thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-07--Big Tech Isn't Censoring Donald Trump

Big Tech Isn't Censoring Donald Trump

Carlos Barria / Reuters The idea that social media sites are uniquely targeting conservatives isn ’ t true ; in fact , they do plenty to spread right-wing messaging .
President Donald Trump would like you to believe that the world ’ s biggest tech platforms are conspiring against him in a bid to silence his campaign ahead of November ’ s election .
After Facebook and Twitter removed posts by Trump and his team this week that falsely claimed children are “ almost immune ” to COVID-19 , his administration melted down into a familiar rant against Silicon Valley @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Top White House counselor Kellyanne Conway appeared on Fox News on Thursday and accused “ tech overlords ” of committing “ election interference ” and being “ overly anti-Trump.
” Tim Murtaugh , Trump ’ s communications director , argued in a tweet that Big Tech is “ hopelessly biased against the President.
” The Trump campaign tweeted at Facebook and Twitter , calling on them to “ STOP THE BIAS !
” And Courtney Parella , a campaign spokesperson , told HuffPost that the removals were “ another display of Silicon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President , where the rules are only enforced in one direction.
” Such claims are unsupported by evidence but have nevertheless become a key pillar of Trump ’ s reelection playbook .
By crying censorship and driving the conspiratorial narrative that tech giants are stifling his speech as a favor to liberals , the president has established for himself a win-win position : He can spread falsehoods on social media about whatever he wants — the media , voter fraud , the pandemic , Democratic opponent Joe Biden — and then play the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get taken down , while pressuring his supporters to “ fight back ” by donating to his campaign .
His statement about kids and COVID-19 was not only false but dangerous , and a clear violation of Facebook and Twitter policies against coronavirus misinformation .
( As many schools across the country prepare to reopen , children account for 7 % of reported COVID-19 infections , or more than 200,000 cases . )
Yet the removal of those posts on Wednesday still served as ammo for the campaign to rail in bad faith @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As usual , the top-trafficking Facebook posts with links on Wednesday were mostly from conservative pages , with Fox News holding the first- and second-place slots — dispelling the notion that Facebook suppresses Republican voices .
The Tech Transparency Project also revealed on Wednesday that Facebook-owned Instagram showed negative hashtags about Biden when users searched for # JoeBiden , including # CreepyJoeBiden , # JoeBidenPedophile and # JoeBidenIsARacist , but did not show similar hashtags when people searched for # DonaldTrump .
And on Thursday , BuzzFeed News reported that Facebook had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ collected internal evidence that showed Facebook was giving preferential treatment to prominent conservative accounts.
” To support the assertion that the Trump campaign ’ s recent tweet was taken down for political reasons , Conway , Parella , Murtaugh and other Trump representatives have pointed to the fact that Twitter employee Nick Pacilio — who briefly worked for Sen. Kamala Harris ( D-Calif. ) more than five years ago , according to his LinkedIn profile — tweeted about the removal .
But as Twitter told HuffPost , Pacilio was not behind the decision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ This fight is liberal Silicon Valley versus America .
Choose your side , ” Trump ’ s eldest son , Donald Trump Jr. , goads in a new campaign Facebook ad — one of the hundreds rallying supporters to rise up against tech giants by donating to Trump .
“ We need your help if we ’ re gon na win big in November .
I ’ m calling on you to fight back and contribute .
We need to defend our free speech.
” Instagram told BuzzFeed that the anti-Biden hashtags @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adding in a tweet that it “ isn ’ t about politics ” — and that was largely the end of it .
In the past , however , when similar issues have affected conservatives , it has ignited an uproar : After a Twitter glitch temporarily limited the visibility of some prominent Republicans ’ accounts ( along with those of certain leftists ) in 2018 , for example , Trump unleashed a series of furious tweets and legal threats as conservative lawmakers complained of being “ victimized and violated.
” More recently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that there is “ NO WAY ( ZERO ! )
that Mail-In Ballots will be anything less than substantially fraudulent , ” Twitter labeled his tweets as “ potentially misleading ” and added a link providing more context about mail-in voting from third-party fact-checkers .
Trump ’ s retaliation was swift and fierce .
“ Twitter is completely stifling FREE SPEECH , and I , as President , will not allow it to happen !
” he fumed on Twitter soon after the labels were appended .
“ Republicans feel that Social Media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will strongly regulate , or close them down , before we can ever allow this to happen.
” Two days later , Trump signed an executive order that would substantially weaken social media companies ’ legal protections and expose them to liability for user-generated content .
Like many of the president ’ s threats against Big Tech , the proposed legislation was little more than a political stunt that would be extremely difficult to enforce .

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President Donald Trump would like you to believe that the world’s biggest tech platforms are conspiring against him in a bid to silence his campaign ahead of November’s election. After Facebook and Twitter removed posts by Trump and his team this week that falsely claimed children are “almost immune” to COVID-19, his administration melted down into a familiar rant against Silicon Valley’s supposed “anti-Trump” bias.
Top White House counselor Kellyanne Conway appeared on Fox News on Thursday and accused “tech overlords” of committing “election interference” and being “overly anti-Trump.” Tim Murtaugh, Trump’s communications director, argued in a tweet that Big Tech is “hopelessly biased against the President.” The Trump campaign tweeted at Facebook and Twitter, calling on them to “STOP THE BIAS!” And Courtney Parella, a campaign spokesperson, told HuffPost that the removals were “another display of Silicon Valley’s flagrant bias against this President, where the rules are only enforced in one direction.”
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Such claims are unsupported by evidence but have nevertheless become a key pillar of Trump’s reelection playbook. By crying censorship and driving the conspiratorial narrative that tech giants are stifling his speech as a favor to liberals, the president has established for himself a win-win position: He can spread falsehoods on social media about whatever he wants — the media, voter fraud, the pandemic, Democratic opponent Joe Biden — and then play the victim when (or if) they get taken down, while pressuring his supporters to “fight back” by donating to his campaign.
His statement about kids and COVID-19 was not only false but dangerous, and a clear violation of Facebook and Twitter policies against coronavirus misinformation. (As many schools across the country prepare to reopen, children account for 7% of reported COVID-19 infections, or more than 200,000 cases.) Yet the removal of those posts on Wednesday still served as ammo for the campaign to rail in bad faith against tech platforms’ alleged anti-conservative discrimination.
“The real reason behind the Trump campaign’s relentless fixation on censorship isn’t about being silenced or being held to a different content moderation standard. It’s about distracting voters and manipulating them into opening their wallets.”
The idea that social media sites are uniquely targeting conservatives isn’t true; in fact, they do plenty to spread right-wing messaging.
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As usual, the top-trafficking Facebook posts with links on Wednesday were mostly from conservative pages, with Fox News holding the first- and second-place slots — dispelling the notion that Facebook suppresses Republican voices. The Tech Transparency Project also revealed on Wednesday that Facebook-owned Instagram showed negative hashtags about Biden when users searched for #JoeBiden, including #CreepyJoeBiden, #JoeBidenPedophile and #JoeBidenIsARacist, but did not show similar hashtags when people searched for #DonaldTrump. And on Thursday, BuzzFeed News reported that Facebook had just fired an employee who had “collected internal evidence that showed Facebook was giving preferential treatment to prominent conservative accounts.”
To support the assertion that the Trump campaign’s recent tweet was taken down for political reasons, Conway, Parella, Murtaugh and other Trump representatives have pointed to the fact that Twitter employee Nick Pacilio — who briefly worked for Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) more than five years ago, according to his LinkedIn profile — tweeted about the removal. But as Twitter told HuffPost, Pacilio was not behind the decision to take action against the tweet.
“No one person at Twitter is responsible for our policies or enforcement actions,” a Twitter spokesperson said. “We enforce our rules judiciously and impartially for all and take action if an account violates our rules.”
Facebook did not respond to a request for comment.
Trump is running Facebook ads to fundraise off his fight with Twitter: pic.twitter.com/EnJH75Gymh — Jesselyn Cook (@JessReports) May 30, 2020
The real reason behind the Trump campaign’s relentless fixation on censorship isn’t about being silenced or being held to a different content moderation standard. It’s about distracting voters and manipulating them into opening their wallets.
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“This fight is liberal Silicon Valley versus America. Choose your side,” Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., goads in a new campaign Facebook ad — one of the hundreds rallying supporters to rise up against tech giants by donating to Trump. “We need your help if we’re gonna win big in November. I’m calling on you to fight back and contribute. We need to defend our free speech.”
Although Trump’s team is ramping up its censorship claims as Election Day looms, this has been a major talking point throughout his presidency.
More recently, after Trump tweeted in late May that there is “NO WAY (ZERO!) that Mail-In Ballots will be anything less than substantially fraudulent,” Twitter labeled his tweets as “potentially misleading” and added a link providing more context about mail-in voting from third-party fact-checkers. Trump’s retaliation was swift and fierce.
“Twitter is completely stifling FREE SPEECH, and I, as President, will not allow it to happen!” he fumed on Twitter soon after the labels were appended. “Republicans feel that Social Media Platforms totally silence conservatives voices. We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen.”
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Two days later, Trump signed an executive order that would substantially weaken social media companies’ legal protections and expose them to liability for user-generated content. Like many of the president’s threats against Big Tech, the proposed legislation was little more than a political stunt that would be extremely difficult to enforce.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-07--Reese Witherspoon Started A Meme About 2020 Moods And It's Way Too Real.

We were all so clueless in January .
Actor Reese Witherspoon sparked a celebrity social media challenge when she posted a mood calendar of how her year ’ s going so far ( and how it ’ s forecasted to continue ) .
Using photos of her on-screen self , she perfectly captured the living dumpster fire of 2020 .
Starting out the year as the bubbly Elle Woods from “ Legally Blonde , ” she devolves into the hardy Cheryl Strayed , her character from “ Wild , ” for June through September : Witherspoon ’ s challenge prompted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other celebs who jumped aboard the pandemic-era trend , including Mindy Kaling , Kerry Washington , Drew Barrymore , Mark Ruffalo and more .
The calendars typically followed the formula of a sprightly January and concerned March before moving on to a grim April through September .
The calendars end there .
Who knows what ’ s next ?
Whatever happens , remember to stay positive , stay in touch with friends and family and stay active .
Because , in the iconic words of Elle Woods , “ Exercise gives you endorphins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people just don ’ t shoot their husbands .
”

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We were all so clueless in January.
Actor Reese Witherspoon sparked a celebrity social media challenge when she posted a mood calendar of how her year’s going so far (and how it’s forecasted to continue). Using photos of her on-screen self, she perfectly captured the living dumpster fire of 2020.
Starting out the year as the bubbly Elle Woods from “Legally Blonde,” she devolves into the hardy Cheryl Strayed, her character from “Wild,” for June through September:
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Witherspoon’s challenge prompted a sea of laughing-crying eyes emojis from other celebs who jumped aboard the pandemic-era trend, including Mindy Kaling, Kerry Washington, Drew Barrymore, Mark Ruffalo and more.
The calendars typically followed the formula of a sprightly January and concerned March before moving on to a grim April through September. The calendars end there. Who knows what’s next?
Whatever happens, remember to stay positive, stay in touch with friends and family and stay active. Because, in the iconic words of Elle Woods, “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands.”
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-07--Seth Meyers Likens Trump’s Relationship With Fox News Hosts To A ‘Loveless Marriage’

Seth Meyers on Thursday mocked personalities on Fox News for pandering to Donald Trump in interviews , likening their relationship with the president to a “ loveless marriage.
” The host of NBC ’ s “ Late Night ” suggested Trump “ rushed back to the friendly confines ” of morning show “ Fox & Friends ” to “ regain some self-esteem ” after his off-the-rails sit-down with Axios ’ Jonathan Swan aired on HBO .
That ’ s because Fox ’ s hosts “ let him get away with any lie no matter how outrageous , ” Meyers said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how much easier the Fox interview was than the Axios interview just from their faces , ” said Meyers .
Fox personalities “ look like vacant spouses in a loveless marriage who stopped feeling anything years ago , ” he joked .
“ I mean , look at them , ” Meyers continued .
“ They look like they just caught a glimpse of their reflection in a window holding a bunch of shopping bags from Saks Fifth Avenue , and they ’ re thinking , ’ All the Fendi bags in Manhattan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of me.
’ ” Important conversations are happening now .
Add your voice !
Join HuffPost Today !

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Seth Meyers on Thursday mocked personalities on Fox News for pandering to Donald Trump in interviews, likening their relationship with the president to a “loveless marriage.”
The host of NBC’s “Late Night” suggested Trump “rushed back to the friendly confines” of morning show “Fox & Friends” to “regain some self-esteem” after his off-the-rails sit-down with Axios’ Jonathan Swan aired on HBO. That’s because Fox’s hosts “let him get away with any lie no matter how outrageous,” Meyers said.
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“Seriously, you can tell how much easier the Fox interview was than the Axios interview just from their faces,” said Meyers.
Fox personalities “look like vacant spouses in a loveless marriage who stopped feeling anything years ago,” he joked.
“I mean, look at them,” Meyers continued. “They look like they just caught a glimpse of their reflection in a window holding a bunch of shopping bags from Saks Fifth Avenue, and they’re thinking, ’All the Fendi bags in Manhattan won’t fill the hole inside of me.’”
Check out Meyers’ monologue here:


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-07--Suspension Lifted For Teen Who Posted Photo Of Crowded Hall In Georgia School

A Georgia high school has lifted the suspension of a student who was punished after tweeting a photo of a dangerously crowded hallway to highlight the risks of spreading COVID-19 .
“ To everyone supporting me , I can ’ t thank you enough , ” the 15-year-old sophomore noted Friday on Twitter after her five-day suspension was lifted and deleted from her school record .
“ I ’ m free to go back to school on Monday , ” she texted to HuffPost .
This morning my school called and they have deleted my suspension .
To everyone supporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you enough .
If I ’ m not responding it ’ s because my life has been somewhat crazy the past few days .
Once again thank you .
❤ — hannah ( @ ihateiceman ) August 7 , 2020 The student posted a photo Tuesday of a jampacked hallway at North Paulding High School in the Atlanta suburb of Dallas .
Almost no one was wearing a mask .
Even before the school opened Monday , Principal Gabe Carmona had warned parents in a letter that some members of the football team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reportedly by another student posted Monday showed the same crowded situation .
Both photos went viral across the nation and were picked up in news accounts .
The sophomore was suspended for violating school policy against taking photos of minors without permission .
The suspension was lifted after her family filed a grievance with the school Thursday , she told HuffPost .
The teen defended her action by citing a phrase from the late civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis , about getting into “ good trouble.
” “ My mom has always @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get mad at us if we get in trouble as long as it ’ s ‘ good trouble , ’ ” she told The New York Times .
“ You ’ re bettering society and bettering the world , so those consequences don ’ t outweigh the end result.
” Brian Otott , superintendent of the Paulding County School District , complained in a statement after the photos drew widespread attention that the packed hallway scenes were being criticized “ without context.
” He conceded “ such situations may happen ” as students @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t “ look good.
” Day two at North Paulding High School .
It is just as bad .
We were stopped because it was jammed .
We are close enough to the point where I got pushed multiple go to second block .
This is not ok. Not to mention the 10 % mask rate .
pic.twitter.com/JKbGYqG9RS — hannah ( @ ihateiceman ) August 4 , 2020 Georgia ’ s COVID-19 cases are surging , yet the state ’ s Republican governor , Brian Kemp , opposes mandating masks .
He ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bottoms ( D ) for instituting a mask requirement in the city , arguing she has overstepped her authority .
Kemp is also seeking a gag order to stop her from discussing the issue .
The state ’ s Barrow County School System , about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta , planned to start the school year on Aug. 17 with a combination of in-person and remote instruction .
But it will now begin with virtual learning only after more than 90 staff members were forced to quarantine because of exposure to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CNN reported Friday .
The return to in-person school instruction for children is hugely controversial across the nation .
Many locations are experiencing COVID-19 case surges that dwarf numbers from the spring , when schools were shut down because of the increasing risk of COVID-19 .

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A Georgia high school has lifted the suspension of a student who was punished after tweeting a photo of a dangerously crowded hallway to highlight the risks of spreading COVID-19.
“To everyone supporting me, I can’t thank you enough,” the 15-year-old sophomore noted Friday on Twitter after her five-day suspension was lifted and deleted from her school record. “I’m free to go back to school on Monday,” she texted to HuffPost.
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This morning my school called and they have deleted my suspension. To everyone supporting me, I can’t thank you enough. If I’m not responding it’s because my life has been somewhat crazy the past few days. Once again thank you. ❤ — hannah (@ihateiceman) August 7, 2020
The student posted a photo Tuesday of a jampacked hallway at North Paulding High School in the Atlanta suburb of Dallas. Almost no one was wearing a mask. Even before the school opened Monday, Principal Gabe Carmona had warned parents in a letter that some members of the football team had contracted COVID-19.
An earlier photo reportedly by another student posted Monday showed the same crowded situation. Both photos went viral across the nation and were picked up in news accounts.
The sophomore was suspended for violating school policy against taking photos of minors without permission. The suspension was lifted after her family filed a grievance with the school Thursday, she told HuffPost.
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The teen defended her action by citing a phrase from the late civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis, about getting into “good trouble.”
“My mom has always told me that she won’t get mad at us if we get in trouble as long as it’s ‘good trouble,’” she told The New York Times. “You’re bettering society and bettering the world, so those consequences don’t outweigh the end result.”
Brian Otott, superintendent of the Paulding County School District, complained in a statement after the photos drew widespread attention that the packed hallway scenes were being criticized “without context.” He conceded “such situations may happen” as students change classes and admitted it didn’t “look good.”
“Wearing a mask is a personal choice, and there is no practical way to enforce a mandate to wear them,” Otott added.
Day two at North Paulding High School. It is just as bad. We were stopped because it was jammed. We are close enough to the point where I got pushed multiple go to second block. This is not ok. Not to mention the 10% mask rate. pic.twitter.com/JKbGYqG9RS — hannah (@ihateiceman) August 4, 2020
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Georgia’s COVID-19 cases are surging, yet the state’s Republican governor, Brian Kemp, opposes mandating masks. He’s even suing Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) for instituting a mask requirement in the city, arguing she has overstepped her authority. Kemp is also seeking a gag order to stop her from discussing the issue.
The state’s Barrow County School System, about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta, planned to start the school year on Aug. 17 with a combination of in-person and remote instruction. But it will now begin with virtual learning only after more than 90 staff members were forced to quarantine because of exposure to a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19, CNN reported Friday.
The return to in-person school instruction for children is hugely controversial across the nation. Many locations are experiencing COVID-19 case surges that dwarf numbers from the spring, when schools were shut down because of the increasing risk of COVID-19.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-07--Coronavirus Tore Through This Meatpacking Plant With Incredible Speed

More than 900 workers at a single meatpacking plant in South Dakota were infected with the coronavirus over the course of just five weeks , showing how quickly it can rip through an essential workforce toiling away in close quarters .
Those numbers come from a report released Thursday examining the Smithfield pork facility in Sioux Falls , which was home to one of the worst COVID-19 clusters in the country this spring .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state officials studied the outbreak to learn how it got so out of control .
The CDC report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ previously believed .
State officials had earlier put the total number of infections at 853 , according to the Argus Leader .
The actual number was 929 , which translates into one of every four workers at the 3,635-person plant .
At the peak of the outbreak , the workforce was averaging 67 new cases a day .
Two workers eventually died .
In addition to the cases among employees , at least 210 contacts of workers contracted the virus .
In total , 39 workers and nine contacts ended up hospitalized .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for its handling of the crisis and did not name the company in its report .
But the findings suggest the pork producer was slow to deal with the situation and didn ’ t put many controls in place until it was too late .
The researchers concluded that what happened at the Sioux Falls plant shows how the coronavirus “ can spread rapidly in meat processing facilities because of the close proximity of workstations and prolonged contact between employees.
” Employers need to have “ a robust mitigation program ... consistent with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the spread of the virus .
Keira Lombardo , a Smithfield executive vice president , said in a statement that the company ’ s coronavirus response has “ focused exclusively ” on keeping employees safe and maintaining the food supply .
She said the company took “ aggressive action ” that preceded the guidance on meatpacking safety released by the federal government in late April .
Nationally , the coronavirus has hit the largely immigrant workforces inside meat and poultry plants particularly hard .
So far , at least 65 workers have died @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or exposed to the virus , according to estimates from the United Food and Commercial Workers union , which represents workers at many plants .
Workers at meatpacking plants across the country have reported laboring practically shoulder to shoulder even during the pandemic .
The CDC found that the “ attack rate ” ― the proportion of people in a given population infected with the virus ― was highest in departments where people could not work at least six feet apart .
Not surprisingly , hourly workers were nearly twice as likely to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Smithfield plant .
The latter , researchers wrote , “ typically had workstations that could be adjusted to maintain distancing and did not work in close proximity to other employees on the production line.
” Showing just how rapidly the outbreak escalated , researchers found that the attack rate throughout the facility increased fivefold each week during the first three weeks .
After Smithfield temporarily shuttered the plant , the rate of new infections dropped significantly among workers , to roughly 10 per day within a week .
The study ’ s authors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ non-work areas of the plant as well , like locker and break rooms , and that workers may also have transmitted it to one another while carpooling or living together .
They cautioned that whether a given worker contracted the virus inside the plant or out in the community could not be known .
The Rapid City Journal reported that the Smithfield plant accounted for about 41 % of coronavirus cases within the community during that time .
The first known worker to get sick developed symptoms on March 16 .
By March @ @ @ @ @ @ @ showed signs of the coronavirus .
Smithfield did not begin screening employees for fever and installing barriers inside the plant until April 3 .
By April 4 , there were more than 240 cases in 23 different departments at the plant .
The CDC changed its guidance to recommend people wear a mask in public on April 3 , which is the same day Smithfield first made them optional at the plant , according to the report .
But the company did not make masks mandatory until April 13 , weeks after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ until April 26 that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration , in conjunction with the CDC , released guidance for meatpacking plants on how to contain the virus .
They suggested protocols like installing barriers , staggering break times and encouraging face coverings .
The guidance was not enforceable by law .

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More than 900 workers at a single meatpacking plant in South Dakota were infected with the coronavirus over the course of just five weeks, showing how quickly it can rip through an essential workforce toiling away in close quarters.
Those numbers come from a report released Thursday examining the Smithfield pork facility in Sioux Falls, which was home to one of the worst COVID-19 clusters in the country this spring. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state officials studied the outbreak to learn how it got so out of control.
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The CDC report shows the outbreak was somewhat worse than previously believed. State officials had earlier put the total number of infections at 853, according to the Argus Leader. The actual number was 929, which translates into one of every four workers at the 3,635-person plant.
At the peak of the outbreak, the workforce was averaging 67 new cases a day. Two workers eventually died. In addition to the cases among employees, at least 210 contacts of workers contracted the virus. In total, 39 workers and nine contacts ended up hospitalized.
The CDC did not openly criticize Smithfield for its handling of the crisis and did not name the company in its report. But the findings suggest the pork producer was slow to deal with the situation and didn’t put many controls in place until it was too late.
The researchers concluded that what happened at the Sioux Falls plant shows how the coronavirus “can spread rapidly in meat processing facilities because of the close proximity of workstations and prolonged contact between employees.” Employers need to have “a robust mitigation program ... consistent with published guidelines” in order to mitigate the spread of the virus.
Advertisement
Keira Lombardo, a Smithfield executive vice president, said in a statement that the company’s coronavirus response has “focused exclusively” on keeping employees safe and maintaining the food supply. She said the company took “aggressive action” that preceded the guidance on meatpacking safety released by the federal government in late April.
Lombardo also said so many cases were detected at the plant because of a “significantly disproportionate testing rate.” The CDC report acknowledged that workers at the Sioux Falls facility were tested at a higher rate than the community at large.
“Smithfield did not begin screening employees for fever and installing barriers inside the plant until April 3. By April 4, there were more than 240 cases at the plant.”
Nationally, the coronavirus has hit the largely immigrant workforces inside meat and poultry plants particularly hard. So far, at least 65 workers have died and more than 14,000 have been infected or exposed to the virus, according to estimates from the United Food and Commercial Workers union, which represents workers at many plants.
Workers at meatpacking plants across the country have reported laboring practically shoulder to shoulder even during the pandemic. The CDC found that the “attack rate” ― the proportion of people in a given population infected with the virus ― was highest in departments where people could not work at least six feet apart.
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Not surprisingly, hourly workers were nearly twice as likely to be infected as salaried workers inside the Smithfield plant. The latter, researchers wrote, “typically had workstations that could be adjusted to maintain distancing and did not work in close proximity to other employees on the production line.”
Showing just how rapidly the outbreak escalated, researchers found that the attack rate throughout the facility increased fivefold each week during the first three weeks. After Smithfield temporarily shuttered the plant, the rate of new infections dropped significantly among workers, to roughly 10 per day within a week.
The Smithfield pork processing plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was the site of one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the nation. KEREM YUCEL via Getty Images
The study’s authors said that the virus likely spread in non-work areas of the plant as well, like locker and break rooms, and that workers may also have transmitted it to one another while carpooling or living together. They cautioned that whether a given worker contracted the virus inside the plant or out in the community could not be known. The Rapid City Journal reported that the Smithfield plant accounted for about 41% of coronavirus cases within the community during that time.
The first known worker to get sick developed symptoms on March 16. By March 28, around two dozen other workers showed signs of the coronavirus. Smithfield did not begin screening employees for fever and installing barriers inside the plant until April 3. By April 4, there were more than 240 cases in 23 different departments at the plant.
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The CDC changed its guidance to recommend people wear a mask in public on April 3, which is the same day Smithfield first made them optional at the plant, according to the report. But the company did not make masks mandatory until April 13, weeks after the outbreak first emerged.
By then, the facility was already beginning a phased closure that would stop production for several weeks.
It was not until April 26 that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, in conjunction with the CDC, released guidance for meatpacking plants on how to contain the virus. They suggested protocols like installing barriers, staggering break times and encouraging face coverings. The guidance was not enforceable by law.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-07--Black, Hispanic Kids Much More Likely To Be Hospitalized For COVID-19

One of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports looked children with COVID-19 who needed hospitalization .
Hispanic children were hospitalized at a rate eight times higher than white kids , and Black children were hospitalized at a rate five times higher , it found .
The second report examined cases of a rare virus-associated syndrome in kids .
It found that nearly three-quarters of the children with the syndrome were either Hispanic or Black , well above their representation in the general population .
The coronavirus has exposed racial fractures in the U.S. health care system , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been hospitalized and killed by COVID-19 at far higher rates than other groups .
Meanwhile , the impact of the virus on children has become a political issue .
President Donald Trump and some other administration officials have been pushing schools to re-open , a step that would allow more parents to return to work and the economy to pick up .
On Wednesday , Facebook deleted a post by Trump for violating its policy against spreading misinformation about the coronavirus .
The post featured a link to a Fox News video in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immune ” to the virus .
The vast majority of coronavirus cases and deaths have been in adults , and kids are considered less likely to have serious symptoms when they ’ re infected .
Of the nearly 5 million cases reported in the U.S. as of Wednesday , about 265,000 were in children 17 and under — about 5 % .
Of the more than 156,000 deaths reported at that time , 77 were children — about 0.05 % .
“ It ’ s clear from these studies , and from other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immune , ” she said .
” Kids can pass along COVID , and they can also suffer the effects of it.
” She said the studies should give community leaders pause about opening schools .
“ We need to be really , really careful .
We are potentially talking about putting children in unsafe situations , ” Henning-Smith said .
The first report is based on cases received from hospitals in 14 states .
The researchers counted 576 hospitalizations of kids from March 1 through July 25 of this year .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on all of them , but at least 12 were sick enough to need a machine to help them breathe .
One died .
The hospitalization rate for Hispanic children was about 16.4 per 100,000 .
The rate for Black children was 10.5 per 100,000 , and for white kids it was 2.1 per 100,000 .
As with adults , many of the hospitalized children had existing health problems , including obesity , chronic lung conditions and — in the case of infants — preterm birth .
The reported death was a child @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
Larger percentages of Hispanic and Black kids may go to hospital emergency rooms when they ’ re sick , which could be driven by difficulty getting into — or paying for — doctor ’ s office visits .
That lack of access to regular health-care could lead to more severe illness , he suggested .
In the study , many of the patients with the condition had severe complications , including heart problems and kidney damage .
Nearly two-thirds of the cases overall were admitted to intensive care units , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The report found that 13 % of kids with the condition were white , while more than 40 % were Hispanic and 33 % were Black .
Overall , about half of U.S. children are white , around 25 % Hispanic and about 14 % are Black , according to population estimates .
Scientists are still learning about the condition .
Experts say genetics has nothing to do with why some racial and ethnic groups are more likely to be infected by the virus , get seriously sick from it or die @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not yet clear if genetics play a role in the childhood inflammation condition , Shahpar said .

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NEW YORK (AP) — Racial disparities in the the U.S. coronavirus epidemic extend to children, according to two sobering government reports released Friday.
One of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports looked children with COVID-19 who needed hospitalization. Hispanic children were hospitalized at a rate eight times higher than white kids, and Black children were hospitalized at a rate five times higher, it found.
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The second report examined cases of a rare virus-associated syndrome in kids. It found that nearly three-quarters of the children with the syndrome were either Hispanic or Black, well above their representation in the general population.
The coronavirus has exposed racial fractures in the U.S. health care system, as Black, Hispanic and Native Americans have been hospitalized and killed by COVID-19 at far higher rates than other groups.
Meanwhile, the impact of the virus on children has become a political issue. President Donald Trump and some other administration officials have been pushing schools to re-open, a step that would allow more parents to return to work and the economy to pick up.
On Wednesday, Facebook deleted a post by Trump for violating its policy against spreading misinformation about the coronavirus. The post featured a link to a Fox News video in which Trump says children are “virtually immune” to the virus.
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The vast majority of coronavirus cases and deaths have been in adults, and kids are considered less likely to have serious symptoms when they’re infected. Of the nearly 5 million cases reported in the U.S. as of Wednesday, about 265,000 were in children 17 and under — about 5%. Of the more than 156,000 deaths reported at that time, 77 were children — about 0.05%.
But Friday’s CDC reports are a “gut punch” reminder that some children are getting seriously ill and dying, said Carrie Henning-Smith, a University of Minnesota researcher who focuses on health disparities.
“It’s clear from these studies, and from other emerging research, that kids are not immune,” she said. ”Kids can pass along COVID, and they can also suffer the effects of it.”
She said the studies should give community leaders pause about opening schools. “We need to be really, really careful. We are potentially talking about putting children in unsafe situations,” Henning-Smith said.
The first report is based on cases received from hospitals in 14 states. The researchers counted 576 hospitalizations of kids from March 1 through July 25 of this year. The report did not have detailed medical information on all of them, but at least 12 were sick enough to need a machine to help them breathe. One died.
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The hospitalization rate for Hispanic children was about 16.4 per 100,000. The rate for Black children was 10.5 per 100,000, and for white kids it was 2.1 per 100,000.
As with adults, many of the hospitalized children had existing health problems, including obesity, chronic lung conditions and — in the case of infants — preterm birth. The reported death was a child with several underlying conditions, the report said.
A number of possible factors could explain the disparities, said Dr. Cyrus Shahpar, who oversees epidemic prevention efforts for a not-for-profit data and advocacy organization called Resolve to Save Lives.
Larger percentages of Hispanic and Black kids may go to hospital emergency rooms when they’re sick, which could be driven by difficulty getting into — or paying for — doctor’s office visits. That lack of access to regular health-care could lead to more severe illness, he suggested.
The second CDC report focused on 570 kids diagnosed with a rare coronavirus-linked inflammatory condition. Eight of them died.
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Some children with the syndrome have symptoms resembling Kawasaki disease, another rare childhood condition that can cause swelling and heart problems. Other symptoms include fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes or feeling extra tired.
In the study, many of the patients with the condition had severe complications, including heart problems and kidney damage. Nearly two-thirds of the cases overall were admitted to intensive care units, and the average ICU stay was five days.
The CDC report covered illnesses that began from mid-February to mid-July. Forty states reported cases.
The report found that 13% of kids with the condition were white, while more than 40% were Hispanic and 33% were Black. Overall, about half of U.S. children are white, around 25% Hispanic and about 14% are Black, according to population estimates.
Scientists are still learning about the condition. Experts say genetics has nothing to do with why some racial and ethnic groups are more likely to be infected by the virus, get seriously sick from it or die from it. But it’s not yet clear if genetics play a role in the childhood inflammation condition, Shahpar said.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-07--A Sweetheart Deal: Germany To Exempt Unmarried Couples From COVID-19 Border Controls

BERLIN ( Reuters ) ― Germany will give a welcome break to the coronavirus lovelorn from Monday ― easing its border controls to allow unmarried couples to reunite after what has been months of separation for some .
The exemption will apply to the partners of Germans from countries that Germany considers high-risk ― currently most of the world outside the EU ― and couples will have to provide some proof that they were in a relationship before the pandemic , the interior ministry said on Friday .
Most European Union borders have been closed to non-EU travelers since March @ @ @ @ @ @ @ married to an EU resident .
On social media , separated couples have been lobbying under the hashtags # LoveIsEssential and # LoveIsNotTourism for governments to allow them to reunite .
A few European countries including Austria , Norway and Denmark , have heeded the call , introducing “ sweetheart visas ” that exempt couples from the travel ban .
In Germany , couples will have to present an invitation by the partner who lives in Germany and sign a statement confirming that they are in a relationship .
They must also provide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or plane tickets , that they have met in person in Germany at least once or that they have lived abroad together .
The European Commission on Friday renewed a call for the remaining EU member states to exempt the unmarried partners ofEuropean citizens from travel restrictions into their countries .

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BERLIN (Reuters) ― Germany will give a welcome break to the coronavirus lovelorn from Monday ― easing its border controls to allow unmarried couples to reunite after what has been months of separation for some.
The exemption will apply to the partners of Germans from countries that Germany considers high-risk ― currently most of the world outside the EU ― and couples will have to provide some proof that they were in a relationship before the pandemic, the interior ministry said on Friday.
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Most European Union borders have been closed to non-EU travelers since March, unless they are essential workers or married to an EU resident.
On social media, separated couples have been lobbying under the hashtags #LoveIsEssential and #LoveIsNotTourism for governments to allow them to reunite.
A few European countries including Austria, Norway and Denmark, have heeded the call, introducing “sweetheart visas” that exempt couples from the travel ban.
In Germany, couples will have to present an invitation by the partner who lives in Germany and sign a statement confirming that they are in a relationship.
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They must also provide proof, such as stamps in passports or plane tickets, that they have met in person in Germany at least once or that they have lived abroad together.
The European Commission on Friday renewed a call for the remaining EU member states to exempt the unmarried partners ofEuropean citizens from travel restrictions into their countries.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-07--Bill Gates: CDC's COVID-19 Response Was 'Muzzled' By White House

Bill Gates said that the White House “ muzzled ” the COVID-19 response of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , and he offered thoughts on vaccinations and coronavirus conspiracies in a new Wired interview released Friday .
Gates was “ surprised at the U.S. [ coronavirus ] situation because the smartest people on epidemiology in the world , by a lot , are at the CDC , ” he told Steven Levy , Wired ’ s longtime tech writer and editor at large .
Gates announced in April that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation would shift its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I would have expected them to do better , ” the Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist said .
“ You would expect the CDC to be the most visible , not the White House or even Anthony Fauci .
But they haven ’ t been the face of the epidemic .
They are trained to communicate and not try to panic people but get people to take things seriously .
They have basically been muzzled since the beginning.
” Pandemic preparedness — a cause Gates has advocated for years — should have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government , he said .
“ If we had built up the diagnostic , therapeutic and vaccine platforms , and if we ’ d done the simulations to understand what the key steps were , we ’ d be dramatically better off , ” Gates said .
“ Then there ’ s the time period of the first few months of the pandemic when the U.S. actually made it harder for the commercial testing companies to get their tests approved , the CDC had this very low volume test that didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t letting people test .
The travel ban came too late , and it was too narrow to do anything .
Then , after the first few months , eventually we figured out about masks , and that leadership is important.
” Gates , who is worth more than $ 112 billion , has been an outspoken critic of the slow turnaround on coronavirus tests in the U.S. Having to wait more than 48 hours for a result made tests a “ complete waste , ” he told MSNBC earlier .
Gates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ development of an eventual COVID-19 vaccine .
The Gates Foundation pledged $ 1.6 billion in June to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization , with $ 100 million specifically targeted to fund coronavirus vaccines .
“ In China and Russia , they are moving full speed ahead , ” Gates said when asked if he was worried about a vaccine being approved too soon .
“ I bet there ’ ll be some vaccines that will get out to lots of patients without the full regulatory review somewhere in the world .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ] , to their credit , at least so far , is sticking to requiring proof of efficacy .
So far they have behaved very professionally despite the political pressure .
There may be pressure , but people are saying no , make sure that that ’ s not allowed .
The irony is that [ Donald Trump ] is a president who is a vaccine skeptic.
” Much of the skepticism and misinformation around topics such as vaccines were fueled by the social media business , Gates said , calling it a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the company he founded is currently in negotiations to buy TikTok from Chinese firm ByteDance . )
Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic , anti-vaccination proponents and members of the far-right have pushed conspiracy theories about Gates and coronavirus profiteering .
He labeled the allegations “ anti-science ” and a “ wild inversion ” of the values and track record of the Gates Foundation .
“ I ’ m involved in almost everything that anti-science is fighting , ” Gates said .
“ I ’ m involved with climate change , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that it ’ s digital social media that allows this kind of titillating , over-simplistic explanation of , ‘ OK , there ’ s just an evil person , and that explains all of this .
’ ”

Bill Gates said that the White House “muzzled” the COVID-19 response of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and he offered thoughts on vaccinations and coronavirus conspiracies in a new Wired interview released Friday.
Gates was “surprised at the U.S. [coronavirus] situation because the smartest people on epidemiology in the world, by a lot, are at the CDC,” he told Steven Levy, Wired’s longtime tech writer and editor at large. Gates announced in April that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation would shift its “total attention” to fighting COVID-19.
“I would have expected them to do better,” the Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist said. “You would expect the CDC to be the most visible, not the White House or even Anthony Fauci. But they haven’t been the face of the epidemic. They are trained to communicate and not try to panic people but get people to take things seriously. They have basically been muzzled since the beginning.”
Pandemic preparedness — a cause Gates has advocated for years — should have been a higher priority for the U.S. government, he said.
“If we had built up the diagnostic, therapeutic and vaccine platforms, and if we’d done the simulations to understand what the key steps were, we’d be dramatically better off,” Gates said. “Then there’s the time period of the first few months of the pandemic when the U.S. actually made it harder for the commercial testing companies to get their tests approved, the CDC had this very low volume test that didn’t work at first, and they weren’t letting people test. The travel ban came too late, and it was too narrow to do anything. Then, after the first few months, eventually we figured out about masks, and that leadership is important.”
Gates, who is worth more than $112 billion, has been an outspoken critic of the slow turnaround on coronavirus tests in the U.S. Having to wait more than 48 hours for a result made tests a “complete waste,” he told MSNBC earlier.
Gates has been more optimistic about the speedy development of an eventual COVID-19 vaccine. The Gates Foundation pledged $1.6 billion in June to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, with $100 million specifically targeted to fund coronavirus vaccines.
“In China and Russia, they are moving full speed ahead,” Gates said when asked if he was worried about a vaccine being approved too soon. “I bet there’ll be some vaccines that will get out to lots of patients without the full regulatory review somewhere in the world. ... The [Food and Drug Administration], to their credit, at least so far, is sticking to requiring proof of efficacy. So far they have behaved very professionally despite the political pressure. There may be pressure, but people are saying no, make sure that that’s not allowed. The irony is that [Donald Trump] is a president who is a vaccine skeptic.”
Much of the skepticism and misinformation around topics such as vaccines were fueled by the social media business, Gates said, calling it a “poison chalice.” (He acknowledged that the company he founded is currently in negotiations to buy TikTok from Chinese firm ByteDance.)
Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, anti-vaccination proponents and members of the far-right have pushed conspiracy theories about Gates and coronavirus profiteering. He labeled the allegations “anti-science” and a “wild inversion” of the values and track record of the Gates Foundation.
“I’m involved in almost everything that anti-science is fighting,” Gates said. “I’m involved with climate change, GMOs and vaccines. The irony is that it’s digital social media that allows this kind of titillating, over-simplistic explanation of, ‘OK, there’s just an evil person, and that explains all of this.’”
Read the full interview here.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-07--New Hampshire Woman Gets New Face For Second Time In 10 Years

Carmen Blandin Tarleton , whose face was disfigured in an attack by her ex-husband , became the first American and only the second person globally to undergo the procedure after her first transplant began to fail six years after the operation .
The transplant from an anonymous donor took place at Boston ’ s Brigham and Women ’ s Hospital in July .
“ I ’ m elated , ” Tarleton told The Associated Press , in an exclusive telephone interview from her home in Manchester .
She is still healing from the operation so photos are not being made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2018 , a French man whose immune system rejected his donor face eight years after his first transplant underwent a second .
The doctor who did the transplant , Dr. Laurent Lantieri of the Georges Pompidou European Hospital in Paris , said that patient is “ doing very well.
” Dr. Bohdan Pomahac , who did Tarleton ’ s first face transplant , was hesitant to do another and favored doing reconstruction surgery instead .
But his team became convinced of the merits of a second transplant after Tarleton described how much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ She really wanted to try one more time , ” said Pomahac , who led the 20-hour , second surgery .
A team of around 45 clinicians removed the failing transplant and then prepared sensory nerves and blood vessels in the neck for the surgical connection .
The face was then transplanted and Tarleton will gain sensory and motor function in the coming months .
Unlike her first transplant , the donor this time around was considered a much better tissue match .
Because of her previous injuries before the first transplant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ matches .
Even then , the first face led to several cases of acute rejection , in which the body attacks the new face and strong drugs are needed to suppress the immune system .
“ Now , I am very optimistic and hopeful that it will last a lot longer than the first transplant , ” said Pomahac , who has described the match as miraculous .
“ But , of course , that is wishful thinking , speculation .
I don ’ t know .
She really got lucky.
” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there is a shelf life , ” Gastman said .
“ We are getting to the point where these face transplantations are hitting against the maximum number of years someone can have one in.
” Tarleton was burned on over 80 % of her body and blinded in 2007 when her estranged husband , Herbert Rodgers , beat her with a baseball bat and doused her body with lye because he thought she was seeing another man .
In 2009 , Rodgers pleaded guilty to maiming Tarleton in exchange for a prison @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He died in prison in 2017 .
The first transplant transformed Tarleton ’ s life .
She got off strong medications for her pain , took up the piano and was able to travel and give inspirational speeches — often talking of how she had forgiven Rodgers .
She also became close friends with the daughter of her first donor , a 56-year-old woman who died of a stroke .
She also got a synthetic cornea in her left eye .
But by last year , the face was failing .
She began @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a loss of blood flow to her face .
Black patches appeared on her face .
Her eyelids contracted and her lips began disappearing , making it difficult to eat .
She was mostly housebound and resumed taking strong pain medications .
She requested in October to be put the hospital ’ s list for a second face .
That process took much longer , in part , because she was taken off the list for two months because of the coronavirus pandemic .
She was added back on when the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that she has her new face , Tarleton is hoping to once again travel and give inspirational speeches — those will be on Zoom until there is a coronavirus vaccine .
For now , she is still getting used to her new appearance .
“ This face looks very different than my first one and I can appreciate that .
It ’ s a different person , ” she said , adding the new face allows her to “ fit in a little better , don ’ t get stared at so easily.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ am not going to lie , ” she added .
“ I ’ ll have to get used to it .
My sister will have to get used to it .
It takes a while for my friends and family to get used to what I look like now.
” FILE - In this May 1 , 2013 , file photo , Carmen Blandin Tarleton speaks at Brigham and Women 's Hospital in Boston following a face transplant .
In February 2007 her estranged husband doused her with industrial strength lye , burning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In July 2020 , Tarleton became the first American and only the second person globally to undergo a second face transplant procedure after her first transplant failed .
( AP Photo/Charles Krupa , File )

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BOSTON (AP) — For the second time in a decade, a New Hampshire woman has a new face.
Carmen Blandin Tarleton, whose face was disfigured in an attack by her ex-husband, became the first American and only the second person globally to undergo the procedure after her first transplant began to fail six years after the operation. The transplant from an anonymous donor took place at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital in July.
The 52-year-old former nurse is expected to resume her normal routine, which all but ended when the first transplant failed a year ago.
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“I’m elated,” Tarleton told The Associated Press, in an exclusive telephone interview from her home in Manchester. She is still healing from the operation so photos are not being made available of her new face.
“The pain I had is gone,” she said. “It’s a new chapter in my life. I’ve been waiting for almost a year. I’m really happy. It’s what I needed. I got a great match.”
More than 40 patients worldwide have received face transplants, including 16 in the United States. None of the American patients had lost their donor faces until Tarleton.
But in 2018, a French man whose immune system rejected his donor face eight years after his first transplant underwent a second. The doctor who did the transplant, Dr. Laurent Lantieri of the Georges Pompidou European Hospital in Paris, said that patient is “doing very well.”
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Dr. Bohdan Pomahac, who did Tarleton’s first face transplant, was hesitant to do another and favored doing reconstruction surgery instead. But his team became convinced of the merits of a second transplant after Tarleton described how much the first one improved her life.
“She really wanted to try one more time,” said Pomahac, who led the 20-hour, second surgery. A team of around 45 clinicians removed the failing transplant and then prepared sensory nerves and blood vessels in the neck for the surgical connection. The face was then transplanted and Tarleton will gain sensory and motor function in the coming months.
Unlike her first transplant, the donor this time around was considered a much better tissue match. Because of her previous injuries before the first transplant, 98% of donors were incompatible matches. Even then, the first face led to several cases of acute rejection, in which the body attacks the new face and strong drugs are needed to suppress the immune system.
“Now, I am very optimistic and hopeful that it will last a lot longer than the first transplant,” said Pomahac, who has described the match as miraculous. “But, of course, that is wishful thinking, speculation. I don’t know. She really got lucky.”
Brian Gastman, a plastic surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic who led its last two face transplants, said Tarleton’s case illustrates the limitations of these procedures.
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“When you look at most organ transplants, there is a shelf life,” Gastman said. “We are getting to the point where these face transplantations are hitting against the maximum number of years someone can have one in.”
Tarleton was burned on over 80% of her body and blinded in 2007 when her estranged husband, Herbert Rodgers, beat her with a baseball bat and doused her body with lye because he thought she was seeing another man. In 2009, Rodgers pleaded guilty to maiming Tarleton in exchange for a prison sentence of at least 30 years. He died in prison in 2017.
The first transplant transformed Tarleton’s life. She got off strong medications for her pain, took up the piano and was able to travel and give inspirational speeches — often talking of how she had forgiven Rodgers. She also became close friends with the daughter of her first donor, a 56-year-old woman who died of a stroke. She also got a synthetic cornea in her left eye.
But by last year, the face was failing. She began experiencing scarring, tightness and pain because of a loss of blood flow to her face. Black patches appeared on her face. Her eyelids contracted and her lips began disappearing, making it difficult to eat. She was mostly housebound and resumed taking strong pain medications.
“I couldn’t do anything,” she said. “I was pretty much in pain.”
She requested in October to be put the hospital’s list for a second face. That process took much longer, in part, because she was taken off the list for two months because of the coronavirus pandemic. She was added back on when the state allowed elective surgeries to resume.
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Now that she has her new face, Tarleton is hoping to once again travel and give inspirational speeches — those will be on Zoom until there is a coronavirus vaccine. For now, she is still getting used to her new appearance.
“This face looks very different than my first one and I can appreciate that. It’s a different person,” she said, adding the new face allows her to “fit in a little better, don’t get stared at so easily.”
“It is strange. I am not going to lie,” she added. “I’ll have to get used to it. My sister will have to get used to it. It takes a while for my friends and family to get used to what I look like now.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-07--Some People Think Period Sex Is Disgusting. These People Crave It.

David ’ s life was turned upside down when he was just 15 years old .
He was hanging out at his house after school with a girl he knew from math class when one thing led to another and , before he knew it , he was performing oral sex on her .
“ I didn ’ t know she was on [ her period ] , and then all of a sudden , I ’ ve got blood in my mouth , ” David told me during an interview for “ D Is For Desire , ” HuffPost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I had no idea that there was any kind of fetish about it but I found that I enjoyed it .
I thought it was rather exciting , especially because as a male , especially at that age , periods are something that are really considered taboo or something that boys don ’ t really talk about.
” That experience opened a new world for David , and now period sex is an essential part of his life ― one that he says he couldn ’ t live without .
“ [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ] you might just want to take my dominant arm , ” he told me , adding , “ it would be devastating to me.
” David isn ’ t alone .
Many people enjoy period sex ― and , yes , some even crave it .
But because cultures around the world have spent thousands of years positioning menstruation ― and those who experience it ― as unclean , disgusting and even dangerous , we still rarely have open , honest and nonjudgmental conversations about it , much less having sex during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ D Is For Desire , ” I spoke with David about his love of period sex and how it developed and strengthened since that first encounter in high school .
I also chatted with Lucky , a submissive in a BDSM relationship who told me how period sex with her owner has changed the way she views her period and how she uses it to enrich her career as a digital sex worker .
Finally , menstrual historian Elissa Stein , the author of “ Flow , ” discussed why periods ― and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to so many people , and what it ’ ll take to change that :

David’s life was turned upside down when he was just 15 years old.
He was hanging out at his house after school with a girl he knew from math class when one thing led to another and, before he knew it, he was performing oral sex on her.
“I didn’t know she was on [her period], and then all of a sudden, I’ve got blood in my mouth,” David told me during an interview for “D Is For Desire,” HuffPost’s love and sex podcast. “I had no idea that there was any kind of fetish about it but I found that I enjoyed it. I thought it was rather exciting, especially because as a male, especially at that age, periods are something that are really considered taboo or something that boys don’t really talk about.”
That experience opened a new world for David, and now period sex is an essential part of his life ― one that he says he couldn’t live without.
“[If you took away period sex,] you might just want to take my dominant arm,” he told me, adding, “it would be devastating to me.”
David isn’t alone. Many people enjoy period sex ― and, yes, some even crave it. But because cultures around the world have spent thousands of years positioning menstruation ― and those who experience it ― as unclean, disgusting and even dangerous, we still rarely have open, honest and nonjudgmental conversations about it, much less having sex during it.
For this episode of “D Is For Desire,” I spoke with David about his love of period sex and how it developed and strengthened since that first encounter in high school. I also chatted with Lucky, a submissive in a BDSM relationship who told me how period sex with her owner has changed the way she views her period and how she uses it to enrich her career as a digital sex worker. Finally, menstrual historian Elissa Stein, the author of “Flow,” discussed why periods ― and period sex ― are still so scary to so many people, and what it’ll take to change that:


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-07--Joe Lieberman's Son Is Running For Senate. He Also Wrote A Book Filled With Racist Tropes.

One of the epigraphs Lieberman chose for Lucius is a famous passage from James Baldwin ’ s “ I Am Not Your Negro ” : “ What white people have to do is try and find out in their own hearts why it is necessary to have a ‘ [ N-word ] ’ in the first place , because I ’ m not a [ N-word ] .
I ’ m a man .
But if you think I ’ m a [ N-word ] , it means you need it.
” ( The quote appears in the epigraph without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be Lieberman ’ s response , an attempt to promote racial healing by trying to understand why white people have enslaved , disenfranchised and dehumanized Black people .
In his statement , Lieberman testified to his good intentions : “ However my book is dissected , let me be clear : my heart ’ s aim was to get people thinking about the centuries long scourge of slavery and racism and its impact in modern America .
I was alarmed and deeply discouraged by what I saw in Charlottesville ― so much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a response in story form.
” No amount of good intentions , however , would be enough to rescue “ Lucius.
” The book ’ s narrator , Mordecai “ Tree ” Weissman , is a middle-aged white Jewish man from Connecticut who lives in Atlanta in 2017 , much like Lieberman .
While volunteering at a nursing home in 2015 , he meets Benno Johnson , a 90-year-old white man who believes that he owned a slave named Lucius for most of his life , despite the fact that slavery was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the novel takes the form of Benno recalling his life with Lucius to Tree , describing how his parents “ gave ” him Lucius when both men were boys , and how the two spent their lives together before Lucius ’ death .
Benno characterizes Lucius not only as cheerful and obedient , “ like my pup ” and a “ damned good slave , ” but as having a supernatural ability to communicate with animals and insects , and to give Benno the power of comprehension by holding his hand .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ believes that Black people evolved along with the rest of the animal kingdom and sit at the top of the food chain , and white people evolved separately .
Because they evolved along with the rest of the animals , he explains , “ the Negro is connected in like a soul way to all those critters and all those animals he ’ s passed on through.
” Lucius ’ own words , as performed by Benno , are written in a broad , stereotypical dialect .
In one scene , Benno describes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ ‘ How is you up there , Mistuh Moon ?
’ ... And then maybe he ’ d say something like ‘ What did da sun say to da moon ?
No ... that ’ s not right , Mistuh Moon .
Mistuh Sun said “ wake up !
” to da moon.
’ And then he ’ d quietly laugh again .
‘ Gotcha , Mistuh Moon .
I gotcha on dat one.
’ ” Lucius is ultimately killed by a hunter with a bow and arrow , shot through the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through the man ’ s property with a herd of deer .
After he dies , and Benno says an emotional goodbye , he tells Tree , “ one of the first things I thought was that it was legal .
Schiffer had the right .
We were deer , and he was allowed to hunt us.
” Tree frequently interjects with his own musings on race .
Though he takes pains to distance himself from Benno ’ s more troubling statements , his own views are also packed with racial stereotypes and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he remembers playing basketball with friends during his childhood in New Haven , describing himself and his white neighbor as “ the more skilled shooters , more technique oriented defenders and rebounders , ” while their Black playmates were “ faster , jumped higher , and were slightly ― only slightly ― more aggressive.
” He then reveals that one of his Black friends ended up serving time in prison .
Though Tree sometimes expresses discomfort internally with Benno ’ s more overly racist statements , he consistently excuses them .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sympathetic description of the Klan , that a Black aide at the old age home who overheard the conversation probably “ cut Benno some slack as a resident and an old man ; that ’ s the world he came up in.
” Tree upholds Benno as a charming and warm-hearted person , if emotionally stunted .
Tree quickly begins to like Benno , who he describes as having “ a spark in his eye that would appeal to anyone ” and having “ carried the sweetness of childhood with him all this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demeaning treatment like having Lucius sleep on a pallet on the floor throughout his life , his conception of himself as a mythical good slave owner is rarely challenged in the book .
Tree believes that he not only lacked racial animus , but “ loved Lucius ” ; in a scene near the end of the book , and the end of their long lives , Benno tells Lucius , “ You know I wouldn ’ t want to keep you if you wanted to go , right ?
” Lucius and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ brother.
” This framing perpetuates the harmful idea that slavery could be practiced in a gentle and mutually beneficial way , whitewashing the reality of a system of violent , terroristic subjugation .

Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Matt Lieberman self-published a novel, Lucius, in 2018 in reaction to the white supremacist violence in Charlottesville, Virginia. Matt Lieberman campaign
A Democratic Senate candidate in Georgia wrote and self-published a deeply bizarre novel in 2018, featuring a main character who believes that for most of his life he owned an imaginary slave who could communicate with plants and animals.
The candidate, Matt Lieberman, is a lawyer, former educator and the son of former Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman. Lieberman is running in the all-party special election to replace Sen. Johnny Isakson, who retired in 2018.
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Lieberman told HuffPost he wrote the book, titled “Lucius” after the name of the imaginary slave, in the wake of the 2017 white nationalist violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, as “an honest examination of enduring racism against Blacks — which is real, harmful and totally infuriating.”
The main character, an elderly white southern man named Benno, regularly deploys the N-word and says some members of the Ku Klux Klan were “basically good people.” The 213-page novel, in which the racist main character tells the story of his life to a narrator with a biography similar to Lieberman’s, ultimately suggests Lucius functioned as a sort of pet for Benno.
“I know my approach to this delicate subject is not palatable for every reader,” Lieberman wrote in a statement. “I expected some readers to react with disgust.”
On that front, Lieberman was right. James Woodall, the president of the state NAACP chapter, told HuffPost in a phone interview the book contained “racist tropes.” He said Lieberman should drop out of the Senate race.
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“In my personal opinion, this would just exacerbate a tough time for us as a state. He should drop out of the race,” Woodall said. “If he wants to be an author or a writer, he should just do that.”
Lieberman is one of two prominent Democrats running in the all-party primary, which is set for Election Day and also features two high-profile Republicans. If no candidate earns a majority of the vote ― the likely outcome ― the race will be decided by a January runoff between the top two vote-getters.
There are four major candidates in the race. Two well-known Republicans, Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Rep. Doug Collins, have already spent millions of dollars attacking each other. But polling indicates Lieberman and the other Democratic candidate, Rev. Raphael Warnock, remain little-known in the state.
Democratic leaders, including Stacey Abrams and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, have endorsed Warnock, who is Black.
“If this is his imagination, if this is how he constructs a world, where he’s a white savior and he needs a magical Negro to help save him, I would urge him to reconsider his place in this world.” - James Woodall, president of the Georgia NAACP
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One of the epigraphs Lieberman chose for Lucius is a famous passage from James Baldwin’s “I Am Not Your Negro”: “What white people have to do is try and find out in their own hearts why it is necessary to have a ‘[N-word]’ in the first place, because I’m not a [N-word]. I’m a man. But if you think I’m a [N-word], it means you need it.” (The quote appears in the epigraph without expurgations.) “Lucius” seems to be Lieberman’s response, an attempt to promote racial healing by trying to understand why white people have enslaved, disenfranchised and dehumanized Black people.
In his statement, Lieberman testified to his good intentions: “However my book is dissected, let me be clear: my heart’s aim was to get people thinking about the centuries long scourge of slavery and racism and its impact in modern America. I was alarmed and deeply discouraged by what I saw in Charlottesville ― so much so that I wrote these 45,000 words as a response in story form.”
No amount of good intentions, however, would be enough to rescue “Lucius.” The book’s narrator, Mordecai “Tree” Weissman, is a middle-aged white Jewish man from Connecticut who lives in Atlanta in 2017, much like Lieberman. While volunteering at a nursing home in 2015, he meets Benno Johnson, a 90-year-old white man who believes that he owned a slave named Lucius for most of his life, despite the fact that slavery was abolished well before his birth. Most of the novel takes the form of Benno recalling his life with Lucius to Tree, describing how his parents “gave” him Lucius when both men were boys, and how the two spent their lives together before Lucius’ death.
Benno characterizes Lucius not only as cheerful and obedient, “like my pup” and a “damned good slave,” but as having a supernatural ability to communicate with animals and insects, and to give Benno the power of comprehension by holding his hand. In fact, Benno claims, Lucius believes that Black people evolved along with the rest of the animal kingdom and sit at the top of the food chain, and white people evolved separately. Because they evolved along with the rest of the animals, he explains, “the Negro is connected in like a soul way to all those critters and all those animals he’s passed on through.”
Depicting Black people as having a closer connection to the animal kingdom and as having mystical powers they can impart to white protagonists is a textbook example of the magical Negro trope, in which Black characters are portrayed as vessels for wisdom or supernatural powers that can provide enlightenment or aid to white protagonists.
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Woodall specifically pointed to the portrayal of Lucius as a magical Negro as “troubling.”
“If this is his imagination, if this is how he constructs a world, where he’s a white savior and he needs a magical Negro to help save him, I would urge him to reconsider his place in this world,” Woodall said.
Lucius’ own words, as performed by Benno, are written in a broad, stereotypical dialect. In one scene, Benno describes him making conversation with the moon: “‘How is you up there, Mistuh Moon?’ ... And then maybe he’d say something like ‘What did da sun say to da moon? No ... that’s not right, Mistuh Moon. Mistuh Sun said “wake up!” to da moon.’ And then he’d quietly laugh again. ‘Gotcha, Mistuh Moon. I gotcha on dat one.’”
Lucius is ultimately killed by a hunter with a bow and arrow, shot through the neck while he and Benno are running through the man’s property with a herd of deer. After he dies, and Benno says an emotional goodbye, he tells Tree, “one of the first things I thought was that it was legal. Schiffer had the right. We were deer, and he was allowed to hunt us.”
Tree frequently interjects with his own musings on race. Though he takes pains to distance himself from Benno’s more troubling statements, his own views are also packed with racial stereotypes and appeals to colorblindness. In one passage, he remembers playing basketball with friends during his childhood in New Haven, describing himself and his white neighbor as “the more skilled shooters, more technique oriented defenders and rebounders,” while their Black playmates were “faster, jumped higher, and were slightly ― only slightly ― more aggressive.” He then reveals that one of his Black friends ended up serving time in prison.
Though Tree sometimes expresses discomfort internally with Benno’s more overly racist statements, he consistently excuses them. He even reasons, during Benno’s sympathetic description of the Klan, that a Black aide at the old age home who overheard the conversation probably “cut Benno some slack as a resident and an old man; that’s the world he came up in.” Tree upholds Benno as a charming and warm-hearted person, if emotionally stunted. Tree quickly begins to like Benno, who he describes as having “a spark in his eye that would appeal to anyone” and having “carried the sweetness of childhood with him all this way.”
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Benno is also presented as admirable for his sincere affection for Lucius and the more genteel words in which he expresses his racist beliefs.
Though Benno does admit to demeaning treatment like having Lucius sleep on a pallet on the floor throughout his life, his conception of himself as a mythical good slave owner is rarely challenged in the book. Tree believes that he not only lacked racial animus, but “loved Lucius”; in a scene near the end of the book, and the end of their long lives, Benno tells Lucius, “You know I wouldn’t want to keep you if you wanted to go, right?” Lucius and Benno hold hands and call each other “brother.” This framing perpetuates the harmful idea that slavery could be practiced in a gentle and mutually beneficial way, whitewashing the reality of a system of violent, terroristic subjugation.
Tree also theorizes that Benno “secretly crave[d] the validation of that happy submission from our loved ones ― be they spouses or children or, as a last resort and most typically, a dog or a cat?” The idea of the slave, according to this argument, is to fulfill the same human emotional need as a pet.
In his statement, Lieberman defended his novel as “not palatable” because of “the sorts of racism reflected in ‘Lucius.’” However, it is ultimately a romanticized portrayal of white supremacy. Benno, Tree believes, “filled the world he made with a love for Lucius, which he imagined to be reciprocal. If Lucius wasn’t real in our world, and if Benno loved him and was loved by him in the only world in which the friendship lived, well, it’s hard for me to get upset.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-07--'Evangelicals For Trump' Event In Las Vegas Draws Hundreds Despite COVID-19 Directives

A Las Vegas hotel received a civil penalty and a $ 250 fine this week after hosting a faith-based campaign event for President Donald Trump that violated the city ’ s COVID-19 social gathering restrictions .
More than 500 people attended Thursday ’ s “ Evangelicals for Trump ” event at the Ahern Hotel and Convention Center , which was headlined by the president ’ s pastor and spiritual adviser , Paula White .
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal , attendees were required to wear masks , and their temperatures were checked upon arrival .
Signs urged anyone who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ short video posted to Twitter by Faith and Freedom Coalition founder Ralph Reed showed a “ packed house ” taking in a musical performance in the Ahern Hotel ’ s lobby .
City and state officials reportedly urged organizers not to move forward with the event , as doing so would violate Gov .
Steve Sisolak ’ s coronavirus restrictions on gatherings of more than 50 people .
The Las Vegas City Council expressed those concerns in a Thursday letter to the Ahern Hotel ’ s president and general manager , Keith Wright @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appeared on Fox affiliate WVVU-TV ’ s website stated that the event would be “ in violation of the governor ’ s current directive for public and private gatherings ” and , as such , “ may result in civil fines , license suspensions , and/or denial of your pending permanent licenses.
” Given that the Ahern lobby ’ s maximum capacity is more than 1,600 , the Trump campaign has maintained that the event fell within the 50 % operating directive for casinos and restaurants and that it not subjected to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worship .
Our churches have been shut down for FIVE months .
In Nevada , you can go to a casino but you can ’ t have more than 50 people at church .
Well tonight , HUNDREDS of us brought church to the casino with # EvangelicalsForTrump in Las Vegas .
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/lpSJxiptPc — Courtney Holland🇺🇸 ( @ hollandcourtney ) August 7 , 2020 Appearing at the event Thursday , White reportedly said that Sisolak , a Democrat , had attempted to block the event .
She also reiterated her support for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Our president understands how important faith is to our country.
” “ I remember looking at him knowing in my spirit he was going to be president someday , ” she added , according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal .
“ And I said , ‘ Our country needs you , sir.
’ ” HuffPost has reached out to representatives of White and the Ahern Hotel for comment .
As of Friday , there had been more than 53,557 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Nevada , according to Johns Hopkins University .

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A Las Vegas hotel received a civil penalty and a $250 fine this week after hosting a faith-based campaign event for President Donald Trump that violated the city’s COVID-19 social gathering restrictions.
More than 500 people attended Thursday’s “Evangelicals for Trump” event at the Ahern Hotel and Convention Center, which was headlined by the president’s pastor and spiritual adviser, Paula White.
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According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, attendees were required to wear masks, and their temperatures were checked upon arrival. Signs urged anyone who felt ill to go home.
A short video posted to Twitter by Faith and Freedom Coalition founder Ralph Reed showed a “packed house” taking in a musical performance in the Ahern Hotel’s lobby.
Packed house at #EvangelicalsForTrump prayer & praise event in Las Vegas. NV Governor banned church services but casinos can operate at 50% capacity. So we are praying in a casino. pic.twitter.com/fP4xE3lPAb — Ralph Reed (@ralphreed) August 7, 2020
City and state officials reportedly urged organizers not to move forward with the event, as doing so would violate Gov. Steve Sisolak’s coronavirus restrictions on gatherings of more than 50 people.
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The Las Vegas City Council expressed those concerns in a Thursday letter to the Ahern Hotel’s president and general manager, Keith Wright. A copy of the letter that appeared on Fox affiliate WVVU-TV’s website stated that the event would be “in violation of the governor’s current directive for public and private gatherings” and, as such, “may result in civil fines, license suspensions, and/or denial of your pending permanent licenses.”
Given that the Ahern lobby’s maximum capacity is more than 1,600, the Trump campaign has maintained that the event fell within the 50% operating directive for casinos and restaurants and that it not subjected to the 50-person cap on churches and houses of worship.
Our churches have been shut down for FIVE months.
In Nevada, you can go to a casino but you can’t have more than 50 people at church.
Well tonight, HUNDREDS of us brought church to the casino with #EvangelicalsForTrump in Las Vegas.
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/lpSJxiptPc — Courtney Holland🇺🇸 (@hollandcourtney) August 7, 2020
Appearing at the event Thursday, White reportedly said that Sisolak, a Democrat, had attempted to block the event. She also reiterated her support for Trump, telling the crowd, “Our president understands how important faith is to our country.”
“I remember looking at him knowing in my spirit he was going to be president someday,” she added, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “And I said, ‘Our country needs you, sir.’”
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HuffPost has reached out to representatives of White and the Ahern Hotel for comment.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-07--Democrats Say They Lowered Demands But Coronavirus Relief Deal Still Not Looking Good

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the White House rejected her offer for a relief package totaling about $ 2.5 trillion ― $ 1 trillion less than legislation House Democrats passed in May , but about $ 1.5 trillion more than Senate Republicans proposed last month .
Friday ’ s report that the economy added more than 1 million jobs last month might complicate the negotiations , as President Donald Trump uses those numbers to declare economic victory over the coronavirus .
The pace of job growth has slowed considerably , however , and the unemployment rate remains above 10 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ D-N.Y. ) pinned the blame for the impasse on Trump ’ s chief of staff , Mark Meadows .
He said Meadows was less flexible than the other administration negotiator , Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin .
Democrats cut a deal with Mnuchin in March , when Congress passed its $ 3 trillion CARES Act with nearly unanimous support .
“ Basically what ’ s happening is Mr. Meadows is from the Tea Party ... and they don ’ t want to spend the necessary money , ” Schumer said of the former Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Freedom Caucus until 2019 .
“ Pelosi and Schumer never wanted a deal , ” a senior GOP aide told HuffPost on Friday .
“ It always $ 3.4 trillion or nothing .
Those two have been around long enough to know that ’ s not how you make a compromise .
It just doesn ’ t add up.
” Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi ( D-Calif. ) participates in a news conference on Friday .
She -- along with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin , Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ -- are trying to negotiate an agreement to move forward on a new relief package to help people and businesses weather the COVID-19 pandemic .
Despite a week of Democrats seeming to hold the line on the $ 3.5 trillion bill the House passed in May , the decision to shave $ 1 trillion off their wishlist is a significant step toward a final resolution — at least , they say they ’ ve shaved $ 1 trillion off their bill .
Pelosi explained that one way Democrats have reduced the cost of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their programs .
That may only technically reduce the cost of the bill , if the expectation is that they ’ ll extend the dates in the future anyway .
Unfortunately , a deal now would be little solace for the more than 25 million who were receiving an extra $ 600 a week in unemployment benefits until last week .
Even if Congress moved fast , it could take some states weeks to restart the federal payments .
Until that $ 600 expired , Scott Abrams of Irvine , California , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from his job .
He ’ d earned $ 14 an hour doing sales for a tax settlement firm .
His $ 288 state benefit , combined with the federal supplement , was the equivalent of a $ 22 hourly wage .
The boosted benefits exceeded wages for a significant number of unemployment recipients , if not most of them .
Republicans have opposed the benefits from the start , since laid-off workers would theoretically be less inclined to return to their jobs .
Now that his benefits have shriveled , he thinks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to make rent , but things will be tight .
He has health conditions that put him at higher risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19 , so he ’ s trying to find jobs that will let him work remotely , or at least safely .
If Congress doesn ’ t act , and it increasingly looks like it won ’ t , Trump has signaled he will act administratively to renew benefits in some form — perhaps as soon as Friday .
It ’ s not clear whether his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the expiration date for the jobless pay had been written into law .
But it may provide temporary relief for the millions of unemployed people whose weekly pay was suddenly cut by $ 600 .

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WASHINGTON ― Democrats and Republicans are accusing each other of being unwilling to compromise on another economic stimulus package, as negotiations on federal unemployment benefits are becoming increasingly hopeless.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the White House rejected her offer for a relief package totaling about $2.5 trillion ― $1 trillion less than legislation House Democrats passed in May, but about $1.5 trillion more than Senate Republicans proposed last month.
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“They said absolutely not,” Pelosi told reporters Friday. “If we could do that, if we take down $1 trillion and they add $1 trillion, we’ll be within range.”
Friday’s report that the economy added more than 1 million jobs last month might complicate the negotiations, as President Donald Trump uses those numbers to declare economic victory over the coronavirus. The pace of job growth has slowed considerably, however, and the unemployment rate remains above 10%.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) pinned the blame for the impasse on Trump’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows. He said Meadows was less flexible than the other administration negotiator, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Democrats cut a deal with Mnuchin in March, when Congress passed its $3 trillion CARES Act with nearly unanimous support.
“Basically what’s happening is Mr. Meadows is from the Tea Party ... and they don’t want to spend the necessary money,” Schumer said of the former Republican congressman, who chaired the hard-right House Freedom Caucus until 2019.
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While Democrats suggested that the problem was Republican unwillingness to negotiate, Republicans said the same of Democrats.
“Pelosi and Schumer never wanted a deal,” a senior GOP aide told HuffPost on Friday. “It always $3.4 trillion or nothing. Those two have been around long enough to know that’s not how you make a compromise. It just doesn’t add up.”
Another senior GOP aide had a similar message, saying the intransigence was a “craven political calculation that will leave Americans in the lurch.”
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) participates in a news conference on Friday. She -- along with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows -- are trying to negotiate an agreement to move forward on a new relief package to help people and businesses weather the COVID-19 pandemic. Alex Wong via Getty Images
But Democrats have moved.
Despite a week of Democrats seeming to hold the line on the $3.5 trillion bill the House passed in May, the decision to shave $1 trillion off their wishlist is a significant step toward a final resolution — at least, they say they’ve shaved $1 trillion off their bill.
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Pelosi explained that one way Democrats have reduced the cost of their bill is to adjust the dates of their programs. That may only technically reduce the cost of the bill, if the expectation is that they’ll extend the dates in the future anyway.
Still, Democrats finding a way to shrink the cost of their bill is a step forward.
Unfortunately, a deal now would be little solace for the more than 25 million who were receiving an extra $600 a week in unemployment benefits until last week. Even if Congress moved fast, it could take some states weeks to restart the federal payments.
Until that $600 expired, Scott Abrams of Irvine, California, received more in unemployment than he did from his job. He’d earned $14 an hour doing sales for a tax settlement firm. His $288 state benefit, combined with the federal supplement, was the equivalent of a $22 hourly wage.
The boosted benefits exceeded wages for a significant number of unemployment recipients, if not most of them. Republicans have opposed the benefits from the start, since laid-off workers would theoretically be less inclined to return to their jobs.
Abrams, 59, said the problem isn’t that his unemployment was too high; it’s that his wages were too low.
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“I couldn’t afford the job I was in,” he said. “I think people should be having a living wage.”
Now that his benefits have shriveled, he thinks that he and his wife should be able to make rent, but things will be tight. He has health conditions that put him at higher risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19, so he’s trying to find jobs that will let him work remotely, or at least safely.
“I’m about to hit retirement age and I’m in some serious deep trouble,” he said.