theguardian--2020-03-07--Democratic primary: why 2020 could be the year of the black voter

After most national polls had been showing a considerable lead for Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary , former vice-president Joe Biden ’ s strong showing on Super Tuesday caught most of the country by surprise .
Notably , his largest margins came in states with substantial black populations : Virginia , Alabama , North Carolina and Arkansas .
The surge of momentum that led to him winning 10 of 14 states began last Saturday in the South Carolina primary , where Biden ’ s 30-point win was the result of his taking almost two-thirds of black votes there .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ has done what every successful Democratic nominee has done over the past 30 years : win the most black votes in every state .
Every nominee , that is , with the exception , in 2004 , of John Kerry , who finished three points behind his eventual running mate , John Edwards , in just one state .
What does this all mean ?
Black voters , particularly in the South , changed the course of the Democratic primary .
And it ’ s safe to say they will play an outsize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House .
For more than five decades , an average of about 90 % of black voters have supported the Democratic candidate .
Those voters are concentrated in the South , where most of the states vote Republican .
However , in a few battleground states , – Michigan , Wisconsin , Pennsylvania , and Florida in particular – the number of black voters is sizable enough to be the deciding bloc .
So a Democratic candidate who demonstrates the strongest black support in the primary can make the case that he or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidential election .
What the Super Tuesday results suggest is that Biden can gain black support in ways that Sanders can not , and the recently exited Michael Bloomberg and Senator Elizabeth Warren could not .
Donald Trump and his campaign strategists are clearly aware of the pivotal role black voters will play in the election .
It is no coincidence that in the past few months alone , the president has kicked off a Black Voices for Trump initiative in Atlanta , dedicated a considerable portion of his State of the Union @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” , and announced plans to open “ community centers ” in strategically targeted black communities in seven battleground states .
The president also reminds the nation at every opportunity about the low black unemployment rate and the federal prison reform bill he has signed into law .
In doing this , Trump ’ s goal is not to win over the majority of black voters – depriving the Democratic Party of its core electoral constituency in the process .
Rather , it is an attempt to accomplish two basic aims .
First @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Party ’ s black support back to its historical average .
Between 1968 and 2004 , Republican presidential nominees polled an average of just over 11 % of the black vote – Trump only managed 8 % in 2016 .
If he can convince black Republicans to “ come home ” , he increases his chances of winning a close election .
Second , he is hoping to dampen black voters ’ enthusiasm for the Democratic nominee and for the election overall .
Based on recent voting patterns , for every 10 black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day , the Democratic nominee loses nine votes and Trump only loses one .
This reality is what makes Biden ’ s commanding performance last week even more meaningful .
Trump ’ s disapproval rating among black voters is exceedingly high – just one in 10 has a favorable view of him , and only a dismal 4 % support his policies all or some of the time .
But dissatisfaction with Trump is not enough to improve the most important metric when it comes to black voters in the general election : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wins suggest he is best-positioned to accomplish it .
In 2016 , the black voter participation rate fell by seven points from 67 % in 2012 to 60 % , its lowest level in two decades .
That reduced the black share of the electorate from nearly 13 % in 2012 to less than 12 % in 2016 .
And for an election that was essentially decided by 77,000 votes over three battleground states , higher black turnout might have resulted in a different electoral outcome where Hillary Clinton became the first female @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a number of reasons – lower black turnout was not the sole cause , but higher black turnout is critical to the Democratic nominee ’ s chances of beating Trump .
Based on the results from Super Tuesday , the indication seems to be that black voters think Biden is the pragmatic choice and the safest bet .
And the accompanying increased black turnout across the primary states bodes well for Democrats ’ chances of winning the election this Fall .
A month ago , Biden ’ s bid for the presidency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Then , in the span of just a few days , black voters helped his campaign go from also-ran to frontrunner .
It remains to be seen which candidate emerges from the primary and goes on to face Trump in the election , but whoever the nominee is , he or she will necessarily rely on black voters to help deliver victory just as they did for Biden last week .
If black turnout increases , especially in battleground states , and the Democratic nominee can hang onto a 90 % share of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the year of the black voter .
Theodore R Johnson is a senior fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice

After most national polls had been showing a considerable lead for Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary, former vice-president Joe Biden’s strong showing on Super Tuesday caught most of the country by surprise. Notably, his largest margins came in states with substantial black populations: Virginia, Alabama, North Carolina and Arkansas.
The surge of momentum that led to him winning 10 of 14 states began last Saturday in the South Carolina primary, where Biden’s 30-point win was the result of his taking almost two-thirds of black votes there.
In fact, to date, Biden has done what every successful Democratic nominee has done over the past 30 years: win the most black votes in every state. Every nominee, that is, with the exception, in 2004, of John Kerry, who finished three points behind his eventual running mate, John Edwards, in just one state.
What does this all mean? Black voters, particularly in the South, changed the course of the Democratic primary. And it’s safe to say they will play an outsize role in deciding who wins the White House.
For more than five decades, an average of about 90% of black voters have supported the Democratic candidate. Those voters are concentrated in the South, where most of the states vote Republican. However, in a few battleground states, – Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Florida in particular – the number of black voters is sizable enough to be the deciding bloc. So a Democratic candidate who demonstrates the strongest black support in the primary can make the case that he or she is better positioned to win the presidential election. What the Super Tuesday results suggest is that Biden can gain black support in ways that Sanders cannot, and the recently exited Michael Bloomberg and Senator Elizabeth Warren could not.
Bernie Sanders finds it hard to connect with black voters. Photograph: Lucas Jackson/Reuters
Donald Trump and his campaign strategists are clearly aware of the pivotal role black voters will play in the election. It is no coincidence that in the past few months alone, the president has kicked off a Black Voices for Trump initiative in Atlanta, dedicated a considerable portion of his State of the Union address to the “bootstrapping black American”, and announced plans to open “community centers” in strategically targeted black communities in seven battleground states.
The president also reminds the nation at every opportunity about the low black unemployment rate and the federal prison reform bill he has signed into law. In doing this, Trump’s goal is not to win over the majority of black voters – depriving the Democratic Party of its core electoral constituency in the process. Rather, it is an attempt to accomplish two basic aims. First, he wants to get the Republican Party’s black support back to its historical average. Between 1968 and 2004, Republican presidential nominees polled an average of just over 11% of the black vote – Trump only managed 8% in 2016. If he can convince black Republicans to “come home”, he increases his chances of winning a close election.
Second, he is hoping to dampen black voters’ enthusiasm for the Democratic nominee and for the election overall. Based on recent voting patterns, for every 10 black voters who stay at home on election day, the Democratic nominee loses nine votes and Trump only loses one.
This reality is what makes Biden’s commanding performance last week even more meaningful. Trump’s disapproval rating among black voters is exceedingly high – just one in 10 has a favorable view of him, and only a dismal 4% support his policies all or some of the time. But dissatisfaction with Trump is not enough to improve the most important metric when it comes to black voters in the general election: turnout. Biden’s Super Tuesday wins suggest he is best-positioned to accomplish it.
In 2016, the black voter participation rate fell by seven points from 67% in 2012 to 60%, its lowest level in two decades. That reduced the black share of the electorate from nearly 13% in 2012 to less than 12% in 2016. And for an election that was essentially decided by 77,000 votes over three battleground states, higher black turnout might have resulted in a different electoral outcome where Hillary Clinton became the first female president. Trump won the 2016 election for a number of reasons – lower black turnout was not the sole cause, but higher black turnout is critical to the Democratic nominee’s chances of beating Trump.
Based on the results from Super Tuesday, the indication seems to be that black voters think Biden is the pragmatic choice and the safest bet. And the accompanying increased black turnout across the primary states bodes well for Democrats’ chances of winning the election this Fall.
A month ago, Biden’s bid for the presidency seemed to be running on fumes. Then, in the span of just a few days, black voters helped his campaign go from also-ran to frontrunner. It remains to be seen which candidate emerges from the primary and goes on to face Trump in the election, but whoever the nominee is, he or she will necessarily rely on black voters to help deliver victory just as they did for Biden last week. If black turnout increases, especially in battleground states, and the Democratic nominee can hang onto a 90% share of their votes, 2020 will undeniably be the year of the black voter.
Theodore R Johnson is a senior fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice


theguardian--2020-03-07--Bernie Sanders plots new strategy to foil Biden and take charge of 2020 race

Bernie Sanders is giving his presidential campaign a “ reset ” as he goes head-to-head for the Democratic presidential nomination with Joe Biden , amid signs that the political revolution he hoped to ignite through a surge in voter turnout of young and marginalised Americans is failing to catch fire .
The Sanders campaign is seeking to reboot following disappointing results on Super Tuesday , which saw Biden prevail in 10 of the 14 states holding primary elections .
In the wake of the surprising setback , the US senator from Vermont is repurposing his insurgent pitch for the White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a renewed push for dominance in the midwest before a crucial primary in Michigan on Tuesday .
Sanders is also discarding his aversion to negative political campaigning and sharpening his attacks on Biden , running TV attack adds over the former vice-president ’ s record of supporting social security cuts and free trade agreements , which could be particularly damaging in the midwestern states .
In addition , the campaign is scrambling to make fresh appeals to African American and older voters , electoral groups that both came out heavily for Biden on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ south and won 10 of the 14 states at stake .
The Sanders team signalled that it was shifting focus to the midwest when it canceled a planned rally in Mississippi .
Instead , the candidate headed to Michigan for an event on Friday night , while Biden will rally in Jackson , Mississippi , on Sunday .
The shift north by Sanders for the weekend was a tacit acceptance that Biden now has a stranglehold on southern states , propelled by his popularity among black voters .
It was also recognition of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Michigan , with its rich pickings of 125 delegates out of the 1,991 needed to win the nomination .
And on Friday , the Associated Press officially declared Biden the winner of Super Tuesday , denying Sanders the runaway victory many critics feared .
The AP announced it has allocated more than 92 % of the 1,344 delegates that were up for grabs on 3 March , and Biden has such a commanding lead that Sanders can not catch up and snatch a Super Tuesday lead as the remaining votes from that day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Sanders now sees Michigan as a chance to regain his stride after the knocks of Super Tuesday , having beaten Hillary Clinton there in 2016 .
He hopes that his focus on policies appealing to working-class Americans , such as a federal $ 15 minimum wage , will play well not only in that state but across the rust belt in Illinois and Ohio , which hold their primaries on 17 March .
“ Michigan is an enormously important state , ” Sanders said in a post-Super Tuesday press briefing in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The people of Michigan were devastated by trade agreements which I vigorously opposed and Joe Biden supported.
” No matter how much of a bounce he enjoys in Michigan , Sanders faces threats as the race enters its next punishing phase .
In particular , the Super Tuesday results exposed a fundamental failure to expand the Democratic base by bringing in millions of new voters .
Sanders was in a reflective mood after the Super Tuesday result .
“ It is not easy trying to bring in people who have not been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
“ Have we been as successful as I would hope in bringing young people in ?
The answer is no.
” John Della Volpe , the director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School ’ s institute of politics , whose researchers has been studying the youth vote since 2000 , reviewed exit polls from 12 of the most competitive elections .
While turnout overall was up in all of the 12 states compared with 2016 , the pattern for young people aged 18 to 29 – the very core @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a different story .
In four of the states youth turnout increased , handsomely in the cases of Iowa ( 36 % ) and Virginia ( 38 % ) .
But in two states youth turnout was flat , and in six states it actually declined , as much as 18 % in New Hampshire and 20 % in Texas .
By contrast , voter turnout for older voters who tend to favor Biden increased in all but one of the 12 states .
In South Carolina , where Biden ’ s campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saturday , the projected turnout of voters aged 65 and older increased 124 % – the very surge that Sanders had dreamt about for younger voters yet failed to deliver .
“ For any candidate to be the nominee of the Democratic party they have to build a broad and diverse coalition across gender , race , age and educational levels , ” Della Volpe told the Guardian .
“ It ’ s terrific that Bernie Sanders is building such a great relationship with young voters , but he needs to maximise that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that ’ s not what we are seeing.
” Sanders partially blamed his difficulties in mobilising a wider coalition of support on his enemies in the “ corporate media ” and “ establishment politics ” .
As he told Rachel Maddow on MSNBC : “ One of the problems we have is that people say , ‘ Bernie is an extremist ’ .
There is nothing we are fighting for which is extreme .
It is what the American people want.
” But there is danger for Sanders here too .
By @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media and the “ Democratic establishment ” he risks reinforcing the stereotype of himself as a grievance-ridden politician promoted by that same media and Democratic establishment .
“ That rhetoric , in my view , signals to voters that he ’ s a factional candidate , ” said Mark Longabaugh , a Democratic strategist who advised Sanders in 2016 but is unaligned in 2020 .
He said such critiques distract from his core economic message , which remains popular with Democrats and independent voters alike .
“ There ’ s Bernie Sanders on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Longabaugh said .
“ One can win and the other is going to stay at 25 % .
” Behind the scenes , there are indications that the Sanders camp are attempting to address the candidate ’ s weakness in the two demographic groups that have flocked to Biden – older voters and African Americans .
Sanders ’ campaign co-chair , Ro Khanna , told Politico it would be emphasising healthcare issues for seniors as one way to focus in on the high-voting over 65s .
With black voters , the latest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raised eyebrows as it consists of a series of clips of Barack Obama praising him as a politician of “ great authenticity , great passion ” .
For Sanders to look to Obama to rescue his fortunes has an air of desperation , given that Biden ’ s overwhelming popularity among African Americans is largely due to his role as Obama ’ s vice-president .
But then , the figures do look desperate .
Exit polls from Super Tuesday showed Biden trouncing Sanders with black voters by 41 percentage points .
In Alabama @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden built his firewall with black voters in South Carolina based on the endorsement of the influential congressman Jim Clyburn .
Sanders ’ defeat there was compounded with the embarrassing disclosure that he hadn ’ t even asked Clyburn to back him .
There is hope in inroads made with Latino voters , which helped Sanders clinch California , the biggest delegate prize of any state .
In the coming weeks , he will rely on that support to remain competitive in states like Arizona , New York and New Jersey .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his comments on 60 Minutes praising Fidel Castro ’ s literacy program in Cuba has apparently hurt his standing with the state ’ s Latinos .
The most recent Florida poll taken on 4 March has Biden soaring to 61 % with Sanders languishing at 12 % .
Against such deeply worrying indicators for Sanders , progressives warn that the lessons of the past are once again being ignored .
Rebecca Katz , a Democratic strategist who works with progressive candidates , dismissed the idea that Sanders is the risky option in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ choice is also the riskiest choice , ” she said .
“ Remember that John Kerry , Hillary Clinton and Al Gore were all safe choices .
”

Ed Pilkington in New York and Lauren Gambino in Washington

Bernie Sanders is giving his presidential campaign a “reset” as he goes head-to-head for the Democratic presidential nomination with Joe Biden, amid signs that the political revolution he hoped to ignite through a surge in voter turnout of young and marginalised Americans is failing to catch fire.
The Sanders campaign is seeking to reboot following disappointing results on Super Tuesday, which saw Biden prevail in 10 of the 14 states holding primary elections. In the wake of the surprising setback, the US senator from Vermont is repurposing his insurgent pitch for the White House on several fronts.
They include a renewed push for dominance in the midwest before a crucial primary in Michigan on Tuesday. Sanders is also discarding his aversion to negative political campaigning and sharpening his attacks on Biden, running TV attack adds over the former vice-president’s record of supporting social security cuts and free trade agreements, which could be particularly damaging in the midwestern states.
In addition, the campaign is scrambling to make fresh appeals to African American and older voters, electoral groups that both came out heavily for Biden on Super Tuesday, when he swept the south and won 10 of the 14 states at stake.
The Sanders team signalled that it was shifting focus to the midwest when it canceled a planned rally in Mississippi. Instead, the candidate headed to Michigan for an event on Friday night, while Biden will rally in Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday.
The shift north by Sanders for the weekend was a tacit acceptance that Biden now has a stranglehold on southern states, propelled by his popularity among black voters. It was also recognition of the high stakes of the primary in Michigan, with its rich pickings of 125 delegates out of the 1,991 needed to win the nomination.
And on Friday, the Associated Press officially declared Biden the winner of Super Tuesday, denying Sanders the runaway victory many critics feared.
The AP announced it has allocated more than 92% of the 1,344 delegates that were up for grabs on 3 March, and Biden has such a commanding lead that Sanders cannot catch up and snatch a Super Tuesday lead as the remaining votes from that day’s 14 state primaries are counted.
Sanders now sees Michigan as a chance to regain his stride after the knocks of Super Tuesday, having beaten Hillary Clinton there in 2016. He hopes that his focus on policies appealing to working-class Americans, such as a federal $15 minimum wage, will play well not only in that state but across the rust belt in Illinois and Ohio, which hold their primaries on 17 March.
“Michigan is an enormously important state,” Sanders said in a post-Super Tuesday press briefing in his home town of Burlington, Vermont. “The people of Michigan were devastated by trade agreements which I vigorously opposed and Joe Biden supported.”
No matter how much of a bounce he enjoys in Michigan, Sanders faces threats as the race enters its next punishing phase. In particular, the Super Tuesday results exposed a fundamental failure to expand the Democratic base by bringing in millions of new voters.
Sanders was in a reflective mood after the Super Tuesday result. “It is not easy trying to bring in people who have not been involved in the political process,” he said. “Have we been as successful as I would hope in bringing young people in? The answer is no.”
John Della Volpe, the director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School’s institute of politics, whose researchers has been studying the youth vote since 2000, reviewed exit polls from 12 of the most competitive elections. While turnout overall was up in all of the 12 states compared with 2016, the pattern for young people aged 18 to 29 – the very core of the Sanders revolutionary army – told a different story.
In four of the states youth turnout increased, handsomely in the cases of Iowa (36%) and Virginia (38%). But in two states youth turnout was flat, and in six states it actually declined, as much as 18% in New Hampshire and 20% in Texas.
Sanders rallygoers in Phoenix on Thursday night. Photograph: Laura Segall/AFP via Getty Images
By contrast, voter turnout for older voters who tend to favor Biden increased in all but one of the 12 states. In South Carolina, where Biden’s campaign was rocket-launched with a landslide victory last Saturday, the projected turnout of voters aged 65 and older increased 124% – the very surge that Sanders had dreamt about for younger voters yet failed to deliver.
“For any candidate to be the nominee of the Democratic party they have to build a broad and diverse coalition across gender, race, age and educational levels,” Della Volpe told the Guardian. “It’s terrific that Bernie Sanders is building such a great relationship with young voters, but he needs to maximise that support and then expand beyond it, and that’s not what we are seeing.”
Sanders partially blamed his difficulties in mobilising a wider coalition of support on his enemies in the “corporate media” and “establishment politics”. As he told Rachel Maddow on MSNBC: “One of the problems we have is that people say, ‘Bernie is an extremist’. There is nothing we are fighting for which is extreme. It is what the American people want.”
But there is danger for Sanders here too. By doubling down on his attacks on the media and the “Democratic establishment” he risks reinforcing the stereotype of himself as a grievance-ridden politician promoted by that same media and Democratic establishment.
“That rhetoric, in my view, signals to voters that he’s a factional candidate,” said Mark Longabaugh, a Democratic strategist who advised Sanders in 2016 but is unaligned in 2020. He said such critiques distract from his core economic message, which remains popular with Democrats and independent voters alike.
“There’s Bernie Sanders on message and Bernie Sanders off message,” Longabaugh said. “One can win and the other is going to stay at 25%.”
Behind the scenes, there are indications that the Sanders camp are attempting to address the candidate’s weakness in the two demographic groups that have flocked to Biden – older voters and African Americans. Sanders’ campaign co-chair, Ro Khanna, told Politico it would be emphasising healthcare issues for seniors as one way to focus in on the high-voting over 65s.
With black voters, the latest Sanders advert to be broadcast in Florida raised eyebrows as it consists of a series of clips of Barack Obama praising him as a politician of “great authenticity, great passion”. For Sanders to look to Obama to rescue his fortunes has an air of desperation, given that Biden’s overwhelming popularity among African Americans is largely due to his role as Obama’s vice-president.
Sometimes the safest choice is also the riskiest choice. John Kerry, Hillary Clinton and Al Gore were all safe choices Rebecca Katz
But then, the figures do look desperate. Exit polls from Super Tuesday showed Biden trouncing Sanders with black voters by 41 percentage points. In Alabama that disparity rose to 63 points.
Biden built his firewall with black voters in South Carolina based on the endorsement of the influential congressman Jim Clyburn. Sanders’ defeat there was compounded with the embarrassing disclosure that he hadn’t even asked Clyburn to back him.
There is hope in inroads made with Latino voters, which helped Sanders clinch California, the biggest delegate prize of any state. In the coming weeks, he will rely on that support to remain competitive in states like Arizona, New York and New Jersey.
But he is struggling in Florida, where his comments on 60 Minutes praising Fidel Castro’s literacy program in Cuba has apparently hurt his standing with the state’s Latinos. The most recent Florida poll taken on 4 March has Biden soaring to 61% with Sanders languishing at 12%.
Against such deeply worrying indicators for Sanders, progressives warn that the lessons of the past are once again being ignored. Rebecca Katz, a Democratic strategist who works with progressive candidates, dismissed the idea that Sanders is the risky option in the 2020 race.
“Sometimes the safest choice is also the riskiest choice,” she said. “Remember that John Kerry, Hillary Clinton and Al Gore were all safe choices.”


theguardian--2020-03-07--Coronavirus: Trump hurls insults as 21 cases confirmed on cruise ship

Donald Trump used a freewheeling press conference on Friday , intended to provide updates on the coronavirus , as an opportunity to attack Democrats , praise his own intelligence , lash out at CNN and spread false and misleading information about the status of the outbreak , as a slew of new cases were confirmed aboard a cruise ship off the California coast .
Speaking at the Centers for Disease Control ’ s ( CDC ) main campus in Atlanta , Georgia , while wearing his red “ Keep America Great ” re-election campaign hat , the president went on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ governor , Jay Inslee , as a “ snake ” and saying he disagreed with his vice-president ’ s complimentary remarks toward the Democrat .
Inslee , who ran for president last year , is overseeing the response to the most serious outbreak in the US .
In a moment that some commentators have called one of the most “ disturbing ” and “ frightening ” remarks of Trump ’ s response to the public health crisis , the president also said he would prefer that cruise ship passengers exposed to the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t add to the number of total infections in the US .
“ I like the numbers being where they are , ” said Trump , who appeared to be explicitly acknowledging his political concerns about the outbreak : “ I don ’ t need to have the numbers double because of one ship that wasn ’ t our fault.
” The president further implied that the coronavirus test was available to anyone who needed it , even though his own administration has acknowledged that there is currently a shortage among US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ came as the vice-president , Mike Pence , announced that 21 people on a cruise ship being held off San Francisco had tested positive for coronavirus .
He also urged older Americans to “ use caution ” in planning any cruise ship vacation .
Speaking at the White House , Pence said the government was planning to bring the Grand Princess cruise ship into a “ non-commercial port ” where all the passengers and crew would be tested .
They would be quarantined and treated as needed .
There are more than 3,500 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and crew .
Pence said 19 of those who tested positive were crew members and two were passengers .
The US death toll from the coronavirus has climbed to 14 , according to Johns Hopkins ’ tracker , with 329 cases scattered across the country .
All but one of the deaths were in Washington state .
Inslee later responded on Twitter to the president ’ s personal insults and attack , saying : “ My single focus is and will continue to be the health and well-being of Washingtonians .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one voice .
I just wish the president and vice president could get on the same page.
” In California , a military helicopter crew lowered test kits onto the 951ft ( 290-meter ) Grand Princess by rope and later retrieved them for analysis at a lab as the vessel lay at sea off the coast , under orders to keep its distance from shore .
Elsewhere in the US , the University of Washington , which has about 50,000 students , said on Friday that it would cancel in-person classes and conduct @ @ @ @ @ @ @ area deals with a coronavirus epidemic that has put the region at the center of the outbreak in the US .
In an email to staff the university ’ s president , Ana Mari Cauce , said campuses would remain open for other services , such as medical services , dining , residence halls , and recreation and athletics events .
But in the absence of students , crews of workers would deep-clean classrooms , libraries and other public spaces .
“ Our goal is to make sure that students ’ academic work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does not present a disadvantage to their future academic progress , ” Cauce said .
Seattle University , which has about 7,300 students , and Seattle Pacific University , which has about 3,500 students , also announced Friday that they would not be holding in-person classes through the end of winter quarter , 20 March .
Both schools said they were not aware of any confirmed cases of coronavirus on their campuses .
At the center of the Seattle-area outbreak was a suburban nursing home , now under federal investigation .
Families of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ received conflicting information about the condition of their loved ones .
One woman was told her mother had died , then got a call from a staffer who said her mother was doing well , only to find out she had , in fact , died , said Kevin Connolly , whose father-in-law is also a facility resident .
“ This is the level of incompetence we ’ re dealing with , ” Connolly said in front of the Life Care Center in Kirkland .
The coronavirus has infected about 100,000 people worldwide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vast majority of them in China .
Most cases have been mild , and more than half of those infected have recovered .
Donald Trump signed an $ 8.3bn measure to help tackle the outbreak .
It provides federal public health agencies with money for tests and for potential vaccines and treatments and helps state and local governments prepare for the threat and respond to it .
Some major businesses in the Seattle area , where researchers say the virus may have circulated undetected for weeks , have shut down some operations or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That includes Microsoft and Amazon , the two tech giants that together employ more than 100,000 people in the region .
King county is buying a motel for $ 4m to house patients and hopes to have the first of them in place within days at the 84-room Econo Lodge in Kent , about 20 miles ( 32 km ) from Seattle .
The rooms ’ doors open to the outside rather than to a central hallway , reducing the likelihood of contact between patients .
The plan was met with resistance from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police chief , Rafael Padilla , who called it “ ill-advised and dangerous ” and warned : “ At any point a patient can simply walk into our community and spread the virus.
” New York ’ s mayor implored the federal government to send more test kits to his state .
Gap closed its New York office and asked employees to work from home until further notice after learning that an employee had the virus .
In Rhode Island , about 200 people were quarantined because of their connections to a school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resulted in three cases .
Amid four cases in Florida , the state ’ s governor , Ron DeSantis , said the risks remained low for most people planning trips to the state for spring break or baseball ’ s spring training .

Donald Trump used a freewheeling press conference on Friday, intended to provide updates on the coronavirus, as an opportunity to attack Democrats, praise his own intelligence, lash out at CNN and spread false and misleading information about the status of the outbreak, as a slew of new cases were confirmed aboard a cruise ship off the California coast.
Speaking at the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) main campus in Atlanta, Georgia, while wearing his red “Keep America Great” re-election campaign hat, the president went on a rant criticizing Washington state’s governor, Jay Inslee, as a “snake” and saying he disagreed with his vice-president’s complimentary remarks toward the Democrat. Inslee, who ran for president last year, is overseeing the response to the most serious outbreak in the US.
In a moment that some commentators have called one of the most “disturbing” and “frightening” remarks of Trump’s response to the public health crisis, the president also said he would prefer that cruise ship passengers exposed to the virus be left aboard so that they don’t add to the number of total infections in the US.
“I like the numbers being where they are,” said Trump, who appeared to be explicitly acknowledging his political concerns about the outbreak: “I don’t need to have the numbers double because of one ship that wasn’t our fault.”
The president further implied that the coronavirus test was available to anyone who needed it, even though his own administration has acknowledged that there is currently a shortage among US healthcare providers.
Trump’s remarks came as the vice-president, Mike Pence, announced that 21 people on a cruise ship being held off San Francisco had tested positive for coronavirus. He also urged older Americans to “use caution” in planning any cruise ship vacation.
Speaking at the White House, Pence said the government was planning to bring the Grand Princess cruise ship into a “non-commercial port” where all the passengers and crew would be tested. They would be quarantined and treated as needed.
There are more than 3,500 people on the ship, counting passengers and crew. Pence said 19 of those who tested positive were crew members and two were passengers.
The US death toll from the coronavirus has climbed to 14, according to Johns Hopkins’ tracker, with 329 cases scattered across the country. All but one of the deaths were in Washington state.
Inslee later responded on Twitter to the president’s personal insults and attack, saying: “My single focus is and will continue to be the health and well-being of Washingtonians. It’s important for leaders to speak with one voice. I just wish the president and vice president could get on the same page.”
In California, a military helicopter crew lowered test kits onto the 951ft (290-meter) Grand Princess by rope and later retrieved them for analysis at a lab as the vessel lay at sea off the coast, under orders to keep its distance from shore.
Elsewhere in the US, the University of Washington, which has about 50,000 students, said on Friday that it would cancel in-person classes and conduct courses and exams remotely while the Seattle area deals with a coronavirus epidemic that has put the region at the center of the outbreak in the US.
Donald Trump listens as the CDC director, Dr Robert Redfield, speaks on Friday. Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
In an email to staff the university’s president, Ana Mari Cauce, said campuses would remain open for other services, such as medical services, dining, residence halls, and recreation and athletics events.
But in the absence of students, crews of workers would deep-clean classrooms, libraries and other public spaces. “Our goal is to make sure that students’ academic work is fairly recognized and that any disruption does not present a disadvantage to their future academic progress,” Cauce said.
Seattle University, which has about 7,300 students, and Seattle Pacific University, which has about 3,500 students, also announced Friday that they would not be holding in-person classes through the end of winter quarter, 20 March. Both schools said they were not aware of any confirmed cases of coronavirus on their campuses.
At the center of the Seattle-area outbreak was a suburban nursing home, now under federal investigation. Families of nursing home residents voiced anger, having received conflicting information about the condition of their loved ones.
One woman was told her mother had died, then got a call from a staffer who said her mother was doing well, only to find out she had, in fact, died, said Kevin Connolly, whose father-in-law is also a facility resident.
“This is the level of incompetence we’re dealing with,” Connolly said in front of the Life Care Center in Kirkland.
The coronavirus has infected about 100,000 people worldwide and killed more than 3,400, the vast majority of them in China. Most cases have been mild, and more than half of those infected have recovered.
Donald Trump signed an $8.3bn measure to help tackle the outbreak. It provides federal public health agencies with money for tests and for potential vaccines and treatments and helps state and local governments prepare for the threat and respond to it.
Some major businesses in the Seattle area, where researchers say the virus may have circulated undetected for weeks, have shut down some operations or urged employees to work from home. That includes Microsoft and Amazon, the two tech giants that together employ more than 100,000 people in the region.
King county is buying a motel for $4m to house patients and hopes to have the first of them in place within days at the 84-room Econo Lodge in Kent, about 20 miles (32 km) from Seattle. The rooms’ doors open to the outside rather than to a central hallway, reducing the likelihood of contact between patients.
The plan was met with resistance from local leaders, including Kent’s police chief, Rafael Padilla, who called it “ill-advised and dangerous” and warned: “At any point a patient can simply walk into our community and spread the virus.”
New York’s mayor implored the federal government to send more test kits to his state. Gap closed its New York office and asked employees to work from home until further notice after learning that an employee had the virus.
In Rhode Island, about 200 people were quarantined because of their connections to a school trip to Italy that has so far resulted in three cases. Amid four cases in Florida, the state’s governor, Ron DeSantis, said the risks remained low for most people planning trips to the state for spring break or baseball’s spring training.


theguardian--2020-03-07--Elizabeth Warren endured sexism at every step of her campaign | Moira Donegan

A woman can not be elected president .
If that statement was not true when Elizabeth Warren announced her intent to run , on New Years Eve 2018 , it has become true now .
With her exit from the race , the last serious female presidential candidate has now dropped out , and what was once a historically diverse field has narrowed to two very old white men , the former vice-president Joe Biden , 77 , and the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders , 78 .
The next president , it is now assured , will be a man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left the party divided and rancorous , with the result being that no matter who the Democratic nominee is , he will face not only the formidable resources of a moneyed Republican opposition , but also intense internal enmity within his own party .
The internal factionalism and wild hatred within the Democratic party makes either candidate , be it Biden or Sanders , much more likely to lose in November .
And the advanced ages of both of the two remaining major candidates means that even if one of them wins the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ real question whether they can feasibly run for a second term .
And so , win or lose , the long , contentious and often hateful Democratic primary cycle will be repeated in four years for the 2024 cycle , further fracturing and handicapping the party , no matter what .
All of this could have been avoided if the media and the electorate were less blinded by cynicism , sexism and fear and more willing to see Warren for who she was – the most capable , competent and kindest candidate in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Massachusetts senator always faced an uphill battle of double standards and misogynist resentment .
She had to be competent but not condescending , cheery but not pandering , maternal but not frumpy , smart but not haughty .
As she rose in the polls last summer and fall , she came under the kind of scrutiny that male frontrunners are not subjected to , and faced skepticism about her claims and character that male candidates do not face .
This is the fate of a lot of women who come close to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up the phenomenon : writing in the Washington Post , the Cornell philosopher Kate Manne cited a 2010 Harvard study that found that women are viewed more negatively simply by seeking office .
“ Voters view male and female politicians as equally power-seeking , but respond to them quite differently , ” Manne writes .
“ Men who seek power were viewed as stronger and tougher , while power-seeking women provoked feelings of disgust and contempt.
” As a result , all of Warren ’ s virtues were recast as vices in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ superlative intellect became out-of-touch elitism .
Her joyousness and enthusiasm were cast as somehow both insincerely pandering and cringingly over-earnest .
This kind of transformation of neutral or positive character traits into negative ones is not something that happens to men in similar positions .
Sanders can aestheticize his practiced cantankerousness for laughs and sympathy without anyone asking if its a put-on .
Biden can use slang from the 1930s without anyone ever questioning whether the ostentatious folksiness of his “ no malarkey ” messaging might be just a tad affected .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a sign of concealed hatred , of secret , nefarious motives .
Her policy efforts , too , were cast as a repudiation of her principles rather than as steps toward realizing them .
Her attempt to transform Medicare for All from a symbolic rallying cry into a substantive , workable and affordable policy change that can be made in our time brought , paradoxically , accusations that she was less serious about the policy for trying to make it a reality .
Her plans to break up tech monopolies , repair @ @ @ @ @ @ @ historic redlining policies and reshape massive federal spending projects to make them environmentally sustainable were all cast as signs of duplicity and lack of commitment to her stated values .
Meanwhile , male candidates who did not have substantive plans to implement such policies were believed , largely uncritically , when they told the public that they would put them in place .
In this race , men ’ s statements – about who they are , what they value , what they would do as president – have largely been taken at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have made false or exaggerated claims or contradicted themselves .
But Elizabeth Warren was never given the benefit of the doubt .
Her flaws and missteps were magnified , and interpreted in ways disproportionate to their significance , while comparatively greater mistakes by male rivals were all but ignored .
When she referred to her father as having worked as a janitor , a days–long news cycle asked why , if he was really a janitor , her brother had once referred to him as a “ maintenance man ” .
That these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : the irrelevant non-story was interpreted as a sign of her constitutional untrustworthiness .
Warren was said to be not really running for president , but running as a spoiler ; not really happy to meet voters , but shamelessly pretending with her long selfie lines ; not really committed to economic inequality , but merely devoting her life to it as some sort of long con .
None of these accusations made much logical sense , but that didn ’ t matter , because they were backed up by the force of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ held by many men and women alike , that a woman seeking power and status just can ’ t be trusted .
The epistemic philosopher Miranda Fricker calls this tendency to disbelieve women , and to believe powerful men , “ testimonial injustice ” : the harm done to speakers when prejudiced listeners discount their credibility .
Women face testimonial injustice in particular when they challenge or contradict men , as cultural tropes that depict women as conniving , scheming , and selfish can be mustered to make her seem less credible , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t apply her concept of testimonial injustice to gender conflict exclusively , but it is an obstacle that many women recount in their own experiences of gendered injustice : the sense that they can not be believed , that they can not achieve equal credibility and moral footing with men in the minds of their peers , that they will always be assumed to be either stupid or dishonest .
Branded as dishonest even as she told the truth , duplicitous even as she kept her promises , Warren faced testimonial injustice on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doomed her campaign .
Which brings us to the real moment , I think , that effectively killed Warren ’ s chances at the presidency : not the botched communications rollout of her Medicare for All plan , as many pundits have said , but her conflict with Sanders .
In January , CNN reported that Warren and Sanders had met privately in late 2018 before announcing their candidacies , and that Warren had told close associates afterwards that Sanders had said something rude , inconsiderate and sexist to her : that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump .
Sanders says that ’ s not what he meant , but the two candidates ’ accounts of the conversation are not incompatible .
When Warren confirmed the report , the story both pointed to the troublesome misogyny of Sanders supporters and incited it : they began a gruesome , hateful and organized attack against Warren and her supporters .
They called her a liar .
They called her a snake , and made excessive use of the snake emoji .
The online conversation veered from the typical competitive snarkiness into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the things Sanders supporters said in response to this incident were deeply sexist and deeply cruel .
A few of the things they said were threatening .
In the aftermath , it became difficult , if not impossible , to say that you believed Warren about the conversation : any public statement of support for her or belief in her account was met with fierce harassment .
Perhaps this is why few of them were made .
The public consensus quickly became that she was lying about the conversation with Sanders , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It is plausible , to me , to think that a white man in his late 70s , comfortable in his privilege and out of touch with his time , said something condescending and sexist to a woman in private .
I find Warren ’ s account more plausible than the alternative offered by Sanders ’ supporters , that a woman invented the story and leaked it to hurt an innocent man .
But to those that make it , the feasibility of the accusation is not important .
What is important , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ backed up by feeling , the feeling that Warren owes something to this man , that she betrayed him , that she can ’ t be trusted .
Many people believed Warren was lying when she said that Sanders told her a woman couldn ’ t be president , and in politics , what gets believed is effectively indistinguishable from the truth , whether or not it has any bearing on fact .
Maybe this is why powerful men , given so much credibility and so much benefit of the doubt , seem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They declare that a woman is deceitful and people stop trusting her ; they declare that a woman is unelectable and people stop imagining the country she would shape ; they say , even allegedly , even third-hand , that a woman can ’ t beat Trump , and people nod along , believing .
And then they vote for a man .
Warren events became famous for the selfie lines , the sometimes hours-long rally-after-the-rally in which waiting voters and supporters could chat with campaign reps about the candidate , talk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cared about and ultimately get a picture with Warren herself .
By the time she dropped out , Warren had taken more than 100,000 of these pictures .
The events developed a particular ritual , and one aspect was what Warren did when she met a small girl : she would kneel down to the child ’ s eye level and offer her a pinkie promise .
“ I ’ m running for president , because that ’ s what girls do , ” she would tell them , and then ask them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ children was that women can do anything , that when they grow up their talents won ’ t be ignored , their intelligence won ’ t be mocked , their horizons won ’ t be narrowed because of their sex .
But if anything , Elizabeth Warren ’ s candidacy proved that this is not true .
There is no way for a woman to be enough to overcome misogyny – there is no amount of smart she can be , there is no amount of good she can be , there is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so overpoweringly hardworking and so obviously qualified that people who do not want women to have positions of prominence and authority will have to give her one anyway .
What happened to Elizabeth Warren is proof that women ’ s lives are still constrained and narrowed by sexism , that women ’ s talents and ambitions still matter less than men ’ s .
I don ’ t think that Elizabeth Warren lied very much during this campaign .
I don ’ t think she lied about her principles , or her policy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If she ever lied , it was to those little girls .

A woman cannot be elected president. If that statement was not true when Elizabeth Warren announced her intent to run, on New Years Eve 2018, it has become true now. With her exit from the race, the last serious female presidential candidate has now dropped out, and what was once a historically diverse field has narrowed to two very old white men, the former vice-president Joe Biden, 77, and the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, 78. The next president, it is now assured, will be a man. Again.
The bruising contest has left the party divided and rancorous, with the result being that no matter who the Democratic nominee is, he will face not only the formidable resources of a moneyed Republican opposition, but also intense internal enmity within his own party. The internal factionalism and wild hatred within the Democratic party makes either candidate, be it Biden or Sanders, much more likely to lose in November. And the advanced ages of both of the two remaining major candidates means that even if one of them wins the presidency in November, it remains a real question whether they can feasibly run for a second term. And so, win or lose, the long, contentious and often hateful Democratic primary cycle will be repeated in four years for the 2024 cycle, further fracturing and handicapping the party, no matter what.
All of this could have been avoided if the media and the electorate were less blinded by cynicism, sexism and fear and more willing to see Warren for who she was – the most capable, competent and kindest candidate in the race.
As a woman, the Massachusetts senator always faced an uphill battle of double standards and misogynist resentment. She had to be competent but not condescending, cheery but not pandering, maternal but not frumpy, smart but not haughty. As she rose in the polls last summer and fall, she came under the kind of scrutiny that male frontrunners are not subjected to, and faced skepticism about her claims and character that male candidates do not face.
As she rose in the polls last summer and fall, she came under the kind of scrutiny that male frontrunners are not subjected to
This is the fate of a lot of women who come close to attaining power, and empirical data backs up the phenomenon: writing in the Washington Post, the Cornell philosopher Kate Manne cited a 2010 Harvard study that found that women are viewed more negatively simply by seeking office. “Voters view male and female politicians as equally power-seeking, but respond to them quite differently,” Manne writes. “Men who seek power were viewed as stronger and tougher, while power-seeking women provoked feelings of disgust and contempt.”
As a result, all of Warren’s virtues were recast as vices in the public eye. Her impressive credentials and superlative intellect became out-of-touch elitism. Her joyousness and enthusiasm were cast as somehow both insincerely pandering and cringingly over-earnest. This kind of transformation of neutral or positive character traits into negative ones is not something that happens to men in similar positions. Sanders can aestheticize his practiced cantankerousness for laughs and sympathy without anyone asking if its a put-on. Biden can use slang from the 1930s without anyone ever questioning whether the ostentatious folksiness of his “no malarkey” messaging might be just a tad affected. But for Warren, every smile was interpreted as a sign of concealed hatred, of secret, nefarious motives.
Her policy efforts, too, were cast as a repudiation of her principles rather than as steps toward realizing them. Her attempt to transform Medicare for All from a symbolic rallying cry into a substantive, workable and affordable policy change that can be made in our time brought, paradoxically, accusations that she was less serious about the policy for trying to make it a reality. Her plans to break up tech monopolies, repair the damage to black wealth done by historic redlining policies and reshape massive federal spending projects to make them environmentally sustainable were all cast as signs of duplicity and lack of commitment to her stated values. Meanwhile, male candidates who did not have substantive plans to implement such policies were believed, largely uncritically, when they told the public that they would put them in place.
In this race, men’s statements – about who they are, what they value, what they would do as president – have largely been taken at face value, even when male candidates have made false or exaggerated claims or contradicted themselves. But Elizabeth Warren was never given the benefit of the doubt. Her flaws and missteps were magnified, and interpreted in ways disproportionate to their significance, while comparatively greater mistakes by male rivals were all but ignored. When she referred to her father as having worked as a janitor, a days–long news cycle asked why, if he was really a janitor, her brother had once referred to him as a “maintenance man”. That these are effectively the same did not matter: the irrelevant non-story was interpreted as a sign of her constitutional untrustworthiness.
Warren was said to be not really running for president, but running as a spoiler; not really happy to meet voters, but shamelessly pretending with her long selfie lines; not really committed to economic inequality, but merely devoting her life to it as some sort of long con. None of these accusations made much logical sense, but that didn’t matter, because they were backed up by the force of feeling – a very strong feeling, held by many men and women alike, that a woman seeking power and status just can’t be trusted.
The epistemic philosopher Miranda Fricker calls this tendency to disbelieve women, and to believe powerful men, “testimonial injustice”: the harm done to speakers when prejudiced listeners discount their credibility. Women face testimonial injustice in particular when they challenge or contradict men, as cultural tropes that depict women as conniving, scheming, and selfish can be mustered to make her seem less credible, him more believable. Fricker doesn’t apply her concept of testimonial injustice to gender conflict exclusively, but it is an obstacle that many women recount in their own experiences of gendered injustice: the sense that they cannot be believed, that they cannot achieve equal credibility and moral footing with men in the minds of their peers, that they will always be assumed to be either stupid or dishonest. Branded as dishonest even as she told the truth, duplicitous even as she kept her promises, Warren faced testimonial injustice on a huge scale, and it ultimately doomed her campaign.
Which brings us to the real moment, I think, that effectively killed Warren’s chances at the presidency: not the botched communications rollout of her Medicare for All plan, as many pundits have said, but her conflict with Sanders. In January, CNN reported that Warren and Sanders had met privately in late 2018 before announcing their candidacies, and that Warren had told close associates afterwards that Sanders had said something rude, inconsiderate and sexist to her: that he did not think a woman could defeat Donald Trump. Sanders says that’s not what he meant, but the two candidates’ accounts of the conversation are not incompatible. When Warren confirmed the report, the story both pointed to the troublesome misogyny of Sanders supporters and incited it: they began a gruesome, hateful and organized attack against Warren and her supporters. They called her a liar. They called her a snake, and made excessive use of the snake emoji. The online conversation veered from the typical competitive snarkiness into something darker and more hateful. Many of the things Sanders supporters said in response to this incident were deeply sexist and deeply cruel. A few of the things they said were threatening.
In the aftermath, it became difficult, if not impossible, to say that you believed Warren about the conversation: any public statement of support for her or belief in her account was met with fierce harassment. Perhaps this is why few of them were made. The public consensus quickly became that she was lying about the conversation with Sanders, and that he was not lying. It is plausible, to me, to think that a white man in his late 70s, comfortable in his privilege and out of touch with his time, said something condescending and sexist to a woman in private. I find Warren’s account more plausible than the alternative offered by Sanders’ supporters, that a woman invented the story and leaked it to hurt an innocent man. But to those that make it, the feasibility of the accusation is not important. What is important, again, is that the accusation is backed up by feeling, the feeling that Warren owes something to this man, that she betrayed him, that she can’t be trusted.
What happened to Elizabeth Warren is proof that women’s lives are still constrained and narrowed by sexism, that women’s talents and ambitions still matter less than men’s
Many people believed Warren was lying when she said that Sanders told her a woman couldn’t be president, and in politics, what gets believed is effectively indistinguishable from the truth, whether or not it has any bearing on fact. Maybe this is why powerful men, given so much credibility and so much benefit of the doubt, seem to have a strange power of pronouncement. They declare that a woman is deceitful and people stop trusting her; they declare that a woman is unelectable and people stop imagining the country she would shape; they say, even allegedly, even third-hand, that a woman can’t beat Trump, and people nod along, believing. And then they vote for a man.
Warren events became famous for the selfie lines, the sometimes hours-long rally-after-the-rally in which waiting voters and supporters could chat with campaign reps about the candidate, talk to one another about the issues they cared about and ultimately get a picture with Warren herself. By the time she dropped out, Warren had taken more than 100,000 of these pictures. The events developed a particular ritual, and one aspect was what Warren did when she met a small girl: she would kneel down to the child’s eye level and offer her a pinkie promise. “I’m running for president, because that’s what girls do,” she would tell them, and then ask them to remember.
The message to the children was that women can do anything, that when they grow up their talents won’t be ignored, their intelligence won’t be mocked, their horizons won’t be narrowed because of their sex. But if anything, Elizabeth Warren’s candidacy proved that this is not true. There is no way for a woman to be enough to overcome misogyny – there is no amount of smart she can be, there is no amount of good she can be, there is no point at which she will be so overpoweringly hardworking and so obviously qualified that people who do not want women to have positions of prominence and authority will have to give her one anyway. What happened to Elizabeth Warren is proof that women’s lives are still constrained and narrowed by sexism, that women’s talents and ambitions still matter less than men’s.
I don’t think that Elizabeth Warren lied very much during this campaign. I don’t think she lied about her principles, or her policy agenda, or about Bernie Sanders. If she ever lied, it was to those little girls.


theguardian--2020-03-07--Coming out as gay doesn't absolve you of your anti-LGBTQ+ history | Arwa Mahdawi

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You ’ re never going to believe this , but it appears that a former Republican politician is a massive hypocrite .
Aaron Schock , a four-term Illinois congressman , was once a GOP wunderkind .
He was the first member of the US Congress born in the 1980s but had the values of someone born in the 1890s , consistently voting against LGBTQ+ rights .
On Thursday , however , the 38-year-old came out as gay in a 2,000 word post @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he himself notes , isn ’ t a huge surprise to many .
Rumours followed him throughout his political career – which came to an ignominious end in 2015 when he resigned amid allegations that he ’ d misappropriated taxpayer funds .
( He was later indicted but charges were dropped last year ) .
Schock was widely known as the Downton Abbey Guy because of his lavish Capitol Hill office which was renovated in the style of a dining room from the British period drama .
Schock is apparently still seething about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a “ dog-whistle ” .
“ I ’ d never even heard of , and still haven ’ t seen , Downton Abbey , ” he stresses in his coming-out essay .
After clarifying that urgent matter , Schock expresses remorse for being against marriage equality in 2008 , but notes that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama also held that position at the time .
“ [ I ] f I were in Congress today , I would support LGBTQ rights in every way I could , ” he wrote .
Nothing says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it becomes mainstream !
While Schock half-apologizes for being against marriage equality , he conveniently ignores the rest of his hugely homophobic record .
This man wasn ’ t just a coward , he was a crusader .
He scored a zero on the Human Rights Campaign ’ s congressional scorecard .
He voted against the Matthew Shepard Act , which expanded federal hate crime laws to include attacks motivated by gender identity or sexuality .
He voted against the repeal of Don ’ t Ask Don ’ t Tell .
He boasted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conservative voting records in the state house ” .
“ Everyone deserves to come out as their authentic self on their own terms , ” Glaad , an LGBTQ advocacy group , tweeted in response to the former politician ’ s declaration .
“ However , Aaron Schock ’ s statement fails to acknowledge the years of hurt that his votes … caused LGBTQ Americans.
” I have some sympathy for Schock .
He notes that he comes from a religious family who have reacted to his sexuality with disappointment , bible verses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Coming out can ’ t have been easy .
Nevertheless , coming out isn ’ t some sort of “ get out of jail free ” card .
It doesn ’ t absolve you of your history .
It doesn ’ t wipe your slate clean like Schock seems to think it does .
As Glaad notes , the ex-politician doesn ’ t acknowledge the hurt he caused .
He doesn ’ t take real responsibility and he doesn ’ t even properly apologize .
Instead of asking for forgiveness , Schock @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who don ’ t welcome him with open arms , he suggests , are “ vicious ” .
His self-indulgent essay paints himself as both tragic victim and courageous hero .
“ I … hope that in sharing my story it might help shine a light for young people , ” he writes .
What exactly is the moral of that story , one wonders ?
It is absolutely fine to spend years screwing over your community for personal gain as long as you come out afterwards ?
As far as I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ light elsewhere .
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum is responsible for the abduction of two of his children , a British judge has ruled .
Princess Shamsa was kidnapped from the streets of Cambridge , England in 2000 , when she was 19 ; she hasn ’ t been seen in public since .
Princess Latifa was seized by commandos in the Indian Ocean when fleeing Dubai in 2018 and forced to return home .
The judge , Sir Andrew McFarlane , also found that the Sheikh had waged a campaign of intimidation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Just a quick reminder : the Sheikh recently hosted Ivanka Trump at the Global Women ’ s Forum in Dubai .
Ivanka praised UAE leadership for their reforms on women ’ s rights .
Sounds about right .
When asked what role gender played in her campaign , Warren said “ that is the trap question for women ” running for public office .
“ If you say , yeah there was sexism in this race , everyone says , whiner , ” she said .
“ And if you say no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women think , what planet do you live on ?
” Almost 90 % of people globally are biased against women That ’ s according to a shocking new United Nations gender social norm index which analyzed data from 75 countries housing 80 % of the global population .
The index found 91 % of men and 86 % of women hold at least one bias against women .
Almost a third of people thought it was acceptable for a man to beat his wife .
Almost 50 % thought men are better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ McNamara have won this year ’ s prestigious Pritzker Prize .
The Irish pair are only the fourth and fifth women to have been awarded architecture ’ s highest honour in the prize ’ s 41-year history .
A new “ rail to refuge ” initiative offers free train travel in parts of England and Wales to women fleeing abusive relationships .
The tragedy of the ‘ isle of women ’ This beautiful piece in the Guardian about Europe ’ s last matriarchy is well worth your time .
The day is being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It ’ s also being marked by a lot of advertising campaign , with brands cynically using it as a PR opportunity and turning it into a “ corporate Valentine ’ s Day ” .
Bill Clinton says the Monica Lewinsky affair was a way to ‘ manage his anxiety ’ He offers this astounding excuse in the new “ Hillary ” documentary .
Seriously ?
He might want to try CBD next time .

Sign up for the Week in Patriarchy, a newsletter on feminism and sexism sent every Saturday.
Ex-congressman makes shocking Downton Abbey confession
You’re never going to believe this, but it appears that a former Republican politician is a massive hypocrite.
Aaron Schock, a four-term Illinois congressman, was once a GOP wunderkind. He was the first member of the US Congress born in the 1980s but had the values of someone born in the 1890s, consistently voting against LGBTQ+ rights. On Thursday, however, the 38-year-old came out as gay in a 2,000 word post.
Schock’s sexuality, as he himself notes, isn’t a huge surprise to many. Rumours followed him throughout his political career – which came to an ignominious end in 2015 when he resigned amid allegations that he’d misappropriated taxpayer funds. (He was later indicted but charges were dropped last year). Schock was widely known as the Downton Abbey Guy because of his lavish Capitol Hill office which was renovated in the style of a dining room from the British period drama.
Schock is apparently still seething about the Downton digs which he describes as a “dog-whistle”. “I’d never even heard of, and still haven’t seen, Downton Abbey,” he stresses in his coming-out essay.
After clarifying that urgent matter, Schock expresses remorse for being against marriage equality in 2008, but notes that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama also held that position at the time. “[I]f I were in Congress today, I would support LGBTQ rights in every way I could,” he wrote. Nothing says “brave” like supporting something once it becomes mainstream!
While Schock half-apologizes for being against marriage equality, he conveniently ignores the rest of his hugely homophobic record. This man wasn’t just a coward, he was a crusader. He scored a zero on the Human Rights Campaign’s congressional scorecard. He voted against the Matthew Shepard Act, which expanded federal hate crime laws to include attacks motivated by gender identity or sexuality. He voted against the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. He boasted about having one of the “most conservative voting records in the state house”.
“Everyone deserves to come out as their authentic self on their own terms,” Glaad, an LGBTQ advocacy group, tweeted in response to the former politician’s declaration. “However, Aaron Schock’s statement fails to acknowledge the years of hurt that his votes … caused LGBTQ Americans.”
I have some sympathy for Schock. He notes that he comes from a religious family who have reacted to his sexuality with disappointment, bible verses and recommendations that he seek conversion therapy. Coming out can’t have been easy.
Nevertheless, coming out isn’t some sort of “get out of jail free” card. It doesn’t absolve you of your history. It doesn’t wipe your slate clean like Schock seems to think it does. As Glaad notes, the ex-politician doesn’t acknowledge the hurt he caused. He doesn’t take real responsibility and he doesn’t even properly apologize.
Instead of asking for forgiveness, Schock seems to demand applause: LGBTQ+ people who don’t welcome him with open arms, he suggests, are “vicious”. His self-indulgent essay paints himself as both tragic victim and courageous hero. “I … hope that in sharing my story it might help shine a light for young people,” he writes. What exactly is the moral of that story, one wonders? It is absolutely fine to spend years screwing over your community for personal gain as long as you come out afterwards? As far as I’m concerned, Schock can shine his light elsewhere.
Dubai ruler organized daughters’ abduction says UK court
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum is responsible for the abduction of two of his children, a British judge has ruled. Princess Shamsa was kidnapped from the streets of Cambridge, England in 2000, when she was 19; she hasn’t been seen in public since. Princess Latifa was seized by commandos in the Indian Ocean when fleeing Dubai in 2018 and forced to return home. The judge, Sir Andrew McFarlane, also found that the Sheikh had waged a campaign of intimidation against his former wife, Princess Haya. Just a quick reminder: the Sheikh recently hosted Ivanka Trump at the Global Women’s Forum in Dubai. Ivanka praised UAE leadership for their reforms on women’s rights. Sounds about right.
Elizabeth Warren drops out of presidential race
When asked what role gender played in her campaign, Warren said “that is the trap question for women” running for public office. “If you say, yeah there was sexism in this race, everyone says, whiner,” she said. “And if you say no there was no sexism about a bazillion women think, what planet do you live on?”
Almost 90% of people globally are biased against women
That’s according to a shocking new United Nations gender social norm index which analyzed data from 75 countries housing 80% of the global population. The index found 91% of men and 86% of women hold at least one bias against women. Almost a third of people thought it was acceptable for a man to beat his wife. Almost 50% thought men are better political leaders.
Top architecture prize goes to women
Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara have won this year’s prestigious Pritzker Prize. The Irish pair are only the fourth and fifth women to have been awarded architecture’s highest honour in the prize’s 41-year history.
Free rail travel for domestic abuse victims
A new “rail to refuge” initiative offers free train travel in parts of England and Wales to women fleeing abusive relationships.
The tragedy of the ‘isle of women’
This beautiful piece in the Guardian about Europe’s last matriarchy is well worth your time.
8 March is International Women’s Day
The day is being marked by enormous protests around the world. It’s also being marked by a lot of advertising campaign, with brands cynically using it as a PR opportunity and turning it into a “corporate Valentine’s Day”.
Bill Clinton says the Monica Lewinsky affair was a way to ‘manage his anxiety’
He offers this astounding excuse in the new “Hillary” documentary. Seriously? He might want to try CBD next time.


theguardian--2020-03-07--Bill Clinton says his affair helped his anxiety. Has he not non-apologised enough? | Poppy Noor

Back when Bill Clinton was in office , CBD oil wasn ’ t yet on the market .
The president , therefore , it seems , took to some unusual methods to manage his anxiety .
In a new Hulu docuseries about Hillary Clinton , the former president says his affair with 22-year-old intern Monica Lewinsky ( he was 49 at the time ) was “ to manage his anxieties ” .
“ It ’ s not like I thought , how can I think of possibly the most stupid thing I can do and do it ?
” explains @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ Here ’ s something that ’ ll take your mind off it for a while .
Everybody ’ s life has pressures and disappointments , terrors , fears of whatever.
” I guess anything – even having an exploitative relationship with an intern 20 years your junior , lying to your family and the public about it , and dragging a young woman ’ s name through the dirt to protect oneself – can be justified if you classify it as self-care .
After all , what was he supposed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medication ?
He was only the most powerful man in the world !
I know what you ’ re thinking : haven ’ t we already been over this ( for the past 20 years ) ?
Isn ’ t the docuseries supposed to be about Hillary ?
Hasn ’ t Bill already non-apologized enough ?
Has it really been too long since he last wrote a book about Lewinsky ; or went on the news to talk about the affair ; or was interviewed by a late-night TV host about it ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ still maintaining that he did not owe Lewinsky a private apology .
One has to wonder : why can ’ t the man let it go ?
Then again , how else ishe supposed to stay relevant ?
Lewinsky , on the other hand , has moved on .
This came at a price : she had to hide from the media , and was later forced into exploitative TV deals just to pay off her legal bills .
Lewinsky was indeed so young , she would later write that she had “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ return ” .
Eventually , she became a Vanity Fair writer , and a prominent activist and global ambassador against bullying .
In her first essay for Vanity Fair she resolved : “ No longer .
It ’ s time to burn the beret and bury the blue dress .
And move forward.
” Clinton could , of course , let Lewinsky do that without rearing his head every few years to ensure her name is forever associated with the affair .
But that might involve some self-awareness , and learning to shut @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does not seem capable of .

Back when Bill Clinton was in office, CBD oil wasn’t yet on the market. The president, therefore, it seems, took to some unusual methods to manage his anxiety. In a new Hulu docuseries about Hillary Clinton, the former president says his affair with 22-year-old intern Monica Lewinsky (he was 49 at the time) was “to manage his anxieties”.
“It’s not like I thought, how can I think of possibly the most stupid thing I can do and do it?” explains Clinton in the film. He clarifies: “Here’s something that’ll take your mind off it for a while. Everybody’s life has pressures and disappointments, terrors, fears of whatever.”
I guess anything – even having an exploitative relationship with an intern 20 years your junior, lying to your family and the public about it, and dragging a young woman’s name through the dirt to protect oneself – can be justified if you classify it as self-care. After all, what was he supposed to do? Get therapy? Take anti-anxiety medication? He was only the most powerful man in the world!
I know what you’re thinking: haven’t we already been over this (for the past 20 years)? Isn’t the docuseries supposed to be about Hillary? Hasn’t Bill already non-apologized enough?
Has it really been too long since he last wrote a book about Lewinsky; or went on the news to talk about the affair; or was interviewed by a late-night TV host about it? Just two years ago, he was still maintaining that he did not owe Lewinsky a private apology. One has to wonder: why can’t the man let it go? Then again, how else ishe supposed to stay relevant?
Lewinsky, on the other hand, has moved on. This came at a price: she had to hide from the media, and was later forced into exploitative TV deals just to pay off her legal bills. Lewinsky was indeed so young, she would later write that she had “no established identity to which I could return”.
Eventually, she became a Vanity Fair writer, and a prominent activist and global ambassador against bullying. In her first essay for Vanity Fair she resolved: “No longer. It’s time to burn the beret and bury the blue dress. And move forward.”
Clinton could, of course, let Lewinsky do that without rearing his head every few years to ensure her name is forever associated with the affair. But that might involve some self-awareness, and learning to shut up. And that is something he does not seem capable of.


theguardian--2020-03-08--‘We still have darkness’: the town where an HIV outbreak occurred under Mike Pence

Dozens of residents filtered past a syringe disposal box in a parking lot as they headed to the free weekly meal at the Church of the New Covenant in the town of Austin , Indiana .
“ We still have darkness around us , we still have addiction , it ’ s going to take Jesus ’ s return to stop all of it , ” said Pastor Jacob Howell , who stopped using heroin a few years ago and devoted his life to God .
“ I ’ d rather have them throw it in there than have some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the park.
” It ’ s still illegal to have a syringe without a prescription in the state of Indiana , but Austin is one of the exceptions to the rule : this town of just over 4,000 was the site of a 2015 HIV outbreak that ultimately infected more than 200 people , an infection rate on par with some of the world ’ s most HIV-affected countries .
Donald Trump ’ s vice-president , Mike Pence , has been tasked with heading up the US response to coronavirus , a dangerous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3,400 people worldwide and quarantined millions .
It has shuttered institutions from schools to the Louvre and put an end to pilgrimages to Islam ’ s two holiest cities in Saudi Arabia .
But before his time in the Trump administration , Pence was the governor of Indiana , and the 2015 HIV outbreak was the biggest public health crisis he had ever faced .
He is widely seen to have botched the response .
When the outbreak was first detected at the start of 2015 , there were immediate calls from public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ban on syringe exchanges to stop the spread of the disease , but he held off , remaining morally opposed to needle exchanges despite a wealth of evidence that such practices do not encourage more drug use , and successfully curb the spread of HIV .
Pence instead told people he was going to pray on what to do .
By the time he finally signed an executive order in March allowing a needle exchange in Scott county , where Austin is located , weeks had passed and dozens of more cases had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s new coronavirus role last week , Trump said that the vice-president “ has a certain talent for this ” and pointed to his healthcare record as governor of Indiana .
But healthcare providers and public health experts have said that he mismanaged the HIV crisis in Austin , putting his own personal beliefs about syringe exchanges ahead of evidence presented to him .
“ I ’ m hoping he learned a lot from the experience of the HIV outbreak and how it was handled , ” said William Cooke , who was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outbreak began .
When a surge of HIV cases were detected in Austin in January 2015 , Cooke and others intensified calls for Pence to lift the ban on syringe exchanges to halt the spread .
When he was finally able to speak to the governor face-to-face , he said Pence “ didn ’ t really want to talk about a syringe service program , so he moved on from that subject quickly .
But I felt it was important that he needed to know that the only doctor in Austin supported a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like Pence considers himself a conservative Christian , hopes the vice-president will listen to science this time around .
“ History tends to be the best predictor of the future and there ’ s not a good track record coming from Indiana from a public health standpoint and listening to public health experts , ” he said .
“ But I really hope that having gone through the HIV epidemic that he really learned that public health experts know what they ’ re talking about : they know the science they know what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ county the impact of the syringe exchange programs has been dramatic : the number of HIV infections linked to the outbreak dropped from 187 in 2015 to just 10 in 2018 and seven last year , according to statistics provided by the county ’ s department of health .
Employees at the department of health were unwilling to comment on Pence , but they did say that the syringe program has been overwhelmingly successful in confronting the HIV outbreak .
However , despite that success , opponents of the programs remain and without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elsewhere in Indiana will be shut down next year .
Public health experts who offered recommendations on combatting the HIV outbreak in Indiana have questioned whether Pence can put evidence ahead of his own beliefs .
In combatting Covid-19 “ we need a leader who is not only data-driven , but somebody who understands evidence – and somebody who can communicate it .
Neither one of those things is in Mike Pence ’ s skillset , ” said Beth Meyerson , the co-director of Indiana University ’ s Rural Center for Aids/STD Prevention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the center , said the Austin HIV outbreak showed that when Pence has to make a public health decision “ his go to is his ideology or faith instead of going to the data or the evidence ” .
Pence likely already faces a conflict between ideology and expertise : while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) has warned that coronavirus has the potential to have serious disruption in the US , the president has largely downplayed the threat of the virus .
On Wednesday , Trump – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Organization ’ s ( WHO ) coronavirus mortality rate “ a false number ” and said thousands of people infected with coronavirus “ get better , just by , you know , sitting around and even going to work ” .
In Austin , where the HIV outbreak occurred , there is hope that Pence ’ s experiences in Indiana will help him .
Howell , the pastor , said Pence made some missteps in 2015 .
“ I think he missed telltale signs prior – and then when the problem got big @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ It ’ s easier to put a fire out when it ’ s smoldering .
Once it becomes a blaze , it ’ s harder to control.
” However , he said he trusts Pence and believes he is capable of handling the US ’ s coronavirus response .
“ I think maybe [ the HIV outbreak ] was given to him as a test for this bigger obstacle now that he has to take care of , ” he said .
“ Maybe he can take some of these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And I pray that he listens to doctors and goes against what even he himself might think to do what ’ s right.
” Howell said addiction remains a problem in Austin , but that “ recovery is bigger ” .
One of the people at the church ’ s free meal last week was Laura Nowling , 51 , who has been sober for three years following addictions to methamphetamines , cocaine and alcohol .
Her life came crashing down in February 2016 when she was arrested for drug possession at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a teacher .
Then , last year , her oldest son died at 26 from a fentanyl overdose in Ohio after getting hooked on opioids in Austin .
Her two other children are recovering from addictions as well .
Nowling said the idea of a syringe exchange was wildly unpopular in Austin in 2015 , particularly among those who had no personal connection to addiction .
“ Even though it wasn ’ t popular at the time , [ Pence ] went ahead and made it , ” she said .
“ So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guess .
I think that ’ s good.
” She added : “ I think if they ’ ve asked him to do that , he will take the initiative to do what ’ s right and not necessarily go with popular opinion .
”

Dozens of residents filtered past a syringe disposal box in a parking lot as they headed to the free weekly meal at the Church of the New Covenant in the town of Austin, Indiana.
“We still have darkness around us, we still have addiction, it’s going to take Jesus’s return to stop all of it,” said Pastor Jacob Howell, who stopped using heroin a few years ago and devoted his life to God.
“I’d rather have them throw it in there than have some kid get stuck with it walking in the park.”
It’s still illegal to have a syringe without a prescription in the state of Indiana, but Austin is one of the exceptions to the rule: this town of just over 4,000 was the site of a 2015 HIV outbreak that ultimately infected more than 200 people, an infection rate on par with some of the world’s most HIV-affected countries.
Donald Trump’s vice-president, Mike Pence, has been tasked with heading up the US response to coronavirus, a dangerous disease that has now killed more than 3,400 people worldwide and quarantined millions. It has shuttered institutions from schools to the Louvre and put an end to pilgrimages to Islam’s two holiest cities in Saudi Arabia.
But before his time in the Trump administration, Pence was the governor of Indiana, and the 2015 HIV outbreak was the biggest public health crisis he had ever faced. He is widely seen to have botched the response.
When the outbreak was first detected at the start of 2015, there were immediate calls from public health experts for Pence to lift the ban on syringe exchanges to stop the spread of the disease, but he held off, remaining morally opposed to needle exchanges despite a wealth of evidence that such practices do not encourage more drug use, and successfully curb the spread of HIV.
Pence instead told people he was going to pray on what to do. By the time he finally signed an executive order in March allowing a needle exchange in Scott county, where Austin is located, weeks had passed and dozens of more cases had been confirmed.
In announcing Pence’s new coronavirus role last week, Trump said that the vice-president “has a certain talent for this” and pointed to his healthcare record as governor of Indiana.
But healthcare providers and public health experts have said that he mismanaged the HIV crisis in Austin, putting his own personal beliefs about syringe exchanges ahead of evidence presented to him.
Jacob Howell, pastor at the Church of the New Covenant in Austin, Indiana, battled his own addiction for years. Photograph: Josh Wood
“I’m hoping he learned a lot from the experience of the HIV outbreak and how it was handled,” said William Cooke, who was the sole doctor in Austin when the outbreak began.
When a surge of HIV cases were detected in Austin in January 2015, Cooke and others intensified calls for Pence to lift the ban on syringe exchanges to halt the spread. When he was finally able to speak to the governor face-to-face, he said Pence “didn’t really want to talk about a syringe service program, so he moved on from that subject quickly. But I felt it was important that he needed to know that the only doctor in Austin supported a syringe service program.”
Cooke, who like Pence considers himself a conservative Christian, hopes the vice-president will listen to science this time around.
“History tends to be the best predictor of the future and there’s not a good track record coming from Indiana from a public health standpoint and listening to public health experts,” he said. “But I really hope that having gone through the HIV epidemic that he really learned that public health experts know what they’re talking about: they know the science they know what’s evidence based.”
In Scott county the impact of the syringe exchange programs has been dramatic: the number of HIV infections linked to the outbreak dropped from 187 in 2015 to just 10 in 2018 and seven last year, according to statistics provided by the county’s department of health.
Employees at the department of health were unwilling to comment on Pence, but they did say that the syringe program has been overwhelmingly successful in confronting the HIV outbreak. However, despite that success, opponents of the programs remain and without legislative action, exchanges in Austin and elsewhere in Indiana will be shut down next year.
Public health experts who offered recommendations on combatting the HIV outbreak in Indiana have questioned whether Pence can put evidence ahead of his own beliefs.
In combatting Covid-19 “we need a leader who is not only data-driven, but somebody who understands evidence – and somebody who can communicate it. Neither one of those things is in Mike Pence’s skillset,” said Beth Meyerson, the co-director of Indiana University’s Rural Center for Aids/STD Prevention.
Carrie Lawrence, the associate director of the center, said the Austin HIV outbreak showed that when Pence has to make a public health decision “his go to is his ideology or faith instead of going to the data or the evidence”.
Jacob Howell leads a small group in prayer following a weekly free dinner at the church. Photograph: Josh Wood
Pence likely already faces a conflict between ideology and expertise: while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned that coronavirus has the potential to have serious disruption in the US, the president has largely downplayed the threat of the virus.
On Wednesday, Trump – without evidence – called the World Health Organization’s (WHO) coronavirus mortality rate “a false number” and said thousands of people infected with coronavirus “get better, just by, you know, sitting around and even going to work”.
In Austin, where the HIV outbreak occurred, there is hope that Pence’s experiences in Indiana will help him.
Howell, the pastor, said Pence made some missteps in 2015.
“I think he missed telltale signs prior – and then when the problem got big he acted on it,” he said. “It’s easier to put a fire out when it’s smoldering. Once it becomes a blaze, it’s harder to control.”
However, he said he trusts Pence and believes he is capable of handling the US’s coronavirus response.
I pray that [Mike Pence] listens to doctors and goes against what even he himself might think to do what’s right Jacob Howell
“I think maybe [the HIV outbreak] was given to him as a test for this bigger obstacle now that he has to take care of,” he said. “Maybe he can take some of these hard lessons learned and apply them here. And I pray that he listens to doctors and goes against what even he himself might think to do what’s right.”
Howell said addiction remains a problem in Austin, but that “recovery is bigger”.
One of the people at the church’s free meal last week was Laura Nowling, 51, who has been sober for three years following addictions to methamphetamines, cocaine and alcohol.
Her life came crashing down in February 2016 when she was arrested for drug possession at Austin elementary school, where she was a teacher. Then, last year, her oldest son died at 26 from a fentanyl overdose in Ohio after getting hooked on opioids in Austin. Her two other children are recovering from addictions as well.
Nowling said the idea of a syringe exchange was wildly unpopular in Austin in 2015, particularly among those who had no personal connection to addiction.
“Even though it wasn’t popular at the time, [Pence] went ahead and made it,” she said. “So he went against public opinion, I guess. I think that’s good.”
She added: “I think if they’ve asked him to do that, he will take the initiative to do what’s right and not necessarily go with popular opinion.”