thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-29--GOP Group Argues 'Trump Stooge' Susan Collins Must Leave Office In Searing Spot

The Lincoln Project , a conservative group trying to prevent President Donald Trump from being reelected , goes after Sen. Susan Collins ( R-Maine ) in a new attack ad .
In the 76-second spot released online Wednesday , the group calls Collins a “ Trump stooge ” who is controlled by the president and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-Ky. ) .
It slams the senator — who has attempted to portray herself as a moderate but voted to acquit Trump during his impeachment trial — for never standing up to the president .
“ She makes excuses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cruelty , all while pretending she ’ s worried , concerned , ” says the voiceover in the video .
Attacks ads from The Lincoln Project , which is led by attorney George Conway and other former GOP insiders disillusioned with and angered by Trump ’ s leadership , have garnered millions of views on social media .
But it ’ s unclear exactly how effective such spots are or whether they actually influence swing voters .
Collins faces a close race against Democratic challenger Sara Gideon , the speaker of the Maine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to win reelection in November , according to political pundits .
On Tuesday , Collins released an ad criticizing Gideon — one that some Twitter users pointed out probably wouldn ’ t help the incumbent , as it highlights her opponent ’ s support for a number of popular causes .
What is Sara Gideon 's `` Top Priority ? ''
Hard to pin down , but one thing 's for sure -- after 133 days of vacation during a crisis , it sure is n't Maine.
# mepolitics pic.twitter.com/hKT2PR1tzY — Team Collins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 Talking Points Memo founder Josh Marshall described it as “ one of the saddest ads I ’ ve ever seen.
” this has to be one of the saddest ads I ’ ve ever seen .
Collins campaign is running an ad in which they highlight that Sara Gideon supports a lot of popular things .
Just watch it for a second https : //t.co/ZXfrwdVp5y — Josh Marshall ( @ joshtpm ) July 29 , 2020

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The Lincoln Project, a conservative group trying to prevent President Donald Trump from being reelected, goes after Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) in a new attack ad.
In the 76-second spot released online Wednesday, the group calls Collins a “Trump stooge” who is controlled by the president and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). It slams the senator — who has attempted to portray herself as a moderate but voted to acquit Trump during his impeachment trial — for never standing up to the president.
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“She makes excuses for corruption, for criminality, for cruelty, all while pretending she’s worried, concerned,” says the voiceover in the video.
“Maine deserves a leader, not a Trump stooge,” the narrator concludes. “It’s time for Collins to go.”
It’s unclear if the ad will air on TV.
Attacks ads from The Lincoln Project, which is led by attorney George Conway and other former GOP insiders disillusioned with and angered by Trump’s leadership, have garnered millions of views on social media.
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But it’s unclear exactly how effective such spots are or whether they actually influence swing voters.
Check out the ad here:
Collins faces a close race against Democratic challenger Sara Gideon, the speaker of the Maine House of Representatives, in her bid to win reelection in November, according to political pundits.
On Tuesday, Collins released an ad criticizing Gideon — one that some Twitter users pointed out probably wouldn’t help the incumbent, as it highlights her opponent’s support for a number of popular causes.
What is Sara Gideon's "Top Priority?"
Hard to pin down, but one thing's for sure -- after 133 days of vacation during a crisis, it sure isn't Maine.#mepolitics pic.twitter.com/hKT2PR1tzY — Team Collins (@TeamCollins207) July 28, 2020
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Talking Points Memo founder Josh Marshall described it as “one of the saddest ads I’ve ever seen.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-29--Obamas Take Subtle Swipes At Donald Trump In Michelle Obama's First Podcast

The former first lady interviewed her husband , former President Barack Obama , for the first episode of “ The Michelle Obama Podcast ” that Spotify released on Wednesday .
During the 48-minute conversation , Barack Obama acknowledged that often the only time young people know what government is doing is when something goes wrong .
“ So we ’ re getting a good lesson in that right now , ” he quipped , in what seemed to be a ding at the Trump administration .
“ Exactly , ” agreed Michelle Obama .
“ If people are paying attention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Not having a public health system that takes care of people whether you are working or not , that takes care of you whether you have preexisting conditions or not .
Unemployment , Social Security ― all of the things that sort of keep people going when the chosen path doesn ’ t work.
” So excited for you to hear the first episode of The # MichelleObamaPodcast with @ BarackObama !
I wanted to start this season off by discussing our relationship with our community and our country .
I hope @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : https : //t.co/iEjVDPIxEs .
pic.twitter.com/9svSKNHRZ0 — Michelle Obama ( @ MichelleObama ) July 29 , 2020 Barack Obama lamented that young people have grown cynical about government and now channel their idealism “ outside of governmental structures and outside of politics.
” “ The problem is ― again we ’ re getting a pretty good lesson in that right now ― there are just some things we can ’ t do by ourselves , or even groups of us can ’ t do by ourselves , ” he said .
He cited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something that depends on collective action .
Trump and his administration have been widely condemned for failing to control the outbreak .
The president has downplayed the seriousness of the pandemic , promoted unproven treatments , mocked people for wearing face masks , pressured states and schools to reopen , and terminated the United States ’ relationship with the World Health Organization .
Michelle and I have spent a lot of time together these past few months .
We ’ ve had a lot of good talks—and this one ’ s up there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the very first episode of Michelle ’ s podcast : https : //t.co/JEaVgT6GPC .
pic.twitter.com/oRn1figrRK — Barack Obama ( @ BarackObama ) July 29 , 2020 When the exchange turned to Barack Obama ’ s optimism , Michelle Obama teased her husband as the “ Yes We Can man , ” a reference to his 2008 campaign slogan .
“ What ’ s the alternative ?
That ’ s the thing .
As cynical as I can be , in the end , I agree .
We don ’ t have an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But I tend to agree .
You know , when in doubt , rely on hope .
Because , as you pointed out as a former president who reads and knows history ― let ’ s just take a moment to pause and think about that ― but as that person , you understand the arc of progress .
We are moving toward more inclusivity , more openness , more we-ness , it ’ s not an easy trajectory , it is bumpy and it is uncomfortable , and that ’ s how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obama ’ s direct criticism of Trump in a video released by presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden ’ s campaign last week .
Obama also said in a virtual appearance at a Biden fundraiser last month that his successor ’ s use of racist terms to describe COVID-19 “ shocks and pisses me off .
”

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Michelle Obama’s debut podcast featured what appeared to be a slew of subtle swipes at President Donald Trump.
The former first lady interviewed her husband, former President Barack Obama, for the first episode of “The Michelle Obama Podcast” that Spotify released on Wednesday.
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During the 48-minute conversation, Barack Obama acknowledged that often the only time young people know what government is doing is when something goes wrong.
“So we’re getting a good lesson in that right now,” he quipped, in what seemed to be a ding at the Trump administration.
“Exactly,” agreed Michelle Obama. “If people are paying attention and they understand what’s missing. Not having a public health system that takes care of people whether you are working or not, that takes care of you whether you have preexisting conditions or not. Unemployment, Social Security ― all of the things that sort of keep people going when the chosen path doesn’t work.”
So excited for you to hear the first episode of The #MichelleObamaPodcast with @BarackObama! I wanted to start this season off by discussing our relationship with our community and our country. I hope you'll tune in on @Spotify: https://t.co/iEjVDPIxEs. pic.twitter.com/9svSKNHRZ0 — Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) July 29, 2020
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Barack Obama lamented that young people have grown cynical about government and now channel their idealism “outside of governmental structures and outside of politics.”
“The problem is ― again we’re getting a pretty good lesson in that right now ― there are just some things we can’t do by ourselves, or even groups of us can’t do by ourselves,” he said. He cited the coronavirus pandemic as an example of something that depends on collective action.
Trump and his administration have been widely condemned for failing to control the outbreak. The president has downplayed the seriousness of the pandemic, promoted unproven treatments, mocked people for wearing face masks, pressured states and schools to reopen, and terminated the United States’ relationship with the World Health Organization.
Michelle and I have spent a lot of time together these past few months. We’ve had a lot of good talks—and this one’s up there with the best. Take a listen to the very first episode of Michelle’s podcast: https://t.co/JEaVgT6GPC. pic.twitter.com/oRn1figrRK — Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 29, 2020
When the exchange turned to Barack Obama’s optimism, Michelle Obama teased her husband as the “Yes We Can man,” a reference to his 2008 campaign slogan.
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“What’s the alternative? That’s the thing. As cynical as I can be, in the end, I agree. We don’t have an alternative,” she said.
Barack Obama suggested his wife thinks “things have to get super, super bad before folks figure stuff out.”
“Well I hope we’re at that point,” she responded.
Then she appeared to mock Trump for his apparent ignorance of history:
“But I tend to agree. You know, when in doubt, rely on hope. Because, as you pointed out as a former president who reads and knows history ― let’s just take a moment to pause and think about that ― but as that person, you understand the arc of progress. We are moving toward more inclusivity, more openness, more we-ness, it’s not an easy trajectory, it is bumpy and it is uncomfortable, and that’s how change happens.”
The Obamas did not mention Trump by name during the episode.
The comments followed Barack Obama’s direct criticism of Trump in a video released by presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s campaign last week. Obama also said in a virtual appearance at a Biden fundraiser last month that his successor’s use of racist terms to describe COVID-19 “shocks and pisses me off.”
Check out the full podcast here:


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-29--Trump Says He Never Confronted Putin About Russia Bounty Reports: Axios

WASHINGTON ( Reuters ) - President Donald Trump said he never questioned Russian leader Vladimir Putin about U.S. intelligence reports that Moscow paid the Taliban to kill American troops in Afghanistan , casting doubt on the reports in an interview .
“ I have never discussed it with him , ” Trump said in an interview on Tuesday with “ Axios on HBO.
” Trump , a Republican who has sought to cultivate warmer relations with Moscow , has said he was not briefed on the matter before it emerged in news media in late June .
He has called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on them .
Asked why he did not confront Putin on the issue in their call last Thursday , Trump told Axios , “ That was a phone call to discuss other things , and frankly that ’ s an issue that many people said was fake news.
” Democrats in Congress have accused Trump , who is seeking re-election in November , of not taking intelligence information concerning soldiers ’ deaths seriously enough .
They have pressed for more information from the intelligence community and the White House .
National security adviser @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was not verbally briefed on the Russian bounty intelligence because his CIA briefer concluded the reports were uncorroborated .
White House officials have not denied the information was included in the President ’ s Daily Brief , a summary of a daily summary of classified information and analysis on national security .
Some news outlets have reported the bounty issue was included in the PDB in February but that Trump may not have read it .
President Donald Trump , right , shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin , left , during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the G-20 summit in Osaka , Japan , in 2019 .
“ It never reached my desk .
You know why ?
Because they didn ’ t think - intelligence , they didn ’ t think it was real , ” Trump told Axios .
“ I wouldn ’ t mind - if it reached my desk , I would have done something about it.
” Trump has spoken to Putin at least eight times since the intelligence was first included in his briefing , Axios said .
Trump has said many intelligence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a stance contradicted by four U.S. and European sources and by its inclusion in a widely read CIA report in May .
The New York Times first reported in June that U.S. intelligence had concluded that a Russian military intelligence unit had offered the Taliban payments of up to $ 100,000 for each U.S. or allied soldier killed .

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UPDATE: In April 2021, 10 months after The New York Times, Associated Press and Washington Post reported on U.S. intelligence that Russia had offered secret bounties to the Taliban for the deaths of Americans, the Biden administration said that CIA analysts only have “low to moderate confidence” that the bounty program ever existed.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said he never questioned Russian leader Vladimir Putin about U.S. intelligence reports that Moscow paid the Taliban to kill American troops in Afghanistan, casting doubt on the reports in an interview.
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“I have never discussed it with him,” Trump said in an interview on Tuesday with “Axios on HBO.”
Trump, a Republican who has sought to cultivate warmer relations with Moscow, has said he was not briefed on the matter before it emerged in news media in late June. He has called the reports a hoax and casts doubt on them.
Asked why he did not confront Putin on the issue in their call last Thursday, Trump told Axios, “That was a phone call to discuss other things, and frankly that’s an issue that many people said was fake news.”
NEW: President Trump tells @jonathanvswan on #AxiosOnHBO that he didn't raise the issue of alleged bounties on U.S. troops during his call with Vladimir Putin last week: "That was a phone call to discuss other things." pic.twitter.com/daISvMFUE1 — Axios (@axios) July 29, 2020
He said he and the Russian president discussed nuclear nonproliferation in that phone call.
Democrats in Congress have accused Trump, who is seeking re-election in November, of not taking intelligence information concerning soldiers’ deaths seriously enough. They have pressed for more information from the intelligence community and the White House.
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National security adviser Robert O’Brien has said Trump was not verbally briefed on the Russian bounty intelligence because his CIA briefer concluded the reports were uncorroborated.
White House officials have not denied the information was included in the President’s Daily Brief, a summary of a daily summary of classified information and analysis on national security. Some news outlets have reported the bounty issue was included in the PDB in February but that Trump may not have read it.
President Donald Trump, right, shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, in 2019. ASSOCIATED PRESS
“It never reached my desk. You know why? Because they didn’t think - intelligence, they didn’t think it was real,” Trump told Axios. “I wouldn’t mind - if it reached my desk, I would have done something about it.”
Trump has spoken to Putin at least eight times since the intelligence was first included in his briefing, Axios said.
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Trump has said many intelligence officials doubted the report’s veracity, a stance contradicted by four U.S. and European sources and by its inclusion in a widely read CIA report in May.
The New York Times first reported in June that U.S. intelligence had concluded that a Russian military intelligence unit had offered the Taliban payments of up to $100,000 for each U.S. or allied soldier killed.
Trump told Axios he does read the daily intelligence briefing.
“I read it a lot, you know, I read a lot. They like to say I don’t read. I read a lot,” he said.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-29--Pennsylvania's Health Secretary Chief Blasts Transphobic Attacks She's Faced

Dr. Rachel Levine , who is transgender , on Tuesday spoke out against the anti-LGBTQ sentiment she has experienced while being a key player in her state ’ s efforts to stem the coronavirus pandemic , noting that such attacks were both hurtful and impactful to Pennsylvania ’ s queer community as a whole .
“ Your actions perpetuate the spirit of intolerance and discrimination against LGBTQ individuals , and specifically transgender individuals , ” Levine said .
“ I have no room in my heart for hatred , and frankly , I do not have time for intolerance .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ desire to help people , and my time is full with working towards protecting the public health of everyone in Pennsylvania from the impact of the global pandemic due to COVID-19.
” As part of Pennsylvania ’ s efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus , Levine has spoken with and appeared on media outlets across the state , discussing state-issued social distance guidelines and shutdown orders to businesses and residents .
But as her profile has increased , her critics have become more outspoken , with many choosing to focus on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ matters .
In May , radio host Marty Griffin repeatedly misgendered Levine in an interview on Pittsburgh ’ s KDKA-AM station .
Earlier this month , the state ’ s Bloomsburg Fair used a photo of a man impersonating Levine by wearing a wig and a dress to promote an event for local volunteer fire departments on Facebook .
“ Dr .
Levine ?
Thank you you were a hit and raised a lot of money for the local fire companies , ” the post , which has since been deleted , reportedly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were trying to dunk you.
” This week , the Crossroad Tavern in Morris Township apologized after it came under fire for introducing a menu item , “ Levine balls , ” that mocked the health secretary .
On Tuesday , Levine said she accepted the apologies she ’ s received , but added , “ An apology is the beginning , not the end , of a conversation.
” “ I call on you and all Pennsylvanians to work toward a spirit of not just tolerance , but a spirit of acceptance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she said .
Levine , a professor at the Penn State School of Medicine who was appointed to her post in 2017 by Gov .
Tom Wolf ( D ) , shrugged off much of the criticism she received previously in her career in an LGBTQ Pride Month interview with NBC News in June .
“ I hope that by being a public figure and being secretary of health during this public health crisis , that that educates people about LGBTQ individuals and transgender individuals — and if they are educated , then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Thus , they get less angry , and thus , they hate less .
”

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Pennsylvania’s health secretary began a coronavirus briefing this week by condemning the “multiple incidents of LGBTQ harassment and, specifically, transphobia” directed at her in recent weeks.
Dr. Rachel Levine, who is transgender, on Tuesday spoke out against the anti-LGBTQ sentiment she has experienced while being a key player in her state’s efforts to stem the coronavirus pandemic, noting that such attacks were both hurtful and impactful to Pennsylvania’s queer community as a whole.
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“Your actions perpetuate the spirit of intolerance and discrimination against LGBTQ individuals, and specifically transgender individuals,” Levine said. “I have no room in my heart for hatred, and frankly, I do not have time for intolerance. My heart is full with a burning desire to help people, and my time is full with working towards protecting the public health of everyone in Pennsylvania from the impact of the global pandemic due to COVID-19.”
“I will stay laser-focused on that goal,” she added.
Later on Tuesday, Levine posted a rainbow quote card on Twitter that featured a line from her speech.
I feel that I must personally respond to the multiple incidents of #LGBTQ harassment and specifically transphobia directed at me.
Your actions perpetuate a spirit of intolerance and discrimination against LGBTQ individuals and specifically transgender individuals. pic.twitter.com/muX55irYkO — Dr. Rachel Levine (@SecretaryLevine) July 28, 2020
As part of Pennsylvania’s efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus, Levine has spoken with and appeared on media outlets across the state, discussing state-issued social distance guidelines and shutdown orders to businesses and residents.
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But as her profile has increased, her critics have become more outspoken, with many choosing to focus on her gender identity as opposed to policy matters.
In May, radio host Marty Griffin repeatedly misgendered Levine in an interview on Pittsburgh’s KDKA-AM station. Earlier this month, the state’s Bloomsburg Fair used a photo of a man impersonating Levine by wearing a wig and a dress to promote an event for local volunteer fire departments on Facebook.
“Dr. Levine? Thank you you were a hit and raised a lot of money for the local fire companies,” the post, which has since been deleted, reportedly read. “Wonder why so many were trying to dunk you.”
This week, the Crossroad Tavern in Morris Township apologized after it came under fire for introducing a menu item, “Levine balls,” that mocked the health secretary.
On Tuesday, Levine said she accepted the apologies she’s received, but added, “An apology is the beginning, not the end, of a conversation.”
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“I call on you and all Pennsylvanians to work toward a spirit of not just tolerance, but a spirit of acceptance and welcoming towards LGBTQ individuals,” she said.
Levine, a professor at the Penn State School of Medicine who was appointed to her post in 2017 by Gov. Tom Wolf (D), shrugged off much of the criticism she received previously in her career in an LGBTQ Pride Month interview with NBC News in June.
“I hope that by being a public figure and being secretary of health during this public health crisis, that that educates people about LGBTQ individuals and transgender individuals — and if they are educated, then they fear less,” she said. “Thus, they get less angry, and thus, they hate less.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-29--The House Just Passed A Massive Child Care Rescue

Tom Williams via Getty Images Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi holds a news conference on child care relief bills at the Capitol on Wednesday .
All the Democrats in the House , along with 18 Republicans , voted in favor of the Child Care Is Essential Act , which provides $ 50 billion in immediate funding to child care centers .
( Libertarian Justin Amash and 162 Republicans voted against the bill . )
These in-home and center-based programs look after infants and preschool children and have been on the brink of collapse from almost the beginning of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Child Care for Economic Recovery Act , provides more long-term relief for child care providers , offering funding to revamp center infrastructure to adhere to the more stringent health guidelines of the COVID era .
The bill would also expand child care tax credits that parents can use , expanding coverage to middle- and low-income parents .
The bill would provide $ 170 billion in funds over 10 years .
All the Democrats again voted for this one , joined by 20 Republicans .
Libertarian Justin Amash and 160 Republicans voted against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the airline industry .
We bailed out banks , and now is our moment to be serious about child care and stabilize this piece of our economic infrastructure , ” Rep. Katherine Clark ( D-Mass . )
told HuffPost Wednesday ahead of the vote .
The Massachusetts representative has been calling for a child care bailout from the earliest days of the pandemic , when it became clear that the industry was going to struggle with closures , reduced enrollment and , eventually , the higher costs of operating in a pandemic .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ putting this much attention into child care since at least World World II , said Catherine White , director of Child Care/Early Learning at the National Women ’ s Law Center .
Back then , the federal government actually funded day care centers so that mothers could work while men fought the war overseas .
“ This is really a landmark moment and reflects the growing recognition that child care has played for decades in underpinning our economy and is now really coming to light as a result of the pandemic , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is unlikely to pass the two bills as standalone legislation , there are signs that the party is coming around to the idea that child care is absolutely essential to a functioning economy .
Even before the pandemic , the privately run U.S. child care system was not doing all that great .
Most providers operated on razor-thin margins .
Child care workers , mostly women and nearly half women of color , make poverty-level wages .
Parents still struggle to afford tuition for their kids — if they can even find a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have already shuttered permanently , and others are on the edge .
Already , one in four child care workers has lost her job , according to one recent survey .
That same survey found that 40 % of child care providers said they would likely be forced to close without federal help .
In March as part of the Cares Act , Congress included $ 3.5 billion in grants to the states for child care relief .
At the time , advocates said the money fell far short of what was needed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ billion a month to stay alive in this crisis , according to one widely cited estimate from the Center for American Progress and the Center for Law and Social Policy .
Since then , more policymakers and even business groups have come around to the idea of a bigger bailout , recognizing that if workers don ’ t have reliable child care , they can not work .
The rescue package is also of critical importance to women , who are bearing the brunt of unemployment and child care during the crisis .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ t survive and many women can ’ t go back to work , it could set back decades of progress .
“ Because as we observe the 100th anniversary of women having the right to vote , ... we do have to recognize that for our economy to thrive , we have to have full participation and leadership of women , ” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-Calif ) , in a speech Wednesday about the legislation .
“ Because we do believe when women succeed , America succeeds .
For that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responsibility , too , so we want them to succeed as well .
”

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi holds a news conference on child care relief bills at the Capitol on Wednesday. Tom Williams via Getty Images
The House on Wednesday passed a massive child care bailout in the form of two bills that would provide billions of dollars for an industry that has been long neglected.
All the Democrats in the House, along with 18 Republicans, voted in favor of the Child Care Is Essential Act, which provides $50 billion in immediate funding to child care centers. (Libertarian Justin Amash and 162 Republicans voted against the bill.) These in-home and center-based programs look after infants and preschool children and have been on the brink of collapse from almost the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
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The second bill, the Child Care for Economic Recovery Act, provides more long-term relief for child care providers, offering funding to revamp center infrastructure to adhere to the more stringent health guidelines of the COVID era. The bill would also expand child care tax credits that parents can use, expanding coverage to middle- and low-income parents. The bill would provide $170 billion in funds over 10 years. All the Democrats again voted for this one, joined by 20 Republicans. Libertarian Justin Amash and 160 Republicans voted against the bill.
“We bailed out the airline industry. We bailed out banks, and now is our moment to be serious about child care and stabilize this piece of our economic infrastructure,” Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) told HuffPost Wednesday ahead of the vote. The Massachusetts representative has been calling for a child care bailout from the earliest days of the pandemic, when it became clear that the industry was going to struggle with closures, reduced enrollment and, eventually, the higher costs of operating in a pandemic.
Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), Richard Neal (D-Mass.) and Bobby Scott (D-Va.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wa.) were also instrumental in shepherding the bailout bills.
Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) speaks at a news conference in the Capitol in Washington on Monday. Caroline Brehman via Getty Images
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Congress hasn’t come close to putting this much attention into child care since at least World World II, said Catherine White, director of Child Care/Early Learning at the National Women’s Law Center. Back then, the federal government actually funded day care centers so that mothers could work while men fought the war overseas.
It seems once again that lawmakers are realizing that, without a stable child care system, Americans cannot work.
“This is really a landmark moment and reflects the growing recognition that child care has played for decades in underpinning our economy and is now really coming to light as a result of the pandemic,” White said.
While the Republican-led Senate is unlikely to pass the two bills as standalone legislation, there are signs that the party is coming around to the idea that child care is absolutely essential to a functioning economy.
Senate Republicans set aside $15 billion for child care providers in their latest COVID relief package — surpassing the $7 billion House Democrats put in the relief bill that passed in May.
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Even before the pandemic, the privately run U.S. child care system was not doing all that great. Most providers operated on razor-thin margins. Child care workers, mostly women and nearly half women of color, make poverty-level wages. Parents still struggle to afford tuition for their kids — if they can even find a spot in a center.
The coronavirus crisis, however, pushed the industry over the edge. Many operators shut down to deal with COVID-19 closures; others stayed open and had to deal with reduced enrollment and higher costs.
Many centers have already shuttered permanently, and others are on the edge. Already, one in four child care workers has lost her job, according to one recent survey. That same survey found that 40% of child care providers said they would likely be forced to close without federal help.
In March as part of the Cares Act, Congress included $3.5 billion in grants to the states for child care relief. At the time, advocates said the money fell far short of what was needed. Child care centers needed $9.6 billion a month to stay alive in this crisis, according to one widely cited estimate from the Center for American Progress and the Center for Law and Social Policy.
Since then, more policymakers and even business groups have come around to the idea of a bigger bailout, recognizing that if workers don’t have reliable child care, they cannot work.
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In June, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce urged Congress to include emergency assistance in its next rescue package.
The rescue package is also of critical importance to women, who are bearing the brunt of unemployment and child care during the crisis. If the child care industry doesn’t survive and many women can’t go back to work, it could set back decades of progress.
“If we don’t invest, there’s going to be serious implications,” White said.
“Because as we observe the 100th anniversary of women having the right to vote, ... we do have to recognize that for our economy to thrive, we have to have full participation and leadership of women,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif), in a speech Wednesday about the legislation. “Because we do believe when women succeed, America succeeds. For that to happen — and dads have this responsibility, too, so we want them to succeed as well.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-29--Trump Mocked For Saying Biden Aims To Reach Net-Zero Emissions For Buildings By '2:30'

President Donald Trump set off a bout of Twitter silliness Wednesday after he went after Joe Biden , his presumed rival in November ’ s election , for what he called an “ impossible ” plan to neutralize carbon emissions from new buildings by “ two thirty ” .
After touring an oil rig owned by Double Eagle Energy in Midland , Texas , Trump assailed Democratic energy proposals as he addressed energy executives and workers .
“ I don ’ t think Biden ’ s going to do too well in Texas , ” Trump said .
“ If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they will demolish not only your industry , but the entire U.S. economy.
” He railed against policies “ seeking an even higher level of restrictions mandating zero carbon emissions ― which frankly , is impossible ― for all new homes , offices and buildings by two thirty.
” Ostensibly , Trump was referring to Biden ’ s sustainable energy and infrastructure plan released earlier this month , which details a net-zero emissions standard for all new commercial buildings by 2030 .
However , it does not mention any mandate , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he made a similar claim earlier this month .
Twitter users were inclined to agree that achieving this goal by 2:30 ― whether Trump was referring to a.m. or p.m. ― was optimistic .
This dope literally has no idea what he 's reading No , we wo n't achieve net zero emissions by 2:30 AM or PM But yes , we can aim for the year 2030 ( which is what 's on his teleprompter ) .
In fact , major U.S. corporations have already made that commitment # PersonWomanCameraManTV https : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) July 29 , 2020

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President Donald Trump set off a bout of Twitter silliness Wednesday after he went after Joe Biden, his presumed rival in November’s election, for what he called an “impossible” plan to neutralize carbon emissions from new buildings by “two thirty”.
After touring an oil rig owned by Double Eagle Energy in Midland, Texas, Trump assailed Democratic energy proposals as he addressed energy executives and workers.
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“I don’t think Biden’s going to do too well in Texas,” Trump said. “If these far-left politicians ever get into power, they will demolish not only your industry, but the entire U.S. economy.”
He railed against policies “seeking an even higher level of restrictions mandating zero carbon emissions ― which frankly, is impossible ― for all new homes, offices and buildings by two thirty.”
Ostensibly, Trump was referring to Biden’s sustainable energy and infrastructure plan released earlier this month, which details a net-zero emissions standard for all new commercial buildings by 2030. However, it does not mention any mandate, as Politifact noted when it fact-checked Trump when he made a similar claim earlier this month.
Twitter users were inclined to agree that achieving this goal by 2:30 ― whether Trump was referring to a.m. or p.m. ― was optimistic.
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If he means 2:30pm PDT today, yeah, can't fight him there. Weird flex tho. https://t.co/sOzWyOeFFn — Jesse Damiani (@JesseDamiani) July 29, 2020
Apparently Joe Biden is trying to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2:30. https://t.co/Gsc5lg7i7L — Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) July 29, 2020
Carbon neutral by 2:30 tomorrow afternoon? Wow, that Biden climate change plan is ambitious! — Blank Slate (@blankslate2017) July 29, 2020
In all fairness, bet he spotted a clock beyond the teleprompter. Carbon. Zero. Sweat. Clock. 2:30. — Catherine (@HermosaKitCat) July 29, 2020
When you read your PowerPoint slides but you don’t understand what it means. https://t.co/GukxFBC0cm — Bryan Harnsberger Psy.D (@PSYCH_HYPE) July 29, 2020
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-29--One Step Closer To 'The Jetsons': Flying Cars Now Welcome In New Hampshire

A world full of flying cars straight out of “ The Jetsons ” seems just a little bit closer , thanks to a new bill signed by New Hampshire Gov .
Chris Sununu ( R ) on Tuesday .
The law establishes a commission to study “ roadable aircraft , ” the formal term for hybrid vehicles that can be driven along the ground but also have flying capabilities .
The bill , spearheaded by state Rep. Steven Smith ( R ) , also provides for inspections , accidents and registrations involving such vehicles .
It advises that “ all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off and land from a suitable airstrip and shall be prohibited from taking off and landing from any public roadway , unless under conditions of an emergency.
” While the idea of cars cutting through the air sounds futuristic , two companies are already developing such vehicles in the state , according to New Hampshire ’ s Concord Monitor .
The projects look less like the sleek vehicles in such science fiction films as “ Blade Runner ” and more like work-in-progress hybrids between automobiles and aircraft .
The companies are Chinese-owned Terrafugia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ folding wings out of New Hampshire ’ s Nashua Airport , and Dutch company PAL-V , which has an office at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport and is working on a vehicle resembling a cross between a car and a gyrocopter .
Keith Ammon , a former New Hampshire state representative who now acts as the state ’ s dealer with PAL-V , said that so-called roadable aircraft can be understood as planes that occasionally land on the ground rather than as cars that can take off into the sky .
“ It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Concord Monitor .
“ It just happens to be one that you can drive home.
” State Rep. Sherman Packard , one of the bill ’ s sponsors , told New Hampshire Public Radio that “ there was nothing on the books that would have allowed this type of vehicle on the road ” and that the bill was intended to provide rules for when and if the cars become more mainstream .
CORRECTION : An earlier version of this article incorrectly reported that roadable aircraft were still in early design stages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for full commercial certification in 2021 .

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A world full of flying cars straight out of “The Jetsons” seems just a little bit closer, thanks to a new bill signed by New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) on Tuesday.
The law establishes a commission to study “roadable aircraft,” the formal term for hybrid vehicles that can be driven along the ground but also have flying capabilities. The bill, spearheaded by state Rep. Steven Smith (R), also provides for inspections, accidents and registrations involving such vehicles.
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It advises that “all roadable aircraft shall be required to take off and land from a suitable airstrip and shall be prohibited from taking off and landing from any public roadway, unless under conditions of an emergency.”
While the idea of cars cutting through the air sounds futuristic, two companies are already developing such vehicles in the state, according to New Hampshire’s Concord Monitor. The projects look less like the sleek vehicles in such science fiction films as “Blade Runner” and more like work-in-progress hybrids between automobiles and aircraft.
The companies are Chinese-owned Terrafugia, which has tested a vehicle with folding wings out of New Hampshire’s Nashua Airport, and Dutch company PAL-V, which has an office at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport and is working on a vehicle resembling a cross between a car and a gyrocopter.
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Keith Ammon, a former New Hampshire state representative who now acts as the state’s dealer with PAL-V, said that so-called roadable aircraft can be understood as planes that occasionally land on the ground rather than as cars that can take off into the sky.
“It’s an aircraft first,” Ammon told the Concord Monitor. “It just happens to be one that you can drive home.”
State Rep. Sherman Packard, one of the bill’s sponsors, told New Hampshire Public Radio that “there was nothing on the books that would have allowed this type of vehicle on the road” and that the bill was intended to provide rules for when and if the cars become more mainstream.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article incorrectly reported that roadable aircraft were still in early design stages. PAL-V’s vehicles are scheduled for full commercial certification in 2021.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-29--What Has Happened to Police Filmed Hurting Protesters? So Far, Very Little.

Officers Remain Anonymous — Even When They ’ re Caught on Camera In June , New Jersey ’ s attorney general directed the state ’ s law enforcement agencies to name officers who have been cited for serious disciplinary violations .
In his directive , he noted that prematurely naming those accused of misconduct can be unfair if allegations are not ultimately proven .
But , he argued , the likelihood of officers misbehaving increases when they “ believe they can act with impunity ; it decreases when officers know that their misconduct will be subject to public scrutiny and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Police Department spokeswoman Sgt .
Erin Alfonso at first declined to provide the names of officers from a May 31 incident we examined .
The video shows police abruptly arresting a man who was talking to them but not doing anything aggressive before an officer appears to grab him by his shirt .
An internal report obtained by ProPublica through a public records request identified the officers as Roberto De la Nuez and Jorge Encinosa .
Encinosa declined to comment on the arrest to ProPublica and De la Nuez did not respond to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Professional Compliance Bureau is investigating the case , Alfonso said .
The incident , which took place May 29 and was reviewed by ProPublica , remains under investigation by the San Jose Police Department .
Shivaun Nurre , the Independent Police Auditor for the city , confirmed that her office has received multiple complaints related to the incident .
The office does not release the names of officers to complainants .
According to a civil rights lawsuit filed by Sanderlin on July 18 , three officers fired at him , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been unable to determine exactly who hit him and he was too far away to have caught badge names .
“ If someone else who wasn ’ t a police officer did the same thing , they would be held accountable , ” Sanderlin said .
And in another instance , ProPublica requested the incident report related to a man ’ s arrest in Kansas City , Missouri .
We were told that wouldn ’ t be possible to obtain because the charges against him and other protesters were dismissed and vacated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was “ as though it never happened , ” a Police Department spokesperson said .
The actions of the arresting officer remain under investigation , but without the report ProPublica is unable to obtain the officer ’ s name or see the rationale for the arrest .
“ We are not saying we don ’ t care and it isn ’ t a big deal , ” the spokesperson said .
Investigations — if They Happen at All — Are Far From Transparent Officers Are Unlikely to Be Disciplined — at Least Publicly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Agencies

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This story was originally published by ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive their biggest stories as soon as they’re published.
It has been almost two months since a Los Angeles Police Department patrol car accelerated into Brooke Fortson during a protest over police violence. She still doesn’t know the name of the officer who hit her or whether that person is still policing the city’s streets. The officer did not stop after hitting Fortson and instead turned around, nearly hitting other demonstrators in the process, and sped off.
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The LAPD almost surely knows who the officer is. The squad car’s number is clearly visible in one of the multiple videos that captured the incident. But the department hasn’t released any information: not the officer’s name, or whether that person has been disciplined. The police say the incident is still under investigation.
As hundreds of videos of police violence during protests have circulated, ProPublica wanted to see what happened to officers in the aftermath.
We set out to see whether the incidents caught on camera were investigated, whether officers were named and what information we could get about any investigations or discipline. We found a widespread lack of transparency that made it difficult to find out even the most basic details about whether and what sort of investigations were taking place.
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ProPublica looked through hundreds of viral videos and focused on those that most clearly show an officer using apparently disproportionate force. We ended up with 68 videos involving more than 40 law enforcement agencies across the country, in both large cities and small towns.
We asked each police department a few simple questions: Who were the officers in the video, were they under investigation and have they been disciplined?
The departments mostly declined to give any specific information.
We learned that officers from eight videos have been disciplined so far. Officers from eight others will not be disciplined. And for two videos, police departments still insist they’re unsure of whether the officers involved are their own.
While officers have the right to use force if their own or others’ lives are in danger, the widespread violence against protesters has been unwarranted, said Chris Burbank, the former chief of the Salt Lake City Police Department.
“When you have a peaceful protest, people sitting on the ground, does that justify the use of tear gas or pepper spray on them? It absolutely does not,” said Burbank, who is now the vice president of law enforcement strategy at the Center for Policing Equity. “I see that as a violation of policy, violation of state and city ordinance and as a violation of common decency and what is good about policing.”
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The LAPD told us it has moved 10 unnamed officers to non-field duties while it investigates incidents related to the recent protests. The department declined to say whether the officer who struck Fortson is on that list. Fortson has filed a claim for damages with the city and has retained a lawyer instead of filing a complaint with the Police Department.
Here’s what we learned while looking into these videos:
Officers Remain Anonymous — Even When They’re Caught on Camera
Departments have only named officers in 17 of the cases we examined as of publication. A name can allow the public to learn more about the disciplinary history of an officer and to see any patterns in prior allegations. It also could allow us to see if officers appear in multiple videos involving use of force.
Minneapolis has a public database of officers’ complaint histories. Still, the police department declined to identify the officers in videos we compiled, making it impossible to check their records in the database.
As protests have continued across the country, many states are struggling with how far to go in revealing officers’ disciplinary records.
In June, New Jersey’s attorney general directed the state’s law enforcement agencies to name officers who have been cited for serious disciplinary violations. In his directive, he noted that prematurely naming those accused of misconduct can be unfair if allegations are not ultimately proven. But, he argued, the likelihood of officers misbehaving increases when they “believe they can act with impunity; it decreases when officers know that their misconduct will be subject to public scrutiny and not protected.”
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In some states, there are union contracts and laws preventing the disclosure of officer names, said Phil Stinson, a former officer and now a professor at Bowling Green State University. In other instances, though, Stinson said, departments may just be “stonewalling” or trying to get rid of problem officers before things become public.
“They just try to ride it out and hope it quiets down,” Stinson said.
In Florida, Miami-Dade Police Department spokeswoman Sgt. Erin Alfonso at first declined to provide the names of officers from a May 31 incident we examined. The video shows police abruptly arresting a man who was talking to them but not doing anything aggressive before an officer appears to grab him by his shirt. An internal report obtained by ProPublica through a public records request identified the officers as Roberto De la Nuez and Jorge Encinosa. Encinosa declined to comment on the arrest to ProPublica and De la Nuez did not respond to a request for comment. The department’s Professional Compliance Bureau is investigating the case, Alfonso said.
In San Jose, California, anti-bias trainer Derrick Sanderlin was shot in the groin with a rubber bullet after trying to talk to officers with his arms raised.
The incident, which took place May 29 and was reviewed by ProPublica, remains under investigation by the San Jose Police Department. Shivaun Nurre, the Independent Police Auditor for the city, confirmed that her office has received multiple complaints related to the incident. The office does not release the names of officers to complainants. According to a civil rights lawsuit filed by Sanderlin on July 18, three officers fired at him, but as of the initial filing, he had been unable to determine exactly who hit him and he was too far away to have caught badge names. “If someone else who wasn’t a police officer did the same thing, they would be held accountable,” Sanderlin said.
“All allegations, complaints, or concerns of the public will be taken seriously,” the San Jose Police Department said in a statement. The department said all videos provided by ProPublica are “part of an extensive Internal Affairs investigation. As such, this is a personnel investigation and [we] cannot communicate further.”
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And in another instance, ProPublica requested the incident report related to a man’s arrest in Kansas City, Missouri. We were told that wouldn’t be possible to obtain because the charges against him and other protesters were dismissed and vacated by a city ordinance, meaning it was “as though it never happened,” a Police Department spokesperson said. The actions of the arresting officer remain under investigation, but without the report ProPublica is unable to obtain the officer’s name or see the rationale for the arrest. “We are not saying we don’t care and it isn’t a big deal,” the spokesperson said.
Investigations — if They Happen at All — Are Far From Transparent
In case after case, departments have cited ongoing investigations for not providing details such as whether officers captured in the videos remain on active duty; they also often can’t say how long the investigations might take. Sometimes, police union contracts prevent police departments from releasing such information.
In Portland, Oregon, the Bureau of Police would only say that all incidents of force were under investigation, including the two identified by ProPublica. Ross Caldwell, the director of the Independent Police Review, a civilian oversight office in the Portland auditor’s office, said that while he could confirm that both incidents were under investigation, he wasn’t “legally allowed to talk about these investigations.”
How long departments legally have to process complaints varies by jurisdiction. In at least 14 states, police officers have a “bills of rights” written into state law that provides special protections during investigations. There’s a one-year statute of limitations in California on police discipline cases. In Florida, investigations of police misconduct must conclude in 180 days. Both states have provisions to pause the clock if there’s a concurrent criminal investigation and California pauses for civil litigation, but otherwise, if a department can’t close out a case in time, officers cannot be disciplined, suspended, demoted or dismissed.
“They have gotten these protections, especially in state laws, through sheer political power and lobbying effort, and that’s a serious problem,” said Samuel Walker, a retired professor of criminal justice who has researched the bills of rights.
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Officers Are Unlikely to Be Disciplined — at Least Publicly
Even in cases where victims are able to identify officers, they’re unlikely to see them face discipline.
Because there’s no federal mandate for police agencies to report details about the civilian complaints they receive, the most recent nationwide dataset about how many complaints are fully investigated and “sustained,” meaning the allegations of wrongdoing are confirmed, was published in 1993 by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, according to Carol Archbold, a police accountability expert and professor at North Dakota State University.
In New York City, where 10 of the videos we examined took place, the Civilian Complaint Review Board investigates allegations of excessive force against the police. The board investigated more than 3,000 allegations of misuse of force in 2018, but only 73 of them were substantiated. Los Angeles, which handles its complaints internally unless an officer asks for a review by a citizen Board of Rights, had 5% of complaints from the public sustained that same year.
In California, only investigations that result in sustained findings or those involving deadly force, discharge of a firearm or “great bodily injury” become public.
The picture is similar at smaller departments. Of the 206 citizen allegations against Omaha police officers in 2018, only 17% were sustained by the department’s internal review process. In Indianapolis, where a video from the protests captured officers beating a woman, that number was 7%.
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When asked about a video showing officers kicking a protester who was backed up to a fence, the Omaha Police Department said all use of force incidents are being reviewed and that officers from other agencies were assisting. The department declined to comment further and said it is “bound by contractual language that prevents us from disclosing the contents of any personnel matter.”
Hundreds of Complaints Are Overwhelming the Oversight Agencies
Departments now face a mountain of work to sift through the events of the protests. There have been more than 750 complaints filed with New York City’s Civilian Complaint Review Board since protests began in late May, leading to over 200 open investigations. The LAPD has assigned 40 investigators to sift through protest complaints.
The Seattle Office of Police Accountability, an independent oversight body, has been contacted over 18,000 times about police actions at the protests and is aiming to increase transparency.
The agency’s new Demonstration Complaint Dashboard shows 28 ongoing investigations, but the department is continuing to work its way through complaints and plans to continue updating the tracker, said Anne Bettesworth, the deputy director of public affairs for OPA.
It typically takes 180 days for Seattle to investigate civilian allegations against officers, but Bettesworth said the agency is working to complete as many protest-related investigations as possible in under 90 days. It’s an “all hands on deck situation,” she said.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-29--Obama Reportedly To Deliver Eulogy At Rep. John Lewis's Funeral

Lewis , a Democrat , died earlier this month at the age of 80 after a months-long battle with pancreatic cancer .
Since Monday , lawmakers and members of the public have been paying their respects to Lewis , whose body has been lying in state at the U.S. Capitol .
Lewis is the second Black lawmaker to be honored in this manner , after Rep. Elijah Cummings ( D-Md . )
last October .
Only about three dozen people , including 12 presidents and four Unknown Soldiers , have lain in state at the U.S. Capitol .
President Barack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) on March 7 , 2015 , after his introduction during an event in Selma , Alabama , to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday and the Selma to Montgomery civil rights marches .
Obama , who has referred to Lewis as “ one of my heroes , ” will eulogize him at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta , CNN and the Journal-Constitution said .
In 2011 , Obama ― who was then president ― bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom , the nation ’ s highest civilian honor , on Lewis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parents teach their children what is meant by courage , the story of John Lewis will come to mind , ” Obama said at the presentation ceremony .
“ An American who knew that change could not wait for some other person or some other time ; whose life is a lesson in the fierce urgency of now.
” Though Obama , Clinton and Bush are expected to attend Lewis ’ s funeral , President Donald Trump does not plan to participate in the service , CNN reported .
Trump said earlier this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be going ” to the Capitol to honor Lewis .
Vice President Mike Pence and his wife , Karen Pence , paid their respects to the late congressman on Monday .

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Lewis, a Democrat, died earlier this month at the age of 80 after a months-long battle with pancreatic cancer.
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Since Monday, lawmakers and members of the public have been paying their respects to Lewis, whose body has been lying in state at the U.S. Capitol. Lewis is the second Black lawmaker to be honored in this manner, after Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) last October. Only about three dozen people, including 12 presidents and four Unknown Soldiers, have lain in state at the U.S. Capitol.
President Barack Obama hugs Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) on March 7, 2015, after his introduction during an event in Selma, Alabama, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday and the Selma to Montgomery civil rights marches. Pete Souza/White House via Reuters
Obama, who has referred to Lewis as “one of my heroes,” will eulogize him at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, CNN and the Journal-Constitution said.
In 2011, Obama ― who was then president ― bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, on Lewis.
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“Generations from now, when parents teach their children what is meant by courage, the story of John Lewis will come to mind,” Obama said at the presentation ceremony. “An American who knew that change could not wait for some other person or some other time; whose life is a lesson in the fierce urgency of now.”
Though Obama, Clinton and Bush are expected to attend Lewis’s funeral, President Donald Trump does not plan to participate in the service, CNN reported.
Trump said earlier this week that he “won’t be going” to the Capitol to honor Lewis.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-29--NYPD Forces Protester Into Unmarked Van

NYPD Forces Protester Into Unmarked Van

Videos showed NYPD officers pulling a protester into an unmarked van during an anti-racism protest .

NYPD Forces Protester Into Unmarked Van
Videos showed NYPD officers pulling a protester into an unmarked van during an anti-racism protest.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-29--Tempe Bridge Catches Fire, Partially Collapses After Freight Train Derails

A freight train derailment in Tempe , Arizona , partially collapsed a railroad bridge Wednesday morning after the span caught fire .
No injuries were reported , Tempe Police Chief Sylvia Moir said , but the scene remained “ very dangerous.
” The bridge spans Tempe Town Lake near the city ’ s downtown .
Union Pacific officials told NBC 12 that eight to 10 freight cars were involved in the derailment .
A Tempe Fire Department spokesperson told ABC 15 authorities were working to identify the train ’ s cargo , which may include hazardous materials .
Around 90 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pacific officials said they were unsure when the bridge had last been inspected .
Bystander Camille Kimball told CBS 5 she rode her bike under the bridge before it collapsed and was startled by the deafening noise .
“ I turned around to look and got the fright of my life , ” Kimball said .
“ Now there ’ s fire pouring into the lake from the middle of the bridge .
...
It looks like a scene from hell , truly .
A scene from hell .
...
The flames are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ black smoke.
” # BREAKING First images from @ chopperguyhd of the bridge collapse and train fire on the north end of downtown Tempe , east side of Tempe Beach Park .
# azfamily pic.twitter.com/Xr1Q6CWrQC — Gina Maravilla ( @ GinaMaravillaTV ) July 29 , 2020 UP Railway Bridge across Tempe Town Lake is down and on fire .
Rio Salado closed .
Tempe FD battling the flames .
Avoid the area .
# Tempe pic.twitter.com/jbcSUUrON9 — Daniel Coronado ( @ dnado ) July 29 , 2020 Important conversations are happening now .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ !

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A freight train derailment in Tempe, Arizona, partially collapsed a railroad bridge Wednesday morning after the span caught fire.
No injuries were reported, Tempe Police Chief Sylvia Moir said, but the scene remained “very dangerous.”
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The bridge spans Tempe Town Lake near the city’s downtown. Union Pacific officials told NBC 12 that eight to 10 freight cars were involved in the derailment.
A Tempe Fire Department spokesperson told ABC 15 authorities were working to identify the train’s cargo, which may include hazardous materials. Around 90 firefighters from multiple departments responded.
Union Pacific officials said they were unsure when the bridge had last been inspected.
Bystander Camille Kimball told CBS 5 she rode her bike under the bridge before it collapsed and was startled by the deafening noise.
“I turned around to look and got the fright of my life,” Kimball said. “Now there’s fire pouring into the lake from the middle of the bridge. ... It looks like a scene from hell, truly. A scene from hell. ... The flames are intense and the sky is filled with black smoke.”
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#BREAKING First images from @chopperguyhd of the bridge collapse and train fire on the north end of downtown Tempe, east side of Tempe Beach Park. #azfamily pic.twitter.com/Xr1Q6CWrQC — Gina Maravilla (@GinaMaravillaTV) July 29, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-30--'We're Dying Here': Florida Newspaper Pleads With DeSantis To Step Up COVID-19 Fight

A leading Florida newspaper pleaded in an editorial for more action by Gov .
Ron DeSantis ( R ) to battle COVID-19 , reminding him : “ We ’ re dying here.
” “ With each passing day , COVID-19 continues to careen out of control in Florida , ” said the Thursday editorial in the Sun Sentinel .
“ Your daily upbeat message is hopelessly at odds with what Floridians are going through .
You make it sound like everything is headed in the right direction .
But it ’ s not.
” Florida hit a record number of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , climbing from 191 deaths on Tuesday to the latest record of 253 deaths on Thursday .
The state surpassed New York ’ s total number of cases last Saturday .
The editorial pleaded with DeSantis to issue a statewide mask requirement — which is already a regulation in 32 other states .
A new Quinnipiac poll has found that 79 % of Floridians support a mask requirement , including 60 % of Republicans , the editorial noted .
“ If that ’ s not a mandate , what is ?
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the last governors in the nation to lock down his state amid the COVID-19 crisis , and among the first to open it back up .
A blistering article in The Washington Post revealed that DeSantis sidelined health experts as the disease ravaged his state , instead turning to the White House for marching orders on getting businesses back up and running despite the risks .
Florida ’ s record on addressing the pandemic is so abysmal that at least 12 states have “ singled out Floridians for 14-day quarantines should we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heat and whatever lurks in the air , ” noted the Sun Sentinel .
“ Who can blame them ?
Florida now boasts the second highest number of cases per 100,000 people , with 2,008 , ” it added .
( New Jersey currently has the highest number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in the nation . )
It concluded : “ The science is clear : Face coverings reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus and can save lives .
Issue a mask mandate , governor.
” DeSantis has not commented @ @ @ @ @ @ @ read in its entirety here .

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A leading Florida newspaper pleaded in an editorial for more action by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to battle COVID-19, reminding him: “We’re dying here.”
“With each passing day, COVID-19 continues to careen out of control in Florida,” said the Thursday editorial in the Sun Sentinel. “Your daily upbeat message is hopelessly at odds with what Floridians are going through. You make it sound like everything is headed in the right direction. But it’s not.”
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Florida hit a record number of deaths from COVID-19 three days running this week, climbing from 191 deaths on Tuesday to the latest record of 253 deaths on Thursday. The state surpassed New York’s total number of cases last Saturday.
The editorial pleaded with DeSantis to issue a statewide mask requirement — which is already a regulation in 32 other states. A new Quinnipiac poll has found that 79% of Floridians support a mask requirement, including 60% of Republicans, the editorial noted. “If that’s not a mandate, what is?” the newspaper asked.
DeSantis was one of the last governors in the nation to lock down his state amid the COVID-19 crisis, and among the first to open it back up. A blistering article in The Washington Post revealed that DeSantis sidelined health experts as the disease ravaged his state, instead turning to the White House for marching orders on getting businesses back up and running despite the risks.
Florida’s record on addressing the pandemic is so abysmal that at least 12 states have “singled out Floridians for 14-day quarantines should we dare to fly north to escape the heat and whatever lurks in the air,” noted the Sun Sentinel.
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“Who can blame them? Florida now boasts the second highest number of cases per 100,000 people, with 2,008,” it added. (New Jersey currently has the highest number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in the nation.)
“Help us out, governor,” the editorial was headlined. “We’re dying here.”
It concluded: “The science is clear: Face coverings reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus and can save lives. Issue a mask mandate, governor.” DeSantis has not commented on the editorial, which can be read in its entirety here.
A HuffPost Guide To Coronavirus


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-30--MLB Umpire Joe West Bleeds From Ear After Bo Bichette Accidentally Hits Him With Bat

A major league umpire is recovering from a head injury after a player accidentally hit him in the ear during an at-bat .
Joe West was smacked in his left ear on Thursday while calling a game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Washington Nationals .
The blow to the noggin happened when Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette was at the plate and lost control of the bat , according to Bleacher Nation .
The bat flew out of Bichette ’ s hands and smacked West in the face , as the video below demonstrates .
Umpire Joe West @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a bloody ear after Bo Bichette lost control of his bat and hit him in the side of the head 🙏 pic.twitter.com/Hfd7fcpnIa — Talkin ’ Baseball ( @ TalkinBaseball_ ) July 30 , 2020 Although West briefly left the game , he was back by the third inning .
However , he was stationed at third base , not home plate , according to CBS Sports .
West , 67 , had the option of not working this season since his age and health history put him at a higher risk if he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But he told The Athletic before the season began that he ’ d been in baseball so long that he wasn ’ t going to stop now .

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A major league umpire is recovering from a head injury after a player accidentally hit him in the ear during an at-bat.
Joe West was smacked in his left ear on Thursday while calling a game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Washington Nationals.
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The blow to the noggin happened when Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette was at the plate and lost control of the bat, according to Bleacher Nation.
The bat flew out of Bichette’s hands and smacked West in the face, as the video below demonstrates.
Umpire Joe West had to exit today's game with a bloody ear after Bo Bichette lost control of his bat and hit him in the side of the head 🙏 pic.twitter.com/Hfd7fcpnIa — Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 30, 2020
The end result wasn’t pretty...
What in the world just happened to Joe West????? pic.twitter.com/jUL2COaNAd — Eric Hubbs (@BarstoolHubbs) July 30, 2020
Although West briefly left the game, he was back by the third inning. However, he was stationed at third base, not home plate, according to CBS Sports.
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West, 67, had the option of not working this season since his age and health history put him at a higher risk if he contracts COVID-19, according to CBS Boston.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-30--Elton John Has 'Most Magical Day' As He Marks 30 Years Of Sobriety

The Grammy- , Oscar- and Tony-winning singer-songwriter highlighted the occasion on his social media platforms Wednesday .
In a series of photos , he shared the cards he received from loved ones , a festive cake and his 30-year sobriety chip .
In a tweet accompanying the images , John noted that he ’ d just wrapped up a “ most magical day ” of celebration with his husband , David Furnish , and sons Elijah , 7 , and Zachary , 9 .
“ I ’ m truly a blessed man , ” he wrote .
“ If I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ step of asking for help 30 years ago , I ’ d be dead.
” Reflecting on the most magical day having celebrated my 30th Sobriety Birthday .
So many lovely cards , flowers and chips from my sons , David , friends in the Program , staff at the office and in our homes .
I ’ m truly a blessed man .
pic.twitter.com/Oxkp0uwpbb — Elton John ( @ eltonofficial ) July 30 , 2020 If I hadn ’ t finally taken the big step of asking for help 30 years ago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thank-you from the bottom of my heart to all the people who have inspired and supported me along the way .
🙏🏻🙏🏻❤❤😇😇 pic.twitter.com/TVlXQnKWWD — Elton John ( @ eltonofficial ) July 30 , 2020 In recent years , John has been candid about his early struggles with addiction .
Both his 2019 memoir , “ Me , ” and the musical biopic “ Rocketman ” detailed drug and alcohol binges that would last for days .
“ The life I was leading , flying on the Starship [ his private plane ] , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left , right and center — it was not a normal life , not the sort of life I came from anyway , ” he told Variety last year .
“ I lost complete touch with that .
I vowed when I did change my life that that would never happen again.
” John famously credited his friendship with Ryan White , an Indiana boy who died of an AIDS-related illness in 1990 at age 18 , for motivating him to get sober that same year .
“ After he died , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” John recalled for NPR in 2012 .
“ I was either going to die or I was going to live , and which one did I want to do ?
And then I said those words , ‘ I ’ ll get help , ’ or ‘ I need help .
I ’ ll get help.
’ And my life turned around.
” These days , John is looking forward to getting back on stage .
Before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down performance venues around the world , he ’ d @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour , now slated to resume in 2021 .
He ’ s also written the music for a stage adaptation of “ The Devil Wears Prada , ” scheduled to open in Chicago next year before moving to Broadway .

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Elton John celebrated a special milestone this week: 30 years of sobriety.
The Grammy-, Oscar- and Tony-winning singer-songwriter highlighted the occasion on his social media platforms Wednesday. In a series of photos, he shared the cards he received from loved ones, a festive cake and his 30-year sobriety chip.
In a tweet accompanying the images, John noted that he’d just wrapped up a “most magical day” of celebration with his husband, David Furnish, and sons Elijah, 7, and Zachary, 9.
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“I’m truly a blessed man,” he wrote. “If I hadn’t finally taken the big step of asking for help 30 years ago, I’d be dead.”
Reflecting on the most magical day having celebrated my 30th Sobriety Birthday. So many lovely cards, flowers and chips from my sons, David, friends in the Program, staff at the office and in our homes. I’m truly a blessed man. pic.twitter.com/Oxkp0uwpbb — Elton John (@eltonofficial) July 30, 2020
If I hadn’t finally taken the big step of asking for help 30 years ago, I’d be dead. Thank-you from the bottom of my heart to all the people who have inspired and supported me along the way.
🙏🏻🙏🏻❤❤😇😇 pic.twitter.com/TVlXQnKWWD — Elton John (@eltonofficial) July 30, 2020
In recent years, John has been candid about his early struggles with addiction. Both his 2019 memoir, “Me,” and the musical biopic “Rocketman” detailed drug and alcohol binges that would last for days.
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“The life I was leading, flying on the Starship [his private plane], living in beautiful houses, buying things left, right and center — it was not a normal life, not the sort of life I came from anyway,” he told Variety last year. “I lost complete touch with that. I vowed when I did change my life that that would never happen again.”
John famously credited his friendship with Ryan White, an Indiana boy who died of an AIDS-related illness in 1990 at age 18, for motivating him to get sober that same year.
“After he died, I realized that I only had two choices,” John recalled for NPR in 2012. “I was either going to die or I was going to live, and which one did I want to do? And then I said those words, ‘I’ll get help,’ or ‘I need help. I’ll get help.’ And my life turned around.”
These days, John is looking forward to getting back on stage. Before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down performance venues around the world, he’d been in the midst of a multiyear Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, now slated to resume in 2021.
He’s also written the music for a stage adaptation of “The Devil Wears Prada,” scheduled to open in Chicago next year before moving to Broadway.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-30--I Never Wanted Kids. COVID-19 Changed My Mind.

Brian didn ’ t flinch at this disclosure ; it barely seemed to register .
But I could soon tell it was an issue .
Maybe it was the way he so fastidiously avoided the topic after that .
He ’ d been so open and vulnerable with me around other topics ( except , you know , still being married ) that I could tell , regarding this one subject , he was holding back .
So , I did what anyone would do — I didn ’ t bring it up again for weeks .
I was excited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But knowing that he might be bothered by my revelation niggled at me , and I came to the reluctant realization that , if the other shoe was going to drop on this relationship , I ’ d best get it over with .
And there we were — two people in their mid-30s who by that point loved each other — facing an uncomfortable reality .
I was angry that although I ’ d been upfront with him , I still felt guilty .
He was upset that he couldn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kids .
My therapist assured me that people make sacrifices for the ones they love all the time .
“ It was never my dream to pick up my practice and move to a small town in France , ” she said during our video call .
“ But my husband got this job , and here we are .
Brian is making the decision to stay with you of his own volition.
” I went back to my therapist with a plan .
I would re-examine why I didn ’ t want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sense to me .
I had made the decision at least 15 years earlier .
In many ways , I was a completely different person now than I was then .
I used to wear pleather miniskirts and listen to Nickelback , for goodness ’ sake .
If I were to regret taking a new job , I could look for another one .
If I made some bad investments , I could declare bankruptcy and slowly rebuild my credit .
If Brian and I got married and it was a disaster , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unbelievably difficult , but it was an option .
As I was cautiously trying on the potential identity of person-who-wants-kids , I began holding possible futures in my mind that I had never before considered .
While I was camping with some friends , a high school track meet was taking place across the river opposite our tents .
Cheering on my kid as they ran the 200 meters didn ’ t seem like such a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon .
I ’ d pack snacks .
Another time I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , scrolling through Facebook , when a couple came in with a toddler bouncing on his dad ’ s hip .
The boy was dressed in a fuzzy onesie with bear ears and a stubby tail .
I imagined myself grabbing coffee with a child in tow .
I probably wouldn ’ t be able to hang out at the coffee shop as long as I had in pre-parenthood days , but that didn ’ t seem like too big a deal .
And that baby bear was pretty cute .
Brian and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I don ’ t know if we ’ ll be successful .
If we are , I don ’ t know how this stranger will come into our lives and challenge and change it .
I don ’ t know anything .
I never did .

d3sign via Getty Images
During college, when I got accidentally knocked up during a friends-with-benefits situation, I recall looking down at my still-flat belly and marveling at how strange it was that this would be the only time I’d have a bun in the oven.
So, though I can’t recall the exact age that I decided I didn’t want kids, it’s been awhile.
It’s difficult to broach the subject of parenthood in the 30-something dating world. In your 20s, few people are thinking long-term like that, but in your 30s, they are getting down to business.
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With one guy, I brought it up during our second date at a bowling alley. “Nice spare! Also, I don’t want kids.”
When I met Brian, I decided to piggyback the discussion onto an already awkward conversation. We’d been dating for about two months when he mentioned that he wasn’t — technically — divorced. I mentioned that I didn’t — technically — want children. One conversation. Two Band-Aids torn off.
Brian didn’t flinch at this disclosure; it barely seemed to register. But I could soon tell it was an issue. Maybe it was the way he so fastidiously avoided the topic after that. He’d been so open and vulnerable with me around other topics (except, you know, still being married) that I could tell, regarding this one subject, he was holding back.
So, I did what anyone would do — I didn’t bring it up again for weeks. I was excited about Brian. Things were going well. But knowing that he might be bothered by my revelation niggled at me, and I came to the reluctant realization that, if the other shoe was going to drop on this relationship, I’d best get it over with.
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So, one night when he was over at my apartment, I gulped down half a bottle of dry rosé and asked if he was really, truly OK with not having kids.
He hadn’t wanted to say anything because he was excited about our relationship, too. Not having kids wasn’t a dealbreaker for him. But he was sad. He was really, really sad. Since our conversation, he had been privately mourning a future that involved being called Dad.
And there we were — two people in their mid-30s who by that point loved each other — facing an uncomfortable reality. I was angry that although I’d been upfront with him, I still felt guilty. He was upset that he couldn’t wish away his desire to have kids.
My therapist assured me that people make sacrifices for the ones they love all the time. “It was never my dream to pick up my practice and move to a small town in France,” she said during our video call. “But my husband got this job, and here we are. Brian is making the decision to stay with you of his own volition.”
For a while, neither Brian nor I brought up the topic of kids again. But every time we’d pass by a couple pushing a stroller, I’d tense. Was Brian looking at the young family wistfully? Jealously? Angrily? Resentfully? He seemed fine, but was he really? If the child was crying or whining, I said a silent “thank you.”
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I was always thinking about it. I thought about it every day. I felt like I was tiptoeing around bubbles, not wanting them to pop.
I went back to my therapist with a plan. I would re-examine why I didn’t want kids to ensure my reasons still made sense to me. I had made the decision at least 15 years earlier. In many ways, I was a completely different person now than I was then. I used to wear pleather miniskirts and listen to Nickelback, for goodness’ sake.
I counted my reservations off to her in no particular order:
What if the kid grows up to be a sociopath?
What if giving birth injures my body irreparably?
What if having a kid ruins my relationship with Brian?
What if I don’t get to do any of the hobbies I love or see my friends anymore?
I’d started therapy 10 years earlier, when I had severe depression, years of self-injury under my belt, and the occasional suicidal ideation. My first therapist would admit to me years later that, during our initial sessions, he had concluded glumly that I was a “lost cause.”
But I’d gone week after week … after week … and figured my shit out. We dissected my childhood, re-evaluated my friendships, and built layer upon layer of self-worth. I’d worked my ass off to be a success story.
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So, I took quite seriously any disruptions to my new, healthy, carefully crafted life. And you know what a baby is? One ginormous disruption.
If I were to regret taking a new job, I could look for another one. If I made some bad investments, I could declare bankruptcy and slowly rebuild my credit. If Brian and I got married and it was a disaster, we could separate. It would be unbelievably difficult, but it was an option.
Once a kid is plopped into your world, however, that’s it. They come with a jumble of unknowns, and it was that jumble that terrified the hell out of me.
“Do you know if your parents are alive right now, at this very second?” My therapist asked me one Tuesday morning.
“No, I suppose not,” I said, not understanding her point.
“You face uncertainty each day. For whatever reason, you’re more attuned to some unknowns than others. Nevertheless, they are a reality in every aspect of your life.”
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We hung up and I called my parents.
During a work trip over Halloween, a nosy colleague asked if I planned on having children. She was in her mid-50s and had 10-year-old twins. If she’d asked a year earlier, I would have responded with a flat “No.” Now though, I hedged. “Still deciding.”
“You should. It’s fun. No one ever told me how much fun it would be.” Then she excused herself to go FaceTime with her kids so she could see their costumes.
As I was cautiously trying on the potential identity of person-who-wants-kids, I began holding possible futures in my mind that I had never before considered. While I was camping with some friends, a high school track meet was taking place across the river opposite our tents. Cheering on my kid as they ran the 200 meters didn’t seem like such a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I’d pack snacks.
Another time I was sitting idly in a coffee shop, scrolling through Facebook, when a couple came in with a toddler bouncing on his dad’s hip. The boy was dressed in a fuzzy onesie with bear ears and a stubby tail. I imagined myself grabbing coffee with a child in tow. I probably wouldn’t be able to hang out at the coffee shop as long as I had in pre-parenthood days, but that didn’t seem like too big a deal. And that baby bear was pretty cute.
It was true that I was presently enjoying the life I had created — frequent dinners out with friends, kayaking several times a week, regular yoga classes — but would I still enjoy the same life — the exact same life — 10, 20, 30 years down the line? Change could be good. Brian was proof of that.
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Then, the pandemic happened. Before COVID-19, if you had asked me how I would handle being stuck in my apartment for not days or weeks, but months, I wouldn’t have hesitated: “You’ll find me in the back of my closet, curled up in the fetal position, crying.”
But when it did happen and my hobbies and social life evaporated overnight, it wasn’t the catastrophe for my mental health that I assumed it would be. True, I hadn’t lost my job and neither had Brian. We had stayed healthy, as had our family and friends. Still, I had managed to remain content — upbeat, even — during a stressful time. Huh, I thought. Surprising.
In the first few weeks of quarantine, I couldn’t stop thinking about the 1998 movie “Sliding Doors” in which the life of Gwyneth Paltrow’s character unfolds in two versions: one in which she catches a subway train and one in which she misses it. As I sat in my apartment watching my plans pass by, I kept wondering what I would be doing in that moment if the pandemic hadn’t happened.
What I came to realize is that there aren’t two versions of my life — there’s one. I had assumed my plans would proceed as I had envisioned, but those assumptions were exactly that. A world where Brian and I eloped on top of a mountaintop in Slovenia didn’t exist. A world where we got married in an Arlington, Virginia, lawyer’s office wearing masks was what was always going to happen. I just hadn’t known it.
The pandemic taught me the point that my therapist had been trying to get across. I couldn’t barricade myself against the worst-case scenario. I have to live my life and trust that I have the strength and resilience to handle what comes my way.
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Brian and I are trying now to get pregnant. I don’t know if we’ll be successful. If we are, I don’t know how this stranger will come into our lives and challenge and change it. I don’t know anything. I never did.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-30--Should You Volunteer For A COVID-19 Vaccine Trial? Here's What You Need To Know.

Fortunately , researchers have been hustling to design , test and eventually mass-produce a vaccine that ’ ll bring us some immunity against COVID-19 .
Initial evidence on the safety and effectiveness of some of the potential vaccines is promising .
As Dr. Anthony Fauci , director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases , said , it ’ s something to be “ cautiously optimistic ” about .
Still , there ’ s no guarantee that any of the vaccines now being tested will do the trick .
We need more clinical trials .
To carry out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ volunteers — people of all ages , genders , ethnicities and backgrounds — to ensure that the final vaccines work across the general population .
In Phase 1 , scientists look to see if the vaccine causes any problematic side effects or reactions in people .
If things look good , the vaccine moves into Phase 2 , which evaluates how much and how often people would need to get vaccinated .
If the results are promising , Phase 3 kicks off to determine if the vaccine can actually prevent an infection when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Phase 4 examines how the vaccine performs in specific groups like pregnant women and children .
A vaccine that can prevent COVID-19 altogether would be ideal , but researchers would also be pleased to develop one that reduces the severity of the coronavirus infection , according to Jim Kublin , an infectious disease researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the executive director of the operations program for the National Institutes of Health-funded COVID-19 Prevention Network ( CoVPN ) .
What it ’ s like to be a vaccine trial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a volunteer for a vaccine trial , you will get screened to ensure you ’ re in good health .
First up is a brief phone screening , and if you pass that , you ’ ll undergo an in-person screening , which may include a physical .
If you get the green light ( and some will on the same day as the in-person screening , depending on the trial ) , you will have blood drawn and receive the first dose of the vaccine via an injection , Kublin explained .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ any symptoms or side effects ( think : a rash , pain at the injection site , a slight fever ) .
This goes on for a few weeks , at which point you go back to the trial site for a quick health exam , have some more blood drawn and receive the second dose , which boosts the vaccine ’ s effect .
You continue tracking your symptoms for a few more weeks .
After that , unless you have symptoms or side effects that require further evaluation , all that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quick blood draw every three to six months for up to two years to see if your immune response holds up or wanes , according to Kublin .
( Some trials may involve more frequent blood draws ; it depends on what the researchers are looking for . )
In any case , Rubin said he ’ d do it all over again .
He said he felt “ totally safe , totally monitored , and exceptionally well cared for.
” ( Note that in Rubin ’ s trial , researchers were testing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so he may have received a higher dose than what participants in subsequent trials of that vaccine would receive . )
If you happened to get infected with the virus ( say , from a family member or on the job ) while you were participating in the vaccine trial , you would either quarantine at home or be treated in a health facility .
“ We ’ re paying an immense amount of attention and effort to ensure that participants in these clinical trials who do get infected are monitored as closely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But keep this in mind : The vaccines themselves can not give you COVID-19 as they don ’ t actually contain any of the coronavirus itself .
A vaccine is designed to turn on your immune system and go after the virus if you are exposed .
Rubin said he got involved because he wanted to give back to all the health care workers on the front lines who ’ ve been battling COVID-19 and putting their own lives at risk .
“ I wanted to be able to say I contributed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he said .
How to sign up if you ’ re interested in being a vaccine trial volunteer .
There are some qualifying factors for participants .
You must be at least 18 years old and you can ’ t be pregnant or breastfeeding .
The trials may also be too risky for people who are severely immunocompromised — i.e.
, you have cancer or take immunosuppressives .
You can ’ t have a history of being allergic to vaccines and you won ’ t be able to take certain contraceptives for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Researchers need a range of people to participate .
Besides individuals of all genders , ages and ethnicities , they want people in good health and those with preexisting health conditions like heart disease and diabetes .
Individuals with HIV that is virally controlled also make strong candidates .
And the trials need to include people of color as COVID-19 is disproportionally impacting those communities .
It ’ s worth noting that researchers do not encourage any of the volunteers to go out and try to get infected .
Though they hope @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s no guarantee yet .
They are , however , looking for people who may potentially be exposed due to their work and living situations .

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It’s become pretty clear that unless some sort of miracle takes place, we aren’t going to really dig ourselves out of the coronavirus pandemic without a vaccine.
Fortunately, researchers have been hustling to design, test and eventually mass-produce a vaccine that’ll bring us some immunity against COVID-19. Initial evidence on the safety and effectiveness of some of the potential vaccines is promising. As Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said, it’s something to be “cautiously optimistic” about.
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Still, there’s no guarantee that any of the vaccines now being tested will do the trick. We need more clinical trials. To carry out those trials, researchers need tons of volunteers — people of all ages, genders, ethnicities and backgrounds — to ensure that the final vaccines work across the general population.
How potential COVID-19 vaccines are clinically tested.
Each vaccine has to be studied in multiple rounds of testing to ensure that it’s both safe and effective.
In Phase 1, scientists look to see if the vaccine causes any problematic side effects or reactions in people. If things look good, the vaccine moves into Phase 2, which evaluates how much and how often people would need to get vaccinated. If the results are promising, Phase 3 kicks off to determine if the vaccine can actually prevent an infection when people are out in the real world. Phase 4 examines how the vaccine performs in specific groups like pregnant women and children.
A vaccine that can prevent COVID-19 altogether would be ideal, but researchers would also be pleased to develop one that reduces the severity of the coronavirus infection, according to Jim Kublin, an infectious disease researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the executive director of the operations program for the National Institutes of Health-funded COVID-19 Prevention Network (CoVPN).
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Pharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax, are in different stages of this process and recruiting for the various trial phases.
skaman306 via Getty Images
What it’s like to be a vaccine trial participant.
Before you get accepted as a volunteer for a vaccine trial, you will get screened to ensure you’re in good health. First up is a brief phone screening, and if you pass that, you’ll undergo an in-person screening, which may include a physical. If you get the green light (and some will on the same day as the in-person screening, depending on the trial), you will have blood drawn and receive the first dose of the vaccine via an injection, Kublin explained.
Then, you go home and record any symptoms or side effects (think: a rash, pain at the injection site, a slight fever). This goes on for a few weeks, at which point you go back to the trial site for a quick health exam, have some more blood drawn and receive the second dose, which boosts the vaccine’s effect. You continue tracking your symptoms for a few more weeks.
After that, unless you have symptoms or side effects that require further evaluation, all that’s required from you is a quick blood draw every three to six months for up to two years to see if your immune response holds up or wanes, according to Kublin. (Some trials may involve more frequent blood draws; it depends on what the researchers are looking for.)
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Andrew Rubin, the senior vice president for clinical affairs and ambulatory care at NYU Langone, has been participating in a Phase 1 clinical trial. He said the process has been relatively simple. Other than the first appointment, which lasted three hours, each subsequent appointment was only a half-hour long.
After both injections, Rubin developed mild flu-like symptoms — a slight fever, some aches and pains.
“Prepare yourself to feel not 100% for a day, for 24 hours,” said Rubin, adding that he didn’t know if that would happen in other trials.
In any case, Rubin said he’d do it all over again. He said he felt “totally safe, totally monitored, and exceptionally well cared for.” (Note that in Rubin’s trial, researchers were testing various dosage levels of the vaccine, so he may have received a higher dose than what participants in subsequent trials of that vaccine would receive.)
If you happened to get infected with the virus (say, from a family member or on the job) while you were participating in the vaccine trial, you would either quarantine at home or be treated in a health facility. “We’re paying an immense amount of attention and effort to ensure that participants in these clinical trials who do get infected are monitored as closely as possible,” Kublin said.
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But keep this in mind: The vaccines themselves cannot give you COVID-19 as they don’t actually contain any of the coronavirus itself. A vaccine is designed to turn on your immune system and go after the virus if you are exposed.
Rubin said he got involved because he wanted to give back to all the health care workers on the front lines who’ve been battling COVID-19 and putting their own lives at risk. “I wanted to be able to say I contributed to the effort to stop this crisis,” he said.
Volunteers do get compensated for their time. Kublin said most trials pay about $50 per appointment, which can amount to anywhere from $500 to $1,200 for the full trial.
andresr via Getty Images
How to sign up if you’re interested in being a vaccine trial volunteer.
There are some qualifying factors for participants. You must be at least 18 years old and you can’t be pregnant or breastfeeding. The trials may also be too risky for people who are severely immunocompromised — i.e., you have cancer or take immunosuppressives. You can’t have a history of being allergic to vaccines and you won’t be able to take certain contraceptives for at least a portion of the trial.
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Researchers need a range of people to participate. Besides individuals of all genders, ages and ethnicities, they want people in good health and those with preexisting health conditions like heart disease and diabetes. Individuals with HIV that is virally controlled also make strong candidates. And the trials need to include people of color as COVID-19 is disproportionally impacting those communities.
It’s worth noting that researchers do not encourage any of the volunteers to go out and try to get infected. Though they hope the vaccines are protective, there’s no guarantee yet. They are, however, looking for people who may potentially be exposed due to their work and living situations.
Before you enroll, you could also read up on how the clinical trials for a COVID-19 vaccine are going. Many companies are well into the research process and it may be helpful to review their initial testing results.
The easiest way to sign up is to visit CoVPN’s website, which is currently recruiting people for Phase 3 trials. You can also visit www.CovidStudies.org to see if there are any trials in your area.
“We really would like people to register,” Kublin said. “We do need literally millions of people to volunteer now.”
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Experts are still learning about the novel coronavirus. The information in this story is what was known or available as of press time, but it’s possible guidance around COVID-19 could change as scientists discover more about the virus. Please check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the most updated recommendations.