buzzfeednews--2020-05-23--Facebook Sided With The Science Of The Coronavirus. What Will It Do About Vaccines And Climate Chang

Facebook Sided With The Science Of The Coronavirus. What Will It Do About Vaccines And Climate Change?

The social media platform is siding with scientists to stop the spread of harmful misinformation about the pandemic .
If it can do it now , why was n't it doing it all along ?
In January 2020 , Facebook executives began paying attention to a new coronavirus spreading across the globe .
The virus was deadly and highly contagious , and when the World Health Organization shared guidance about it , the company ’ s leadership dropped their typically hands-off approach to misinformation .
“ We decided we would remove content that directly contradicted [ the WHO ] and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ harm , ” Monika Bickert , Facebook ’ s head of global policy management , told BuzzFeed News .
Say “ social distancing doesn ’ t work ” or “ wearing a mask can make you sick ” on Facebook , and the company will direct its moderators to remove your post .
A move of this scale is unprecedented for a company that has sought to keep itself out of battles over the truth , but Facebook has removed hundreds of thousands of posts violating this policy already , according to Bickert @ @ @ @ @ @ @ millions of others .
Though Facebook has removed some health-related misinformation in the past , the company ’ s decision , although enforced spottily , to side with science has thrust it into new ground .
Removing coronavirus misinformation could make its largely hands-off approach to other harm-causing misinformation — such as on climate denialism and anti-vaccine advocacy — harder to defend .
It will also place Facebook squarely in the middle of a political battle in the US , where the not widely shared opposition to social distancing and masks break along @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know how they 're going to reconcile being an open marketplace of political ideas , while at the same time not cracking down on certain political voices that are taking fringe anti-science beliefs and trying to bring them into the mainstream , ” Andy Carvin , a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council 's Digital Forensic Research Lab , which takes funding from Facebook , told BuzzFeed News .
“ It feels like a collision is inevitable.
” Bickert acknowledged her company ’ s tough position .
“ None of this is easy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are always difficult factors to balance in writing and applying content rules.
” Although Facebook has removed misinformation on measles in Samoa , and polio in Pakistan , a deletion campaign of this scale is unprecedented , and as the pandemic continues it could be the first of many .
Anti-vaxxers are spreading misinformation in anticipation of a vaccine for the coronavirus if one were to be developed — with some declaring that it would be made mandatory — and their Facebook pages and Instagram profiles are booming .
Facebook won ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if they could cause deaths in the future , because the company ’ s standard for removal requires “ imminent harm.
” In the meantime , anti-vax pages and profiles are adding hundreds of thousands of engagements each month .
A former Facebook policy employee told BuzzFeed News that the company ’ s aggressive enforcement of WHO rules did n't square with its hands-off stance on anti-vaccine misinformation .
“ Where I think the platforms are gon na be in a real shit position , ” the ex-employee said , “ is when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus , all of the anti-vax groups that have taken the last month , and will continue to take the next few months , to build their followings , get donations , make sure that they 're right in front of people — they ’ re going to convince folks not to take the vaccine.
” Bickert defended applying the policy to the coronavirus but not vaccines by saying , `` There 's something about speech where the risk is immediate , where there is not necessarily going to be time for debate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for us to address . ''
That ’ s not to say there isn ’ t lively ongoing debate about vaccine misinformation policy inside Facebook .
Lower-level employees debate policy issues , the ex-employee said , but the company ’ s decisions on politically explosive topics like anti-vax content remain at the top .
“ The anti-vaxxer lobby is very well connected , very loud , so it 's a small group of people who are running things , but they know how to use the internet , ” the ex-Facebook policy employee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just does n't want the headache .
I also think there are people who are somewhat sympathetic to parents saying that they want to make choices for their children.
” Though Facebook added some information about vaccines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after political pressure during a measles outbreak in 2019 , it ’ s largely allowed anti-vaccine misinformation to stay up , and for groups promoting such materials to remain active .
Facebook also banned ads with vaccine misinformation , a ban it hasn ’ t enforced very effectively @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more restrictive approach about COVID vaccine misinformation , Bickert allowed for the possibility , but not yet .
“ The situation is obviously dynamic , ” she said .
“ We 're going to have to wait and see how it develops and what the state of treatment is , and when there are treatments what the risks are associated with those treatments and so forth , it 's complicated territory.
” That position may inspire scrutiny from critics who would prefer the company to act more consistently — and aggressively .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say they 're going to do , ” Judd Legum , the author of the Popular Information newsletter , told BuzzFeed News .
“ If there 's a page with hundreds of thousands of people following it , and the whole purpose of the page is to talk about how it 's a government conspiracy , and hospitals are intentionally killing patients to drum up support for a mandatory vaccine , and this drug has a 99 % effective rate against coronaviruses , they should probably be more aggressive about taking that type @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forms of misinformation that could be even more damaging than content about the coronavirus or vaccines .
“ Climate change is actually an even bigger emergency than COVID , though society has n't yet fully appreciated this — partly due to climate misinformation , ” climate scientist Peter Kalmus told BuzzFeed News .
He worried that the new policy was too narrowly targeted on immediate harm .
“ Climate breakdown threatens our food , water , infrastructure , health , economic , and geopolitical systems , has the potential to cause death and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will likely be effectively permanent , ” Kalmus said .
“ So in my opinion , Facebook should apply similar standards to climate misinformation as it does to COVID misinformation.
” Facebook doesn ’ t appear ready to take action with regard to climate crisis denial — making what appears to some outside observers an indefensible distinction between the imminent and the merely inevitable .
Asked if the company would apply the same standard it did to the coronavirus to areas like climate change , Bickert demurred , saying , “ All of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 're learning a lot through the way we 're seeing people respond to what we 're doing.
” When Facebook sided with the WHO ’ s guidelines for the coronavirus — and hence , science — it was fairly uncontroversial politically .
All 50 US states put stay-at-home orders in place , and social distancing was the norm .
But it didn ’ t take long for a political fissure to form among those who subscribe to the WHO ’ s guidelines and those who don ’ t — putting Facebook between them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ survey conducted last month , Republicans outpaced Democrats in battleground states in the belief that returning to daycares , bars , sporting events , and hair salons was safe .
And now sustained protests against the WHO-informed government policies are in full swing , sparked by right-leaning politicians , anti-vax groups , and normal people with social media accounts .
Many of these protests have added event pages on Facebook .
The company has removed some for challenging their state ’ s stay-at-home orders , a decision that some lawmakers have disagreed with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sides of the debate , ” Danny McCormick , a Republican Louisiana state representative , told BuzzFeed News .
“ If you just censor one side of the debate because you think the other is the side you agree with , you 're not increasing education , you 're stymieing education.
” Rep. Ro Khanna , a Democrat who represents parts of Silicon Valley , said this is an area where the government should step in .
“ It should be Congress and regulators that create clear guidelines for what speech is allowed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what speech should be removed , ” he said .
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has argued for government guidelines on speech in the past , but it 's a difficult-to-navigate intersection between cracking down on hoaxes and lies and censoring political speech .
When making policy decisions on things like the coronavirus , Facebook looks mostly to immunologists , doctors , and the medical establishment , another ex-Facebook employee told BuzzFeed News .
“ Facebook would be looking for — what is the medical consensus , not what is the political consensus , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that meant conflict .
And it could get worse for Facebook as President Donald Trump takes actions that oppose the health establishment ’ s guidance .
Earlier this week , Trump said he was taking hydroxychloroquine , an antimalarial drug that the Food and Drug Administration had previously warned against taking outside of a hospital setting .
( A study released Friday found the drug was tied to an increased risk of death among patients taking it . )
Asked about the possibility of removing something Trump said , Bickert didn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have removed content from high-profile individuals , including the president of Brazil and the president of Madagascar , where statements that they 've made have contradicted health guidance , ” she said .
“ Nobody is exempted from this policy.
” “ Public health is squishy by definition , ” Kenneth Bernard , an epidemiologist who ’ s served in the WHO and set up the NSC ’ s health security office , told BuzzFeed News .
“ We do n't have enough information and we 're dealing with biological organisms that have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can exist.
” Still , Bernard said Facebook is doing what ’ s necessary , even if it ’ s messy .
“ I think that it 's irresponsible to allow information under 'free speech ' to go out if it 's actually going to directly cause harm , ” he said .
“ This is not an easy problem .
I think Facebook is trying .
They do n't have a lot to go on .
”

Is Saving Lives Time-Bound?
Although Facebook has removed misinformation on measles in Samoa, and polio in Pakistan, a deletion campaign of this scale is unprecedented, and as the pandemic continues it could be the first of many.
Anti-vaxxers are spreading misinformation in anticipation of a vaccine for the coronavirus if one were to be developed — with some declaring that it would be made mandatory — and their Facebook pages and Instagram profiles are booming. Facebook won’t take down these inaccurate posts, even if they could cause deaths in the future, because the company’s standard for removal requires “imminent harm.” In the meantime, anti-vax pages and profiles are adding hundreds of thousands of engagements each month.
A former Facebook policy employee told BuzzFeed News that the company’s aggressive enforcement of WHO rules didn't square with its hands-off stance on anti-vaccine misinformation. “Where I think the platforms are gonna be in a real shit position,” the ex-employee said, “is when we're closer to a vaccine for coronavirus, all of the anti-vax groups that have taken the last month, and will continue to take the next few months, to build their followings, get donations, make sure that they're right in front of people — they’re going to convince folks not to take the vaccine.”
Bickert defended applying the policy to the coronavirus but not vaccines by saying, "There's something about speech where the risk is immediate, where there is not necessarily going to be time for debate, that makes that speech especially important for us to address."
That’s not to say there isn’t lively ongoing debate about vaccine misinformation policy inside Facebook. Lower-level employees debate policy issues, the ex-employee said, but the company’s decisions on politically explosive topics like anti-vax content remain at the top.
“The anti-vaxxer lobby is very well connected, very loud, so it's a small group of people who are running things, but they know how to use the internet,” the ex-Facebook policy employee said. “[Facebook leadership] just doesn't want the headache. I also think there are people who are somewhat sympathetic to parents saying that they want to make choices for their children.”
Though Facebook added some information about vaccines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after political pressure during a measles outbreak in 2019, it’s largely allowed anti-vaccine misinformation to stay up, and for groups promoting such materials to remain active. Facebook also banned ads with vaccine misinformation, a ban it hasn’t enforced very effectively.
Asked if Facebook would take a more restrictive approach about COVID vaccine misinformation, Bickert allowed for the possibility, but not yet. “The situation is obviously dynamic,” she said. “We're going to have to wait and see how it develops and what the state of treatment is, and when there are treatments what the risks are associated with those treatments and so forth, it's complicated territory.”
That position may inspire scrutiny from critics who would prefer the company to act more consistently — and aggressively. “They should follow through with what they say they're going to do,” Judd Legum, the author of the Popular Information newsletter, told BuzzFeed News. “If there's a page with hundreds of thousands of people following it, and the whole purpose of the page is to talk about how it's a government conspiracy, and hospitals are intentionally killing patients to drum up support for a mandatory vaccine, and this drug has a 99% effective rate against coronaviruses, they should probably be more aggressive about taking that type of content down.”
And there are forms of misinformation that could be even more damaging than content about the coronavirus or vaccines. “Climate change is actually an even bigger emergency than COVID, though society hasn't yet fully appreciated this — partly due to climate misinformation,” climate scientist Peter Kalmus told BuzzFeed News. He worried that the new policy was too narrowly targeted on immediate harm.


buzzfeednews--2020-04-03--A Pandemic Won’t Stop Trump And Republicans From Trying To Get More Judges Confirmed

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
WASHINGTON — The White House on Friday announced President Donald Trump ’ s latest nominee for a powerful federal appeals court , underscoring Trump and Republicans ’ commitment to putting new judges on the bench notwithstanding the coronavirus pandemic .
US District Judge Justin Walker , a relatively new federal judge in Kentucky , is Trump ’ s pick for the US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The 37-year-old Walker , who first joined the federal bench six months ago , is a fast-rising star in the conservative legal world — too fast , according to the American Bar Association committee that rates nominees , which concluded last year that Walker was “ not qualified ” due to a lack of experience .
The White House had already signaled that it would not pause work on judicial nominees as the country faces a growing death toll and economic devastation from the spread of COVID-19 , the disease caused by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the administration announced a new nominee for the 5th Circuit as well as for a Mississippi district court seat .
The White House announced three sets of new district court nominees in February .
In an interview earlier this week with conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt , Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would not commit to passing another coronavirus relief bill , but said that he planned to continue confirming Trump ’ s nominees for lifetime appointments in the federal courts when the Senate currently plans on returning from its recess later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we will go back to judges , ” McConnell said .
“ You know , Hugh , you and I have talked about this before .
My motto for the rest of the year is leave no vacancy behind.
” Walker ’ s nomination Friday drew quick praise from McConnell , his home state senator , who called Walker a “ judicial all-star , ” as well as from conservative legal groups .
McConnell attended Walker ’ s swearing-in ceremony last month , joined by US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh ; Walker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and publicly supported Kavanaugh ’ s high court nomination in 2018 .
Liberal groups that opposed Walker ’ s nomination last year to the Kentucky district court — the Senate confirmed him in October — condemned his nomination to a higher court on Friday .
Citing Walker ’ s past criticism of the Affordable Care Act , the liberal non-profit People for the American Way released a statement calling Walker ’ s nomination “ especially egregious now in the middle of a national public health crisis.
” One potential hiccup in Republicans ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus outbreak continues is that hearings for nominees usually involve in-person sworn testimony and that the committee itself has to meet to vote .
Social distancing and travel restrictions could complicate that process .
There are 79 district and circuit court vacancies , according to the federal judiciary .
Of the 37 district and circuit court nominees pending in the Senate ( not counting Walker , whose nomination hasn ’ t formally been sent over yet ) , 10 have made it out of committee and are waiting for a final vote .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Senate Judiciary Committee chair Lindsey Graham last month told Bloomberg Law that they ’ d keep working on nominations , but his office told BuzzFeed News this week that they hadn ’ t decided what to do yet .
“ We ’ ll make decisions when we get closer to the Senate being in session , ” Graham spokesperson Taylor Reidy wrote in an email .
Mike Davis , who heads the conservative judicial advocacy group Article III Project and previously worked on the Senate Judiciary Committee , told BuzzFeed News that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could safely move on nominees .
For instance , they could meet in a larger room — like the one used for Supreme Court nomination hearings — so senators and the nominee could sit six feet apart in accordance with social distancing guidelines .
Davis said he didn ’ t think that Congress ’ s focus on responding to the coronavirus outbreak meant they should pause working on nominations .
“ They can walk and chew gum at the same time , ” Davis said .
“ They have committees so they can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the Judiciary Committee ’ s top Democrat , Sen. Dianne Feinstein , declined to comment .
Brian Fallon , who heads the liberal legal advocacy group Demand Justice , called McConnell ’ s plan to keep working on judicial nominations “ outright ghoulish.
” “ Pandemic response deserves 100 percent of Congress ' attention right now , not jamming through more Trump picks for the bench .
Every day brings more deaths and lost jobs but McConnell acts like the greater urgency is Trump 's limited time left to nominate judges , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Walker ’ s DC Circuit nomination is significant for Republicans on a few levels .
The DC Circuit is the primary court for legal fights over government regulations and the relationship between the executive branch and Congress .
It ’ s where cases contesting Congress ’ s power to subpoena federal agencies and past and present Trump administration officials during the impeachment battle landed last year .
The DC Circuit historically has been a launching pad to the Supreme Court .
Besides Kavanaugh , other alumni include Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The DC Circuit seat , which doesn ’ t officially become vacant until Judge Thomas Griffith retires in September , is also one of only two circuit court vacancies nationwide .
Circuit judgeships have been a priority for the administration because those courts set precedent for the regions of the country that they cover absent a ruling from the Supreme Court , where comparatively fewer cases are heard .
The White House on Monday announced that Judge Cory Wilson , who currently serves on a Mississippi state appeals court , was Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ court vacancy , on the 5th Circuit .
The administration ’ s previous nominee for that seat , US District Judge Halil “ Sul ” Ozerden , was dropped after he faced opposition from Senate Republicans who questioned his conservative credentials .
Conservative legal groups , including Davis ’ s Article III Project and the Judicial Crisis Network , have rallied around Wilson ’ s nomination so far .
Liberal groups denounced it , emphasizing Wilson ’ s past public opposition to the Affordable Care Act .

WASHINGTON — The White House on Friday announced President Donald Trump’s latest nominee for a powerful federal appeals court, underscoring Trump and Republicans’ commitment to putting new judges on the bench notwithstanding the coronavirus pandemic.
US District Judge Justin Walker, a relatively new federal judge in Kentucky, is Trump’s pick for the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. The 37-year-old Walker, who first joined the federal bench six months ago, is a fast-rising star in the conservative legal world — too fast, according to the American Bar Association committee that rates nominees, which concluded last year that Walker was “not qualified” due to a lack of experience.
The White House had already signaled that it would not pause work on judicial nominees as the country faces a growing death toll and economic devastation from the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. On Monday, the administration announced a new nominee for the 5th Circuit as well as for a Mississippi district court seat. The White House announced three sets of new district court nominees in February.
In an interview earlier this week with conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would not commit to passing another coronavirus relief bill, but said that he planned to continue confirming Trump’s nominees for lifetime appointments in the federal courts when the Senate currently plans on returning from its recess later this month.
“Of course, we will go back to judges,” McConnell said. “You know, Hugh, you and I have talked about this before. My motto for the rest of the year is leave no vacancy behind.”
Walker’s nomination Friday drew quick praise from McConnell, his home state senator, who called Walker a “judicial all-star,” as well as from conservative legal groups. McConnell attended Walker’s swearing-in ceremony last month, joined by US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh; Walker clerked for Kavanaugh on the DC Circuit and publicly supported Kavanaugh’s high court nomination in 2018.
Liberal groups that opposed Walker’s nomination last year to the Kentucky district court — the Senate confirmed him in October — condemned his nomination to a higher court on Friday. Citing Walker’s past criticism of the Affordable Care Act, the liberal non-profit People for the American Way released a statement calling Walker’s nomination “especially egregious now in the middle of a national public health crisis.”
One potential hiccup in Republicans’ effort to keep confirming judges as the coronavirus outbreak continues is that hearings for nominees usually involve in-person sworn testimony and that the committee itself has to meet to vote. Social distancing and travel restrictions could complicate that process.
There are 79 district and circuit court vacancies, according to the federal judiciary. Of the 37 district and circuit court nominees pending in the Senate (not counting Walker, whose nomination hasn’t formally been sent over yet), 10 have made it out of committee and are waiting for a final vote. The rest are still in earlier phases.
Senate Judiciary Committee chair Lindsey Graham last month told Bloomberg Law that they’d keep working on nominations, but his office told BuzzFeed News this week that they hadn’t decided what to do yet.
“We’ll make decisions when we get closer to the Senate being in session,” Graham spokesperson Taylor Reidy wrote in an email.
Mike Davis, who heads the conservative judicial advocacy group Article III Project and previously worked on the Senate Judiciary Committee, told BuzzFeed News that he thought there were ways the committee could safely move on nominees. For instance, they could meet in a larger room — like the one used for Supreme Court nomination hearings — so senators and the nominee could sit six feet apart in accordance with social distancing guidelines.
Davis said he didn’t think that Congress’s focus on responding to the coronavirus outbreak meant they should pause working on nominations.
“They can walk and chew gum at the same time,” Davis said. “They have committees so they can divide up the work.”
A spokesperson for the Judiciary Committee’s top Democrat, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, declined to comment.
Brian Fallon, who heads the liberal legal advocacy group Demand Justice, called McConnell’s plan to keep working on judicial nominations “outright ghoulish.”
“Pandemic response deserves 100 percent of Congress' attention right now, not jamming through more Trump picks for the bench. Every day brings more deaths and lost jobs but McConnell acts like the greater urgency is Trump's limited time left to nominate judges,” Fallon wrote in an email.
Walker’s DC Circuit nomination is significant for Republicans on a few levels. The DC Circuit is the primary court for legal fights over government regulations and the relationship between the executive branch and Congress. It’s where cases contesting Congress’s power to subpoena federal agencies and past and present Trump administration officials during the impeachment battle landed last year.
The DC Circuit historically has been a launching pad to the Supreme Court. Besides Kavanaugh, other alumni include Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. and Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Clarence Thomas.
The DC Circuit seat, which doesn’t officially become vacant until Judge Thomas Griffith retires in September, is also one of only two circuit court vacancies nationwide. Circuit judgeships have been a priority for the administration because those courts set precedent for the regions of the country that they cover absent a ruling from the Supreme Court, where comparatively fewer cases are heard.
The White House on Monday announced that Judge Cory Wilson, who currently serves on a Mississippi state appeals court, was Trump’s nominee for the other circuit court vacancy, on the 5th Circuit. The administration’s previous nominee for that seat, US District Judge Halil “Sul” Ozerden, was dropped after he faced opposition from Senate Republicans who questioned his conservative credentials.
Conservative legal groups, including Davis’s Article III Project and the Judicial Crisis Network, have rallied around Wilson’s nomination so far. Liberal groups denounced it, emphasizing Wilson’s past public opposition to the Affordable Care Act.


buzzfeednews--2020-03-19--Despite The Coronavirus Outbreak, Senators Said They Will Keep Going To The Capitol And Voting Toget

Despite The Coronavirus Outbreak, Senators Said They Will Keep Going To The Capitol And Voting Together

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
WASHINGTON — Hours before the world learned members of Congress tested positive for the coronavirus , senators insisted they needed to keep physically coming to the Capitol to show leadership .
A few senators are calling for committees to meet via teleconference and for votes to be cast by some method other than forcing members to be in the same room .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ extreme isolation measures are the only way to avoid overrunning the health system , which could cause millions of deaths .
COVID-19 , the disease caused by the coronavirus , is particularly lethal to older people , and the average senator is 63 years old .
Dick Durbin started the push Tuesday when he took the Senate floor to ask why they were still meeting despite pleading with Americans to stay home and work remotely .
“ It ’ s time for the Senate to wake up to the 21st century and to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that allows us to communicate to each other without any risk to public health , ” he said .
But the movement quickly hit a brick wall .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell rejected changing the voting rules , and , based on conversations with many senators , there was no groundswell of support Wednesday for working remotely .
Quite the opposite : Several senators argued it is important for them to be seen working in the Capitol .
“ I think it ’ s important that we let the country know that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and we ’ re not leaving until we get it done , ” said Sen. Mike Rounds .
Sen. Joni Ernst said senators showing up for work shows leadership .
Sen. Thom Tillis said that , just as it is critical for health care workers to show up to work , it is also critical for senators to be there and do their jobs .
“ There is what I consider the obligation of example and reassurance , ” said Sen. Kevin Cramer .
“ And I think us being here provides that.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ he did enact new social distancing policies .
Votes are held open for a half an hour so senators can show up one or two at a time , vote , then head back to their offices .
This was only partly effective .
With the usual crowd of tourists gone and reporters down to a skeleton crew , the Capitol felt half deserted .
But only half .
Security continues to attend the doors , staffers run the cafeterias and keep the place clean , political aides ferry around their bosses and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social distancing to mixed results .
Some walked to votes side by side , discussing the next big economic aid bill .
At one point , Sen. Bernie Sanders had to squeeze around Sen. Susan Collins , who was in an impromptu hallway media scrum .
Everyone is supposed to keep several feet of distance , but this breaks down regularly .
Because of all this , a few senators openly said that showing up to the Capitol freaks them out .
“ Yeah , more than normally , ” said Sen. Jon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaf to require senators to congregate at the same time Americans are being told that self-isolating is a matter of life or death .
“ It makes me wonder if leadership around here really understands what the magnitude of this is , ” he said .
Sen. Rand Paul , not a big fan of government in normal times , said Congress should probably practice what it preaches .
Still , they remain a clear minority .
Several senators told BuzzFeed News , from a few feet away , that their social distancing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In the House , more than two dozen members signed a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging her to let them vote remotely .
The House is planned to be in recess this week and next , while the Senate currently plans to sit indefinitely until a coronavirus aid package is passed .
Two members of Congress have now tested positive for COVID-19 , and an employee of Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell ’ s became the first Hill staffer to test positive .
Several senators have come into contact with infected people and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ted Cruz , Rick Scott , Cory Gardner , and Lindsey Graham .
House Reps. Matt Gaetz , Mark Meadows , Doug Collins , and Paul Gosar have done the same .
Ultimately , Congress may find the decision is made for them .
Sen. Marco Rubio said that one reason to act quickly is that physically meeting may soon become impossible .
Before it was confirmed that members had tested positive , he floated that very possibility .
“ I don ’ t think we can operate as if we can just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whenever we want , ” he said .
Do you have questions you want answered ?
You can always get in touch .
And if you 're someone who is seeing the impact of this firsthand , we ’ d also love to hear from you ( you can reach out to us via one of our tip line channels ) .

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus. To help keep this news free, become a member and sign up for our newsletter, Outbreak Today.
WASHINGTON — Hours before the world learned members of Congress tested positive for the coronavirus, senators insisted they needed to keep physically coming to the Capitol to show leadership.
A few senators are calling for committees to meet via teleconference and for votes to be cast by some method other than forcing members to be in the same room. Experts and government officials are warning that extreme isolation measures are the only way to avoid overrunning the health system, which could cause millions of deaths. COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, is particularly lethal to older people, and the average senator is 63 years old.
Dick Durbin started the push Tuesday when he took the Senate floor to ask why they were still meeting despite pleading with Americans to stay home and work remotely. “It’s time for the Senate to wake up to the 21st century and to make sure we’re using technology that allows us to communicate to each other without any risk to public health,” he said.
But the movement quickly hit a brick wall. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell rejected changing the voting rules, and, based on conversations with many senators, there was no groundswell of support Wednesday for working remotely. Quite the opposite: Several senators argued it is important for them to be seen working in the Capitol.
“I think it’s important that we let the country know that we’re still on the job and we’re not leaving until we get it done,” said Sen. Mike Rounds.
Sen. Joni Ernst said senators showing up for work shows leadership. Sen. Thom Tillis said that, just as it is critical for health care workers to show up to work, it is also critical for senators to be there and do their jobs.
“There is what I consider the obligation of example and reassurance,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer. “And I think us being here provides that.”
McConnell rejected remote voting, but he did enact new social distancing policies. Votes are held open for a half an hour so senators can show up one or two at a time, vote, then head back to their offices.
This was only partly effective. With the usual crowd of tourists gone and reporters down to a skeleton crew, the Capitol felt half deserted. But only half. Security continues to attend the doors, staffers run the cafeterias and keep the place clean, political aides ferry around their bosses and set up press conferences.
Senators tried social distancing to mixed results. Some walked to votes side by side, discussing the next big economic aid bill. At one point, Sen. Bernie Sanders had to squeeze around Sen. Susan Collins, who was in an impromptu hallway media scrum. Everyone is supposed to keep several feet of distance, but this breaks down regularly. Because of all this, a few senators openly said that showing up to the Capitol freaks them out.
“Yeah, more than normally,” said Sen. Jon Tester.
Tester said it was tone deaf to require senators to congregate at the same time Americans are being told that self-isolating is a matter of life or death. “It makes me wonder if leadership around here really understands what the magnitude of this is,” he said.
Sen. Rand Paul, not a big fan of government in normal times, said Congress should probably practice what it preaches.
Still, they remain a clear minority. Several senators told BuzzFeed News, from a few feet away, that their social distancing measures and handwashing should be sufficient. In the House, more than two dozen members signed a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging her to let them vote remotely. The House is planned to be in recess this week and next, while the Senate currently plans to sit indefinitely until a coronavirus aid package is passed.
Two members of Congress have now tested positive for COVID-19, and an employee of Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell’s became the first Hill staffer to test positive. Several senators have come into contact with infected people and subsequently self-quarantined, such as Sens. Ted Cruz, Rick Scott, Cory Gardner, and Lindsey Graham. House Reps. Matt Gaetz, Mark Meadows, Doug Collins, and Paul Gosar have done the same.
Ultimately, Congress may find the decision is made for them. Sen. Marco Rubio said that one reason to act quickly is that physically meeting may soon become impossible. Before it was confirmed that members had tested positive, he floated that very possibility.
“I don’t think we can operate as if we can just bring the Senate and the House back whenever we want,” he said.
Do you have questions you want answered? You can always get in touch. And if you're someone who is seeing the impact of this firsthand, we’d also love to hear from you (you can reach out to us via one of our tip line channels).


buzzfeednews--2020-03-19--These Teens Have Been Called Out For Joking About Being Tested For Coronavirus On TikTok. They Say I

These Teens Have Been Called Out For Joking About Being Tested For Coronavirus On TikTok. They Say It's Helping Them Deal With Their Fears.

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To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
Young people on TikTok are showing off their serious health symptoms as part of a `` Coronavirus Check '' meme on the platform .
Despite getting criticism , the teens said making videos is helping them cope with the current crisis .
`` I went onto TikTok because I knew it would bring me joy , '' 19-year-old Hanah Ayoub told BuzzFeed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shared a TikTok of herself during a hospital stay for a second cardiac ablation procedure , joking about it being a test for COVID-19 .
Her post has gone viral .
Even though in the TikTok she was not actually being tested for the virus , she has since been tested , and her results came back negative .
Ayoub , who 's from Phoenix , said she had a seizure during her medical procedure that left her unconscious and bedridden for several hours .
While scrolling through social media in her hospital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about having COVID-19 since I was tested for it . ''
After getting backlash for making light of the situation and misrepresenting her hospitalization , she shared another TikTok apologizing and explaining herself last week .

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus. To help keep this news free, become a member and sign up for our newsletter, Outbreak Today.
Young people on TikTok are showing off their serious health symptoms as part of a "Coronavirus Check" meme on the platform. Despite getting criticism, the teens said making videos is helping them cope with the current crisis.
"I went onto TikTok because I knew it would bring me joy," 19-year-old Hanah Ayoub told BuzzFeed News.
Earlier this month, Ayoub shared a TikTok of herself during a hospital stay for a second cardiac ablation procedure, joking about it being a test for COVID-19. Her post has gone viral.
Even though in the TikTok she was not actually being tested for the virus, she has since been tested, and her results came back negative.
Ayoub, who's from Phoenix, said she had a seizure during her medical procedure that left her unconscious and bedridden for several hours. While scrolling through social media in her hospital bed, she "decided to joke about having COVID-19 since I was tested for it."
After getting backlash for making light of the situation and misrepresenting her hospitalization, she shared another TikTok apologizing and explaining herself last week.


buzzfeednews--2020-03-19--Prince Albert II Of Monaco Is The First Head Of State To Announce A COVID-19 Diagnosis

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Monaco announced Thursday that Prince Albert II has tested positive for COVID-19 , making him the first head of state and reigning monarch to go public with a diagnosis for the coronavirus disease sweeping the world .
In a statement , the Prince 's Palace of Monaco said Albert had been tested at the start of the week and that his condition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He is being treated by his doctor and specialists from the Princess Grace Hospital Centre , which is named for his late mother , the former actor Grace Kelly .
Albert is said to be continuing to work in his private apartments and is in touch with the members of his Cabinet and government .
`` His Serene Highness urges the people of Monaco to respect containment measures and to limit contact with others to a minimum , '' said the palace .
`` Only the rigorous observance of these containment rules will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' With a population of fewer than 40,000 , Monaco currently has at least seven confirmed cases of the disease .
The prince , 62 , is among the world 's wealthiest royals and has ruled Monaco since the death of his father , Rainier III , in 2005 .
President Donald Trump and President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil were both tested for the coronavirus after an aide to the South American leader was diagnosed with COVID-19 .
Both presidents said they tested negative .
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been self-isolating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , tested positive .
On Wednesday , Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart , a Florida Republican , and Utah Democrat Ben McAdams became the first members of Congress to announce they tested positive for COVID-19 .
In the UK , Buckingham Palace said Queen Elizabeth II has canceled events and moved to Windsor Castle `` as a sensible precaution and for practical reasons in the current circumstances . ''

Monaco announced Thursday that Prince Albert II has tested positive for COVID-19, making him the first head of state and reigning monarch to go public with a diagnosis for the coronavirus disease sweeping the world.
In a statement, the Prince's Palace of Monaco said Albert had been tested at the start of the week and that his condition is not cause for any worry.
He is being treated by his doctor and specialists from the Princess Grace Hospital Centre, which is named for his late mother, the former actor Grace Kelly.
Albert is said to be continuing to work in his private apartments and is in touch with the members of his Cabinet and government.
"His Serene Highness urges the people of Monaco to respect containment measures and to limit contact with others to a minimum," said the palace. "Only the rigorous observance of these containment rules will stop the spread of the virus."
With a population of fewer than 40,000, Monaco currently has at least seven confirmed cases of the disease.
The prince, 62, is among the world's wealthiest royals and has ruled Monaco since the death of his father, Rainier III, in 2005.
President Donald Trump and President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil were both tested for the coronavirus after an aide to the South American leader was diagnosed with COVID-19. Both presidents said they tested negative.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been self-isolating after his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, tested positive.
On Wednesday, Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart, a Florida Republican, and Utah Democrat Ben McAdams became the first members of Congress to announce they tested positive for COVID-19.
In the UK, Buckingham Palace said Queen Elizabeth II has canceled events and moved to Windsor Castle "as a sensible precaution and for practical reasons in the current circumstances."


buzzfeednews--2020-03-19--These Experimental Drugs Could Be Used To Treat The Coronavirus In The US

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter Outbreak Today .
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is pushing the FDA to expand its use of experimental drugs intended for other diseases — including an anti-Ebola drug and a longtime anti-malaria medication — against COVID-19 , the disease caused by the novel coronavirus , as a central part of the nationwide response to the growing pandemic , he said in a press conference on Thursday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — which is already being used in China and South Korea to treat COVID-19 — would begin distribution for patients in the US .
“ We ’ re going to be able to make that drug available almost immediately , and that ’ s where the FDA has been so great .
They ’ ve gone through the approval process .
It ’ s been approved , ” he said .
Later in the press conference , FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn clarified that the drug would be made available to patients as part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s a drug that the president has directed us to take a closer look at as to whether an expanded use approach to that could be done , to actually see if that benefits patients , ” Hahn said .
“ We want to do that in the setting of a clinical trial.
” The drug has already been approved by the agency to treat malaria , which means doctors could prescribe it to patients on an “ off-label ” basis .
`` If clinical data suggests this product may be promising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be increased demand for it , '' said an FDA statement on Thursday .
`` We will take all steps to ensure chloroquine remains available for patients who take it to treat severe and life-threatening illnesses . ''
The FDA is famously cautious about approving new drugs , typically through a lengthy approval process that takes years .
The order from Trump points to the seriousness of the pandemic , feared to overrun US hospitals with cases in the next two months .
Worldwide case numbers stood at more than 220,000 cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ passing 10,000 and growing at a rate of 30 % a day in the last two weeks .
The experimental Ebola medication remdesivir , already in clinical trials in China , will also be provided to US coronavirus patients under compassionate use rules by the FDA , which allow the use of unapproved drugs in serious cases when no other treatment options are available .
Drugs provided under such protocols will have their data collected to prove their safety to the wider population , Hahn said at the briefing .
“ We want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right drug at the right dose to the right patient at the right time , ” said Hahn .
The White House announcement underscored the lack of an effective drug to treat COVID-19 , which has led to a worldwide race to repurpose both old and new drugs to find what works .
“ Usually new drugs take a decade or longer to develop , and cost billions of dollars , ” the American Chemical Society ’ s Cynthia Liu , who led a March survey of possible drugs to treat the novel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We don ’ t have that time with this epidemic , so it is logical and smart to look to drugs we have already.
” The report found about a dozen existing drugs , including four antiviral drugs already in clinical trials , could treat COVID-19 , along with another two dozen experimental new drugs in development .
The Ebola drug remdesivir is one of the four antivirals being tested worldwide , a class of medicines that interfere with the reproduction of viruses .
Another antiviral , an HIV drug called lopinavir , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a clinical trial whose results were released on Wednesday .

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus. To help keep this news free, become a member and sign up for our newsletter Outbreak Today.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is pushing the FDA to expand its use of experimental drugs intended for other diseases — including an anti-Ebola drug and a longtime anti-malaria medication — against COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, as a central part of the nationwide response to the growing pandemic, he said in a press conference on Thursday.
Trump said the anti-malaria drug chloroquine — which is already being used in China and South Korea to treat COVID-19 — would begin distribution for patients in the US. “We’re going to be able to make that drug available almost immediately, and that’s where the FDA has been so great. They’ve gone through the approval process. It’s been approved,” he said.
Later in the press conference, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn clarified that the drug would be made available to patients as part of a clinical trial. “That’s a drug that the president has directed us to take a closer look at as to whether an expanded use approach to that could be done, to actually see if that benefits patients,” Hahn said. “We want to do that in the setting of a clinical trial.”
The drug has already been approved by the agency to treat malaria, which means doctors could prescribe it to patients on an “off-label” basis. "If clinical data suggests this product may be promising in treating COVID-19, we know there will be increased demand for it," said an FDA statement on Thursday. "We will take all steps to ensure chloroquine remains available for patients who take it to treat severe and life-threatening illnesses."
The FDA is famously cautious about approving new drugs, typically through a lengthy approval process that takes years. The order from Trump points to the seriousness of the pandemic, feared to overrun US hospitals with cases in the next two months. Worldwide case numbers stood at more than 220,000 cases on Thursday, with US case numbers passing 10,000 and growing at a rate of 30% a day in the last two weeks.
The experimental Ebola medication remdesivir, already in clinical trials in China, will also be provided to US coronavirus patients under compassionate use rules by the FDA, which allow the use of unapproved drugs in serious cases when no other treatment options are available. Drugs provided under such protocols will have their data collected to prove their safety to the wider population, Hahn said at the briefing.
“We want to make sure we are giving the right drug at the right dose to the right patient at the right time,” said Hahn.
The White House announcement underscored the lack of an effective drug to treat COVID-19, which has led to a worldwide race to repurpose both old and new drugs to find what works.
“Usually new drugs take a decade or longer to develop, and cost billions of dollars,” the American Chemical Society’s Cynthia Liu, who led a March survey of possible drugs to treat the novel coronavirus, told BuzzFeed News. “We don’t have that time with this epidemic, so it is logical and smart to look to drugs we have already.”
The report found about a dozen existing drugs, including four antiviral drugs already in clinical trials, could treat COVID-19, along with another two dozen experimental new drugs in development. The Ebola drug remdesivir is one of the four antivirals being tested worldwide, a class of medicines that interfere with the reproduction of viruses. Another antiviral, an HIV drug called lopinavir, failed to produce better outcomes for COVID-19 in a clinical trial whose results were released on Wednesday.


buzzfeednews--2020-04-15--He’s Been A Hospital Chaplain For Years. He’s Not Shocked That So Many COVID-19 Victims Are Black.

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
Willie Cobb didn ’ t know the coronavirus was coming , but he was prepared for it .
The 57-year-old hospital chaplain in Chicago has been helping people grapple with death for a long time .
As a black chaplain in a city that has long had health inequalities that break down along racial lines , Cobb was not surprised that COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard .
But even he was shocked to see how many black people were filling the ICU beds and requiring ventilators in the two hospitals where he works .
The citywide data is similarly stark — black people account for about 70 % of the coronavirus deaths in Chicago but make up only 30 % of the population .
Still , Cobb , a married father of three and Catholic , ministers to everyone — across different religions and races .
And as COVID-19 has borne down on his city , he has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the week , Cobb makes the 10-minute drive from his home to Community First Medical Center on the north side of Chicago in a mostly white and Latino neighborhood .
He likes to arrive by 6 a.m .
In the time of COVID-19 , his early mornings have shifted from checking in to see what ’ s happened with the patients overnight to seeing which patients have died .
“ This is the new normal , ” he says .
Cobb picks up the phone and calls the families of the dead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do to help — these are the people who will need his support most immediately .
Hospital chaplains typically provide spiritual support , but Cobb says that ’ s just one part of what he does .
The way he describes it , his job is to get people through the worst moments of their lives — the moments that are so bleak tomorrow doesn ’ t seem worth living for .
Cobb is always asking people what they need .
Getting resources to people — whether it ’ s childcare or help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to assuage pain .
At 8:30 each morning , he leads a morning prayer over the loudspeaker of the hospital for all of the staff and patients .
The prayers come from whatever is in his heart , he says , but most recently he ’ s been praying for the health care workers who are on the front lines .
In the past week , he ’ s offered prayers for both Passover and Easter .
Round-faced and with a wide smile , Cobb speaks melodically and with patience ; the long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of dramatic flair .
After the prayer , he checks in with individual staff members , to see how they ’ re doing .
He ’ s never seen them all so pushed to their limits .
Some of them are scared to death , he says .
He watched one woman , on the janitorial staff , nearly faint in distress after she was asked to clean the room of a COVID-19 patient .
She was sent to the emergency room and then home after that .
These days , there ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and ask after the health care workers ’ needs before all of the nurses , cleaners , and respiratory therapists have to get back to their jobs .
“ Everything is an emergency .
Everything is intense right now , ” he says .
After talking to staff , he makes rounds to the patients who don ’ t have COVID-19 to say hello and check in .
Sometimes he wears scrubs , but usually he wears just regular clothes and a black fleece jacket inscribed with the words “ chaplain , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ministry.
” People still aren ’ t always sure what he does .
Before the coronavirus , when ministering to people , Cobb would hold them if it felt appropriate .
He ’ s a touchy-feely guy , he says .
But now , he has his own N95 respirator and stands 6 feet apart from everyone to minimize his risk of exposure .
The work is harder by phone .
It takes multiple calls to figure out where they are at emotionally and what needs they have .
When the virus first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he attended some deaths without any protection at all .
He knows he ’ s been exposed and may even have contracted it , though he hasn ’ t shown any symptoms .
He still monitors his own temperature , but he hasn ’ t had the chance to get tested .
Now , when he makes rounds to the non-COVID-19 patients , he says hello from the doorway in a mask and he washes his hands constantly .
On Mondays and Fridays , he checks in with the hospital administrators at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are holding up , too .
The crisis has affected everyone so he doesn ’ t want to leave them out either .
Then comes lunch .
Lots of companies have been donating food to the hospital to show their support for workers , so lately he ’ s been grabbing whatever is available and eating at his desk .
The time gives him a chance to finish any charting work on the patients he is spending time with .
In the afternoon , he calls COVID-19 patients on the phone .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ wore extra protective equipment like a gown and a face shield to see them in their rooms .
But now there are simply too many COVID-19 patients .
So to protect himself and to preserve the hospital ’ s stock of protective equipment , he simply calls them .
Lots of his work is done by phone now , sometimes just down the hall from where patients are recovering .
A few days ago , he called up Martha , who is 60 and had been hospitalized .
After a few days , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 .
Martha ’ s symptoms had started out mild , but then it became difficult for her to drink water .
She stopped eating .
Her family worried that if the coronavirus disease didn ’ t kill her then starvation might , so they brought her to the emergency room .
While in the hospital , her family broke the news to her that her father and uncle had died of COVID-19 back in Ecuador , where she had recently visited them .
Both had been lucky to get coffins , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Martha hadn ’ t gotten a chance to say goodbye .
Cobb asked Martha what he asks almost everyone : “ What do you need ?
” Martha wanted to make sure her son was all right .
He had been at home alone and was possibly COVID-19-positive too .
So Cobb got on the phone with Martha ’ s daughter .
He spoke with Martha ’ s son , whose mental health had been declining while he was alone .
He called an ambulance to pick him up so he could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ psychiatric support .
Sometimes doing a tangible thing for someone brings relief , says Cobb .
Cobb ’ s days are made up of finding a myriad of ways to give people relief , each tailored to individual patients .
One family was having trouble with a funeral home that ’ s too busy to pick up the remains of their loved one who had passed away from COVID-19 .
Cobb scrolled through his phone and dialed the owner of a crematorium in Chicago that he works with regularly .
The man was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but he came anyway .
“ That ’ s my guy , ” says Cobb .
Other times people just need someone to be with them , to make them feel understood .
When people believe they are alone in what they feel — that ’ s when grief becomes dangerous , Cobb says .
So he tries to reach out , and let them know that he ’ s there , too .
And that they don ’ t have to suffer alone .
“ I will be here with you .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ I will cry with you .
I will laugh with you , ” he wants them to know .
Cobb didn ’ t start out as a hospital chaplain .
He used to teach theology at St. Gregory , a Catholic school in Chicago that ’ s since been shuttered .
He also coached basketball and baseball .
That ’ s where he met his wife , Janet , when they were assigned to share a classroom 24 years ago .
He became a hospital chaplain in 2012 after trying it during his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Janet , who now advises nonprofits , says she thought that he would make a good hospital chaplain , even before he considered doing it , because of his knack for connecting with people .
He ministers to people wherever he goes , she says .
Cobb says he ’ s become the minister even for his local bar — listening to people ’ s stories and helping support them .
Everyone needs to be listened to without judgment , he says .
After watching him do this work for years , his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speak with the family members of patients who have just died .
She does her best to help him decompress .
Last Sunday , that meant giving him the space to wind down rather than inviting him to hop on a large family Zoom call , she says .
But even as the hospitals where he works have become infection zones where many are afraid to venture , Janet says she knows that her husband would never dream of staying home .
“ You don ’ t tell a chaplain not to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” she says .

Willie Cobb didn’t know the coronavirus was coming, but he was prepared for it. The 57-year-old hospital chaplain in Chicago has been helping people grapple with death for a long time.
As a black chaplain in a city that has long had health inequalities that break down along racial lines, Cobb was not surprised that COVID-19 hit the city’s black population hard. But even he was shocked to see how many black people were filling the ICU beds and requiring ventilators in the two hospitals where he works. The citywide data is similarly stark — black people account for about 70% of the coronavirus deaths in Chicago but make up only 30% of the population.
Still, Cobb, a married father of three and Catholic, ministers to everyone — across different religions and races. And as COVID-19 has borne down on his city, he has gotten to work.
Four days out of the week, Cobb makes the 10-minute drive from his home to Community First Medical Center on the north side of Chicago in a mostly white and Latino neighborhood. He likes to arrive by 6 a.m.
In the time of COVID-19, his early mornings have shifted from checking in to see what’s happened with the patients overnight to seeing which patients have died.
“This is the new normal,” he says.
Cobb picks up the phone and calls the families of the dead, to find out what he can do to help — these are the people who will need his support most immediately.
Hospital chaplains typically provide spiritual support, but Cobb says that’s just one part of what he does. The way he describes it, his job is to get people through the worst moments of their lives — the moments that are so bleak tomorrow doesn’t seem worth living for. Cobb is always asking people what they need. Getting resources to people — whether it’s childcare or help with funeral arrangements — is one way to assuage pain.
At 8:30 each morning, he leads a morning prayer over the loudspeaker of the hospital for all of the staff and patients. The prayers come from whatever is in his heart, he says, but most recently he’s been praying for the health care workers who are on the front lines. In the past week, he’s offered prayers for both Passover and Easter. Round-faced and with a wide smile, Cobb speaks melodically and with patience; the long pauses between his thoughts offer a tinge of dramatic flair.
After the prayer, he checks in with individual staff members, to see how they’re doing. He’s never seen them all so pushed to their limits. Some of them are scared to death, he says. He watched one woman, on the janitorial staff, nearly faint in distress after she was asked to clean the room of a COVID-19 patient. She was sent to the emergency room and then home after that.
These days, there’s only so much time to listen and ask after the health care workers’ needs before all of the nurses, cleaners, and respiratory therapists have to get back to their jobs.
“Everything is an emergency. Everything is intense right now,” he says.
After talking to staff, he makes rounds to the patients who don’t have COVID-19 to say hello and check in. Sometimes he wears scrubs, but usually he wears just regular clothes and a black fleece jacket inscribed with the words “chaplain,” his name, and “doctor of ministry.” People still aren’t always sure what he does.
Before the coronavirus, when ministering to people, Cobb would hold them if it felt appropriate. He’s a touchy-feely guy, he says. But now, he has his own N95 respirator and stands 6 feet apart from everyone to minimize his risk of exposure. The work is harder by phone. It takes multiple calls to figure out where they are at emotionally and what needs they have.
When the virus first broke out, he’s sure he attended some deaths without any protection at all. He knows he’s been exposed and may even have contracted it, though he hasn’t shown any symptoms. He still monitors his own temperature, but he hasn’t had the chance to get tested. Now, when he makes rounds to the non-COVID-19 patients, he says hello from the doorway in a mask and he washes his hands constantly.
On Mondays and Fridays, he checks in with the hospital administrators at the end of his mornings to see how they are holding up, too. The crisis has affected everyone so he doesn’t want to leave them out either. Then comes lunch. Lots of companies have been donating food to the hospital to show their support for workers, so lately he’s been grabbing whatever is available and eating at his desk. The time gives him a chance to finish any charting work on the patients he is spending time with.
In the afternoon, he calls COVID-19 patients on the phone. When the cases first hit, he wore extra protective equipment like a gown and a face shield to see them in their rooms. But now there are simply too many COVID-19 patients. So to protect himself and to preserve the hospital’s stock of protective equipment, he simply calls them. Lots of his work is done by phone now, sometimes just down the hall from where patients are recovering.
A few days ago, he called up Martha, who is 60 and had been hospitalized. After a few days, her test had come back positive for COVID-19. Martha’s symptoms had started out mild, but then it became difficult for her to drink water. She stopped eating. Her family worried that if the coronavirus disease didn’t kill her then starvation might, so they brought her to the emergency room.
While in the hospital, her family broke the news to her that her father and uncle had died of COVID-19 back in Ecuador, where she had recently visited them. Both had been lucky to get coffins, but neither had a proper burial or service. Martha hadn’t gotten a chance to say goodbye.
Cobb asked Martha what he asks almost everyone: “What do you need?”
Martha wanted to make sure her son was all right. He had been at home alone and was possibly COVID-19-positive too. So Cobb got on the phone with Martha’s daughter. He spoke with Martha’s son, whose mental health had been declining while he was alone. He called an ambulance to pick him up so he could get tested for the coronavirus and get psychiatric support.
Sometimes doing a tangible thing for someone brings relief, says Cobb.
Cobb’s days are made up of finding a myriad of ways to give people relief, each tailored to individual patients. One family was having trouble with a funeral home that’s too busy to pick up the remains of their loved one who had passed away from COVID-19. Cobb scrolled through his phone and dialed the owner of a crematorium in Chicago that he works with regularly. The man was an hour and a half away, but he came anyway. “That’s my guy,” says Cobb.
Other times people just need someone to be with them, to make them feel understood. When people believe they are alone in what they feel — that’s when grief becomes dangerous, Cobb says. So he tries to reach out, and let them know that he’s there, too. And that they don’t have to suffer alone. “I will be here with you. I will walk this with you. I will cry with you. I will laugh with you,” he wants them to know.
Cobb didn’t start out as a hospital chaplain. He used to teach theology at St. Gregory, a Catholic school in Chicago that’s since been shuttered. He also coached basketball and baseball. That’s where he met his wife, Janet, when they were assigned to share a classroom 24 years ago.
He became a hospital chaplain in 2012 after trying it during his master’s program in theology. Janet, who now advises nonprofits, says she thought that he would make a good hospital chaplain, even before he considered doing it, because of his knack for connecting with people. He ministers to people wherever he goes, she says. Cobb says he’s become the minister even for his local bar — listening to people’s stories and helping support them. Everyone needs to be listened to without judgment, he says.
After watching him do this work for years, his wife knows how exhausting it is to speak with the family members of patients who have just died. She does her best to help him decompress. Last Sunday, that meant giving him the space to wind down rather than inviting him to hop on a large family Zoom call, she says. But even as the hospitals where he works have become infection zones where many are afraid to venture, Janet says she knows that her husband would never dream of staying home.
“You don’t tell a chaplain not to be a chaplain just because life gets crazy,” she says.


buzzfeednews--2020-04-14--Trump’s Coronavirus Briefings Are Another Chance For Him To Break Your Brain

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
If you close your eyes and sit still for a few minutes , you can remember a time when things weren ’ t so strange — the daily flood of people dying alone , the fear of those forced to venture out , the millions who have lost their jobs , the fact that many ( though far from all ) of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at home , staring at the same four walls .
If you try this exercise around 5 p.m. , however , you will be quickly shaken from your pre-coronavirus nostalgia .
For that , give or take 45 minutes , is the witching hour .
In addition to the myriad adjustments Americans have made to try to survive a deadly pandemic , they have also allowed Donald Trump into their homes on a nightly basis .
No matter if he has an announcement or not , a message to the nation or not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whatever enters his mind .
And there we are — millions of us — to take it in .
It sets a rhythm to the day : breakfast , lunch , Trump press conference , drink , dinner , drink .
It ’ s obvious why Trump , obsessed with attention , has settled into the routine .
The question is why we do this .
For journalists , it ’ s our job — and there ’ s a raging debate over the how and why of it .
But millions of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president splatter his id all over the White House briefing room .
It ’ s exhausting .
Last week , a stream of consciousness riff about reopening the US economy took him from talking about the fourth fiscal quarter to comparing the September 11 death toll with that of COVID-19 ( “ we ’ ve more than doubled it , and it ’ s still going ” ) , then sideways into the stock market ( “ we ’ re going to have the best stock market week — shortened week — in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ record ” ) , around to airlines , into one of his favorite new lines ( “ we ’ ve learned a tremendous amount ” ) before ending , finally , with ventilators ( “ we have a lot of very exciting things taking place ” ) .
The mental energy it takes to follow his train of thought , let alone suss out new or important information and flag the lies , is enormous .
Since self-isolation has stripped away the romance of things , I ’ ll admit that sometimes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ myself falling asleep — as if my brain is saying , I can ’ t take this anymore .
Even Martha Joynt Kumar — the director of the White House Transition Project who has made it her life ’ s work to study presidents ’ interactions with the press — calls the daily briefings “ overwhelming.
” “ I think at any time the president speaks , one needs to listen , because what he is saying forms the record of his presidency , ” she said .
Despite growing calls for reporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard to turn away when you have such unfettered insight into the mind of the most powerful person in the world — lies , insecurities , and all .
One day , centuries from now , historians will read the White House record and find that in the midst of a global pandemic , Trump was delivering untested medical advice from the podium .
They will see him calling reporters “ fake ” and “ third-rate.
” They ’ ll hear him , three weeks after his address to the nation , using @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ I have , you know , hundreds of millions of people .
Number one on Facebook .
Did you know I was number one on Facebook ?
I mean , I just found out I ’ m number one on Facebook .
I thought that was very nice.
” Never before has a president seized the public White House podium nearly every single day for so long .
Trump has spoken for more than 20 hours in the White House briefing room since the crisis began .
Since regularly joining the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there have only been three days when he has not addressed the public .
Several of his press conferences , including one on Friday that clocked in at 2 hours and 13 minutes , beat his previous “ single-day record for talking to the press , ” which came during a NATO press conference in London on Dec. 3 when he spoke to reporters for 2 hours and 1 minute — and even that one was spaced out in three sessions of Q & As , according to a study by Kumar .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , when he held a Fox News town hall on the virus during the day , then called into Fox to clarify his comments , and then decided to hold a previously unplanned briefing that evening , which ran for 1 hour and 50 minutes .
For the 18 press conferences that Trump attended fully , rather than handing it over to the actual task force chief , Vice President Mike Pence , the average running time was 91 minutes .
“ He needs one of two things : a group who loves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t like him , so he can get energy from either one of them , ” Kumar said .
No mass gatherings like public rallies ?
Cue increased attacks on reporters in the room .
“ These are different , ” Kumar said .
Trump is up there surrounded by experts who often contradict what he has just said , when he hasn ’ t contradicted himself .
“ It ’ s very confusing for people .
Do we have to stay inside or don ’ t we ?
Is the president the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and mayors ?
”

If you close your eyes and sit still for a few minutes, you can remember a time when things weren’t so strange — the daily flood of people dying alone, the fear of those forced to venture out, the millions who have lost their jobs, the fact that many (though far from all) of us are taking this in while sheltering at home, staring at the same four walls.
If you try this exercise around 5 p.m., however, you will be quickly shaken from your pre-coronavirus nostalgia. For that, give or take 45 minutes, is the witching hour. In addition to the myriad adjustments Americans have made to try to survive a deadly pandemic, they have also allowed Donald Trump into their homes on a nightly basis. No matter if he has an announcement or not, a message to the nation or not, there he is, riffing on whatever enters his mind. And there we are — millions of us — to take it in. It sets a rhythm to the day: breakfast, lunch, Trump press conference, drink, dinner, drink.
It’s obvious why Trump, obsessed with attention, has settled into the routine. The question is why we do this.
For journalists, it’s our job — and there’s a raging debate over the how and why of it. But millions of Americans are tuning in to watch the president splatter his id all over the White House briefing room. It’s exhausting. Last week, a stream of consciousness riff about reopening the US economy took him from talking about the fourth fiscal quarter to comparing the September 11 death toll with that of COVID-19 (“we’ve more than doubled it, and it’s still going”), then sideways into the stock market (“we’re going to have the best stock market week — shortened week — in 50 years, almost broke the all-time record”), around to airlines, into one of his favorite new lines (“we’ve learned a tremendous amount”) before ending, finally, with ventilators (“we have a lot of very exciting things taking place”).
The mental energy it takes to follow his train of thought, let alone suss out new or important information and flag the lies, is enormous. Since self-isolation has stripped away the romance of things, I’ll admit that sometimes, during particularly long sessions, I find myself falling asleep — as if my brain is saying, I can’t take this anymore.
Even Martha Joynt Kumar — the director of the White House Transition Project who has made it her life’s work to study presidents’ interactions with the press — calls the daily briefings “overwhelming.”
“I think at any time the president speaks, one needs to listen, because what he is saying forms the record of his presidency,” she said.
Despite growing calls for reporters to dismiss the briefings, it is hard to turn away when you have such unfettered insight into the mind of the most powerful person in the world — lies, insecurities, and all. One day, centuries from now, historians will read the White House record and find that in the midst of a global pandemic, Trump was delivering untested medical advice from the podium. They will see him calling reporters “fake” and “third-rate.”
They’ll hear him, three weeks after his address to the nation, using the Coronavirus Task Force briefing to brag: “I have, you know, hundreds of millions of people. Number one on Facebook. Did you know I was number one on Facebook? I mean, I just found out I’m number one on Facebook. I thought that was very nice.”
Never before has a president seized the public White House podium nearly every single day for so long. Trump has spoken for more than 20 hours in the White House briefing room since the crisis began. Since regularly joining the task force briefings on March 13, there have only been three days when he has not addressed the public. Several of his press conferences, including one on Friday that clocked in at 2 hours and 13 minutes, beat his previous “single-day record for talking to the press,” which came during a NATO press conference in London on Dec. 3 when he spoke to reporters for 2 hours and 1 minute — and even that one was spaced out in three sessions of Q&As, according to a study by Kumar.
A red-letter day came on March 24, when he held a Fox News town hall on the virus during the day, then called into Fox to clarify his comments, and then decided to hold a previously unplanned briefing that evening, which ran for 1 hour and 50 minutes. For the 18 press conferences that Trump attended fully, rather than handing it over to the actual task force chief, Vice President Mike Pence, the average running time was 91 minutes.
“He needs one of two things: a group who loves him or a group who doesn’t like him, so he can get energy from either one of them,” Kumar said. No mass gatherings like public rallies? Cue increased attacks on reporters in the room. “These are different,” Kumar said. Trump is up there surrounded by experts who often contradict what he has just said, when he hasn’t contradicted himself. “It’s very confusing for people. Do we have to stay inside or don’t we? Is the president the one setting the tone or the governors and mayors?”


buzzfeednews--2020-06-01--Internal FDA Documents Show How Little Evidence The Agency Had Before Allowing Malaria Drugs To Be U

Internal FDA Documents Show How Little Evidence The Agency Had Before Allowing Malaria Drugs To Be Used To Treat COVID-19

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
The Food and Drug Administration authorized two malaria drugs boosted by President Donald Trump to treat COVID-19 in March based on threadbare evidence , according to an agency review obtained by BuzzFeed News through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit .
The review also raised serious questions about shoddy practices at overseas factories that manufactured and donated the drugs for use in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The use of the drugs to treat COVID-19 has been politically charged from the start .
On March 19 , as the number of coronavirus cases in the US started to surge , President Donald Trump called for widespread use of the two drugs , chloroquine phosphate and hydroxychloroquine sulfate , to treat the new disease , for which there is no known cure .
Nine days later , the FDA issued an emergency use authorization ( EUA ) , a special provision that allows the agency to quickly greenlight the widespread @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health emergency , allowing the malaria drugs to be used to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients .
Medical experts , meanwhile , raised concerns about the drugs saying they could cause serious health issues and were not proven to work .
Even the FDA issued a warning , four weeks after its authorization , cautioning that use of the drugs outside hospitals could cause “ life-threatening ” heart problems .
Then , a top science official in the Trump administration alleged that the emergency authorization was dangerous and came about as a result of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority , claimed he was pressured to sign off on the EUA , and was retaliated against after raising safety concerns about the malaria drugs and their importation from low-quality factories in India and Pakistan .
“ There was n't sufficient data at the time to support the use of this drug without close physician supervision , '' Bright told Congress , after filing a whistleblower complaint in May .
Days after that , President Trump stunned the nation by announcing on live television that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What do you have to lose ?
” he asked .
The FDA documents , released publicly now for the first time , outlined what data the agency used to make the hot-button decision to allow widespread use of the drugs .
The EUA review , conducted by six FDA officials , referred to only two studies of the malaria drugs , which either showed negligible results or have since been called into question altogether .
If you have any information to share about this story or anything else relating to the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out via one of our secure tipline channels .
At its center was a controversial French study that claimed that the malaria drug , combined with an antibiotic , was very effective at treating coronavirus infections .
That study has since been criticized because of numerous problems , including failing to include the outcomes of patients on the drugs who died or were hospitalized .
Two weeks after the study was published , the publisher issued a notice saying the study did not meet its `` expected standard . ''
The FDA review @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 30 patients that showed the drugs had little to no effect on patient outcomes , and a letter from Chinese scientists that said it was effective — but was not backed up with any data .
The review also included a reference to 16 clinical trials that were still underway and noted that many doctors had a “ substantial interest ” in trying the drugs .
According to the review document , officials briefly warned about the risks of giving the drugs to patients with heart problems as part of a longer section @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or hydroxychloroquine-related cardiac conduction disorders ( i.e .
QT prolongation , ventricular arrhythmias ) are rare but life-threatening adverse reactions and are usually associated with long-term use and high cumulative doses , ” officials wrote .
The document also reviewed the risks posed by the millions of doses of the drugs that were donated for use in the US .
Analyzing the 1 million chloroquine tablets donated to the US by Bayer Pharmaceuticals , the review noted they were made at never-inspected factories in India with “ a low reputation for quality.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in India whose other factories had failed previous FDA inspections .
That meant , “ facilities used to manufacture this chloroquine are presumed to have even lower standards of quality.
” A chemical analysis of the chloroquine pills conducted on March 27 , also among the public records , indicated the tablets contained small impurities but met standards .
“ Based on the scientific evidence available to FDA , it is reasonable to believe that these products may be effective in treating the serious or life-threatening disease , COVID-19 , ” the FDA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have some hints now of what they were depending on '' for the EUA , said Peter Lurie , a former FDA executive who now leads the advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest .
`` It still seems to me to be a thin read and one is left with the question of whether the approval had something to do with pressure from the White House . ''
Since the review was submitted , growing evidence has suggested that these drugs may do more harm than good .
After a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recently halted , French , Italian , and Belgian officials last week all banned the use of the drug as a therapy for the novel coronavirus .
“ I think it 's fair to ask whether the FDA — expert in assessing drug data — should or could have spotted those issues , ” Ohio State University law professor Patricia Zettler , former FDA associate chief counsel during the Obama administration , told BuzzFeed News by email .
Zettler added , however , that the standard for an emergency use authorization is always @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the federal review of the EUA application for the malaria drugs as a possible COVID-19 treatment outside of clinical trials :

The Food and Drug Administration authorized two malaria drugs boosted by President Donald Trump to treat COVID-19 in March based on threadbare evidence, according to an agency review obtained by BuzzFeed News through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.
The review also raised serious questions about shoddy practices at overseas factories that manufactured and donated the drugs for use in American hospitals, according to the documents.
The use of the drugs to treat COVID-19 has been politically charged from the start.
On March 19, as the number of coronavirus cases in the US started to surge, President Donald Trump called for widespread use of the two drugs, chloroquine phosphate and hydroxychloroquine sulfate, to treat the new disease, for which there is no known cure. Nine days later, the FDA issued an emergency use authorization (EUA), a special provision that allows the agency to quickly greenlight the widespread use of unapproved drugs during a public health emergency, allowing the malaria drugs to be used to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
Medical experts, meanwhile, raised concerns about the drugs saying they could cause serious health issues and were not proven to work. Even the FDA issued a warning, four weeks after its authorization, cautioning that use of the drugs outside hospitals could cause “life-threatening” heart problems.
Then, a top science official in the Trump administration alleged that the emergency authorization was dangerous and came about as a result of political pressure. Rick Bright, director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, claimed he was pressured to sign off on the EUA, and was retaliated against after raising safety concerns about the malaria drugs and their importation from low-quality factories in India and Pakistan. “There wasn't sufficient data at the time to support the use of this drug without close physician supervision," Bright told Congress, after filing a whistleblower complaint in May.
Days after that, President Trump stunned the nation by announcing on live television that he was taking the drugs himself. “What do you have to lose?” he asked.
The FDA documents, released publicly now for the first time, outlined what data the agency used to make the hot-button decision to allow widespread use of the drugs.
The EUA review, conducted by six FDA officials, referred to only two studies of the malaria drugs, which either showed negligible results or have since been called into question altogether.
If you have any information to share about this story or anything else relating to the coronavirus, email dan.vergano@buzzfeed.com or reach out via one of our secure tipline channels.
At its center was a controversial French study that claimed that the malaria drug, combined with an antibiotic, was very effective at treating coronavirus infections. That study has since been criticized because of numerous problems, including failing to include the outcomes of patients on the drugs who died or were hospitalized. Two weeks after the study was published, the publisher issued a notice saying the study did not meet its "expected standard."
The FDA review also cited a small Chinese trial of 30 patients that showed the drugs had little to no effect on patient outcomes, and a letter from Chinese scientists that said it was effective — but was not backed up with any data. The review also included a reference to 16 clinical trials that were still underway and noted that many doctors had a “substantial interest” in trying the drugs.
According to the review document, officials briefly warned about the risks of giving the drugs to patients with heart problems as part of a longer section detailing warnings and precautions. “Chloroquine- or hydroxychloroquine-related cardiac conduction disorders (i.e. QT prolongation, ventricular arrhythmias) are rare but life-threatening adverse reactions and are usually associated with long-term use and high cumulative doses,” officials wrote.
The document also reviewed the risks posed by the millions of doses of the drugs that were donated for use in the US. Analyzing the 1 million chloroquine tablets donated to the US by Bayer Pharmaceuticals, the review noted they were made at never-inspected factories in India with “a low reputation for quality.” The pills were made by a manufacturer in India whose other factories had failed previous FDA inspections. That meant, “facilities used to manufacture this chloroquine are presumed to have even lower standards of quality.”
A chemical analysis of the chloroquine pills conducted on March 27, also among the public records, indicated the tablets contained small impurities but met standards.
“Based on the scientific evidence available to FDA, it is reasonable to believe that these products may be effective in treating the serious or life-threatening disease, COVID-19,” the FDA officials concluded.
“At least we have some hints now of what they were depending on" for the EUA, said Peter Lurie, a former FDA executive who now leads the advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest. "It still seems to me to be a thin read and one is left with the question of whether the approval had something to do with pressure from the White House."
Since the review was submitted, growing evidence has suggested that these drugs may do more harm than good. After a second clinical trial involving the drugs was recently halted, French, Italian, and Belgian officials last week all banned the use of the drug as a therapy for the novel coronavirus.
“I think it's fair to ask whether the FDA — expert in assessing drug data — should or could have spotted those issues,” Ohio State University law professor Patricia Zettler, former FDA associate chief counsel during the Obama administration, told BuzzFeed News by email. Zettler added, however, that the standard for an emergency use authorization is always low.
Here is a copy of the federal review of the EUA application for the malaria drugs as a possible COVID-19 treatment outside of clinical trials: