thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-25--What Amy Coney Barrett On The Supreme Court Would Mean for Abortion Rights

The reported plan to nominate Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court has at once alarmed liberals and exhilarated social conservatives , both of whom believe that she would be likely to support restrictions on abortion rights and could even vote to overturn Roe v. Wade , the decision legalizing the procedure nationwide .
President Donald Trump is expected on Saturday to nominate Barrett , a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit and a law professor at the University of Notre Dame , after the death last week of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the court ’ s most consistent liberal voices , dramatically shifting the court ’ s center of gravity further to the right .
She could also have a long tenure : At 48 , Barrett would be the youngest justice on the bench .
Abortion rights advocates are terrified about what that means .
Barrett is known for her conservative religious views , and , in recent years , her name has risen to the top of anti-abortion groups ’ wishlists of prospective Supreme Court justices .
A devout Catholic , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who are adopted , and has spoken openly about her personal belief that life begins at conception .
It ’ s impossible to know for certain how any justice ’ s tenure will go .
There are several examples of judges viewed as reliably anti-abortion making unexpected rulings , including this year , when John Roberts sided with his liberal colleagues to strike down a Louisiana abortion law .
But many clues point to Barrett ’ s hostility to Roe v. Wade .
And if she makes it to the Supreme Court , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time again , she ’ ll have considerable power to shape the future of reproductive rights for the entire nation .
During that time , Barrett signed a letter of protest to the Obama administration about the birth control mandate in the Affordable Care Act that requires most private health insurance plans to cover birth control without a copay .
The statement criticized the workaround offered to religious employers , saying it “ changes nothing of moral substance and fails to remove the assault on individual liberty and the rights of conscience which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ birth control mandate was back at the Supreme Court as recently as last term .
She told students in 2013 that it was unlikely that Roe would be overturned and expressed her opinion that supporting poor , single mothers was the best way to reduce the number of abortions in the U.S. At another talk , at Jacksonville University in 2016 , she repeated that the central holding of Roe ― that women have the right to an abortion ― was unlikely to change .
Barrett ’ s liberal critics worry about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ influence her legal thinking .
During her 2017 confirmation hearing , she was asked if she believed abortion was always immoral .
She said that was the Catholic church ’ s teaching but that if she was confirmed , her views would have no bearing on the discharge of her duties as a judge .
Her confirmation would bring the court ’ s religious affiliations to six Catholics , an Episcopal who was raised Catholic , and two Jews .
What Could Come Next “ If Amy Coney Barrett is appointed , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that the anti-abortion majority on the Supreme Court will seize the next abortion rights case to overturn Roe or obliterate it to the point that states have carte blanche to restrict the right however they choose , ” she said .
“ She shares the court majority ’ s regressive agenda aimed at unraveling a host of hard-won civil rights , including reproductive rights.
” “ Trump is a president who , before he was elected , made it very clear that he would only nominate judges who would be anti-abortion and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ v. Wade , ” Goodwin said .
“ Are reproductive health , rights and justice in danger , specifically with contraception and abortion ?
Yes.
” Though the religious right is currently enthusiastic about the possibility of Barrett joining the court , Daniel Williams , a historian at the University of West Georgia who wrote a book on the anti-abortion movement , cautioned that they have misjudged judges ’ leanings in the past .
Beyond her strong religious convictions , one of the reasons Barrett is favored by anti-abortion advocates is precisely because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Many activists who want Roe to be overturned do not want the decision to be made by male justices only .
The optics are bad .

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President Donald Trump’s nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court has at once alarmed liberals and exhilarated social conservatives, both of whom believe that she would be likely to support restrictions on abortion rights and could even vote to overturn Roe v. Wade, the decision legalizing the procedure nationwide.
On Saturday, Trump nominated Barrett, a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit and a law professor at the University of Notre Dame, after the death last week of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. If confirmed, she would replace one of the court’s most consistent liberal voices, dramatically shifting the court’s center of gravity further to the right. She could also have a long tenure: At 48, Barrett would be the youngest justice on the bench.
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Abortion rights advocates are terrified about what that means. Barrett is known for her conservative religious views, and, in recent years, her name has risen to the top of anti-abortion groups’ wishlists of prospective Supreme Court justices. A devout Catholic, Barrett has seven children, including two who are adopted, and has spoken openly about her personal belief that life begins at conception.
It’s impossible to know for certain how any justice’s tenure will go. There are several examples of judges viewed as reliably anti-abortion making unexpected rulings, including this year, when John Roberts sided with his liberal colleagues to strike down a Louisiana abortion law. But many clues point to Barrett’s hostility to Roe v. Wade. And if she makes it to the Supreme Court, where abortion issues come up time and time again, she’ll have considerable power to shape the future of reproductive rights for the entire nation.
A bruising confirmation battle is expected with abortion rights at its center. Her nomination comes on the heels of a historic surge in bold abortion bans passed in state legislatures across the country.
Barrett’s Record On Reproductive Rights
Barrett has been a federal judge for only three years, so much of what can be gleaned about her views on reproductive rights comes from her time in academia.
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From 2010 to 2016, she was a member of Notre Dame’s Faculty for Life group, which was founded to “promote research, dialogue and publication by faculty who respect the value of human life from conception to natural death.”
During that time, Barrett signed a letter of protest to the Obama administration about the birth control mandate in the Affordable Care Act that requires most private health insurance plans to cover birth control without a copay. The statement criticized the workaround offered to religious employers, saying it “changes nothing of moral substance and fails to remove the assault on individual liberty and the rights of conscience which gave rise to the controversy.” The birth control mandate was back at the Supreme Court as recently as last term.
Barrett also signed onto a letter to Catholic bishops giving witness to the “value of human life from conception to natural death.”
She told students in 2013 that it was unlikely that Roe would be overturned and expressed her opinion that supporting poor, single mothers was the best way to reduce the number of abortions in the U.S. At another talk, at Jacksonville University in 2016, she repeated that the central holding of Roe ― that women have the right to an abortion ― was unlikely to change.
“I think the question is how much freedom the court is willing to let states have in regulating abortion,” she said.
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President Donald Trump is expected to nominate Judge Amy Coney Barrett of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th District to the Supreme Court on Saturday. Matt Cashore/Notre Dame University via REUTERS.
As a federal judge, Barrett has not ruled directly on abortion cases. But she has twice signaled her opposition to rulings that struck down abortion laws.
Barrett’s liberal critics worry about the extent to which her religious beliefs may influence her legal thinking. During her 2017 confirmation hearing, she was asked if she believed abortion was always immoral. She said that was the Catholic church’s teaching but that if she was confirmed, her views would have no bearing on the discharge of her duties as a judge. Her confirmation would bring the court’s religious affiliations to six Catholics, an Episcopal who was raised Catholic, and two Jews.
Her affiliation with a conservative Christian community, People of Praise, has also come under renewed scrutiny.
What Could Come Next
Though Barrett has a short record on reproductive rights, it is clear where she stands, said Jill Adams, executive director of If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice, which provides legal assistance to women seeking abortions.
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“If Amy Coney Barrett is appointed, it’s quite possible, even probable, that the anti-abortion majority on the Supreme Court will seize the next abortion rights case to overturn Roe or obliterate it to the point that states have carte blanche to restrict the right however they choose,” she said. “She shares the court majority’s regressive agenda aimed at unraveling a host of hard-won civil rights, including reproductive rights.”
Michele Goodwin, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine, noted that in the past, Republican presidents have nominated justices who respected reproductive rights. Roe v. Wade, for example, was a 7-2 decision written by Justice Harry Blackmun, a President Richard Nixon appointee.
But these times are different.
“Trump is a president who, before he was elected, made it very clear that he would only nominate judges who would be anti-abortion and judges who would work to dismantle Roe v. Wade,” Goodwin said. “Are reproductive health, rights and justice in danger, specifically with contraception and abortion? Yes.”
Though the religious right is currently enthusiastic about the possibility of Barrett joining the court, Daniel Williams, a historian at the University of West Georgia who wrote a book on the anti-abortion movement, cautioned that they have misjudged judges’ leanings in the past.
“There was a lot of excitement about Anthony Kennedy among pro-life circles,” he said. “Then Justice Kennedy ended up writing the ruling in Planned Parenthood v. Casey that largely reaffirmed the basic tenets of Roe. That was a great disappointment to them.”
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Beyond her strong religious convictions, one of the reasons Barrett is favored by anti-abortion advocates is precisely because of her gender, Williams explained. Many activists who want Roe to be overturned do not want the decision to be made by male justices only. The optics are bad.
“The prospect of having the decision written by a woman is something that pro-life advocates, while not considering absolutely essential, have desired,” Williams said.
The fact that Barrett opposes abortion in her personal life does not necessarily mean that she will impose those views as a justice, added Mary Ziegler, a professor at Florida State University and author of “Abortion and the Law in America: Roe v. Wade to the Present.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-25--Kentucky's Only Black Female State Lawmaker And ‘Breonna’s Law’ Author Arrested

A Kentucky lawmaker and author of a bill to prohibit no-knock warrants in the state was one of at least 24 people arrested by Louisville police Thursday night , as demonstrators continued to take to the streets after a grand jury declined to bring any murder charges against the three police officers involved in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor .
State Rep. Attica Scott ( D ) , the only Black woman serving in the state Legislature , was charged with first-degree rioting , failure to disperse and unlawful assembly , Louisville Metro Police said late Thursday .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ known as “ Breonna ’ s Law , ” honoring Taylor , the 26-year-old Black woman shot in bed at her Louisville apartment in March in a botched police raid for which a no-knock warrant had been issued .
The officers say they knocked before entering , though that is in dispute .
Kentucky Democratic Rep. Attica Scott , seen here at a February rally to advance LGTBQ rights held at the state Capitol in Frankfort , faces charges of first-degree rioting , failure to disperse and unlawful assembly stemming from protests Thursday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ along with her daughter and Shameka Parrish-Wright , a leader of the local chapter of the Bail Project , which has worked to help protesters post bail after being arrested .
The three were part of a group of demonstrators arrested outside of the main branch of Louisville ’ s public library .
Officers accused them of vandalizing the library , according to a police report .
Elected in 2016 , Scott became the first Black woman in over 20 years to serve in the state legislature .
Along with banning no-knock warrants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ require police to turn on their body cameras when executing search warrants .
The officers who raided Taylor ’ s residence either were not wearing body cameras or did not have one turned on .
The officers were looking for two men suspected of drug dealing ― neither of whom were at the apartment .
Taylor ’ s boyfriend has said he thought someone was breaking into the home and he responded by firing a gun that wounded one of the cops .
They responded with gunfire that killed Taylor , an emergency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Scott faces is a Class D felony — the same level as the “ wanton endangerment ” charge the grand jury brought against former police Det .
Brett Hankison , who was fired in June .
No charges were filed against the other two officers , both of whom remain on the force .
The charge against Hankison stems from shots he fired that entered a different apartment then Taylor ’ s , meaning that her death did not directly result in any criminal case .
Last week , the city of Louisville @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family $ 12 million and pledged to reform police practices .

A Kentucky lawmaker and author of a bill to prohibit no-knock warrants in the state was one of at least 24 people arrested by Louisville police Thursday night, as demonstrators continued to take to the streets after a grand jury declined to bring any murder charges against the three police officers involved in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor.
State Rep. Attica Scott (D), the only Black woman serving in the state Legislature, was charged with first-degree rioting, failure to disperse and unlawful assembly, Louisville Metro Police said late Thursday.
The bill proposed by Scott in August is known as “Breonna’s Law,” honoring Taylor, the 26-year-old Black woman shot at her Louisville apartment in March in a botched police raid for which a no-knock warrant had been issued. The officers say they knocked before entering, though that is in dispute.
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Kentucky Democratic Rep. Attica Scott, seen here at a February rally to advance LGTBQ rights held at the state Capitol in Frankfort, faces charges of first-degree rioting, failure to disperse and unlawful assembly stemming from protests Thursday night in Louisville. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Scott was arrested along with her daughter and Shameka Parrish-Wright, a leader of the local chapter of the Bail Project, which has worked to help protesters post bail after being arrested. The three were part of a group of demonstrators arrested outside of the main branch of Louisville’s public library. Officers accused them of vandalizing the library, according to a police report.
Lmpd have arrested Rep. Attica Scott, author of Breonna’s law pic.twitter.com/Gla14x8Es6 — Ryan Van Velzer (@RyanVanVelzer) September 25, 2020
They were released Friday morning, The Louisville Courier Journal reported.
Elected in 2016, Scott became the first Black woman in over 20 years to serve in the state legislature.
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Along with banning no-knock warrants, Scott’s bill would also require police to turn on their body cameras when executing search warrants. The officers who raided Taylor’s residence either were not wearing body cameras or did not have one turned on.
The officers were looking for two men suspected of drug dealing ― neither of whom were at the apartment. Taylor’s boyfriend has said he thought someone was breaking into the home and he responded by firing a gun that wounded one of the cops. They responded with gunfire that killed Taylor, an emergency room technician.
The first-degree rioting charge Scott faces is a Class D felony — the same level as the “wanton endangerment” charge the grand jury brought against former police Det. Brett Hankison, who was fired in June. No charges were filed against the other two officers, both of whom remain on the force.
The charge against Hankison stems from shots he fired that entered a different apartment then Taylor’s, meaning that her death did not directly result in any criminal case. Last week, the city of Louisville did agree to pay Taylor’s family $12 million and pledged to reform police practices.
No drugs were found in Taylor’s residence.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-25--Amy Coney Barrett Is Trump's Likely Supreme Court Pick. Here's What We Know About Her.

Following Ginsburg ’ s death last week , Trump said he plans to install a new Supreme Court justice just weeks away from the Nov. 3 presidential election .
Multiple outlets reported Friday that Barrett , a conservative judge who has been on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit since 2017 , is Trump ’ s likely pick to fill the spot .
The 48-year-old judge and mother of seven would be the youngest justice on the court if she is nominated .
Here ’ s what we know about her : She has been tied to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ handmaids.
” Barrett has , and may still be , a member of People of Praise , a group that describes itself as a “ charismatic ” Christian community and that previously referred to its female leaders as “ handmaids.
” This prompted comparisons to Margaret Atwood ’ s dystopian novel “ The Handmaid ’ s Tale , ” in which women are enslaved .
At the time the comparisons surfaced , People of Praise , which believes in miraculous healing and speaking in tongues , claimed the term came from a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ uses it .
A photograph and other references to Barrett were scrubbed from People of Praise ’ s website after Trump nominated her to the 7th Circuit in 2017 , The New York Times reported , and the group declined to say whether Barrett was still a member .
Ginsburg , on the other hand , had long stood in favor of the ruling , defending women ’ s right to choose since her confirmation to the bench in 1993 .
Following the justice ’ s death , conservatives signaled they would work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they confirm a new conservative judge to the bench .
During Barrett ’ s 2017 Senate confirmation , more than a dozen women ’ s rights groups wrote to Judiciary Committee members urging them to oppose Barrett for her record of having “ expressly opposed reproductive and women ’ s rights , ” citing her 2003 article .
Barrett did , however , follow Supreme Court precedent last year in voting to uphold a Chicago law shielding women entering abortion clinics from unwelcome interactions with protesters and counselors , according to The New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fee from a group that believes in forced sterilization for transgender people .
A 2017 letter signed by more than 20 LGBTQ groups opposed Barrett ’ s nomination to the 7th Circuit , saying her record on “ civil rights issues are fundamentally at odds with the notion that LGBT people entitled to equality , liberty , justice and dignity under the law.
” The letter cited a speaking fee Barrett took from Alliance Defending Freedom , the largest anti-LGBTQ legal advocacy group in the nation .
The ADF has defended forced sterilization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center .

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Judge Amy Coney Barrett is President Donald Trump’s likely pick for a Supreme Court seat to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Following Ginsburg’s death last week, Trump said he plans to install a new Supreme Court justice just weeks away from the Nov. 3 presidential election. Multiple outlets reported Friday that Barrett, a conservative judge who has been on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit since 2017, is Trump’s likely pick to fill the spot.
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The 48-year-old judge and mother of seven would be the youngest justice on the court if she is nominated. Here’s what we know about her:
She has been tied to a religious group that called female leaders “handmaids.”
Barrett has, and may still be, a member of People of Praise, a group that describes itself as a “charismatic” Christian community and that previously referred to its female leaders as “handmaids.” This prompted comparisons to Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel “The Handmaid’s Tale,” in which women are enslaved.
At the time the comparisons surfaced, People of Praise, which believes in miraculous healing and speaking in tongues, claimed the term came from a Bible verse. The group no longer uses it.
A photograph and other references to Barrett were scrubbed from People of Praise’s website after Trump nominated her to the 7th Circuit in 2017, The New York Times reported, and the group declined to say whether Barrett was still a member.
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She called Roe v. Wade an “erroneous decision.”
Barrett said the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision ensuring women’s access to abortion was an “erroneous decision” in a 2003 article.
Ginsburg, on the other hand, had long stood in favor of the ruling, defending women’s right to choose since her confirmation to the bench in 1993. Following the justice’s death, conservatives signaled they would work to reverse the landmark decision, should they confirm a new conservative judge to the bench.
During Barrett’s 2017 Senate confirmation, more than a dozen women’s rights groups wrote to Judiciary Committee members urging them to oppose Barrett for her record of having “expressly opposed reproductive and women’s rights,” citing her 2003 article.
Barrett did, however, follow Supreme Court precedent last year in voting to uphold a Chicago law shielding women entering abortion clinics from unwelcome interactions with protesters and counselors, according to The New York Times.
She took a speaking fee from a group that believes in forced sterilization for transgender people.
A 2017 letter signed by more than 20 LGBTQ groups opposed Barrett’s nomination to the 7th Circuit, saying her record on “civil rights issues are fundamentally at odds with the notion that LGBT people entitled to equality, liberty, justice and dignity under the law.”
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The letter cited a speaking fee Barrett took from Alliance Defending Freedom, the largest anti-LGBTQ legal advocacy group in the nation. The ADF has defended forced sterilization for transgender people and has been dubbed a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-25--Trump Pledges To Make Juneteenth Federal Holiday In Bid For Black Voters

ATLANTA , Sept 25 ( Reuters ) - President Donald Trump made a series of promises at a campaign event in Atlanta on Friday in a bid to woo Black voters , including establishing Juneteenth , which commemorates the end of U.S. slavery , as a federal holiday .
Trump , who announced the promises less than 40 days before the November presidential election , also pledged to designate two groups as terrorist organizations : the white supremacist Ku Klux Klan and the amorphous movement known as antifa that opposes fascism .
He also promised to increase access to capital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , support Black-owned businesses and expanding opportunity zones .
Trump said he “ will always put Americans first and that includes very , very importantly Black Americans.
” He spoke at an event in Atlanta , a majority-Black city and the largest inGeorgia , a state that could come into play in the Nov. 3election .
The speech and a fact sheet provided by Trump ’ s campaign did not spell out how Trump would make good on his promises .
Only Congress has the power to create a federal holiday , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawmakers to pass .
Calls to make Juneteenth , June 19 , a federal holiday grewlouder this summer as Black Lives Matter protests swept throughthe country and many organizations gave their workers the dayoff .
The day is already recognized by 47 states and the Districtof Columbia .
It marks when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston , Texas , and shared the news that slavery was abolished .
Hawaii , North Dakota and South Dakota do not have a holidayor other official observance of Juneteenth .
Trump is trailinng Democratic opponent Joe Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 , but his lead over Biden in thestate has recently narrowed , with a New York Times poll thisweek showing the candidates in a tie .
More than 85 % of Black voters belong to the Democratic partyor lean toward it , according to the Pew Research Center .

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ATLANTA, Sept 25 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump made a series of promises at a campaign event in Atlanta on Friday in a bid to woo Black voters, including establishing Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of U.S. slavery, as a federal holiday.
Trump, who announced the promises less than 40 days before the November presidential election, also pledged to designate two groups as terrorist organizations: the white supremacist Ku Klux Klan and the amorphous movement known as antifa that opposes fascism. He also promised to increase access to capital in Black communities, create more jobs, support Black-owned businesses and expanding opportunity zones.
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Trump said he “will always put Americans first and that includes very, very importantly Black Americans.” He spoke at an event in Atlanta, a majority-Black city and the largest inGeorgia, a state that could come into play in the Nov. 3election.
The speech and a fact sheet provided by Trump’s campaign did not spell out how Trump would make good on his promises.
Only Congress has the power to create a federal holiday, but Trump could help introduce a measure for lawmakers to pass.
Calls to make Juneteenth, June 19, a federal holiday grewlouder this summer as Black Lives Matter protests swept throughthe country and many organizations gave their workers the dayoff. The day is already recognized by 47 states and the Districtof Columbia. It marks when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston,Texas, and shared the news that slavery was abolished.
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Hawaii, North Dakota and South Dakota do not have a holidayor other official observance of Juneteenth.
Trump is trailinng Democratic opponent Joe Biden in nationalpolling. He won Georgia in 2016, but his lead over Biden in thestate has recently narrowed, with a New York Times poll thisweek showing the candidates in a tie.
More than 85% of Black voters belong to the Democratic partyor lean toward it, according to the Pew Research Center.
Still, Trump told the Atlanta crowd that Biden “doesn’t knowBlack Americans like I do.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-25--Nancy Pelosi Still Doesn't Think Biden Should Debate Trump: 'Why Bother?'

The first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden is set for Tuesday , but Rep. Nancy Pelosi still wishes it wasn ’ t happening .
The House Speaker said last month that she didn ’ t think there should be presidential debates this year since the president will “ probably act in a way that is beneath the dignity of the presidency.
” She doubled down Friday in an interview with CBS This Morning but emphasized that it ’ s not because she feared Biden might not do well .
It ’ s “ not that I don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be excellent , but I just think the president has no fidelity to fact or truth , ” Pelosi said .
“ And , actually , in his comments the last few days , no fidelity to the Constitution of the United States.
” Pelosi added that comments by Trump “ and his henchmen ” suggest he won ’ t accept the election results if he loses , which poses “ a danger to our democracy.
” “ Why bother ?
” Pelosi asked .
“ He doesn ’ t tell the truth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our Constitution.
” Interviewer Gayle King suggested that Pelosi ’ s use of the word “ henchmen ” is as insulting as Trump calling her “ crazy.
” “ Every knock from him is a boost for me , ” she said .
“ If he wants to help me raise money , he can keep knocking me.
” You can watch the complete interview below .
Pelosi ’ s comments about the debate start around the six-minute mark .
As President Trump gets set to nominate his pick for the Supreme Court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weigh in on what Democrats could do in the confirmation fight .
pic.twitter.com/ZCvDRvDql0 — CBS This Morning ( @ CBSThisMorning ) September 25 , 2020

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The first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden is set for Tuesday, but Rep. Nancy Pelosi still wishes it wasn’t happening.
The House Speaker said last month that she didn’t think there should be presidential debates this year since the president will “probably act in a way that is beneath the dignity of the presidency.”
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She doubled down Friday in an interview with CBS This Morning but emphasized that it’s not because she feared Biden might not do well.
It’s “not that I don’t think [Biden] will be excellent, but I just think the president has no fidelity to fact or truth,” Pelosi said. “And, actually, in his comments the last few days, no fidelity to the Constitution of the United States.”
Pelosi added that comments by Trump “and his henchmen” suggest he won’t accept the election results if he loses, which poses “a danger to our democracy.”
“Why bother?” Pelosi asked. “He doesn’t tell the truth. He isn’t committed to our Constitution.”
Interviewer Gayle King suggested that Pelosi’s use of the word “henchmen” is as insulting as Trump calling her “crazy.”
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Pelosi’s response? Bring it on!
“Every knock from him is a boost for me,” she said. “If he wants to help me raise money, he can keep knocking me.”
You can watch the complete interview below. Pelosi’s comments about the debate start around the six-minute mark.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-25--Historic Images As Ruth Bader Ginsburg Lies In State At U.S. Capitol

After two days lying in repose at the U.S. Supreme Court , the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is now lying in state in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol .
Ginsburg is the first woman to lie in state at the Capitol .
Rosa Parks lay in honor there after her death in 2005 .
See the latest historic images from the U.S. Capitol below .
The casket of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg arrives at the U.S. Capitol , where Ginsburg will lie in state in Statuary Hall , on Sept. 25 , 2020 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ carried by a joint services military honor guard into the U.S. Capitol .
The casket of Justice Ginsburg is carried by a military honor guard through the Capitol Rotunda to Statuary Hall .
The flag-draped casket of Justice Ginsburg is placed on a catafalque to lie in state in Statuary Hall .
A photo of Justice Ginsburg looks over her casket in Statuary Hall .
Former vice president and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his wife , Jill Biden , pay their respects to the late Justice Ginsburg .
The flag-draped casket @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

After two days lying in repose at the U.S. Supreme Court, the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is now lying in state in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol.
Ginsburg is the first woman to lie in state at the Capitol. Rosa Parks lay in honor there after her death in 2005.
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See the latest historic images from the U.S. Capitol below.
ALEX BRANDON via Getty Images
The casket of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg arrives at the U.S. Capitol, where Ginsburg will lie in state in Statuary Hall, on Sept. 25, 2020.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
The flag-draped casket of Justice Ginsburg is carried by a joint services military honor guard into the U.S. Capitol.
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Pool/Reuters
The casket of Justice Ginsburg is carried by a military honor guard through the Capitol Rotunda to Statuary Hall.
Shawn Thew/Pool/AP
The flag-draped casket of Justice Ginsburg is placed on a catafalque to lie in state in Statuary Hall.
Pool via Getty Images
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A photo of Justice Ginsburg looks over her casket in Statuary Hall.
CHIP SOMODEVILLA via Getty Images
Former vice president and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, pay their respects to the late Justice Ginsburg.
Olivier Douliery/Pool/AP
The flag-draped casket lies in state at the U.S. Capitol.
Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
People pay their respects to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Olivier Douliery/Pool/AP
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-25--Breonna Taylor's Family Reacts To Decision Not To Indict Officers On Murder Charges

The family of Breonna Taylor , the Black woman fatally shot by police in Louisville , Kentucky , in March , are “ heartbroken ” and “ devastated ” by a grand jury ’ s decision not to file manslaughter or murder charges against the officers involved , their attorney Ben Crump said Friday .
“ You didn ’ t just rob me of my daughter , ” Palmer ’ s statement said .
“ You robbed the world of a queen.
” The grand jury indicted former Louisville police Officer Brett Hankison on three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but not into Taylor ’ s .
Crump and Lonita Baker , another attorney for the family , demanded that officials release a transcript of the grand jury hearing , expressing doubt about the evidence that was presented .
None of three officers involved in the shooting were charged with manslaughter or murder , as Taylor ’ s family and anti-racism protesters nationwide have demanded .
“ Sister , you was failed by a system you worked hard for and i am so sorry , ” Taylor ’ s sister , Juniyah Palmer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ love you so so so so so much.
” “ If Brett Hankison ’ s behavior was wanton endangerment to people in neighboring apartments , then it should have been wanton endangerment in Breonna Taylor ’ s apartment too , ” Crump tweeted on Wednesday .
“ In fact , it should have been ruled wanton murder !
” In the early hours of March 13 , officers fatally shot Taylor , a 26-year-old Black EMT , in her own apartment .
The officers , who used a battering ram to enter Taylor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no-knock ” warrant because they believed a suspect in a drug ring ― who did not live there ― was having packages delivered to Taylor ’ s home .
The individual allegedly involved in the ring had actually been arrested earlier that day , which police acknowledged after the fact .
Taylor ’ s boyfriend , Kenneth Walker , called 911 when the officers burst in .
He shot at them in self-defense , striking one officer in the femoral artery .
The officers responded by firing at least six shots , killing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the officers knocked several times and identified themselves before entering .
Walker has said he and Taylor heard loud banging at the door but that nobody identified themselves .
None of the officers were wearing body cameras .
During a press conference Wednesday to announce the indictment , Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron , a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump , said he ’ d spoken to Taylor ’ s family about the grand jury ’ s decision earlier that day .
“ Every day this family wakes up to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ longer with them , ” Cameron said .
“ There ’ s nothing I can offer today to take away the grief and heartache this family is experiencing as a result of losing a child , a niece , a sister and a friend.
” In the statement read by Austin on Friday , Taylor ’ s mother said she “ never had faith in Daniel Cameron to begin with.
” The city of Louisville settled a wrongful death lawsuit with Taylor ’ s family last week .
The city agreed to pay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family and institute sweeping police reforms as part of the historic settlement .

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The family of Breonna Taylor, the Black woman fatally shot by police in Louisville, Kentucky, in March, are “heartbroken” and “devastated” by a grand jury’s decision not to file manslaughter or murder charges against the officers involved, their attorney Ben Crump said Friday.
“The system as a whole has failed her,” Tamika Palmer, Taylor’s mother, said in a statement read aloud by Bianca Austin, Taylor’s aunt.
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“You didn’t just rob me of my daughter,” Palmer’s statement said. “You robbed the world of a queen.”
The grand jury indicted former Louisville police Officer Brett Hankison on three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment for firing shots into neighboring apartments, but not into Taylor’s.
Crump and Lonita Baker, another attorney for the family, demanded that officials release a transcript of the grand jury hearing, expressing doubt about the evidence that was presented.
None of the three officers involved in the shooting were charged with manslaughter or murder, as Taylor’s family and anti-racism protesters nationwide have demanded.
“Sister, you was failed by a system you worked hard for and i am so sorry,” Taylor’s sister, Juniyah Palmer, posted on Instagram. “I love you so so so so so much.”
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Breonna Taylor's sister, Juniyah, on Instagram: "sister i am so sorry" pic.twitter.com/gT13dI9Kl7 — Darcy Costello (@dctello) September 23, 2020
Crump called the lack of murder charges against Hankison “outrageous and offensive.”
“If Brett Hankison’s behavior was wanton endangerment to people in neighboring apartments, then it should have been wanton endangerment in Breonna Taylor’s apartment too,” Crump tweeted on Wednesday. “In fact, it should have been ruled wanton murder!”
In the early hours of March 13, officers fatally shot Taylor, a 26-year-old Black EMT, in her own apartment. The officers, who used a battering ram to enter Taylor’s home, had a “no-knock” warrant because they believed a suspect in a drug ring ― who did not live there ― was having packages delivered to Taylor’s home. The individual allegedly involved in the ring had actually been arrested earlier that day, which police acknowledged after the fact.
Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, called 911 when the officers burst in. He shot at them in self-defense, striking one officer in the femoral artery. The officers responded by firing at least six shots, killing Taylor in the hallway.
“I don’t know what is happening,” Walker can be heard saying in his frantic 911 call. “Somebody kicked in the door and shot my girlfriend.”
Police have said the officers knocked several times and identified themselves before entering. Walker has said he and Taylor heard loud banging at the door but that nobody identified themselves. None of the officers were wearing body cameras.
During a press conference Wednesday to announce the indictment, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, said he’d spoken to Taylor’s family about the grand jury’s decision earlier that day.
“Every day this family wakes up to the realization that someone they loved is no longer with them,” Cameron said. “There’s nothing I can offer today to take away the grief and heartache this family is experiencing as a result of losing a child, a niece, a sister and a friend.”
In the statement read by Austin on Friday, Taylor’s mother said she “never had faith in Daniel Cameron to begin with.”
The city of Louisville settled a wrongful death lawsuit with Taylor’s family last week. The city agreed to pay $12 million to Taylor’s family and institute sweeping police reforms as part of the historic settlement.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-25--Mail-In Voting Rules Still Up In The Air As Republicans Appeal Election Decisions

These cases could decide the election .
They will determine how many ballots cast through the mail are either counted or invalidated because of minor errors made by the voter or delayed mail delivery .
Even a relatively small number of ballots going uncounted could have major implications : The 2016 presidential contest was decided by just tens of thousands of votes across three states .
The question now is whether federal appeals courts , and ultimately the Supreme Court , will uphold lower court rulings that reduced barriers to counting ballots in the general election .
In litigation during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Supreme Court and federal appeals courts routinely overturned lower court rulings that had loosened restrictions on voting absentee or by mail during the pandemic .
These appeals are part of Trump and the Republican Party ’ s $ 20 million Protect the Vote litigation campaign .
It flows from their belief that Trump has a better chance of winning the election if fewer votes are cast and counted , particularly those likely to be cast by groups who favor his opponent .
The lawsuits are a more formal expression of Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doubt on the validity of absentee balloting , whether mailed or delivered by hand .
Trump also wants to seat a new justice before Election Day because he thinks “ this will end up in the Supreme Court.
” And he refuses to say that he ’ ll accept the results of the election or allow a peaceful transfer of power unless ballots favoring his Democratic opponent , Joe Biden , are discounted .
The outcome of the legal fights between Democrats and voting rights advocates on one side and Trump , Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could determine how many ballots he will be able to get rid of .
So far , Trump ’ s side has lost most of its latest legal battles , but Republicans are now appealing those rulings , including all the way up to the Supreme Court .
These cases are likely to be decided before the Republican-controlled Senate votes on Trump ’ s next high court nominee .
Over the last month , federal courts in Georgia and Wisconsin and state courts in Michigan and Pennsylvania lifted restrictions on absentee and mail-in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters aren ’ t disenfranchised due to conditions out of their control .
The decisions in each state extended the ballot receipt deadline to allow ballots to count if they are received a few days after Nov. 3 so long as they were postmarked on or before Election Day .
Mailed absentee ballots in Michigan that arrive up to 14 days after Nov. 3 will remain valid so long as they were postmarked at least one day before Election Day , according to the Sept. 18 ruling .
That decision also lifted the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an absentee ballot to family members , co-residents and election clerks ; now allow anyone can help during the five days before Election Day .
( A separate Sept. 17 decision lifted the state ’ s ban on free or discounted transportation to election sites . )
A legal challenge brought by Trump and the Republican National Committee to Nevada ’ s vote-by-mail statute , which was enacted over the summer , failed after it was dismissed by a federal judge on Sept. 21 .
In South Carolina , a federal judge ruled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ witness requirement for absentee ballots due to the pandemic .
But now many of these rulings will go before either appeals courts or the Supreme Court .
Republicans have already appealed , plan to appeal or otherwise challenge the rulings in Georgia , Michigan , Pennsylvania and Wisconsin .
And a federal appeals court quickly stayed the lower court ruling in South Carolina to remove the witness requirement for absentee ballots .
In North Carolina , meanwhile , the two Republican election commissioners resigned in protest of the settlement , arguing that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they had agreed to .
Democrats dispute the claim that the two were misled .
This could lead to even more litigation .
The Pennsylvania appeal , and the potential for further appeals , also comes at a precarious time for voting rights before the Supreme Court .
The death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg leaves the court with an ideological split of five conservatives and three liberals .
Over the summer , the court repeatedly overturned earlier rulings granting greater allowance for absentee voting during the pandemic .
It may well continue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chance it would change course would require one more conservative justice to switch sides than before .

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Vital lawsuits that will determine whose vote will count and whose will not are still pending with fewer than 40 days left until Nov. 3, Election Day.
Republicans in key swing states are pushing to overturn crucial court rulings that expanded access to absentee and mail-in voting during the coronavirus pandemic.
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These cases could decide the election. They will determine how many ballots cast through the mail are either counted or invalidated because of minor errors made by the voter or delayed mail delivery. Even a relatively small number of ballots going uncounted could have major implications: The 2016 presidential contest was decided by just tens of thousands of votes across three states.
Most elections don’t involve a litigation frenzy. But the pandemic, coupled with a U.S. Postal Service crippled by both the virus and new leadership, has driven both parties to the courts.
Voting rights advocates and Democratic Party lawyers have sued in more than two dozen states seeking to ease or eliminate restrictions on absentee and mail-in voting practices. Republicans, led by President Donald Trump, have sued or intervened in 20 states trying to either maintain those restrictions or overturn newly enacted laws expanding absentee and mail-in voting rights.
The question now is whether federal appeals courts, and ultimately the Supreme Court, will uphold lower court rulings that reduced barriers to counting ballots in the general election. In litigation during this year’s primary season, the Supreme Court and federal appeals courts routinely overturned lower court rulings that had loosened restrictions on voting absentee or by mail during the pandemic.
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“The federal judiciary is not being a great avenue for relief,” said Sylvia Albert, director of voting and elections at Common Cause, a nonpartisan nonprofit. “Some state courts have provided more. And that’s where you’ve seen more orders for expanded access.”
These appeals are part of Trump and the Republican Party’s $20 million Protect the Vote litigation campaign. It flows from their belief that Trump has a better chance of winning the election if fewer votes are cast and counted, particularly those likely to be cast by groups who favor his opponent. The lawsuits are a more formal expression of Trump’s efforts to spread disinformation baselessly casting doubt on the validity of absentee balloting, whether mailed or delivered by hand.
President Donald Trump and the Republican Party are appealing rulings and challenging laws that loosen restrictions on absentee and mail-in voting. AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Trump also wants to seat a new justice before Election Day because he thinks “this will end up in the Supreme Court.” And he refuses to say that he’ll accept the results of the election or allow a peaceful transfer of power unless ballots favoring his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, are discounted.
“Get rid of the ballots and you’ll have a very peaceful — there won’t be a transfer, frankly. There will be a continuation,” the president said on Wednesday.
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The outcome of the legal fights between Democrats and voting rights advocates on one side and Trump, Republicans and voting rights opponents on the other could determine how many ballots he will be able to get rid of.
“My biggest risk is that we don’t win lawsuits,” Trump said in June. “We have many lawsuits going all over. And if we don’t win those lawsuits, I think — I think it puts the election at risk.”
So far, Trump’s side has lost most of its latest legal battles, but Republicans are now appealing those rulings, including all the way up to the Supreme Court. These cases are likely to be decided before the Republican-controlled Senate votes on Trump’s next high court nominee.
Over the last month, federal courts in Georgia and Wisconsin and state courts in Michigan and Pennsylvania lifted restrictions on absentee and mail-in voting that could be critical to ensuring voters aren’t disenfranchised due to conditions out of their control. The decisions in each state extended the ballot receipt deadline to allow ballots to count if they are received a few days after Nov. 3 so long as they were postmarked on or before Election Day.
Mailed absentee ballots in Michigan that arrive up to 14 days after Nov. 3 will remain valid so long as they were postmarked at least one day before Election Day, according to the Sept. 18 ruling. That decision also lifted the restrictions that limited those assisting in returning an absentee ballot to family members, co-residents and election clerks; now allow anyone can help during the five days before Election Day. (A separate Sept. 17 decision lifted the state’s ban on free or discounted transportation to election sites.)
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In Wisconsin, absentee ballots postmarked by Nov. 3 will count if they arrive up to six days after Election Day under a Sept. 21 decision. The ruling also extends the online and mailed registration deadline from Oct. 14 to Oct. 21.
A federal district judge ruled on Aug. 31 to extend Georgia’s ballot receipt deadline for mailed absentee ballots to allow ballots postmarked by election day to remain valid if they arrive up to three days later.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court similarly ruled last week that mailed ballots in that state will remain valid if they arrive by Nov. 6.
In North Carolina, the state’s bipartisan five-member Board of Elections voted unanimously in favor of an agreement to settle a lawsuit by extending their state’s ballot receipt deadline. A judge still must approve the settlement.
A legal challenge brought by Trump and the Republican National Committee to Nevada’s vote-by-mail statute, which was enacted over the summer, failed after it was dismissed by a federal judge on Sept. 21. In South Carolina, a federal judge ruled last week in favor of waiving the witness requirement for absentee ballots due to the pandemic.
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Absentee ballots are loaded onto a truck for mailing at the Wake County Board of Elections as election preparations are ongoing in Raleigh, North Carolina. AP Photo/Gerry Broome
But now many of these rulings will go before either appeals courts or the Supreme Court. Republicans have already appealed, plan to appeal or otherwise challenge the rulings in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. And a federal appeals court quickly stayed the lower court ruling in South Carolina to remove the witness requirement for absentee ballots.
In North Carolina, meanwhile, the two Republican election commissioners resigned in protest of the settlement, arguing that the outcome wasn’t what they thought they had agreed to. Democrats dispute the claim that the two were misled. This could lead to even more litigation.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s ruling extending the ballot receipt deadline could be the first case to go before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Normally, decisions made by a state’s highest court are the last word on election matters. “What this appeal is saying is that that state court got it so wrong that it can’t stand,” said Albert, adding, “That’s unusual.”
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The Pennsylvania appeal, and the potential for further appeals, also comes at a precarious time for voting rights before the Supreme Court. The death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg leaves the court with an ideological split of five conservatives and three liberals. Over the summer, the court repeatedly overturned earlier rulings granting greater allowance for absentee voting during the pandemic. It may well continue to do so. But now any chance it would change course would require one more conservative justice to switch sides than before.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-25--Unlike Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden Isn't Taking Wisconsin For Granted

The campaign has made the state a clear priority : It ’ s already spent $ 16 million on ads in the state , with other Democratic groups pouring in an additional $ 18 million , according to data from Kantar/CMAG .
Even with his travel schedule limited due to the coronavirus pandemic , Biden has already traveled to the state twice .
California Sen. Kamala Harris , the party ’ s vice presidential nominee , traveled to the state for her first in-person campaign events earlier this month .
Among the three states that clinched the presidency for Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wisconsin has seemed the Trumpiest , even if that hasn ’ t always been reflected in the polls .
While Democrats easily won statewide races in Michigan and Pennsylvania in 2018 , Wisconsin ’ s Democratic Gov .
Tony Evers was barely able to ride that year ’ s “ blue wave , ” beating then-Gov .
Scott Walker ( R ) by less than a percentage point .
And due to gerrymandering , Republicans have outsize power on the Wisconsin state legislature .
Democrats are fighting in the courts to change that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of several voting expansion measures on Monday , which the Republican state legislature has already appealed .
The ruling , if it holds , would extend the deadline for absentee ballots to be received to Nov. 9 as long as they are postmarked by Election Day , and extend online and in-person voter registration by a week , from Oct. 14 to Oct. 21 .
It would also address poll worker shortages due to the pandemic by temporarily tossing out the state law restricting election officials from working outside the counties they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expected to go to the U.S. Supreme Court .
The Milwaukee suburb of Waukesha County has long been the bedrock of the state ’ s GOP .
But Matt Mareno , the chairman of the county ’ s Democratic Party , said there were signs of progress .
In 2016 , he only managed to distribute between 500 and 600 lawn signs for Clinton .
By the second week of September this year , he ’ d already given out 1,500 Biden signs , with more than 1,000 people on a waiting list @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump is still likely to win the county by a substantial margin ― no Democratic presidential candidate has earned more than 40 % of the vote in the county since Lyndon Johnson in 1964 ― but the party is hopeful that Milwaukee ’ s suburbs will begin acting at least slightly more like their cousins around the country .
Republicans admit they are facing new threats : Robin Vos , the GOP speaker of the state Assembly , said earlier this month that the party ’ s legislative seats in the suburbs are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been in the past.
” The GOP strength in the suburbs has been historically balanced out by the Democratic dominance of Madison , which combines the culture and politics of a college town with the voting power of much larger cities .
Madison is essentially the only part of the state with a growing population , as the combination of the University of Wisconsin and the tech company Epic Systems draw ever more college-educated voters to Madison and surrounding Dane County .
But those messages , which Democrats once feared , aren @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CNN poll found Biden had a 50 % to 45 % lead on the question of who would keep Americans safe , and was essentially tied with Trump on who would better handle the economy : 49 % of likely voters said Trump , and 48 % said Biden .
“ You have a guy who ’ s trying to aim for this white , suburban soccer mom thing , without actually talking about anything they care about , ” said Khary Penebaker , one of the Democratic National Committee members for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we ’ re going to be so dumb and so overwhelmed by all of his nonsense .
”

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It was around this time four years ago — fewer than 50 days out from the election — when Wisconsin Democrats began grumbling that then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton was ignoring them. But Clinton’s campaign was confident in their data, which showed Wisconsin was locked.
On Election Day, Clinton lost Wisconsin by just under 23,000 votes. The Democratic candidate had never stepped foot in the state for a general election visit. Her first TV ad there aired a mere 10 days before the election.
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Four years later, it’s clear that presidential nominee Joe Biden and the Wisconsin Democrats have learned some big lessons from that loss.
The campaign has made the state a clear priority: It’s already spent $16 million on ads in the state, with other Democratic groups pouring in an additional $18 million, according to data from Kantar/CMAG. Even with his travel schedule limited due to the coronavirus pandemic, Biden has already traveled to the state twice. California Sen. Kamala Harris, the party’s vice presidential nominee, traveled to the state for her first in-person campaign events earlier this month.
And Democrats in the state can feel it on the ground. “The presence of the Biden campaign is more noticeable than any presence the Clinton campaign had when you could physically do things,” said Mike Tate, a former chair of the state Democratic Party who is now a lobbyist.
The difference is remarkable: Biden holds a clear and consistent lead in public polling, with Biden often topping 50% and Trump struggling to climb out of the low 40s. (Clinton had similar leads in polling, but there have been far more high-quality polls in Wisconsin this cycle, and there are fewer undecided voters.)
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“The presence of the Biden campaign is more noticeable than any presence the Clinton campaign had when you could physically do things” - Mike Tate, former state Democratic Party chair
Among the three states that clinched the presidency for Trump — Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan — Wisconsin has seemed the Trumpiest, even if that hasn’t always been reflected in the polls. While Democrats easily won statewide races in Michigan and Pennsylvania in 2018, Wisconsin’s Democratic Gov. Tony Evers was barely able to ride that year’s “blue wave,” beating then-Gov. Scott Walker (R) by less than a percentage point. And due to gerrymandering, Republicans have outsize power on the Wisconsin state legislature.
Then last month, the police shooting of a Black man in Kenosha led to weeks of protests. Buildings burned and an Illinois teenager who joined armed militia members shot and killed two protesters. Democrats initially feared the events would make Trump’s promises to deliver “law and order” politically potent in the state.
As Democratic nominee Joe Biden's motorcade made its way through Kenosha, Wisconsin, earlier this month, an onlooker held up a sign with the name of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was shot by police in the city. Democrats worried the ensuing protests might make voters in the state more sympathetic to President Donald Trump's "law and order" message. ASSOCIATED PRESS
But conversations with Democratic operatives, campaign staffers and elected officials in the state paint an optimistic, albeit cautious, picture of Biden’s chances in Wisconsin. Even Republicans acknowledge that a month after the shooting of Blake, their political position is unchanged.
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“I don’t think people’s minds have changed much,” said Mike Graul, a Republican strategist in Wisconsin who worked on George W. Bush’s presidential campaigns.
The GOP is obviously not giving up on the state. Trump and his allies have spent $23 million on television ads. Vice President Mike Pence visited a factory in Eau Claire on Thursday, his third visit to the state in as many weeks.
The location wasn’t a coincidence: Eau Claire is the largest city in western Wisconsin, a region with a mix of swing and solidly conservative counties where the Trump campaign hopes they can drive up turnout among white voters without college degrees.
“One of the things we will see — more people are going to vote in 2020 than did in 2016,” Graul said. ”[Trump] is going to have to get more votes than he did last time.”
Mail-in voting has already started in Wisconsin; nearly a million ballots were sent out in mid-September after a brief fight in the courts that left independent candidate Kanye West and Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins off the final ballot. So far Dane County, home to Madison, has led the state in returns. Wisconsin law requires the ballots to be returned by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
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Democrats are fighting in the courts to change that. A federal judge ruled in favor of several voting expansion measures on Monday, which the Republican state legislature has already appealed. The ruling, if it holds, would extend the deadline for absentee ballots to be received to Nov. 9 as long as they are postmarked by Election Day, and extend online and in-person voter registration by a week, from Oct. 14 to Oct. 21. It would also address poll worker shortages due to the pandemic by temporarily tossing out the state law restricting election officials from working outside the counties they’re registered in. The case is expected to go to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Jacking up turnout from Trump’s base is necessary because of shifts in Democrats’ favor almost everywhere else in the state. Trump’s national weakness in suburbs has spread here, and Democrats are optimistic about turning out their base voters in Madison and Milwaukee at much higher levels than in 2016.
Biden speaks during a community event at Grace Lutheran Church in Kenosha on Sept. 3. ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Milwaukee suburb of Waukesha County has long been the bedrock of the state’s GOP. But Matt Mareno, the chairman of the county’s Democratic Party, said there were signs of progress. In 2016, he only managed to distribute between 500 and 600 lawn signs for Clinton. By the second week of September this year, he’d already given out 1,500 Biden signs, with more than 1,000 people on a waiting list for the next shipment of signs.
“Historically, people would never have felt comfortable putting something in their yard telling everyone in their neighborhood that they’re voting for a Democrat,” Mareno said. (Still, Mareno felt it necessary to acknowledge a political adage: “Yard signs don’t vote.”)
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Trump is still likely to win the county by a substantial margin ― no Democratic presidential candidate has earned more than 40% of the vote in the county since Lyndon Johnson in 1964 ― but the party is hopeful that Milwaukee’s suburbs will begin acting at least slightly more like their cousins around the country. Republicans admit they are facing new threats: Robin Vos, the GOP speaker of the state Assembly, said earlier this month that the party’s legislative seats in the suburbs are “much more in jeopardy than they have been in the past.”
“I can’t recall hosting Spanish language phone banks in the past. I can tell you in 2016, reaching out to the Latino community seemed nonexistent.” - JoCasta Zamarippa, state representative and Milwaukee Alder
The GOP strength in the suburbs has been historically balanced out by the Democratic dominance of Madison, which combines the culture and politics of a college town with the voting power of much larger cities. Madison is essentially the only part of the state with a growing population, as the combination of the University of Wisconsin and the tech company Epic Systems draw ever more college-educated voters to Madison and surrounding Dane County.
That’s turned into a boon for Democrats: In 2018, Dane County accounted for 11% of all the votes cast in the governor’s race, up from 7% in the 2010 contest. Evers won the county by over 150,000 votes, five times as large as his roughly 29,000-vote margin of victory over Walker.
The other major Democratic turnout center is Milwaukee, the state’s largest city and the center of its Black and Latino populations. A 40,000-vote drop in turnout here in 2016, which coincided with the implementation of a new voter ID law, contributed directly to Trump’s ability to win in 2016 with fewer votes than former GOP nominee Mitt Romney had gotten four years earlier.
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Harris’ first campaign trip took her to Milwaukee, where she met with Latino activists and Black businessmen.
Unlike in 2016, Wisconsin’s Democratic Party kept much of its organizing operation from the 2018 midterms in place for the presidential election — a presence that Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said has made a noticeable difference in keeping Black and brown voters engaged.
“I think not only the Biden campaign but Democrats in general across the country understand in order to win the White House it goes through Wisconsin and particularly in order to win Wisconsin, it goes through Milwaukee,” Crowley said.
The state Biden campaign, which is headquartered in Milwaukee, has held weekly Spanish-language phone banks.
“I can’t recall hosting Spanish language phone banks in the past,” said state representative and Milwaukee Alder JoCasta Zamarippa, whose district has the largest Latino community in the state. “That’s an evolution on the part of the Democratic Party to understand that and grasp that as part of the constituency. I can tell you in 2016, reaching out to the Latino community seemed nonexistent.”
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Biden’s trip to Wisconsin earlier this week embodied much of his pitch to the state, which has mixed empathy and populism while remaining relentlessly focused on the coronavirus pandemic. In a speech, Biden blamed Trump for the 200,000 deaths caused by the pandemic, saying that the president hid the truth about the dangers of the coronavirus.
“Trump was worried if he told the public the truth, there would be panic in the financial markets. And that would hurt his chances of being reelected,” Biden said. “It’s how Trump looks at the world. He sees the world from Park Avenue. I see the world from where I grew up — Scranton, Pennsylvania.”
Children hold a pro-Trump banner as Biden's motorcade drives by on Sept. 21. ASSOCIATED PRESS
A CNN poll released in mid-September shows how Trump’s mishandling of the coronavirus has hurt his chances in the state: 63% of likely voters said they were worried about a coronavirus outbreak in their community, 60% were worried about the economy and just 34% were worried about crime. A 54% majority of likely voters trusted Biden to handle the coronavirus pandemic better, while just 41% trusted Trump more.
Most Democratic advertising in the state, both from the Biden campaign and from the super PACs Priorities USA and American Bridge, has focused on health care, the pandemic and Biden’s life story. Democrats say all three messages have been effective in the two key swing areas in the state: the area around Green Bay and the counties bordering the Mississippi River in the state’s southwestern corner.
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In more rural parts of the state, Republicans have responded with ads hammering Biden’s record on trade and relations with China, while bombarding the suburbs with spots designed to make Trump’s “law and order” messaging stick.
But those messages, which Democrats once feared, aren’t so scary anymore. The CNN poll found Biden had a 50% to 45% lead on the question of who would keep Americans safe, and was essentially tied with Trump on who would better handle the economy: 49% of likely voters said Trump, and 48% said Biden.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-25--China Is Expanding Muslim Detention Centers, Australian Researchers Claim

CANBERRA , Australia ( AP ) — China appears to be expanding its network of secret detention centers in Xinjiang , where predominantly Muslim minorities are targeted in a forced assimilation campaign , and more of the facilities resemble prisons , an Australian think tank has found .
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute used satellite images and official construction tender documents to map more than 380 suspected detention facilities in the far northwestern region , highlighting internment camps , detention centers and prisons that have been newly built or expanded since 2017 .
Regional government chairman Shohrat Zakir was quoted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1 million or 2 million people attending these centers were fabricated , though he would not provide any figures .
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Friday dismissed the report as “ pure disinformation and slander , ” saying the Australian institute had “ no academic credibility.
” China does not operate “ so-called detention camps ” in Xinjiang , Wang told reporters at a daily briefing .
Citing media reports and investigations by internet users , Wang said one of the sites in the report had been identified as an electronics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ residential complex .
“ So we also hope that all sectors can distinguish truth from falsehood and together resist such absurd assertions concocted by anti-China institutions , ” Wang said .
In this Dec. 3 , 2018 , file photo , a guard tower and barbed wire fences surround an internment facility in the Kunshan Industrial Park which has previously been revealed by leaked documents to be a forced indoctrination camp in Artux in western China 's Xinjiang region .
Predominantly Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang region have been locked in camps as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in response to decades of sometimes violent struggle against Chinese rule .
Though officials described the camps as “ boarding school-like ” facilities meant to provide free job training , former detainees say they were subjected to brutal conditions , political indoctrination , beatings , and sometimes psychological and physical torture .
Under the assimilation drive , the state has forced Uighurs to undergo sterilizations and abortions , an Associated Press investigation found , and in recent months , has ordered them to drink traditional Chinese medicines to combat the coronavirus .
Australian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the report released late Thursday : “ Available evidence suggests that many extrajudicial detainees in Xinjiang ’ s vast ‘ re-education ’ network are now being formally charged and locked up in higher security facilities , including newly built or expanded prisons , or sent to walled factory compounds for coerced labor assignments.
” At least 61 detention sites had undergone new construction and expansion work in a year to July 2020 , the report said .
These included at least 14 facilities still under construction this year .
These included eight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and had possibly been closed .
Of the camps stripped of security infrastructure , 90 % were lower security facilities , the report said .
The think tank ’ s findings align with AP interviews with dozens of relatives and former detainees that indicate many in the camps have been sentenced in secret , extrajudicial trials and transferred to high-security prisons for things like having contact with people abroad , having too many children and studying Islam .
Many others deemed less of a risk , like women or the elderly , have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arrest or forced labor in factories .

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CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — China appears to be expanding its network of secret detention centers in Xinjiang, where predominantly Muslim minorities are targeted in a forced assimilation campaign, and more of the facilities resemble prisons, an Australian think tank has found.
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute used satellite images and official construction tender documents to map more than 380 suspected detention facilities in the far northwestern region, highlighting internment camps, detention centers and prisons that have been newly built or expanded since 2017.
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The report builds on evidence that China has made a policy shift from detaining Uighurs and other largely Muslim minorities in makeshift public buildings to constructing permanent mass detention facilities.
This is despite Chinese state news agency Xinhua reporting late last year that “trainees” attending “vocational education and training centers” meant to deradicalize them had “all graduated.”
Uighurs and their supporters march to the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations in New York, Thursday, March 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Regional government chairman Shohrat Zakir was quoted as saying that foreign media reports of 1 million or 2 million people attending these centers were fabricated, though he would not provide any figures.
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Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Friday dismissed the report as “pure disinformation and slander,” saying the Australian institute had “no academic credibility.” China does not operate “so-called detention camps” in Xinjiang, Wang told reporters at a daily briefing.
Citing media reports and investigations by internet users, Wang said one of the sites in the report had been identified as an electronics manufacturing park and another as a five-star residential complex.
“So we also hope that all sectors can distinguish truth from falsehood and together resist such absurd assertions concocted by anti-China institutions,” Wang said.
In this Dec. 3, 2018, file photo, a guard tower and barbed wire fences surround an internment facility in the Kunshan Industrial Park which has previously been revealed by leaked documents to be a forced indoctrination camp in Artux in western China's Xinjiang region. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)
Predominantly Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang region have been locked in camps as part of a government assimilation campaign launched in response to decades of sometimes violent struggle against Chinese rule. Though officials described the camps as “boarding school-like” facilities meant to provide free job training, former detainees say they were subjected to brutal conditions, political indoctrination, beatings, and sometimes psychological and physical torture.
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Under the assimilation drive, the state has forced Uighurs to undergo sterilizations and abortions, an Associated Press investigation found, and in recent months, has ordered them to drink traditional Chinese medicines to combat the coronavirus.
Australian Strategic Policy Institute researcher Nathan Ruser wrote in the report released late Thursday: “Available evidence suggests that many extrajudicial detainees in Xinjiang’s vast ‘re-education’ network are now being formally charged and locked up in higher security facilities, including newly built or expanded prisons, or sent to walled factory compounds for coerced labor assignments.”
At least 61 detention sites had undergone new construction and expansion work in a year to July 2020, the report said. These included at least 14 facilities still under construction this year.
“Of these, about 50% are higher security facilities, which may suggest a shift in usage from the lower-security, ‘re-education centers’ toward higher-security prison-style facilities,” Ruser wrote.
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute's report builds on evidence that China has shifted from detaining Uighurs and other largely Muslim minorities in makeshift public buildings to constructing permanent mass detention facilities. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)
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At least 70 facilities appeared to have lesser security by the removal of internal fencing or perimeter walls, the report said.
These included eight camps that showed signs of decommissioning, and had possibly been closed. Of the camps stripped of security infrastructure, 90% were lower security facilities, the report said.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-25--NASA Astronaut Kate Rubins Plans To Cast Her Vote From Space Station

ATLANTA ( AP ) — NASA astronaut Kate Rubins told The Associated Press on Friday that she plans to cast her next vote from space – more than 200 miles above Earth .
Rubins is just outside Moscow in Star City , Russia , preparing with two cosmonauts for a mid-October launch and a six-month stay at the International Space Station .
“ I think it ’ s really important for everybody to vote , ” Rubins said .
“ If we can do it from space , then I believe folks can do it from the ground , too.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Texas law allows them to vote from space using a secure electronic ballot .
Mission Control forwards the ballot to the space station and relays the completed ballot back to the county clerk .
“ It ’ s critical to participate in our democracy , ” Rubins said .
“ We consider it an honor to be able to vote from space.
” NASA astronauts have voted from space before .
Rubins and Shane Kimbrough cast their votes from the International Space Station .
Rubins , the first person to sequence DNA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a cardiovascular experiment and conduct research using the space station ’ s Cold Atom Lab .
While she ’ s there , she ’ ll celebrate the 20th anniversary of continuous human presence on the space station , and welcome the crew of the second SpaceX commercial crew mission , expected to arrive in late October .

ATLANTA (AP) — NASA astronaut Kate Rubins told The Associated Press on Friday that she plans to cast her next vote from space – more than 200 miles above Earth.
Rubins is just outside Moscow in Star City, Russia, preparing with two cosmonauts for a mid-October launch and a six-month stay at the International Space Station.
“I think it’s really important for everybody to vote,” Rubins said. “If we can do it from space, then I believe folks can do it from the ground, too.”
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Most U.S. astronauts live in Houston. Texas law allows them to vote from space using a secure electronic ballot. Mission Control forwards the ballot to the space station and relays the completed ballot back to the county clerk.
“It’s critical to participate in our democracy,” Rubins said. “We consider it an honor to be able to vote from space.”
NASA astronauts have voted from space before. Rubins and Shane Kimbrough cast their votes from the International Space Station.
Rubins, the first person to sequence DNA in space, plans to work on a cardiovascular experiment and conduct research using the space station’s Cold Atom Lab.
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While she’s there, she’ll celebrate the 20th anniversary of continuous human presence on the space station, and welcome the crew of the second SpaceX commercial crew mission, expected to arrive in late October.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-25--Wow! The Radiation Levels On The Moon Are Awfully Hazardous

CAPE CANAVERAL , Fla. ( AP ) — Future moon explorers will be bombarded with two to three times more radiation than astronauts aboard the International Space Station , a health hazard that will require thick-walled shelters for protection , scientists reported Friday .
China ’ s lander on the far side of the moon is providing the first full measurements of radiation exposure from the lunar surface , vital information for NASA and others aiming to send astronauts to the moon , the study noted .
“ This is an immense achievement in the sense that now we have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to benchmark our radiation ” and better understand the potential risk to people on the moon , said Thomas Berger , a physicist with the German Space Agency ’ s medicine institute .
Astronauts would get 200 to 1,000 times more radiation on the moon than what we experience on Earth — or five to 10 times more than passengers on a trans-Atlantic airline flight , noted Robert Wimmer-Schweingruber of Christian-Albrechts University in Kiel , Germany .
“ The difference is , however , that we ’ re not on such a flight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when they ’ re exploring the moon , ” Wimmer-Schweingruber said in an email .
“ Humans are not really made for these radiation levels and should protect themselves when on the moon , ” he added .
Radiation levels should be pretty much the same all over the moon , except for near the walls of deep craters , Wimmer-Schweingruber said .
“ Basically , the less you see of the sky , the better .
That ’ s the primary source of the radiation , ” he said .
Wimmer-Schweingruber said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ models had predicted .
The levels measured by Chang ’ e 4 , in fact , “ agree nearly exactly ” with measurements by a detector on a NASA orbiter that has been circling the moon for more than a decade , said Kerry Lee , a space radiation expert at Johnson Space Center in Houston .
“ It is nice to see confirmation of what we think and our understanding of how radiation interacts with the moon is as expected , ” said Lee , who was not involved in the Chinese-led @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this week , NASA said the first pair of astronauts to land on the moon under the new Artemis program would spend about a week on the lunar surface , more than twice as long as the Apollo crews did a half-century ago .
Expeditions would last one to two months once a base camp is established .
NASA is looking to put astronauts on the moon by the end of 2024 , an accelerated pace ordered by the White House , and on Mars sometime in the 2030s .
The space agency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a safe shelter aboard all Orion crew capsules flying to the moon .
As for the actual landers , three separate corporate teams are developing their own craft with NASA oversight .
For the first Artemis moon landing , at least , the astronauts will live in the ascent portion of their lander .
The German researchers suggest shelters built of moon dirt — readily available material — for stays of more than a few days .
The walls should be 80 centimeters ( about 2 1/2 feet ) thick , they said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emit its own secondary radiation , created when galactic cosmic rays interact with the lunar soil .

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Future moon explorers will be bombarded with two to three times more radiation than astronauts aboard the International Space Station, a health hazard that will require thick-walled shelters for protection, scientists reported Friday.
China’s lander on the far side of the moon is providing the first full measurements of radiation exposure from the lunar surface, vital information for NASA and others aiming to send astronauts to the moon, the study noted.
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A Chinese-German team reported on the radiation data collected by the lander — named Chang’e 4 for the Chinese moon goddess — in the U.S. journal Science Advances.
“This is an immense achievement in the sense that now we have a data set which we can use to benchmark our radiation” and better understand the potential risk to people on the moon, said Thomas Berger, a physicist with the German Space Agency’s medicine institute.
Astronauts would get 200 to 1,000 times more radiation on the moon than what we experience on Earth — or five to 10 times more than passengers on a trans-Atlantic airline flight, noted Robert Wimmer-Schweingruber of Christian-Albrechts University in Kiel, Germany.
“The difference is, however, that we’re not on such a flight for as long as astronauts would be when they’re exploring the moon,” Wimmer-Schweingruber said in an email.
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Cancer is the primary risk.
“Humans are not really made for these radiation levels and should protect themselves when on the moon,” he added.
Radiation levels should be pretty much the same all over the moon, except for near the walls of deep craters, Wimmer-Schweingruber said.
“Basically, the less you see of the sky, the better. That’s the primary source of the radiation,” he said.
Wimmer-Schweingruber said the radiation levels are close to what models had predicted. The levels measured by Chang’e 4, in fact, “agree nearly exactly” with measurements by a detector on a NASA orbiter that has been circling the moon for more than a decade, said Kerry Lee, a space radiation expert at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
“It is nice to see confirmation of what we think and our understanding of how radiation interacts with the moon is as expected,” said Lee, who was not involved in the Chinese-led study.
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In a detailed outline released this week, NASA said the first pair of astronauts to land on the moon under the new Artemis program would spend about a week on the lunar surface, more than twice as long as the Apollo crews did a half-century ago. Expeditions would last one to two months once a base camp is established.
NASA is looking to put astronauts on the moon by the end of 2024, an accelerated pace ordered by the White House, and on Mars sometime in the 2030s.
The space agency said it will have radiation detectors and a safe shelter aboard all Orion crew capsules flying to the moon. As for the actual landers, three separate corporate teams are developing their own craft with NASA oversight. For the first Artemis moon landing, at least, the astronauts will live in the ascent portion of their lander.
The German researchers suggest shelters built of moon dirt — readily available material — for stays of more than a few days. The walls should be 80 centimeters (about 2 1/2 feet) thick, they said. Any thicker and the dirt will emit its own secondary radiation, created when galactic cosmic rays interact with the lunar soil.
“So in this sense — I think the walls of European Castles would be too thick!” Berger wrote in an email.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-25--Dog's Heartfelt Obituary Goes Viral: 'He Was Best At Unconditional Love'

Charlie , a beloved golden retriever , was the first dog Sallie Gregory-Hammett of Greenville , South Carolina , ever had on her own .
Gregory-Hammett , 30 , got Charlie when she was 23 , single and had just moved to a new city .
“ I know it ’ s cliché but he was my best friend , ” Gregory-Hammett wrote to HuffPost .
“ He went with me everywhere —work , hiking , trips to Home Depot .
He was just a constant source of comfort and companionship and joy .
Everyone that knew me knew Charlie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” She even jokingly added : “ Whenever I would start dating someone , people would always say , ‘ Does Charlie like him ?
’ But Charlie loved everyone , so that was never the question.
” “ When I saw David interact with Charlie I just knew he was the one , because he loved Charlie as much as I did , ” she said .
But Charlie seemed easy to love .
He had many “ quirks , ” as Gregory-Hammett put it , which included jumping into water like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lots and lots and lots of sticks .
“ He picked up sticks on every single walk , that was how we knew he was tired , ” Gregory-Hammett lovingly remembered .
“ He ’ d pick up a stick and that meant it was time to go home.
” Yet on Sept. 13 , after a five-month battle with lymphoma , Charlie passed on to that big farm in the sky — which , hopefully , for Charlie ’ s sake , is littered with lots and lots of Charlie-worthy sticks .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and told HuffPost she was trying to find an outlet for her grief — so she decided to write him an obituary .
“ I ’ ve always loved writing , and when Charlie passed it was just so overwhelming that I needed to do something cathartic , ” she said .
“ He was good at a lot of things , but he was best at unconditional love , ” she continued .
“ He taught everyone he met about loving people , and always seeing the good in everyone.
” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dug himself , and dove straight into the oncoming waves .
His last days were so happy and will be cherished forever .
We will think of him every time we open the peanut butter.
” Gregory-Hammett said she wanted to publish the obit in her local newspaper but due to the steep cost , she decided to create a mock-newspaper obituary as a keepsake — saying she just wanted “ something to celebrate and memorialize him , because he was such a huge part of my life.
” Yet after sharing her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ encouraged her to share it online .
So , she tweeted it on Tuesday .
“ I wrote my dog an obituary because of course I did .
He was the best boy , ” she captioned the image of her obit .
“ The likes are awesome but the best part has been all of the replies , ” she told HuffPost .
“ Reading about everyone else ’ s special doggos , and all the people that say they loved Charlie even though they never met him .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me feel less alone and just flooded with love .
”

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A very good dog got one last special treat from his favorite human.
Charlie, a beloved golden retriever, was the first dog Sallie Gregory-Hammett of Greenville, South Carolina, ever had on her own. Gregory-Hammett, 30, got Charlie when she was 23, single and had just moved to a new city.
“I know it’s cliché but he was my best friend,” Gregory-Hammett wrote to HuffPost. “He went with me everywhere —work, hiking, trips to Home Depot. He was just a constant source of comfort and companionship and joy. Everyone that knew me knew Charlie and knew how much I loved him.”
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She even jokingly added: “Whenever I would start dating someone, people would always say, ‘Does Charlie like him?’ But Charlie loved everyone, so that was never the question.”
This included Gregory-Hammett’s now-husband, David, whom she married in May in a tiny backyard ceremony.
“When I saw David interact with Charlie I just knew he was the one, because he loved Charlie as much as I did,” she said.
David and Sallie Gregory-Hammett with Charlie on their wedding day. Red Apple Tree Photography
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But Charlie seemed easy to love. He had many “quirks,” as Gregory-Hammett put it, which included jumping into water like “a weird kangaroo” and collecting lots and lots and lots of sticks.
“He picked up sticks on every single walk, that was how we knew he was tired,” Gregory-Hammett lovingly remembered. “He’d pick up a stick and that meant it was time to go home.”
Yet on Sept. 13, after a five-month battle with lymphoma, Charlie passed on to that big farm in the sky — which, hopefully, for Charlie’s sake, is littered with lots and lots of Charlie-worthy sticks.
Gregory-Hammett was devastated by the loss, and told HuffPost she was trying to find an outlet for her grief — so she decided to write him an obituary.
“I’ve always loved writing, and when Charlie passed it was just so overwhelming that I needed to do something cathartic,” she said.
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So she sat down and poured her heart out.
Charlie's obituary. Sallie Gregory-Hammett
In her memorial, she noted all the things Charlie adored — smiling, snoozing, car rides, bananas, chasing squirrels, and socks.
“If we’re being honest, Charlie loved everything life had to offer (except stairs. He hated stairs),” Gregory-Hammett wrote.
“He was good at a lot of things, but he was best at unconditional love,” she continued. “He taught everyone he met about loving people, and always seeing the good in everyone.”
Gregory-Hammett also mentioned Charlie’s final days, which he spent at one of his favorite places — the beach.
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“He relaxed in the Charlie-sized holes he dug himself, and dove straight into the oncoming waves. His last days were so happy and will be cherished forever. We will think of him every time we open the peanut butter.”
She concluded:
“In [lieu] of flowers, the family asks that you give all your pups some extra love in honor of Charlie.”
Sallie Gregory-Hammett giving her favorite doggo a kiss. Jessi Nichols Photography
Gregory-Hammett said she wanted to publish the obit in her local newspaper but due to the steep cost, she decided to create a mock-newspaper obituary as a keepsake — saying she just wanted “something to celebrate and memorialize him, because he was such a huge part of my life.”
Yet after sharing her obituary with friends and family, they encouraged her to share it online. So, she tweeted it on Tuesday.
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“I wrote my dog an obituary because of course I did. He was the best boy,” she captioned the image of her obit.
She never expected it to receive over 104,000 likes.
I wrote my dog an obituary because of course I did. He was the best boy. pic.twitter.com/FKmqeivtq9 — Sallie Hammett (@SallieGHammett) September 22, 2020
“The likes are awesome but the best part has been all of the replies,” she told HuffPost. “Reading about everyone else’s special doggos, and all the people that say they loved Charlie even though they never met him. It’s just been so comforting — it makes me feel less alone and just flooded with love.”
She added:
“And Charlie has been so celebrated! He was a special boy and it means the world to me.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-25--14 Raccoons Confront Dad And Son In Encounter That 'Feels Like End Of Days'

A group of 14 raccoons emerged from the bushes to confront a father and son recently ― and the moment went viral .
( See the photo and video below . )
“ This is insane , ” Marc Estoque said in the video while he was out with his son in San Francisco ’ s Golden Gate Park .
“ It feels like end of days.
” The raccoons spooked their dog and excited Estoque ’ s son .
“ This was such a good idea !
” the boy said .
“ Uhh , I hope so , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
His incredible photo is the screensaver of the clip : Estoque told SFGate : “ It was so surreal ... a posse of bandits ... like out of a movie .
And then two minutes later , there was a coyote .
I was waiting for the unicorn to pop out.
” He counted 14 raccoons in all ― including four out of frame in the bushes .
The emboldened raccoons , who are usually nocturnal and skittish , were likely trolling for snacks .
Humans feeding them have eliminated the animals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Control Executive Director Virginia Donohue told KPIX .
But that needs to stop for the good of man and beast .
“ People think they ’ re helping the raccoon , ” Donohue said to the CBS affiliate .
“ They feed the raccoon , but if the raccoon gets to be too aggressive , eventually the parks will have to trap them , and once they ’ re trapped they have to be euthanized because you can ’ t relocate them.
” VIDEO : Watch the moment a father and son @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raccoons at Golden Gate Park .
Turns out the raccoons also attracted a coyote .
😱 https : //t.co/NRjVDLQOvt — KRON4 News ( @ kron4news ) September 23 , 2020

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A group of 14 raccoons emerged from the bushes to confront a father and son recently ― and the moment went viral. (See the photo and video below.)
Oh yeah, a coyote also showed up.
“This is insane,” Marc Estoque said in the video while he was out with his son in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. “It feels like end of days.”
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The raccoons spooked their dog and excited Estoque’s son. “This was such a good idea!” the boy said.
“Uhh, I hope so,” the father can be heard responding. His incredible photo is the screensaver of the clip:
Estoque told SFGate: “It was so surreal...a posse of bandits...like out of a movie. And then two minutes later, there was a coyote. I was waiting for the unicorn to pop out.”
He counted 14 raccoons in all ― including four out of frame in the bushes.
The emboldened raccoons, who are usually nocturnal and skittish, were likely trolling for snacks. Humans feeding them have eliminated the animals’ fear, San Francisco Animal Care and Control Executive Director Virginia Donohue told KPIX.
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But that needs to stop for the good of man and beast.
“People think they’re helping the raccoon,” Donohue said to the CBS affiliate. “They feed the raccoon, but if the raccoon gets to be too aggressive, eventually the parks will have to trap them, and once they’re trapped they have to be euthanized because you can’t relocate them.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-25--UFC Fighters Amanda Nunes And Nina Ansaroff Celebrate First Child

“ I ’ m taking a year off , ” Ansaroff said , but added that “ I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ my pregnancy .
I ’ m gon na stay in shape .
I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ know , just like not do anything and jump in.
” The two fighters met @ @ @ @ @ and bonded immediately , according to a 2017 Teen Vogue article .
“ I ’ @ @ @ @ @ ] with any women before and , for a girl to be fast like her @ @ @ @ @ seen that before , ” Nunes said .
“ She was a very good partner @ @ @ @ @ her .
I liked her style a lot and it made me evolve , at @ @ @ @ @ liked her a lot .
And then we started sparring.
” The relationship grew and @ @ @ @ @ Ansaroff and Nunes , who in 2016 became the UFC ’ s first openly gay @ @ @ @ @ engaged , but no wedding date has been announced .

“I’m taking a year off,” Ansaroff said, but added that “I’m gonna be training throughout my pregnancy. I’m gonna stay in shape. I’m not gonna, ya know, just like not do anything and jump in.”
The two fighters met at a gym in 2012 and bonded immediately, according to a 2017 Teen Vogue article.
“I’d never trained [MMA] with any women before and, for a girl to be fast like her, I’d never seen that before,” Nunes said. “She was a very good partner. I liked training with her. I liked her style a lot and it made me evolve, at the same time. I liked her a lot. And then we started sparring.”
The relationship grew and so did the careers of Ansaroff and Nunes, who in 2016 became the UFC’s first openly gay champion.
The couple is engaged, but no wedding date has been announced.