thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-26--How 'Qualified Immunity' Protects Cops From Being Held Accountable

Lack of police reform in the United States has given the average police officer a variety of tools to dodge accountability .
Overprotective police union contracts are considered to be part of the reason former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin stayed on the force long enough to kill George Floyd , despite the 17 civil complaints stacked against him .
Convoluted arbitration processes can put years of red tape and appeals between an officer and disciplinary action .
And in some jurisdictions , neck restraints and other deadly maneuvers aren ’ t even considered violations .
Over the years , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court justices ― have cast doubt on whether such strong protection is indeed necessary .
If a regular person breaks the law and hurts someone else , they can be sued and ordered to pay damages .
But the rules are much different for cops under qualified immunity .
How did this become a thing ?
But the Supreme Court vastly limited this ability in a 1967 opinion in the case of Pierson v. Ray , which centered around a group of Black and white clergymen who entered a segregated bus terminal in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ men to leave ; they refused , and the entire group was arrested for breaching the peace .
Writing for the majority , Chief Justice Earl Warren explained that the officers had immunity for their actions because they were undertaken as a good-faith execution of the law .
A later decision involving a government whistleblower amended the doctrine .
In 1982 , the Supreme Court ruled in Harlow v. Fitzgerald that suits against government officials could be damaging to “ society as a whole ” if officials became cripplingly afraid of being sued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ duties.
” Therefore , government officials are shielded from liability in civil suits so long as their conduct does not violate “ clearly established ” law .
In 1986 , the Supreme Court strengthened the doctrine further , adding that qualified immunity “ provides ample protection to all but the plainly incompetent or those who knowingly violate the law.
” Where police are concerned , the court has repeatedly said that “ clearly established ” law means the circumstances in a complaint against an officer have to be nearly identical to the circumstances @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an officer liable .
The incident has to involve the same “ context ” and “ conduct.
” Otherwise , the officer is protected , even if he violated someone ’ s constitutional rights .
One egregious example is the case of Jessop v. City of Fresno , which involved a trio of California police officers who attempted to steal $ 225,000 worth of property while raiding someone ’ s home with a warrant .
In 2019 , a federal appellate court sided with the officers .
Although the court sympathized with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ deeply disturbing , ” the cops were not found liable because no other court had previously settled the question of whether police officers “ violate the Fourth or Fourteenth Amendment when they steal property that is seized pursuant to a warrant.
” In the past , the Supreme Court has argued that qualified immunity has other benefits ; it is necessary to protect officers from having to pay settlements or being subjected to burdensome discovery and trial .
But evidence supporting these arguments is sparse .
One study , published by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that officers seldom pay out settlements themselves ; rather , taxpayer funds typically cover the costs .
Another study , in the Yale Law Journal , determined that qualified immunity does not stop police departments from having to spend time settling lawsuits .
What are some other real-world examples ?
There are many .
One case involved a 10-year-old boy shot by a Georgia police officer in 2014 after several officers rushed into a family ’ s yard where six children were playing .
The officers , who were pursuing a suspect , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the ground , including all of the children and their one adult supervisor .
Everyone complied , including the suspect , but the family ’ s pet dog , Bruce , was also in the yard .
Even though Bruce posed no threat , an officer fired his gun ― missing and hitting the boy instead , causing him serious injury .
The boy ’ s mother sued , but her case was eventually dismissed .
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear one upcoming qualified immunity case during its fall 2020 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Michigan police officer thought a college student , James King , fit the loose description they had of a wanted fugitive , so they stopped him on the street in 2014 .
There is debate over whether the officers identified themselves ; they were wearing street clothes with law enforcement badges around their necks .
King complied with an order to put his hands on his head , but became suspicious when one of the officers removed his wallet , prompting King to ask , “ Are you mugging me ?
” King @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tackled , furiously beaten , put in a chokehold and rendered unconscious .
He is represented by the Institute for Justice , a libertarian nonprofit .
How do we change it ?

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There are a number of reasons justice is so slow ― and often nonexistent ― for victims of police brutality.
Lack of police reform in the United States has given the average police officer a variety of tools to dodge accountability. Overprotective police union contracts are considered to be part of the reason former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin stayed on the force long enough to kill George Floyd, despite the 17 civil complaints stacked against him. Convoluted arbitration processes can put years of red tape and appeals between an officer and disciplinary action. And in some jurisdictions, neck restraints and other deadly maneuvers aren’t even considered violations.
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When officers do face legal repercussions, they have another get-out-of-jail-free card in qualified immunity ― a term that typically floats around activist circles but has recently broken into the mainstream.
What is qualified immunity?
First, here’s what it’s not: Qualified immunity is not a law on the books, meaning it could be abolished or altered by legislators at any time.
Qualified immunity is a legal doctrine that shields government employees from civil lawsuits while they are on the job. Proponents of its use in policing argue that law enforcement officers need to be able to make good-faith, split-second decisions and shouldn’t have to worry about frivolous lawsuits later on.
Over the years, however, critics ― including some Supreme Court justices ― have cast doubt on whether such strong protection is indeed necessary. If a regular person breaks the law and hurts someone else, they can be sued and ordered to pay damages. But the rules are much different for cops under qualified immunity.
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Some say it allows police officers to act with impunity.
How did this become a thing?
The doctrine can be traced back to the 1871 Civil Rights Act, which established that Americans have the right to sue government officials (police officers included) for violating their rights.
But the Supreme Court vastly limited this ability in a 1967 opinion in the case of Pierson v. Ray, which centered around a group of Black and white clergymen who entered a segregated bus terminal in Mississippi. Police officers asked the 15 men to leave; they refused, and the entire group was arrested for breaching the peace. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice Earl Warren explained that the officers had immunity for their actions because they were undertaken as a good-faith execution of the law.
A later decision involving a government whistleblower amended the doctrine. In 1982, the Supreme Court ruled in Harlow v. Fitzgerald that suits against government officials could be damaging to “society as a whole” if officials became cripplingly afraid of being sued “in the unflinching discharge of their duties.” Therefore, government officials are shielded from liability in civil suits so long as their conduct does not violate “clearly established” law. In 1986, the Supreme Court strengthened the doctrine further, adding that qualified immunity “provides ample protection to all but the plainly incompetent or those who knowingly violate the law.”
(The court uses “qualified” to distinguish the term from “absolute” immunity, meaning that, in theory, government officials need to meet certain standards for it to apply.)
Where police are concerned, the court has repeatedly said that “clearly established” law means the circumstances in a complaint against an officer have to be nearly identical to the circumstances in a previously settled case that found an officer liable. The incident has to involve the same “context” and “conduct.” Otherwise, the officer is protected, even if he violated someone’s constitutional rights.
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As Justice Samuel Alito argued in a 2009 majority opinion: “Qualified immunity balances two important interests ― the need to hold public officials accountable when they exercise power irresponsibly and the need to shield officials from harassment, distraction, and liability when they perform their duties reasonably.”
What’s wrong with qualified immunity?
Two questions help determine whether qualified immunity can be applied to a case against the police: One, did the officer violate a person’s rights? (In policing, this usually refers to the Fourth Amendment and the use of excessive force.) Two, did that action violate clearly established law?
In 2009, the Supreme Court determined that lower courts can skip the first question altogether.
By requiring victims of police brutality and abuse to point to precedent in order to proceed with their cases, the doctrine is inherently severely limiting.
One egregious example is the case of Jessop v. City of Fresno, which involved a trio of California police officers who attempted to steal $225,000 worth of property while raiding someone’s home with a warrant. In 2019, a federal appellate court sided with the officers. Although the court sympathized with the defendants and found the officers’ conduct “deeply disturbing,” the cops were not found liable because no other court had previously settled the question of whether police officers “violate the Fourth or Fourteenth Amendment when they steal property that is seized pursuant to a warrant.”
Whether or not the behavior violated the defendants’ rights was not even in question ― under qualified immunity, courts need only decide whether there was clearly established law involved.
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In the past, the Supreme Court has argued that qualified immunity has other benefits; it is necessary to protect officers from having to pay settlements or being subjected to burdensome discovery and trial. But evidence supporting these arguments is sparse. One study, published by the New York University Law Review, showed that officers seldom pay out settlements themselves; rather, taxpayer funds typically cover the costs. Another study, in the Yale Law Journal, determined that qualified immunity does not stop police departments from having to spend time settling lawsuits.
There is increasingly broad support for reforming the doctrine. In recent years, Justice Clarence Thomas, a conservative, has joined liberal justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg in sharply criticizing it.
What are some other real-world examples?
There are many. One case involved a 10-year-old boy shot by a Georgia police officer in 2014 after several officers rushed into a family’s yard where six children were playing. The officers, who were pursuing a suspect, ordered everybody in the yard to get on the ground, including all of the children and their one adult supervisor. Everyone complied, including the suspect, but the family’s pet dog, Bruce, was also in the yard. Even though Bruce posed no threat, an officer fired his gun ― missing and hitting the boy instead, causing him serious injury. The boy’s mother sued, but her case was eventually dismissed.
Another 2014 case involved a Nebraska police officer who body-slammed a 5-foot woman to the ground, fracturing her collarbone, after she walked away from him and toward her child, who was engaged in a heated conversation. A court ruled against her.
In 2012, a Florida officer failed to identify himself when bursting into the home of an innocent man, Andrew Scott, before shooting and killing Scott for no legitimate reason. The officer was granted qualified immunity.
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The Supreme Court has agreed to hear one upcoming qualified immunity case during its fall 2020 term. An FBI agent and a Michigan police officer thought a college student, James King, fit the loose description they had of a wanted fugitive, so they stopped him on the street in 2014. There is debate over whether the officers identified themselves; they were wearing street clothes with law enforcement badges around their necks. King complied with an order to put his hands on his head, but became suspicious when one of the officers removed his wallet, prompting King to ask, “Are you mugging me?” King then tried to run, but was tackled, furiously beaten, put in a chokehold and rendered unconscious. He is represented by the Institute for Justice, a libertarian nonprofit.
How do we change it?
Qualified immunity has been shaped by decades of court decisions. If Americans are unhappy with it, their representatives in Congress can pass a bill to abolish the doctrine or specify a lot more clearly when and where it can be used.
It is unlikely that any such reform will occur during the current congressional session. While a measure to curb qualified immunity was included in the Democrats’ police reform package passed this week in the House, Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell is pushing for a much more modest bill, which does not mention qualified immunity or other reforms. Democrats say the Senate Republicans’ bill is a nonstarter.
But there is still bipartisan hope for change. This week, Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) introduced a bill called the Reforming Qualified Immunity Act aimed at holding law enforcement officers more accountable, arguing that the current doctrine was formed out of “the judicial branch’s overreach of power.”
“While qualified immunity originally was intended to defend government employees acting with good faith, the doctrine has expanded to protect those acting well-outside the law if the allegedly deprived right has not yet been ‘clearly established’ in the relevant jurisdiction,” Braun said in a statement. He expects five to seven of his Republican colleagues to sign on with him.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-26--Unilever Will Stop Advertising On Facebook, Twitter For Rest Of 2020

The consumer goods company , which owns brands like Dove Soap and Lipton tea , joins a growing advertising boycott against Facebook as part of the “ Stop Hate for Profit ” campaign started by U.S. civil rights groups after the death of George Floyd .
The effort called on Facebook , which owns Instagram , to do more to stop hate speech and misinformation .
Shares of Facebook and Twitter both fell more than 7 % .
“ Continuing to advertise on these platforms at this time would not add value to people and society .
We will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ position if necessary , ” Unilever said in a statement .
“ The Stop Hate for Profit ” campaign asks businesses not to advertise on Facebook ’ s services in July .
It focuses on specific recommendations for Facebook , though Twitter has also long been under pressure to clean up alleged abuses and misinformation on its platform .
“ We have developed policies and platform capabilities designed to protect and serve the public conversation , and as always , are committed to amplifying voices from under-represented communities and marginalized groups , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twitter ’ s Global Client Solutions .
“ We are respectful of our partners ’ decisions and will continue to work and communicate closely with them during this time.
” More than 90 advertisers including Verizon Communications Inc and The North Face , a unit of VF Corp , have joined the campaign , according to a list by ad activism group Sleeping Giants , a partner in the campaign .
Earlier this week , ice-cream maker Ben & Jerry ’ s , a unit of Unilever , said it would pull its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States .
In a statement , a Facebook spokeswoman pointed to its civil rights audit and investments in Artificial Intelligence that allow it to find and take action on hate speech .
“ We know we have more work to do , and we ’ ll continue to work with civil rights groups , GARM , and other experts to develop even more tools , technology and policies to continue this fight , ” she said , referring to the Global Alliance for Responsible Media .
Other groups in the campaign include the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Free Press and Color of Change .

The consumer goods company, which owns brands like Dove Soap and Lipton tea, joins a growing advertising boycott against Facebook as part of the “Stop Hate for Profit” campaign started by U.S. civil rights groups after the death of George Floyd. The effort called on Facebook, which owns Instagram, to do more to stop hate speech and misinformation.
Shares of Facebook and Twitter both fell more than 7%.
“Continuing to advertise on these platforms at this time would not add value to people and society. We will be monitoring ongoing and will revisit our current position if necessary,” Unilever said in a statement.
“The Stop Hate for Profit” campaign asks businesses not to advertise on Facebook’s services in July. It focuses on specific recommendations for Facebook, though Twitter has also long been under pressure to clean up alleged abuses and misinformation on its platform.
“We have developed policies and platform capabilities designed to protect and serve the public conversation, and as always, are committed to amplifying voices from under-represented communities and marginalized groups,” said Sarah Personette, vice president for Twitter’s Global Client Solutions.
“We are respectful of our partners’ decisions and will continue to work and communicate closely with them during this time.”
More than 90 advertisers including Verizon Communications Inc and The North Face, a unit of VF Corp, have joined the campaign, according to a list by ad activism group Sleeping Giants, a partner in the campaign.
Earlier this week, ice-cream maker Ben & Jerry’s, a unit of Unilever, said it would pull its Facebook and Instagram ads in the United States.
In a statement, a Facebook spokeswoman pointed to its civil rights audit and investments in Artificial Intelligence that allow it to find and take action on hate speech.
“We know we have more work to do, and we’ll continue to work with civil rights groups, GARM, and other experts to develop even more tools, technology and policies to continue this fight,” she said, referring to the Global Alliance for Responsible Media.
Other groups in the campaign include the NAACP, Anti-Defamation League, Common Sense, Free Press and Color of Change.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-26--Minneapolis City Council Votes To Abolish Police Force

The Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved a plan Friday that would allow the city ’ s police force to be dissolved in the wake of George Floyd ’ s death .
While the council supports the move , the final say would lie with Minnesota voters in November .
Floyd , a Black man , was killed after a white police officer pressed his knee into his neck in a parking lot for nearly eight minutes , sparking protests against police brutality all over the world .
The city ’ s police force , like countless others around the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ activists and critics who say too much public funding is going to law enforcement agencies instead of schools and social programs that strengthen the community .
Several city council members emphasized that the council ’ s decision to push forward with the proposal was just one step in a larger effort to address systemic racism .
“ This is a precondition to the change people are asking for , ” city council member Steve Fletcher said .
City council member Andrea Jenkins added , “ Until we really address racism , nothing is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ council ’ s vote will allow the Minneapolis charter to be amended so that it can eliminate the police department .
Draft language of the proposed changes suggests that the council wishes to instead establish a Department of Community Safety and Violence Prevention .
Such a department , according to the draft , would prioritize “ a holistic , public health-oriented approach ” to law enforcement .
If approved , the plan to form a new public safety force would not go into effect until next year .
Any approved head of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experience in community safety services , including but not limited to public health and/or restorative justice approaches , ” according to the proposal .
The Minneapolis Police Department has been criticized for its response to anti-racism protests since Floyd ’ s death .
Rubber bullets fired at journalists left at least one woman with permanent vision damage .
The department has also faced criticism for allowing Derek Chauvin , the officer who killed Floyd , to remain on the job despite having 17 complaints under his belt .

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The Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved a plan Friday that would allow the city’s police force to be dissolved in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
While the council supports the move, the final say would lie with Minnesota voters in November.
Floyd, a Black man, was killed after a white police officer pressed his knee into his neck in a parking lot for nearly eight minutes, sparking protests against police brutality all over the world.
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The city’s police force, like countless others around the country, has come under heavy scrutiny by activists and critics who say too much public funding is going to law enforcement agencies instead of schools and social programs that strengthen the community.
Several city council members emphasized that the council’s decision to push forward with the proposal was just one step in a larger effort to address systemic racism.
“This is a precondition to the change people are asking for,” city council member Steve Fletcher said.
City council member Andrea Jenkins added, “Until we really address racism, nothing is really going to change.”
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The city council’s vote will allow the Minneapolis charter to be amended so that it can eliminate the police department. Draft language of the proposed changes suggests that the council wishes to instead establish a Department of Community Safety and Violence Prevention.
Such a department, according to the draft, would prioritize “a holistic, public health-oriented approach” to law enforcement. If approved, the plan to form a new public safety force would not go into effect until next year.
Any approved head of the new department “will have non-law enforcement experience in community safety services, including but not limited to public health and/or restorative justice approaches,” according to the proposal.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-27--When Both Parents Are On The Front Lines, Who’s Taking Care Of The Kids?

In early June , Ivy Lewis was exposed to a patient who initially tested negative for coronavirus , but became @ @ @ @ @ his hospitalization .
She tested negative for coronavirus on June 4 , but a week @ @ @ @ @ to develop body aches and a sore throat .
The next day , Lia had @ @ @ @ @ day after , Teddy was a little warm and coughed a few times .
Richard @ @ @ @ @ on June 14 that came back positive the next day .
Ivy Lewis got tested @ @ @ @ @ She was asymptomatic other than losing her sense of taste and smell , but the @ @ @ @ @ hospital where she believes she contracted the virus has had around 28 healthcare workers test @ @ @ @

This story about emergency child care was produced as part of the series Critical Condition: The Students the Pandemic Hit Hardest, reported by HuffPost and The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education.
Tamiesha and Ernest Parris, 36 and 38, met on the job six years ago. Both nurses at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York City, they dated in secret for years. Ernest Parris works in the post-operative department and Tamiesha Parris works in the ICU. She described her husband as laid back, and herself as very type-A.
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“We actually probably couldn’t be [more] opposite, but, yin and yang,” she said.
Their daughter, Presley, is 4.
Presley used to attend Midwood Montessori School in Brooklyn, but it shut down in mid-March, around the time Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered schools closed to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. Presley’s last day at Midwood was March 13.
Over the next week, many child care facilities across the city closed their doors, limiting options for parents in essential jobs who still needed the care.
The Parrises were not aware of potential public options when their daughter’s daycare closed. Amid the sudden upheaval, it was not immediately clear to Presley’s parents where they could find an early child care center she could attend. For more than two weeks, the Parrises took turns watching Presley during the day while maintaining a grueling schedule of staggered night shifts, worried all the while that they might contract the virus that was already raging across the city.
At the time, Ernest Parris was working 9 p.m. to 9 a.m.; Tamiesha Parris worked from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. They rotated nights so that one parent was always home with Presley. Ernest Parris works about 13 shifts a month; Tamiesha Parris, who was working seven shifts a month pre-coronavirus, started working around 11 shifts. Child care allows them the time to sleep, go grocery shopping and take care of other errands.
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Like the Parris family, parents around the country with essential jobs have been scrambling to find child care centers that are still open during the coronavirus pandemic, or are turning to help from family members who are able to stay home with children. States have set up different parameters for operating child care facilities to serve the children of essential workers, each trying to figure out how to best provide for families, protect the safety of children who need care, and avoid increasing the devastation wrought on an already fragile child care industry.
With emergency child care options varying so much across the country, many parents who work in healthcare do not have access to a government-run child care program for essential workers. And, some programs that are up and running now did not exist when the coronavirus first hit, or are not a good fit for every family.
In an April 2-10 survey of more than 5,000 child care providers across the country, almost half of respondents said their child care center was completely closed, according to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), a membership association of early childhood educators, which conducted the survey. An additional 17 percent of respondents said their centers were closed to everyone except the children of essential personnel. Of the respondents whose child care programs remained open, 85 percent reported they were operating at less than half of their enrollment capacity.
In March, the NAEYC released guidance on how states could best provide emergency child care. The group advised closing all child care facilities to slow the pandemic as a first step, then systematically reopening them in a “highly scripted and coordinated way, much like any other disaster relief situation,” said Rhian Evans Allvin, NAEYC’s chief executive officer.
That didn’t happen in most states, many of which allowed or even encouraged child care businesses to stay open in the first weeks of the public school shut downs. Evans Allvin pointed to Massachusetts and Vermont as states whose practices aligned with NAEYC’s recommendations, in part because the states coordinated with preexisting child care centers. NAEYC cautioned states against relaxing licensing rules for child care centers, or setting up provisional child care programs built from scratch, as some states have done.
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“There’s a better way to do this,” said Evans Allvin. “It’s incumbent upon governors to use the licensed and regulated system that exists.”
Policies vary widely from state to state. California closed nearly all of its public schools, but child care centers have been allowed to remain open for the children of essential workers. In Kansas, the state supports the “continuity of operations” for child care centers and has not ordered any closures. In Maryland, the governor enacted an emergency order to expand access to child care during the pandemic and suspended “certain State child care and local regulations.”
Some large cities took their own measures to provide emergency child care to front line workers. Seattle, one of the U.S. cities hit earliest by coronavirus, launched an Emergency Child Care program for the children of first responders, healthcare professionals, pharmacy workers and grocery workers.
On March 23, New York City opened “Regional Enrichment Centers” where children of front line workers in preschool through 12th grade can participate in activities and remote learning in a classroom setting. A maximum of 12 children are allowed in each room, with at least one adult. The city has also collaborated with community organizations to designate “Emergency Child Care Centers,” which primarily serve children ages 6 weeks to 4 years old and is working with family child care providers who offer services for young children at their homes. As of April 6, all center-based early childhood programs not affiliated with the Department of Education’s emergency child care system or a related essential business, like a hospital, were ordered to close.
Ivy Lewis is a fifth-year chief resident in the surgery department at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami; her husband, Richard, is a neurology fellow at the hospital. The couple has two children, Teddy, 2, and Lia, 5 months. Teddy used to attend a child care center near one of the hospitals where Ivy Lewis works. When Miami-Dade County announced school closures in mid-March, Teddy’s child care program shut down. Administrators at the program did not refund March tuition, although they charged only partial tuition in April and May.
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Although he was able to work mostly from home, Richard Lewis wasn’t able to do so while looking after an infant and a toddler. The nanny who takes care of Lia looked after Teddy as well. The Lewises paid her a higher rate to help take care of two children instead of one.
“Financially, it’s kind of almost a double whammy because we’re paying for school. Plus, for now, we’re also paying for a nanny, times two,” Ivy Lewis said in late March. Some child care centers were still open, but the Lewises felt safer keeping Teddy at home.
In early June, Ivy Lewis was exposed to a patient who initially tested negative for coronavirus, but became positive over the course of his hospitalization. She tested negative for coronavirus on June 4, but a week later, her husband started to develop body aches and a sore throat. The next day, Lia had a fever, and the day after, Teddy was a little warm and coughed a few times. Richard Lewis got a coronavirus test on June 14 that came back positive the next day. Ivy Lewis got tested again on June 15. She was asymptomatic other than losing her sense of taste and smell, but the test was positive. The hospital where she believes she contracted the virus has had around 28 healthcare workers test positive for coronavirus.
The family immediately quarantined. Their pediatrician advised against taking the children in for a test, and told the Lewises to assume that the kids had the virus.
Ernest, Presley and Tamiesha Parris pose for a family photo at a small gathering in Queens, back when such gatherings were a normal part of life. Ernest and Tamiesha are both nurses in New York City. Presley just turned 4. Courtesy of Tamiesha Parris
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Ivy Lewis and her husband have been cleared to return to work based on their hospital’s policy of whether or not they are still exhibiting symptoms. They are not required to test negative to begin work again.
Teddy Lewis’s school reopened on June 15. However, because of the family’s exposure, the school is requiring that Teddy, Ivy and Richard Lewis all test negative in two different coronavirus tests that are 24 hours apart. Ivy’s own hospital will not retest the family because she has already been cleared to work, so recently she spent an afternoon desperately calling testing centers in the area, already booked days in advance, to see if anyone would test them.
Their nanny tested negative for coronavirus the Thursday before the family got sick. When they told her about Richard Lewis’ diagnosis, she took another test on Monday that came back positive. Luckily she was asymptomatic, and is doing well.
Ivy Lewis said that she feels blessed that everyone in her family only had mild symptoms for coronavirus, but has felt the stigma surrounding the virus.
“I understand, everyone is worried and they want to protect themselves and things like that, but I very much feel like a pariah still,” she said.
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Back in New York earlier this spring, the Parrises tried to sign Presley up for a few child care slots at Bright Horizons, a national for-profit chain of child care centers that provides child care as a benefit to employees of large organizations. The chain allows Sloan Kettering employees to use Bright Horizons centers for 20 days each year at a cost of just $25 a day, according to Tamiesha Parris. After the novel coronavirus hit, the hospital announced an extra five days for employees at the discounted rate. The hospital covers the difference between the $25 paid by employees and the usual cost of the Bright Horizons program.
In the last week in March, Tamiesha Parris signed up for several slots at Bright Horizons, but was told at the last minute on at least four different occasions that the spot she had reserved for Presley was no longer available. Bright Horizons did not return a request for comment.
In the third week of March, Tamiesha Parris got an email from another school — Guidepost Montessori at Museum Mile — announcing it was still open for the children of essential workers. She was on their mailing list because of the family’s search a year earlier for a full-time school. On top of the disruption in their lives caused by the coronavirus, the Parrises had another major change in March: Towards the end of the month, they moved from Brooklyn to Manhattan. Museum Mile was near their new home.
“I was like, oh man, we could really, really utilize this, and it’s right down the street from us,” said Tamiesha Parris.
She initially had some reservations about letting Presley be around other kids, but she was assured by Nina Gardner, the former administrative director at Museum Mile, that the school would cap the number of students in a class at eight, and the number of teachers at two, so that there would be no more than 10 people in any given room.
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The Parrises decided to sign up. Presley started at Museum Mile on Monday, March 30. They paid $450 a week for Presley to go to her new school three days a week. The family had already paid the year’s tuition, $20,000, for Presley’s former school in Brooklyn. The hospital’s human resource department told the Parrises that they were eligible for partial reimbursement of their fees.
Despite the extra hours Tamiesha Parris took on, life smoothed out for the Parrises. The risk that Presley — and therefore the rest of the family — might contract the virus, however, was slightly elevated by the fact that Presley was spending three days a week around other kids. And how do you socially distance a 4-year-old?
The new school had its own guidelines to try and keep students safe.
To start, the drop off process changed. Parents at Guidepost Montessori bring their kids to the front door and wait outside while a staff member, wearing a mask and gloves, takes the child’s temperature. If it’s over 100 degrees, the child is not allowed to come into the building. Staff temperatures are taken as well. Children were previously involved in food prep, but that stopped. The bedding on cots for nap time is washed every day. Another big change is that kids take a daily walk; they no longer play in the Central Park playground as they used to.
“As children, they’ll listen to you because you’re an adult, but they feel sad,” said Gardner in April. “You visibly see them sad when they can’t do something that they’re normally used to doing.”
In mid-April, the school was serving seven children, age 2-7, in person, though not all were attending on the same days. Every single one was the child of front-line healthcare workers. In early May, they had 16 students enrolled for in-person education. And the school was providing virtual learning for around 23 students, ages 3 through 10.
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Presley Parris went up to hug Gardner on her first day, the former school director remembered.
“Her mom was very much like, ‘Presley, remember what we talked about? We talked about giving our friends their space,’” said Gardner.
Like many other industries right now, child care in the U.S. is in strange and frightening waters. Many child care businesses risk long-term closure, as the industry is primarily made up of small centers and home-based providers that operate on thin margins. As a result of the widespread stay-at-home orders, many child care providers are dealing with financial losses and the likelihood that many will suffer a long-term hit to enrollment. Many argue that direct government funding is needed to prop up child care businesses and get America back to work.
Chad Dunkley, the CEO of New Horizon Academy, a Minnesota-based, family-owned early childhood organization, said direct aid, which some in Congress have proposed, is crucial. He runs 77 schools in Minnesota, and 88 total including schools in Iowa, Colorado and Idaho.
“In a matter of one week, we went from nearly 11,000 children a day in our schools to about 3,500,” he said in late March. The majority of the kids who remained were the children of doctors, nurses, grocery store clerks, and other essential workers. On one particularly dark day, the organization was forced to lay off around 50 percent of its teachers temporarily. Since then, the company has had to eliminate positions at some of their schools because of dramatically reduced enrollment.
New Horizon has extended benefits to employees who were laid off or put on leave through July 31. Employees who were eliminated had benefits through the end of the month that they were terminated. New Horizon had enough funds in reserve to cover the cost of the benefits for a while. It has received grants from the state of Minnesota, Iowa and Idaho, primarily through the congressional CARES Act, Dunkley said. But this funding has nearly run out.
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Like Guidepost Montessori in New York, New Horizon has had to make changes to reduce the risk of contagion. Dunkley said parents are no longer allowed to enter the schools. Families are greeted in the parking lot for health screenings, and children are then brought into classrooms.
On March 30, Dunkley’s schools had added 223 new children across several states — nearly all of whom came from families of essential workers.
“It shocked us all because we didn’t think people would be adding at a time like this,” he said.
As of June 26, New Horizon was serving around 4,700 children a day, approximately 45 percent of its pre-coronavirus attendance. It has kept 86 out of 88 schools open, with the two other locations on corporate campuses scheduled to reopen in July.
CARES funding was critical for New Horizon Academy and other child care providers.
“The reality is Covid-19 will be with us for a long time, and providers will be unlikely to reach their pre-Covid capacity levels any time soon,” said Dunkley. “We have our fingers crossed that congress will pass substantial relief and stabilization funds for child care with the next stimulus package.”
In New York earlier this spring, the Parrises worried about what they would do if one or both of them got sick. If that happened, their plan was to send Presley to Ernest Parris’ sister’s house in Brooklyn. Towards the end of June, Tamiesha Parris said she hadn’t cared for a coronavirus patient in at least a week. But the pandemic and its many consequences stretches on.
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Presley Parris attended Guidepost Montessori Museum Mile through May, but a combination of cost and curriculum drove the Parrises to look for other options. Tamiesha Parris applied for a spot at a Regional Enrichment Center online. While she was waiting to hear back, she saw a flyer for a center in her neighborhood, and went inside. The center accepted Presley the very next day.
A lot of healthcare workers that Tamiesha Parris knows sent their kids away rather than risk exposing them to the coronavirus. She knows of others who were provided with temporary housing away from their homes so that they didn’t run the risk of exposing their families to the contagion. Many have had to take weeks off of work because they didn’t have child care options.
Presley is now going to the pre-K Center full time, and is happy there.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-27--Raging COVID-19 Shuts All Miami Beaches For July 4th Weekend

All beaches in Miami and the surrounding area will be closed throughout the July 4th holiday weekend to protect people from surging cases of COVID-19 , Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Giménez announced late Friday .
Giménez said in a statement that he ’ s signing an emergency order Saturday that will close all Miami-Dade County beaches from July 3 to 7 .
“ As we continue to see more COVID-19 positive test results among young adults and rising hospitalizations , I have decided that the only prudent thing to do to tamp down this recent uptick is to crack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overall community at higher risk , ” he said in the statement .
Giménez warned that the shutdown “ may be extended if conditions do not improve and people do not follow ‘ New Normal ’ rules , ” which require face masks inside commercial establishments — and outdoors when social distancing of at least 6 feet isn ’ t possible .
“ I have been seeing too many businesses and people ignoring these lifesaving rules .
If people are not going to be responsible and protect themselves and others from this pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ step in and restore common sense to save lives , ” he wrote .
Giménez will also ban parades and other gatherings of more than 50 people .
People in smaller groups must be masked and maintain social distancing .
Fireworks may only be viewed from homes or from parked cars .
The emergency order comes as Florida ’ s COVID-19 cases are skyrocketing .
Both Florida and Texas have shut down bars in the states as new cases of coronavirus are smashing records .
Florida reported a record high of 8,942 new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the previous record of 5,508 , set just two days prior .

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All beaches in Miami and the surrounding area will be closed throughout the July 4th holiday weekend to protect people from surging cases of COVID-19, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Giménez announced late Friday.
Giménez said in a statement that he’s signing an emergency order Saturday that will close all Miami-Dade County beaches from July 3 to 7.
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“As we continue to see more COVID-19 positive test results among young adults and rising hospitalizations, I have decided that the only prudent thing to do to tamp down this recent uptick is to crack down on recreational activities that put our overall community at higher risk,” he said in the statement.
Giménez warned that the shutdown “may be extended if conditions do not improve and people do not follow ‘New Normal’ rules,” which require face masks inside commercial establishments — and outdoors when social distancing of at least 6 feet isn’t possible.
“I have been seeing too many businesses and people ignoring these lifesaving rules. If people are not going to be responsible and protect themselves and others from this pandemic, then the government is forced to step in and restore common sense to save lives,” he wrote.
Giménez will also ban parades and other gatherings of more than 50 people. People in smaller groups must be masked and maintain social distancing. Fireworks may only be viewed from homes or from parked cars.
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The emergency order comes as Florida’s COVID-19 cases are skyrocketing. Both Florida and Texas have shut down bars in the states as new cases of coronavirus are smashing records.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-26--Governors Rely On Misleading Hospital Data To Assess Pandemic Capacity

Governors in places seeing huge spikes in coronavirus infections often cite statewide data to assure the public they have plenty of hospital capacity to survive the onslaught , even as the states routinely miss the critical benchmarks to guide their pandemic response .
That is because statewide statistics can be deceiving , especially in large states where individual hospitals can be in crisis mode even while the overall capacity numbers look OK .
The issue of hospital capacity has gained urgency across the nation this week as Florida , Texas , California , Arizona and other states reported skyrocketing case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capacity in arguing against new business restrictions , though the dynamic began to shift Friday when Texas and Florida clamped down on bars amid an increasingly dire situation with COVID-19 .
Two months ago , Pence said 15 % of patients were being hospitalized .
Now it ’ s about 5 % .
That means the health care system is better positioned to cope with a resurgence in cases , he says .
In Texas , the state health department ’ s website on Thursday showed 12,951 available beds , 1,320 available ICU @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What it doesn ’ t break down is how bleak the situation is in some particular places , including Houston , the nation ’ s fourth largest city .
Hospital beds in Houston are filling so fast that Texas Children ’ s Hospital is starting to treat adult patients , and 97 % of ICU beds at Texas Medical Center were in use .
In Miami , Homestead Hospital confirmed Tuesday it was at capacity .
The hospital was transferring patients to other hospitals and preparing to convert regular beds to beds for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needed .
At the same time , the state is badly missing the mark on the benchmarks established by the White House task force to guide the reopening of the economy , with 23 percent of COVID-19 tests coming back positive in the past week in Arizona .
The task force does not include statewide hospitalizations as part of its criteria that states are supposed to meet before reopening .
Those criteria include a downward trajectory of cases within a two-week period .
They also specify that hospitals should have enough intensive care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patients and should have a robust testing program in place for at-risk healthcare workers , including virus antibody testing .
Dr. Joseph Gerald , associate professor of public health policy and management at the University of Arizona , said that if the trend continues , cases will likely exceed statewide hospital bed capacity within the next several weeks .
California has broken several of its own daily records for the number of positive tests and hospitalizations have risen by more than 30 percent in the past two weeks .
Democratic Gov .
Gavin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recent days about hospital capacity but changed his tune somewhat on Friday , saying he wants a Southern California county that borders Mexico to consider a stay-home order again .
Dr. Colleen Kraft , associate chief medical officer at Emory Hospital in Atlanta and a member of Georgia ’ s coronavirus task force , said regional hospital bed capacity would be a better metric than statewide capacity .
She lamented that the pandemic has seemingly devolved into a “ political situation.
” ‘ ’ It ’ s unethical to say let ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the way , we can handle the overflow , ” Gershon said .
“ A better measure is the 14-day and seven-day case infection rate .
That ’ s what ’ s telling us what ’ s going on right now .
’ ’

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Governors in places seeing huge spikes in coronavirus infections often cite statewide data to assure the public they have plenty of hospital capacity to survive the onslaught, even as the states routinely miss the critical benchmarks to guide their pandemic response.
Public health officials and experts say the heavy reliance on statewide hospital data is a misleading and sometimes irresponsible metric to justify keeping a state open or holding back on imposing new limits.
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That is because statewide statistics can be deceiving, especially in large states where individual hospitals can be in crisis mode even while the overall capacity numbers look OK.
Thomas LaVeist, dean of the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans, said basing pandemic and reopening policy on statewide hospital bed capacity ’’is incredibly irresponsible.”
“To cherry-pick hospital capacity and to use that one metric without the context of number of cases, number of deaths, is shocking,” LaVeist said.
The issue of hospital capacity has gained urgency across the nation this week as Florida, Texas, California, Arizona and other states reported skyrocketing case numbers. Governors have repeatedly invoked hospital capacity in arguing against new business restrictions, though the dynamic began to shift Friday when Texas and Florida clamped down on bars amid an increasingly dire situation with COVID-19.
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At the first White House coronavirus briefing nearly two months Friday, Vice President Mike Pence also cited hospitalizations in discussing the outlook for the pandemic.
Two months ago, Pence said 15% of patients were being hospitalized. Now it’s about 5%. That means the health care system is better positioned to cope with a resurgence in cases, he says.
In Texas, the state health department’s website on Thursday showed 12,951 available beds, 1,320 available ICU beds, and 5,850 available ventilators. What it doesn’t break down is how bleak the situation is in some particular places, including Houston, the nation’s fourth largest city. Hospital beds in Houston are filling so fast that Texas Children’s Hospital is starting to treat adult patients, and 97% of ICU beds at Texas Medical Center were in use.
In Miami, Homestead Hospital confirmed Tuesday it was at capacity. The hospital was transferring patients to other hospitals and preparing to convert regular beds to beds for ICU and acute care patients, if needed.
In Arizona, Republican Gov. Doug Ducey has declined to impose new restrictions on business activity or a stay-at-home order, repeatedly citing ample capacity in the state’s hospitals as the reason he is comfortable staying open.
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“That’s what’s most important when there’s a rise in cases,” Ducey said earlier this month.
Ducey has condemned as “misinformation” the notion that hospital space is running short, even as state data shows that 85% of Arizona’s hospital beds are occupied. Arizona has about 2,500 hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
At the same time, the state is badly missing the mark on the benchmarks established by the White House task force to guide the reopening of the economy, with 23 percent of COVID-19 tests coming back positive in the past week in Arizona.
The task force does not include statewide hospitalizations as part of its criteria that states are supposed to meet before reopening. Those criteria include a downward trajectory of cases within a two-week period. They also specify that hospitals should have enough intensive care unit capacity to treat a surge in patients and should have a robust testing program in place for at-risk healthcare workers, including virus antibody testing.
Dr. Joseph Gerald, associate professor of public health policy and management at the University of Arizona, said that if the trend continues, cases will likely exceed statewide hospital bed capacity within the next several weeks.
California has broken several of its own daily records for the number of positive tests and hospitalizations have risen by more than 30 percent in the past two weeks. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has sounded an upbeat tone in recent days about hospital capacity but changed his tune somewhat on Friday, saying he wants a Southern California county that borders Mexico to consider a stay-home order again.
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Dr. Colleen Kraft, associate chief medical officer at Emory Hospital in Atlanta and a member of Georgia’s coronavirus task force, said regional hospital bed capacity would be a better metric than statewide capacity. She lamented that the pandemic has seemingly devolved into a “political situation.”
“As someone who came into medicine to serve people, it’s difficult to watch,” Kraft said.
Robyn Gershon, a professor and public health expert at New York University, called using statewide hospital bed capacity to guide policy “completely unethical.”
‘’It’s unethical to say let’s just go about our business and by the way, we can handle the overflow,” Gershon said. “A better measure is the 14-day and seven-day case infection rate. That’s what’s telling us what’s going on right now.’’
—-


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-27--Trump White House Hypocrisy Is On Full Display In New #ByeIvanka Attack Ad

The hashtag # ByeIvanka trended nationwide on Twitter late Friday following the release of a new video highlighting the hypocrisy @ @ @ @ @ his administration .
The 60-second clip also notes how Trump recruited members of his own @ @ @ @ @ , despite them having little experience .
Check out the video here : 📺 NEW @ @ @ @ @ that her father hires based on skill and competence .
Retweet and use the hashtag @ @ @ @ @ .
pic.twitter.com/548PGvsl37 — MeidasTouch.com ( @ MeidasTouch ) June 27 , 2020 The latest video @ @ @ @ @ committee ― made up of lawyer Ben Meiselas , who represented former NFL player Colin @ @ @ @ @ brothers ― has garnered more than 1.2 million views on Twitter .
Other ads released @ @ @ @ @ have taken swipes at Trump ’ s botched response to the coronavirus pandemic and his @ @ @ @ @ .

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The hashtag #ByeIvanka trended nationwide on Twitter late Friday following the release of a new video highlighting the hypocrisy of President Donald Trump and his administration.
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The 60-second clip also notes how President Trump has recruited members of his own family for senior government roles, despite them having little experience.
Check out the video here:
📺 NEW VIDEO@IvankaTrump laughably says that her father hires based on skill and competence. Retweet and use the hashtag #ByeIvanka if you disagree. pic.twitter.com/548PGvsl37 — MeidasTouch.com (@MeidasTouch) June 27, 2020
This video, the latest from the recently formed political action committee ― made up of lawyer Ben Meiselas, who represented former NFL player Colin Kaepernick, and his two brothers ― has garnered more than 1.2 million views on Twitter.
Other ads released by the PAC this month have taken swipes at Trump’s botched response to the coronavirus pandemic and his violent rhetoric about anti-racism protesters.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-27--Chris Hayes Demands Donald Trump Resign With Damning Review Of His Presidency

Chris Hayes on Friday delivered a damning assessment of Donald Trump ’ s time in office and his failures over the coronavirus pandemic , and offered a detailed argument as to why the president should quit .
Trump has “ failed definitively ” with his fumbled handling of the public health crisis , argued the host of MSNBC ’ s “ All In ” ― and “ it is an urgent matter of public health , of public safety at this moment , for the president , Donald Trump , to resign.
” Hayes said the United States is “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worst governing failures in American history , ” and said there is “ no country on Earth this far into this pandemic that has bungled it this badly.
” He described Trump ’ s entire presidency as “ terrible , ” citing his “ lawlessness ” and his “ incompetence , ” as well as “ what he has done to immigrants and immigrant children , what happened with Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico ” and Trump ’ s habit of “ putting his personal interest ahead of the country ’ s , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” But now , the U.S. has “ reached a new depth , ” Hayes said .
“ As coronavirus cases race back up , the president ignored warnings from his public health experts .
That resulted in tens of thousands of preventable deaths .
And we ’ re looking at tens of thousands more.
” “ If this presidency had creditors , the virus ’ resurgence this week would have been a default event , ” he added .
“ Only it is not his creditors who are suffering .
It is @ @ @

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Chris Hayes on Friday delivered a damning assessment of Donald Trump’s time in office and his failures over the coronavirus pandemic, and offered a detailed argument as to why the president should quit.
Trump has “failed definitively” with his fumbled handling of the public health crisis, argued the host of MSNBC’s “All In” ― and “it is an urgent matter of public health, of public safety at this moment, for the president, Donald Trump, to resign.”
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Hayes said the United States is “in the midst of one of the worst governing failures in American history,” and said there is “no country on Earth this far into this pandemic that has bungled it this badly.”
He described Trump’s entire presidency as “terrible,” citing his “lawlessness” and his “incompetence,” as well as “what he has done to immigrants and immigrant children, what happened with Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico” and Trump’s habit of “putting his personal interest ahead of the country’s, which is what he was impeached for.”
But now, the U.S. has “reached a new depth,” Hayes said. “As coronavirus cases race back up, the president ignored warnings from his public health experts. That resulted in tens of thousands of preventable deaths. And we’re looking at tens of thousands more.”
“If this presidency had creditors, the virus’ resurgence this week would have been a default event,” he added. “Only it is not his creditors who are suffering. It is us.”
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-27--Reporter Who Covered Donald Trump's Rally In Tulsa Tests Positive For Coronavirus

A reporter who covered President Donald Trump ’ s controversial and ultimately under-attended indoor campaign rally in Tulsa , Oklahoma , last Saturday said he has tested positive for the coronavirus .
Paul Monies , a staff reporter for the nonprofit Oklahoma Watch news organization , told the Associated Press news agency Friday that he “ can ’ t say definitively ” that he contracted the virus at the BOK Center event .
“ But it ’ s someone I ’ ve been in contact with in the last two weeks , ” he told AP .
“ I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , noting he was asymptomatic , felt “ fine ” and had even run 5 miles that morning .
He ’ d “ spent the last few hours calling people I know I ’ ve been in contact with in the last 14 days , ” he added .
Friends , I tested positive for # COVID19 .
I ’ m pretty surprised .
I have zero symptoms ( so far ) and I feel fine .
In fact , I ran 5 miles this morning .
I spent the last few hours @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been in contact with in the last 14 days .
Be safe out there .
😷 https : //t.co/oGpKsGs5u0 — Paul Monies ( @ pmonies ) June 26 , 2020 Monies said he wore a mask and mostly adhered to social distancing measures aimed at slowing the spread of the virus throughout his 6 hours inside the 19,000-capacity arena , per AP .
In a second tweet , Monies said he was “ still trying to process the news.
” Thanks for all your kind words and well wishes , friends .
Fingers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m still trying to process the news and feel bad for inconveniencing my loved ones and friends .
See y ’ all ( in real life , with a mask ) in a couple of weeks .
# QuarantineLife — Paul Monies ( @ pmonies ) June 26 , 2020 Monies took what he described in another tweet as the “ post # TulsaTrumpRally # COVID19 test ” on Thursday .
Oklahoma public health officials had urged everyone attending the rally , which the Trump campaign was repeatedly asked to postpone over fears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to get tested afterward .
Some health experts feared up to 1,000 people could become infected during the rally .
Six Trump campaign staffers who ’ d worked on the rally tested positive for the coronavirus , it emerged on the day of the event , as did two members of the Secret Service .
It forced dozens of other agents to self-quarantine amid fears they ’ d also been exposed to the contagion .
The Trump campaign had advised people seeking tickets to the rally , via a waiver on its website @ @ @ @ @ @ @ action if they contracted the virus there , a widely condemned move that legal experts suggested would not actually prevent lawsuits .
Masks were optional for people attending the rally , despite Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines advising people to wear them in public .
Oklahoma this week , along with multiple other states , saw a rapid uptick in the number of confirmed new cases of COVID-19 .

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A reporter who covered President Donald Trump’s controversial and ultimately under-attended indoor campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last Saturday said he has tested positive for the coronavirus.
Paul Monies, a staff reporter for the nonprofit Oklahoma Watch news organization, told The Associated Press Friday that he “can’t say definitively” that he contracted the virus at the BOK Center event.
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“But it’s someone I’ve been in contact with in the last two weeks,” he told AP.
“I’m pretty surprised,” Monies wrote on Twitter, noting he was asymptomatic, felt “fine” and had even run five miles that morning. He’d “spent the last few hours calling people I know I’ve been in contact with in the last 14 days,” he added.
Friends, I tested positive for #COVID19. I’m pretty surprised. I have zero symptoms (so far) and I feel fine. In fact, I ran 5 miles this morning. I spent the last few hours calling people I know I’ve been in contact with in the last 14 days. Be safe out there. 😷 https://t.co/oGpKsGs5u0 — Paul Monies (@pmonies) June 26, 2020
Monies said that during his six hours in the 19,000-capacity arena in Tulsa, he wore a mask and mostly adhered to social distancing measures aimed at slowing the spread of the virus, per AP.
In a second tweet, Monies said he was “still trying to process the news.”
“Fingers crossed I stay symptom-free,” he wrote. “See y’all (in real life, with a mask) in a couple of weeks.”
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Thanks for all your kind words and well wishes, friends. Fingers crossed I stay symptom-free. I’m still trying to process the news and feel bad for inconveniencing my loved ones and friends. See y’all (in real life, with a mask) in a couple of weeks. #QuarantineLife — Paul Monies (@pmonies) June 26, 2020
Monies took what he described in another tweet as the “post #TulsaTrumpRally #COVID19 test” on Thursday.
Fox News chief White House correspondent John Roberts used a wartime analogy to describe how he was preparing to cover the event.
Six Trump campaign staffers who’d worked on the rally tested positive for the coronavirus, it emerged on the day of the event, as did two members of the Secret Service. It forced dozens of other agents to self-quarantine amid fears they’d also been exposed to the contagion.
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The Trump campaign had advised people seeking tickets to the rally, via a waiver on its website, that they could not launch legal action if they contracted the virus there ― a widely condemned move that legal experts suggested would not actually prevent lawsuits.
Masks were optional for people attending the rally, despite Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines advising people to wear them in public.
Trump spoke at another indoor rally in Phoenix on Tuesday.
This week, Oklahoma and several other states saw a rapid uptick in the number of confirmed new cases of COVID-19.
In the state of Oklahoma, the virus has killed at least 377 people and infected some 12,000 more.
Nationwide, it has claimed more than 125,000 lives.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-27--Sarah Cooper Skewers Donald 'All Of A Sudden I'm President' Trump Trying To 'Second Term'

TikTok ’ s favorite comedian Sarah Cooper blasted another one out of the Rose Garden Friday with a mocking imitation of her special target , Donald Trump , semi-hungry for a second term .
This time the mimicking lip-syncer — who impersonates the president using Trump ’ s own words — does a scathing take on “ How to Second Term.
” It ’ s a riff on Trump ’ s surreal town hall Thursday with Fox News ’ Sean Hannity .
Cooper plays Hannity ’ s part as well , taking notes with a fat red marker on a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ” inside a heart , “ SeanTrump ” with two hearts , and “ NO EXPERIENCE.
” “ I never did this before .
I never slept over in Washington , ” Cooper “ says ” with Trump ’ s voice coming out of her mouth .
“ All of sudden I ’ m president.
” ( S ) he adds : “ You know the story .
I ’ m riding down Pennsylvania Avenue with our first lady , and I say , ‘ This is great !
’ ” Now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and claims he ’ s had great people in his administration — except for that “ idiot ” John Bolton .
Check out the video above .
Don ’ t miss the air kiss .

TikTok’s favorite comedian Sarah Cooper blasted another one out of the Rose Garden Friday with a mocking imitation of her special target, Donald Trump, semi-hungry for a second term.
This time the mimicking lip-syncer — who impersonates the president using Trump’s own words — does a scathing take on “How to Second Term.” It’s a riff on Trump’s surreal town hall Thursday with Fox News’ Sean Hannity.
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Cooper plays Hannity’s part as well, taking notes with a fat red marker on a legal pad ― jotting thing like “Trump” inside a heart, “SeanTrump” with two hearts, and “NO EXPERIENCE.”
“I never did this before. I never slept over in Washington,” Cooper “says” with Trump’s voice coming out of her mouth. “All of sudden I’m president.”
(S)he adds: “You know the story. I’m riding down Pennsylvania Avenue with our first lady, and I say, ‘This is great!’”
Now Trump boasts of lots of experience, and claims he’s had great people in his administration — except for that “idiot” John Bolton.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-26--Trump's Use Of Pentagon Funds For His Border Wall Violated The Constitution, Court Rules

President Donald Trump ’ s use of $ 2.5 billion in military funds to help pay for construction of his southern border wall is both “ unlawful ” and a violation of the Constitution , a federal appeals court panel ruled Friday .
“ The Executive Branch lacked independent Constitutional authority to authorize the transfer of funds , ” said the ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit , based in San Francisco .
“ These funds were appropriated for other purposes , and the transfer amounted to ‘ drawing funds from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Therefore , the transfer of funds here was unlawful , ” the judges ruled in a 2-to-1 decision .
Trump shifted the money last year after Congress refused to appropriate funds for the wall .
He declared a national “ emergency ” in a bid to justify the transfer .
But he conceded in a press briefing shortly afterward that he actually “ didn ’ t need to ” declare an emergency .
“ But I ’ d rather do it much faster , ” he added , referring to building the wall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cited part of the Defense Department ’ s 2019 appropriations act that allows the defense secretary to transfer up to $ 4 billion “ for military functions.
” The ruling Friday pointed out , however , that the section of the act that Trump cited specifies such transfers can ’ t be made “ where the item for which funds are requested has been denied by the Congress.
” The Department of Justice is expected to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court .
Justice Department officials did not immediately comment Friday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president — once again — that no one is above the law , ” said California Attorney General Xavier Becerra , who heads a coalition of states that had sued to block use of the Pentagon funds for a border wall .
“ We applaud the court for taking action to immediately halt Trump ’ s unlawful money grab.
” After the Trump administration transferred $ 2.5 billion in military funds to border wall construction , the Pentagon diverted an additional $ 3.6 billion to the wall that the 5th Circuit appeals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
California is challenging that fund transfer in a separate lawsuit .
The Trump administration has already awarded a large portion of the money , including $ 1.3 billion for a planned section of the wall in Arizona , which was announced last month .
It ’ s unclear how the funds would be repaid for sections that have already been constructed .
Trump visited Yuma , Arizona , on Tuesday to mark the completion of what he termed 212 miles of border wall during his administration .
In fact , only three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the border that previously had no barrier .
The rest of the construction has repaired or replaced existing fencing , a process that began under President George W. Bush and continued under President Barack Obama .
Much of the construction has been covered by Pentagon funds .
Trump has promised repeatedly that Mexico would pay for the wall .
It hasn ’ t paid a peso .

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President Donald Trump’s use of $2.5 billion in military funds to help pay for construction of his southern border wall is both “unlawful” and a violation of the Constitution, a federal appeals court panel ruled Friday.
“The Executive Branch lacked independent Constitutional authority to authorize the transfer of funds,” said the ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, based in San Francisco.
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“These funds were appropriated for other purposes, and the transfer amounted to ‘drawing funds from the Treasury without authorization’ .... Therefore, the transfer of funds here was unlawful,” the judges ruled in a 2-to-1 decision.
Trump shifted the money last year after Congress refused to appropriate funds for the wall. He declared a national “emergency” in a bid to justify the transfer. But he conceded in a press briefing shortly afterward that he actually
“didn’t need to” declare an emergency. “But I’d rather do it much faster,” he added, referring to building the wall on the Mexican border.
He also cited part of the Defense Department’s 2019 appropriations act that allows the defense secretary to transfer up to $4 billion “for military functions.” The ruling Friday pointed out, however, that the section of the act that Trump cited specifies such transfers can’t be made “where the item for which funds are requested has been denied by the Congress.”
The Department of Justice is expected to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. Justice Department officials did not immediately comment Friday.
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“Today, the court reminded the president — once again — that no one is above the law,” said California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who heads a coalition of states that had sued to block use of the Pentagon funds for a border wall. “We applaud the court for taking action to immediately halt Trump’s unlawful money grab.”
The appeals panel ruling backed an earlier finding by a lower court that use of the funds was illegal.
After the Trump administration transferred $2.5 billion in military funds to border wall construction, the Pentagon diverted an additional $3.6 billion to the wall that the 5th Circuit appeals court ruled in January could be spent. California is challenging that fund transfer in a separate lawsuit.
The Trump administration has already awarded a large portion of the money, including $1.3 billion for a planned section of the wall in Arizona, which was announced last month. It’s unclear how the funds would be repaid for sections that have already been constructed.
Trump visited Yuma, Arizona, on Tuesday to mark the completion of what he termed 212 miles of border wall during his administration.
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In fact, only three of those 212 miles are along parts of the border that previously had no barrier. The rest of the construction has repaired or replaced existing fencing, a process that began under President George W. Bush and continued under President Barack Obama.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-27--Trump Needs To 'Show Empathy' And 'Project Strength,' Says Super PAC Chief

Donald Trump is in trouble this election unless he dramatically changes his message , warned the head of an influential super PAC supporting the president ’ s reelection .
The Trump campaign is “ adrift , ” Ed Rollins , chairman of the Great America PAC , told The Hill in an interview .
Its tepid message is stuck in the past , he warned .
Trump ’ s “ message is weak or nonexistent , ” said Rollins , who was Ronald Reagan ’ s campaign director in 1984 .
“ The rambling on about [ Joe ] Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hillary ] Clinton and [ Barack ] Obama is old and tired .
This needs to be about the future , not the past.
” Trump “ needs to show empathy , which he hasn ’ t , and project strength by doing what Reagan , [ Margaret ] Thatcher and [ Winston ] Churchill did with strong speeches — not macho bullshit but thoughtful solutions to serious problems , ” Rollins said .
“ Make people be concerned with what [ Democrats ] can do with total control of the government : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Rollins ’ s suggestions come as Trump ’ s poll numbers continue to drop , in job approval , against Biden and even among Republicans .
He last weighed in after Trump ’ s lackluster rally in Tulsa , Oklahoma , greeted by great swaths of empty seats at the BOK Center .
The event was a “ disaster , and I think the reality is that it ’ s not a good way to start a general election campaign , ” Rollins told The Daily Beast .

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Donald Trump is in trouble this election unless he dramatically changes his message, warned the head of an influential super PAC supporting the president’s reelection.
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Trump’s “message is weak or nonexistent,” said Rollins, who was Ronald Reagan’s campaign director in 1984. “The rambling on about [Joe] Biden and [Nancy] Pelosi or [Hillary] Clinton and [Barack] Obama is old and tired. This needs to be about the future, not the past.”
Trump “needs to show empathy, which he hasn’t, and project strength by doing what Reagan, [Margaret] Thatcher and [Winston] Churchill did with strong speeches — not macho bullshit but thoughtful solutions to serious problems,” Rollins said. “Make people be concerned with what [Democrats] can do with total control of the government: House, Senate and the White House.”
Rollins’s suggestions come as Trump’s poll numbers continue to drop, in job approval, against Biden and even among Republicans.
He last weighed in after Trump’s lackluster rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, greeted by great swaths of empty seats at the BOK Center.
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Rollins described Trump’s two-hour speech in Tulsa as “rambling.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-27--Trump Ramps Up Misuse Of The Military For Political Gain

ROBERTO SCHMIDT via Getty Images Protesters are tear-gassed as the police disperse them near the White House on June 1 , 2020 .
And on Thursday , the administration turned those military efforts back to a favorite bogeyman : undocumented immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border .
The Pentagon announced it would re-up its military presence by deploying 4,000 troops to the border , mostly drawn from the National Guard , in October .
The Pentagon said it was extending troops at the border at the Department of Homeland Security ’ s request , at a level of 4,000 service members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It ’ s still a relatively high figure , especially compared to the low level of border-crossings .
The news that troops will continue to be present at the border underscores the disturbing readiness with which the Trump administration has been using the military as the president ’ s political muscle , particularly in response to recent protests against racism and police brutality against Black people .
I am deeply worried that as they execute their orders , the members of our military will be co-opted for political purposes .
Mike Mullen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Staff “ These people are ANARCHISTS , ” Trump tweeted on May 31 as rowdy protests broke out across from the White House .
“ Call in our National Guard NOW.
” One night later , the D.C. National Guard sprayed peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square with tear gas and rubber bullets and buzzed them with a helicopter — a crowd-dispersal tactic more commonly used in war zones — to clear the way for a photo-op of Trump and his top military deputies .
A swift and furious backlash followed over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were present at all .
Unleashing the military on ordinary citizens “ erodes the moral ground ” of the military , Jim Mattis , Trump ’ s former defense secretary , wrote in the aftermath .
“ It sickened me , ” said Mike Mullen , the former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff .
“ I am deeply worried that as they execute their orders , the members of our military will be co-opted for political purposes.
” The outrage ran so deep that Gen. Mark Milley , the country ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extraordinary apology for joining the president ’ s entourage that day .
“ My presence in that moment and in that environment created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics , ” Milley said in a videotaped statement .
“ I should not have been there.
” The same day as the chaos in Lafayette Park , Defense Secretary Mark Esper encouraged governors to “ dominate the battlespace , ” meaning the protests roiling thousands of American cities .
Military officials later revealed that the whole Lafayette Park debacle was their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an even more extraordinary measure and ordering nearby active-duty combat troops into the D.C. city limits .
Such a step would involve Trump invoking the 1807 Insurrection Act .
But earlier this week , the Army mobilized 400 unarmed members of the D.C. National Guard to support National Park Police who are guarding national monuments around the nation ’ s capital .
Anti-racism protesters have made moves to topple statues and monuments around the city .
The Park Police refuse to explain where they require extra support , raising the prospect that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point : On Tuesday , the president threatened protesters trying to occupy Lafayette Square with “ serious force.
” “ I don ’ t think the American people want to see military forces deployed within the United States in that way , ” Lapan said .
“ Military forces are highly trained to use deadly forces in combat settings .
…The idea of fighting American citizens on American soil is not what the military does and not what the American people expect the military to do .
”

Protesters are tear-gassed as the police disperse them near the White House on June 1, 2020. ROBERTO SCHMIDT via Getty Images
Starting with the chaotic assault on White House protesters, President Donald Trump and his military deputies have spent the past several weeks threatening an outsized military response against anti-fascists, protesters and other groups he perceives as his enemies.
And on Thursday, the administration turned those military efforts back to a favorite bogeyman: undocumented immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. The Pentagon announced it would re-up its military presence by deploying 4,000 troops to the border, mostly drawn from the National Guard, in October.
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Unauthorized immigration is down substantially this year. But there is an election coming.
“It’s misusing the military and doing so for political reasons,” said David Lapan, Trump’s former Department of Homeland Security press secretary and a former Defense Department official.
The Pentagon said it was extending troops at the border at the Department of Homeland Security’s request, at a level of 4,000 service members — down from the currently authorized 5,500. It’s still a relatively high figure, especially compared to the low level of border-crossings.
The news that troops will continue to be present at the border underscores the disturbing readiness with which the Trump administration has been using the military as the president’s political muscle, particularly in response to recent protests against racism and police brutality against Black people.
“I am deeply worried that as they execute their orders, the members of our military will be co-opted for political purposes.” - Mike Mullen, former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
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“These people are ANARCHISTS,” Trump tweeted on May 31 as rowdy protests broke out across from the White House. “Call in our National Guard NOW.” One night later, the D.C. National Guard sprayed peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square with tear gas and rubber bullets and buzzed them with a helicopter — a crowd-dispersal tactic more commonly used in war zones — to clear the way for a photo-op of Trump and his top military deputies.
A swift and furious backlash followed over the fact that representatives of the armed forces were present at all. Unleashing the military on ordinary citizens “erodes the moral ground” of the military, Jim Mattis, Trump’s former defense secretary, wrote in the aftermath.
“It sickened me,” said Mike Mullen, the former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “I am deeply worried that as they execute their orders, the members of our military will be co-opted for political purposes.”
The outrage ran so deep that Gen. Mark Milley, the country’s top military official, issued an extraordinary apology for joining the president’s entourage that day. “My presence in that moment and in that environment created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics,” Milley said in a videotaped statement. “I should not have been there.”
But the administration has not flinched at the prospect of armed forces engaging in yet more domestic clashes.
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The same day as the chaos in Lafayette Park, Defense Secretary Mark Esper encouraged governors to “dominate the battlespace,” meaning the protests roiling thousands of American cities. Military officials later revealed that the whole Lafayette Park debacle was their desperate attempt to keep Trump from taking an even more extraordinary measure and ordering nearby active-duty combat troops into the D.C. city limits. Such a step would involve Trump invoking the 1807 Insurrection Act.
“If states don’t take necessary action, I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them,” Trump said on June 1.
The military eventually recalled most of the 1,600 active-duty service members staged outside the D.C. area.
But earlier this week, the Army mobilized 400 unarmed members of the D.C. National Guard to support National Park Police who are guarding national monuments around the nation’s capital. Anti-racism protesters have made moves to topple statues and monuments around the city. The Park Police refuse to explain where they require extra support, raising the prospect that the troops are being activated to make a point: On Tuesday, the president threatened protesters trying to occupy Lafayette Square with “serious force.”
“I don’t think the American people want to see military forces deployed within the United States in that way,” Lapan said. “Military forces are highly trained to use deadly forces in combat settings. …The idea of fighting American citizens on American soil is not what the military does and not what the American people expect the military to do.”
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Milk is poured into a demonstrator's eyes to neutralize the effect of pepper spray during a rally at Lafayette Park near the White House on May 31, 2020. AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta
The news of additional military personnel at the border recalls Trump’s posturing during the 2018 midterm elections. As Republicans faced electoral losses, Trump deployed 5,000 active-duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to gin up fears that caravans of Central American migrants would storm into the United States.
Border apprehensions and immigration processing are civil law enforcement activities, meaning they don’t require the military, with all its lethal training, in theory or in practice. The caravans never posed a violent threat and the troops found themselves idle — driving support vehicles and painting sections of the border fence.
At the time, a group of House Democrats hailing from border states criticized Trump for using the military on a political mission.
“It’s never been very clear what exactly they’re doing and why they’re needed,” Lapan said. Today, he added, with border crossings at their lowest point in years, the administration doesn’t even have a pretense for the troops being present. “What’s the argument for doing this now? It points to it being a purely political reason.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-27--Schools Provide Stability For Refugees. COVID-19 Upended That.

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to pivot to remote learning , Nawar Almadani and her family weren ’ t sure what they ’ d do .
Her three kids were enrolled in middle and elementary school ; she was working toward her GED They didn ’ t own a laptop , and even when they got two from school ― one from the city for the kids , the other from Almadani ’ s program ― they had to share .
Beyond the struggles all families are facing with remote learning , the Almadani family is dealing with additional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and resettled in Chicago in 2016 .
They , like many refugee families in the U.S. , face a litany of additional obstacles to remote learning , including language barriers and access to technology .
And although many refugee families are doing their best , they risk falling behind without the special resources and support provided by schools .
According to the United Nations Refugee Agency , refugee children in primary education are lagging behind their peers globally .
Refugee children frequently grapple with mental health issues and trauma due to displacement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of those refugees , a quality education often serves as the only source of stability in their lives and an eventual key to a successful future .
When COVID-19 halted traditional schooling , this source of stability for refugees was also upended .
In the U.S. , the lack of in-person schooling meant a lack of access to resources and human interaction needed to practice English .
Schools also provide childcare , access to meals and nutrition , a source of support for vulnerable children , and a hub for socialization .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very few school districts had any of those accommodations for people who might need particular support , ” said Rebecca Winthrop , senior fellow and co-director of the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution .
In a scramble to pivot to online learning , individualized education plans and English as second language programs get lost , she added .
Winthrop worries that the current pandemic will only widen inequities within the educational system that will further disadvantage vulnerable populations like refugee children .
Trying Not To Fall Behind In March , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distribute 100,000 laptops to students who don ’ t have one as a part of the district ’ s remote learning program , which meant that Almadani ’ s children ― Mohamed , 13 ; Baian , 11 ; and Esraa , 9 ― received one , along with the laptop Almadani got from her GED program .
Mohamed , currently in sixth grade , is struggling the most with remote learning .
Three years ago , when he first arrived from Syria via Turkey , he didn ’ t speak any English @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impressive speed , thanks to resources at school .
Prior to the pandemic , Mohamed often studied at the library and participated in after-school activities , including karate three times a week , where he conversed with his friends .
At home , he struggles to pay attention and can ’ t keep up with his teacher .
There are 30 other students online , all speaking over one another , making it challenging for Mohamed .
When he emailed the teacher for extra help , he rarely heard back .
Almadani is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being stunted and feels limited in her ability to help him .
She said her English level is the same as her son ’ s .
Together the pair try to decipher and finesse their way through self-education .
“ We know from survey data the No .
1 concern for parents in the U.S. is learning loss for their kids .
And it ’ s especially acute for kids who are from non-native from poor English speaking families or from poor and marginalized communities .
It ’ s a source of real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Almadani ( far right ) is a faster reader in English , and often reads aloud for his mother , Nawar Almadani ( second from left ) .
He struggles to pay attention in his online classes as students talk over one another .
`` It 's horrible , '' he said .
Baian , currently in the fourth grade , is better off than her brother .
She was a toddler when she came to the U.S. , allowing her to learn English and adapt to the American educational system easier .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , she ’ ll sneak off and watch makeup videos on YouTube .
Almadani is concerned about keeping her children academically engaged .
She said at school , her children were challenged through activities and maps and audiovisuals , all resources she doesn ’ t have .
At school , her children learn through a holistic and collaborative approach with their teachers and peers .
But at home , all she can get done is ensuring the basics ― reading and writing English and solving math problems .

This story about refugee families was produced as part of the series Critical Condition: The Students the Pandemic Hit Hardest, reported by HuffPost and The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education.
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to pivot to remote learning, Nawar Almadani and her family weren’t sure what they’d do. Her three kids were enrolled in middle and elementary school; she was working toward her GED They didn’t own a laptop, and even when they got two from school ― one from the city for the kids, the other from Almadani’s program ― they had to share.
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Beyond the struggles all families are facing with remote learning, the Almadani family is dealing with additional stress: They fled Syria as refugees, and moved to Chicago through RefugeeOne, a local resettlement agency, in 2016. They, like many refugee families in the U.S., face a litany of additional obstacles to remote learning, including language barriers and access to technology. And although many refugee families are doing their best, they risk falling behind without the special resources and support provided by schools.
According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, refugee children in primary education are lagging behind their peers globally. Refugee children frequently grapple with mental health issues and trauma due to displacement, war and conflict. For many of those refugees, a quality education often serves as the only source of stability in their lives and an eventual key to a successful future.
When COVID-19 halted traditional schooling, this source of stability for refugees was also upended. In the U.S., the lack of in-person schooling meant a lack of access to resources and human interaction needed to practice English. Schools also provide childcare, access to meals and nutrition, a source of support for vulnerable children, and a hub for socialization.
“When you switch to remote learning, very few school districts had any of those accommodations for people who might need particular support,” said Rebecca Winthrop, senior fellow and co-director of the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution.
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In a scramble to pivot to online learning, individualized education plans and English as second language programs get lost, she added. Winthrop worries that the current pandemic will only widen inequities within the educational system that will further disadvantage vulnerable populations like refugee children.
“Refugee families and children of non-native-English-speaking parents who might not speak English themselves, especially younger children, are completely marginalized and left behind,” Winthrop said.
Nawar Almadani, left, watches as her kids Mohamed, Esraa and Baian work on their computers at their apartment during the coronavirus outbreak on Wednesday, June 24, in Chicago. Joshua Lott for HuffPost
Trying Not To Fall Behind
In March, Chicago Public School officials announced they would distribute 100,000 laptops to students who don’t have one as a part of the district’s remote learning program, which meant that Almadani’s children ― Mohamed, 13; Baian, 11; and Esraa, 9 ― received one, along with the laptop Almadani got from her GED program.
The two laptops are passed like a game of musical chairs so each family member can attend classes and complete assignments. But when classes overlap, Esraa often skips ― a bubbly child who can’t sit still, she doesn’t seem to mind.
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Mohamed, currently in sixth grade, is struggling the most with remote learning. Three years ago, when he first arrived from Syria via Turkey, he didn’t speak any English. He has since learned at an impressive speed, thanks to resources at school. Prior to the pandemic, Mohamed often studied at the library and participated in after-school activities, including karate three times a week, where he conversed with his friends.
At home, he struggles to pay attention and can’t keep up with his teacher. There are 30 other students online, all speaking over one another, making it challenging for Mohamed. When he emailed the teacher for extra help, he rarely heard back.
Asked how he’s faring with remote learning, Mohamed frowned. “It’s horrible,” he said flatly.
Almadani is worried that Mohamed’s growth is being stunted and feels limited in her ability to help him. She said her English level is the same as her son’s. Together the pair try to decipher and finesse their way through self-education.
That sort of stress for non-Native English speaking parents is common, Winthrop said.
“We know from survey data the No. 1 concern for parents in the U.S. is learning loss for their kids. And it’s especially acute for kids who are from non-native from poor English speaking families or from poor and marginalized communities. It’s a source of real anxiety,” Winthrop said.
Mohamed, who is a faster reader, often reads aloud for his mother, who tries to understand through context clues and pointing out parallels in the Arabic language.
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“We do benefit from one another,” said Almadani. “Our challenges are the same and so I learn, too.”
Mohamed Almadani (far right) is a faster reader in English, and often reads aloud for his mother, Nawar Almadani (second from left). He struggles to pay attention in his online classes as students talk over one another. "It's horrible," he said. Joshua Lott for HuffPost
Fostering An Optimal Learning Environment With Minimal Resources
Baian, currently in the fourth grade, is better off than her brother. She was a toddler when she came to the U.S., allowing her to learn English and adapt to the American educational system easier. When her mom is busy with Mohamed, she’ll sneak off and watch makeup videos on YouTube.
She doesn’t mind remote learning, although she said she hates gym class on Zoom, especially when it involves doing jumping jacks in front of a computer.
Almadani is concerned about keeping her children academically engaged. She said at school, her children were challenged through activities and maps and audiovisuals, all resources she doesn’t have. At school, her children learn through a holistic and collaborative approach with their teachers and peers. But at home, all she can get done is ensuring the basics ― reading and writing English and solving math problems.
“It’s better than nothing at all,” she said.
For now, Almadani might have to scale back her GED studies until her children are back in school. She simply doesn’t have the hours during the day to study. It’s important for her to keep her children on track.
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