thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-18--Second Federal Death Row Prisoner Tests Positive For COVID-19

Bryan Woolston / Reuters At least two men on federal death row have tested positive for COVID-19 .
The Trump administration 's decision to move forward with executions during the pandemic has been roundly criticized by lawyers and public health experts .
He is the second known person on federal death row to contract the coronavirus .
Dustin Higgs , who is scheduled to be put to death on Jan. 15 , was confirmed positive on Thursday .
The news of an outbreak on death row comes as the Trump administration faces ongoing criticism for holding executions during the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this summer after a 17-year hiatus .
So far , 10 men have been put to death .
Along with Johnson and Higgs , Lisa Montgomery is also scheduled to be executed in January — an unprecedented spree of executions by an outgoing administration after it lost an election .
The prison complex where those sentenced to death are housed , FCC Terre Haute in Indiana , has seen a rapid spike in cases in recent weeks .
As of today , 309 incarcerated people had contracted the virus , an increase of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Mr .
Johnson ’ s diagnosis will substantially interfere with his attorneys ’ ability to have meaningful contact with him during these critical days before his scheduled execution , and the widespread outbreak on the federal death row only confirms the reckless disregard for the lives and safety of staff , prisoners , and attorneys alike , ” they wrote .
“ If the government will not withdraw the execution date , we will ask the courts to intervene.
” “ We have been warned by public health experts for months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ live within the prison walls , but would spread to Terre Haute staff , their families , and communities , ” said Cassandra Stubbs , director of the ACLU ’ s Director of Capital Punishment Project .
“ These executions have cut against every recommendation and public health measure that has been put forth , and the federal government squarely bears the blame for this escalating outbreak.
” Each execution brings together a mass of people from across the country , including around 40 Bureau of Prisons staff , and has the potential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the November execution of Orlando Hall , his spiritual adviser tested positive for the coronavirus , as did eight members of the Bureau of Prisons execution team .
Two prisoners at Terre Haute who are not on death row are currently suing the government to halt the upcoming executions , arguing that holding such events is putting them and all the other incarcerated people in the complex at risk of serious illness or death .
Lisa Montgomery , the only woman on federal death row , who is scheduled to be executed on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transferred to Terre Haute .
She is currently incarcerated at a women ’ s medical prison in Texas .
Two of her attorneys contracted the virus after visiting her behind bars .
In an email to HuffPost , the Bureau of Prisons refused to disclose the number of inmates on death row who have tested positive , citing privacy interests and ongoing litigation .
It also declined to confirm the number of people who are held in the Special Confinement Unit where death row inmates live , but it is believed that around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nolan , a lawyer for Dustin Higgs , said he was not sure when he would be able to see his client again due to his COVID-19 diagnosis .
Nolan has also asked the government to withdraw his client ’ s pending execution date .
“ It ’ s no surprise to us that this happened , ” he told HuffPost .
“ There ’ s rumors about a lot of the guys testing positive , although we don ’ t have much other information yet .
”

At least two men on federal death row have tested positive for COVID-19. The Trump administration's decision to move forward with executions during the pandemic has been roundly criticized by lawyers and public health experts. Bryan Woolston / Reuters
Corey Johnson, a federal death row prisoner who is scheduled to be executed on Jan. 14, has tested positive for COVID-19, his lawyers said Friday.
He is the second known person on federal death row to contract the coronavirus. Dustin Higgs, who is scheduled to be put to death on Jan. 15, was confirmed positive on Thursday.
Advertisement
The news of an outbreak on death row comes as the Trump administration faces ongoing criticism for holding executions during the pandemic. The federal government restarted capital punishment this summer after a 17-year hiatus. So far, 10 men have been put to death. Along with Johnson and Higgs, Lisa Montgomery is also scheduled to be executed in January — an unprecedented spree of executions by an outgoing administration after it lost an election.
The prison complex where those sentenced to death are housed, FCC Terre Haute in Indiana, has seen a rapid spike in cases in recent weeks. As of today, 309 incarcerated people had contracted the virus, an increase of 45 cases in the past 10 days.
In a statement, Johnson’s lawyers called on the Department of Justice to withdraw his execution date.
“Mr. Johnson’s diagnosis will substantially interfere with his attorneys’ ability to have meaningful contact with him during these critical days before his scheduled execution, and the widespread outbreak on the federal death row only confirms the reckless disregard for the lives and safety of staff, prisoners, and attorneys alike,” they wrote. “If the government will not withdraw the execution date, we will ask the courts to intervene.”
Advertisement
In a statement, the American Civil Liberties Union blasted the government’s decision to fast-track executions during the pandemic, calling the outbreak on death row predictable.
“We have been warned by public health experts for months that such an outbreak would not only live within the prison walls, but would spread to Terre Haute staff, their families, and communities,” said Cassandra Stubbs, director of the ACLU’s Director of Capital Punishment Project. “These executions have cut against every recommendation and public health measure that has been put forth, and the federal government squarely bears the blame for this escalating outbreak.”
Each execution brings together a mass of people from across the country, including around 40 Bureau of Prisons staff, and has the potential to become a superspreader event. After the November execution of Orlando Hall, his spiritual adviser tested positive for the coronavirus, as did eight members of the Bureau of Prisons execution team.
Two prisoners at Terre Haute who are not on death row are currently suing the government to halt the upcoming executions, arguing that holding such events is putting them and all the other incarcerated people in the complex at risk of serious illness or death. Lisa Montgomery, the only woman on federal death row, who is scheduled to be executed on Jan. 12, has not yet been transferred to Terre Haute. She is currently incarcerated at a women’s medical prison in Texas. Two of her attorneys contracted the virus after visiting her behind bars.
In an email to HuffPost, the Bureau of Prisons refused to disclose the number of inmates on death row who have tested positive, citing privacy interests and ongoing litigation. It also declined to confirm the number of people who are held in the Special Confinement Unit where death row inmates live, but it is believed that around 50 men are housed there.
Advertisement
Shawn Nolan, a lawyer for Dustin Higgs, said he was not sure when he would be able to see his client again due to his COVID-19 diagnosis. Nolan has also asked the government to withdraw his client’s pending execution date.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-18--Breonna Taylor's Mother Takes Out Full-Page Ad Targeting Biden

“ Actions speak louder than words .
We need your actions to show that you are different from those who pay lip service to our losses while doing nothing to show that our loved ones ’ lives mattered , ” read Palmer ’ s letter , which was published in Tuesday ’ s paper .
Taylor died when Louisville , Kentucky , police officers burst unexpectedly into her home last winter and sprayed her with bullets during a botched raid .
None of the cops involved have been charged with causing her death ; one , Detective Brett Hankison , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wanton endangerment for the incident in September .
“ For many Americans , a vote for you was a vote for Breonna , Jacob Blake , Casey Goodson and so many others who have been failed repeatedly by the criminal justice system under the current administration , ” Palmer told Biden in her letter .
“ These victims could not vote for you ― so millions of us did on their behalf.
” She called on the president-elect to appoint Justice Department officials “ with a proven record of holding police accountable ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brutality that were “ not properly completed before the Obama administration ended.
” Finally , Palmer asked that the Biden administration look into police departments “ known to cause harm across the country.
” She recalled a discussion with Biden that she said gave her hope for the future , and urged him to keep his promises .
No body camera footage captured Taylor ’ s death , according to police .
Taylor ’ s boyfriend , Kenneth Walker , has maintained that the plainclothes officers never identified themselves before using a battering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a.m. local time , although Louisville police say they did identify themselves .
Walker used his firearm against the intruders , shooting one officer in the leg .
Hankison was fired over the summer .
The other officers , Sgt .
Jonathan Mattingly and Officer Myles Cosgrove , were placed on administrative leave .
The trio was attempting to execute a “ no knock ” warrant on the apartment , believing that a suspect in a drug ring was receiving packages there , even though the suspect had already been arrested earlier in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ EMT , was struck six times .
Only one of the shots was fatal .
An FBI investigation into the incident opened in May is still ongoing .
Outrage over Taylor ’ s death fueled civil rights demonstrations over the summer that were sparked by the police killing of George Floyd , a Black man in Minneapolis who died after an officer knelt on his neck for several minutes .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Breonna Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, called on President-elect Joe Biden to open “large scale federal investigations into cases of police brutality” in a full-page advertisement in The Washington Post this week.
“Actions speak louder than words. We need your actions to show that you are different from those who pay lip service to our losses while doing nothing to show that our loved ones’ lives mattered,” read Palmer’s letter, which was published in Tuesday’s paper.
Advertisement
The ad points to a website, bidenjusticedemands.com, which outlines more specific criminal justice reforms that would not necessarily require a congressional majority to accomplish.
Taylor died when Louisville, Kentucky, police officers burst unexpectedly into her home last winter and sprayed her with bullets during a botched raid. None of the cops involved have been charged with causing her death; one, Detective Brett Hankison, was charged with three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment for the incident in September.
“For many Americans, a vote for you was a vote for Breonna, Jacob Blake, Casey Goodson and so many others who have been failed repeatedly by the criminal justice system under the current administration,” Palmer told Biden in her letter. “These victims could not vote for you ― so millions of us did on their behalf.”
She called on the president-elect to appoint Justice Department officials “with a proven record of holding police accountable” and to reopen unspecified investigations into police brutality that were “not properly completed before the Obama administration ended.”
Advertisement
Finally, Palmer asked that the Biden administration look into police departments “known to cause harm across the country.” She recalled a discussion with Biden that she said gave her hope for the future, and urged him to keep his promises.
No body camera footage captured Taylor’s death, according to police. Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, has maintained that the plainclothes officers never identified themselves before using a battering ram to enter the home at 1 a.m. local time, although Louisville police say they did identify themselves. Walker used his firearm against the intruders, shooting one officer in the leg.
Hankison was fired over the summer. The other officers, Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Officer Myles Cosgrove, were placed on administrative leave.
The trio was attempting to execute a “no knock” warrant on the apartment, believing that a suspect in a drug ring was receiving packages there, even though the suspect had already been arrested earlier in the day.
Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT, was struck six times. Only one of the shots was fatal. An FBI investigation into the incident opened in May is still ongoing.
Advertisement


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-18--To Reform Police, Biden Judicial Nominees Must Come From Beyond Prosecutor's Table

As President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office in just over a month , police reform advocates say that he needs to look beyond prosecutors to fill open spots on the federal bench if there ’ s to be any hope of implementing changes to hold law enforcement officers accountable .
Racial and gender diversity was already a critical issue for Biden ’ s judicial picks , especially following an administration whose choices for federal judges , as well as top federal prosecutors , were overwhelmingly white and male .
But reformers say career diversity should also be a factor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ d like to see more nominees with a professional background in areas like public defense and civil rights .
Judges often come from prosecutorial backgrounds , where they worked closely with police .
A new report , from University of Texas law professor Jennifer Laurin and Justice Collaborative Institute research director Kyle Barry , argues that having the bench full of jurists “ with narrow professional backgrounds [ has ] infused the law with a one-sided and often false view of policing , favoring police power over civil liberties.
” “ How @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Decisions that consider not just the interests of police , but the often brutal reality of the people subject to their control ?
One ( albeit incomplete ) solution is both straightforward and popular : Diversify the lived experiences of those sitting on the federal bench , including by appointing more public defenders and civil rights lawyers ― legal professionals who have made a career of challenging rather than defending the police perspective , ” the report says .
Last month , civil rights and other groups called for Biden ’ s judicial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , civil rights lawyers , labor lawyers , plaintiffs ’ lawyers , and public defenders.
” Earlier this month , in Biden ’ s meeting with civil rights groups , one prominent civil rights leader pushed him to think about “ background diversity ” that would bring new perspectives to the federal judiciary and reminded the president-elect of his own background in public defense .
Alec Karakatsanis of Civil Rights Corps , which has filed lawsuits alleging unconstitutional systems of incarceration across the country , told HuffPost that for the last generation , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and most racially disproportionate expansion of human caging in modern world history ” and that the lack of racial and background diversity on the bench was a major contributor .
“ During this time , the U.S. judiciary has been disproportionately white , disproportionately male , and disproportionately wealthy .
But it has also been full of prosecutors who , before they became judges , devoted their careers to working with police to build the punishment bureaucracy , ” Karakatsanis said .
“ In every fiber of their being , these former prosecutors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of putting metal chains on people ’ s bodies , separating families , and putting human beings in filthy cages , ” Karakatsanis said .
“ Their hard work to put as many people as possible in jail with no evidence that it made anyone safer carried over to their work as judges for years.
” Bill Nettles , who served as South Carolina ’ s U.S. attorney during the Obama administration , had a pretty unusual background for one of the nation ’ s top federal prosecutors : He was a public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told HuffPost that a law enforcement or prosecution background shouldn ’ t hinder anyone from becoming a judge , but that a range of voices within the judiciary is important for purposes of judicial legitimacy .
A basic premise of jurisprudence within a democracy , he said , is that the decisions of the judiciary only have the authority that the people give them over time .
“ The voice of the people has come very loud that they want some reform , ” Nettles said .
“ If you have a judiciary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a prosecution background , then in a time where the community is calling for reform , the decisions will be given more authority by the people if the judiciary has among it people that come from a different point of view , ” he said .
Biden , as BuzzFeed News reported this week , will face an uphill battle to confirm judicial nominees .
Over the past four years , Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-Ky. ) has focused on filling the bench with Trump ’ s judicial picks ; before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obama ’ s nominees .
In 2021 , Democrats will at best hold an extremely narrow majority in the Senate ( depending on the outcome of the Georgia runoff elections next month ) .
At worst for Biden ’ s picks , McConnell will remain in control .
And nominees for legal jobs who have non-prosecutorial backgrounds have previously run into problems in the Senate confirmation process .
Look no further than the experience of Debo Adegbile , Obama ’ s nominee to head the Justice Department ’ s Civil Rights Division , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a controversial death penalty case while at the Legal Defense Fund .
The treatment of Adegbile in the Senate was especially stark : The Black nominee was pilloried for defending a death row inmate , even though the sitting chief justice of the Supreme Court , a Republican nominee , had himself represented a mass murderer .
Jamal Brown , a spokesman for the Biden transition , said that the president-elect had “ proudly championed the historic confirmations of Justices Ginsburg , Sotomayor , and Kagan , and reshaped the Senate Judiciary Committee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ America .
As president , he will nominate the first Black woman to the Supreme Court , and appoint judges who share his commitment to the rule of law , and upholding individual civil rights and civil liberties.
” To uphold individual civil rights and liberties , the Justice Collaborative Institute ’ s report effectively argues , a wider range of professional backgrounds is needed .
State-sponsored violence against Black Americans has been the product of a judiciary that has failed to hold police accountable , it says , and that is driven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policing that doesn ’ t value the lives of Black Americans .
“ The vision of American policing reflected in the Supreme Court ’ s criminal procedure jurisprudence — a vision of expert crime-fighters under siege and deserving of judicial deference — is neither empirically grounded nor inevitable .
It is a construct , ” the report states .
“ And it should come as no surprise that a bench whose professional life has been overwhelmingly dedicated to defending , rather than contesting , the judgments of police would create such a construct @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that have insight into the perspectives of those who are the targets of law enforcement action is an important , and politically viable , corrective .
”

LOADING ERROR LOADING
As President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office in just over a month, police reform advocates say that he needs to look beyond prosecutors to fill open spots on the federal bench if there’s to be any hope of implementing changes to hold law enforcement officers accountable.
Racial and gender diversity was already a critical issue for Biden’s judicial picks, especially following an administration whose choices for federal judges, as well as top federal prosecutors, were overwhelmingly white and male. But reformers say career diversity should also be a factor in Biden’s selections. They’d like to see more nominees with a professional background in areas like public defense and civil rights.
Advertisement
Activists want a wider range of professional experiences from Joe Biden's judicial nominees. KEVIN LAMARQUE via Getty Images
Judges often come from prosecutorial backgrounds, where they worked closely with police. A new report, from University of Texas law professor Jennifer Laurin and Justice Collaborative Institute research director Kyle Barry, argues that having the bench full of jurists “with narrow professional backgrounds [has] infused the law with a one-sided and often false view of policing, favoring police power over civil liberties.”
“How can federal courts make better-informed decisions? Decisions that consider not just the interests of police, but the often brutal reality of the people subject to their control? One (albeit incomplete) solution is both straightforward and popular: Diversify the lived experiences of those sitting on the federal bench, including by appointing more public defenders and civil rights lawyers ― legal professionals who have made a career of challenging rather than defending the police perspective,” the report says.
Advertisement
A poll from Data for Progress and the Justice Collaborative Institute found that 58% of voters support “appointing judges who have experience as criminal defense attorneys and civil rights lawyers, not just former prosecutors.” Nearly half of Republicans, 49%, favor the same broader professional diversity.
Last month, civil rights and other groups called for Biden’s judicial nominees to include “public interest lawyers, civil rights lawyers, labor lawyers, plaintiffs’ lawyers, and public defenders.” Earlier this month, in Biden’s meeting with civil rights groups, one prominent civil rights leader pushed him to think about “background diversity” that would bring new perspectives to the federal judiciary and reminded the president-elect of his own background in public defense.
“Our judiciary has essentially been taken over by former prosecutors,” Sherrilyn Ifill, the president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, said to reporters after the meeting. “We need balance in the appointments to the bench.”
Alec Karakatsanis of Civil Rights Corps, which has filed lawsuits alleging unconstitutional systems of incarceration across the country, told HuffPost that for the last generation, judges have “presided over the largest and most racially disproportionate expansion of human caging in modern world history” and that the lack of racial and background diversity on the bench was a major contributor.
“During this time, the U.S. judiciary has been disproportionately white, disproportionately male, and disproportionately wealthy. But it has also been full of prosecutors who, before they became judges, devoted their careers to working with police to build the punishment bureaucracy,” Karakatsanis said.
Advertisement
“In every fiber of their being, these former prosecutors have become desensitized to the everyday brutality of putting metal chains on people’s bodies, separating families, and putting human beings in filthy cages,” Karakatsanis said. “Their hard work to put as many people as possible in jail with no evidence that it made anyone safer carried over to their work as judges for years.”
Bill Nettles, who served as South Carolina’s U.S. attorney during the Obama administration, had a pretty unusual background for one of the nation’s top federal prosecutors: He was a public defender and criminal defense attorney. Nettles told HuffPost that a law enforcement or prosecution background shouldn’t hinder anyone from becoming a judge, but that a range of voices within the judiciary is important for purposes of judicial legitimacy. A basic premise of jurisprudence within a democracy, he said, is that the decisions of the judiciary only have the authority that the people give them over time.
“The voice of the people has come very loud that they want some reform,” Nettles said. “If you have a judiciary that is primarily comprised of people with a prosecution background, then in a time where the community is calling for reform, the decisions will be given more authority by the people if the judiciary has among it people that come from a different point of view,” he said.
Biden, as BuzzFeed News reported this week, will face an uphill battle to confirm judicial nominees. Over the past four years, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has focused on filling the bench with Trump’s judicial picks; before that, he regularly impeded President Barack Obama’s nominees. In 2021, Democrats will at best hold an extremely narrow majority in the Senate (depending on the outcome of the Georgia runoff elections next month). At worst for Biden’s picks, McConnell will remain in control. And nominees for legal jobs who have non-prosecutorial backgrounds have previously run into problems in the Senate confirmation process.
Look no further than the experience of Debo Adegbile, Obama’s nominee to head the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, who was attacked over his involvement in a controversial death penalty case while at the Legal Defense Fund. The treatment of Adegbile in the Senate was especially stark: The Black nominee was pilloried for defending a death row inmate, even though the sitting chief justice of the Supreme Court, a Republican nominee, had himself represented a mass murderer.
Advertisement
Jamal Brown, a spokesman for the Biden transition, said that the president-elect had “proudly championed the historic confirmations of Justices Ginsburg, Sotomayor, and Kagan, and reshaped the Senate Judiciary Committee to reflect the diversity and breadth of America. As president, he will nominate the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, and appoint judges who share his commitment to the rule of law, and upholding individual civil rights and civil liberties.”
To uphold individual civil rights and liberties, the Justice Collaborative Institute’s report effectively argues, a wider range of professional backgrounds is needed. State-sponsored violence against Black Americans has been the product of a judiciary that has failed to hold police accountable, it says, and that is driven by a “false narrative” of policing that doesn’t value the lives of Black Americans.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-18--In Georgia Runoffs, Everything's At Stake. Or The Bare Minimum.

DULUTH , Ga. ― The situation , Republicans in this Atlanta suburb were warned , is dire .
If Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff win Senate runoff elections and give their party control of the U.S. Senate , it would mean the “ collapse of the United States of America , ” Rep. Andy Biggs .
( R-Ariz. ) said .
“ We can ’ t let that happen , ” said Biggs , a leader of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus , claiming a Democratic Senate would threaten “ the rights that we ’ ve loved for years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , where and how we want the right to associate , the right to travel the right to say what we want and to be critical of our government.
” At the same rally , part of the Club for Growth ’ s “ Save America ” tour , Montana GOP Sen. Steve Daines swore to the crowd of 100 gathered in a mall parking lot that it was not “ hyperbole ” to say Democrats were “ coming for your guns.
” Rep.-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene said Warnock , a pastor , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abortion rights .
Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan bluntly declared : “ They want to take away your freedom.
” But the GOP ’ s apocalyptic rhetoric surrounding Georgia ’ s Jan. 5 runoff elections distorts a reality Democrats are beginning to acknowledge .
Victories by Ossoff and Warnock would allow the party to enact only the most incremental elements of the Democratic agenda , empowering not big-dreaming progressives , but cautious moderates .
“ Are you ready to vote for two senators who are doers , not roadblocks ?
” Biden asked the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote for two senators who will fight for progress , not just get in the way ?
” “ If Mitch McConnell keeps control of the U.S. Senate , he will try to do exactly to Joe and Kamala like he did to President Obama , ” Ossoff said .
Defund The Police ?
Not Quite .
Victories by both Democrats ― operatives in both parties think a split outcome is very unlikely ― would give Democrats precisely 50 seats in the Senate , allowing Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to break ties and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ majority leader .
Republicans have suggested this would empower figures like progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D-N.Y. ) , who has said a victory in Georgia would mean Democrats “ don ’ t have to negotiate.
” A bare minimum Senate majority would actually place power in the hands of moderates like West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and Arizona Sens .
Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly .
A full-on elimination of the Senate ’ s 60-vote requirement to pass most legislation , long a left-wing priority and a necessary step for Democrats to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the table , with Manchin declaring the day after the November election he would vote against any attempt to eliminate the filibuster .
“ While Republicans are proclaiming at the top of their lungs that the world is about to collapse if Democrats win these seats , the reality is that with this narrow margin , it will be difficult for Biden to move much of his agenda , ” said Jim Manley , a Democratic strategist who worked for former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid .
Both Ossoff and Warnock are walking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ highlighting the high stakes as they seek to rally Democrats in a contest both parties agree will be a turnout-centric battle , while also acknowledging they ’ ll have to work with Republicans to accomplish much of anything .
Warnock showed the delicate dance at St. James Missionary Baptist Church in Columbus on Sunday morning .
He said Trump ’ s failure to address the coronavirus pandemic was a potent reminder that voting is a matter of “ life and death.
” But when asked how he hoped to pass laws in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ As a pastor , I have a history of bringing people together , ” Warnock told reporters after speaking at the church .
“ What I hope to do is lift up those values of our mutual commitment to one another , and compassion and justice , and that hopefully will be part of what breaks through the partisan gridlock.
” Ossoff has focused more narrowly on the topic of coronavirus relief ― his campaign has paid for billboards reading “ COVID RELIEF NOW ” on major highways in the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first round of $ 1,200 relief checks sent to Americans .
“ That ’ s in alignment with what we are hearing from voters and what they are telling us they want from senators , ” said Nse Ufot , the executive director of the New Georgia Project , citing rising unemployment in the state and the possibility of mass evictions .
“ Our current crop of leaders has failed us , there ’ s no other way to put it .
”

LOADING ERROR LOADING
DULUTH, Ga. ― The situation, Republicans in this Atlanta suburb were warned, is dire. If Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff win Senate runoff elections and give their party control of the U.S. Senate, it would mean the “collapse of the United States of America,” Rep. Andy Biggs. (R-Ariz.) said.
“We can’t let that happen,” said Biggs, a leader of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, claiming a Democratic Senate would threaten “the rights that we’ve loved for years ― the right to worship, when, where and how we want the right to associate, the right to travel the right to say what we want and to be critical of our government.”
Advertisement
At the same rally, part of the Club for Growth’s “Save America” tour, Montana GOP Sen. Steve Daines swore to the crowd of 100 gathered in a mall parking lot that it was not “hyperbole” to say Democrats were “coming for your guns.” Rep.-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene said Warnock, a pastor, was a “heretic” for supporting abortion rights. Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan bluntly declared: “They want to take away your freedom.”
But the GOP’s apocalyptic rhetoric surrounding Georgia’s Jan. 5 runoff elections distorts a reality Democrats are beginning to acknowledge. Victories by Ossoff and Warnock would allow the party to enact only the most incremental elements of the Democratic agenda, empowering not big-dreaming progressives, but cautious moderates.
During a rally with Warnock and Ossoff on Tuesday in Atlanta, President-elect Joe Biden attacked their Republican opponents, Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, as mere placeholders uninterested in progress. (The Warnock and Ossoff campaigns released a television ad on Thursday morning featuring Biden pushing a similar message.)
“Are you ready to vote for two senators who are doers, not roadblocks?” Biden asked the crowd. “Are you ready to vote for two senators who will fight for progress, not just get in the way?”
Advertisement
Ossoff was even blunter, calling back to Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell’s obstructionism during the presidency of Barack Obama.
“If Mitch McConnell keeps control of the U.S. Senate, he will try to do exactly to Joe and Kamala like he did to President Obama,” Ossoff said.
Defund The Police? Not Quite.
Victories by both Democrats ― operatives in both parties think a split outcome is very unlikely ― would give Democrats precisely 50 seats in the Senate, allowing Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to break ties and making New York Sen. Chuck Schumer the majority leader. Republicans have suggested this would empower figures like progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who has said a victory in Georgia would mean Democrats “don’t have to negotiate.”
Republicans spent much of the fall campaign falsely suggesting Democrats support Medicare-for-all, defunding the police and the Green New Deal. But these lines of attack have reached new levels of absurdity during the runoff campaigns.
A bare minimum Senate majority would actually place power in the hands of moderates like West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and Arizona Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly. A full-on elimination of the Senate’s 60-vote requirement to pass most legislation, long a left-wing priority and a necessary step for Democrats to pass ambitious laws, would be off the table, with Manchin declaring the day after the November election he would vote against any attempt to eliminate the filibuster.
Advertisement
While Biden continues to harbor more hope than most Democrats about the possibility of working with McConnell and other Republicans, Democrats in Washington acknowledge his pre-election hopes for a “Rooseveltian” presidency dimmed when 2020 Democratic candidates failed to make significant Senate gains.
“While Republicans are proclaiming at the top of their lungs that the world is about to collapse if Democrats win these seats, the reality is that with this narrow margin, it will be difficult for Biden to move much of his agenda,” said Jim Manley, a Democratic strategist who worked for former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Both Ossoff and Warnock are walking a tricky line as they campaign, highlighting the high stakes as they seek to rally Democrats in a contest both parties agree will be a turnout-centric battle, while also acknowledging they’ll have to work with Republicans to accomplish much of anything.
‘COVID Relief Now’
Warnock showed the delicate dance at St. James Missionary Baptist Church in Columbus on Sunday morning. He said Trump’s failure to address the coronavirus pandemic was a potent reminder that voting is a matter of “life and death.” But when asked how he hoped to pass laws in a divided Senate, he talked of bipartisanship.
“As a pastor, I have a history of bringing people together,” Warnock told reporters after speaking at the church. “What I hope to do is lift up those values of our mutual commitment to one another, and compassion and justice, and that hopefully will be part of what breaks through the partisan gridlock.”
Advertisement
Ossoff, for his part, ticked off a number of liberal priorities: an updated version of the Civil Rights Act, a new infrastructure package with money for clean energy programs, a public option for health insurance.
“We can build a broad coalition to do those things,” Ossoff said after leading a march to an early voting site in Gwinnett County on Monday.
Ossoff has focused more narrowly on the topic of coronavirus relief ― his campaign has paid for billboards reading “COVID RELIEF NOW” on major highways in the state ― and specifically hammering Perdue for opposing the first round of $1,200 relief checks sent to Americans.
This approach has pleased progressives, who have pushed for Democrats to focus narrowly on economic relief, promising voters that support for Ossoff and Warnock would lead directly to more cash in their pockets.
“That’s in alignment with what we are hearing from voters and what they are telling us they want from senators,” said Nse Ufot, the executive director of the New Georgia Project, citing rising unemployment in the state and the possibility of mass evictions. “Our current crop of leaders has failed us, there’s no other way to put it.”
Advertisement
On Monday night, Perdue ended fly-around stops with a brief appearance ― he spoke for just three minutes ― at a private airport in Atlanta. But he was sure to get in the required warnings.
“We need to win Georgia,” he told the crowd of about 50. “So we can save America.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-18--Jupiter, Saturn Appear Closest To Each Other Since 1623

CAPE CANAVERAL , Fla. ( AP ) — Jupiter and Saturn will merge in the night sky Monday , appearing closer to one another than they have since Galileo ’ s time in the 17th century .
Astronomers say so-called conjunctions between the two largest planets in our solar system aren ’ t particularly rare .
Jupiter passes its neighbor Saturn in their respective laps around the sun every 20 years .
But the one coming up is especially close : Jupiter and Saturn will be just one-tenth of a degree apart from our perspective or about one-fifth the width @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be easily visible around the world a little after sunset , weather permitting .
Toss in the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere , the longest night of the year — and the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere — and this just-in-time-for-Christmas spectacle promises to be one of the greatest of Great Conjunctions .
“ What is most rare is a close conjunction that occurs in our nighttime sky , ” said Vanderbilt University ’ s David Weintraub , an astronomy professor .
“ I think it ’ s fair to say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just once in any one person ’ s lifetime , and I think ‘ once in my lifetime ’ is a pretty good test of whether something merits being labeled as rare or special.
” It will be the closest Jupiter-Saturn pairing since July 1623 , when the two planets appeared a little nearer .
This conjunction was almost impossible to see , however , because of its closeness to the sun .
Considerably closer and in plain view was the March 1226 conjunction of the two planets — when Genghis Khan was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be the closest pairing that is visible since way back then .
Saturn and Jupiter have been drawing closer in the south-southwest sky for weeks .
Jupiter — bigger and closer to Earth — is vastly brighter .
“ I love watching them come closer and closer to each other and the fact that I can see it with my naked eyes from my back porch !
” Virginia Tech astronomer Nahum Arav said in an email .
To see it , be ready shortly after sunset Monday , looking to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saturn will be the smaller , fainter blob at Jupiter ’ s upper right .
Binoculars will be needed to separate the two planets .
Despite appearances , Jupiter and Saturn will actually be more than 450 million miles ( 730 million kilometers ) apart .
Earth , meanwhile , will be 550 million miles ( 890 million kilometers ) from Jupiter .
A telescope will not only capture Jupiter and Saturn in the same field of view , but even some of their brightest moons .
The Associated Press Health and Science @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Medical Institute ’ s Department of Science Education .
The AP is solely responsible for all content .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Jupiter and Saturn will merge in the night sky Monday, appearing closer to one another than they have since Galileo’s time in the 17th century.
Astronomers say so-called conjunctions between the two largest planets in our solar system aren’t particularly rare. Jupiter passes its neighbor Saturn in their respective laps around the sun every 20 years.
Advertisement
But the one coming up is especially close: Jupiter and Saturn will be just one-tenth of a degree apart from our perspective or about one-fifth the width of a full moon. They should be easily visible around the world a little after sunset, weather permitting.
Toss in the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the longest night of the year — and the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere — and this just-in-time-for-Christmas spectacle promises to be one of the greatest of Great Conjunctions.
“What is most rare is a close conjunction that occurs in our nighttime sky,” said Vanderbilt University’s David Weintraub, an astronomy professor. “I think it’s fair to say that such an event typically may occur just once in any one person’s lifetime, and I think ‘once in my lifetime’ is a pretty good test of whether something merits being labeled as rare or special.”
It will be the closest Jupiter-Saturn pairing since July 1623, when the two planets appeared a little nearer. This conjunction was almost impossible to see, however, because of its closeness to the sun.
Advertisement
Considerably closer and in plain view was the March 1226 conjunction of the two planets — when Genghis Khan was conquering Asia. Monday’s conjunction will be the closest pairing that is visible since way back then.
Saturn and Jupiter have been drawing closer in the south-southwest sky for weeks. Jupiter — bigger and closer to Earth — is vastly brighter.
“I love watching them come closer and closer to each other and the fact that I can see it with my naked eyes from my back porch!” Virginia Tech astronomer Nahum Arav said in an email.
To see it, be ready shortly after sunset Monday, looking to the southwest fairly low on the horizon. Saturn will be the smaller, fainter blob at Jupiter’s upper right. Binoculars will be needed to separate the two planets.
Despite appearances, Jupiter and Saturn will actually be more than 450 million miles (730 million kilometers) apart. Earth, meanwhile, will be 550 million miles (890 million kilometers) from Jupiter.
Advertisement
A telescope will not only capture Jupiter and Saturn in the same field of view, but even some of their brightest moons.
Their next super-close pairing: March 15, 2080.
___


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-18--12 Amazing Photos You Missed This Week

12 Amazing Photos You Missed This Week

We ’ re highlighting exceptional photos from around the world for the week just ended .
Check them out below @ @ @ @ @ boy who fled the ongoing fighting in Tigray region gestures in the Hamdayet Village in @ @ @ @ @ , on Dec. 15 , 2020 .

We’re highlighting exceptional photos from around the world for the week just ended. Check them out below.
Above: An Ethiopian boy who fled the ongoing fighting in Tigray region gestures in the Hamdayet Village in eastern Kassala state, Sudan, on Dec. 15, 2020.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-18--Kobe Bryant’s Widow Accuses Mom Of Trying To 'Extort A Financial Windfall'

LOS ANGELES ( AP ) — Kobe Bryant ’ s widow has denounced a lawsuit from her mother claiming she is owed years of pay for working as an unpaid assistant and support promised by the basketball legend , who was killed in a helicopter crash in January .
Vanessa Bryant issued a statement Thursday saying her mother was trying to “ extort a financial windfall , ” the Los Angeles Times reported .
The 48-page lawsuit filed by Sofia Urbieta Laine , 68 , claims Kobe Bryant “ promised to take care ” of her for life .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not see the light of day as he is now deceased and Vanessa Bryant took each and every step she could to void and cancel all of Kobe ’ s promises , ” the lawsuit claims , asserting that Vanessa Bryant never intended to honor those wishes .
Kobe Bryant , 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others died Jan. 26 when their helicopter crashed in the hills of Calabasas .
Financial experts estimate Vanessa Bryant inherited control of an estate worth up to $ 600 million , the Times said .
Vanessa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her husband allowed her mother to live for free in one of their properties on the tony Newport Beach coast but never promised her anything or discouraged her from providing for herself .
“ She was a grandmother who was supported by me and her son-in-law at my request , ” Vanessa Bryant said .
“ She now wants to back charge me $ 96 per hour for supposedly working 12 hours a day for 18 years for watching her grandchildren .
In reality , she only occasionally babysat my older girls when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that earlier this year she began looking for a new home for her mother and that her mother gave a TV interview in which she claimed she was being forced out of her home and to return a luxury car .
“ Even after that betrayal , I was willing to provide my mother with monthly support for the rest of her life , and that wasn ’ t good enough , ” Vanessa Bryant said .
“ She , instead , contacted me through intermediaries — contrary to what she claims , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — and demanded $ 5 million , a house and a Mercedes SUV .
”

LOADING ERROR LOADING
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kobe Bryant’s widow has denounced a lawsuit from her mother claiming she is owed years of pay for working as an unpaid assistant and support promised by the basketball legend, who was killed in a helicopter crash in January.
Vanessa Bryant issued a statement Thursday saying her mother was trying to “extort a financial windfall,” the Los Angeles Times reported.
Advertisement
The 48-page lawsuit filed by Sofia Urbieta Laine, 68, claims Kobe Bryant “promised to take care” of her for life.
“Unfortunately, Kobe Bryant’s promise did not see the light of day as he is now deceased and Vanessa Bryant took each and every step she could to void and cancel all of Kobe’s promises,” the lawsuit claims, asserting that Vanessa Bryant never intended to honor those wishes.
Kobe Bryant, 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others died Jan. 26 when their helicopter crashed in the hills of Calabasas. Financial experts estimate Vanessa Bryant inherited control of an estate worth up to $600 million, the Times said.
Vanessa Bryant’s statement said she and her husband allowed her mother to live for free in one of their properties on the tony Newport Beach coast but never promised her anything or discouraged her from providing for herself.
Advertisement
“She was a grandmother who was supported by me and her son-in-law at my request,” Vanessa Bryant said. “She now wants to back charge me $96 per hour for supposedly working 12 hours a day for 18 years for watching her grandchildren. In reality, she only occasionally babysat my older girls when they were toddlers.”
Vanessa Bryant said that earlier this year she began looking for a new home for her mother and that her mother gave a TV interview in which she claimed she was being forced out of her home and to return a luxury car.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-18--Motorist Rescued After 10 Hours In Car Buried By Snow Plow

NEW YORK ( AP ) — A man who drove off the road in this week ’ s snowstorm spent 10 hours trapped in his car after a passing plow and rapidly accumulating snow buried it , finally managing to get a 911 call through and being rescued in the nick of time by a New York state trooper .
Kevin Kresen , 58 , of Candor , drove off the road in the town of Owego and became “ plowed in by a truck , ” state police said .
“ If he was in there for another hour @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and I ’ m convinced he wouldn ’ t have made it , ” State Police Sgt .
Jason Cawley , who rescued the man , said in an interview .
Kresen drove into a ditch around midnight and called 911 through the wee hours of Thursday but had trouble connecting .
The vehicle became completely disabled , authorities said , leaving Kresen without heat .
This photo , provided by the New York State Police , shows a car , in Owego , NY , from which a New York State @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ He finally got through a few times and was geolocated , but not very well because of the spottiness of the reception , ” Cawley said .
First responders narrowed the call to a 3-mile stretch along the Susquehanna River in Owego , outside Binghamton , which got over 40 inches of snow in the storm .
The storm covered Kresen ’ s car in snow , and at least one plow passed by as he remained trapped .
Cawley climbed miles of snowbanks , finally happening on one that looked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a house .
He believed at first that he was looking at a row of mailboxes .
“ I reached in to find which address I was at when I punched the side window of a car , ” Cawley said .
“ I was a little shocked because I was actually standing almost on top of the car.
” The 22-year-veteran of the State Police cleared off the glass and asked whether anyone was inside .
Kresen was suffering from hypothermia and frostbite and had gotten to the point where he had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That ’ s a very bad place to be when your body has stopped making heat and stopped trying to warm itself , ” he said .
Kresen , whose speech was slurring , was helped into a marked police car and then driven to an ambulance , where he began warming up .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
NEW YORK (AP) — A man who drove off the road in this week’s snowstorm spent 10 hours trapped in his car after a passing plow and rapidly accumulating snow buried it, finally managing to get a 911 call through and being rescued in the nick of time by a New York state trooper.
Kevin Kresen, 58, of Candor, drove off the road in the town of Owego and became “plowed in by a truck,” state police said.
Advertisement
“If he was in there for another hour his body temperature would have gone lower, and I’m convinced he wouldn’t have made it,” State Police Sgt. Jason Cawley, who rescued the man, said in an interview.
Kresen drove into a ditch around midnight and called 911 through the wee hours of Thursday but had trouble connecting. The vehicle became completely disabled, authorities said, leaving Kresen without heat.
This photo, provided by the New York State Police, shows a car, in Owego, NY, from which a New York State Police sergeant rescued Kevin Kresen, 58. New York State Police via AP
“He finally got through a few times and was geolocated, but not very well because of the spottiness of the reception,” Cawley said.
Advertisement
First responders narrowed the call to a 3-mile stretch along the Susquehanna River in Owego, outside Binghamton, which got over 40 inches of snow in the storm. The storm covered Kresen’s car in snow, and at least one plow passed by as he remained trapped.
Cawley climbed miles of snowbanks, finally happening on one that looked slightly different and was in front of a house. He believed at first that he was looking at a row of mailboxes.
“I reached in to find which address I was at when I punched the side window of a car,” Cawley said. “I was a little shocked because I was actually standing almost on top of the car.”
The 22-year-veteran of the State Police cleared off the glass and asked whether anyone was inside.
“‘I’m inside the car and I can’t feel my feet,’” Kresen told him.
“My heart jumped,” Cawley said. He dug Kresen out with the help of a passerby.
Kresen was suffering from hypothermia and frostbite and had gotten to the point where he had stopped shivering, Cawley said.
“That’s a very bad place to be when your body has stopped making heat and stopped trying to warm itself,” he said.
Advertisement
Kresen, whose speech was slurring, was helped into a marked police car and then driven to an ambulance, where he began warming up.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-18--Illegal Winery Busted At Alabama Town’s Sewage Plant

RAINSVILLE , Ala. ( AP ) — Sheriff ’ s officials say they ’ ve busted an illegal winery that was operating at a municipal sewage plant in a small north Alabama town .
The DeKalb County Sheriff ’ s Office said in a statement it received an anonymous tip about an alcohol operation at a municipal building in the town of Rainsville on Thursday .
Investigators then uncovered what ’ s described as a large illegal winery inside the Rainsville Waste Water Treatment Plant .
Photos released by investigators show glass containers , buckets , a fermenting rack and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make wine at home .
The agency says officers seized a lot of illegal alcohol , and arrests are expected .
The town of about 5,100 people is 100 miles northeast of Birmingham .
“ I want to thank the mayor for his cooperation and willingness to allow law enforcement to do our job and shut something like this down , ” Sheriff Nick Welden said in a statement .
“ This is definitely one of the biggest operations we ’ ve seen in our county and possibly our state.
” It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wine at home in Alabama , but it ’ s illegal to have more than 15 gallons of homemade wine or beer at a time .
Police photos show multiple fermenting vessels filled with what appears to be more than 100 gallons of white and red liquid .

RAINSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — Sheriff’s officials say they’ve busted an illegal winery that was operating at a municipal sewage plant in a small north Alabama town.
The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement it received an anonymous tip about an alcohol operation at a municipal building in the town of Rainsville on Thursday. Investigators then uncovered what’s described as a large illegal winery inside the Rainsville Waste Water Treatment Plant.
Advertisement
Photos released by investigators show glass containers, buckets, a fermenting rack and other equipment often used by people who make wine at home.
The agency says officers seized a lot of illegal alcohol, and arrests are expected. The town of about 5,100 people is 100 miles northeast of Birmingham.
“I want to thank the mayor for his cooperation and willingness to allow law enforcement to do our job and shut something like this down,” Sheriff Nick Welden said in a statement. “This is definitely one of the biggest operations we’ve seen in our county and possibly our state.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-18--Selling Nudes On OnlyFans Kept These Families Afloat This Year

So in August , in an anxious bid to make up for lost wages , Rachel began selling nude photos and videos of herself on OnlyFans , a platform where independent creators charge fees to users who want to access their private content .
It wasn ’ t something she ’ d ever imagined herself doing , but it worked : Through her nudes and other services , such as livestreams in which she reads political literature in lingerie , she built up an audience .
It wasn ’ t long before her OnlyFans earnings had pulled her back from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even had time to re-enroll in college classes online for her degree in computer science .
Stories like hers have become increasingly common , though not all have been as successful .
HuffPost spoke with mothers from all over the country who started selling explicit images of themselves on OnlyFans during the pandemic to make ends meet .
Some said they now enjoy doing it and find it to be an empowering path back to financial security and independence .
Others said they turned to online sex work in a state of desperation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
All described OnlyFans as a lifeline amid a global catastrophe in which they feel like their government has abandoned them .
Sara was eventually approved for unemployment benefits after leaving OnlyFans , but she gave them up in July when she managed to find full-time work in marketing .
That job has since disappeared due to COVID-19 , too .
She hasn ’ t been able to get back on unemployment , and her son ’ s father , who ’ s also out of work , can no longer afford to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s one-time stimulus payout was far from enough to cover her ongoing expenses , and she has given up hope that any more checks will be coming .
It was a very scary time .
All my savings were just wiped away .
Maria , a 30-year-old mother and OnlyFans creator in New York

It was late July, and Rachel, a 30-year-old single mother living in Minnesota, didn’t know what to do. She’d just been laid off from her job at a casino after being furloughed for months due to the pandemic. Her weekly COVID-19 relief benefit from the federal government had expired, and her state unemployment aid barely amounted to a third of what she’d been earning before the crisis, but she still needed to pay her rent and bills.
Both Rachel and her toddler are asthmatic, putting them at high risk of complications from the coronavirus; she didn’t feel safe looking for new jobs outside her apartment. Her limited savings were rapidly running out, though, and she was terrified that they would be evicted.
Advertisement
So in August, in an anxious bid to make up for lost wages, Rachel began selling nude photos and videos of herself on OnlyFans, a platform where independent creators charge fees to users who want to access their private content. It wasn’t something she’d ever imagined herself doing, but it worked: Through her nudes and other services, such as livestreams in which she reads political literature in lingerie, she built up an audience. It wasn’t long before her OnlyFans earnings had pulled her back from the brink of poverty. She has even had time to re-enroll in college classes online for her degree in computer science.
Although Rachel is grateful that online sex work is keeping her family afloat for now, she worries about the harm it could cause to her future career opportunities.
“What I struggled with most when deciding to do this — and I still beat myself up about it — is that even if I finish school and graduate, and have everything I need for a better career, I may go out into the workforce and be discriminated against for having done this,” said Rachel, who is Asian and Indigenous. She is being identified by a pseudonym to protect her privacy.
Stories like hers have become increasingly common, though not all have been as successful. HuffPost spoke with mothers from all over the country who started selling explicit images of themselves on OnlyFans during the pandemic to make ends meet. Some said they now enjoy doing it and find it to be an empowering path back to financial security and independence. Others said they turned to online sex work in a state of desperation, as a last-resort means of survival. All described OnlyFans as a lifeline amid a global catastrophe in which they feel like their government has abandoned them.
Advertisement
“A lot of people who do this feel like they have no other options.” - Rachel, a 30-year-old mother and OnlyFans creator in Minnesota
There is an undeniable stigma around online sex work, which exploded into public view this week when the conservative New York Post outed a young paramedic for also running an OnlyFans account. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) castigated the newspaper on Twitter and later added that, in the absence of monetary aid, shame should be focused on the federal government, “not on marginalizing people surviving a pandemic without help.”
Most of the OnlyFans workers who talked to HuffPost said they’ve hidden this part of their lives from their friends and families for fear of judgment. Each has experienced harassment and other online abuse while promoting their OnlyFans accounts on social media.
As the pandemic drags deeper into its 10th month, Congress remains gridlocked over its next financial relief package — leaving millions of Americans floundering with no certainty on when or if help will arrive. Negotiations have been ongoing for months, and the government could shut down if congressional leaders fail to reach a deal by Friday at midnight.
Meanwhile, the crisis is disproportionately affecting members of already-marginalized communities; Black, Latino, Indigenous and immigrant households have been particularly hard-hit. More than 20 million workers have lost their jobs, as many as 40 million renters are at risk of eviction and at least 8 million people have slipped into poverty.
Advertisement
OnlyFans has emerged as a safety net that makes it possible for some people to earn money from the safety of their homes — if they’re willing to get naked on the internet.
“It was better to have something to fall back on than nothing,” said Rachel. “A lot of people who do this feel like they have no other options, so we go and make ourselves vulnerable.”
As national unemployment figures skyrocketed this year, so did OnlyFans’ user base. Since March, when nonessential businesses started shutting down en masse, OnlyFans has seen its creator and overall user numbers triple to more than 1 million and 90 million, respectively, with about 500,000 people now signing up per day, the 4-year-old British-based firm told HuffPost. The vast majority of creators are in the U.S. And although OnlyFans is not exclusively used for sex work, it’s widely known as a website for homemade pornography.
For Sara, a 29-year-old single mother in Colorado, doing sex work on the platform has taken a devastating mental and emotional toll on her. She was bartending at Olive Garden when the pandemic hit and had no alternative source of income when it closed. Her 6-year-old son has severe asthma, so, like Rachel, she was afraid of exposing him to the coronavirus and declined to take any shifts when the restaurant later reopened at a reduced capacity.
“I remember just crying. I was in a black hole.” - Sara, a 29-year-old mother and OnlyFans creator in Colorado
Advertisement
Sara had modeled before and had long enjoyed photography; OnlyFans didn’t seem so different. So she made an account in mid-March, not really knowing what to expect.
“I was just doing this out of desperation,” said Sara, who is identified by her first name only. “I needed to pay my bills. What was I supposed to do?”
OnlyFans creators post streams of images to their profiles for all of their subscribers to view; for negotiated fees, individual subscribers can also request custom content directly.
New to sex work and unsure of what to charge, Sara sent her first customer full nudes for $7 — minus the 20% fee that OnlyFans claims from every sale. The man grew increasingly demanding and disrespectful, so she eventually blocked him, but he continued to harass her through her other social media profiles. At one point, she feared that he’d find her address and show up at her apartment. Her other customers weren’t much different, she said.
“I didn’t really know my worth … I remember just crying. I was in a black hole,” Sara said. “I didn’t like feeling like I was just an object to jerk off to.”
Advertisement
A few of the men Sara used to work with at Olive Garden subscribed to her OnlyFans page, and she later heard from other former co-workers that they were disparaging her content as not being “worth it” and had called her lazy for choosing online sex work over bartending.
Feeling crushed and alone, Sara quit OnlyFans soon after. She applied for unemployment benefits and waited nervously, unsure if she’d be approved after turning down bar shifts to protect her son. She hoped the government would provide additional relief in the meantime.
In April, Congress gave $1,200 stimulus checks to every qualifying American through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, plus $500 per child. It also granted an additional $600 weekly to people receiving unemployment aid, which was later reduced to $300 and then terminated altogether. Without that extra support, many laid-off workers have been left scrambling to get by.
Sara was eventually approved for unemployment benefits after leaving OnlyFans, but she gave them up in July when she managed to find full-time work in marketing. That job has since disappeared due to COVID-19, too. She hasn’t been able to get back on unemployment, and her son’s father, who’s also out of work, can no longer afford to pay child support. The federal government’s one-time stimulus payout was far from enough to cover her ongoing expenses, and she has given up hope that any more checks will be coming.
With no other options, Sara has returned to OnlyFans. It’s been better this time around, she said, and she has raised her prices, but she’s still struggling every day.
Advertisement
“I definitely don’t trust the government to take care of us,” said Sara, who’s also learning how to make and sell candles and jewelry. “I have never failed my son. I’ll do whatever I have to.”
In sharp contrast to most other businesses, for OnlyFans, the coronavirus outbreak — and the desperation prolonged by the government’s aid stalemate — has been an economic boon. Amid the pandemic, the company has quietly transformed into a “billion-dollar media giant” that’s on track for $400 million in annual net sales, as Bloomberg reported this month. OnlyFans confirmed to HuffPost that it has paid out more than $2 billion to creators to date.
“It was a very scary time. All my savings were just wiped away.” - Maria, a 30-year-old mother and OnlyFans creator in New York
A wave of celebrity signups in recent months has also boosted OnlyFans’ popularity. Actress Bella Thorne joined in August and made $2 million in less than a week, causing delays in payouts to other creators, for which she later apologized. Instagram influencer Caroline Calloway reportedly earned more than $100,000 on OnlyFans over the summer. Rapper Cardi B also joined in August to promote her newly released song “WAP.”
Thirty-year-old Maria’s reason for getting on OnlyFans was starkly different. The Colombian immigrant is raising her 12-year-old son alone while supporting her mother and brother. She signed up in April after she was laid off from her new job and was denied unemployment.
Advertisement
“It was a very scary time,” said Maria, who is identified by her first name only. “All my savings were just wiped away.”
Maria had studied fashion design while living in Virginia, but there were scant job opportunities there, so she worked as a stripper to save up enough money to relocate her family to New York, where she landed a job as a designer at a clothing company.
COVID-19 struck weeks later. With strip clubs closed and nothing else to fall back on, she turned to online sex work, which she had never done before. She’s been quite successful so far and earns as much as she did as a designer while working fewer hours. She was even able to raise several hundred dollars from her OnlyFans subscribers to support protesters who were arrested during Black Lives Matter demonstrations over the summer.
“I consider myself lucky,” Maria said. “OnlyFans has been a blessing through all this. I just don’t know what else I would have done.”
The work itself can be very challenging, she noted. She spends hours responding to messages and fulfilling various fetish requests.
Advertisement
One man may want “videos of me sniffing my feet” while another might ask for “a video of me telling him that he has a small dick and calling him ‘my little bitch,’” she said. But for her, the hardest part is dealing with the stigma that comes along with it.
“It takes a lot of mental strength, planning and time, and the biggest thing is keeping yourself together,” added Maria, who’s also writing a book about mental health and sex work.
“It’s a job. I clock in when I log into OnlyFans, and I clock out when I’m done.” - Candice, a 25-year-old mother and OnlyFans creator in California
Cruelty toward sex workers is disturbingly common.
Candice, a 25-year-old single mother in California, has been slut-shamed, harassed and ridiculed for trying to provide for herself and her child via OnlyFans this year.
“People have told me that I’m not going to go far in life and that I’m not a good role model for my daughter,” said Candice, who is identified by a pseudonym. “Fuck that. I work hard, I hustle. And you know what? I’m not hurting anyone.”
Advertisement
She works as a manager at a beauty retailer, but her pay was reduced to 75% in March as a result of COVID-19’s financial strain on the company. She had already been living paycheck to paycheck with no savings, and suddenly found herself unable to afford rent. So for the first month, she skipped almost all of her bills — electricity, gas, car payments and insurance.
“It got to the point where I was like, ‘Is Wi-Fi even essential? Do I really need it?’ I knew we just needed a roof and food,” Candice recalled.
After receiving her stimulus check, she assumed it would become a monthly benefit, but that never happened. She had been doing some form of sex work on and off since her daughter was born almost seven years ago, so when her friends from the industry suggested OnlyFans as a way to supplement her income through the pandemic, she decided to try it.
Doing so literally kept food on the table: “OnlyFans money became my food. It was my daughter’s dinner. I was in survival mode,” Candice said.
When trolls try to bring her down, she curtly reminds them that sex work is work.
“It’s a job,” Candice said. “I clock in when I log into OnlyFans, and I clock out when I’m done.”
Sex work can be exhausting and isn’t for everyone, she added, but these days, she’s seeing more and more people get into it because they simply don’t know what else to do.
Advertisement


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-18--Mariah Carey Sounds Off On Look-Alike Christmas Ornament: 'Not Approved'

NBC via Getty Images Mariah Carey would like a word , please .
The Queen of Christmas pop weighed in on a certain holiday bauble ― crafted in her likeness ― after CNN Politics senior campaign editor Kyle Blaine tweeted about an ornament that his significant other gifted him for Christmas .
“ My husband and I exchange ornaments every year and this year he got me @ MariahCarey , which is very festive !
” Blaine tweeted on Thursday alongside a photo of the ornament hanging from his Christmas tree .
Carey had a few thoughts about the decoration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I don ’ t know her.
” “ This is ... Not approved , ” the “ All I Want For Christmas ” singer wrote of the ornament , adding an emoji with a neutral face .
Fans had varying reactions to the ornament itself , and Blaine had an incredibly good-natured response to Carey ’ s diss .
A few hours later , Blaine reported he was feeling “ mixed emotions to get so many private messages congratulating me on getting completely and utterly wrecked by MC.
” Blaine told HuffPost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he tagged Carey in his ornament tweet , he never expected the pop star to respond ― and “ certainly not like she did.
” He felt “ a mix of mild embarrassment and amusement ” when the exchange began to go viral , and described Mimi ’ s response as “ pitch perfect.
” Friends and family , he said , think the exchange is very funny .
“ They know how much I love Mariah , so they know what a moment it was for me , ” he said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ treasured spot on his Christmas tree for years to come .
“ The best ornaments are the ones that have stories behind them , ” he said .
“ And this is a pretty great story to tell .
”

Mariah Carey would like a word, please. NBC via Getty Images
All Mariah Carey wants for Christmas ― is a different-looking Christmas ornament.
The Queen of Christmas pop weighed in on a certain holiday bauble ― crafted in her likeness ― after CNN Politics senior campaign editor Kyle Blaine tweeted about an ornament that his significant other gifted him for Christmas.
“My husband and I exchange ornaments every year and this year he got me @MariahCarey, which is very festive!” Blaine tweeted on Thursday alongside a photo of the ornament hanging from his Christmas tree.
Advertisement
My husband and I exchange ornaments every year and this year he got me @MariahCarey which is very festive! pic.twitter.com/ovzQwe8tG6 — Kyle Blaine (@kyletblaine) December 17, 2020
Carey had a few thoughts about the decoration, which basically boiled down to: “I don’t know her.”
“This is... Not approved,” the “All I Want For Christmas” singer wrote of the ornament, adding an emoji with a neutral face.
She added: “But it’s the thought that counts.”
This is... Not approved 😐
(But it's the thought that counts) https://t.co/wMAOBQ2BgS — Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) December 17, 2020
Fans had varying reactions to the ornament itself, and Blaine had an incredibly good-natured response to Carey’s diss.
Advertisement
“Drag me queen,” he tweeted.
A few hours later, Blaine reported he was feeling “mixed emotions to get so many private messages congratulating me on getting completely and utterly wrecked by MC.”
Drag me queen — Kyle Blaine (@kyletblaine) December 17, 2020
Lots of mixed emotions to get so many private messages congratulating me on getting completely and utterly wrecked by MC — Kyle Blaine (@kyletblaine) December 17, 2020
Blaine told HuffPost via email on Friday that even though he tagged Carey in his ornament tweet, he never expected the pop star to respond ― and “certainly not like she did.”
He felt “a mix of mild embarrassment and amusement” when the exchange began to go viral, and described Mimi’s response as “pitch perfect.” Friends and family, he said, think the exchange is very funny.
Advertisement
“They know how much I love Mariah, so they know what a moment it was for me,” he said.
Blaine said the ornament will have a treasured spot on his Christmas tree for years to come.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-19--I’m A Scientist. I Can’t Even Get My Own Family And Friends To Follow COVID-19 Rules.

Spencer Platt via Getty Images `` This is not the first time that people close to me have discounted my expertise .
...
But this is the first time it ’ s felt like a matter of life or death . ''
Like many of you , I ’ ve been having COVID-19 nightmares .
The general theme is always the same .
In my dream , I ’ m somehow exposed to the coronavirus , either because I ’ m put in a risky situation I can ’ t avoid , like being in a hospital , or because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t taking precautions .
Either way , there ’ s always a 10-second , anxiety-filled gap between when I wake up and when I realize it was just a dream .
A wave of relief comes over me .
I wasn ’ t actually exposed .
I ’ m still safe .
When the pandemic kicked into high gear in March , I was a wailing public health siren on what we should be doing ― everyone stay 6 feet apart , stay home and wear a mask .
But at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a trusted source of information to the public and my social network , I was grappling with the fact that some of my own friends and family were not following those guidelines .
And in most cases , these were not people who thought the virus was a hoax .
They were not people who felt masks were akin to slavery .
They knew it was a real and highly contagious virus .
It wasn ’ t that they didn ’ t know about the guidelines ; they were just deciding not to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my mother told me she was going to make the four-hour-plus drive from rural Illinois to Tennessee to visit her husband , who was there working on a construction site ( where he worked closely with hundreds of other people every day ) .
She was even moving the trip up by a day so she could get on the road before Illinois went into full lockdown .
I remember feeling really angry and frustrated .
She knew she was supposed to be staying 6 feet away from people , staying home , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
She also knew where I stood on the guidelines ( follow them strictly , no matter how much it sucks ) .
But she had her reasons why she wanted to go .
What good would restating our positions do ?
She called a week later and said she had just been tested for COVID-19 because on her drive back from Tennessee she started to feel unwell .
She had a headache , fatigue and a slight cough .
She didn ’ t want me to worry .
How could I tell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ― that I was irate ?
I wanted to scream , “ This is why you don ’ t do what you did !
” But I remained the supportive daughter and told her to keep me updated .
I sent daily check-in texts .
On April 1 , her test came back negative .
On April 3 , an academic paper I wrote about how to get rural Americans to follow COVID-19 guidelines was published .
Other scientists and researchers around the country trusted my expertise , but not my own mother @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my mother ’ s early scare set my family straight but as the pandemic has stretched on , the phone calls , Zoom chats and Facetime meetups have continued and the elephant in the room has never left .
I talk about how I am living and working in this new normal .
They say it sure is a crazy time to be alive and , oh , they had fun on a brewery bus tour last weekend .
In October , I posted on social media a story about a man who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spread the virus to his entire family , some of whom died .
My mom commented and said she understood , really , she did .
And she guessed this meant I wouldn ’ t be coming home for the bonfire ?
They say they “ respect my position ” ― as if following the guidelines to save others is a difference of opinion .
It ’ s like we are living in parallel universes and neither side acknowledges it .
I also wish I could say this was just a family matter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We often say our friends are our chosen family and we sometimes have , in some ways , a closer relationship with our friends than with our families .
Families bring a lifetime of baggage , but friends , well , they are our people .
Our squad .
So it feels strange to see my friends gathering with others outside their households , often unmasked , even for small , outdoor gatherings .
Again , these are not people who don ’ t know the guidelines or who disbelieve science .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a disconnect between what they know is the right thing to do and what they actually do .
The emotional toll this has taken on me is significant .
Seeing those close to me ignore the guidelines feels like a slap in the face .
This is not the first time that people close to me have discounted my expertise ( and I say that humbly and acknowledge that everyone has expertise in certain topics and that expertise can be gained in different ways , education being only one of them ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s felt like a matter of life or death .
I ’ ve vacillated between rage and resignation .
One moment I want to scream at the top of my lungs and call them out at every turn ― even if it means burning that bridge ― to try to keep them and others safe .
The next moment I simply shrug and think , Well , they aren ’ t going to listen to me anyway , so what ’ s the point in repeating myself ?
If they catch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t be my fault .
Either way , it ’ s a horrible feeling to have toward your loved ones .
There ’ s also a feeling of being gaslighted , which at least seems to be very on-brand for 2020 .
You begin to question if you ’ re the one being unreasonable .
Maybe I am asking too much of people ?
You feel guilty for your privileges .
Where do I get off lecturing people who knew me before I went and got my fancy degrees ?
Even now , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ m worried about how my friends and family will react .
Are they going to read this , feel as if I called them out , be angry with me and not speak to me anymore ?
Maybe I shouldn ’ t say anything .
In one of my research studies , I asked people to tell me about some positives that have come out of the pandemic .
One person said that if the world ever has to go through something like this again , it is a positive to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our fellow citizens are .
A lot of us are facing that cold , hard truth with our own family and friends .
I know I ’ m not the only scientist or health care provider out there to experience this .
While it may not be the case for the majority , this has been the reality for many of us for the last 10 months .
We feel like we ’ ve been screaming into a void that we once thought loved , trusted and respected us .
In one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to tell me about some positives that have come out of the pandemic .
One person said that if the world ever has to go through something like this again , it is a positive to at least know how selfish and self-centered our fellow citizens are .
A lot of us are facing that cold , hard truth with our own family and friends .
I think about how this all ends .
If I just keep pulling the expert card and screaming about the guidelines all the time , who does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the moment but it clearly doesn ’ t change behavior , which means it doesn ’ t help keep people safe .
The only thing it consistently does is damage my relationships with friends and family .
On the flip side , they don ’ t seem to appreciate how their actions are also damaging the relationship .
It feels like I ’ m the only one carrying this very heavy emotional burden .
As if this is my problem ― not theirs .
And I don ’ t know how I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it away after this .
Like any good teenager of the early 2000s , I watched the movie “ Almost Famous ” multiple times .
Recently , I ’ ve been thinking a lot about one of the final scenes , when the band is on an airplane as it tumbles from the sky .
In the panic of what appears to be the end , the bandmates have a “ come to Jesus ” moment .
They speak their truths , many of them harsh , and say everything they ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the plane makes a miraculous recovery .
They regain altitude and the chaos quiets .
The bandmates , having just inflicted mortal emotional wounds on each other , sit awkwardly in silence .

"This is not the first time that people close to me have discounted my expertise. ... But this is the first time it’s felt like a matter of life or death." Spencer Platt via Getty Images
Like many of you, I’ve been having COVID-19 nightmares. The general theme is always the same. In my dream, I’m somehow exposed to the coronavirus, either because I’m put in a risky situation I can’t avoid, like being in a hospital, or because I’m around others who aren’t taking precautions. Either way, there’s always a 10-second, anxiety-filled gap between when I wake up and when I realize it was just a dream. A wave of relief comes over me. I wasn’t actually exposed. I’m still safe.
Then I grab my phone and jump on Facebook and realize that the nightmare is actually reality. I see my family and friends engaging in unnecessary risky behavior ― sometimes it’s just a tiptoe over the line, sometimes it’s an outright flouting of the guidelines. Either way, I quickly post a passive-aggressive response ― sometimes it’s an article presenting the latest grim data, sometimes it’s a video from a tired and desperate health care provider, sometimes I share my own data or story.
Advertisement
I have my own data and story because I am, in fact, a scientist. Specifically, I research how to disseminate and implement public health and health care information and practices among the general public. I also work at a large, urban medical center and receive dire emails every day about how many COVID-19 patients the hospital has and how many ICU beds are left in the area.
Not only do I have to face the facts every day, but I am an expert in how to share those facts with the public. I have published academic papers on how to disseminate COVID-19 guidelines and get people to follow them. However, despite my vocal and visible expertise, I still can’t get my family or friends to follow the guidelines.
When the pandemic kicked into high gear in March, I was a wailing public health siren on what we should be doing ― everyone stay 6 feet apart, stay home and wear a mask. But at the same time that I was serving as a trusted source of information to the public and my social network, I was grappling with the fact that some of my own friends and family were not following those guidelines. And in most cases, these were not people who thought the virus was a hoax. They were not people who felt masks were akin to slavery. They knew it was a real and highly contagious virus. It wasn’t that they didn’t know about the guidelines; they were just deciding not to follow them.
In late March, my mother told me she was going to make the four-hour-plus drive from rural Illinois to Tennessee to visit her husband, who was there working on a construction site (where he worked closely with hundreds of other people every day). She was even moving the trip up by a day so she could get on the road before Illinois went into full lockdown. I remember feeling really angry and frustrated. She knew she was supposed to be staying 6 feet away from people, staying home, reducing the risk of exposure and transmission. She also knew where I stood on the guidelines (follow them strictly, no matter how much it sucks). But she had her reasons why she wanted to go. What good would restating our positions do?
Advertisement
“These are not people who don’t know the guidelines or who disbelieve science. ... There is a disconnect between what they know is the right thing to do and what they actually do.”
She called a week later and said she had just been tested for COVID-19 because on her drive back from Tennessee she started to feel unwell. She had a headache, fatigue and a slight cough. She didn’t want me to worry. How could I tell her that I wasn’t worried ― that I was irate? I wanted to scream, “This is why you don’t do what you did!” But I remained the supportive daughter and told her to keep me updated. I sent daily check-in texts. On April 1, her test came back negative. On April 3, an academic paper I wrote about how to get rural Americans to follow COVID-19 guidelines was published. Other scientists and researchers around the country trusted my expertise, but not my own mother.
I wish I could say that my mother’s early scare set my family straight but as the pandemic has stretched on, the phone calls, Zoom chats and Facetime meetups have continued and the elephant in the room has never left. I talk about how I am living and working in this new normal. They say it sure is a crazy time to be alive and, oh, they had fun on a brewery bus tour last weekend. In October, I posted on social media a story about a man who had a small family gathering and inadvertently spread the virus to his entire family, some of whom died. My mom commented and said she understood, really, she did. And she guessed this meant I wouldn’t be coming home for the bonfire? They say they “respect my position” ― as if following the guidelines to save others is a difference of opinion. It’s like we are living in parallel universes and neither side acknowledges it.
I also wish I could say this was just a family matter but it extends to my friends. We often say our friends are our chosen family and we sometimes have, in some ways, a closer relationship with our friends than with our families. Families bring a lifetime of baggage, but friends, well, they are our people. Our squad. So it feels strange to see my friends gathering with others outside their households, often unmasked, even for small, outdoor gatherings. Again, these are not people who don’t know the guidelines or who disbelieve science. But, like with my family, there is a disconnect between what they know is the right thing to do and what they actually do.
Advertisement
The emotional toll this has taken on me is significant. Seeing those close to me ignore the guidelines feels like a slap in the face. This is not the first time that people close to me have discounted my expertise (and I say that humbly and acknowledge that everyone has expertise in certain topics and that expertise can be gained in different ways, education being only one of them). But this is the first time it’s felt like a matter of life or death. I’ve vacillated between rage and resignation. One moment I want to scream at the top of my lungs and call them out at every turn ― even if it means burning that bridge ― to try to keep them and others safe. The next moment I simply shrug and think, Well, they aren’t going to listen to me anyway, so what’s the point in repeating myself? If they catch it and die, it won’t be my fault. Either way, it’s a horrible feeling to have toward your loved ones.
There’s also a feeling of being gaslighted, which at least seems to be very on-brand for 2020. You begin to question if you’re the one being unreasonable. Maybe I am asking too much of people? You feel guilty for your privileges. Where do I get off lecturing people who knew me before I went and got my fancy degrees? Even now, I feel guilty for writing this. I’m worried about how my friends and family will react. Are they going to read this, feel as if I called them out, be angry with me and not speak to me anymore? Maybe I shouldn’t say anything.
“In one of my research studies, I asked people to tell me about some positives that have come out of the pandemic. One person said that if the world ever has to go through something like this again, it is a positive to at least know how selfish and self-centered our fellow citizens are. A lot of us are facing that cold, hard truth with our own family and friends.”
I know I’m not the only scientist or health care provider out there to experience this. While it may not be the case for the majority, this has been the reality for many of us for the last 10 months. We feel like we’ve been screaming into a void that we once thought loved, trusted and respected us. In one of my research studies, I asked people to tell me about some positives that have come out of the pandemic. One person said that if the world ever has to go through something like this again, it is a positive to at least know how selfish and self-centered our fellow citizens are. A lot of us are facing that cold, hard truth with our own family and friends.
Advertisement
I think about how this all ends. If I just keep pulling the expert card and screaming about the guidelines all the time, who does that help? It may feel good in the moment but it clearly doesn’t change behavior, which means it doesn’t help keep people safe. The only thing it consistently does is damage my relationships with friends and family. On the flip side, they don’t seem to appreciate how their actions are also damaging the relationship. It feels like I’m the only one carrying this very heavy emotional burden. As if this is my problem ― not theirs. And I don’t know how I simply box that emotion up and put it away after this.
Like any good teenager of the early 2000s, I watched the movie “Almost Famous” multiple times. Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about one of the final scenes, when the band is on an airplane as it tumbles from the sky. In the panic of what appears to be the end, the bandmates have a “come to Jesus” moment. They speak their truths, many of them harsh, and say everything they’ve been holding back. Then, suddenly, the plane makes a miraculous recovery. They regain altitude and the chaos quiets. The bandmates, having just inflicted mortal emotional wounds on each other, sit awkwardly in silence.
I feel like I’m on that plane with my family, friends and the rest of the country. We’re going down and, whether intentionally or unintentionally, we’re inflicting mortal emotional wounds on each other. But what will happen when the chaos quiets? Are we just going to pretend this didn’t happen? How do we move on from this?
Recently, I wrote a commentary in my hometown newspaper about how the most effective messengers are those with whom the listener has a mutual trust. As the expert, that’s what I wrote because that’s what the scientific data on health communication shows. I just wish I could say I saw that in reality, too.
Beth Prusaczyk, Ph.D., is a researcher at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, where she studies how to disseminate and implement public health and health care practices. She is passionate about making science and academia accessible to everyone.
Advertisement