theguardian--2020-09-19--Ruth Bader Ginsburg obituary

Ruth Bader Ginsburg obituary

Ruth Bader Ginsburg , who has died aged 87 , was the second woman to sit on the supreme court of the United States .
Nominated to the court by Bill Clinton in 1993 , she had already established a reputation as a champion of gender equality and women ’ s rights as advocate , academic and appeals court judge .
Throughout her long career , she was firm in her twin convictions : there is discrimination against women in the US ( and elsewhere ) , and that discrimination violates the American constitution .
In her 27 years on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a consistent moderate liberal .
Her role as the senior liberal justice , after 2010 , became increasingly important as the balance of opinion shifted in the court , and her scathing dissents on conservative majority decisions , particularly on women ’ s rights , made her a celebrated figure on the left .
In recent years Ginsburg was treated , as one New Yorker writer said , as “ a pop culture feminist icon , a comic book superhero ” .
She was formidably clever , and had in her youth almost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made her historically so important was her clear conviction of the injustice of unequal treatment of women , and her absolute certainty that it could be cleansed by applying the constitution .
Her emphasis changed over her long career .
Early on , as a law professor at Rutgers , New Jersey and then Columbia , New York , and especially in her advocacy work for the American Civil Liberties Union in the 1970s , she seemed a committed feminist .
As director of the ACLU ’ s Women ’ s Rights Project @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before the supreme court , winning five , persuading the bench that gender discrimination was a violation of the constitution ’ s equal protection clause .
She sometimes argued – as she did in Weinberger v Wiesenfeld ( 1975 ) , representing a widower denied benefits after his wife died in childbirth – that women , as well as men , could be the unfair winners of an unjust system .
In the next 13 years of her career , from 1980 , she was a judge of the US Court of Appeals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the nation ’ s second most powerful federal court .
While she fought and won some notable fights for greater equality for women , there she acquired the reputation of a cautious or moderate judge .
Indeed she was a close friend of such openly conservative judges as Antonin Scalia and Robert Bork .
In her third phase , as a member of the supreme court , hers was a steady voice for women ’ s rights in a world where she was eventually one of three women on the bench .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases , including the 1996 ruling that the male-only admissions policy of the state-funded Virginia Military Institute was unconstitutional .
She believed the most important case to come before the supreme court during her time was the landmark 2015 ruling that legalised same-sex marriage across all states .
Ginsburg was a committed feminist but she was also a cautious reformer .
In 1993 she astonished the legal world by giving a speech in which she expressed reservations about Roe v. Wade , the 1973 ruling that established the constitutional right to an abortion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ruling had been based on privacy rights rather than of equal protection .
In her subsequent senate confirmation hearing she strongly endorsed abortion rights : “ It is essential to women ’ s equality with man that she be the decisionmaker , that her choice be controlling .
If you impose restraints you are disadvantaging her because of her sex ... .
abortion prohibition by the State controls women and denies them full autonomy and full equality with men ” .
As she grew older , she acquired a reputation in Washington for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” , but she remained a brilliant lawyer .
Ginsburg was also physically tough – other justices were often shocked to hear what she could achieve in their private gym at the court .
Born in Brooklyn , New York , she was the younger daughter of Jewish parents , Celia ( nee Amster ) and Nathan Bader , a furrier , and grew up in the Flatbush neighbourhood .
She was originally called Joan , but her mother preferred her middle name , Ruth , as there were so many Joans at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ruth was brought up in a Conservative Jewish tradition and learned Hebrew as a child , but abandoned her religion because she was not allowed to join a minyan ( a group of men ) to mourn her mother ’ s death when she was 13 .
Her academic career was spectacular , and all the more remarkable because although she had great opportunities she also encountered prejudices .
Perhaps most extraordinary was the question put to her by the liberal head of the Harvard Law School , Erwin Griswold , who asked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the place of a qualified male ?
” .
Another well-known “ liberal ” , the supreme court justice Felix Frankfurter , refused to take Ginsburg as a clerk because she was a woman .
In the # MeToo era , Ginsburg revealed that she had turned down a boost in chemistry marks as a student at Cornell University , Ithaca , New York , in exchange for sex .
She did her BA there , and met Martin Ginsburg , a fellow law student , whom she married a month after graduating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lasting success .
Martin was a wise adviser , a passionate cook and a highly successful tax lawyer .
Early in the marriage , when both were at Harvard Law School , he was diagnosed with cancer ; she took notes for him , brought up their first child and held down a post on the Harvard Law Review : she frequently worked all night .
She transferred to Columbia Law School when Martin got a job in New York , and was first in her class .
At Columbia , she taught @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year to co-author a comparative study of Swedish and US law .
From 1963 until 1972 she was a professor at Rutgers in New Jersey , then from 1972 to 1980 she taught at Columbia , with a year ’ s fellowship at Stanford .
From 1972 , she began a close relationship with the American Civil Liberties Union , and co-founded the Women ’ s Rights Project there .
Within two years she had taken part in more than 300 gender-related cases .
Her secretary persuaded her to use the word “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sex ” as she felt it was less confusing to middle-aged male judges .
Her husband played an important part in quiet lobbying for Clinton to nominate her for the supreme court .
This was by no means a likely choice .
Clinton was working with a list of more than 40 candidates , all men .
Clinton was anxious to make the supreme court more diverse , so Ginsburg ’ s Jewish religion , which she had abandoned 46 years earlier , may have counted for more than a lifetime of commitment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law .
Still , once her name was in the ring , Clinton was enthusiastic .
Ginsburg ’ s output of work is the more astounding because twice in late middle age she was diagnosed with cancer , in 1979 of the colon and 10 years later of the pancreas , with two further occurrences of cancer in the past couple of years .
In 2018 a documentary film about her life , RBG , was a surprise box office hit and cemented her reputation as a “ flaming feminist ” and liberal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Basis of Sex , followed .
She broke three ribs in a fall in 2018 but was back at work within days .
After gallbladder treatment in 2020 , she continued to take part in supreme court arguments remotely from hospital , and remained vigilant to the end on issues of enduring importance to her : women ’ s preventive health , abortion , the death penalty and , in a presidential election year , voting rights .
Her husband died in 2010 .
She is survived by her children , Jane and @ @

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who has died aged 87, was the second woman to sit on the supreme court of the United States. Nominated to the court by Bill Clinton in 1993, she had already established a reputation as a champion of gender equality and women’s rights as advocate, academic and appeals court judge. Throughout her long career, she was firm in her twin convictions: there is discrimination against women in the US (and elsewhere), and that discrimination violates the American constitution.
In her 27 years on the supreme court bench, she was a consistent moderate liberal. Her role as the senior liberal justice, after 2010, became increasingly important as the balance of opinion shifted in the court, and her scathing dissents on conservative majority decisions, particularly on women’s rights, made her a celebrated figure on the left.
In recent years Ginsburg was treated, as one New Yorker writer said, as “a pop culture feminist icon, a comic book superhero”. She was formidably clever, and had in her youth almost superhuman capacity for work. But what made her historically so important was her clear conviction of the injustice of unequal treatment of women, and her absolute certainty that it could be cleansed by applying the constitution.
Her emphasis changed over her long career. Early on, as a law professor at Rutgers, New Jersey and then Columbia, New York, and especially in her advocacy work for the American Civil Liberties Union in the 1970s, she seemed a committed feminist. As director of the ACLU’s Women’s Rights Project, she argued six gender discrimination cases before the supreme court, winning five, persuading the bench that gender discrimination was a violation of the constitution’s equal protection clause. She sometimes argued – as she did in Weinberger v Wiesenfeld (1975), representing a widower denied benefits after his wife died in childbirth – that women, as well as men, could be the unfair winners of an unjust system.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg with senators Daniel Moynihan, left, and Joe Biden, following her supreme court nomination in 1993. Photograph: CQ Archive/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
In the next 13 years of her career, from 1980, she was a judge of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the nation’s second most powerful federal court. While she fought and won some notable fights for greater equality for women, there she acquired the reputation of a cautious or moderate judge. Indeed she was a close friend of such openly conservative judges as Antonin Scalia and Robert Bork.
In her third phase, as a member of the supreme court, hers was a steady voice for women’s rights in a world where she was eventually one of three women on the bench. She wrote the majority opinions in many important cases, including the 1996 ruling that the male-only admissions policy of the state-funded Virginia Military Institute was unconstitutional.
She believed the most important case to come before the supreme court during her time was the landmark 2015 ruling that legalised same-sex marriage across all states.
Ginsburg was a committed feminist but she was also a cautious reformer. In 1993 she astonished the legal world by giving a speech in which she expressed reservations about Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that established the constitutional right to an abortion. But her criticism was that the ruling had been based on privacy rights rather than of equal protection. In her subsequent senate confirmation hearing she strongly endorsed abortion rights: “It is essential to women’s equality with man that she be the decisionmaker, that her choice be controlling. If you impose restraints you are disadvantaging her because of her sex.... abortion prohibition by the State controls women and denies them full autonomy and full equality with men.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg embracing Barack Obama before his State of the Union address in 2011, with fellow supreme court justices Anthony Kennedy, left, and Stephen Breyer. Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
As she grew older, she acquired a reputation in Washington for being tough-minded, even a “character”, but she remained a brilliant lawyer. Ginsburg was also physically tough – other justices were often shocked to hear what she could achieve in their private gym at the court.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, she was the younger daughter of Jewish parents, Celia (nee Amster) and Nathan Bader, a furrier, and grew up in the Flatbush neighbourhood. She was originally called Joan, but her mother preferred her middle name, Ruth, as there were so many Joans at her high school, James Madison. Ruth was brought up in a Conservative Jewish tradition and learned Hebrew as a child, but moved away from strict religious observance after she was not allowed to join a minyan (a group of men) to mourn her mother’s death when she was 17. Indignant at that exclusion, she nevertheless remained deeply committed to her Jewish identity.
Her academic career was spectacular, and all the more remarkable because although she had great opportunities she also encountered prejudices. Perhaps most extraordinary was the question put to her by the liberal head of the Harvard Law School, Erwin Griswold, who asked her how she could justify “taking the place of a qualified male?”. Another well-known “liberal”, the supreme court justice Felix Frankfurter, refused to take Ginsburg as a clerk because she was a woman. In the #MeToo era, Ginsburg revealed that she had turned down a boost in chemistry marks as a student at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, in exchange for sex.
She did her BA there, and met Martin Ginsburg, a fellow law student, whom she married a month after graduating in 1954. The marriage was a lasting success. Martin was a wise adviser, a passionate cook and a highly successful tax lawyer. Early in the marriage, when both were at Harvard Law School, he was diagnosed with cancer; she took notes for him, brought up their first child and held down a post on the Harvard Law Review: she frequently worked all night.
She transferred to Columbia Law School when Martin got a job in New York, and was first in her class. At Columbia, she taught herself Swedish in a little over a year to co-author a comparative study of Swedish and US law. For nine years from 1963 she was a professor at Rutgers in New Jersey, then from 1972 to 1980 she taught at Columbia – as the law school’s first female tenured professor – with a year’s fellowship at Stanford.
From 1972, too, she began a close relationship with the American Civil Liberties Union, and co-founded its Women’s Rights Project. Within two years she had taken part in more than 300 gender-related cases. Her secretary persuaded her to use the word “gender” rather than the word “sex” as she felt it was less confusing to middle-aged male judges.
Ruth Bader Ginsberg had a reputation for being physically as well as mentally tough, as here in a still from the 2018 documentary RBG. Photograph: Magnolia Pictures via AP
Her husband played an important part in quiet lobbying for Clinton to nominate her for the supreme court. This was by no means a likely choice. Clinton was working with a list of more than 40 candidates, all men. Clinton was anxious to make the supreme court more diverse, and both Ginsburg’s lifetime of commitment to women’s equality before the law and Jewish identity may have been significant factors. Once her name was in the ring, Clinton was enthusiastic.
Ginsburg’s output of work is the more astounding because twice in late middle age she was diagnosed with cancer, in 1979 of the colon and 10 years later of the pancreas, with two further occurrences of cancer in the past couple of years.
In 2018 a documentary film about her life, RBG, was a surprise box office hit and cemented her reputation as a “flaming feminist” and liberal hero; a biopic, On the Basis of Sex, followed. She broke three ribs in a fall in 2018 but was back at work within days. After gallbladder treatment in 2020, she continued to take part in supreme court arguments remotely from hospital, and remained vigilant to the end on issues of enduring importance to her: women’s preventive health, abortion, the death penalty and, in a presidential election year, voting rights.
Her husband died in 2010. She is survived by her children, Jane and James.
Joan Ruth Bader Ginsburg, judge, born 15 March 1933; died 18 September 2020


theguardian--2020-09-19--Q&A: what does Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death mean for the supreme court?

The supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away on Friday evening .
As messages of grief and gratitude for her life and career swept the country , here ’ s a look at what the liberal icon ’ s death means for the supreme court and what happens next .
What does this mean for the court ?
Ginsburg ’ s death has set up nothing short of a historic war for the future of the court – and American life under the law .
Donald Trump and Republicans in the Senate are determined to replace Ginsburg with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decisively tilt the ideological balance of the court for a generation and would probably constitute the most lasting legacy of the Trump presidency .
Reproductive rights , voting rights , protections from discrimination , the future of criminal justice , the power of the presidency , the rights of immigrants , tax rules and laws , and healthcare for millions of vulnerable Americans , to name a few issues .
Every big issue in American life is on the line .
Why is so much at stake ?
Replacing Ginsburg with a young @ @ @ @ @ @ @ balance of the court , creating a seemingly bulletproof conservative majority of five justices ( excluding chief justice John Roberts , who would make six conservatives but who is seen by the far right as less reliable ) .
This new majority could usher in a new legal landscape that could last at least 30 years .
Yes , Trump appointed justice Neil Gorsuch in 2017 and Brett Kavanaugh in 2018 .
But they replaced justices who were nominated by earlier Republican presidents .
They have pulled the court right , but not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a conservative would .
Ginsburg was nominated by Bill Clinton in 1993 .
That sounds dramatic .
Is it really such a big deal ?
Yes .
An ideological tilt of this kind on the supreme court has not happened for 50 years .
Since 1969 , Republican presidents have appointed 14 out of 18 justices elevated to the court – but certain Republican appointments , such as Sandra Day O ’ Connor , Anthony Kennedy and David Souter turned out to occupy moderate ground or even drift liberal on some issues .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ middle ground on the court has mostly disappeared .
Can Trump and the Republicans pull this off ?
It ’ s not a sure thing .
Any new appointment by Trump must be confirmed by straight majority vote in the Senate .
Senate leader Mitch McConnell has said he would confirm a new justice before the election .
But McConnell is working with a narrow 53-47 majority , and if Trump nominates a conservative with extreme views , confirmation might be more difficult .
But yes , there is definitely the time and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off .
And the willingness of Republicans to violate every norm in the process should not be underestimated .
The Republican senator Joni Ernst of Iowa said in July that a Trump pick could even be confirmed during a lame duck session of Congress , meaning after the 3 November election but before a new Senate is installed .
He ’ s released a list of potential picks , among them Amy Coney Barrett , 48 , whom Trump appointed to the US court of appeals for the seventh circuit in 2017 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Catholic with conservative views on social issues .
At Barrett ’ s circuit court confirmation hearings , the Democratic senator Dianne Feinstein expressed concern that the judge would be guided by church law instead of the constitution .
“ The dogma lives loudly within you and that ’ s a concern , ” Feinstein said , “ when you come to big issues that large numbers of people have fought for for years in this country.
” Astonishingly , earlier this month the president augmented the list with the names of three sitting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton , who then tweeted “ It ’ s time for Roe v Wade to go ” , referring to the landmark 1973 court ruling that led to the legalization of abortion in the US .
Trump sees appointing conservative judges as a political winner with his base , and a third supreme court justice in his first term could help him win re-election .
But the hypocrisy in a move by McConnell to confirm a Trump pick with so little time before the election - after McConnell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in March 2016 on the grounds that “ only ” eight months remained before that year ’ s election – could be politically costly .
Because McConnell might be more worried about helping Republican senators win in close races , allowing McConnell to keep his leadership post , than helping Trump win a long-shot race , the political will to push a Trump nominee through might falter .
The resistance to the confirmation would be extreme and the political fight would be all-consuming .
Just hours before Ginsburg died , moderate Republican Senator @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it was reported on Friday evening , that she would not confirm a new justice until after the presidential inauguration in January , 2021 .

The supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away on Friday evening. As messages of grief and gratitude for her life and career swept the country, here’s a look at what the liberal icon’s death means for the supreme court and what happens next.
What does this mean for the court?
Ginsburg’s death has set up nothing short of a historic war for the future of the court – and American life under the law. Donald Trump and Republicans in the Senate are determined to replace Ginsburg with a conservative justice. Their doing so could decisively tilt the ideological balance of the court for a generation and would probably constitute the most lasting legacy of the Trump presidency.
What’s at stake?
Reproductive rights, voting rights, protections from discrimination, the future of criminal justice, the power of the presidency, the rights of immigrants, tax rules and laws, and healthcare for millions of vulnerable Americans, to name a few issues. Every big issue in American life is on the line.
Why is so much at stake?
Replacing Ginsburg with a young conservative justice would fundamentally shift the ideological balance of the court, creating a seemingly bulletproof conservative majority of five justices (excluding chief justice John Roberts, who would make six conservatives but who is seen by the far right as less reliable). This new majority could usher in a new legal landscape that could last at least 30 years.
Didn’t Trump already appoint two justices?
Yes, Trump appointed justice Neil Gorsuch in 2017 and Brett Kavanaugh in 2018. But they replaced justices who were nominated by earlier Republican presidents. They have pulled the court right, but not as far right as replacing Ginsburg with a conservative would. Ginsburg was nominated by Bill Clinton in 1993.
That sounds dramatic. Is it really such a big deal?
Yes. An ideological tilt of this kind on the supreme court has not happened for 50 years. Since 1969, Republican presidents have appointed 14 out of 18 justices elevated to the court – but certain Republican appointments, such as Sandra Day O’Connor, Anthony Kennedy and David Souter turned out to occupy moderate ground or even drift liberal on some issues. In the recent hyper-partisan age, that middle ground on the court has mostly disappeared.
Can Trump and the Republicans pull this off?
It’s not a sure thing. Any new appointment by Trump must be confirmed by straight majority vote in the Senate. Senate leader Mitch McConnell has said he would confirm a new justice before the election. But McConnell is working with a narrow 53-47 majority, and if Trump nominates a conservative with extreme views, confirmation might be more difficult.
But yes, there is definitely the time and the will for Trump to pull this off. And the willingness of Republicans to violate every norm in the process should not be underestimated. The Republican senator Joni Ernst of Iowa said in July that a Trump pick could even be confirmed during a lame duck session of Congress, meaning after the 3 November election but before a new Senate is installed.
Who will Trump pick?
He’s released a list of potential picks, among them Amy Coney Barrett, 48, whom Trump appointed to the US court of appeals for the seventh circuit in 2017. Barrett worries progressives as a committed Roman Catholic with conservative views on social issues. At Barrett’s circuit court confirmation hearings, the Democratic senator Dianne Feinstein expressed concern that the judge would be guided by church law instead of the constitution.
“The dogma lives loudly within you and that’s a concern,” Feinstein said, “when you come to big issues that large numbers of people have fought for for years in this country.”
Astonishingly, earlier this month the president augmented the list with the names of three sitting Republican senators among 20 additional names, including Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton, who then tweeted “It’s time for Roe v Wade to go”, referring to the landmark 1973 court ruling that led to the legalization of abortion in the US.
Could Trump fail to confirm a Ginsburg replacement?
Trump sees appointing conservative judges as a political winner with his base, and a third supreme court justice in his first term could help him win re-election.
But the hypocrisy in a move by McConnell to confirm a Trump pick with so little time before the election - after McConnell blocked the Barack Obama nominee Merrick Garland in March 2016 on the grounds that “only” eight months remained before that year’s election – could be politically costly.
Because McConnell might be more worried about helping Republican senators win in close races, allowing McConnell to keep his leadership post, than helping Trump win a long-shot race, the political will to push a Trump nominee through might falter.
The resistance to the confirmation would be extreme and the political fight would be all-consuming.
Just hours before Ginsburg died, moderate Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska had remarked hypothetically, it was reported on Friday evening, that she would not confirm a new justice until after the presidential inauguration in January, 2021.


theguardian--2020-09-18--Ruth Bader Ginsburg, supreme court justice, dies aged 87

The supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died of pancreatic cancer , the court said Friday .
She was 87 .
Ginsburg was the second woman appointed to the court in history and became a liberal icon for her sharp questioning of witnesses and intellectually rigorous defenses of civil liberties , reproductive rights , first amendment rights and equal protections under the law .
In a statement , the court said Ginsburg , who served more than 27 years on the bench , “ died this evening died this evening surrounded by her family at her home in Washington @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pancreas cancer ” .
The chief justice , John Roberts , said that the nation “ has lost a jurist of historic stature .
We at the supreme court have lost a cherished colleague .
Today we mourn , but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her – a tireless and resolute champion of justice.
” Ginsburg had been in poor health and was admitted to the hospital as recently as mid-July , when she was taken in with a fever and chills , but was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the court reporting that she was recovering well .
After her discharge Ginsburg announced that she had been undergoing chemotherapy since May to treat cancerous lesions on her liver .
A scan on 7 July had revealed “ reduction of the liver lesions and no new disease ” , she said .
Ginsburg had survived four cancer treatments going back to 1999 .
She participated in oral arguments in May from a hospital bed while receiving treatments believed at the time to be for a malignant tumor on her pancreas diagnosed in 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she was cancer-free .
Her death was received with alarm by liberals and moderates who feared that Republicans would exploit the narrow window before the presidential election to install a third Donald Trump appointee on the supreme court .
Mourners gathered outside the supreme court in Washington DC on Friday night , laying flowers and candles on its steps .
Both of Trump ’ s supreme court appointments to date – Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh – replaced justices appointed by fellow Republican presidents .
But by replacing Ginsburg , who was appointed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could decisively skew the ideological balance of the court for a generation .
The Senate majority leader , Mitch McConnell , blocked Barack Obama from filling a court vacancy in March 2016 , eight months before the presidential election that year , claiming that the window of time was too narrow and saying the slot had to be held for the next president to fill .
McConnell has previously indicated that he would race to confirm any Trump court nominee at any time before the 2020 election , however .
And in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get Trump a vote on his supreme court nominee .
“ President Trump ’ s nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate , ” the Senator majority leader said .
“ Americans reelected our majority in 2016 and expanded it in 2018 because we pledged to work with President Trump and support his agenda , particularly his outstanding appointments to the federal judiciary .
Once again , we will keep our promise.
” Tributes poured in on Friday , with figures on the left and the right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her extraordinary career , this Brooklyn native broke barriers & the letters RBG took on new meaning – as battle cry & inspiration , ” tweeted the New York governor , Andrew Cuomo .
“ Justice Ginsburg paved the way for so many women , including me .
There will never be another like her , ” said former secretary of state Hillary Clinton , while the former president George W Bush said “ she inspired more than one generation of women and girls ” .
The president ’ s son , Eric @ @ @ @ @ @ @ woman with an astonishing work ethic ” .
Donald Trump , who was holding a rally in Minnesota when the news broke on Friday , appeared not to learn of the news until he left the stage .
After the the event , the president offered brief comments to the press before boarding Air Force One , according to the White House pool report : “ She just died ?
I didn ’ t know that , ” Trump said .
“ She led an amazing life , what else can you say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she led an amazing life.
” Ginsburg had undergone surgery on 21 December 2018 to remove two cancerous nodules from her lung .
Doctors discovered that she had developed lung cancer in the course of a health review following a 7 November fall in which the associate justice fractured three ribs .
She returned to work within days of that incident .
Ginsburg had been diagnosed with colon cancer in 1999 and pancreatic cancer in 2009 , undergoing surgery both times .
Trump could become the first president to appoint three supreme court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nixon a half-century ago .
In July , Trump nominated Kavanaugh to replace the retiring Anthony Kennedy .
In early 2017 , Trump nominated Gorsuch to replace Antonin Scalia , who died 11 months before the end of Obama ’ s presidency .
McConnell declined to hold hearings on the nomination by Obama of the appeals court judge Merrick Garland .
In her 25 years on the court , Ginsburg was an essential vote in watershed rulings that combatted gender discrimination and protected abortion rights , equal pay , civil liberties and privacy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told an interviewer in 2009 : “ The basic thing is that the government has no business making that choice for a woman.
” In her later years Ginsburg gained traction as a cultural figure and feminist icon .
A biopic released in 2018 was chosen by the National Board of Review as the best documentary of the year .
A blog called Notorious RBG packaged Ginsburg ’ s feminist appeal in a hip-hop persona , and she had a daily workout that defeated Stephen Colbert .
Ginsburg was born in Brooklyn , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first women to graduate from Harvard Law School .
She served as general counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union and was co-founder of the Women ’ s Rights Project .
“ Women ’ s rights are an essential part of the overall human rights agenda , trained on the equal dignity and ability to live in freedom all people should enjoy , ” she said .
Elevated to a federal judgeship by Jimmy Carter , Ginsburg was Clinton ’ s first nomination to the court .
The Senate voted 96-3 to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Tom McCarthy national affairs correspondent, and Lois Beckett in Los Angeles

The supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died of pancreatic cancer, the court said Friday. She was 87.
Ginsburg was the second woman appointed to the court in history and became a liberal icon for her sharp questioning of witnesses and intellectually rigorous defenses of civil liberties, reproductive rights, first amendment rights and equal protections under the law.
In a statement, the court said Ginsburg, who served more than 27 years on the bench, “died this evening surrounded by her family at her home in Washington DC, due to complications of metastatic pancreas cancer”.
The chief justice, John Roberts, said that the nation “has lost a jurist of historic stature. We at the supreme court have lost a cherished colleague. Today we mourn, but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her – a tireless and resolute champion of justice.”
Her death thrust an immediate spotlight on who might fill the vacancy on the court, with just over six weeks before the election. The news was received with alarm by liberals and moderates who feared that Republicans would exploit the narrow window to install a third Donald Trump appointee on the supreme court.
Mourners gather outside the US supreme court. Photograph: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA
The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, pledged to get Trump a swift vote his supreme court pick. “President Trump’s nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate,” McConnell said.
The Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden, said that the Republican-controlled Senate should wait until after the election to confirm Ginsburg’s replacement, following the precedent Republicans set in 2016.
McConnell blocked Barack Obama from filling a court vacancy in March 2016, eight months before the presidential election that year, claiming that the window of time was too narrow and saying the slot had to be held for the next president to fill.
“Tonight and in the coming days we should focus on the loss of the justice and her enduring legacy,” Biden said. “But there is no doubt – let me be clear – that the voters should pick the president and the president should pick the justice for the Senate to consider. This was the position the Republican Senate took in 2016 when there were almost 10 months to go before the election.”
01:53 Biden: successor to 'giant' Ginsburg should be decided by US election winner – video
Both of Trump’s supreme court appointments to date – Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh – replaced justices appointed by fellow Republican presidents. But by replacing Ginsburg, who was appointed in 1993 by Bill Clinton, Trump could decisively skew the ideological balance of the court for a generation.
Tributes poured in on Friday, with figures on the left and the right offering praise and condolences. Meanwhile hundreds of mourners gathered outside the supreme court in Washington DC, laying flowers and candles on its steps.
“During her extraordinary career, this Brooklyn native broke barriers & the letters RBG took on new meaning– – as battle cry & inspiration,” tweeted the New York governor, Andrew Cuomo.
NY’s heart breaks with the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
During her extraordinary career, this Brooklyn native broke barriers & the letters RBG took on new meaning—as battle cry & inspiration.
Her legal mind & dedication to justice leave an indelible mark on America. — Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) September 19, 2020
“Justice Ginsburg paved the way for so many women, including me. There will never be another like her,” said former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, while the former president George W Bush said “she inspired more than one generation of women and girls”.
Justice Ginsburg paved the way for so many women, including me. There will never be another like her. Thank you RBG. — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 19, 2020
The president’s son, Eric Trump, called Ginsburg “a remarkable woman with an astonishing work ethic”. Donald Trump, who was holding a rally in Minnesota when the news broke on Friday, appeared not to learn of the news until he left the stage.
After the the event, the president offered brief comments to the press before boarding Air Force One, according to the White House pool report.
“She just died? I didn’t know that,” Trump said. “She led an amazing life, what else can you say? Whether you agree or not … she led an amazing life.”
00:42 'An amazing woman': Donald Trump reacts to death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg – video
Ginsburg had been in poor health and was admitted to the hospital as recently as mid-July, when she was taken in with a fever and chills, but was released after about 24 hours, with the court reporting that she was recovering well.
After her discharge Ginsburg announced that she had been undergoing chemotherapy since May to treat cancerous lesions on her liver. A scan on 7 July had revealed “reduction of the liver lesions and no new disease”, she said.
Ginsburg had survived four cancer treatments going back to 1999. She participated in oral arguments in May from a hospital bed while receiving treatments believed at the time to be for a malignant tumor on her pancreas diagnosed in 2019. Ginsburg had announced in January that she was cancer-free.
Ginsburg had undergone surgery on 21 December 2018 to remove two cancerous nodules from her lung.
People gather in Washington following the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Photograph: Alexander Drago/Reuters
Doctors discovered that she had developed lung cancer in the course of a health review following a 7 November fall in which the associate justice fractured three ribs. She returned to work within days of that incident.
Ginsburg had been diagnosed with colon cancer in 1999 and pancreatic cancer in 2009, undergoing surgery both times.
Trump could become the first president to appoint three supreme court justices in his first term since Richard Nixon a half-century ago. In July, Trump nominated Kavanaugh to replace the retiring Anthony Kennedy. In early 2017, Trump nominated Gorsuch to replace Antonin Scalia, who died 11 months before the end of Obama’s presidency. McConnell declined to hold hearings on the nomination by Obama of the appeals court judge Merrick Garland.
In her 25 years on the court, Ginsburg was an essential vote in watershed rulings that combatted gender discrimination and protected abortion rights, equal pay, civil liberties and privacy rights.
Of reproductive rights, Ginsburg told an interviewer in 2009: “The basic thing is that the government has no business making that choice for a woman.”
In her later years Ginsburg gained traction as a cultural figure and feminist icon. A biopic released in 2018 was chosen by the National Board of Review as the best documentary of the year. A blog called Notorious RBG packaged Ginsburg’s feminist appeal in a hip-hop persona, and she had a daily workout that defeated Stephen Colbert.
Ginsburg was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was one of the first women to enroll at Harvard Law School, from which she transferred to graduate from Columbia. She served as general counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union and was co-founder of the Women’s Rights Project. “Women’s rights are an essential part of the overall human rights agenda, trained on the equal dignity and ability to live in freedom all people should enjoy,” she said.
Elevated to a federal judgeship by Jimmy Carter, Ginsburg was Clinton’s first nomination to the court. The Senate voted 96-3 to confirm her nomination to the supreme court.


theguardian--2020-09-18--Trump and Biden head for Minnesota as early voting begins in three states

Lines formed at polling stations in three states on Friday , 46 days out from 3 November , election day itself , as early voting began .
Concern about ballot access under the pandemic has been widespread , particularly as Donald Trump continues to attack voting by mail with baseless claims of widespread fraud .
In Minnesota , a state Hillary Clinton won by just 1.5 points in 2016 and which the Trump campaign is targeting , the president and Joe Biden were both on the campaign trail .
In Virginia , the state ’ s two Democratic US senators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ site in Richmond , the state capital , dozens lined up before a polling station opened .
CNN reported local officials as saying “ they ’ ve never seen this many people show up on the first day ” .
Virginia was until recently a swing state but now leans firmly Democratic .
Voting also began on Friday in South Dakota , which is solidly Republican .
Trump has repeatedly said he wants to flip Minnesota in November , in hopes that it could offset losses elsewhere .
He has visited regularly and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the state , including reversing an Obama policy prohibiting the development of copper-nickel mining and bailing out soya bean , corn and other farmers hurt by Trump ’ s trade clashes with China .
More recently , Trump has embraced a “ law and order ” message aimed at white voters concerned by protests against racism and police brutality which have sometimes turned violent .
Minnesota saw unrest after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May .
However , polls indicate Biden has a significant edge in the state .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ this week , Biden leads by 16 points among likely voters , 57 % to 41 % .
On Friday , Trump was scheduled to speak in Bemidji while Biden traveled to Duluth for a tour of a union training center .
Duluth mayor Emily Larson told the Associated Press : “ One of the things the Trump campaign has been very good about is visibility in Duluth , but also in areas around Duluth.
” In Michigan , meanwhile , a judge handed down a key ruling concerning mail-in voting , writing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the day before election day , 3 November , which arrive in the weeks following .
The decision will probably result in thousands more voters having their ballots counted in a key battleground state .
In 2016 , Trump won Michigan by about 10,000 votes .
One of the top reasons mail-in ballots are rejected is because they arrive past the deadline to be counted : 6,405 ballots were rejected for that reason in Michigan ’ s August primary .
Jocelyn Benson , a Democrat who is the state ’ s top election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Covid-19 pandemic , coupled with reports of mail delays , have made that deadline unrealistic , wrote Judge Cynthia Diane Stevens of the Michigan court of claims .
“ Some flexibility must be built into the deadline in order to account for the significant inability of mail to arrive on what would typically be a reliable , predictable schedule , ” the judge wrote , ordering ballots counted as long as they are postmarked by 2 November and arrive within 14 days of election day .
The ruling was the second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a key state .
On Thursday , the Pennsylvania supreme court blocked the state from enforcing an election night deadline for absentee ballots , instead ordering it to count them as long as they are postmarked by election day and arrive by the following Friday .
The Michigan ruling was in a suit filed by Priorities USA , a Democratic group .
Michigan also restricts who can return an absentee ballot on behalf of a voter .
Stevens , citing the pandemic , said the state could not enforce those restrictions from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Joan E Greve in Washington and Sam Levine in New York

Lines formed at polling stations in three states on Friday, 46 days out from 3 November, election day itself, as early voting began. Concern about ballot access under the pandemic has been widespread, particularly as Donald Trump continues to attack voting by mail with baseless claims of widespread fraud.
In Minnesota, a state Hillary Clinton won by just 1.5 points in 2016 and which the Trump campaign is targeting, the president and Joe Biden were both on the campaign trail.
In Virginia, the state’s two Democratic US senators were among early voters. At one site in Richmond, the state capital, dozens lined up before a polling station opened. CNN reported local officials as saying “they’ve never seen this many people show up on the first day”.
Virginia was until recently a swing state but now leans firmly Democratic. Voting also began on Friday in South Dakota, which is solidly Republican.
Trump has repeatedly said he wants to flip Minnesota in November, in hopes that it could offset losses elsewhere. He has visited regularly and has tailored policy moves to rural parts of the state, including reversing an Obama policy prohibiting the development of copper-nickel mining and bailing out soya bean, corn and other farmers hurt by Trump’s trade clashes with China.
More recently, Trump has embraced a “law and order” message aimed at white voters concerned by protests against racism and police brutality which have sometimes turned violent. Minnesota saw unrest after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May.
However, polls indicate Biden has a significant edge in the state. According to a Washington Post-ABC News poll this week, Biden leads by 16 points among likely voters, 57% to 41%.
On Friday, Trump was scheduled to speak in Bemidji while Biden traveled to Duluth for a tour of a union training center. Duluth mayor Emily Larson told the Associated Press: “One of the things the Trump campaign has been very good about is visibility in Duluth, but also in areas around Duluth.”
In Michigan, meanwhile, a judge handed down a key ruling concerning mail-in voting, writing that the state must accept ballots postmarked the day before election day, 3 November, which arrive in the weeks following.
The decision will probably result in thousands more voters having their ballots counted in a key battleground state.
In 2016, Trump won Michigan by about 10,000 votes. One of the top reasons mail-in ballots are rejected is because they arrive past the deadline to be counted: 6,405 ballots were rejected for that reason in Michigan’s August primary. Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat who is the state’s top election official, called for extending the deadline.
The Covid-19 pandemic, coupled with reports of mail delays, have made that deadline unrealistic, wrote Judge Cynthia Diane Stevens of the Michigan court of claims.
“Some flexibility must be built into the deadline in order to account for the significant inability of mail to arrive on what would typically be a reliable, predictable schedule,” the judge wrote, ordering ballots counted as long as they are postmarked by 2 November and arrive within 14 days of election day.
The ruling was the second in two days extending ballot deadlines in a key state. On Thursday, the Pennsylvania supreme court blocked the state from enforcing an election night deadline for absentee ballots, instead ordering it to count them as long as they are postmarked by election day and arrive by the following Friday.
The Michigan ruling was in a suit filed by Priorities USA, a Democratic group. Michigan also restricts who can return an absentee ballot on behalf of a voter. Stevens, citing the pandemic, said the state could not enforce those restrictions from the Friday before election day through election night.


theguardian--2020-09-18--CDC makes U-turn on Covid testing guidelines that prompted backlash

The most prominent US agency for delivering public health advice on Friday reversed key guidelines about who should get tested for coronavirus that were published just a month ago .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) recommended on Friday that any person who comes into contact with a known carrier of the virus should be tested for the virus , even if the person is asymptomatic .
That updated advice comports with the recommendations of the World Health Organization , public health agencies worldwide , and the CDC ’ s own previously issued advice .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just last month on the CDC website that reportedly was rewritten by senior Trump administration officials over the objection of CDC scientists .
The CDC now recommends that anyone who has been within six feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes should get a test .
The new guidelines were labeled a “ clarification ” when in fact they were a reversal .
“ Due to the significance of asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission , this guidance further reinforces the need to test asymptomatic persons , ” the new guidance states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Times reported that a previous CDC guidance was published on the agency ’ s website over the strong objection of CDC scientists .
The scientists disagreed sharply with recommendations in the document including one advising that people who did not show symptoms of Covid-19 had no need to be tested for coronavirus , even if they had come into contact with a known carrier , the New York Times said in a report on Friday .
Officials at the Department of Health and Human Services ( HHS ) , which oversees the CDC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ dropped ” it onto the agency ’ s website , the New York Times quotes unnamed government officials as saying .
HHS is run by the Donald Trump appointee Alex Azar .
“ That was a doc that came from the top down , from the HHS and the [ White House ] task force , ” the Times quoted an unnamed federal official as saying .
“ That policy does not reflect what many people at the CDC feel should be the policy.
” The report emerged in the middle of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ director Robert Redfield and amid warnings about the politicization of the CDC , the lead federal agency for combatting infectious diseases , which prior to the Trump administration was seen as well insulated from partisan politics .
After Redfield told the Senate on Wednesday that it would be about a year before a coronavirus vaccine was “ generally available ” and called masks “ the most important , powerful public health tool we have , ” Trump said the CDC director was “ confused ” .
“ It ’ s a very difficult @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Brown University School of Public Health , said on Thursday .
“ We ’ ve got to let the CDC scientists speak and share their scientific expertise with us.
” The agency issued a statement Thursday night in Redfield ’ s name , defending its work : “ The guidelines , coordinated in conjunction with the White House coronavirus task force , received appropriate attention , consultation and input from task force experts.
” A new set of testing guidelines was scheduled to be posted by the agency on Friday .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the CDC has suffered damage to its reputation as doubts have crept in about whether the advice it offered Americans was guided by science or politics .
The New York Times report was only the latest indication of the growing influence of presidential politics at the agency .
In a searing video published on Thursday , a former official who was Mike Pence ’ s top aide on the White House coronavirus task force accused Trump of hiding what he knew were the dangers of coronavirus from the public because he was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ His biggest concern was that we were in an election year , and how was this going to affect what he considered to be his record of success ?
” the official , Olivia Troye , says in the video .
“ It was shocking to see the president saying that the virus was a hoax , saying that everything was OK , when we know that it ’ s not.
” “ If the president had taken this virus seriously… he would have saved lives , ” Troye concludes , explaining that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decided to vote for Joe Biden , Trump ’ s presidential rival .
Pence told reporters on Thursday that Troy was “ one more disgruntled employee who ’ s left the White House [ and ] decided to play politics during an election year ” .
In the video , Troye describes her motives as the opposite : “ At this point it ’ s country over party .
”

The most prominent US agency for delivering public health advice on Friday reversed key guidelines about who should get tested for coronavirus that were published just a month ago.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended on Friday that any person who comes into contact with a known carrier of the virus should be tested for the virus, even if the person is asymptomatic.
That updated advice comports with the recommendations of the World Health Organization, public health agencies worldwide, and the CDC’s own previously issued advice.
But the updated advice contradicts controversial guidance published just last month on the CDC website that reportedly was rewritten by senior Trump administration officials over the objection of CDC scientists.
The CDC now recommends that anyone who has been within 6ft of an infected person for at least 15 minutes should get a test. The new guidelines were labeled a “clarification” when in fact they were a reversal.
“Due to the significance of asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission, this guidance further reinforces the need to test asymptomatic persons,” the new guidance states.
On Thursday, the New York Times reported that a previous CDC guidance was published on the agency’s website over the strong objection of CDC scientists.
The scientists disagreed sharply with recommendations in the document including one advising that people who did not show symptoms of Covid-19 had no need to be tested for coronavirus, even if they had come into contact with a known carrier, the New York Times said in a report on Friday.
Officials at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversees the CDC, rewrote the document in question and “dropped” it onto the agency’s website, the New York Times quotes unnamed government officials as saying. HHS is run by the Donald Trump appointee Alex Azar.
“That was a doc that came from the top down, from the HHS and the [White House] task force,” the Times quoted an unnamed federal official as saying. “That policy does not reflect what many people at the CDC feel should be the policy.”
The report emerged in the middle of a public spat between Trump and the CDC director, Robert Redfield, and amid warnings about the politicization of the CDC, the lead federal agency for combatting infectious diseases, which prior to the Trump administration was seen as well insulated from partisan politics.
After Redfield told the Senate on Wednesday that it would be about a year before a coronavirus vaccine was “generally available” and called masks “the most important, powerful public health tool we have”, Trump said the CDC director was “confused”.
“It’s a very difficult situation,” Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, said on Thursday. “We’ve got to let the CDC scientists speak and share their scientific expertise with us.”
The agency issued a statement Thursday night in Redfield’s name, defending its work: “The guidelines, coordinated in conjunction with the White House coronavirus taskforce, received appropriate attention, consultation and input from taskforce experts.”
A new set of testing guidelines was scheduled to be posted by the agency on Friday.
Once an authoritative voice on public health, the CDC has suffered damage to its reputation as doubts have crept in about whether the advice it offered Americans was guided by science or politics. The New York Times report was only the latest indication of the growing influence of presidential politics at the agency.
In a searing video published on Thursday, a former official who was Mike Pence’s top aide on the White House coronavirus task force accused Trump of hiding what he knew were the dangers of coronavirus from the public because he was worried about his reelection prospects.
“His biggest concern was that we were in an election year, and how was this going to affect what he considered to be his record of success?” the official, Olivia Troye, says in the video. “It was shocking to see the president saying that the virus was a hoax, saying that everything was OK, when we know that it’s not.”
“If the president had taken this virus seriously … he would have saved lives,” Troye concludes, explaining that she was a lifelong Republican who had decided to vote for Joe Biden, Trump’s presidential rival.
Pence told reporters on Thursday that Troy was “one more disgruntled employee who’s left the White House [and] decided to play politics during an election year”.
In the video, Troye describes her motives as the opposite: “At this point it’s country over party.”


theguardian--2020-09-18--Trump under fire for 'shocking' Covid failures as ex-adviser turns against him

The coronavirus pandemic moved to the centre of the US election again on Friday , as a former senior official on the White House taskforce turned on Donald Trump .
Trump was alleged by Olivia Troye , a former Mike Pence adviser , to have called his own supporters “ disgusting people ” with whom he no longer had to shake hands thanks to the pandemic .
Meanwhile , Democratic challenger Joe Biden told voters late on Thursday that they should “ listen to the scientists , not to the president ” when it comes to hopes for a vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the US is approaching 200,000 .
The election is on 3 November , less than 50 days away .
Trailing Biden in national and most swing state polls and in polls regarding who the public trusts to handle the pandemic , Trump has claimed a vaccine will be available “ within weeks ” .
That stance contradicts statements from senior health advisers , who the president in turn has publicly doubted .
At a CNN-hosted town hall event in Scranton , Pennsylvania , Biden said : “ I don ’ t trust the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ Anthony ] Fauci [ the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases ] .
If Fauci says a vaccine is safe , I ’ d take the vaccine .
We should listen to the scientists , not to the president.
” Troye , a one-time member of the Covid taskforce who left the administration in the summer , on Thursday came out with a blistering video in support of Republican Voters Against Trump , a conservative group backing Biden .
“ Towards the middle of February , we knew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if Covid would become a big pandemic here in the United States , ” Troye said , echoing Trump ’ s own statements in taped interviews with Bob Woodward for the Washington Post reporter ’ s new book , Rage .
“ It was a matter of when .
But the president didn ’ t want to hear that because his biggest concern was that we were in an election here , and how is this going to affect what he considered to be his record of success .
It was shocking to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a hoax , saying that everything ’ s OK , when we know that ’ s not the truth.
” Trump continues to hold campaign events with scant regard for state guidelines on social distancing and masks .
As Biden spoke in Pennsylvania on Thursday , the president staged a rally in another swing state , Wisconsin , where Covid infections are surging .
In Mosinee , temperature checks were required and hand sanitizer was passed out .
But masks were optional .
Troye said that at one taskforce meeting , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Covid thing is a good thing .
I don ’ t like like shaking hands with people , I don ’ t have to shake hands with these disgusting people.
’ “ Those disgusting people are the same people that he claims to care about , ” Troye said .
“ These are the people still going to his rallies today , who have complete faith in who he is .
If the president had taken this virus seriously , or if he had actually made an effort to tell how serious it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus spread .
He would have saved lives.
” Rises in Covid infections – such as that which led to the death of former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain , who attended a rally in Tulsa in June – have been linked to Trump events .
But in Misonee , one rally-goer at least wasn ’ t too worried .
“ I think a lot of it is made up , ” Lori Cates told the Guardian .
“ It ’ s a ploy to take away from [ Trump ’ s ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ find a vaccine labours under the name Operation Warp Speed .
After Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) director Robert Redfield told the Senate on Wednesday it would be about a year before a vaccine was “ generally available ” – and called masks “ the most important , powerful public health tool we have ” – Trump said Redfield was “ confused ” .
On Thursday , Fauci sought to plot a middle course , telling a Washington DC radio station , WTop , “ in many respects , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the New Yorker shortly before her video was released .
“ What I ’ m really concerned about , ” she said , “ is if they rush this vaccine and pressure people and get something out because they want to save the election.
” The president has also pushed therapeutics of dubious utility and blamed the “ deep state ” for what he deems slow progress at agencies such as the federal Food and Drug Administration .
The “ deep state ” conspiracy theory holds that a permanent government of bureaucrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s agenda .
Former Trump campaign manager and White House strategist Steve Bannon , a key propagator , has said the theory is “ for nutcases ” and “ none of this is true ” .
Concern over political meddling in public health agencies has been ever-present under the pandemic .
Last weekend , Politico reported that Trump appointees at the Department of Health and Human Services sought to change key reports because they “ would undermine the president ’ s optimistic messages about the outbreak ” .
On Friday , the New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of CDC guidelines for who should be tested for coronavirus was published over the strong objection of agency scientists .

Martin Pengelly in New York, Mario Koran in Mosinee, Wisconsin and Tom McCarthy

The coronavirus pandemic moved to the centre of the US election again on Friday, as a former senior official on the White House taskforce turned on Donald Trump.
Trump was alleged by Olivia Troye, a former Mike Pence adviser, to have called his own supporters “disgusting people” with whom he no longer had to shake hands thanks to the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Democratic challenger Joe Biden told voters late on Thursday that they should “listen to the scientists, not to the president” when it comes to hopes for a vaccine.
The death toll from Covid-19 in the US is approaching 200,000. The election is on 3 November, less than 50 days away.
Trailing Biden in national and most swing state polls and in polls regarding who the public trusts to handle the pandemic, Trump has claimed a vaccine will be available “within weeks”. That stance contradicts statements from senior health advisers, who the president in turn has publicly doubted.
This video has been removed. This could be because it launched early, our rights have expired, there was a legal issue, or for another reason. Joe Biden: Listen to the scientists, not Trump, about coronavirus vaccine – video
At a CNN-hosted town hall event in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Biden said: “I don’t trust the president on vaccines. I trust Dr [Anthony] Fauci [the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases]. If Fauci says a vaccine is safe, I’d take the vaccine. We should listen to the scientists, not to the president.”
Troye, a one-time member of the Covid taskforce who left the administration in the summer, on Thursday came out with a blistering video in support of Republican Voters Against Trump, a conservative group backing Biden.
“Towards the middle of February, we knew it wasn’t a matter of if Covid would become a big pandemic here in the United States,” Troye said, echoing Trump’s own statements in taped interviews with Bob Woodward for the Washington Post reporter’s new book, Rage.
“It was a matter of when. But the president didn’t want to hear that because his biggest concern was that we were in an election here, and how is this going to affect what he considered to be his record of success. It was shocking to see the president saying that the virus was a hoax, saying that everything’s OK, when we know that’s not the truth.”
Trump continues to hold campaign events with scant regard for state guidelines on social distancing and masks. As Biden spoke in Pennsylvania on Thursday, the president staged a rally in another swing state, Wisconsin, where Covid infections are surging. In Mosinee, temperature checks were required and hand sanitizer was passed out. But masks were optional.
Troye said that at one taskforce meeting, “the president said, ‘Maybe this Covid thing is a good thing. I don’t like shaking hands with people, I don’t have to shake hands with these disgusting people.’
“Those disgusting people are the same people that he claims to care about,” Troye said. “These are the people still going to his rallies today, who have complete faith in who he is. If the president had taken this virus seriously, or if he had actually made an effort to tell how serious it was, he would have slowed the virus spread. He would have saved lives.”
Rises in Covid infections – such as that which led to the death of former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, who attended a rally in Tulsa in June – have been linked to Trump events. But in Misonee, one rally-goer at least wasn’t too worried.
Joe Biden speaks to reporters before departing on his campaign plane in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
“I think a lot of it is made up,” Lori Cates told the Guardian. “It’s a ploy to take away from [Trump’s] success.”
The Trump administration effort to find a vaccine labours under the name Operation Warp Speed.
After Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Robert Redfield told the Senate on Wednesday it would be about a year before a vaccine was “generally available” – and called masks “the most important, powerful public health tool we have” – Trump said Redfield was “confused”.
On Thursday, Fauci sought to plot a middle course, telling a Washington DC radio station, WTop, “in many respects, they were both right.”
Troye spoke to the New Yorker shortly before her video was released. “What I’m really concerned about,” she said, “is if they rush this vaccine and pressure people and get something out because they want to save the election.”
The president has also pushed therapeutics of dubious utility and blamed the “deep state” for what he deems slow progress at agencies such as the federal Food and Drug Administration.
The “deep state” conspiracy theory holds that a permanent government of bureaucrats and operatives exists to thwart Trump’s agenda. Former Trump campaign manager and White House strategist Steve Bannon, a key propagator, has said the theory is “for nutcases” and “none of this is true”.
Concern over political meddling in public health agencies has been ever-present under the pandemic. Last weekend, Politico reported that Trump appointees at the Department of Health and Human Services sought to change key reports because they “would undermine the president’s optimistic messages about the outbreak”.
On Friday, the New York Times reported that a key set of CDC guidelines for who should be tested for coronavirus was published over the strong objection of agency scientists.


theguardian--2020-09-18--Critics swiftly condemn Trump's rewrite of America's legacy of racism in speech -  video report

Donald Trump railed against what he called a 'leftwing revolution ' in schools and universities teaching about slavery and colonialism @ @ @ @ @ executive order to promote 'patriotic education ' in the US .
Critics immediately accused the @ @ @ @ @ America 's historical legacy of slavery to appeal to his core base of white voters @ @ @ @ @ , distorted , and defiled the American story , ' Trump said at a history @ @ @ @ @ 'We want our sons and daughters to know they are the citizens of the most @ @ @ @ @ of the world' • Critics condemn Trump 's rewrite of America 's legacy of racism @ @ @ @ @ condemn Trump 's rewrite of race in America in DC speech – live

Donald Trump railed against what he called a 'leftwing revolution' in schools and universities teaching about slavery and colonialism, as he signed an executive order to promote 'patriotic education' in the US. Critics immediately accused the president of attempting to rewrite America's historical legacy of slavery to appeal to his core base of white voters.
'The left has warped, distorted, and defiled the American story,' Trump said at a history conference in Washington DC. 'We want our sons and daughters to know they are the citizens of the most exceptional nation in the history of the world'


theguardian--2020-09-19--Ruth Bader Ginsburg: key Republicans under spotlight as fight to replace justice begins – live

Slight hobby horse here : Ruth Bader Ginsburg ’ s replacement may well be decided and pushed through by a president who lost the popular vote by almost 3 million ballots and a Senate where , if you count the popular vote , the party which holds control received almost 18 million fewer than the one which sits in the minority .
Whichever way you think about that , even if you ’ re not like me and go to sleep every night cursing Gunning Bedford Jr and raving about why there should be two Dakotas , it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ situation .
Here ’ s a very good explainer from Vox .
And here ’ s a chunk of an interview I did this summer with someone else who thinks about such things , if in much greater detail and with far greater knowledge than me : former Obama speechwriter David Litt : The administration lurches from crisis to crisis .
But Republicans who hold the Senate show a steadier hand , achieving structural change by confirming conservative judges .
Reports suggest some Republicans are ready to lose the White House , so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ It ’ s a fascinating window into the way that our democracy and our political process have become warped , ” Litt says .
“ Because now if you hold the Senate , and increasingly , all you need to do is hold 41 votes in the Senate [ to be able to block legislation ] … if you ’ re in the party that believes the government shouldn ’ t do anything , you can pretty much run the country with 41 senators.
” “ Republicans are also counting on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their legislating for them .
So they can sit back and watch Trump ’ s judges continue to enact Trump ’ s agenda , even if he leaves office.
” The whole piece is here :

19 Sept 2020 22.56 BST Trump also told reporters he has approved a deal in principle that will allow the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok to operate in the US after previous threats to ban it due to national security concerns. “I have given the deal my blessing,” the US president said. “If they get it done that’s great, if they don’t that’s fine too.” Under the proposed deal, TikTok will partner with US business software firm Oracle to form a new Texas-based company known as TikTok Global, which has reportedly agreed to make a $5bn donation to an educational fund in the state. “They’re going to be setting up a very large fund,” he said. “That’s their contribution that I’ve been asking for.”
19 Sept 2020 22.41 BST Trump says nominee to replace RBG will ‘most likely’ be a woman Donald Trump said he expects to announce his nominee to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg “next week” and it will “most likely” be a woman.
The president revealed his plans during a 12-minute scrum with reporters outside the White House as he prepared to depart for a rally tonight in Fayetteville, North Carolina. “We want to respect the process,” Trump said. “I think it’s going to go very quickly, actually.” Asked to comment on Republican senator Susan Collins’ statement earlier Saturday that Ginsburg’s seat on the high court should be filled by the winner of November’s election “in fairness to the American people”, Trump was to the point. “I totally disagree with her,” he said. “We won.” Trump’s suggestion that he will choose a woman to replace Ginsburg only fuels speculation that he is eying 48-year-old Amy Coney Barrett for the lifetime appointment. Barrett worries progressives as a committed Roman Catholic with conservative views on social issues. At Barrett’s circuit court confirmation hearings, the Democratic senator Dianne Feinstein expressed concern that the judge would be guided by church law instead of the constitution. “The dogma lives loudly within you and that’s a concern,” Feinstein said, “when you come to big issues that large numbers of people have fought for for years in this country.” Donald Trump speaks to members of the press on Saturday prior to his departure from the White House for a campaign rally in North Carolina. Photograph: Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images
Updated at 22.43 BST
19 Sept 2020 22.06 BST Collins: Senate should wait to confirm 'in fairness to the American people' Maine senator Susan Collins has broken her silence on whether Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat on the supreme court should be filled until after the inauguration of the next president.
Collins, a moderate who faces an uphill climb in her re-election campaign against Democratic challenger Sara Gideon, said the decision should be made by the president who is chosen in the November election. “In order for the American people to have faith in their elected officials, we must act fairly and consistently – no matter which political party is in power,” Collins said in a statement Saturday. “President Trump has the constitutional authority to make a nomination to fill the Supreme Court vacancy, and I would have no objection to the Senate Judiciary Committee’s beginning the process of reviewing his nominee’s credentials. “Given the proximity of the presidential election, however, I do not believe that the Senate should vote on the nominee prior to the election.” My statement on the Supreme Court vacancy: pic.twitter.com/jvYyDN5gG4 — Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) September 19, 2020 Collins is the second Republican senator to go on record against holding a confirmation vote before election day after Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski, who said in July she “would not support” filling a vacancy before 2021, fearing it would create a “double standard” after the stonewalling of Merrick Garland in 2016. The GOP, which controls 53 seats in the US senate, needs only a simple majority to confirm a supreme court nominee, meaning it could only weather one more defection in addition to Collins and Murkowski presuming all 47 Democrats vote to oppose. Maine senator Susan Collins has broken her silence on whether Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat on the supreme court should be filled until after election day. Photograph: Al Drago/AFP/Getty Images
Updated at 22.06 BST
19 Sept 2020 21.40 BST Edward Helmore A national survey conducted shortly before Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death on Friday found substantial majorities of both parties favor hearings on any supreme court nominee in the event of a vacancy this year. The Marquette University Law School poll, which was conducted between 8 to 15 September and released on Saturday, found that 67% of respondents believed confirmation should proceed in 2020 while just 32% said the US senate should hold off. The survey did not suggest strong political divisions on the issue, with 68% of Republicans and 63% of Democrats holding that a nomination vote should take place. Independents supported going forward by a 71% margin. The study mirrors a similar survey in 2016 that found a majority wanted to see the Senate take up the nomination of judge Merrick Garland, President Barack Obama’s nominee to replace conservative justice Antonin Scalia, who died in May 2016. In that case, Republicans argued it would be improper to hold a confirmation vote in an election year. Statements by Republican leaders overnight suggest that with a Republican court nomination in play, they are coming to the opposite conclusion. Still, 48% of respondents from political factions indicated that any appointment to the court is very important to them, 34% said it is somewhat important, while 17% responded that it is not too important or not at all important to them. Broken down by likely voters for each presidential candidate, 59% of Joe Biden supporters said that the next court appointment is very important, against 51% of likely Trump voters. The full results of the poll will be released on 23 September.
19 Sept 2020 21.16 BST An envelope addressed to Donald Trump containing a substance that federal investigators identified as the lethal poison ricin was intercepted this week before arriving at the White House, the Associated Press has reported citing a law enforcement official. The source, who not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the letter was discovered at a government facility where all mail addressed to the president is screened and sorted before it’s forwarded to the executive mansion. A preliminary investigation indicated it tested positive for ricin, a poison found naturally in castor beans, the official said. The AP reports: Federal investigators were working to determine where the enveloped originated and who mailed it. The FBI, the Secret Service and the US Postal Inspection Service were leading the investigation. In a statement, the FBI said agents were working to investigate a suspicious letter received at a US government mail facility and that there is no known threat to public safety. A Navy veteran was arrested in 2018 and confessed to sending envelopes to Trump and members of his administration that contained the substance from which ricin is derived. Authorities said the man, William Clyde Allen III, sent the envelopes with ground castor beans to the president, FBI Director Christopher Wray, along with then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, then-CIA Director Gina Haspel, Adm. John Richardson, who at the time was the Navy’s top officer, and then-Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson. The letters were intercepted, and no one was hurt. The New York Times, citing a law enforcement official briefed on the inquiry, has reported that investigators believe the letter was sent from Canada. Federal officials intercepted an envelope addressed to the White House that contained the poison ricin according to a law enforcement official who spoke to the Associated Press on Saturday. Photograph: Patrick Semansky/AP
19 Sept 2020 20.56 BST Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and a regular contributor in these pages, has remembered Ruth Bader Ginsburg as “the best of us” and a champion of “equal opportunity and fair justice”. “Ruth Bader Ginsburg was one of the fiercest, most intelligent defenders of equal opportunity and fair justice for all,” Abdul-Jabbar said on Saturday in a statement to the Guardian. “She was the best of us and her example brought out the best in everyone who believes in a truly democratic America.”
pic.twitter.com/xOGXq5UjVj — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (@kaj33) September 19, 2020
Updated at 21.02 BST
19 Sept 2020 20.35 BST Feinstein calls on Graham to not fill RBG's seat before inauguration California senator Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate judiciary committee, has formally called on the committee’s chairman Lindsey Graham to delay action on filling Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat on the supreme court until after the inauguration of the next president. A letter co-signed by all 10 judiciary committee Democrats dated Saturday invokes Graham’s own words following the death of conservative supreme court justice Antonin Scalia in 2016, which don’t leave the South Carolina senator much in the way of wiggle room. You joined other Senate Republicans in arguing against the Senate’s consideration of any nominee. For instance, in March 2016, you said that the “election cycle [was] well under way and the precedent of the Senate is not to confirm a nominee at this stage in the process.” That same month you also said “If there is a Republican President in 2016 and a vacancy occurs in the last year of the first term, you can say ‘Lindsey Graham said let us let the next President, whoever it might be, make that nomination.’ And you could use my words against me, and you would be absolutely right.” Two years later, you reiterated that the standard Republicans established in 2016 should apply equally in 2020. As you noted, “[i]f an opening comes in the last year of President Trump’s term, and the primary process has started, we’ll wait until the next election.” There cannot be one set of rules for a Republican President and one set for a Democratic President, and considering a nominee before the next inauguration would be wholly inappropriate. While he has yet to comment on the letter directly, Graham clarified his position on the matter in a thread of tweets on Saturday afternoon, saying:
The two biggest changes regarding the Senate and judicial confirmations that have occurred in the last decade have come from Democrats. * Harry Reid changed the rules to allow a simple majority vote for Circuit Court nominees dealing out the minority. * Chuck Schumer and his friends in the liberal media conspired to destroy the life of Brett Kavanaugh and hold that Supreme Court seat open. In light of these two events, I will support President @realDonaldTrump in any effort to move forward regarding the recent vacancy created by the passing of Justice Ginsburg. Earlier Saturday, Graham responded to Donald Trump’s tweet calling for Republicans to move forward on a nominee “without delay”, saying, “I fully understand where [President Trump] is coming from.”
19 Sept 2020 20.03 BST Edward Helmore Democrats have raised more than $31m in the 17 hours since supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death was announced, according to a donation ticker on ActBlue, the party’s online fundraising platform. Democrats have already registered record fundraising totals over the closing months of the 2020 presidential election season: more than 4m unique donors made 10,654,586 contributions on ActBlue in August, for a total of $485,400,545. The party is now looking to leverage Ginsberg’s legacy in more than judicial terms. A separate Senate-focused democratic push specifically mentions Ginsburg’s impact. “In this moment it is vital to give to Senate candidates,” reads an ActBlue fundraising page entitled Protect RBG’s Legacy. “Time to apply maximum pressure so that they do the right thing & refuse to vote to confirm before the 2020 election.” Republicans, too, acted overnight. In Iowa, vulnerable Republican senator Joni Ernst sent out fundraising pleas shortly after Ginsburg’s death was announced.“BREAKING: The future of the Supreme Court is on the line,” Ernst’s campaign wrote in the subject line of an email blast. “Our Conservative values and Constitutional rights are now on the line,” the email said. “The next Supreme Court nominee will shape major decisions for decades to come.” After an online backlash, Ernst later issued an apology. “This email never should have gone out,” she said in a statement. “Though I never saw it, it was sent out under my name and I take responsibility for it. Tonight, my prayers are with the family of Justice Ginsburg.”
19 Sept 2020 19.39 BST Lawrence Douglas explains how Democrats could have the last laugh if Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell succeeds in installing a nominee to the high court before the election, or before Trump leaves the White House, should he lose to Joe Biden: [T]he deeper question is not whether McConnell will be successful. It is how Democrats should respond if he is. The answer, of course, will turn on the results of the coming election. But should Democrats capture the White House and the Senate, they need to bear in mind that it is Congress and not the Constitution that sets the size of the supreme court. In 1937, Franklin Roosevelt, frustrated by a hidebound supreme court that had struck down New Deal laws, proposed expanding the number of justices to fifteen. That court-packing plan was rightly rejected by Congress as a heavy-handed attempt to manipulate the court’s composition to generate specific political outcomes. A new Democratic court-packing plan in 2021 would be prompted by a very different logic. Adding two additional justices to court’s ranks would simply counterbalance the abuse of constitutional rules that enabled the confirmation of Gorsuch and RBG’s replacement. Such an act would be a justified gesture of constitutional restoration, not usurpation. In the battle over the US supreme court, Democrats can still have the last laugh | Lawrence Douglas Read more
19 Sept 2020 19.14 BST Politico reporter – Trump might not fill RBG's seat immediately Martin Pengelly Tim Alberta, the chap I quoted a while back re Mitch “Mule Piss” McConnell and his single-minded pursuit of judicial appointments, has a fascinating piece up at Politico. “If there’s one Republican who could be convinced that filling the sudden supreme court vacancy is a bad idea,” he writes, “it’s President Donald Trump.” The gist of it is that Trump might see the promise of a conservative justice as a more potent weapon in his arsenal against Joe Biden than the actuality of a conservative installed in whatever short and nasty Capitol Hill fight McConnell has lined up and into which Democrats will no doubt determinedly pitch. In short, as Alberta writes, Trump’s decision to publish a list of possible nominees did wonders in 2016 in reassuring evangelicals and others he would not appoint any liberals, thereby aligning such voters behind a candidate they otherwise distrusted. Trump names three sitting senators among 20 possible supreme court picks Read more So, the thinking goes, why not do so again? Trump has already published a list of possible nominees and we all know he likes to manage political theatre like reality TV. “Vote for me or Joe Biden will appoint an anti-gun, pro-abortion, atheist Black Lives Matter activist in a same-sex marriage from Vermont,” is the short and flippant version of it. Shorter still but still flippant: “Vote for me or the court gets it.” Here’s Alberta: Any number of variables could tip the scales in such a tight election. But it’s not difficult to deduce that had a supreme court seat not been hanging in the balance, Hillary Clinton would be president right now. When I offered this theory last year to McConnell … he grinned. “I agree,” McConnell said. And here he is again: Having been reminded countless times over the past 45 months that his Supreme Court gambit won him the trust of social conservatives – which, in turn, won him the election – Trump surely realizes that this is a moment of maximum leverage. Maybe he doesn’t bother using it; maybe he automatically produces more of the goods, keeping his most important customers satisfied, believing it’s one more accomplishment to point to. But the president is transactional to his core. This was exactly the word– “transactional” – that Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council, used when we discussed the supreme court list Trump unveiled in 2016. “Evangelicals had been used over and over by Republicans. And there was something different about his interaction with us,” Perkins told me. “He wanted our votes, and he made promises that most Christian candidates would never, ever make.”


theguardian--2020-09-19--'Vote' fashion is the must-have look of the fall season

There was nothing subtle about Jill Biden ’ s fashion statement last Monday : the word “ VOTE ” was spelled out in silver capitals on her black , knee-high boots as she accompanied husband and Democratic presidential candidate Joe to the ballot box in a Delaware primary .
Biden ’ s boots were designed by Stuart Weitzman , with 100 % of profits going to public awareness campaign I am Voter .
In the run-up to a momentous presidential election in November , they are just the latest example of the word ‘ Vote ’ becoming the only slogan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Last month , a gold “ V-O-T-E ” necklace , worn by Michelle Obama during her speech at the digital Democratic National Convention , went viral online .
Meanwhile , music phenom Lizzo has designed her own “ VOTE ” mask , in collaboration with sunglasses brand Quay , of which she said : “ The power of voting in midterm and local elections wasn ’ t something I was taught in school .
I want to be part of informing future generations of our power.
” Other political figures ranging from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Clinton have been photographed wearing “ Vote ” face masks .
And not to be outdone , Mariah Carey , Bella Hadid and Samuel L Jackson have posed in “ Vote ” and “ Your Voice Matters ” T-shirts of late .
A raft of designers and retailers are in on the action , from vote-branded earrings doing brisk business on Etsy to Levi ’ s “ VOTE ” hoodies and Michael Kors ’ “ Vote ” T-shirts , which raise money for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ joined in , stitching the words “ Vote the assholes out ” into the labels of its shorts .
This trend is no accident .
Much of the merchandise has been prompted by campaigning organisations and seeks to attract and persuade younger people , who are traditionally under-represented in voter registration .
“ We very intentionally work with retailers who reach young demographics , ” said Andy Bernstein , executive director at HeadCount , a voting advocacy group that works with brands such as American Eagle Outfitters .
The organisation has also distributed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social media influencers , including singer Kesha , who was later spotted wearing it in public .
Michelle Obama ’ s non-profit organisation When We All Vote has played a pivotal role in the popularisation of “ Vote ” fashion .
It ’ s adopted the cadences of the streetwear industry – launching heavily-trailed , limited edition merchandise in bursts or “ drops ” – to sell baseball caps , joggers and even a “ Vote ” -themed vegan lipstick .
“ When people feel as if their voices aren ’ t being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the voice of the people , a constructive outlet and catalyst for change , whether that ’ s through music , content or fashion , ’ said Crystal Carson , When We All Vote vice-president of culture , communications and media partnerships .
The organisation hopes to reach millennial and generation Z voters in particular , she added , ushering them to the polls whether they buy the merchandise or see it on influencers , artists or other high-profile figures .
“ Creating a conversation around voting is just as important as talking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and pointed out that the products had been chosen very carefully to include “ black-owned and woman-owned businesses .
We wanted to ensure that our product reflects the ever-increasing [ young ] and diverse electorate.
” The US has one of the lowest voter turnout rates among developed countries , with just 56 % of eligible people voting in the 2016 election according to the Pew Research Center .
Young people have long been particularly under-represented .
They could be pivotal to this election if they register in droves , however , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 27 % of the electorate .
Generation Z makes up one in 10 eligible voters , according to Pew , which also predicts that the electorate will be the most diverse ever , with a third of eligible voters being people of colour .
The use of simple , digestible , online-sharable slogans on clothing feels precision-targeted to an election season in which the coronavirus pandemic has limited opportunities for real world campaigning .
“ So much of our communication is digital , ” said Abby Kiesa , director of impact at Circle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s relationship with civic engagement .
“ People are looking for many different avenues and channels to reach a wide group of people in the US .
These identity-related cultural pieces are a part of that.
” Many items come with embedded QR codes which can be scanned and send shoppers straight to voter registration forms , which is crucial for the products to have the intended impact , Kiesa said .
“ Young people are doing a lot of identity creation – making statements about where they stand on things .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media – clearly this is something which can be integrated into that storytelling .
”

There was nothing subtle about Jill Biden’s fashion statement last Monday: the word “VOTE” was spelled out in silver capitals on her black, knee-high boots as she accompanied husband and Democratic presidential candidate Joe to the ballot box in a Delaware primary.
Biden’s boots were designed by Stuart Weitzman, with 100% of profits going to public awareness campaign I am Voter. In the run-up to a momentous presidential election in November, they are just the latest example of the word ‘Vote’ becoming the only slogan worth wearing in the US this autumn.
Last month, a gold “V-O-T-E” necklace, worn by Michelle Obama during her speech at the digital Democratic National Convention, went viral online.
Meanwhile, music phenom Lizzo has designed her own “VOTE” mask, in collaboration with sunglasses brand Quay, of which she said: “The power of voting in midterm and local elections wasn’t something I was taught in school. I want to be part of informing future generations of our power.”
Lizzo's Latest Quay Collection Features Good-as-Hell Sunglasses — and a "Vote" Face Mask - POPSUGAR Australia https://t.co/iShUzhFp71 — Michelle Henry (@LawTweets1) August 13, 2020
Other political figures ranging from actor and activist Cynthia Nixon to Hillary Clinton have been photographed wearing “Vote” face masks.
And not to be outdone, Mariah Carey, Bella Hadid and Samuel L Jackson have posed in “Vote” and “Your Voice Matters” T-shirts of late.
A raft of designers and retailers are in on the action, from vote-branded earrings doing brisk business on Etsy to Levi’s “VOTE” hoodies and Michael Kors’ “Vote” T-shirts, which raise money for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Legal Defense Fund.
Patagonia joined in, stitching the words “Vote the assholes out” into the labels of its shorts.
This trend is no accident. Much of the merchandise has been prompted by campaigning organisations and seeks to attract and persuade younger people, who are traditionally under-represented in voter registration.
“We very intentionally work with retailers who reach young demographics,” said Andy Bernstein, executive director at HeadCount, a voting advocacy group that works with brands such as American Eagle Outfitters.
The organisation has also distributed “Vote” masks to musicians and social media influencers, including singer Kesha, who was later spotted wearing it in public.
“Fashion drives culture and cultural shifts drive voter turnout,” Bernstein added.
Michelle Obama speaks while wearing her VOTE necklace at the Democratic National Convention. Photograph: DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION/AFP/Getty Images
Michelle Obama’s non-profit organisation When We All Vote has played a pivotal role in the popularisation of “Vote” fashion.
It’s adopted the cadences of the streetwear industry – launching heavily-trailed, limited edition merchandise in bursts or “drops” – to sell baseball caps, joggers and even a “Vote”-themed vegan lipstick.
“When people feel as if their voices aren’t being heard, culture steps in to be the voice of the people, a constructive outlet and catalyst for change, whether that’s through music, content or fashion,’ said Crystal Carson, When We All Vote vice-president of culture, communications and media partnerships.
The organisation hopes to reach millennial and generation Z voters in particular, she added, ushering them to the polls whether they buy the merchandise or see it on influencers, artists or other high-profile figures.
“Creating a conversation around voting is just as important as talking about it directly,” Carson said, and pointed out that the products had been chosen very carefully to include “black-owned and woman-owned businesses. We wanted to ensure that our product reflects the ever-increasing [young] and diverse electorate.”
The US has one of the lowest voter turnout rates among developed countries, with just 56% of eligible people voting in the 2016 election according to the Pew Research Center.
Young people have long been particularly under-represented. They could be pivotal to this election if they register in droves, however, with millennials matching ageing baby boomers at 27% of the electorate.
Generation Z makes up one in 10 eligible voters, according to Pew, which also predicts that the electorate will be the most diverse ever, with a third of eligible voters being people of colour.
The use of simple, digestible, online-sharable slogans on clothing feels precision-targeted to an election season in which the coronavirus pandemic has limited opportunities for real world campaigning.
“So much of our communication is digital,” said Abby Kiesa, director of impact at Circle, a group researching young people’s relationship with civic engagement. “People are looking for many different avenues and channels to reach a wide group of people in the US. These identity-related cultural pieces are a part of that.”
Many items come with embedded QR codes which can be scanned and send shoppers straight to voter registration forms, which is crucial for the products to have the intended impact, Kiesa said.
“Young people are doing a lot of identity creation – making statements about where they stand on things. They are really savvy about storytelling using digital media – clearly this is something which can be integrated into that storytelling.”