theguardian--2020-06-24--How US K-pop fans became a political force to be reckoned with

It started as an attempt to blunt the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement but it ended in derision .
When the # WhiteLivesMatter hashtag appeared on Twitter , its unintended descent into ridicule was driven not by hardened political activists but by a loose coalition of young people worldwide united by their love of South Korean pop music .
Those hoping to hold back the tide of support for Black Lives Matter amid global protests against the police killing of George Floyd could only hover helplessly over their keyboards as K-pop “ stans ” , slang for obsessive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twitter with video clips and memes of their favourite artists , many accompanied by anti-racist messages .
Their efforts met with approval from the world ’ s best-known K-pop band , BTS .
“ We stand against racial discrimination .
We condemn violence .
You , I and we all have the right to be respected .
We will stand together .
# BlackLivesMatter , ” the band told their 26 million followers on Twitter .
Having taken the sting out of an online racist backlash , K-pop fans mustered their forces again @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
His campaign chair boasted that nearly a million people had requested tickets to attend the US president ’ s rally in Tulsa , Oklahoma , last weekend , but he ended up speaking in front of about 6,200 supporters and organisers were forced to close an “ overflow ” area outside .
A large number of TikTok users and K-pop fans , it transpired , had registered for tickets but they had no intention of attending .
The result ?
Lots of empty space in the 19,000-seat BOK Center arena and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a deflated Trump .
It is unclear how big an impact the campaign had on the low turnout , but many online users believe it was a factor .
One K-pop fan said she had used false contact details to register for two spots .
“ I heard it first from just BTS fans and then once I saw that it got to TikTok , I was like , oh yeah , this is going to blow up , ” said “ Raq ” , a 22-year-old student and Democratic voter in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twitter hashtag and the humiliation of a US president were demonstrations of a social activism that runs throughout the K-pop community , particularly in the US , according to CedarBough Saeji , a visiting assistant professor in Asian languages and cultures at Indiana University .
“ American fans of K-pop , and there are many of them , are outward-looking , open-minded , culturally curious and supportive of LGBTQ rights , ” she said .
“ K-pop is not particularly political , but it is socially engaged .
“ Stars donate to educational @ @ @ @ @ @ @ follow that lead to volunteer or donate for issues like education for low-income families , care for the elderly or environmental protection.
” Brad Parscale , Trump ’ s campaign manager , blamed the Tulsa debacle on interference from “ radical protesters ” , a description that might not be far from the truth , according to Jay Song , a senior lecturer in Korean Studies at the University of Melbourne .
“ BTS fans have always been serious about politics and socioeconomic issues , ranging from youth unemployment , mental health , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Song said .
K-pop fans ’ optimism mirrors a social awareness among the artists themselves .
After BTS donated $ 1m to Black Lives Matter , a fan collective charity known as One in An ARMY after the name adopted by the group ’ s followers matched the sum .
BTS and other groups have also donated to other social and humanitarian causes , including Syrian refugees and campaigns to end violence against children .
“ Several K-pop stars have significantly influenced the thinking and behaviour of young music fans by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such as social injustice , the social divide and corruption , ” said Jin Dal-yong , a professor at the school of communication at Simon Fraser University in Canada .
There appears to be less enthusiasm , however , for global activism among fans in the country of K-pop ’ s birth , where admiration for the artists ’ altruism comes with a reluctance to interfere in politics .
Some fan sites have banned discussions on the subject .
The campaign to support Black Lives Matter was widely welcomed , particularly after BTS @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Korean fans said they were uncomfortable about taking on the role of Trump ’ s online nemesis .
“ BLM was understandable as it was about human rights , but it makes me uncomfortable to see my idols pop up in Trump-related news , ” one wrote on Weverse , BTS ’ s official fan community app .
K-pop fans and other online activists who coalesce around single issues could become a significant new force , according to Song .
In recent days , copycat campaigns have appeared , including one that involved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into a photographic tribute to Japanese cuisine .
“ K-pop fan raids on social media platforms is something we will see more of in the future , ” Song said .
“ Young people are taking out their anger and frustration through a peaceful online social movement .
They feel empowered , and their message resonates online across different generations , locations , nationalities and ethnic backgrounds .
”

It started as an attempt to blunt the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement but it ended in derision. When the #WhiteLivesMatter hashtag appeared on Twitter, its unintended descent into ridicule was driven not by hardened political activists but by a loose coalition of young people worldwide united by their love of South Korean pop music.
Those hoping to hold back the tide of support for Black Lives Matter amid global protests against the police killing of George Floyd could only hover helplessly over their keyboards as K-pop “stans”, slang for obsessive fans, drowned them out by flooding Twitter with video clips and memes of their favourite artists, many accompanied by anti-racist messages.
Their efforts met with approval from the world’s best-known K-pop band, BTS. “We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence. You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together. #BlackLivesMatter,” the band told their 26 million followers on Twitter.
Having taken the sting out of an online racist backlash, K-pop fans mustered their forces again, this time to humiliate Donald Trump.
His campaign chair boasted that nearly a million people had requested tickets to attend the US president’s rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last weekend, but he ended up speaking in front of about 6,200 supporters and organisers were forced to close an “overflow” area outside.
A large number of TikTok users and K-pop fans, it transpired, had registered for tickets but they had no intention of attending. The result? Lots of empty space in the 19,000-seat BOK Center arena and a lonely walk home across the South Lawn for a deflated Trump.
Donald Trump departs Air Force One after holding a campaign rally in Tulsa. Photograph: Leah Millis/Reuters
It is unclear how big an impact the campaign had on the low turnout, but many online users believe it was a factor.
One K-pop fan said she had used false contact details to register for two spots. “I heard it first from just BTS fans and then once I saw that it got to TikTok, I was like, oh yeah, this is going to blow up,” said “Raq”, a 22-year-old student and Democratic voter in Minnesota.
The hijacking of a divisive Twitter hashtag and the humiliation of a US president were demonstrations of a social activism that runs throughout the K-pop community, particularly in the US, according to CedarBough Saeji, a visiting assistant professor in Asian languages and cultures at Indiana University.
“American fans of K-pop, and there are many of them, are outward-looking, open-minded, culturally curious and supportive of LGBTQ rights,” she said. “K-pop is not particularly political, but it is socially engaged.
Fans wait for BTS to take the stage in Central Park, New York, in May last year. Photograph: Drew Angerer/Getty
“Stars donate to educational and social justice causes, and fans follow that lead to volunteer or donate for issues like education for low-income families, care for the elderly or environmental protection.”
Brad Parscale, Trump’s campaign manager, blamed the Tulsa debacle on interference from “radical protesters”, a description that might not be far from the truth, according to Jay Song, a senior lecturer in Korean Studies at the University of Melbourne.
“BTS fans have always been serious about politics and socioeconomic issues, ranging from youth unemployment, mental health, social and economic inequality and sexual minorities,” Song said.
K-pop fans’ optimism mirrors a social awareness among the artists themselves. After BTS donated $1m to Black Lives Matter, a fan collective charity known as One in An ARMY after the name adopted by the group’s followers matched the sum.
BTS and other groups have also donated to other social and humanitarian causes, including Syrian refugees and campaigns to end violence against children.
“Several K-pop stars have significantly influenced the thinking and behaviour of young music fans by conveying meaningful messages in lyrics about issues such as social injustice, the social divide and corruption,” said Jin Dal-yong, a professor at the school of communication at Simon Fraser University in Canada.
Donald Trump holds rally in Tulsa amid coronavirus fears – watch live
There appears to be less enthusiasm, however, for global activism among fans in the country of K-pop’s birth, where admiration for the artists’ altruism comes with a reluctance to interfere in politics. Some fan sites have banned discussions on the subject.
The campaign to support Black Lives Matter was widely welcomed, particularly after BTS’s donation, but some South Korean fans said they were uncomfortable about taking on the role of Trump’s online nemesis.
“BLM was understandable as it was about human rights, but it makes me uncomfortable to see my idols pop up in Trump-related news,” one wrote on Weverse, BTS’s official fan community app.
K-pop fans and other online activists who coalesce around single issues could become a significant new force, according to Song. In recent days, copycat campaigns have appeared, including one that involved Twitter users transforming a #JapaneseLivesMatter hashtag into a photographic tribute to Japanese cuisine.
“K-pop fan raids on social media platforms is something we will see more of in the future,” Song said. “Young people are taking out their anger and frustration through a peaceful online social movement. They feel empowered, and their message resonates online across different generations, locations, nationalities and ethnic backgrounds.”
Agencies contributed reporting to this article


theguardian--2020-06-25--Republican congressman Louie Gohmert repeatedly bangs on desk during House hearing on Barr – video

Louie Gohmert bangs his desk during the opening statement of former deputy attorney general Donald Ayer at a hearing into @ @ @ @ @ of Justice under current attorney general , William Barr .
Gohmert was threatened with removal @ @ @ @ @ his allotted time

Louie Gohmert bangs his desk during the opening statement of former deputy attorney general Donald Ayer at a hearing into the politicisation of the Department of Justice under current attorney general, William Barr. Gohmert was threatened with removal after he complained Ayer exceeded his allotted time


theguardian--2020-06-25--Trump requests toppled Confederate statue in DC be restored – report

Donald Trump has personally requested that a statue of a Confederate general be put back up after protesters in Washington tore the monument down , according to NBC News .
The networked reported that the US president had called interior secretary David Bernhardt and asked the Park Service to restore the fallen monument to Albert Pike , a senior figure in the slave-holding south ’ s military forces .
An interior department spokesman told NBC : “ The secretary has made his position quite clear when it comes to lawlessness , violence against police , and destruction of public property.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pike statue last week .
The statue has been a center of controversy for decades , with a number of local officials repeatedly calling for its removal .
Trump has said he plans to sign an executive order this week further protecting federal monuments beyond current law , and harshly punishing those who deface them , as Confederate , as well as colonial , statues have been targeted across the country amid the wider protest against racism and police brutality .
Activists have long denounced Confederate statues as monuments to white supremacy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after the civil war had ended as a way of continuing to intimidate Black Americans and symbolize ongoing white power .
Trump ’ s move on the statue of Pike is hardly his first time coming down on the side of Confederate history .
Even as the Pentagon in recent weeks announced its openness to changing the names of military bases named after Confederate generals , Trump tweeted his vehement opposition , saying : “ These Monumental and very Powerful Bases have become part of a Great American Heritage.
” Trump also stirred @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the deadly protests around a Confederate statue in Charlottesville , Virginia , in 2017 when a march by neo-Nazis and other white supremacists saw an attack on counter-protestors that killed one young woman .
At the time Trump said there were “ very fine people on both sides ” of the unrest .
In recent days , fencing has been put around a statue to Andrew Jackson outside the White House , after protesters tried to pull it down and sprayed “ killer ” on its base , drawing attention to his history @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of many Native Americans from their land .

Donald Trump has personally requested that a statue of a Confederate general be put back up after protesters in Washington tore the monument down, according to NBC News.
The networked reported that the US president had called interior secretary David Bernhardt and asked the Park Service to restore the fallen monument to Albert Pike, a senior figure in the slave-holding south’s military forces.
An interior department spokesman told NBC: “The secretary has made his position quite clear when it comes to lawlessness, violence against police, and destruction of public property.”
Protesters in Washington tore down the Pike statue last week. The statue has been a center of controversy for decades, with a number of local officials repeatedly calling for its removal.
Trump has said he plans to sign an executive order this week further protecting federal monuments beyond current law, and harshly punishing those who deface them, as Confederate, as well as colonial, statues have been targeted across the country amid the wider protest against racism and police brutality.
Activists have long denounced Confederate statues as monuments to white supremacy, especially as many were put up long after the civil war had ended as a way of continuing to intimidate Black Americans and symbolize ongoing white power.
Trump’s move on the statue of Pike is hardly his first time coming down on the side of Confederate history. Even as the Pentagon in recent weeks announced its openness to changing the names of military bases named after Confederate generals, Trump tweeted his vehement opposition, saying: “These Monumental and very Powerful Bases have become part of a Great American Heritage.”
Trump also stirred up global headlines when he weighed into the deadly protests around a Confederate statue in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 when a march by neo-Nazis and other white supremacists saw an attack on counter-protestors that killed one young woman. At the time Trump said there were “very fine people on both sides” of the unrest.
In recent days, fencing has been put around a statue to Andrew Jackson outside the White House, after protesters tried to pull it down and sprayed “killer” on its base, drawing attention to his history of ordering the forcible and lethal displacement of many Native Americans from their land.


theguardian--2020-06-25--Trump administration sent $1.4bn in stimulus checks to dead people

The Trump administration sent almost $ 1.4bn in coronavirus stimulus payments to dead people , according to its own watchdog ’ s report .
In the report released on Thursday , the US Government Accountability Office ( USGAO ) said almost 1.1 million dead people received payments of about $ 1,200 each , as of 30 April .
The payments were part of about $ 3tn in economic relief approved by Congress in March and April .
The need for help remains : on Thursday it was revealed that another 1.48 million Americans filed for unemployment assistance last week , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to about 47 million .
Donald Trump is in favor of further relief payments .
But the president is out of step with many Republicans in Congress , who may seize on reports of bureaucratic dysfunction to block new moves .
According to the USGAO , the payments to dead people happened because the system used to send out the payments was based on that used during the Great Recession of 2008 , was not synchronized between the Internal Revenue Service ( IRS ) and the US treasury , and did not use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The number of economic impact payments going to decedents , ” the report said , “ highlights the importance of consistently using key safeguards in providing government assistance to individuals.
” “ IRS has access to the Social Security Administration ’ s full set of death records , but treasury and its Bureau of the Fiscal Service , which distribute payments , do not .
“ USGAO recommends that Congress provide treasury with access to the Social Security Administration ’ s full set of death records , and require that treasury consistently use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of improper payments.
” The IRS has said payments to dead people – or the incarcerated – should be returned .
Explaining why payments – and its study of them – were necessary , USGAO wrote : “ The outbreak of Covid-19 quickly spread around the globe .
As of 17 June 2020 , the US had over 2m reported cases of Covid-19 , and over 100,000 reported deaths , according to federal agencies.
” As of 25 June , according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University , the US has seen nearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Despite a surge in cases in states , mostly Republican-led , that are attempting to reopen their economies , the Trump administration has moved to end funding for 13 testing sites including seven in Texas , a state reporting record case numbers .
On Wednesday , Johns Hopkins reported a national one-day total of new cases of 34,700 , the highest since April .

The Trump administration sent almost $1.4bn in coronavirus stimulus payments to dead people, according to its own watchdog’s report.
In the report released on Thursday, the US Government Accountability Office (USGAO) said almost 1.1 million dead people received payments of about $1,200 each, as of 30 April.
The payments were part of about $3tn in economic relief approved by Congress in March and April.
The need for help remains: on Thursday it was revealed that another 1.48 million Americans filed for unemployment assistance last week, bringing the total since the pandemic began to about 47 million.
Donald Trump is in favor of further relief payments. But the president is out of step with many Republicans in Congress, who may seize on reports of bureaucratic dysfunction to block new moves.
According to the USGAO, the payments to dead people happened because the system used to send out the payments was based on that used during the Great Recession of 2008, was not synchronized between the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the US treasury, and did not use death records as a filter.
“The number of economic impact payments going to decedents,” the report said, “highlights the importance of consistently using key safeguards in providing government assistance to individuals.”
“IRS has access to the Social Security Administration’s full set of death records, but treasury and its Bureau of the Fiscal Service, which distribute payments, do not.
“USGAO recommends that Congress provide treasury with access to the Social Security Administration’s full set of death records, and require that treasury consistently use it, to help reduce similar types of improper payments.”
The IRS has said payments to dead people – or the incarcerated – should be returned.
Explaining why payments – and its study of them – were necessary, USGAO wrote: “The outbreak of Covid-19 quickly spread around the globe. As of 17 June 2020, the US had over 2m reported cases of Covid-19, and over 100,000 reported deaths, according to federal agencies.”
As of 25 June, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University, the US has seen nearly 2.3m cases and nearly 122,000 deaths.
Despite a surge in cases in states, mostly Republican-led, that are attempting to reopen their economies, the Trump administration has moved to end funding for 13 testing sites including seven in Texas, a state reporting record case numbers.
On Wednesday, Johns Hopkins reported a national one-day total of new cases of 34,700, the highest since April.


theguardian--2020-06-25--Three North Carolina officers fired after racist comments on video emerge

Three members of a North Carolina police department have been fired after a department audit of a video recording captured one of the officers saying a civil war was necessary to wipe Black people off the map and that he was ready .
The Wilmington police department took the action on Wednesday against Cpl Jessie Moore , and Officers Kevin Piner and Brian Gilmore .
Each was accused of violating standards of conduct , criticism and use of inappropriate jokes and slurs .
After conferring with the city council , Wilmington city manager Sterling Cheatham cleared police chief Donny Williams @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I first learned of these conversations , I was shocked , saddened and disgusted , ” Williams said at a news conference on Wednesday .
“ There is no place for this behavior in our agency or our city and it will not be tolerated.
” According to documents released by the police department , a sergeant was conducting a video audit as part of a monthly inspection and was reviewing footage from Piner ’ s car that had been classified as “ accidental activation.
” After the sergeant listened to the conversation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Moore were “ extremely racist , ” she contacted the department administrator for the camera system .
At the 46-minute mark of the video , Piner and Gilmore began talking from their respective cars , at which time Piner criticized the department , saying its only concern was “ kneeling down with the black folks ” .
About 30 minutes later , Piner received a phone call from Moore , according to the investigation , a segment in which Moore referred to a Black female as a “ negro.
” .
He also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ racial slur .
He repeated the use of the slur in describing a Black magistrate , and Moore used a gay slur to describe the magistrate as well .
Later , according to the investigation , Piner told Moore that he feels a civil war is coming and that he is ready .
Piner said he was going to buy a new assault rifle , and soon “ we are just going to go out and start slaughtering them ( expletive ) ” Blacks .
“ I can ’ t wait .
God @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Moore responded that he wouldn ’ t do that .
Piner then told Moore that he felt a civil war was needed to “ wipe them off the ( expletive ) map .
That ’ ll put them back about four or five generations.
” Moore told Piner he was “ crazy ” , and the recording stopped a short time later .
According to police , the officers admitted it was their voices on the video and didn ’ t deny any of the content .
While the officers denied that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the stress on law enforcement in light of the protests over the death of George Floyd .
Floyd , a Black man , died last month after a Minneapolis police officer put his knee on Floyd ’ s neck for almost nine minutes .
In addition to being fired , cases involving the Wilmington officers will be reviewed by the district attorney ’ s office to determine if they committed any crimes or showed bias toward criminal defendants .
Williams said he will recommend the three officers not be rehired by notifying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Commission about their behavior .

Three members of a North Carolina police department have been fired after a department audit of a video recording captured one of the officers saying a civil war was necessary to wipe Black people off the map and that he was ready.
The Wilmington police department took the action on Wednesday against Cpl Jessie Moore, and Officers Kevin Piner and Brian Gilmore. Each was accused of violating standards of conduct, criticism and use of inappropriate jokes and slurs. After conferring with the city council, Wilmington city manager Sterling Cheatham cleared police chief Donny Williams to release the details.
“When I first learned of these conversations, I was shocked, saddened and disgusted,” Williams said at a news conference on Wednesday. “There is no place for this behavior in our agency or our city and it will not be tolerated.”
According to documents released by the police department, a sergeant was conducting a video audit as part of a monthly inspection and was reviewing footage from Piner’s car that had been classified as “accidental activation.” After the sergeant listened to the conversation and determined comments made by Piner and Moore were “extremely racist,” she contacted the department administrator for the camera system.
At the 46-minute mark of the video, Piner and Gilmore began talking from their respective cars, at which time Piner criticized the department, saying its only concern was “kneeling down with the black folks”. About 30 minutes later, Piner received a phone call from Moore, according to the investigation, a segment in which Moore referred to a Black female as a “negro.”. He also referred to the woman by using a racial slur. He repeated the use of the slur in describing a Black magistrate, and Moore used a gay slur to describe the magistrate as well.
Later, according to the investigation, Piner told Moore that he feels a civil war is coming and that he is ready. Piner said he was going to buy a new assault rifle, and soon “we are just going to go out and start slaughtering them (expletive)” Blacks. “I can’t wait. God, I can’t wait.”
Moore responded that he wouldn’t do that.
Piner then told Moore that he felt a civil war was needed to “wipe them off the (expletive) map. That’ll put them back about four or five generations.” Moore told Piner he was “crazy”, and the recording stopped a short time later.
According to police, the officers admitted it was their voices on the video and didn’t deny any of the content. While the officers denied that they were racists, they blamed their comments on the stress on law enforcement in light of the protests over the death of George Floyd. Floyd, a Black man, died last month after a Minneapolis police officer put his knee on Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes.
In addition to being fired, cases involving the Wilmington officers will be reviewed by the district attorney’s office to determine if they committed any crimes or showed bias toward criminal defendants. Williams said he will recommend the three officers not be rehired by notifying the NC Criminal Justice Training and Standards Commission about their behavior.


theguardian--2020-06-24--How the US military has failed to address white supremacy in its ranks

An alleged plot by a young solider to coordinate with a neo-Nazi group to attack and kill members of his own army unit has put new scrutiny on the US military ’ s failure to address violent white supremacy within its own ranks .
Federal prosecutors have announced charges against current or former US military service members for plots linked to violent extremism nearly once a week this month .
A 2019 survey of readers of Military Times , an independent news outlet , found that more that 36 % of active-duty troops surveyed said they had personally witnessed examples @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ranks in recent months – a 14 % increase from a similar survey the year before .
But in a congressional hearing in February , military officials testified that “ mere membership ” in white supremacist groups is still “ not prohibited ” for American service members .
The US Department of Defense prohibited members of the military from “ active participation ” in white supremacist and other extremist groups since 1996 , when decorated Gulf war veteran and white supremacist Timothy McVeigh carried out the Oklahoma City bombing .
But “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attending rallies or fundraising for a racist group , not being a member , military officials testified in February .
During that hearing , the California congresswoman Jackie Speier called that approach “ woefully inadequate ” for addressing the country ’ s “ very serious domestic terror problem ” .
“ The potential for placing our service members at risk is so great , ” Speier said .
Military veterans have held leadership roles in some of the most prominent white supremacist groups that took part in the deadly rally in Charlottesville , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and anti-fascist activists continue to uncover new members of violent racist groups who are also current members of the army , the marine corps , the air force and the national guard .
In January , a coast guard lieutenant was sentenced to more than 13 years in prison on gun and drug charges .
He was accused by prosecutors of being a white nationalist who was plotting politically motivated attacks against journalists and Democratic politicians .
The same month , a US army veteran and a former combat engineer in the Canadian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of neo-Nazi group The Base who prosecutors said were discussing plans to create violence at a pro-gun rally in Virginia in order to spark a civil war .
In the month of June alone , prosecutors in California announced murder charges against an air force sergeant for the shooting death of a federal officer in Oakland , in addition to a previous murder charge for the shooting death of a local sheriff ’ s deputy , and described the sergeant as part of a nascent anti-government movement obsessed with the “ boogaloo ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The justice department announced charges against three Nevada men with military experience , alleging that they had planned to hijack a Las Vegas protest over George Floyd ’ s death , and that they were also inspired by anti-government “ boogaloo ” ideology .
Experts who monitor extremist groups disagree on the extent to which the still-developing “ boogaloo ” ideology overlaps with white supremacy .
And federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment against 22-year-old Ethan Melzer for allegedly sending a British occultist neo-Nazi group sensitive details about his army unit in order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fellow soldiers .
While many veterans describe their military service as a crucial , and positive , experience of diversity in a country where many neighborhoods remain segregated by race , white supremacist organizing within the military has long been a problem .
The US armed forces were formally desegregated in 1948 and the last segregated units were disbanded in 1954 , but the same racist violence and discrimination that black Americans experienced at home continued within the military and overseas during the Vietnam war .
American veterans have played key roles in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States for more than a century , according to Kathleen Belew , the author of Bring the War Home , a history of the contemporary American white power movement .
The Ku Klux Klan had new waves of resurgence after both world wars and after the Vietnam war , Belew writes , just as the recent wave of “ alt-right ” white supremacist organizing has been deeply shaped by America ’ s “ War on Terror ” in the Middle East .
Each wave of white supremacist organizing has involved racist veterans of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made use of veterans ’ military skills for training recruits and planning acts of violence , and was influenced ideologically by the political experiences of the war , Belew writes .
Experts on extremism have repeatedly warned that white power groups have sometimes encouraged young members to join the US military in order to get advanced weapons and other training in order to more effectively carry out attacks .
In the 1970s , the Ku Klux Klan was actively organizing on a US military base at Camp Pendleton in southern California , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ marines for years before an outright fight prompted official intervention .
‘ FBI starting to take this threat seriously ’ Efforts to address the danger of white supremacist organizing among service members and veterans has been met with political opposition from Republicans .
In 2009 , Republicans forced Obama ’ s department of homeland security chief to apologize after an intelligence briefing warned that US military veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan would be vulnerable to radicalization by violent white supremacist and antigovernment groups .
Conservative commentators at the time portrayed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how could the nation ’ s first black president portray “ standard , ordinary , everyday conservatives as posing a bigger threat to this country than al Qaeda terrorists ” ?
The Republican pushback had a chilling effect on government monitoring of rightwing extremism , teaching government employees about the political risk of focusing on domestic terrorism , according to Daryl Johnson , the former career analyst who lead the team that produced the report .
Johnson has argued that Republican officials have “ blood on their hands ” , and that more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the white supremacist violence the United States has seen over the past four years .
But Johnson said this week that the drumbeat of federal charges against extremists in recent weeks could be a positive sign .
The charges against Melzer , the alleged neo-Nazi collaborator , “ sounds like an FBI sting operation to me , and that ’ s important because that lets me know that the FBI is starting to take this threat seriously ” , Johnson said .

An alleged plot by a young solider to coordinate with a neo-Nazi group to attack and kill members of his own army unit has put new scrutiny on the US military’s failure to address violent white supremacy within its own ranks.
Federal prosecutors have announced charges against current or former US military service members for plots linked to violent extremism nearly once a week this month.
A 2019 survey of readers of Military Times, an independent news outlet, found that more that 36% of active-duty troops surveyed said they had personally witnessed examples of white nationalism or ideological-driven racism within the ranks in recent months – a 14% increase from a similar survey the year before.
But in a congressional hearing in February, military officials testified that “mere membership” in white supremacist groups is still “not prohibited” for American service members.
The US Department of Defense prohibited members of the military from “active participation” in white supremacist and other extremist groups since 1996, when decorated Gulf war veteran and white supremacist Timothy McVeigh carried out the Oklahoma City bombing. But “active” participation is still defined as attending rallies or fundraising for a racist group, not being a member, military officials testified in February.
During that hearing, the California congresswoman Jackie Speier called that approach “woefully inadequate” for addressing the country’s “very serious domestic terror problem”.
“The potential for placing our service members at risk is so great,” Speier said.
The ‘boogaloo’ ideology
Military veterans have held leadership roles in some of the most prominent white supremacist groups that took part in the deadly rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017. Investigative journalists and anti-fascist activists continue to uncover new members of violent racist groups who are also current members of the army, the marine corps, the air force and the national guard.
In January, a coast guard lieutenant was sentenced to more than 13 years in prison on gun and drug charges. He was accused by prosecutors of being a white nationalist who was plotting politically motivated attacks against journalists and Democratic politicians.
The same month, a US army veteran and a former combat engineer in the Canadian army reserve were among the alleged members of neo-Nazi group The Base who prosecutors said were discussing plans to create violence at a pro-gun rally in Virginia in order to spark a civil war.
US Naval Academy holding the second swearing-in event for the Class of 2020 on 14 May in Annapolis, Maryland. Photograph: Levingston Lewis/Navy Office of Information/AFP via Getty Images
In the month of June alone, prosecutors in California announced murder charges against an air force sergeant for the shooting death of a federal officer in Oakland, in addition to a previous murder charge for the shooting death of a local sheriff’s deputy, and described the sergeant as part of a nascent anti-government movement obsessed with the “boogaloo”, or coming war against government tyranny.
The justice department announced charges against three Nevada men with military experience, alleging that they had planned to hijack a Las Vegas protest over George Floyd’s death, and that they were also inspired by anti-government “boogaloo” ideology. Experts who monitor extremist groups disagree on the extent to which the still-developing “boogaloo” ideology overlaps with white supremacy.
And federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment against 22-year-old Ethan Melzer for allegedly sending a British occultist neo-Nazi group sensitive details about his army unit in order to plan a deadly attack against his fellow soldiers.
Relationship between veterans and white supremacist groups
While many veterans describe their military service as a crucial, and positive, experience of diversity in a country where many neighborhoods remain segregated by race, white supremacist organizing within the military has long been a problem.
The US armed forces were formally desegregated in 1948 and the last segregated units were disbanded in 1954, but the same racist violence and discrimination that black Americans experienced at home continued within the military and overseas during the Vietnam war.
American veterans have played key roles in the white supremacist movements in the United States for more than a century, according to Kathleen Belew, the author of Bring the War Home, a history of the contemporary American white power movement.
The Ku Klux Klan had new waves of resurgence after both world wars and after the Vietnam war, Belew writes, just as the recent wave of “alt-right” white supremacist organizing has been deeply shaped by America’s “War on Terror” in the Middle East.
Each wave of white supremacist organizing has involved racist veterans of the war in key leadership positions, made use of veterans’ military skills for training recruits and planning acts of violence, and was influenced ideologically by the political experiences of the war, Belew writes.
A section of Ethan Melzer’s iCloud accounts contained this image, which appears to depict a book titled ‘The Sinister Tradition: Order of Nine Angles,’ a skull mask, and a US army beret. Photograph: US Department of Justice
Experts on extremism have repeatedly warned that white power groups have sometimes encouraged young members to join the US military in order to get advanced weapons and other training in order to more effectively carry out attacks.
In the 1970s, the Ku Klux Klan was actively organizing on a US military base at Camp Pendleton in southern California, and Klan members were harassing and attacking black marines for years before an outright fight prompted official intervention.
‘FBI starting to take this threat seriously’
Efforts to address the danger of white supremacist organizing among service members and veterans has been met with political opposition from Republicans.
In 2009, Republicans forced Obama’s department of homeland security chief to apologize after an intelligence briefing warned that US military veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan would be vulnerable to radicalization by violent white supremacist and antigovernment groups.
Conservative commentators at the time portrayed the briefing as an outrageous attack: how could the nation’s first black president portray “standard, ordinary, everyday conservatives as posing a bigger threat to this country than al Qaeda terrorists”?
The Republican pushback had a chilling effect on government monitoring of rightwing extremism, teaching government employees about the political risk of focusing on domestic terrorism, according to Daryl Johnson, the former career analyst who lead the team that produced the report.
Johnson has argued that Republican officials have “blood on their hands”, and that more aggressive government intervention could have prevented some of the white supremacist violence the United States has seen over the past four years.
But Johnson said this week that the drumbeat of federal charges against extremists in recent weeks could be a positive sign.
The charges against Melzer, the alleged neo-Nazi collaborator, “sounds like an FBI sting operation to me, and that’s important because that lets me know that the FBI is starting to take this threat seriously”, Johnson said.


theguardian--2020-06-26--Arizona joins Texas in halting reopening amid surge in Covid-19 cases

Arizona has joined Texas in putting the brakes on its reopening plans amid a sharp surge in coronavirus infections , as cases are now rising across 29 states and there were 39,000 new cases on Thursday , the second day in a row to show the biggest daily high since the late-April national peak of the pandemic .
Health experts warned on Friday that the US was not doing enough testing for Covid-19 and that simply pausing reopening plans in some states – as others continue to roar ahead – would not be enough to stem the spread of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough .
We have got to try to ‘ put the horse back in the barn ’ , as it were … we need to start to reverse the opening up , ” Ashish Jha , director of Harvard University ’ s Global Health Institute , told ABC on Friday morning .
He warned that hospitals are going to be overwhelmed in states across the south and west where infections are surging , unless leaders take stronger measures to stop the spread .
Jha urged more testing , saying the US was not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ performing an estimated 500,000 tests per day , after the CDC on Thursday said that there were likely an estimated 10 times as many Americans who have or have had coronavirus than current statistics show .
“ They are missing cases because there is not enough testing , they are way below where they need to be , ” said Jha .
Donald Trump on Thursday repeated his false assertion that more testing is responsible for the increased numbers of cases being reported .
“ If you did not do testing , you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said on a trip to Wisconsin .
An ABC/Ipsos poll on Friday showed that 56 % of Americans believe the country is opening back up too quickly , with no vaccine and no cure available for Covid-19 .
Jha urged Americans to wear face masks in public .
“ It ’ s a pretty small step to take to make sure our hospitals don ’ t get overwhelmed , ” he said , asserting that masks do help prevent the spread , despite a high-profile anti-mask backlash in some parts of the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Abbott , abruptly halted the push to loosen more restrictions and is now urgently telling people to stay home .
Arizona governor Doug Ducey , like Abbott a Republican , did the same , declaring the state “ on pause ” as hospitals accelerate toward capacity .
As an alarming coronavirus resurgence sets records for confirmed cases and hospitalizations across the US south and west , governors are retreating to measures they once resisted and striking a more urgent tone .
“ I think they ’ re going to have to , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Food and Drug Administration .
“ It doesn ’ t take most people in a community getting sick to overwhelm health care systems.
” Critics bristle that the actions are too little , or worse , possibly too late as patients fill up intensive-care beds and the US closes in on hitting all-time highs for daily confirmed cases .
But Florida ’ s governor , Ron DeSantis , who until recently had rarely worn a face covering , has said he won ’ t impose statewide mask orders or delay reopening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Texas economy again is a last resort .
The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research latest data says many Americans never fully embraced the reopening effort now underway in many states .
A majority of Americans still have concerns about contracting Covid-19 , and significant shares still support the kinds of public health restrictions that states have rolled back .
The number of cases in Duval county , which is home to Jacksonville , Florida , where the Republicans plan to hold their convention in August , after switching from North Carolina @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has shot up along with statewide numbers .
Congresswoman Donna Shalala of Florida , a former secretary of Health and Human Services during the Clinton administration , called on DeSantis to make a course correction .
“ He followed the president ’ s leadership , and people have died because of it , ” she said .
“ He can pivot and take very strong steps.
” In Arkansas , governor Asa Hutchinson has urged people to cover their faces and even begins his daily briefings by showing off his mask .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ require them , arguing that it would be difficult to enforce in a rural state .
In Arizona , Ducey resisted pressure to close restaurants as the virus first spread in March , saying the state wasn ’ t seeing explosive growth like New York and didn ’ t need to act so aggressively .
The Democratic mayors of Phoenix , Tucson , Flagstaff and elsewhere imposed their own restrictions .
The governor responded with an executive order closing restaurants in counties with known coronavirus infections but also defining some businesses cities couldn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ courses .
Last week , Ducey changed his mind .
Under extreme pressure to act as Covid-19 cases soar , Ducey gave local leaders the power to require masks , while avoiding making it a statewide mandate .
The numbers “ continue to go in the wrong direction , ” Ducey said Thursday .

The number of confirmed new coronavirus cases per day in the US hit an all-time high of 40,000 according to figures released by Johns Hopkins University on Friday, eclipsing the mark first set during one of the deadliest stretches in late April. It is a resurgence that has led some governors to backtrack or at least pause the reopening of their states.
The news came as the governor of Texas ordered the closing of all bars again and scaled back restaurant dining, in the biggest retreat yet by any state after business reopening.
The move was quickly followed by Florida also announcing bars immediately have to stop serving alcohol.
Halsey Beshears, the head of Florida’s department of business and professional regulation, said the policy would be in effect “immediately.”
Effective immediately, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation is suspending on premises consumption of alcohol at bars statewide. — HalseyBeshears (@HalseyBeshears) June 26, 2020
The announcement came less than an hour after the Florida department of health reported that the state confirmed 8,942 new cases of coronavirus yesterday, breaking a record set earlier this week.
The Florida health department also reported a frightening rise in the rate of positive test results. On Thursday, 13.1% of test results come back positive, compared to 8.9% on Wednesday, confounding Donald Trump’s recent assertions, repeated on Thursday, that “if you did not do testing, you would not have cases”.
On Thursday, Texas had paused its reopening process and was swiftly followed by Arizona, as both states saw a surge of new infections. Florida and California are also seeing record increases.
While the national increase is believed to reflect, in part, greatly expanded testing, experts say there is ample evidence the virus is making a comeback, including rising deaths and hospitalizations in parts of the country, especially in the south and west.
The number of confirmed infections soared past the previous high set on 24 April of 36,400, according to the count kept by Johns Hopkins.
Deaths from the coronavirus in the US are down to around 600 per day, compared with about 2,200 in mid-April.
Some experts have expressed doubt that deaths will return to that level, in part because of advances in treatment and prevention but also because a large share of the new infections are in younger adults, who are more likely than older ones to survive, although officials have warned that younger people are at risk of then passing the virus on to older friends and relatives who will be less resilient.
The virus is blamed for 124,000 deaths in the US and 2.4m confirmed infections nationwide, by Johns Hopkins’ count.
But US health officials said on Thursday that the true number of Americans infected is about 20 million, or almost 10 times higher. Worldwide, the virus has claimed close to 500,000 lives, according to Johns Hopkins.
On Friday, Texas governor Greg Abbott ordered a sharp reversal on reopening. He had pursued one of the most aggressive reopening schedules of any state and had not only resisted calls to order the wearing of masks but had refused until last week to let local governments take such measures.
“It is clear that the rise in cases is largely driven by certain types of activities, including Texans congregating in bars,” he said. “The actions in this executive order are essential to our mission to swiftly contain this virus and protect public health.”
And on Friday, just before the first White House coronavirus taskforce briefing in two months, the White House confirmed reports that Trump canceled his weekend trip to his private golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
He was severely criticized last month, when he went golfing over Memorial Day weekend as the US coronavirus death toll neared 100,000.
And there had been questions raised about whether Trump would have to self-quarantine in New Jersey because the state is currently requiring those who travel from states with high levels of community spread of coronavirus to do so for 14 days.
Earlier this week, Trump traveled to Arizona, which was included on New Jersey’s list of affected states.
Tubers float in the Comal River despite the recent spike in Covid-19 cases Thursday, in New Braunfels, Texas. Photograph: Eric Gay/AP
Health experts warned earlier on Friday that the US was not doing enough testing for Covid-19 and that simply pausing reopening plans in some states – as others continue to press ahead – would not be enough to stem the spread of the disease.
“Pausing reopening is not enough. We have got to try to put the horse back in the barn, as it were. We need to start to reverse the opening-up,” Ashish Jha, director of Harvard University’s Global Health Institute, told ABC on Friday morning.
He warned that hospitals face being overwhelmed unless leaders take stronger measures to slow the spread.
Jha urged more testing, saying the US was not doing enough, even though it is performing an estimated 500,000 tests per day, after the CDC on Thursday said that there were likely an estimated 10 times as many Americans who have or have had coronavirus than current statistics show.
“They are missing cases because there is not enough testing. They are way below where they need to be,” said Jha.
An ABC/Ipsos poll on Friday showed that 56% of Americans believe the country is opening back up too quickly, with no vaccine and no cure available for Covid-19.
Jha urged Americans to wear face masks in public. “It’s a pretty small step to take to make sure our hospitals don’t get overwhelmed,” he said. Jha said masks do help prevent the spread, despite a high-profile anti-mask backlash in some parts of the country.
Arizona governor Doug Ducey, a Republican, on Thursday declared his state “on pause” as hospitals accelerate toward capacity.
Many governors are retreating to measures they once resisted and striking a more urgent tone.
“I think they’re going to have to,” said Dr Mark McClellan, former head of the Food and Drug Administration. “It doesn’t take most people in a community getting sick to overwhelm healthcare systems.”


theguardian--2020-06-26--Florida governor under fire over claims state is 'cooking the books' on Covid-19

Republican Florida governor Ron DeSantis ’ s faltering response to soaring new coronavirus numbers in his state is descending into acrimony , after an accusation his administration is “ cooking the books ” in an effort to hide the true impact of the devastating pandemic .
The claim from the state ’ s former leading Covid-19 data scientist comes as Florida records a second successive day of new cases of the disease above 5,000 – the highest figures since the pandemic began .
The situation in Florida is part of a widespread surge of infections across broad swathes of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run by Republicans – which have rushed to reopen their economies .
So far this month , Florida has seen confirmed cases more than double from 56,000 to above 114,000 , and set daily records on seven of the last 13 days .
Meanwhile , the number of deaths among Florida residents has climbed to almost 3,400 .
Rebekah Jones , who says she was fired from her job in charge of the state ’ s official Covid-19 database in May for refusing to manipulate its figures , claimed on social media to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s department of health “ have been instructed this week to change the numbers and begin slowly deleting deaths and cases so it looks like Florida is improving next week in the lead-up to July 4 , like they ’ ve ‘ made it over the hump ’ .
” “ They ’ re only reporting all these cases now so they can restrict reporting next week to make everyone think it ’ s over , ” she said .
DeSantis , a Donald Trump loyalist who has refused to slow Florida ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mandate , angrily dismissed the claim , calling a reporter from the Miami Herald who asked him about it “ embarrassing ” .
“ You guys have been on the conspiracy bandwagon for months , ” he snapped at a press conference on Thursday , without addressing the specifics of Jones ’ s assertion .
“ You need to move on.
” By any standards , it has been a rough week for DeSantis , who is standing firm against mounting pressure from public health officials and even some political allies for tighter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ steep resurgence in his state , with its large population of vulnerable elderly retirees .
A month after berating reporters whom he said “ waxed poetically for weeks and weeks about how Florida was going to be just like New York , ” that scenario has been realized , with New York joining New Jersey and Connecticut this week in ordering visitors from Florida – among other badly affected states – to quarantine .
Hospital systems around Florida are reporting steep drops in the availability in intensive care and other beds , even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it records such figures .
Perhaps more wounding is veiled criticism from fellow elected Republicans .
While DeSantis resists calls for a statewide mandate on masks , municipalities including Miami have enacted the requirement ; Miami ’ s mayor Francis Suarez is proposing $ 250 fines for those who refuse .
Suarez has also debunked DeSantis ’ s often-repeated claim that increased testing accounts for Florida ’ s coronavirus surge .
“ It has really nothing to do with an increased amount of testing .
It has to do with more people that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he said .
In Miami-Dade county this week , the rate of positivity of those tested reached 27 percent , almost three times greater than the county ’ s average 14-day target of 10 percent .
The masks issue has become a political battle in Florida , with Palm Beach county passing a mandate in the face of furious resistance from some residents , one of whom declared at an extraordinary commission meeting this week that the move would “ throw God ’ s wonderful breathing system out the door ” .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ senior Republican US senator , weighed in .
“ Everyone should just wear a damn mask , ” he said .
But DeSantis , like the president , has refused to advocate for the wearing of masks , despite incontrovertible scientific evidence they help curtail the spread of the disease .
“ Ron DeSantis has followed Donald Trump ’ s erratic leadership for three and a half months , and it clearly has not worked out for Floridians , ” said Terrie Rizzo , chair of the Florida Democratic party .
“ Their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was done has led us to this moment.
” Data scientist Jones , meanwhile , continues to be one of the biggest thorns in the governor ’ s side .
After her dismissal , for “ insubordination ” according to DeSantis ’ s staff , the geospatial science graduate created her own privately-funded rival Covid-19 database for Florida .
Based on official state figures , Jones ’ s platform expands them in several key areas , notably increased numbers of cases and deaths .
Those figures are higher , she says , because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and does not include out-of-state visitors .
Additionally , the Jones database features statistics that the state site does not , including the number of ICU beds available across Florida , and whether any of its 67 counties meets current state criteria for reopening .
As of Thursday , only three did .
The Florida department of health did not respond to a request from the Guardian for comment about Jones ’ s allegations of data deletion , or the discrepancies between her database and the state figures .
Public health experts say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the pandemic .
“ That data is clearly indicating we have a problem .
Testing data , symptom data , hospitalisation data , it ’ s all been clearly going up , ” said Dr Mary Jo Trepka , professor and chair of the department of epidemiology at Florida International University ’ s Robert Stempel College of public health .

Republican Florida governor Ron DeSantis’s faltering response to soaring new coronavirus numbers in his state is descending into acrimony, after an accusation his administration is “cooking the books” in an effort to hide the true impact of the devastating pandemic.
The claim from the state’s former leading Covid-19 data scientist comes as Florida smashed its own one-day record for new cases of the disease on Friday with 8,942, after two successive days above 5,000 – by far the highest figures since the pandemic began.
The situation in Florida is part of a widespread surge of infections across broad swathes of the US, especially in states – often run by Republicans – which have rushed to reopen their economies.
So far this month, Florida has seen confirmed cases more than double from 56,000 to above 114,000, and set daily records on seven of the last 13 days. Meanwhile, the number of deaths among Florida residents has climbed to almost 3,400.
Rebekah Jones, who says she was fired from her job in charge of the state’s official Covid-19 database in May for refusing to manipulate its figures, claimed on social media to have evidence that employees at Florida’s department of health “have been instructed this week to change the numbers and begin slowly deleting deaths and cases so it looks like Florida is improving next week in the lead-up to July 4, like they’ve ‘made it over the hump’.”
“They’re only reporting all these cases now so they can restrict reporting next week to make everyone think it’s over,” she said.
DeSantis, a Donald Trump loyalist who has refused to slow Florida’s reopening or implement a statewide mask mandate, angrily dismissed the claim, calling a reporter from the Miami Herald who asked him about it “embarrassing”.
“You guys have been on the conspiracy bandwagon for months,” he snapped at a press conference on Thursday, without addressing the specifics of Jones’s assertion. “You need to move on.”
By any standards, it has been a rough week for DeSantis, who is standing firm against mounting pressure from public health officials and even some political allies for tighter measures to counter the virus’s steep resurgence in his state, with its large population of vulnerable elderly retirees.
A month after berating reporters whom he said “waxed poetically for weeks and weeks about how Florida was going to be just like New York,” that scenario has been realized, with New York joining New Jersey and Connecticut this week in ordering visitors from Florida – among other badly affected states – to quarantine.
Beachgoers enjoy the warm weather in Florida on Wednesday. Photograph: Cristóbal Herrera/EPA
Hospital systems around Florida are reporting steep drops in the availability in intensive care and other beds, even as the department of health changes how it records such figures.
Perhaps more wounding is veiled criticism from fellow elected Republicans.
While DeSantis resists calls for a statewide mandate on masks, municipalities including Miami have enacted the requirement; Miami’s mayor Francis Suarez is proposing $250 fines for those who refuse.
Suarez has also debunked DeSantis’s often-repeated claim that increased testing accounts for Florida’s coronavirus surge. “It has really nothing to do with an increased amount of testing. It has to do with more people that are getting tested coming out positive,” he said.
In Miami-Dade county this week, the rate of positivity of those tested reached 27%, almost three times greater than the county’s average 14-day target of 10%.
The masks issue has become a political battle in Florida, with Palm Beach county passing a mandate in the face of furious resistance from some residents, one of whom declared at an extraordinary commission meeting this week that the move would “throw God’s wonderful breathing system out the door”.
Even Marco Rubio, Florida’s senior Republican US senator, weighed in. “Everyone should just wear a damn mask,” he said.
But DeSantis, like the president, has refused to advocate for the wearing of masks, despite incontrovertible scientific evidence they help curtail the spread of the disease.
“Ron DeSantis has followed Donald Trump’s erratic leadership for three and a half months, and it clearly has not worked out for Floridians,” said Terrie Rizzo, chair of the Florida Democratic party. “Their eagerness to declare victory before the job was done has led us to this moment.”
05:28 From miracle cures to slowing testing: how Trump has defied science on coronavirus – video explainer
Data scientist Jones, meanwhile, continues to be one of the biggest thorns in the governor’s side. After her dismissal, for “insubordination” according to DeSantis’s staff, the geospatial science graduate created her own privately-funded rival Covid-19 database for Florida.
Based on official state figures, Jones’s platform expands them in several key areas, notably increased numbers of cases and deaths. Those figures are higher, she says, because Florida reports only statistics for residents, and does not include out-of-state visitors.
Additionally, the Jones database features statistics that the state site does not, including the number of ICU beds available across Florida, and whether any of its 67 counties meets current state criteria for reopening. As of Thursday, only three did.
The Florida department of health did not respond to a request from the Guardian for comment about Jones’s allegations of data deletion, or the discrepancies between her database and the state figures.
Public health experts say that accurate data is essential for responding to the pandemic.
“That data is clearly indicating we have a problem. Testing data, symptom data, hospitalisation data, it’s all been clearly going up,” said Dr Mary Jo Trepka, professor and chair of the department of epidemiology at Florida International University’s Robert Stempel College of public health.


theguardian--2020-06-26--Rashida Tlaib pushes to free US inmates from coronavirus 'death sentence’

US prisons and jails need to move swiftly to release pre-trial , older and medically-vulnerable inmates or face a humanitarian crisis of vast proportions as coronavirus ravages custodial institutions across the country , the Democratic congresswoman Rashida Tlaib warns today .
In an interview with the Guardian , the US representative for Michigan ’ s 13th congressional district that covers some of Detroit ’ s poorest neighborhoods said that the Covid-19 pandemic was forcing a reckoning with America ’ s addiction to mass incarceration .
“ We need to prevent Covid-19 being a death sentence for so many .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are held right now in inhumane conditions while the pandemic strikes , ” Tlaib said .
Tlaib has introduced new House legislation that would use federal funding as leverage to push states to reduce their incarcerated populations during the coronavirus crisis .
Those inmates eligible under the bill for immediate release for up to a year after the pandemic ends would include : • None inmates over 55 or those medically-susceptible to coronavirus The bill , known as the Dismantle Mass Incarceration for Public Health Act , is one of the boldest efforts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic .
“ This bill is just the start of a goal to end mass incarceration for all , something our local and national advocacy groups have been fighting for decades , ” Tlaib said .
As the coronavirus pandemic has swept the country , correctional facilities , alongside nursing homes and meatpacking plants , have become major hubs of disease .
According to the New York Times , all of the top five clusters of the virus across the US are now in prisons and jails .
They include Marion correctional institution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ almost 2,500 cases , and Pickaway , also in Ohio , with 1,800 confirmed cases .
Modelling by the American Civil Liberties Union ( ACLU ) has warned that US jails alone could act as such powerful incubators of the illness they could add another 100,000 deaths to the current toll of 121,000 .
So far that catastrophe has not been realized , with latest estimates suggesting that 627 inmates and staff have died and with 70,000 confirmed cases of infection .
But those numbers are likely to be gross under-counts given the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ custodial institutions .
The virus has also proven itself capable of ripping through custodial environments at terrifying speed .
San Quentin state prison in California has seen the number of confirmed cases among inmates skyrocket from 16 to 470 in the past two weeks .
About 100 staff members of the prison have also tested positive .
Tlaib is one of the so-called “ Squad ” , the four progressive Democratic women who swept into Congress in 2019 .
Fellow Squad member Ayanna Pressley is a co-author of the Dismantle Mass Incarceration bill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remaining two Squad members – Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar – are sponsors .
Tlaib said that she grew anxious about the vulnerability to coronavirus of prisons and jails when she starting hearing from Detroit county jails that they were unable to quarantine inmates even if they needed to , given overcrowding .
They also reported a dire shortage of nurses and healthcare providers as well as protective gear .
She told the Guardian she became increasingly concerned about the exposure of people awaiting trial whose lives could be in danger from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people right now are incarcerated who are legally innocent , waiting for trial because they can ’ t afford bail when the courts are closed because of the pandemic .
It ’ s crazy , ” she said .
The congresswoman has attended several protests during the recent wave of demonstrations over the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis .
She said that protesters were clear that the fight against police brutality had to be set in a wider context that included mass incarceration .
“ We have an incarceration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decades .
So yes , the nationwide protests are happening because of police brutality but bigger structural change also needs to happen , ” Tlaib added .
She pointed out that in her home state of Michigan the costs of incarceration distorted public spending .
“ We have high rates of poverty , housing crises , the water isn ’ t clean yet in Flint – and the number one budget line-item in the state of Michigan is corrections .
Not education , not public health , corrections , ” she said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ told her recently : “ Being poor and black in America always leads in some sort of way to being hit by police or the prison industry .
”

US prisons and jails need to move swiftly to release pre-trial, older and medically-vulnerable inmates or face a humanitarian crisis of vast proportions as coronavirus ravages custodial institutions across the country, the Democratic congresswoman Rashida Tlaib warns today.
In an interview with the Guardian, the US representative for Michigan’s 13th congressional district that covers some of Detroit’s poorest neighborhoods said that the Covid-19 pandemic was forcing a reckoning with America’s addiction to mass incarceration.
“We need to prevent Covid-19 being a death sentence for so many. It’s hurting the most vulnerable who are held right now in inhumane conditions while the pandemic strikes,” Tlaib said.
Tlaib has introduced new House legislation that would use federal funding as leverage to push states to reduce their incarcerated populations during the coronavirus crisis. Those inmates eligible under the bill for immediate release for up to a year after the pandemic ends would include:
inmates awaiting trial
those serving misdemeanor sentences
immigrants in Ice detention
pregnant women and primary caregivers
inmates over 55 or those medically-susceptible to coronavirus
The bill, known as the Dismantle Mass Incarceration for Public Health Act, is one of the boldest efforts yet to tackle mass incarceration amid the pandemic.
“This bill is just the start of a goal to end mass incarceration for all, something our local and national advocacy groups have been fighting for decades,” Tlaib said.
As the coronavirus pandemic has swept the country, correctional facilities, alongside nursing homes and meatpacking plants, have become major hubs of disease. According to the New York Times, all of the top five clusters of the virus across the US are now in prisons and jails.
They include Marion correctional institution in Ohio, which alone has recorded almost 2,500 cases, and Pickaway, also in Ohio, with 1,800 confirmed cases.
Modelling by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has warned that US jails alone could act as such powerful incubators of the illness they could add another 100,000 deaths to the current toll of 121,000. So far that catastrophe has not been realized, with latest estimates suggesting that 627 inmates and staff have died and with 70,000 confirmed cases of infection.
But those numbers are likely to be gross under-counts given the extremely low rate of diagnostic testing in custodial institutions. The virus has also proven itself capable of ripping through custodial environments at terrifying speed.
San Quentin state prison in California has seen the number of confirmed cases among inmates skyrocket from 16 to 470 in the past two weeks. About 100 staff members of the prison have also tested positive.
Tlaib is one of the so-called “Squad”, the four progressive Democratic women who swept into Congress in 2019. Fellow Squad member Ayanna Pressley is a co-author of the Dismantle Mass Incarceration bill along with Barbara Lee, and the remaining two Squad members – Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar – are sponsors.
Tlaib said that she grew anxious about the vulnerability to coronavirus of prisons and jails when she starting hearing from Detroit county jails that they were unable to quarantine inmates even if they needed to, given overcrowding. They also reported a dire shortage of nurses and healthcare providers as well as protective gear.
She told the Guardian she became increasingly concerned about the exposure of people awaiting trial whose lives could be in danger from the virus. “Close to a million people right now are incarcerated who are legally innocent, waiting for trial because they can’t afford bail when the courts are closed because of the pandemic. It’s crazy,” she said.
The congresswoman has attended several protests during the recent wave of demonstrations over the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis. She said that protesters were clear that the fight against police brutality had to be set in a wider context that included mass incarceration.
“We have an incarceration epidemic that has devastated black communities for decades. So yes, the nationwide protests are happening because of police brutality but bigger structural change also needs to happen,” Tlaib added.
She pointed out that in her home state of Michigan the costs of incarceration distorted public spending. “We have high rates of poverty, housing crises, the water isn’t clean yet in Flint – and the number one budget line-item in the state of Michigan is corrections. Not education, not public health, corrections,” she said.
Tlaib recalled what one of her constituents told her recently: “Being poor and black in America always leads in some sort of way to being hit by police or the prison industry.”


theguardian--2020-06-26--Trump administration asks supreme court to axe Obamacare

The Trump administration has asked the US supreme court to invalidate the Obamacare lawthat added millions to the healthcare safety net but has been at the centre of political controversy .
The government advocate , Noel Francisco , argued in a filing late on Thursday that the Affordable Care Act ( ACA ) , one of Barack Obama ’ s signature achievements – in office , became invalid after the previous Republican-led Congress axed parts of it .
“ Nothing the 2017 Congress did demonstrates it would have intended the rest of the ACA to continue to operate in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said Francisco , who leads the justice department ’ s office of the solicitor general .
“ No further analysis is necessary ; once the individual mandate and the guaranteed-issue and community-rating provisions are invalidated , the remainder of the ACA can not survive.
” The legal push will be an important political battleground in the presidential election , where Trump is seeking a second term against the challenge of the Democratic candidate , Joe Biden , in a November vote .
“ President Trump and the Republicans ’ campaign to rip @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Affordable Care Act in the middle of the coronavirus crisis is an act of unfathomable cruelty , ” said the Democratic House of Representatives Speaker , Nancy Pelosi .
“ If President Trump gets his way , 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions will lose the ACA ’ s lifesaving protections and 23 million Americans will lose their health coverage entirely .
There is no legal justification and no moral excuse for the Trump Administration ’ s disastrous efforts to take away Americans ’ health care.
” The US is the country worst-hit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaths and 2.4 million infections .
The ACA has prohibited health insurers from denying coverage to Americans with pre-existing health conditions .
“ It ’ s cruel , it ’ s heartless , it ’ s callous , ” Biden said in a campaign speech on Thursday of the move to gut Obamacare .
Trump has criticised healthcare costs and coverage under Obamacare and has been promising since his 2016 campaign to replace it .
Republicans view the law as excessive government intrusion into the healthcare market .
They argue that the system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help more people gain coverage by repealing the law while working to minimise disruptions to those who depend on it .
“ Obamacare has been an unlawful failure and further illustrates the need to focus on patient care , ” the White House spokesman , Judd Deere , was quoted as saying by the Washington Post after Thursday ’ s filing .
“ The American people deserve for Congress to work on a bipartisan basis with the president to provide quality , affordable care.
” The Trump administration ’ s filing was made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ACA by a coalition of Republican governors .

Donald Trump’s administration asked late on Thursday for the supreme court to terminate the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a decision which could see an estimated 20 million Americans lose their health insurance.
In the midst of the public health and economic crises borne from the coronavirus pandemic, the administration argued against the law in an legal brief filed in support of a supreme court case led by Texas and other conservative states seeking to overturn the act.
The brief did not mention Covid-19 and the White House has not said how the ACA, popularly known as Obamacare, would be replaced, should the supreme court rule in its favor. Such a ruling would also eliminate protections for people with pre-existing health conditions currently included under the law.
Oral arguments for the case are not yet scheduled, but they would probably take place in the autumn and coincide with the election. In two previous challenges to the law, the supreme court has left the ACA largely intact.
California’s attorney general, Xavier Becerra, who is leading a coalition of 20 states and Washington DC to defend the ACA at the supreme court, said the fight comes “at the most crucial time”.
“The ACA has been life-changing and now through this pandemic, we can all see the value in having greater access to quality healthcare at affordable prices,” Becerra said. “Now is not the time to rip away our best tool to address very real and very deadly health disparities in our communities.”
Since Barack Obama signed the ACA into law in March 2010, Republicans have sought to “repeal and replace” one of his key achievements.
Despite Republicans having full control of Congress in 2017, and the support of the president, they failed to repeal Obamacare that year.
The most recent supreme court case was filed in response to another 2017 act of Congress.
That year, Congress passed tax legislation which did away with fines for people who don’t have health insurance, while leaving other parts of the law in place. In the supreme court case, Texas and other states argue the entire ACA should have been eliminated with the fines, known as the individual mandate.
The Trump administration’s lawyer, attorney general Noel Francisco, wrote Thursday that because the individual mandate was invalidated, “then it necessarily follows that the rest of the ACA must also fall”.
Support for the ACA is deeply partisan and it had the least public support during Barack Obama’s presidency. But since Trump took office, the public has slightly been more in favor of the ACA than against it, according to the polling firm Gallup. A March 2020 poll showed it was supported by 52% of Americans.
The timing of the supreme court case is concerning for Republicans. Their earlier efforts to repeal the ACA helped drive Democrats to win the House in the 2018 midterm elections. And by filing the brief, the Trump administration has ensured their efforts to again take down the law will be a talking point for Democrats in the next four months before the election.
“President Trump and the Republicans’ campaign to rip away the protections and benefits of the Affordable Care Act in the middle of the coronavirus crisis is an act of unfathomable cruelty,” the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, said in a statement.
The Center for American Progress, a left-leaning thinktank, estimated 23 million people could lose coverage if the ACA is struck down.
The same day the Trump administration filed the supreme court briefing, the US health department revealed close to half a million people who lost their health insurance during the pandemic had obtained coverage on the health exchange created under the ACA, HealthCare.gov. That’s an increase of 46% from the same time period last year.
The data probably underrepresents how many people were able to switch to government health exchanges after losing their insurance in the economic shutdown because it does not include tallies from states such as California, which has its own state program.