theguardian--2020-06-29--Trump retweets video of white St Louis couple pointing guns at protesters

Donald Trump courted controversy on Monday – and perhaps sought to deflect attention from reports about Russia placing bounties on US soldiers in Afghanistan – by retweeting news footage of a white couple in St Louis , Missouri who pointed guns at protesters marching for police reform .
The president ’ s action came a day after he retweeted footage of protesters clashing in Florida in which a Trump supporter could be heard to say “ White power !
White power !
” That retweet was deleted from the president ’ s account after a few hours , a White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the inflammatory words before sending the footage on to his supporters .
The protesters in St Louis were marching to the mayor ’ s home to demand her resignation .
In a Facebook live briefing on Friday , Lyda Krewson read the names and addresses of several residents who wrote letters suggesting she defund the police department .
The video was removed from Facebook and Krewson apologized on Friday , stating she did not “ intend to cause distress ” .
On Sunday a group of at least 500 people headed towards the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Resign Lyda , take the cops with you.
” A social media video showed the unidentified armed white couple standing outside their home on Sunday evening in the Central West End neighbourhood , shouting at protesters .
People in the march moved the crowd forward , urging participants to ignore them .
It was not immediately clear whether St Louis police were aware of the incident .
The names and addresses Krewson read out are considered public records but her actions prompted a heavy backlash .
An online petition calling for her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Monday morning .
“ As a leader , you don ’ t do stuff like that … it ’ s only right that we visit her at her home , ” said state representative Rasheen Aldridge , speaking into a megaphone at the protest on Sunday .
Addressing Trump ’ s “ white power ” retweet , Tim Scott of South Carolina , the sole African American Republican in the Senate , said : “ There ’ s no question that he should not have retweeted it and he should just take it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ director of Human Rights Watch , said on Twitter Trump ’ s retweet was “ not surprising for a man who ’ s called neo-Nazis ‘ very fine people ’ and hired white nationalists to work in the White House , but still , immensely dangerous .
“ With his poll numbers falling , he wants a race war.
” Trump ’ s retweet also came after a gunman in Louisville , Kentucky , shot dead a photographer during protests over the death of Breonna Taylor , an African American woman killed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ man was charged with murder .
On Monday morning , Trump also retweeted a series of messages seeking to identify protesters involved in attempts to remove statues of figures from American history .

Martin Pengelly in New York and agencies

Donald Trump courted controversy on Monday – and perhaps sought to deflect attention from reports about Russia placing bounties on US soldiers in Afghanistan – by retweeting news footage of a white couple in St Louis, Missouri, who pointed guns at protesters marching for police reform.
The president’s action came a day after he retweeted footage of protesters clashing in Florida in which a Trump supporter could be heard to say: “White power! White power!”
That retweet was deleted from the president’s account after a few hours, a White House spokesman saying Trump had not heard the inflammatory words before sending the footage on to his supporters.
The protesters in St Louis were marching to the mayor’s home to demand her resignation.
In a Facebook live briefing on Friday, Lyda Krewson read the names and addresses of several residents who wrote letters suggesting she defund the police department, as part of protests arising from the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on 25 May.
The video was removed from Facebook and Krewson apologized on Friday, stating she did not “intend to cause distress”. On Sunday evening a group of at least 500 people headed towards the mayor’s home, chanting, “Resign Lyda, take the cops with you.”
Video on social media showed the armed white couple standing outside their home in the Central West End neighbourhood, shouting at protesters. The man carried an assault-style rifle, the woman a handgun. People in the march moved the crowd forward, urging participants to ignore them.
Buzzfeed News reported that a police report detailed the couple’s claim to have been threatened with harm and to have “observed multiple subjects who were armed”.
The couple were not immediately officially identified but multiple news reports identified the couple as personal injury lawyers Mark and Patricia McCloskey, owners of the grand “midwestern palazzo” home seen in video footage.
Mark McCloskey later told KMOV-TV a mob rushed toward the home as the family was having dinner and “put us in fear of our lives”.
“This is all private property,” he said. “There are no public sidewalks or public streets. We were told that we would be killed, our home burned and our dog killed. We were all alone facing an angry mob.”
The St Louis police department said that they were investigating the incident, and that it currently regarded Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the white couple with guns, as the victims.
Asked whether the McCloskeys were being currently being investigated for committing any crime last night, a St Louis police spokesperson said that the local prosecutor would have to make that decision.
“Any changes regarding whether the victims would be charged would be determined by the prosecutor’s office,” a St Louis police department spokesperson said.
The police were currently investigating the incident as one of “trespassing” and “intimidation” against the McCloskeys, the spokesperson said.
St Louis elected its first black prosecutor, Kimberly Gardner, a criminal justice reformer, in 2016. Gardner said in a public statement on Monday that she was “alarmed” to see an incident “where peaceful protestors were met by guns and a violent assault”, and that her office was investigating the incident along with the police.
“We must protect the right to peacefully protest, and any attempt to chill it through intimidation or threat of deadly force will not be tolerated,” Gardner wrote. “Make no mistake: we will not tolerate the use of force against those exercising their first amendment rights.”
Missouri has liberal gun laws but Nico Bocur of the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence told BuzzFeed: “The right to bear arms does not give anyone the right to harass, intimidate and point guns at Americans they disagree with.”
Mayor Krewson, who is white, was elected as the first female mayor of St Louis in April 2017, pledging to reduce crime and improve impoverished neighborhoods. Her husband, Jeff Krewson, was killed in a carjacking in 1995. She and her two young children were in the car.
The names and addresses Krewson read out are considered public records but her actions prompted a heavy backlash. An online petition calling for her resignation had more than 43,000 signatures by Monday morning.
“As a leader, you don’t do stuff like that … it’s only right that we visit her at her home,” said the state representative Rasheen Aldridge, speaking into a megaphone at the protest on Sunday.
Addressing Trump’s “white power” retweet earlier the same day, Tim Scott of South Carolina, the sole African American Republican in the Senate, said: “There’s no question that he should not have retweeted it.”
Andrew Stroehlein, the European media director of Human Rights Watch, said on Twitter that retweet was “not surprising for a man who’s called neo-Nazis ‘very fine people’ and hired white nationalists to work in the White House, but still, immensely dangerous. With his poll numbers falling, he wants a race war.”
On Monday, the White House press secretary told Fox News Trump’s “point in tweeting out that video was to stand with his supporters, who are oftentimes demonized”.
Trump’s Monday retweet of the video from St Louis also came after a gunman in Louisville, Kentucky, shot dead a photographer during protests over the death of Breonna Taylor, an African American woman killed by police in her own home. A man was charged with murder.
Trump also retweeted a series of messages seeking to identify protesters involved in attempts to remove statues of figures from American history.


theguardian--2020-06-29--How did face masks become a political issue in America?

It is usually a cloth with two stretchy bands at two ends .
You put it on your face so you can cover your mouth and nose , and it acts as a barrier to the rest of the world .
Masks , therefore , are very simple objects .
But in the US they are a huge source of controversy .
While many Americans follow public health recommendations and wear masks in public to limit the spread of Covid-19 , others passionately fight against them , saying they impair individual freedom .
Here ’ s what we know about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : What is the controversy over masks in the US ?
While polls show a majority of Americans wear masks when out in public , whether businesses and local governments should mandate mask usage has become a divisive political issue .
A recent Pew Research Center poll found Democrats were more likely to say they wear masks than Republicans .
This is in line with messaging from leaders within the two parties .
Democratic leaders have been more vocal about the importance of face masks .
Many Democratic governors have made it mandatory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden , the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee , said if he were in the White House , he would “ do everything possible to make it required that people have to wear masks in public ” .
In contrast , while many Republican leaders have also spoken out about the importance of masks , other top Republicans have been more hesitant to mandate masks , even as their states have started to see surges of new cases amid reopening phases .
The most obvious of these is Donald Trump himself .
And though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( CDC ) recommends wearing masks to prevent the spread of the virus , the US president has suggested wearing a mask could be seen as a political statement against him and mocked Biden for wearing a mask in public .
That message has reached the public , who have turned masks into a “ culture war ” .
Some businesses have put up signs telling patrons they are required not to wear masks , while retail employees elsewhere have had to confront angry customers who refuse to wear them .
When did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ start ?
What started as largely mask-less protests against shutdown orders has spiraled into wider anti-mask sentiment .
As states have slowly begun to reopen their economies , many national chains and local businesses are requiring customers to wear face masks when in stores .
Thus businesses , and particularly their employees , are increasingly finding themselves on the frontlines of the mask debate .
Stores that have been strict about masks have reported an uptick in angry customers who lash out when employees try to turn them away for not wearing masks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Flint , Michigan , where an employee of a Family Dollar store was shot 4 May after telling a customer her daughter had to wear a face mask to enter the store .
Why do people say they are against masks ?
Many who refuse to wear masks say it imposes on their individual freedom .
Reopen NC , a group that opposes shutdown orders in North Carolina , said masks were “ muzzles ” that , along with things like mandatory temperature checks , were “ ways our freedom is being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Burn Your Mask Challenge ” where people post videos on social media of themselves burning their masks and use the hashtag “ # IgniteFreedom ” .
At a meeting of local leaders in Palm Beach , Florida , several people spoke in public about why they were against masks .
Reasons varied from anger that masks “ throw God ’ s wonderful breathing system out the door ” to invoking a “ plan-demic ” conspiracy theory .
“ You ’ re removing our freedoms and stomping on our constitutional rights by these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to mandate , ” one woman said at the hearing .
Some experts say part of the resistance to masks could stem from confusing public messaging that came from public health officials in the beginning of the pandemic .
When the virus first appeared on US shores , public health officials said masks were not necessary for anyone who was not showing symptoms and discouraged people from buying them .
The CDC changed course in early April , saying that new research showed asymptomatic carriers were common spreaders of the virus , though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ usage had already been clear .
Anthony Fauci , the epidemiologist who leads the US response against Covid-19 , admitted that a part of the reason why public health officials discouraged masks is because the US was experiencing a shortages of masks for essential healthcare workers .
What do public health officials now say about masks ?
Public health experts unanimously agree that masks help slow the spread of Covid-19 .
The CDC and World Health Organization both released recommendations to the public to wear masks when social distancing is not possible .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the spread of the virus , recent research has shown that wearing them is the most efficient way to stop its transmission .
Fauci , at a recent talk , said everyone should wear a mask in public and it “ should not be a political issue .
It is purely a public health issue .
”

It is usually a cloth with two stretchy bands at two ends. You put it on your face so you can cover your mouth and nose, and it acts as a barrier to the rest of the world.
Masks, therefore, are very simple objects.
But in the US they are a huge source of controversy. While many Americans follow public health recommendations and wear masks in public to limit the spread of Covid-19, others passionately fight against them, saying they impair individual freedom.
Here’s what we know about the movement against masks in the US:
What is the controversy over masks in the US?
While polls show a majority of Americans wear masks when out in public, whether businesses and local governments should mandate mask usage has become a divisive political issue. A recent Pew Research Center poll found Democrats were more likely to say they wear masks than Republicans.
This is in line with messaging from leaders within the two parties.
Democratic leaders have been more vocal about the importance of face masks. Many Democratic governors have made it mandatory to wear masks in public. Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, said if he were in the White House, he would “do everything possible to make it required that people have to wear masks in public”.
In contrast, while many Republican leaders have also spoken out about the importance of masks, other top Republicans have been more hesitant to mandate masks, even as their states have started to see surges of new cases amid reopening phases. The most obvious of these is Donald Trump himself.
And though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends wearing masks to prevent the spread of the virus, the US president has suggested wearing a mask could be seen as a political statement against him and mocked Biden for wearing a mask in public.
That message has reached the public, who have turned masks into a “culture war”. Some businesses have put up signs telling patrons they are required not to wear masks, while retail employees elsewhere have had to confront angry customers who refuse to wear them.
When did the backlash against masks in the US start?
What started as largely mask-less protests against shutdown orders has spiraled into wider anti-mask sentiment. As states have slowly begun to reopen their economies, many national chains and local businesses are requiring customers to wear face masks when in stores.
Shoppers wear face masks in the parking lot of a Walmart in Rosemead, California, this month. Photograph: Mario Anzuoni/Reuters
Thus businesses, and particularly their employees, are increasingly finding themselves on the frontlines of the mask debate. Stores that have been strict about masks have reported an uptick in angry customers who lash out when employees try to turn them away for not wearing masks. The most extreme case has been in Flint, Michigan, where an employee of a Family Dollar store was shot on 4 May after telling a customer her daughter had to wear a face mask to enter the store.
Why do people say they are against masks?
Many who refuse to wear masks say it imposes on their individual freedom.
Reopen NC, a group that opposes shutdown orders in North Carolina, said masks were “muzzles” that, along with things like mandatory temperature checks, were “ways our freedom is being eroded”. The group started a “Burn Your Mask Challenge” where people post videos on social media of themselves burning their masks and use the hashtag “#IgniteFreedom”.
At a meeting of local leaders in Palm Beach, Florida, several people spoke in public about why they were against masks. Reasons varied from anger that masks “throw God’s wonderful breathing system out the door” to invoking a “plan-demic” conspiracy theory.
“You’re removing our freedoms and stomping on our constitutional rights by these communist dictatorship orders or laws you want to mandate,” one woman said at the hearing.
Some experts say part of the resistance to masks could stem from confusing public messaging that came from public health officials in the beginning of the pandemic. When the virus first appeared on US shores, public health officials said masks were not necessary for anyone who was not showing symptoms and discouraged people from buying them.
The CDC changed course in early April, saying that new research showed asymptomatic carriers were common spreaders of the virus, though some experts say the evidence for mask usage had already been clear. Anthony Fauci, the epidemiologist who leads the US response against Covid-19, admitted that a part of the reason why public health officials discouraged masks is because the US was experiencing a shortages of masks for essential healthcare workers.
What do public health officials now say about masks?
Public health experts unanimously agree that masks help slow the spread of Covid-19. The CDC and World Health Organization both released recommendations to the public to wear masks when social distancing is not possible.
Though masks alone will not completely halt the spread of the virus, recent research has shown that wearing them is the most efficient way to stop its transmission. Fauci, at a recent talk, said everyone should wear a mask in public and it “should not be a political issue. It is purely a public health issue.”


theguardian--2020-06-29--Trump: I was not told about 'Russian bounties' plot because it was not credible

Donald Trump has said intelligence about a Russian plot to offer bounties to Taliban militants in exchange for fatal attacks on coalition troops in Afghanistan was not “ credible ” and was therefore not reported to him .
The US president gave the explanation in a tweet on Sunday night , and dismissed the widely reported allegations as “ possibly another fabricated Russia hoax ” .
Trump has come under pressure to explain why he had not heard about the Russia offer even though US security officials have been weighing a response to the plot since at least March .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s national security council , have been discussing the Russian bounty offer for months , the New York Times first reported .
Earlier on Sunday , Trump claimed never to have heard about the Russian offer – and he questioned whether such an offer had been made .
“ Nobody briefed or told me , [ vice president Mike ] Pence , or chief of staff Mark Meadows about the so-called attacks on our troops in Afghanistan by Russians , ” Trump tweeted in part .
“ Everybody is denying it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on us … ” Meadows took over as chief of staff at the end of March , after the national security council , which includes top advisers to the president with offices inside the White House , convened an interagency meeting to discuss taking action on the intelligence reports , according to the Times .
Joe Biden , Trump ’ s presidential rival , accused Trump in a virtual town hall on Saturday of betraying US troops by failing to act on the intelligence reports .
“ Not only has he failed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Russia for this egregious violation of international law , Donald Trump has continued his embarrassing campaign of deference and debasing himself before Vladimir Putin , ” Biden said .
“ His entire presidency has been a gift to Putin , but this is beyond the pale .
It ’ s a betrayal of the most sacred duty we bear as a nation , to protect and equip our troops when we send them into harm ’ s way.
” A Russian military intelligence unit secretly offered cash to Taliban-linked militants for successful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 2019 , as the US and Taliban engaged in talks to end a decades-long war , according to widely reported US intelligence assessments .
While Trump and aides cast doubt on those assessments , further reporting published on Sunday by the Times revealed that US intelligence agencies were tipped off to the Russian program by the discovery by US special forces of a large amount of American cash at a Taliban outpost .
Warnings about the suspected Russian plot were sent up the intelligence chain in January , the Times reported .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Afghanistan in 2019 .
But the White House press secretary , the director of national intelligence ( DNI ) , and now the president himself all denied at the weekend that news of a secret Russian paid assassinations plot against US troops ever made it to Trump ’ s inner circle .
“ I have confirmed that neither the president nor the vice president were ever briefed on any intelligence alleged by the New York Times in its reporting yesterday , ” intelligence director John Ratcliffe said in a statement Saturday .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier today , which denied such a briefing occurred , was accurate.
” House speaker Nancy Pelosi , a Democrat , said on ABC ’ s This Week program on Sunday that it was “ totally outrageous ” that Trump did not act on the intelligence reports to defend American lives .
“ This is as bad as it gets , and yet the president will not confront the Russians on this score , ” Pelosi said .
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany issued a statement Saturday denying that Trump had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speak to the merit of the alleged intelligence ” .
“ Either the DNI is lying ( which is a massive problem ) or the DNI withheld earthshaking information from President Trump because he is so infantile and irrelevant that they ’ d rather he not know ( which is … well … also a massive problem ) , ” tweeted Connecticut senator Chris Murphy , a Democrat .
The former acting director of national intelligence , Richard Grenell , who served the Trump administration , suggested on Sunday that the reports about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ No one would be fine with this if it were true , ” Grenell tweeted .
Both the Russian foreign ministry and the Taliban issued statements denying the plot .
“ This unsophisticated plant clearly illustrates the low intellectual abilities of the propagandists of American intelligence , who instead of inventing something more plausible have to make up this nonsense , ” the Russian Foreign Ministry said .
A Taliban spokesman said the militants “ strongly reject this allegation and are not indebted to the beneficence of any intelligence organ or foreign country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intelligence assessments about Russia in the past .
In a July 2018 appearance in Helsinki , Finland , alongside Russian president Vladimir Putin , Trump endorsed Putin ’ s denial of US findings that Russia had tampered in the 2016 presidential election .
“ They said they think it ’ s Russia ; I have President Putin , he just said it ’ s not Russia , ” Trump told reporters .
“ I will say this : I don ’ t see any reason why it would be .
I have great @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today.
” A report by special counsel Robert Mueller delivered in March 2019 documented extensive contacts between Russian intelligence and Trump campaign officials but “ did not establish that the Trump Campaign coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities ” .
The report documented 10 instances of potential obstruction of justice by Trump personally in investigations directly or indirectly involving his campaign ’ s Russia ties .

Donald Trump has said intelligence about a Russian plot to offer bounties to Taliban militants in exchange for fatal attacks on coalition troops in Afghanistan was not “credible” and was therefore not reported to him.
The US president gave the explanation in a tweet on Sunday night, and dismissed the widely reported allegations as “possibly another fabricated Russia hoax”.
Trump has come under pressure to explain why he had not heard about the Russia offer even though US security officials have been weighing a response to the plot since at least March.
Top administration officials, including members of Trump’s national security council, have been discussing the Russian bounty offer for months, the New York Times first reported.
Earlier on Sunday, Trump claimed never to have heard about the Russian offer – and he questioned whether such an offer had been made.
“Nobody briefed or told me, [vice president Mike] Pence, or chief of staff Mark Meadows about the so-called attacks on our troops in Afghanistan by Russians,” Trump tweeted in part. “Everybody is denying it & there have not been many attacks on us …”
Meadows took over as chief of staff at the end of March, after the national security council, which includes top advisers to the president with offices inside the White House, convened an interagency meeting to discuss taking action on the intelligence reports, according to the Times.
Joe Biden, Trump’s presidential rival, accused Trump in a virtual town hall on Saturday of betraying US troops by failing to act on the intelligence reports.
“Not only has he failed to sanction or impose any kind of consequences on Russia for this egregious violation of international law, Donald Trump has continued his embarrassing campaign of deference and debasing himself before Vladimir Putin,” Biden said.
“His entire presidency has been a gift to Putin, but this is beyond the pale. It’s a betrayal of the most sacred duty we bear as a nation, to protect and equip our troops when we send them into harm’s way.”
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden slammed President Trump after the New York Times reported that U.S. intelligence concluded that the Russian military offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants in Afghanistan to kill American troops https://t.co/izhdSre2Le pic.twitter.com/C4w9YgQGJ1 — Reuters (@Reuters) June 28, 2020
A Russian military intelligence unit secretly offered cash to Taliban-linked militants for successful attacks on coalition forces in the fall of 2019, as the US and Taliban engaged in talks to end a decades-long war, according to widely reported US intelligence assessments.
While Trump and aides cast doubt on those assessments, further reporting published on Sunday by the Times revealed that US intelligence agencies were tipped off to the Russian program by the discovery by US special forces of a large amount of American cash at a Taliban outpost.
Warnings about the suspected Russian plot were sent up the intelligence chain in January, the Times reported.
Twenty Americans were killed in combat in Afghanistan in 2019.
But the White House press secretary, the director of national intelligence (DNI), and now the president himself all denied at the weekend that news of a secret Russian paid assassinations plot against US troops ever made it to Trump’s inner circle.
“I have confirmed that neither the president nor the vice president were ever briefed on any intelligence alleged by the New York Times in its reporting yesterday,” intelligence director John Ratcliffe said in a statement Saturday. “The White House statement addressing this issue earlier today, which denied such a briefing occurred, was accurate.”
House speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, said on ABC’s This Week program on Sunday that it was “totally outrageous” that Trump did not act on the intelligence reports to defend American lives.
“This is as bad as it gets, and yet the president will not confront the Russians on this score,” Pelosi said.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany issued a statement Saturday denying that Trump had been briefed but saying “this does not speak to the merit of the alleged intelligence”.
“Either the DNI is lying (which is a massive problem) or the DNI withheld earthshaking information from President Trump because he is so infantile and irrelevant that they’d rather he not know (which is … well … also a massive problem),” tweeted Connecticut senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat.
The former acting director of national intelligence, Richard Grenell, who served the Trump administration, suggested on Sunday that the reports about the intelligence assessment were wrong. “No one would be fine with this if it were true,” Grenell tweeted.
Both the Russian foreign ministry and the Taliban issued statements denying the plot.
“This unsophisticated plant clearly illustrates the low intellectual abilities of the propagandists of American intelligence, who instead of inventing something more plausible have to make up this nonsense,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
A Taliban spokesman said the militants “strongly reject this allegation and are not indebted to the beneficence of any intelligence organ or foreign country”.
Trump has publicly undermined US intelligence assessments about Russia in the past. In a July 2018 appearance in Helsinki, Finland, alongside Russian president Vladimir Putin, Trump endorsed Putin’s denial of US findings that Russia had tampered in the 2016 presidential election.
“They said they think it’s Russia; I have President Putin, he just said it’s not Russia,” Trump told reporters. “I will say this: I don’t see any reason why it would be. I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today.”
A report by special counsel Robert Mueller delivered in March 2019 documented extensive contacts between Russian intelligence and Trump campaign officials but “did not establish that the Trump Campaign coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities”.
The report documented 10 instances of potential obstruction of justice by Trump personally in investigations directly or indirectly involving his campaign’s Russia ties.


theguardian--2020-06-29--Azar says 'window closing’ to halt US coronavirus spread as Pence urges people to wear masks – video

As confirmed coronavirus cases in the US surpass 2.5m , US health secretary Alex Azar warns 'the window is closing @ @ @ @ @ .
The US has suffered a recent surge in infections , with states across the @ @ @ @ @ hardest hit .
Speaking in Texas , the vice president Mike Pence says wearing mask @ @ @ @ @ ' when social distancing can not be maintained , and also notes there is a @ @ @ @ @ Americans • Health secretary : ‘ Window is closing ’ to stop coronavirus as US @ @ @

As confirmed coronavirus cases in the US surpass 2.5m, US health secretary Alex Azar warns 'the window is closing' on halting its spread. The US has suffered a recent surge in infections, with states across the west and south among the hardest hit. Speaking in Texas, the vice president Mike Pence says wearing mask is 'a good idea' when social distancing cannot be maintained, and also notes there is a spike in cases among younger Americans


theguardian--2020-05-13--BuzzFeed pulls plug on UK and Australian news operations

BuzzFeed is to end its news operations in the UK and Australia , effectively marking the end of the digital upstart ’ s global ambition to shake up traditional news media .
Once derided for its focus on traffic-grabbing “ listicles ” , BuzzFeed transformed into a highly respected peer to traditional media outlets .
On Wednesday it said it was giving up on local news and politics coverage in favour of news that “ hits big ” in the United States .
The company , which had been struggling before the coronavirus pandemic further hammered its lifeblood of advertising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news staff and four in Australia as part of the strategic cutback .
BuzzFeed launched a local news operation in the UK just over six years ago .
According to sources , those furloughed are “ highly unlikely ” to return to BuzzFeed .
BuzzFeed UK will keep staff covering news with a “ global audience ” , such as its investigations operation and celebrity news coverage , for now at least .
“ For economic and strategic reasons , we are going to focus on news that hits big in the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the company said .
“ Therefore , we will notify staff in the UK and Australia that we are not planning to cover local news in those countries .
We will be consulting with employees on our plans regarding furloughs and stand-downs in these regions.
” The company said that the cuts would also hit its flagship US operation as it looks to hit savings goals while continuing to produce “ kinetic , powerful journalism ” .
“ We [ want to ] reach the savings we need and produce the high-tempo , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” the company said .
BuzzFeed maintained that it was still “ investing heavily ” in its news operation , with a projection of investing $ 10m more this year than the division makes , and $ 6m in 2021 .
Launched by Jonah Peretti in 2006 , the outlet is among a generation of start-ups , also including Vice and Vox , that took the media world by storm only to run into financial difficulty as the advertising climate collapsed .
As recently as 2016 , the company had attracted a valuation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The unprecedented advertising slump brought on by the coronavirus has hastened the end of an already struggling business model .
In January , Peretti posted a 2,500-word blog laying out plans to diversify the ailing business ’ s revenue streams .
Days later it was reported that he had upgraded his Los Angeles home , buying a $ 5.2m property .
He had previously publicly raised the prospect of merging with other digital publishers in order to gain the scale to fight on more equal terms with the likes of Facebook and Google @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Less than a year later , three of the companies Peretti referred to as potential partners had done deals : Vice , which has a more male-focused audience , acquired Refinery29 , which targets millennial females , to create a $ 4bn publishing group .
Vox bought New York Media , which owns sites including Vulture and The Cut , to build scale .
Meanwhile , it emerged in December that BuzzFeed ’ s international operations , non-US businesses including the UK , Germany , Australia and Brazil , had seen losses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 35 % , according to the most recently available public filings .
In the same year BuzzFeed cut a third of its UK newsroom staff .
At the same time BuzzFeed News began asking readers to “ help shape the future ” of its content through donations , a similar model to that used by the Guardian .
The support page , promoted at the bottom of news stories , asked for donations of $ 5 to $ 100 to diversify away from a reliance on advertising revenues .
The move was described @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keeping “ BuzzFeed News free for everyone ” .
BuzzFeed ’ s US-based parent company makes revenues of more than $ 300m but has been missing annual revenue targets by at least a fifth , and has yet to turn a global profit .
The failure to hit revenue targets reportedly put paid to plans of a potential stock market flotation .

BuzzFeed is to end its news operations in the UK and Australia, effectively marking the end of the digital upstart’s global ambition to shake up traditional news media.
Once derided for its focus on traffic-grabbing “listicles”, BuzzFeed transformed into a highly respected peer to traditional media outlets. On Wednesday it said it was giving up on local news and politics coverage in favour of news that “hits big” in the United States.
The company, which had been struggling before the coronavirus pandemic further hammered its lifeblood of advertising revenue, has furloughed its 10 UK news staff and four in Australia as part of the strategic cutback. BuzzFeed launched a local news operation in the UK just over six years ago.
According to sources, those furloughed are “highly unlikely” to return to BuzzFeed. BuzzFeed UK will keep staff covering news with a “global audience”, such as its investigations operation and celebrity news coverage, for now at least.
“For economic and strategic reasons, we are going to focus on news that hits big in the United States during this difficult period,” the company said.
“Therefore, we will notify staff in the UK and Australia that we are not planning to cover local news in those countries. We will be consulting with employees on our plans regarding furloughs and stand-downs in these regions.”
The company said that the cuts would also hit its flagship US operation as it looks to hit savings goals while continuing to produce “kinetic, powerful journalism”. “We [want to] reach the savings we need and produce the high-tempo, explosive journalism our readers rely on,” the company said.
BuzzFeed maintained that it was still “investing heavily” in its news operation, with a projection of investing $10m more this year than the division makes, and $6m in 2021.
Launched by Jonah Peretti in 2006, the outlet is among a generation of start-ups, also including Vice and Vox, that took the media world by storm only to run into financial difficulty as the advertising climate collapsed. As recently as 2016, the company had attracted a valuation of as much as $1.7bn.
The unprecedented advertising slump brought on by the coronavirus has hastened the end of an already struggling business model. In January, Peretti posted a 2,500-word blog laying out plans to diversify the ailing business’s revenue streams. Days later it was reported that he had upgraded his Los Angeles home, buying a $5.2m property.
He had previously publicly raised the prospect of merging with other digital publishers in order to gain the scale to fight on more equal terms with the likes of Facebook and Google, which dominate the digital advertising market.
Less than a year later, three of the companies Peretti referred to as potential partners had done deals: Vice, which has a more male-focused audience, acquired Refinery29, which targets millennial females, to create a $4bn publishing group. Vox bought New York Media, which owns sites including Vulture and The Cut, to build scale.
Meanwhile, it emerged in December that BuzzFeed’s international operations, non-US businesses including the UK, Germany, Australia and Brazil, had seen losses quadruple in 2018. International revenues fell by 35%, according to the most recently available public filings. In the same year BuzzFeed cut a third of its UK newsroom staff.
At the same time BuzzFeed News began asking readers to “help shape the future” of its content through donations, a similar model to that used by the Guardian. The support page, promoted at the bottom of news stories, asked for donations of $5 to $100 to diversify away from a reliance on advertising revenues. The move was described at the time as a way of keeping “BuzzFeed News free for everyone”.
BuzzFeed’s US-based parent company makes revenues of more than $300m but has been missing annual revenue targets by at least a fifth, and has yet to turn a global profit. The failure to hit revenue targets reportedly put paid to plans of a potential stock market flotation.


theguardian--2020-05-15--BuzzFeed's retreat shows that global as well as local news is under threat | Jane Martinson

Not long after launching in the UK , BuzzFeed co-founder Jonah Peretti wrote of his dream for the website , built on viral cat videos , to become the Time magazine for a “ new golden age of media ” .
Comparing BuzzFeed ’ s trajectory with the iconic magazine of the 20th century , he wrote : “ In our case , it only took a few years to go from summarizing web trends in our little Chinatown office to reporting from Syria and the Ukraine.
” Yet this week , BuzzFeed pulled the plug on its UK and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ global expansion plan .
The first thing to say about this closure – leaving a few reporters to cover “ news that hits big in the US ” – is that it is not a failure of BuzzFeed ’ s journalism .
In both places , tiny teams ( cut to just four in Australia and 10 in the UK ) punched well above their weight in covering underreported issues such as LGBT rights and publishing scoops .
The failure is one of a marketplace in which digital advertising has not been able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and print ads which supported Time magazine , as well as other newspapers , from the early years of the 20th century to the early years of this one .
Without the baggage of printing presses and grey-haired readers , the retreat of BuzzFeed and other digital natives such as Quartz , which on Thursday cut half its workforce , shows the extent of an industry car crash already piled high with newspaper closures and job losses .
Even before Covid-19 , it felt far from a new golden age for the media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reasons ” for its decision , and it is hard to predict which news organisations will survive what the company called this “ difficult period ” .
But it ’ s not too early to think about what lessons could be learned from it .
To start with the obvious , news does not make money .
At the start of this year , in an exhortation to “ get after 2020 , ” Peretti wrote about how news remained the only unprofitable BuzzFeed division .
Yet in an interview in 2015 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Peretti told me that news was the best way to move beyond clickbait .
It drove readers to the site , but it cost more to produce and was shared less than any other content .
What counted , he said , was “ impact , not traffic ” .
Getting laws changed and righting wrongs , in other words , rather than making money .
Second , global as well as local news is under threat .
The collapse of local newspapers in both the UK and US is well documented @ @ @ @ @ @ @ focus on serving its home market is a sign that , when the wolves are howling at the door , only those close to home get pulled inside .
Foreign news outfits are particularly costly to run , no matter how attractive the size of the market .
Losses in BuzzFeed ’ s non-US business quadrupled from £1.9m to £8.9m in 2018 , the last date available .
The company , which relied until 18 months ago on advertising alone , was nothing if not innovative – yet its struggles suggest that innovation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up by two groups .
Like many journalists , Peretti mistook the reach of his company ’ s content rather than its financial firepower as a marker of its scale .
In his grandiose 2014 memo to staff , Peretti wrote : “ BuzzFeed reaches … more people globally than the print circulation of all the biggest newspapers or magazines , and as we continue to expand internationally , the benefits of this scale will become even more dramatic .
The golden age of media never saw numbers this big.
” Yet BuzzFeed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enormous audience .
Even at its peak , with annual revenues of some $ 300m ( £245m ) , it could never compete with the two companies which dominate the digital advertising market .
Google and Facebook together accounted for $ 205bn of revenues in 2019 .
Buzzfeed tried many things to beat the so-called “ attribution problem ” in which Google and other platforms hoover up revenues from content they didn ’ t create .
But neither pivoting to video with shows for Facebook et al , nor selling kitchenware in Walmart @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the veteran advertising executive who was once a huge fan of BuzzFeed , to ask what went wrong .
“ BuzzFeed never got the scale [ of Google or Facebook ] , ” he said .
“ The strong will just get stronger.
” When it comes to finances , BuzzFeed – and indeed so much of the current carnage in the US media – proves that venture capitalists , or anyone out for a quick profit , make bad media owners .
Buzzfeed raised hundreds of millions from sexy venture capital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there was even talk of a listing on the US stock market in 2018 .
But such investors like charts that shoot up at 45 degree angles .
Once growth slows , so does their interest .
Investment into digital media stuttered as early as 2014 , according to Pitchbook data .
BuzzFeed started asking for voluntary contributions from readers in November 2018 .
Finally , and perhaps most worryingly , appealing to young people is not enough for news organisations .
Not so long ago , a newspaper industry that worried about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bus fares looked on in envy at sites like BuzzFeed , which trumpeted an audience largely made up of 18- to 34-year-olds .
At one point , Google Analytics research suggested that half of that age group in the US visited Buzzfeed.com every month , catnip to those all-important digital advertisers .
Yet once they realised these young readers pay less than their parents ’ annual subscriptions to the New York Times , advertising attention moved on , to sites like Snapchat and now TikTok .
Few journalists will feel happy at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there is still hope that news and professionally curated information can survive .
After all , when Time co-founder Henry Luce first teamed up with Briton Hadden to produce a weekly news magazine , they first called it Facts .
Almost 100 years later , there is still a lot of time for those at least .

Not long after launching in the UK, BuzzFeed co-founder Jonah Peretti wrote of his dream for the website, built on viral cat videos, to become the Time magazine for a “new golden age of media”. Comparing BuzzFeed’s trajectory with the iconic magazine of the 20th century, he wrote: “In our case, it only took a few years to go from summarizing web trends in our little Chinatown office to reporting from Syria and the Ukraine.”
Yet this week, BuzzFeed pulled the plug on its UK and Australian news operations, effectively ending its global expansion plan.
The first thing to say about this closure – leaving a few reporters to cover “news that hits big in the US” – is that it is not a failure of BuzzFeed’s journalism. In both places, tiny teams (cut to just four in Australia and 10 in the UK) punched well above their weight in covering underreported issues such as LGBT rights and publishing scoops.
The failure is one of a marketplace in which digital advertising has not been able to match the combination of cover price and print ads which supported Time magazine, as well as other newspapers, from the early years of the 20th century to the early years of this one.
Without the baggage of printing presses and grey-haired readers, the retreat of BuzzFeed and other digital natives such as Quartz, which on Thursday cut half its workforce, shows the extent of an industry car crash already piled high with newspaper closures and job losses. Even before Covid-19, it felt far from a new golden age for the media.
BuzzFeed blamed “economic and strategic reasons” for its decision, and it is hard to predict which news organisations will survive what the company called this “difficult period”. But it’s not too early to think about what lessons could be learned from it.
To start with the obvious, news does not make money. At the start of this year, in an exhortation to “get after 2020,” Peretti wrote about how news remained the only unprofitable BuzzFeed division. Yet in an interview in 2015, that all seemed part of the plan: Peretti told me that news was the best way to move beyond clickbait. It drove readers to the site, but it cost more to produce and was shared less than any other content. What counted, he said, was “impact, not traffic”. Getting laws changed and righting wrongs, in other words, rather than making money.
Second, global as well as local news is under threat. The collapse of local newspapers in both the UK and US is well documented, but BuzzFeed’s decision to focus on serving its home market is a sign that, when the wolves are howling at the door, only those close to home get pulled inside. Foreign news outfits are particularly costly to run, no matter how attractive the size of the market. Losses in BuzzFeed’s non-US business quadrupled from £1.9m to £8.9m in 2018, the last date available.
The company, which relied until 18 months ago on advertising alone, was nothing if not innovative – yet its struggles suggest that innovation counts for little in a market sewn up by two groups. Like many journalists, Peretti mistook the reach of his company’s content rather than its financial firepower as a marker of its scale. In his grandiose 2014 memo to staff, Peretti wrote: “BuzzFeed reaches … more people globally than the print circulation of all the biggest newspapers or magazines, and as we continue to expand internationally, the benefits of this scale will become even more dramatic. The golden age of media never saw numbers this big.”
Yet BuzzFeed never made a global profit despite this enormous audience. Even at its peak, with annual revenues of some $300m (£245m), it could never compete with the two companies which dominate the digital advertising market. Google and Facebook together accounted for $205bn of revenues in 2019. Buzzfeed tried many things to beat the so-called “attribution problem” in which Google and other platforms hoover up revenues from content they didn’t create. But neither pivoting to video with shows for Facebook et al, nor selling kitchenware in Walmart earned enough.
I called Martin Sorrell, the veteran advertising executive who was once a huge fan of BuzzFeed, to ask what went wrong. “BuzzFeed never got the scale [of Google or Facebook],” he said. “The strong will just get stronger.”
When it comes to finances, BuzzFeed – and indeed so much of the current carnage in the US media – proves that venture capitalists, or anyone out for a quick profit, make bad media owners.
Buzzfeed raised hundreds of millions from sexy venture capital firms with names like a16z – and there was even talk of a listing on the US stock market in 2018. But such investors like charts that shoot up at 45 degree angles. Once growth slows, so does their interest. Investment into digital media stuttered as early as 2014, according to Pitchbook data. BuzzFeed started asking for voluntary contributions from readers in November 2018.
Finally, and perhaps most worryingly, appealing to young people is not enough for news organisations. Not so long ago, a newspaper industry that worried about an average reader close to claiming free bus fares looked on in envy at sites like BuzzFeed, which trumpeted an audience largely made up of 18- to 34-year-olds. At one point, Google Analytics research suggested that half of that age group in the US visited Buzzfeed.com every month, catnip to those all-important digital advertisers.
Yet once they realised these young readers pay less than their parents’ annual subscriptions to the New York Times, advertising attention moved on, to sites like Snapchat and now TikTok.
Few journalists will feel happy at the demise of digital news sites. But there is still hope that news and professionally curated information can survive. After all, when Time co-founder Henry Luce first teamed up with Briton Hadden to produce a weekly news magazine, they first called it Facts. Almost 100 years later, there is still a lot of time for those at least.


theguardian--2020-07-01--Could Dayton’s Black voters turn Ohio blue?

Cars are a more common sight than people on Dayton ’ s West 3rd St , a major boulevard known as the heart of the Black community in this Ohio city .
Once a bustling commercial corridor , West 3rd has become synonymous with empty buildings and urban neglect over the years , as local businesses have closed down and the neighborhood ’ s fortunes have waxed and waned .
Named after three of Dayton ’ s most famous sons , the Wright Brothers and Black poet Paul Laurence Dunbar , the Wright-Dunbar neighborhood has struggled with segregation and decline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chanta Winston ’ s store may have sparked a flicker of hope here , at a time when Black Americans have been disproportionately impacted by Covid-19 and protests have roiled the country after the killing of George Floyd in late May .
“ I feel new beginnings , ” the 33-year-old Daytonian says .
Standing outside her new retail boutique called The Entrepreneurs ’ Shoppe , Winston greets dozens of customers and friends filing into the store , where a colorful explosion of hand-painted shirts , funky hats , summer dresses and beauty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rotate each week at The Shoppe , which she describes as a “ small mall ” where people can buy local and discover Dayton ’ s entrepreneurial talent .
Amid the uncertainty , Winston said she wanted to “ bring some light back ” into the area .
Across Dayton , people have been protesting against systemic racism and injustice , and nowhere are these realities more evident or more stark than in Wright-Dunbar .
The Great Miami River bisects the post-industrial city from north to south and marks a cultural divide between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Daytonians like Winston who are passionate about uplifting their communities could help turn Montgomery county blue , a crucial swing county that narrowly went for Donald Trump in 2016 after decades as a Democratic stronghold .
In a district where more Black voters turned out for Hillary Clinton in 2016 than voted in 2012 in one precinct , the mobilization of Black women could prove even more significant to the upcoming elections , as this battleground state becomes competitive again electorally .
Yet historic struggles remain for the local African American community .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ are Black .
West Dayton encompasses a large geographic area that suffers from a history of economic segregation , poverty and redlining .
In Dayton , more than 40 % of Black residents who are poor live in high poverty neighborhoods , further limiting their access to resources and economic opportunity .
In Montgomery county , the percentage of Black residents living below the poverty level is also more than twice as high compared to whites , according to a 2019 public health community assessment .
In May , about 3 % of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for unemployment as a result of the pandemic .
Over 40 % of Black-owned businesses have been forced to close down nationwide .
Like many cities throughout the country , Dayton has been wracked with anger and unrest since Floyd ’ s brutal death at the hands of a Minnesota police officer .
Will the economic struggle brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic – coupled with newfound energy in the community brought on by mass protest and efforts at economic revival – transform voter turnout among African American voters in November ?
At @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Shoppe in early June , the mood seems calm and almost optimistic .
Winston says she generally tries to steer clear of politics , but she also wants somebody to fight for her community .
“ Everything we make , we pour back into the neighborhood .
Because what I do isn ’ t just for me , it ’ s to give back and help feed families.
” Winston recently worked with a group of young Black professionals to provide hundreds of meals to West Dayton residents while also giving out voter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ county public health assessment , 26 % of low-income residents in the city ’ s south-west area don ’ t live within 1 mile of a supermarket – the highest percentage of food-insecure residents reported in the county .
“ I always vote , ” says 49-year-old Felicia McGuire , who runs a hair salon around the corner from The Shoppe .
She plans to vote for Joe Biden this fall .
“ People died so we could vote .
That ’ s the only way that things have the potential to change.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ rates , but in 2016 , Black voter turnout across the country dropped significantly , says the Brookings Institution .
McGuire ’ s priority is to get Trump out of office .
The longtime salon owner would like government assistance to cover rent over the next few months .
Since most of her clients are over 40 and particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus , it ’ s been a struggle to keep her doors open .
For now , she is moving forward with a partial reopening .
“ We have about 100,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ McGuire says .
She is mindful of opening up at a time when her own community has been hit hard by the virus .
“ It ’ s like [ other people say ] : why would we keep our businesses closed and shut our economy down when it ’ s just people of color dying ?
” In Ohio , African Americans make up 25 % of all Covid-19 cases and 17 % of coronavirus-related deaths , even though they represent only 13 % of the state ’ s population .
Recent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has the highest Covid-19 reproduction rate in Ohio , which means that more new coronavirus infections are stemming from one single case in Dayton than in any other part of the state .
Property manager Erica Hubler says she isn ’ t planning to kick out any of her tenants .
“ The pandemic is not something they could have any control over .
So we ’ re just going to take a hit this year , ” she adds .
She has shared information about federal pandemic assistance programs and helped some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but no one has heard back so far .
“ This is going to be a process , because until we have a vaccine , people are not going to feel 100 % comfortable being in a public space , ” McGuire admits .
As an independent contractor who does not qualify for unemployment , and whose application for the PPP then got denied by the government , she calls the whole experience traumatic .
“ After not being able to work for a couple months , to have something is better than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal stimulus has largely remained out of reach to independent contractors because it does not reflect the realities of today ’ s market , says labor organizer Lela Klein .
Klein runs Co-op Dayton , a progressive nonprofit that encourages workers to own and run their own businesses .
Since the Great Recession in 2007 , many people have started small , home-based businesses or worked several side hustles to make up for the lack of sustainable employment , she says .
“ The stimulus imagines an economy of 20 years ago where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employer and make W-2 wages .
Those are the folks best able to get unemployment insurance or to have their jobs saved by a program like PPP , ” Klein notes .
Rapid economic changes have also left the formerly booming industrial city of Dayton in the dust .
For decades , Dayton has been transitioning from an almost exclusive dependence on manufacturing to a more diversified local economy that includes the service , health care and aerospace industries .
The huge companies that once dominated Dayton , notably National Cash Register Corporation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have left or closed down following a general trend of manufacturing decline apparent since the 1960s , the effects of which were only exacerbated by the Great Recession .
But while area unemployment has decreased overall since 2007 , Klein says wages still haven ’ t caught up with pre-recession numbers and economic growth remains slow , leaving many Daytonians behind .
“ I know people who were laid off from GM went and got some kind of an IT-based job training program that was provided with federal dollars , ” she adds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a job on the other end and now are bartending at a casino.
” Daytonians still remember what it was like to have a thriving blue-collar sector , and what happens when big corporations like GM and NCR leave the area , says Klein .
The locals ’ growing disaffection toward government also became more evident , she says , when she was canvassing for a local election in 2013 and found a lot of doors getting slammed in her face .
“ You ’ ve got these potholes and rec centers that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ level of services that you see in the suburbs .
And so these people are just feeling generally angry and distrustful of the major institutions , ” Klein notes .
A 2018 report brings fresh attention to the devastating effects of white flight on Dayton , which deepened racial and economic divides in the city .
After most factories relocated to the suburbs in the 1970s , southern Black migrants who settled in West Dayton faced joblessness , a lack of resources and physical separation from the rest of the city , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the new interstate highway system , which facilitated access to the suburbs .
Prior to that time period , West Dayton had already been an impoverished area , and in 1966 , massive civil unrest unfolded after a white man shot a 40-year-old Black man named Lester Mitchell outside of Mitchell ’ s West Dayton home in broad daylight .
The ensuing unrest resulted in the decimation of the Wright-Dunbar business district .
To this day , Dayton ranks as one of the top 20 most racially segregated cities in the country .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ traditionally provided a pathway to the middle class for Black Daytonians , offering decent paying and often high quality jobs for those with limited resources , experts say .
“ The benefit to working in manufacturing for Black workers has actually been greater in terms of what they could be making in manufacturing versus another industry , ” says Policy Matters Ohio researcher Michael Shields .
Montgomery county lost almost 60 % of its manufacturing jobs from 1990 to 2016 .
The area ’ s deindustrialization has also disproportionately impacted Black residents .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the solution , but we also need to enhance the quality of the jobs we have , ” Shields adds .
Ohio currently ranks third in the nation for manufacturing jobs after California and Texas .
He notes that state and local governments could invest in education and infrastructure to make sure manufacturing remains in the state .
Ultimately , however , “ we have to reimagine Ohio ’ s economy , ” says Prentiss Haney , a Dayton native and co-executive director of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative .
“ Cities live @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it can give to residents .
There ’ s not enough money to support families in Dayton right now , and part of that is because the economy of Ohio has radically shifted , ” Haney says .
The gradual revitalization of Wright-Dunbar , with its focus on local entrepreneurship , could prove to be a new model for healthy neighborhoods .
Promoting Dayton businesses could help reduce the city ’ s longtime reliance on large multinationals and corporations to drive its economy , according to labor advocates like Klein .
However , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the erasure of the neighborhood ’ s culture and history should a thriving Wright-Dunbar undergo gentrification .
“ Dunbar is primed to be the next area that people will want to move into , ” Haney says .
A born-and-bred resident of West Dayton , his parents used to own a soul food restaurant on West 3rd St. “ I ’ m a little bit concerned about the economic recovery of that area and its vibrant history being somewhat threatened by not being able to recover [ from Covid-19 ] .
Other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the makeup of that neighborhood.
” Interest in redeveloping the West 3rd business corridor has increased significantly in recent years .
A large-scale food hall with a coffee bar , along with a new brewery , are in the works .
Several buildings along the corridor have also sold , including one slated for market-rate condos and retail .
And as a proposed solution to the neighborhood ’ s food insecurity problems , a new grocery co-op will soon start construction less than a mile south of West 3rd St. “ There has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in that area that really did start off as being a space that was a landing for African American or minority community , and that has changed , ” says YWCA Dayton CEO Shannon Isom .
“ So I think we just need to be mindful.
” To manage the effects of gentrification , conservative economist Adam Millsap suggests something called “ incremental redevelopment ” – the idea of investing in smaller-scale projects that would lead to a neighborhood ’ s gradual transformation over time .
“ Ultimately , we want these neighborhoods @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Millsap , who has extensively studied Dayton ’ s economic history .
“ We want there to be more jobs , work or dining options , more grocery stores .
And that ’ s necessarily going to attract people .
So you just need to allow the housing supply to adjust in an incremental way so that you don ’ t get big price increases.
” But local entrepreneurship is only a piece of the puzzle .
Building on the service and home care industries , which have since replaced the manufacturing jobs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dayton ’ s economy .
So would working with the state government to raise the minimum wage and increasing worker protection laws , among other strategies , according to Policy Matters Ohio .
Imagining a new vision for Dayton – and pushing for its realization – is where Haney ’ s work comes in .
He ’ s been a community organizer for the last 10 years .
It was his parents , who started their soul food joint out of necessity after being laid off from GM , who ultimately inspired the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Black residents .
“ You ’ ve got ta be a little bit entrepreneurial to go out and want to change the world .
And you ’ ve got ta figure out the things that don ’ t exist yet , ” Haney says .
“ Seeing my parents do that directed me in my life about what was possible for me , because I saw them make their dreams come true .
Even when the city was starting to decline , they found a path .
”

Cars are a more common sight than people on Dayton’s West 3rd St , a major boulevard known as the heart of the Black community in this Ohio city.
Once a bustling commercial corridor, West 3rd has become synonymous with empty buildings and urban neglect over the years, as local businesses have closed down and the neighborhood’s fortunes have waxed and waned.
Named after three of Dayton’s most famous sons, the Wright Brothers and Black poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, the Wright-Dunbar neighborhood has struggled with segregation and decline.
However, the recent opening of Chanta Winston’s store may have sparked a flicker of hope here, at a time when Black Americans have been disproportionately impacted by Covid-19 and protests have roiled the country after the killing of George Floyd in late May.
“I feel new beginnings,” the 33-year-old Daytonian says. Standing outside her new retail boutique called The Entrepreneurs’ Shoppe, Winston greets dozens of customers and friends filing into the store, where a colorful explosion of hand-painted shirts, funky hats, summer dresses and beauty products meets their eyes. Vendors will rotate each week at The Shoppe, which she describes as a “small mall” where people can buy local and discover Dayton’s entrepreneurial talent. Amid the uncertainty, Winston said she wanted to “bring some light back” into the area.
Across Dayton, people have been protesting against systemic racism and injustice, and nowhere are these realities more evident or more stark than in Wright-Dunbar. The Great Miami River bisects the post-industrial city from north to south and marks a cultural divide between Black and white Dayton. Mobilizing Black Daytonians like Winston who are passionate about uplifting their communities could help turn Montgomery county blue, a crucial swing county that narrowly went for Donald Trump in 2016 after decades as a Democratic stronghold.
In a district where more Black voters turned out for Hillary Clinton in 2016 than voted in 2012 in one precinct, the mobilization of Black women could prove even more significant to the upcoming elections, as this battleground state becomes competitive again electorally.
Ohio voters walk to drop off their ballots at the Board of Elections in Dayton, Ohio, on 28 April. Photograph: Megan Jelinger/AFP/Getty Images
Yet historic struggles remain for the local African American community. Thirty-nine per cent of Dayton’s residents are Black. West Dayton encompasses a large geographic area that suffers from a history of economic segregation, poverty and redlining. In Dayton, more than 40% of Black residents who are poor live in high-poverty neighborhoods, further limiting their access to resources and economic opportunity. In Montgomery county, the percentage of Black residents living below the poverty level is also more than twice as high compared with whites, according to a 2019 public health community assessment.
In May, about 3% of African American residents in Montgomery county applied for unemployment as a result of the pandemic. Over 40% of Black-owned businesses have been forced to close down nationwide. Like many cities throughout the country, Dayton has been racked with anger and unrest since Floyd’s brutal death at the hands of a Minnesota police officer.
Will the economic struggle brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic – coupled with newfound energy in the community brought on by mass protest and efforts at economic revival – transform voter turnout among African American voters in November?
At the opening event of The Entrepreneurs’ Shoppe in early June, the mood seems calm and almost optimistic. Winston says she generally tries to steer clear of politics, but she also wants somebody to fight for her community. “Everything we make, we pour back into the neighborhood. Because what I do isn’t just for me, it’s to give back and help feed families.”
Chanta Winston is the owner of The Entrepreneurs’ Shoppe in West Dayton. ‘Everything we make, we pour back into the neighborhood,’ she says. Photograph: Maki Somosot
Winston recently worked with a group of young Black professionals to provide hundreds of meals to West Dayton residents while also giving out voter registration cards. Per a 2019 Montgomery county public health assessment, 26% of low-income residents in the city’s south-west area don’t live within one mile of a supermarket – the highest percentage of food-insecure residents reported in the county.
“I always vote,” says 49-year-old Felicia McGuire, who runs a hair salon around the corner from The Shoppe. She plans to vote for Joe Biden this fall. “People died so we could vote. That’s the only way that things have the potential to change.” Black people generally vote at high rates, but in 2016, Black voter turnout across the country dropped significantly, says the Brookings Institution.
McGuire’s priority is to get Trump out of office. The longtime salon owner would like government assistance to cover rent over the next few months. Since most of her clients are over 40 and particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus, it’s been a struggle to keep her doors open. For now, she is moving forward with a partial reopening.
“We have about 100,000 people dead and still counting,” McGuire says. She is mindful of opening up at a time when her own community has been hit hard by the virus. “It’s like [other people say]: why would we keep our businesses closed and shut our economy down when it’s just people of color dying?”
In Ohio, African Americans make up 25% of all Covid-19 cases and 17% of coronavirus-related deaths, even though they represent only 13% of the state’s population. Recent data also show the Dayton metro area has the highest Covid-19 reproduction rate in Ohio, which means that more new coronavirus infections are stemming from one single case in Dayton than in any other part of the state.
Property manager Erica Hubler says she isn’t planning to kick out any of her tenants. “The pandemic is not something they could have any control over. So we’re just going to take a hit this year,” she adds. She has shared information about federal pandemic assistance programs and helped some of her tenants apply for grants, but no one has heard back so far.
“This is going to be a process, because until we have a vaccine, people are not going to feel 100% comfortable being in a public space,” McGuire admits. As an independent contractor who does not qualify for unemployment, and whose application for the PPP then got denied by the government, she calls the whole experience traumatic.
Wright-Dunbar district in Dayton, named after three of Dayton’s most famous sons, the Wright Brothers and Black poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, has struggled with segregation and decline. Photograph: Maki Somosot
“After not being able to work for a couple months, to have something is better than nothing,” McGuire adds.
The federal stimulus has largely remained out of reach to independent contractors because it does not reflect the realities of today’s market, says labor organizer Lela Klein. Klein runs Co-op Dayton, a progressive non-profit that encourages workers to own and run their own businesses. Since the Great Recession in 2007, many people have started small, home-based businesses or worked several side hustles to make up for the lack of sustainable employment, she says.
“The stimulus imagines an economy of 20 years ago where people are the employees of a single employer and make W-2 wages. Those are the folks best able to get unemployment insurance or to have their jobs saved by a program like PPP,” Klein notes.
Rapid economic changes have also left the formerly booming industrial city of Dayton in the dust.
For decades, Dayton has been transitioning from an almost exclusive dependence on manufacturing to a more diversified local economy that includes the service, health care and aerospace industries. The huge companies that once dominated Dayton, notably National Cash Register Corporation (NCR) and General Motors, have left or closed down following a general trend of manufacturing decline apparent since the 1960s, the effects of which were only exacerbated by the Great Recession.
But while area unemployment has decreased overall since 2007, Klein says wages still haven’t caught up with pre-recession numbers and economic growth remains slow, leaving many Daytonians behind.
“I know people who were laid off from GM went and got some kind of an IT-based job training program that was provided with federal dollars,” she adds. “They couldn’t find a job on the other end and now are bartending at a casino.”
Daytonians still remember what it was like to have a thriving blue-collar sector, and what happens when big corporations like GM and NCR leave the area, says Klein. The locals’ growing disaffection toward government also became more evident, she says, when she was canvassing for a local election in 2013 and found a lot of doors getting slammed in her face.
“You’ve got these potholes and rec centers that aren’t able to have the level of services that you see in the suburbs. And so these people are just feeling generally angry and distrustful of the major institutions,” Klein notes.
The large General Motors auto factory in 2008 in the suburb of Moraine. Daytonians still remember what it was like to have a thriving blue-collar sector, and what happens when big corporations like GM and NCR leave the area. Photograph: Chris Hondros/Getty Images
A 2018 report brings fresh attention to the devastating effects of white flight on Dayton, which deepened racial and economic divides in the city. After most factories relocated to the suburbs in the 1970s, southern Black migrants who settled in West Dayton faced joblessness, a lack of resources and physical separation from the rest of the city, a worsening economic condition that was entrenched by the new interstate highway system, which facilitated access to the suburbs.
Before then, West Dayton had already been an impoverished area, and in 1966, massive civil unrest unfolded after a white man shot a 40-year-old Black man named Lester Mitchell outside of Mitchell’s West Dayton home in broad daylight. The ensuing unrest resulted in the decimation of the Wright-Dunbar business district. To this day, Dayton ranks as one of the top 20 most racially segregated cities in the country.
While imperfect, the manufacturing industry had traditionally provided a pathway to the middle class for Black Daytonians, offering decent paying and often high quality jobs for those with limited resources, experts say.
“The benefit to working in manufacturing for Black workers has actually been greater in terms of what they could be making in manufacturing versus another industry,” says Policy Matters Ohio researcher Michael Shields. Montgomery county lost almost 60% of its manufacturing jobs from 1990 to 2016. The area’s deindustrialization has also disproportionately impacted Black residents.
“I think manufacturing retention is part of the solution, but we also need to enhance the quality of the jobs we have,” Shields adds. Ohio currently ranks third in the nation for manufacturing jobs after California and Texas. He notes that state and local governments could invest in education and infrastructure to make sure manufacturing remains in the state.
Ultimately, however, “we have to reimagine Ohio’s economy,” says Prentiss Haney, a Dayton native and co-executive director of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative.
“Cities live and thrive based on the resources that it can give to residents. There’s not enough money to support families in Dayton right now, and part of that is because the economy of Ohio has radically shifted,” Haney says.
The gradual revitalization of Wright-Dunbar, with its focus on local entrepreneurship, could prove to be a new model for healthy neighborhoods. Promoting Dayton businesses could help reduce the city’s longtime reliance on large multinationals and corporations to drive its economy, according to labor advocates like Klein.
However, left unmanaged, the changes could lead to the erasure of the neighborhood’s culture and history should a thriving Wright-Dunbar undergo gentrification.
“Dunbar is primed to be the next area that people will want to move into,” Haney says. A born-and-bred resident of West Dayton, his parents used to own a soul food restaurant on West 3rd St. “I’m a little bit concerned about the economic recovery of that area and its vibrant history being somewhat threatened by not being able to recover [from Covid-19]. Other corporate entities could come in and change the makeup of that neighborhood.”
Interest in redeveloping the West 3rd business corridor has increased significantly in recent years. A large-scale food hall with a coffee bar, along with a new brewery, are in the works. Several buildings along the corridor have also sold, including one slated for market-rate condos and retail. And as a proposed solution to the neighborhood’s food insecurity problems, a new grocery co-op will soon start construction less than a mile south of West 3rd St.
“There has been a level of majority population integration in that area that really did start off as being a space that was a landing for African American or minority community, and that has changed,” says the YWCA Dayton CEO, Shannon Isom. “So I think we just need to be mindful.”
The gradual revitalization of Wright-Dunbar with its focus on local entrepreneurship could prove to be a new model for healthy neighborhoods. Photograph: Maki Somosot
To manage the effects of gentrification, conservative economist Adam Millsap suggests something called “incremental redevelopment” – the idea of investing in smaller-scale projects that would lead to a neighborhood’s gradual transformation over time.
“Ultimately, we want these neighborhoods to improve, right?” asks Millsap, who has extensively studied Dayton’s economic history. “We want there to be more jobs, work or dining options, more grocery stores. And that’s necessarily going to attract people. So you just need to allow the housing supply to adjust in an incremental way so that you don’t get big price increases.”
But local entrepreneurship is only a piece of the puzzle. Building on the service and home care industries, which have since replaced the manufacturing jobs for Black Daytonians, would also improve Dayton’s economy. So would working with the state government to raise the minimum wage and increasing worker protection laws, among other strategies, according to Policy Matters Ohio.
Imagining a new vision for Dayton – and pushing for its realization – is where Haney’s work comes in. He’s been a community organizer for the last 10 years.
It was his parents, who started their soul food joint out of necessity after being laid off from GM, who ultimately inspired the 28-year-old to start advocating for Dayton’s Black residents.
“You’ve gotta be a little bit entrepreneurial to go out and want to change the world. And you’ve gotta figure out the things that don’t exist yet,” Haney says. “Seeing my parents do that directed me in my life about what was possible for me, because I saw them make their dreams come true. Even when the city was starting to decline, they found a path.”


theguardian--2020-07-01--Governor signs historic bill to remove Confederate symbol from Mississippi flag

Mississippi has officially retired the last state flag in the US with the Confederate battle emblem , a racist symbol that has served as a source of division for generations .
The Republican governor , Tate Reeves , signed a historic bill withdrawing the state ’ s 126-year-old flag on Tuesday .
“ This is not a political moment to me but a solemn occasion to lead our Mississippi family to come together , to be reconciled , and to move on , ” Reeves said in a statement .
“ We are a resilient people defined by our hospitality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ faith .
Now , more than ever , we must lean on that faith , put our divisions behind us , and unite for a greater good.
” Mississippi lawmakers have faced increasing pressure to change the flag , which features the Confederate battle emblem – a red field topped by a blue X with 13 white stars , amid a nationwide reckoning with systematic racism .
On Sunday a coalition of legislators passed a bill removing the state ’ s flag , and calling for a commission to design a new one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ approve in the 3 November election .
The move capped days of emotional debate and decades of effort by Black lawmakers and others to remove the rebel emblem , arguing it can not represent a state where 38 % of the population is Black .
White supremacist lawmakers placed the symbol on the Mississippi flag in 1894 , – thirty years after the civil war .
Mississippi voters chose to keep the flag in a 2001 statewide election , with supporters saying they saw it as a symbol of southern heritage .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cities and all the state ’ s public universities have abandoned it .
In 2015 , the state ’ s Republican house speaker , Philip Gunn , endorsed the idea of changing the state flag after a white supremacist massacred nine Black parishioners in Charleston .
After it was revealed that the gunman ’ s manifesto contained images of the Confederate battle flag , South Carolina took down the one that was displayed on statehouse grounds .
Still , the issue was broadly considered too volatile for legislators in Mississippi to touch until @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minneapolis set off weeks of sustained protests against racial injustice , followed by calls to take down Confederate symbols .
A groundswell of young activists , college athletes and leaders from business , religion , education and sports called on Mississippi to make this change , finally providing the momentum for legislators to vote .
Before the governor signed the bill on Tuesday , state employees raised and lowered several of the flags on a pole outside the Capitol .
The idea faced resistance up until the end .
A Republican state senator @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flag was a challenge to the founding values of the country , and warned that the American flag would be next .
Democratic representative Edward Blackmon Jr , who is Black , argued that the state flag , “ ought to be something that we all feel a sense of pride that when we see it , we know that that ’ s about us .
Not just some of us.
” Reeves said on Tuesday : “ The people of Mississippi , Black and white , and young and old , can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our faith front and center .
We can unite under it .
We can move forward together .
”

Mississippi has officially retired the last state flag in the US with the Confederate battle emblem, a racist symbol that has served as a source of division for generations.
The Republican governor, Tate Reeves, signed a historic bill withdrawing the state’s 126-year-old flag on Tuesday.
“This is not a political moment to me but a solemn occasion to lead our Mississippi family to come together, to be reconciled, and to move on,” Reeves said in a statement. “We are a resilient people defined by our hospitality. We are a people of great faith. Now, more than ever, we must lean on that faith, put our divisions behind us, and unite for a greater good.”
01:03 Mississippi flag comes down after vote to remove Confederate emblem – video
Mississippi lawmakers have faced increasing pressure to change the flag, which features the Confederate battle emblem – a red field topped by a blue X with 13 white stars, amid a nationwide reckoning with systematic racism.
On Sunday a coalition of legislators passed a bill removing the state’s flag, and calling for a commission to design a new one, which voters will be asked to approve in the 3 November election.
The move capped days of emotional debate and decades of effort by Black lawmakers and others to remove the rebel emblem, arguing it cannot represent a state where 38% of the population is Black. White supremacist lawmakers placed the symbol on the Mississippi flag in 1894, – thirty years after the civil war.
Mississippi voters chose to keep the flag in a 2001 statewide election, with supporters saying they saw it as a symbol of southern heritage. But since then, a growing number of cities and all the state’s public universities have abandoned it.
In 2015, the state’s Republican house speaker, Philip Gunn, endorsed the idea of changing the state flag after a white supremacist massacred nine Black parishioners in Charleston. After it was revealed that the gunman’s manifesto contained images of the Confederate battle flag, South Carolina took down the one that was displayed on statehouse grounds.
Still, the issue was broadly considered too volatile for legislators in Mississippi to touch until the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis set off weeks of sustained protests against racial injustice, followed by calls to take down Confederate symbols.
A groundswell of young activists, college athletes and leaders from business, religion, education and sports called on Mississippi to make this change, finally providing the momentum for legislators to vote. Before the governor signed the bill on Tuesday, state employees raised and lowered several of the flags on a pole outside the Capitol.
The idea faced resistance up until the end. A Republican state senator, Chris McDaniel, said changing the flag was a challenge to the founding values of the country, and warned that the American flag would be next.
Democratic representative Edward Blackmon Jr, who is Black, argued that the state flag, “ought to be something that we all feel a sense of pride that when we see it, we know that that’s about us. Not just some of us.”
Reeves said on Tuesday: “The people of Mississippi, Black and white, and young and old, can be proud of a banner that puts our faith front and center. We can unite under it. We can move forward together.”