thehuffingtonpost--2020-03-04--Anthony Scaramucci Explains Why, As A Republican, He's Backing A Democrat

The onetime White House communications director ― who held his post for just 10 days in 2017 and is now a vocal critic of President Donald Trump ’ s administration ― told CNN ’ s Richard Quest on “ Markets Now ” Wednesday that he would vote for the Democratic presidential candidate and even campaign for him , but intends to remain a Republican .
“ Well , of everybody , I would take Joe Biden because of what you know about Wall Street , what I know about Wall Street , they like stability , they like levels of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ representing disruption from the right , ” Scaramucci said when asked by Quest to weigh in on which candidate would have Wall Street ’ s support .
He cited the president ’ s response to the coronavirus ― the outbreak of which has prompted wild stock market swings ― as a factor .
“ I ’ m a Republican for Joe Biden .
Because the president is not a Republican , ” Trump ’ s former friend said .
“ Well , I ’ m not a Trumpist .
I ’ m an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican like George Herbert Walker Bush ...
I don ’ t agree with his spending ...
I don ’ t agree with the hatred , the nonsense , the license for impunity , the racism.
” When asked if he would campaign for Biden , Scaramucci said : “ If he asks me to , I will.
” His comments come after Biden swept Super Tuesday with primary wins in North Carolina , Virginia , Alabama , Tennessee , Oklahoma , Arkansas , Texas , Minnesota and Massachusetts , ending the night with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after weak showings in Iowa and New Hampshire .
Last year , Scaramucci was spotted at a Southampton , New York , charity event featuring Biden .
At the time , he insisted he was still registered as a Republican but was searching for a GOP candidate to challenge Trump because “ he ’ s lost his mind.
” Trump ’ s challengers in the Republican primaries have seen dismal results ( his closest contender , Massachusetts Gov .
Bill Weld , had just one delegate going into Super Tuesday , where Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Other conservatives , such as Daily Beast columnist and CNN commentator Matt Lewis , have announced they are crossing party lines to support Biden ’ s bid for the White House .

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Anthony Scaramucci is a Republican, but he’s willing to back former Vice President Joe Biden for president.
The onetime White House communications director ― who held his post for just 10 days in 2017 and is now a vocal critic of President Donald Trump’s administration ― told CNN’s Richard Quest on “Markets Now” Wednesday that he would vote for the Democratic presidential candidate and even campaign for him, but intends to remain a Republican.
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“Well, of everybody, I would take Joe Biden because of what you know about Wall Street, what I know about Wall Street, they like stability, they like levels of complacency, I think the president is representing disruption from the right,” Scaramucci said when asked by Quest to weigh in on which candidate would have Wall Street’s support. He cited the president’s response to the coronavirus ― the outbreak of which has prompted wild stock market swings ― as a factor.
“In an election between Trump and Biden, do you stay as a Republican?” Quest asked.
Scaramucci said he’d remain a Republican, but would vote for Biden.
We will have to rebuild the Republican Party when this is over. https://t.co/Z2gWCpMSyf — Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) March 4, 2020
“I’m a Republican for Joe Biden. Because the president is not a Republican,” Trump’s former friend said.
“Well, I’m not a Trumpist. I’m an old-school Republican like Mitt Romney, old-school Republican like George Herbert Walker Bush ... I don’t agree with his spending ... I don’t agree with the hatred, the nonsense, the license for impunity, the racism.”
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When asked if he would campaign for Biden, Scaramucci said: “If he asks me to, I will.”
His comments come after Biden swept Super Tuesday with primary wins in North Carolina, Virginia, Alabama, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, Minnesota and Massachusetts, ending the night with the most delegates in a stunning comeback after weak showings in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Last year, Scaramucci was spotted at a Southampton, New York, charity event featuring Biden. At the time, he insisted he was still registered as a Republican but was searching for a GOP candidate to challenge Trump because “he’s lost his mind.”
Trump’s challengers in the Republican primaries have seen dismal results (his closest contender, Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, had just one delegate going into Super Tuesday, where Trump coasted to an easy victory). Other conservatives, such as Daily Beast columnist and CNN commentator Matt Lewis, have announced they are crossing party lines to support Biden’s bid for the White House.
Watch Scaramucci’s CNN Business interview below. His comments about his preferred candidate start at the 8:25 mark.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-03-05--Donald Trump Triggers Furious Backlash Over ‘Go To Work’ With Coronavirus Claim

A lot of people will have this and it ’ s very mild .
They ’ ll get better very @ @ @ @ @ t even see a doctor .
They don ’ t even call a doctor .
@ @ @ @ @ people .
So you can ’ t put them down in the category of the @ @ @ @ @ this corona flu and/or virus .
So you just can ’ t do that .
@ @ @ @ @ , we have thousands or hundreds of thousands of people that get better just by @ @ @ @ @ around and even going to work .
Some of them go to work , but @ @ @ @

A lot of people will have this and it’s very mild. They’ll get better very rapidly. They don’t even see a doctor. They don’t even call a doctor. You never hear about those people. So you can’t put them down in the category of the overall population in terms of this corona flu and/or virus. So you just can’t do that. So, if you know, we have thousands or hundreds of thousands of people that get better just by, you know, sitting around and even going to work. Some of them go to work, but they get better.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-03-05--Washington Post Editorial Board Warns Sanders, Biden: Don’t Go ‘Scorched-Earth’

The Washington Post editorial board on Wednesday warned Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden against going “ scorched-earth @ @ @ @ @ their battle for the party ’ s nomination .
Otherwise , they risked playing “ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s hands , the paper cautioned in an editorial headlined , “ Democrats @ @ @ @ @ only help Trump.
” Super Tuesday results have reshaped the Democratic race as a contest @ @ @ @ @ the editorial noted , adding they “ should be judged on whether they avoid scorched-earth @ @ @ @ @ of a Democratic victory in November.
” The board acknowledged “ there can — and @ @ @ @ @ , ” but said “ the competition could turn very ugly if the candidates question @ @ @ @ @ intentions .
”

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The Washington Post editorial board on Wednesday warned Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden against going “scorched-earth” on each other in their battle for the party’s nomination.
Otherwise, they risked playing “right into” President Donald Trump’s hands, the paper cautioned in an editorial headlined, “Democrats, a scorched-earth competition will only help Trump.”
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Super Tuesday results have reshaped the Democratic race as a contest between Sanders and Biden, the editorial noted, adding they “should be judged on whether they avoid scorched-earth tactics that poison the chances of a Democratic victory in November.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-03-04--Bernie Sanders' Next-Level Outreach Gives Muslims Solid Footing In Presidential Politics

Despite the losses , the Sanders campaign has advanced how presidential candidates have reached out to Muslim voters .
In the 2020 campaign , nearly all of the Democratic presidential candidates have lobbied Muslim communities across the country in hopes of garnering their support .
The day before Super Tuesday , Sen. Elizabeth Warren ( D-Mass . )
released an in-depth plan that tackled issues faced by Muslim Americans alongside a running list of endorsements from Muslim leaders .
Biden tapped into Gold Star father Khizr Khan , who spoke at the 2016 Democratic National Convention , to engage Muslim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bloomberg , who has long been condemned by Muslims for refusing to apologize for his controversial program of police surveillance of Muslims , attempted to reconcile through a single tweet that said he “ spoke up ” for Muslims .
Before dropping out , South Bend , Indiana , Mayor Pete Buttigieg , and Washington Gov .
Jay Inslee visited mosques as they campaigned for the Democratic nomination .
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio was the only candidate to attend a Muslim conference in Washington , D.C. , in person .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the largest gathering of Muslim Americans last year .
“ It ’ s a sign of health that the community has a diversity of opinion , and there ’ s a home in different campaigns for our communities , ” said Wa ’ el Alzayat , CEO of Emgage , a Muslim civic engagement advocacy organization .
The organization ’ s political action committee endorsed Bernie Sanders , noting that the Vermont senator had included Muslims in his messaging more than any other candidate this election cycle .
Prior to the 2020 election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reach out to Muslim voters , partly due to the fact that Muslims comprise only 1 % of the U.S. population and partly because the community wasn ’ t as politically engaged .
Neither Obama nor Hillary Clinton visited a mosque during the race for the Democratic nomination in 2008 .
Obama didn ’ t visit a mosque until his final year in the White House .
During the last Democratic presidential primary , Maryland Gov .
Martin O ’ Malley visited a mosque in Sterling , Virginia , in 2015 .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ director , Farooq Mitha , and Huma Abedin , her campaign vice chair , often acted as a surrogate in the community .
But still , many Muslim Americans were reticent to back Clinton based on her actions as secretary of state .
On the Republican side , then-President George W. Bush made it a point to visit the Islamic Center of Washington a few days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in an attempt to discourage the wave of hate crimes against Muslims .
( In fact , Bush courted the Muslim vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with several studies citing more than 40 % of Muslims voted for him over Al Gore . )
“ Democrats and Republicans have consistently on the national level abused the Muslim community and its support , ” said Ibraheem Samirah , a Virginia state delegate who endorsed Sanders .
“ They have taken them for granted and in many cases hurt them with policies , with no regard for their vote whatsoever.
” With the 2020 election in full swing , seeking out Muslim voters is no longer an anomaly .
Supporters like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of that change .
He said Sanders has acknowledged problems such as the rising vilification of Muslims abroad and at home –– all while still including the community in conversations surrounding domestic policies like student debt and universal health care .
This approach allowed Muslims to feel seen as a whole and not just tied to issues of immigration and national security , Samirah said .
The allure of tapping into Muslims for donations was another reason why presidential candidates began to pay attention to Muslims , experts say .
If Muslims keep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trends and maintain wealth levels , it opens up an additional $ 3 billion that can be accessible to the candidates , Shaun Kennedy , the co-founder of the Justice Education Technology Political Advocacy Center ( also known as Jetpac ) has told HuffPost .
In 2018 , nearly 100 American Muslims , mostly Democrats , ran for office , a year dubbed as the Muslim blue wave .
In New York state , nearly 400,000 Muslims came out to vote in 2016 .
In Michigan , nearly 120,000 Muslims voted .
Muslim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Virginia –– four crucial swing states , each with a significant Muslim population –– jumped 25 percentage points from the 2014 to the 2018 midterm elections .
But for some Muslims , the outreach feels disingenuous .
Hoda Hassan , the assistant majority leader in the Minnesota House of Representatives who was among those Muslims elected in 2018 , said that , although many Muslims appreciated the efforts by candidates to solicit their support , too many of them are too late .
It becomes difficult to overlook some of their problematic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stop-and-frisk support or Biden ’ s top staffer being a cheerleader for Narendra Modi , the prime minister of India , where Muslims are facing targeted killings and destruction of their homes .
He hired Faiz Shakir as his campaign manager , the first Muslim American to take the top role in a major presidential campaign .
His campaigns ran ads in languages such as Arabic and Farsi and hired prominent Muslim Americans as his surrogates .
He also won the endorsement of Iowa ’ s sole Muslim state leader as well as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attorney Yasmine Taeb .

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Super Tuesday saw former Vice President Joe Biden leap ahead in the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination while Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) got knocked out of the lead.
Despite the losses, the Sanders campaign has advanced how presidential candidates have reached out to Muslim voters. In the 2020 campaign, nearly all of the Democratic presidential candidates have lobbied Muslim communities across the country in hopes of garnering their support.
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The day before Super Tuesday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) released an in-depth plan that tackled issues faced by Muslim Americans alongside a running list of endorsements from Muslim leaders. Biden tapped into Gold Star father Khizr Khan, who spoke at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, to engage Muslim voters. Even former New York Mayor Bloomberg, who has long been condemned by Muslims for refusing to apologize for his controversial program of police surveillance of Muslims, attempted to reconcile through a single tweet that said he “spoke up” for Muslims.
Before dropping out, South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee visited mosques as they campaigned for the Democratic nomination. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio was the only candidate to attend a Muslim conference in Washington, D.C., in person. In Houston, Sanders and Julián Castro attended the largest gathering of Muslim Americans last year.
“It’s a sign of health that the community has a diversity of opinion, and there’s a home in different campaigns for our communities,” said Wa’el Alzayat, CEO of Emgage, a Muslim civic engagement advocacy organization. The organization’s political action committee endorsed Bernie Sanders, noting that the Vermont senator had included Muslims in his messaging more than any other candidate this election cycle.
Prior to the 2020 election, few politicians formalized their attempts to reach out to Muslim voters, partly due to the fact that Muslims comprise only 1% of the U.S. population and partly because the community wasn’t as politically engaged.
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Neither Obama nor Hillary Clinton visited a mosque during the race for the Democratic nomination in 2008. Obama didn’t visit a mosque until his final year in the White House. During the last Democratic presidential primary, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley visited a mosque in Sterling, Virginia, in 2015. In 2016, Clinton hired a Muslim outreach director, Farooq Mitha, and Huma Abedin, her campaign vice chair, often acted as a surrogate in the community. But still, many Muslim Americans were reticent to back Clinton based on her actions as secretary of state.
On the Republican side, then-President George W. Bush made it a point to visit the Islamic Center of Washington a few days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in an attempt to discourage the wave of hate crimes against Muslims. (In fact, Bush courted the Muslim vote during his 2000 campaign and won, with several studies citing more than 40% of Muslims voted for him over Al Gore.)
More recently, in 2015, Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona visited a mosque in an attempt to repair the GOP’s relationship with Muslims after then-candidate Donald Trump called for a “complete shutdown” of Muslims entering the U.S.
“Democrats and Republicans have consistently on the national level abused the Muslim community and its support,” said Ibraheem Samirah, a Virginia state delegate who endorsed Sanders. “They have taken them for granted and in many cases hurt them with policies, with no regard for their vote whatsoever.”
Muslim woman support Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders during a 2016 campaign rally in Riverside, California. DAVID MCNEW/AFP via Getty Images
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With the 2020 election in full swing, seeking out Muslim voters is no longer an anomaly. Supporters like Samirah said Sanders was a decisive agent of that change. He said Sanders has acknowledged problems such as the rising vilification of Muslims abroad and at home –– all while still including the community in conversations surrounding domestic policies like student debt and universal health care. This approach allowed Muslims to feel seen as a whole and not just tied to issues of immigration and national security, Samirah said.
“He expressed the frustration a lot of Muslim Americans have in general and made that emotional connection,” he added.
The allure of tapping into Muslims for donations was another reason why presidential candidates began to pay attention to Muslims, experts say. If Muslims keep up their current political and charitable giving trends and maintain wealth levels, it opens up an additional $3 billion that can be accessible to the candidates, Shaun Kennedy, the co-founder of the Justice Education Technology Political Advocacy Center (also known as Jetpac) has told HuffPost.
After the 2016 election of Trump, Muslim civic engagement skyrocketed, with more Muslims running for office than ever before and voter turnout rising. In return, more presidential candidates have made it a point to court Muslim Americans.
In 2018, nearly 100 American Muslims, mostly Democrats, ran for office, a year dubbed as the Muslim blue wave. In New York state, nearly 400,000 Muslims came out to vote in 2016. In Michigan, nearly 120,000 Muslims voted. Muslim turnout in Michigan, Florida, Ohio and Virginia –– four crucial swing states, each with a significant Muslim population –– jumped 25 percentage points from the 2014 to the 2018 midterm elections.
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Sen. Bernie Sanders takes the stage Saturday after being introduced by U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) in Springfield, Virginia, ahead of Super Tuesday. Jonathan Ernst / Reuters
But for some Muslims, the outreach feels disingenuous. Hoda Hassan, the assistant majority leader in the Minnesota House of Representatives who was among those Muslims elected in 2018, said that, although many Muslims appreciated the efforts by candidates to solicit their support, too many of them are too late. It becomes difficult to overlook some of their problematic policies, such as Bloomberg’s stop-and-frisk support or Biden’s top staffer being a cheerleader for Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, where Muslims are facing targeted killings and destruction of their homes.
Sanders, she said, has always supported religious minorities, and his record of doing so sets him apart from other candidates.
He hired Faiz Shakir as his campaign manager, the first Muslim American to take the top role in a major presidential campaign. His campaigns ran ads in languages such as Arabic and Farsi and hired prominent Muslim Americans as his surrogates. He also won the endorsement of Iowa’s sole Muslim state leader as well as Democratic National Committeewoman and Muslim human rights attorney Yasmine Taeb.
Sanders has also repeatedly defended Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress, from attacks by Trump and the GOP ― and Muslim voters, including Hassan, took note.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-03-04--Richard Grenell, Acting Spy Chief, Sets Timeline For Giving Up Ambassador's Job

Richard Grenell , the Trump administration official serving as both the acting director of national intelligence and U.S. ambassador to Germany , will step down from his role in Berlin once a permanent replacement to lead America ’ s spy agencies gains Senate confirmation .
The White House confirmed Wednesday that Grenell would leave his ambassadorship if Rep. John Ratcliffe ( R-Texas ) , President Donald Trump ’ s choice to become America ’ s permanent spy chief , is confirmed , although such an outcome could take months and faces hurdles in Congress .
Trump named Grenell as acting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who had been serving in the temporary role .
Maguire was reportedly sidelined after the president learned a member of his team had briefed House lawmakers that Russia was attempting to interfere in the 2020 elections to get Trump re-elected .
Grenell , 53 , is the first openly gay cabinet member and an ardent Trump supporter .
He has served as the ambassador to Germany since 2018 , and quickly made waves after criticizing the country ’ s government and its immigration policies .
Trump said last week he planned to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chief ― a surprise choice , given that Trump tapped the lawmaker for the same job last year and then backtracked amid concerns about his experience .
The Washington Post reported at the time that current and former intelligence officials had called Ratcliffe the “ least-qualified person ever nominated ” to the role .
But Ratcliffe , also a vocal Trump supporter , drew praise from the president for his public role defending the president during the House ’ s impeachment proceedings .
It ’ s unclear if his confirmation will clear the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has reported that the White House believes he has a better chance than he did last year .
Some Republicans had been pushing Trump to nominate a national security professional for the permanent DNI post , which oversees the country ’ s 17 intelligence agencies .
The role has been vacant since mid-August when Dan Coats , a former GOP senator , stepped down .
Under federal law , Grenell can serve in an acting capacity for at least 210 additional days following Ratcliffe ’ s nomination , and the tenure would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scuttled by the Senate .

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Richard Grenell, the Trump administration official serving as both the acting director of national intelligence and U.S. ambassador to Germany, will step down from his role in Berlin once a permanent replacement to lead America’s spy agencies gains Senate confirmation.
The White House confirmed Wednesday that Grenell would leave his ambassadorship if Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas), President Donald Trump’s choice to become America’s permanent spy chief, is confirmed, although such an outcome could take months and faces hurdles in Congress.
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Trump named Grenell as acting DNI in February to replace Joseph Maguire, who had been serving in the temporary role. Maguire was reportedly sidelined after the president learned a member of his team had briefed House lawmakers that Russia was attempting to interfere in the 2020 elections to get Trump re-elected.
Grenell, 53, is the first openly gay cabinet member and an ardent Trump supporter. He has served as the ambassador to Germany since 2018, and quickly made waves after criticizing the country’s government and its immigration policies.
Trump said last week he planned to nominate Ratcliffe to be his permanent intelligence chief ― a surprise choice, given that Trump tapped the lawmaker for the same job last year and then backtracked amid concerns about his experience. The Washington Post reported at the time that current and former intelligence officials had called Ratcliffe the “least-qualified person ever nominated” to the role.
But Ratcliffe, also a vocal Trump supporter, drew praise from the president for his public role defending the president during the House’s impeachment proceedings.
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It’s unclear if his confirmation will clear the Senate, but The New York Times has reported that the White House believes he has a better chance than he did last year.
Some Republicans had been pushing Trump to nominate a national security professional for the permanent DNI post, which oversees the country’s 17 intelligence agencies. The role has been vacant since mid-August when Dan Coats, a former GOP senator, stepped down.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-03-04--Catholic Churches Are Emptying Holy Water Fonts Over Coronavirus Concerns

American Catholics may notice one consequence of the coronavirus outbreak as soon as they step into their local parishes for Mass this weekend : holy water fonts without a drop of water inside .
The emptying of the fonts , which Catholics use to bless themselves as they enter church , is just one of various measures that bishops in Miami , Seattle , Chicago and many other cities are putting in place to combat the spread of the respiratory disease officially known as COVID-19 , which is caused by coronavirus .
Some bishops are also banning the distribution of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Many are also reminding priests and deacons that they can make modifications to how the the host — or sacramental bread — is offered to congregants .
“ Given the frequency of direct contact with saliva in the distribution of Holy Communion on the tongue , every consideration should be given by each individual to receive Holy Communion reverently in open hands for the time being , ” the Archdiocese of Chicago stated in guidelines issued Tuesday .
Bishops are encouraging Catholics to refrain from physical contact while reciting the Lord ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a time during the service when parishioners usually greet each other with a handshake , hug or a kiss on the cheek .
“ The church practice states that the priest or deacon should ask the faithful to exchange the sign of peace ‘ if appropriate , ’ ” spokesperson John Quaglione told HuffPost .
“ At this time , in light of the coronavirus , it has been deemed in fact , not an appropriate time to do so.
” As is common during flu season , priests and lay ministers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before and after Mass , and have hand sanitizer available for those distributing Communion .
The preventative measures come as the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 climbed to 11 on Wednesday , after the death of an elderly person in California .
Ten people have died from the virus in Washington state , and researchers suspect the virus has been circulating undetected in the Seattle area for weeks , The Associated Press reported .
At least 31 cases have emerged in that region .
Seattle ’ s Archbishop Paul D. Etienne has urged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are feeling sick .
The archdiocese has postponed its annual Inclusion Ministry Mass for people with disabilities until “ virus concerns have subsided.
” New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo confirmed four new coronavirus cases on Wednesday , bringing the state ’ s total to six .
Health officials have asked about 1,000 people who may have had contact with sick individuals to self-quarantine , The New York Times reported .
Joseph Zwilling , a spokesperson for the Archdiocese of New York , told HuffPost that the archdiocese reminds parishes every flu @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prevent the spread of illnesses .
This January , their annual notice emphasized that the emergence of COVID-19 was a reason to be “ extra vigilant , ” he said .
Catholic schools in New York have also implemented a new policy requiring students , teachers and other school personnel who have travelled abroad to obtain a doctor ’ s medical clearance note before being allowed to return to school .
Italy has become the center of Europe ’ s coronavirus outbreak and Catholic bishops there have responded by cancelling Mass and encouraging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Vatican has temporarily closed the Italian catacombs .
The changes to Catholic worship practices are overlapping with the observance of Lent , a 40-day period of reflection and renewal before Easter .
Near the end of Lent , many Roman Catholics mark Jesus ’ death on Good Friday by kneeling and kissing the cross .

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American Catholics may notice one consequence of the coronavirus outbreak as soon as they step into their local parishes for Mass this weekend: holy water fonts without a drop of water inside.
The emptying of the fonts, which Catholics use to bless themselves as they enter church, is just one of various measures that bishops in Miami, Seattle, Chicago and many other cities are putting in place to combat the spread of the respiratory disease officially known as COVID-19, which is caused by coronavirus.
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Some bishops are also banning the distribution of consecrated wine through a common cup. Many are also reminding priests and deacons that they can make modifications to how the the host — or sacramental bread — is offered to congregants.
“Given the frequency of direct contact with saliva in the distribution of Holy Communion on the tongue, every consideration should be given by each individual to receive Holy Communion reverently in open hands for the time being,” the Archdiocese of Chicago stated in guidelines issued Tuesday.
Some U.S. Catholic bishops, including Seattle Archbishop Paul D. Etienne, have instructed parishes to remove holy water from fonts. BSIP via Getty Images
Bishops are encouraging Catholics to refrain from physical contact while reciting the Lord’s Prayer and during the Sign of Peace, a time during the service when parishioners usually greet each other with a handshake, hug or a kiss on the cheek.
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The Diocese of Brooklyn has decided to skip the Sign of Peace altogether during Masses.
“The church practice states that the priest or deacon should ask the faithful to exchange the sign of peace ‘if appropriate,’” spokesperson John Quaglione told HuffPost. “At this time, in light of the coronavirus, it has been deemed in fact, not an appropriate time to do so.”
As is common during flu season, priests and lay ministers are being encouraged to wash their hands before and after Mass, and have hand sanitizer available for those distributing Communion.
The preventative measures come as the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 climbed to 11 on Wednesday, after the death of an elderly person in California. Ten people have died from the virus in Washington state, and researchers suspect the virus has been circulating undetected in the Seattle area for weeks, The Associated Press reported. At least 31 cases have emerged in that region.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 13 states have reported cases of the virus as of Wednesday.
Seattle’s Archbishop Paul D. Etienne has urged Catholics to stay home from Mass if they are feeling sick. The archdiocese has postponed its annual Inclusion Ministry Mass for people with disabilities until “virus concerns have subsided.”
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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo confirmed four new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, bringing the state’s total to six. Health officials have asked about 1,000 people who may have had contact with sick individuals to self-quarantine, The New York Times reported.
Joseph Zwilling, a spokesperson for the Archdiocese of New York, told HuffPost that the archdiocese reminds parishes every flu season of steps they can take to prevent the spread of illnesses. This January, their annual notice emphasized that the emergence of COVID-19 was a reason to be “extra vigilant,” he said.
Catholic schools in New York have also implemented a new policy requiring students, teachers and other school personnel who have travelled abroad to obtain a doctor’s medical clearance note before being allowed to return to school.
Pilgrims arrive in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican wearing masks to protect themselves from COVID-19 on March 1. Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images
Italy has become the center of Europe’s coronavirus outbreak and Catholic bishops there have responded by cancelling Mass and encouraging the faithful to watch services from home. The Vatican has temporarily closed the Italian catacombs.
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The changes to Catholic worship practices are overlapping with the observance of Lent, a 40-day period of reflection and renewal before Easter. Near the end of Lent, many Roman Catholics mark Jesus’ death on Good Friday by kneeling and kissing the cross.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-03-04--Progressive Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez Misses Texas Runoff

SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images MJ Hegar , a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas , speaks to voters in Georgetown , Texas , in 2018 .
Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez , a former labor organizer who had the endorsement of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D-N.Y. ) , failed to qualify for a runoff election for the Democratic Senate nomination in Texas .
Tzintzún Ramirez ’ s miss is a blow to progressives , who hoped she would be a rare bright spot in their efforts to build influence in the U.S. Senate .
The runoff will instead pit former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ MJ Hegar against Royce West .
Hegar has the backing of Senate Democrats ’ campaign arm , while West is a longtime Black state senator from Dallas who has the backing of many Texas state legislators .
The winner will face GOP Sen. John Cornyn in November .
“ In order to achieve progress on health care , climate change , immigration , or gun violence , we need to defeat Senator Cornyn and get more regular people like me representing us in Washington - a working mom who has served our country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working families across Texas are facing , ” Hegar said in a statement .
Tzintzún Ramirez conceded the race with 99 % percent of precincts reporting .
Hegar had 21.8 % of the vote to West ’ s 13.9 % and Ramirez ’ s 12.3 % .
When no candidate wins a majority of the vote , the top two candidates go to a runoff .
“ This campaign was consistently underestimated , ” Tzintzún Ramirez said in a statement .
“ I ran as a progressive , as a Latina , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this campaign unapologetically , and we all have so much to be proud of for what we ’ ve accomplished.
” Both Hegar and Tzintzún Ramirez received significant outside support from super PACs in the final weeks of the race .
Hegar has been the race ’ s top fundraiser , bringing in nearly $ 4 million , while West has raised $ 1.1 million .
Republicans are confident Cornyn , who has nearly $ 12 million on hand , will beat either Democratic candidate .

MJ Hegar, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas, speaks to voters in Georgetown, Texas, in 2018. SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images
Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez, a former labor organizer who had the endorsement of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), failed to qualify for a runoff election for the Democratic Senate nomination in Texas.
Tzintzún Ramirez’s miss is a blow to progressives, who hoped she would be a rare bright spot in their efforts to build influence in the U.S. Senate.
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The runoff will instead pit former Air Force helicopter pilot and congressional candidate MJ Hegar against Royce West. Hegar has the backing of Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, while West is a longtime Black state senator from Dallas who has the backing of many Texas state legislators. The winner will face GOP Sen. John Cornyn in November.
“In order to achieve progress on health care, climate change, immigration, or gun violence, we need to defeat Senator Cornyn and get more regular people like me representing us in Washington - a working mom who has served our country and has faced the same challenges that working families across Texas are facing,” Hegar said in a statement.
Tzintzún Ramirez conceded the race with 99% percent of precincts reporting. Hegar had 21.8% of the vote to West’s 13.9% and Ramirez’s 12.3%. When no candidate wins a majority of the vote, the top two candidates go to a runoff.
“This campaign was consistently underestimated,” Tzintzún Ramirez said in a statement. “I ran as a progressive, as a Latina, and as a working mom. We ran this campaign unapologetically, and we all have so much to be proud of for what we’ve accomplished.”
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Both Hegar and Tzintzún Ramirez received significant outside support from super PACs in the final weeks of the race. Hegar has been the race’s top fundraiser, bringing in nearly $4 million, while West has raised $1.1 million. Republicans are confident Cornyn, who has nearly $12 million on hand, will beat either Democratic candidate.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-03-05--Former Illinois Congressman Aaron Schock Comes Out As Gay

Schock , who resigned from Congress in 2015 amid claims he misused taxpayer funds , said the news would “ come as no surprise ” to his family , friends and associates .
Still , he said he felt compelled to make a public announcement “ to remove any doubt and to finally validate who I am as a person.
” “ I can live openly now as a gay man because of the extraordinary , brave people who had the courage to fight for our rights when I did not : community activists , leaders , and ordinary LGBT @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the post , which also touched on his Christian upbringing and ascent into the political sphere .
“ I recognize this even in the face of the intense and sometimes vicious criticism that I ’ ve received from these same people.
” During his time in office , Schock opposed marriage equality and the 2011 repeal of “ don ’ t ask , don ’ t tell , ” which prohibited gay and lesbian people from serving openly in the U.S. military .
He also voted against the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which expanded the 1969 federal hate crime law to include victims targeted because of their sexuality and gender identity and was signed into law in 2009 .
Though Schock said via his Instagram post that he ’ d “ support LGBTQ rights in every way I could ” if he were active in Congress today , he didn ’ t formally rescind any of his previous stances on queer issues .
“ I realize that some of my political positions run very much counter to the mainstream of the LGBTQ movement , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Schock wrote Thursday .
“ I hope people will allow for me the same.
” “ This journey has taught me a valuable lesson : that , whether you are gay or straight , it ’ s never too late to be authentic and true to yourself , ” he added , noting also that it “ has not been a case of instant acceptance and understanding ” among family members .
Schock , who posed shirtless for a 2011 Men ’ s Health feature in which he was proclaimed “ America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been dogged with questions about his sexuality for years .
In 2009 , he told Details magazine that he was not gay , and doubled down on that stance in a 2012 interview with HuffPost .
“ Those questions are completely ridiculous and inappropriate , ” he said at the time .
“ I ’ ve said that before and I don ’ t think it ’ s worthy of further response .
I think you can look it up.
” Schock had been largely absent from the public eye since last year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ misspent government and campaign funds were dropped .
To avoid standing trial , he struck a deal with prosecutors by agreeing to pay back taxes and reimburse his campaign .
Speculation over his private life had been ramping up once again as of late , after snapshots and cellphone videos that appeared to show him partying with gay men at Coachella and in Brazil appeared in a number of LGBTQ outlets .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Former Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) opened up about his sexuality on Instagram Thursday, confirming in a lengthy post that he is gay.
Schock, who resigned from Congress in 2015 amid claims he misused taxpayer funds, said the news would “come as no surprise” to his family, friends and associates. Still, he said he felt compelled to make a public announcement “to remove any doubt and to finally validate who I am as a person.”
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“I can live openly now as a gay man because of the extraordinary, brave people who had the courage to fight for our rights when I did not: community activists, leaders, and ordinary LGBT folks,” the 38-year-old wrote in the post, which also touched on his Christian upbringing and ascent into the political sphere. “I recognize this even in the face of the intense and sometimes vicious criticism that I’ve received from these same people.”
During his time in office, Schock opposed marriage equality and the 2011 repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” which prohibited gay and lesbian people from serving openly in the U.S. military. He also voted against the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which expanded the 1969 federal hate crime law to include victims targeted because of their sexuality and gender identity and was signed into law in 2009.
Though Schock said via his Instagram post that he’d “support LGBTQ rights in every way I could” if he were active in Congress today, he didn’t formally rescind any of his previous stances on queer issues.
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“I realize that some of my political positions run very much counter to the mainstream of the LGBTQ movement, and I respect them for those differences,” Schock wrote Thursday. “I hope people will allow for me the same.”
“This journey has taught me a valuable lesson: that, whether you are gay or straight, it’s never too late to be authentic and true to yourself,” he added, noting also that it “has not been a case of instant acceptance and understanding” among family members.
Schock, who posed shirtless for a 2011 Men’s Health feature in which he was proclaimed “America’s fittest congressman,” had been dogged with questions about his sexuality for years.
In 2009, he told Details magazine that he was not gay, and doubled down on that stance in a 2012 interview with HuffPost.
“Those questions are completely ridiculous and inappropriate,” he said at the time. “I’ve said that before and I don’t think it’s worthy of further response. I think you can look it up.”
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Schock had been largely absent from the public eye since last year, when federal charges he’d misspent government and campaign funds were dropped. To avoid standing trial, he struck a deal with prosecutors by agreeing to pay back taxes and reimburse his campaign.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-03-05--Elizabeth Warren To End Bid For 2020 Democratic Presidential Nomination

“ I want all of you to hear it first , and I want you to hear it straight from me : Today , I ’ m suspending our campaign for president , ” Warren said .
“ We didn ’ t reach our goal , but what we have done together — what you have done — has made a lasting difference , ” she continued .
“ It ’ s not the scale of the difference we wanted to make , but it matters — and the changes will have ripples for years to come.
” Despite gaining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Warren struggled to drum up significant support in the first wave of primary contests .
She finished in a disappointing third place in the Iowa caucuses , fourth in both the New Hampshire primary and Nevada caucuses , and fifth in the South Carolina primary .
Warren failed to win a single state on Super Tuesday , placing third in her home state of Massachusetts behind Biden , who was first , and Sanders , who was second .
On Wednesday , former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg suspended his Democratic presidential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bend , Indiana , Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar ( D-Minn. ) also recently dropped out of the race to support Biden .
Sanders , the progressive candidate Warren was most often compared to on the campaign trail given their similar policy proposals , emerged as a front-runner last month after winning the popular vote in the Iowa caucuses .
In the New Hampshire primary , Sanders virtually tied for first with former South Bend , Indiana , Mayor Pete Buttigieg , who dropped out of the race on Sunday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caucuses with roughly 46 % support .
Biden catapulted to the front of the pack following his landslide victory in the South Carolina primary on Saturday and his wave of victories on Super Tuesday .
It was long expected that Warren would toss her hat into the ring in 2020 , particularly after it was widely speculated she ’ d run for president in 2016 and she decided not to .
She formally jumped into the race in February last year .
“ I have a plan for that ” ― a reference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and plans outlined on her website ― became one of Warren ’ s taglines on the campaign trail .
Her folksy and optimistic stump speeches were almost always followed by her trademark selfie lines , which would sometimes include hundreds of rallygoers and take the candidate hours to get through .
With Warren dropping out , Rep. Tulsi Gabbard ( D-Hawaii ) is the only remaining female candidate in the presidential race .
Gabbard hasn ’ t come close to winning any of the primary contests so far , barely getting 1 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ One of the hardest parts of this is all those big promises and all those little girls who are going to have to wait four more years , ” Warren said on Thursday during a news conference in Cambridge , Massachusetts .
“ That ’ s going to be hard.
” “ If you say , yeah , there was sexism in this race , everyone says , ‘ whiner , ’ ” she said .
“ And if you say , no , there was no sexism , about a bazillion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ live on .
”

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is ending her bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
She announced her decision in a call with campaign staff on Thursday and later posted her remarks in a blog post on Medium.
“I want all of you to hear it first, and I want you to hear it straight from me: Today, I’m suspending our campaign for president,” Warren said.
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“We didn’t reach our goal, but what we have done together — what you have done — has made a lasting difference,” she continued. “It’s not the scale of the difference we wanted to make, but it matters — and the changes will have ripples for years to come.”
Our work continues, the fight goes on, and big dreams never die. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. https://t.co/28kyKe777L — Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) March 5, 2020
Warren spoke with both former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Wednesday. She is not expected to make an endorsement on Thursday.
The New York Times first reported the news about Warren’s decision Thursday morning.
Despite gaining momentum early on in the race, Warren struggled to drum up significant support in the first wave of primary contests. She finished in a disappointing third place in the Iowa caucuses, fourth in both the New Hampshire primary and Nevada caucuses, and fifth in the South Carolina primary.
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Warren failed to win a single state on Super Tuesday, placing third in her home state of Massachusetts behind Biden, who was first, and Sanders, who was second.
On Wednesday, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg suspended his Democratic presidential campaign and endorsed Biden. Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) also recently dropped out of the race to support Biden.
Sanders, the progressive candidate Warren was most often compared to on the campaign trail given their similar policy proposals, emerged as a front-runner last month after winning the popular vote in the Iowa caucuses.
In the New Hampshire primary, Sanders virtually tied for first with former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who dropped out of the race on Sunday, and went on to win the Nevada caucuses with roughly 46% support.
Biden catapulted to the front of the pack following his landslide victory in the South Carolina primary on Saturday and his wave of victories on Super Tuesday.
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Warren, a former Harvard Law School professor, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2012. She previously helped launch the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under then-President Barack Obama.
It was long expected that Warren would toss her hat into the ring in 2020, particularly after it was widely speculated she’d run for president in 2016 and she decided not to. She formally jumped into the race in February last year.
Her campaign largely focused on fighting corruption, bolstering the middle class and working families, creating affordable housing and implementing “Medicare for All.”
“I have a plan for that” ― a reference to her more than 75 policy proposals and plans outlined on her website ― became one of Warren’s taglines on the campaign trail.
Her folksy and optimistic stump speeches were almost always followed by her trademark selfie lines, which would sometimes include hundreds of rallygoers and take the candidate hours to get through.
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With Warren dropping out, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) is the only remaining female candidate in the presidential race. Gabbard hasn’t come close to winning any of the primary contests so far, barely getting 1% of the vote in most states.
“One of the hardest parts of this is all those big promises and all those little girls who are going to have to wait four more years,” Warren said on Thursday during a news conference in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “That’s going to be hard.”
Warren told reporters she would have “a lot more to say” on the subject of sexism and what role it played in this election cycle at a later date.
“If you say, yeah, there was sexism in this race, everyone says, ‘whiner,’” she said. “And if you say, no, there was no sexism, about a bazillion women think, what planet do you live on.”
Elizabeth Warren on dropping out of the 2020 race: "One of the hardest parts of this is all those big promises and all those little girls who are going to have to wait four more years." pic.twitter.com/LERj27rmEu — Axios (@axios) March 5, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-03-05--Elizabeth Warren Could Never Escape The Baggage Of Being A 'Female Candidate'

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press Sen. Elizabeth Warren ( D-Mass . )
was once considered a front-runner , but she was n't @ @ @ @ @ through Super Tuesday .
But Can She Win ?

Elizabeth Warren wasn’t trying to be the first female president.
She wanted to be president. She wanted to cut banks down to size and relieve student debt. Root out the corrupt influence of money in politics and go after monopolies.
Warren didn’t focus on how she’d be breaking a glass ceiling. She didn’t shy away from her gender, but when she talked about feminism, it was most often centered on female organizers and the movements they’ve led throughout history.
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But Warren couldn’t just run for president. At every step of the campaign, she was reminded that people still saw her as a female candidate, with all the baggage that comes with that designation ― questions about her toughness, likability and relatability.
No male candidate has ever been asked what it meant to run as a man for president. They have all had the luxury of being self-defined by other qualities. Warren never had that moment.
“Gender in this race, you know that is the trap question for every woman,” Warren said in her press conference Thursday, announcing she was dropping out. “If you say, ‘Yeah, there was sexism in this race,’ everyone says, ‘Whiner!’ And if you say there was no sexism, about a bazillion women think, ‘What planet do you live on?’ I promise you this ― I will have a lot more to say on that subject later on.”
From the start, the senator from Massachusetts had to wrestle with twin dilemmas: what it meant to champion her views and what it meant to do so as a female candidate.
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Doubts about Warren began as soon as she announced she was forming an exploratory bid. There were instantly comparisons to Hillary Clinton ― who is actually nothing like Warren and had a completely different set of policies and challenges. But they’re also white women of a certain age, so Warren had to deal with the assumption that she would be the same as Clinton.
The biggest and most damaging assumption? Clinton lost to Donald Trump in 2016, so Warren probably would, too.
But Can She Win?
Warren was constantly dogged by questions of electability. Voters said they liked her, but they weren’t sure she could win.
“Unfortunately, I don’t really believe that a woman can win the general presidential election. Hillary sort of proved that for me,” one woman told HuffPost.
Another woman told The New York Times, “I think right now there’s still not going to be a female president, unfortunately. Right now I think we kind of — not regressed, but looked to the past.
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“At a certain point, the narrative that a woman can’t win and that a white man would be the safest candidate to take on Trump became self-fulfilling.” - Rebecca Katz, progressive Democratic strategist
In March 2019, a HuffPost/YouGov poll found that Warren came in fifth when Democratic voters were asked who could beat Trump. The top three were white men, followed by Harris and then Warren.
Three in 10 Democratic voters thought that most of the electorate would be less likely to vote for a female candidate because of her gender, compared with just 4% who thought a male candidate would face a similar disadvantage.
Other polls had similar results. A 2019 Ipsos/Daily Beast poll, for example, found that 74% of respondents claimed they were comfortable with a female president, but only 33% believed their neighbors would be.
Warren eventually made a push to emphasize her electability, but it came far too late in the campaign.
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This hesitation about whether a woman can be elected president broke out into a messy public fight in January.
CNN reported that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) told Warren in a 2018 private meeting that he didn’t believe a woman could defeat Trump in 2020.
Warren finally had to address the gender issue head-on. She didn’t give a speech about the struggles she’d faced as a female candidate; she simply confirmed the CNN report and asked to move on: “Among the topics that came up was what would happen if Democrats nominated a female candidate. I thought a woman could win; he disagreed.”
In 2018, Warren told journalist Rebecca Traister that she has had to deal with these “well-intentioned” doubts since she considered running for the Senate in 2011.
“That was … the saddest part, the most infuriating part about these calls; they came from people who wanted to be kind but wanted to make sure that I understood the hard reality of America,” she said.
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Sanders supporters responded to Warren confirming the CNN report by saying she was lying or accusing her of being a traitor to the progressive cause. People who appeared to be Sanders supporters started flooding her social media posts with snake emojis and using the hashtags #NeverWarren or #WarrenIsASnake.
But if Sanders did make those remarks, they shouldn’t have been that surprising. Former Vice President Joe Biden made similar, but more direct, comments to what Sanders allegedly said, but they received far less attention.
And a few days after the CNN report, which Sanders denied, he gave a radio interview in which he said all the candidates have their ”own sets of problems.” His was the fact that he’s 78. Warren’s was that she’s a woman.
“So everybody brings some negatives, if you’d like,” Sanders said.
But the dispute infuriated just as many Warren supporters as Sanders backers.
Tanya Keith, a 48-year-old undecided voter in Des Moines, Iowa, who attended a Warren event in mid-January, told the senator she believed her fully.
“I know that Bernie Sanders said those things to you, because I have seen your body language, and I’ve seen his body language,” said Keith. “And I know what men say to us in rooms and then what they say to us in person to gaslight us, and I just want you to know that I believe you 100%.”
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Warren understood the significance of her candidacy. And in her press conference announcing the end of her presidential bid Thursday, she talked about the “pinky promises” she had made with little girls she met during the campaign, reminding them that they can grow up to be president.
“One of the headest parts of this is all those pinky promises,” Warren said. “And all those little girls who have to wait four more years.”
Always The Professor
Attendees listened to Warren speak during a Feb. 9 campaign event at Rundlett Middle School in Concord, New Hampshire. Matt Rourke/Associated Press
Warren was typecast as the wonkish Harvard law professor with detailed policy plans calling for big structural change. She was smart but not relatable. Some people even complained that they didn’t like the sound of her voice. She was too schoolmarmish. Sound familiar?
But Warren also has a compelling personal story that never fully stuck. She grew up in a working-class Oklahoma home with a father who had a heart attack when she was young. Her mother had to support the family on a minimum-wage job at Sears. Warren started waiting tables at age 13, and she dropped out of college to get married and have a child. By age 30, she was divorced.
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Warren did share her story on the campaign trail, including her experience with discrimination and how she lost her job teaching in a public school because she was “visibly pregnant.” (Even then, conservatives tried to discredit that story, as if it was out of the realm of possibility that a woman would have experienced this treatment in 1971.)
But that story never caught hold. She and her campaign didn’t emphasize the “Betsy from Oklahoma” angle, and some strategists have said her ads should have focused more on her biography.
A woman from this background who became a populist and an intellectual isn’t a known type in politics yet. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) went to Yale and is still considered down-to-earth and progressive. Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg was able to be known as both brainy ― showing off his knowledge of language and literature ― and down-to-earth, even though his upbringing was far more privileged than Warren’s. But there are far fewer examples of women who have been as successful in this lane.
It seemed like if anyone could do it, it would be Warren.
Warren ‘Erasure’
Warren failed to make it into the top two spots in the first four voting states, and she was quickly written off by many pundits. Even Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), who had a surprisingly strong showing in New Hampshire but still trailed Warren overall, at times seemed to get more attention than the Massachusetts senator. Warren fans on social media started referring to this lack of attention as the “erasure” of their candidate.
An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll conducted after Iowa and New Hampshire testing Democratic candidates against Trump included five candidates ― but not Warren. The pollster said he had room and time for just five candidates, and he decided to exclude Warren ― but include Klobuchar ― simply because he wanted to try something different.
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In another Washington Post story mentioning a recent poll (in which Warren was included) and candidate standing among college-educated women, five candidates were again mentioned ― but for some reason, Warren was left out.
And when MSNBC tried to show the support of moderates versus Sanders, it put up a graphic tallying their vote percentages ― but left Warren out from the progressive side with Sanders.
Wow this is bad news for Bernie Sanders when he runs against three people at once in the general. pic.twitter.com/t5mxnMPLwu — jordan (@JordanUhl) February 13, 2020
“It is the media’s sexism that determined Warren’s fate ― from the clear evidence of her erasure in their reporting as a leading candidate to the persistent questioning of her electability ― and the media is responsible for hurting her ability to win support amongst primary voters,” said Shaunna Thomas, executive director of the progressive group UltraViolet.
Aimee Allison, president of She the People, credited Warren with partnering with women of color in creating her policies and bringing them into her campaign. She also noted that the treatment of Warren may have resulted from the overwhelmingly white, male makeup of the national media.
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“Her transformative candidacy was ignored by the media, and she survived deeply sexist attacks that felled many candidates before her,” Allison said. “Regardless of her ill-treatment, her new style of political partnership is a roadmap for candidates looking to earn the trust and respect of women of color Democrats need to win. With more money, more time and more women of color in media, I have no doubt this would have ended differently.”
Warren’s campaign certainly had its questionable strategic decisions ― refusal to hire a pollster, an unwillingness to attack the other candidates. And there were other challenges, such as going up against two candidates who had bigger name recognition and had run before.
But maybe, even with all those tweaks, what was actually needed was some big structural change for a woman to win.
Taking On Bloomberg
Sen. Elizabeth Warren eviscerated former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg at his first Democratic presidential debate, going after him on his comments about women, his taxes and his support for policies like stop-and-frisk. John Locher/ASSOCIATED PRESS
On Super Tuesday, billionaire Mike Bloomberg said that he didn’t realize Warren was even still in the race.
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The next day, he dropped his presidential bid. And Warren was a big part of the reason why.
As Biden faltered after Iowa and New Hampshire, pundits and voters were talking about whether Bloomberg could be a moderate alternative. With his money and ability to get under Trump’s skin, Bloomberg rose in the polls and seemed like a real threat.
Super Tuesday was Bloomberg’s big test. He skipped the first four states, figuring he could simply blanket the airwaves with his expensive ads and win the delegate-rich states on Tuesday. Bloomberg likely spent $600 million of his own fortune on the race.
But Warren made sure that he never went anywhere. In one of the most memorable Democratic presidential debates ever, Warren eviscerated Bloomberg last month in Las Vegas. It was Bloomberg’s first debate and the first time he’d get to show voters who he was outside of his ads.
Bloomberg was the perfect foil for Warren: a billionaire who was using his money to buy his way into the election. Warren went after him for his refusal to release his tax returns, his support of racially discriminatory policies like stop-and-frisk and redlining, and his treatment of women.
It was vintage Warren ― the senator who made Wall Street executives wilt at Senate hearings and promised to leave “plenty of blood and teeth on the floor” fighting for a tough Wall Street reform bill.
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Warren received the most attention for calling out Bloomberg on sexism. Her comments were sharp, pointed and, frankly, devastating.
“I’d like to talk about who we’re running against: a billionaire who calls women fat broads and horse-faced lesbians,” Warren said at the top of the debate. “And no, I’m not talking about Donald Trump. I’m talking about Mayor Bloomberg.”
Most of Warren’s critiques against Bloomberg were focused on inequality and his wealth. Even her comment about what he said about women noted that he is a billionaire. But Warren broke through most clearly as a woman criticizing a man for sexual harassment.
MSNBC host Chris Matthews later challenged Warren after the South Carolina debate about why she was bringing up sexual harassment allegations against Bloomberg when the former New York City mayor had denied them.
“Why would he lie? Just to protect himself?” Matthews asked.
Warren said she believed the woman (who filed a federal lawsuit and whose allegations were later confirmed by another employee) and responded, “Why would she lie?”
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Matthews has since “retired” from MSNBC ― after this exchange, a segment confusing two black politicians and sexual harassment allegations from former HuffPost journalist Laura Bassett.
“Elizabeth Warren faced more scrutiny and more questions every step of the way. From the day she entered the race to concerns about whether she was likable enough, to the day she dropped out, she never got the benefit of the doubt in the way the male front-runners did,” progressive strategist Rebecca Katz said.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-03-05--The Heartbreak Of Elizabeth Warren

The Heartbreak Of Elizabeth Warren

“ I will not be running for president in 2020 but I guarantee I will stay in the fight , ” she told press outside of her house in Cambridge , Mass on Thursday afternoon .
“ One of the hardest parts of this is all of those pinky promises and all of those little girls who are going to have to wait four more years .
That ’ s going to be hard.
” There had been hope from the Warren camp that she could pick up steam on Super Tuesday and win a chunk of delegates .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she eviscerated former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg for past sexist comments and sexual harassment lawsuits .
She had released a string of policy proposals on marijuana legalization , border communities and farmworkers , and an emergency plan to deal with the coronavirus .
But her disappointing Super Tuesday showing fueled already-existing calls for her to drop out and for her supporters to get in line behind fellow progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders ( I-Vt. ) , lest they “ spoil ” the race for him .
Barney voted for Sanders in 2016 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , assumed she would likely be voting for him again in the general election .
She likes the Vermont senator , but has concerns about his ability to unite the party and work effectively with more moderate Democrats .
She saw Warren as someone who would combine a progressive agenda with a willingness to “ work to get things done with the people she needed to work with.
” She plans to vote for whichever Democrat wins the nomination .
How Not To Build A Coalition Barney told HuffPost that she had friends @ @ @ @ @ @ @ husband to “ get on the Bernie train ” for a while , but that they felt good about their choice .
She also had a Sanders canvasser come to her house and tell her — after she nicely told him that she and her husband would be voting for Warren — that Sanders was the better choice because he had “ many great women ” around him , and that voting for Warren meant she was throwing her vote away .
‘ Will I Ever Actually See A Woman President ?
’

Every morning, when 25-year-old Megan Barney drives to work, she passes Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s house.
Barney sometimes feels a little bit like a stalker, often poking her head outside of the window during her drive to see if her senator is around. But on Tuesday morning she didn’t have to peer. There was a big crowd outside, snaking all the way down the block toward the nearest polling place, cheering on Warren, who was on her way to vote.
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Barney felt heartened by that morning’s energy when she cast her own vote for Warren that evening, wearing the Nasty Woman T-shirt she had made to wear to work on the day of President Donald Trump’s inauguration in 2017.
“I felt really hopeful,” Barney said. “It was a happy moment.”
A few hours later, that hope deflated as the Super Tuesday results rolled in. Warren didn’t win a single state, coming in third even in her home state of Massachusetts.
On Thursday, outlets reported Warren planned to drop out of the presidential race.
“I will not be running for president in 2020 but I guarantee I will stay in the fight,” she told press outside of her house in Cambridge, Mass on Thursday afternoon. “One of the hardest parts of this is all of those pinky promises and all of those little girls who are going to have to wait four more years. That’s going to be hard.”
There had been hope from the Warren camp that she could pick up steam on Super Tuesday and win a chunk of delegates. She had two strong debate performances in which she eviscerated former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg for past sexist comments and sexual harassment lawsuits. She had released a string of policy proposals on marijuana legalization, border communities and farmworkers, and an emergency plan to deal with the coronavirus. But her disappointing Super Tuesday showing fueled already-existing calls for her to drop out and for her supporters to get in line behind fellow progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), lest they “spoil” the race for him.
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But to many Warren supporters, the idea that the Massachusetts senator is the tool of some amorphous “establishment” or stayed in the race simply to pull votes from Sanders is false and insulting.
Supporters say they found Warren to be the most compelling candidate for a variety of reasons. Many also expressed pain at the vitriol they have seen directed at their preferred candidate, which feels hard to completely separate from the fact that Warren is a woman in a presidential field that has become older, whiter and more male over the last few months.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren walks from her Cambridge home to her local polling place along Linnaean Street, surrounded by throngs of cheering supporters, on Super Tuesday, March 3, 2020, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Boston Globe via Getty Images
The ‘Dream Candidate’
In interviews with HuffPost, voters said they saw Warren as a candidate who genuinely excited them, a politician who they believed would be a progressive voice and effective president of the United States. They described her as “incredibly smart,” “tough as nails,” “quick-witted,” “accomplished” and “passionate.”
Siiri Morley, 41, who described Warren as her “dream candidate,” told HuffPost that she admires Warren’s ability to learn from people who have different lived experiences.
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Warren had made a particular effort to reach out to Black women and addressed racial justice explicitly in many of her policy proposals. For example, she laid out a plan to combat Black maternal mortality rates, a housing plan that included payment assistance to families in neighborhoods that have been historically redlined, and a child care plan that emphasized raising wages for domestic care workers.
“I like how she leads,” Morley said. “She listens and learns and has become impressively intersectional and anti-racist.” (Warren earned the endorsement of Kimberle Crenshaw, the academic who coined the concept of “intersectionality.”)
The voters who spoke to HuffPost praised her background as an educator, and her many, many policy plans, which tackle a range of issues from private prisons and immigration reform to maternal mortality, cleaner oceans and taxing the uber-wealthy.
“She thinks everything through and then has a plan to implement,” Morley said, also praising Warren’s ability to work with her Senate colleagues.
Nassim Alisobhani, a 30-year-old Warren voter from Boston, was drawn to the senator because “she deeply understands her policies and how to govern.”
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Barney voted for Sanders in 2016, and until Biden’s recent surge, assumed she would likely be voting for him again in the general election. She likes the Vermont senator, but has concerns about his ability to unite the party and work effectively with more moderate Democrats. She saw Warren as someone who would combine a progressive agenda with a willingness to “work to get things done with the people she needed to work with.” She plans to vote for whichever Democrat wins the nomination.
How Not To Build A Coalition
In the wake of her disappointing Super Tuesday performance, #WarrenDropOut began trending on Twitter with calls both from Warren supporters and from progressives who saw Warren only as a spoiler for Sanders.
“If Warren had dropped and endorsed Bernie when the centrists dropped and endorsed Biden, progressives would have had a fighting chance,” Krystal Ball, political pundit and co-host of “Rising,” tweeted on Tuesday night. “She stayed in so she could get 3rd in her home state.”
President Trump expressed the same sentiment on Twitter.
“If Elizabeth Warren wasn’t in the race, Bernie Sanders would have EASILY won Massachusetts, Minnesota and Texas, not to mention various other states,” he tweeted. “Our modern day Pocahontas won’t go down in history as a winner, but she may very well go down as the all time great SPOILER!”
Polls have shown that Warren voters tend to be white, college-educated professionals, but far from uniform when it comes to their second-choice candidate. Of the Warren voters that HuffPost spoke to in the past few days, they were split nearly down the middle between Sanders and Biden.
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“Is there sexism out there? Sure. I also know that women can win.” - Christina Reynolds, vice president of communications for EMILY’s List
Some progressive Warren supporters say they have felt frustrated by the rhetoric they’ve observed coming from friends and allies who are voting for Sanders. Many Warren voters said that ahead of Super Tuesday they felt unfairly pressured to change their votes; the intensity ramped as the more moderate wing of the Democratic Party seemed to coalesce around Biden.
In the lead-up to Super Tuesday, Kara Segal, a 32-year-old graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy, noticed a rash of Facebook posts, predominantly written by male Sanders supporters, asking Warren supporters to change their votes.
“It felt like I was being asked to sacrifice what my values were before it was even strategic,” Segal told HuffPost. “And it felt manipulative.”
So, she gathered her thoughts and wrote her own Facebook post, outlining exactly why several other perspectives — even from people she loved personally — felt manipulative. Ultimately, she concluded: “I don’t care whether you respect Elizabeth Warren. I care whether you respect me. If you really respected me, you’d respect my choice to vote for Warren (yes, I’ve thought about the Democratic convention, yes, I’ve thought about Trump, yes, I’ve thought about the general).”
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Segal has no regrets about her vote, even though she is disappointed in the outcome.
“I’ll throw my support behind Bernie now because I support his vision for America, but some part of me hates to do it,” Segal said, “because I feel like in many ways it’s a validation of a lot of the ugly behavior that came out of his campaign supporters.”
Barney told HuffPost that she had friends who had been pushing her and her husband to “get on the Bernie train” for a while, but that they felt good about their choice. She also had a Sanders canvasser come to her house and tell her — after she nicely told him that she and her husband would be voting for Warren — that Sanders was the better choice because he had “many great women” around him, and that voting for Warren meant she was throwing her vote away.
“I just don’t think the dude could even comprehend what it might mean to women everywhere to see a woman president,” she said.
She has also been disturbed by the vicious commentary she’s seen about Warren online, including claims that the senator is in the race out of narcissism and blaming her supporters for Sanders’ less-than-sweeping victory on Tuesday.
“You can lob all of your vitriol onto one woman in this race, but calling on her to drop out is not a progressive thing to do,” Barney said. “And she’s not responsible for Bernie’s shortcomings in his coalition.”
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Supporters of Democratic Presidential hopeful Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren attend a rally March 3, 2020 in Detroit, Michigan. SETH HERALD via Getty Images
‘Will I Ever Actually See A Woman President?’
Some Warren supporters are frustrated by what they see as a lack of reckoning with the sexism — among voters and in the media coverage of the 2020 election — they feel that Warren has been forced to contend with.
Samantha Sherman, a New York-based Warren supporter who sent text messages and phone-banked throughout the primary, said she felt angry at the sexist responses she would receive.
“I began to resent that I had to sit there and hold in my rage while hearing things like, ‘Her yelling at the last debates really turned me off’ or ‘She’s not really inspiring, she just lectures,’ or just being cursed at,” Sherman said. “So, yeah, I’m feeling burned. I’m sick of having to sit there and take it and sacrifice and be the one to compromise.”
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“I think if Warren was a man she would be a force to be reckoned with and certainly the front runner,” Alisobhani said.
There was some hope heading into 2020 — especially when six women jumped into the race — that perhaps having more than one woman running would temper the sexism that dogged Hillary Clinton in 2016, or at least make it easier to call out.
“I think the challenge with having only one [woman in the race] is that it is easy to discount sexism in coverage, sexism from voters, sexism in the ways we view the candidates, to chalk that up to, well, that’s Hillary,” Christina Reynolds, vice president of communications for EMILY’s List and former deputy communications director for the Clinton campaign, told HuffPost in January 2019. “It’s ‘There’s something about her I just don’t like.’ It’s the ‘I would support a woman, just not this one.’”
And, to an extent, that did happen. The women running were allowed to be defined by more than gender, and voters got to see women across the ideological spectrum forcefully debate each other.
But nevertheless, one idea persisted: that women candidates are a fundamentally risky proposition, especially against Trump.
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And this, even more than overt sexism, is where Reynolds really sees room for Democrats (and the media outlets that cover them) to do better.
“We spent a year questioning electability, specifically with regards to gender,” said Reynolds, pointing to a narrative that began nearly as soon as Warren entered the 2020 race, despite women candidates winning big during the 2018 midterms. “Is there sexism out there? Sure. I also know that women can win.”
Texas voter Caitlin Jeansonne, 34, had donated to the Warren campaign multiple times, but ultimately ended up voting for Biden after his win in South Carolina because she felt like she “had no choice” if she didn’t want Sanders to win. “It pained me to vote for an old white man when there’s a competent, amazing woman on the ballot,” she said. “But I felt like she had no chance.”
Even so, Jeansonne expresses uncomfortable, mixed feelings about her choice — one that she was going back and forth on until the moment she got into the voting booth. “I’m worried that a big part of [Warren] underperforming expectations is that voters are either sexist or worried other people will be,” Jeansonne said. “And I worry that I’m contributing to the misconception.”
The problem with focusing so much on a woman’s electability based on her gender is that the question itself runs the risk of becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.
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Even as many Warren supporters gear up to work to elect whichever white, male candidate clinches the nomination, there is an overall feeling of dejection, even heartbreak.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-03-05--Coronavirus Health Official Warns People Not To Touch Their Mouths, Then Licks Her Hand

In a clear case of “ do as I say , not as I do , ” health official Dr. Sara Cody warned the public not to touch their faces and mouths to prevent the spread of the coronavirus , officially known as COVID-19 , BuzzFeed reported Wednesday .
Naturally , she licked her hand .
“ Today , start working on not touching your face because one main way viruses spread is when you touch your own mouth , nose or eyes , ” Cody , director of Santa Clara County Public Health Department in California , says in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news conference .
But then , sure enough , the clip shows Cody putting a finger to her tongue so she could turn a page in her notes .
The Washington Post pointed out that other prominent figures also haven ’ t been complying with their own advice on stopping the spread of the virus .
To date , COVID-19 has infected more than 96,000 people worldwide and killed at least 3,300 .
At least 11 have died in the United States .
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D-NY ) , speaking to reporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stopping COVID-19 — while simultaneously scratching her nose and brushing her hair from her face .
.
@ RepAOC @ AOC speaks to media on # coronavirus : `` One of the key parts to preventing transmission is washing you hands and not touching your face…A mask will not protect you if you do n't wash your hands and if you continue to touch your face . ''
pic.twitter.com/WNmC3pLAUP — CSPAN ( @ cspan ) February 28 , 2020 Debbie Birx , coronavirus response coordinator for the White House , and Robert R. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Disease Control and Prevention , also touched their faces in a briefing with President Donald Trump on Wednesday , the Post added .
Of course , the president himself claimed he hadn ’ t touched his face in weeks out of caution — but we know how that turned out .

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In a clear case of “do as I say, not as I do,” health official Dr. Sara Cody warned the public not to touch their faces and mouths to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, BuzzFeed reported Wednesday. Naturally, she licked her hand.
“Today, start working on not touching your face because one main way viruses spread is when you touch your own mouth, nose or eyes,” Cody, director of Santa Clara County Public Health Department in California, says in a widely circulated video of her Friday news conference.
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But then, sure enough, the clip shows Cody putting a finger to her tongue so she could turn a page in her notes.
The Washington Post pointed out that other prominent figures also haven’t been complying with their own advice on stopping the spread of the virus. To date, COVID-19 has infected more than 96,000 people worldwide and killed at least 3,300. At least 11 have died in the United States.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), speaking to reporters Friday, made a similar plea about stopping COVID-19 — while simultaneously scratching her nose and brushing her hair from her face.
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.@RepAOC @AOC speaks to media on #coronavirus: "One of the key parts to preventing transmission is washing you hands and not touching your face…A mask will not protect you if you don't wash your hands and if you continue to touch your face." pic.twitter.com/WNmC3pLAUP — CSPAN (@cspan) February 28, 2020
Debbie Birx, coronavirus response coordinator for the White House, and Robert R. Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also touched their faces in a briefing with President Donald Trump on Wednesday, the Post added.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-03-05--Hillary Clinton Throws Shade At One Of The 2020 Democrats In The Funniest Way

Hillary Clinton took a not-so-subtle swipe at one of the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates on Wednesday ’ s broadcast of “ The Tonight Show.
” Host Jimmy Fallon got the 2016 Democratic nominee to delve into his “ Bag of Secrets , ” pull out cards with names of the contenders ( past and present ) on them and reveal her thoughts about each person , without saying who it is .
Clinton was overwhelmingly positive when it came to commenting on most of the candidates .
But after looking at one particular card , she tossed it aside ― @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his audience .
Social media users placed bets on Sen. Bernie Sanders ( I-Vt. ) or billionaire media mogul Michael Bloomberg being the subject of Clinton ’ s scorn .
Clinton on Tuesday said she has no plans to endorse any candidate .
In another part of the interview with Fallon , she heaped praise on former Vice President Joe Biden .
“ He is such the opposite of what we currently have in the White House , ” Clinton said , adding : “ He knows what needs to be done , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be inheriting , so I think that is what was going on in people ’ s minds.
” Check out the clips above and below : And see Fallon ’ s impressions of Biden and Sanders here :

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Hillary Clinton took a not-so-subtle swipe at one of the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates on Wednesday’s broadcast of “The Tonight Show.”
But which one?
Host Jimmy Fallon got the 2016 Democratic nominee to delve into his “Bag of Secrets,” pull out cards with names of the contenders (past and present) on them and reveal her thoughts about each person, without saying who it is.
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Clinton was overwhelmingly positive when it came to commenting on most of the candidates. But after looking at one particular card, she tossed it aside ― eliciting a stunned response from Fallon and his audience.
Social media users placed bets on Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) or billionaire media mogul Michael Bloomberg being the subject of Clinton’s scorn.
Clinton on Tuesday said she has no plans to endorse any candidate.
In another part of the interview with Fallon, she heaped praise on former Vice President Joe Biden.
“He is such the opposite of what we currently have in the White House,” Clinton said, adding: “He knows what needs to be done, he can repair the damage that he would be inheriting, so I think that is what was going on in people’s minds.”
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Check out the clips above and below:


thehuffingtonpost--2020-03-05--Chuck Schumer: 'I Should Not Have Used The Words I Used' About The Supreme Court

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ( D-N.Y. ) says he could have used a better choice of words in a speech about abortion that drew a rebuke from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and condemnations from Senate Republicans .
“ I should not have used the words I used yesterday .
They did not come out the way I intended to , ” Schumer said Thursday in a speech on the Senate floor .
“ My point was there would be political consequences , for President Trump and Senate Republicans — if the Supreme Court , with newly confirmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s right to choose.
” Schumer appeared at a rally outside the Supreme Court earlier this week during which he pledged that Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh — both appointed by President Donald Trump — would “ pay the price ” if they voted to uphold a Louisiana law restricting access to abortion .
It is the first major abortion rights case since both Kavanaugh and Gorsuch were appointed by Trump .
“ You won ’ t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organized by the Center for Reproductive Rights , calling out the two justices by name .
“ Justices know that criticism comes with the territory , but threatening statements of this sort from the highest levels of government are not only inappropriate , they are dangerous , ” Roberts said in the statement .
Republicans piled on , with some accusing Schumer of threatening bodily harm against the justices .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-Ky. ) on Wednesday said Schumer engaged in “ shameless efforts to bully ” the court by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called the remarks “ astonishingly reckless and completely irresponsible ” and urged the senator from New York to apologize .
Sen. Josh Hawley ( R-Mo . )
, meanwhile , said he planned on introducing a resolution to censure the minority leader on the floor of the Senate .
But Schumer defended the spirit of his remarks on Thursday , accusing Republicans of “ manufacturing outrage ” about the speech and ignoring efforts to gut abortion rights across the country .
“ What will remain long after the clamor over my comments dies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a woman ’ s constitutional right to choose and Republican attempts to invalidate it , ” he said .
“ The fact that my Republican colleagues have worked , systematically over the course of decades , to install the judicial infrastructure to take down Roe v. Wade — and do very real damage to the country and the American way of life .
That is the issue that will remain.
” The case before the court revolves around a law passed by Louisiana in 2014 that mandates doctors at abortion clinics have admitting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that abortion rights advocates say creates an undue burden that could force two of the state ’ s three clinics to close .
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg , the leading liberal on the bench , aggressively grilled supporters of the law during oral arguments on Wednesday , taking on “ each of their arguments one by one , ” according to CNN .

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) says he could have used a better choice of words in a speech about abortion that drew a rebuke from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and condemnations from Senate Republicans.
“I should not have used the words I used yesterday. They did not come out the way I intended to,” Schumer said Thursday in a speech on the Senate floor. “My point was there would be political consequences, for President Trump and Senate Republicans — if the Supreme Court, with newly confirmed justices, stripped away a woman’s right to choose.”
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“I’m from Brooklyn. We speak in a strong language,” he added.
Schumer appeared at a rally outside the Supreme Court earlier this week during which he pledged that Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh — both appointed by President Donald Trump — would “pay the price” if they voted to uphold a Louisiana law restricting access to abortion. It is the first major abortion rights case since both Kavanaugh and Gorsuch were appointed by Trump.
“You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions,” he warned at the rally, which was organized by the Center for Reproductive Rights, calling out the two justices by name.
The comments didn’t sit well with Roberts, who issued a rare statement rebuking the Democratic minority leader on Wednesday.
“Justices know that criticism comes with the territory, but threatening statements of this sort from the highest levels of government are not only inappropriate, they are dangerous,” Roberts said in the statement.
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Republicans piled on, with some accusing Schumer of threatening bodily harm against the justices. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Wednesday said Schumer engaged in “shameless efforts to bully” the court by personally going after its members. He called the remarks “astonishingly reckless and completely irresponsible” and urged the senator from New York to apologize. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), meanwhile, said he planned on introducing a resolution to censure the minority leader on the floor of the Senate.
But Schumer defended the spirit of his remarks on Thursday, accusing Republicans of “manufacturing outrage” about the speech and ignoring efforts to gut abortion rights across the country.
“What will remain long after the clamor over my comments dies down is the issue at hand: a woman’s constitutional right to choose and Republican attempts to invalidate it,” he said. “The fact that my Republican colleagues have worked, systematically over the course of decades, to install the judicial infrastructure to take down Roe v. Wade — and do very real damage to the country and the American way of life. That is the issue that will remain.”
The case before the court revolves around a law passed by Louisiana in 2014 that mandates doctors at abortion clinics have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals, a requirement that abortion rights advocates say creates an undue burden that could force two of the state’s three clinics to close.
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the leading liberal on the bench, aggressively grilled supporters of the law during oral arguments on Wednesday, taking on “each of their arguments one by one,” according to CNN.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-03-05--Donald Trump Jr.'s Nepotism Dig At Hunter Biden Shows He's Not Exactly Self-Aware

Most people are familiar with the quote , “ Those who refuse to remember the past are condemned to repeat it , ” but it apparently escaped Donald Trump Jr. On Thursday , the president ’ s eldest son retweeted a Daily Caller story claiming that Joe Biden ’ s son Hunter Biden took full advantage of his family connections to get a job .
Trump then suggested that Joe Biden ’ s political career is the only reason Hunter Biden was able to get work .
It ’ s almost like the whole Biden family is entity dependent on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hunter Biden touted connections in 2019 while pitching UCLA Law on letting him teach drug policy course | The Daily Caller https : //t.co/P8wteom4tW — Donald Trump Jr. ( @ DonaldJTrumpJr ) March 5 , 2020 There ’ s a case to be made against nepotism in politics and elsewhere , but not by a guy who has made his career by being the son of Donald Trump .
And Twitter users were happy to point that out .
It ’ s almost as if Donald Trump Jr. became a best-selling author because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his book during his father ’ s presidency .
https : //t.co/ZgEHHtePUX — Windsor Mann ( @ WindsorMann ) March 5 , 2020 Does all this seem familiar ?
Well , it is , because Donald Trump Jr. has proven that what he lacks in self awareness he makes up for in the “ self-own.
” Back in October , the president ’ s son was dragged on Twitter after he attacked Hunter Biden for acknowledging that he ’ d benefited in life because of his surname .
As one person noted , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dad ’ s full name .
”

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Most people are familiar with the quote, “Those who refuse to remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” but it apparently escaped Donald Trump Jr.
On Thursday, the president’s eldest son retweeted a Daily Caller story claiming that Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden took full advantage of his family connections to get a job.
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Trump then suggested that Joe Biden’s political career is the only reason Hunter Biden was able to get work.
It’s almost like the whole Biden family is entity dependent on Joe holding public office?
EXCLUSIVE: Hunter Biden touted connections in 2019 while pitching UCLA Law on letting him teach drug policy course | The Daily Caller https://t.co/P8wteom4tW — Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) March 5, 2020
There’s a case to be made against nepotism in politics and elsewhere, but not by a guy who has made his career by being the son of Donald Trump.
And Twitter users were happy to point that out.
Is there a less self-aware person on the planet that this Dotard Junior? https://t.co/DlLUm0iaCg — Machine Pun Kelly (@KellyScaletta) March 5, 2020
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Unlike all the self-made Trump clan https://t.co/b9zEHuaJjp — Rick Newman (@rickjnewman) March 5, 2020
It’s almost as if Donald Trump Jr. became a best-selling author because the RNC bought thousands of copies of his book during his father’s presidency. https://t.co/ZgEHHtePUX — Windsor Mann (@WindsorMann) March 5, 2020
Does all this seem familiar? Well, it is, because Donald Trump Jr. has proven that what he lacks in self awareness he makes up for in the “self-own.”
Back in October, the president’s son was dragged on Twitter after he attacked Hunter Biden for acknowledging that he’d benefited in life because of his surname.