thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-11--How To Get Divorced And Learn To Surf In Your 40s

So that was the first inkling that maybe I had a subject that might interest people .
I mean , I literally had strangers coming up to me on the beach like , “ Oh my God , it ’ s so great to see you back in the water.
” And , “ I love that story.
” And then a couple of years later , I think in 2015 , I did a story for the style section that actually yielded the subtitle of the book ; the headline was ” Surfing Headlong into a New Life.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that I had an arc , a beginning , a middle , and an end— and even a happy ending where I ’ m finally able to surf , at least reasonably decently on good days .
And I was in love and had this life that I couldn ’ t have imagined even three years later .
So that was how I got to writing the book .
Right .
So I think , well , with surfing specifically , you stand on the beach and you watch good surfers in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and I ’ m talking about normal-sized surf , not those enormous skyscraper-high waves — but then when you try to do it , it ’ s actually really hard .
And I think some people , especially if they start much younger , it can come really quickly .
Their bodies are more flexible , they pick up new things .
But surfing isn ’ t really like that and was really , really not like that for me .
I mean , I think of myself as the anti-natural .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long , but I loved it .
And so I knew that the only way to get even a reasonable competence was going to be to practice .
And that month was pivotal for me in a way , because I had this friend who wanted to try to write ; I was trying to surf .
He said , “ What if you were to surf every day ?
And what if we were both to keep each other honest , and report back ?
” That kind of accountability really helped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t feel like getting in the water every day .
I would get up and say , “ Oh , it ’ s cold.
” Or , “ I ’ m tired.
” Or , “ I just want to sit out back in the garden and have a beer.
” But it became a thing that I had to do .
And so the day was organized around “ When am I going to surf ?
” I think that that kind of practice , and also accountability , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pursue in a serious way .
And that doesn ’ t mean that it ’ s ever going to be something that ’ s your career or something that you do to the exclusion of other things .
But if you want to do it seriously and get the benefits of doing something seriously , then it just takes attention .
Yeah .
Well , so I knew some of the history , and then a lot of it I had to learn more about to write the book .
But when I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lenapes would make summer camps here and then move inland in the fall and winter to harvest crops , and then be closer to forests with small game , I was like , it ’ s always been a summer destination .
For the earliest New Yorkers , it was a summer destination .
And so the idea that that ’ s how people have been using and treating this place , that ’ s the relationship that the city has always had with it , it was just amazing to me .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ grand and fabulous Rockaway was .
Astors and Vanderbilts coming out .
But I think there are a number of benefits to having been so lousy and had to struggle so much .
And one of them is that I really did learn to focus on the experience rather than the result and to take some measure of joy out of the experience rather than just the result .
And also to just learn how to be more patient with myself and not care so much about whether I was being quote-unquote “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that I was there and that I could do some things that I couldn ’ t do when I first started .
There ’ s such a nice scene where someone tells you that they ’ re really proud of you for having caught a wave .
I got super teary-eyed reading it .
I think that so much of your book is you kind of beating yourself up a lot about not being able to get to where you want to go in surfing or feeling like you got to the sport @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if you feel like you have finally gotten through to the other side .
Are you proud of yourself ?
I would say I ’ m definitely proud of myself for having stuck with it and having been able to kind of , as I say , talk myself out of being so afraid to fail that I cut myself off of things that I want to do .
And so , there is some pride , but also gratitude , right ?
That was my teacher in Costa Rica .
And that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me feel like I can do this and I should keep trying .
And I went back to Rockaway and was terrible all over again , but I had the feeling of that big , beautiful wave in my head and I felt , I kind of knew , and that really kept me going .

This article is part of a series called “How to Human,” interviews with memoirists that explore how we tackle life’s alarms, marvels and bombshells.
Newly divorced and edging further into her 40s, Diane Cardwell’s life hadn’t turned out as planned. So one day, out on a reporting trip for The New York Times in Montauk, a beach town at the eastern end of Long Island in New York, Cardwell seized the opportunity when a cottage rental and surfing lesson presented itself.
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The result was the first step on a long journey that took her from a version of her life she’d always imagined — the house, the career, the husband — to another version in which she found joy and love again, complete with a new community of friends and a house in Rockaway, a surf town — yes, a surf town — in New York City.
In the spirit of “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed and “Eat, Pray, Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert, Cardwell sets out on a journey to learn to surf and comes to the end of the road a changed woman, transformed by her experience. The result is her memoir, “Rockaway: Surfing Headlong Into a New Life.”
HuffPost spoke to Cardwell via a Google Hangout early in July.
This interview was condensed and edited for clarity.
Tell me about the seed of this memoir. What inspired you to write it?
I wrote an essay for Vogue after Sandy, and I just got such a tremendous response from it. I wrote the essay during the first, I don’t know, three or four days after the storm. I was in a fugue state. I didn’t know how I was going to help replace my utilities that were gone. And when the editor called and he was like, “We can pay you,” I was like, “That’ll buy a new boiler.” So I ended up doing the story and I was actually very grateful to do it.
So that was the first inkling that maybe I had a subject that might interest people. I mean, I literally had strangers coming up to me on the beach like, “Oh my God, it’s so great to see you back in the water.” And, “I love that story.” And then a couple of years later, I think in 2015, I did a story for the style section that actually yielded the subtitle of the book; the headline was ”Surfing Headlong into a New Life.” That was the piece that showed me that I had an arc, a beginning, a middle, and an end— and even a happy ending where I’m finally able to surf, at least reasonably decently on good days. And I was in love and had this life that I couldn’t have imagined even three years later. So that was how I got to writing the book.
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"Rockaway: Surfing Headlong Into a New Life," by Diane Cardwell Houghton Mifflin Harcour
Surfing is not something you just pick up and know how to do. It’s a huge undertaking. It boils down to practicing it over and over. There is a scene in “Rockaway” where you and your friend undertake a month of practicing every day: He practices writing and you practice surfing. Could you talk about that?
Right. So I think, well, with surfing specifically, you stand on the beach and you watch good surfers in the water and it looks incredibly easy — and I’m talking about normal-sized surf, not those enormous skyscraper-high waves — but then when you try to do it, it’s actually really hard. And I think some people, especially if they start much younger, it can come really quickly. Their bodies are more flexible, they pick up new things. But surfing isn’t really like that and was really, really not like that for me. I mean, I think of myself as the anti-natural.
I just could not do it for so long, but I loved it. And so I knew that the only way to get even a reasonable competence was going to be to practice. And that month was pivotal for me in a way, because I had this friend who wanted to try to write; I was trying to surf. He said, “What if you were to surf every day? And what if we were both to keep each other honest, and report back?” That kind of accountability really helped me stick to it, because I didn’t feel like getting in the water every day.
I would get up and say, “Oh, it’s cold.” Or, “I’m tired.” Or, “I just want to sit out back in the garden and have a beer.” But it became a thing that I had to do. And so the day was organized around “When am I going to surf?” I think that that kind of practice, and also accountability, is important in anything that you want to pursue in a serious way. And that doesn’t mean that it’s ever going to be something that’s your career or something that you do to the exclusion of other things. But if you want to do it seriously and get the benefits of doing something seriously, then it just takes attention.
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“I wasn’t aware of quite the journey I was embarking on when I embarked on it. I didn’t really think, 'I am going to solve my life now.'” - Diane Cardwell
What’s your practice like nowadays?
So I’ve not been surfing recently because of COVID. But I am just starting to get back into the swing of things now that I feel a lot more comfortable that you’re unlikely to get the disease from outside casual contact at a surf break.
I do try to do something for my surfing every day, whether it’s yoga or practicing pop-ups in the living room, or strength training, stuff like that. But the truth of the matter is the best practice for surfing is surfing. And so, I’m just trying to make myself get back in the water as many days as I can.
One thing I really enjoyed about your memoir is it’s very reported, in a super nerdy fashion. You write about the physics of waves. Tell me about that.
So, I am just kind of a geeky, nerdy person, always have been. I’m fascinated with how things work, even though I’m not very adept at understanding. I don’t have a very good head for numbers or for physics. I never took physics. But I can get the concept, and so I was just fascinated because I was spending so much time in the water, looking at it, trying to feel how it was moving and understand the way the waves work that I just started wanting to know more about what was going on physically.
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I was also looking at historic surf writing. I just wanted to know what that canon was, and that’s how I came across Jack London, who had what I thought was the most eloquent description of how a wave forms and what happens when it breaks.
His description of how water doesn’t actually move, but molecules agitate.
Right. It’s a communicated agitation. It’s energy passed from one particle to another. And I was just like, “Jack London, yes.”
The parts where you write about the history of surfing were so fascinating to me, like when you go into the Lenape tribe summering in Rockaway hundreds of years ago.
Yeah. Well, so I knew some of the history, and then a lot of it I had to learn more about to write the book. But when I came across that fact, that the Lenapes would make summer camps here and then move inland in the fall and winter to harvest crops, and then be closer to forests with small game, I was like, it’s always been a summer destination. For the earliest New Yorkers, it was a summer destination. And so the idea that that’s how people have been using and treating this place, that’s the relationship that the city has always had with it, it was just amazing to me. And then, just learning how incredibly grand and fabulous Rockaway was. Astors and Vanderbilts coming out.
Changing your life in your 40s seems like a Herculean task. Your book reminded me of the journey genre, like “Wild” and “Eat, Pray, Love.” Is that something you thought about as well? Could you speak to that?
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Yeah. So, I wasn’t aware of quite the journey I was embarking on when I embarked on it. I didn’t really think, “I am going to solve my life now. I am finally going to crack the code on happiness for myself after all these years of not quite being able to do that.” All I thought was this pursuit and being in this place makes me feel really good, so, I should continue doing that.
I had had a little bit of that experience after my divorce when I took a photography course in Italy and literally was rolling around on a riverbank, like, my shirt in the mud, trying to figure out how to slow down my shutter speed and make the water look milky. And I realized — I was like, “Oh my God, I’m happy.”
And it was the first time that I had felt this kind of pure joy since my marriage had fallen apart. And so that was the feeling. And then, I pursued photography a little bit and that was really great and meaningful, but the surfing was different because it also gave me a way to interact with people and meet people.
And so I think it’s difficult to take on transforming your life as my project is transforming my life. I think what works better is if you just pursue something that makes you happy and see where that takes you. It’s like if one of my friends who I quote in the book said, “Do what you love and you will always attract the right people into your life, and the rest will all fall into place.”
“I just think adult education and hobby pursuit is just really, really important and just a great way to get to know people and rebuild your community.”
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On top of that, you conducted this transformation in middle age, when our bodies are just naturally becoming weaker. I love that you turned the middle-aged woman narrative on its head. Could you talk about that?
That is true. When I started coming out here, I noticed, one, there were a lot of middle-aged surfers out here, and two, I fell in with a group of women of all ages, from their 20s to their 40s, in surf class. And everybody was struggling. Most people were not struggling quite as much as I was struggling, but everybody was really supportive, and we had great instructors who were just really encouraging. And so, with that support network, it was pretty easy to keep at it.
And also, it was just so much fun. That’s the thing. Because part of what’s great about surfing is that you don’t have to go for every wave. So you can pace your session yourself if you’re not in a super crowded break where you’re only going to get one opportunity and you got to take it.
So, there were periods of rest in between your incredible activity, but also you just get to actually sit in the water, feel the ebb and flow of the current and the waves, and see the sun sparkling off the water, maybe notice a stingray going under your board or a pod of dolphins. And so it’s a total cosmic experience. So yes, it is very physically challenging, but not every instance of it is physically challenging.
One thing that is so hard, also in middle age, is finding community and finding new friendships. You were coming from a place of divorce, where you had a previous community, and so do you want to talk about that transition and what that’s been like as these friendships have probably blossomed by now?
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I think, again, part of it is if you have an activity that brings you into contact with other people who like that activity too, it just makes it a lot easier to connect. And the connection ends up being, can be light and bouncy and not necessarily become one of your best friends in life, or it can. It can be really, really profound, and you can find a new best friend or a soulmate or what have you.
And I think that’s as true of surfing as it is at any other pursuit. It’s like, if you like to draw, you can probably make a community of friends out of people who also like to draw, whether you meet them in some kind of online situation, whether you meet them in an art class.
I mean, this was one of the things that I realized coming out of the divorce is that I just think adult education and hobby pursuit is just really, really important and just a great way to get to know people and rebuild your community. Because even though I had a quite amicable divorce, it’s like, some of those friends just fall away. It’s inevitable.
You came to surfing as a super successful reporter, having received major journalistic accolades and working at The New York Times. And then you took up a sport in which you had to fail regularly, in which failure was just par for the course. Let’s talk about that.
Well, I will say, it’s just hard, right? It’s just, it sucks sometimes, and actually it sucks a lot of the time. And I continue to wish that I were a better surfer, [that] I could really just nail that pop-up. And because I’ve actually gotten halfway decent at riding waves once I’m on them, it’s just getting to my feet that’s such a challenge.
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But I think there are a number of benefits to having been so lousy and had to struggle so much. And one of them is that I really did learn to focus on the experience rather than the result and to take some measure of joy out of the experience rather than just the result. And also to just learn how to be more patient with myself and not care so much about whether I was being quote-unquote “successful” and just enjoy the fact that I was there and that I could do some things that I couldn’t do when I first started.
There’s such a nice scene where someone tells you that they’re really proud of you for having caught a wave. I got super teary-eyed reading it. I think that so much of your book is you kind of beating yourself up a lot about not being able to get to where you want to go in surfing or feeling like you got to the sport too late. And I was wondering if you feel like you have finally gotten through to the other side. Are you proud of yourself?


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-10--White House Economic Adviser Larry Kudlow Says Going Back To School Isn't 'That Hard'

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow insisted to reporters Friday that going back to school in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic is “ not that hard.
” “ Just go back to school .
We can do that , ” Kudlow said .
“ You know , you can social distance , you can get your temperature taken , you can be tested , you can have distancing — come on , it ’ s not that hard.
” Kudlow , a former TV financial news host , has demonstrated his lack of expertise on health matters a number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was “ contained ” early this year when there were just 57 confirmed cases ( including 40 people taken off a cruise ship ) .
“ We have contained this , ” Kudlow told CNBC on Feb. 25 .
“ I won ’ t say airtight , but pretty close to airtight.
” After that turned out not to be true , he insisted in mid-June that there would be “ no second wave.
” Several states — and the nation — are now breaking records for the daily number of new coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are ‘ bumps , ’ ” Kudlow also said last month .
It ’ s “ something we have to get used to.
” As of Friday , there had been more than 3 million reported cases of COVID-19 and more than 134,000 deaths in the United States .
Kudlow was adhering to the Trump administration push that all schools should open full time for in-person instruction as early as next month , even as the cases of coronavirus soar across the nation .
“ Sending our children back in the middle of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ control ... is really indefensible .
It ’ s a gigantic experiment , ” Arthur Caplan , director of medical ethics at the New York University ’ s Langone Medical Center , told CNN ’ s Anderson Cooper on Friday .
“ I have to add when somebody says , ‘ It ’ s just easy .
Let ’ s go back to school , ’ I find that outrageous.
” Check out more of that interview in the video up top .

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow insisted to reporters Friday that going back to school in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic is “not that hard.”
“Just go back to school. We can do that,” Kudlow said. “You know, you can social distance, you can get your temperature taken, you can be tested, you can have distancing — come on, it’s not that hard.”
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Kudlow, a former TV financial news host, has demonstrated his lack of expertise on health matters a number of times. He declared that COVID-19 was “contained” early this year when there were just 57 confirmed cases (including 40 people taken off a cruise ship). “We have contained this,” Kudlow told CNBC on Feb. 25. “I won’t say airtight, but pretty close to airtight.”
After that turned out not to be true, he insisted in mid-June that there would be “no second wave.” Several states — and the nation — are now breaking records for the daily number of new coronavirus cases. “OK, so there are ‘bumps,’” Kudlow also said last month. It’s “something we have to get used to.”
As of Friday, there had been more than 3 million reported cases of COVID-19 and more than 134,000 deaths in the United States.
Kudlow was adhering to the Trump administration push that all schools should open full time for in-person instruction as early as next month, even as the cases of coronavirus soar across the nation.
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But health experts warn that reopening schools shouldn’t be a political decision.
“Sending our children back in the middle of a plague that’s out of control ... is really indefensible. It’s a gigantic experiment,” Arthur Caplan, director of medical ethics at the New York University’s Langone Medical Center, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Friday. “I have to add when somebody says, ‘It’s just easy. Let’s go back to school,’ I find that outrageous.”
Check out more of that interview in the video up top.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-11--‘Ashamed' Trump 2016 Voters Explain Why They’re Ditching The President

Republicans who voted for Donald Trump in 2016 explain why they are turning their backs on the president this November in a critical new ad .
In the spot that Republican Voters Against Trump released Friday , 15 former supporters of the president cite his lies , vitriolic rhetoric and mishandling of the coronavirus crisis as just some of the reasons for ditching him in the 2020 election .
Trump has “ broken my faith in the Republican Party , ” says one .
Others claim to be “ ashamed , ” “ embarrassed ” and “ riddled with guilt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first place .
The ad will air on Fox News in Arizona and North Carolina on Sunday , according to the group ( a project of the Defending Democracy Together advocacy organization ) that regularly shares videos to YouTube of disaffected Republicans speaking out against the Trump White House .
“ It takes courage to change your mind and speak out , ” the group ’ s strategic director , Sarah Longwell , said in a statement .
“ Research shows that in order to win over swing voters who went with Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to give them permission to change their mind is someone who is like them , former Trump voters .
”

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Republicans who voted for Donald Trump in 2016 explain why they are turning their backs on the president this November in a critical new ad.
In the spot that Republican Voters Against Trump released Friday, 15 former supporters of the president cite his lies, vitriolic rhetoric and mishandling of the coronavirus crisis as just some of the reasons for ditching him in the 2020 election.
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Trump has “broken my faith in the Republican Party,” says one. Others claim to be “ashamed,” “embarrassed” and “riddled with guilt” to have backed Trump in the first place.
Check out the ad here:
The ad will air on Fox News in Arizona and North Carolina on Sunday, according to the group (a project of the Defending Democracy Together advocacy organization) that regularly shares videos to YouTube of disaffected Republicans speaking out against the Trump White House.
“It takes courage to change your mind and speak out,” the group’s strategic director, Sarah Longwell, said in a statement. “Research shows that in order to win over swing voters who went with Trump last time, the most effective messenger to give them permission to change their mind is someone who is like them, former Trump voters.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-11--Twitter Users Set The White House Straight On Baffling Donald Trump Quote

Twitter users continue to call out the White House for tweeting lines from Donald Trump ’ s Independence Day celebration speech in which the president falsely claimed credit for the U.S. for a whole host of things : '' Americans harnessed electricity , split the atom , and gave the world the telephone and the internet .
We settled the Wild West , won two World Wars , landed American Astronauts on the Moon—and one day soon , we will plant our flag on Mars ! ''
— President @ realDonaldTrump — The White House ( @ WhiteHouse ) July @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , split the atom , and gave the world the telephone and the internet , ” Trump said during his address at Mount Rushmore on July 3 , in which he also raged against “ far-left fascism ” and “ cancel culture.
” “ We settled the Wild West , won two World Wars , landed American astronauts on the Moon — and one day very soon , we will plant our flag on Mars , ” he added .
The White House shared the quote , above , on Sunday .
Tweeters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ever since .
“ Are you trolling him too now ?
” one tweeter replied to the White House ’ s post .
Said another : “ Are there no history books in the white house library ?
” Rutherford ( Kiwi ) split the atom , Bell ( Scot ) invented the telephone , Berners-Lee ( Brit ) invented the WWW , ‘ settling ’ the Wild West=murdering the Native Americans , the 2 WWs not all yr own work .
Otherwise you ’ re good to go .
https : //t.co/p6i4IwUdma @ @ @ @ @ @ @ July 7 , 2020 Wow .
So many mistakes in one tweet .
Are there no history books in the white house library ?
— Rob McCluskey ✊🌹😼 ( @ rob_mccluskey ) July 6 , 2020 Actually the atom was first split in a British university by a New Zealander .
The electric motor and dynamo were invented in Britain .
A Scot invented the telephone ( in the US ) , and the WWW was invented at CERN by a Briton .
But apart from those points , spot on .
— @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 7 , 2020 Tesla was a Serb .
Bell was a Scot .
Tim Berners-Lee was British .
You can own the Native American genocide .
3 years late for WW1 .
Over 2 years late for WW2 .
The US Space Program was run by a bunch of `` useful Nazis '' from 1945 .
I would n't trust Trump to plant a flag the right way up !
— Iona Brand ( @ MikeIona ) July 7 , 2020 Electricity .
Hard to pinpoint one nation .
Splitting atom .
Ernest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Phone .
Alexander Graham Bell .
Scottish .
Internet .
USA .
Although WWW was a Brit scientist .
WW2 .
Allies including USA .
Russia did A LOT .
Wild West .
You can have that one Don .
https : //t.co/TT0QbTzWKT — Rob Manuel - Follow @ fesshole now !
( @ robmanuel ) July 7 , 2020 Given Rutherford ( atom ) was from New Zealand , Sir Tim Berners-Lee ( Internet ) , England , and Alexander Graham Bell ( telephone ) , Scotland , I feel they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t quite think of it .
https : //t.co/rCgFYpt59v — Mark Stephens ( @ MarksLarks ) July 8 , 2020 Woah , woah , some beg to differ !
Find out more about how the atom was split : https : //t.co/9NKeyIMsFh https : //t.co/vhdcVwzcIs — The University of Manchester ( @ OfficialUoM ) July 7 , 2020 LOOOOOOOOOL Atom - Rutherford , a New Zealander .
Internet - Tim Berners-Lee , an Englishman .
Telephone - Alexander Graham Bell , a Scotsman .
The White House is always spot on https @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Danict89 ) July 7 , 2020 Atom was split by Earnest Rutherford from NZ .
Phone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell from Scotland .
World War l and II - group effort but US were there for some of it .
Internet - not as good as we thought it was going to be .
https : //t.co/GOW3YvVlBV — Jemaine Clement ( @ AJemaineClement ) July 7 , 2020 Telephone : 🇮🇹 + 🏴 The web : 🏴 ( On 🇺🇸 ARPANET ) WWI : 🇫🇷 🇬🇧 🇮🇹 🇷🇺 🇯🇵 ( 🇺🇸 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 🇷🇺 🇨🇳 ( 🇺🇸 joined late ) Moon program 🇺🇸 on 🇩🇪 rocket tech Atom split : 🇳🇿 in 🇬🇧 uni Electricity ( we use AC not DC ) : 🇷🇸 ( harnessing it⚡+🪑 : 🇺🇸 ) Mass murdering indigenous ‘ Wild West ’ : 🇺🇸 https : //t.co/ZBXRlZVDIs — Stephen Grant ( @ stephencgrant ) July 10 , 2020 1/3 Well I think eels got to electricity first , and arguably Michael Faraday 'harnessed ' it , as opposed to simply studying and experimenting , by inventing the electric motor .
Rutherford @ @ @ @ @ @ @ here in Manchester .
The phone was invented in the US , but by a proud https : //t.co/pGs46pCvvH — Thom Hetherington ( @ ThomHetheringto ) July 10 , 2020 2/3 Scot , Bell , who lived in Canada .
You get the Internet , but it was n't a lot of fun until Berners-Lee , a Brit , invented the www .
'Settling the Wild West ' ?
You win that one , but it was genocide so maybe do n't boast .
And yes , you were on the victorious team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thom Hetherington ( @ ThomHetheringto ) July 10 , 2020 3/3 other countries arguably did more ( ie Russia in the WWII ) , and you 've also lost many smaller wars on your own .
Well done on the men on the moon , though ironically Trump 's followers probably believe that is a hoax .
Enjoy your eventual second or third place in the race to Mars .
— Thom Hetherington ( @ ThomHetheringto ) July 10 , 2020

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Twitter users continue to call out the White House for tweeting lines from Donald Trump’s Independence Day celebration speech in which the president falsely claimed credit for the U.S. for a whole host of things:
"Americans harnessed electricity, split the atom, and gave the world the telephone and the internet. We settled the Wild West, won two World Wars, landed American Astronauts on the Moon—and one day soon, we will plant our flag on Mars!"
— President @realDonaldTrump — The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 6, 2020
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“Americans harnessed electricity, split the atom, and gave the world the telephone and the internet,” Trump said during his address at Mount Rushmore on July 3, in which he also raged against “far-left fascism” and “cancel culture.”
“We settled the Wild West, won two World Wars, landed American astronauts on the Moon — and one day very soon, we will plant our flag on Mars,” he added.
The White House shared the quote, above, on Sunday.
Tweeters have been fact-checking most of the claims ever since.
“Are you trolling him too now?” one tweeter replied to the White House’s post.
Said another: “Are there no history books in the white house library?”
Rutherford (Kiwi) split the atom, Bell (Scot) invented the telephone, Berners-Lee (Brit) invented the WWW, ‘settling’ the Wild West=murdering the Native Americans, the 2 WWs not all yr own work. Otherwise you’re good to go. https://t.co/p6i4IwUdma — Stephen Mangan (@StephenMangan) July 7, 2020
Dear @WhiteHouse, are you trolling him too now? https://t.co/wgsareabT0 — Ken Barlow (@I_am_KenBarlow) July 10, 2020
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Fake news anyone? The comments.... https://t.co/0dQYrvUvBu — Ben Shirley (@BenGShirley) July 10, 2020
Wow. So many mistakes in one tweet.
Are there no history books in the white house library ? — Rob McCluskey ✊🌹😼 (@rob_mccluskey) July 6, 2020
Who was his history teacher?
I have questions. — Fake History Hunter (@fakehistoryhunt) July 7, 2020
Actually the atom was first split in a British university by a New Zealander. The electric motor and dynamo were invented in Britain. A Scot invented the telephone (in the US), and the WWW was invented at CERN by a Briton. But apart from those points, spot on. — James West (@ejwwest) July 7, 2020
Tesla was a Serb.
Bell was a Scot.
Tim Berners-Lee was British.
You can own the Native American genocide.
3 years late for WW1.
Over 2 years late for WW2.
The US Space Program was run by a bunch of "useful Nazis" from 1945.
I wouldn't trust Trump to plant a flag the right way up! — Iona Brand (@MikeIona) July 7, 2020
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Electricity. Hard to pinpoint one nation.
Splitting atom. Ernest Rutherford. New Zealander working in UK.
Phone. Alexander Graham Bell. Scottish.
Internet. USA. Although WWW was a Brit scientist.
WW2. Allies including USA. Russia did A LOT.
Wild West. You can have that one Don. https://t.co/TT0QbTzWKT — Rob Manuel - Follow @fesshole now! (@robmanuel) July 7, 2020
Given Rutherford (atom) was from New Zealand, Sir Tim Berners-Lee (Internet), England, and Alexander Graham Bell (telephone), Scotland, I feel they all have something in common but can’t quite think of it. https://t.co/rCgFYpt59v — Mark Stephens (@MarksLarks) July 8, 2020
Woah, woah, some beg to differ!
Find out more about how the atom was split: https://t.co/9NKeyIMsFh https://t.co/vhdcVwzcIs — The University of Manchester (@OfficialUoM) July 7, 2020
LOOOOOOOOOL
Atom - Rutherford, a New Zealander.
Internet - Tim Berners-Lee, an Englishman.
Telephone - Alexander Graham Bell, a Scotsman.
The White House is always spot on https://t.co/Cs52C4Qm3Y — Daniele Palumbo (@Danict89) July 7, 2020
Atom was split by Earnest Rutherford from NZ. Phone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell from Scotland. World War l and II - group effort but US were there for some of it. Internet - not as good as we thought it was going to be. https://t.co/GOW3YvVlBV — Jemaine Clement (@AJemaineClement) July 7, 2020
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Tim Berners-Lee sat at home spitting his tea as he reads this. https://t.co/Su4NOrJ8H4 — Mike P Williams (@Mike_P_Williams) July 7, 2020
Actually almost totally incorrect..... — GuntherBett #FPPE 🐟🐟 (@BettGunther) July 7, 2020
Telephone: 🇮🇹 + 🏴
The web: 🏴(On 🇺🇸 ARPANET)
WWI: 🇫🇷 🇬🇧 🇮🇹 🇷🇺 🇯🇵 (🇺🇸 joined late)
WWII: 🇫🇷 🇬🇧 🇷🇺 🇨🇳 (🇺🇸 joined late)
Moon program 🇺🇸 on 🇩🇪 rocket tech
Atom split: 🇳🇿 in 🇬🇧 uni
Electricity (we use AC not DC): 🇷🇸 (harnessing it⚡+🪑:🇺🇸)
Mass murdering indigenous ‘Wild West’: 🇺🇸 https://t.co/ZBXRlZVDIs — Stephen Grant (@stephencgrant) July 10, 2020
Lolz.
Atom - Rutherford, a New Zealander.
Internet - Tim Berners-Lee, an Englishman.
Telephone - Alexander Graham Bell, a Scotsman. https://t.co/mhgs25R7kR — The Ayrshire Separatist (@mathie_dan) July 7, 2020
1/3 Well I think eels got to electricity first, and arguably Michael Faraday 'harnessed' it, as opposed to simply studying and experimenting, by inventing the electric motor. Rutherford, a Kiwi, split the atom here in Manchester. The phone was invented in the US, but by a proud https://t.co/pGs46pCvvH — Thom Hetherington (@ThomHetheringto) July 10, 2020
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2/3 Scot, Bell, who lived in Canada. You get the Internet, but it wasn't a lot of fun until Berners-Lee, a Brit, invented the www. 'Settling the Wild West'? You win that one, but it was genocide so maybe don't boast. And yes, you were on the victorious team in two world wars, but — Thom Hetherington (@ThomHetheringto) July 10, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-11--Paul Krugman Sinks Donald Trump With A Titanic Analogy About His Coronavirus Failings

Paul Krugman , the Nobel Prize-winning economist , used an analogy about the doomed Titanic cruise liner to sum up President Donald Trump ’ s disastrous handling of the coronavirus crisis .
“ I don ’ t know about you , but I ’ m feeling more and more as if we ’ re all trapped on the Titanic — except that this time around the captain is a madman who insists on steering straight for the iceberg .
And his crew is too cowardly to contradict him , let alone mutiny to save the passengers , ” Krugman began @ @ @ @ @ @ @ published Thursday .
Krugman noted in the editorial ― headlined “ The Deadly Delusions of Mad King Donald ” ― how multiple states are now experiencing dangerous spikes in new infections following the easing of stay-at-home orders that had been aimed at mitigating the spread of COVID-19 .
“ A normal president and a normal political party would be horrified by this turn of events , ” he wrote .
“ They would realize that they made a bad call and that it was time for a major course correction ; they would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” But Trump and his allies don ’ t care how many Americans die “ as long as the politics work in their favor , ” Krugman argued .
The economist concluded with a dire warning , saying “ a lot more Americans are going to die ” and that if presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden becomes president , then “ he , like Obama 12 years ago , is going to take the helm of a nation in a deep crisis .
”

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Noted economist Paul Krugman used an analogy about the doomed Titanic cruise liner to sum up President Donald Trump’s disastrous handling of the coronavirus crisis.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling more and more as if we’re all trapped on the Titanic — except that this time around the captain is a madman who insists on steering straight for the iceberg. And his crew is too cowardly to contradict him, let alone mutiny to save the passengers,” Krugman began his column for The New York Times published Thursday.
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Krugman noted in the editorial ― headlined “The Deadly Delusions of Mad King Donald” ― how multiple states are now experiencing dangerous spikes in new infections following the easing of stay-at-home orders that had been aimed at mitigating the spread of COVID-19.
“A normal president and a normal political party would be horrified by this turn of events,” he wrote. “They would realize that they made a bad call and that it was time for a major course correction; they would start taking warnings from health experts seriously.”
But Trump and his allies don’t care how many Americans die “as long as the politics work in their favor,” Krugman argued.
The economist, who was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics in 2008, concluded with a dire warning, saying “a lot more Americans are going to die” and that if presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden becomes president, then “he, like Obama 12 years ago, is going to take the helm of a nation in a deep crisis.”
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-11--Chris Hayes Unloads On GOP: 'One Of Worst Parties In Power In Entire Democratic World'

Chris Hayes slammed the current state of the GOP on Friday ’ s broadcast of his MSNBC show , ripping the Republican Party as “ intellectually bankrupt ” and “ entirely unable to meet the moment ” amid the coronavirus pandemic .
The United States has the most confirmed cases of COVID-19 — and the highest death toll — not just because President Donald Trump is “ one of the worst presidents in our country ’ s history who doesn ’ t seem to care about containing the virus , but also because we have one of the worst political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world , ” said Hayes .
The “ All In ” host acknowledged how some Democratic officials have made massive mistakes amid the public health crisis and some Republican officials have fared well .
But the GOP , he argued , had “ on the whole ” been “ an irredeemable disaster.
” Hayes called out the Republican governors who ’ d prematurely eased lockdown restrictions without ensuring the proper measures aimed at slowing the spread of the virus were in place .
GOP senators “ pretending like they ’ re full-time tweeters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dude somewhere with a cool new podcast or just actively working to make life harder for people and make things easier for the virus ” also drew Hayes ’ ire .
The Republican Party “ has now given us , let ’ s be clear , two successive presidencies that have brought the country to its knees , ” said Hayes .
“ It is so corroded , so desiccated , so dangerous , it will revolt against one of its own members when they do something right to fight the plague to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pro-covid party before our eyes , ” Hayes concluded .
“ And , remember , it is more than Donald Trump .
It ’ s the entire party .
”

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Chris Hayes slammed the current state of the GOP on Friday’s broadcast of his MSNBC show, ripping the Republican Party as “intellectually bankrupt” and “entirely unable to meet the moment” amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The United States has the most confirmed cases of COVID-19 — and the highest death toll — not just because President Donald Trump is “one of the worst presidents in our country’s history who doesn’t seem to care about containing the virus, but also because we have one of the worst political parties in power in the entire democratic world,” said Hayes.
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The “All In” host acknowledged how some Democratic officials have made massive mistakes amid the public health crisis and some Republican officials have fared well.
But the GOP, he argued, had “on the whole” been “an irredeemable disaster.”
Hayes called out the Republican governors who prematurely eased lockdown restrictions without ensuring that proper measures aimed at slowing the spread of the virus were in place.
Multiple states are now seeing record spikes in new infections.
GOP senators “pretending like they’re full-time tweeters or right-wing talk radio hosts or some dude somewhere with a cool new podcast or just actively working to make life harder for people and make things easier for the virus” also drew Hayes’ ire.
The Republican Party “has now given us, let’s be clear, two successive presidencies that have brought the country to its knees,” said Hayes. “It is so corroded, so desiccated, so dangerous, it will revolt against one of its own members when they do something right to fight the plague to save lives.”
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“It is becoming a pro-COVID party before our eyes,” Hayes concluded. “And, remember, it is more than Donald Trump. It’s the entire party.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-11--Legal Experts Explode Over Donald Trump's Clemency For Roger Stone

Legal experts joined the cascade of criticism and anger being directed at Donald Trump on Friday after the president commuted the prison sentence of Roger Stone , his longtime adviser .
CNN ’ s chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin described Trump ’ s granting of clemency to Stone ― who was soon set to begin a 40-month sentence for lying to Congress , witness tampering and obstructing the House investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election ― as “ the most corrupt and cronyistic act in perhaps all of recent history.
” Disgraced former President “ Richard Nixon at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commuted the sentences of any of the people involved in Watergate , ” Toobin told CNN ’ s Anderson Cooper .
“ He thought he could never get away with it.
” '' This is the most corrupt and cronyistic act , in perhaps all of recent history . ''
CNN legal analyst @ JeffreyToobin reacts to President Trump commuting Roger Stone 's prison sentencehttps : //t.co/MdIbNVwfGq pic.twitter.com/2d6SzetfiE — Anderson Cooper 360° ( @ AC360 ) July 11 , 2020 “ This is what corruption looks like , ” former federal and state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Don Lemon .
“ This is just a raw abuse of power.
” '' This is what corruption looks like , '' says Elie Honig , a former DOJ prosecutor about President Trump commuting the 40-month prison sentence of his friend Roger Stone .
`` It 's hard to think of a more perfect example of self-dealing than that . ''
https : //t.co/S5zvEy5hEP pic.twitter.com/5XEsC3gcdL — CNN ( @ CNN ) July 11 , 2020 Attorney George Conway , who is married to White House counselor Kellyanne Conway , suggested there had never @ @ @ @ @ @ @ corrupt act ” committed by a president of the United States : I ’ m not sure there ever has been a more openly , brazenly corrupt act committed by a president of the United States .
— George Conway ( @ gtconway3d ) July 11 , 2020 The fact that @ realDonaldTrump was never impeached for his multiple acts of criminal obstruction shown by Mueller ( see @ qjurecic ’ s chart below ) , including acts relating to Stone , all but invited last night ’ s atrocious ( and also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s sentence .
https : //t.co/j6yk7npGot — George Conway ( @ gtconway3d ) July 11 , 2020 Joyce Alene , a law professor at the University of Alabama , tweeted Trump had ” undermined the rule of law & our justice system to try to avoid whatever tales Stone might have to tell on him.
” Prosecutors were “ heartsick over this miscarriage of justice , ” she said : 12/ Roger Stone got a fair trial .
AG Barr said the prosecution & sentence were warranted .
Trump has undermined the rule @ @ @ @ @ @ @ try to avoid whatever tales Stone might have to tell on him .
He will burn down our system to save himself .
— Joyce Alene ( @ JoyceWhiteVance ) July 11 , 2020 13/ Prosecutors across the country are heartsick over this miscarriage of justice .
The power to end it lies with the GOP & Trump 's appointees , like Barr .
So far , no condemnations or resignations .
History wo n't judge them kindly .
We have our work cut out for us in November .
( End ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ July 11 , 2020 Trump has repeatedly sent a clear message : if you keep your mouth shut , you will be rewarded .
Right now Michael Cohen is in prison while Roger Stone goes free .
That ’ s not justice , it ’ s corruption .
— Renato Mariotti ( @ renato_mariotti ) July 11 , 2020 Trump has no shame whatsoever .
He acts corruptly out in the open because he has not paid a price for doing so .
https : //t.co/eRTQe74y2T — Renato Mariotti ( @ renato_mariotti ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prosecutor Glenn Kirschner described the act as “ a GUT PUNCH to EVERY SINGLE DEFENDANT ” in the U.S. “ who is serving a sentence but is not a rich , white friend or criminal associate ” of the president .
It “ spits in the face of the jury , ” he added : Trump commuted Stone ’ s sentence .
This is a corrupt act .
Even more importantly , it is a GUT PUNCH to EVERY SINGLE DEFENDANT in America who is serving a sentence but is not a rich @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump .
https : //t.co/mItw1w07m7 — Glenn Kirschner ( @ glennkirschner2 ) July 11 , 2020

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Legal experts joined the cascade of criticism and anger being directed at Donald Trump on Friday after the president commuted the prison sentence of Roger Stone, his longtime adviser.
CNN’s chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin described Trump’s granting of clemency to Stone ― who was soon set to begin a 40-month sentence for lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstructing the House investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election ― as “the most corrupt and cronyistic act in perhaps all of recent history.”
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Disgraced former President “Richard Nixon at the height of Watergate never pardoned or commuted the sentences of any of the people involved in Watergate,” Toobin told CNN’s Anderson Cooper. “He thought he could never get away with it.”
Check out the clip here:
"This is the most corrupt and cronyistic act, in perhaps all of recent history."
CNN legal analyst @JeffreyToobin reacts to President Trump commuting Roger Stone's prison sentencehttps://t.co/MdIbNVwfGq pic.twitter.com/2d6SzetfiE — Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) July 11, 2020
“This is what corruption looks like,” former federal and state prosecutor Elie Honig told CNN’s Don Lemon. “This is just a raw abuse of power.”
Check out Honig’s comments here:
"This is what corruption looks like," says Elie Honig, a former DOJ prosecutor about President Trump commuting the 40-month prison sentence of his friend Roger Stone. "It's hard to think of a more perfect example of self-dealing than that." https://t.co/S5zvEy5hEP pic.twitter.com/5XEsC3gcdL — CNN (@CNN) July 11, 2020
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Attorney George Conway, who is married to White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, suggested there had never been “a more openly, brazenly corrupt act” committed by a president of the United States:
I’m not sure there ever has been a more openly, brazenly corrupt act committed by a president of the United States. — George Conway (@gtconway3d) July 11, 2020
The fact that @realDonaldTrump was never impeached for his multiple acts of criminal obstruction shown by Mueller (see @qjurecic’s chart below), including acts relating to Stone, all but invited last night’s atrocious (and also criminal) act in commuting Stone’s sentence. https://t.co/j6yk7npGot — George Conway (@gtconway3d) July 11, 2020
Joyce White Vance, a law professor at the University of Alabama, tweeted Trump had “undermined the rule of law & our justice system to try to avoid whatever tales Stone might have to tell on him.”
Prosecutors were “heartsick over this miscarriage of justice,” she said:
12/ Roger Stone got a fair trial. AG Barr said the prosecution & sentence were warranted. Trump has undermined the rule of law & our justice system to try to avoid whatever tales Stone might have to tell on him. He will burn down our system to save himself. — Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) July 11, 2020
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13/ Prosecutors across the country are heartsick over this miscarriage of justice. The power to end it lies with the GOP & Trump's appointees, like Barr. So far, no condemnations or resignations. History won't judge them kindly. We have our work cut out for us in November. (End) — Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) July 11, 2020
“Trump has no shame whatsoever,” tweeted former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti:
Trump has repeatedly sent a clear message: if you keep your mouth shut, you will be rewarded.
Right now Michael Cohen is in prison while Roger Stone goes free. That’s not justice, it’s corruption. — Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) July 11, 2020
Trump has no shame whatsoever.
He acts corruptly out in the open because he has not paid a price for doing so. https://t.co/eRTQe74y2T — Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) July 10, 2020
And former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner described the act as “a GUT PUNCH to EVERY SINGLE DEFENDANT” in the U.S. “who is serving a sentence but is not a rich, white friend or criminal associate” of the president.
It “spits in the face of the jury,” he added:
Trump commuted Stone’s sentence. This is a corrupt act. Even more importantly, it is a GUT PUNCH to EVERY SINGLE DEFENDANT in America who is serving a sentence but is not a rich, white friend or criminal associate of Donald Trump. https://t.co/mItw1w07m7 — Glenn Kirschner (@glennkirschner2) July 11, 2020
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-11--'Most Corrupt President In History': Critics Reel After Trump Lets Roger Stone Stay Free

Donald Trump was bashed Friday as the “ most corrupt president in history ” after he commuted pal Roger Stone ’ s prison sentence just days before he was scheduled to be locked up .
Stone was found guilty last year of seven felonies , including lying to Congress , tampering with a witness and obstructing the House investigation into whether the Trump campaign worked with Russia to tip the 2016 election .
Stone , a GOP operative and adviser to Trump during the election , was sentenced to more than three years in prison .
Trump stood to benefit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Stone said as much Friday to NBC journalist Howard Fineman .
“ He knows I was under enormous pressure to turn on him , ” Stone told Fineman .
“ It would have eased my situation considerably .
But I didn ’ t. ” Following the president ’ s action , Sen. Elizabeth Warren ( D-Mass . )
said Trump “ has abandoned the rule of law and made a mockery of our democracy , ” adding : “ He truly is the most corrupt president in history.
” The American ideal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ once again being undermined by a lawless president who regards the Justice Department as his personal plaything .
By refusing to hold President Trump accountable , the Republican Party bears responsibility for his lawlessness .
https : //t.co/0VfaL9LYeY — Chuck Schumer ( @ SenSchumer ) July 11 , 2020 New York Democratic Reps. Jerry Nadler , who chairs the House Judiciary Committee , and Carolyn Maloney , who heads the Oversight Committee , said in a joint statement that Trump “ abused the powers of his office ” to reward “ an individual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ misconduct.
” Nadler also accused Trump of infecting the judicial system with “ partisanship and cronyism and attacked the rule of law.
” Roger Stone is a criminal who protected Trump and had his sentence commuted because of it .
This is yet another example of the blatant corruption & abuse of power that pervades this administration .
There should not be two justice systems in the U.S.—we can and we must do better .
— Cory Booker ( @ CoryBooker ) July 11 , 2020 White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hoax that the Left and its allies in the media perpetuated for years in an attempt to undermine the Trump presidency.
” Stone says he will now seek a new trial .
The president has commuted his sentence , but he is still a convicted felon .
Stone isn ’ t the first criminal friend of Trump ’ s who ’ s getting a free pass .
Trump ’ s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was released early from prison in May to serve the rest of his sentence for tax fraud and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He was released because of coronavirus fears .
He served less than a third of his 7.5-year sentence behind bars .
And Attorney General William Barr is battling in court to drop charges against Trump ’ s former national security adviser Michael Flynn , even though Flynn pleaded guilty — twice — to lying to the FBI about his secret negotiations with a Russian diplomat .

Donald Trump was bashed Friday as the “most corrupt president in history” after he commuted pal Roger Stone’s prison sentence just days before he was scheduled to be locked up.
Stone was found guilty last year of seven felonies, including lying to Congress, tampering with a witness and obstructing the House investigation into whether the Trump campaign worked with Russia to tip the 2016 election. Stone, a GOP operative and adviser to Trump during the election, was sentenced to more than three years in prison.
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Trump stood to benefit from Stone keeping his mouth shut, and Stone said as much Friday to NBC journalist Howard Fineman. “He knows I was under enormous pressure to turn on him,” Stone told Fineman. “It would have eased my situation considerably. But I didn’t.”
Following the president’s action, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said Trump “has abandoned the rule of law and made a mockery of our democracy,” adding: “He truly is the most corrupt president in history.”
Donald Trump has abandoned the rule of law and made a mockery of our democracy. He truly is the most corrupt president in history. https://t.co/GA7apdmd3Y — Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) July 11, 2020
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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). accused the “lawless president” of treating American justice like his “personal plaything.”
The American ideal of equal justice under the law is once again being undermined by a lawless president who regards the Justice Department as his personal plaything.
By refusing to hold President Trump accountable, the Republican Party bears responsibility for his lawlessness. https://t.co/0VfaL9LYeY — Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) July 11, 2020
New York Democratic Reps. Jerry Nadler, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, and Carolyn Maloney, who heads the Oversight Committee, said in a joint statement that Trump “abused the powers of his office” to reward “an individual that could directly implicate him in criminal misconduct.”
Nadler also accused Trump of infecting the judicial system with “partisanship and cronyism and attacked the rule of law.”
A jury found Roger Stone guilty. By commuting his sentence, President Trump has infected our judicial system with partisanship and cronyism and attacked the rule of law. @HouseJudiciary will conduct an aggressive investigation into this brazen corruption.https://t.co/saCTTljLAR — Rep. Nadler (@RepJerryNadler) July 11, 2020
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Roger Stone is a criminal who protected Trump and had his sentence commuted because of it. This is yet another example of the blatant corruption & abuse of power that pervades this administration.
There should not be two justice systems in the U.S.—we can and we must do better. — Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) July 11, 2020
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany called Stone a “victim of the Russia Hoax that the Left and its allies in the media perpetuated for years in an attempt to undermine the Trump presidency.”
Stone says he will now seek a new trial. The president has commuted his sentence, but he is still a convicted felon.
Stone isn’t the first criminal friend of Trump’s who’s getting a free pass. Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was released early from prison in May to serve the rest of his sentence for tax fraud and conspiracy to defraud the government at home. He was released because of coronavirus fears. He served less than a third of his 7.5-year sentence behind bars.
And Attorney General William Barr is battling in court to drop charges against Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn, even though Flynn pleaded guilty — twice — to lying to the FBI about his secret negotiations with a Russian diplomat.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-11--26 Lawmakers Test Positive In Coronavirus Outbreak At Mississippi Capitol

Those were common scenes at the Mississippi Capitol in June — a month that saw a historic vote to remove the Confederate emblem from the state flag — and now at least 26 lawmakers have been diagnosed with the coronavirus in the biggest known outbreak in any state legislature in the nation .
But around the Mississippi Capitol , not wearing a mask — or wearing one pushed below the chin — was a bipartisan activity in recent weeks .
At the same time , plenty of other lawmakers from both parties covered their faces and took other precautions .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ least 10 people who work in the Capitol have been diagnosed with the virus , the state health officer said Wednesday .
“ If you have been in contact with anyone in the Legislature , or if you have been in contact with any staff person that works at the Legislature , you need to get tested , ” warned Republican Gov .
Tate Reeves , who has tested negative .
Reeves has urged people to wear masks and maintain social distancing , but he has not always done those things himself .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a deputy sheriff and while signing a bill to change the flag .
Republican Sen. Chad McMahan , who has tested negative , said Thursday that he washed his hands often and did his best to keep his distance from others at the Capitol .
But he skipped wearing a mask because “ it ’ s quite uncomfortable.
” Mississippi legislators — there were 172 most of this session — were supposed to meet from January through April but went home in mid-March because of the outbreak .
They returned briefly in May @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spending coronavirus relief money from the federal government .
From the start of the crisis , people entering the Capitol had to undergo a screening each day , with a temperature check and a few questions .
Chairs in committee rooms were spaced apart , hand sanitizer was widely available and signs told people to take precautions .
When legislators met in May , they took social distancing seriously .
Only a few people at a time were allowed on the House floor , with voting conducted in small groups , and senators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in their chamber .
Legislators were soon pulled into the flag debate , and the Capitol became crowded in late June with ministers , college coaches and others urging legislators to ditch the 126-year-old banner .
After the final votes , spectators cheered and hugged in the galleries , and legislators embraced and posed for photos .
A count by The Associated Press shows at least 73 lawmakers in 27 states have tested positive for the coronavirus since the outbreak began .
Three lawmakers have died , in Louisiana , Michigan and South @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all that you can do , there ’ s still a possibility that you can be infected with this , ” he said .
“ If you ’ re not practicing , following the guidelines from the CDC , then we ’ re basically playing Russian roulette with our health and our lives and the lives of our friends and families .
”

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JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Packed elevators and crowded committee rooms. Legislators sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on the House and Senate floor. People standing close to each other and talking, sometimes leaning in to whisper, without a mask in sight.
Those were common scenes at the Mississippi Capitol in June — a month that saw a historic vote to remove the Confederate emblem from the state flag — and now at least 26 lawmakers have been diagnosed with the coronavirus in the biggest known outbreak in any state legislature in the nation.
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That works out to about 1 in 7 Mississippi legislators.
Among those testing positive in the heavily Republican body are the GOP presiding officers, House Speaker Philip Gunn and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann.
None of the lawmakers has been hospitalized, according to state officials.
President Donald Trump has resisted wearing a mask, and many other Republicans around the country have cast face coverings and social distancing as an infringement on their freedom.
But around the Mississippi Capitol, not wearing a mask — or wearing one pushed below the chin — was a bipartisan activity in recent weeks. At the same time, plenty of other lawmakers from both parties covered their faces and took other precautions.
Mississippi has seen a rapid rise in confirmed cases in the past two weeks, with the total hitting nearly 33,600 by Wednesday, including at least 1,200 deaths.
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In addition to the legislators, at least 10 people who work in the Capitol have been diagnosed with the virus, the state health officer said Wednesday.
And the numbers could well be higher: The figures are based only on Health Department testing done in Jackson, including drive-thru testing Monday at the Capitol.
Some members were tested after returning to their hometowns beginning July 1.
“If you have been in contact with anyone in the Legislature, or if you have been in contact with any staff person that works at the Legislature, you need to get tested,” warned Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, who has tested negative.
Reeves has urged people to wear masks and maintain social distancing, but he has not always done those things himself. He went bare-faced at the funeral of a deputy sheriff and while signing a bill to change the flag.
Republican Sen. Chad McMahan, who has tested negative, said Thursday that he washed his hands often and did his best to keep his distance from others at the Capitol. But he skipped wearing a mask because “it’s quite uncomfortable.”
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Mississippi legislators — there were 172 most of this session — were supposed to meet from January through April but went home in mid-March because of the outbreak. They returned briefly in May during a feud with the governor over spending coronavirus relief money from the federal government.
From the start of the crisis, people entering the Capitol had to undergo a screening each day, with a temperature check and a few questions. Chairs in committee rooms were spaced apart, hand sanitizer was widely available and signs told people to take precautions.
When legislators met in May, they took social distancing seriously. Only a few people at a time were allowed on the House floor, with voting conducted in small groups, and senators had to sit far from each other in their chamber.
They returned in June, facing a July 1 deadline to write a state budget and handle other business. The longer they were together, the more the safety precautions slipped.
Legislators were soon pulled into the flag debate, and the Capitol became crowded in late June with ministers, college coaches and others urging legislators to ditch the 126-year-old banner. After the final votes, spectators cheered and hugged in the galleries, and legislators embraced and posed for photos.
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A count by The Associated Press shows at least 73 lawmakers in 27 states have tested positive for the coronavirus since the outbreak began. Three lawmakers have died, in Louisiana, Michigan and South Dakota.
In Mississippi, Democratic Rep. Tom Miles tested negative in recent days. His 60-year-old mother, who was an emergency room nurse, died of the virus May 1. Miles said he wore a mask at the Capitol.
“When you get in a fishbowl of people, you’re at risk,” Miles said.
Rep. John Faulkner, a Democrat, consistently wore a mask at the Capitol — one marked “8:46” to remember George Floyd, the African American man who died after a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes.
Faulkner posted a video to Facebook saying he tested positive and has had mild symptoms akin to a sinus infection with an occasional cough.
“Even if you do all that you can do, there’s still a possibility that you can be infected with this,” he said. “If you’re not practicing, following the guidelines from the CDC, then we’re basically playing Russian roulette with our health and our lives and the lives of our friends and families.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-11--U.S. Coronavirus Cases Surge To Record Levels For Third Day In A Row

( Reuters ) - New cases of COVID-19 rose by over 69,000 across the United States on Friday , according to a Reuters tally , setting a record for the third consecutive day as Walt Disney Co stuck to its plans to reopen its flagship theme park in hard-hit Florida .
In Texas , another hot zone , Governor Greg Abbott warned on Friday he may have to impose new clampdowns if the state can not stem its record-setting caseloads and hospitalizations through masks and social distancing .
“ If we don ’ t adopt this best practice it could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” the Republican governor told local KLBK-TV in Lubbock , adding it was the last thing he wanted .
California announced on Friday the state will release up to 8,000 inmates early from prisons to slow the spread of COVID-19 inside the facilities .
At San Quentin State Prison , outside San Francisco , half of the facility ’ s roughly 3,300 prisoners have tested positive for the virus .
The Walt Disney Co said the theme parks in Orlando would open on Saturday to a limited number of guests who along with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and undergo temperature checks .
The park also canceled parades , firework displays and events that typically draw crowds .
Roughly 19,000 people , including some theme park workers , have signed a petition asking Disney to delay the reopening .
The union representing 750 Walt Disney World performers has filed a grievance against the company , claiming retaliation against members over a union demand that they be tested for COVID-19 .
Florida remains one of the worst hotspots for the virus in the nation and is among a handful of states where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reuters analysis of fatalities in the last two weeks , compared with the prior two weeks .
On Thursday , the state reported a record 120 deaths and added another 92 on Friday .
It recorded 11,433 new coronavirus cases on Friday , just short of the state ’ s record , and nearly 7,000 hospitalizations .
More than four dozen hospitals in Florida have reported their intensive care units were full .
This month , Florida has repeatedly reported more new daily coronavirus cases than any European country had at the height @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DeSantis , a Republican , angered some residents and medical experts by calling the spike a “ blip ” .
On Friday , DeSantis said that the state would receive more than 17,000 vials of the antiviral drug remdesivir from the U.S. government , adding : “ That ’ ll be something that will hopefully help to improve patient outcomes.
” Scott Burkee , a 43-year-old former Disney employee from Davenport , Florida , said DeSantis “ has shown zero effort to control the spread , he only becomes concerned when Trump does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ control.
” The president has sparred with state and local officials and teachers unions over the reopening of schools and said on Friday the Treasury Department would re-examine the tax-exempt status and funding of those that remain closed .
Trump previously vowed to cut federal funding to the schools and eject foreign students attending universities in the United States unless their schools offer in-person classes .
Most education funds come from state and local coffers .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
(Reuters) - New cases of COVID-19 rose by over 69,000 across the United States on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, setting a record for the third consecutive day as Walt Disney Co stuck to its plans to reopen its flagship theme park in hard-hit Florida.
A total of nine U.S. states - Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, Ohio, Utah and Wisconsin - also reached records for single-day infections.
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In Texas, another hot zone, Governor Greg Abbott warned on Friday he may have to impose new clampdowns if the state cannot stem its record-setting caseloads and hospitalizations through masks and social distancing.
“If we don’t adopt this best practice it could lead to a shutdown of business,” the Republican governor told local KLBK-TV in Lubbock, adding it was the last thing he wanted.
California announced on Friday the state will release up to 8,000 inmates early from prisons to slow the spread of COVID-19 inside the facilities. At San Quentin State Prison, outside San Francisco, half of the facility’s roughly 3,300 prisoners have tested positive for the virus.
The Walt Disney Co said the theme parks in Orlando would open on Saturday to a limited number of guests who along with employees would be required to wear masks and undergo temperature checks. The park also canceled parades, firework displays and events that typically draw crowds.
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Disney’s chief medical officer said earlier this week she believed the rules would allow guests to visit the park safely.
Roughly 19,000 people, including some theme park workers, have signed a petition asking Disney to delay the reopening. The union representing 750 Walt Disney World performers has filed a grievance against the company, claiming retaliation against members over a union demand that they be tested for COVID-19.
Other theme parks opened in Orlando in June, including Comcast Corp’s Universal Studios Orlando and SeaWorld Entertainment Inc’s’ SeaWorld.
Florida remains one of the worst hotspots for the virus in the nation and is among a handful of states where deaths are rising, based on a Reuters analysis of fatalities in the last two weeks, compared with the prior two weeks.
On Thursday, the state reported a record 120 deaths and added another 92 on Friday. It recorded 11,433 new coronavirus cases on Friday, just short of the state’s record, and nearly 7,000 hospitalizations.
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ANTIVIRAL DRUG TO FLORIDA
More than four dozen hospitals in Florida have reported their intensive care units were full. This month, Florida has repeatedly reported more new daily coronavirus cases than any European country had at the height of their outbreaks. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, angered some residents and medical experts by calling the spike a “blip”.
On Friday, DeSantis said that the state would receive more than 17,000 vials of the antiviral drug remdesivir from the U.S. government, adding: “That’ll be something that will hopefully help to improve patient outcomes.”
Scott Burkee, a 43-year-old former Disney employee from Davenport, Florida, said DeSantis “has shown zero effort to control the spread, he only becomes concerned when Trump does. The virus is clearly out of control.”
Trump, a Republican, traveled to Florida on Friday for an event at the U.S. military’s Southern Command and a campaign fundraiser.
The president has sparred with state and local officials and teachers unions over the reopening of schools and said on Friday the Treasury Department would re-examine the tax-exempt status and funding of those that remain closed.
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Trump previously vowed to cut federal funding to the schools and eject foreign students attending universities in the United States unless their schools offer in-person classes. Most education funds come from state and local coffers.
The number of confirmed U.S. infections is over 3 million, according to a Reuters tally, stoking fears that hospitals will be overwhelmed.
Nearly 134,000 Americans have died, a toll that experts warn will likely surge along with the rise in cases.
Overall, coronavirus cases are rising in 44 American states, based on a Reuters analysis of cases for the past two weeks compared with the prior two weeks.
(Additional reporting by Susan Heavey, Maria Caspani, Gabriella Borter and Lisa Richwine; Writing by Alistair Bell and Dan Whitcomb; Editing Bill Tarrant and Daniel Wallis).


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-11--Phoenix, Texas Counties Order Morgue Trucks In Latest Grim Sign Of Rising COVID-19 Rates

“ That ’ s why we ’ re asking people to wear face masks , ” Nueces County Judge Barbara @ @ @ @ @ “ I am now having to order additional body bags and morgue trailers .
People @ @ @ @ @ it is.
” Morgues in Austin , Travis , Cameron and Hidalgo Counties now either @ @ @ @ @ dead , or have ordered them , The Texas Tribune reported .
A particularly chilling @ @ @ @ @ from COVID-19 at the height of the coronavirus surge in New York City were the @ @ @ @ @ up outside a number of hospitals .
Forklifts were used to transport some of the @ @ @ @ @ as relatives sobbed nearby .

“That’s why we’re asking people to wear face masks,” Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales told NBC affiliate KRIS-TV. “I am now having to order additional body bags and morgue trailers. People have to understand how real it is.”
Morgues in Texas’ Travis, Cameron and Hidalgo Counties now either have refrigerator trailers for the dead, or have ordered them, The Texas Tribune reported.
A particularly chilling sign of the death rates from COVID-19 at the height of the coronavirus surge in New York City were the white semi-trailer morgue trucks lined up outside a number of hospitals.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-11--I Am a Mom Who Desperately Wants Schools to Reopen. But Trump Isn’t Getting My Vote.

When the schools first closed down , my son took it in stride .
He thought the school-free days were merely another spring vacation .
Then the weeks wore on , and there was no school .
There were no friends , no teachers , no library , no movies , no bookstores , no restaurants and no playground .
My son began to realize that something was wrong .
He was stuck all day at home with only an iPad and an increasingly anxious mother to keep him company .
The happy socializing of his classroom and his patient @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t really know why .
My son is severely autistic .
He is 9 years old but communicates at a 3-year-old level .
He can not express complicated emotions verbally , so he has to resort to other means , such as pointing , silently giving me objects that he wants me to fix or sometimes simply screaming .
It is very difficult to explain to him that school is going to be out for a long time because of a disease .
He does not know why he can not see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the students with whom he adores socializing .
Taking away school is to my son a random , cruel twist of fate that feels like it dropped out of nowhere .
My son couldn ’ t tolerate it when he first saw the kind face of his teacher , Mrs. Thomas , looking out at him from the computer screen during virtual classes .
It was all wrong !
His teacher belonged at school !
He belonged at school !
School stuff didn ’ t belong at home !
As his teacher continued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he pointed to his teacher ’ s face , looked at me and said , “ Go to Mrs. Thomas !
Mrs. Thomas , please !
Go school Mrs. Thomas , please.
” The longing in his eyes broke my heart .
He was desperately hoping that with that “ please , ” I could magically restore school and friends and teachers the same way I could give him an extra scoop of ice cream if he asked nicely .
Not only does my son like to go to school , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most autistic children , he is vulnerable to regression with even a short time off from his classes and therapists .
Already parents in my Facebook support groups are reporting that their autistic children are becoming more emotionally volatile , less verbal , more self-stimulating and less responsive to directions .
Mothers online are lamenting how their children are wetting their beds , weeping uncontrollably or simply no longer speaking .
As the parents of autistic children , we can only watch helplessly as our sons and daughters regress .
“ Muhammed is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t understand what ’ s going on right now .
He doesn ’ t understand why he can ’ t go to school .
And school is one of his favorite places to go .
He doesn ’ t understand why he can ’ t go take a walk in the mall when that was one of his favorite things to do .
He doesn ’ t know why he can ’ t go to the park , why he can ’ t go down to the grocery store , ” Almaliti @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incredibly confused , in this time when we ’ re all confused , but he really doesn ’ t understand it.
” I heard Almaliti ’ s voice desperately trying not to crack into tears , and my own eyes welled up because I know exactly where she is emotionally .
It is hard enough to take care of neurotypical children , who are sad and anxious and frustrated during these closures .
There is an extra layer of sadness when it comes to caring for autistic children during the pandemic , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on .
They only know that suddenly a whole lot of good things have gone out of their lives .
It has not escaped my notice that these school closures are taking place during an election year .
Trump , an increasingly vulnerable incumbent in this race , is now demanding that schools open in the fall , going so far as to say he will “ cut off ” funding for schools that refuse to reopen .
Getting kids back to school , of course , means parents return to work , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidate reliant on a rejuvenated economy for reelection .
It also should be noted that women , especially mothers , are a coveted voter demographic in the upcoming presidential election .
Naturally , our grief during this national crisis has become a political bargaining chip .
But as much as I want to put my son on the school bus in the mornings with his backpack , I know that any return to school will be temporary without stringent measures in place to keep COVID-19 spikes at bay .
Unless the complicated apparatus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days and classroom rearrangement is implemented , we will pay for our one month of “ return to normalcy ” with six more months of closures .
And the Trump administration does not appear to have the patience , infrastructure or political will to put together the complex administrative machinery needed to safely reopen our schools .
Also , needless to say , threatening to cut off funding to public schools does not do a great deal to win the hearts and minds of mothers who desperately need these schools to help their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own infection rate climbs , and I see our government flail as people die in overcrowded ICUs , I see how necessary it is that we vote out Trump and everyone in his administration who have let us down so badly .
Only by voting in a competent administration run by people willing to listen to health care experts can we finally send our children back to school .

My son and me. Photo Courtesy of Phoebe Cohen
One morning in April, I woke up to my son standing by my bed. He was carrying his backpack. His eyes were sad, and his little mouth was trembling.
“School,” he said. “Time to go.”
This was heartbreaking because school had already been out for two weeks as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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When the schools first closed down, my son took it in stride. He thought the school-free days were merely another spring vacation. Then the weeks wore on, and there was no school. There were no friends, no teachers, no library, no movies, no bookstores, no restaurants and no playground.
My son began to realize that something was wrong. He was stuck all day at home with only an iPad and an increasingly anxious mother to keep him company. The happy socializing of his classroom and his patient teachers were gone, and he didn’t really know why.
My son is severely autistic. He is 9 years old but communicates at a 3-year-old level. He cannot express complicated emotions verbally, so he has to resort to other means, such as pointing, silently giving me objects that he wants me to fix or sometimes simply screaming.
It is very difficult to explain to him that school is going to be out for a long time because of a disease. He does not know why he cannot see the teachers he loves and be around the students with whom he adores socializing. Taking away school is to my son a random, cruel twist of fate that feels like it dropped out of nowhere.
Advertisement
My son couldn’t tolerate it when he first saw the kind face of his teacher, Mrs. Thomas, looking out at him from the computer screen during virtual classes. It was all wrong! His teacher belonged at school! He belonged at school! School stuff didn’t belong at home!
As his teacher continued to talk to him from the screen, he pointed to his teacher’s face, looked at me and said, “Go to Mrs. Thomas! Mrs. Thomas, please! Go school Mrs. Thomas, please.” The longing in his eyes broke my heart. He was desperately hoping that with that “please,” I could magically restore school and friends and teachers the same way I could give him an extra scoop of ice cream if he asked nicely.
Not only does my son like to go to school, he also relies on it. As with most autistic children, he is vulnerable to regression with even a short time off from his classes and therapists.
All children get a bit behind during long school breaks, but autistic children are at a greater risk of going backward in terms of not only their academic skills but also basic socializing, emotional development and overall day-to-day functioning.
Already parents in my Facebook support groups are reporting that their autistic children are becoming more emotionally volatile, less verbal, more self-stimulating and less responsive to directions. Mothers online are lamenting how their children are wetting their beds, weeping uncontrollably or simply no longer speaking. As the parents of autistic children, we can only watch helplessly as our sons and daughters regress.
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Feda Almaliti is the vice president of the National Council on Severe Autism. Her son, Mohammed, is 15 years old and has severe autism. On May 22, Almaliti gave an emotional interview on NPR. She described what the lack of school was like for her son.
“Muhammed is an energetic, loving boy who doesn’t understand what’s going on right now. He doesn’t understand why he can’t go to school. And school is one of his favorite places to go. He doesn’t understand why he can’t go take a walk in the mall when that was one of his favorite things to do. He doesn’t know why he can’t go to the park, why he can’t go down to the grocery store,” Almaliti said. “So he’s incredibly confused, in this time when we’re all confused, but he really doesn’t understand it.”
I heard Almaliti’s voice desperately trying not to crack into tears, and my own eyes welled up because I know exactly where she is emotionally. It is hard enough to take care of neurotypical children, who are sad and anxious and frustrated during these closures. There is an extra layer of sadness when it comes to caring for autistic children during the pandemic, who simply do not understand what is going on. They only know that suddenly a whole lot of good things have gone out of their lives.
It has not escaped my notice that these school closures are taking place during an election year. Trump, an increasingly vulnerable incumbent in this race, is now demanding that schools open in the fall, going so far as to say he will “cut off” funding for schools that refuse to reopen.
Getting kids back to school, of course, means parents return to work, an issue that is crucial to a candidate reliant on a rejuvenated economy for reelection. It also should be noted that women, especially mothers, are a coveted voter demographic in the upcoming presidential election. Naturally, our grief during this national crisis has become a political bargaining chip.
Advertisement
But as much as I want to put my son on the school bus in the mornings with his backpack, I know that any return to school will be temporary without stringent measures in place to keep COVID-19 spikes at bay.
Unless the complicated apparatus of contact tracing teams, spaced-out school days and classroom rearrangement is implemented, we will pay for our one month of “return to normalcy” with six more months of closures. And the Trump administration does not appear to have the patience, infrastructure or political will to put together the complex administrative machinery needed to safely reopen our schools. Also, needless to say, threatening to cut off funding to public schools does not do a great deal to win the hearts and minds of mothers who desperately need these schools to help their children’s development.
As the days crawl by, I see my son wake up, eat breakfast and listlessly do his summer schoolwork while poking at his iPad. I watch the international news enviously. Across the world I see competent governance taking place as Canada, Europe, New Zealand and South Korea slowly, carefully reopen with their contact tracing teams in place and their COVID-19 infection curves wonderfully flat.
As our own infection rate climbs, and I see our government flail as people die in overcrowded ICUs, I see how necessary it is that we vote out Trump and everyone in his administration who have let us down so badly. Only by voting in a competent administration run by people willing to listen to health care experts can we finally send our children back to school.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-11--After Falling For Months, U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Per Day Are Ticking Up Again

The number of deaths per day from the virus had been falling for months , and even remained down as states like Florida and Texas saw explosions in cases and hospitalizations — and reported daily U.S. infections broke records several times in recent days .
Scientists warned it wouldn ’ t last .
A coronavirus death , when it occurs , typically comes several weeks after a person is first infected .
And experts predicted states that saw increases in cases and hospitalizations would , at some point , see deaths rise too .
Now that ’ s happening .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ data from Johns Hopkins University , the seven-day rolling average for daily reported deaths in the U.S. has increased from 578 two weeks ago to 664 on July 10 — still well below the heights hit in April .
Daily reported deaths increased in 27 states over that time period , but the majority of those states are averaging under 15 new deaths per day .
A smaller group of states has been driving the nationwide increase in deaths .
California is averaging 91 reported deaths per day while Texas is close behind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Illinois , New Jersey and South Carolina also saw sizable rises .
New Jersey ’ s recent jump is thought to be partially attributable to its less frequent reporting of probable deaths .
“ I counted like 10 patients in less than four days in our ICU and then I stopped doing that because there were so many , ” said the 41-year-old nurse at Kendall Regional Medical Center who lost another patient Monday .
Deaths first began mounting in the U.S. in March .
About two dozen deaths were being reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
By late in the month , hundreds were being reported each day , and in April thousands .
Most happened in New York , New Jersey and elsewhere in the Northeast .
Deaths were so high there because it was a new virus tearing through a densely populated area , and it quickly swept through vulnerable groups of people in nursing homes and other places , said Perry Halkitis , the dean of the Rutgers University School of Public Health in New Jersey .
Researchers now expect deaths to rise for at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the count probably will not go up as dramatically as it did in the spring — for several reasons .
First , testing was extremely limited early in the pandemic , and it ’ s become clear that unrecognized infections were spreading on subways , in nursing homes and in other public places before anyone knew exactly what was going on .
Now testing is more widespread , and the magnitude of outbreaks is becoming better understood .
Second , many people ’ s health behaviors have changed , with mask-wearing becoming more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is no vaccine yet , hospitals are also getting better at treating patients .
Another factor , tragically , is that deadly new viruses often tear through vulnerable populations first , such as the elderly and people already weakened by other health conditions .
That means that , in the Northeast at least , “ many of the vulnerable people have already died , ” Halkitis said .
Now , the U.S. is likely in for “ a much longer , slower burn , ” Hanage , the Harvard researcher , said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ see as many deaths ( as in the spring ) .
But we ’ re going to see a total number of deaths , which is going to be large .
”

LOADING ERROR LOADING
NEW YORK (AP) — A long-expected upturn in U.S. coronavirus deaths has begun, driven by fatalities in states in the South and West, according to data on the pandemic.
The number of deaths per day from the virus had been falling for months, and even remained down as states like Florida and Texas saw explosions in cases and hospitalizations — and reported daily U.S. infections broke records several times in recent days.
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Scientists warned it wouldn’t last. A coronavirus death, when it occurs, typically comes several weeks after a person is first infected. And experts predicted states that saw increases in cases and hospitalizations would, at some point, see deaths rise too. Now that’s happening.
“It’s consistently picking up. And it’s picking up at the time you’d expect it to,” said William Hanage, a Harvard University infectious diseases researcher.
Cars wait in line at the coronavirus (COVID-19) drive up testing site set up at the Miami Beach Convention Center as Florida shatters records with over 11K new COVID-19 cases in single day on July 10, 2020 in Miami Beach, Florida. mpi04/MediaPunch/MediaPunch/IPx
According to an Associated Press analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University, the seven-day rolling average for daily reported deaths in the U.S. has increased from 578 two weeks ago to 664 on July 10 — still well below the heights hit in April. Daily reported deaths increased in 27 states over that time period, but the majority of those states are averaging under 15 new deaths per day. A smaller group of states has been driving the nationwide increase in deaths.
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California is averaging 91 reported deaths per day while Texas is close behind with 66, but Florida, Arizona, Illinois, New Jersey and South Carolina also saw sizable rises. New Jersey’s recent jump is thought to be partially attributable to its less frequent reporting of probable deaths.
The impact has already been felt by families who lost kin — and by the health care workers who tried to save them.
Rublas Ruiz, a Miami intensive care unit nurse, recently broke down in tears during a birthday dinner with his wife and daughter. He said he was overcome by the number of patients who have died in his care.
“I counted like 10 patients in less than four days in our ICU and then I stopped doing that because there were so many,” said the 41-year-old nurse at Kendall Regional Medical Center who lost another patient Monday.
The virus has killed more than 130,000 people in the U.S. and more than a half-million worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University, though the true numbers are believed to be higher.
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Deaths first began mounting in the U.S. in March. About two dozen deaths were being reported daily in the middle of that month. By late in the month, hundreds were being reported each day, and in April thousands. Most happened in New York, New Jersey and elsewhere in the Northeast.
Deaths were so high there because it was a new virus tearing through a densely populated area, and it quickly swept through vulnerable groups of people in nursing homes and other places, said Perry Halkitis, the dean of the Rutgers University School of Public Health in New Jersey.
Many of the infections occurred before government officials imposed stay-at-home orders and other social-distancing measures. The daily death toll started falling in mid-April — and continued to fall until about a week ago.
Researchers now expect deaths to rise for at least some weeks, but some think the count probably will not go up as dramatically as it did in the spring — for several reasons.
First, testing was extremely limited early in the pandemic, and it’s become clear that unrecognized infections were spreading on subways, in nursing homes and in other public places before anyone knew exactly what was going on. Now testing is more widespread, and the magnitude of outbreaks is becoming better understood.
Advertisement
Second, many people’s health behaviors have changed, with mask-wearing becoming more common in some places. Although there is no vaccine yet, hospitals are also getting better at treating patients.
Another factor, tragically, is that deadly new viruses often tear through vulnerable populations first, such as the elderly and people already weakened by other health conditions. That means that, in the Northeast at least, “many of the vulnerable people have already died,” Halkitis said.
Now, the U.S. is likely in for “a much longer, slower burn,” Hanage, the Harvard researcher, said. “We’re not going to see as many deaths (as in the spring). But we’re going to see a total number of deaths, which is going to be large.”
In Houston, Gregory Compean, who owns the Compean Funeral Home, is already seeing the effects. He says it’s odd when he receives a call for someone who didn’t die from the coronavirus.
Families these days, he says, aren’t pushing back on restrictions placed on services.
“Their eyes are wide open, and they’re afraid,” he said. “They’re wanting to cooperate, and I think everyone is concerned at this point because the numbers are going through the roof.”
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Kristin Urquiza is worried things may get dramatically worse soon, in at least some cities. Like Phoenix, where her 65-year-old father died recently.
When the dangers of the virus first became known, Mark Anthony Urquiza, a quality assurance inspector, took precautions such as wearing a face mask and staying home as much as possible, his daughter said.
But that changed after Gov. Doug Ducey ended Arizona’s stay-at-home order on May 15, eased restrictions on businesses, and initially blocked local lawmakers from requiring residents to wear masks.
By June 11, the elder Urquiza had developed a fever and cough. He was hospitalized and eventually placed on a ventilator. He died June 30.
“His life was robbed. I believe that terrible leadership and flawed policies put my father’s life in the balance,” Kristin Urquiza said in an interview with The Associated Press.
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Ducey, a Republican, has more recently changed direction, closing many businesses and allowing mayors to make mask-wearing mandatory.
But Kristin Urquiza is worried. Her father received the care at a time when beds in intensive care units were readily available. Now some Arizona ICUs are becoming swamped.
“Other families are not going to be reassured the hospitals will have the capacity to give (coronavirus) victims the dignity and the health care that they deserve. And that breaks my heart,” she said.
___
Associated Press writers Kelli Kennedy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Jamie Stengle in Dallas contributed to this report.
___