “ This will give you an idea if they have an elderly family member with a potential risk factor for developing COVID and give you an indication about if you need to be more careful around them , ” Kuppalli said .
“ It will also let you know if you need to be more careful being around them because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” And if so , this is good opportunity to ask what precautions they ’ ve been taking when socializing with others .
See if these dates or get-togethers took place indoors or outdoors , if they were large or small , if they happened once or twice or a bunch of times and if people were wearing masks and/or staying 6 feet apart .
If you talk through these questions and decide you want to meet up , make plans that minimize the risks for both of you .
All of our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way to go .
Think walking , hiking , riding bikes or enjoying a coffee or picnic outside ( you can each pack your own food and utensils ) — all while avoiding close contact .
Bring a facial covering with you for when you can not maintain a safe social distance .
“ This is why it is important to have honest conversations with anyone you consider spending time with , ” Sorrell said .
“ There also has to be trust that the person you are dating will tell you if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ showing symptoms you need to call your doctor , get tested and tell your social circle so that they can get tested and/or home isolate .
You would need to do this for anyone you ’ ve interacted with and then they would need to for their circles as well.
” Experts are still learning about the novel coronavirus .
The information in this story is what was known or available as of press time , but it ’ s possible guidance around COVID-19 could change as scientists discover more about the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Control and Prevention for the most updated recommendations .

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Kaitlyn McQuin, a 28-year-old writer and actor living in New Orleans, said she’s been keeping her dating circle “very small” during the pandemic. She had one phone date in March and then went on her first in-person date (they hung out at a park where they could keep their distance) in early June. To feel safe meeting up with someone IRL these days, certain conversations need to happen that weren’t necessary in a pre-COVID-19 world.
“I’d like to know how many people they’ve been around, if they’ve been wearing masks when they’re out in public — pro tip: do this! — and if they’ve had symptoms or have been ill,” McQuin told HuffPost. “This is a freaking pandemic, so I don’t see anything wrong with declining a date if the person you’re talking to doesn’t respect your personal and health-related boundaries.”
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“Also, wearing a mask and taking precautions means you care, and people who care are attractive,” she said. “If someone said they weren’t taking precautionary measures to protect the lives of other people, or that it wasn’t necessary, I’d bid them farewell real fast.”
So what sorts of health-related questions should you ask a suitor before you meet up in person? Experts offer their advice on what to inquire about and how.
Questions To Ask
EMS-FORSTER-PRODUCTIONS via Getty Images These are the conversations you need to have with potential dates, according to health experts.
When it comes to socializing IRL, there’s no such thing as a zero-risk interaction, said Jenna Macciochi, a UK-based immunologist and lecturer at the University of Sussex.
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“Plus, if you don’t know the person, there is a risk that they won’t be truthful,” she said.
Still, you should do your due diligence by having these talks — preferably on video chat or a phone call — before you consider meeting up.
“It is a crucial conversation to have and if you aren’t comfortable doing so, you should not discuss plans to meet in person,” said Erin Sorrell, an assistant research professor in Georgetown University’s department of microbiology and immunology. “Your health and well-being need to be prioritized over your dating life right now.”
These conversations can, understandably, be intimidating or uncomfortable — especially when they’re with someone you’re just getting to know. Approach these discussions from a place of mindful curiosity so you can have an honest — but not hostile — dialogue with your date.
“Tactful conversations are about honesty,” said Janet Brito, a psychologist and sex therapist in Honolulu. “Being clear about your needs is not being mean. How you say it is key though. So be aware of your tone and body language to create a feeling of safety for your prospective date to be willing to be free with their thoughts and feelings on what seems to bring up divided feelings for some.”
How this person responds during the conversation may also shed light about your potential compatibility.
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“I think it’s best to date someone who has similar views to you about how to manage this public health crisis,” Brito said.
Ask these questions to get a clearer picture of the risks involved:
1. What does a typical day look like for you during the pandemic?
“This will give you a good idea of what the person’s risk factors are — are they working at home? Or are they going to a space that puts them at risk for getting infected?” said Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious diseases physician and vice chair of the IDSA Global Health Committee. “You can also find out if you both have similar or different interests, which is important.”
If your date has a front-line job — like a health care worker, grocery clerk, law enforcement officer or delivery driver — this likely increases their exposure, Macciochi said.
2. Have you had any COVID-19 symptoms in the last few weeks?
Symptoms may include — but are not limited to — cough, fever, sore throat or new loss of taste or smell.
“If the prospective date has displayed symptoms, I’d recommend not going on the date in person until they have been tested and confirmed they do not have COVID-19,” said Dr. Vandana A. Patel, a pulmonologist and clinical advisor for the online pharmacy startup Cabinet. “Even then, it’s important to take normal precautions — like wearing a mask — when going on a date.”
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3. Have you been in close contact with anyone who has COVID-19?
That could be a friend, family member or co-worker who either tested positive for the virus or has a presumed case. You can also ask if they’ve been in any situations recently that may have elevated their risk, like traveling or protesting, Patel said.
“Even if the prospective date is not displaying symptoms of COVID-19, they may still have it and be asymptomatic,” she added.
4. Who do you live with?
You’d want to know if your date lives with parents or grandparents, who could be in a high-risk group because of their age or underlying health conditions. Or perhaps they have a roommate who’s an essential worker, which could also increase your date’s exposure to the virus.
“This will give you an idea if they have an elderly family member with a potential risk factor for developing COVID and give you an indication about if you need to be more careful around them,” Kuppalli said. “It will also let you know if you need to be more careful being around them because they are around a lot of people.”
5. Have you been dating, hooking up or spending time with people other than those in your household lately?
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And if so, this is good opportunity to ask what precautions they’ve been taking when socializing with others. See if these dates or get-togethers took place indoors or outdoors, if they were large or small, if they happened once or twice or a bunch of times and if people were wearing masks and/or staying 6 feet apart.
“The more people they are around — in particular, intimate with — will increase their risk for getting COVID-19,” Kuppalli said. “And if you are around them this will increase your risk.”
Safer Date Ideas
aydinmutlu via Getty Images If you're going on a date, do it outside where there's more natural airflow.
If you talk through these questions and decide you want to meet up, make plans that minimize the risks for both of you. All of our experts agreed that outdoor dates are the way to go. Think walking, hiking, riding bikes or enjoying a coffee or picnic outside (you can each pack your own food and utensils) — all while avoiding close contact. Bring a facial covering with you for when you cannot maintain a safe social distance.
“You are at the highest risk of exposure and infection when you are in a closed environment indoors, in close contact and without a face mask,” Sorrell said.
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Skip indoor restaurants and bars or any gathering or party where you’ll be around other people, Kuppalli recommended.
“If you do go on a date, avoid physical contact as much as possible and take precautions such as wearing a mask, sanitizing your hands often before, during and after the date and keep at least 6 feet apart from the date,” Patel said.
“If someone said they weren’t taking precautionary measures to protect the lives of other people, or that it wasn’t necessary, I’d bid them farewell real fast.” - Kaitlyn McQuin,, writer and actor
After the date, if either of you starts exhibiting symptoms, it’s important that you let the other know ASAP. That way you can quarantine yourself, inform other people you’ve been interacting with and get tested.
“This is why it is important to have honest conversations with anyone you consider spending time with,” Sorrell said. “There also has to be trust that the person you are dating will tell you if they feel ill. If you start showing symptoms you need to call your doctor, get tested and tell your social circle so that they can get tested and/or home isolate. You would need to do this for anyone you’ve interacted with and then they would need to for their circles as well.”
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Risky Business: Love And Sex In A Germaphobic World is a HuffPost series exploring the way that coronavirus is changing the way we date, have sex and enjoy intimacy.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-25--Prince William Steps Out To Visit COVID-19 Vaccine Developers At Oxford

LONDON ( Reuters ) - Britain ’ s Prince William on Wednesday visited the Oxford-based scientists who are working to develop a viable vaccine for COVID-19 as well as trial participants who are helping to determine whether or not it works .
The vaccine , originally known as ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 , was originally developed by scientists at the University of Oxford , and they are now working with AstraZeneca on development and production .
It is already in human trials , with preliminary trials on pigs and monkeys showing some encouraging signs for the experimental vaccine , which is also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against COVID-19 , the disease caused by the new coronavirus .
William , wearing a face mask , meets scientists including Christina Dold ( R ) during a visit to the manufacturing laboratory where a vaccine against the novel coronavirus COVID-19 has been produced at the Oxford Vaccine Group 's facility .
William , Queen Elizabeth ’ s grandson and second-in-line to the throne , met researchers working for the Oxford Vaccine Group , including the vaccine ’ s developer Sarah Gilbert and the leader of the clinical trial team Andrew Pollard .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pascal Soriot , and officials from Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations ( CEPI ) and international vaccine alliance Gavi via a video call .
AstraZeneca has signed deals with Britain , the United States and European countries to supply the vaccine .
Soriot has said that trial clinical results are expected in August or September , with deliveries possible from October , adding that he expects the vaccine , if it works , to protect against COVID-19 for about a year .

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LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s Prince William on Wednesday visited the Oxford-based scientists who are working to develop a viable vaccine for COVID-19 as well as trial participants who are helping to determine whether or not it works.
The vaccine, originally known as ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, was originally developed by scientists at the University of Oxford, and they are now working with AstraZeneca on development and production.
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It is already in human trials, with preliminary trials on pigs and monkeys showing some encouraging signs for the experimental vaccine, which is also known as AZD1222, in giving protection against COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
William, wearing a face mask, meets scientists including Christina Dold (R) during a visit to the manufacturing laboratory where a vaccine against the novel coronavirus COVID-19 has been produced at the Oxford Vaccine Group's facility. STEVE PARSONS via Getty Images
William, Queen Elizabeth’s grandson and second-in-line to the throne, met researchers working for the Oxford Vaccine Group, including the vaccine’s developer Sarah Gilbert and the leader of the clinical trial team Andrew Pollard.
He also spoke to AstraZeneca Chief Executive Pascal Soriot, and officials from Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and international vaccine alliance Gavi via a video call.
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AstraZeneca has signed deals with Britain, the United States and European countries to supply the vaccine.
Soriot has said that trial clinical results are expected in August or September, with deliveries possible from October, adding that he expects the vaccine, if it works, to protect against COVID-19 for about a year.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-25--Why Bars Are The Perfect Environment For Spreading Coronavirus

The owners of HandleBar Houston , one of the bars whose licenses were suspended , did not respond to requests for comment .
Megas said she and her friends drove by five other jammed bars on their way home .
“ The street was insanely busy , ” she said .
“ Every single bar was filled.
” “ People almost don ’ t want to social-distance if they go to the bar , ” said Dr. Amesh Adalja , a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security in Baltimore .
“ They ’ re going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a social lubricant .
People will often be loud , and if they have forceful speech , that ’ s going to create more droplets.
” It ’ s certainly less lethal for them : Fewer than 4 % of adults in their 20s with COVID-19 have been hospitalized , compared with 22 % of those in their 60s , according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
Only 1 in 1,000 COVID-19 patients in their 20s die from the virus .
Nonetheless , as bars and other public places @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adults are rising , and bars are a particularly dangerous vector .
Several outbreaks have been traced to bars that cater to college students .
In Baton Rouge , Louisiana , health authorities have received reports of more than 100 instances of positive COVID-19 tests tied to bar visits and bar employees in Tigerland , a neighborhood frequented by Louisiana State University students .
“ It looked like a football weekend .
It was unbelievable , just seeing that many people walking around , ” he said .
“ Each bar had a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t look like they were really stopping anybody from going inside .
I didn ’ t see one mask out there at all.
” Nay , 37 , said he believed most students had been actively socializing for months by having friends over to their homes .
“ Don ’ t think they changed anything until recently , and I think the main reason why they changed is because their parents really tore into them because they could have brought that home for Father ’ s Day , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country .
As many states permit them to reopen , authorities have enacted various measures to mitigate the chances of infection .
Earlier this month , Florida Gov .
Ron DeSantis allowed bars to open at half capacity with social distancing .
This week he warned that violators risk losing their liquor licenses if “ it ’ s just like mayhem and like ‘ Dance Party USA ’ and it ’ s packed to the rafters.
” In Texas , Gov .
Greg Abbott decreed that bars must limit indoor service to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 10 people or fewer and enforce 6 feet of distancing between groups .
“ There are certain counties where a majority of the people who are tested positive in that county are under the age of 30 , and this typically results from people going to bars , ” Abbott said at a press conference earlier this month .
Last weekend , undercover inspectors with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission visited nearly 600 bars and restaurants in Texas ’ major urban areas .
The commission posted on Twitter videotapes of two bar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bar , all showing patrons standing shoulder to shoulder and chatting face to face .
Those bars and 14 others had their liquor permits suspended for 30 days , with the threat of a 60-day suspension for a repeat violation .
On its Facebook page , one of the bars sanctioned by the commission , BARge 295 in Seabrook , near Houston , said its license was suspended “ for allowing some customers to stand and gather at the bar [ S ] aturday night ( no six foot rule ) .
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its live music , whole pig roasts and a bikini contest , said it would appeal the action .
“ Everyone in the country is aware of the situation and has the ability to think for themselves and decide when and where they want to interact socially , ” the bar said in a series of posts .
“ This BS needs to end now .
Come out and support local businesses.
” Other bar owners have found the mandates manageable .
Greg Barrineau , who owns a number of bars in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tables and stools to meet the state ’ s requirements .
“ The guidelines are not that hard to follow , ” he said .
While the state does not require masks , he said the county ’ s administrative officer and the mayor decided to fine businesses if customers did not wear masks , and most patrons have complied .
“ You walk in the door , and you sit down and take your mask off , ” Barrineau said , adding he was not sure how big a difference it makes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the line outside and the restroom , then they would wear them.
” J.C. Diaz , president of the American Nightlife Association , which represents bars and clubs , said it has been harder for bars to enforce mask wearing because it has been so politicized .
“ The problem now is people are not adhering to the mitigation measures , ” he said .
“ We ’ re doing what we can do to prevent the spread of COVID , but if you are a reckless guest who doesn ’ t care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shouldn ’ t be out.
” Megas , the nursing student , said crowds have not deterred her from planning to return to Houston bars despite the continued spread of the coronavirus .
“ I ’ ve studied it enough and I think it ’ s been going on long enough that I ’ m really comfortable around it , ” she said .
“ There ’ s a small part of me that is just like ‘ I would like to get it now , while I ’ m not in school @ @ @

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As states ease their lockdowns, bars are emerging as fertile breeding grounds for the coronavirus. They create a risky cocktail of tight quarters, young adults unbowed by the fear of illness and, in some instances, proprietors who don’t enforce crowd limits and social distancing rules.
Public health authorities have identified bars as the locus of outbreaks in Louisiana, Florida, Wyoming and Idaho. Last weekend, the Texas alcohol licensing board suspended the liquor licenses of 17 bars after undercover agents observed crowds flouting emergency rules that required patrons to keep a safe distance from each other and limit tavern occupancy.
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Adriana Megas found HandleBar Houston so crowded when she went one night two weekends ago that she left. “They weren’t counting who came in and came out,” said Megas, 38, a nursing student. “Nobody was wearing any masks. You would never think COVID happened.”
The owners of HandleBar Houston, one of the bars whose licenses were suspended, did not respond to requests for comment. Megas said she and her friends drove by five other jammed bars on their way home. “The street was insanely busy,” she said. “Every single bar was filled.”
In Boise, Idaho, at least 152 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in cases that health authorities linked to people who, unaware they were infectious, visited bars and nightclubs, officials said. On Monday, the Central Health District, which oversees four counties, rolled back its reopening rules to shutter bars and nightclubs in Boise’s Ada County.
Bars are tailor-made for the spread of the virus, with loud music and a cacophony of conversations that require raised voices. The alcohol can impede judgment about diligently following rules meant to prevent contagion.
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“People almost don’t want to social-distance if they go to the bar,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security in Baltimore. “They’re going to be drinking alcohol, which is a social lubricant. People will often be loud, and if they have forceful speech, that’s going to create more droplets.”
On top of that, the very act of drinking is incompatible with wearing a mask, a primary way of limiting the spread of infection. Public health experts say many patrons are young adults who may think they are impervious to the coronavirus.
It’s certainly less lethal for them: Fewer than 4% of adults in their 20s with COVID-19 have been hospitalized, compared with 22% of those in their 60s, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only 1 in 1,000 COVID-19 patients in their 20s die from the virus.
Nonetheless, as bars and other public places reopen, rates of infection in younger adults are rising, and bars are a particularly dangerous vector. Several outbreaks have been traced to bars that cater to college students. In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, health authorities have received reports of more than 100 instances of positive COVID-19 tests tied to bar visits and bar employees in Tigerland, a neighborhood frequented by Louisiana State University students.
Reggie Chatman, a 23-year-old LSU graduate and sports reporter at a Baton Rouge television station, said he was surprised at how crowded the Tigerland bars were when he drove past them last weekend.
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“It looked like a football weekend. It was unbelievable, just seeing that many people walking around,” he said. “Each bar had a line in front of it. It didn’t look like they were really stopping anybody from going inside. I didn’t see one mask out there at all.”
Jason Nay, the general manager of Fred’s, one of the bars there, said the bar closed two days last week to test all employees after three workers were COVID-positive. The business reopened Friday night but had only five customers.
“This goes to show you how many people know what’s going on,” he said. “Not even the students who thought they were invincible felt comfortable coming out.” He said that this weekend Fred’s will check patrons’ temperatures and hand out disposable face masks.
Nay, 37, said he believed most students had been actively socializing for months by having friends over to their homes. “Don’t think they changed anything until recently, and I think the main reason why they changed is because their parents really tore into them because they could have brought that home for Father’s Day,” he said.
There are about 43,000 bars in the country. As many states permit them to reopen, authorities have enacted various measures to mitigate the chances of infection. Earlier this month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis allowed bars to open at half capacity with social distancing. This week he warned that violators risk losing their liquor licenses if “it’s just like mayhem and like ‘Dance Party USA’ and it’s packed to the rafters.”
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In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott decreed that bars must limit indoor service to half their legal occupancy, keep tables to 10 people or fewer and enforce 6 feet of distancing between groups. “There are certain counties where a majority of the people who are tested positive in that county are under the age of 30, and this typically results from people going to bars,” Abbott said at a press conference earlier this month.
Last weekend, undercover inspectors with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission visited nearly 600 bars and restaurants in Texas’ major urban areas. The commission posted on Twitter videotapes of two bar scenes and a photograph of a third bar, all showing patrons standing shoulder to shoulder and chatting face to face. Those bars and 14 others had their liquor permits suspended for 30 days, with the threat of a 60-day suspension for a repeat violation.
On its Facebook page, one of the bars sanctioned by the commission, BARge 295 in Seabrook, near Houston, said its license was suspended “for allowing some customers to stand and gather at the bar [S]aturday night (no six foot rule).” The bar, which has been promoting its live music, whole pig roasts and a bikini contest, said it would appeal the action.
“Everyone in the country is aware of the situation and has the ability to think for themselves and decide when and where they want to interact socially,” the bar said in a series of posts. “This BS needs to end now. Come out and support local businesses.”
Other bar owners have found the mandates manageable. Greg Barrineau, who owns a number of bars in the San Antonio area, said he rearranged tables and stools to meet the state’s requirements. “The guidelines are not that hard to follow,” he said. While the state does not require masks, he said the county’s administrative officer and the mayor decided to fine businesses if customers did not wear masks, and most patrons have complied.
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“You walk in the door, and you sit down and take your mask off,” Barrineau said, adding he was not sure how big a difference it makes. “If they were waiting in the line outside and the restroom, then they would wear them.”
J.C. Diaz, president of the American Nightlife Association, which represents bars and clubs, said it has been harder for bars to enforce mask wearing because it has been so politicized. “The problem now is people are not adhering to the mitigation measures,” he said. “We’re doing what we can do to prevent the spread of COVID, but if you are a reckless guest who doesn’t care about the health of others, you shouldn’t be out.”
Masks alone cannot solve the problem, said Dr. Ray Niaura, interim chair of the epidemiology department at New York University’s School of Global Public Health. The risk of contagion is impossible to eliminate at bars, especially since many infected people are asymptomatic. “Even if you distance tables, you’re still going to have groups of people together,” he said.
Megas, the nursing student, said crowds have not deterred her from planning to return to Houston bars despite the continued spread of the coronavirus. “I’ve studied it enough and I think it’s been going on long enough that I’m really comfortable around it,” she said. “There’s a small part of me that is just like ‘I would like to get it now, while I’m not in school.’”
KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a nonprofit news service covering health issues. It is an editorially independent program of KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation) that is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-25--Jack Abramoff, The Face Of Corrupt Lobbying, Charged In Yet Another Lobbying Scheme

JEWEL SAMAD via Getty Images Former lobbyist Jack Abramoff pictured in Washington on May 16 , 2012 .
Abramoff spent 43 months in prison after he was convicted in 2006 on influence peddling and corruption charges .
Jack Abramoff , perhaps the most infamous lobbyist in the world and one of the faces of George W. Bush-era corruption , is facing new federal charges in connection with a lobbying and wire fraud scheme involving a new cryptocurrency called AML Bitcoin .
Abramoff was charged by criminal information in connection with the indictment of Rowland Marcus Andrade .
As part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Andrade claimed they had technology that “ would allow the AML Bitcoin cryptocurrency to comply with anti-money laundering and know-your-customer laws and regulations.
” A Justice Department press release on Thursday said that Abramoff “ has filed a stipulated notice of an intent to change plea pursuant to a plea agreement , ” signaling that Abramoff will likely plead guilty in the case .
The criminal information alleged that Abramoff “ made false and misleading statements to an undercover agent posing as a potential large purchaser of AML Bitcoin.
” As part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , Abramoff engaged in a false “ rejection campaign ” claiming that a Super Bowl ad produced by AML Bitcoin had been rejected by the NFL because it controversially mocked the North Korean government .
But there wasn ’ t enough money to actually run the ad , and “ the advertisement was never rejected by the television network or the NFL.
” The feds said Abramoff “ retained at least four writers , who disseminated at least five op-ed articles regarding the purported rejection of the advertisement by the NFL and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were published on five separate online news platforms in February 2018.
” Prosecutors also allege that Abramoff worked for a California company in the marijuana industry but never registered as a lobbyist as legally required .
Additionally , an undercover FBI agent posing as a businessman met with Abramoff in April 2017 and entered into a lobbying agreement with him months later .
After setting up the agreement , Abramoff allegedly had contacts with a member of Congress and “ raised topics related to the legislative goals discussed with the undercover agent , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ member of Congress in or about July 2018.
” But the feds say he did not register for that client either .
The criminal information noted that Abramoff “ was aware of the obligations to register as a lobbyist in part because Congress amended provisions of the Lobbying Disclosure Act in 2007 in part as a reaction to ABRAMOFF ’ s past conduct as a lobbyist .
”

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Jack Abramoff, perhaps the most infamous lobbyist in the world and one of the faces of George W. Bush-era corruption, is facing new federal charges in connection with a lobbying and wire fraud scheme involving a new cryptocurrency called AML Bitcoin.
Abramoff was charged by criminal information in connection with the indictment of Rowland Marcus Andrade. As part of the scheme, according to federal prosecutors, Andrade claimed they had technology that “would allow the AML Bitcoin cryptocurrency to comply with anti-money laundering and know-your-customer laws and regulations.”
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A Justice Department press release on Thursday said that Abramoff “has filed a stipulated notice of an intent to change plea pursuant to a plea agreement,” signaling that Abramoff will likely plead guilty in the case.
The criminal information alleged that Abramoff “made false and misleading statements to an undercover agent posing as a potential large purchaser of AML Bitcoin.”
Former lobbyist Jack Abramoff pictured in Washington on May 16, 2012. Abramoff spent 43 months in prison after he was convicted in 2006 on influence peddling and corruption charges. JEWEL SAMAD via Getty Images
As part of the bitcoin scheme, the feds said, Abramoff engaged in a false “rejection campaign” claiming that a Super Bowl ad produced by AML Bitcoin had been rejected by the NFL because it controversially mocked the North Korean government. But there wasn’t enough money to actually run the ad, and “the advertisement was never rejected by the television network or the NFL.”
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The feds said Abramoff “retained at least four writers, who disseminated at least five op-ed articles regarding the purported rejection of the advertisement by the NFL and the television network, and these articles were published on five separate online news platforms in February 2018.”
Prosecutors also allege that Abramoff worked for a California company in the marijuana industry but never registered as a lobbyist as legally required.
Additionally, an undercover FBI agent posing as a businessman met with Abramoff in April 2017 and entered into a lobbying agreement with him months later. After setting up the agreement, Abramoff allegedly had contacts with a member of Congress and “raised topics related to the legislative goals discussed with the undercover agent, including during a meeting that included the member of Congress in or about July 2018.” But the feds say he did not register for that client either.
The criminal information noted that Abramoff “was aware of the obligations to register as a lobbyist in part because Congress amended provisions of the Lobbying Disclosure Act in 2007 in part as a reaction to ABRAMOFF’s past conduct as a lobbyist.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-25--Texas Puts Reopening On 'Pause' As COVID-19 Cases Soar

AUSTIN , Texas ( AP ) — Gov .
Greg Abbott on Thursday halted elective surgeries in Texas ’ biggest counties and said the state would “ pause ” its aggressive re-opening as it deals with a surge in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations that has made it one of the nation ’ s virus hotspots .
The suspension of elective surgeries is designed to protect hospital space in the Dallas , Houston , Austin and San Antonio areas .
Statewide , the number of COVID-19 patients has more than doubled in two weeks .
Texas has reported more than 11,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alone .
The pause on further re-openings does not roll back previous orders that already allowed much of the economy to reopen .
But it would appear to slow down any planned expansion of occupancy levels at places like bars , restaurants and amusement parks and other venues .
“ We are focused on strategies that slow the spread of this virus while also allowing Texans to continue earning a paycheck to support their families , ” Abbott said in a statement .
“ The last thing we want to do as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ businesses .
This temporary pause will help our state corral the spread until we can safely enter the next phase of opening our state for business.
” By reimposing a ban on elective surgeries , the Republican is returning to one of his first actions when the virus first emerged in Texas in March .
He later rescinded the order during an aggressive reopening of the state in May that lifted lockdown orders ahead of most of the U.S. Abbott this week has taken a newly urgent tone about the worsening trends and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stay home .
On Thursday , the number of hospitalizations climbed to nearly 4,400 patients , setting a new record for a 13th consecutive day .
Abbott has also urged Texans to wear masks in public .
The governor hasn ’ t issued a statewide mask order , but the state ’ s cities and counties has imposed new orders on businesses to require customers and workers to wear face coverings .

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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday halted elective surgeries in Texas’ biggest counties and said the state would “pause” its aggressive re-opening as it deals with a surge in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations that has made it one of the nation’s virus hotspots.
The suspension of elective surgeries is designed to protect hospital space in the Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio areas. Statewide, the number of COVID-19 patients has more than doubled in two weeks. Texas has reported more than 11,000 new cases in the previous two days alone.
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The pause on further re-openings does not roll back previous orders that already allowed much of the economy to reopen. But it would appear to slow down any planned expansion of occupancy levels at places like bars, restaurants and amusement parks and other venues.
“We are focused on strategies that slow the spread of this virus while also allowing Texans to continue earning a paycheck to support their families,” Abbott said in a statement. “The last thing we want to do as a state is go backwards and close down businesses. This temporary pause will help our state corral the spread until we can safely enter the next phase of opening our state for business.”
By reimposing a ban on elective surgeries, the Republican is returning to one of his first actions when the virus first emerged in Texas in March. He later rescinded the order during an aggressive reopening of the state in May that lifted lockdown orders ahead of most of the U.S.
Abbott this week has taken a newly urgent tone about the worsening trends and is now telling the public they should stay home. On Thursday, the number of hospitalizations climbed to nearly 4,400 patients, setting a new record for a 13th consecutive day.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-25--Running For Reelection, Trump Talks Like He’s Running For President Of The Confederacy

Amid a national uproar over the recent killing of a Black man by a white Minneapolis police officer and an erosion in his own polling numbers , Trump has made the cornerstone of his response a vow to protect monuments and memorials to the leaders of the treasonous rebellion that cost 750,000 lives for the sole purpose of keeping Blacks enslaved .
In 2017 , after neo-Nazis marched in Charlottesville , Virginia , and a counterprotester was killed when one of them drove his car into a crowd , Trump defended them for wanting to protect a statue of Confederate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there had been “ very fine people on both sides ” of the violent rally .
In 2019 , Trump called Lee a “ great general.
” Rick Wilson , a GOP consultant from Florida who has been making ads for the anti-Trump Lincoln Project , said Trump is misreading the politics of the moment .
He said an ad centered on the Confederacy called “ Flag of Treason ” is one of the most popular his group has made and aired .
Though the president who freed the slaves during the Civil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ party created specifically for that purpose , Republicans began courting Southern Democrats angry about legislation designed to help Blacks after the 1954 Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education that led to the integration of public schools .
The process accelerated following Lyndon Johnson ’ s push for the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and then was formalized in Richard Nixon ’ s “ Southern Strategy ” in 1968 .
White grievance politics , though , has been a feature of the Trump White House from the start .
Sebastian Gorka @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , was hired as an adviser to the president .
Bannon became Trump ’ s “ chief strategist , ” co-equal to his first chief of staff .
And Stephen Miller , who just years earlier as a Senate aide used to collaborate with Breitbart to generate articles attacking immigrants , became Trump ’ s top policy adviser and speechwriter .
And in recent months , Trump brought aboard Kayleigh McEnany , who as a law student eight years ago was among those , including Trump , spreading the “ birther ” lie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elected because he was not born in the United States .
Trump was so adamant about spreading his pro-Confederacy message that he had McEnany distribute printed-out copies of his tweets to reporters at the June 10 briefing and then read aloud from them .
She wound up spending a good part of that day ’ s session defending his stance .
The next day , Trump posted another statement to Twitter , urging Republicans in the Senate to reject the renaming language .
“ Seriously failed presidential candidate , Senator Elizabeth ‘ Pocahontas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the renaming of many of our legendary Military Bases from which we trained to WIN two World Wars .
Hopefully our great Republican Senators won ’ t fall for this !
” What Trump apparently did not realize was that the Senate Armed Services Committee had already adopted the amendment from Warren , a Massachusetts Democrat .
Removing it from the bill would require a vote on the Senate floor , forcing all 53 Republicans to take a stand on protecting the Confederacy , meaning that the final authorization act is now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

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WASHINGTON ― Donald Trump is running for a second term as president of the United States, but in recent weeks he’s spoken and written as if he wants to be the next president of the Confederacy.
Amid a national uproar over the recent killing of a Black man by a white Minneapolis police officer and an erosion in his own polling numbers, Trump has made the cornerstone of his response a vow to protect monuments and memorials to the leaders of the treasonous rebellion that cost 750,000 lives for the sole purpose of keeping Blacks enslaved.
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In speeches, Trump has vowed to protect “our heritage” as protesters around the country call for the removal of memorials to Confederate leaders. He has even threatened to veto a major defense bill that includes a provision requiring renaming military bases that now honor Confederate commanders.
“These Monumental and very Powerful Bases have become part of a Great American Heritage,” Trump wrote in a June 10 statement he posted to Twitter.
Trump has even ordered Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to restore a statue of Confederate Gen. Albert Pike that had been torn down by protesters in Washington, D.C., according to NBC News.
“He obviously thinks it plays with his base,” said David Axelrod, the Democratic consultant who led the campaign of the first African American president, Barack Obama, in 2008.
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In 2017, after neo-Nazis marched in Charlottesville, Virginia, and a counterprotester was killed when one of them drove his car into a crowd, Trump defended them for wanting to protect a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and said that there had been “very fine people on both sides” of the violent rally. In 2019, Trump called Lee a “great general.”
White House officials would not respond to HuffPost queries about Trump’s interest in the Confederacy’s heritage.
Rick Wilson, a GOP consultant from Florida who has been making ads for the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, said Trump is misreading the politics of the moment. He said an ad centered on the Confederacy called “Flag of Treason” is one of the most popular his group has made and aired.
He added that former Breitbart News publisher Steve Bannon, who ran Trump’s 2016 campaign in its final months and was a top White House aide in Trump’s first year, was the likely source of Trump’s continued support for all things Confederate.
“Bannon sold him on the ‘whites are 62% of the electorate, and we need to simply top out their numbers to win’ argument very early,” Wilson said of Trump. “Plus, he’s a racist.”
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Bannon did not respond to HuffPost’s queries for this story.
Trump’s Confederate Base
Though the president who freed the slaves during the Civil War was nominated by the party created specifically for that purpose, Republicans began courting Southern Democrats angry about legislation designed to help Blacks after the 1954 Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education that led to the integration of public schools. The process accelerated following Lyndon Johnson’s push for the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and then was formalized in Richard Nixon’s “Southern Strategy” in 1968.
Since then, Republicans have successfully relied on the former Confederacy as an electoral base for presidential campaigns, and Trump was no different.
In 2016, while the 11 former Confederate states accounted for 32% of the country’s population, they made up 48% of Trump’s electoral votes, according to a HuffPost analysis of voting and population data.
Trump beat Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton 147 to 13 in electoral votes from those states and won the popular vote 52% to 44%. Among the non-Confederate states, Clinton beat Trump 219 to 159 in electoral votes and won the popular vote 50% to 43%.
Overall, Clinton won the popular vote 48% to 46%, winning 3 million more actual ballots, but she lost in the Electoral College 306 to 232.
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Yet Trump’s vocal enthusiasm for monuments to the Confederacy, while it could help maintain support among a segment of his voting base, may well be turning off other groups.
Support for removing Confederate monuments has grown from 27%, according to a Reuters poll in 2017, to 52%, according to a Quinnipiac University poll last week.
The week before that, NASCAR ― long a bastion of fans waving Confederate flags and other iconography ― banned the symbol from its races. And Mississippi, which includes a Confederate battle flag in the upper left quadrant of its state flag, is moving toward changing it.
A Trump "Make America Great Again" flag flies below a Confederate flag at a private campground by the Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennesee. NASCAR recently banned Confederate flags from its tracks. Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
“When you’re on the wrong side of a cultural war from NASCAR? Dude,” said Stuart Stevens, a seventh-generation Mississippian who worked on the presidential campaign of George W. Bush in 2000, when Bush’s refusal to condemn South Carolina’s flying of the Confederate flag from its state Capitol became a divisive issue.
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Stevens said the recent protests sparked by the May 25 police killing of George Floyd have rapidly moved popular opinion on the Confederacy, and Republicans are in danger of being stuck on the wrong side of history.
“We’re discussing the legitimacy of the Confederacy. In 2020. It’s just so depressing,” he said. “There’s no pretense anymore that it’s not about white grievance.”
White Grievance Politics In The White House
White grievance politics, though, has been a feature of the Trump White House from the start. Sebastian Gorka, a far-right activist and Breitbart editor, was hired as an adviser to the president. Bannon became Trump’s “chief strategist,” co-equal to his first chief of staff. And Stephen Miller, who just years earlier as a Senate aide used to collaborate with Breitbart to generate articles attacking immigrants, became Trump’s top policy adviser and speechwriter. And in recent months, Trump brought aboard Kayleigh McEnany, who as a law student eight years ago was among those, including Trump, spreading the “birther” lie that the first Black president was illegitimately elected because he was not born in the United States.
Given that nurturing environment, and given his own background of years of inflaming racial division, that Trump would embrace the history of the Confederacy is hardly a surprise, critics said.
“Racism is his warm, fuzzy blanket. It’s what makes him feel at home,” said Josh Schwerin, senior strategist at the Democratic super PAC Priorities USA.
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Trump’s promise of a veto of the National Defense Authorization Act because of the Confederate names language, nevertheless, may be boxing all Republicans into a corner.
Trump was so adamant about spreading his pro-Confederacy message that he had McEnany distribute printed-out copies of his tweets to reporters at the June 10 briefing and then read aloud from them. She wound up spending a good part of that day’s session defending his stance.
The next day, Trump posted another statement to Twitter, urging Republicans in the Senate to reject the renaming language. “Seriously failed presidential candidate, Senator Elizabeth ‘Pocahontas’ Warren, just introduced an Amendment on the renaming of many of our legendary Military Bases from which we trained to WIN two World Wars. Hopefully our great Republican Senators won’t fall for this!”
What Trump apparently did not realize was that the Senate Armed Services Committee had already adopted the amendment from Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat. Removing it from the bill would require a vote on the Senate floor, forcing all 53 Republicans to take a stand on protecting the Confederacy, meaning that the final authorization act is now likely to contain the Confederate names language.
McEnany on June 10 said such a requirement would make the bill “an absolute nonstarter” for Trump and that “the president will not be signing legislation that renames America’s forts.”
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Following through on such a threat would mean vetoing one of the few “must-pass” bills of each year, one which also contains pay raises for service members, possibly in the weeks prior to the election ― thereby putting the issue of the Confederacy front and center before the voters.
And that could saddle every single Republican with Trump’s position on that issue, Stevens said. “It’s a disaster for these candidates running under Trump,” he said.
One former White House aide said the great irony in Trump’s concern for the Confederacy is that he has such a vague grasp of history that he hardly knows any of the names involved.
“He thought that big statue in Lafayette Park is Lafayette,” the aide said on condition of anonymity. “Don’t get him going.”
That central statue is not, in fact, of Frenchman and Revolutionary War hero Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis of Lafayette, but of Andrew Jackson, the seventh U.S. president and supposedly Trump’s great hero.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-25--Supreme Court Bolsters Trump's Power Over Rapid Deportation

The justices ruled 7-2 in favor of the administration in its appeal of a lower court ruling that a Sri Lankan farmer named Vijayakumar Thuraissigiam had a right to have a judge review the government ’ s handling of his bid for asylum .
The ruling , written by conservative Justice Samuel Alito , found that limiting judicial scrutiny of his rapid deportation case , known as expedited removal , did not violate key safeguards of individual liberty in the U.S. Constitution .
Two of the court ’ s four liberal justices , Stephen Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outcome but did not embrace Alito ’ s reasoning .
Alito wrote that it has long been recognized that people who have yet to be granted legal entry to the United States do not have the full range of constitutional rights and that Congress has some authority to determine what rights they do possess .
“ While aliens who have established connections in this country have due process rights in deportation proceedings , the court long ago held that Congress is entitled to set the conditions for an alien ’ s lawful entry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The San Francisco-based 9th U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals in 2019 ruled that under the Constitution ’ s suspension clause - relating to a person ’ s ability to challenge confinement by the government - courts must have the power to review Thuraissigiam ’ s claims .
The administration contended that the 9th Circuit ruling would defeat the purpose of quick deportation and “ impose a severe burden on the immigration system.
” Trump ’ s hardline policies on immigration and deportation have been a centerpiece of his presidency and his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The American Civil Liberties Union , representing Thuraissigiam , had warned that the administration ’ s stance , if accepted by the court , could be used to deport millions of illegal immigrants without meaningful judicial review .
Last week , the Supreme Court delivered a blow to Trump by blocking his attempt to rescind a government program that protects “ Dreamers ” - mostly immigrants from Latin America brought to the United States illegally as children - from deportation .
Thuraissigiam sought asylum in the United States , claiming that as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minority he was tortured over his political ties and subjected to beatings and simulated drowning .
He fled Sri Lanka in 2016 and was arrested in 2017 just north of the U.S. border between San Diego , California , and Tijuana , Mexico .
He was placed on track for expedited removal , a system dating back to 1996 that makes an exception for immigrants who can establish a “ credible fear ” of persecution or torture in their home country .
But officials rejected Thuraissigiam ’ s claim of credible fear , @ @ @ @ @

The justices ruled 7-2 in favor of the administration in its appeal of a lower court ruling that a Sri Lankan farmer named Vijayakumar Thuraissigiam had a right to have a judge review the government’s handling of his bid for asylum.
The ruling, written by conservative Justice Samuel Alito, found that limiting judicial scrutiny of his rapid deportation case, known as expedited removal, did not violate key safeguards of individual liberty in the U.S. Constitution. Two of the court’s four liberal justices, Stephen Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, joined the five conservative justices on the outcome but did not embrace Alito’s reasoning.
Alito wrote that it has long been recognized that people who have yet to be granted legal entry to the United States do not have the full range of constitutional rights and that Congress has some authority to determine what rights they do possess.
“While aliens who have established connections in this country have due process rights in deportation proceedings, the court long ago held that Congress is entitled to set the conditions for an alien’s lawful entry into this country,” Alito wrote.
Liberal justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan dissented.
The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2019 ruled that under the Constitution’s suspension clause - relating to a person’s ability to challenge confinement by the government - courts must have the power to review Thuraissigiam’s claims.
The administration contended that the 9th Circuit ruling would defeat the purpose of quick deportation and “impose a severe burden on the immigration system.” Trump’s hardline policies on immigration and deportation have been a centerpiece of his presidency and his bid for re-election on Nov. 3.
The American Civil Liberties Union, representing Thuraissigiam, had warned that the administration’s stance, if accepted by the court, could be used to deport millions of illegal immigrants without meaningful judicial review.
Last week, the Supreme Court delivered a blow to Trump by blocking his attempt to rescind a government program that protects “Dreamers” - mostly immigrants from Latin America brought to the United States illegally as children - from deportation.
Thuraissigiam sought asylum in the United States, claiming that as a member of Sri Lanka’s Tamil minority he was tortured over his political ties and subjected to beatings and simulated drowning. He fled Sri Lanka in 2016 and was arrested in 2017 just north of the U.S. border between San Diego, California, and Tijuana, Mexico.
He was placed on track for expedited removal, a system dating back to 1996 that makes an exception for immigrants who can establish a “credible fear” of persecution or torture in their home country. But officials rejected Thuraissigiam’s claim of credible fear, short-circuiting the asylum process.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-25--Media Brutally Calls Out John Bolton For Putting Money Over Patriotism

If John Bolton was expecting his book tour to go smoothly , he was sadly mistaken .
The former national @ @ @ @ @ the media rounds promoting “ The Room Where It Happened , ” his Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ s getting burned by outlets all over the ideological spectrum .
As the mashup video @ @ @ @ @ CNN and Fox News as well as the co-hosts of “ The View ” have @ @ @ @ @ very tough questions .
The main takeaway : Why did you wait to release damning @ @ @ @ @ you could have testified during the impeachment trial and it might have made a difference @ @ @ @ @ media put Bolton through the wringer in the video above .

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If John Bolton was expecting his book tour to go smoothly, he was sadly mistaken.
The former national security adviser is currently making the media rounds promoting “The Room Where It Happened,” his Donald Trump tell-all, and he’s getting burned by outlets all over the ideological spectrum.
As the mashup video above shows, anchors from CNN and Fox News as well as the co-hosts of “The View” have been bombarding Bolton with some very tough questions.
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The main takeaway: Why did you wait to release damning allegations against the president when you could have testified during the impeachment trial and it might have made a difference?
Fox News host Martha McCallum asked Bolton, “Isn’t it a shirking of duty to not step up in that moment, given how strongly you felt about what was going on?”
Her colleague, Brett Baier, pressed Bolton, “Don’t you feel some responsibility now that you’re saying [Trump] should have been impeached on other things, but you never piped up?”
Joy Behar of “The View” noted that Bolton worked for Trump for 17 months, but “never said a word until someone gave you $2 million to write a book about it.”
“View” co-host Sunny Hostin asked, “Help me understand why your silence is not complicity?”
CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer chided Bolton by saying, “You chose not to [testify to Congress under oath]. Instead, you wanted to wait until you could get your, quote, $2 million advance for your book.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-25--Trump Has Dismantled More Monuments Than Any Protest

At a Saturday campaign rally in Tulsa , Oklahoma , Trump came to the defense of Confederate generals like Robert E. Lee , Jefferson Davis and Stonewall Jackson , whose statues have been defaced and removed in recent weeks .
“ The unhinged left-wing mob is trying to vandalize our history , desecrate our monuments ― our beautiful monuments , ” he said , adding that “ they want to demolish our heritage.
” And after protesters attempted to topple a statue of slave-owning Trump hero President Andrew Jackson near the White House on Monday , Trump announced on Twitter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Government to arrest anyone who vandalizes or destroys any monument , statue or other such Federal property in the U.S. with up to 10 years in prison.
” Effective immediately , he added , but “ may also be used retroactively for destruction or vandalism already caused.
” Those rollbacks include carving more than 2 million acres from a pair of protected national monuments in Utah — Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante ― in December 2017 .
The boundary of Bears Ears , a 1.35 million-acre landscape that several tribes consider sacred , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1.87 million-acre Grand Staircase-Escalante , the largest land national monument in the country and rich in both archeological and paleontological resources , was cut roughly in half .
This month , Trump signed a proclamation to greenlight commercial fishing within Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument , a vast protected site off the East Coast ― a move that goes against the very purpose of designating a marine sanctuary .
The administration has also bulldozed and blown up Indigenous cultural and burial sites within Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument , a UNESCO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ endangered species , to make way for Trump ’ s wall along the U.S.-Mexico border .
Ned Norris Jr. , the chairman of the Tohono O ’ odham Nation , has compared construction of the wall on sacred burial sites to desecrating Arlington National Cemetery .
In the case of Bears Ears , five Native American tribes had come together to petition for the creation of the monument to honor and safeguard their cultural heritage .
The Obama administration protected the site , named after a pair of buttes , which is home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cultural sites .
When Trump traveled to Salt Lake City to sign the proclamation gutting Bears Ears , he said nothing about the tribes ’ yearslong fight to secure monument status for the area .
Instead , he railed against “ far-away bureaucrats ” in Washington , D.C. , and boasted that he was ending “ another egregious abuse of federal power ” and opening up protected areas to “ tremendously positive things , ” namely potential energy and mineral development .
The rollback was widely viewed as an illegal assault on tribes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition — a group of the five tribes with ties to the region — called the move “ a slap in the face to the members of our Tribes and an affront to Indian people all across the country.
” The coalition is among several groups now suing the administration in an effort to restore the monument ’ s original boundaries .
Trump and his team barely engaged with tribal leaders on the issue .
Then-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke , who also has a history of defending Confederate monuments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the face of a Navajo woman when asked why he hadn ’ t spent more time talking with tribal leaders as part of his review of the site .
But when anti-racist protesters target monuments honoring U.S. leaders with racist and genocidal legacies , Trump becomes a forceful defender of American history .
The president “ will not allow rioters to dismantle our cultural heritage , ” the White House wrote in a Twitter post that included a video of Trump blasting the protesters who targeted the statue of President Andrew Jackson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slaves , Jackson oversaw the deadly Trail of Tears that forced tens of thousands of Native Americans off their ancestral lands .
“ The president showed no concern for our ‘ heritage ’ when his Interior Department was decimating Bears Ears , land that is sacred to Native history and culture , ” Sen. Tom Udall ( D-N.M. ) said via email .
“ President Trump ’ s decision to sell off lands that are treasured by Tribes for development reveals that the president is not concerned with ‘ heritage ’ but rather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ benefit him politically.
” Trump ’ s dismantling of Bears Ears and quick defense of symbols upholding white supremacy shines a clear light on how his patriotism and perception of cultural heritage serves one demographic over all others , said Alastair Bitsoi , a member of the Navajo Nation and spokesman for Utah Diné Bikéyah , a nonprofit organization working to safeguard Bears Ears and other ancestral lands .
Bitsoi noted that there are more than 100,000 cultural and archaeological sites within the original monument boundary ― ancient rock art panels , granaries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that were significant to Indigenous communities long before people like Andrew Jackson came along .
The Trump rollback cut an estimated 74 % of the known archeological sites out of the monument .
“ If he thinks that people who are destroying national monuments across America should go to jail and he is not restoring Bears Ears monument , then he should go to jail himself , ” Bitsoi said .
“ I ’ m just following his logic.
” Trump said this week that he is readying an executive order to better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News reported Wednesday that Trump instructed Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to re-erect a statue of Gen. Albert Pike , the only Confederate monument in Washington , D.C. , after protesters tore it down and set it on fire on Juneteenth , the day commemorating Black emancipation from slavery .

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Amid a national uprising for racial justice and a deadly pandemic that’s disproportionately impacting Black, Latinx and Native communities, President Donald Trump is promising lengthy prison sentences for anyone who destroys or dismantles a monument to a slave-owning president or leader of the Confederacy.
At a Saturday campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Trump came to the defense of Confederate leaders like Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, whose statues have been defaced and removed in recent weeks. “The unhinged left-wing mob is trying to vandalize our history, desecrate our monuments ― our beautiful monuments,” he said, adding that “they want to demolish our heritage.”
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And after protesters attempted to topple a statue of slave-owning Trump hero President Andrew Jackson near the White House on Monday, Trump announced on Twitter that he had “authorized the Federal Government to arrest anyone who vandalizes or destroys any monument, statue or other such Federal property in the U.S. with up to 10 years in prison.” Effective immediately, he added, but “may also be used retroactively for destruction or vandalism already caused.”
But it is Trump who has done the most damage to national monuments, dismantling or desecrating four federally protected land and water sites with significant cultural, archeological and natural resources.
Those rollbacks include carving more than 2 million acres from a pair of protected national monuments in Utah — Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante ― in December 2017. The boundary of Bears Ears, a 1.35 million-acre landscape that several tribes consider sacred, was cut by 85%. Nearby 1.87 million-acre Grand Staircase-Escalante, the largest land national monument in the country and rich in both archeological and paleontological resources, was cut roughly in half. This month, Trump signed a proclamation to greenlight commercial fishing within Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, a vast protected site off the East Coast ― a move that goes against the very purpose of designating a marine sanctuary.
The Sand Island Petroglyph Panel was originally part of the Bears Ears National Monument, but President Donald Trump's proclamation in 2017 cut it from the protected site's boundary. Kim Raff for HuffPost
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The administration has also bulldozed and blown up Indigenous cultural and burial sites within Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, a UNESCO biosphere reserve that is also home to endangered species, to make way for Trump’s wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Ned Norris Jr., the chairman of the Tohono O’odham Nation, has compared construction of the wall on sacred burial sites to desecrating Arlington National Cemetery.
The Interior Department has floated additional cuts at several other protected national monuments.
In the case of Bears Ears, five Native American tribes had come together to petition for the creation of the monument to honor and safeguard their cultural heritage. The Obama administration protected the site, named after a pair of buttes, which is home to thousands of Native American archeological and cultural sites.
When Trump traveled to Salt Lake City to sign the proclamation gutting Bears Ears, he said nothing about the tribes’ yearslong fight to secure monument status for the area. Instead, he railed against “far-away bureaucrats” in Washington, D.C., and boasted that he was ending “another egregious abuse of federal power” and opening up protected areas to “tremendously positive things,” namely potential energy and mineral development.
The rollback was widely viewed as an illegal assault on tribes, tribal sovereignty and tribal culture. The Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition — a group of the five tribes with ties to the region — called the move “a slap in the face to the members of our Tribes and an affront to Indian people all across the country.” The coalition is among several groups now suing the administration in an effort to restore the monument’s original boundaries.
Trump and his team barely engaged with tribal leaders on the issue. Then-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who also has a history of defending Confederate monuments, even scolded and shook his finger in the face of a Navajo woman when asked why he hadn’t spent more time talking with tribal leaders as part of his review of the site.
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But when anti-racist protesters target monuments honoring U.S. leaders with racist and genocidal legacies, Trump becomes a forceful defender of American history. The president “will not allow rioters to dismantle our cultural heritage,” the White House wrote in a Twitter post that included a video of Trump blasting the protesters who targeted the statue of President Andrew Jackson. Along with owning more than 100 slaves, Jackson oversaw the deadly Trail of Tears that forced tens of thousands of Native Americans off their ancestral lands.
Last night, law enforcement stopped vandalism taking place in Lafayette Park.
President @realDonaldTrump will not allow rioters to dismantle our cultural heritage. pic.twitter.com/tNVuDTb1SD — The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 23, 2020
“The president showed no concern for our ‘heritage’ when his Interior Department was decimating Bears Ears, land that is sacred to Native history and culture,” Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) said via email. “President Trump’s decision to sell off lands that are treasured by Tribes for development reveals that the president is not concerned with ‘heritage’ but rather dividing Americans in ways he thinks will benefit him politically.”
Trump’s dismantling of Bears Ears and quick defense of symbols upholding white supremacy shines a clear light on how his patriotism and perception of cultural heritage serves one demographic over all others, said Alastair Bitsoi, a member of the Navajo Nation and spokesman for Utah Diné Bikéyah, a nonprofit organization working to safeguard Bears Ears and other ancestral lands. Bitsoi noted that there are more than 100,000 cultural and archaeological sites within the original monument boundary ― ancient rock art panels, granaries, burials and well-preserved cliff dwellings ― that were significant to Indigenous communities long before people like Andrew Jackson came along. The Trump rollback cut an estimated 74% of the known archeological sites out of the monument.
“If he thinks that people who are destroying national monuments across America should go to jail and he is not restoring Bears Ears monument, then he should go to jail himself,” Bitsoi said. “I’m just following his logic.”
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In response to a request for comment, the White House sent an off-the-record statement. Officials did not include anything HuffPost could actually use in this article.
President Donald Trump signs a proclamation shrinking Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments at the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City, Utah, in December 2017. SAUL LOEB via Getty Images
Trump said this week that he is readying an executive order to better protect national statues and monuments. NBC News reported Wednesday that Trump instructed Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to re-erect a statue of Gen. Albert Pike, the only Confederate monument in Washington, D.C., after protesters tore it down and set it on fire on Juneteenth, the day commemorating Black emancipation from slavery.
“We will protect these monuments and we will do it with dispatch and severity,” Bernhardt said in a Tuesday night interview with Fox News. “Every time a monument is destroyed or damaged,” he added, “that’s an injury against all of us.”
The administrative effort and upcoming executive order are unlikely to benefit the Indigenous cultural and spiritual sites that have lost protections and been desecrated during Trump’s tenure.
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“The Trump Administration fails to acknowledge the incredible cultural history of indigenous people on this continent,” Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.), one of the first two Native American women to serve in Congress, wrote on Twitter. “The President’s defense of white supremacy is incredibly insulting and his actions reflect his lack of respect for Tribes.”