thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-11--The New School Suspension: Blocked From Online Classrooms

Audrey Taito , a rising fourth-grader in Sacramento , California , can ’ t say exactly what she did to get her school email account blocked in the spring .
She ’ s only 9 .
Online learning was new to her , and she found the technology confusing .
Her teacher and school principal say she bombarded the district ’ s tech support department with requests , but she doesn ’ t remember it like that .
She thinks she might have sent too many messages to a friend in a private chatroom , triggering some sort of automatic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s email account for only about two hours “ after inappropriate emails were sent to our district IT staff from the account , ” wrote spokesperson Tara Gallegos .
Audrey could still participate in other online learning activities .
However , email exchanges between Dunn-Nasr and the district show that she was never told when Audrey ’ s email privileges would be restored , and Audrey says she had difficulty submitting assignments for weeks after .
As many schools around the country plan to start remotely in the coming weeks , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country are grappling with school discipline from afar .
Some are dealing with incidents of misbehavior on a case-by-case basis , others are adding addendums to their typical codes of conduct that specifically address online learning , and some are planning to virtually replicate the consequences students have faced in the past .
In Sacramento , students had to sign a contract governing rules for school computer use , though Audrey was using a personal device at the time , she said .
Advocates say they are worried schools will use exclusionary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are already more likely to disconnect from their classroom and learning gains are fragile .
The switch to remote learning is also happening at the same time many school districts , in the wake of protests against racist police violence , are analyzing how they punish students , particularly as it relates to the issue of school policing .
“ When I could not reach you to discuss this concern , I ask that her email account be temporarily suspended until I had the opportunity to let you know what happened and how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from students who needed the technical support the services are designed to give , ” wrote the school principal in an email to Dunn-Nasr .
“ I simply need her to understand that our Tech Support resources are valuable and limited .
Every moment our Tech Support is dealing with an issue that should not have been sent to them in the first place , takes time away from students who are struggling with the many real technical problems that are present with the launch of Distant Learning , ” the principal wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ HuffPost .
“ We know that the best strategy for dealing with inappropriate behavior is to prevent those behaviors from happening in the first place , ” Egbuna said , noting that most transgressions will result in outreach from a teacher , and then , if necessary , a support team to understand the root of whatever might be causing the misbehavior .
“ Everybody is going through some type of trauma , ” she noted .

Audrey Taito, a rising fourth-grader in Sacramento, California, can’t say exactly what she did to get her school email account blocked in the spring. She’s only 9. Online learning was new to her, and she found the technology confusing. Her teacher and school principal say she bombarded the district’s tech support department with requests, but she doesn’t remember it like that. She thinks she might have sent too many messages to a friend in a private chatroom, triggering some sort of automatic spam response.
She does remember the shame and confusion she felt when her teacher wrote to her indicating that she was in trouble, and that she would hate to have to mute Audrey’s account. Later, her email account was blocked.
Audrey worried that she had been suspended from school, even while at home.
“I don’t want to go back to school because they embarrass me a lot,” Audrey, who attends elementary school in the Sacramento City Unified School District, said while snuggling up against her mother, Rashida Dunn-Nasr, a professional caregiver, and rubbing her face into a blanket. She and her mother spoke to HuffPost via Zoom.
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The district blocked Audrey’s email account for only about two hours “after inappropriate emails were sent to our district IT staff from the account,” wrote spokesperson Tara Gallegos. Audrey could still participate in other online learning activities. However, email exchanges between Dunn-Nasr and the district show that she was never told when Audrey’s email privileges would be restored, and Audrey says she had difficulty submitting assignments for weeks after.
As many schools around the country plan to start remotely in the coming weeks, the incident is representative of how districts around the country are grappling with school discipline from afar. Some are dealing with incidents of misbehavior on a case-by-case basis, others are adding addendums to their typical codes of conduct that specifically address online learning, and some are planning to virtually replicate the consequences students have faced in the past. In Sacramento, students had to sign a contract governing rules for school computer use, though Audrey was using a personal device at the time, she said.
Advocates say they are worried schools will use exclusionary discipline practices at a time when children are already more likely to disconnect from their classroom and learning gains are fragile. The switch to remote learning is also happening at the same time many school districts, in the wake of protests against racist police violence, are analyzing how they punish students, particularly as it relates to the issue of school policing.
In emails, the principal of Audrey’s school wrote that she had tried to call Dunn-Nasr but that the call had gone to an already full mailbox. She then moved to suspend Audrey’s email account.
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“When I could not reach you to discuss this concern, I ask that her email account be temporarily suspended until I had the opportunity to let you know what happened and how this behavior was draining our limited resources from students who needed the technical support the services are designed to give,” wrote the school principal in an email to Dunn-Nasr.
“I simply need her to understand that our Tech Support resources are valuable and limited. Every moment our Tech Support is dealing with an issue that should not have been sent to them in the first place, takes time away from students who are struggling with the many real technical problems that are present with the launch of Distant Learning,” the principal wrote in a subsequent message, provided to HuffPost.
The district says suspension of email accounts is standard practice when an account is generating suspicious activity ― a staff member even had their account briefly suspended.
But the whole incident made Audrey feel further disconnected from school at a time when she was already destabilized and receiving substantially less instruction than she otherwise would have.
“After that experience, Audrey was very upset, crying, very frightened that she had done something really awful,” Dunn-Nasr said. “She’s never ever gotten in trouble at any school.”
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Audrey Taito, 9, is a student in the Sacramento City Unified School District. She had her email account blocked briefly in the spring. Courtesy Rashida Dunn-Nasr
As districts consider discipline for students during remote learning, some are using the same processes they typically rely on in the classroom. Others say the moment calls for revising their rulebook.
Superintendent W. Burke Royster in Greenville, South Carolina, wrote in an email that his district’s schools will “replicate the consequences students have received in the past for various levels of discipline.”
“Administrative referral, conferences with parents, and the use of interventionists and social workers to try to re-direct or correct poor behavior will all be potential responses to on-going class management issues,” he wrote. More serious misbehaviors will result in “virtual suspensions,” referrals to an alternative education program, or in the worst of cases, expulsions.
Maureen Egbuna, director of the Department of Student Discipline, Prevention and Intervention in Georgia’s Clayton County Public Schools, said her district’s schools are newly incorporating social-emotional learning curriculum into classes to help students cope with the impact of COVID-19, in an effort to ultimately help prevent misconduct.
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“We know that the best strategy for dealing with inappropriate behavior is to prevent those behaviors from happening in the first place,” Egbuna said, noting that most transgressions will result in outreach from a teacher, and then, if necessary, a support team to understand the root of whatever might be causing the misbehavior. “Everybody is going through some type of trauma,” she noted.
Only the most serious of transgressions, the ones that consistently disrupt instruction, will result in removing a child from a virtual classroom. In these cases, in-school or out-of-school suspensions may become necessary, she said, though they will look different than in years past.
During in-school suspensions, children will congregate in a virtual classroom with other students facing the same punishment. During out-of-school suspensions, children will likely have their own virtual classroom and be given a link with assignments to complete, Egbuna said.
The district has also set up a system allowing students to reach a school support team directly, in case they’re having issues at home or facing any other challenges that would prevent them from successfully attending school. The team is guaranteed to respond within 24 hours.
“We don’t want to lose any of them, particularly in this climate,” Egbuna said.
Audrey with her mother, Rashida Dunn-Nasr, who is considering home schooling for her kids after an online school disciplinary incident with Audrey in the spring. Courtesy Rashida Dunn-Nasr
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But of the many challenges school districts have had to consider as they manage reopening plans, whether it be virtual or in-person, school discipline may be far down on the list, worries Cami Anderson, founder of The Discipline Revolution Project, an initiative dedicated to helping schools find more positive approaches to punishment.
Anderson emphasizes that students are going to inevitably engage in more conflict this year, after months at home, living through the collective trauma of COVID-19. Black children in particular, who often disproportionately face harsh punishments in school, have also had to watch public incidents of lethal police violence play out.
“You’re going to have a lot more incidents and conflict and difficulty … yet the time that’s being spent to think that piece through doesn’t feel adequate,” Anderson said.
Anderson has already heard of several egregious examples of kids getting punished for appearing on Zoom without wearing their uniforms or for failing to properly submit their work online, but she’s also heard of kids acting willfully inappropriate on camera. She’s been working with partners to talk through each scenario and imagine ways to keep students learning, despite the challenges.
Schools are likely to continue the habits they made before the pandemic: If they were quick to punish students before, that’s only been heightened, while if they had support structures in place to help keep students in the classroom, that’s continued as well.
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But amid a litany of unprecedented questions, she understands that school leaders are overwhelmed and drowning in challenges.
It’s a “lack of access to good information, confusion, struggle, not willful acts of not wanting to do the right thing. And frankly if it is, it’s our job to do everything humanly possible to connect with every family and get them instructional minutes by every means necessary,” she said.
In California at least, a group of school discipline attorneys recently wrote to the governor asking him to take actions that would stop schools from expelling students during the pandemic and that all expulsion referrals from pre-coronavirus times be rescinded. However, without a groundswell of support, the effort faltered, said Oscar Lopez, interim director of the education advocacy clinic at East Bay Community Law Center.
“It would be great if during the fall period the practice of excluding students from Zoom classrooms is prohibited,” Lopez said.
The punishment Audrey faced has had a lasting impact on her view of school. She doesn’t want to sign back on in the fall. Her mother is considering home schooling her for the time being after this incident and others involving Audrey’s siblings made her lose trust in the district.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-11--Trump CHOSE YOU, His Most Patriotic Supporter, To Receive Constant Scammy Texts

Because of minimal government regulation around text messages , political campaigns are able to text thousands of people per hour , including people who didn ’ t sign up for the messages .
People are far more likely to read their texts than they are to open campaign emails ( which often end up in spam folders ) or answer phone calls from unknown numbers .
Bernie Sanders ’ 2016 team pioneered campaign texting to recruit volunteers and promote events , and it ’ s quickly become a widespread practice for political campaigns .
The only law that meaningfully restricts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Protection Act of 1991 , which prohibits the use of an automated phone dialing system on people who have not consented to the calls and has since been applied to text messages .
When political campaigns first started doing outreach via text , they sent blast messages from a five- or six-digit shortcode that required recipients to opt in .
During the 2016 Democratic primary race , the Sanders team took advantage of newly developed peer-to-peer messaging platforms that made it possible for campaigns to legally text thousands of people per hour without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ manually press “ send ” on each message .
It proved an extremely effective way to reach voters .
Peer-to-peer text companies say the texts they send get read by at least 95 % of recipients and are far more likely than email to convince people to complete the ask .
The Trump campaign is using a combination of short-code texts ( from 880-22 ) and peer-to-peer texts from various toll-free 10-digit numbers starting with 855 .
Most political campaigns use short-code blasts — which can be sent en masse from an autodialer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for one-sided requests for donations .
Peer-to-peer texts , which can be manually sent to anyone , are usually used to initiate back-and-forth conversations .
“ But the actual value , the thing that Hustle inadvertently discovered , was that there was this TCPA loophole that let you text without an opt in , ” said a person involved in the peer-to-peer regulatory process .
Referring to Opn Sesame , one of the main peer-to-peer text companies that cater to conservative political groups , the person added , “ they built their stuff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , this is human — but let ’ s optimize for this loophole so we can text people without an opt in ’ because there was a clear ROI to doing that.
” Until recently , there was almost no federal guidance on the legality of this loophole .
Advocates of the platform argued that because each message required human intervention to send , it did not meet the definition of auto-dialing and could be used to text people without their consent .
But without guidance from the Federal Communications Commission , cell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anti-spam fines by allowing the messages to go through .
After years of uncertainty , the FCC ruled in favor of the peer-to-peer text industry on June 25 .
“ The fact that a calling platform or other equipment is used to make calls or send texts to a large volume of telephone numbers is not determinative of whether that equipment constitutes an autodialer under the TCPA , ” the FCC ruled .
“ Instead , we make clear that if a calling platform is not capable of originating a call or sending @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affirmatively manually dialing each one , that platform is not an autodialer and calls or texts made using it are not subject to the TCPA ’ s restrictions on calls and texts to wireless phones.
” The risk of losing access to voters via text — even for a few days — is particularly threatening during the pandemic , which has forced campaigns to pull back on in-person organizing and fundraising .
“ Especially in COVID time , the places where we campaign and reach voters are owned and operated by private companies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ messages and phones , social media networks , the internet — it is within the power of private companies to restrict campaigns ’ access to voters .
”

Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/HuffPost
“CONFIDENTIAL: DON’T SHARE,” the Trump campaign texted me last month. “Pres. Trump requested your input on some key issues. We’ll send your answers to his desk in 1 HOUR.”
“Take Survey NOW,” the text continued, linking to a survey with questions like:
As of today, who will you vote for in 2020?
President Trump
A Socialist Fraud
When I completed the survey, I was directed to a page asking me to donate between $42 and $2,800.
The Trump campaign sends multiple texts like these every day to me and millions of Americans whose numbers have ended up in the campaign’s database — often without the consent of the recipient.
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Some of the texts are designed to make you feel special, like an extra-patriotic member of an exclusive club. They’ll dangle offers of signed MAGA hats or fancy dinners with the president, which no one appears to have ever won. “LAST DAY to accept your personal invitation to dinner with Pres. Trump in New York,” one campaign text advertised. “He’s waiting on your response, Jessica. Donate & WIN.”
For people who aren’t motivated by gimmicky contests, the campaign also utilizes shame: “Pres Trump noticed you ignored his text, Jessica. Your name’s still MISSING on the End of Month list. Donate in NEXT HOUR for a 6X-MATCH.”
Because of minimal government regulation around text messages, political campaigns are able to text thousands of people per hour, including people who didn’t sign up for the messages. People are far more likely to read their texts than they are to open campaign emails (which often end up in spam folders) or answer phone calls from unknown numbers. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 team pioneered campaign texting to recruit volunteers and promote events, and it’s quickly become a widespread practice for political campaigns.
But the president has turned his texting effort, which is central to his reelection plan, into a semi-legal grift of true Trumpian proportions. His campaign, which says it will send nearly a billion texts this year, has seized on limited regulation to spam potential voters and donors with a steady barrage of texts aimed at scaring, tricking or shaming people into forking over some cash.
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The Trump campaign is testing the boundaries of what’s allowed — and by funneling money through obscure consulting companies, it has managed to avoid publicly disclosing how much it is paying for its texting operation and to which vendor, a possible violation of campaign finance law.
The texts are easy to mock — especially the ones featuring failson Donald Trump Jr. pleading for money on behalf of his father.
In reality, there does not appear to be any matching mechanism — the Trump campaign has never revealed who these supposed benefactors are, and even if they exist, their matching efforts would very quickly run up against the Federal Election Commission’s $2,800 limit for individuals contributing to a candidate committee per election.
That might seem like an obvious scam, and even some Trump supporters have fretted on Twitter that the texts harassing people for not giving enough money could alienate voters.
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But people who tweet obsessively about politics are not the target audience for these texts — and based on the sheer number of messages the campaign continues to send, the messages appear to be working.
“It’s a master class in how to persuade people to take action,” Eric Wilson, a Republican digital strategist, said in an interview. “There’s a very clear call to action, there’s a sense of urgency.”
And at least some Democratic operatives are worried that the Trump texting operation is actually much savvier than it appears. “This may be an unpopular opinion, but they’re very good,” a person who has worked on peer-to-peer texting efforts for Democratic candidates said in an interview. “It’s so smart,” they said, referring to the texts promoting unwinnable perks. “People totally believe it.”
The only law that meaningfully restricts political text campaigns is the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991, which prohibits the use of an automated phone dialing system on people who have not consented to the calls and has since been applied to text messages. When political campaigns first started doing outreach via text, they sent blast messages from a five- or six-digit shortcode that required recipients to opt in.
During the 2016 Democratic primary race, the Sanders team took advantage of newly developed peer-to-peer messaging platforms that made it possible for campaigns to legally text thousands of people per hour without their consent by requiring an individual to manually press “send” on each message. It proved an extremely effective way to reach voters. Peer-to-peer text companies say the texts they send get read by at least 95% of recipients and are far more likely than email to convince people to complete the ask.
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“It’s the last spam-free inbox,” Rory McShane, a Republican political consultant, said in a March interview.
The Trump campaign is using a combination of short-code texts (from 880-22) and peer-to-peer texts from various toll-free 10-digit numbers starting with 855. Most political campaigns use short-code blasts — which can be sent en masse from an autodialer to people who have opted in — for one-sided requests for donations. Peer-to-peer texts, which can be manually sent to anyone, are usually used to initiate back-and-forth conversations.
But the Trump campaign’s shortcode texts are indistinguishable from its peer-to-peer texts. Instead of using peer-to-peer technology to initiate a dialogue with voters, the campaign appears to be using it as a way to spam people who didn’t sign up for this.
The pioneers of peer-to-peer texting promoted the platform’s facilitation of personal back-and-forth conversations as the key benefit of the technology. “People, it turns out, respond positively to other people, in a way they don’t to automated mail-sending robots,” said Roddy Lindsay, a co-founder of Hustle, the peer-to-peer platform used by the Sanders campaign.
“But the actual value, the thing that Hustle inadvertently discovered, was that there was this TCPA loophole that let you text without an opt in,” said a person involved in the peer-to-peer regulatory process. Referring to Opn Sesame, one of the main peer-to-peer text companies that cater to conservative political groups, the person added, “they built their stuff more like, ‘This is cool, this is human — but let’s optimize for this loophole so we can text people without an opt in’ because there was a clear ROI to doing that.”
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The Trump campaign did not respond to requests for comment.
“Instead of using peer-to-peer technology to initiate a dialogue with voters, the Trump campaign appears to be using it as a way to spam people who didn’t sign up for this.”
Until recently, there was almost no federal guidance on the legality of this loophole. Advocates of the platform argued that because each message required human intervention to send, it did not meet the definition of auto-dialing and could be used to text people without their consent. But without guidance from the Federal Communications Commission, cell phone companies were unsure whether they risked anti-spam fines by allowing the messages to go through.
After years of uncertainty, the FCC ruled in favor of the peer-to-peer text industry on June 25. “The fact that a calling platform or other equipment is used to make calls or send texts to a large volume of telephone numbers is not determinative of whether that equipment constitutes an autodialer under the TCPA,” the FCC ruled. “Instead, we make clear that if a calling platform is not capable of originating a call or sending a text without a person actively and affirmatively manually dialing each one, that platform is not an autodialer and calls or texts made using it are not subject to the TCPA’s restrictions on calls and texts to wireless phones.”
Perhaps emboldened by the FCC ruling, the Trump campaign sent out a barrage of text messages during the July 4th weekend before the major cellphone companies started blocking the texts from going through. The battle between the president’s reelection campaign and telecom giants took five days to resolve, Politico reported.
The risk of losing access to voters via text — even for a few days — is particularly threatening during the pandemic, which has forced campaigns to pull back on in-person organizing and fundraising. “Especially in COVID time, the places where we campaign and reach voters are owned and operated by private companies,” Wilson said. “Text messages and phones, social media networks, the internet — it is within the power of private companies to restrict campaigns’ access to voters.”
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For such a massive operation, there is a notable lack of transparency about who is actually running it. Gary Coby, the Trump campaign’s digital director, is also the CEO of Opn Sesame. The Republican National Committee, which has sent texts frantically warning that Biden wants to “Defund Police & Abolish America!” has paid Opn Sesame $4 million since January of last year for “list acquisition” and “voter registration services,” according to FEC filings.
Although the Trump campaign is likely using Opn Sesame’s services, it has not reported any payments to Coby’s company in FEC filings. Instead, the campaign has reported paying $6.8 million to an LLC called American Made Media Consultants for services described as “SMS.”
The Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan watchdog group, documented the payments in an FEC complaint last month, accusing the Trump campaign of laundering nearly $170 million of campaign spending through companies that disburse payments to the campaign’s vendors — making it impossible for the public to know who the campaign is paying for services and how much it’s paying.
It’s unclear whether the Trump campaign’s texting strategy will shift from one-sided pleas for donations to two-sided conversations about voter turnout as Election Day gets closer. As with any technology platform, peer-to-peer texting is ripe for abuse. Some industry experts on the left fear that the Trump team could lean on texts to spread disinformation about the election and incite violence against political opponents, as the president has done on Facebook and Twitter.
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In addition to using texting to persuade and turn out voters, “I would venture a bet that the messages they send out on that will be racist, nationalistic, fear-mongering,” said a longtime Democratic campaign operative who used to work at the peer-to-peer texting platform Hustle. “Like, ‘We need you to turn out and vote! The Democrats are trying to steal this election! Immigrants are bringing coronavirus into the US.’”
What’s even scarier, the former Hustle employee said, is the ability for Trump-aligned actors to send anonymous, untraceable mass texts. Anyone can purchase thousands of phone numbers from a company like Twilio and pay for them using different credit cards.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-11--Obama Says It's 'A Good Day For Our Country' After Kamala Harris Picked For VP

“ Michelle and I couldn ’ t be more thrilled for Kamala , Doug , Cole and Ella , ” @ @ @ @ @ , referring to her husband , Doug Emhoff , and stepchildren .
“ This is @ @ @ @ @ country .
Now let ’ s go win this thing.
” Biden and Harris are @ @ @ @ @ public remarks together Wednesday in Delaware .

“Michelle and I couldn’t be more thrilled for Kamala, Doug, Cole and Ella,” Obama said in his statement, referring to her husband, Doug Emhoff, and stepchildren. “This is a good day for our country. Now let’s go win this thing.”
Biden and Harris are scheduled to deliver their first public remarks together Wednesday in Delaware.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-11--Watchdog: Labor Department Falling Down On Enforcing COVID-19 Sick Leave Law

At a time when workers around the country are increasingly desperate to hang on to their jobs , the Department of Labor , led by Eugene Scalia , is failing to enforce the benefits and protections they ’ re entitled to at work .
The Labor Department ’ s Wage and Hour Division has not done enough to raise awareness of ― or enforce ― a new paid sick leave law passed to deal with COVID-19 , according to a report from the department ’ s Office of the Inspector General released publicly Tuesday .
The watchdog report , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also seems to side with a recent court ruling that found the Labor Department left out too many workers when it wrote the rules around the paid sick leave law .
And , the report says , the department is also doing less than usual to enforce the Fair Labor Standards Act , which covers minimum wage and overtime laws .
Part of the issue is that investigators at the Labor Department are working remotely and not able to go out into the field and inspect workplaces , according to the report .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hour Division would investigate more than half of the complaints it got on overtime pay and minimum wage laws “ on-site , ” meaning investigators would visit workplaces .
Now , only about 19 % of such complaints are given this kind of attention .
But there are other problems : The department has not put together any kind of plan for how to deal with these limitations , for starters .
“ The pandemic can not be an excuse for lax enforcement of wage and hour laws or harm to workers , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fellow at the progressive think tank New America , who calls the report a “ wake-up call.
” The report is particularly critical of the way the department has implemented the new paid sick leave law , passed in March as part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act .
Under that law , workers at companies with fewer than 500 employees are entitled to two weeks of fully paid sick leave , up to $ 511 per day , to quarantine from COVID-19 or to see a doctor because of virus symptoms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time off ( at two-thirds of pay ) to those who are caring for someone under quarantine or for children because of a school closure or unavailability of child care .
The law did say that health care providers or emergency responders could ask that their employees be exempt from getting leave .
But the department interpreted that health care exemption very broadly , leaving out not just doctors and nurses , but people like janitors who work in hospitals and cashiers at pharmacies .
The Labor Department estimated that 9 million health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report on Tuesday says the number is likely higher .
“ The Inspector General ’ s report makes clear that the Department of Labor went out of its way to limit the number of workers who could take emergency paid leave , ” said Rep. Robert Scott ( D-Va. ) , who chairs the House Committee on Education and Labor , in a statement Tuesday afternoon .
“ The Department of Labor Inspector General ’ s report confirms that the Trump Administration is using its discretion to prevent workers emergency paid leave during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ department 100 days after the paid sick leave law was passed to kick off a public awareness campaign to workers , Scott noted in a July letter to the Wage and Hour Division , criticizing the way it was handling these issues .
The need to educate the public is acute : A May survey found that more than half of Americans were not aware of the new benefit or didn ’ t think they ’ d qualify .
And the benefits are only available through the end of the year .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Cares Act to spread awareness about paid sick leave ― a critical way of reducing spread of the virus .
Yet the department has not spent any of that money , nor does it have a plan for spending it , according to the report on Tuesday .
In its response , included in the report , the Labor Department did not dispute any of the watchdog ’ s findings and said it would come up with plans soon for these issues .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
At a time when workers around the country are increasingly desperate to hang on to their jobs, the Department of Labor, led by Eugene Scalia, is failing to enforce the benefits and protections they’re entitled to at work.
The Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division has not done enough to raise awareness of ― or enforce ― a new paid sick leave law passed to deal with COVID-19, according to a report from the department’s Office of the Inspector General released publicly Tuesday.
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The watchdog report, which was issued internally on Aug. 7, also seems to side with a recent court ruling that found the Labor Department left out too many workers when it wrote the rules around the paid sick leave law. And, the report says, the department is also doing less than usual to enforce the Fair Labor Standards Act, which covers minimum wage and overtime laws.
Part of the issue is that investigators at the Labor Department are working remotely and not able to go out into the field and inspect workplaces, according to the report. Before the pandemic, the Wage and Hour Division would investigate more than half of the complaints it got on overtime pay and minimum wage laws “on-site,” meaning investigators would visit workplaces. Now, only about 19% of such complaints are given this kind of attention.
But there are other problems: The department has not put together any kind of plan for how to deal with these limitations, for starters.
“The pandemic cannot be an excuse for lax enforcement of wage and hour laws or harm to workers,” said Vicki Shabo, a senior fellow at the progressive think tank New America, who calls the report a “wake-up call.”
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Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia, pictured in April, is overseeing a department that has been lax in enforcing worker protections during the coronavirus crisis, according to a watchdog report. Alex Wong via Getty Images
The report is particularly critical of the way the department has implemented the new paid sick leave law, passed in March as part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.
Under that law, workers at companies with fewer than 500 employees are entitled to two weeks of fully paid sick leave, up to $511 per day, to quarantine from COVID-19 or to see a doctor because of virus symptoms.
The law also offers partially paid time off (at two-thirds of pay) to those who are caring for someone under quarantine or for children because of a school closure or unavailability of child care. The law did say that health care providers or emergency responders could ask that their employees be exempt from getting leave.
But the department interpreted that health care exemption very broadly, leaving out not just doctors and nurses, but people like janitors who work in hospitals and cashiers at pharmacies. The Labor Department estimated that 9 million health care workers were exempted, but the report on Tuesday says the number is likely higher.
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“The Inspector General’s report makes clear that the Department of Labor went out of its way to limit the number of workers who could take emergency paid leave,” said Rep. Robert Scott (D-Va.), who chairs the House Committee on Education and Labor, in a statement Tuesday afternoon. “The Department of Labor Inspector General’s report confirms that the Trump Administration is using its discretion to prevent workers emergency paid leave during a global pandemic.”
The White House also took steps to narrow the paid leave provision before it was passed ― carving out a huge exemption for workers at companies with more than 500 employees.
It took the department 100 days after the paid sick leave law was passed to kick off a public awareness campaign to workers, Scott noted in a July letter to the Wage and Hour Division, criticizing the way it was handling these issues.
The need to educate the public is acute: A May survey found that more than half of Americans were not aware of the new benefit or didn’t think they’d qualify. And the benefits are only available through the end of the year.
The Labor Department was given $2.5 million in the Cares Act to spread awareness about paid sick leave ― a critical way of reducing spread of the virus. Yet the department has not spent any of that money, nor does it have a plan for spending it, according to the report on Tuesday.
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In its response, included in the report, the Labor Department did not dispute any of the watchdog’s findings and said it would come up with plans soon for these issues.
But time is running out. The new paid sick leave benefit expires on Dec. 31.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-11--Neil Cavuto Fact-Checks Trump Campaign: Kamala Harris Never Called Biden Racist

After presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden announced he ’ d chosen Sen. Kamala Harris ( D-Calif. ) to be his running mate Tuesday , the Trump campaign released a statement containing a false claim that Harris had called Biden “ a racist.
” Fox News host Neil Cavuto clarified to his viewers that that never happened .
In the statement , which cast Harris as having embraced “ radical ” left agendas , Trump campaign senior adviser Katrina Pierson began : “ Not long ago , Kamala Harris called Joe Biden a racist and asked for an apology she never @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abandon her own morals , as well as try to bury her record as a prosecutor , in order to appease the anti-police extremists controlling the Democrat party.
” “ As a former prosecutor , if anything , Kamala Harris was getting heat from many African Americans of the party and others because she was a little too tough on crime and that sort of thing , ” Cavuto noted .
Fox News White House correspondent John Roberts agreed that the statement presented a contradiction , pointing to the criticism Harris drew from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prosecutorial record as California ’ s attorney general .
Trump 's campaign released a statement claiming that Kamala called Biden `` a racist . ''
Cavuto points out that did n't happen , to which Roberts responds `` whether she said the word racist or not , the intimation was there . ''
( She literally said ' I do not believe you are a racist ' ) pic.twitter.com/dIoM56It98 — Lis Power ( @ LisPower1 ) August 11 , 2020 “ She ran afoul of progressives , and yet the Trump campaign is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to progressive ideology , ” he said .
“ So they ’ re painting her as way left of what people in the Democratic Party have .
But that ’ s the way that Trump is going to fight this campaign.
” Cavuto , who has on multiple occasions set off presidential tirades with his fact-checks of Trump ’ s claims , then made a “ quick clarification ” to the statement that Roberts had read aloud .
“ The president seems to be saying that Kamala Harris had called Joe Biden a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
Roberts agreed , but then sought to blame the adviser , noting the claim didn ’ t come from Trump himself .
He then defended the claim : “ Whether or not she actually said the word ‘ racist ’ or not , I mean , the intimation was there.
” Harris did criticize Biden during a June 2019 Democratic presidential debate for his “ very hurtful ” comments about having worked with two segregationist senators and for his opposition to school busing in the 1970s .
However , she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I do not believe you are a racist , ” which neither Cavuto nor Roberts pointed out .
As noted by Media Matters , the claim went entirely unchecked by two journalists on another Fox News broadcast .

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After presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden announced he’d chosen Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) to be his running mate Tuesday, the Trump campaign released a statement containing a false claim that Harris had called Biden “a racist.” Fox News host Neil Cavuto clarified to his viewers that that never happened.
In the statement, which cast Harris as having embraced “radical” left agendas, Trump campaign senior adviser Katrina Pierson began: “Not long ago, Kamala Harris called Joe Biden a racist and asked for an apology she never received. Clearly, Phony Kamala will abandon her own morals, as well as try to bury her record as a prosecutor, in order to appease the anti-police extremists controlling the Democrat party.”
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“As a former prosecutor, if anything, Kamala Harris was getting heat from many African Americans of the party and others because she was a little too tough on crime and that sort of thing,” Cavuto noted.
Fox News White House correspondent John Roberts agreed that the statement presented a contradiction, pointing to the criticism Harris drew from progressives during her presidential bid over her prosecutorial record as California’s attorney general.
Trump's campaign released a statement claiming that Kamala called Biden "a racist." Cavuto points out that didn't happen, to which Roberts responds "whether she said the word racist or not, the intimation was there."
(She literally said 'I do not believe you are a racist') pic.twitter.com/dIoM56It98 — Lis Power (@LisPower1) August 11, 2020
“She ran afoul of progressives, and yet the Trump campaign is portraying her as someone who is adherent to progressive ideology,” he said. “So they’re painting her as way left of what people in the Democratic Party have. But that’s the way that Trump is going to fight this campaign.”
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Cavuto, who has on multiple occasions set off presidential tirades with his fact-checks of Trump’s claims, then made a “quick clarification” to the statement that Roberts had read aloud.
“The president seems to be saying that Kamala Harris had called Joe Biden a racist. She never did,” he said.
Roberts agreed, but then sought to blame the adviser, noting the claim didn’t come from Trump himself. He then defended the claim: “Whether or not she actually said the word ‘racist’ or not, I mean, the intimation was there.”
Harris did criticize Biden during a June 2019 Democratic presidential debate for his “very hurtful” comments about having worked with two segregationist senators and for his opposition to school busing in the 1970s.
However, she prefaced her comments by explicitly saying, “I do not believe you are a racist,” which neither Cavuto nor Roberts pointed out.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-11--Rep. Ilhan Omar Defeats Minnesota Democratic Primary Challenger

Stephen Maturen/Getty Images Rep. Ilhan Omar ( D-Minn. ) addresses reporters in Minneapolis on Tuesday .
Antone Melton-Meaux gave her an unexpectedly tough challenge in the state 's Democratic primary election .
Rep. Ilhan Omar , one of the country ’ s most prominent and controversial progressive lawmakers , won the Democratic primary for Minnesota ’ s 5th Congressional District on Tuesday .
In the overwhelmingly Democratic seat , Omar ’ s primary win all but officially confirms that she is returning to Washington .
Omar “ has an incredibly strong social media presence and a very , very powerful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters , ” said David Schultz , a political science professor at Hamline University in St. Paul .
“ She was able to get them out in sufficient numbers to win the primary.
” Voters are generally reluctant to throw out incumbents without a strong reason to do so .
And as an incumbent , Omar had the complete support of Minnesota ’ s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and organized labor .
Unions blasted Melton-Meaux for his tenure at the mega-law firm Jackson Lewis , which is notorious for helping big companies bust unions ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while there ) .
And the DFL filed a legal complaint against Melton-Meaux ’ s campaign for using shell companies to disguise the identities of campaign vendors .
A former refugee from Somalia who is now an American citizen , Omar is one of the first two Muslim women in Congress .
The mere presence of a hijab-clad Black woman on Capitol Hill is strong enough to elicit a xenophobic outburst from President Donald Trump .
And as an unabashed progressive on virtually every policy question , she has used her seat on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the prevailing narrative in both major parties that the United States is an ever-righteous guardian of the global order .
It is easy to forget then that when Omar won a crowded primary to succeed then-Rep. Keith Ellison in August 2018 , she received less than 50 % of the vote .
Many moderate Democrats in a district that encompasses the city of Minneapolis , as well as its whiter and more affluent suburbs , were never pleased with her ascension .
Then , when Omar began her term in Congress by embracing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against Israel , and making two insensitive comments that many Jews considered anti-Semitic , she made herself another set of committed and influential enemies .
Her district is the historic heart of Minnesota ’ s Jewish community and many of that community ’ s members would become active in the effort to unseat her .
Thanks to the support of right-leaning pro-Israel donors , business leaders and moderate Democrats , Melton-Meaux matched Omar in fundraising in a matter of months .
Two pro-Israel super PACs spent more than $ 2.5 million attacking Omar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ literature , while several left-leaning groups , including the Working Families Party , spent just under $ 200,000 on her behalf .
Rather than focus on Omar ’ s foreign policy views , however , Melton-Meaux spent much of his campaign arguing that Omar ’ s national fame had come at the expense of the district .
He claimed that unlike Omar , who missed some votes during her first term , he would “ focus on the 5th.
” But in a district so liberal that Sen. Bernie Sanders ( I-Vt. ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic presidential primary in March , Melton-Meaux ’ s money and locally oriented message were not enough to carry him over the finish line .
“ People are pouring out into the streets , fists held up high , calling for transformative change , ” she says in a campaign video .
“ We can translate our cries for justice into legislation ― and that ’ s the fight we have been leading in Congress.
” Omar is now the third “ Squad ” member to fend off a primary challenge this cycle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ handily dispatched with a well-funded challenger in June , and Rep. Rashida Tlaib defeated hers earlier this month .
( Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts is unopposed in her Sept. 1 primary . )

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Rep. Ilhan Omar, one of the country’s most prominent and controversial progressive lawmakers, won the Democratic primary for Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District on Tuesday. In the overwhelmingly Democratic seat, Omar’s primary win all but officially confirms that she is returning to Washington.
Omar defeated employment attorney Antone Melton-Meaux, a more moderate liberal, who ran as an antidote to what he called Omar’s “divisive” legislative style.
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With almost 99% of the votes counted, Omar led Melton-Meaux 57% to 39%. Turnout in the district far exceeded the number of people who voted in the 2018 primary, despite the absence of statewide candidates at the top of the ballot this cycle.
“If this election showed us anything, it’s the lengths that those seeking to uphold systems of oppression will go to stop a movement that wants to put power back in the hands of people,” Omar said in a statement. “But in Minnesota, we know that organized people will always beat organized money. Tonight, our movement didn’t just win. We earned a mandate for change.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) addresses reporters in Minneapolis on Tuesday. Antone Melton-Meaux gave her an unexpectedly tough challenge in the state's Democratic primary election. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
Her victory is another boost for the activist left ― and a disappointment for the conservative forces that had invested heavily in her ouster.
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Omar “has an incredibly strong social media presence and a very, very powerful following among the millennials and other young voters,” said David Schultz, a political science professor at Hamline University in St. Paul. “She was able to get them out in sufficient numbers to win the primary.”
Voters are generally reluctant to throw out incumbents without a strong reason to do so. And as an incumbent, Omar had the complete support of Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and organized labor.
Both the DFL, which is the state’s Democratic Party, and Minnesota’s influential labor unions worked hard to discredit Melton-Meaux in the final weeks of the campaign.
Unions blasted Melton-Meaux for his tenure at the mega-law firm Jackson Lewis, which is notorious for helping big companies bust unions (Melton-Meaux denied working on any union-related cases while there). And the DFL filed a legal complaint against Melton-Meaux’s campaign for using shell companies to disguise the identities of campaign vendors.
“If she didn’t have that support, I would push her into the loss column,” Schultz said.
We are proud to be #JewsForIlhan. This is a progressive victory for the people of #MN05 and those who seek justice in America and around the world.
And it is (yet another) sharp rebuke to the Israel hawks who spent millions of dollars working against her campaign. They failed. https://t.co/Eg4CMdK2ft — IfNotNow🔥 (@IfNotNowOrg) August 12, 2020
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To hardcore progressives ― many of whom live in Minneapolis and its surrounding towns ― Omar is a heroic member of the “Squad” of progressive freshman House women.
A former refugee from Somalia who is now an American citizen, Omar is one of the first two Muslim women in Congress. The mere presence of a hijab-clad Black woman on Capitol Hill is strong enough to elicit a xenophobic outburst from President Donald Trump.
And as an unabashed progressive on virtually every policy question, she has used her seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee to challenge the prevailing narrative in both major parties that the United States is an ever-righteous guardian of the global order.
It is easy to forget then that when Omar won a crowded primary to succeed then-Rep. Keith Ellison in August 2018, she received less than 50% of the vote.
Many moderate Democrats in a district that encompasses the city of Minneapolis, as well as its whiter and more affluent suburbs, were never pleased with her ascension.
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Then, when Omar began her term in Congress by embracing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel, and making two insensitive comments that many Jews considered anti-Semitic, she made herself another set of committed and influential enemies. Her district is the historic heart of Minnesota’s Jewish community and many of that community’s members would become active in the effort to unseat her.
Antone Melton-Meaux, an attorney, enjoyed the support of many critics of Rep. Ilhan Omar's leftist foreign policy views. His pitch was local, though, promising to "focus on the 5th." Stephen Maturen /Getty Images
Thanks to the support of right-leaning pro-Israel donors, business leaders and moderate Democrats, Melton-Meaux matched Omar in fundraising in a matter of months. Two pro-Israel super PACs spent more than $2.5 million attacking Omar on the television airwaves and in direct-mail literature, while several left-leaning groups, including the Working Families Party, spent just under $200,000 on her behalf.
Rather than focus on Omar’s foreign policy views, however, Melton-Meaux spent much of his campaign arguing that Omar’s national fame had come at the expense of the district. He claimed that unlike Omar, who missed some votes during her first term, he would “focus on the 5th.”
But in a district so liberal that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) won there in the state’s Democratic presidential primary in March, Melton-Meaux’s money and locally oriented message were not enough to carry him over the finish line.
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The populist idealism that Melton-Meaux denounced as impractical may have found its moment amid the COVID-19 pandemic and a concurrent national uproar over racist policing practices that began in Minneapolis.
Omar sought to channel the frustrations of a restless American public in her reelection bid.
“People are pouring out into the streets, fists held up high, calling for transformative change,” she says in a campaign video. “We can translate our cries for justice into legislation ― and that’s the fight we have been leading in Congress.”
Omar is now the third “Squad” member to fend off a primary challenge this cycle. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York handily dispatched with a well-funded challenger in June, and Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan defeated hers earlier this month. (Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts is unopposed in her Sept. 1 primary.)
The four-person crew is set to welcome reinforcements in January. Cori Bush of Missouri and Jamaal Bowman of New York unseated veteran incumbents this cycle based on similar ideological platforms.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-11--Marjorie Taylor Greene, Condemned For Racist And QAnon Beliefs, Wins Georgia GOP Runoff

Marjorie Taylor Greene , who has faced condemnation from House Republican leaders for creating racist Facebook videos and embracing QAnon conspiracy theories , has won the runoff for Georgia ’ s 14th Congressional District .
Greene overwhelmingly defeated her opponent , John Cowan — amassing 60 % of the vote in the heavily Republican district on Tuesday , The New York Times reported .
She will face Democrat Kevin Van Ausdal in November .
QAnon believer Marjorie Taylor Greene wins a GOP House nomination in a heavily Republican district , meaning a QAnon believer will almost certainly be in Congress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Will Sommer ( @ willsommer ) August 12 , 2020 Greene made headlines earlier this year for making Facebook videos in which she expressed racist , anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim views .
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy ( R-Calif. ) lambasted Greene ’ s videos as “ appalling.
’ ” Rep. Jody Hice ( R-Ga. ) said in June that he could “ no longer support her candidacy ” in light of Greene ’ s “ deeply troubling ” comments .
Greene has also come under scrutiny for her support for QAnon , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ developing story .
Check back for updates .
Important conversations are happening now .
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Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has faced condemnation from House Republican leaders for creating racist Facebook videos and embracing QAnon conspiracy theories, has won the runoff for Georgia’s 14th Congressional District.
Greene overwhelmingly defeated her opponent, John Cowan — amassing 60% of the vote in the heavily Republican district northwest of Atlanta on Tuesday, The New York Times reported. She will face Democrat Kevin Van Ausdal in November.
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QAnon believer Marjorie Taylor Greene wins a GOP House nomination in a heavily Republican district, meaning a QAnon believer will almost certainly be in Congress next year. https://t.co/UubF23I1JF — Will Sommer (@willsommer) August 12, 2020
Greene, a businesswoman, made headlines earlier this year for making Facebook videos in which she expressed racist, anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim views.
She referred to African Americans, for instance, as “slaves to the Democratic Party,” warned of “an Islamic invasion of our government” and insisted that billionaire philanthropist George Soros is a Nazi, Politico reported.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) lambasted Greene’s videos as “appalling.” Rep. Jody Hice (R-Ga.) said in June that he could “no longer support” Greene’s candidacy in light of her “deeply troubling” comments.
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Republican congressional candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene brandishes an AR-15 while defending property against nonexistent "antifa" activists in a promotional video. Marjorie Taylor Greene/YouTube
Greene has also come under scrutiny for her support for QAnon, the far-right conspiracy movement that, among other baseless beliefs, has promoted the fiction that President Donald Trump is working to dismantle a “deep state” cabal of Satan-loving and pedophilic liberal elites.
Greene is one of several GOP congressional candidates who has expressed support for QAnon’s fringe theories. Though many of them are considered long-shot candidates, Greene is expected to win in November.
Georgia Democrats on Tuesday decried Greene’s runoff victory.
“Republican extremism is on the ballot across Georgia and Marjorie Taylor Greene’s primary win tonight after embracing vile racism and conspiracy theories represents exactly what’s wrong with today’s GOP,” Scott Hogan, executive director of the Democratic Party of Georgia, said in a statement.
“Georgia Republicans own this crisis and their mealy-mouthed statements can’t hide the fact that Marjorie Taylor Greene’s nomination is a stain on their party,” he added.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-11--The Trump Campaign’s Attack On Bail Funds Is Incredibly Racist And Misleading

In reality , the people whose names and mugshots the Trump “ War Room ” texted to its 743,000 followers have no direct connection to Biden or his campaign and , again , have not been found guilty of the charges against them .
They are individuals a judge in Minnesota determined could safely await trial at home — instead of in pretrial detention during a pandemic — as long as they could find a way to pay their bail .
According to the local Fox News affiliate , a bail fund called the Minnesota Freedom Fund helped come up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Minnesota Freedom Fund received an outpouring of donations earlier this year when cops arrested people who were protesting the death of George Floyd , the 46-year-old Black man who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer in May .
Donating to the Minnesota Freedom Fund became an easy way for people who were outraged by the killing and sympathetic to the protesters to offer support from afar .
By the end of the first week of June , the bail fund received more than $ 31 million in donations and began encouraging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Unlike donations to political candidates , donations to bail funds are not in the public record .
But during the height of the anti-racism protests against police brutality , people often posted screenshots of their receipts from a bail fund donation on social media to encourage their supporters to do the same .
In late May , Reuters ran a short story noting that 13 people affiliated with the Biden campaign promoted donations on Twitter .
Biden opposes the cash bail system as a “ modern day debtors prison , ” campaign spokesperson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Bail funds and the people who contribute to them have no role in determining who is eligible for pretrial release .
That decision is made by judges , who often deny bail to people they deem too dangerous or too high of a flight risk to let out .
Imprisoning people in jail while they await their day in court — often for years — undermines the concept of innocence until proven guilty , a fundamental part of the U.S. legal system .
Money bail was introduced in the U.S. as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a crime would show up in court .
But it has resulted in a two-tiered system of justice in which people who have money typically await their court date at home , while people who are poor wait in jail .
Pretrial detention can cost people their jobs and homes , which can make returning to jail more likely .
People who have some money but not enough to cover the full bail amount often rely on a private bail bond company , a predatory industry that only legally exists in the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s effort to portray a small gesture of support for people protesting police brutality as evidence that Democrats are soft on murderers and rapists is a key element of the president ’ s reelection strategy .
Lagging in the polls after his catastrophic response to the coronavirus pandemic , which has killed more than 160,000 Americans , Trump is counting on white voters who live in the suburbs and are worried about violent crime to carry him to reelection .
“ I am happy to inform all of the people living their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ longer be bothered or financially hurt by having low income housing built in your neighborhood , ” Trump tweeted on July 29 , after rescinding Obama-era guidance meant to address systemic racism that perpetuates housing segregation .
The tweet wasn ’ t really about housing policy , as Elie Mystal noted in The Washington Post .
It was a message to white suburbanites that Trump “ is the only thing standing in the way of violent , dark , ‘ urban ’ menaces intruding on their communities.
” The Fox News “ revelation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ donated to a bail fund was perfect fodder for the president ’ s narrative .
The decision to broadcast images of mugshots — images that are increasingly disappearing from news sites because they promote racist stereotypes — of Black people in a city where protesters are calling for defunding the police is a way of signaling to white voters that cities are under siege by radical leftists .
“ Here ’ s more evidence our family won ’ t be safe in Joe Biden ’ s America , ” the campaign wrote on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump campaign ’ s . )
Racist fear-mongering over dark-skinned criminals isn ’ t new to Trump .
In 2018 , ahead of the midterm elections , Trump tweeted a video splicing together scenes from the trial of Luis Bracamontes , who killed two law enforcement officers in California after coming to the U.S. illegally from Mexico , with footage from the migrant caravan in Mexico .
“ It ’ s outrageous what the Democrats are doing to our Country , ” Trump tweeted at the time , suggesting without evidence that Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that people seeking asylum in the U.S. aren ’ t doing so to pursue safety and opportunity — but to kill Americans .
Incidentally , several top members of that 2016 campaign have since been not only charged , but convicted , or have pleaded guilty to serious federal crimes : campaign manager Paul Manafort ( bank and tax fraud ) ; top Trump adviser Roger Stone ( false statements , witness tampering , and obstruction ) ; campaign foreign policy adviser Michael Flynn ( lying to the FBI ) ; and Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( campaign finance violations and tax fraud . )

“Does Joe Biden regret his campaign putting women in danger?” one Trump campaign tweet reads. Saul Loeb via Getty Images
As part of his bid to scare white suburban voters into supporting President Donald Trump in November, his campaign falsely accused his opponent’s campaign of freeing from jail a “murderer,” a “serial rapist,” a “violent fugitive,” and an “attempted cop killer.”
The Trump campaign tweeted four mug shots on Tuesday of Black individuals, none of them public figures, who are facing criminal charges but have not been convicted of those crimes.
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The Trump campaign’s accusations are breathtakingly racist and intentionally misleading. They are meant to fool voters into believing that high-level members of Biden’s staff played an active role in freeing people who have been proven guilty of killing and raping.
“Does Joe Biden regret his campaign putting women in danger?” one Trump campaign tweet reads.
In reality, the people whose names and mugshots the Trump “War Room” texted to its 743,000 followers have no direct connection to Biden or his campaign and, again, have not been found guilty of the charges against them.
They are individuals a judge in Minnesota determined could safely await trial at home — instead of in pretrial detention during a pandemic — as long as they could find a way to pay their bail. According to the local Fox News affiliate, a bail fund called the Minnesota Freedom Fund helped come up with the money for their release.
The Minnesota Freedom Fund received an outpouring of donations earlier this year when cops arrested people who were protesting the death of George Floyd, the 46-year-old Black man who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer in May. Donating to the Minnesota Freedom Fund became an easy way for people who were outraged by the killing and sympathetic to the protesters to offer support from afar. By the end of the first week of June, the bail fund received more than $31 million in donations and began encouraging people to contribute to other organizations.
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Unlike donations to political candidates, donations to bail funds are not in the public record. But during the height of the anti-racism protests against police brutality, people often posted screenshots of their receipts from a bail fund donation on social media to encourage their supporters to do the same. In late May, Reuters ran a short story noting that 13 people affiliated with the Biden campaign promoted donations on Twitter. Biden opposes the cash bail system as a “modern day debtors prison,” campaign spokesperson Andrew Bates told Reuters at the time.
This percolated in right-wing media for weeks, culminating in a recent Fox News story that asserted Biden staffers “bailed out violent criminals.”
“The Trump campaign’s effort to portray a small gesture of support for people protesting police brutality as evidence that Democrats are soft on murderers and rapists is a key element of the president’s reelection strategy.”
Bail funds and the people who contribute to them have no role in determining who is eligible for pretrial release. That decision is made by judges, who often deny bail to people they deem too dangerous or too high of a flight risk to let out.
Imprisoning people in jail while they await their day in court — often for years — undermines the concept of innocence until proven guilty, a fundamental part of the U.S. legal system. Money bail was introduced in the U.S. as a way to ensure that people accused of a crime would show up in court. But it has resulted in a two-tiered system of justice in which people who have money typically await their court date at home, while people who are poor wait in jail.
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Pretrial detention can cost people their jobs and homes, which can make returning to jail more likely. It can also cost people their lives. When HuffPost investigated jail deaths, we found dozens of people who died in jail over the course of a year who were facing low-level charges, like drug possession, a traffic offense, or a probation violation, because they couldn’t afford bail. People who have some money but not enough to cover the full bail amount often rely on a private bail bond company, a predatory industry that only legally exists in the U.S. and the Philippines.
Bail funds were created to help counteract the oppressive nature of the money bail system, and contributing to a bail fund is akin to affirmatively exercising the belief that wealth should not be determinative of freedom. (I donate monthly to the National Bail Fund Network.)
The Trump campaign’s effort to portray a small gesture of support for people protesting police brutality as evidence that Democrats are soft on murderers and rapists is a key element of the president’s reelection strategy. Lagging in the polls after his catastrophic response to the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 160,000 Americans, Trump is counting on white voters who live in the suburbs and are worried about violent crime to carry him to reelection.
“I am happy to inform all of the people living their Suburban Lifestyle Dream that you will no longer be bothered or financially hurt by having low income housing built in your neighborhood,” Trump tweeted on July 29, after rescinding Obama-era guidance meant to address systemic racism that perpetuates housing segregation. The tweet wasn’t really about housing policy, as Elie Mystal noted in The Washington Post. It was a message to white suburbanites that Trump “is the only thing standing in the way of violent, dark, ‘urban’ menaces intruding on their communities.”
The Fox News “revelation” that some Biden campaign staffers had donated to a bail fund was perfect fodder for the president’s narrative. The decision to broadcast images of mugshots — images that are increasingly disappearing from news sites because they promote racist stereotypes — of Black people in a city where protesters are calling for defunding the police is a way of signaling to white voters that cities are under siege by radical leftists. “Here’s more evidence our family won’t be safe in Joe Biden’s America,” the campaign wrote on its website. (Bolding is the Trump campaign’s.)
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Racist fear-mongering over dark-skinned criminals isn’t new to Trump. In 2018, ahead of the midterm elections, Trump tweeted a video splicing together scenes from the trial of Luis Bracamontes, who killed two law enforcement officers in California after coming to the U.S. illegally from Mexico, with footage from the migrant caravan in Mexico. “It’s outrageous what the Democrats are doing to our Country,” Trump tweeted at the time, suggesting without evidence that Democrats were to blame for the killings and that people seeking asylum in the U.S. aren’t doing so to pursue safety and opportunity — but to kill Americans.
At the 2016 Republican National Convention, the Trump campaign trotted out family members of people who were allegedly killed by undocumented immigrants and intimated that if Hillary Clinton was elected, more violence would come. (In reality, undocumented immigrants commit much less crime than native-born Americans.)
Incidentally, several top members of that 2016 campaign have since been not only charged, but convicted, or have pleaded guilty to serious federal crimes: campaign manager Paul Manafort (bank and tax fraud); top Trump adviser Roger Stone (false statements, witness tampering, and obstruction); campaign foreign policy adviser Michael Flynn (lying to the FBI); and Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen (campaign finance violations and tax fraud.)


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-11--The World's Last Blockbuster Can Now Be Rented Out On Airbnb

The world ’ s last physical Blockbuster store — a lone Oregon-based holdout from the days when the video chain was king — is now available to rent on Airbnb .
Airbnb ’ s Twitter account made the announcement on Tuesday , and the Blockbuster account — dormant since 2014 — briefly rose from the dead to tell the world that this “ 90s themed sleepover ” was no joke .
The Bend , Oregon , store is the only physical Blockbuster location remaining in the world , and only residents of Deschutes County , where Bend is located , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beginning on Aug. 17 .
For $ 4 an evening , the listing notes , up to four people can enjoy a “ socially-distanced movie night , just like those of decades past , ” on either Sept. 18 , 19 , or 20 .
The Airbnb listing comes complete with all the accouterments of the era of COVID-19 — face masks , disinfectant and copious amounts of hand sanitizer — as well as all of the nostalgia of Blockbuster stores in the ’ 90s , including snacks like NERDS and Raisinets .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ since 2004 , pays an annual fee to continue using its name , which is owned by Dish Network .
It is staffed by only 12 employees , including general manager Sandi Harding , who is in charge of buying all of the movies on sale .
Frequented by a dedicated legion of local fans and tourists who appreciate the store ’ s nostalgia value , Bend ’ s Blockbuster was previously offering curbside delivery due to COVID-19 restrictions .
Harding , occasionally known as the “ Blockbuster Mom , ” told Oregon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a means of thanking supporters who chose to flock to the store instead of depending solely on Netflix and other streaming services .
“ Without the renters coming in every week , we can ’ t survive , ” Harding said , adding that due to the coronavirus , “ people want to feel good , and for some , Blockbuster makes them feel better.
” At its height in 2004 — the same year that the Bend location opened — Blockbuster owned approximately 9,000 stores worldwide and employed 60,000 people .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Australia closed , making the Bend location the final brick-and-mortar repository of all those ’ 90s Blockbuster memories .

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The world’s last physical Blockbuster store — a lone Oregon-based holdout from the days when the video chain was king — is now available to rent on Airbnb.
Airbnb’s Twitter account made the announcement on Tuesday, and the Blockbuster account — dormant since 2014 — briefly rose from the dead to tell the world that this “90s themed sleepover” was no joke.
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...cause the last BLOCKBUSTER in the world will be offering movie lovers in Bend a 90s themed sleepover for a limited time—only on airbnb. who’s down? 👀https://t.co/dd4yz1UtZP pic.twitter.com/NJEZK2wxeW — Airbnb (@Airbnb) August 11, 2020
i am once again asking are you up @blockbuster — Airbnb (@Airbnb) August 11, 2020
Just checking in. 👋 — Blockbuster (@blockbuster) August 11, 2020
Ok, we've seen enough. Checking out. — Blockbuster (@blockbuster) August 11, 2020
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The Bend, Oregon, store is the only physical Blockbuster location remaining in the world, and only residents of Deschutes County, where Bend is located, are eligible to book the Airbnb listing beginning on Aug. 17.
For $4 an evening, the listing notes, up to four people can enjoy a “socially-distanced movie night, just like those of decades past,” on either Sept. 18, 19, or 20.
The Airbnb listing comes complete with all the accouterments of the era of COVID-19 — face masks, disinfectant and copious amounts of hand sanitizer — as well as all of the nostalgia of Blockbuster stores in the ’90s, including snacks like NERDS and Raisinets.
Bend’s Blockbuster, in service since 2004, pays an annual fee to continue using its name, which is owned by Dish Network. It is staffed by only 12 employees, including general manager Sandi Harding, who is in charge of buying all of the movies on sale.
Frequented by a dedicated legion of local fans and tourists who appreciate the store’s nostalgia value, Bend’s Blockbuster was previously offering curbside delivery due to COVID-19 restrictions. Harding, occasionally known as the “Blockbuster Mom,” told Oregon Live that the Airbnb event came about as a means of thanking supporters who chose to flock to the store instead of depending solely on Netflix and other streaming services.
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“Without the renters coming in every week, we can’t survive,” Harding said, adding that due to the coronavirus, “people want to feel good, and for some, Blockbuster makes them feel better.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-11--'60s Pop Singer Trini Lopez Dead At 83

'60s Pop Singer Trini Lopez Dead At 83

Jesse Grant via Getty Images Trini Lopez during A Douglas Family Celebration Presented by Palm Springs International Film Society and Film Festival at Annenberg Theatre at Palm Springs Desert Museum in Palm Springs , California , United States .
( Photo by Jesse Grant/WireImage for BWR Public Relations ) RIO RANCHO , N.M. ( AP ) — Trini Lopez , a singer and guitarist who gained fame for his versions of “ Lemon Tree ” and “ If I Had a Hammer ” in the 1960s and took his talents to Hollywood , died Tuesday .
He was 83 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ finished shooting a documentary on Lopez with Todd Hughes , confirmed that Lopez died from complications of COVID-19 at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs , California .
Mentored by Buddy Holly and Frank Sinatra , Lopez became an international star while performing in English and Spanish .
Unlike Mexican American singers such as Ritchie Valens , Lopez rejected advice to change his name and openly embraced his Mexican American heritage despite warnings it would hurt his career .
“ I insisted on keeping my name Lopez , ” he told The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ m proud to be a Lopez .
I ’ m proud to be a Mexicano.
” Sinatra signed Lopez to his Reprise Records label after seeing him perform at a West Hollywood nightclub .
They became friends and were spotted together regularly in social circles in Las Vegas and Palm Springs , California .
Born Trinidad Lopez III to immigrants from Guanajuato , Mexico , Lopez grew up in Dallas ’ poor , Little Mexico neighborhood .
The family ’ s dire economic situation forced Lopez to drop out of high @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after his father bought him a $ 12 black Gibson acoustic guitar from a pawn shop .
His father taught him how to play the instrument , which led the young Lopez to perform at Dallas nightclubs that didn ’ t allow Mexican American patrons .
Buddy Holly saw Lopez at a small nightclub in Wichita Falls , Texas , and introduced him to Norman Petty , his record producer in Clovis , New Mexico .
Holly died in a plane crash six months later , and Lopez briefly replaced him as lead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Southern California and got a regular gig at P.J.
’ s Night Club in West Hollywood .
Sinatra saw him perform and offered him a contract with his new record label , Reprise , where Lopez got his first major hit with “ If I Had A Hammer.
” It went to No .
1 in nearly 40 countries .

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RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — Trini Lopez, a singer and guitarist who gained fame for his versions of “Lemon Tree” and “If I Had a Hammer” in the 1960s and took his talents to Hollywood, died Tuesday. He was 83.
Filmmaker P. David Ebersole, who just finished shooting a documentary on Lopez with Todd Hughes, confirmed that Lopez died from complications of COVID-19 at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, California.
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Mentored by Buddy Holly and Frank Sinatra, Lopez became an international star while performing in English and Spanish. Unlike Mexican American singers such as Ritchie Valens, Lopez rejected advice to change his name and openly embraced his Mexican American heritage despite warnings it would hurt his career.
“I insisted on keeping my name Lopez,” he told The Dallas Morning News in 2017. “I’m proud to be a Lopez. I’m proud to be a Mexicano.”
Trini Lopez during A Douglas Family Celebration Presented by Palm Springs International Film Society and Film Festival at Annenberg Theatre at Palm Springs Desert Museum in Palm Springs, California, United States. (Photo by Jesse Grant/WireImage for BWR Public Relations) Jesse Grant via Getty Images
Sinatra signed Lopez to his Reprise Records label after seeing him perform at a West Hollywood nightclub. They became friends and were spotted together regularly in social circles in Las Vegas and Palm Springs, California.
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Lopez also appeared in the film classic “The Dirty Dozen” and the comedy “The Phynx.”
Born Trinidad Lopez III to immigrants from Guanajuato, Mexico, Lopez grew up in Dallas’ poor, Little Mexico neighborhood. The family’s dire economic situation forced Lopez to drop out of high school and work.
His life changed after his father bought him a $12 black Gibson acoustic guitar from a pawn shop. His father taught him how to play the instrument, which led the young Lopez to perform at Dallas nightclubs that didn’t allow Mexican American patrons.
Buddy Holly saw Lopez at a small nightclub in Wichita Falls, Texas, and introduced him to Norman Petty, his record producer in Clovis, New Mexico. Holly died in a plane crash six months later, and Lopez briefly replaced him as lead singer of The Crickets.
Lopez moved to Southern California and got a regular gig at P.J.’s Night Club in West Hollywood. Sinatra saw him perform and offered him a contract with his new record label, Reprise, where Lopez got his first major hit with “If I Had A Hammer.” It went to No. 1 in nearly 40 countries.
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He later helped develop a string of original Gibson Trini Lopez signature guitars from 1964 to 1971.
Ebersole and Hughes recently finished shooting a documentary on Lopez called “My Name is Lopez.”
___


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-11--Elijah McClain's Parents Sue Colorado Police Over His Death

AURORA , Colo. ( AP ) — The parents of Elijah McClain , a 23-year-old Black man who died after officers in suburban Denver stopped him on the street last year and put him in a chokehold , sued police and medical officials Tuesday .
“ We have filed this civil rights lawsuit to demand justice for Elijah McClain , to hold accountable the Aurora officials , police officers , and paramedics responsible for his murder , and to force the City of Aurora to change it longstanding pattern of brutal and racist policing , ” Sheneen McClain and Lawayne @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their attorney .
Elijah McClain was stopped by three white officers on Aug. 24 , 2019 , while they responded to a call about a suspicious person wearing a ski mask and waving his arms .
Police put him in a chokehold , and paramedics gave him 500 milligrams of ketamine to calm him down .
McClain suffered cardiac arrest , was later declared brain dead and taken off life support several days later .
The national reckoning over racism and police brutality following George Floyd ’ s death in Minneapolis brought renewed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s death .
Aurora police did not immediately return a call and an email seeking comment on the lawsuit .
Important conversations are happening now .
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Join HuffPost Today !

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AURORA, Colo. (AP) — The parents of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who died after officers in suburban Denver stopped him on the street last year and put him in a chokehold, sued police and medical officials Tuesday.
“We have filed this civil rights lawsuit to demand justice for Elijah McClain, to hold accountable the Aurora officials, police officers, and paramedics responsible for his murder, and to force the City of Aurora to change it longstanding pattern of brutal and racist policing,” Sheneen McClain and Lawayne Mosley said in a statement released by their attorney.
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Elijah McClain was stopped by three white officers on Aug. 24, 2019, while they responded to a call about a suspicious person wearing a ski mask and waving his arms. Police put him in a chokehold, and paramedics gave him 500 milligrams of ketamine to calm him down.
McClain suffered cardiac arrest, was later declared brain dead and taken off life support several days later.
The national reckoning over racism and police brutality following George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis brought renewed criticism to Aurora police over McClain’s death.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-11--Homecoming King And Queen Tie The Knot 28 Years Later

Back in 1992 , Janet Fenner and Gregory Dabice were chosen Homecoming queen and king at Montclair State University in New Jersey .
On Aug. 1 , they returned to the site of their former glory to get hitched on the 50-yard line of Sprague Field .
This “ royal marriage ” was something neither Fenner nor Dabice ever imagined when they were students .
“ We never dated in college , ” Fenner told the university .
“ We knew each other from Greek life , but I was a straight-A student , intra-sorority vice president , on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whole nine yards.
” “ I wasn ’ t right for her in any way , ” he told NorthJersey.com .
“ She was too good for me and I knew it.
” After college , Fenner and Dabice went their separate ways , each marrying and starting families with other partners .
The two reconnected in March 2019 , when Dabice was looking for love on Bumble and saw Fenner ’ s photo .
“ I couldn ’ t believe she was single , I couldn ’ t believe she looked the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she was out there on this app , ” he told Inside Edition .
“ He actually reached out to one of his fraternity friends and said , ‘ Is this Janet Jaramillo from college ?
’ Just to verify it was me , ” she told Inside Edition .
“ He told me , ‘ That ’ s Janet , all right .
Go and get your queen.
’ ” Getting together may have taken nearly three decades , but once they were dating , Dabice knew it was serious by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wasn ’ t traditional , since it came in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic .
Dabice had family members drive by with signs outside his home with Fenner that spelled out , “ Will you marry me ?
” “ He definitely struck a chord in my heart and here we are , ” Fenner told the university .
“ We have seven kids , two dogs and a sulcata tortoise , and it still works just perfectly .
I wouldn ’ t change a single detail.
” The wedding itself took @ @ @ @ @ @ @ State University ’ s football stadium ― the same spot where they became Homecoming royalty 28 years earlier .
The wedding was officiated by Chief of University Police Paul Cell .
The couple was surrounded by all seven kids , who observed COVID-19 safety measures including wearing masks and social distancing .

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It was a royal wedding ― Jersey style.
Back in 1992, Janet Fenner and Gregory Dabice were chosen Homecoming queen and king at Montclair State University in New Jersey.
On Aug. 1, they returned to the site of their former glory to get hitched on the 50-yard line of Sprague Field.
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This “royal marriage” was something neither Fenner nor Dabice ever imagined when they were students.
“We never dated in college,” Fenner told the university. “We knew each other from Greek life, but I was a straight-A student, intra-sorority vice president, on the student government and track team, the whole nine yards.”
Dabice was the other extreme ― a total party animal.
“I wasn’t right for her in any way,” he told NorthJersey.com. “She was too good for me and I knew it.”
After college, Fenner and Dabice went their separate ways, each marrying and starting families with other partners.
Both also got divorced in 2016.
The two reconnected in March 2019, when Dabice was looking for love on Bumble and saw Fenner’s photo.
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“I couldn’t believe she was single, I couldn’t believe she looked the same, I couldn’t believe she was out there on this app,” he told Inside Edition.
So he did some double-checking, according to Fenner.
“He actually reached out to one of his fraternity friends and said, ‘Is this Janet Jaramillo from college?’ Just to verify it was me,” she told Inside Edition.
Dabice said the friend had this advice.
“He told me, ‘That’s Janet, all right. Go and get your queen.’”
Getting together may have taken nearly three decades, but once they were dating, Dabice knew it was serious by the third date.
However, the proposal wasn’t traditional, since it came in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dabice had family members drive by with signs outside his home with Fenner that spelled out, “Will you marry me?”
“He definitely struck a chord in my heart and here we are,” Fenner told the university. “We have seven kids, two dogs and a sulcata tortoise, and it still works just perfectly. I wouldn’t change a single detail.”
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The wedding itself took place on the 50-yard line in Montclair State University’s football stadium ― the same spot where they became Homecoming royalty 28 years earlier.
The wedding was officiated by Chief of University Police Paul Cell. The couple was surrounded by all seven kids, who observed COVID-19 safety measures including wearing masks and social distancing.
But for Fenner and Dabice, the marriage is more important than the wedding.
“I got my king,” she told Inside Edition, to which Dabice added with a kiss, “I got my queen.”