shareblue--2020-06-26--News you might have missed: Congress likely to get its first openly gay Black members

This week , New York primary voters made history when they chose a diverse array of candidates who are virtually guaranteed to win their November general election contests .
Read on to see what else you might have missed this week in the news .
New York poised to send the first openly gay Black members of Congress to Washington When the next Congress is sworn in come January 2021 , Ritchie Torres and Mondaire Jones are poised to become the first openly gay Black members to serve in history .
Both men are the likely winners of New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their primary fields in reliably Democratic districts , and if they are officially declared the winners , as current tallies indicate they will be , they 're all but certain to win in November and take their place in Congress early next year .
Torres , a member of the New York City Council , is leading the other Democratic primary candidates , including anti-gay and pro-Trump Democrat Rubén Díaz Sr. , in New York 's 15th Congressional District .
The most Democratic House seat in the country based on past presidential election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vacated by retiring Democratic Rep. Jose Serrano .
Jones leads a crowded Democratic primary field in New York 's 17th Congressional District , a Westchester County-based seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Rep. Nita Lowey .
`` Ritchie and Mondaire have shattered a long-standing political barrier with their primary wins , putting them on-track to becoming the first two openly LGBTQ Black members of Congress , '' Annise Parker , president & CEO of the LGBTQ Victory Fund , said in a statement .
`` Black LGBTQ people — like all LGBTQ people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of government , but this gives hope that we are moving toward building a U.S. Congress that is more representative of the people it serves . ''
Rhode Island to change name due to ties with slavery Rhode Island Democratic Gov .
Gina Raimondo announced on Tuesday that her state will change its official name , State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations , dropping `` Providence Plantations '' because of its associations with the state 's historical ties to the slave trade .
`` This morning I signed an executive order removing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and citations , all executive branch agency websites , all official correspondence , and state employee pay stubs and paychecks , '' Raimondo said .
The move comes as protesters across the country demand the removal of monuments and names with ties to slavery and the Confederacy .
Democrats in Florida now have a 302,000-voter advantage over Republicans in applications for mail-in ballots , Politico reported , possibly giving Democrats an advantage in the November general election .
The news comes as Donald Trump has launched attacks on voting by mail-in ballot , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possibly souring Republicans on the voting method .
Now Florida Democrats say that their vote-by-mail advantage could be a boon for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden , as it 's easier to get voters to cast ballots by mail than to get them out to the polls .
`` [ Republicans are ] going to have to turn out more people — maybe 300,000 more voters — on Election Day , '' said Juan Peñalosa , executive director of the Florida Democratic Party .
`` They have n't had to turn out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in more than a decade that I 've been in Florida . ''
Virginia to set first statewide virus safety workplace regulations in US Virginia is poised to become the first state in the country to implement safety regulations meant to protect workers from being infected by the coronavirus , the Washington Post reported .
Democratic Gov .
Ralph Northam 's office said the state created the safety measures because the Trump administration is not enforcing any .
According to the Post , the Occupational Safety and Health Administration , the federal agency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ received 4,000 coronavirus-related complaints , but has only given one citation .
Michigan anti-abortion group fails to obtain enough signatures for abortion ban bill An anti-abortion group seeking to ban an abortion procedure used in the second trimester of pregnancy failed to obtain enough signatures to get its bill before the Michigan Legislature , the Associated Press reported .
In Michigan , a bill can be introduced for consideration via petition .
If that bill is then passed , it can not be vetoed by the governor .
The anti-abortion group Michigan Values @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put the ban on dilation and evacuation abortions in front of the GOP-run Legislature .
But the group came up 7,276 signatures short after many of the signatures the group collected were invalidated .
The procedure the group was trying to ban is common in second-trimester abortions and is considered safe by doctors .
`` Restricting this method is part of a larger campaign to limit access to abortion and would force providers to substitute the ideology of lawmakers for their own professional medical judgment and the preferences of their patients , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ focuses on sexual and reproductive rights .
Watch : The Dixie Chicks change name to The Chicks and release powerful music video on race The country trio formerly known as The Dixie Chicks has dropped the `` Dixie '' from their name .
The politically active trio also released a powerful music video for their new song , `` March , '' which includes images of the racial justice protests taking place across the country , sparked by the deaths of Black Americans at the hands of white police officers .
The video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the names of Black Americans killed by police officers , has already racked up more than one million views on Twitter and more than 100,000 views on YouTube .

This week, New York primary voters made history when they chose a diverse array of candidates who are virtually guaranteed to win their November general election contests.
Read on to see what else you might have missed this week in the news.
When the next Congress is sworn in come January 2021, Ritchie Torres and Mondaire Jones are poised to become the first openly gay Black members to serve in history.
Both men are the likely winners of New York primaries on Tuesday. Both are leading their primary fields in reliably Democratic districts, and if they are officially declared the winners, as current tallies indicate they will be, they’re all but certain to win in November and take their place in Congress early next year.
Torres, a member of the New York City Council, is leading the other Democratic primary candidates, including anti-gay and pro-Trump Democrat Rubén Díaz Sr., in New York’s 15th Congressional District. The most Democratic House seat in the country based on past presidential election vote totals, the 15th is being vacated by retiring Democratic Rep. Jose Serrano.
Jones leads a crowded Democratic primary field in New York’s 17th Congressional District, a Westchester County-based seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Rep. Nita Lowey.
“Ritchie and Mondaire have shattered a long-standing political barrier with their primary wins, putting them on-track to becoming the first two openly LGBTQ Black members of Congress,” Annise Parker, president & CEO of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, said in a statement. “Black LGBTQ people — like all LGBTQ people — are severely underrepresented at every level of government, but this gives hope that we are moving toward building a U.S. Congress that is more representative of the people it serves.”
Rhode Island Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo announced on Tuesday that her state will change its official name, State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, dropping “Providence Plantations” because of its associations with the state’s historical ties to the slave trade.
“This morning I signed an executive order removing the phrase Providence Plantations from gubernatorial orders and citations, all executive branch agency websites, all official correspondence, and state employee pay stubs and paychecks,” Raimondo said.
The move comes as protesters across the country demand the removal of monuments and names with ties to slavery and the Confederacy.
Democrats in Florida now have a 302,000-voter advantage over Republicans in applications for mail-in ballots, Politico reported, possibly giving Democrats an advantage in the November general election.
The news comes as Donald Trump has launched attacks on voting by mail-in ballot, falsely saying it results in fraud and possibly souring Republicans on the voting method.
Now Florida Democrats say that their vote-by-mail advantage could be a boon for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, as it’s easier to get voters to cast ballots by mail than to get them out to the polls.
“[Republicans are] going to have to turn out more people — maybe 300,000 more voters — on Election Day,” said Juan Peñalosa, executive director of the Florida Democratic Party. “They haven’t had to turn out that many more voters in one day in more than a decade that I’ve been in Florida.”
Virginia is poised to become the first state in the country to implement safety regulations meant to protect workers from being infected by the coronavirus, the Washington Post reported.
Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam’s office said the state created the safety measures because the Trump administration is not enforcing any.
According to the Post, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the federal agency tasked with overseeing workplace safety, has received 4,000 coronavirus-related complaints, but has only given one citation.
An anti-abortion group seeking to ban an abortion procedure used in the second trimester of pregnancy failed to obtain enough signatures to get its bill before the Michigan Legislature, the Associated Press reported.
In Michigan, a bill can be introduced for consideration via petition. If that bill is then passed, it cannot be vetoed by the governor.
The anti-abortion group Michigan Values Life tried to gather enough petitions to put the ban on dilation and evacuation abortions in front of the GOP-run Legislature.
But the group came up 7,276 signatures short after many of the signatures the group collected were invalidated.
The procedure the group was trying to ban is common in second-trimester abortions and is considered safe by doctors.
“Restricting this method is part of a larger campaign to limit access to abortion and would force providers to substitute the ideology of lawmakers for their own professional medical judgment and the preferences of their patients,” according to the Guttmacher Institute, which focuses on sexual and reproductive rights.
The country trio formerly known as The Dixie Chicks has dropped the “Dixie” from their name.
The politically active trio also released a powerful music video for their new song, “March,” which includes images of the racial justice protests taking place across the country, sparked by the deaths of Black Americans at the hands of white police officers.
The video, which includes a montage of many of the names of Black Americans killed by police officers, has already racked up more than one million views on Twitter and more than 100,000 views on YouTube.


shareblue--2020-06-26--Trump selling 'pride' swag despite refusing to recognize Pride Month

Donald Trump 's campaign site is selling a `` Make America Great Again Pride Tee '' shirt .
The shirt can be yours for $ 25 , plus tax and shipping , to `` Show your support for the LGBT community and the 45th President . ''
The Trump-Pence store is selling at least three other rainbow `` pride '' branded items , including a $ 35 `` Make America Great Again '' hat and two $ 30 Trump `` pride '' tees .
But for the past four years , Trump has refused to issue a Pride Month declaration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the LGBTQ community or pride .
June 2020 marked the fourth straight year that Trump offered no official statement honoring LGBTQ Pride Month .
He did , however , proclaim the month `` Great Outdoors Month , '' `` National Ocean Month , '' `` National Caribbean-American Heritage Month , '' African-American Music Appreciation Month , '' and `` National Homeownership Month . ''
His only recognition of Pride came last year , in the form of a tweet that mostly focused on countries that imprison or execute LGBTQ people .
`` As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the outstanding contributions LGBT people have made to our great Nation , let us also stand in solidarity with the many LGBT people who live in dozens of countries worldwide that punish , imprison , or even execute individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation , '' Trump wrote then .
But Trump 's time in office has been marked by a long series of anti-LGBTQ actions .
Last week , his administration was on the losing side of a historic Supreme Court ruling against anti-LGBTQ job discrimination .
In May 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which would ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation , gender identity , and gender expression .
And through a series of executive actions , the administration reversed Obama-era guidance protecting transgender student 's rights in schools , moved to ban transgender people from military service , attempted to enable discrimination against transgender people in homeless shelters , and acted to remove Obamacare regulations that protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in health care .
Trump 's 2020 opponent Joe Biden , who has been endorsed by major LGBTQ rights groups , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ site .
Unlike Trump , Biden 's site also states that he `` believes that every human being should be treated with respect and dignity and be able to live without fear no matter who they are or who they love . ''
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Donald Trump’s campaign site is selling a “Make America Great Again Pride Tee” shirt. The shirt can be yours for $25, plus tax and shipping, to “Show your support for the LGBT community and the 45th President.”
The Trump-Pence store is selling at least three other rainbow “pride” branded items, including a $35 “Make America Great Again” hat and two $30 Trump “pride” tees.
But for the past four years, Trump has refused to issue a Pride Month declaration, nor has he shown support for the LGBTQ community or pride.
[media-credit name=”Trump Pride 2020 Ringer Tee ($30)” align=”alignnone” width=”200″] [/media-credit]
June 2020 marked the fourth straight year that Trump offered no official statement honoring LGBTQ Pride Month. He did, however, proclaim the month “Great Outdoors Month,” “National Ocean Month,” “National Caribbean-American Heritage Month,” African-American Music Appreciation Month,” and “National Homeownership Month.”
His only recognition of Pride came last year, in the form of a tweet that mostly focused on countries that imprison or execute LGBTQ people.
“As we celebrate LGBT Pride Month and recognize the outstanding contributions LGBT people have made to our great Nation, let us also stand in solidarity with the many LGBT people who live in dozens of countries worldwide that punish, imprison, or even execute individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation,” Trump wrote then.
But Trump’s time in office has been marked by a long series of anti-LGBTQ actions.
Last week, his administration was on the losing side of a historic Supreme Court ruling against anti-LGBTQ job discrimination.
In May 2019, Trump opposed the Equality Act, which would ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.
And through a series of executive actions, the administration reversed Obama-era guidance protecting transgender student’s rights in schools, moved to ban transgender people from military service, attempted to enable discrimination against transgender people in homeless shelters, and acted to remove Obamacare regulations that protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in health care.
Trump’s 2020 opponent Joe Biden, who has been endorsed by major LGBTQ rights groups, is also selling pride swag on his campaign site.
Unlike Trump, Biden’s site also states that he “believes that every human being should be treated with respect and dignity and be able to live without fear no matter who they are or who they love.”
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-06-26--Trump's foreign aid office is under fire for anti-LGBTQ appointees

Staffers at the U.S. Agency for International Development are reportedly upset about the recent appointment of three anti-LGBTQ Trump loyalists , which they say has created a hostile work environment .
Axios reported on Wednesday that 13 Employee Resource Groups at the agency wrote this week to John Barsa , acting USAID administrator , complaining about `` problematic language '' used by Deputy White House Liaison Merritt Corrigan , Deputy Chief of Staff Bethany Kozma , and Religious Freedom Advisor Mark Lloyd .
`` The use of these words and concepts creates a hostile work environment , undermines our efforts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and is antithetical to USAID ’ s core values of respect , empowerment and inclusion , '' the groups wrote .
The letter did not name the trio , but referenced media reports of their anti-LGBTQ and anti-Muslim rhetoric .
Basra has reportedly agreed to meet with the groups , though he has previously defended the three political appointees .
`` USAID is honored to have Bethany Kozma , Merritt Corrigan , and Mark Lloyd serve at the agency .
They are committed to enacting the policies of President Donald J. Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 8 press release .
A USAID spokesperson declined to comment further for this story .
A review of Corrigan ’ s , Kozma ’ s , and Lloyd ’ s records shows a documented history of bigotry toward the LGBTQ community .
Merritt Corrigan recently became the USAID ’ s deputy White House liaison , and before that , worked for the Hungarian Embassy in the United States as well as the Republican National Committee .
Corrigan has a history of homophobic comments and has advocated for narrowly defined gender roles for women @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her Twitter account to private last year after the outlet inquired about one of her previous tweets , in which she had written , `` Our homo-empire couldn ’ t tolerate even one commercial enterprise not in full submission to the tyrannical LGBT agenda . ''
Béla Gedeon , a spokesperson for the Hungarian embassy , responded at the time that Corrigan was `` a local American employee of the Embassy of Hungary , NOT a Diplomat , '' insisting that Corrigan ’ s views did not reflect `` those of the Embassy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last year , Corrigan wrote an article for The Conservative Woman — a London-based publication that opposes `` anti-family , authoritarian identity politics and 'equality and diversity ' ideology '' — arguing that women should `` return to the home '' instead of pursuing a `` masculine career . ''
Corrigan wrote , `` We now toil side-by-side with men , equal in our voting rights , but unequal in our needs , '' adding that `` feminism has reduced women to cheap imitations of men . ''
Corrigan also called the prime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a “ shining champion of Western civilization ” in a tweet last year .
In 2017 , Orbán spoke at a summit in Budapest hosted by the World Congress of Families , a Southern Poverty Law Center-identified anti-LGBTQ hate group .
Leaders of the group and other affiliated with it have espoused dangerous views in the past , suggesting that “ the gay lifestyle itself is destructive ” and that “ there is no comparison between [ same-sex marriage ] and natural marriage . ''
At the summit , the prime minister claimed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ liberal ideology that ’ s an insult to families , ” according to the Guardian .
BuzzFeed News reported at the time that Orbán also encouraged Europeans to “ restore natural reproduction , ” suggesting it was the no .
1 “ European interest , ” and slammed immigration as a threat to the region .
In March , Orbán also said his government would stop allowing people to change their gender marker on identifying documents , and in May , the country passed a law that defines gender as `` by primary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it impossible for transgender people to correct their birth certificates .
One of Corrigan ’ s own tweets , also unearthed by Politico , similarly criticized “ liberal ” ideologies .
`` Liberal democracy is little more than a front for the war being waged against us by those who fundamentally despise not only our way of life , but life itself , '' she wrote previously .
Deputy Chief of Staff Bethany Kozma also has a record of anti-LGBTQ comments .
Kozma has written for the far-right Daily Signal in the past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ associates sexual violence with policies that allow transgender people to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity .
Kozma wrote in 2016 that bathroom access for transgender students meant that victims of sexual assault would be “ re-traumatized by having biological males undress in front of them ” and added that the “ radical agenda of subjective ‘ gender fluidity ’ and unrestricted shower and bathroom access actually endangers all . ''
There is no evidence to support that claim .
In 2017 , Kozma also told the Loudoun County Public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would open up young girls `` to sexual harassment… sexual assault or rape . ''
In 2016 , she claimed at a Fairfax County Public Schools board meeting that they should imagine “ how predators will be emboldened and enabled ” if they favored a policy that did not discriminate against transgender students .
Studies have repeatedly found that transgender students are in fact at higher risk of disccrimination , violence , and sexual assault in school .
A 2019 study , published in the journal Pediatrics , which cited responses to an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ showed a higher prevalance of sexual assault among transgender and nonbinary teens whose schools had locker room and restroom restrictions .
Among those transgender and nonbinary teens surveyed , 26 % said they had been a victim of sexual assault in the past year , and for transgender and nonbinary teens who went to schools with restrictions on their bathroom access , 35 % said they were sexually assaulted .
The Family Research Council , which claimed as recently as 2016 that “ homosexual conduct is harmful to the persons who engage in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and can never be affirmed , ” also supported a campaign Kozma organized called United We Stand , in which she opposed Obama-era protections for transgender students .
The Trump administration has since rescinded those protections .
In 2018 , during a closed-door meeting of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women , Kozma , then a senior adviser for gender equality and women ’ s empowerment at USAID , said that the United States was a “ pro-life nation , ” according to BuzzFeed News .
People present at the meeting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women ’ s health as more conservative than they were at the previous year ’ s commission , as well as further to the right than positions under George W. Bush ’ s administration .
Mark Kevin Lloyd , a former Tea Party activist and the Virginia state director for Trump ’ s 2016 campaign , was appointed USAID “ religious freedom advisor ” in May .
Two years earlier , while working as field operations director for Republican state legislator Nick Freitas ’ unsuccessful U.S. Senate campaign in Virginia , Lloyd was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media posts , a number of which were anti-LGBTQ .
According to a report by Blue Virginia ’ , Lloyd had posted an array of discriminatory comments on his now-deleted Twitter feed .
In September 2017 , he defended misgendering transgender people , writing , “ I ’ m not going to play the pronoun game .
XY=he , him , boy XX=she , her , girl . ''
In May 2015 , he shared a story about the failed 2013 Republican nominee for Virginia lieutenant governor opposing same-sex marriage , praising him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is right . ''
He also twice dismissed former Florida Gov .
Jeb Bush ( R ) as “ Hillary Clinton in drag . ''
Earlier in 2015 , he shared a Fox News story about LGBTQ-inclusive education in California , writing , `` There is NO room for other opinions when it comes to the homo-fascist [ sic ] who are dominating education at every level . ''
And in March 2013 , he falsely implied that gay men are child abusers , tweeting that parents should think “ carefully before you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an openly gay scout master . ''
Outside of his anti-LGBTQ rhetoric , Lloyd also described one of the women who accused failed Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore of sexual predation as a `` 3X Divorcee '' in November 2017 .
He has regularly used sexist terms to describe women , and once claimed that `` ISLAM is violent in it 's [ sic ] doctrine and practice . ''
Lloyd ’ s appointment has since drawn criticism from the Muslim Public Affairs Council , Council on American-Islamic Relations , Emgage Action , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not respond to a request for comment about his previous remarks .
He told Big League Politics in 2018 that his sexist postings from 2013 to 2017 were `` probably something I did a long time ago , '' adding , `` I might not should have said it . ''
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Staffers at the U.S. Agency for International Development are reportedly upset about the recent appointment of three anti-LGBTQ Trump loyalists, which they say has created a hostile work environment.
Axios reported on Wednesday that 13 Employee Resource Groups at the agency wrote this week to John Barsa, acting USAID administrator, complaining about “problematic language” used by Deputy White House Liaison Merritt Corrigan, Deputy Chief of Staff Bethany Kozma, and Religious Freedom Advisor Mark Lloyd.
“The use of these words and concepts creates a hostile work environment, undermines our efforts to advance USAID’s critical mission, and is antithetical to USAID’s core values of respect, empowerment and inclusion,” the groups wrote.
The letter did not name the trio, but referenced media reports of their anti-LGBTQ and anti-Muslim rhetoric.
Basra has reportedly agreed to meet with the groups, though he has previously defended the three political appointees.
“USAID is honored to have Bethany Kozma, Merritt Corrigan, and Mark Lloyd serve at the agency. They are committed to enacting the policies of President Donald J. Trump,” he said in a June 8 press release.
A USAID spokesperson declined to comment further for this story.
A review of Corrigan’s, Kozma’s, and Lloyd’s records shows a documented history of bigotry toward the LGBTQ community.
Merritt Corrigan
Merritt Corrigan recently became the USAID’s deputy White House liaison, and before that, worked for the Hungarian Embassy in the United States as well as the Republican National Committee.
Corrigan has a history of homophobic comments and has advocated for narrowly defined gender roles for women.
According to Politico, Corrigan changed her Twitter account to private last year after the outlet inquired about one of her previous tweets, in which she had written, “Our homo-empire couldn’t tolerate even one commercial enterprise not in full submission to the tyrannical LGBT agenda.”
Béla Gedeon, a spokesperson for the Hungarian embassy, responded at the time that Corrigan was “a local American employee of the Embassy of Hungary, NOT a Diplomat,” insisting that Corrigan’s views did not reflect “those of the Embassy of Hungary.”
In October of last year, Corrigan wrote an article for The Conservative Woman — a London-based publication that opposes “anti-family, authoritarian identity politics and ‘equality and diversity’ ideology” — arguing that women should “return to the home” instead of pursuing a “masculine career.”
Corrigan wrote, “We now toil side-by-side with men, equal in our voting rights, but unequal in our needs,” adding that “feminism has reduced women to cheap imitations of men.”
Corrigan also called the prime minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, a “shining champion of Western civilization” in a tweet last year.
In 2017, Orbán spoke at a summit in Budapest hosted by the World Congress of Families, a Southern Poverty Law Center-identified anti-LGBTQ hate group.
Leaders of the group and other affiliated with it have espoused dangerous views in the past, suggesting that “the gay lifestyle itself is destructive” and that “there is no comparison between [same-sex marriage] and natural marriage.”
At the summit, the prime minister claimed the European Union held a “relativising liberal ideology that’s an insult to families,” according to the Guardian. BuzzFeed News reported at the time that Orbán also encouraged Europeans to “restore natural reproduction,” suggesting it was the no. 1 “European interest,” and slammed immigration as a threat to the region.
In March, Orbán also said his government would stop allowing people to change their gender marker on identifying documents, and in May, the country passed a law that defines gender as “by primary sex characteristics and chromosomes” and makes it impossible for transgender people to correct their birth certificates.
One of Corrigan’s own tweets, also unearthed by Politico, similarly criticized “liberal” ideologies.
“Liberal democracy is little more than a front for the war being waged against us by those who fundamentally despise not only our way of life, but life itself,” she wrote previously.
Bethany Kozma
Deputy Chief of Staff Bethany Kozma also has a record of anti-LGBTQ comments.
Kozma has written for the far-right Daily Signal in the past. In her writing, she repeatedly associates sexual violence with policies that allow transgender people to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity.
Kozma wrote in 2016 that bathroom access for transgender students meant that victims of sexual assault would be “re-traumatized by having biological males undress in front of them” and added that the “radical agenda of subjective ‘gender fluidity’ and unrestricted shower and bathroom access actually endangers all.”
There is no evidence to support that claim.
In 2017, Kozma also told the Loudoun County Public Schools board that policies supporting transgender children would open up young girls “to sexual harassment… sexual assault or rape.”
In 2016, she claimed at a Fairfax County Public Schools board meeting that they should imagine “how predators will be emboldened and enabled” if they favored a policy that did not discriminate against transgender students.
Studies have repeatedly found that transgender students are in fact at higher risk of disccrimination, violence, and sexual assault in school.
A 2019 study, published in the journal Pediatrics, which cited responses to an anonymous web-based LGBTQ Teen Study survey, showed a higher prevalance of sexual assault among transgender and nonbinary teens whose schools had locker room and restroom restrictions.
Among those transgender and nonbinary teens surveyed, 26% said they had been a victim of sexual assault in the past year, and for transgender and nonbinary teens who went to schools with restrictions on their bathroom access, 35% said they were sexually assaulted.
The Family Research Council, which claimed as recently as 2016 that “homosexual conduct is harmful to the persons who engage in it and to society at large, and can never be affirmed,” also supported a campaign Kozma organized called United We Stand, in which she opposed Obama-era protections for transgender students. The Trump administration has since rescinded those protections.
In 2018, during a closed-door meeting of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, Kozma, then a senior adviser for gender equality and women’s empowerment at USAID, said that the United States was a “pro-life nation,” according to BuzzFeed News.
People present at the meeting described the administration’s positions on women’s health as more conservative than they were at the previous year’s commission, as well as further to the right than positions under George W. Bush’s administration.
Mark Lloyd
Mark Kevin Lloyd, a former Tea Party activist and the Virginia state director for Trump’s 2016 campaign, was appointed USAID “religious freedom advisor” in May.
Two years earlier, while working as field operations director for Republican state legislator Nick Freitas’ unsuccessful U.S. Senate campaign in Virginia, Lloyd was criticized for a number of discriminatory social media posts, a number of which were anti-LGBTQ.
According to a report by Blue Virginia’, Lloyd had posted an array of discriminatory comments on his now-deleted Twitter feed.
In September 2017, he defended misgendering transgender people, writing, “I’m not going to play the pronoun game. XY=he, him,boy XX=she, her, girl.”
In May 2015, he shared a story about the failed 2013 Republican nominee for Virginia lieutenant governor opposing same-sex marriage, praising him as a “fearless warrior for what is right.”
He also twice dismissed former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) as “Hillary Clinton in drag.”
Earlier in 2015, he shared a Fox News story about LGBTQ-inclusive education in California, writing, “There is NO room for other opinions when it comes to the homo-fascist [sic] who are dominating education at every level.”
And in March 2013, he falsely implied that gay men are child abusers, tweeting that parents should think “carefully before you send your son unto the woods with an openly gay scout master.”
Outside of his anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, Lloyd also described one of the women who accused failed Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore of sexual predation as a “3X Divorcee” in November 2017. He has regularly used sexist terms to describe women, and once claimed that “ISLAM is violent in it’s [sic] doctrine and practice.”
Lloyd’s appointment has since drawn criticism from the Muslim Public Affairs Council, Council on American-Islamic Relations, Emgage Action, and the Anti-Defamaton League.
Lloyd did not respond to a request for comment about his previous remarks. He told Big League Politics in 2018 that his sexist postings from 2013 to 2017 were “probably something I did a long time ago,” adding, “I might not should have said it.”
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-06-26--States that rushed to reopen forced to backtrack as virus surges

Texas and Florida announced major rollbacks to their reopening strategy on Friday as coronavirus cases in the states skyrocket .
Both were among the first to reopen in the midst of the pandemic , against expert advice .
In Texas , many restaurants , bars , and stores reopened on May 1 ; Florida establishments followed suit on May 18 .
On Friday , Texas Republican Gov .
Greg Abbott backtracked , issuing an executive order closing down bars across the state and reducing indoor restaurant capacity from 75 % to 50 % .
The order also closed rafting and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outdoor gatherings of more than 100 people obtain permission from local governments .
Abbott 's announcement came after Texas set new records of confirmed virus cases for three days in a row , increasing from 5,489 new cases on Tuesday to 5,996 new cases on Thursday .
Some hospitals in Houston reached 97 % capacity for their intensive care units as COVID-19 admissions spiked .
Abbott ’ s executive order `` is far too little too late , '' Gilberto Hinojosa , chair of the Texas Democratic Party , said on Friday in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ burst in Texas and now Texans are paying the price . ''
In Florida , the Department of Business and Professional Regulation suspended alcohol consumption at bars across the state , the Tampa Bay Times reported on Friday .
The decision came a day after Florida experienced a record-level of new coronavirus cases , reaching nearly 9,000 on Thursday .
The state 's previous single-day record was 5,508 cases , which happened earlier this week .
Experts have warned for months about the dangers of reopening businesses before the virus was under control @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` suffering and death that could be avoided , '' Dr. Anthony Fauci , the nation 's leading infectious disease expert , said at a May 12 Senate hearing .
Fauci expressed concern that the nation would `` start to see little spikes that might turn into outbreaks . ''
The World Health Organization also issued a warning , with Dr. Margaret Harris , part of the group ’ s coronavirus response team , telling NPR , `` What we are seeing is indeed , when people ease too quickly , that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
In addition to Texas and Florida , several other states that moved to reopen their economies quickly have experienced a spike in cases , including Arkansas , Arizona , and California .
Nationally , the United States reported record-high levels of new coronavirus cases on both Wednesday ( 38,115 ) and Thursday ( 39,327 ) .
As of Friday morning , the United States had more than 2,435,200 confirmed cases , and at least 124,393 people have died .
Despite this , Republicans , including Donald Trump , have insisted that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in an attempt to revitalize the struggling economy .
`` Exciting to see our Country starting to open up again ! ''
Trump tweeted on May 5 .
And on May 18 , he tweeted simply , `` REOPEN OUR COUNTRY ! ''
On June 22 , Trump suggested that the economic crisis caused by the pandemic would be over soon and that the millions of Americans who had become unemployed would find work again soon as states began to reopen .
`` And we 've done a good job , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s slow response to the pandemic , `` but now we 're opening up our country and the jobs numbers are good .
And they 're coming back very fast . ''
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Texas and Florida announced major rollbacks to their reopening strategy on Friday as coronavirus cases in the states skyrocket.
Both were among the first to reopen in the midst of the pandemic, against expert advice. In Texas, many restaurants, bars, and stores reopened on May 1; Florida establishments followed suit on May 18.
On Friday, Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott backtracked, issuing an executive order closing down bars across the state and reducing indoor restaurant capacity from 75% to 50%. The order also closed rafting and tubing businesses, and mandated that most outdoor gatherings of more than 100 people obtain permission from local governments.
Abbott’s announcement came after Texas set new records of confirmed virus cases for three days in a row, increasing from 5,489 new cases on Tuesday to 5,996 new cases on Thursday.
Some hospitals in Houston reached 97% capacity for their intensive care units as COVID-19 admissions spiked.
Abbott’s executive order “is far too little too late,” Gilberto Hinojosa, chair of the Texas Democratic Party, said on Friday in an email. “The dam has burst in Texas and now Texans are paying the price.”
In Florida, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation suspended alcohol consumption at bars across the state, the Tampa Bay Times reported on Friday.
The decision came a day after Florida experienced a record-level of new coronavirus cases, reaching nearly 9,000 on Thursday.
The state’s previous single-day record was 5,508 cases, which happened earlier this week.
Experts have warned for months about the dangers of reopening businesses before the virus was under control.
Reopening too quickly could lead to “suffering and death that could be avoided,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, said at a May 12 Senate hearing. Fauci expressed concern that the nation would “start to see little spikes that might turn into outbreaks.”
The World Health Organization also issued a warning, with Dr. Margaret Harris, part of the group’s coronavirus response team, telling NPR, “What we are seeing is indeed, when people ease too quickly, that they do then see a rise in infections.”
In addition to Texas and Florida, several other states that moved to reopen their economies quickly have experienced a spike in cases, including Arkansas, Arizona, and California.
Nationally, the United States reported record-high levels of new coronavirus cases on both Wednesday (38,115) and Thursday (39,327).
As of Friday morning, the United States had more than 2,435,200 confirmed cases, and at least 124,393 people have died.
Despite this, Republicans, including Donald Trump, have insisted that states begin to open up once more, in an attempt to revitalize the struggling economy.
“Exciting to see our Country starting to open up again!” Trump tweeted on May 5.
And on May 18, he tweeted simply, “REOPEN OUR COUNTRY!”
On June 22, Trump suggested that the economic crisis caused by the pandemic would be over soon and that the millions of Americans who had become unemployed would find work again soon as states began to reopen.
“And we’ve done a good job,” he said, referring to his administration’s slow response to the pandemic, “but now we’re opening up our country and the jobs numbers are good. And they’re coming back very fast.”
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-06-26--House passes historic bill to make DC a state despite GOP opposition

The Democratic-controlled House approved a bill Friday to make the District of Columbia the 51st state , saying Congress has both the moral obligation and the constitutional authority to ensure that the city 's 700,000 residents are allowed full voting rights , no longer subject to `` taxation without representation . ''
Lawmakers approved the bill 232-180 , largely along party lines , marking the first time a chamber of Congress has passed a D.C. statehood bill .
The legislation now goes to the Republican-controlled Senate , where it faces insurmountable opposition from GOP leaders .
Del .
Eleanor Holmes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Congress , sponsored the bill , saying it has both the facts and the Constitution on its side .
D.C. 's population is larger than that of Wyoming or Vermont , and the new state would be one of seven with populations under one million , she said .
The city 's $ 15.5 billion annual budget is larger than those of 12 states , and D.C. 's triple-A bond rating is higher than those of 35 states , Norton said .
Opponents , mostly Republicans , called the bill a power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and said the nation 's Founding Fathers intended the capital to be separate from the other states .
`` This is about power .
Make no mistake about it , '' said Rep. Chip Roy ( R-TX ) .
The bill would `` fundamentally alter what D.C is , '' he added .
Norton , who has served as D.C. delegate since 1991 , said the issue is deeply personal for her and thousands of other city residents who have long been disenfranchised .
Her great-grandfather Richard Holmes escaped slavery at a Virginia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as D.C. , a walk to freedom but not to equal citizenship , '' she said .
`` For three generations my family has been denied the rights other Americans take for granted . ''
Congress has two choices , she added .
`` It can continue to exercise undemocratic , autocratic authority over the 705,000 American citizens , treating them , in the words of Frederick Douglass , as 'aliens , not citizens , but subjects . '
Or Congress can live up to this nation 's promise and ideals , end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the statehood bill .
The bill would create a new state of Washington , Douglass Commonwealth , in honor of the Maryland-born Douglass .
It also would reduce the size of the federal district to a tourist-friendly area that includes the White House , the Capitol , the Supreme Court , federal monuments , and the federal executive , legislative , and judicial office buildings adjacent to the National Mall and the Capitol .
Sen. Tom Cotton ( R_AR ) blasted the bill ahead of the House vote .
In a Senate speech @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a city with little more to offer than lobbyists and federal workers .
`` Yes , Wyoming is smaller than Washington by population , but it has three times as many workers in mining , logging , and construction , and 10 times as many workers in manufacturing , '' Cotton said .
`` In other words , Wyoming is a well-rounded working-class state . ''
Cotton also criticized Democrats for prioritizing the D.C. statehood vote while there is `` mob violence '' in the streets .
Recent protests near the White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enforcement officers under federal control , '' he said .
`` Would you trust Mayor Bowser to keep Washington safe if she were given the powers of a governor ?
Would you trust Marion Barry ? ''
Cotton added , referring to D.C. 's current and former mayors , both Black .
Cotton 's remarks stirred outrage on social media , with many describing the remarks as racist .
D.C. has a large African American population and was once known as `` Chocolate City , '' although it is no longer majority-Black .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ more important in the aftermath of protests for racial justice both in Washington and across the nation .
Democratic leaders scheduled the vote after the Trump administration 's much-criticized move June 1 to use federal forces to clear Lafayette Square near the White House of peaceful protesters so that Donald Trump could trumpet his law-and-order credentials in a photo-op .
`` There should n't be troops from other states in Washington , D.C. , '' said Bowser .
`` There should n't be federal forces advancing against Americans , and there very definitely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city waiting for the go to attack Americans in a local policing matter . ''
Trump said last month that `` D.C. will never be a state '' because it would likely mean two more Democratic senators .
`` No , thank you .
That 'll never happen , '' he said .
But House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer ( D-MD ) said the rights of D.C. residents should transcend political calculations .
`` We are the only free country in the world , from all our research , that does n't have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their country .
We call our parliament 'Congress , ' '' Hoyer said at a news conference Thursday .
Recent events have focused national attention on the city 's plight .
Earlier this year , when Congress passed the CARES Act stimulus package , the capital was classified as a territory rather than a state — a distinction that cost Washington more than $ 700 million in federal funding .
All District laws are subject to review by a congressional committee , which can veto them or alter them by attaching riders to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Congress , conservatives have sought , mostly unsuccessfully , to restrict some of the city 's liberal initiatives such as needle exchanges for drug users and abortions under its Medicaid program .

The Democratic-controlled House approved a bill Friday to make the District of Columbia the 51st state, saying Congress has both the moral obligation and the constitutional authority to ensure that the city’s 700,000 residents are allowed full voting rights, no longer subject to “taxation without representation.”
Lawmakers approved the bill 232-180, largely along party lines, marking the first time a chamber of Congress has passed a D.C. statehood bill. The legislation now goes to the Republican-controlled Senate, where it faces insurmountable opposition from GOP leaders.
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, the district’s nonvoting representative in Congress, sponsored the bill, saying it has both the facts and the Constitution on its side.
D.C.’s population is larger than that of Wyoming or Vermont, and the new state would be one of seven with populations under one million, she said. The city’s $15.5 billion annual budget is larger than those of 12 states, and D.C.’s triple-A bond rating is higher than those of 35 states, Norton said.
Opponents, mostly Republicans, called the bill a power grab for the firmly Democratic city, and said the nation’s Founding Fathers intended the capital to be separate from the other states.
“This is about power. Make no mistake about it,” said Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX). The bill would “fundamentally alter what D.C is,” he added.
Norton, who has served as D.C. delegate since 1991, said the issue is deeply personal for her and thousands of other city residents who have long been disenfranchised. Her great-grandfather Richard Holmes escaped slavery at a Virginia plantation and “made it as far as D.C., a walk to freedom but not to equal citizenship,” she said. “For three generations my family has been denied the rights other Americans take for granted.”
Congress has two choices, she added. “It can continue to exercise undemocratic, autocratic authority over the 705,000 American citizens, treating them, in the words of Frederick Douglass, as ‘aliens, not citizens, but subjects.’ Or Congress can live up to this nation’s promise and ideals, end taxation without representation, and pass” the statehood bill.
The bill would create a new state of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth, in honor of the Maryland-born Douglass. It also would reduce the size of the federal district to a tourist-friendly area that includes the White House, the Capitol, the Supreme Court, federal monuments, and the federal executive, legislative, and judicial office buildings adjacent to the National Mall and the Capitol.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R_AR) blasted the bill ahead of the House vote. In a Senate speech, he dismissed Washington, D.C., as a city with little more to offer than lobbyists and federal workers.
“Yes, Wyoming is smaller than Washington by population, but it has three times as many workers in mining, logging, and construction, and 10 times as many workers in manufacturing,” Cotton said. “In other words, Wyoming is a well-rounded working-class state.”
Cotton also criticized Democrats for prioritizing the D.C. statehood vote while there is “mob violence” in the streets. Recent protests near the White House required “force by federal law enforcement officers under federal control,” he said.
“Would you trust Mayor Bowser to keep Washington safe if she were given the powers of a governor? Would you trust Marion Barry?” Cotton added, referring to D.C.’s current and former mayors, both Black.
Cotton’s remarks stirred outrage on social media, with many describing the remarks as racist. D.C. has a large African American population and was once known as “Chocolate City,” although it is no longer majority-Black.
Supporters said the bill has become even more important in the aftermath of protests for racial justice both in Washington and across the nation. Democratic leaders scheduled the vote after the Trump administration’s much-criticized move June 1 to use federal forces to clear Lafayette Square near the White House of peaceful protesters so that Donald Trump could trumpet his law-and-order credentials in a photo-op.
“There shouldn’t be troops from other states in Washington, D.C.,” said Bowser. “There shouldn’t be federal forces advancing against Americans, and there very definitely shouldn’t be soldiers stationed around our city waiting for the go to attack Americans in a local policing matter.”
Trump said last month that “D.C. will never be a state” because it would likely mean two more Democratic senators. “No, thank you. That’ll never happen,” he said.
But House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said the rights of D.C. residents should transcend political calculations.
“We are the only free country in the world, from all our research, that doesn’t have a voting member of their parliament in their country. We call our parliament ‘Congress,'” Hoyer said at a news conference Thursday.
Recent events have focused national attention on the city’s plight. Earlier this year, when Congress passed the CARES Act stimulus package, the capital was classified as a territory rather than a state — a distinction that cost Washington more than $700 million in federal funding.
All District laws are subject to review by a congressional committee, which can veto them or alter them by attaching riders to federal appropriations bills. During GOP control of Congress, conservatives have sought, mostly unsuccessfully, to restrict some of the city’s liberal initiatives such as needle exchanges for drug users and abortions under its Medicaid program.


shareblue--2020-06-26--Pence uses first coronavirus briefing in months to peddle lies

Mike Pence tried to spin the grim news as the coronavirus spreads in states that reopened too soon , against the advice of public health experts .
Mike Pence on Friday convened the first White House coronavirus task force briefing in nearly two months , amid a spike of coronavirus cases in some of the largest states in the country .
Pence used his time to lie about the Trump administration 's response to the virus and distort the reality that millions of Americans find themselves in .
Here are four lies and distortions Pence produced during the briefing on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and territories across this country are opening up safely and responsibly . ''
After reopening too soon and too quickly — against the advice of public health experts — the Republican governors of Texas and Florida announced their states are once again implementing social distancing measures as coronavirus cases soar .
Texas Gov .
Greg Abbott announced that he is closing all bars and reducing capacity in restaurants to 50 % after Texas saw 5,996 new cases of the coronavirus on Thursday .
And Florida Gov .
Ron DeSantis is banning the sale @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported 8,942 new cases on Friday .
That single-day increase is nearly as high as those seen in New York at the peak of coronavirus infections this spring .
`` We slowed the spread , we flattened the curve , we saved lives . ''
The coronavirus curve is by no means flattened .
Data shows that while the national curve trended slightly downward earlier in June , it never came close to flattening .
And now it 's once again on the rise , with the number of new cases on Thursday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tracking of the virus began .
Only a handful of states truly flattened the curve , including New York and New Jersey , which had the worst outbreaks early on but now have decreased the spread of the virus thanks to the implementation of social distancing measures and policies such as mandated mask-wearing .
But a number of other states , such as Arizona , Florida , and Texas , where Republican governors reopened early and refused to mandate mask-wearing , are seeing spikes .
And experts are now concerned about the availability @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extent or another , the volume of new cases coming in is a reflection of a great success in expanding testing across the country . ''
While testing capacity is up , it is not the only reason the number of positive tests are increasing .
In fact , public health experts look at the percentage of tests that come back positive to determine the level of concern : The higher the percentage , the more alarmed the experts are .
In Texas , the positivity rate climbed to 10.42 % on Wednesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % positive rate a `` warning flag . ''
In Florida , the positivity rate stood at 13.4 % on Friday , according to data from Johns Hopkins University .
Pence said there 's a `` tendency '' for people to believe `` we 're in a time of great losses and great hardship on the American people .
The reality is we 're in a much better place . ''
While Pence painted a rosy picture of where the United States stands with regard to the coronavirus , there are still millions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 124,393 people have died of causes related to the coronavirus , the New York Times reports .
And nearly 21 million people are still out of work , according to unemployment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Mike Pence on Friday convened the first White House coronavirus task force briefing in nearly two months, amid a spike of coronavirus cases in some of the largest states in the country.
Pence used his time to lie about the Trump administration’s response to the virus and distort the reality that millions of Americans find themselves in.
Here are four lies and distortions Pence produced during the briefing on Friday afternoon:
“All 50 states and territories across this country are opening up safely and responsibly.”
That’s not true.
After reopening too soon and too quickly — against the advice of public health experts — the Republican governors of Texas and Florida announced their states are once again implementing social distancing measures as coronavirus cases soar.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced that he is closing all bars and reducing capacity in restaurants to 50% after Texas saw 5,996 new cases of the coronavirus on Thursday.
And Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is banning the sale of alcohol in bars after his state reported 8,942 new cases on Friday. That single-day increase is nearly as high as those seen in New York at the peak of coronavirus infections this spring.
“We slowed the spread, we flattened the curve, we saved lives.”
The coronavirus curve is by no means flattened.
Data shows that while the national curve trended slightly downward earlier in June, it never came close to flattening. And now it’s once again on the rise, with the number of new cases on Thursday rising to the highest single-day increase since tracking of the virus began.
Only a handful of states truly flattened the curve, including New York and New Jersey, which had the worst outbreaks early on but now have decreased the spread of the virus thanks to the implementation of social distancing measures and policies such as mandated mask-wearing.
But a number of other states, such as Arizona, Florida, and Texas, where Republican governors reopened early and refused to mandate mask-wearing, are seeing spikes. And experts are now concerned about the availability of hospital beds.
“To one extent or another, the volume of new cases coming in is a reflection of a great success in expanding testing across the country.”
This is misleading.
While testing capacity is up, it is not the only reason the number of positive tests are increasing.
In fact, public health experts look at the percentage of tests that come back positive to determine the level of concern: The higher the percentage, the more alarmed the experts are.
In Texas, the positivity rate climbed to 10.42% on Wednesday. Abbott had previously called a 10% positive rate a “warning flag.”
In Florida, the positivity rate stood at 13.4% on Friday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Pence said there’s a “tendency” for people to believe “we’re in a time of great losses and great hardship on the American people. The reality is we’re in a much better place.”
While Pence painted a rosy picture of where the United States stands with regard to the coronavirus, there are still millions of Americans facing hardship.
To date, 124,393 people have died of causes related to the coronavirus, the New York Times reports.
And nearly 21 million people are still out of work, according to unemployment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-06-26--GOP senator has spent $367K in taxpayer funds promoting himself to voters

Sen. Steve Daines ( R-MT ) has spent $ 367,000 in taxpayer funds on self-promotional mailers since he first took office in 2015 .
Nearly $ 100,000 worth of those mailers includes content that is almost identical to messages from campaign ads he 's released for his 2020 reelection bid .
Copies of the mailers were obtained by The American Independent Foundation .
While the use of taxpayer funds for the mailers is legal and falls within the Senate 's franked mail guidelines , which give members of Congress a budget to spend on communicating with their constituents , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ position on government spending .
Daines has criticized the wasteful use of government funds and demanded spending cuts to reduce the national deficit .
The $ 367,000 Daines spent on the promotional mailers since arriving in the Senate is the second-highest expenditure on franked mail of any U.S. senator during that period , according to an analysis of records obtained by The American Independent Foundation .
By contrast , Daines ' Montana Senate colleague Jon Tester , a Democrat , spent nothing on franked mail in the same period , even though he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a state that Donald Trump carried by a 20-point margin in 2016 .
Daines himself faces reelection in November , and will likely face Montana 's current Democratic Gov .
Steve Bullock .
Despite the state 's Republican lean , political handicappers at the nonpartisan Cook Political Report rate the race a toss-up thanks to Bullock 's crossover appeal to GOP voters in the state .
A look at the mailers themselves , which were obtained by the American Independent , shows how strikingly similar they are to the campaign ads Daines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate term .
One mailer sent between July 2019 and October 2019 is titled `` Fighting for Lower Prescription Drug Costs . ''
In it , Daines says that `` as Montana 's lone voice on the U.S. Senate Finance Committee , I have made my top priority to lower prescription drug costs for Montanans . ''
The mailer says Daines introduced legislation to lower prescription costs that `` will greatly help Montana seniors and taxpayers . ''
Between January 2020 and March 2020 , Daines sent out a mailer titled `` Serving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he is `` actively fighting '' to `` protect Montana veterans from scam artists . ''
In March 2020 , Daines released a campaign ad with near-identical messaging to that in the mailers .
Daines ' spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment on whether he thought the self-promotional mailers were a good use of taxpayer dollars .
But good government groups have criticized the franked mail perk and argued that it is antiquated and should be eliminated .
`` Contemporary critics of the franking privilege generally articulate four objections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is financially wasteful ; ( 2 ) the franking privilege is abused for private and political gain ; ( 3 ) the franking privilege gives unfair advantages to incumbents in congressional elections ; and ( 4 ) the franking privilege has become outdated with the advent of other forms of communication , '' the Congressional Research Service , Congress ' nonpartisan research arm , wrote in a 2015 review of franked mail .
In 2018 , Rep. Jacky Rosen ( D-NV ) introduced a bill in the House titled the `` No Free @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' which would cap the amount lawmakers could spend on the mailers at $ 10,000 annually .
`` Members of Congress should be using their office budgets to fight for their constituents and serve the people they represent , not help themselves get re-elected , '' Rosen said at the time .
The bill was not taken up by the then GOP-controlled House .
A previous version of this story stated that Sen. Steve Daines spent $ 367,000 on mailers with nearly identical content to his campaign ads .
The correct amount is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of The American Independent Foundation .

Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) has spent $367,000 in taxpayer funds on self-promotional mailers since he first took office in 2015. Nearly $100,000 worth of those mailers includes content that is almost identical to messages from campaign ads he’s released for his 2020 reelection bid. Copies of the mailers were obtained by The American Independent Foundation.
While the use of taxpayer funds for the mailers is legal and falls within the Senate’s franked mail guidelines, which give members of Congress a budget to spend on communicating with their constituents, it seems to directly contradict Daines’ own position on government spending.
Daines has criticized the wasteful use of government funds and demanded spending cuts to reduce the national deficit.
The $367,000 Daines spent on the promotional mailers since arriving in the Senate is the second-highest expenditure on franked mail of any U.S. senator during that period, according to an analysis of records obtained by The American Independent Foundation.
By contrast, Daines’ Montana Senate colleague Jon Tester, a Democrat, spent nothing on franked mail in the same period, even though he faced a tough reelection battle in 2018 in a state that Donald Trump carried by a 20-point margin in 2016.
Daines himself faces reelection in November, and will likely face Montana’s current Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock. Despite the state’s Republican lean, political handicappers at the nonpartisan Cook Political Report rate the race a toss-up thanks to Bullock’s crossover appeal to GOP voters in the state.
A look at the mailers themselves, which were obtained by the American Independent, shows how strikingly similar they are to the campaign ads Daines has run as he seeks a second Senate term.
One mailer sent between July 2019 and October 2019 is titled “Fighting for Lower Prescription Drug Costs.” In it, Daines says that “as Montana’s lone voice on the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, I have made my top priority to lower prescription drug costs for Montanans.”
The mailer says Daines introduced legislation to lower prescription costs that “will greatly help Montana seniors and taxpayers.”
Between January 2020 and March 2020, Daines sent out a mailer titled “Serving Montana’s Veterans,” which says that he is “actively fighting” to “protect Montana veterans from scam artists.”
In March 2020, Daines released a campaign ad with near-identical messaging to that in the mailers.
Daines narrates the ad, saying:
America’s economy is booming, with record low unemployment and rising wages. But there’s still more to do for Montana families. It’s why I wrote a bill that says if Congress doesn’t balance the budget, they shouldn’t get paid. It’s why I’m taking on Big Pharma to lower prescription drug prices and why I’m working to protect veteran pensions from scam artists. As your senator, protecting your pocketbook is my top priority.
Daines’ spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment on whether he thought the self-promotional mailers were a good use of taxpayer dollars.
But good government groups have criticized the franked mail perk and argued that it is antiquated and should be eliminated.
“Contemporary critics of the franking privilege generally articulate four objections: (1) the franking privilege is financially wasteful; (2) the franking privilege is abused for private and political gain; (3) the franking privilege gives unfair advantages to incumbents in congressional elections; and (4) the franking privilege has become outdated with the advent of other forms of communication,” the Congressional Research Service, Congress’ nonpartisan research arm, wrote in a 2015 review of franked mail.
In 2018, Rep. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) introduced a bill in the House titled the “No Free Campaigns for Congress Act of 2018,” which would cap the amount lawmakers could spend on the mailers at $10,000 annually.
“Members of Congress should be using their office budgets to fight for their constituents and serve the people they represent, not help themselves get re-elected,” Rosen said at the time.
The bill was not taken up by the then GOP-controlled House.
A previous version of this story stated that Sen. Steve Daines spent $367,000 on mailers with nearly identical content to his campaign ads. The correct amount is nearly $100,000.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-06-26--GOP is recruiting poll-watchers to look for nonexistent 'voter fraud'

Eight state Republican parties are actively recruiting for Donald Trump 's 2020 Election Day voter suppression efforts .
Trump 's reelection campaign and its allies are aiming to recruit up to 50,000 volunteers to challenge any votes and voters they deem suspicious in targeted states , the New York Times reported last month .
This is part of a $ 20 million effort to undermine voting rights and make it difficult to participate in the November election .
The effort comes , the paper noted , after the expiration of a decades-old court order prohibiting the Republican Party from suppressing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fraud .
A review of GOP state party websites found at least eight are directly seeking volunteers for the current suppression efforts .
Several are using virtually identical language .
`` Our Election Day Operation ( EDO ) is designed to ensure that everyone that is legally entitled to vote has the opportunity to vote , ONCE !
As an EDO volunteer , you will be trained on the elections laws of Rhode Island , '' the Republican Party of Rhode Island wrote on its site .
( Trump lost Rhode Island by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2016 . )
`` You do not have to be a lawyer , you just have to know the rules and we will provide an organized network of assistance to all of our volunteers .
Once you are trained , we will coordinate getting you credentialed to work the upcoming election , '' the website explains .
The page encourages people to sign up to `` JOIN the EDO Army For Trump NOW ! ''
A link goes directly to the Trump campaign 's `` Army For Trump '' website .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ similar recruitment message on its site : `` Our Election Day Operation ( EDO ) is designed to ensure that everyone who is legally entitled to vote has the opportunity to vote , ONCE !
As an EDO volunteer , you will be trained on the election laws of New Mexico . ''
The Kansas Republican Party page changes the language slightly to reference `` the election laws of Kansas . ''
The Nevada Republican Party appears to have posted the template without bothering to customize it .
`` As an EDO volunteer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election laws of STATE , '' its page says .
A message on the Georgia Republican Party site states , `` Making sure the election is free from fraud is one of Chairman David Shafer 's top priorities .
Working with the President 's re-election campaign , we are in the process of building out the most extensive Election Day Operations ( EDO ) effort in the history of Georgia . ''
The Maine Republican Party page asks volunteers to `` assist Team Trump '' with `` identifying , training , and deploying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voter who is allowed to vote , gets to vote on Election Day . ''
Links on the Arizona Republican Party and Republican Party of Minnesota also take interested volunteers to the Trump `` Army '' signup page .
Without a direct link , a message on the Idaho Republican Party page also claims the party `` trains and places poll watchers in key locations who field complaints of voter fraud and intimidation . ''
While often cited as an excuse for voter suppression laws , voter fraud is virtually non-existent in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people are more likely to be struck by lightning than they are to commit voter fraud at a polling place .
While the GOP has pushed to make it difficult for citizens — especially minority voters — to exercise their right to vote , the Democratic Party platform explicitly states that `` we must make it easier to vote , not harder.
” The Democratic National Committee announced earlier this month that it is `` making critical investments '' in infrastructure `` to safeguard the right of every eligible voter to protect their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ democratic process . ''
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Eight state Republican parties are actively recruiting for Donald Trump’s 2020 Election Day voter suppression efforts.
Trump’s reelection campaign and its allies are aiming to recruit up to 50,000 volunteers to challenge any votes and voters they deem suspicious in targeted states, the New York Times reported last month. This is part of a $20 million effort to undermine voting rights and make it difficult to participate in the November election.
The effort comes, the paper noted, after the expiration of a decades-old court order prohibiting the Republican Party from suppressing minority voting under the guise of preventing fraud.
A review of GOP state party websites found at least eight are directly seeking volunteers for the current suppression efforts. Several are using virtually identical language.
“Our Election Day Operation (EDO) is designed to ensure that everyone that is legally entitled to vote has the opportunity to vote, ONCE! As an EDO volunteer, you will be trained on the elections laws of Rhode Island,” the Republican Party of Rhode Island wrote on its site. (Trump lost Rhode Island by a 54.4% to 38.9% margin in 2016.)
“You do not have to be a lawyer, you just have to know the rules and we will provide an organized network of assistance to all of our volunteers. Once you are trained, we will coordinate getting you credentialed to work the upcoming election,” the website explains.
The page encourages people to sign up to “JOIN the EDO Army For Trump NOW!” A link goes directly to the Trump campaign’s “Army For Trump” website.
The Republican Party of New Mexico has a similar recruitment message on its site: “Our Election Day Operation (EDO) is designed to ensure that everyone who is legally entitled to vote has the opportunity to vote, ONCE! As an EDO volunteer, you will be trained on the election laws of New Mexico.”
The Kansas Republican Party page changes the language slightly to reference “the election laws of Kansas.”
The Nevada Republican Party appears to have posted the template without bothering to customize it.
“As an EDO volunteer, you will be trained on the election laws of STATE,” its page says.
A message on the Georgia Republican Party site states, “Making sure the election is free from fraud is one of Chairman David Shafer’s top priorities. Working with the President’s re-election campaign, we are in the process of building out the most extensive Election Day Operations (EDO) effort in the history of Georgia.”
The Maine Republican Party page asks volunteers to “assist Team Trump” with “identifying, training, and deploying poll watchers and lawyers to ensure every voter who is allowed to vote, gets to vote on Election Day.”
Links on the Arizona Republican Party and Republican Party of Minnesota also take interested volunteers to the Trump “Army” signup page.
Without a direct link, a message on the Idaho Republican Party page also claims the party “trains and places poll watchers in key locations who field complaints of voter fraud and intimidation.”
While often cited as an excuse for voter suppression laws, voter fraud is virtually non-existent in the United States. Studies have found that people are more likely to be struck by lightning than they are to commit voter fraud at a polling place.
While the GOP has pushed to make it difficult for citizens — especially minority voters — to exercise their right to vote, the Democratic Party platform explicitly states that “we must make it easier to vote, not harder.”
The Democratic National Committee announced earlier this month that it is “making critical investments” in infrastructure “to safeguard the right of every eligible voter to protect their voting status and easily participate in our democratic process.”
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-06-26--Trump admits his campaign's attack ads against Biden are lying

Donald Trump admitted on Thursday that one of his campaign 's frequent attacks against Joe Biden is false .
In a Fox News interview , Sean Hannity asked him about Biden 's purported criticism of Trump 's January partial ban on travel from China .
`` Joe said it was 'hysteria , ' 'xenophobic , ' and 'fear-mongering , ' '' Hannity falsely claimed .
Trump corrected his friend .
`` He did n't say it . ''
`` He never said 'xenophobic ' cause I do n't think he knows what the word means , '' Trump said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ been making the same false claim as Hannity for months .
On June 12 , Trump posted a Facebook ad making the claim that Biden had called Trump 's China travel restrictions `` hysterical xenophobia . ''
On May 28 , another Trump ad claimed Biden `` attacked Donald Trump 's travel bans , calling them 'racist ' and 'hysterical xenophobia . '
'' Back in March , PolitiFact examined Trump 's repeated claims that Trump had attacked him over his restrictions .
They determined the claim `` mostly false , '' noting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ xenophobia to the travel restriction . ''
Biden 's actual comment , the fact check noted , was : `` This is no time for Donald Trump 's record of hysteria xenophobia , hysterical xenophobia , and fear-mongering to lead the way instead of science . ''
Trump has repeatedly suggested that his partial China travel ban kept America safe from the COVID-19 pandemic .
On Tuesday , he boasted at Phoenix rally , `` we took swift and early action to ban travel from China very , very early , '' adding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thousands of lives with that early decision . ''
But fact-checkers have also repeatedly debunked those claims , too .
`` Trump did n't 'ban ' all the people infected with coronavirus from entering the U.S. from China , '' the Associated Press noted in May .
His order , they noted , merely was a temporary hold on `` entry by foreign nationals who had traveled in China within the previous 14 days , with exceptions for the immediate family of U.S. citizens and permanent residents as well as American citizens .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ it found `` no support '' for Trump 's claims that he 'd saved tens of thousands of lives with the move .
`` The few studies that have been done estimate the U.S. ' and other countries ' travel restrictions regarding China had modest impacts , slowing the initial spread outside of China but not containing the coronavirus pandemic , '' the outlet said .
As of Thursday , more than 2.3 million coronavirus cases have been reported .
More than 121,000 Americans have died from it .
Published with permission of @ @ @ @ @

Donald Trump admitted on Thursday that one of his campaign’s frequent attacks against Joe Biden is false.
In a Fox News interview, Sean Hannity asked him about Biden’s purported criticism of Trump’s January partial ban on travel from China.
“Joe said it was ‘hysteria,’ ‘xenophobic,’ and ‘fear-mongering,'” Hannity falsely claimed.
Trump corrected his friend. “He didn’t say it.”
“He never said ‘xenophobic’ cause I don’t think he knows what the word means,” Trump said.
But Trump and his reelection campaign have been making the same false claim as Hannity for months.
On June 12, Trump posted a Facebook ad making the claim that Biden had called Trump’s China travel restrictions “hysterical xenophobia.”
On May 28, another Trump ad claimed Biden “attacked Donald Trump’s travel bans, calling them ‘racist’ and ‘hysterical xenophobia.'”
Back in March, PolitiFact examined Trump’s repeated claims that Trump had attacked him over his restrictions. They determined the claim “mostly false,” noting that Biden “did not explicitly tie xenophobia to the travel restriction.”
Biden’s actual comment, the fact check noted, was: “This is no time for Donald Trump’s record of hysteria xenophobia, hysterical xenophobia, and fear-mongering to lead the way instead of science.”
Trump has repeatedly suggested that his partial China travel ban kept America safe from the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Tuesday, he boasted at Phoenix rally, “we took swift and early action to ban travel from China very, very early,” adding that he had “saved tens of thousands of lives with that early decision.”
But fact-checkers have also repeatedly debunked those claims, too.
“Trump didn’t ‘ban’ all the people infected with coronavirus from entering the U.S. from China,” the Associated Press noted in May. His order, they noted, merely was a temporary hold on “entry by foreign nationals who had traveled in China within the previous 14 days, with exceptions for the immediate family of U.S. citizens and permanent residents as well as American citizens.”
And FactCheck.org reported in April that it found “no support” for Trump’s claims that he’d saved tens of thousands of lives with the move.
“The few studies that have been done estimate the U.S.’ and other countries’ travel restrictions regarding China had modest impacts, slowing the initial spread outside of China but not containing the coronavirus pandemic,” the outlet said.
As of Thursday, more than 2.3 million coronavirus cases have been reported. More than 121,000 Americans have died from it.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-06-26--Trump administration asks Supreme Court to get rid of health care for 23 million people

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic , the Trump administration on Thursday urged the Supreme Court to overturn the Affordable Care Act .
The administration 's latest high court filing came the same day the government reported that close to half a million people who lost their health insurance amid the economic shutdown to slow the spread of COVID-19 have gotten coverage through HealthCare.gov .
The administration 's legal brief makes no mention of the virus .
Some 20 million Americans could lose their health coverage , and protections for people with preexisting health conditions also would be put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the administration in a case that wo n't be heard before the fall .
In the case before the Supreme Court , Texas and other conservative-led states argue that the ACA was essentially rendered unconstitutional after Congress passed tax legislation in 2017 that eliminated the law 's unpopular fines for not having health insurance , but left in place its requirement that virtually all Americans have coverage .
After failing to repeal Obamacare in 2017 when Republicans fully controlled Congress , Donald Trump has put the weight of his administration behind the legal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is invalidated , `` then it necessarily follows that the rest of the ACA must also fall , '' Solicitor General Noel Francisco wrote Thursday .
The Trump administration 's views on what parts of the ACA might be kept or replaced if the law is overturned have shifted over time .
But in legal arguments , it has always supported getting rid of Obamacare provisions that prohibit insurance companies from discriminating against people on account of their medical history .
Nonetheless , Trump has repeatedly assured Americans that people with preexisting conditions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House nor congressional Republicans have specified how .
The figure on new sign-ups for health coverage come from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services .
The figures are partial because they do n't include sign-ups from states that run their own health insurance marketplaces .
Major states like California and New York are not counted in the federal statistics .
An estimated 27 million people may have lost job-based coverage due to layoffs , and it 's unclear what — if anything — they 're turning to as a fallback .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ eligible for a special sign-up period for subsidized plans under the Obama-era law .
Many may also qualify for Medicaid .
The Trump administration has been criticized for not doing as much as states like California to publicize these readily available backups .
In response , administration officials say they have updated the HealthCare.gov website to make it easier for consumers to find information on special sign-up periods .
Thursday 's report from the government showed that about 487,000 people signed up with HealthCare.gov after losing their workplace coverage this year .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same period last year .

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the Trump administration on Thursday urged the Supreme Court to overturn the Affordable Care Act.
The administration’s latest high court filing came the same day the government reported that close to half a million people who lost their health insurance amid the economic shutdown to slow the spread of COVID-19 have gotten coverage through HealthCare.gov.
The administration’s legal brief makes no mention of the virus.
Some 20 million Americans could lose their health coverage, and protections for people with preexisting health conditions also would be put at risk if the court agrees with the administration in a case that won’t be heard before the fall.
In the case before the Supreme Court, Texas and other conservative-led states argue that the ACA was essentially rendered unconstitutional after Congress passed tax legislation in 2017 that eliminated the law’s unpopular fines for not having health insurance, but left in place its requirement that virtually all Americans have coverage.
After failing to repeal Obamacare in 2017 when Republicans fully controlled Congress, Donald Trump has put the weight of his administration behind the legal challenge.
If the health insurance requirement is invalidated, “then it necessarily follows that the rest of the ACA must also fall,” Solicitor General Noel Francisco wrote Thursday.
The Trump administration’s views on what parts of the ACA might be kept or replaced if the law is overturned have shifted over time. But in legal arguments, it has always supported getting rid of Obamacare provisions that prohibit insurance companies from discriminating against people on account of their medical history.
Nonetheless, Trump has repeatedly assured Americans that people with preexisting conditions would still be protected. Neither the White House nor congressional Republicans have specified how.
The figure on new sign-ups for health coverage come from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The figures are partial because they don’t include sign-ups from states that run their own health insurance marketplaces. Major states like California and New York are not counted in the federal statistics.
An estimated 27 million people may have lost job-based coverage due to layoffs, and it’s unclear what — if anything — they’re turning to as a fallback. People who lose employer health care are eligible for a special sign-up period for subsidized plans under the Obama-era law. Many may also qualify for Medicaid.
The Trump administration has been criticized for not doing as much as states like California to publicize these readily available backups. In response, administration officials say they have updated the HealthCare.gov website to make it easier for consumers to find information on special sign-up periods.
Thursday’s report from the government showed that about 487,000 people signed up with HealthCare.gov after losing their workplace coverage this year. That’s an increase of 46% over the same period last year.


shareblue--2020-06-27--Visitors flock to South Carolina beaches despite surge in coronavirus cases

The elevator doors opened and inside were 10 people crammed into a space no bigger than a closet , none of them wearing a mask .
In bathing suits , they walked out of the hotel , across the pool deck and into the sand in what is fast becoming South Carolina 's hot spot for COVID-19 — Myrtle Beach .
People in this resort city are leaving their cares — and sometimes their face coverings — at home after months of worry as hotels , restaurants , and beaches reopen .
Mark Johnson said he does n't like wearing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delivering doughnuts to grocery stores around Charlotte , North Carolina .
`` Just wash your hands and use common sense , '' Johnson said as he sat on a chair in the sand , a can of beer in his cup holder .
The coronavirus has not taken a vacation .
When hotels were allowed to start taking reservations again on May 15 , there had been 283 COVID-19 cases in Horry County , which includes Myrtle Beach .
By June 22 , that number had climbed to more than 2,000 , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And those numbers include only people who live in the county .
The figures do not count anyone who tests positive after taking COVID-19 home along with a souvenir hermit crab or an airbrushed T-shirt .
Business leaders estimate 20 million people visit the area each year , 60 times Horry County 's population of about 330,000 .
It was unclear how many visitors could be expected in 2020 .
In April , just 3 % of hotel rooms , condominiums , and campsites in Horry County were rented , according to research @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , occupancy rates rebounded to 74 % , only slightly less than the typical 81 % at this point in the summer , the college reported .
Health officials in at least five West Virginia counties determined through contact tracing that trips to Myrtle Beach likely led to infections .
They recommend finding safer destinations or self-quarantining for two weeks after a trip .
`` Please be careful .
And please think real hard about getting tested when you get home , '' West Virginia Gov .
Jim Justice told people who visited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opt to go to one of our state parks or do something in this great place in West Virginia , we 'd rather you do that . ''
Christy Kasler is from another state that produces many Myrtle Beach visitors — Ohio .
As she sat in a chair and watched her daughter-in-law play with her 11-month-old grandson on his first trip to the beach , she said the recommendation to self-quarantine when she returns to her Nelsonville home was asking too much .
`` If I get it , I could have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Kasler said .
`` You ca n't live your life in fear . ''
Horry County is n't South Carolina 's only hot spot .
Health officials are tracking virus clusters in the Latino community around Greenville , restaurants workers in Charleston , rural churches that returned to services , and large family gatherings .
When Gov .
Henry McMaster effectively closed the state at the start of April , the rate of new cases flattened out .
It started climbing again after reopening began in early May , and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has the fourth-highest new infection rate in the nation when adjusted for population , trailing just Arizona , Arkansas , and Alabama .
The state sets records almost daily for the number of new cases , the percentage of positive tests , and the number of people in the hospital with COVID-19 .
Since reopening six weeks ago , the message from both local and state governments in South Carolina shifted from shutdowns to personal responsibility , like washing hands and wearing masks , although McMaster has said he will not require face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly every day when the virus first started to spread , McMaster and state health officials have not spoken in front of cameras for more than a week .
When they do talk , they say shutting businesses again is out of the question .
`` We understand that what we 're continuing to ask of everyone is not easy and that many are tired of hearing the same warnings and of taking the same daily precautions , but this virus does not take a day off , '' state epidemiologist Dr. Linda @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Beach needs visitors .
Instead of a shutdown , the community now fears that bad publicity could keep people away .
That would be terrible news after restaurants and many hotels were closed for two months .
From February to April , more than 1 in 4 workers lost their jobs , and nearly 45,000 jobs disappeared in the Myrtle Beach area , vaulting Horry County to the top of South Carolina jobless rate , according to unemployment figures .
Some of those businesses remain closed .
Others that reopened are struggling with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and other supplies , and the reduction in revenue because they can not accommodate as many customers under social-distancing rules .
`` Man , at this point I 'm just praying we get back to normal .
I want to keep people healthy , but businesses are hurting too , '' Myrtle Beach City Councilman Michael Chestnut said outside his restaurant , Big Mike 's Soul Food .
He paused and shook his head .
`` I 'm not sure what normal is ever going to look like , '' Chestnut said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ imposed a limit of three people per elevator when adopting rules to reopen hotels .
But in a place where the oceanfront skyline is dominated by tall hotels , it was impractical to make people climb all those stairs or wait for an empty elevator , Chestnut said .
Jacko Morowitz has run a gift shop somewhere in Myrtle Beach for more than 25 years .
He thought about putting a sign on the door requiring masks and asking customers to cover their mouth and nose when inside .
But he bought $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Good Vibes Gift Shop , and the inventory just sat there for two months .
He figures he ca n't risk turning a single customer away by pushing masks .
Asked what might happen if suddenly people get scared of the virus and stop coming to Myrtle Beach , Morowitz blurted out `` we 're '' followed by an expletive .
`` Sorry about that , '' he said .
`` But that 's the best word I can use whether I get sick or everybody stays home . ''

The elevator doors opened and inside were 10 people crammed into a space no bigger than a closet, none of them wearing a mask.
In bathing suits, they walked out of the hotel, across the pool deck and into the sand in what is fast becoming South Carolina’s hot spot for COVID-19 — Myrtle Beach. People in this resort city are leaving their cares — and sometimes their face coverings — at home after months of worry as hotels, restaurants, and beaches reopen.
Mark Johnson said he doesn’t like wearing a mask when he’s at work delivering doughnuts to grocery stores around Charlotte, North Carolina. “Just wash your hands and use common sense,” Johnson said as he sat on a chair in the sand, a can of beer in his cup holder.
The coronavirus has not taken a vacation. When hotels were allowed to start taking reservations again on May 15, there had been 283 COVID-19 cases in Horry County, which includes Myrtle Beach. By June 22, that number had climbed to more than 2,000, and infections had doubled in nine days.
And those numbers include only people who live in the county. The figures do not count anyone who tests positive after taking COVID-19 home along with a souvenir hermit crab or an airbrushed T-shirt. Business leaders estimate 20 million people visit the area each year, 60 times Horry County’s population of about 330,000.
It was unclear how many visitors could be expected in 2020. In April, just 3% of hotel rooms, condominiums, and campsites in Horry County were rented, according to research from Coastal Carolina University. By mid-June, occupancy rates rebounded to 74%, only slightly less than the typical 81% at this point in the summer, the college reported.
Health officials in at least five West Virginia counties determined through contact tracing that trips to Myrtle Beach likely led to infections. They recommend finding safer destinations or self-quarantining for two weeks after a trip.
“Please be careful. And please think real hard about getting tested when you get home,” West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice told people who visited Myrtle Beach. “If you would opt to go to one of our state parks or do something in this great place in West Virginia, we’d rather you do that.”
Christy Kasler is from another state that produces many Myrtle Beach visitors — Ohio. As she sat in a chair and watched her daughter-in-law play with her 11-month-old grandson on his first trip to the beach, she said the recommendation to self-quarantine when she returns to her Nelsonville home was asking too much.
“If I get it, I could have just as easily got it back home,” Kasler said. “You can’t live your life in fear.”
Horry County isn’t South Carolina’s only hot spot. Health officials are tracking virus clusters in the Latino community around Greenville, restaurants workers in Charleston, rural churches that returned to services, and large family gatherings.
When Gov. Henry McMaster effectively closed the state at the start of April, the rate of new cases flattened out. It started climbing again after reopening began in early May, and the rate keeps rising. South Carolina now has the fourth-highest new infection rate in the nation when adjusted for population, trailing just Arizona, Arkansas, and Alabama.
The state sets records almost daily for the number of new cases, the percentage of positive tests, and the number of people in the hospital with COVID-19.
Since reopening six weeks ago, the message from both local and state governments in South Carolina shifted from shutdowns to personal responsibility, like washing hands and wearing masks, although McMaster has said he will not require face coverings.
After giving televised COVID-19 briefings nearly every day when the virus first started to spread, McMaster and state health officials have not spoken in front of cameras for more than a week. When they do talk, they say shutting businesses again is out of the question.
“We understand that what we’re continuing to ask of everyone is not easy and that many are tired of hearing the same warnings and of taking the same daily precautions, but this virus does not take a day off,” state epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell said in a statement.
Myrtle Beach needs visitors. Instead of a shutdown, the community now fears that bad publicity could keep people away. That would be terrible news after restaurants and many hotels were closed for two months.
From February to April, more than 1 in 4 workers lost their jobs, and nearly 45,000 jobs disappeared in the Myrtle Beach area, vaulting Horry County to the top of South Carolina jobless rate, according to unemployment figures.
Some of those businesses remain closed. Others that reopened are struggling with the extra cost of cleaning, food, and other supplies, and the reduction in revenue because they cannot accommodate as many customers under social-distancing rules.
“Man, at this point I’m just praying we get back to normal. I want to keep people healthy, but businesses are hurting too,” Myrtle Beach City Councilman Michael Chestnut said outside his restaurant, Big Mike’s Soul Food.
He paused and shook his head. “I’m not sure what normal is ever going to look like,” Chestnut said.
The Myrtle Beach City Council initially imposed a limit of three people per elevator when adopting rules to reopen hotels. But in a place where the oceanfront skyline is dominated by tall hotels, it was impractical to make people climb all those stairs or wait for an empty elevator, Chestnut said.
Jacko Morowitz has run a gift shop somewhere in Myrtle Beach for more than 25 years. He thought about putting a sign on the door requiring masks and asking customers to cover their mouth and nose when inside.
But he bought $100,000 of merchandise last winter for his Good Vibes Gift Shop, and the inventory just sat there for two months. He figures he can’t risk turning a single customer away by pushing masks.
Asked what might happen if suddenly people get scared of the virus and stop coming to Myrtle Beach, Morowitz blurted out “we’re” followed by an expletive.
“Sorry about that,” he said. “But that’s the best word I can use whether I get sick or everybody stays home.”