thetorontostar--2020-08-01--Florida surpasses 7,000 COVID-19 deaths

Florida surpasses 7,000 COVID-19 deaths

Florida ’ s coronavirus report on Saturday included 179 more resident deaths and 9,642 new COVID-19 cases , as the state kept away from the record-setting numbers of the past few days .
Health officials the previous day reported 257 deaths from disease complications , the most during the pandemic .
These are fatalities that happened in recent weeks , but took time to confirm for the COVID-19 tally .
While the newly reported cases is a jump from the 9,007 infections listed on Friday ’ s report , it ’ s the seventh straight day of fewer than 10,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better than the previous Saturday , when the Department of Health reported 12,199 new cases .
The one-day peak was 15,300 infections on July 12 .
The test results reported on a single day typically reflect tests taken over several days .
The state has tallied 480,028 cases and 7,144 deaths to date , classifying COVID-19 as the state ’ s deadliest infectious disease .
In 2019 , there were 2,703 deaths attributed to the flu and pneumonia in Florida .
South Florida , which accounts for 29 per cent of Florida ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the past day , or 48.9 per cent of the daily total for the state , according to the state Department of Health .
Broward County : 1,386 new coronavirus cases were reported Saturday , bringing the total to 56,797 .
A total of 767 people have died , 33 more than reported Friday .
Palm Beach County : 580 new cases were reported , bringing the total to 33,854 .
A total of 848 people have died , 18 more than reported Friday .
Miami-Dade County : 2,745 new cases on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A total of 1,663 people have died .
That ’ s 36 more than reported Friday .
Florida says it has swabbed 3.68 million people since the pandemic began , and 13 per cent have been positive .
Florida has had the third-highest number of COVID-19 tests in the country —tied with Texas —behind California ( 7.8 million ) and New York ( 5.9 million ) .
Florida reported an 11.1 per cent positivity rate for tests statewide in the previous 24-hour period , a slight increase since Friday .
In South @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cent for Miami-Dade , which is up a hair since Friday ; 12.8 per cent for Broward , an increase of two percentage points over the previous day ; and 8.8 per cent for Palm Beach County , which is similar to the past day .
The daily positivity rate is a key figure , since it ’ s one of the numbers that indicates the prevalence of the disease in the population .
In May , Florida ’ s positivity rate was about 5 per cent , and state officials say they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 10 per cent .
Coronavirus testing sites across South Florida , including those run by the state , closed Friday , because of concerns about the region experiencing the effects of Hurricane Isaias .
COVID-19 testing in other parts of the state will not be interrupted by the storm .
Impacted testing sites are expected to reopen by Wednesday .
The number of people being treated for COVID-19 at hospitals on Saturday decreased statewide and in South Florida , records show .
The total stood at 7,965 as of 11:30 a.m. , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
About 24 hours earlier , the same report listed 8,223 patients .
Miami-Dade County has the most people hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of the new coronavirus : 1,739 patients , a decrease of 19 since Friday .
Next is Broward with 1,165 , down by 41 since Friday .
Palm Beach County has 496 patients , a decrease of 30 .
A different report , from the state health department , shows 26,972 Florida residents have been hospitalized since the start of the pandemic .
That ’ s an increase of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the total was 14,825 hospitalizations .
Officials say the most vulnerable to hospitalization and death are people older than 65 or those who have underlying health concerns such as weakened immune systems , diabetes or obesity .
The state this week began promoting a virus-fighting initiative called “ One Goal One Florida.
” It ’ s objective is “ to unite Floridians and urge them to work together in the fight against COVID-19.
” Residents are asked to : “ Protect the vulnerable , including the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your hands .
Practice social distancing by avoiding closed spaces and crowded places .
Wear a mask if you are in close contact with others.
” Statewide : The official COVID-19 death total for Florida reached 7,144 on Saturday .
That figure includes 122 people who were not residents ; ; officials changed that after listing 123 nonresident deaths on Friday ’ s report .
The three South Florida counties account for 3,278 deaths , which is 45.9 per cent of the state total .
Seniors : At least 3,024 deaths have occurred @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a figure that represents 43.1 per cent of the state total for coronavirus deaths of residents .
Miami-Dade County has the highest number of long-term care facility deaths , with 607 , or 20.1 per cent of the total .
Palm Beach County had 342 deaths , or 11.3 per cent , and Broward accounted for 216 deaths , or 7.1 per cent .
Nationwide : Florida has reported an average of about 179 deaths per day , or 1,250 total over the past seven days .
After the state ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s death rate now ranks 19th compared with other states —that is 31 deaths per 100,000 people , according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control ’ s COVID Data Tracker .
New York City has the highest death rate with 280 deaths per 100,000 .
California is at 23 deaths per 100,000 and Texas 22 deaths per 100,000 .
California and Texas are the most populous states in the country , followed by Florida and New York .


thetorontostar--2020-08-01--South Africa hits 500,000 confirmed cases, still not at peak

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa on Saturday surpassed 500,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases , representing more than 50 % of all reported coronavirus infections in Africa ’ s 54 countries .
Health Minister Zwelini Mkhize announced 10,107 new cases Saturday night , bringing the country ’ s cumulative total to 503,290 , including 8,153 deaths .
South Africa , with a population of about 58 million , has the fifth-highest number of cases in the world , behind the U.S. , Brazil , Russia and India , all countries with significantly higher populations , according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic worldwide is much higher than confirmed cases , due to limited testing and other reasons .
“ Half a million is a significant milestone , because it shows we ’ ve entered a stage of rapid increases .
We may reach 1 million cases very quickly , ” said Denis Chopera , a virologist based in Durban .
“ What we know for sure is that the figures are an underestimate and that this virus will be with us for a long time to come.
“ South Africa ’ s Gauteng @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country ’ s largest city and Pretoria , the capital — is the country ’ s epicenter with more than 35 % of its confirmed cases .
Local hospitals have been struggling to cope , and health experts say the country could reach the peak of its outbreak in late August or early September .
Cape Town , a city beloved by international tourists at the country ’ s southern tip , was the first epicenter and reached its peak last month , according to health experts .
South Africa will have multiple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its different provincial health care systems , said Chopera , executive manager of the Sub-Saharan African Network for TB/HIV Research Excellence .
“ The Western Cape had the first peak and did relatively well .
Gauteng is the epicenter now and appears to be coping so far , ” he said .
“ Other provinces , like the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal , do not have reputations for well-organized health care systems .
They may have serious problems.
” South Africa imposed a strict lockdown in April and May that succeeded in slowing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such economic damage that the country began a gradual reopening in June .
South Africa was already in recession before the coronavirus hit and its unemployment stands at 30 % .
President Cyril Ramaphosa ’ s government has extended grants to the country ’ s poorest , increased supplies to hospitals and recently accepted a $ 4.3 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund .
Corruption in the country ’ s pandemic response is a growing problem .
On Thursday the top health official in Gauteng province was forced to step down over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 personal protective equipment .
Ramaphosa has warned that now , more than ever , South Africa ’ s persistent problem with widespread graft is endangering people ’ s lives .

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thetorontostar--2020-08-01--Iran will expand nuclear program and won’t talk to U.S., Ayatollah says

Iran ’ s supreme leader , Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , has said in a televised address that Iran will expand its nuclear program and will not negotiate with the United States , doubling down on his defiance of the Trump administration ’ s “ maximum pressure ” policy .
In a Friday speech for the Eid al-Adha holiday , Khamenei said that entering talks with Washington over Iran ’ s nuclear program , as President Donald Trump has urged Tehran to do , would only improve Trump ’ s chances of being reelected in November .
That , the ayatollah @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for suggesting such talks in the first place .
“ He is going to benefit from negotiations , ” Khamenei said .
“ This old man who is in charge in America apparently used negotiations with North Korea as propaganda , ” he added — a reference to Trump ’ s high-profile nuclear diplomacy on another front , which to date has been mostly fruitless .
Khamenei also said that Iran would maintain its close alliances with militia groups in the region that it uses as proxies , defying another demand from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not the first to connect the possibility of talks with the United States to the presidential election .
Last month , Trump said on Twitter that Iran could make a better deal if it did so before November .
“ Don ’ t wait until after U.S. Election to make the Big deal , ” he wrote .
“ I ’ m going to win .
You ’ ll make a better deal now !
” The United States has continued to tighten sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program , which have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Eastern country ’ s economy .
On Thursday , Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the State Department would expand the sanctions to cover 22 materials believed to be used in Iran ’ s nuclear , military and ballistic missile programs .
Khamenei said that Iran would not try to negotiate its way out of the sanctions and that it would be better off relying on its own industrial development .
He said the Americans were targeting his country ’ s economy in the hope that Iranians would rise up against their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ pipe dreams.
” Khamenei said that developing the nuclear program was an absolute necessity for Iran ’ s future .
He dismissed the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and several world powers , which Trump abandoned in 2018 , as “ very damaging , ” saying that Iran had suffered economic setbacks because of it .
Iran has insisted that its nuclear program is meant exclusively for peaceful purposes , but the United States and other countries believe it is pursuing the capacity to build a nuclear weapon .
The Iranian foreign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in charge of the negotiations for Iran , said as recently as last month in Parliament that the negotiating team had Khamenei ’ s full support and blessing to reach a deal .
The ayatollah , who recently directed his closest economic advisers to cement a 25-year military and economic partnership with China , said in his speech that European countries involved in the nuclear deal were unreliable , and that their attempts to salvage the pact — such as creating a secure financial channel so that Iran could maintain a limited amount @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Some Iranian officials and analysts have said that Iran ’ s strategy was to wait out the remainder of Trump ’ s term in hopes of a Democratic victory that could revive the deal , which was reached under President Barack Obama .
“ Khamenei has always believed that accommodating to one U.S. demand would bring about another demand and another , ” said Sina Azodi , a non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington .
“ For him , every solution would bring about another problem.
” But analysts , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the economy risks collapse if the current situation continues .
Since the United States pulled out of the nuclear deal in May 2018 , Iran ’ s currency has dropped sharply and inflation has surged .
The government said it faced a budget deficit of nearly 30 per cent this fiscal year .
Oil sales have plummeted from 2.5 million barrels a day to about 300,000 , nearly eliminating Iran from the global crude oil market .


thetorontostar--2020-08-01--Settlement reached in death of football player in Kansas

GARDEN CITY , Kan. - A Kansas community college has reached a settlement with the New Jersey family of a football player who died of heatstroke after team conditioning drills in 2018 .
Details of the settlement reached between Garden City Community College and the family of Braeden Bradforth , of Newton , New Jersey , were not released .
The college said in a news release late Friday that a court recently approved the settlement .
Bradforth , a 315-pound ( 140 kilogram ) defensive lineman , died after being found unconscious in an alley outside his dormitory after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Aug. 1 , 2018 .
He was 19 years old .
An independent investigation strongly criticized the school , saying a serious lack of oversight caused a chain of events that led to Bradforth ’ s death .
Investigators noted that the coaching staff didn ’ t consider if Bradforth was properly acclimated to working out in summer temperatures at a higher altitude than he was used to in New Jersey .
Emails obtained by The Associated Press last year indicated that 25 minutes elapsed between when an assistant coach was called to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The assistant coach called the head coach before summoning medical help .
The college hired the independent investigators under pressure from Bradforth ’ s family and New Jersey ’ s congressional delegation .
College President Ryan Ruda said in a news release Friday the school has made several changes to its facilities , procedures and protocols in response to Bradforth ’ s death and the investigation ’ s findings .
“ We continue to extend our deepest condolences to Braeden ’ s family and friends — there is no comparison to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the last two years , ” Ruda said .
“ It is the hope of college leaders , including myself , that the settlement will offer some respite to Braeden ’ s loved ones who have suffered the most from his untimely passing.
” The changes at the school include renovating and updating athletic training facilities , creating a sports medicine advisory team that meets monthly to discuss topics concerning the safety of athletes , and drafting plans to respond to medical and emergency needs .
Other improvements include the hiring of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strength and conditioning coach , the start of player welfare checks and the modification of practice times because of heat .
All coaching staff also are required to take annual first aid and CPR training .
Two attorneys for the family didn ’ t immediately reply to messages left Saturday at their offices .


thetorontostar--2020-08-01--Facebook bows to Brazil judge, blocks 12 accounts worldwide

BRASILIA , Brazil - Facebook announced Saturday it has obeyed a Brazilian judge ’ s order for a worldwide block on the accounts of 12 of President Jair Bolsonaro ’ s supporters who are under investigation for allegedly running a fake news network .
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said Friday night that the company had failed to fully comply with a previous ruling ordering the accounts to be shut down , saying they were still online and publishing by changing their registration to locations outside Brazil .
Facebook issued a statement saying it complied due to the threat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brazil .
But it called the new order “ extreme , ” saying it poses a “ threat to freedom of expression outside of Brazil ’ s jurisdiction and conflicting with laws and jurisdictions worldwide.
” The company said it would appeal to the full court .
Facebook also argued it had complied with the previous order by “ restricting the ability for the target Pages and Profiles to be seen from IP locations in Brazil ” .
“ People from IP locations in Brazil were not capable of seeing these Pages and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their IP location ” , the company said .
Moraes said that Facebook ought to pay $ 367,000 in penalties for not complying with his previous decision during the last eight days .
He also had ruled Twitter should block the accounts .
While Twitter said then the decision was “ disproportionated ” under Brazil ’ s freedom of speech rules and that it would appeal , the targeted profiles were disabled .
Moraes is overseeing a controversial investigation to determine whether some of Bolsonaro ’ s most ardent allies are running a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and fake news against Supreme Court justices .
The probe is one of the main points of confrontation between Bolsonaro and the Supreme Court .
The president himself filed a lawsuit last week demanding the accounts to be unblocked .


thetorontostar--2020-08-02--Portland police declare unlawful assembly during protest

The Portland Police Bureau declared an unlawful assembly Saturday night when people gathered outside a police precinct in Oregon ’ s largest city and threw bottles towards officers , police said .
Until that point , federal , state and local law enforcement had been seemingly absent from the protests Thursday , Friday and Saturday .
The demonstrations — that for weeks ended with tear gas , fireworks shot towards buildings , federal agents on the street and injuries to protesters and officers — have recently ended with chanting and conversations .
Activists and Oregon officials urged people at Saturday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re-centre the focus on Black Lives Matter , three days after the Trump administration agreed to reduce the presence of federal agents .
Groups gathered Saturday evening in various areas around downtown Portland to listen to speakers and prepare to march to the Justice Center and Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse .
One of the more popular events , “ Re-centring why we are here — BLM , ” was hosted by the NAACP .
Speakers included activists as well as Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley and Portland City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty .
Merkley @ @ @ @ @ @ @ putting forward , including to cut police funding and restrict chokeholds .
“ The next thing we need you to do is vote like your life depends on it , because guess what , it does , ” Hardesty said .
For the first time since the presence of federal agents in Portland diminished law enforcement and protesters noticeably clashed Saturday night .
As one group of protesters gathered outside the courthouse another marched to a precinct for the Multnomah County Sheriff ’ s Office and Portland Police Bureau .
Police stated that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at officers .
Just before 10 p.m. , Portland police declared an unlawful assembly and told people to disperse or they may be subject to use of force or be arrested .
Police could be seen charging , multiple times , at protesters in the area .
At the courthouse , the scene was different .
Around 11:30 p.m. hundreds of people remained , standing and listening to speakers .
By midnight , protesters again began to march through the streets downtown .
Thursday and Friday ’ s protests also attracted more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peaceful .
In a news release early Saturday , the Portland Police Bureau described Friday ’ s crowd as subdued and said there was no police interaction with protesters .
At one point during Friday ’ s protest , a lone firework was shot at the courthouse .
In the weeks past the action would be met with more fireworks or tear gas canisters being dropped over the fence into the crowd .
This time , protesters chastised the person who shot the firework , pleading to keep the demonstration peaceful .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s become ground zero in clashes between demonstrators and federal agents had come after the U.S. government began drawing down its forces under a deal between Democratic Gov .
Kate Brown and the Trump administration .
Portland had seen more than two months of often violent demonstrations following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis .
In early July , President Donald Trump sent more federal agents to the city to protect the federal courthouse , but local officials said their presence made things worse .


thetorontostar--2020-08-02--BOYCOTT GAMES: Fields harbours no anger despite missing ‘80

COLORADO SPRINGS , Colo. - In the grand scheme of things , Benn Fields knows he ’ s lucky .
His career as an elite high jumper has taken him around the globe more than once — to Nigeria , Mexico , Guatemala , the Middle East , even Russia .
Many of those trips came while selling track and field equipment , a product he became very familiar with decades before while becoming one of the best in the world at his sport .
The trip that never happened was the one to the Moscow Olympics , and though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. Olympian , he also will always wonder about what might have been had the U.S. government not spearheaded a boycott of those games 40 years ago .
“ When I used to be introduced , they ’ d say , ‘ Here is an Olympian , ’ ” Fields said .
“ And the first thing they asked you is , ’ What medal did you win ?
’ The second thing is , ‘ Where do you keep it ?
’ ” Fields is one of 227 American athletes who built @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Olympic team , only to see the trip to the actual games ripped away from them , then never get another chance .
“ The legacy is that he was in peak condition , he ’ d beaten everyone , he was right at a world record and he didn ’ t get a chance to compete , ” said Edwin Moses , a 1980 teammate of Fields ’ who , himself , would get other chances at Olympic glory .
Fields had cleared 7 feet 5 1/2 inches in 1979 and defeated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Olympic trials in 1980 and was ranked No .
1 in the U.S. that summer .
But those trials were held in June — two months after the U.S. Olympic Committee had acceded to the urging of the government and agreed to pull the plug on going to Moscow .
The government wanted a boycott to protest the Soviet Union ’ s invasion of Afghanistan .
What ’ s true today was true back then : oftentimes making the U.S. Olympic track team is every bit as difficult as winning a medal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Olympians would be honoured at the White House later that summer .
All of it came as small consolation for the recognition they really wanted .
“ I always figured that , especially if you were Black , if you did well and won a gold medal in Communist Russia , your marketing opportunities would ’ ve been great , ” Fields said .
“ That ’ s what I was targeting , to market myself after doing well in Russia.
” Instead , Fields tried to hang on and milk four more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he had had every intention of leaving behind in the aftermath of 1980 .
He didn ’ t make another Olympics .
He went on to a successful career — first in the construction industry , then selling track and field equipment overseas .
One of his best business decisions , or so he thought , was bringing loads of faded jeans to Moscow on a 1979 trip to a meet called Spartakiad , which was an Olympic tuneup of sorts .
He knew he could get good money for American products that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It worked out — in one way , at least .
“ I ended up with so many rubles , that I couldn ’ t spend them all , “ he said .
“ And you couldn ’ t take it out of the country , so I was kind of stuck.
” There were , of course , bigger disappointments to come .
Forty years after the boycott , Fields says his friends and family harbour more resentment than he does .
What gives him solace is a line from an old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reach .
And if I don ’ t cop , it ain ’ t mine to have.
” “ I did make the effort , ” Fields says .
“ But there are no guarantees in life .
And if it ’ s not for me to have , the point is to get over it and live with it .
”


thetorontostar--2020-08-02--As school begins amid virus, parents see few good options

WOODSTOCK , Ga. - John Barrett plans to keep his daughter home from elementary school this year in suburban Atlanta , but he wishes she was going .
Molly Ball is sending her teenage sons to school in the same district on Monday , but not without feelings of regret .
As the academic year begins in many places across the country this week , parents are faced with the difficult choice of whether to send their children to school or keep them home for remote learning because of the coronavirus pandemic .
Many are unhappy with either option .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ healthy for a child to go back to school , ” said Ball , who feels her sons , William and Henry , both at River Ridge High School in Georgia ’ s Cherokee County district , suffered through enough instability in the spring .
“ At the same time , I wish they weren ’ t going back to school right now .
It ’ s very scary.
” Offering parents choices eases some of the problems facing schools .
If some students stay home , that creates more space in buildings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of families with a choice has dwindled as the virus ’ s spread has prompted school districts to scrap in-person classes — at least to start the academic year — in cities including Los Angeles , Philadelphia and Washington , as well as parts of the South and Midwest where school is starting this week .
Many districts that don ’ t begin instruction until after Labor Day are warily tracking the virus — and weighing concerns of educators and parents — as they consider plans including hybrid approaches , with in-person learning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In Cherokee County , administrators have stuck with plans to offer in-person school five days a week despite pressure from some parents and teachers .
The countywide district also rejected demands to require masks inside school buildings .
The families of about 23 % of Cherokee County ’ s 43,000 students have opted for them to learn remotely from home .
Barrett said the mask decision contributed to his decision to keep Autumn , who is in a special education program , home to start third grade at Bascomb Elementary School .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be a mask mandate , and maybe a staggered schedule .
They ’ re not interested in responding to the realities of the virus as it ’ s happening in Georgia , ” Barrett said .
Barrett works from home and his wife , who has an educational background , isn ’ t employed .
He says that gives them “ an ability to bridge the gap.
” But he worries that Autumn will still fall behind , especially on her individualized education program , the plan written for each special education @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lot of the ability to make progress on her IEP , ” Barrett said .
“ It ’ s a big decision , and it feels like a definite loss.
” Parents are not the only ones who are struggling .
Districts that offer two modes of instruction create new challenges for teachers as well , especially those in smaller districts who are being asked to educate students in person and online at the same time .
“ The key is going to be the complexity , how they handle it , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the National Rural Education Association .
“ Is it going to be standards-driven , what students need to move to the next grade level ?
Is it going to be equal to face-to-face or better than face-to-face ?
” Denise Dalrymple is reluctantly sending her two sons back to first and sixth grades in Cherokee County because she says it ’ s impossible for her to work otherwise .
Like many districts , the county says it will have increased academic expectations for online learning this fall , compared to the spring .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ student ’ s education time a priority over your own job , ” Dalrymple said .
Others are more enthusiastic about a return .
“ It was automatic because my husband and I both work , because it would have upset both of our schedules , ” said Jackie Taylor , who has three school-aged children and lives in nearby Canton .
She said her children have been around other kids this summer , making the transition back to school less concerning .
“ We use the neighbourhood pool , we do the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ watched her son practice baseball .
“ Obviously they ’ re in close proximity in the dugouts.
” Siana Onanovic said her son Kelvin will be attending Woodstock High , also in the Cherokee district , in person as a freshman .
That ’ s in part because the special science and engineering curriculum that drew her family to the school ’ s attendance zone isn ’ t available online .
But , like many , she had her reservations .
“ There are so many pros and cons on each side , @ @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-08-02--Despite ‘perfect storm’ of U.S. discord, America’s truths trump foreign fictions

WASHINGTON—The confluence of a pandemic , a raucous civil-rights movement , an economy on the brink and a stubborn , deeply divided electorate : experts call it a “ perfect storm ” of conditions in which to sow the seeds of disinformation and partisan strife in the United States .
Given the hard lessons of the 2016 U.S. election , it ’ s safe to assume that bad actors , foreign and domestic alike , are already hard at work trying to take full advantage of the discord , said Jed Willard , a Harvard University expert on information warfare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being done for them — partisan battles over masks , economic lockdowns and Black Lives Matter protests , inflamed by joblessness and uncertainty , have ripped more holes in America ’ s social fabric than any disinformation peddlers could ever hope to do themselves .
“ On masking , it is extremely silly , it ’ s extremely dangerous , ” Willard said of the culture clash that has divided Americans over wearing face coverings to protect against the spread of COVID-19 .
It ’ s also extremely outlandish and implausible — too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foreign disinformation agents in Russia and China .
They have focused more on convincing westerners the virus is a man-made bioweapon , a storyline that never took root despite its familiar , Hollywood-friendly frame .
“ What happened in the United States is that our own domestic misinformation was so much more effective at exploiting the real divisions in our society , that the foreign actors just amplified it , ” Willard said .
“ They didn ’ t bother pushing their master narratives , which is weird for them .
They just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to ourselves.
” On cue , straight from the stranger-than-fiction files came Rep. Louie Gohmert , an antimask Republican from Texas who tested positive last week for the “ Wuhan virus , ” then promptly blamed his diagnosis on having been forced to wear a face-covering to do his job on Capitol Hill .
“ I ’ ve worn a mask in the last week or two more than I have in the last four months , ” constantly fiddling with it for comfort , Gohmert said on Twitter .
“ I can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put some germs in the mask.
” Gabrielle Lim , a researcher with the Technology and Social Change Project at Harvard ’ s Shorenstein Center , spends her time looking for ways disinformation aimed at undermining democracy is being injected into the U.S. public discourse .
For her team , the politicization of masks has been just another day at the office .
“ Things are so weird already that this didn ’ t seem bizarre , ” Lim said .
“ It ’ s sad that it ’ s become a weirdly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been a partisan issue .
And now , it ’ s become a lightning rod for people to state which side of the aisle they ’ re on.
” But there ’ s an upside , she added : it ’ s harder for foreign actors to actually disrupt anything that ’ s already so disrupted .
“ Evidence of activity is not evidence of impact , ” Lim said .
“ It ’ s really , really hard to figure out what the actual impact is.
” That won ’ t stop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ The coronavirus pandemic and recent protests ... continue to serve as fodder for foreign influence and disinformation efforts in America , ” William Evanina , director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center , warned last month .
“ Foreign nations continue to use influence measures in social and traditional media in an effort to sway U.S. voters ’ preferences and perspectives , to shift U.S. policies , to increase discord and to undermine confidence in our democratic process.
” So , too , however , does Trump himself , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the November contest be delayed “ until people can properly , securely and safely vote.
” The president , of course , lacks the power to do any such thing .
But that hasn ’ t stopped him before — indeed , Trump and his followers have proven powerful agents of disinformation since long before he moved into the White House .
Back in May , it was largely domestic Trump supporters and pro-gun groups in the U.S. who lured Americans out of their homes and into the streets , where they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demand the right to resume their lives and open their businesses , COVID-19 be damned .
Such plain-sight domestic discord obscures foreign interference happening in real time , particularly when the agents of that interference are so practised at making it blend with authentic public discourse — successfully winning credible media coverage , for instance .
In her 2018 book “ Cyberwar : How Russian Hackers and Trolls Helped Elect a President , ” University of Pennsylvania communications professor Kathleen Hall Jamieson documented Russia ’ s 2016 efforts , successful ones , she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put Trump in office .
And they were busy long before that election year , working to alter discourse in the U.S. on issues fraught with potential for conspiracy theorists — genetically modified organisms , vaccination and the next-generation cellphone technology known as 5G , to name a few , she said .
“ Where do I assume they are right now ?
I assume they ’ re feeding conspiracy theories about vaccination to discredit a U.S. ( COVID-19 ) vaccine .
But do I know that ?
No , ” Jamieson said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assume it ’ s likely given their past behaviour ?
Yes .
Do I assume they ’ re probably feeding conspiracy theories about 5G ?
Yes .
Anyplace they can discredit something that is a U.S.-based technology , they will be trying to do it because it ’ s in their country ’ s self-interest.
” It ’ s a new Cold War , she said , with Russia , China and Iran as the principal antagonists .
Like the virus itself , the threat is extremely insidious and largely invisible , making @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We can ’ t really see it , so it ’ s hard to imagine the effect it can have on us , ” Jamieson said .
“ That ’ s part of the problem of explaining why it is that the Russian intervention in 2016 probably did shape enough votes to change the outcome .
They didn ’ t push the levers ...
They changed minds .
”


thetorontostar--2020-08-02--Isaias nears virus-hit Florida after lashing the Bahamas

ST. PETERSBURG , Fla. - Early bands of heavy rain from Isaias lashed Florida ’ s east coast before dawn Sunday as authorities warily eyed the approaching storm , which threatened to snarl efforts to quell surging cases of the coronavirus across the region .
Isaias weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm late Saturday afternoon , but was still expected to bring heavy rain and flooding as it barrels toward Florida .
“ Don ’ t be fooled by the downgrade , ” Florida Gov .
Ron DeSantis warned during a news conference on Saturday after the storm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up the Bahamas .
Florida authorities closed beaches , parks and virus testing sites , lashing signs to palm trees so they wouldn ’ t blow away .
The governor said the state is anticipating power outages and asked residents to have a week ’ s supply of water , food and medicine on hand .
Officials wrestled with how to prepare shelters where people can seek refuge from the storm if necessary , while safely social distancing to prevent the spread of the virus .
In Palm Beach County , about 150 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ management spokeswoman Lisa De La Rionda .
The county has a voluntary evacuation order for those living in mobile or manufactured homes , or those who feel their home can ’ t withstand winds .
“ We don ’ t anticipate many more evacuations , ” she said , adding that the evacuees are physically distant from each other and are wearing masks , due to the coronavirus pandemic .
Isaias is piling another burden on communities already hard-hit by other storms and sickness .
The storm ’ s maximum sustained winds declined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 65 mph ( 100 kph ) by Sunday morning , the U.S. National Hurricane Center said at 8 a.m. EDT .
The storm ’ s centre was located 40 miles ( 70 kilometres ) east-southeast of West Palm Beach .
The centre of the storm was forecast to approach the southeast coast of Florida early Sunday morning , then travel up the state ’ s east coast throughout the day .
Little change was expected in the storm ’ s strength over the next few days , forecasters said .
Heavy rain , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the East Coast this week as the system is forecast to track up or just off the Atlantic seaboard .
Despite the approaching storm , NASA says the return of two astronauts aboard a SpaceX capsule is still on track for Sunday afternoon .
Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken are preparing to make the first splashdown return in 45 years , after two months docked at the International Space Station .
They are aiming for the Gulf of Mexico just off the Florida Panhandle , and flight controllers are keeping close watch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been destructive in the Caribbean : On Thursday , before it became a hurricane , it uprooted trees , destroyed crops and homes and caused widespread flooding and small landslides in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico .
One man died in the Dominican Republic .
In Puerto Rico , the National Guard rescued at least 35 people from floodwaters that swept away one woman , whose body was recovered Saturday .
Isaias snapped trees and knocked out power as it blew through the Bahamas on Saturday and churned toward the Florida coast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the southeast coast of Florida , a tropical storm warning is in effect from Hallandale Beach , Florida , to South Santee River , South Carolina , and for Florida ’ s Lake Okeechobee .
A storm surge watch is in effect for Jupiter Inlet to Ponte Vedra Beach , and from Edisto Beach , South Carolina , to Cape Fear , North Carolina .
Coronavirus cases have surged in Florida in recent weeks , and the added menace of a storm ratcheted up the anxiety .
State-run virus testing sites are closing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because the sites are outdoor tents , which could topple in high winds .
Natalie Betancur , stocking up at a grocery in Palm Beach Gardens , said that the storm itself doesn ’ t cause her a great amount of concern .
“ The hurricane is not that serious , but I feel that the public is really panicking because it ’ s a hurricane and we ’ re in the middle of a pandemic , “ she said .
Meanwhile , officials in the Bahamas opened shelters for people in Abaco @ @ @ @ @ @ @ living in temporary structures since Dorian devastated the area , killing at least 70 people .
Coto reported from San Juan , Puerto Rico .
Curt Anderson in St. Petersburg and Cody Jackson in Palm Beach County , Florida , contributed .

Tamara Lush And DáNica Coto - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-08-02--Israel’s Netanyahu rails at media over protests against him

TEL AVIV , Israel - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday railed at swelling protests against his rule , saying they were egged on by a biased media that distorts facts and cheers on the demonstrators .
Netanyahu has faced a wave of protests in recent weeks , with demonstrators calling for the resignation of the long-serving leader , who is on trial for corruption charges .
They ’ ve also panned his handling of the coronavirus crisis .
Netanyahu has painted the protests as dens of “ anarchists ” and “ leftists “ out to topple “ a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ largely been peaceful .
In some cases they have ended with clashes between demonstrators and police .
In others , small gangs of Netanyahu supporters and individuals affiliated with far-right groups have assaulted demonstrators .
In a six-minute rant at a meeting of his Cabinet , Netanyahu slammed the media for “ inflaming ” the protests and for misrepresenting incidents of violence against the protesters .
“ There has never been such a distorted mobilization — I wanted to say Soviet but it has already reached North Korean terms — of the media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
Netanyahu said the media ignored “ wild and unfettered incitement , including daily calls — including the day before yesterday — to murder the prime minister and his family.
” He said the protests were breeding grounds for the virus that were being allowed to take place with no limits , shutting down streets and neighbourhoods .
He said right-wing protests have not been given such free rein .
He condemned violence “ from all sides ” at the start of his remarks before tearing into the media he has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Also at the Cabinet meeting , Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz , who is the country ’ s “ alternate ” prime minister under a power-sharing deal , said the protests must be allowed to take place with demonstrators shielded from violence .
“ The right to protest is the lifeblood of democracy and violence is the erosion of the foundation of democracy , ” he said .
Netanyahu ’ s tirade came as a Jerusalem court ruled that his son Yair Netanyahu must remove a tweet that published the names , addresses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called for his followers to demonstrate outside their homes “ day and night.
” Protesters said they received threatening calls after the tweet .
The court also decided he must “ refrain from harassing ” the protesters for six months .
“ Turns out that in our ‘ democracy ’ you aren ’ t allowed to protest outside the homes of anarchists who have called to for the prime minister ’ s murder , ” tweeted Yair Netanyahu after the ruling .
The 28-year-old has emerged as a driving force in a counterattack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Throughout the summer , thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets , calling for Netanyahu to resign , protesting his handling of the country ’ s coronavirus crisis and saying he should not remain in office while on trial .
Though Netanyahu has tried to play down the protests , the twice-a-week gatherings show no signs of slowing , and Saturday night ’ s Jerusalem gathering drew more than 10,000 people .
The rallies against Netanyahu are the largest Israel has seen since 2011 protests over the country ’ s high cost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contain the virus last spring , many believe Israel reopened its economy too quickly , leading to a surge in cases .
The country is now coping with record levels of coronavirus , while unemployment has surged to over 20 % .
Netanyahu faces charges of fraud , breach of trust and accepting bribes in a series of scandals involving wealthy associates and media moguls .
He denies wrongdoing .


thetorontostar--2020-08-02--House Dems seek to hold suburbs as Trump’s slide worries GOP

WASHINGTON - In a suburban Houston congressional district that backed President Donald Trump in 2016 , a twice-elected Republican sheriff is battling a Democrat who ’ s the son of an immigrant from India .
To Democrats , that smells like an opportunity .
Things are flipped in central New York , where freshman Democratic Rep. Anthony Brindisi faces the Republican he ousted two years ago from a district near Syracuse that includes smaller cities like Binghamton and Utica .
Trump won there easily , and Republicans say his place atop the ticket will help propel Claudia Tenney back to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1,600 miles apart spotlights that many pivotal House races hinge on suburban voters .
While some like Brindisi ’ s have a more rural , blue collar feel than the diverse , better educated one outside Houston , an overriding factor will be how Trump is viewed in the district .
And that ’ s a problem for the GOP .
Two years after a 40-seat surge fueled by wins in the suburbs hoisted Democrats to House control , Republican hopes of recapturing the majority have buckled along with Trump ’ s approval @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will lose seats , an agonizing letdown from their one-time dream of retaking control by gaining 17 seats .
“ My fear for Republicans is there are simply not enough rural voters to offset the losses they ’ ve suffered in the suburbs these last few years , ” said former Rep. Charlie Dent , R-Pa. , a Trump critic .
“ It ’ s certainly possible the Democrats could pick up more than a few seats.
” Democrats boast an ever-expanding target list that includes a half-dozen Republican seats in Texas plus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Angeles and Phoenix .
They hope to win in traditionally red strongholds like Alaska , Indiana , Missouri , Nebraska and rural Virginia , while toppling New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew , who defected to the GOP last year .
“ We ’ re still on offence , ” said Rep. Cheri Bustos , D-Ill. , who leads House Democrats ’ campaign organization .
She didn ’ t predict how many seats her party would win .
Republicans have opportunities too , including in small town areas in central California , Iowa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They ’ re spending money on suburban seats they ’ ve previously lost in Georgia , Minnesota and Texas , plus others in Salt Lake City , Oklahoma City , New York City ’ s Staten Island and Charleston , South Carolina .
Spokesman Bob Salera of the National Republican Congressional Committee , the House GOP ’ s political arm , said Republicans will gain seats because progressives ’ proposals on policing and health care will be “ totally toxic among suburban voters.
” But Democrats are fortifying their chances with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all 29 Democrats in House districts Trump carried in 2016 have banked more money than their GOP challengers , usually by multiples .
The same is true for all but two of the 24 other Democrats in seats Republicans said they ’ d pursue aggressively this year .
“ That ’ s testament to the environment , “ said GOP pollster Jon McHenry , citing the presidential race ’ s impact on down-ballot contests .
“ And it ’ s a wake-up call.
” Further bolstering Democrats is repulsion among educated voters over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his mishandling of the coronavirus pandemi c and crippled economy , and the fact that many suburbs are growing more diverse .
All that could prove telling in the Houston-area district where Democrat Sri Preston Kulkarni is battling GOP Sheriff Troy Nehls .
The suburban district has been trending away from Republicans as it becomes wealthier and more diverse , with Trump ’ s 8-point victory there well below 2012 GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney ’ s 25-point win .
The district has so many minorities that Kulkarni ’ s campaign literature is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen a major virus resurgence .
“ It ’ s the greatest failure of leadership in American history , ” Kulkarni said of Trump ’ s pandemic response .
The American-born Kulkarni left college temporarily when his father was dying of cancer to help provide care and to aid the family ’ s struggle with medical bills .
He wields the story as a cautionary tale as Democrats make health care their top issue during a pandemic in which Republicans want the Supreme Court to overturn former President Barack Obama ’ s health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officer , Kulkarni lost a 2018 bid for the seat to GOP Rep. Pete Olson , who chose to retire after that close call .
Outspent last time , Kulkarni has raised five times what Nehls has collected .
Nehls served two decades in the Army Reserve and is sheriff of Fort Bend County , which dominates the congressional district .
He ’ s emphasized his “ proven independent brand “ as a sheriff used to “ building bridges ” with “ diverse communities , “ said campaign spokesman Nick Maddux .
Yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Trump , attending when the president visited Texas recently .
He ’ s shared Trump ’ s disdain for protective masks , writing that a local mandatory mask order “ looks more like a communist dictatorship than a free Republic.
” In a digital ad early this year , the announcer boasted that as sheriff , Nehls “ locked up over 2,500 criminal illegal immigrants.
“ Brindisi ’ s upstate New York district was struggling economically before the virus hit , and many expect Trump ’ s populist and nationalist appeals to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brindisi defeated Tenney in 2018 by 2 percentage points , and Trump carried the district by 16 points two years earlier .
Tenney said she ’ s focusing on her accomplishments during her two years in Congress , including backing the GOP ’ s huge 2017 tax cuts .
And she ’ s attacking Brindisi for falsely posing as a moderate , citing his support for Trump ’ s impeachment .
“ If you just drive around and look what ’ s going on , it ’ s Trump country , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ popularity should prove “ a big help ” to her .
Brindisi said the district doesn ’ t need a “ controversial ” representative .
Among other things , Tenney once asserted that many shooters in mass slayings are Democrats .
Brindisi ’ s first TV ad highlights language he inserted into a larger bill requiring the military to buy stainless steel flatware domestically .
The last U.S. producer of those items happens to be in his district .
“ Regardless of who ’ s at the top of the ballot , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own two feet , ” said Brindisi .
What matters , he said , is having a representative who “ shows up and gets the job done.
“


thetorontostar--2020-08-02--Ginsburg waited 4 months to say her cancer had returned

WASHINGTON - Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is perhaps the most forthcoming member of the Supreme Court when it comes to telling the public about her many health issues .
But she waited more than four months to reveal that her cancer had returned and that she was undergoing chemotherapy .
One big difference from her past battles with cancer is that Ginsburg and the rest of the court have been out of the public eye since early March because of the coronavirus pandemic .
That ’ s when they decided to close the building except for official business , then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by telephone .
In some ways , the court was more accessible to the public than ever with its decision to provide live audio of telephone arguments in May .
But the inability to see the justices and , after arguments concluded on May 13 , hear them , made what went on in the late spring and early summer even harder to read than usual .
In an institution that zealously guards the justices ’ privacy , only a justice can decide when an injury or illness should be made public .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ job , it ’ s also up to them alone to decide when to retire .
Ginsburg , who was in and out of the hospital last week , said she intends to remain on the court , a decision that likely was influenced by the conservative nominee President Donald Trump would put up to replace her if she were to retire .
“ If there is one iron rule that the court tries to follow more than any other , it is that the justices do all that they can to protect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election years when public scrutiny of government is heightened .
Ginsburg may simply be trying , to the extent she can , to protect the court and herself , from becoming a campaign issue in 2020 , ” said Artemus Ward , a political scientist at Northern Illinois University who has written about the politics of court retirements .
Ginsburg started receiving chemotherapy in May , a time of year when the justices typically take the bench at least once a week to announce decisions , and when the public can observe them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Justice John Roberts suffered a forehead injury that required stitches on Father ’ s Day .
In a normal year , the court would have met in public the next day and Roberts ’ wound would have been easy to see .
Instead , opinions were released electronically , as they were throughout the spring and early summer .
Only after inquiries from The Washington Post did the court confirm that Roberts had taken a fall that kept him in the hospital overnight .
Ginsburg issued a statement on July 17 saying that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on her liver , which a subsequent biopsy determined were cancerous .
She declined an interview request from The Associated Press .
The lesions are the fifth time Ginsburg has dealt with cancer since 1999 , when she first underwent surgery for colorectal cancer .
Surgeries for tumors on her pancreas and lung took place in 2009 and 2018 , respectively , and Ginsburg underwent radiation therapy for a new growth on her pancreas last year .
By Supreme Court standards , Ginsburg was downright speedy in her most recent public announcement .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2018 , said nothing publicly when he had a stent inserted to restore blood flow in an artery after experiencing mild chest pain in 2005 .
The court revealed the procedure 10 months later , when Kennedy returned to the hospital to have the stent replaced .
In July 2007 , Roberts suffered a seizure while on vacation in Maine .
The court issued an initial statement little more than an hour after the incident , saying only that Roberts had fallen and was taken to a hospital .
Several hours later , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a seizure , but has never provided details of what tests Roberts underwent or whether he was prescribed medication .
He had a similar episode in 1993 , long before he was a justice .
The court said doctors had ruled out a seizure in the June fall .
Only after Justice Antonin Scalia ’ s death in 2016 did the public learn that he had coronary artery disease , diabetes , chronic obstructive pulmonary disease , sleep apnea , high blood pressure and several other ailments that probably contributed to the heart @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his doctor .
“ The lack of health information about individual justices is a glaring problem .
Declining , even incapacitated , justices hold their offices until they die .
And because justices play politics with their departure decisions , trying to retire under a politically favourable president and Senate if possible , the court ’ s history has been filled with declining justices who compromised the court ’ s work because they refused to depart for political or personal reasons , ” Ward said .
Like other Americans , Supreme Court justices @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ailments .
Justice Sonia Sotomayor has had diabetes since childhood .
Also , both she and Justice Stephen Breyer injured their shoulders so badly they needed replacement surgery .
Sotomayor had a fall at home and Breyer suffered a bicycle accident .
Both made prompt announcements of those incidents .
Her frail appearance may fool people , but Ginsburg has been remarkably resilient through her many health crises , which also have included broken ribs , infections and her own artery-clearing stent .
She had no surgery to remove the latest cancerous growth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She has said she will receive doses of the chemotherapy drug gemcitabine every two weeks .
Ginsburg ’ s statement came 10 days after she said another medical scan “ indicated significant reduction of the liver lesions and no new disease.
” In that same period , the court also issued the last of its opinions and Ginsburg was in and out of the hospital for treatment of an infection that she said was unrelated to the cancer .
She maintained that she kept up with opinion writing and all other court work @ @ @ @ @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-08-02--Clock is ticking on Trump comeback as early voting nears

President Donald Trump is privately reassuring Republicans anxious about his deficits to Democrat Joe Biden , noting there are three months until Election Day and reminding them of the late-breaking events that propelled his 2016 comeback .
But four years later , the dynamics are very different .
Aides are increasingly worried that the 2020 campaign may already be defined as a referendum on Trump ’ s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and will feature a historic shift to remote and early vote options .
The president ’ s campaign is scrambling for a reset , pausing advertisements while struggling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a way to safely put the president on the road in front of voters .
Trump added to the tumult by publicly wondering if the election should be delayed while making the unfounded claim that the tilt toward mail-in balloting would lead to widespread voter fraud .
That suggestion drew a rare rebuke from Republicans , many of whom quietly warned the White House that it could be interpreted as an admission that the president was losing and could hurt their chances of retaining the Senate .
And they warned that time is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hold early voting , the vital battleground of North Carolina , begins the process Sept. 4 .
“ He ’ s losing and the trajectory of the race is moving away from him , ” said Steve Schmidt , a senior adviser on Republican John McCain ’ s 2008 presidential campaign and an opponent of Trump ’ s reelection .
“ People vote at a moment in time : Even if there is something of a political recovery for the president in October , that is irrelevant for those who already voted.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expensive television advertisements last week highlighted the campaign ’ s challenge .
It came just two weeks after a staffing shakeup and two months after Trump ’ s previous campaign manager unleashed a “ Death Star ” ad blitz on Biden that only coincided with the president ’ s support falling even further .
The campaign downplayed the ad pause , saying that the new campaign manager , Bill Stepien , wanted to analyze when and where Trump ’ s advertising message was being delivered .
A significant amount of TV ad time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ until the election , and the campaign said it would reboot its advertising on Monday .
The purchase was made with an eye on the new electoral calendar .
The old adage that most of America doesn ’ t start paying attention to a campaign until Labor Day has been tossed aside in a year in which the novel coronavirus has killed more than 150,000 people in the U.S. and rewritten the rules of American society .
The new ad campaign will be a national buy but also target states that are among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials said the focus in August will be on states where more than half of the ballots will be cast before Election Day .
“ The digital countdown clock on the wall may say 90-some days , but we all know the calendar is condensed with early voting , ” said campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh .
Still , the Trump campaign has been wavering for weeks .
It has struggled to land effective blows on Biden .
Trump and his allies have recently sought to tie Biden to the extreme leftist elements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a moderate who has been in the public eye for more than four decades .
The campaign has all but pulled the plug on competing in Michigan and , privately , acknowledges deficits in vital battleground states like Florida , Wisconsin and Arizona , though it insists the margins are manageable and smaller than what is reflected in public polling .
They also downplayed the chances of losing reliably Republican states , though Trump did make a campaign stop in Texas last week .
Trump ’ s support collapsed after the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its economy .
With the Republican National Convention scaled back and rallies seemingly impossible to hold , Trump is running out of headline-grabbing set pieces to change the momentum of the race .
Many around the president are focused on the debates as perhaps the best chance , pushing for more showdowns with Biden to increase the chance of the former vice-president faltering on stage .
“ A lot of people are going to start voting before Sept. 29 .
The idea that they would not have seen one presidential debate by then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said former New Jersey Gov .
Chris Christie , a Trump ally .
“ I think we should either move the dates up or add additional debates.
” The president ’ s advisers are also trying to re-imagine a campaign without its trademark rallies .
Trump has been travelling to both smaller campaign gatherings and official events in swing states — on Friday , he attended one of each in Florida — and White House aides are readying a calendar full of day trips for the weeks ahead .
The convention is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ travel several times during the last week of August , when the massive gathering was initially scheduled .
He ’ s expected to stop in North Carolina during one day of the dramatically revised convention .
Trump will also deliver an acceptance speech in a high-profile location on the Thursday of what would have been convention week , according to campaign and White House officials who requested anonymity to discuss planning .
And while Trump has customarily taken a multiweek vacation at his Bedminster , New Jersey , golf course in August , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this month .
The president has noted to advisers that it was later in August 2016 when he brought in Steve Bannon and Kellyanne Conway to his campaign , the eventual winning campaign leadership combination .
But the president was behind until late that October when FBI Director James Comey announced the reopening of an investigation into Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton , a seismic event that reshaped the race .
As Trump sows doubt about the integrity of the election this year , questions are swirling about access to voting during the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foreign electoral interference .
Campaign advisers are increasingly pinning their hopes on the unlikely occurrence of another big October surprise , such as the development of a coronavirus vaccine .
But some Republicans believe there is still time to make a more effective response to the virus the centre of his case for a second term .
“ By the speed at which news and events move in 2020 , it ’ s not necessarily the case that he is running out of time , ” said Ari Fleischer , former press secretary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Much of the public will not pay attention to what he will say on law and order and the economy until he gets over the COVID hurdle first .
”

Jonathan Lemire And Zeke Miller - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-08-02--Asia Today: Australia’s Victoria state imposes curfew

MELBOURNE , Australia - The premier of Australia ’ s hard-hit Victoria state has declared a disaster among sweeping new coronavirus restrictions across Melbourne and elsewhere from Sunday night .
An evening curfew will be implemented across Melbourne from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Premier Daniel Andrews says the state of disaster proclamation gave police greater power .
He says 671 new coronavirus cases had been detected since Saturday , including seven deaths .
It comes among a steadily increasing toll in both deaths and infections over the past six weeks in Victoria .
“ If we don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not going to get through this , ” Andrews said .
“ We need to do more .
That is what these decisions are about.
” He said there would be more announcements about workplaces on Monday , including the closure of certain industries .
“ I want to ensure all Victorians — supermarkets , the butcher , the baker , food , beverage , groceries , those types of settings — there will be no impact there , ” he said .
Melbourne residents will only be allowed to shop and exercise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their homes .
All students across the state will return to home-based learning and child care centres will be closed .
The deaths in Victoria took the national toll to 208 .
Also Sunday , New South Wales confirmed its first coronavirus-related death in more than a month as authorities sought to suppress a number of growing clusters at a hotel and several restaurants in Sydney .
In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region : — India ’ s coronavirus caseload crossed 1.75 million with another spike of 54,735 in the past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down from 57,118 on Saturday .
The Health Ministry on Sunday also reported 853 deaths for a total of 37,364 .
Randeep Guleria , a top government expert , said that New Delhi and Mumbai may have crossed their peak levels with declining trends .
The month of July alone has accounted for more than 1.1 million cases in India .
Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said the case fatality rate is progressively reducing and currently stands at 2.18 % , one of the lowest globally .
Out of the total active cases , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1.61 % need intensive care support and 2.32 % oxygen support .
— Indian Home Minister Amit Shah says he has tested positive for the coronavirus and is getting admitted to a hospital on the advice of doctors .
Shah , 55 , tweeted on Sunday that his health is fine and requested those who had come in his contact to isolate themselves and get tested .
Shah is No .
2 in Prime Minister Narendra Modi ’ s government .
He has been visiting hospitals and holding meetings with top officials as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 infections in the country .
— Coronavirus infections in the Philippines surged past 100,000 Sunday after medical groups declared that the country was waging “ a losing battle ” against the virus and asked the president to reimpose a lockdown in the capital .
The Department of Health reported a record-high daily tally of 5,032 , bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 103,185 , including more than 2,000 deaths .
The Philippines has the second-most cases in Southeast Asia after Indonesia .
President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the capital , Manila , on June 1 .
After shopping malls and workplaces were partially reopened and limited public transport was allowed , infections spiked sharply with increased virus testing .
More than 50,000 infections were reported in less than four weeks .
— Confirmed coronavirus cases are hovering at near record levels in Japan , raising worries the pandemic may be growing more difficult to control .
The Tokyo government reported 292 new cases Sunday , about half in their 20s .
Japan in total reported 1,540 cases on Saturday— @ @ @ @ @ @ @ above 1,500 .
Nationwide cases for Sunday will be tallied at midnight .
Numbers are usually fewer over the weekend because of fewer tests .
Japan has avoided a total lockdown , encouraging business activity while urging people to wear masks , social distance and work from home .
— Vietnam reported two more deaths from the coronavirus on Sunday , raising the country ’ s death toll to five , all in the last few days .
The two people who died — and 84-year-old woman and an 85-year-old woman — were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Vietnam ’ s most popular beach destination .
An outbreak began at a Da Nang hospital a week ago and has spread to other parts of the country , including three of the largest cities , forcing authorities to reimpose virus restrictions .
The health ministry also confirmed 32 new cases Sunday , including 16 in Da Nang and nine in neighbouring Quang Nam province .
Local transmissions were also recorded in Ho Chi Minh City and Quang Ngai , as well as Dong Nai and Ha Nam provinces for the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were traced back to Da Nang .
— South Korea has reported 30 additional case of the coronavirus , most of them associated with international arrivals .
The cases announced Sunday by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention brought the national tally to 14,366 with 301 deaths .
The agency says eight of the newly confirmed cases were locally infected while the rest came from overseas .
South Korea has recently seen an uptick in imported cases , many of them South Korean construction workers airlifted out of virus-ravaged Iraq and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in local ports .
Health authorities have said imported cases are less threatening as they continue to enforce two-week quarantines on all people arriving from abroad .


thetorontostar--2020-08-02--Survivors of slain Ohio-based Marines mark grim anniversary

CINCINNATI - Jason Dominguez remembers vividly his last conversation with David Kreuter , as they were doing an overnight security watch from a rooftop in western Iraq .
Marine Cpl .
Dominguez and Sgt .
Kreuter usually joked around , but this night 15 years ago was different .
Kreuter proudly showed him a photo of his 7-week-old son .
“ Wow , you ’ re a father !
” Dominguez exclaimed .
“ Yeah , I am , ” replied Kreuter , 26 , who then talked excitedly about getting to see and hold baby Christian for the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had just shifted , “ recalled Dominguez , who , like the rest of the Lima ( pronounced LEE ’ -muh ) Company Marines , also looked forward to the end of their tour of duty in a couple more months .
The next day , Aug. 3 , Kreuter was among 15 people killed by a roadside bomb near the town of Hiditha .
Eleven of them were Lima Company Marines .
The Columbus , Ohio-based Reserve unit was among the hardest-hit of the war in Iraq , losing 23 men after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ held a reunion in 2015 , and another was planned this month but had to be cancelled amid coronavirus restrictions .
The first day of the reunion would have included a Marines-only workshop on coping with their painful memories and trauma all these years later , said Bryan Hillberg , a survivor who lives near the village of Waynesville in southwest Ohio .
“ Some stuff is seared into your brain and some of it is just fuzzy , ” said Hillberg , 39 .
Seared in : Aug. 3 .
Hillberg ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his amphibious assault vehicle as the lance corporal served as gunner for the second vehicle in the convoy , just ahead of the one hit by the bomb .
“ When it blew , it shook everything , ” he said .
“ I remember looking back and it flipped it and split it in a way that with all the dust and everything , the shape looked normal .
I looked at my buddy and said ‘ Thank God , they missed.
’ “ He quickly realized he was wrong .
Dominguez @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one .
“ You saw the orange ball of fire and you just knew , ” Dominguez said .
It was the final blow of a deadly week in that area : Two Lima Company Marines also were killed while “ clearing ” houses of any possible insurgents , and six Marine snipers were lost when their outposts were overrun by insurgents .
Lima Marines who witnessed the bombing were invited by their commanders to return to their base and meet with counsellors , Hillberg said .
They declined , some saying the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ roots to wouldn ’ t have left the battle on Iwo Jima .
The following few days are the fuzzy ones .
One day when they were clearing houses , Hillberg suddenly couldn ’ t go into the next one .
He told his team leader , who directed him to take cover nearby .
Soon , tears were rolling down from behind his sunglasses .
“ I was just bawling , ” Hillberg said .
“ I cried it out ... then we just pushed on.
” Although the reunion is cancelled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to host an annual golf tournament that benefits a memorial scholarship fund .
It was iffy for a while , especially before the state reversed an order closing golf courses .
Ken Kreuter said they ’ ve raised more than $ 125,000 through the tournament that grew out of an annual pancake breakfast in David ’ s honour .
They award $ 1,000 scholarships to Cincinnati-area students .
His wife , Pat Murray , helps keep up a network of the Marines ’ survivors , although Kreuter said they have lost touch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ memorials and benefits in their children ’ s names , and a travelling tribute exhibit was created more than a decade ago .
“ The saddest thing , “ Pat said a few days ago , ” is no new memories have been created with David .
That really hurts.
” Dominguez , a father of two children , has his rituals this time of year .
On July 28 , he visited the grave of Columbus-area native Cpl .
Andre Williams , one of two Lima Marines killed that day in 2005 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does , he left a coin for Williams .
On Aug. 3 , he usually meets up with other survivors and family members , winding up at a Waffle House to trade stories and memories .
Because of pandemic restrictions and concerns , he ’ s not sure how many people will participate this year .
“ You celebrate the time you had with them , ” Dominguez said of the slain Marines .
“ You tell your kids about it .
You think about the choices you have , choices to live @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sacrifice.
“


thetorontostar--2020-08-02--GOP: Renomination of Trump to be held in private

WASHINGTON - The vote to renominate President Donald Trump is set to be conducted in private later this month , without members of the press present , a spokeswoman for the Republican National Convention said , citing the coronavirus .
While Trump called off the public components of the convention in Florida last month , citing spiking cases of the virus across the country , 336 delegates are scheduled to gather in Charlotte , North Carolina , on Aug. 24 to formally vote to make Trump the GOP standard-bearer once more .
Nominating conventions are traditionally meant to be media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leverage the attention the events draw to spread their message to as many voters as possible .
If the GOP decision stands , it will be the first party nominating convention in modern history to be closed to reporters .
“ Given the health restrictions and limitations in place within the state of North Carolina , we are planning for the Charlotte activities to be closed press Friday , August 21 – Monday , August 24 , ” a convention spokeswoman said .
“ We are happy to let you know if this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the parameters set before us by state and local guidelines regarding the number of people who can attend events.
“ The decision was first reported by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette .
Privately some GOP delegations have raised logistical issues with travelling to either city , citing the increasing number of jurisdictions imposing mandatory quarantine orders on travellers returning from states experiencing surges in the virus .
The subset of delegates in Charlotte will be casting proxy votes on behalf of the more than 2,500 official delegates to the convention .
Alternate delegates and guests @ @ @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-08-02--India reports 55,000 virus cases, Florida faces storm

NEW DELHI - India reported nearly 55,000 new coronavirus cases Sunday and the Philippines recorded another daily high to surpass 100,000 total infections , while Florida braced for a tropical storm that threatened to hamper anti-disease efforts .
A curfew was imposed on Australia ’ s second-largest city , Melbourne , following a spike in infections .
Countries including the United States , India and South Africa are struggling to rein in their first wave of infections while South Korea and others where the disease abated try to avert a second wave as curbs on travel and trade ease .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 17.8 million cases , according to data gathered by Johns Hopkins University .
India ’ s 54,735 new cases were down from the previous day ’ s record 57,118 but raised the total to 1.75 million .
The month of July accounted for more than 1.1 million of those cases .
The major cities of New Delhi and Mumbai might have passed their peaks , said a government expert , Randeep Guleria .
Subways , cinemas and other public facilities are closed until Aug. 31 .
The Philippines reported 5,032 new cases , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2,059 deaths .
On Saturday , leaders of Philippine medical organizations appealed to President Rodrigo Duterte to reimpose a lockdown on the capital , Manila .
They said the health system was in danger as personnel fall ill or quit due to fear or fatigue .
In Japan , the government reported 1,540 new cases , close to Friday ’ s record of 1,579 .
The spike in infections , most of them in their 20s and 30s , prompted warnings young people were letting their guard down .
Gov .
Yuriko Koike @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the new infections , says she might declare an emergency to contain the outbreak .
In Florida , authorities were trying to prepare storm shelters while enforcing social distancing as Tropical Storm Isaias churned toward the heavily populated state .
It was due to be near the coast early Sunday .
Florida reported 179 deaths on Saturday , raising its total to more than 7,000 .
The governor warned residents to expect power outages and said they should have a week ’ s supply of water and food .
The United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of cases at 4.6 million , or one-quarter of the total , and 154,361 deaths .
In Australia , Premier Daniel Andrews of the southern state of Victoria announced a 8 p.m.-to-5 a.m. curfew on Melbourne , a city of 5 million people .
Schools statewide are to return to home-based teaching and day care centres were closed .
Andrews said there were seven deaths and 671 new cases since Saturday .
“ If we don ’ t make these changes , we ’ re not going to get through this , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and South Korea reported more infections but spikes in both countries appeared to be tailing off .
China had 49 new confirmed cases , up from the previous day ’ s 45 .
Thirty were in Xinjiang in the northwest , where authorities are trying to contain an outbreak focused on the regional capital , Urumqi .
Three cases were found in students who returned from Russia to Wuhan , the southern city where the pandemic began in December .
Most anti-disease controls were lifted there after the ruling Communist Party declared victory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kong reported 125 new infections as authorities tried to find the source of its latest outbreak .
The Chinese government said a team of seven virus testing experts was sent to the city to help .
South Korea reported 30 new cases , raising its total to 14,366 with 301 deaths , but said only eight were acquired in the country .
The government warned earlier case numbers would rise as South Koreans came home from the Middle East and other places with outbreaks .
Authorities say cases from abroad are less threatening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
On Saturday , the leader of a secretive Korean church was arrested in an investigation into whether the group hampered the anti-virus response after thousands of worshippers were infected in February and March .
On Saturday , South Africa reported 10,107 new cases , raising its total to 503,290 .
That put the country fifth behind the United States , Brazil , Russia and India in total cases , though its population of 58 million is much smaller than theirs .
In Europe , the number of new cases reported in Italy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
An employee in the Austrian chancellery tested positive for the virus but didn ’ t work directly with Chancellor Sebastian Kurz , the Austrian Press Agency reported .
McDonald reported from Beijing .
AP journalists worldwide contributed to this report .
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute ’ s Department of Science Education .
The AP is solely responsible for all content .

Ashok Sharma And Joe McDonald - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-08-02--Reports: UK lawmaker arrested on accusation of rape

LONDON - British media reports say a Conservative Party lawmaker has been arrested after a former parliamentary aide accused him @ @ @ @ @ while they were in a relationship .
The Sunday Times and Mail on Sunday did @ @ @ @ @ who they reported was a former government minister .
The complainant alleged that the man @ @ @ @ @ to have sex , according to the Times .
The Metropolitan Police said it is @ @ @ @ @ and assault relating to four incidents at addresses in London , including in Westminster , @ @ @ @ @ .
The force said officers arrested a man in his 50s Saturday on suspicion of @ @ @ @ @ custody at a London police station .
The man has been released on bail .
@ @ @ @ @ the man , in accordance with its usual rule of not naming suspects until they @ @ @ @ @ governing Conservative Party said in a statement it takes “ all allegations of this nature @ @ @ @ @ it could not comment because the matter is being investigated .


thetorontostar--2020-08-02--1 dead, 4 missing after ferry sinks off Thai island of Samui

BANGKOK - A ferry sank off the Thai island of Koh Samui , leaving at least one person dead and four others missing , officials said Sunday .
The ferry was carrying 12 crew members and four passengers when it sank in stormy conditions Saturday night after leaving Koh Samui ’ s port , according to a statement on the Surat Thani Public Affairs Department Facebook page .
Nine people were rescued near the sunken vessel by rescue workers .
Two more were found hours later near a nearby deserted island .
One person was found dead and four others @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Patchara Thiparat , one of the two found near the deserted island , said when everyone on the ferry realized what was going to happen , they put on lifejackets .
But he got separated from the rest of the group because he was on the other side of the boat when it was sinking .
“ The water ( current ) was very strong .
It swept me away from the ship very quickly .
Later I saw the island and then tried to swim toward it , ” Patchara said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Koh Samui , a popular tourist island in the Gulf of Thailand , to the mainland .


thetorontostar--2020-08-02--Philippines virus cases top 100,000 in ‘losing battle’

MANILA , Philippines - Coronavirus infections in the Philippines surged past 100,000 Sunday in a troubling milestone after medical groups declared that the country was waging “ a losing battle ” against the virus and asked the president to reimpose a lockdown in the capital .
The Department of Health reported a record-high daily tally of 5,032 , bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 103,185 , including more than 2,000 deaths .
The Philippines has the second-most cases in Southeast Asia after Indonesia , and has had more infections than China , where the pandemic began late @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a tough virus lockdown in the capital , Manila — a city of more than 12 million people — on June 1 after the economy shrank slightly in the first quarter , its first contraction in more than two decades .
After shopping malls and workplaces were partially reopened and limited public transport was allowed , infections spiked sharply with increased virus testing .
More than 50,000 infections were reported in less than four weeks and leading hospitals began warning that their coronavirus wards were fast being overwhelmed to capacity again , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ April .
After Duterte further relaxed quarantine restrictions and allowed more businesses , including gyms , internet cafes and tattoo shops , to reopen , leaders of nearly 100 medical organizations held an online news conference Saturday and warned that the health system may collapse as many medical personnel fall ill or resign out of fear , fatigue or poor working conditions .
“ Our health care workers are burnt out with the seemingly endless number of patients trooping to our hospitals , ” the medical groups said in a letter to Duterte @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They pleaded for the president to reimpose a lockdown in Manila from Aug. 1 to 15 to give health workers “ a time out ” and allow the government to recalibrate its response to the monthslong pandemic .
“ We are waging a losing battle against COVID-19 and we need to draw up a consolidated , definitive plan of action , ” said the groups , which represent more than a million nurses , doctors and other medical personnel .
The groups said the gradual easing of coronavirus restrictions “ has inadvertently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ getting better .
It is not.
” They expressed fears to Duterte that the Philippine coronavirus crisis may worsen like in the U.S. “ The progressive decline in compliance will push us to the brink to become the next New York City , where COVID-19 patients die at home or in stretchers , unable to find vacancies.
” The U.S. has had more than 4.6 million confirmed infections and more than 154,000 deaths , by far the highest tolls in the world , based on Johns Hopkins University tallies .
Leaders of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heeded the medical community ’ s call , saying they will return to lockdown-like restrictions by temporarily stopping actual church services in Manila and shift all Masses back online .
“ It seems that the current responses are not working because the cases are rising , ” Bishop Broderick Pabillo said .
Cabinet members have met with medical industry leaders and were to meet with Duterte on Sunday to decide on a response , presidential spokesman Harry Roque said .
Businesses in the capital and outlying regions comprise about 67 % of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a tightrope between public health and economic revival , Roque said .
Critics have accused Duterte and his top officials of failing to immediately launch massive virus tests to be able to identify and contain hotspots early on , especially when they placed the capital under a police-enforced lockdown in mid-March .
The poverty-stricken country has struggled with polio , measles and cholera outbreaks for years and officials have been aware of inadequate health resources long before the pandemic hit , the critics said .
Duterte has also acknowledged that corruption by local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for about 23 million poor families that has been widely criticized for delays and chaotic enforcement .
A leading source of global labour , the Philippines , like Indonesia , has additionally been battered after hundreds of thousands of Filipinos , including cruise ship crews , lost their jobs worldwide due to the pandemic then scrambled to head home .
The government has helped bring home more than 115,000 Filipinos from across the world since February and another 100,000 need to be repatriated in the next two months in the largest such pandemic-sparked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Department of Foreign Affairs .
Associated Press journalist Kiko Rosario in Bangkok contributed to this report .

Jim Gomez And Aaron Favila - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-08-02--Despite virus threat, Black voters wary of voting by mail

DETROIT - Despite fears that the coronavirus pandemic will worsen , Victor Gibson said he ’ s not planning to take advantage of Michigan ’ s expanded vote-by-mail system when he casts his ballot in November .
The retired teacher from Detroit just isn ’ t sure he can trust it .
Many Black Americans share similar concerns and are planning to vote in person on Election Day , even as mail-in voting expands to more states as a safety precaution during the pandemic .
For many , historical skepticism of a system that tried to keep Black people from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballot won ’ t get counted outweigh the prospect of long lines and health dangers from a virus that ’ s disproportionately affected communities of colour .
Ironically , suspicion of mail-in voting aligns with the views of President Donald Trump , whom many Black voters want out of office .
Trump took it a step further Tuesday , suggesting a “ delay ” to the Nov. 3 presidential election — which would take an act of Congress — as he made unsubstantiated allegations in a tweet that increased mail-in voting will result @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change my mind ” about voting in person in November , said Gibson , who is Black and hopes Trump loses .
“ I always feel better sliding my ballot in .
We ’ ve heard so many controversies about missing absentee ballots.
” Decades of disenfranchisement are at the heart of the uneasy choice facing Black voters , one of the Democratic Party ’ s most important voting groups .
Widespread problems with mail-in ballots during this year ’ s primary elections have added to the skepticism at a time when making @ @ @ @ @ @ @ urgency during a national reckoning over racial injustice .
Patricia Harris of McDonough , Georgia , south of Atlanta , voted in person in the primary and said she will do the same in November .
“ I simply do not trust mail-in or absentee ballots , ” said Harris , 73 , a retired event co-ordinator at Albany State University .
“ After the primary and the results were in , there were thousands of absentee ballots not counted.
” In Georgia , roughly 12,500 mail-in ballots were rejected in the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tossed more than 100,000 absentee ballots during its March primary .
Reasons vary , from ballots being received after the deadline to voters ’ signatures not matching the one on file with the county clerk .
Multiple studies show mail-in ballots from Black voters , like those from Latino and young voters , are rejected at a higher rate than those of white voters .
In Wisconsin ’ s April primary , thousands of voters in Milwaukee said they didn ’ t receive absentee ballots in time and had to vote in person @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people waited two hours or more .
In Kentucky ’ s June primary , more than 8,000 absentee ballots were rejected in Jefferson County , which includes Louisville .
Many people in Louisville ’ s historically Black West End neighbourhood voted in person because they didn ’ t receive an absentee ballot or simply wanted to vote in a way that was familiar to them , said Arii Lynton-Smith , an organizer with Black Lives Matter Louisville .
“ That ’ s particularly why we knew we had to have the poll rides @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , referring to groups offering voters free transportation to polling places .
“ It ’ s not as easy to do an absentee ballot and the things that come along with it than it is to just go in person.
” Mistrust by Black voters runs deep and is tightly bound within the nation ’ s dark past of slavery and institutional racism .
Black people endured poll taxes , tossed ballots , even lynchings by whites intent on keeping them from voting .
Over the decades , that led to a deep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the post office .
Black people were the demographic least likely to cast votes by mail in 2018 , with only 11 % using that method , according to the U.S. Census Bureau .
By comparison , 24 % of whites and 27 % of Latinos reported voting by mail that year .
“ For Black folks , voting is almost like a social pride because of the way they were denied in the past , ” said Ben Barber , a researcher and writer for the Institute for Southern Studies in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ places where Black voters say they have had to overcome institutional obstacles is Shelby County , Tennessee , which includes Memphis .
In the past , voters have received ballots for the wrong district , and groups have sued to challenge the security of electronic voting machines , invalidation of voter registration forms and failure to open polling places near predominantly Black neighbourhoods .
The Rev .
Earle Fisher , senior pastor at Abyssinian Missionary Baptist Church in Memphis and a prominent Black civil rights activist , is one of the plaintiffs in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for everyone .
He said he ’ s not pushing his community to vote by mail but wants to ensure it ’ s an option given the health dangers .
To ease doubts , he wants voters to be able to drop off their ballot at a polling place so they won ’ t have to worry about the post office delivering it on time .
“ I would like to see every righteous and creative method and measure taken , but we are up against a voter suppression apparatus that oftentimes is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by , people who are elected or appointed to office , ” Fisher said .
Trump has made clear he believes widespread mail-in voting would benefit Democrats .
He has alleged — without citing evidence — that it will lead to massive fraud , and the Republican National Committee has budgeted $ 20 million to fight Democratic lawsuits in at least 18 states aimed at expanding voting by mail .
The extent to which Black voters adopt it in November is likely to be dictated by the coronavirus .
As infections surge , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be willing to consider the option .
In Detroit , for example , about 90,000 requests for mail-in ballots have been made so far — the most ever , City Clerk Janice Winfrey said .
How well the option is promoted also is important .
In 2018 , Democrat Stacey Abrams ’ campaign mailed 1.6 million absentee ballot requests to Georgia voters during her unsuccessful bid for governor , emphasizing that it was a safe , easy way to vote .
Record numbers of Black voters voted by mail in that election .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ if they hear from friends and family that it works , said Lauren Groh-Wargo , Abrams ’ campaign manager .
NAACP President Derrick Johnson praised how Abrams was able to bridge that gap but said this year is different .
The model can ’ t be replicated nationwide before Nov. 3 , he said .
“ Stacey did a good job in the four years leading up to 2018 to build out a program to get it done , ” Johnson said .
“ The runway between now and November isn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Associated Press writers Piper Hudspeth Blackburn in Frankfort , Kentucky ; Nicholas Riccardi in Denver ; and Adrian Sainz in Memphis contributed to this story .


thetorontostar--2020-08-02--Scientists study coronavirus outbreaks among minks in Europe

MADRID - Coronavirus outbreaks at mink farms in Spain and the Netherlands have scientists digging into how the animals got infected and if they can spread it to people .
In the meantime , authorities have killed more than 1 million minks at breeding farms in both countries as a precaution .
The virus that first infected people in China late last year came from an animal source , probably bats , and later spread from person to person , as other coronaviruses had done in the past .
Some animals , including cats , tigers and dogs , have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but there hasn ’ t been a documented case of animals spreading it back to humans .
The outbreaks among the minks on the farms in the Netherlands and Spain likely started with infected workers , although officials aren ’ t certain .
But it also is “ plausible ” that some workers later caught the virus back from the minks , the Dutch government and a researcher said , and scientists are exploring whether that was the case and how much of a threat such a spread might be .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ La Puebla de Valverde , a village of 500 people , was discovered after seven of the 14 employees , including the owner , tested positive in late May , said Joaquín Olona , regional chief of agriculture and environment .
Two other employees got infected even after the operation was shut down .
More than 92,000 minks were ordered killed at the farm in the Aragon region of northeastern Spain , with nine out of 10 animals estimated to have contracted the virus .
After the Dutch outbreaks began in April , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ veterinarian who studies viruses at Wageningen University and Research , determined that the virus strain in the animals was similar to the one circulating among humans .
“ We assumed it was possible that it would be transmitted back to people again , ” the virus expert said , and that ’ s what appeared to have happened with at least two of the infected workers .
Richard Ostfeld , a researcher at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook , New York , said that if confirmed , these would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ With the evidence for farmed mink-to-human transmission , we definitely need to be concerned with the potential for domesticated animals that are infected to pass on their infection to us , ” Ostfeld said by email .
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says some coronaviruses that infect animals can be spread to humans and then spread between people , but it adds that this is rare .
Both the World Health Organization and the Paris-based World Organisation for Animal Health , are studying the transmission of the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and research institutes also are examining the issue .
The WHO has noted that the transmission on the mink breeding farms could have happened both ways .
But WHO ’ s Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove said at a news conference last month that such transmission was “ very limited.
” “ This gives us some clues about which animals may be susceptible to infection and this will help us as we learn more about the potential animal reservoir of ( the virus ) , ” she said , referring to cases in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of mink fur .
While scientists think the virus originated in bats , it may have passed through another animal before infecting people .
A WHO team is currently in China , planning to study the issue .
More than 1.1 million minks have been killed on 26 Dutch farms that recorded outbreaks , according to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority .
The government announced Thursday that minks at a 27th farm also were infected and would be killed .
The Netherlands , which has some 160 mink farms , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the prized fur after Denmark , China and Poland , according to Wim Verhagen , director of the Dutch federation of fur farmers .
Spain has 38 active mink breeding operations , most of them in northwestern Galicia .
Both Spain and the Netherlands have tightened hygiene protocols at mink farms and banned transportation of the animals and visits to the buildings where they are kept .
China , which produces about a third of the mink fur market , and the United States have not reported any virus outbreaks in minks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported from The Hague .
Associated Press writers Maria Cheng in London and Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed .

Aritz Parra And Mike Corder - The Associated Press